We had a two hour drive down the west coast of Scotland (passing through the small town of Alloway, birthplace of Robbie Burns), to the port of Cairnryan to sail across the Irish Sea to Belfast (a two and a quarter hour sailing). The forecast was for torrential rain and thunderstorms... with that in mind, David and I had a couple of Sea Legs tablets each...
However, the rain cleared to mist and we enjoyed a very smooth sailing, free internet, comfortable seating at a table in the cafe, and the ability to charge my iPad. Lunch for me was an Indian curry with brown rice (very nice, and one of the three GF hot dishes especially listed separately on the menu). David's read his book on his iPad. I add that an hour or two later, I realised I'd been glutened, I think perhaps by the coffee I'd had from a machine rather than a barista.
However, the rain cleared to mist and we enjoyed a very smooth sailing, free internet, comfortable seating at a table in the cafe, and the ability to charge my iPad. Lunch for me was an Indian curry with brown rice (very nice, and one of the three GF hot dishes especially listed separately on the menu). David's read his book on his iPad. I add that an hour or two later, I realised I'd been glutened, I think perhaps by the coffee I'd had from a machine rather than a barista.
We drove into Belfast and picked up our local host - Hilda - who showed us the important sights in Belfast and something of the history behind them. We saw the parliamentary building, the housing, street art, schools, suburbs, ship building area, and more. It started drizzling again and it was hard to get photos.
Next, we were dropped at the relatively new Titanic exhibition for one and three quarter hours - the displays and interactive features were very well done. They are held in a stunning building designed to represent the Titanic and its two sister ships, with the sea or ice represented in the cladding of the building.
Then it was over to the hotel, finding our rooms, and out again for dinner (nothing organised this time). While we'd been in the Titanic exhibition, our Tour Director, Michelle, had googled to find somewhere nearby that might cater well for GF diets - how kind was that?!
We arranged to meet another couple (Murray and Lorraine from Lismore NSW) and crossed the road to a very old pub (The Crown) for a drink. It was an interesting place, very busy, but we managed to get into one of the cubicles for a seat. We were joined by another Australian couple who were driving themselves around the UK for seven weeks - their stories of driving around some of the narrow roads were very interesting/hair-raising and not something we would want to do.
We arranged to meet another couple (Murray and Lorraine from Lismore NSW) and crossed the road to a very old pub (The Crown) for a drink. It was an interesting place, very busy, but we managed to get into one of the cubicles for a seat. We were joined by another Australian couple who were driving themselves around the UK for seven weeks - their stories of driving around some of the narrow roads were very interesting/hair-raising and not something we would want to do.
Then we headed to Michelle's recommended restaurant - Home Restaurant, in Wellington Place. They had an extensive GF menu and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals.
We were finding ourselves exhausted each evening. Everyone was finding that sitting in a bus could be surprisingly exhausting!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for leaving a comment!