Northern-Ireland Tour (Part-2)

Author: Engineer M. M. E. Hossain

Traveler: Little Brother ‘Tom’ ​​(pseudonym)

What we saw on the first day of the trip:

It was August 2, 2025. My brother and I woke up at 9:00 AM. After flying last night and going out to explore the city at night, I was quite tired. Due to which I slept very well. I was very excited for today's trip. In the morning, my brother and I got up, brushed our teeth and took a shower. Then, we had a light breakfast and packed some chips, chocolate, water, juice, and four sandwiches in a bag and left the hotel for the trip. Our destinations for the day were the ‘Ulster Museum’, the ‘Botanic Gardens’, and the ‘HM Prison on Crumlin Road’.

The beginning and end of the trip to the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens:

Our hotel was right in the center of Belfast city. So, we had the opportunity to travel everywhere easily in our plan. My brother ‘Taif’ (pseudonym) had hired a taxi right after leaving the hotel in Belfast. I munched on the chocolates my mother had given me and got into the taxi with my brother. We quickly got into a taxi and reached the gardens of the Ulster Museum. Brother ‘Taif’ (pseudonym) told me yesterday, “There is a garden next to this museum, which is kept in the ‘greenhouse’ room. It is called the ‘palm house.’ There is also a garden called 'Rose Garden' here." I was enchanted by what my brother told me yesterday. My brother and I reached our destination 12 minutes after we got into the taxi. My brother said to me, "Tom (pseudonym), can you walk this far? Or do you have to carry me on your lap?" I raised my hands and told my brother, "No, brother, look how big I am, I can definitely walk." At that time, my brother laughed at my words.

Finally, my brother and I bought tickets and entered the museum. As soon as I entered, I saw three dragon portraits above. I looked there in surprise. But, when my brother called me, I ran towards it. My brother said, “We will start our museum tour from the top floor.” First, we went up to the top floor. There we entered the ‘Gallery of Applied Art’. Where numerous sculptures and various colored ornaments were kept. They were very charming. There were descriptions of them and many paintings, and some clothes were also kept. Then, we entered a charming 'art gallery'. It's hard to describe how many different types of art were kept there. Then, my brother took me to the animal fossil section. There, there were specimens and fossils of various animals collected from Ireland and Northern Ireland. Then we saw pots of different colors and shapes. I was very scared to see dinosaur bones. But my brother reassured me that these were now dead creatures. So, I regained my courage. Here we saw the heritage and history of the Irish people come alive. We saw cars and cameras from when they were first made. Then, we went to see ancient Egyptian mummies. Seeing this, I cowered in fear again. Then, my brother told me, "Tom (pseudonym), don't be afraid at all. Because this is a lifeless scientific corpse. How the Egyptians used to make chemicals in ancient times and mummify the bodies to prevent decomposition is a story that is still a wonder in this modern era. That's why everyone comes here." Then, I looked at the body with awe-inspiring eyes. After leaving that area, we entered the gallery where military items were kept. There we saw helmets, armor, swords, cannons, cannonballs, pistols, and British military uniforms. After coming out of there, we saw a demo of modern clothes and some modern machines. We also saw many things that were impossible to express in words. Then we went to see the 'Palm House'. There we saw that there were various plants in a glass house. I asked my brother, “Brother, why are the plants kept in glasshouses here?” My brother said, “They don’t survive in the UK climate. That’s why these plants are kept in this environment.” I immediately understood why I had never seen these plants in London before. After a while, we came out of there. Then we went to the rose garden next to the museum. We sat there and had our lunch. We left the Ulster Museum and Botanic gardens around 01:00 PM.

Gaol Museum on Crumlin Road in Belfast:

My brother bought another bottle of water, a bottle of juice and two sandwiches. This time we started our journey to visit the Crumlin Road Gaol Museum in Belfast. Its name was the ‘Crumlin Road Gaol Visitor Attraction and Conference Centre.’ It was built in 1846 and closed in 1996. My brother told me that this was the only prison in the UK that was in use from the reign of Queen Victoria until 1996. It was the most modern prison of that era and could hold 550 prisoners at a time. My brother took me into a tunnel in this prison. I was no longer afraid. Then we went to where the prisoners were kept. My brother said, "This is now used for making movies and it is being preserved with great care." After that, we saw many things including the office building here. Which was not possible to express in words. Then we looked around and left at 04:00 in the afternoon.

Finally, back to the hotel and the second night of the trip:

After traveling all day, the body was extremely tired. I couldn't bear the pain in my legs anymore. My brother was also extremely tired. As I was a small boy, and it was as if the ghost of sleep had taken hold of me. After leaving there, my brother hired a taxi. We took the taxi to the hotel. We stopped our taxi on the way and bought a lot of food. Due to heavy traffic on the road, we were a little late in returning to the hotel. By the time we returned, it was night. We both took another bath. That time, we ate the food we bought from the supermarket at night. While we were eating, my brother told me stories. They were very sweet to listen to. I didn't have the strength to go out that night. So, I went to sleep. However, before I went to sleep, I was fascinated by the view outside. The lighting was so beautiful, it was unforgettable.

Thus ends the story of the first day and second night of little brother Tom (pseudonym) and his brother Taif (pseudonym) in Belfast on August 2, 2025. Traveling can tire our bodies but invigorate our minds. And it can satisfy a restless soul. However, little friends, this is the end of it for today. Once again, I will write to you about Tom's (pseudonym) new travel story. However, goodbye little friends. May peace be upon everyone. May everyone live in peace and prosperity.