The GCW Tour, A Few Bits of the UK and Ireland: Last Day in Belfast

The next day we flew to Glasgow. Of course, for some strange reason I chose a 5:00 pm flight, leaving us nearly a full day in Belfast. I couldn't recall exactly why I'd done that, but given the state of our clothing I thought would allow us time to do laundry. Sleep in a bit. Go to a laundry place. Clean the clothes. Go to the airport.

Unfortunately, in scheduling those events I was thinking like an American, not like an Irishman. Big mistake.

You see, it was Sunday. Nothing commercial happens on Sunday morning in Ireland. Instead, church bells ring for what I swear must've been at least forty-five minutes. It would be 1:00 or 2:00 before any of the nearby laundry places opened, if they did at all.

Luckily, the Ulster Museum opened at 10:00, so the day wasn't a complete waste.

Briefly -- well, as briefly as I can every be with such things -- the Ulster Museum is a five-story building on or very near the Queen's University campus which focuses, though not exclusively, Irish art and history.

For 2016, the top floor, normally an "art" floor, was focused on art and history related to 1916 -- specifically, the Easter uprising/rebellion and the Battle of the Somme...

Below this, the fourth floor was still showing traditional art from Irish artists...

Then it moved on to natural history and paleontology -- i.e., stuffed animals and bones...

After this came a focus on geology and chemistry, with lots of bits on rocks (including a few that glow under black light) and a special exhibit on the periodic table...

Then came the origin of life on the island...

The political development of Ireland...

Industrialization...

Ending with a series of very nice displays focused on the Troubles...

All in all, it was a really nice museum. My only real complaint is that I thought this particular display...

...ought to have included the Gaelic translation for "we need more cowbell." I think they missed an opportunity there.