Scotland or Bust!

Yesterday, Andrea and I traveled from Dublin to Northern Ireland - Belfast. It was interesting to see the landscape give way from city, to countryside, to city once again. The roadside Northern Ireland sign had been splattered with paintball - the country now united and “the troubles” behind them. As we entered Belfast, we observed the murals of the city which memorialized the troubles and showed solidarity to others who continued to struggle. We visited the Titanic Experience which is located at the docks where the Titanic was built. Interestingly enough, the location where Game of Thrones is filmed is within view as well and we saw a huge set for their filming. They will be offering tours of their sets at a later date. We’ve never watched Game of Thrones but it was interesting to see all the same. The Titanic Experience was very well done. It detailed the building of the ship by H&W which is still in existence today. By the time you walk through the entire experience of assembling and outfitting the Titanic, you cannot believe it went down after all that work. The experience also details radio transmissions between other ships warning the Titanic of ice. I thought it was interesting that one response from the Titanic was “Shut up! You are jamming my signal. I am working Cape Race.” Whatever the hell Cape Race was. In any case, after learning this, I decided that saying “shut up” is invitation for bad karma. The exhibit goes on to detail the discovery of the Titanic wreckage in 1985. Andrea and I got a nap at the first available opportunity in Belfast, crashing on our hotel bed for a few blissful hours. I awoke refreshed and no doubt look years younger so no one will mistake me for Andrea’s mom. We explored the city a little last night but much more so this morning before boarding a ferry to Scotland. The ferry creeps a long but is surprisingly, nicely appointed, much like you’d see on a cruise ship versus a ferry. It’s comfy, has WiFi, snacks and offers massages! Once we disembark, we have a ride through the country side to Edinburgh. I’ve already selected a restaurant in Edinburgh for our dinner tonight.