Trying to move on....

After days trying to sort out my dad's house and his legal affairs, we decided we needed a short break to escape from it all. As it was, we could only fit in two nights in Belfast. Our first ever trip there. We flew using Flybe from Edinburgh Airport to George Best Airport, also known as Belfast City Airport. I normally research travel destinations. This was booked last minute. We went there fairly clueless, I must admit.

To get to Edinburgh Airport from Stirling, where we are currently staying, we took a train to Edinburgh Park Station then went for our first ever ride on the Edinburgh tram - a smooth ride, quite pricy though.

Edinburgh Tram Information Lounge.

Edinburgh Airport.

Edinburgh Airport.

With George Best at his airport.

And again.

When we arrived in Belfast, we took a 600 bus from outside the airport into the city centre. We bought our tickets on the bus. It would have been cheaper to get open returns rather than singles but we did not know that. We got off at the last stop - Europa Bus Station.

From the bus station it was just a short walk to our accommodation John Bell House on Great Victoria Street. This is a beautiful building from the outside. Inside it has been converted into student accommodation. It's quite basic but at only £31 a night, who's complaining. Rooms have a bed, desk with chair and wardrobe. They have their own toilet with shower cubicle. There is a shared kitchen for each group of rooms with cooker, fridge, kettle etc. The great hall on the first floor has lovely stain glass windows. It's the social room with TV, table tennis, darts, snooker and a basket ball hoop. Obviously, this accommodation is only open to tourists outside term times.

John Bell House from the outside.

Not quite as grand inside.

Not quite as grand inside.

The Great Hall.

The Great Hall.

The Great Hall.

The Great Hall.

The Great Hall.

Our Flybe flight was delayed by nearly two hours so our already short stay got even shorter. We began our stay by wandering off in the direction of the City Hall. We passed by a lovely church which turned out to be the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Church, some picturesque pubs and the Grand Opera House on route.

The Grand Opera House is a theatre. It was designed by architect, Frank Matcham. It opened in 1895. It has been used as an opera house, theatre and cinema. At one point it was threatened with demolition, but was fortunately saved. It was damaged in several bomb blasts in the 1990s. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland dates back to the Plantation of Ulster when James VI resettled Scottish, English and Manx Protestants to Ulster to ensure its loyalty to the British crown.

The Grand Opera House.

The Grand Opera House.

Presbyterian Church.

Presbyterian Church.

Pubs.

This was our first ever visit to Belfast and it's impossible for someone of my age and background not to think of Belfast as some form of war zone, so I was very impressed by the fact it was actually beautiful and filled with grand old buildings. One of the most impressive was the City Hall.

Belfast City Hall occupies the site of a former linen hall. At one time Belfast made a large part of its fortune from the linen industry. In 1888 Belfast was awarded city status by Queen Victoria as it was home to successful linen, rope-making, shipbuilding and engineering industries. Construction of the City Hall began in 1898. It was designed by architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas and was completed in 1906. As well as being a beautiful building in itself, City Hall is surrounded by statue filled grassy lawns. It also has a Garden of Remembrance and a monument to those killed in the sinking of the Titanic. The Titanic was built in Belfast and one of Belfast's most famous sites is a museum dedicated to the Titanic. We did not have time to visit this.

City Hall.

Queen Victoria statue, City Hall.

Titanic Memorial.

Titanic Memorial.

Titanic Memorial.

Buildings around City Hall.

At City Hall.

At City Hall.

At City Hall.

Coat of Arms of Belfast showing chained wolf and sea Horse.

After visiting the City Hall we walked off towards the waterfront. On route we passed the Albert Memorial Clock. This clock was completed in 1869 following a competition to design a memorial for Queen Victoria's late husband. The competition was won by architect, William Joseph Barre. The clock was built on marshy ground due to its proximity to a river so over the years it has tilted. This led to the saying that the clock had ' both the time and the inclination.' There is a statue of Prince Albert on the clock.

The Albert Memorial Clock.

The Albert Memorial Clock.

Past the clock there is a square with fountains. The local children were having a great time running in and out of these. 0n the square stands the Customs House. This was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon in 1856. This building is on the river. The side facing the river has several ornate sculptures. The side facing the square has steps from which members of the public used to make speeches. There is a statue called the speaker here. At one time Anthony Trollope worked in this building.

Fountain.

Customs House.

Customs House.

Speaker Statue.

Then we wandered down to the River Lagan. We saw the big fish sculpture and the Ring of Thanksgiving, which is a 15m high steel woman standing on a bronze globe and holding a ring representing peace and reconciliation. Time was waring on. We just took a quick look intending to return later, but this did not happen.

On the River Lagan.

On the River Lagan.

The Big Fish.

On the River Lagan.

Ring of Thanksgiving.

The Big Fish.

We then looked for somewhere to have dinner. On route we passed St George's Church and some wall murals. After a few false moves, we ended up in the Morning Star - a very nice local pub where I had fish and chips and Peter had soup with bread and dips. I began the night with a Guinness then could not resist an IPA called spitting llama. It seemed appropriate for someone who had just missed out on a trip to Peru.

The Church of St George.

Wall Murals.

Dinner out.

Dinner out.

Dinner out.

Dinner out.

After dinner we walked home past some lovely lit up sculptures and the beautifully lit up City Hall.

Walking home.

Walking home.

City Hall by night.