A tale of two cities

Over this weekend we have spent time in the largest city in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  Belfast appeared on the surface to be dull, an industrial working class city that tourists over look because of a troubled past and few shiny attractions hand fed to them on a silver platter.  Dublin on the other hand is vibrant, colourful and full of history, named the UNESCO City of Literature, we both anxiously awaited our time in Dublin.

Belfast had the Titanic Experience which opened last year and was put together very well and after touring thatI spent most of my day just wandering the streets.  That evening we had a steak dinner at McHugh's Bar, in one of the oldest buildings in Belfast, served "on the rocks" where we cooked our own steaks on hot volcanic rocks at the table.  That evening we stopped at The Crown Bar to get out of the rain and to enjoy a few pints at the oldest bar in Belfast, this turned out to be a very fun evening and we met some very lovely people.

Dublin is home to the Guinness Factory as well as the Jameson Irish Whiskey Distillery.  Our evening finished with a literary pub crawl.  Sunday we took the time to enjoy other parts of the city which are less dependent on alcohol and included The Book of Kells at Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, a walk in the footsteps of some of the best writers in the world and Temple Bar.

At first I didn't like Belfast but once I toured Dublin I can only describe it like this; Dublin is the cute, baby faced little brother, who knows he is cute and milks it for all it is worth.  Naturally he gets the greater amount of attention.  Belfast is the dark, grittier older brother who the family ignores.  Misunderstood and first but hard working, steadfast and incredibly interesting once you get to know him.  And I've always been a fan of the black sheep.