Today was a driving day. We knew that going in. Leaving the west coast of the Emerald Isle and driving northeast to Belfast; approximately 5 hours in total plus stops. Breakfast was served and thereafter we left the castle. It was a memorable visit to sat the least.

First stop: gas. Our travels had whittled the tank down to less than a quarter. It’s a diesel and we were able to fill up easily in town (Clifden). Second stop: the post office to mail post cards. Being a small village it was no problem everything is super close. After the post office we tried to get back on the route. However a delivery truck was blocking us in. So we maneuvered through the underground parking of the local grocery store. A feat in itself when all spaces are made for mini vehicles!

Back on the road, another glorious sunny day, we back track to some of the places we’ve been through already. Another view of the fjord and the villages nearby. Eventually we get into new territory as we make our way to Northern Ireland. We know we’ve crossed the invisible border when km changes to miles!

The scenery all along is stunning:

As we approach Belfast, the traffic thickens and it’s back to civilization. More people, trucks, cars etc. even though Belfast is a city of approx 350K, it’s markedly bigger than what we’ve been used to for the past few days.

The massive wire sculpture known as The Rise Sculpture makes an impressive appearance as you approach the city. (Thanks for the great photo Brenda!)

Our accommodation for the night is The Titanic Hotel and it’s located in the heart of the Titanic quarter at the waterfront next to the Titanic museum.

Since we’ve eaten too much and without much in the way of exercise, we decide to eat at the bar and call it an early night. Tomorrow we are booked on a ferry to Scotland and have to make our way to the pier for boarding by 10:30 am.

We take our seats at the bar and then Cameron happens. He’s the young bartender who’s a cross between Johnny Depp and your favourite bad boy. Use your imagination! He provides menus and begins to describe the dishes in great detail. It’s hard to choose ….

In between taking our order he concocts cocktails for other patrons. He puts on quite a show!

We order light fare (Caesar salad and fries for me … I can’t seem to get enough of the fries here! They are so light and crispy!)

I notice above the bar there’s a stack of blueprints (a nod to the ship building days of yore)

After dinner we ask Cameron what he has in the way of local whiskey. He does not disappoint. And I’m happy to share the conversation with my dad and sister on FaceTime. Cameron is a good sport and indulges us. He presents a few options. I choose a local blend and it’s the lady of the bottle so I get to choose again. Ok with me!

Our friend had an Irish Coffee which was also good.

Some highlights from the neighbourhood.

Tomorrow: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿