Zuiderdam MegaVoyage 2018-2019, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK, Part 1 of 2

A very lovely day in Belfast...the first full day of sunshine we have seen in a while…. Our guide, Lorraine Mills of Tours by Locals met us at the ship and off we went to tour Belfast...this was our first visit to Belfast. The city of Belfast was a great Victorian success story, an industrial boomtown whose prosperity was built on trade, especially linen and shipbuilding. Our first stop of the day was in the Titanic Quarter, an urban waterfront area where the Titanic was built, we had a view of the new Titanic Museum, the White Star ship Nomadic, the tender ship for the Titanic, HMS Caroline famous for the WWII battle of Jutland. Next, we travelled a short distance outside the city to tour Stormont, seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a stunning architectural building as well a symbol of progress from Northern Ireland’s troubled past. We returned to the city to see the Grand Opera House and the Albert Memorial before stopping at Queen’s University, Ulster Museum and the Botanic Gardens. We walked around the gardens and toured the Palm House, an elegant structure of cast iron. We had a stop at the Belfast City Hall, and did a quick tour of this impressive building of Portland stone followed by souvenirs shopping and a walk around the city hall grounds for the spring market. We made our way to the Cathedral Quarter to the Belfast Cathedral for a look inside.  It had a new shiny spire added after 9/11…   then we walked a couple of streets to see the fascinating architecture and colorful street art. Before leaving downtown we went to the top of the Dome at Victoria Square for a 360-degree view of the city. We drove past the leaning Albert Clock and made a stop at the Conway Linen Mill that has been rejuvenated on our way to the west end of the city. To the west of the city, we viewed some physical scars of the Troubles, from the peace line wall that divides Catholic and Protestant West Belfast to the murals on many walls. This is a fascinating part of the city...we walked along some of the International Peace Wall route to see many political wall murals located on the Protestant Shankill Road and the Catholic Falls Road. Still today the wall remains in place with gates that open and close daily. We drove past the Crumlin Road Jail on our way to the Belfast Castle. Our final stop was a drive-up Cave Hill to Belfast Castle, the inspiration for Gulliver’s Travels...we toured the Belfast Castle...the castle boasts beautiful gardens and a splendid view of Belfast Lough and the city below. This was a very enjoyable day with an extremely knowledgeable guide.