Hello Everyone,
This is one of my short summer trips during July.
You can read about the others like Glasgow trip here and the Connemara Trip here.
From Dublin, Belfast is easily accessible by train or bus, and the journey takes approximately two to two and a half hours. On the way up, I didn’t feel the ride as I was almost asleep.
It is lovely scenery on the way to Belfast as the train goes around the south coastline and some of the bigger towns there.
Morning Adventure
I arrived around 10 o’clock and didn’t realize that my phone battery was almost dead (14 %) and my USB was the wrong one to charge in the train, so my first job was to find somewhere to buy a charger. And I know this was silly from my side, like someone who had never traveled.
Anyway, I bought a charger, and well, I needed to go to Starbucks as much as I would prefer to go to a smaller, independent coffee shop since those don’t have a place to charge phones. I didn’t need to look too far away as there is a Starbucks on every corner, but unfortunately, the charging time was very bad. I would fly to London and back, and my phone would still not be charged. This was a lesson for me that even a trip for a few hours, I need to prepare as if I am going a long way. I don’t take those one-day trips too seriously as preparation, and I always forget something to charge.
Walking Tour of Belfast
Further ado, I booked one of the walking tours in the city for 11 o’clock, so I charged my phone 3 extra %, prayed it would be fine for the next 4 hours- the time I was spending in the city.
I didn’t have an actual plan; it was just to walk around, grab a matcha, and maybe lunch or something to eat, and come back to Dublin. So the walking tour was actually perfect, it was 2 hours, and I still had another 2 hours to take some photos and grab something for lunch.
The walking guide was good. The guide was knowledgeable about the history of the city, and you can learn quite a lot- if you can keep up with his speed of talking, haha. I was used to the Irish talking quickly, but I don’t know if it was the speed he was talking, the accent, or the too many facts and years he was poring on us, I was just switching off and on.
First Stop: Big Fish
This is a 10 meter long fish constructed from ceramic tiles and unveiled in 1999.
Looking closely at the tiles they depict images of the history of Belfast, its known to locals as ” Pat The Fish ” as a lot of people pat this fish for luck.
Second Stop: The Speaker Statue
Located on the steps of Customs House on Customs House Square meant as a reminder of how audience was addressed in the past.
next STop:Albert Memorial Clock
The Albert Memorial Clock is slightly tilted,caused by the fact it is constructed on reclaimed land from the River Farset and weighs over 2,000 tonnes. Build between 1865 and 1869 in Gothic style to commemorate Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert.
next sop: One of Belfast Oldest bar
The Morning Star bar and restaurant is Belfast’s oldest bar. Dating back to 1810 as a public house, but the building was here well before that! . Located in an old romantic entry running between Ann Street + High Street, in the heart of Belfast City Centre.
Those photos are from the area around the bar.
next sop: The Cathedral Quarter
This is a maze of cobblestoned streets and warehouses that are now home to trendy bars, beer gardens, clubs and restaurants.
Although it doesnt seems as such it is very pretty area, unfortenutelly I was making most of my photos with my phone and the qualiti is not so good.
next sop: Spirit of Belfast
The sculpture was unveiled on 2009 and is located on Arthur Square, close to the main point of access to Victoria Square.The sculpture has been given a nickname, the Onion Rings 🙂 They just like to simplify naming of staff in Nort ireland.
And next to it is a Freemasons’ Hall,refurbished in 2007.
Last Stop: Belfast City Hall
The lawns surrounding City Hall contain a wealth of memorials to the history, people and events associated with the city. Like the Titanic Memorial Gardens which name all 1,512 victims of the disaster. The Titanic Memorial Garden is situated on the east side of Belfast City Hall.
The city itself is very walkable, the central station is about 15 min from city hall and 20 min from the river.
Here a few more photos from the city.
Altought, it was a gloomy day, it seemed busy with a lot of people and tourist in city center.
I had visited Belfast previously, which was another reason I didn’t want to spend a weekend there. But it is definitely a destination with quite a few activities in and around the city.
My first time visiting was in 2013, when I visited the Titanic museum. You can learn quite a lot about the history of the city regarding the shipyard production and the Titanic itself.
Here are a few photos from the archive:
Me in 2013 🙂
And with this, I will end my almost one-day visit in Belfast, more like a Saturday walk 🙂
Below is my last snap from the trip from a Mural around the train station.
I like this type of trip, for a few hours or one day visiting a new place, learning something new, grabbing something to eat, and coming back for dinner 🙂
Some of those trips can be tiring, like the one in Glasgow, but this one was good as a half-day walk and brunch with friends.
Pettite Two a Pret 
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