A Five Mile Walk to the Park

I did it to them again.  We took a little walk up the Lagan River to Botanic Garden yesterday and the Belfast Ulster Museum.  Northern Ireland has five Ulster Museums.  They are so well presented I would love to see all of them.

The river has a nice walkway that stretches for miles on both sides.  Different areas of the city have decorated the walkway in unique styles.

Our little walk turned out to be about 5 miles round trip.

Walkway near Titanic Quarter

neat lifting bridge

way back down the river towards the Titanic Quarter.

The Botanic Graden is next to the Queen's University and houses the Ulster Museum.  Last time we visited the beautiful rose garden was being used for a movie so we could not walk through it.  This time it was open.  I could not believe how many roses are still in bloom this time of the year it was really pretty.

Rose Garden

 Some of the beautiful roses.

 Next we visited the Tropical Ravine.  It was built in 1880 and  used to be called the Fernery.   The Ravine is filled with tropical plants and trees.  The back of the building houses a pool with koi fish and turtles in it.

tropical jungle

turtle

koi fish

pond

 The best part about the Belfast Ulster Museum is admission by donation.  It is not expensive so you don't feel like you have to rush to see it all.  We spent over an hour in one learning exhibit.  I think the kids enjoyed learning.  They built a skull, wrote their names in hieroglyphics, dressed up in traditional Irish costumes and tried on a knights glove.

Samuel building a skull

knights glove

Sabrina

Samuel, Sabrina in heels and Sarah

not sure I would want to sail with a guy who looked this crazy

sisters

Samuel, Sarah and Sabrina

Sabrina

Sarah

terror of the Irish Sea

Back outside near the Queens University the sun was shining for 15 minutes.  We enjoyed a short walk to Subway for lunch.  But while we were eating the rain clouds came back and started sprinkling on us again.  We arrived home wet and chilled through, but we had found jacket for the girls and I. =)  Our next trip out should be a bit warmer and dryer.

Duke's Hotel near the University

First Presbyterian Church

church with power lines looking like a web