We were up early and driving back to Coleraine to return the rental cars before taking the train to Belfast. My mom and I had some fun trying to take a St. Patrick’s Day selfie while we waited to board and were finally able to capture one that was post worthy.
The train station in Belfast was in a frenzy with a multitude of people milling about to get places. Throughout all of our treks through towns and stations, I was feeling pretty proud of my hiking backpack purchase for this trip, especially when we were told our hotel was within walking distance a few blocks away.
Let the Celebrations Begin!
After checking into the Clayton Hotel, we regrouped and hit the streets to watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade that started at City Hall. You could hear the bagpipes from blocks away and the crowds became denser the closer we got. Many people were wearing green, orange and white and children were waving little flags with clovers on them. We actually managed to get a spot pretty close to the edge so that we’d be able to see all the parade participants.
There were some interesting characters and nothing beats the sound of bagpipes in a parade. While a lot of fun to be a part of and watch, I couldn’t help but think it was a little underwhelming. There were no massive, outstanding floats and nothing was thrown out into the crowd and aside from the bagpipes, there were no other bands marching along. It was over before we knew it and I can’t help but think this would’ve been an event better attended in Dublin that day.
It was right about lunch at this point, so we went to Pizza Express. The place was recommended to my brother-in-law by one of his students and ending up being amazing. The large, personal, thin crust pizza ended up being the perfect portion and consistency to be satisfying. I ordered the Carbonara Pizza which included an egg right on top.
Then it was time to tour the city. With so many things to see, we decided to hop on one of the sight-seeing tour buses that drive around the city and talks about the different areas and sights. Belfast, along with much of Ireland, is rich with culture and history, and we learned a lot about the early turmoil of the city during times of civil war and unrest. There were many murals created to recap these events and to serve as a reminder of this time to prevent history from repeating. The most impressive aspect of all of this was the Peace Wall, an expansive barrier to separate neighborhoods of conflicting religious and national beliefs that is covered in graffiti. It seemed that the graffiti was not even considered an act of vandalism, but of expression.
For even more photos from our tour around Belfast, click HERE
The tour took no time at all (which is kind of unfortunate), so we ventured around the city on foot to see a few more places before making our way to the Crown Liquor Saloon for a drink before dinner. The saloon was beautiful on the inside and out, though it was hard to capture a picture because it was also packed full of people. There was only standing space around the bar, so we headed upstairs to the dining room to have a seat. Just for fun, we ordered the “nachos” that were on the menu to share, and they were the saddest nachos that I had ever seen served. Tex Mex would definitely be needed as soon as I returned home.
Between waking up early and bustling around all day, we were all exhausted and resigned back to the hotel for the evening. I hung out with my dad and brother-in-law in the hotel lobby playing Scrabble, and lame as it sounds, I couldn’t muster the energy to venture out for the nightlife that evening. I topped the night off with a cocktail from the hotel bar that they were making special for St. Patrick’s Day. The combination of vodka, Blue Curaçao, peach schnapps, orange juice and lime gave it the perfect shade of green, and it was delicious.
Cheers!
Add me on Untappd to follow my beer experiences.
Be sure to like the Facebook page for photos and updates!
