Faye arrived around 1:30pm. After a very quick unpack, we went to a restaurant right next door to our hotel, Mourne Seafood Bar. It’s one of the best places in Belfast for seafood and fish. I’d only just had brunch, so I wasn’t very hungry, but I did try one of the oysters Faye ordered, and it was delicious.

We also shared a bottle of wine between us.

We then decided to take a little wander, which took us past the City Hall.

We also passed the current building housing the Ulster Bank, whose parent company is the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. The original Ulster Bank was housed in the  building, which is now the Merchant Hotel. In 2002, three Ulster Bank employees were arrested on charges of theft and money laundering. The three were responsible for the destruction of old banknotes at the bank’s former Waring Street cash centre. Between November 2001 and February 2002, they were accused of stealing approximately £900,000 of used banknotes designated for disposal. The money was then placed in various bank and building society accounts. On 23 January 2004, the men were jailed for two and a half years for the theft of £770,000.

We walked down Ann Street, popping into several shops on the way. We stopped for a quick photo of Pottinger’s Entry. This is one of the many narrow alleyways that form the nucleus of the city. The entries used to be the location of the towns bustling business area and the residence of many merchants. In 1689, Thomas Pottinger became the first Presbyterian sovereign (mayor), and this entry was named after him.

We eventually ended up at Bittles Bar.

This bar is in a building known as the Flat Iron building and was originally built in 1868. The bar has long been a gathering place for writers, artists, and intellectuals, contributing to its reputation as a cultural hub. It was originally called the Shakespeare, reflecting its theatrical clientele. It has some interesting political artwork on the walls.

From here, we walked back to the hotel to get showered and ready for our night out.

We had booked a reservation in the Great Room at the Merchant Hotel. The Great Room houses Ireland’s largest chandelier.

We arrived a little bit early, so we each had a cocktail at the bar.

The setting was very opulent, and the food was amazing. We both had duck for main.

And for dessert, we both had a pina colada.

After a fantastic dinner, we came across The National, and they had a 90s night going on. So we went inside and had a drink and dance. Initially, we didn’t realise just how big the place was, but we did some exploring and discovered it covered quote appears huge area.

Around 1:30 in the morning, we headed home and had a lovely cup of Redbush tea before heading to bed.