August 2 - Belfast, Northern Ireland
The capital of Northern Ireland - part of the United Kingdom - Belfast has experienced a renaissance since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 that promised an end to the decades-old "Troubles" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Stretching along both sides of the River Lagan, this graceful city of Victorian and Edwardian buildings has become a cosmopolitan tourist destination.
We had a great guide today for our tour of Belfast. It was informative with a few anecdotes thrown in! Some of the sites included Grand Opera House, a host of Victorian and Edwardian buildings with elaborate sculptures, the Albert Memorial Clock Tower, the Queen's University, City Hall, and the Titanic Memorial.
The guide gave a short synopsis of the conflicts between 1969 and 1998 as we drove to the Peace Wall Murals. He described the troubles between the Nationalists and the Loyalists more as a political conflict between two extremist groups, rather than a religious conflict as there are both Catholics and Protestants in both groups. He said the attacks by both sides were random and retaliatory and most of the victims were innocent people ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’. On the Nationalist side, only flags of the Republic of Ireland are displayed, and the Loyalists only fly the Union Jack. He described the situation since peace was negotiated in 1998 as ‘an uneasy peace’.
Next stop - the Crumlin Road Gaol
The Victorian-era Crumlin Road Gaol first opened its gates to prisoners in 1846 and was a fully operational prison for 150 years. Mary did the walk- through and took her usual amount of photos which I am sure she will post on Facebook!
Lunch was served in the restaurant called ‘Cuffs’. LOL on the menu was vegetable soup, chicken breast with mashed potatoes and green beans, and apple crumble with vanilla ice cream for dessert! ANOTHER huge meal at noon!
Our last stop was at the Titanic Belfast® Exhibit.
The tale of the ill-fated Titanic unfolds at the former shipyard of Harland and Wolff, which has been converted into a striking, ultra-modern exhibit space for Titanic Belfast®. The tour (with audio guides) was a fascinating look into the construction and launch of the 'unsinkable' ship and the history of the city that proudly built her. The Titanic set sail on April 2, 1912, amidst fanfare and excitement. Most of Belfast came out to watch it sail into the horizon, never imagining that just days later, the 882-foot-long ship would collide with an iceberg.
There were nine galleries, extremely well presented. We only had about an hour and a half, but could have easily spent twice that amount of time!
This was another full day with lots of walking and standing! We are wearing down! Tomorrow will be a full day, but with a lot of driving and sight seeing, hopefully giving our bodies a bit of a rest!
Off to bed early tonight!
The Very Weary Travellers!
We never made it to Belfast but I’ve always been intrigued by it. Such wonderful photos you shared. One of the books that I loved is ‘Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland’. Might be one for your reading list now you’ve been there!
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