Travel adventures~ Londonderry & Belfast Northern Ireland

Well hello there. It's been a while since I've updated my blog, so much for trying to keep it as a weekly routine. Obviously failed at doing so! Anyhow, to my dear readers out there (If you exist) this entry shall be as you would have seen on the title block about my trip to Northern Ireland (NI).

A group of mates and I decided to go on a little adventure nearby thus Northern Ireland became our go to destination. This trip took place after each of us had finished our finals exam. I personally did not know much about NI apart from the movie Leap year which was filmed there (google advised).

So, in the wee hours of the morning we caught a train to Manchester airport and left for Belfast via easyJet. The flight took about 50mins and we arrived at Belfast airport. We got on a chartered minibus which was incredibly comfortable and made our way to Derry the second largest city in NI.

Upon arrival at the city, we checked into a river front city apartment (River Foyle) which had full facilities ie. washing machine, dish washer, pots and pans etc. The apartment was really cosy and comfortable with 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms. The living room had a long couch bed and a flat screen tv, it was a home away from home and for a decent price we were all very satisfied. The day sang itself to the evening as we explored the city which was 15 minutes walk away via the river front. We stayed for 3 days and 2 nights and was reluctant to leave the beautiful apartment we called home for the duration of our stay.

All in all Derry is a beautiful and peaceful city, the people are very friendly which caught me by surprise. However there wasn't much to do unless you are one that loves visiting museums and monumental places.

From Derry we took a train to Belfast city and checked in to a hostel called the Global village. First impressions of the place were that it was sort of a 'hipster' place. The staff were very friendly, facilities were great and the atmosphere in the hostel was really chilled. Global village is located within walking distance to the city and the streets nearby are filled with Café and restaurants.

The next day we went for a tour to the (click for more information)

The journey throughout the tour was enjoyable, the tour guide was really enthusiastic about the trip and had great knowledge about the geography and history of Northern Ireland and the places we were visiting. The downside was that the day was foggy hence as we drove along the Coastal route we weren't able to see much of the sea and cliffs. However, there was a few moments where the fog cleared and we were able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful coast. For the game of thrones enthusiasts, this tour company also provides a tour to the location of the film. The whole tour lasted for half a day and by the end of the tour we were exhausted as there were a lot of walking up and down hills/ small path ways.

On the second last day the boys decided to visit the Titanic museum as Belfast was the birthplace of Titanic! My friend and I then met up with a friend who was studying at the University of Belfast. We chilled at the Botanic garden which was filled with people as the sun was out shining ever brightly and the sky was a blue cobalt.

Overall, Belfast had a more vibrant feel as it has several universities in the vicinity. The city itself had a wide variety of food from Asian cuisine to middle eastern and western. we were definitely spoilt for choice. There's a lot of interesting history in Belfast, Northern Ireland. One of the historical events that stood out for me was 'The Troubles, starting in the late 1960s, consisted of about thirty years of recurring acts of intense violence between elements of Northern Ireland's nationalist community (principally Roman Catholic) and unionist community (principally Protestant) during which 3,254 people were killed.' Quoted from wiki

To sum it all up, my journey was an enjoyable one made even more special with the friends that came along. It was definitely a great way to rid all the stresses that accumulated from having final exams. An eye opener to new cultures, cities and it's interesting history.

Below are the links for more information of the trip:

1. Flight via EasyJet budget airline

2. Minibus from Belfast airport to Derry http://www.airporter.co.uk/

3. Global village hostel in Belfast http://globalvillagebelfast.com/

4. McComb's coach travel tour http://www.minicoachni.co.uk/giants-causeway.cfm

Pictures of my travel

(Pictures are mine unless stated otherwise)

Derry