09/09/17 - Belfast Walking Tour

For the first time on the 10 day discovery tour of the British Isles, I am not responsible for entertainment.

Mrs M, presumably now bored of Geocaching, pub ticking but not walking has hired a professional tour guide to show us the sights of Belfast.

His name is Marty.  He is one of fourteen children.  He is not shy when it comes to walking into buildings (town halls, hotels, cathedrals, pubs), whether they are open or not.  He knows his stuff. Everyone on Tripadvisor agrees.

The blogs not here to show my holiday snaps.   We're bound to go past one of the six Belfast Good Beer Guide entries.   I might also find a Geocache.

Bittle's Bar

Marty tries to take us in here, but the landlord is quite adamant that he is not open.  It's OK, I've been before.  I've seen the whiskey collection.  I've seen the artwork that has been traded over the years for pints.   I've remembered the other flat iron building in Manhattan.

It's not in the Good Beer Guide but the soulless looking Kitchen Bar directly opposite is.

I'm back in my quandary of good bar vs. good beer.

It would be a crime to foresake this for the Kitchen Bar to the left

The Crown Liqueur Saloon, Victoria Street, Guinness

This is another must visit bar and a 2017 GBG Entry.  The name itself may conjure up images of a wild west saloon, but this is ornate Victorian Boozing at its finest.   All fancy tile work, completed by Italian craftsmen as after hours "foreigners", once they had finished working on the churches.

Photos were in short supply.  Outside, is a constant gaggle of smokers.  Inside, only the Japanese are brave enough to pull out cameras without fear.  I attempt a surreptitious photo but get clocked by a local, giving me the look.

Put it away, so you will.

If you're either lucky, or not visiting on a Saturday Afternoon, you might strike gold and get one of the ten hermetically sealed booths.  They come complete with door to lock, vanity glasswork and a little bell to summon service.  How I would have loved to give that a dong to see what happens.

Beer wise, it's a Nicholson House, complete with some familiar handpulls like Purity UBU.

I stuck with the Black Stuff.

The Duke of York, Guinness

At the start of the tour, Marty asked us if we had any preferences for the Tour.  Our Canadian co-students wanted to learn all about the troubles.  I asked to be taken to the pub with all the fancy mirrors.

Who would have thought the two could be combined?

I've been before but couldn't remember the Duke of York's name.  Through a process of elimination, Marty was able to determine my request.  I was able to teach him something in return.

This is not in the Good Beer Guide but if you're in town, you must visit.

It's what my living room would look like if Mrs M didn't rule with an iron fist.

The Duke of York.  And Marty the Tour Guide.

Marty was keen to come in and show us a photo near to where he is standing showing of the pub destroyed by a bomb in 1973.

I was keen to show Marty the Whiskey Menu, which unbelievably comes with a number of Whiskies that are so rare, they have "Not For Sale" as a price.

The tour, a two hour bargain for £15, ends here.

We're off to find a Geocache.

Tour Over and left to my own devices outside the DOY