Belfast!

For the Fall Break, my suite mates and I decided to take a trip to Belfast in Northern Ireland! The trip was three days and two nights. We took the 7:40am train from Connolly Station and after a very smooth ride arrived in Belfast around 10:00am. 

From Grand Central Station, we caught a bus to the Titanic Quarter. I highly recommend getting a day pass for the bus, very much worth the £5. I cannot emphasize enough how epic the Titanic Experience is! The visuals are so well done, each gallery designed a bit differently, and the effect is heart wrenching. The museum does an amazing job of putting the sheer scale of Titanic into perspective. Beyond the galleries there is a cafeteria style restaurant, gift shop, and lawn to explore. The lawn is more concrete than grass but it has a diagram of how large the Titanic was for you to walk. On seeing the size, it is no wonder that people believed it was unsinkable. Also, out on the lawn is a stained glass window depicting the Iron Throne and house crests from Game of Thrones. 

After Titanic Belfast, we split off, half to the AirBnB and half to the hostel— Vagabonds, Belfast. I highly recommend Vagabonds. I was super impressed with how safe and well run it is. I slept in a co-ed twelve person dormitory and it was great. Breakfast was also provided in the morning.

After checking into Vagabonds, the rest of us walked through Belfast to the AirBnB. Belfast is gorgeous! It feels much more spacious than Dublin and the architecture I would describe as Industrial Gothic. I don’t know if that is a real term but that is what the brick buildings said to me. I would say I felt more at home in Belfast than in Dublin, perhaps because it is less cramped and feels closer to nature. At the AirBnB, we watched the Great British Baking Show which as always is a delight, especially since we were in the UK! After a couple episodes, we went to McDonald’s for a cheap dinner. Unfortunately, we had some trouble with our American cards in the North. We could pay for things but the transactions did not always go through on the first try.

Those of us who still had energy after McDonald’s made our way to The Great Eastern for a pint. It was a very nice, chill neighborhood pub. From the surrounding murals and a picture of King Charles displayed, we figured we were in a Protestant neighborhood. Warmed up by Guinness, we ventured back out into the chilly night, and were back in our beds by 10:00pm. A very full and fun day.

On Day Two, after a surprisingly good night’s sleep in the hostel, we met up at a coffee shop to start the new day. On my way, I walked past the Europa Hotel, the most bombed hotel in the world. We got provisions for lunch and then made our way to the Paddy Wagon bus that would take us to the Giant’s Causeway. 

While at first skeptical of taking a guided tour over public transport to the Causeway, it turned out to be the best decision. It rained off and on for most of the day, and was very cozy in the bus as it took the scenic routes to the north coast. I completely fell in love with Northern Ireland. The parts I saw were either rolling, dark green hills, or cool, craggy coastline. Absolutely stunning! Since it was a guided tour we made extra stops along the way and back. We saw the ruins of Dunluce Castles on a cliff, and on the way back we passed Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (which you could not pay me to go on) and the Dark Hedges! 

The Giant’s Causeway itself would have made the trip worth it! It is incredible! How it came to exist is near impossible to fathom while there. Whether made by volcanic science or giants, it is breathtaking. The rain stopped for the hour or so that we were there. Climbing out onto the Causeway was super cool and I totally recommend doing it— though I do think it would be best to do on a sunny day in the summer rather than on a windy, wet one close to winter for slipping and falling into the freezing water definitely seemed like a possibility. Unfortunately, we did not have the time to do the hiking trails and cliff walks around the Causeway which I hear are amazing. Perhaps another day.

When we arrived back in Belfast around 6:00pm, it was pouring! We spent some time in the hostel trying to wait it out but eventually had to go out for dinner. Vagabonds is just down the street from Queen’s University, and so first we scouted out the student’s pub, the Parlour, for some grub. It was packed and, on another night, it would have been fun to mingle with other college students, but there were no tables open and so we could not purchase food. By this time it was rather late, and we were very hungry so we picked a street and decided to eat at the first open place we came to. It turned out to be a Poke place and it was delicious. Very soaked, we returned to Vagabonds to crash.

On Day Three, we had a train to catch back to Dublin at noon but we still had a few things to check off our lists first. We checked out of the hostel around 9:30am and made our way to the City Centre. There we took some time to explore the memorials and statutes on the grounds of the City Hall. 

It began to pour again but two of us were determined to see the Peace Lines, so we slogged through Belfast to find them dividing a residential neighborhood. Seeing the Peace Lines is such a surreal experience. It is staggering to remember that on the other side of these walls is not a prison or warehouse but an identical residential neighborhood. Mind blowing! As a bonus, we stumbled across the mural of Bobby Sands. 

The streets were flooded with puddles and it was raining cats and dogs, and by the time we made it to Grand Central Station, we and the contents of our backpacks were soaked through! Suffice to say that our passports will never be the same. But we have both agreed that it was totally worth it. Plus we expected to get soaked (though maybe not that soaked) and expectations really are everything in enjoying one’s self in such a situation. Also, the people of Belfast were very helpful and friendly that morning, joking with us about the weather and making sure that we got off at our right stops. 

The train ride home was just as enjoyable as the one there. We were able to warm our wet socks on the heater and when the trolley came by there were Display KitKats! (Any Derry Girls fans?) They totally made my day!

All in all it was a wonderful trip and I know I will gladly go back to Belfast and Northern Ireland in the future! If you find yourself on the Emerald Isle, definitely find some time to explore the northeast!