The Growing Caldwell Family

We stayed the night in a castle hotel and had a great experience. It felt fancy and old at the same time and was exactly what I hoped it would be!    The kids loved their area with two twin beds and a settee all for them.  Chess anyone? Lots of twinkle lights gave it a magical feel! The lights make it look majestic.  Yes, we were excited to be there! These two were not impressed with the food but Aaron and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was like fancy pub food! So good! Our breakfast was very lovely with this beautiful view. We all enjoyed pastries, french toast, and a full Irish breakfast.  What a memorable stay!  

As much as we loved County Antrim, Belfast was too gritty for our liking. We enjoyed the sights we saw, but felt the vibe of the city wasn't for us.  Albert Memorial Clock in memory of Prince Albert.  These stained glass installations were in several places and so pretty! We toured the Titanic museum and it was really cool! We learned a lot about the company and people who designed and built the ship, what Ireland was like during that time, and some about the sinking of the ship. Our tour took us through what is now a Titanic hotel, but was originally the offices of the shipbuilder Harland & Wolff Our museum ticket also let us board and look around the SS Nomadic which was used as a tender to bring passengers to ships including the Titanic. As we entered, one of the guides took us around on a personal tour. One of the things he showed us was that the toilet on the ship was a Crapper branded toilet. I had no idea that was where the name originated! He also told us that at o...

Our next stop was to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Originally used by fishermen to connect from mainland Ireland to the island of Carrickarede for salmon fishing, the bridge has been rebuilt to allow tourists to make the crossing.   What a day! We saw some splendid views and amazing works of nature. We all agree this was our favorite day!  Onto Belfast!