„Belfast is the best and most convenient place in Ulster for the establishment of shipbuilding … „

(quote from Sir John Perrot)

12th of May in 2018:

Today was sunny Saturday. I know it’s not typical, but for the citizen, it’s a great pleasure to have such good weather from time to time.
I just enjoyed the morning and left the house at 11 a.m. I went by myself to Belfast City Hall, because I wanted to do a tour, which was free of charge in City Hall, and to be alone from time to time is pleasant as well. It was advisable. Usually, on the ground floor there is only an exhibition, but if you attend the visit with a guide, you have access to rooms like City Council Room, the Dancing Hall or the Great Hall.
The guide started with the mural of the ceiling. The guide told us about its history. Belfast was world famous for its linen and famous for ships building, e.g. Harland and Wolff. (You can see more in the Titanic Museum). Next was a corridor with paintings of all person, who were Lord Mayors. Every year this title will be held by another person. Each picture is individual for itself. The tour continued into an anteroom, where the Lord Mayor’s robe kept in a side cupboard. The door leads into the City Council Room. You can also enter other rooms like the Reception Hall, Banqueting Hall, and the Great Hall. These rooms can book from civilians.
After one hour it finished, and I set out for the way to Titanic Museum, where I met Son, Phi, Dome and Jenny. When I left the City Hall, I saw a protest ‚Ulster is British‘. I asked Google and found out that there is a conflict, where the citizens are still discussing whether Ulster is British or Irish. Ulster is a province, which consists of nine counties. Six of them are in Northern Ireland, and three are in the Republic of Ireland.
The big event of this day was the Titanic Museum. It arranged in the heart of Titanic Quarter. The modern building has six floors and tells the story of RMS Titanic within nine exhibitions from the beginning of it in the 20th century until the tragic end of its. Beforehand some facts:
RMS Titanic was a British passenger ship, built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. It was second of the three Olympic-class ships (Olympic and Britannic are the other ones.) for the White Star Line, which was a company famous for its crafts.
Titanic set sail from Southampton on 10th of April in 1912 and was on the way to New York City. Beside
During his maiden voyage, its end has founded in the early hours of April 15, 1912, after sideswiping an iceberg. More than 1,500 persons of the 2,240 onboard passengers and crew lost their lives in this tragedy. I refer to this timeline of discovernothernireland.com because the blog entry won’t be too long then.
Today the Titanic and its history inspired countless authors, reporters and producer to reflect the story itself and behind it. (I think I have to read some books and watch some documentaries as well.)
The museum was fascinating and contained a lot of resources, pictures, artefacts and exhibits. You can see the beginning of building, the maiden voyage, the end of this ship and the mystery today. A Shipyard Ride is possible too, where you will take a tour through the shipyard. When you paid a charge of £18.5, You can enter the SS Nomadic as well. The SS Nomadic was Titanic’s tender ship and the last remaining White Star vessel.
After a long walk at home, we decided to have the leftovers from yesterday. We had a lot of them and from each different dishes a small portion. I also have to admit that my skills in cooking are well but in estimating the amount of a meal is so worse. I always cook for at least seven to eight persons and sometimes more ^^‘ *sorry*.
Then Phi, Dome and I watched a movie ‚Black Butler – Book of Atlantic‘. Some talks and discussions later I went to bed.
In the end, I have to say, the visit it was like a double-edged sword. The history behind was very melancholic, but the museum was quite impressive. I have to recommend this museum when you are interested in the story of RMS Titanic but also in ships, and it has to be a must to do if you visit Belfast.

-Huong Giang-

My resources were:

https://discovernorthernireland.com/
https://www.history.com/topics/titanic
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/titanic.htm