August 31, 2006

Off to Belfast


The bricks they may bleed and the rain it may weep
And the damp Lagan fog lulls the city to sleep.
It's to Hell with the future, we'll live in the past
May the Lord in his mercy be kind to Belfast


I've been to Belfast twice, once for a few hours, the second time for a few days. Tonight, I'm on my way there again. This time, on a nonstop Continental Airlines plane from New York/Newark.

I won't be there for very long, nor will I be in Ireland for very long. I will use Belfast as a base of operations to visit family in County Monaghan, then up in County Donegal. They're both in Ulster, so may as well stay in the Ulster capital. Unless I chicken out, I will rent a car and drive on the left side of the road to all those places.

Then it's down to Dublin for a day, to Marseille on Ryanair, a day there, a few days with friends in Cannes, then a surprisingly long train ride to Torino, finally a flight home out of Milan's Malpensa Airport on the fifth anniversary of September 11.

But first, Belfast. There's something of Belfast and the North that appeals to me greatly. May the Lord in his mercy be kind to Belfast

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great to see that you will be enjoying Belfast. I spent the best part of my two weeks traveling through Ireland, in Belfast. I loved the Crown. It's rustic and antique, but I like it. By the way, my mothers family is from County Down. (McCoy's) Let me know how the trip goes.

Jury's Inn near Belfast City Centre is a great hotel with a gracious staff, if you are looking for a good hotel to stay at.

I made more friends in Belfast in a day, than I did the six days based out of Dublin. However, the people I met out of the city were very nice.

Dublin is like any big city, you're going to find an arse somewhere. :-)

Have fun...

The Phantom said...

JD

I'll be staying at the Tara Lodge.

I've had good experiences in Belfast, even during short visits when the "Troubles" were by no means over.

I've got more than a couple of double takes even now when I've told people that I was starting my vacation in Belfast. The unspoken thought was "why are you going there"? Thats ok.

Anonymous said...

I got a few double takes from people in Belfast. Asking me, "Why the hell would you want to come here"? (Shrugging Shoulders) :)

They really don't understand why we want to come to there humble city. But, I don't understand why anyone would fly for eight hours, just to go to Disney World. Same premise, I guess. Have a grand time...