Day 154: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Friday, 9 June 2017
Pollock Dock, Port of Belfast (Delayed Departure)

Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:30p (BST) … UTC 7:30p (9 June)
Temp: 62.8F (17.1C)
Position: 54.36.87N / 5.54.96W

May your joys be as deep as the oceans
Your troubles as light as its foam.
And may you find peace of mind
Wherever you may roam.
~ Irish Blessing ~

Our well-earned day of rest at sea yesterday was a rockin’ and rollin’ one.  The seas moderated in the afternoon, though, so we got a decent night’s rest.  We were up at 6:00a this morning ready to begin a 12-hour day in port.   We had a leisurely breakfast but didn’t dally much since we had an invitation to meet UK immigration officials once Insignia docked in Belfast, Northern Ireland at 8:00a.

The O tour groups were scheduled first for the face-to-face with the officials.  We didn’t mind that our deck was not due to go through the process until 9:10a … nothing planned but a DIY city wander and a meet-up with a friend in the afternoon.  Turns out the immigration officials worked so efficiently that the process went faster than expected.  We were all called regardless of deck number once the tour groups were done.  Instead of just getting started at our appointed time, Mui and I were walking off the ship at that time … landing cards clutched in our hands to show that we were indeed cleared to go ashore.

Insignia was docked a considerable distance from the city center.  So we hopped on the complimentary shuttle that dropped us off at the Donegal Square Visitor Information Center … across the street from City Hall.  We debated doing a tour of the imposing building, but decided to take advantage of the nice weather to enjoy a stroll through the city instead.  Friends who did the tour later told us that it was worth going inside, so we will do that next time we are in Belfast … we have a few more chances to visit in the next year or two.

Before heading off on our stroll, we picked up a map from the VIC, took advantage of the free wi-fi, and used the facilities.  Then we stopped at an ATM to get some pound sterlings.  Since we have a trip planned to England later in the year, we picked up a bit more than we would need today.  Oh oh!  Sure, we got pounds, but they were issued by the Ulster Bank … not good in England!  Luckily we realized this immediately and Mui was able to go inside a bank and exchange them for Bank of England notes … whew!

Our meandering walk first took us to the Cathedral Church of Saint Anne — aka the Belfast Cathedral.  We almost didn’t get to go inside … the man at the till could not make change and their credit card machine was on the fritz.  Luckily, since the problem was on their end, they accepted our only £5 note for the two of us … meaning we got in for half price … and they threw in for free a brochure that normally costs extra.  Having seen the interior of the cathedral now, I’m glad we did not miss out on it.

Beautifully embroidered kneelers are attached to each chair.

The foundation stone of this cathedral church — which serves two dioceses, yet is the seat of neither — was laid in 1899.  When the nave — the only part initially constructed — was consecrated in 1904, the old church that it was built to replace was demolished … the Good Samaritan window the only element retained and installed in the sanctuary.  Other sections were added on in the following years.

Left: The Good Samaritan window is the only thing that remains of the old church.
Right: the Good Samaritan Window reflected on the back of the Sanctuary cross.

The most recent addition to the church was the installation in 2007 of a 131-foot (40m) tall steel spire — the Spire of Hope.  This unique — and controversial — addition protrudes down from a skylight in the roof of the cathedral and is visible from the nave.  The website for the cathedral states that this installation is in lieu of a traditional spire or bell tower, the weight of which would aggravate the subsidence of the church into the Belfast sleech (combination of mud, silt, and sand) on which the building was constructed.

The Spire of Hope as seen from the outside of the church and from the nave.

We spent quite a bit of time at the cathedral.  In addition to the fascinating spire installation and the wonderful stained glass windows, there were quite a few other things of interest … the hand-crafted Titanic Pall that is a memorial to those who died on the ill-fated ship; the Regimental Chapel with its beautiful stained glass window and Books of Remembrance; the Baptistery with its amazing mosaic roof; and more.

A small portion of the mosaic decorating the ceiling of the Baptistery.

Left: Stained glass cross above the Regimental Chapel.
Right: The column capitals are varied throughout the Cathedral.

By the time we left the Belfast Cathedral behind, we were starving.  So, we set our feet in the direction of the city center to get a bite to eat.  Along the way, we detoured into the Parish Church of Saint George … yes, more stained glass windows … I’m going to have quite the collection of photographs of these beautiful works of art by the time we get home.  Our route also took us by the Albert Memorial Clock at Queen’s Square.  Completed in 1869, it is considered to be one of the iconic landmarks of Belfast.  I later learned that having been built on wooden piles on marshy, reclaimed land near the River Farset, the top of the tower leans 4 feet (1.3 m) off the perpendicular.  No wonder I had so much difficulty getting the horizon right when I was photographing the tower!

Left: Stained glass window and a wreath made of remembrance poppies.
Right: The Albert Memorial Clock honors Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert.

We ran into the Gelmans as we approached the city center.  They too were looking for a place for lunch, so we joined forces.  My notes said that Fish City was a good place to get fish and chips.  When the recommendation was seconded by fellow passengers who had just finished eating there, we decided to take a table on the sidewalk … great day for al fresco dining.  Both the chowder and the fish and chips were very good … and the portions quite substantial … the single-piece f&c was plenty for me.  We wrapped up by splitting a delicious brownie a la mode amongst the four of us.

After lunch we went our separate ways again.  Our destination was Titanic Belfast … billed as the world’s largest attraction for all things Titanic.  This wonderful facility — with interpretive and interactive exhibits, as well as a multitude of historic photos — is in the city’s urban waterfront area known as Titanic Quarter.  I’m not sure what the actual distance is to the city center, but there is a gap of over an hour from the time I took my first photo at the start of our walk to when we first sighted the Titanic Experience building … and it probably took us another 30 minutes from there to make it to the entrance … with photo stops along the way.  I’m glad we didn’t give into the temptation to take a cab or other transportation as it was a nice stroll on a very-walkable day in Belfast.

The iconic design of the Titanic Belfast building comprises many maritime
metaphors … including water crystals, ships bows, and the White Star logo.

In addition to the very impressive exhibit building, the Titanic Quarter is where one finds the historic slipways from which Titanic — and sister vessel Olympic — were launched into the water.  What makes the walk on the slipway interesting is the outline of the promenade of the two ships inlaid into the ground with white stones … giving a perspective for the size of the ship that was said to be ‘unsinkable’ … we all know how that turned out.  Also on the grounds is the SS Nomadic … the last remaining ship that was part of the White Star Line fleet.  Restored to the way the ship was in 1911, visitors can walk the decks and explore the ship.

Left: The Titanic slipway as seen from inside the building.  Note the faint outline
of the promenade deck … the people wandering outside look like ants in comparison.

Right: Historic photo showing the Titanic being constructed at the Belfast Shipyard.

The only White Star Line vessel in existence today, SS Nomadic was built
to transfer passengers and mail to and from the Titanic and Olympic.

We didn’t want to tie ourselves to a schedule, so we skipped the Discovery Tour that is described as walking “in the footsteps of the men who built Titanic.”  Those who did the tour later told us that it was interesting.  That’s OK.  What we did was infinitely more fun for us … we met up with a friend from the South America cruise we went on in December 2014.  Our get together with Barry was brief, but it was so nice to see him again — if only Brenda had been with him, the meeting would have been perfect.  Another time … another place … fingers crossed.

After Barry left, we spent a fascinating 2½ hours at the Titanic Experience.  The interactive exhibits were very interesting.  I liked the Disneyesque ride designed to give us a glimpse into the building of the ship.  Other exhibits covered why the “Ship of Dreams” was designed the way she was, how she was built and fitted out … all the way to the sinking and the discovery of the wreck.  One exhibit took us on a virtual tour of the interior of the ship.  Most interesting to me were the artifacts and the collection of black and white historic photos that brought to life the reality of the people who built the ship … the people who sailed the ship on its maiden voyage … and the ship itself.

Historic photos show the stark contrast between 1st and 2nd class cabins.
I’ll leave you to guess which is which ;-)

First class all the way … one of the scenes from the interactive tour.

The “ghost of Erin” taking a photo of the last photo of RMS Titanic.
The image was taken by Father Browne from the pier in Cobh.  He sailed
on the ship from Southampton and would have continued onto New York City
had he not been ordered by his clerical superior to leave the ship in Cobh.
He did so … taking with him the only surviving photos of the “Ship of Dreams.”

We definitely didn’t do justice to Titanic Belfast, but we were out of time when we left around 5:30p to make our way back to the ship.  We started out with a meander.  But as we approached the port, we decided to grab a cab the rest of the way … mostly because we weren’t sure if we were at the right entrance gate.  If we weren’t at the right wharf, it would take us too much time to retrace our steps.  Stopping at a pub, we asked the barkeep to call us a cab.  This turned out to be a smart move as the cabbie did have to go back out and around to where Insignia was docked … we saved a lot of unnecessary footsteps — and more importantly, stress — by taking a cab for this last little bit of our wander in Belfast.

We were on the ship shortly before 7:00p … having clocked 19,676 steps on the Fitbit.  Lots of walking for sure … but we enjoyed every bit of it.  We were on our way to dinner when Ray announced a delay in our scheduled departure — from 8p to 9:30p.  The reason: bunkering … that is, topping off Insignia’s fuel tanks.

We have since left our berth.  When I pulled the drapes around 10:00p, we were on the outer edges of Belfast Port.  The light outside is still bright … to be expected in these latitudes.  We are headed to Ireland for our next port of call … time to get a good night’s rest.

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