It all stemmed from a conversation last night about bus routes and the nearest bus stop. Ian and I had checked out the timetables to Belfast and we were quite happy to walk to the nearest bus stop. However Elaine wouldn't hear of it and told us that she'd pick us up in the morning and drop us back in the evening as she was heading into Belfast herself.
I think we were actually quite glad as the route to the bus stop was very undulating and without any pavements. We arrived in the Titanic Quarter - where all the ship building took place, about 11.30am. We headed into the Titanic exhibition centre and whilst having a coffee managed to sort out tickets.
Everything is online now (I sound like a bit of an old fogey now) but it was a nightmare trying to book as it said there was ticket availability and then wouldn't let you purchase a ticket 😬. Anyway Ian found a person and got it sorted.
We were booked in for a 1.30pm slot so we went on a tour of the 'Nomadic', the sole surviving tender to Titanic that was originally based in Cherbourg. Basically Cherbourg was one of the pick up points for what was going to be the Titanic route to New York but the harbour there was too small for Titanic. So Nomadic was used to shuttle first and second class passengers out to the Titanic. As with the luxury of the Titanic this tender was decked out in high quality furnishings and decor as expected for the level of the passengers. After the demise of the Titanic it was used in both wars to ship troops, was a Chinese floating restaurant and was then saved before going for scrap. It was totally renovated and is now in dry dock near the exhibition.
The information we discovered on the Nomadic really set the scene for our visit to the Titanic exhibition. We headed off there after a spot of lunch sitting by the marina.
We had a really interesting and educational visit as it told us all about Belfast's industrial growth from being a major centre of linen production through to being a massive ship building area. Then we learned about the Titanic being built, kitted out, the launch, start of the maiden voyage and the disaster. There was even a ride!
After our Titanic visit we walked along the riverside and crossed over the river into the city. It was particularly colourful and flamboyant today as it had hosted a Pride parade. City Hall was very colourful to reflect this with a concert on its front lawn and bands playing at other venues in the city.
After we'd visited a Tesco to top up on supplies (milk and bread at the top of our list), Elaine and her daughter picked us up and returned us to the yacht club. We made use of their kitchen facilities to make dinner (well we used the microwave to heat up some curry) and watched the escapades of members launching and recovering boats. The coastguard were also rushing around after receiving a report of a drifting boat and RNLI had launched from Newcastle. They based themselves at the club whilst the search was carried out.
Belfast in comparison to Dublin is a much smaller city and other than the Titanic exhibition and riverside areas didn't seem to have much going for it. Unlike Dublin I don't think you'd need more than a day to visit. Getting there is definitely not as easy as it doesn't seem to have anywhere near the transport infrastructure of Dublin. Not much of a train network, infrequent bus services and no tram/metro.
Tomorrow the tide is in our favour late afternoon so if the rain holds off we're going to head to the southern part of the Lough. We'll be able to watch the club racing in the morning - prime position on Anya.
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