Killing two birds with one stone. Skilful? Sadistic maybe. Well that is exactly what I did recently in Belfast. I got two for the price of one, though fortunately no fluffy creatures were harmed in the making of this adventure. Hey, did I ever tell you about the time when I popped a champagne cork and there was a loud squawk as it hit a bird minding its own business on a branch? I didn’t? Oh well, it’s irrelevant anyway and it’s taking me off track.

So back to killing birds. Not only did I get to see the gig I reviewed last week (see In the Limelight- Blossoms in Belfast http://www.cre8ivation.com/?p=5437  and RIP Viola Beach http://www.cre8ivation.com/?p=5447) but I was also able to spend thirty hours in a city I have wanted to visit for ages. I wasn’t disappointed, in spite of a sudden drop in temperature to freezy bollocks weather. Belfast was seriously cold, with a biting wind that created the effects of a series of botox sessions for the price of none.

Leaving Liverpool John Airport at 8.30 a.m.in a small Flybe plane, we touched down at George Best Airport in Belfast at 9.05. At thirty five minutes long, the flight over the Irish Sea is actually quicker than for me to drive to Manchester city centre. Great value too at less than £50 for a weekend flight. Also exceptional value for a long, shakety shakety, white knuckle ride through the clouds. Travelling on the anniversary of the Manchester United Munich air crash was probably not the best for calming those flying nerves.  Within minutes of landing I boarded the number 600 bus which takes you into the centre of Belfast and drops you off at the Europa bus station behind the Europa Hotel. It was too early for me to check into the room I had booked at that leading purple hotel. You know, the one that is often frequented by Sir Lenny of Henry. I decided, therefore to see the sights with the Belfast City Sightseeing bus. It cost me £10- booked online before I set off- for a two day hop on, hop off experience. The bus leaves from Castle Place not far from the Belfast City Hall (there is a Titanic memorial in the grounds), and close to those two most typical of Belfast establishments. Starbucks and McDonalds.

I figured that going on the tour was the best way to see as many things as possible in a short time period and that I would then return to see again anything that particularly appealed. As it was I only stayed on board for a few stops, before getting off at the front of the Titanic Museum. The price didn’t go down well and I had that sinking feeling as I coughed up the £17 entrance fee. Get it? As an aside, the lady commentating on the tour made constant references to sinking. She’s not the only one to play on the city’s connection to its shipbuilding heyday. There is a Thai restaurant that you pass called Thai-tanic, where the food goes down so well. Clever. Appeals to my love of murdering spellings. Then there is the large warehouse building (Titanic Studios) just down the road from the museum where Game of Thrones is filmed. The young lady called Mischa who I sat next to on the plane told me that you can often see the cast around the city and that her sister is an extra, along with lots of other people she knows. You can’t go in the studio but you can take a tour to some of the locations where filming has taken place. Probably too much to fit into a 30 hour trip.

So, where was I? Oh yes. The Titanic Museum. See how easily I get distracted. I’ve always been intrigued by the story and found the museum fascinating. It doesn’t just focus on the ship itself, although this is obviously the main focus, but takes you on an interactive journey through turn of the twentieth century Belfast, focusing on life at the time and the shipbuilding industry. There are large, black and white photos with moving silhouettes going across them to give the illusion of a moving picture, along with White Star Line posters.

You can go on a ride and look at the process of actually making a ship the size of the Titanic. I suppose the highlights for many will be the recreated cabins, from a stateroom like the one that Jack painted Rose in, to a simple third class one with bunk beds.

I was taken by how small the recreation of a lifeboat was. Not only were there not enough of them but the survivors were thrown to the mercy of the icy waves in them. There is a large theatre where you can watch an underwater film of the excavation of the site where the Titanic keeps throwing up relics and artefacts that bring the history alive. There are many more things to do in the area around the museum. Probably the easiest thing is for me to take a picture. It can paint a thousand words, and save me typing!

 

Ok. Onwards and upwards. I was so glad to get back on the bus again because it had the heating on. Did I tell you about the freezy bits weather? I did? Ok let’s move on. What else did I see?

We drove past Queen’s University, where Liam Neeson studied and up to Stormont, home of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which is incredibly striking as is the long driveway leading to it. There are free tours here but not at weekends. It looks well worth a visit but most people opted for the warm bus rather than venturing out into the Siberian chill. Belfast is where CS Lewis spent his early years and there are references to his influences, like an ornate, Victorian, black lamp post. One thing that is striking about Belfast is the mixture of interspersed, old and new buildings. This is obviously due, in part, to the bombings that took place during “The Troubles.” For many people the highlight of a visit to Belfast is… (please fill in the gap) You thought I was going to day Guinness, didn’t you? Well for those of an artistic, historical, political or cultural persuasion the murals around the city are a must see. I am going to do a separate post on these at another time but they are incredible in the statements they make. They cause you to ponder and reflect on every imaginable human emotion, from bitterness to hope, from joy to sorrow.

I decided that this, rather than Stormont, was the place I would return to on Sunday to spend a bit more time there, soaking up the past, present and future of The Shankill/ Falls Road areas of the city.

For those who love to shop there is a great shopping centre on four levels called Victoria Square. The views are excellent and there is a wide choice of places to eat. If you like your cheeky Nandos, cheeky Chiquitos or your cheeky Vimtos, this is the place for you to Netflix and chill. Oops. I mean chill. Swiftly moving on. There are so many places to eat in Belfast that the best thing to do is to search online before you go and see one that is themed to your taste. Breakfast over live jazz at Bert’s bar is a good option.

So, all good things come to an end and thirty hours is not long enough to see and do everything here but you can cram a lot into your time. You might well find that your one stone actually sees off more than two fluffy creatures.

For an excellent online magazine with up-to-date news and reviews of what is happening in and around Belfast visit @love_belfast or www.lovebelfast.co.uk

 

@Cre8ivation