There were many positives about our first experience flying Norwegian: tickets were cheap, the check-in process was smooth, and the flight itself resulted in a landing in Belfast nearly 40 minutes before schedule. That said, the cabin lights were left on for an inordinate amount of time, yielding little opportunity for any meaningful sleep for the traveling adults. Noah and Emmie yielded the longest snoozes on the flight, but with a takeoff-to-touchdown time of fewer than five hours, none of us were starting our first day in Northern Ireland with remotely sufficient rest.
Emmie was able to get comfortable enough to manage at least a couple of hours of sleep.
Norwegian introduced flights from the United States to Belfast less than a year ago, and we’re not sure the customs staffing had caught up to the influx of non-European Union visitors. The line to get our passports stamped more than canceled out our early arrival, and just over an hour elapsed between leaving the plane and boarding the bus to the city center.
With the lack of sleep, we’d hoped to replace the 40-minute ride on a crowded, double-decker bus, with an Uber XL direct to our Belfast apartment. However, this looked better on paper using Uber’s fare estimator than in actuality: no cars, even of the standard car UberX variety, were available to pick us up from the airport.
Noah and Emmie (begrudgingly) pose outside our Belfast apartment.
Once we made it to the city center, we split up into two Uber rides and checked in at our Belfast home for the next three nights. We were fortunate no one had stayed at the house the night before, meaning we were able to check-in immediately upon our 11:00 a.m. arrival. The kids and I made the 10-minute walk to a nearby grocery store, followed by a few other quick neighborhood errands to stock up on snacks and supplies (e.g. diapers) for our stay.
Noah and Emmie were pleased with our purchases at M&S Food Hall, the first of two grocery stores we visited on Saturday.
Just across the street from our place was the convenient Russell’s grocery store.
While our Belfast home was pretty modest, featuring second-floor bedrooms barely large enough to fit double beds, the ground-level space was solid and the neighborhood could not have been better. We were steps away from the bus stop and surrounded by cute local eateries and shops
The older kids enjoyed sitting with me in the first row of the second deck on the bus, taking in a unique view of Lisburn Road as we traveled into the city. Eilidh loved the bright pink paint that adorns the majority of Belfast’s buses, excitedly proclaiming “pink bus” any time we saw one pass by.
Our lunch destination was at the historic Crown Liquor Saloon, which features intricate interior designs, highlighted by ten private booths (called “snugs”) on the bar’s first floor. Those spaces were all in use, so we made our way upstairs to the restaurant’s “Dining Room” to order some traditional Irish pub grub.
The older kids lasted long enough to provide their hamburger preferences (e.g. cheese vs. no cheese) but were out shortly after. They slept on the table until their food arrived, and even then, struggled to stay awake through the meal. Noah impressively ate most of his hamburger; Emmie made it through roughly half of hers. The food overall was solid if unremarkable.
Noah poses with his hamburger.
Emmie struggled to keep her head up, even a few bites into her meal.
Eilidh was the only kid to stay awake during her meal, but her naptime arrived shortly after lunch. She fell asleep in the Tula carrier on our way to the bus stop and remained sleeping through the start of the only true attraction on our Saturday itinerary: the Crumlin Road Gaol.
Add “historic Belfast jail” to the list of places Eilidh has received food via her tube.
The historic Belfast jail operated for 150 years before finally closing its doors in 1996. The jail then sat vacant for over two decades before opening as a tourist attraction in 2012. The tour was very well-done and informative, with looks into the reception room for incoming prisoners; the Governor’s office; a block of first-floor cells; and the spot where prisoners were executed.
Two lockers within the reception room; many elements of the jail were original, including the tiled flooring shown in this photo.
We walked roughly halfway through the underground tunnel which connected the jail to the Crumlin Road Courthouse, located across the street. While the courthouse remained open two years after the jail shuttered, it now has a derelict status.
Inside one of the few colorful rooms within the Crumlin Road Gaol.
After the tour, the girls ordered an Uber to take them to our Belfast home, while Noah and I divided the trip between two buses. The bus transfer included some time and walking, so we grabbed some gourmet chocolate and familiar Starbucks drinks before reuniting with Amanda, Emmie, Eilidh, and Gee Gee.
James Street South
On June 10, Amanda and I celebrate our twelfth anniversary. As has become tradition on our past two international trips, we’ve found a way to celebrate. Two years ago, Gee Gee kept the kids in Halifax while Amanda and I made the short walk to Chives Bistro; last year, we dined at a Michelin star restaurant in Long Island City as our friends kept watch of Noah, Emmie, and Eilidh. This year, Gee Gee again took the babysitting role so we could have a night out.
Unfortunately, our fancy meal, which required bus rides to and from the city center, came at the end of a day mired by an extreme lack of sleep. Amanda barely could keep her eyes open by the end of the meal, and the relaxed overseas service style did us no favors in our quest for an efficient meal.
Nonetheless, we had an excellent meal from start-to-finish, which included a plate of house-made snacks; grilled scallops with licorice, squid ink, and chervil; and twice-baked goat cheese souffle with cauliflower and a local kelp pesto. Amanda ordered the county Antrim beef filet, and I opted for the roast cod, per the waiter’s suggestion. The food was truly excellent, but Amanda and I were in need of some solid rest with a busy schedule ahead over our final two days in Belfast.
Fun and yum!
Fun