It was already getting light at around 4:00AM in Dublin this morning! It promised to be a beautiful, sunny, and warm day today (68 degrees)!
We took the two hour train ride from Dublin to Belfast, (in Northern Ireland).
The views were amazing! Imagine that—blue skies in Ireland! That sunshine made everything that much greener!
We settled in with our coffees and hot chocolates. The coffee cups were ingenius! They had a built in filter to catch any coffee grinds and, on top of that, were biodegradable! And they worked perfectly!
You just can’t beat a train ride when you have comfy seats, coffee, and a table with a view! We were, indeed, Happy Campers!
When we got off the train in Belfast and walked outside, it was STILL warm and sunny! We were thrilled since we were way up in Northern Ireland.
First thing on our agenda was seeing the Titanic Museum! It was located inside a beautiful building that was standing right next to where the Titanic was built!
It was truly an experience going through the museum. If you ever get the chance to go to Belfast, the four of us recommend it highly.
Next up were the Peace Walls, a series of barriers separating predominately Catholic/Nationalist and Protestant/Unionist communities. We Ubered it there with a cheeky Irish gentlemen, who gave us all kinds of information about the wall, the area, and recommendations on where to eat lunch. The only problem, was that we did not understand one word that came out of his mouth! I had remembered that the Scottish accent was heavier than that of the Irish! (I WAS OH SO WRONG!) The Irish English is like nothing you can (EVER) imagine!
The Peace Walls were erected in 1969 as temporary barricades during what Northern Ireland called “the Troubles”. We were told (we think) that the gates are still locked every night.
Bobby Sands, the IRA’s leader in the Maze prison outside of Belfast, died on May 5, 1981 in the prison’s hospital after a 66 day hunger strike at the age of 27. He became a martyr to Irish republicans and his death marked a watershed in Northern Ireland’s Troubles, and helped pave the way for the IRA’s political wing, Sinn Fein, to become today the largest on the island of Ireland. (Thank you, ChatGPT!)
When we asked our Uber driver who the man on the side of the building was he (literally) looked at us like we were crazy! His explanation was basically unintelligible! (Again, thank you, ChatGPT!)
We ate lunch/dinner at Kelly’s Cellar, the oldest pub in Belfast! It was packed on the outside as well as the inside’s main floor, with people enjoying their drink (or two or three or four)! We have found that many of the pubs in Ireland only sell booze with no food at all. Can you even imagine, nothing to soak up the alcohol? (That spells TROUBLE!) We were lucky that, as those that do serve food, we could go upstairs to eat! Patte, Mike and I enjoyed our first bowl of Irish Stew, while John had a plate full of ham and cabbage! DELISH on all accounts!
After lunch, we walked down the street to The Cathedral Quarter, the vibrant, creative, and historic heart of Belfast.
It was a WONDERFUL day in Northern Ireland. We loved the feel of the city and especially the feel of pure sunshine, blue skies and warmth! Back at the ranch, we put our feet up after our long day of travel, and savored some cheese, crackers and glasses of delicious Malbec, while watching The Reluctant Traveler take on Venice!
Good Night, Dublin!
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