A new day started with breakfast in our Airbnb and a quick cup of coffee before heading out around ten o'clock in the morning to walk to the botanical gardens of Belfast. It was from there we decided to walk around Belfast the whole day and ditch the rental car since it was expensive to park the car in the city center. So experiencing Belfast on foot was the goal and I think our jetlag gave us ultimate energy for that because we walked from ten o'clock in the morning to eleven o'clock that night. Uffda.
We walked alongside the river that flowed through the town near our Airbnb and it was a relaxing walk, almost too much because we walked a whole half hour past the gardens so we had to back track a bit. But when we arrived the gardens were breathtaking. And we had only stepped about ten feet into the space. Throughout we smelled the various flowers growing there, snapped a few pictures and experienced unique sculptures displayed there. When we go closer to them I got excited because I found out they were sculptures surround the idea of climate change, waste, and society. All topics I am very passionate about and have noticed Belfast is too. They have reduced the use of plastic in their city, are conscious about energy, and encourage their people to reduce their waste. None the less, I keep rooting for Belfast and congratulate them on their proceeds to a healthier environment and caring about our future and generations to come. It was very prominent they care, it was the cleanest city I've ever seen!
Enough said on the city, back to the gardens! It started to drizzle a bit while we were walking around so we decided to wrap our visit up and move onto the next location. The city hall was our next destination and it was conveniently located in city center surrounded by all the shops, restaurants, and businesses in the city. This set up reminded me of Prescott, Arizona as their city hall was located in the center of their town and was surrounded by many shops and restaurants too. Here, in Belfast, we toured the grand building and learned about the towns history and how it became the hub it is now.
We had lunch in the courtyard of city hall and seated ourselves on one of the sculptures there. *Travelers tip* If you choose to stay in hotels, hostles, or Airbnbs and can't afford going out to eat for every meal, go to local grocery stores and pack a small lunch! It saves you lots of money and can be more enjoyable to have a picnic where ever you go and also saves you money to go out to eat for dinner! We had gathered a crowd of pigeons and a single seagull while eating our cheese and crackers and various fruits and I was loving it. When every one was done eating I decided to feed the birds because they waited and stayed around us, maybe I was missing my dog Jett and these birds acted like him when there was food around. But the feeding session didn't last long as more pigeons came flying down wanting food and became too much for me to handle.
We didn't really have a set plan for the day, we just set out to see what Belfast had to offer and I know I had a few things I waned to check out, Game of Thrones related of course, and everyone else had small places they wanted to see. Which I enjoyed the spontaneity of the trip, why not travel and see where the next street takes you? We ended up in front of a huge stain glass window #GlassOfThrones depicting a season of Game of Thrones. Belfast was the main area location where the show was filmed so an artist dedicated stain glass windows for every season in GOT and it covers 1.8 miles of famous locations in Belfast. I found two of them and thought they were beautifully done! So this one is for you GOT fans.
We stopped at George's Market which is their oldest market in Ireland still going on today and it was where local food, clothing, and art was sold. I found my Claddagh ring there where a very nice vendor sold it to me. He started small talk with me and I came to tell him I was studying abroad in Scotland and wanted to get as much traveling in while I was here. He also shared stories of his own travels with his wife and kid and even told me about the time when him and his wife converted an old bus to a functional living space and how one summer they traveled all around Europe with their son. Their story was inspiring and I was happy to have met him and get so much information about traveling and experiencing life!
That is something to note about Irish folk, they are the nicest people I have ever met. Sorry Minnesota nice, these guys know how to properly do it. Do not be afraid to talk, ask or start conversations with them or anybody you meet while abroad. That is how you learn more and get more out of your experience. From there we went to Victoria Square which was huge shopping mall in the city which had a huge glass egg-like dome in the center of it. It sparked our interest when we first drove into the town and impressed us when we climbed to the top. A spiral staircase leads you to the best view in Belfast and was an architecture feat. It was unlike anything we could see in the states, not everyday you can get an entire view of the city from a shopping mall!
We lingered a bit at the mall, walking in and out of stores. The girls bought a couple small things and I marveled at the free flowing open interior of the mall. But it was reaching to be the evening and we were getting hungry. So upon recommendation from our host at the Airbnb, we go dressed up and went out to the Barking Dog. Let me be the first to recommend it to you guys because it was AMAZING. Enjoy some craft and specialty beers, wines, and mixed drinks unlike any you've had. I tried the Barking Dog Brew with my meal and it was a craft beer made especially for the restaurant and was great!
They had deals on their tapas (or appetizers) and so we ordered four of those to start with our drinks. One of the tapas we had was wings and what came with it was a grape seed oil and lemon cup. Our waiter explained that it was something you used to clean your fingers after eating a wing but Jaseena and Kallie didn't hear that unlike everyone else so they were over there dipping their wings in the mix. They had some funny looks on their face every time they tried it and Katie brought the news to them that you were supposed to use that for their hands and not their wings. We all had a good laugh over it and was one of the memorable parts of Ireland for us.
We then dined on our main courses and even had room for desert. For dinner I had a pasta with pork, tomatoes, arugula, and fresh parmesan with a garlic butter sauce and it was melt in your mouth home made goodness! For dessert we had creme brulee and a chocolate cake alongside an espresso martini which tasted like ice cream it was so good. After our wonderful dinner we decided to call it a night and walked back to our Airbnb. A successful day touring the city and achieving 28,380 steps in one day called for a warm shower and going to bed!
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