Belfast- Derry

Sleep well. Up four minutes before the alarm to read. Shower, shampoo, dry and dress. Three times. 

Breakfast in the dining room: pineapple sunrise with a yogurt drizzle, and a frittata.

Meet the hot pink shuttles to Belfast out past the ramp. The noisy ride takes 15 min to town. We step through a barrage of Hop on hop off sales people to the TI desk and purchase train tickets to Derry. Micheal Palin says its the most beautiful train ride in the world! Along the Antrim Coast. Possibly the greenest with two rainbows, sheep and cows. On the sea side is theNorth Sea! Just outside the window.

We visited with a college professor who was a apE major and loved talking sports, then a mother and daughter who was enrolled to. Begin nursing school in Derry soon.

We taxi into town for $3. And walk  up the street past charity shops. Some benefit Hospice, others the Blind. We look and then settle in at Brickwork for a burger, fish and chips. Great meal with a local red beer.

We met our guide Gleann, and he took us around the city walls explaining 1500 years of Derry history in 90 minutes.

I bought some fabric for a derry apron and we caught a taxi to the train depot. Schools out and the bus depot aswarm:)

Boarding our train as the sun set over the sea. Quite restful and beautifully pastoral.

On time at Victoria station, we hop on our pink shuttle and make the cruise ship.

We drop our items and go for a cocktail as the ship sets off then down to dinner at 8.

The food is good! Dan orders the beef shank and we share the remaining bordeaux.

Its straight to bed.

Whst I learned about our Gilfallans: they fled Scotland and settle N Ireland because the English government conquers Derry and forces Irish people off their home lands. Scottish are not allowed to be Presbyterians or have a church.