May 25 - Belfast

We left Dublin this morning shortly after 8:30 AM and headed to Belfast.  One short stop for a potty break and we arrived in Belfast before lunch.  We drove into the city center so we could grab some lunch.  We also hit the ATM to buy Pounds as they do not use Euros in Northern Ireland.  Here is a photo of the city hall.

We lucked out as they were having an International Fair on the grounds of City Hall so we were able to walk around and check out our choices.  Here is Pat inspecting the French bakery.

There was also this tent selling flowers.

We decided to eat in the German pavilion.  We had bratwurst on really good rolls and I had a Hefe Wiesen German bear.  Pat had a Diet Coke.

On the grounds of City Hall there were a number of monuments.  This one is to the Irish soldiers lost during the war in South Africa from 1899 to 1902.

After lunch we transferred to a group of what are called Black Taxis, except they weren't all black.  They were driven by a mix of Catholic and Protestant drivers.  They took us into one of the areas of the Troubles.  Belfast is a checkerboard of Catholic and Protestant areas and wherever these areas abut they've built walls to keep the two sides apart.  There are gates on the roads that pass thru the walls and those gates are closed every evening at 7:00 PM.  These walls make the Berlin wall look piddling.  We started on the Shandy Road Protestant area to view some of the murals. This particular mural is a memorial to an  UDA (Ulster Defense Association) or UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighter) gunman who had been awarded their  "Top Gun" award for the killings of Catholics.  He, in turn, was "murdered" by the Catholics.  This went on for years with one side or the other murdering the other side

Here is another mural supporting the UDA/UFF.  The painting of the gunman is uncanny, as you walk by the gun seems to track you.

Here is another memorial to a self proclaimed Lt. Colonel who killed Catholics and in turn was killed by them.

Here is a section of the wall.  It stands some 25 feet high and is covered by murals.

Here we are on the Catholic side on Bombay Street.  In the late 1960s the Catholic minority had started a civil rights campaign to try to get equal treatment.  The Protestants objected and started attacking the civil rights marchers.  This escalated in mid August 1969 when a mob of Protestants attacked the Catholics living on Bombay Street, burning their houses and killing several of them.  This triggered the resurrection of the IRA and the Protestants formed the UDA and UFF and the war was on.  Even though it was Catholics on one side and Protestants on the other it really wasn't about religion.  It was really between the Unionists who wanted to stay part of the UK and just happened to be Protestant versus the Nationalists who wanted to join the rest of Ireland and just happened to be Catholic.

Here are the memorials on the Catholic side.

What is known as the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998 finally brought the worst of the violence to an end.  Interestingly, US President Bill Clinton is given a lot of credit for getting the agreement approved.  There is still not total peace between the groups and the walls and gates remain in place. In addition, as a local you know which pubs to frequent and which ones to stay away from and you also know to stay out of the other guys neighborhoods especially at night.  The younger generations are finding it easier and the time will come when the Troubles will be only a distant memory.

After this tour we checked into our hotel and then went on a more conventional tour of the city.  Here is our tour guide.

One of the pubs in the city center offers a husband sitting service know as the Husband Creche.  The wife just needs to pay for his drinks and the pub will keep him entertained until you finish your shopping.

Here is one of the local pubs.

This tower is know as the Royal Albert Memorial Clock.  It is one of Belfast's most famous landmarks and it sits in Queen's Square near the docks.  It was built in 1869 as a memorial to Prince Albert who had been Queen Victoria's husband.

This is the Merchant Hotel which is a 5 star luxury hotel sitting in the old section of Belfast.  It was originally built as the Ulster Bank in the 1850s but fell in to disrepair.  It was purchased and restored. Very ornate

In this area there are some alleys covered in murals.  Definitely not political.

Here is another section.

We the proceeded to the Duke of York pub for a pint.  Here we are getting ready to go in.

Here is the bar.  Lots and lots of different Irish whiskeys.

Her we are sitting in the back room listening to Irish music and enjoying our drinks.

Her are the two musicians.

And here they are playing.

After leaving the pub we went by this Church of Ireland cathedral, St. Anne's. The original church dates from 1776 but the present building replaced the original church in 1904.  They refer to it as a cathedral but it really isn't one but is the most impressive church in Belfast.

We then went out for a fish and chips dinner before returning to our hotel.  Tomorrow we visit the Titanic museum, then drive north to the Giant's Causeway and then end up in Londonderry/Derry.