We have one more full day in Belfast, and since we've either passed by or went into several of the famous landmarks such as The Europa Hotel, The Crown Bar, Titanic Museum, Game of Thrones movie studio, among several others, we chose to see The Queens University, Botanical Gardens and the Ulster Museum because they are all in one place and they were recommended by the teachers we met several days ago on the train north from Dublin to Belfast. The Ulster Museum was filled with the history of Ireland, from medieval days, all the way up to the civil unrest between the Protestants and Catholics. Some of the conflicts are as recent as ten years ago.
We walked out into another bright sunny day. The taxi driver who brought us from the Belfast airport to our Airbnb yesterday warned us that when it's sunny and the temperature rises above 60 degrees the shirts come off, lots of clothes come off. As we were walking to the university, we saw a group of three teenagers. The girls were wearing skimpy tank tops and short shorts. The boy had his shirt off. Lots of skin, and we were wearing jackets. Yep, we were warned.
The walk was easy, and we found lunch at a local chain "Maggie Mays" where we had a hamburger and a burrito for lunch. Below are pictures of the day, a typical walk around town with pictures of flowers. There will be explanations below some of the pictures. It was an easy and restful day.
The Moravian Church of Belfast. If you zoom in you will see two painters who waved at us when they saw me taking their picture. 😀
The pictures on the walls inside Maggie Mays are of the famous landmarks throughout Belfast. The two yellow beams are called "Sampson and Goliath." They are GIGANTIC shipbuilding grantry cranes moving large ships around. They are a symbol of Belfast.
Notice how close the pink double-decker bus hugs the curb. "Look right" will save your life. It's way too easy to look left out of habit and step right in front a bus. Yikes! We've saved each other a few times from this misstep.
We're now half a block from Queens University and saw Seamus Heaney Centre. His first name is pronounced Shame-Us. Shame on me for not being more familiar with his work. I will be looking him up once I get home.
Patrick brought a copy of the Penn State magazine to take a pictures somewhere in Ireland to be sent in to the magazine and added to the page of alumni traveling the world with Penn State. This is the photo we hope to see in a future edition of "PennStater" magazine.
A beautiful campus on a beautiful day. 🌞
We didn't see a whole lot of skin. There must be rules about that!
The above written piece is about the neighborhood our farmhouse Airbnb host drove us through. We saw the high "peace" fences separating the neighborhoods. We still have a long way to go to be compassionate and tolerant with one another's beliefs, but we are getting better. "The Better Angels of Our Nature - Why Violence Has Declined" by Steven Pinker is filled with scientific evidence that we are getting better. And then there's this famous quote that fits, "Can't we all just get along?" Rodney King. We can if we choose, and it is a choice.
It was time to catch up on the blog and have a drink. We realized we hadn't ordered an Irish Coffee yet. We had the one at the Tullamore DEW tour on Day 5, so it was time to test the public bar. It was a complete disappointment. We couldn't taste the whiskey and bought another shot to add it in. Patrick asked the bartender if he forgot to put whiskey in, and the answer was, "I may have put too much coffee in." Nope. Our tastebuds aren't that numb yet. We believe he forgot. The added shot made the hot beverage better, but it was no Tullamore DEW Irish coffee. Definitely got spoiled with that one.
Blogging from the kitchen in our downtown Belfast Airbnb above the children's center was roomy, but the reception was weak. When I told Patrick I'll need to go back to the pub to finish Day 17 and 18, he said, "Bummer.....okay, I'll go to the pub with you." LOL
Tomorrow we'll take our last train ride in Ireland, from Belfast to Dublin, and then check into
Wren Urban Nest in downtown Dublin near Trinity College where it all began for us nearly 3 weeks ago. We wanted a full circle moment to rest, reflect and prepare for the long flight home.
