Celebrity Silhouette will dock in Belfast. Just to begin to whet your Irish appetite... see this beautiful YouTube video from a cruise passenger in Belfast! Yes, you will see that the music that accompanies this video is the theme song from the movie, Titanic. Titanic, dubbed "Queen of the Ocean" and the "Unsinkable" ship, was launched by the shipyard of Harland & Wolff in Belfast. Check out the New York Times article of how to spend 36 Hours in Belfast. We won't have 36 hours, but there are some great recommendations listed!
In Belfast, you can get a city tour on an open-top HOHO (hop-on hop-off) bus tour. This tour takes a little over 1 1/2 hours or so round-trip tour along some of the city's most impressive and evocative sights and includes many hop-on/hop-off points.
You can explore Belfast's darkest time by taking a walking tour of the history of terror in Belfast from Dead CentreTours, which gets great reviews on Tripadvisor. You can tour the filming locations for the popular HBO series "Game of Thrones" and even pose for photos donning costumes!
On our last visit to Belfast, we took the ship's excursion of the Antrim Coast & Giant's Causeway and it was excellent. Giant's Causeway is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Northern Ireland. This region has been made famous by the Causeway Coastal Route which is seen as 'one of the world's great road journeys' and one of the most outstanding scenic car touring drives in the world featuring the Giant's Causeway.
Legend has it that the causeway basalt columns were created as stepping-stones by the giant Finn McCool in a bid to reach a giantess he'd fallen in love with on the Scottish island of Staffa. Unfortunately, the giantess's boyfriend found out, and in the ensuing battle, Finn pulled out a huge chunk of earth and flung it toward Scotland. The resulting hole became Lough Neagh, and the sod landed to create the Isle of Man. There are numerous legends of Finn McCool.
The Giants Causeway coastal route is absolutely breath takingly gorgeous! We saw the ruins of Dunluce Castle, a medieval castle perched on top of a basalt cliff (Dunluce is one of the filming location for Game of Thrones).
As we drove along the coastal route, we saw golfers on a beautiful seaside course,
Is it time for lunch yet? Northern Ireland's traditional cuisine has its roots in potatoes and bread. The Ulster Fry is quite possibly the single most dish associated with Northern Ireland. It's generally served for breakfast or lunch.
Here's what it is: Irish back bacon, sausage, black pudding (look it up!), white pudding (same thing... look it up), fried soda bread, fried potato bread, fried egg, tomatoes and mushrooms (both fried, of course!), and a rack of toast. This is a traditional Irish breakfast! Check out this YouTube video for a tribute song to the Ulster Fry! How 'bout snack time? Ask any local to name their favorite crisps (or chips) and you'll probably hear 'Tayto Cheese and Onion, mate'. Made since the 1950s at Tayto Castle, Tandragee, these distinctive yellow packets with Mr Tayto logo have become an unlikely Northern Ireland icon. And check this article out "5 Reasons Why Belfast Tastes Amazing", from an Ireland tourism website.
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