It was an early start this morning for an early flight to Belfast! It’s been ages since I’ve flown from BHX, and there is so much work being done within the airport to try to improve the security process. We were the first in the queue (obvs) for baggage drop, but right at the back of the chaos that is the (current) security process. When we eventually got through, we went for the obligatory Spoons breakfast, with all the stag and hens. It was at this point that I got a message from Easyjet to say our flight had been delayed by 2hrs… thank god for the free coffee refill! This luckily soon changed to only an hour delay, and as soon as the gate was available, we were straight there, and one of the first in the queue (again.. obvs).
We got off the plane in an incredibly soggy Belfast, and walked what felt like a mile to the Sixt office to pick up our ride for the next few days. I went in with Momma to collect the keys, and we were given a Kia Picanto. When he saw us then meet Santa with our massive suitcase, he decided to give us a free upgrade to a Kia Rio 👍🏻 We had a straightforward drive into Belfast City Centre, however it turns out I’d picked the car park that you need to sell a kidney to park in – £3.50 an hour 😱 the original plan was to walk to the Titanic museum later in the day, but at this eye watering price, we decided to give ourself 2hrs only. We headed to the Cathedral Quarter, as research showed this is a cool and hip place. If you love street art then this is the place is for you. Unfortunately all of the cool people were taking shelter from the rain. We went into the Cathedral for cover. It’s got a very modern interior, and was nice to see for a small £2.50 fee.
We then popped to Primark to stock up on things I’d forgotten (my entire makeup bag 😭) and then headed to City Hall in the heart of the City Centre. We didn’t have enough time to go in, but it’s a lovely building from the outside, and it’s definitely worth going to. We had now worked up an appetite, so we decided to check out St George’s Market – voted the UKs best large indoor market. It’s only open from Fri – Sun and is full of everything you can think of for an indoor market. We had a burger from Sizzle & Roll, and although they took a while to make it, it was worth it because they were delicious! We power walked back to super expensive car park (as quick as possible on the slippery pavement) and got there bang on 2hrs. However, they charged us for 3!! With nobody to have a moan to, I’m tasked with sending an email to claim my £4 back 🤣
As with a lot of people, I am fascinated with everything Titanic, so this was a must do thing whilst here (and a shelter for the torrential rain) We moved the car here for a bargain £1.50 per hour. The museum is enormous, but unfortunately incredibly busy, therefore it’s difficult to properly read everything. What did surprise us, was the ‘cable car’ ride around the construction of Titanic. A fascinating insight into the sights, sounds and smells of the shipyard demonstrating what tasks had to be carried out in order to build the Titanic. The museum doesn’t hold any artifacts from the wreck site or debris field, but what you are able to see is items such as letters written on board ship (this particular letter only survived because it was in the pocket of her husband’s coat which he had given her to keep warm) and the china that would have been used. Although you will struggle to read and see everything due to the volume of visitors, I’d still 100% recommend this museum – one of the most visited attractions in NI.
A questionable Titanic themed gift..
Included in your ticket is a visit on board S.S. Nomadic – Titanic’s sister ship and the only surviving White Star Line ship in the world. For 172 passengers, she was the last stage of their journey to the doomed liner. Here you will find a lot more interactive and hands on story telling, and it’s a lot quieter.
We’ve booked an Airbnb in Portstewart overlooking the ocean, and the journey here was pretty smooth (apart from some questionable instructions from Google Maps resulting in wrong lanes). Unfortunately, the weather on arrival was absolutely awful, so we haven’t been able to get a coastal walk in yet. Fingers crossed the weather improves over the next few days.
Apartment views 🥰
The Travelling Ginger 