Today we left Ireland behind us and took the ferry to Isle of Man. We’ll have two full days to explore the island. If the weather gods are with us, we plan to take the train up on Snefell. We’ve booked one of the sea front hotels in Douglas for the stay. Apart from driving the TT course and going up Snefell. We have planned a few other activities as well.
We had a 30 minute drive from the previous hotel to the ferry. It turned out that the traffic in Belfast was a lot easier to deal with compared to Dublin. So we had a lot of time in the harbour waiting to embark on the ferry.
We arrived in Douglas at Isle of Man around 13:30. After checking in at the hotel, we went out looking to get some lunch. It turned out that many of the restaurants and cafés were closed. Either permanently or just because the tourist season hadn’t started yet. But we got the impression that Douglas is struggling a bit. We saw several cancelled building projects as well as empty houses and stores. Even the railing along the promenade was in a state of disrepair, despite being just over 20 years old.
After a late lunch, we decided to have a go at the famous TT course. Too bad that the road wasn’t closed for us to use. We had to stay behind busses, a tractor and general afternoon rush. Nevertheless, weather an incredible drive. All respect for the motorcycle drivers who compete here. It took us 1:08 to drive the full course. They do it in less than 20 minutes! The current record, according to Wikipedia, is 16:36.114.
Once back at the hotel, we went to a fish restaurant and ate a delicious curry.
Tomorrow we will continue to explore the island.
Europe by car 
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