Last Stop Belfast

Friday, May 25, 2012—Derry to Belfast Via the Giant’s Causeway

It was transition day back to Belfast which was our first stop and is our last. We bought a 24-hour bus/train pass and caught the train around 11:00 for Coleraine. There, we caught the 12:50 bus to the Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage Site that is a geological formation of mostly hexagonal stones jutting straight up into the air at varying heights. It is quite unique and interesting. There was no place to leave our luggage which we had with us because of changing locations. It was about 1 km (1/2 mile) from the bus stop down to the seaside where the formation was. People teased us about whether we were going to camp out. I responded that I read it was open 24 hours a day. But taking the luggage allowed us to see the site without having to backtrack or rent a car. Wes and I took turns exploring while the other wandered to see the monument. While I waited, I visited with an Irish man and his cousin who was visiting from Canada.

At 13:00, we caught a bus back to Coleraine and caught the train toward Belfast. Must of our car was reserved for a group from the RNIB--Royal Northern Ireland Blind Association. We ended up sitting facing two men who were members of the blind group of people who had been on an outing for the day. We started talking to them and visited for the rest of the trip. They were both interesting men and had great senses of humor. They go on an outing once a month, and they had fun telling us the name of their group—The Blinkers!! We took their photo and promised to send it to the director of their program.

We had a hard time finding a decent place to stay in Belfast when we searched a few days ago. We finally decided that the Park Inn by Radisson. The hotel site indicated there were no rooms available, but we managed to book it through a booking service. Fortunately, when we arrived tonight, we were in the computer and expected. We heard another man explaining to two women trying to check in that everywhere in town is full for some reason. Thank goodness we didn’t wait longer before trying to find a room. The hotel is very nice, but it has one disadvantage—no free wifi. Like most “better class” hotels, they charge for using the phone, using the internet, etc. And their rates are extravagant--$4.60 per hour for the Internet; $3.00 to $16.00 per minute for phone calls. Therefore, I am writing entries for the blog and will post them when we are near a McDonalds with free wifi.


Note:  Not easy getting onto Internet.  McDonalds requires a local mobile phone.  Got on temporarily at Startbucks.  May not be able to get on again.  Will write posts for the next two days and post them when I return on Monday night or Tuesday morning.