UK Trip: Belfast, Northern Ireland (July 22, 2015)

Yesterday was spent traveling from England to Ireland and spending time with relatives in Ballymena.

Today, our plans had been to visit an attraction on Islandmagee called The Gobbins, a footpath along the coast.  It was slated to reopen in June, but as most construction projects go, there were delays and they had not opened by the time of our trip.

Instead, we headed to Titanic Belfast, a museum that explores the history of the famous ship.  First off, the building itself is very interesting architecturally.  I assume the design is meant to resemble the prows of ships.  The interior of the building seems to continue the concept.

The Atrium

The museum is divided into nine galleries that tell the story of shipbuilding in Belfast, and of the Titanic specifically.  The gallery topics are: Boomtown Belfast, The Shipyard, The Launch, The Fit-out, The Maiden Voyage, The Sinking, The Aftermath, Myths & Legends, and Titanic Beneath.  All pretty fascinating, but the first few galleries were thronged with people.  As you moved farther into the galleries, people were more spread out.  I definitely did not see all that was there.

Titanic slipway

After finishing at the museum, we walked over to Titanic's Dock and Pump House.  Here we saw Thompson Graving Dock, the largest dry dock yet built, and where Titanic would be fitted out.

See the capstan in the picture above and below?

Keel blocks inside the dry dock.

Visiting Titanic was not in the original plan, but it was interesting.  After leaving Belfast, we headed toward Larne and up the coast road into Cushendall in the Glens of Antrim with plans to explore one of the glens the next day.