Botanic Gardens

This post is partly a friendly dig at poor old Mel, who's well and truly stuck in the snowy USA. For your information Mel, it was a beautiful day in Belfast yesterday: blue skies and a crisp feel to the air!

As part of my meanderings, I took in the Botanic Gardens that surround the Ulster Museum.

I'm fascinated specifically by the Tropical Ravine, built in 1886. I'm sure it was a real technological innovation at the time, and stands as a testament to Belfast's industrial past, but I think I love it because of its doddery ramshackle air. The ferns and mosses have taken over and now everything is covered in life. There's something almost post-apocholyptic about the place, as if we have abandoned the fight to control nature in this little corner of the park. And quite right too! More photos over the page...