Day 12 - Titanic Quarter

We could get used to this easy morning thing!!!  Today’s wake-up was a repeat of yesterday’s - no alarms, tea/coffee, toast with jam, and a couple morning news shows.  We got things rolling around 10:00 am when we headed out for a leisurely stroll through Ormeau Park, the oldest municipal park in Belfast (1871).  The park is filled with jungle gyms, basketball and tennis courts, fitness equipment, and various types of trails.  On our way back along the river we saw an advertisement on the side of a bus for a Tom Jones concert to be held in June in the same park.  That would have been fun!!

Big Trees In Ormeau Park!

After a quick regroup at the apartment we headed for the Titanic Quarter.  We had a 1:30 pm tour booked at Titanic Distillers.  Good fortune was on our side again, as we were the only ones in that time slot so it was a personal tour of the distillery.  The distillery is located at Thompson Dock, the last site where the Titanic rested on dry ground.  The distillery is found in the old pump house where they have done an incredible job of preserving the past, while building a completely new distillery in the same place.  Titanic will be the first operational Irish whiskey distillery in Belfast in the last 90 years when it goes into production mode in two weeks.  In the meantime they have partnered with another distillery in the area to produce vodka and blended whiskey.  We really enjoyed our tour guide, and the feel of the whole place.  They’ve done a great job preserving the history of the Titanic and location in their story and design.

After the tour we walked along the Nautical Mile beside River Lagan and the Victoria Channel, taking in some of the attractions: HMS Caroline, a decommissioned C-Class cruiser that saw service in WW1; The Great Light, one of the largest lighthouse optics ever built, over 130 years old; Titanic Belfast visitor attraction built on the site of the shipyard where HMS Titanic was built (we did not go in, just looked around); SS Nomadic, also built by the White Star Line, used to transfer people and mail to and from HMS Olympic and HMS Titanic, and the only White Star Line vessel in existence today.  It was very informative and enjoyable.  We learned a lot about the Titanic, and we were amazed to see some of the places where she was built and was last seen.

HMS Caroline

HMS Caroline - Bow View

The Great Light

The Posts Show Exactly Where Titanic Was Built - Titanic Belfast Building In Background

SS Nomadic

That’s about it for today.  Tomorrow the plan is to hit the Ulster Museum in the morning, and then hop a short train to Carrickfergus to go to The Friary, the top-rated UK chippy in Northern Ireland.   Yummy, we can’t wait!!