Ireland, the land of leprechauns and shamrocks, is our final country we will visit on this grand world voyage. Northern Ireland, with a population of 1,775,000 people (2012) will our first stop. The capital is Belfast, and that is our destination.
The best time to visit here is from May to September as the days are longer and warmer. The locals like to eat hearty bacon and cabbage, seafood chowder, smoked salmon, and soda bread. The favorite beverage is Guinness, possibly with a chaser of boggy (a smoky whiskey).
Trademarks are potatoes, harps, shamrocks, Guinness, leprechauns, shillelaghs, everything green, and traditional Irish pubs.
Random fact: Until the 19th century, the color of the flag was blue. And the flag of St. Patrick has a gold harp on a blue back round. So not everything is green.
There was a Belfast sail in scenic commentary beginning at 8am, where Gaelic rolls were served in three areas. They must have run out, since we never saw any of these rolls in the dining room. Our arrival time was somewhere around 10am, which is nice since these ports are coming way too fast now. In the last few weeks we have noticed many passengers coming down with a nasty cold, and have been successful in sharing the bug, we’re afraid. The biggest worry is that over-doing these ports will set the folks up for a major outbreak.
Even though the temps were predicted to be around 52 degrees, the wind chill made that 10 degrees less. Dressed warmly, we went off of the ship by 10:30am and boarded the shuttle bus that brought us to the center of town. It was about a 20 minute ride, but we heard later in the day, many buses got caught up in horrible traffic later in the afternoon. Typical of big cities.
When we exited the shuttle bus, there were sales people handing out hop on hop off bus maps, which is a good way to see the major sites. They advertised 23 stops with 60 points of interest for the mere price of 12.50 pounds. Near the drop-off spot, we found the largest and most modern info center we have ever seen. Many maps and brochures, but they also had interactive computerized help as well. The info girl behind the desk outlined the route we should take and the best of the iconic sites to see within walking distance.
Right across the street was the massive City Hall structure. We were able to walk around it and get a lot of photos. Being that today was Saturday, the streets were already crowded with locals. We somehow found the pedestrian-only shopping area loaded with cafes, boutiques, restaurants, and night spots. There was a big mall called Castle Court Shopping Center, so we went inside to find a typical mall that we have seen in most every big city.
Going deeper into the grid of pedestrian streets we noticed the presence of many police people. Over the last 50 or more years, Belfast has had many civil problems with crime to match. So we wondered what was happening to warrant motorcycle cops and even armored vehicles. We soon found out when we began to hear the beat of drums and bagpipes. There was a parade of some sorts heading our way, and the streets had been closed off. The name of this parade was May Day and appeared to have many labor union groups marching with several bands. Just by coincidence, we learned what this was all about in tomorrow’s British Today newsletter on the ship. It was the annual parade, where the theme was for worker’s rights, as well as in remembrance for a murdered journalist, a vibrant and bright person. We stayed until the entire group had passed by, admiring the band groups and the local’s support of all trade unions.
Looking for the church, we located St. Anne’s Cathedral, and did snap a few photos despite that fact they wanted money to see the interior. Going onward, we strolled through Writer’s Square where we found more shops. One was named Fresh Garbage, so we had to see what it was. Another clothing store, but a clever name. That’s when we discovered Victoria Square, the premium shopping center with 70 international and local brand stores. Every level had cafes, restaurants, a theater complex, all built under an iconic dome. The center elevator would take you to the top of the dome for a view of the city. It was crowded at the elevator platform, and we did get on one of them after lunch. However, it went down instead of up, so we gave up.
Time for lunch, we found that TGIFriday’s was opened. And they also served beer. We found out that not all fine restaurants served beer, but the pubs did. Making our way up to the highest level, we got seats by the window, and enjoyed sharing a bacon cheeseburger with fries, and two Tiger draft pints. Sharing a dessert of sticky pudding again, we backtracked the way we had come and caught the shuttle bac to the pier getting there around 3:30pm.
This evening was promised to be a spectacular one with an event arranged by our travel group. Our group of around 50 or more folks joined with our hosts and some invited guests for a bus transfer to the Titanic Museum built in 2012. It was here that we stepped back into the rich history of the city’s tradition of ship building, and the legend of the ship, Titanic. The museum was closed to the public by 6pm, and we had the place to ourselves, a rare event for sure. The outside of this museum is built ultra-modern with what appeared to be several bows of the ship jutting from the six-floor building. Inside there were nine interpretive and interactive galleries. Here we were welcomed to explore the sights, sounds, and even the smells and stories of the passenger ship, Titanic.
We only had 45 minutes to run through everything, which was way too short to take it all in. Seeing the levels of class cabins was interesting, not to mention what occurred when the vessel hit the iceberg. Chilling history. We all ended up in the entry, where we walked to the close by SS Nomadic, the last remaining White Star ship. This was used to transfer passengers from the port of Cherbourg to the waiting Titanic anchored in the harbor. This evening it would be the venue for cocktails followed by dinner.
Greeted with an orange juice cocktail, we soon found the open bar for a proper drink of Bushmill’s whiskey over the rocks. Wanting to see this transport ship/turned a service vessel during two world wars, we went up and took photos of each level of teak decks. Unknown to us, the dinner call had been sent out, and we were the last to join the crowd downstairs, already seated. We had intended to share a table with Barb and friends, but those seats were taken. Instead, we were invited to take hosts, Tom B and Deann’s places at a table near the band. By the way, the Irish 3-piece band and singers were the best. Even enticing our buddy Queen Karen to get up and do an excellent jig or clogging dance. Her new name……Happy Feet!
The meal included a salad, mains of chicken, beef, or fish, followed by dessert and chocolates. Still or sparkling water, wines, and coffee or tea ended the ample dinner. With speeches of thanks from Tom B, we loaded on the waiting bus and back to the ship by 9:30pm, ending a most special evening.
There would have been time to attend the local Celtic entertainer, Kaitlyn Carr, but we were tired and called it a night.
Another day, and another port tomorrow …..Dublin.
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, May 6, 2019
Report #106 Belfast, Northern Ireland May 4, 2019 Friday Mostly Sunny & 52 degrees
