Lundcruiser Adventures: Boats and more Belfast

Monday August 28, 2023

We woke up to sunshine outside our window this morning at Hilton Belfast--perfect for our city walking tour. It was really busy, and we were told one of the reasons is that it is a "bank holiday". When we asked what they were celebrating, they said, the last day of summer!

Belfast is located right on the Irish sea and is one of the largest ship building ports in the world. The Titanic was built here, and they claim it was the largest man- made moving object of its time.

The Titanic museum is a huge structure, six stories tall (the height of a ship's bow) and the four corners of the building represent the bows of many ships built in this shipyard. The names of all of the ships built here end in ic--Titanic, Oceanic, Nomadic, etc.

The museum was very well done, explaining the shipbuilding process, showing the process of outfitting the ship, the difference between 1st class, 2nd class and 3rd class passenger quarters, the number of crew assigned, supplies loaded, etc.

Our entry ticket was a replica of the actual ticket for the Titanic.

We were able to see the actual place the Titanic sat before it was launched. The tall posts were the markers for the sides of the ship, and you can see the water in the background. There were pictures of the huge launch party bidding them farewell in 1912.

The story of the ship going down is a sad one, and the exhibits shared messages transmitted after the Titanic hit the iceberg, and the responses from nearby ships. There were also artifacts, stories from survivors, and a full wall of names of the passengers. 703 saved and 1512 lost.

Leaving on a somber note, we visited a more lively area--the City Center. This sculpture greets visitors in the area, and was described by our guide as "The Thing with the Ring", but is officially called the Beacon of Hope, a symbol of Hope and Peace in Belfast.

We met our guide in Donegall Square at City Hall, which is really a visitor center, celebrating the area and its history. We found out that Van Morrison and Liam Neeson call Belfast home. Several inventions came from Belfast, including Massey Ferguson tractors, the first portable defibrillator, milk of magnesia, and the Dunlop tire!

Looking down the street, you can see the Albert clock tower, built as a memorial to Prince Albert in 1865-69. It is slightly leaning, because of the wood foundation.

Other facts about Belfast--the largest bank heist in Ireland occurred in Belfast, and the bandits made off with $21million! (They were never caught.) Belfast suffered extensive bombing during WWII, completely destroying many of their buildings. They were a target because of the shipbuilding and manufacture of many war goods. Although Northern Ireland was involved in the war, the Republic of Ireland was neutral. It's surprising an island the size of Indiana can be so separated.

We spent the afternoon strolling through the shopping areas. The guide explained that the area was deserted during the period of uprising, and they have worked hard to revive activty and make it a safe place to visit. There was lots of shopping and markets--cute small shops and large modern malls, and lots of pubs and eateries down alleyways.