We had a leisurely morning since Nautica
wasn’t due to berth until noon. Had breakfast and then went to needlepoint and
chat. By then we were well in sight of Belfast docks so went up on deck. We had
a good sight of the new Titanic Museum and the Harland & Wolff Gantries as
well as an old WWI battleship - HMS Caroline.
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| HMS Caroline |
The day before I had filled in the mid-cruise
comment sheet and as we went back to the cabin this morning, a knock at the
door revealed the Asst. Housekeeping Manager regarding my comment that the
cabin needed hooks for wet coats! Impressive!
To make it easier for people on tours, and to
prevent a bi rush in the Terrace Restaurant, the ship also laid on a spectacular buffet in
the Grand Dining Room, which was where we headed about 11.30am. Duly fed and watered, so to speak, we were
ready to be off the ship as soon as it docked.
We berthed about 20 mins early so headed off
to meet Paddy as we had booked one of his Black Cab Tours. http://belfastblackcabtours.co.uk/. He was a bit embarrassed as not all the drivers were there and
ready due to our early arrival. However, we only had a short wait before John
arrived with his brightly painted cab. We had a short chat about what we wanted
to see (happy to skip the Bushmills Distillery in favour of Dunluce Castle) and
then set off into Belfast City. I was quite shocked as to how divided the city still
was. The Protestant areas were adorned with flags, bunting and even the
kerbstones were painted red, white and blue!
A huge wall still divided the city
into two. I asked why it was so high and was told to stop missiles!
We drove along the Crumlin and Shankhill
Roads where huge murals had been painted onto houses, commemorating events of
the past and not so past. In one area the back gardens of the houses
were all encased in wire to protect the inhabitants. After this depressing start, we set off into the Antrim
countryside – very English looking – up to a viewpoint to see the Carrick a
Rede rope bridge. A few brave souls were crossing to the island - not for me though !!
Unfortunately the weather had turned drizzly but we still had
great views. Then to a little beach (where men were collecting seaweed) to see
what was once the smallest church in the world and still the smallest in
Ireland -St Gobbans. Next to it is a small cottage with portholes and steamer
chairs that were spares intended for Titanic and her sisters.
Next to my
highlight – the Giant’s Causeway. At first it wasn’t quite what I expected but
as I walked further along I saw the huge hexagonal pillars forming pyramids along
the stunning beach.
After an hour there we went to Dunluce Castle. We just
managed a few pictures before the rain set in in earnest and we repaired to the
tea shop opposite for warm home-made scones, cream, jam and raspberries with
tea. By then it was time to return to
the docks, spotting beautiful shire horses, a hare, and a buzzard on the way.
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| Dunluce Castle |
We made it back at 7pm so after a quick wash and
change popped to Martini’s for a drink and their delicious nibbles – crisps, nuts
etc. We decided on The Terrace Café for a light dinner (after the tea!). I was
tired and with Dublin tomorrow, stayed in the cabin afterwards to write this up.
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