Belfast, Carrickfergus Castle, Titanic Museum (Day 8)

Saturday June 9th was spent exploring some of the best sites in and around Belfast. Tim picked us up mid-morning and we began with a tour of West Belfast, the neighborhoods that were the most greatly affected during the Troubles. I was able to snap some more shots of the murals that can be seen all over town. So many stories are told through the murals - its history and various perspectives brought to life in vivid color.

After viewing the murals, half of our group stayed in Belfast for a bit of shopping, while the other half that I was with went to visit Carrickfergus Castle. Carrickfergus Castle is one of the best preserved castles in all of Ireland, and has been under siege many times throughout its history. On the day that we were in Carrickfergus, a big parade was going on - I think it was to celebrate William of Orange.

The Irish really know how to celebrate - besides from the parade, there was a whole carnival going on! It was also such a beautiful seaside town and looked like it would be a great place to vacation.

Before seeing the castle, we stopped in at a local place for lunch. I had a "traditional roast" which was roast turkey and ham with all of the trimmings - stuffing, champ (which is mashed potatoes with scallions mixed in) cranberry sauce and veggies. It was tasty! 

After lunch, we were able to take a quick walk around the castle which was really neat.

We finished up in the town of Carrickfergus around 3pm and had to rush back to Belfast to pick up the rest of the group so we could visit the Titanic Museum! For those of you who don't know, the Titanic was constructed in Belfast beginning in 1909. The Titanic Museum includes exhibits that explain life in Belfast in the 20th century, how the Titanic was constructed, what happened during the fateful journey, and the aftermath. There was even a little ride that showed you what the shipyard would have been like! One exhibit showed what different rooms would have looked like on the Titanic (first class, third class, etc.), which I thought was pretty cool.