Consensus. Loved it.

It was my first major trip outside of Dublin. Not that I can really say major, Ireland is tiny compared to going anywhere in the US, but Northern Ireland is technically another country (I have the £5 note to prove it) so we’ll call it a major trip. It was relatively easy. I caught a 10 bus in the city center and listened to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer”s Stone on audio book for the next 2 1/2 hours until I arrived. Unfourtuately, I get carsick pretty easily and had forgotten my Dramamine so I completely missed out on most of the scenery along the way. I did happen to catch a few fields of daphodils, those were pretty stunning.

I was only in Belfast for a little under two days, meeting a traveling friend for one night. Our hostel, Vagabonds, was nice and my friend found the most adorable cafe that just so happens to love Harry Potter as much as we do, The Pocket. We went on a free walking tour, that I would definitely suggest. We had a great local guide who was very knowledgeable about Belfast’s tumultuous past and saw some amazing street art.

The next day, we went on a hike to Belfast castle just outside the city. There is an option to drive straight to the castle, but we opted for the version where the bus driver forgets about your stop and drops you off past the normal stop. We ended up walking up through Cavehill Country Park, the “mountain” Belfast Castle sits on. It was a very nice drizzly walk.