Embracing the cold season in Belfast!
Last month, we were finally able to have a bit of holiday outside England but still inside the United Kingdom as I wanted to explore UK more. We decided to go to Belfast!
Belfast is the capital of Northern Island and is also known to be the one of the safest places to travel to in the UK especially for solo travelers. As we were still considered foreigners in the country, my friend and I thought Belfast was the best choice for this travel outside England. We spent 5 days and 4 nights there.
On our first day, sadly, the Belfast weather weren’t as welcoming to us as it was gloomy and had rained most of the day. But no rain is stopping us from going around the city.
We left our luggage at our air bnb and travelled our way to Victoria Square, one of Belfast’s major shopping and leisure centres. As the rain started to slow down, we walked our way to The Big Fish which is also known as The Salmon of Knowledge. We stopped by the Albert Clock, which is what they called the answer to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, on our way to the Belfast Harbour.
The rain finally stopped as we passed by the SSE Arena. Our next stop was the SS Nomadic. It is the only White Star Line vessel in existence today. As you can see, Titanic Belfast is just a few walks away. We stopped outside to take some photos but decided not to go inside anymore as it was getting late already. Our last stop for our first day was The Dock Café. I was impressed with this café as it serves never ending plates of different pastries and bread and unlimited cups of tea and coffee. You also get to choose how much you would pay as it doesn’t have a till but an honesty box instead.
On our second day, it was still raining. We were supposed to go to County Antrim but we thought it wouldn’t be nice considering the weather so we decided to move it on our 4th day in the country and just decided to continue with exploring the city.
The first stop of our day was the Belfast Castle. It is a popular venue for functions, conferences and weddings. We then went to the Malone House, a prestigious Georgian mansion offering a wealth of history and grandeur. Since the rain had started and the wind was getting stronger, we decided to have some good food for lunch at the Malone House. Their seafood chowder was so good!
When the weather had calmed down a bit, we went back to the city centre. We first stopped by the Belfast City Hall and enjoyed our time in the Christmas market. We couldn’t resist the goodies sold there. To burn everything we had digested, we walked around to see the Opera House and St. Anne’s Cathedral.
Time flies fast when you’re on vacation. Finally, Belfast’s weather were kinder to us on our third day. How to start a lovely day in Belfast? It should be a walk around the Botanic Garden. The place was huge and it would surely be beautiful in the area when it’s Spring or Summer, come to think of it, it must be nice to come back during those seasons.
We were able to stop by lots of places on this day. As a start, we were able to spend some time at the Stormont Parliament Buildings, the place was vast and beautiful. My friend was then so happy to stop by the C.S. Lewis Square as she was a fan. She almost cried when we thought the Narnia sculpture weren’t there anymore but we just had to walk around to see it. We then got to see the Rise Sculpture, it is the biggest public art sculpture in Belfast. The sculpture’s two globes, cast in white steel, symbolize the rising of the sun and new hope for Belfast’s future.
We then visited the Crumlin Road Gaol. It is a former prison located at the Crumlin Road. It is the only Victorian era prison remaining in Northern Ireland since 1996. It is also known for people who likes to do anything related to paranormal activities. I then asked myself, why did I bring myself here again? (LOL!)
We ended the day with a sumptuous dinner at the Victoria Square. Can I just say how lovely and festive it was there?
The fourth day was spent in County Antrim which I will be putting on a different entry next month. We didn’t also get to do a lot on our last day except to spend the morning at St. George’s Market before heading to the airport to get back home.
Belfast was indeed lovely, except the weather of course. As I said above, I’d like to come back again during either the Spring or Summer seasons!
Be pretty, be happy, be you! H~
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