Belfast is a UNQUIE city. Belfast was the busiest city I visited while on my trip to the Island of Ireland. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom and separate from The Republic of Ireland. Our train ride to and from Belfast was a total of 10 hours. The train ride was fun and so beautiful and I had such a wonderful time on it. We got into Belfast at 8:00 pm on a Friday and stayed in the Eden Apartments. The Eden Apartments on Cromwell Street were very nice and were a really good deal for the two nights we stayed. We had a wonderful view from the balcony of Belfast and the apartment was so cute. On our first night, we ate at a place called Bao Bun and it was SO GOOD. I believe it is kind of a chain restaurant in the UK, but it was amazing. After eating dinner, we went into town and went to some pubs. We went into a pub with live music, and it was such a lively place. We then went into more of a club place called Filthy McNasty’s and it did to an extent live up to its name, but it was FUN. We also went into a place called The Market which was more laid back compared to the other places we went to.

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On our first full day in Northern Ireland, we got onto the Allen’s Tour Bus to go see Giants Causeway. This bus tour lasted for 8 hours and cost us about 40 Euros a piece. The tour went along the coast of Northern Ireland, and we even got to see filming locations of the TV show Game of Thrones. We also spent some time at a Whiskey Distillery and some cliffs where we could see Scotland. Once we got to Giant’s Causeway, we had about 2 hours to look at everything. My number one complaint about the trip was that we should have had more time at the Causeway. I felt like we didn’t get to see all of the Causeway due to the lack of time. Besides that, I still had a wonderful time and Giants Causeway is STUNNING!

 

On our last day in Belfast, we went to a café called The French Café and the food was good. We then went and saw Queen’s University as well as the Botanical Gardens. Both of these places were brilliant and stunning, and they were both free! Then we made our way to Belfast City Hall, and this is another free place that is filled with beauty and history. My favorite part of the whole trip was going to St. George’s Market and seeing all of the different booths. My favorite booths to look at were the vintage jewelry and the handmade items. I bought a vintage French broach and a Scottish bracelet while at the market. We also ate lunch at the market and I had the best pasta ever in my life. This pasta was an authentic Alfredo pasta with chorizo on top and it was the BEST thing I have ever put in my mouth. After the market, we hopped onto the train back to Wexford. To say I was happy to get back to Wexford is an understatement. Belfast is a busy city and has a different vibe to it. Belfast is a very interesting city and was a little dirty in my opinion but it was still a city that I would recommend visiting.