Belfast felt a bit like going back to London. That shouldn't be a surprise because it is part of the United Kingdom. I didn't expect to be able to feel a difference in the energy of the city, but it was there. It still felt similar to the rest of Ireland in that it wasn't as busy as London, even though it is a fairly large city. We stayed in The Malone Hotel & Lodge. This is the one place I remember the name of, because we had an apartment including a kitchen and washer/dryer. I had packed enough to be good for the trip, but it was nice to get some underwear and favorite outfits washed before Dublin.
We also took advantage of having a kitchen and decided to go to the market to get some food for dinner and breakfasts. This was a welcome break on our wallets. Belfast was a city that we didn't really know what we wanted to do. There is the Titanic museum, but neither of us really wanted to spend the money on that. We had been having such a good time just walking around Galway and Sligo, we decided to stay with that theme and do the same in Belfast. We ended up at Belfast University, which was down the street from our apartment. It was late in the afternoon but still light enough we were able to enjoy the grounds. It was so well-maintained and beautiful with the spring blooms coming out.
We did decide to do one tourist thing that was recommended to us by the concierge at the hotel, the Black Cab Tour. I am not a history buff and was not expecting the tour we got taken on to have such a profound impact on me. I knew that the British invaded Ireland and caused a more or less civil war. But I had no idea how intense it got. The tours are given by people who were involved in the battles, some were British and others were Irish. We had an Irish tour guide and he was so great at being diplomatic and doing his best to show us both sides. A quote that has stuck with us is "One man's hero, is another man's nightmare." He said this as he was showing us two different murals side by side, one idolizing a British military leader and the other showing messages of love to those imprisoned or killed by British soldiers. There was a whole two block span of murals dedicated to those who fight for the freedom of others regardless of how they are different from them. The hardest thing to see was the wall that was built around the Irish community blocking them from the rest of Belfast. It was heartbreaking to see how ugly the world can be. You are able to leave a message of hope on the wall and being able to do that was a way to let go of the negative feelings and feel like even though it's just writing on a wall you are making a difference.
What You Want to Know:
Where to Stay:
We loved staying at the The Malone Hotel & Lodge. We had our own apartment to cook our own meals and wash some laundry. I didn't think I would miss a home-cooked meal on vacation, but it was nice to go and get food at the market.
What to Do:
The Black Cab Tour was very interesting. I would recommend that to anyone. we also enjoyed walking around the neighborhood we were staying in. Things in Belfast seemed pretty far away, at least where we were staying. A cab ride to Downtown wouldn't be too expensive and I am sure there is lots to do.
Where to Find the Best Deal:
We booked this trip with TripMasters. It included all of our hotels, car, and flights for traveling from London to 4 cities in Ireland. A little pricy, but it was nice to have everything planned out for us in one go.
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