It's a pity that not many will actually consider Belfast as an ideal destination, it's way underrated for such overwhelming beauty it provides. I guess in certain cities, you just got to delve deeper before giving a superficial disregard at first glance. Not convinced? Scroll down.
Let's cut to the chase. the roadtrip to Giant's Causeway was definitely the highlight of my trip to Ireland (Yes I'm aware that Northern Ireland is a part of United Kingdom) and I would highly recommend everyone to take a drive down ASAP, the coastal roads towards the destination is absolutely breathtaking. Think windswept cliffs, spectacular scenery, and fabulous unspoiled beaches. An alternative is to book a coach tour that starts from £18 onwards.
You will be driving through some award-winning roads mentioned below. While are no red carpets or celebrities, there are some pretty spectacular views en route. I would say it was the best drive I've had so far.
Antrim Coast Road- Marvel at the breathtaking scenery of the Antrim Coast and the Glens of Antrim with views across Scotland
Larne – Causeway Coast (scenic route) voted one of world's 5 most spectacular drives according to Telegraph Travel
Dark Hedges
One of the most popular natural phenomena in Northern Ireland, the Dark Hedges was one of the location set filmed in the HBO hit TV series Game of Thrones: King's Road in Season 2. The symmetry is notably #instagramworthy.
Ballintoy
Suspended almost 100 ft above the crashing waves below, the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge was used by salmon fishermen over three centuries ago, and I must say that they must have walked a deadly bridge, considering the weather and the conditions of the bridge might not even be safe then. The reward for making it over to the other side is a gorgeous overview of Rathlin Island, Scotland and Causeway Coast. Just a note to avoid disappointment, it's not a long rope bridge if that is what you are expecting. It's a little scary since the winds can get pretty strong but it's pretty safe to cross. There is a small charge to cross the bridge (approx £5.60 payable on site to the National Trust)
The blue skies were amazing and I was grinning to myself throughout the entire journey. I don't think I will ever get tired of the coastal views. The most beautiful thing to witness it the endless kissing of the waves to the shoreline. Spectacular indeed.
Giant's Causeway
After a 6 hour breathtaking drive, we finally arrived at Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, also said to be the eighth wonder of the world. This sprawling lunar landscape is dotted with soaring cliffs, inaccessible bays, fishermen’s cottages and isolated ruins. Follow in the footsteps of the giants of Irish folklore – Finn MacCool and Benandonner and stand on these hexagonal shaped stones (which are estimated to be a staggering 62 – 65 million years old). A definite must see geological phenomenon.
She was hesitant to boulder up the cliffs but I'm guessing she's not regretting the views above the cliffs after all.
And if you've got time and fuel to spare, you can consider Mourne Mountains, an hour away drive from the city centre.
Fret not if you don't have a car, Cavehill Country Park is a great alternative, introduced to me by my host, Keith. The peak overlooked the entire cityscape as well as Scotland and the Island Of Man, where only sheeps live there, according to Keith. Guess why it's called Cavehill Country Park? I've kind of realized how straightforward the name of a place can relate to a distinctive feature of the entire landscape in the UK. So, it's literally a cave on a hill which is how this place got it's name.
The climb up was definitely worth it and I needed to burn the Belfast Bap sandwich (shown below) sitting in on my stomach. The love was too much to handle so I got to burn it all down, pun intended. Get a good walking shoes though, the path up might be pretty steep.
It wasn't meant to be an exhaustive post, but I thought that the murals that highlight the history and political situation of Belfast was pretty interesting as well.
This was the one time where I caught myself pondering over the social studies readings that I have repeatedly memorize in Secondary School. Seeing the murals for myself jogged back the memories when I was studying the causes and issues arising from the conflict in the multi-ethnic societies and I had to infer the political images for our exams. I never thought that I would have the chance to see these murals for myself until now. Word on the street says that these activist groups are still active and there are still danger lurking around. It's ironic, because never would I have thought that such history will be still have a hold on the present, but it does. It's an interesting insight that not many tourists get to see in Belfast, since these murals are mainly found in the districts away from the city centre. Just a measure, the place where I couchsurfed at was a 40 min walk from the city centre but I got to see the flipside of the city which I thought was pretty cool since I get to explore the murals painted along the way.
Interestingly, locals also referred Northern Ireland as Ulster. Here's a fun fact for a summarized background to the political issue and why Northern Ireland is also known as Ulster.
"Ulster is the name of one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland, the others being Leinster, Munster and Connacht. Ulster consisted of nine counties. When Ireland was partitioned in 1922, the counties of Ulster were allowed to vote on whether to join the Irish Free State or remain in the United Kingdom. Three -- Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan -- voted for the Irish Free State. The others -- Fermanagh, Armagh, Tyrone, Londonderry, Antrim and Down -- voted for the UK. These six now form Northern Ireland. Unionists tend to refer to their six counties as "Ulster" rather than "Northern Ireland", in order to emphasise their separateness from the rest of Ireland."
In short,
Irish-Republicans are Catholics who feel like they belong to Ireland
Loyalist union are British Protestants who feel like they belong to the United Kingdom.
You will see the flags that represent the different communities at the allocated districts as well as find different currency notes printed out in Belfast even though they accept pounds or sterling as well.
Another interesting fact was, even though the Northern and Southern regions are separated, there wasn't a checkpoint when I passed the "borders" from Dublin to Belfast.
To summarize, the causes are divided loyalties between the Protestants and the Catholics, no voting rights for Catholics, unfair allocation of housing, separation of communities – lack of opportunities for social interaction and unequal employment opportunities. Consequently, the historical event of Bloody Sunday.
St. George's Farmers' Market
Ain't nobody be leaving Belfast without eating the Belfast Bap. I've always loved the idea of farmers markets and street food, and the experience at St. George's Farmers' Market was satisfying for my palate, it operates from Thursday to Sunday. I rarely splurge on food, but Belfast has really affordable food.
I was pleasantly surprised by how affordable the food was at St. George Farmers' Market. I had the most enjoyable time roaming around mentally consuming the food/cake stalls and telling myself I want everything. The Belfast Bap (4.50) was a gastronomic affair, every bite was orgasmic. Salty, Oily and just the junk food I needed for the year. Just look at that assembly, BAE ( Bacon, Eggs, Sausage ).
Fresh Oysters was selling only for 1 pound? I will gladly part with my 1 pound.
