Day tripping in Belfast
For this, my third visit to the city, I plan to venture out and learn more about its recent history. Looking at a map of the city and Northern Ireland as a whole, the names of places trigger memories of just hearing about them on the news my parents watched. It was decades later that I learned how to spell them. Actually, I don’t know how to spell them without looking them up
Sometime back, I stopped short of a tour recommended to me by a friend (who is married into a Northern Irish family). It doesn’t seem right to tour places where such bloody violence prevailed so recently. I might have done it if I was on my own though. As the photos show, we travelled out to many of the spots to learn and to pay our respects to those we’ve lost.
Belfast is a city, much like Berlin, that is full of street art. I popped the street art trail onto my map, determined to cap eyes on a few. I’ve seen this vogue in few ‘new’ nations, those re-born after revolutions or wars. Berlin is full of graffiti though. If there’s a spare wall, someone will have their paint on it before long.
Number one on my list was to see Derry and a scenic train trip got us there. We’ve not done this before because the trains take so long that an empty day and relaxed attitude is needed. Derry (on the other side of the river from Londonderry which I hadn’t factored) is bustling. I couldn’t help but think of the Derry Girls programme. Even though I’ve seen less than two episodes, like that comedy, the city is full of youthful colour, energy and promise. Next time I visit I would like to stay here. Hopefully, the infrastructure has improved or I’ll have to do what I have never done overseas, hire a car. Only because Northern Ireland has the same road signs and road structure as GB.
On the first night, it was an easy return visit to trusted favourite Bunsen Burgers. The simple menu, low prices topped by great service all add to the great food. The last visit was to celebrate my birthday and we ended the day with a cocktail at the luxurious Fitzwilliam Hotel. We had a fantastic dinner there this time, and I’m pleased to report the service is still first class. And they still have Rituals products in the loos. Next time, I’m angling for a stay here at this 5* hotel. For the last night, we’d had a long day in Derry including lunch at scandified Bron which for some reason took a while to come, by which point we could move from the bar seats we’d been allocated under the freezing air-con to a choice of warmer tables. Our 5pm train was cancelled and we had no choice but to wait a whole hour for the next one! So a quick dinner in Boojum sufficed. One of these has saved us on a previous visit too.
Mainly a take out place, Drop Hopper Coffee was visited twice, both times on our way to nearby Lanyon Place train station. It took two attempts to get to Established this time and over in Derry, 9ine Hostages hit the spot. A trip out to Bangor meant a stop could be afforded in Holywood where Edge Coffee provided us with a couple of takeouts for our onward train. They had a huge yet busy sit in space, mind. On the last day, we popped into Hatch while we visiting memorials in Falls Road.
We enjoyed breakfast at the popular The Pocket (avoid weekends) and The National. To the locals, just a supermarket, Centra provided us quick, hot breakfast eats as we headed to the train station for the Derry day trip. To me it seemed influenced by N America, my toasted bagel with cream cheese came sliced in two and warmly wrapped up. Next time I will be filling my basket with Irish treats to bring home.
Belfast is such an easy city to navigate with lots of surprises and a great base to explore. Bangor seemed more run down than I envisaged with most of the main street boarded up and yet so pretty and scenic. Belfast was more litter-strewn than I recall and full of surprises. Derry is the place I want to spend more time in.
August 2021
