I am an admirer of architecture and the creative imagination of a person to put pen to paper and make a dream a reality.

Every since I learned about the discovery of the Titanic by Robert Ballard and the story of her tragic maiden voyage, I have been fascinated by how a ship that size could sink hitting an iceberg.

I was most excited about going to the Belfast Titanic Museum for a couple of reasons that I didn’t know prior to my visit. Belfast was once known as the shipbuilding city. It’s where the Titanic was built. 

Day 5 – Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast Titanic Museum was constructed on the slipways where the ship itself was constructed. There was a great sense of pride in Belfast when Titanic was constructed. Upon hearing the news of the sinking of the Titanic, the people of Belfast fell silent.

Titanic was no longer something to be proud of. With technological advances, the story of what happened to the Titanic has turned a tragedy into a new strong sense of pride and celebrate the engineering and innovative architectural achievement of the Titanic.

As you tour the exhibition, you will go on a journey through nine distinct galleries that set the scene in industrial Belfast and the way to where the Titanic lies today. You will also learn about her sister ships, Britannic and Olympic.

Take a break for some tea, sweets and a light meal in the café downstairs. Then head outside to the slipways where the ship itself was constructed. The slipways help you understand the magnitude of her size. You will walk away empowered to think big.

After the exhibition, we decided it was time for a little retail therapy and to do something about my shoe situation. Victoria Square is a short drive from the museum with plenty of parking and is home to over 70 stores, cafes, and restaurants. I found a pair of brown riding boots from ZARA. Still have them to this day.

After 5 days, we decided to make the most of our traveling, split up and continued our travels throughout the United Kingdom and meet back up in Dublin before flying back to America.

Me the solo traveler who had been there done that and visited England and Wales suddenly became interested in visiting Scotland. I couldn’t let it go. So close yet, just a ferry ride from Northern Ireland away.

Ok, it was because of the movie Braveheart and then there was that actor in the movie 300, and can’t forget about Sean Connery. Enough said.

My friends would continue on to England and Wales and have a blast.

At the end of the day, we would check each other’s FB pages and see what adventures we all had undertaken. 

To save on the cost of tour entrance fees, you can purchase one of two cards that either provide free admission or at a reduced cost at select sites. 

Since there were three of us, it was cheaper to add two adults to my membership instead of us buying ours separately or paying entrance fees. The Heritage Card is valid throughout Ireland. 

The National Trust Membership Card can be used in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.  Both websites have a listing of locations and sites where you can use the card.

Day 6 – Dublin, Ireland

Instead of taking the ferry back to Belfast, I decided to fly back to Dublin on Ryanair.  It’s a cheap airline carrier and was actually cheaper and faster than taking a ferry back to Belfast and a bus to Dublin. Be sure to bring your passport. Within the EU, you can travel from country to country with no problems. 

I didn’t go through customs and didn’t need to get my passport stamped. This could change when Brexit occurs. Upon arrival at the airport, I didn’t have to go through customs.  However, when I went to board the airplane, there was a question if I could board the plane. 

I just explained my travel itinerary and was good to go. Upon arrival in Dublin, we bought roundtrip aircoach tickets to Dublin City Centre and back to the Dublin Airport that included a Hop on Hop Off tour.

From there, you guessed it, it was time to make up for that whiskey tour we had to cross off our lists in Bushmills, put that hop on hop off pass to use and visit the Jameson and Guinness factories. 

In the evening we decided to take in some live music with a traditional Irish dance show, Celtic Nights at The Arlington Hotel in Dublin.  You can purchase tickets ahead of time which includes dinner before the show starts.  Here is a sneak peek that you may see on your visit.

We decided to stay at a hostel. Most hostels serve the traditional Irish breakfast. If you haven’t had it before you are in for a treat. Dublin, Ireland.

Day 7 – Dublin, Ireland

You can easily find plenty to see by looking at the route map and not have to take a taxi. We decided to wrap up our visit by visiting a couple of museums before heading to the Dublin airport to marvel in our two-week experiences and plan the next adventure. 

A week in Ireland is not enough. Many times we found ourselves having our evening meetings over pint making tough decisions on what to cross off the list because there wasn’t enough time in the day to do it all and most of all enjoy it all. With so much to see, you could easily spend two weeks in Ireland.

Travel Movies That Inspire Wanderlust

If you are like me, before going to Ireland, there are only a couple of things I knew. The movie, The Quiet Man was filmed in, yup you guessed it, Ireland. Maureen O’Hara, John Wayne’s love interest in the movie, was born in Ireland.

Jameson and Guinness are loved and enjoyed all over the world. If I had my way, I would have an Irish coffee every day before, at lunch, and end with a Guinness after work. 

I learned there is an art to pouring a glass of Guinness and enjoying it.  Lastly, the only traditional Irish dance I was aware of was Riverdance and Lord of the Dance and a dancer named Michael Flatly. One of my favorite bands is U2.

Oh and don’t forget about the Titanic and her sisters Britannic and Olympic.

I could go on and on. And then there are those Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel. Oasis forever! Yes, I know the brothers are never, ever, ever getting back together. At least I got to see them in the 90s.

Reflections Of Ireland

I didn’t know Ireland’s rich history and numerous contributions to global citizens around the world.

I felt like I had already been to the Emerald Isle once before, yet it was my first time visiting this amazing place. Time to recheck that family tree.

Learned a little bit about my family history I didn’t know. I have British and Irish ancestry!

That was a bit of a surprise and quite lovely.

After hopping across the pond (I took a ferry from Belfast), I arrived in Scotland for a couple of fun-filled days of landscape photography and liquid gold.

To read more about my Scottish adventure, check out my blog post, Scotland: Whiskey, the Highlands, and the Breakfast of Champions.