Blogs from Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 4

Botanic Gardens was our first stop on a beautiful summer’s day in Belfast. Close to the park was The Ulster Museum, designed in Classical Revival style and built in 1924-1929. The Brutalist extension was designed by Francis Pym and built in 1966-1972. The Botanic Gardens were established in 1828 by the Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society, in response to public interest in horticulture and botany. Originally known as the Belfast Botanic Garden, the site contained exotic tree species and impressive plant collections from the southern hemisphere, many of which can still be seen in the park. The Palm House is one of the earliest examples of a glasshouse made from curved iron and glass. It shows how advances in glasshouse technology allowed horticulturists to grow exotic plant species during the Victorian period. Due to current Covid ... read more

We arrived late at night in Belfast, a city made famous because of it's turbulent past referred to by it’s people as “The Troubles.” Dennis had visited Belfast in the mid 90's and didn't have a chance to stay because of a car bombing that had occurred that day that scared off his travel companions, so he looked forward to finally returning. The troubles were primarily from 1968-1998 when 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 an independent and unified Ireland. There had been religious conflict between the Protestants and Catholics well before this time, but this is the period when armed conflict escalated and British troops were deployed to Northern Ireland and over 300 miles of ... read more

Up at 6:45. Another terrific buffet breakfast at the hotel. The hotel breakfasts are mostly in line with similar offerings around the world, but there are a few different things. "Black and white pudding" consists of hard salty cakes, some black, some white; not a favourite. "Scuffins" are a cross between scones and muffins, and they are delicious. The bread is fabulous. At the porridge station proudly stands a bottle of Bushmill's for garnishing your cereal. How civilized. We board the coach for a city tour of Belfast and meet our new driver, David. (Darius was assigned to another tour.) Our first stop is Belfast City Hall. This turns out to be the grandest, most opulent city hall I have ever seen. Built in 1906 to celebrate the city's new prosperity stemming from the industrial revolution, ... read more

August 20, 2019 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Weather: 61°F/16°C, sunny with clear skies in am, cloudy with scattered showers in pm, wind 10 mph, humidity 66° Belfast, which today is Northern Ireland’s largest city, has occupied this area since the Bronze Age. The community remained a relatively small throughout the middle ages until the 17thcentury when it began to blossom into an industrial center in the 19th& 20thcenturies. Today the city continues to be an industrial hub with tentacles in the high-tech area. Belfast holds a special place in modern history as the “birthplace” of the ill-fated RMS Titanic which was designed and built in the Harland & Wolff shipyards, along with her sisters Olympic and Britannic. Today the shipyard is quiet excect for the throngs of tourists who make their way to the Titanic ... read more

We arrived in Canterbury after a taxi and 2 train rides from Lindisfarne - 5 hour trip Canterbury is another "Holy Place". Pilgrims have been flocking here for 1600 years. So we are travelling on well worn pavement. Indeed some of the paving stones in the Cathedral are amazingly worn down, especially on the steps. The chancel area of this Cathedral is quite unique, with many sets of stairs going up and up and up. The final destination was the martyrdom of Thomas a Becket, way behind the great altar. Quite a journey for a weary pilgrim to reach this final destination. We got to go to 11am worship in the Quire this morning. The Cathedral has massive renovations going on outside and inside. Thus the pipe organ is out for restoration and no worship in ... read more