Got up to a drizzly day in Belfast. After breakfast the first order of the day was to head to the Titanic Belfast attraction.
Quite a remarkable looking building.
Inside is a lot of history of Belfast from the mid 19th century, when Belfast became the largest manufacturer of linen in the world. The city also became a centre for building industrial / manufacturing machinery, first for the linen trade and ultimately heavy industry including ship building.
Unfortunately, photos taken inside the exhibit didn't turn out well as everything is inside glass. Here's one that did. These are the locations where Titanic and her sister ship Olympic were built.
The dry dock was between the two sets of poles and went as far back as the dock extends. Huge! The other ship was built in a similar dry dock to the right. There was a huge gantry frame with traveling cranes to build the ships.
This is a mock up of a first class cabin - as I said it isn't good quality. You'll have to go to Belfast and see for yourself.
This photo did turn out - the business end of the Titanic. Note that the centre screw was 4 bladed. That propeller was driven by a turbine, whereas the two outboard propellers were reciprocating steam driven (triple reduction steam drives to be exact)
Another photo - a menu. It was tough being rich.
Other really interesting features of the exhibit included a cable car ride through the hull construction showing the riveting and plate bending required to fabricate the outer hull and frames. Very noisy - apparently, a lot of the workers ended up deaf.
Also, there was Imax film of the underwater expeditions onto the Titanic. Seeing debris on the sea floor belonging to passengers was eerie.
Definitely a worthwhile visit. The Belfast history was a bonus.
Back outside, nearby is the "Nomadic," White Star's only surviving vessel. At a mere 220 feet long it is 1/4 the length of Titanic (882 feet). I was particularly interested in the old dry dock the vessel was in and how it was constructed.
After lunch I trotted out to get a look at a section of the "Peace Fence," part of 34 km of fences built to try and separate the warring factions during the 'Troubles.'
This is a quiet, peaceful looking neighbourhood not far from the city centre. To the left, blocking the street is the fence.
A closer view. This section was about 16 feet high, with a higher section to the right (I presume to protect the houses).
I have read that there are plans to begin dismantling some of the walls, with completion in 2023. A poll not long ago resulted in feedback that it was still to early for dismantling as there are still concerns.
On the way back, I had a look at the Belfast City hall. A very impressive structure.
There was no way I could get a complete shot of the rotunda. More exhibits about Belfast and its history.
Two interesting facts:
-Belfast was bombed a few times during WW2 (I thought it was too fart away).
-In 2014 & again now the 3 highest ranking members of the Belfast council (Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor & High Sheriff) have been women.
Downtown still - a pedestrian shopping mall , going off in 3 directions
Before dinner we dropped into the Duke of York Pub. It isn't too busy until later. This back room was empty except for us and two Aussies.
On the wall behind me was a news story about how the pub was badly damaged in 1973 by terrorists. Apparently, the bomb was intended for the High Court but went off prematurely as the terrorists tried to evade police.
At dinner later, I saw this beer on the list - if it had the name Maggie on it, it must be good, eh Judy? (It was)
Last photo today. We have to catch the ferry to Scotland tomorrow which necessitates an abominable get up time. Yawn!
Got going this morning and had brekky on the 13th floor of the hotel. Nice view from up there.
Very green and we are so lucky to have good weather.
Still in Dandalk when I came across this church. I should not have found it as I drifted off the planned route, but got back on soon afterwards.
One of 3 churches I snapped photos of today. No castles and for sure I could have bored you silly if I took photos of all the churches we passed.
An interesting looking abandoned cottage in the woods. Windows and doors are missing and I assume the roof is gone.
In the Cost of Living department: How do these prices for coal compare with ours. Can somebody check?
I don't know how they did it, but the staff found this "road" for us to cycle on. It wasn't much more than a driveway, but wasn't too long - a couple of km.
This was a typical country lane today - narrow, no shoulders, but little traffic. Actually, very pleasant to cycle,
We passed by a lot of open farmland. There were a lot of hay fields & cattle. A couple of fields already had their first cut of hay laying down and drying.
There was a particularly "farmy" smell alongside many of the farms. Not yummy!
Oh, and these two photos were taken in Northern Ireland. We've crossed over the border and there was no check or even a sign. The only ways we knew we had crossed were:
1) A sign at a gas station advertising changing Euros to Pounds
2) Those with cell phones received a text message telling them that they were now in Northern Ireland and new Roaming rates applied.
Second church today, the Newry Cathedral. Again, it caused me to go off the planned track (easily distracted, I am). Apparently, lots of other cyclists did the same.
This is where the lunch truck stopped to feed us today. Beautiful spot, although I'm not too sure I'd like to swim in this river.
The procedure for lunch is for one of our trucks to drive ahead and set up sandwich makings and drinks for us at (usually) slightly more than half way along the days journey. Sometimes, we're in a dusty cow pasture and this is one of the other days.
I included this photo to make the point that there are a number of houses installing solar arrays on their roofs, and that they are also installing wind turbines where it makes sense. This should probably be happening in BC more than it is.
The gastronomical corner: In addition to lunch we will often stop for a coffee or snack along the way. This was my snack today at the Pheasant Restaurant and Bar just past Annahilt.
Sticky toffee pudding & a Latte. Everybody with a spare spoon loved it (grumble, grumble!).
That's Karen from Edmonton in the background.
On the outskirts of Belfast we left the roadways and traveled a bike path through Bevlan Park Forest and Lagan Meadows. This old scow was moored in a side channel of the Lagan River. There are 2 or 3 locks along here, but no good photos.
A pleasant ride through the forest and park before the traffic of Belfast, which wasn't too terrible, but it is a busy town.
In Belfast now, in our hotel, showered, laundry done (stomped on in the shower as I washed myself)
and then out for a walk.
I took this artsy shot of the Dublin Cathedral - last for today.
Across from the cathedral is this sign with the upper arrow pointing to the cathedral and the other to the coffee shop adjacent.
Updates: I re-read my post from yesterday and I apologize for all the spelling errors. Too late at night.
Laura is mending nicely, although upset she couldn't partake in today's ride, which most riders agreed was beautiful.
Unfortunately, another crash today - the fellow has very sore ribs.
And I have spotted 2 more rotating doors: One at our hotel last night and one at the Dublin Library. These both turn counterclockwise (like North America), so the score is 3 to 0 for CCW rotation (I'm sure you are all very interested in that).
Day off in Belfast tomorrow, then Scotland on the 1st. Time for bed. I need to rest my slightly saddle sore butt.
Our first day is in the books - with some twists. Here we go:
We start off by going in the wrong direction around Dublin - just so we can get a group photo taken in front of the Temple Bar. Here we all are, full of piss & vinegar.
I sucked this in off Facebook, so it may not be great. Note we're front & centre.
We convoyed out through Dublin, meaning Gergo (tour leader) led us slowly out until the traffic chaos was slightly settled.
Here's a castle on the way out of town.
I didn't get the name of it.
First shot of the Irish countryside. Very pleasant. Various crops:
-potatos (I know because I had to take a pee in one of the fields)
-Canola (I think)
-Oats (I think)
Look, if you wanted a botanical tour, hiore a botanist, not an engineer!
Unfortunately, not long after this, things went slightly off the rails as Laura kranged a curb and took a tumble. Bruised elbow & left shin (tibia). The shin swelled up very quickly when we had a look at it at the lunch stop. More on this later.
We passed the portico of the Bellingham Castle. No time to stop.
Here's what we didn't see. Apparently, this is the place for your next wedding in Ireland.
Back to Laura: She cycled another 25 km to our hotel (what - do you think I was going to take her as BALLAST?). We got to Dundalk an decided we should have this checked out - so we taxied over to the local hospital's minor injuries clinic. There she got examined and had an x-ray.
The good news: Just a soft tissue injury - no bone damage (the concern due to the speed at which it had swelled up).
The bad news - we got there near daytime closing hours, so we were there for a couple of hours. Not really bad news, but we could have been drinking beer.
More good news - the afternoon shift staff didn't know how to deal with any billing, so we weren't handed a bill. They do have Laura's address, so PAT - don't open any mail from Ireland.
(BTW - I saw a sign saying the visit costs started at 100 Euros. Actually, not bad as far as I am concerned)
Our hotel in Dundalk is an ultra modern high rise. We're on the 8th floor. Here's the view from our room. The wind turbine is in the grounds of the local Technical School.
Off to Belfast tomorrow. Laura will be riding the bus to make sure the leg is mending. They'll put her to work helping the morning route flagging crew that leaves early in the morning to show us the way. It's a good system, except today one of the gals had to be rescued off the M1 Motorway when she got turned around.
We have Wifi again!
So, we're all ready to go except for whatever we forgot.
The first riders meeting was this morning. Introductions all around, but of course I forgot most of the names. At least 4 of us from the island, a couple from Vancouver, a fairly large number from the states. I'm going to look at the TDA website again to see if I can connect names & faces.
Been waiting all week for these pictures. This is a view from our room, overlooking the adjacent roofs. Note the seagull and the white lump to his right at the corner of the roof.
That's Mom on the nest. I've lived in Kye Bay and Nanoose for over 40 years and I have to come to Ireland to see a gull nesting. Go figure!
Back to the riders meeting. Here are the staff's phone numbers. I'm putting the photo here, so I can access it from any computer, should I have a problem. That hopefully guarantees that I won't.
Memo to self: remember the difference between European 7's & 1's.
Minor fact's from the rider's meeting:
-More bikes are stolen from European TDA tours than anywhere else. Oops, we only brought a wimpy day lock with a flimsy cable.
-Some of the jurisdictions over here require cyclists to wear approved visi-vests with wide reflective stripes. Our really bright Canadian vests may not cut it (especially if the policeperson is having a bad day.
So, off we trundle. We remembered a little hardware store we bought clothes pegs at yesterday. Yay, they have the vests (5 Euros) and a skookum chain lock (20 Euros). So, we are set.
Last shot for now - here's about 1/3 of the bikes in the dingy garage. The tires look nice & bright with the flash.
Here's what will be a typical morning schedule:
-Bring our bags down at 0645
-Brekky at 0700
-Riders meeting @ 0745
-Begin leaving at 0800.
Here's some impressions of Dublin:
-Too many smokers
-Dirty, but no more so than similar cities
-Many, many bars & restaurants. We are in the heart of the tourist section
-Lots to do. Easy to spend a week here without getting bored, but book tours early. They fill up fast
-Irish food is basic, and, there are some excellent restaurants around. Our favourite was an Italian place.
We're heading off to the Temple Bar in a while to try and get in, so we can say we did.
The Temple Bar is one of the most famous in Dublin.
I'm back - we went over to the Temple Bar & got a seat, mainly because its 3:30. They have Harp, so Laura is happy with her half pint. It's too early for Guinness so I get a Smithwick's Red. The place is a wonderful looking old bar, with lots of different rooms, but, loud noisy & crowded most of the time. We actually saw two empty tables while we were there. Their menu looks great. So, if you want to attack the TB, get there early with some people, camp out and hang out for food. But, it's just too loud for us old f**rts.
A couple of pix. See that empty table! We've been here 4 or 5 times this week and never got a table, let alone see another one.
A little story about the Ha'penny bridge.
We went for dinner at the Merchant's Arch Pub, just across the bridge. The 1st floor was way too loud, the 2nd was a balcony overlooking the 1st. Then there was a separate 3rd floor. Nice & quiet. Here's the view from our table.
Look closer at the traffic across the way. A Guinness tanker disguised as two beer cans! A closeup of the truck.
We had the upper window on the right. OK pub food, good beer (as usual) and a nice way to end our stay in Dublin.
More after we start riding. TTFN
Before we get into the confusing part, some tidbits from previous days:
Last night the place was mayhem. First the UEFA Football final was on (Liverpool vs. Real Madrid). The crowd was noisy as could be until Real Madrid took the lead midway through the 2nd half.
But, that's not all. There were at least 3 Hen Parties in the hotel. You can tell them: The participants are all wearing t-shirts calling themselves "Bride's Tribe" and, in one case, the bride was carrying a blow up doll. No photos - I probably would have gotten hit.
And, the bar was open late & loud. So, it was late getting to sleep.
More tidbits:
Here's an (unfortunately poor) photo of another cycling option: the party bike. Everybody appears to be having fun and also drinking (surprise, eh?). The advertising sign on the back says, "Stags & Hen Parties, Team Building & Sightseeing Tours."
Another interesting use of the bike: Just Eat is a meal prep and delivery company. The food carrier looks suspiciously big enough to carry a large pizza box.
Street vendors a couple of streets over. I bought some strawberries. Small, flavourful and nicely ripe - certainly not like the imported from California ones we get when the local berries aren't in season.
A couple of photos from yesterday. These are the docking posts used way back when sailing ships (like the one in the background) used to come up the river. Doesn't happen since any of the low bridges have been built across the river.
And, a nice statue.
Now for the confusion: lots of people arriving today. There are 11 boxes in the basement, not including those in people's rooms. Henry Gold, the owner of TDA (the tour company) is here, but his bike isn't. It got lost before it left Toronto. So,that's two missing bikes we know of.
Later now. Everybody in the hotel is having trouble with the Internet. I can't get e-mail, but composing this blog seems to be fine. I even tried to go to MacDonald's and use their free Internet. The problem there: the Internet is free but you need a mobile to receive a confirmation code. So, Greg without a phone is SOL (Shit Outta Luck). So, if you get this, send me an e-mail telling me you did - except I can't get e-mail 😟
Back to the bikes. There is a tour mechanic Catilan (sp?) who was busy assembling people's bikes. He gave Laura and my bikes a once over tune-up and a couple of service pointers, so I owed him a beer. Next chapter of the small world department: I don't know his nationality but he is currently living in Lund, restoring an old wooden sailboat.
There was a meet and greet in the pub for the cyclists. Lots of Canadians & Americans, which is to be expected. A couple from Tasmania & some New Zealanders plus more whom we didn't talk to.
Last photos - Laura took this one of me on my 3rd pint of Guinness. The pint of Guinness isn't as big as the perspective makes it out to be, but one can hope
(That's a mural in the background, but it does make the location seem exotic)
And here's Laura, showing me my picture. The Guinness is still there, but not for much longer. No mural behind her.
Rider's meeting tomorrow morning, where we find out all the details.
Unfortunately, photos taken inside the exhibit didn't turn out well as everything is inside glass. Here's one that did. These are the locations where Titanic and her sister ship Olympic were built.
