One day in Belfast

As Belfast looked like it had lots to offer, another night here was planned. This meant I had time to do a little washing and hang it to dry before heading out.
I headed straight for the tourist office for information on the Belfast murals. Like the ones in Derry the Belfast murals are well known.

The guy in the tourist office was helpful and to my astonishment pointed out not only where the murals are but also where the wall is dividing the Catholics and the Protestants. He noted where there are gaps in the wall to get through and the section they plan to keep as a memorial when the remainder comes down. He also commented that should I be concerned, it is safe to walk through there during the day!

With this and other points of interest pencilled on my map I headed off on what was apparently a 20 min walk. Well the many good shops along the main road were very distracting and along with a wrong turn I finally got to the suburb an hour later.


I knew immediately I had reached the right place when I could see this very high fence behind this row of 2 storey houses.


It had to have been 4 storeys high!
Along the main roads were these mural walls dedicated not only to ‘The Troubles’ but also to other human rights issues around the world.

When I went through the opened section in the wall, it was interesting to see a ‘no man’s land’ area, which is not the case for the rest of the wall. Apparently this was opened during the day and then closed at night.
Once I passed through it was noticeably dirtier and like rubbish had just blown everywhere. There were some empty blocks of land where rubbish had been dumped and debris from some small fires.

Walking along this side the murals were more positive and about community involvement. There were also pieces of commissioned art like this face made of small metal parts.


I had enough and it was time to head back into town. Shame I was not about 5km out and by the time I got back to the city my feet were surely sore due to the rough road surfaces and me wearing inappropriate shoes. The tourist office did mention there were points you could get in a communal taxi the locals used. They have special points like bus stops and wait until it is full before heading off. Then one should apparently tap the window when you want to get out. The cost is a 1 pound. I would have taken this offer if I only knew where the bases were. This system was set up so people could get safely around when there were too many buses being bombed.


I happily walked around the city and went up to the dome which has one of the highest vantage points to view Belfast.


It really is a lovely city nestled below some green green hills, with a medieval castle in the distance and the port not far from town.


From there I could also see the yellow cranes which were used for building the Titanic and are being left as a memorial. It is soon to be the 100th (?) anniversary and as the locals say “she was fine when she left here”! They are also building a big memorial due to open soon.
The city was just buzzing all day. There were people of all ages, out shopping and just spending time together. Buskers played in malls (even Hip-hop Hare Krishna’s) and people randomly danced around them. At one point there was lots of screaming and I wondered what the heck was going on. Noticing a crowd of a couple of hundred people on a corner with some standing on the chairs of an outdoor cafe, I was then informed that some local celebrity was in a particular shop and everyone was excited. That said, ‘everyone’ seemed to be about 16 yrs old. Woohoo for them!

In Spain and now here I was approached by a representative for the local government saying they realised the value of tourism and wanted to gauge where I was from and what I thought was good or could be improved. Yesterday they ended with “would you recommend Northern Ireland and Belfast as destinations to family and friends” ... yes I would.