Ireland Day 8: Big, Beautiful Belfast
A guest lecture at Queen's University, followed by an up-close experience of Belfast
In my brief experience, I have already decided that I like Belfast more than Dublin. The city is smaller, & I think the people are nicer & funnier. Of course, Dublin was extremely busy due to the fact that it was EU Week, so there were large groups of foreign tours all around the city. Either way, my experience of Belfast has been amazing.
We started our morning with a bus tour to get acclimated with the new city. Our tour guide was extremely funny & we missed him when we got back on the bus tour.
We got off the bus at Queen’s University for a guest lecture. Garrett Carr is an English professor at the university, & he specializes in creative writing. We met with him because of his recent book, The Rule of the Land, in which he details his journey across the Ireland/Northern Ireland border, from one end to the other. Carr took the entire journey by foot or boat, following the border almost exactly. His goal was to make the border a place for the Irish people, not a scary separation of the two countries. Many people in Ireland or Northern Ireland still view the border as the militarized check points that were taken down after the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.
Before his lecture, we read sections of the book, which I found to be very entertaining, detailed, & accessible. I plan on purchasing the book when I get home.
Queen’s University itself is gorgeous. I love all of the Victorian architecture that I have seen since coming to Belfast, & Queen’s was no exception. The school is so pretty, I actually looked up their graduate school programs, just to check ;)
I stopped for lunch at a place called Boojum, which is like a Chipotle. I also browsed a small bookstore for a book to read for my final paper for this trip. I ended up purchasing two books at the recommendation of Dr. Teekell: Foster & Small Things Like These both by Claire Keegan. They are small novellas, so perfect quick reads & perfect for traveling.
After we left Queen’s, a group of us went to the Titanic Museum, which is by far the coolest museum I have ever been to. The museum just reopened in March, unveiling new experiences in their museum.
Before arriving in Belfast, I did not know that the Titanic was built in Belfast. The city was one of the largest shipyards in the world, so the museum was about more than just the Titanic. Rather it told stories about the history of the shipyard, the contexts of Belfast before the Titanic was built, and the experiences of the employees that built the Titanic. Along with that original perspective, the museum also talked about the interior design & living conditions on the Titanic, how it sank, & how the sunken ship was found.
The part of the museum that I found to be most interesting was a section where they explained malpractices or mistakes that were made that contributed to the sinking of the Titanic & loss of so many lives. The museum also explained the changes that have since been made to prevent sinking & ensure the preparedness of the crew & passengers.
One thing I have never experienced in a museum before was a theme park ride. Guests sit in a lift that takes them up, down, & around a simulated shipyard that shares the sights, sounds, & stories of the builders.
We walked back to the hotel & found some fun things we would have otherwise missed if we took a bus.
Another thing about Belfast that I have learned since my arrival is that much of Game of Thrones was filmed in the studio by the Titanic Museum. There are six stained glass windows around the city that represent different themes, characters, & scenes from the show.
We stopped by the big blue fish that is perched along the River Lagan. Local legend says that if you kiss the fish, then you will get seven years of wisdom. I did pretend to kiss the fish, but I feel like kissing the fish would give me seven years of diseases, along with the seven years of wisdom.
We passed the Albert Memorial Clock, named after Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert. Since most of Belfast was built on unstable bogland, the clock tower is leaning. Apparently, it is structurally sound.
For dinner, I went to the Crown Bar with a small group & had some of the best food I have eaten since I arrived in Ireland. It was a very nice place with good prices & traditional Irish food. I would definitely recommend it to anyone coming to Belfast (I recommend making reservations).
After dinner, we went downstairs to the Crown Bar Pub & got to sit in a snug! A snug is a really cool wooden stable that surrounds a booth. It has tall walls, intricate wood carvings, stained glass windows, & they are extremely difficult to sit in as some people will stay there for hours. Lucky for us, we got one!
Kaley’s Kravings (A Section about Food/Drink for Mrs. Sherry)
Steak & Guinness Pie with Mash & Peas from the Crown Bar in Belfast, Ireland. This was such a homey meal. The steak inside was tender, & the pie crust was so flaky. The mash was interesting as I am not 100% sure that it was just potatoes…I had a glass of Crush Grapes Not Dreams Cabernet Sauvignon with my dinner, & it was the perfect pairing.
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Custard from the Crown Bar in Belfast, Ireland. I did not expect something cake-like when I ordered a pudding, but it was still delicious. My favorite part was the warm, creamy custard. It was perfect atop the pudding.
This was by far the most fun I have had on my trip thus far. Of course, it helps that I am no longer sick. Tomorrow we will visit the Dominican College for girls at Fortwilliam to learn the Irish language & Irish sports.
Missed Yesterday’s Post?: Ireland Day 7: Bookin’ It to Belfast