At the pre-arranged time of 8am we knocked on Kevin’s door and went down to a busy breakfast area, all ready to experience our Ulster breakfast.
To be fair, I wasn’t expecting too much and was delighted to find it far exceeded my expectations.
There really was the full Ulster breakfast and more on offer, all well cooked and ready. Even the croissants were hot, straight from the oven. It passed the scrambled egg test, the sausages were tasty and I also liked the potato cakes, whatever they were.
After going back to clean our teeth, we headed out into the Belfast air where there was definitely a feeling of rain close by. The forecast was for short, occasional light showers and we hoped to avoid them.
We walked to the nearest Big Red Tour Bus stop, which was 10 minutes away outside Queen’s University, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
I could have kicked myself because I knew the tours started at 10am and had aimed to get us there for then, without thinking that would be the bus leaving from Stop 1. We were at Stop 10. Of course it would take time for the first bus to get that far.
It did.
Thirty-five minutes.
My stupid fault.
I was then worried it would be full, but we managed to get on and found seats downstairs in the dry, which turned out to be a good call as the first shower of the day started shortly afterwards. Everyone sitting on the open top deck soon came downstairs looking for somewhere dry.
The driver-tour guide was amusing until he turned more serious as we approached and drove through the Falls and Shankill Road areas.
I hated seeing the sectarian boundaries, flags and colours of both sides. Whilst I appreciate that what happened should not be forgotten and those who lost their lives should be commemorated, it also seems to prolong the divisions born from those atrocities.
It brought home once again how horrific it must have been to have been living anywhere in Belfast during those times.
The fact that they still lock the ‘peace gates’ at 8.30pm each night is a reminder that the tensions still exist and run deep.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s time to move on. Eventually, with the consent of the people, Ireland’s constitutional future will be decided democratically. My hope is simply that whatever happens, it is peaceful and leaves those troubled years firmly behind us.
After that sober interlude, and after having to change buses at Stop 1, we got off again at Stop 5 for the Titanic Experience.
Disappointingly, the next available timed tickets weren’t until 1.50pm, so we headed for the café inside to pass some time. The hot drinks order became very muddled and necessitated a few trips back to the till before everything was finally sorted.
Following this, we walked out to the dry dock where the Titanic was actually built before being slipped into the water. It was dry but breezy for now.
We then wandered around the SS Nomadic, which was included in our Titanic ticket. This was the tender used for transporting passengers onto the Titanic at Cherbourg and, as the wag of a tour guide had told us earlier, it was only ever used once for that purpose.
It was slightly bigger and certainly better than the tenders we have used on our cruises.
There was just enough time to get another drink at the nearby family-run Robby’s Hobby Café. Ostensibly a gaming café, it suited our needs perfectly until it was time to head back across the road.
We then started our full Titanic Experience, the construction of which has now cost just over £100 million.
We had visited it on our previous trip but, rather ashamedly, I could remember very little about what was inside.
Although it is about the Titanic, it is equally about the actual construction of the ship and what the project meant to Belfast. It then moves on to the sinking itself, acting as a memorial to those who lost their lives.
It explains the many mistakes that came together like the perfect storm (or iceberg – too soon?) and also reflects on the many maritime improvements and safety changes that resulted from the disaster in an effort to ensure it could never happen again.
In amongst all this there is even a ride that takes you through part of the shipbuilding process.
As someone else once said: three years to build – three hours to sink.
It is quite rightly the number one attraction in Belfast and is absolutely worth a visit.
We caught the next Red Bus back through the city centre to Stop 10.
We were reminded that Belfast is in the middle of Fleadh Belfast 2026, which is expected to attract an additional 800,000 visitors to the city. This is the world’s biggest celebration of Irish music and culture, involving hundreds of events taking place in every conceivable venue and street corner.
Everyone seemed genuinely excited by the event and we had already been asked several times whether we were there for it.
Karen was particularly excited by the fact that Ed Sheeran had apparently already turned up to watch at some of the smaller pub events.
Back at Stop 10 we popped into Queen’s University for a look around. We didn’t stay long before making our way back to the hotel for a bit of a rest.
After some deliberation and looking at other highly rated restaurants within walking distance, we dismissed some for being too expensive and others for being a little too adventurous for us – including Yemeni and Himalayan restaurants.
In the end, we all agreed to go back to Villa Italia.
It was a good call.
We all ordered pizzas, which were delicious. Karen and Kevin both had desserts and I may have helped Karen finish hers.
The restaurant was rammed once again and we could completely understand why.
And with that we headed back to the hotel.
It had been a full but thoroughly enjoyable day and had given us a wonderful flavour of Belfast. We had also been very lucky with the weather. What showers there had been seemed to have happened whenever we were not outside.
