Belfast, Ireland

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I arrive in Belfast from Dublin, and I am very eager and excited to be here. I am a huge Game of Thrones fan, and a lot of the filming is done in Belfast. I have slated two separate tours that I am so excited about. I also didn't want to miss out on going to the sight to where one of the most famous ships in history was built; The Titanic.

With a pretty full schedule, I thought it best to go to tour the Titanic museum and site first thing. I normally use my feet to get around, and for this trip I continued to do so. It was a bit further than I thought, but never the less I make my way there. It was starting to rain, and I was thinking I better get there and get there fast as I didn't want to get soaked and be just miserable. I try to take in as much of the city as I can while walking, but it is a bit difficult when you are in a hurry to get to a certain place. I just followed the signs that pointed to the Titanic museum, and just go on faith I am going in the right direction. All along I am thinking that I will have to cab it back to my hostel if the weather doesn't hold out. I believe I see the museum in the distance, but it looks like a ways away. I keep trudging on. I get there and I see this huge what looks like sheet metal cutout of the spelling of the Titanic. I knew I was at the right place. I got a photo of this, and lucky that I did get a clean shot for there were always people around. I make my way in to the museum and I see signs explaining the shipyard where the Titanic was built in which you could view, and there was a little ride you could take on amusement type rail cars that would take you inside the museum. I qued up in the line and took this ride. You are taken through a simulation of the building of the Titanic with a history of the people, and what all it took to make this worldly wonder happen. There were short videos and narrations going all along the ride. I complete the ride and make my way to a huge window that overlooked the actual spot where the Titanic was built. Pretty amazing! As I was departing, there was a replica life boat like would have been used. I remember seeing the movie, and I always wandered how they crammed so many people in the boats. After seeing the replica, I wander even more. Especially during all of the chaos going on during this tragic time. I depart the museum, and make my way back. There was also another ship in the shipyard there that you could tour and I looked around it for a moment. The rain had subsided, so I made the decision to just walk back to my hostel. Again on my journey, I tried to just take in as much as I could all the way back. Finally get back to my hostel, and I was lucky enough to have a private room. I get cleaned up, and decided to just hang out the rest of the day for my big Game of Thrones tours were upcoming in the following days.

I awake very excited. The main reason I wanted to come here was finally upon me. Eagerly I make my way to the meeting point to my first Game of Thrones tours. The first one is the Game of Thrones Winterfell tour. I find the meeting place and meet the tour guide. His name is Andrew Lazlo, and he looked liked he walked right off the set of Game of Thrones. Long burly beard and boots laced up to almost his knees. Actually he is an extra, and is featured in a documentary of the Game of Thrones called the Last Watch on HBO. Anyway, we depart for the tour on a coach bus, and Andrew tells the group many interesting and funny stories about the filming of the show, the actors, as well as scenery of the sets. We have to take a ferry to reach our destination from Portaferry to Strangford, across the mouth of Strangford Lough which is like a strong fjord. It was a bit rainy during this ride which was not all that pleasant, however I was so excited it didn't really matter that much to me.

We board the bus and go to our first stop which is the Castle Ward Estate. After a short walk, we are at a 16th century castle and stable yard where the scenes for the Winterfell castle were filmed. I walked around and looked in awe, and all the while Andrew was explaining and showing pictures of the scenes shot there. After several photos, we move on. This is a walking tour, so we had long walks to the different landscapes. I noticed really how beautiful Belfast was during these walks. We were shown many photos of the actual scenes that were filmed right where we were standing. We walked on the field where the Battle of Oxcross took place, and next we go to Castle Ward. There are many relics there such as outfits worn, etc. that we got to look at. Another exciting part of the trip was about to occur. I actually get to meet, pet, and get my picture taken with the Direwolves from the show. There were two of them, and they were really big and beautiful dogs. I was so excited to have my photo taken with them. The owner of the dogs was also an extra in the show. The last part of this tour, we get to actually put on some Game of Thrones outfits, and we got to do some role play. We walk down a long stretch of road, dressed in our Game of Thrones outfits mind you, and come to more places where scenes were shot at The Cistercian Abbey of Inch. I got several photos of me with these huge swords and outfit on. Pretty fun even for someone my age. We proceed to walk along a river bed, and we are shown where the direwolves were first introduced on the show. We walk around in the wooded area looking at more places where scenes were shot which was the Tollymore Forest. All in all this was a wonderful tour, and Andrew was awesome. I would highly recommend this tour. I had so much fun. I make my way back to my hostel, for I have another tour in the morning that I am also very excited about.

I awake the next morning, and once again very excited for the upcoming tour. This tour was to take us to the Iron Islands...uuuhhh ahhh, as well as the Giant's Causeway and a rope bridge adventure. There were long walks on this tour, and I was ready. The meeting place was the same, so this was easy. I get there in plenty of time, and this time my tour guide had a long red beard, and he was also an extra on the show. His name was Richard Peter, and he really was a funny guy. We have a long ride ahead of us before our first stop, which was the Cushendun Caves. This is where in the show Melisandre gave birth to a dark spirit. Anyway, we arrive, and it is funy because the cave is actually the lower part of someone's property. Their house sits a top the hill, and the cave is down below on the water side. We make the trek inside the cave, and we have many opportunities to photo the actual spot of the filming, as well as walk around inside the cave. So much fun, and we also get to go though the cave to the waters edge where more scenes were shot. After a short stay, we board the bus and make our way to the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. I was super excited that I would get to walk across this. We make our way there, que up in the line, and walk across. You have to go single file, and only one way, so the other side has to wait on you. It is 98 feet to the rocks below, and is pretty cool, but scary looking down to see that if you fall off the plank and go over the rope, you are done for. Many pictures I took from up here. I cross after a few seconds, and walk around on the other side. I take many photos, and make my way back. Once again, you have to cross the bridge, but it is easier once you have done it once before. We board the bus and visit a few more spots where the show was filmed, and all the while Richard is telling funny stories, and I seem to laugh more than I have in quite some time. We break for lunch, and I had a wonderful meal in a local restaurant and pub. There was a replica of the Iron Throne there, and I got to sit in it and take photos. Cool, cool, cool. Now we are off to the Iron Islands.

Once there, we again get to put on the outfits that were replicas from the show. It was pretty cool to dress up, and many of the other tourists were looking and pointing at us. We were dressed in leather outfits with swords and shields, and it was just cool. The Iron Islands were actually filmed in Ballintoy Harbor, and this is where in the show Theon Greyjoy came ashore on Pyke Island. We stay here for a bit getting many photo opportunities of the location and dressed in our outfits. We go back to the bus, take off the wardrobes, and make our way to Giant's Causeway. We arrive, and are given about an hour to hour and a half to tour around. I walk there as fast as I can without sprinting, and once there I was in awe. This was a magnificent sight. So beautiful. This is a geological marvel of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, formed in the Paleogene Period, 50-60 million years ago. I walk all along the rocks and admiring the beauty. I want to go to the highest peak, and I start too, but I think better of it, for I only have a limited amount of time. So I make my way back to the meeting point, and we head off to the last destination which is the Dark Hedges. These are a haunting avenue of beech trees that are really big and spooky looking, and where Ayra and Gendry escaped King's Landing in the show. So beautiful. I take many photos, and then we make our way back, say our goodbyes and depart. This was also an amazing tour, and I would recommend to anyone that is a Game of Thrones fan. It was so much fun.

I make my way back to my hostel, and I just chill the rest of the day and night. I was heading back to Dublin the next day, and then home. What a joy Belfast was, and I truly hope to come back here again some day.

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