To Belfast and Beyond…….

Belfast

Trip Costs: ~ $415.00 Bus tickets Clifden / Galway return 36.40EU; Train Galway to Dublin return 102.80EU; LUAS 7.20NIP; Train Dublin to Belfast return 110.00EU; Belfast tours ~100NIP (NIP=Northern Ireland Pound or Sterling)

Weather: Beautiful, warm ~15C or 50F with slight rain on Tuesday evening (last day in Belfast)

Couple of helpful notes: If you travel by train in Ireland or other European countries make sure your seat hasn’t been reserved by someone else. Check for a card or a lighted name plate located above the seat that would indicate the seat is reserved. When parking your vehicle, check to make sure the road doesn’t have a double yellow line painted by the curb, that indicates there is no parking and could be costly if you ignore it. Remember, Belfast does not use the Euro as currency, you need pounds sterling.

The great adventure to the other side of Ireland begins. After days of meticulous planning, checking train schedules, bus schedules, and most importantly, where to park the car, we are ready for our adventure. Our plan is to take the bus from Clifden to Galway, take the train from Galway to the Dublin Connelly train station, take the light rail once in Dublin to the Hueston train station where we catch our train to Belfast. Several exchanges but we should have sufficient time to make all the connections.

Not everything went as planned. The car park that offered overnight parking, to our surprise, was closed and gated. This lot had been open for the entire week prior to our travels, we even checked it the night before we were leaving and it was open. Oh well, just find another place to park. Sounds simple but if you’ve read the note above you’ll know that most parking is either paid parking with a 3 hour limit, or no parking allowed. Finding a parking spot for 3 days is not as easy as one would think.

We managed to find parking in a residential area that was fairly close to the bus stop, about 10 minutes away. We parked the car and headed off to catch our bus with 10 minutes to spare. The bus to Galway was pleasant since I didn’t have to drive. The ride took about 1.5 hours so we had ample time to find the train station, which was only a block away, then have breakfast.

Now, there was this issue of buying a ticket to Belfast that still needed our attention. Should be easy enough, go to the ticket machine, insert money, get ticket. Well, no. We went to the machine but we could only buy a ticket as far as Dublin. Not sure why but the ticket machine didn’t recognize Belfast as a stop. Best we could do is go to Dublin and buy another ticket there for the journey to Belfast. Again, sounds easy.

So the hits just keep on comin’. We get to Dublin and make our way outside to the LUAS light rail. No idea what LUAS means, possibly “Leave Ur Arse Stranded” or something like that. Using Collette’s decoder ring we find that it costs 1.8EU and the train leaves in 2 minutes. We buy our ticket and sure enough, the train arrives within 2 minutes and is packed tighter than a Sumo wrestler in yoga pants. We decide to wait for the next train that arrives in 4 minutes. This time there is plenty of room so we board and head for Connelly station having no idea how long this ride will take.

A quick 10 minutes later we find ourselves across the street from what looks like a train station. Apparently the light rail we took was not the one that actually stops at Connelly station, this one stops about a block away so hit the road Jack. Not strolling this time, we briskly walk to the station to buy our tickets for Belfast. A little confusing inside the station but we find the ticket machine, buy our tickets and still have 8 minutes to spare before the train departs. Perfect timing!

The train to Belfast is about 2 to 2.5 hours with trolley cart service (coffee, tea, snacks, etc.). Very comfortable seating, same as the train from Galway. Both trains offered free WiFi which we took advantage of to do some web searching and website updating. We did try to Skype with Lindsay, Leo and family but the connection wasn’t stable and dropped out.

We arrive Belfast in the evening around 4pm. After a quick review of the map and some very helpful directions from a kind gentleman in the train station, we decided to walk to the B&B, about 20 minutes. First impressions of Belfast were that we were in a section of town that wasn’t, shall we say, exactly upper class. Lots of graffiti, empty buildings, trash on the streets, etc. you get the picture. Two police cruisers passed us during our walk in armored vans with “skirts” around the bottom to protect against anything being rolled under the vehicle. Still with my background in self-protection I figured if anything happened I would offer up Collette and run like hell in the opposite direction. Just kidding, I can’t run like I use to with these new hips, I’d probably just walk fast. On a serious note, although nothing happened, always be aware of your surroundings. Anticipate potential problems and avoid them if possible, even if that means crossing the street a couple of times. Remember, you’re dragging a suitcase and carrying a backpack, probably don’t look like a local.

Got to Harper’s B&B at 121 University St. with no problems. Located in an area of Belfast that is in the midst of revitalization, this B&B is absolutely wonderful. Joe, the owners brother, met us as we entered and gave a very warm and inviting welcome. The managers, Gary and Summer had the day off so we met them on Tuesday. This B&B is one of the cleanest, brightest and newest B&B’s we’ve ever stayed in. Extensively remodeled, the B&B is three floors, about 6-8 rooms and has handicap access. Our room, located on the top floor, had a queen size bed, 32” TV with satellite and a tiled bath with heated towel rack. The only thing of note is that it was on the top floor so the room stayed warm but we found a fan in the closet and all was well. Breakfast is a buffet of cold cereals, fruits and breads or a hot, full Irish breakfast cooked to order. (harpersbelfast@gmail.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because we were only in Belfast for 2 days, we decided on a combined tour ticket with the hop on – hop off tour on Tuesday and the Giant’s Causeway Coastal tour the next day. The total cost of this combined tour was 70NIP for two people and gave us the flexibility we wanted in seeing Belfast. The tour started at 10am so Gary arranged for a driver to pick us up at Harper’s at 9:30am the next day and take us to the bus downtown.

Not ready to call it a night we strolled, back to strolling again, down to the Crown Bar the oldest pub in Belfast. Not that the interior of pubs is something we check out and rate but this one is truly magnificent. Tin ceiling panels with unique designs, very old and very intricate carvings of griffins and lions, private booths with stained glass and doors, hand-painted ceramic tile under the counter and on the floor that creates an incredible atmosphere. The bar has hand-drawn beers, including Guinness of course, and painted mirror backgrounds. You have to see this one. Side note, the Crown is located across the street from the Europa Hotel. So what, you say. Well, the Europa Hotel has the honor of being the most bombed hotel in Belfast, over 60 times during the “Troubles”. May want a seat away from the windows! Also, President Clinton (Bill not Hillary) stayed at this hotel when he visited Ireland. In talking with the hotel staff, they’re not sure which bit of history has done the greatest harm to their reputation but the damage from the bombs has been repaired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hop on – Hop off tour

If you’ve never taken one of these tours, you really should try it. Our first time using one was in Dublin on 2013 and it was great. They get you to all the places of interest, in all kinds of weather, and you decide which ones to see of not see. So much easier than driving, it’s well worth the price.

The Belfast tour has 20 stops throughout the city that include everything from historical sites to shopping centers. The ticket is good for 48 hours and buses come by about every 30 minutes, unless it’s off season then they come by less regularly. Still, having a limited time to tour the city, this was a good value for us.

We’re not much for shopping so we eliminated those stops and focused on more historical sites and sites of political interest. Belfast has a very rich history of political unrest and sectarianism. There are numerous “peace” walls throughout the city and sections that are to this day, closed and gated evenings and weekends to keep non-residents out. Although the Good Friday Peace agreement was signed by Sinn Fein and the nationalist Party in 1998, there is still much healing taking place.

The Titanic Experience was a key site we wanted to tour. No you don’t have to get in a life raft or freezing water, this museum / tour includes lots of information about the early 1900’s and life in Belfast through and including the building of the Titanic. Brief history of Titanic, built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast from 1909 to 1911 as one of the new Olympic class ships, ship #401. These ships, Titanic, Olympia, and Britannic were at the time the largest ships ever built. Harland & Wolff employed over 10,000 people from engineers, draftsmen, skilled cabinet makers, to rivet drivers to fit out these massive new ships making Belfast a very blue collar town. 1 out of every 6 people working on these ships died or was severely injured during this time. Safety equipment consisted of a needle used to remove hot steel shards from you skin and if you were lucky, a hard hat. Otherwise there was no safety equipment provided or used. As a matter of fact, most iron workers refused to ride elevators and chose instead to climb girders without ropes or harnesses.

Moving on, Titanic was launched and fitted out, performed her sea trials flawlessly and was certified safe in all respects. She departed on 10 April 1912 from Southampton, England for New York with  stops in Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown (now known as Cobh), Ireland, with 2,240 passengers and crew.  The rest is history.

Definitely one of the best museums / tours we have ever taken. There is so much about the history of Belfast including industrial, agricultural, and political that I wouldn’t do it justice writing about it here. This should be on your list if you plan to go to Belfast. Cost of the tour is 15.5NIP and will take at least 2-3 hours depending on crowds. Your hop on – hop off ticket gets you a 1.5NIP discount.

(Lots of pictures to follow)

Getting back on our bus, we rode around the city to see the Customs House, Parliament building, City Hall, Queens Museum and several other sites. It was lunch time, yes eating again, so we stopped off at Shaftesbury Square and Lavery’s Bar for fish and chips and bangers and mash.

Back on the bus and heading for a touring of the city’s Peace Walls. Peace walls are located in several parts of the city, but the most popular walls are at Falls Road and Shankill Road. These peace walls were originally erected to separate Catholics and Protestants, keep one sect from entering the other sect’s neighborhood. The conflict between these sects grew out of a difference of opinion on how Ireland should be ruled, either internally with “Home Rule” or externally, remaining under British rule. Some felt the need to be part of England and be considered British while others wanted to be independent. This erupted into many conflicts, marches, bombings and unfortunately the loss of about 3,100 lives. This was a time known as “The Troubles”.

In 1998 after years of violence and destruction, a peace agreement was signed. The walls that were made to separate sects began to have murals painted on them depicting freedom fighters, innocent casualties, heroes, and calls for peace not just in Ireland but everywhere in the world where people struggle for peace. Still to this day there are areas identified by these walls that have gates that are closed and locked in the evenings and weekends. Separatism is still alive. This is another “must see” when in Belfast.

(Yet more pictures to follow )