9 more days in Dublin and Belfast, cont'd

Tuesday morning (July 27), my parents and I boarded a train to Belfast and checked in to the Radisson Blu hotel in the gasworks quarter of town. Before I left for Ireland, we did a little investigation into the Nimick ancestry (of Scots-Irish descent) and discovered that a great**** uncle of mine had built a church in a small town outside of Belfast in the early/mid 1800s. And so it was to the community of Glencraig, in the Craigavad area of County Down just outside of Holywood, that we went on this afternoon, and indeed dear readers, we found the church.

We stopped in Holywood and had a nice dinner on our way back to Belfast, and then walked around the botanic gardens near Queen's University in Belfast for a while before heading back to the hotel.

The next day, we took a train to Coleraine and got on a bus that took us to the Giant's Causeway, one of No. Ireland's biggest tourist attractions. There are some really weird and cool hexagonal basalt formations along the northern coast.

On our way to Derry, we stopped at Coleraine and Bushmills, where the three of us each had a rather large portion of fish n chips, which was excellent. In Derry, we walked part way around the old city on top of the wall and had a snack/dessert at a little bistro & pub. After a long and exciting day, we arrived back in Belfast after sunset.

Thursday was Belfast day. We saw the Grand Opera House, a few churches/cathedrals, and the Titanic Quarter. We walked pretty close to the giant yellow 300-ft tall Harland & Wolff cranes (Samson and Goliath) that have dominated the Belfast skyline since they were built between 1969 and '74.

After a day of sightseeing, we had a sturdy dinner and dessert at The Crown pub.

Thursday night was our last one in Belfast, and on Friday morning we stopped by the St. George's indoor market. We were lucky to be there on a Friday, because it is a remarkable place on weekends (incl. fridays). The place is full of little shops selling clothing, freshly baked breads, pastries, meats and cheeses, and other fresh produce. We were able to buy a wonderful lunch for the three of us for less than 10 pounds. sandwiches made on a big loaf of rosemary ciabatta with carmelized-onion cheddar cheese, salami, and a green olive tapenade.

After getting off the train in Dublin, we got a taxi up to the airport and checked into the Clarion Hotel. In the morning, we were homebound.

Thanks for reading!