Press Trips

Belfast - What a blast!

2009-06-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

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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!

Belfast - Art Walk and Music Tour

2009-06-25T14:09:00.001-07:00

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Our last day. I hurriedly and literally threw everything back into my suitcase and met up with Nicky after breakfast.

Today we were going on an Art Walking Tour with Belfast Galleries. We met our host, Susan at 11am at Belfast Exposed Photographic Gallery on Donegall Street.

From the Belfast Galleries website:

Belfast has numerous art galleries and one opens nearly every month as a stroll along the Lisburn Road will confirm. Belfast Galleries is here to guide you through a wide spectrum of visual art, from our largest public galleries to the tiniest privately run spaces and through streets where public art is transforming the Belfast landscape.

Here are a few clips of the tour.

I came away from the art walk feeling very inspired! It's usually the way that when you are in your home town you don't really take the time to explore and visit all the galleries and art events that are going on. When you are on holiday days are naturally extended, and there is more time to investigate, relax and enjoy.

The pace of the walk is fairly leisurely and takes part in the Cathedral Quarter of the city.

Our second tour of the day, the Belfast Music Tour began at the Ulster Hall. I think it's fair to say that myself and Nicky were quite happy that this tour took place on a comfy coach!

Taken from the Belfast Music Tour website:

Take a coach tour through Belfast's musical history The Belfast Music Tour is a bus journey through the heart of a great rock and roll city. From Them and Van Morrison to Snow Patrol, by way of awesome guitar players, punk rock and Hollywood soundtracks. Increasingly, this is an art form that is defining the new mood of Belfast, a place enlivened by potential and bold gestures.
Starting on Sundays at 2pm with a tour of the newly refurbished iconic Ulster Hall, which from its earliest years has played host to famous figures of the age and is now home of the Ulster Orchestra. The bus will depart at 2.30pm. Along the route, we will hear about the founding members of Thin Lizzy and the legend of Pearly Spencer.

You'll see the landscape that inspired classic Van Morrison songs and witness the venues that have birthed historic visits from Led Zeppelin, The Clash and U2. It's a story like no other and Belfast has delivered music as various as Ruby Murray, Ash, Gary Moore, and Stiff Little Fingers, plus traditional airs and electronic adventures.

I quite enjoyed the tour. We headed out of the city and the coach took us into the suburbs. Commentary mingled with music over the speakers of the coach.

One of my favourite songs from the music tour: Alternative Ulster, written in 1978 by Stiff Little Fingers from Belfast and performed at the Ulster Hall in 2007

Nothin' for us in Belfast
The Pound so old it's a pity
OK, there's the Trident in Bangors
Then walk back to the city
We ain't got nothin' but they don't really care
They don't even know you know
They just want money
They can take it or leave it
What we need is

(Chorus)
An Alternative Ulster
Grab it change it's yours
Get an Alternative Ulster
Ignore the bores, their laws
Get an Alternative Ulster
Be an anti-security force
Alter your native Ulster
Alter your native land

Take a look where you're living
You got the Army on the street
And the RUC dog of repression
Is barking at your feet
Is this the kind of place you wanna live?
Is this were you wanna be?
Is this the only life we're gonna have?
What we need is

(Chorus)

They say they're a part of you
But that's not true you know
They say they've got control of you
And that's a lie you know
They say you will never be

Free free free
Alternative Ulster
Alternative Ulster
Alternative Ulster

The times have changed and now there really is an Alternative Ulster. Just spending a few days in the city has made that apparent.

The final part of our last day was spend at Nicky's Uncle Ernie's house for Sunday dinner. It was smashing. Good company, good food and good wine. What more can you ask for? And Ernie was kind enough to give us a lift to the airport.

As me and Nicky were sitting in the airport lounge we felt sad at leaving Belfast and would love to have stayed another day (or 2 or three!). But it was not to be. Weary from the fantastic weekend, we boarded the plane and made our way back home to Birmingham.

Belfast - We Are Sailing!

2009-06-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

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Our feet hardly stayed on dry land on Saturday! ;)

But before we set off for out day on the high seas (sort of) we made sure we had a hearty breakfast at the hotel. A much anticipated Ulster Fry was just what was needed. The differences noted in the Ulster Fry compared to an English Fry was the absence of baked beans and the addition of soda bread and potato bread.

We were to be at the Quay for 11am to go on a Titantic Boat Tour. We found our way there easily enough and were greeted by Derek and Alan. It turns out we were to be the only people on the boat and the trip had been laid on especially for us - VIP treatment!

From the Titanic Boat Tour website:

The tours we offer aim to provide a totally different perspective of Belfast from the river, harbour area and the lough to tourists, local residents, and school and community groups. Commentary focuses on the constantly changing mixture of heritage and modern developments on the river, history of the area, conservation issues and the impact of new development on the river environment. The tours also provide a welcome and relaxing respite from the hustle and bustle of city life

As Alan steered the boat around the harbour, Derek told us tales of the docks old and new and was very informative. His great sense of humour kept us entertained as well and it was a very relaxing jaunt on the water.

Alan kindly invited us to visit him in the evening. He lives on a barge on the River Lagan (the only person to actually live on the river), so we took him up on his invitation and said we would see him later on.

We said goodbye to our new friends and made our way to the other side of the river to join the Titantic Walking Tour hosted by Colin Cobb. The heat of earlier in the morning had been replaced by heavy rain, but luckily Derek had lent me an umbrella to take with me on the walk (thank you Derek!).

Our tour guide, Colin

The Titanic Walking Tour includes:

Odyssey Centre
Abercorn Basin
Hamilton Dock
Queens Island
Titanic Quarter
Engine Works
Titanic Drawing Offices
Titanic Slipway
HMS Caroline
Alexandra Dock
Science Park
Thompson Dock & Pump House
Includes full pump house tour and audio visual presentation

The tour lasts for 2 hours and covers approx 1.5miles and includes a 30 minute tea break at a cafe. You will also have to walk the 1.5miles back to the start again when the tour is over, so bear that in mind. I believe there is a bus service during the week, but not at the weekends. It's a fairly quick paced walk, so be sure you don't fall behind (like we did!) and wear some comfortable shoes too.

We learnt a lot about the docks and it's workers; facts, figures and dates andthe hardships the men suffered when working there; the early starts, the low wages, and even the timed toilet breaks!

It was great to get an idea of the size and scale of the Titanic. It was VERY BIG! ;)

Life sized figures in the Titanics dock.

As part of the redevelopment plans for the area (lots of flats, offices and shops) it appears from plans that this huge historic hole is going to be covered over. I haven't got any ideas about what else could be done with the hole, but it seems a shame to fill it in really.

What you won't know about the Titanic after this tour and the Titanic Boat Tour won't be worth knowing! We all know of the Titantic's tragic end, but as they like to say in Belfast, "She was alright when she left here!"

With both Titanic tours over myself and Nicky took a couple of hours to chill out. Nicky took a little nap and I caught up on tweeting - more about that in my next post!

Rested and refreshed we were ready to get going again. Before heading out for the evening we had a little drink at the hotel bar and met this motley crew! They were over from Sunderland and surprise, surprise out on a stag night.

It seems Belfast is getting quite a popular place for stag and hen nights, though I am not too sure how happy the Belfast people are about this!

The naughty school boys bought me and Nicky a drink. I had to go for one of my favourite tipples....! MMmmmm!

Earlier in the day we had walked past McHugh's pub which is the oldest building in Belfast city. I quite fancied going there for dinner and a few drinks in the evening.

McHugh's website says:

McHughs is within a grade A listed building, built between 1710 and 1720, making it officially the oldest building in the city of Belfast, enjoying a long history and a sometimes colourful reputation. Built in the thriving dock area of Belfast under the gaze of the Albert Clock, McHughs has been restored as an integral piece of Belfast's past for Belfast's future.The new McHughs is a combination of the old McHughs building and it's end of terrace neighbour Du-Barry's . The latter establishment was a favourite of North American service men during the Second World War when it was a regular haunt for women of dubious reputation.The sympathetic restoration and refurbishment of McHughs is a classic example of a building, preserved as a functional landmark of Belfast's heritage, which can be enjoyed for many years to come.

The dining area is upstairs and is beautifully furnished. We were greeted by a friendly and happy waiter who took great care of us for the rest of the evening.

Feeling adventurous we decided upon the Black Rock Grill Tuna Steaks:

New to Northern Ireland, our Black Rock Grills allow you to cook your own steak at your table on 430˚c volcanic rock. The volcanic rock intensifies the flavour and provides the most amazing aromas whilst offering a healthier option as no oil or fat is used. Our chefs simply begin the cooking process leaving you to finish your steak at your table exactly to your liking.

It's a novel way of serving steaks, the rock is RED HOT and I quite liked the danger element of scorching heat that was introduced into our dining experience!

Through twitter I 'met' fellow photographer and blogger Phil O'Kane who lives in Belfast. We arranged to meet up at McHugh's and then all headed off to see Alan on his barge, M.V Confiance.

Alan put the draw bridge down and we boarded the barge to a friendly welcome.

The living area is small but perfect. Two bedrooms, kitchen, living room, shower room and separate toilet, with the same repeated at the other end of the barge.

Alan took us on a tour of the bulkhead and told us of his exciting plans for it!

The Lagan Legacy has big plans. Alan and Derek and a team of other people are going to bring the barge to life and support local arts and culture. They have secured lottery funding and this is going to help enormously in giving the Belfast community and visitors a unique River Lagan experience.

Belfast Port is the only port not to have a maritime museum. The Confiance will host that. The museum will document the story of Harland and Wolff and the boats of the River Lagan including the Titanic.

A member of the Lagan Legacy is in the process of interviewing the old ship yard workers. They are getting few and far between and they have played an important part in the history of Belfast. It's vital to record their accounts of life in the Belfast dockyards.

There is also going to be a stage for gigs and theatre and there will also be a cinema. The Confiance will support local talent and offer a base and support for young people of the community.

I am truly inspired by the plans Alan and Derek and their co-worker have. They are playing a vital part in the city and really deserve lots of support. Amazing stuff.

After our visit to the bulk head we retired to the living quarters and enjoyed a few wee drinks!

Alan was the perfect host and made us feel so at home. It was a beautiful night, the water on the river was still and I took a few minutes to sit outside on the deck to enjoy the quietness of the city.

View from the barge

It was a wonderful evening. We all swapped stories, enjoyed great music and even broke open a bottle of 45% Russian whisky!

Alan is very knowledgeable about his city and you can just tell how proud he is of it. He is a great person to have behind the Lagan Legacy and I know all their plans will be a huge success and a great boost to the city. Keep an eye out for it!

Belfast - Friday Night Out

2009-06-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

Belfast - Taxi tour of the city

2009-06-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

Where to start!

Having spent six years living in N.Ireland when I was at school, (Londonderry, Coleraine & Kilkeel), I only remember visiting Belfast a couple of times, and just for a day. I really hadn't much of a memory of it at all other than it had more shops than the towns I lived in. So when Beflast Tourist Information and bmi baby invited myself and Nicky Getgood over for a weekend I wasn't really sure what to expect.

Normally before I visit a new place I'll do a bit of research first and try and get a feel for things and what there is to do, but I deliberately avoided doing that this time around. I was really looking forward to going and I wanted whatever Belfast had to offer to be a surprise.

And it was a surprise! I have returned home absolutely charmed by the city.

Our journey to Belfast started early with a 4am wake up call to catch the 7am flight from Birmingham with bmibaby. I made sure to make the acquaintance of our bmibaby pilots, Dave & Marcus!

There were a ton of school children on the flight who where going to school in Belfast for the day. Marcus even posed with the kids after the flight.

Arriving at the airport

After about a 30 minute bus journey from Belfast International Airport, we arrived in the city. Our hotel was quite near the street where we got off the bus, but we took a few wrong turns before finding our way with our unruly suitcases (my suitcase was too heavy and kept keeling over, and Nicky's had a mind of it's own and kept steering her off course!). At about 10am we arrived at Ramada Encore and we had a warm welcome from Fiona Ure from Belfast Tourist Information.

Fiona took charge and made sure our rooms where ready and we were checked in. I was glad to get rid of the suitcase and my hand luggage which was rather heavy with 3 cameras and a laptop - always be prepared, isn't that what they say?!

The Ramada Encore opened in April this year and has a contemporary feel to it. It has 169 rooms, a bar and restaurant, and serves a mean Ulster Fry. My room was bright and spacious, large flat screen tv, internet connection (essential!), wooden floors and very, very comfy bed!

Once we had cast off our luggage Fiona took us to a nearby cafe for refreshments (cake!). A big map of Belfast was placed over the table as we tried to get our bearings for the weekend ahead. My tiredness evaporated as excitement about the weekend took over.

Our first adventure of the weekend was a Belfast Taxi Tour.

Fiona Ure, Our taxi tour guide and Nicky Getgood

We took the Political History Mural Tour with the added bonus of Belfast Castle. From the taxi tour's website:

Visit the largest outdoor art gallery in the world and view the many wall murals throughout the Shankill & Falls Roads. Get into the heart of the areas that bore the brunt of the conflict. Starting from the city centre we travel through the Loyalist Lower Shankill Rd with some photo’s opportunities of the many wall murals in this area then we progress onto the world famous "peaceline" which divides the Falls and Shankill Roads. The tour then carries on into the Nationalist Falls Road you will again have the opportunity to take photographs of the murals and a brief stop at the souvenir shop, lastly off to the international wall murals which are constantly evolving and reflecting topics from all over the world. We then drop you back to the city centre. The duration of the tour is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes but can be customised to suit you. Belfast is a growing vibrant City, with a wealth of cultural diversity, something for everyone Day & Night so why not book now to avoid disappointment ( We can collect you from city centre hotel or guest house).

Belfast Castle is set high in the hills of Cave Hill Country Park (great for walks and picnics) and has wonderful views over the city and the River Lagan.

Visit the cat garden and see how many cats you can spot! no dogs allowed ;)

Belfast Castle seems to be primarily a host to weddings, conferences and functions. It's a magnificent building that is almost 140 years old with a lot of character and it's easy to see why it's a favourite venue for weddings. It also has a restaurant that is open to the public, though advanced booking is recommended.

There is also a Visitors Centre which provides tons of information on the history of the area which is free.

The next part of our taxi tour took us to a housing estate to see the political murals. These murals are painted onto the ends of residents houses. I am not sure how much say the residents have about this, and apparently the murals lower the value of their homes.

The history of the troubles in N.Ireland can't really be ignored. Having lived in N.Ireland I have seen my fair share of the turbulence am delighted that the country is now in more peaceful times.

The murals depict a story, a part of history and I think they are pieces of art in their own right.

I noticed in the distance a man working on one of the walls. At first I thought he was one of the artists and went over to say hello and have a chat. I must admit to being a little disappointed to see that one of the murals was being boarded over and replaced by pictures of smilling happy children. A much nicer, friendlier subject I guess.

I don't know if this is a 'one off' or if all the murals will be covered over this way eventually.

I'd seen some bikers standing around looking at the murals. They were over visiting from Holland and wanted to make sure they included the murals on their travels. They were heading off to the Giants Causeway and to Londonderry next on their tour.

The taxi tour then made it's way to the Shankill Road, where once again murals lined the road. Our guide was very informative and told us all about the historical and political events of the area.

It was certainly worth taking the tour. I learnt a bit more about the country I used to live in and as the tour took us more into the suburbs of the city I felt we got the bigger picture, more so than if we had just stayed right in the city centre.

It was nearing lunch time and our driver kindly dropped us off at The Crown Bar on Victoria Street. It's a must see! It says it's the most beautiful bar in the world, and I would agree with that! It's like stepping back in time. The bar is 160 years old and has been restored and nothing has been changed. There is a bar area with some seating and most delightful of all are the 10 snugs that you can get cosy in. With a tiled floor and every piece of glass painted and etched, it really has an enchanting feel about it. They really do not make pubs like this anymore!

The service was good and the food great. Sticking with the Irish theme, Nicky had a pint of Guinness and a beef and Guinness pie, and I had Magners with champ (mash potatoes with spring onions) for lunch.

Having been up for about 10 hours at this point and with only 2.5hours sleep the night before behind me, I felt tiredness creep up on me. I headed back to the hotel to catch an hours zzzz's and left Nicky with a Guinness and some new friends she made at the bar!

The hours sleep did me the world of good and we were all set for our Friday night out in Belfast.....!

Belfast Bound!

2009-06-11T13:50:00.001-07:00

I'm off on my first press trip! I'm heading to Belfast with Birmingham blogger Nicky Getgood for 3 days.

The trip is sponsored by BMIBaby and the Belfast Tourist Board.

Myself and Nicky will be blogging about our Belfast experience, and you can follow our adventures on twitter @karenstrunks and @getgood. We will be using the hashtag #brumvsbelfast.

As much as time allows, I will be live-ish blogging here, and Nicky will be blogger over at Digbeth Is Good.

I am going armed with a laptop and dongle & 3 cameras. Nicky is bring her camera, flip, and iphone. We are all social media'd up!

BMIBaby will be tweeting about our trip @bmibaby_com

The Birmingham Mail newspaper will be documenting our trip on their website. I will update this link when it goes live.

Here is a glimpse into our itinerary:

Friday 12 June
0705 bmibaby flight departs from Birmingham International Airport, terminal one

0820 Arrive Belfast International Airport.

1030 Taxi tour of Belfast with Belfast Best Travel – guide Chris Forsythe will collect you from the hotel (tour approx 1.5hrs): www.taxi-tours-ireland.com

Afternoon Mix culture with retail:

Victoria Square – Belfast’s newest shopping centre with House of Fraser as anchor tenant. Stunningly designed, the Dome offers wonderful views over Belfast skyline

Queens Arcade & Fountain Centre – a mix of independent retailers offering delicatessen, giftware and are. The Craft & Design Collective have an innovated shop/gallery/exhibition area upstairs in the Fountain Centre – find the best of Northern Ireland’s arts/craft and design at SPACEcraft

Linen Hall Library – home to the Northern Ireland Political Collection, CS Lewis collection and many more interesting groups of books. The Linen Hall Library is the only subscribing library still in existence in Ireland: www.linenhall.com

Belfast Best Vintage – retro clothing on Wellington Place

Spires Shopping centre – a mix of designer boutiques, independent retailers and vintage clothing within a wonderful landmark building owned by the Presbyterian Church of Ireland.

Ormeau Baths Gallery, Ormeau Avenue – contemporary art gallery housed in an old Victorian Baths - Energy Class B is a collection of work by 12 young contemporary Polish artists and is exhibited as part of the U.K wide Polska!Year celebrations. The exhibition has been curated by Monika Szewczyk, Director of the Arsenal Gallery in Bialystok, Poland.: www.ormeaubaths.co.uk
Queens University / Botanic Gardens – set in leafy south Belfast

University Belfast is a splendid example of Lanyon architecture – quadrangle, visitor centre and Naughton Art Gallery. The botanical gardens next door offer an escape from the hussle of city life – visit the restored Palm House and Tropical Ravine

Lisburn Road – the ‘diamond mile’, the Lisburn Road is where you’ll find independent retailers, boutiques, designer house-ware, spas, delicatessen, coffee shops, bars and private art galleries.

1900 Dinner at No27, 27 Talbot Street, courtesy of Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau

2030 Music at the John Hewitt Bar - Panama Jazz band.

A traditional pub on Donegall Street, the John Hewitt first opened its doors in December 1999. The bar is unique in its ownership as it is owned by The Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre. The Resource Centre's managers had always relied on various grants to fund its work, when in the mid-90s, they came up with the idea of generating some of their own funds by going into business... And why not a pub! John Hewitt, the late poet, socialist and Freeman of Belfast officially opened the Resource Centre on Mayday 1983, hence the name of the bar.

Saturday 13 June

0930 Visit St George’s Market, Ireland’s oldest covered market. Saturdays is the City and Garden market offering the best local, organic and international produce. Arts, crafts and entertainment are also on offer (runs until 3pm).

Titanic Belfast
1230 Titanic Dock and Thompson Pump House Tour – walking tour that departs from the front doors of the Odyssey Arena – see the slipways, dry dock, pumphouse (lasts approx 2hrs): www.titanicwalk.com

1530 Titanic Boat Tour – departs from Donegall Quay, beside the ‘Big Fish’

Sunday 14 June

1100 Join the guided Art walking tour – new Sunday initiative with the Cathedral Quarter’s art galleries open on Sundays – begins at Belfast Exposed Photographic Gallery, Donegall Street: http://www.belfastgalleries.com/

1345 Visit the Ulster Hall for some live music and tour of one of Belfast’s most popular entertainment venues and landmark buildings

1430 Belfast Music Tour (tickets enclosed) departs from the Ulster Hall - take a bus journey through a great rock’n’roll city with local DJ Stuart Bailie – ends at the ‘Oh Yeah Music Centre’ in the Cathedral Quarter: www.belfastmusic.org

1900 Catch the airport bus from Europa Bus Station, Great Victoria Street

1930 Complimentary entry to Belfast International Airport Executive Lounge

2115 Depart Belfast International Airport with bmibaby

We are getting up at 4am for a 7am flight so we can have a full day in Belfast tomorrow. First thing upon arrival in Belfast - an Ulster Fry!

So....Watch this space for updates coming soon!