A Story of Ice & Fire

A Game of Thrones themed adventure

By Melissa Keizer

July 25^th, 2014

g.o.t eXHIBITION

I’m a huge Game of Thrones fan, anyone who follows me on Twitter could probably vouch for that. Many of the show’s filming locations are in my home country of Northern Ireland.

So, when I heard that Westeros was returning to The Waterfront Hall in Belfast, I was pretty thrilled. My friends & I managed to nab a few tickets and spent a Sunday afternoon checking it out.

my dearest daenerys

When we entered the exhibition hall, our first stop was the section dedicated to Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons herself. Daenerys, or Khaleesi, as she is commonly referred to as, is my favourite character in the show so I spent a lot of time gazing at her costumes, and the models of the eggs and baby dragons, as well as getting a selfie with her poster (of course).

Spoiler alert

Each area of the exhibition was beautifully laid out, displaying props, clothes and armoury from all 4 seasons of the show. The King’s Landing section showcased the outfits from the latest season, including the late Oberyn Martell, whose last scene was one of the very best in the entire season, in my opinion.

Know where that pouch of fingers came from? They’re the fingers of Davos Seaworth, removed by Stannis Baratheon as punishment for smuggling. (Hey, I didn’t remember either).

THE IRON THRONE

If you happen to search for #GOTExhibition on Instagram, I’m pretty sure your feed will be flooded with pictures of people sitting on the coveted Iron Throne. My friends & I also took this rare opportunity to take a snap on the throne.

I also got my photo being queen, along with my loyal subject. (I definitely wear the pants in our relationship).

STORYBOARDS

The exhibition gave us a sneak peak “behind the scenes” of the series, showing how the story first comes to life through storyboarding. The storyboard artist, William Simpson, created the image panels to illustrate the director’s vision of how the scenes will play out.

This area was of particular interest to me, and I was impressed not only by the obvious drawing talent, but also how closely the storyboards tie to the final scenes, down to camera angles and the action sequences.

Write your story here. (Optional)

props!

The hall was abundant with bits and pieces from the sets, from the weapons of The White Walkers, to the head of one of Khaleesi’s dragons. It reminded me of parts of the show I might have forgotten about. Though who could ever forget The Red Wedding? Poor Grey Winds…

Ascend the wall

The exhibition provided a chance to step into Jon Snow’s shoes, by experiencing the climb up The Wall using virtual reality technology, Oculus Rift.

Upon stepping into the carriage and putting on the headgear, I found myself completely immersed in the experience. I could look around me and see the wintery landscape and hear the winds howl, it felt very real. In fact, so real that when I reached the top of wall, I had to reach out and grab the bars of the cage for safety after a burning arrow hit the carriage, sending me plummeting back down the wall to my icy death.

I really enjoyed the exhibition, but now I’m itching to watch the long-awaited next season. If you’re also a Game of Thrones nerd, I recommend that you check out the exhibition if it ever comes to your city.

However, our adventure didn’t stop there.

G.O.T Tour around Northern Ireland

Taking advantage of June’s lovely weather, my friends and I set out on a Game of Thrones themed road trip around Northern Ireland. We mapped out some of the filming locations and journeyed north.

The Stormlands

Our first stop was Cushendun Caves of Antrim, a.k.a, The Stormlands. This location was where Davos Seaworth landed Melisandre (you know, the witchy redhead?) ashore. He witnesses her giving birth to the shadow baby, which we may or may not have re-enacted.

Group photo time.

Surrounding the caves is the picturesque coastal village of Cushendun, where I fed this friendly goat before setting off for our next destination.

The IROn ISLANDS

Next we arrived at The Iron Islands, located at Murlough Bay, north east of County Antrim. This is where Theon Greyjoy rides on horse with his sister Yara (he hasn’t yet realised how closely related are) and gets a little too comfortable. This is why we’ve affectionately named this location “Finger-banging Bay.” Don’t judge us.

KING'S ROAD

Perhaps one of the most iconic filming locations in Game of Thrones is The Dark Hedges of King’s Road. After escaping from King’s Landing, disguised as a boy, Arya Stark heads north on the Kings’s Road, travelling past the eery beech trees that surround it.