Michael and I decided to escape Dublin for a weekend in
Belfast. Dublin was being invaded by
20,000 Americans that had descended on the city to watch a game of college
football. We were in the city the last
time that occurred and had no desire for a repeat performance!
The train trip was very relaxing as usual and upon our
arrival in Belfast we headed straight to St George’s Market for breakfast. No prizes for guessing what was on the menu –
an enormous Belfast Bap. Michael thoroughly
enjoyed his and I enjoyed my smaller version.
A stroll around the market and then it was a walk through the rain to
drop our bags at the hotel. It always
rains in Belfast however we never let that stop us doing what we want.
The afternoon was spent wandering through the many different
bookstores and charity shops in search of more reading material. Dinner was at a fabulous restaurant, which
had been recommended to us – The Barking Dog.
The food was excellent and the restaurant was full of local people
enjoying their evening.
On Sunday, we saw the sun for the first time ever on our
numerous trips to Belfast. We took full
advantage and were able to stroll through the beautiful Botanic Gardens. There is the Palm House conservatory which
was built in 1840, which is lovely however, the highlight for me, was the rose
garden. I have previously raved about
Queen Mary’s rose garden in London but I must say that the roses on display in
Belfast were even better. The blooms
were numerous and perfect in shape and perfume, despite it being towards the
end of the season. The colours were
gorgeous and there we many more buds waiting to burst forth.
We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend in Belfast. It is lovely
and relaxing spending time in a city that you have already visited, as there is
no pressure or compulsion to rush about.
