Belfast - What a blast!

Sponsored by:



I've been back home in Birmingham for over a week now and have had plenty of time to reflect on the weekend in Belfast.....


I can understand when people get excited about visiting other European cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Prague, Amsterdam etc. Travelling abroad and experiencing new cultures is always exciting, and I expect that most people don't even consider Belfast when planning a city break. But having visited the city, the culture and the arts scene I'd say Belfast is well worth giving consideration to.

It's only about an hours flight from the mainland UK with bmibaby and it has a lot to offer. Just tap into the wealth of history and get in touch with the Belfast Tourist Board to see what's on and what tickles your fancy.


As I said in a previous blog post, I was looking forward to going to Belfast, but I wasn't prepared for quite how impressed I was going to be about the city. It feels like the city is about to blossom into something really great.


Belfast is entering a new era, and one that can and will attract lots of new people to the city. It's a very exciting time.

It's evident by the plans the city has that redevelopment is taking place and if there are jobs to go with that it could entice lots of people to relocate.

My only slight concern is that the city (whoever is in charge) might just get a bit carried away with the redevelopment and Belfast may loose some of it's character. As an outsider I'd say it's vital for the city to keep some of it's historical sights. I'm guessing that the tourism side of things is a relatively new aspect to Belfast, so it would be wonderful if they could manage to embrace the new whilst holding onto some of the old.

As part of the trip myself and Nicky used Twitter as a social media tool to keep our friends and followers updated of our adventures. I've taken a few screen shots of some of the 'tweets' we made whilst visiting Belfast.
















Twitter is an excellent way of relaying messages/news to people. It's instant and a great way to get people involved. Although I had brought 3 cameras with me and a laptop, I do kinda wish I had a more up to date phone to blog with ( I still have a pay as you go nokia old skool phone thing!). If you would like to follow me on twitter you can find me @karenstrunks and Nicky @getgood


This was my first press trip. What would I do differently next time? Apart from having the ability to 'live blog' as my journey progressed, I would take more video footage.

Here is a video compilation!


















So where to next? Watch this space!