What a fantastic Sunday…

Walks were very much on the agenda today.  At lunchtime we had the second ‘Titanic Slipway Pilgrimage’ walk – a new venture in conjunction with Titanic Belfast.  Setting out from the visitor centre with 30+ people, we walked the outline of Titanic and Olympic on the slipways where they were born, stopping every so often – at the lifeboat positions, the launch site, the memorial name-plaques on the slipway ramps – to reflect on the Titanic using music, stories and prayers.

I’m just so excited that this new opportunity has opened up within Dock-world.  It seems to combine so much of what has happened over these past 2 years – the Dock Walks, my tour-guiding with Titanic Walking Tours, my role as Titanic Ambassador – into something new.  The Titanic story contains so much that is thought-provoking and spiritual – and offering space and a little structure for people to respond to that is, I reckon, a massively important role for The Dock in its chaplaincy to the Titanic Quarter.

It was great to leaf through the feedback forms today and realise that this idea has really struck a chord with visitors from all over the world, even during these ‘experimental’ weeks while we’ve been finding our feet.  So, watch this space…

After a quick bite of lunch, it was time for the Dock Walk, and another beautiful afternoon with a brilliant bunch of people.  We walked amidst sun-showers, blazing sunlight and distant rainbows; we prayed for Ronnie and Lyn (two Dock members who are embarking on an epic adventure to Mongolia) at the edge of the Lough; we discussed Scripture as we walked through unformed wasteland, enjoying the challenge of chewing over a difficult passage; we worshipped as we stood dwarfed by Goliath (the crane not the man).

These walks have become such a profound part of our lives, and the people who have walked with us on Sunday afternoons have become family.  But all good things (like the Slipway Pilgrimages) have pauses built in to them, times to stop and reflect: and so the Dock Walks will be taking a pause in August, ready to resume on the first Sunday of September.  The time is approaching for the Bennetts’ annual pilgrimage to the land of vin rose, crepes nutella and pain au chocolat.  In our absence the team are going to do a phenomenal job of keeping Dock Cafe open for Life in the Titanic Quarter – make sure you pay a visit when you get the chance.

And when we return from a wee while of putting our feet up, we’ll keep walking.  The journey continues…

Sometimes you’re just in exactly at the right place at the right time to be reminded of what a staggeringly beautiful world this is.

Like yesterday, when the Red Arrows screamed overhead as they flew past Titanic Belfast:

Or a few days ago, when a thundershower over Samson and Goliath gave birth to an amazing rainbow:

Someone gave me a fab present today.  Alastair, who is a new member of the Dock team, was catching up as a newbie to the story-so-far of The Dock, and went right back to the beginning of this blog to follow the adventure right from the start.  He then copied and pasted all my blog posts from the last 2-and-a-half years into one humungous document, which now nestles on my hard-drive, taking up entire terabytes of space with its one hundred and nine thousand words!

How did I ever write so much?   (Even if you could probably halve that word count by removing the superlatives).   I suppose at least part of the answer is that The Dock truly has been an adventure, full of twists and developments that I never could’ve predicted or expected – and it’s been fun to share that story as the pages have turned.  Starting with the blank page – catching the vision – seeing the team grow – walking tours – new friends – meeting the neighbours – business plans, TV documentaries and Titanic Ambassador duties – to boat or not to boat? – the Meanwhile contract and Dock Cafe – Eamonn Day – blessings all mine, and ten thousand besides…

So I’ve just spent an emotional wee hour looking back over some of those blog posts.  There have been tough days.  But realising that days like today (which involved some brilliant, brain-stretching meetings with the great teams who keep the Dock running, some exciting forward planning, and being part of our busiest day ever at Dock Cafe) started so small, such a comparatively short time ago, makes me very, very thankful.  Have a closer look at this pic – taken (like all the others here) on Day One of the Dock – you’ll see that the building which now contains Dock Cafe was only half-built back when we started!

If you’re a new arrival and want to see how it all started, the link to the very first Dock blog post is here.  Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to read all 109,000 words of all the rest of them – respect, Alastair, respect!

The Titanic Quarter seems to inspire boundless creativity… light shows, drama, photography, art, spectacular events like Land Of Giants… and now NEST, a new installation/exhibition at the T13 skate park which opened today and is on display all this week (until Sunday 29th).

What is it?  It’s hard to describe… it’s art made from everyday objects, inanimate objects made fascinating because they have a story attached.  People from all across the province have donated simple belongings – tickets, books, hats, bracelets, shoes, gadgets… stuff that could lie hidden in a box in the roofspace, or would look like junk in a second-hand shop – but when they have a label attached, explaining their personal significance to their owner, they suddenly become art…

All human life is on display – interesting to see there was one collection of objects to do with faith and spirituality (whether seen as positive or negative – see the pic on the right, complete with the modern spelling of ‘deceit’…)

Like so much of the TQ, it is a hugely-evocative way of speaking of the past, connecting with history – without getting stuck in the history that can divide us.  Personal stories and memories remind us of how much we share.

Speaking of bringing history to life (what a smooth link, eh!) the petition to save HMS Caroline is gathering steam – and if you’d like to add your name, click here.

This beautiful old warship has been part of the story of Belfast since 1924, and I would love to see her story continue here, as part of the rich mix of Titanic Quarter life, rather than (as is proposed) see her carried off on a container ship to Portsmouth.  I even could dare to dream that Caroline’s story might intersect with The Dock’s story some day…

Check out this excellent video for more…

And finally, speaking of preserving our heritage (what another smooth link, eh? I’m on fire!) I had the great privilege today of getting an up-close and personal look at the dock gate in the Thompson Dock.  There’s no excuse for missing this one – tours of the Dock and Pump-House now include a journey down a brand-new staircase to the bottom of the dock, where you can actually touch that beautiful old gate (made by the same men with the same metal at the same time as Titanic) and stand on the exact spot as the yardmen in this photo:

No excuses for sitting in front of the telly this weekend…

First up there’s NEST, a massive art/choral/orchestral/archive/creative-type thing in the T13 skate park in Titanic Quarter.  Just in case I haven’t described it clearly (as if!), here’s the website description:

NEST is an opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland to create art on a massive scale through the simple act of donating an object. The objects will be assembled into a gigantic installation in Belfast and become the focal point for a large-scale music and choral event inspired and performed by people of Northern Ireland.
More info and (free) tickets here.

Then on Sunday, fancy being part of an experiment?  The Dock and Titanic Belfast are joining forces to run a trial of a ‘Titanic Pilgrimage Walk’ – using the beautifully-restored Titanic slipways as the backdrop for a short guided walk with stops for reflection.

If the experiment works, this is something I’d love to be able to offer on a regular basis in the long-term – for now, we’ll give it a whirl and see how it goes!

And of course don’t forget Dock Cafe is open 11-5 on Saturdays, bulging with locally-sourced coffee, tea, scones, sandwiches, soup, art, photography, info and (always) lots of good chat.   And the Dock Walk departs from the cafe at 3:33 every Sunday, a unique way to do church on foot in the fabulous surroundings of the TQ, with its wonderful mixture of old and new.