Blogs from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 5

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 ... read more

We arrived early in the morning in Belfast, Northern Ireland (pronounced Norn Iron by the locals), a city with a turbulent past referred to by it’s people as “The Troubles.” The troubles were primarily from 1968-1998 when horrendous bombings and assassinations occurred between the Protestant “Loyalists” who were supportive of a British controlled Northern Ireland, and the Catholic IRA “Republicans” who were supportive of a free and unified Ireland. There has been religious conflict between the Protestants and Catholics well before this time, but this is the period when armed conflict was escalated and a wall was built to keep Nationalists and Loyalists apart known as the “peace wall.” These walls divided communities and peoples many believe exacerbated the problems. Our incredible BnB host Walter (favorite host and accommodation ever, and Mom’s crush even without the ... read more

Ireland – Only for the Brave 4 2nd May 2018 Continuing the Grey Haired Nomads’ 2,200mile journey by motorhome, clockwise around Ireland The Giant's Causeway to Belfast Our overnight camp, only a few minutes from The Giant’s Causeway, gave us a fresh window of opportunity. Rising from our slumber at 06.05, we were showered, fed and ready to leave in watery sunshine by 07.00. By ten minutes past, we were kitted up in hats and waterproofs (rain was forecast for 9am), cameras charged, and through the arch at the side of the visitor centre before opening time. We could flash our National Trust membership cards in the car park later. Scattered cloud and an optimistic sun allowed for good light on the rocks and out across the crashing waves. This picture has been etched on our ... read more

Today was dominated by the "Political and Mural" black taxi tour. It was just Jane and I and the guide, Norman Reilly, born and bred Belfast, and who spent 11 months in prison as a 17 year old during the Protestant - IRA "war". It was totally enlightening, bringing back many memories of incidents and names of major protagonists we had seen on television and read in the newspapers when younger. Jane and I walked through the streets where the violence had raged and had claimed the lives of 1200 people in one square mile. Since the ceasing of hostilities a "Peace Wall" has been built separating Shankill Road and Falls Road (Protestant and Catholic areas). Come 7pm the gates are shut. The captions for the photos add to the story. After the tour we walked ... read more

Dear All Greetings once again from London, and this is my travel blog entry for my second full day in Northern Ireland. As mentioned, I only planned to write up one entry for my four-day trip to Northern Ireland this half-term holiday, but found that my travels and experiences there were just so wonderful that I couldn’t possibly do the trip justice by just writing up one entry. So this is my second of three. In my last, I wrote up about my first full day in Belfast. In this one, I plan to write up about my second full day, in which I decided to take a full day “Paddywagon” bus tour up north, to the beautiful and seriously stunning area known as the Causeway Coast. I had actually been hoping to visit this area ... read more