Northern Ireland

Another cool day. Amazed at how different cities can be from one another. We were picked up by the black taxi and driver at 9 30 and headed off on the tour of Belfast (told from the point of view of a Catholic Taxi driver in his 60s) which lasted almost two hours. The first part of the tour took us to Shankill Rd, where he outlined the history of Belfast and the “troubles”. We visited the area and walked around the murals which have become a feature of the area. He also took us to the wall and like everyone else, we signed it. It was incredible to see it still standing at about 10 foot in each direction, separating the two parts of Belfast. He then took us to the Fall Road area on the other side of the wall where we visited a memorial garden for both civilians and IRA volunteers killed over the last 50 years. We were also shown the cages added to houses as a means of defence if they were close to the wall. He also clearly explained the meaning of the flags we see in many streets and on houses, marking the territory of each group. Turns out we are staying in the heart of Protestant Belfast! The tour ended and he dropped us in the centre of town. We spent a couple of hours looking in shops which were quite interesting. Of note was the burnt out shell of a huge shopping building which had only just gone on fire and was one of the biggest fires ever in Belfast. We wandered down to the Titanic Centre, following the river. It was an amazing building and the whole Titanic experience was excellent, particularly the fact that so much was interactive. The highlight was the ride through the building in a cable car, experiencing the boat building yard as it would have been back when the Titanic was being built. It was interesting that no relics of the actual trip are kept there as it is regarded as being tasteless yet there was a souvenir shop full of very tacky Titanic items! We grabbed a taxi ride back from town as both feeling very tired and heard yet another version of events this time from our Protestant driver! We rested up and enjoyed hot showers now that we had heard from the owner about the switch that needed to be on! We did some research and reserved dinner at a restaurant in the university quarter which was a 40 minute walk along the river and through some very interesting streets. The highlight was seeing a large flock of starlings flying in formation over the river. It really was spectacular as they grouped and re- grouped in a cloud- like formation led by one bird. We found the restaurant, Molly’s Yard easily and what a treat! It was an old stables and down stairs seated just 12 people. It was a very cute place and the staff were excellent as was the food- one of our best meals yet. We left there and walked down the road to House Belfast which was a beautiful hotel. After a lovely cocktail we caught a taxi back with one last version of “the troubles”, this time from a driver who didn’t side with either! Belfast is an intriguing place, full of history and emotion with a real edge to it.Read more