I couldn't travel to Ireland and miss the opportunity to see a peaceful Northern Ireland. The naïvity of being so young in my first experience meant that I was eager to return, rather than fearful. Chad was less eager, without having a connection to it like I did. Funny how baiting him with a round of golf at Royal Portrush, home of the 2019 Open Championship, worked to convince him it was worthy of our itinerary…
On the road from Dublin, I was caught between navigating for Chad in his first experience driving "flipped" (left side, driver on the right) & not being overly disappointed that we had a late start. Once he was comfortably following Tina on the motorway, I focused on the map on my phone, trying to determine the spot where we'd cross the border. Distracted by the rain rolling between hills and my screen, I totally missed it. Just a nondescript sign (according to Chad). No checkpoint this time.
Our first stop was Belfast, and the Airbnb we had near Queens University. We set off on a wet walk to see the uni (totally reminded me of Hogwarts), then hopped in a passenger van to take a political tour of the 2 neighborhoods most associated with the Troubles: Falls Road (Catholic) & Shankill Road (Protestant).
Fitting 30 years of the political strife and violence (and centuries of distrust and tension) into a 90 minute lesson was a lot to take in for someone who didn't know much about the history.
The wall wasn't as we expected. When thinking of Belfast and the Troubles, one would picture the neighborhoods and the concrete wall that separates them to be in the middle of it all, but these communities are not the heart of the city. Instead, we found it distinct from other architecture in Belfast, yet similar in the uniformity of the brick buildings, postage stamp gardens, caged storefronts, murals and monuments that keep the past largely and colorfully at the forefront of residents' and visitors' attention.
After the tour, we made the most of seeing walkable Belfast, despite the constant drizzle. We strolled past a brightly lit City Hall, tried to catch a bus to the Titanic Quarter, and found Sunday evenings aren't the time to expect much going on in Belfast, including a bus that would take us there. So we walked! Walked along the quiet River Lagan, past the big fish of knowledge statue, and towards the closed entertainment complex, closed Titanic museum, and all the way to the end of the dock to find the spot I remembered from the first trip- the white fence. Now it's caged in, so visitors can pay to walk down in the deep, brick valley where the Titanic was last on land. At first, this made me sad, but it means Belfast is getting visitors who will pay for tourist attractions, which is a very very good thing. Also, the Game of Thrones studios and filming locations certainly helps bring in the fans!
There was so much more of Belfast I wanted to explore (thanks Instagram travelers!) but from what we had seen to that point of our day in Belfast, our choices would be limited based on how few restaurants were open in the city center at dinnertime! We found a pizza place and spent a couple hours chatting more with Tina and her sister before we'd have to go separate ways.
I knew Chad didn't have the same link to Belfast, so when we drove out the next morning, I wasn't sure I'd be back to see more of it. I left recognizing there was some untapped potential, but also ready for an exciting day of seeing the country beyond Belfast, remembering how much I loved the Giant's Causeway & thrilled to be playing golf!
The road to the causeway winds through those iconic green fields, single-roundabout towns with bunting criss-crossing the main drag, and eventually running out to the end of the land. At the causeway (with a seriously impressive visitor's center & gift shop), we stood atop the cliffs and took it all in. Hiking a skinny trailhead, then down steep steps, which quickly brought us to the masses. Most accents had a brogue - from Scotland or England, but a few Americans stood out in typical tourist attire. We stood in the footsteps of giants, and my own from childhood.
Golf in the holiday town of Portrush proved to be all we hoped with windswept, golden grassy dunes, and glimpses of the town and ocean every few holes. Our round was book-ended by locals, the 4-some behind us was a kind couple taking out their wee grandkids and golden retriever. The dog dutifully sat next to greens during while the family putted, never rushing ahead. On the 18th teebox, we had our best view of the town perched on a peninsula and the expansive, water horizon behind us. The Home hole. What if this was your home? My imagination sparked.
We finished, snapped a few more photos, then packed back into the car for a 4 hour drive to the west of Ireland - to Sligo. Our time too short, a tug inside me to know and see more. But so very grateful for the experience of a peaceful Northern Ireland. Beautiful, welcoming, and teaming with a new history to write.
On the road from Dublin, I was caught between navigating for Chad in his first experience driving "flipped" (left side, driver on the right) & not being overly disappointed that we had a late start. Once he was comfortably following Tina on the motorway, I focused on the map on my phone, trying to determine the spot where we'd cross the border. Distracted by the rain rolling between hills and my screen, I totally missed it. Just a nondescript sign (according to Chad). No checkpoint this time.
Our first stop was Belfast, and the Airbnb we had near Queens University. We set off on a wet walk to see the uni (totally reminded me of Hogwarts), then hopped in a passenger van to take a political tour of the 2 neighborhoods most associated with the Troubles: Falls Road (Catholic) & Shankill Road (Protestant).
Fitting 30 years of the political strife and violence (and centuries of distrust and tension) into a 90 minute lesson was a lot to take in for someone who didn't know much about the history.
The wall wasn't as we expected. When thinking of Belfast and the Troubles, one would picture the neighborhoods and the concrete wall that separates them to be in the middle of it all, but these communities are not the heart of the city. Instead, we found it distinct from other architecture in Belfast, yet similar in the uniformity of the brick buildings, postage stamp gardens, caged storefronts, murals and monuments that keep the past largely and colorfully at the forefront of residents' and visitors' attention.
After the tour, we made the most of seeing walkable Belfast, despite the constant drizzle. We strolled past a brightly lit City Hall, tried to catch a bus to the Titanic Quarter, and found Sunday evenings aren't the time to expect much going on in Belfast, including a bus that would take us there. So we walked! Walked along the quiet River Lagan, past the big fish of knowledge statue, and towards the closed entertainment complex, closed Titanic museum, and all the way to the end of the dock to find the spot I remembered from the first trip- the white fence. Now it's caged in, so visitors can pay to walk down in the deep, brick valley where the Titanic was last on land. At first, this made me sad, but it means Belfast is getting visitors who will pay for tourist attractions, which is a very very good thing. Also, the Game of Thrones studios and filming locations certainly helps bring in the fans!
There was so much more of Belfast I wanted to explore (thanks Instagram travelers!) but from what we had seen to that point of our day in Belfast, our choices would be limited based on how few restaurants were open in the city center at dinnertime! We found a pizza place and spent a couple hours chatting more with Tina and her sister before we'd have to go separate ways.
I knew Chad didn't have the same link to Belfast, so when we drove out the next morning, I wasn't sure I'd be back to see more of it. I left recognizing there was some untapped potential, but also ready for an exciting day of seeing the country beyond Belfast, remembering how much I loved the Giant's Causeway & thrilled to be playing golf!
The road to the causeway winds through those iconic green fields, single-roundabout towns with bunting criss-crossing the main drag, and eventually running out to the end of the land. At the causeway (with a seriously impressive visitor's center & gift shop), we stood atop the cliffs and took it all in. Hiking a skinny trailhead, then down steep steps, which quickly brought us to the masses. Most accents had a brogue - from Scotland or England, but a few Americans stood out in typical tourist attire. We stood in the footsteps of giants, and my own from childhood.
Golf in the holiday town of Portrush proved to be all we hoped with windswept, golden grassy dunes, and glimpses of the town and ocean every few holes. Our round was book-ended by locals, the 4-some behind us was a kind couple taking out their wee grandkids and golden retriever. The dog dutifully sat next to greens during while the family putted, never rushing ahead. On the 18th teebox, we had our best view of the town perched on a peninsula and the expansive, water horizon behind us. The Home hole. What if this was your home? My imagination sparked.
We finished, snapped a few more photos, then packed back into the car for a 4 hour drive to the west of Ireland - to Sligo. Our time too short, a tug inside me to know and see more. But so very grateful for the experience of a peaceful Northern Ireland. Beautiful, welcoming, and teaming with a new history to write.