Despite the crappy bug we both succumbed to, we have really enjoyed our Irish sojourn. Everyone we've had dealings with has been warm, friendly, and helpful. Officialdom has been easygoing and relaxed. Public transport (once you get your head around it) is very good value. And the eating/drinking has been great. Aside from all the cafes I've mentioned in foregoing blog posts, I need to do a special shout-out for Irish cheese, Irish salmon (so good, and such great value), Irish whiskey (purely medicinal), and Irish bread (soda bread just makes you want to set fire to all your bread restrictions, and clamp your jaws around loaves and loaves of the stuff...)

We will be back. Definitely.

But in the meantime, yesterday was departure day. Here's how it went:

We caught -- for the third time -- the train to Dublin.

Next up was the train to Belfast. But not before revisiting the Roasted Bean Coffee Company, to grab one of their nice coffees, enjoy a last helping of that smoked salmon I've just been raving about (nicely bedded down on a cream cheese bagel), and chat about things like government surveillance and the Bon Jovi concert with the folks on the terrace.

The train to Belfast takes about two hours, and there's plenty of watery scenery en route:


Just round the corner from Belfast Grand Central station is a massive King William III mural, "a powerful symbol of Belfast's loyalist community". OK... We are definitely in a different place...


It had been a long day, and what we were really looking forward to was a glass of wine and a hot shower. But, nothing daunted, we headed out for a quick orientational walk. It's grand, that's for sure:










We continued our explorations the following morning, sustained by an Ibis breakfast featuring the closest thing I've had to German Broetchen for a long time. (If you count the number of times I've mentioned bread in this post, you'll see how completely Ireland has corrupted me...)







There wasn't time for much else, however, as we needed to catch our next train -- to Larne Harbour.




Lulled by promises of a cafe, we'd decided to go all the way to Larne Harbour (as opposed to stopping off in Larne, and walking the final bit).

Well, I'm here to tell you there's no cafe... You check in for your Isle of Man Steam Packet sailing to Douglas; you hand over your baggage (at least you can do that); you go through security; and then you're in a waiting area where the only F&B facilities are vending machines (and therefore absolutely don't count). We got all excited about home-made gelato adverts, but that place, it seems, has come and gone. Good job we'd armed ourselves with nuts, chocolate, and water...

The boat was an hour late (no announcements while we waited), and as more and more people piled through check-in, and had no boat to board, the waiting area quickly ran out of seats.

That's the second time this trip that we've seen this happening...

Seriously, ferry companies! You can do better!! I know you don't always have control over weather and tides, but surely it's not impossible to provide more seating for passengers waiting out the delays??

Anyway, I don't have much more to say. Once you're on the boat (the Ben my Chree), it's pretty comfortable (not as good as Manxman's wonderful accommodation, but much better than that Stena experience). And I really do recommend Steam Packet muffins... Every time, so good...

The route takes you down past the Mull of Galloway, and around the north of the Island. But we hadn't managed to bag window seats, so we didn't see that much of the scenery.

Still, we docked in time to get the 1935 bus (not without a nifty bit of rucksack-laden sprinting), and very soon after that we were home.

HOME... So good. So good.