Belfast a City in Transition

In Dublin, we board a train at Connelly Station for the quick 2 hour trip to Belfast.  We leave Ireland and are going to Northern Ireland which it's part of the United Kindom.     For many Irish it's not by choice,  many in the country are not happy about this.   When we entered the suburbs of Belfast you started to see the Union Jack, identifying loyalist enclaves/neighborhoods that support the crown.

When you got off the train you could feel something in the air.  If you know the history of this place you can understand the underlining tension.  Even though a peace treaty between Sinn Féin, the Irish Republican Army, and the British Government has existed since 2005 you could still see armored police cars driving around the city.  We saw news stories of adolescent gang violence across Northern Ireland. Even with all this, we felt safe in the city even though it seemed divided in many ways.  Many establishments pride themselves on once being part of the Irish Nationalist Movement.

We're here to go to Downpatrick, where St. Patrick is buried and to see the Titanic Center in the harbor area, Belfast was more of a mystery to us.  We are in Belfast a very short time just two full days, but I'm very impressed by this place, it lacks the tourist elements that was in Dublin, which to me is a good thing.

The cathedral quarter is where all the churches from all the different denominations are which I find kind of odd, it was on a beautiful tree lined street.  It's hard to imagine this place during all the conflict.  The center of town is dominated Albert Memorial Clock one of Belfast's best-loved landmarks.  It is unofficially their own leaning tower, being that it is 1.3 meters off center at the top.

One thing I noticed things to seem to be cheaper here. In Ireland, we used the Euro and now the British Pound in Northern Ireland.  There is a strong union influence here in Belfast with union murals all over the city.

I recommend a trip to Belfast to anyone.  There is a unique feeling here that can't be missed. The city is booming with construction cranes everywhere, they seem to be transitioning into one of the most modern cities in Europe.

A Trip to the British Isle's

What a trip, Ireland, Dublin, Belfast, then a ferry over to Great Britain.   A train from Stranrger to Newcastle.  Then an 8 day walk along Hadrian's Wall from Newcastle to Carlisle.  The whole reason why we came here.  After that down to Liverpool then another train to Holyhead to catch a Ferry which takes me back to Dublin.  It was literally, planes, trains, and automobiles, with a couple of ferries thrown in.


Hadian's Wall, from the North Sea to the Irish Sea. Newcastle to Carlisle across Great Britain. The length of Hadrian'sWall.   We walked over 90 miles during 8 days.  Walking along a wall the Romans built over 1000 years ago.  It's hard to imagine what it was like, but it's safe to say a soldiers life has changed very little since then.

Then it was off to Liverpool to see the Beatle sites and much more. I think that when most people think of England, London comes to mind. Liverpool is a hidden gem.  Liverpool was heavily bombed during the war so the city center is relatively new. Liverpool sustained the most civilian casualties during the Blitz. Who would have thought? But what I like most is the pedestrian downtown a huge outdoor mall and gathering place, full of restaurants and mixed use space. Let's not forget the Tate Museum where there was a great exhibit on the work of Otto Dix.

There were many great interesting people that I met on this trip.  Cabin drivers, bed and breakfast host's, fellow walkers of the wall.  They all had such interesting stories to tell.   A big shout out to Baggage Transfer Plus and Ian Blythe. Who made our 90-mile walk across England worry free. We had great accommodations and baggage transfers all across Hadrian's Wall Path.  It was a lifetime of great experiences.

It was a trip that I dreamed about for a long time and now it's over.  The memories remain, it will take a while to rehash them.  It feels a little surreal that all this happened.  I must get them written down before I forget, so stay tuned.

Travelling to Ireland

Well, it's has started, a new adventure.  An old Army buddy and I have headed Dublin for a couple of days. Then to Belfast and the St. Patrick's Center, then to the Titanic Museum.  All this while on the way to walk Hadrian's Wall.  84 miles across the central British Isle.  That will include a ferry ride across the Irish Sea to Briton.

After a 2-hour flight delay because of thunder storms, our Aer Lingus 757 is off to Dublin.  The 6-hour flight is what it is, hot and uncomfortable at first.  We are lucky to have an empty middle seat that makes the trip 100% more enjoyable.  A little trick that I have learned from years of traveling is to book both a window and an aisle seat in the back of the plane.  Usually, the middle seat will remain free if the aircraft isn't 100% full.

The Dublin Airport is an ultra sleek European design.  After clearing customs and collecting our bags, I grab some euro's out of the first ATM that I see.  We catch the number 700 bus to the city center.  It's a short 2 block walk to our hotel.  We can't check in for a few hours so they are holding our bags so we can take a walk.  We grab a map and go to a Cafe to plan our first adventure, but we need coffee first.

We first head over to St Patrick's Cathedral which is an awesome place.  We catch a choir singing and enjoy the World War I display with a remembrance tree.  After working in Afghanistan, it was moving to see memorial plaques of soldiers that had died there.  In the rafters, they have the old regimental flags hung to fade away, like old soldier that never die but only fade away.  Some famous author said this for 

We then walk up and grab some fish and chips at the famous Leo Burdock Fish and Chips.  Serving this stuff for over a 100 years. We take it down to the St Patrick's Cathedral Park and have a great lunch.Then it's back to the Hotel to check in and take a nap.  So that we can go see the Guinness Brewery later in the afternoon.

We sleep until 1700 we see that the last tour starts at 1800 off in a mad dash to the Guinness Storehouse and Brewery.   A magnificent place with a cool observation deck.  A brewery is a brewery tour they seem to be about all the same, but this one is in Ireland, so it makes it special.  We buy the required t-shirts then it's off to Dinner.

 Our last stop of the night is dinner and where else to go but the oldest Pub in Ireland, established in 1198.  It caps off an extraordinary day.  The Brazen Head Pub for some Bangers and Mash which is a dish of sausages and mashes potatoes and vegetables.  There couldn't have been a better spot to end a great first day on a long adventure through the British Isles.