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Published: July 15th 2009
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Today started out a little rocky. After a full ulster fry Irish breakfast (mine vegetarian style) and very good!), we headed outside and it was pouring rain (we must be in Ireland!). We walked over to the Botanic Gardens and Palm House and then to Queens University. It was graduation day so we couldn’t really see any of the inside. We had tickets for the city tour (hop-on hop-off bus) so we decided to take shelter under the bus stop and wait for the bus to come by. We waited for about half an hour…. No bus. The stop wasn’t clearly marked so we decided to continue down University Road to the next stop and wait there. Another 30, 40 minutes went by… No bus. We were going to keep walking to the city center when all of a sudden it appeared in the distance. Apparently the bus doesn’t start until 10am and since we were picking it up at one of the later stops, we had to wait for it to complete its first cycle completely around the city. We had to get off at the main stop and switch to another bus, then wait for that one to leave
about 20 minutes later. Had I known what a hassle the bus system would be, I would have opted for a one-day metro pass instead and seen Belfast that way (which I would recommend to anyone visiting Belfast!).
Once the bus got going (at about noon), things went more smoothly and according to plan. We got off at the Titanic Dockyard and Pump House to take some pictures and wander around. There‘s a café and gift shop but not much as far as displays or information. They are in the process of adding a museum but it will not be finished for a few years.. In the distance you can see the giant H&W (Harland and Wolffe) cranes filling the skyline. The cranes , named Samson and Goliath, loom over what was once the world’s biggest shipyard. Fortunately it had stopped raining by this point and there was even a nice bit of sunshine to make up for the gloomy morning.
We hopped back on the bus, stopped for a photo at Stormont Estate (Parliament), then got off at St. Anne‘s (Belfast) Cathedral. Admission is free so we wandered around the inside for a bit and then walked
over to the waterfront to see the Albert Memorial Clock, Custom House, and the Big Fish, located next to the Lagan Lookout Visitors Centre and River Lagan.. The Albert Memorial Clock was built between 1865-1870 in memory of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. The clock leans to one side and has four clocks, each displaying a different time zone.
We walked back to pick the bus up again at the cathedral and then continued on the tour through West Belfast and the wall murals on Shankill and Falls Road. The murals change frequently to reflect the current political climate. There is also a long peace wall that divides the west from the east and the two political parties (Republican and Loyalist).
We rode the bus around the rest of city and finally got off at City Hall. City Hall, opened in 1906, houses Belfasts Council Chambers and administrative offices. It is currently closed for renovations but you can wander around the grounds. There is a giant ferris wheel (Big Wheel), reminiscent of the London Eye, right next to City Hall, and there is a Titanic memorial statue located within the area where the wheel is located, and a
war memorial around the other side of the building (as well as numerous statues surrounding the grounds).
Across from City Hall is Donnegal Place, a street full of popular shops. It was still early (about 3:30pm) so we wandered around the stores for a bit before walking to Crown Bar Saloon to eat. We got to Crown Bar early so were able to be seated in a snug,, an enclosed booth which is closed off from the bar by wood panel doors to give you complete privacy from the rest of the bar. Not only is the place beautiful inside, the food is quite cheap and very good. Had a vegetable lasagna with chips and a pint of Carling . Just get there early…by the time we left (at about 5:30pm), there were people standing everywhere, including outside.
.After dinner we walked down Great Victoria Street toward our hotel, passing the tiniest house in Belfast along the way. We have an early start tomorrow (8am train) so we were back at our B&B early. We also got back just in time…it started pouring again shortly after we got inside.
Tomorrow we are off to Dublin!
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Michael
non-member comment
Awww, sorry to hear you had such troubles with the buses. Doesn't sound like they have it with newcomers in mind. Odd considering it's a touristy thing. The teeny tiny house puts me in mind of 'batteries not included'.