Dublin and Belfast

These are, naturally, just my impressions - after all, dear reader, cruise ship workers get exactly two+ hours to run outside (waiting patiently until elderly passengers wobble their ways out with their sticks, walking trolleys and all sorts of wheelchairs), quick, quick, fast, fast and than back onboard (waiting again for passengers to crawl their way back out of the bus) so what I actually see is only a glimpse of town and a general image of streets, faces & atmosphere. If the daily program says "in port full day" that usually means morning & afternoon for passengers - who are mostly busy with shore excursions - we have all sorts of obligations and time limits, so what can you see in these two hours depends on how fast you can move and get back, exhausted.

I been to Dublin years ago - memories of a pretty place with constant rain showers. It is still the same, except that it seems even more crowded that I remember. It reminded me very much on any large city with a trendy, young people walking around, lots of inviting nice shops, advertisements and pubs everywhere. Since I went out with a mission - to get some clothes, do quick shopping and run back to the bus - pubs and beer were not on my mind. Yes this is Ireland but I can live without guzzling pints of Guiness for a time being. Rain showers continued (surprising only tourists, locals are used to it), I was approached with begging young mothers pushing baby trolleys and could hear true Babel around me - every language under the sun. However, it is a nice place and I could easily live here. I can live in a place that cherishes its poets and wallows in a enchanting music.

Belfast was another story - this is Northern Ireland and a place where working class, no-nonsense people live. I had impression that you don't play around with them, this is a rough bunch. The town itself is surprisingly pretty - I saw some very beautiful buildings, mostly historical palaces and towers sitting quietly amongst new architecture and even new buildings were amazing, monuments of steel and glass. However, my focus was Titanic museum - the famous ship was built here - so I walked there to check it out and it was excellent. The museum itself stands near the ancient shipbuilding place (dry dock is still visible) and is an unforgettable experience, focused mostly on the beginning of the story - what Belfast was like at the start of 20. century, shipbuilding area and its workers, how "Titanic" was build and events that led to his first voyage to Southampton (there is another museum in Southampton that I had also visited). Visitors gaped in amazement (special effects were very, very good, everything ultra-modern and computerized) but naturally for me this was all a bit eerie and spooky as I see it from different perspective. I was fascinated with daily life of those people, their cabins, pianos, furniture and 18 000 bed sheets (no washing machines back than, everything was used and packed to be washed in New York) and could easily imagine what it was like. Than back trough crowded streets, push here, squeeze there, wait for passengers to wobble their way in & out of the bus and back onboard, not to sleep and rest, but to dress up for work and be on time. So after all this, I usually feel exhausted.
To see these cities properly I would really need a week and than I could write something more about them, this is just an impression.