Northern Ireland: Belfast

Northern Ireland represents the one new country we will visit on this trip. There are several differences we experienced that we were not expecting.

• Distances are measured in miles and speed is gauged on miles/hour. We were stymied. We thought all of the U.K. was on kilometers.
• The cell phone network on my phone (from Three) did not get good coverage in Northern Ireland at all. This was a major concern because it meant our ability to use Googlemaps for navigation was spotty.

Northern Ireland is one of those ‘Game of Thrones’ places. They have filmed here and we have come across a number of items calling that out. These windows were along the quay leading over to the Titanic Experience.

We were staying three nights in Belfast and our itinerary was pretty simple. One day would be spent in Belfast and the other up on the coast to see Dunluce Castle and the Giant’s Causeway. This would be our third AirBnB stop. Our hosts were actors, a mixed-marriage of an English man and a nationalist Irish woman. They were very hospitable and fun to talk with. They even let us do our laundry for no extra charge.

Belfast: Capital of Northern Ireland

Our base in Belfast was in the university neighborhood, near Queens University, the Ulster Museum, and Ormeau Park, none of which we took advantage of. Instead, we walked a mile and a half to the city center to visit City Hall and then another mile to the Titanic Experience newly opened in 2012.

Belfast, like every big city, has its iconic buildings and monuments. We went by several on our walk. They have their version of Big Ben, a big fish erected to celebrate the return of fish to the Lagan River, and the oldest pub in the city which is where we had lunch.

We highly recommend checking out City Hall. It is an impressive building built during the turn of the century and opened in 1902. There is a free 45-minute tour well worth taking. There is also a series of exhibits (separate from the tour) that provide a history of Northern Ireland and Belfast although we thought it glossed over the troubles a bit except for the Reflections room which was all white but for quotes of people who had lived through them.

The architect was a fan of Christopher Wren who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London so there are many similariries. No expense was spared. Floors and walls are of Italian marble and the columns in the rotunda are of a beautiful Greek marble – stunning!

The Lord Mayor of Belfast is a position that comes with lots of tradition and ceremony. The Lord Mayor is actually elected by the 60 councilors of Belfast who are elected by the people. He or she only serves for one year. They are required to elect Lord Mayors from each of the eight political parties so that no one party has that power for too long. If the Lord Mayor is a man, his wife is the Lady Mayor and she gets to wear the Lady Mayor’s chain for ceremonial occassions. If the Lord Mayor is a woman, there is no corresponding item for her husband.

Titanic Experience

Belfast is where the Titanic was built so the city has strong ties to her. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of her launch, they constructed a new museum, Titanic Experience, which opened in 2012.

There are various options to customize your experience including afternoon tea by a replica of the grand staircase. We chose the basic ticket which was £19.50 apiece (about $24).

The four floor experience is a thorough walk through focused on the building of the ship covering everything from the economy of Belfast at the time to how the ship was decorated and supplied. There’s even a ride! There is a poignant exhibit about the sinking itself showing the telegraph messages between Titanic and other ships in the North Atlantic at the time. This is followed by a room with recorded audio of actual survivors.

Finally there are exhibits dealing with the aftermath covering the inquiries and the recovery efforts ending with a film of the wreck on the ocean floor. The entire four floors took a couple of hours. They also have the last White Star luxury liner docked next door and you can tour it as part of the basic experience. We chose not to as it was getting into early evening and we were ready to head back. It had been a full first day in Northern Ireland!

Next up: The Giant’s Causeway and Dunluce Castle! http://europeyourway.net/giant’s-causeway