Northern Ireland, a country I dare to admit didn’t realize what’s it’s own country until quite a bit later than I’d like to admit (I know I’m not alone on this!) Yes, Northern Ireland is an independent country found just north of, you guessed it Ireland. It is a part of the United Kingdom unlike it’s neighbor to the south. It’s rich in history, culture and I couldn’t wait to explore everything this country had to offer.
We started our trip in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Game of Thrones fans probably know that much of GOT was filmed throughout Northern Ireland. GOT’s primary stage filming took place at Titanic Studios in Belfast. And yes, Titanic Studios is built on an old shipyard where the Titanic was built! Our first stop in Belfast was to the Titanic Museum where you can see the film studios in the distance (we were there just after they wrapped filming the final season so unfortunately we didn’t catch any GOT spoilers!) I recently read that they are creating a GOT studio tour-which would be a must see if we are ever in Belfast again.
The Titanic Belfast is a stunning museum built on the site where the actual RMS Titanic was designed, built and launched! The self-guided Titanic Experience tour is not to be missed when in Belfast. It tells the story of how the Titanic was constructed, launched and infamously sank during her maiden voyage. There are gorgeous full-scale replicas of the staterooms-which by todays standards are very very small (even for a cruise ship!) Don’t skip the ride! Believe it or not the museum even includes a ride where you virtually go through the shipyard as the Titanic is being built-it’s really cool and worth the wait (the line moves fast.)
As you move through the experience you can read and listen to tributes of those who lost their lives on board the Titanic. Most interesting to me was learning about the aftermath of the ship sinking-something that isn’t often talked about is the watery grave that was left behind. For two months after the Titanic sank other ships had to navigate through bodies which were left in the Atlantic. You also learn about the legal proceedings that followed as well as the change in maritime law that the Titanic brought about and are still implemented today.
Ticket prices are £19for adults and children under 5 are free. Please note, final admission is 1 hour and 45 minutes before closing time! It is very easy to get here by bus and I highly recommend this affordable option. The Titanic Experience is an incredibly moving, well-designed museum that I would recommend to everyone.
After touring the Titanic we headed back towards the city center where we were staying. The 10 Square Hotel had very spacious rooms by European standards, an amazing location literally across the street from Belfast City Hall with very easy access to public transportation and the included breakfast was amazing!
We decided to spend the evening wandering around Belfast. City Hall is hard to miss with it’s gorgeous architecture and grounds. We spent a bit of time letting Davis run around on the lawn of City Hall! After, we made our way to Cathedral Quarter which is where many pubs and restaurants are located. Our first stop was to the Dark Horse which is a pub and coffee bar. Honestly, we hit the jackpot stumbling upon this place! The courtyard was full of interesting graffiti art! And the best part was the Dark Horse had a GOT Door!
There are 10 Doors of Thrones throughout Belfast-these doors were carved from the wood of some fallen Dark Hedges (the really cool looking trees that line the King’s Road). You can get a “passport” from the tourism board which highlights where each door is located. Every pub has it’s own stamp to mark your GOT Passport. This would definitely be a fun way to eat and drink your way through Belfast!
For dinner we ate at Bunsen-which quite honestly was one of the best burger! Super casual, great for kids & delicious-exactly what we wanted to end our day exploring Belfast!
My only wish is that we had, had more time in this city. If we had another day, I would have loved to learn more about the Troubles. Truth be told, we really didn’t learn much about this turbulent time during Northern Ireland’s history. From the late 60’s through 90’s Northern Ireland was politically divided between Irish Nationalists who were primarily catholic and wanted a unified Ireland and Loyalists who were primarily protestant and wanted Northern Ireland to stay within the United Kingdom. More than 3,500 people were killed during the Troubles. If we ever return to Belfast, I will definitely take a black cab tour to learn more about this divisive time in Belfast’s history!
But for now, our one fun day exploring Belfast will have to do 🙂
Britt Heller 