Belfast

The drive from Dublin to Northern Ireland was absolutely gorgeous! The roads were quite windy but the green rolling hills make everything better. Finally when we got into Belfast we settled into the hostel before heading out. It was New Years day so just about everything was closed. Since we only had one night in Belfast we had to make the most of it, so we headed out into the rain to venture around the city. First we came across the city hall.

Next we headed to the port to see where the Titanic was built. I am a little embarrassed to admit I had no prior knowledge that the Titanic was built in Belfast. I was told that, "Yes, Irishmen built the ship but it was an English man that sunk it."

Here in this picture are Samuel and Goliath who helped construct the Titanic.

After finally finding a place to grab some dinner, which included Coconut Curry Soup, we headed in for the evening. We had early plans to take a black taxi tour through the Catholic and Protestant districts of Belfast. I had seen some pictures of murals before but was really hoping to learn much more about the history through this tour.

The tour provided so much information. It was fascinating, sad, and in many ways hard to believe.

Here is a picture of the fence that is miles long and still divides the districts today.

This protective cage is an example of what families have built around their backyards to protect themselves from thrown rocks and grenades from the opposing side.

I highly recommend this experience to anyone that has the opportunity to visit Northern Ireland. Next stop we are heading back down south, Kilkenny.