Belfast Day 2

We had a slower start to our day today as we were tired after all the travelling. Peter wanted to get a haircut and when we were out yesterday he spotted a Men’s Only Barber so we walked into the city centre and while he had a haircut I wandered the shops. I even tried on some clothes but things here are the same at home, one size too small the next too big! Although in our travels I have managed to buy some quick dry hiking pants which I couldn’t find anywhere in Sydney so that was good. 

A couple of sculptures on the way.

This statue is associated with hope, aspiration, peace and reconciliation.

I met Peter again and we walked down to the Titanic Quarter to go to the Titanic Experience which has been highly recommended by a number of people along the way. It is a very impressive area with the actual building standing out amid the old dock yards. We decided on a guided tour of the building and exterior and then added the gallery exhibition as well. We also wanted to look at the pump house and dock yard but that is a different area but we could use our Titanic experience tickets to get a discount so we’ll save that for another day. 

Titanic Building from the Queen's Bridge over Lagan River

Our guide is Ellen and the tour is amazing. It takes you into the drawing offices of where the Titanic was drawn and gives you a great background to Harlan and Woolf the company who built the ship. Ellen takes us through the background of the people who worked for the company and the people who worked on the design and building of the ship also. 

The drawing offices are just as they were left when the company stopped working there but there are plans for them to be revived with a boutique hotel. The whole area is undergoing a lot of rejuvenation which is great to see. Similar to the rejuvenation of the Walsh Bay area in Sydney. As we walk the site Ellen explains not only the Titanic story but also how the Titanic Experience came about and the way the building is structured to work with aspects of the dockyards and the Titanic.

The original buildings of Harlan and Woolf

The Drawing Office as it is today

The Drawing Office in it's heyday

You can see the slipway where the ship was launched from and there are poles that represent the gantry which was used to build the ship and how high that gantry was. It is amazing to see the enormity of the set up.

The poles representing the gantry on the slipway where the Titanic was constructed

The building itself is shaped like the emblem of the White Star Line which is the company who owned and ran the Titanic and Olympic cruise ships. The White Star Line still has offices near the area. 

As we move into the building there are many elements to the inside as well. As we go through the tour it is visible with each stop how the different elements all work together to give you a great overall insight into not only the building of the ship but the factors that made the ship famous not only for sinking but the technology used at the time to build such an enormous ship.

Inside the building

Navigational Rose on the floor at the entry to the Titanic Building

As the tour finishes we are very impressed with the whole experience. We have some lunch ready to tackle the galleries after this. The tickets are timed so that they can monitor the amount of people in there at one time which is good because it doesn’t make it too crowded. Before you even get to the galleries there is a photo booth type thing to have your picture taken in a setting on the Titanic. I have seen this when we went to the exhibition in Melbourne so bypass that.

The galleries are great to as it goes into some more detail about the ship, the people who worked on it and what was happening in Belfast at the time. Peter’s grandfather and father both worked in the dockyards in Belfast so it is interesting form that perspective as well. 

All in all a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. As we had done a far bit of walking for the day we decided to get a taxi back to the hotel. Our taxi driver is very chatty about everything and anything form the way the “fecking” government isn’t doing their job to the Scottish referendum. Quite an interesting trip home.

Peter in the Titanic sign

We get ready for dinner which tonight is with Peter’s cousin Colin and his family who we have never met. Colin picks us up from our hotel which is really nice and gives a little bit of insight into Belfast and where Peter’s parents came from.

When we get to their house which is in East Belfast we see Aunt Agnes and Aunt Florence again as well as meet Colin’s wife Barbara, and two of their three children Gareth and Victoria. It is great to see the aunts as it has been a long time especially since Florence was visiting Australia which we work out is 33 years. For Agnes not quite as long maybe 15 years. They are very happy to see us and they are both doing well remembering the time they spent in Australia. 

Barbara cooked us a lovely dinner and as the night goes on the conversation flows. On the way home Colin takes us past the house where Peter’s mum lived and with Florence in the car she has some stories to tell as well. 

Peter, Aunt Agnes, Aunt Florence and cousin Colin

Colin, Barbara, Gareth and Victoria

We had a fantastic night and it is a big thank you to Colin, Barbara and the family for having us there.