November 19-21
I've decided to give Belfast it's own post not because we spent an inordinate amount of time there, but because I think there is something special going on here and I want to shine a spotlight on it. Much like Croatia, everything I knew about Northern Ireland growing up came from seeing footage of the civil war that tore the country apart for most of my lifetime. Starting in the late 1960's, The Troubles, as they are called, consumed this country and made Belfast a dangerous, violent place where innocent civilians were sadly, often the victims. As always in this blog, I won't make this a place for political statements, but it is worth giving a little overview of what this was about, as I learned quite a bit in our visit to Belfast. The Troubles, although largely split among Catholics and Protestants was not really a religious conflict. The troubles were about Irish Sovereignty. The battle was fought between people who wanted Northern Ireland to remain under British control and those who believed Northern Ireland should be reunited with the Republic of Ireland in the South to create one Ireland. Religion was secondary, but because the groups were so aligned religiously, some people mistook this for a religious war.
It wasn't until the Good Friday agreement of 1998 that any semblance of peace came to the area. So it is amazing to see that now, only 13 years later, Belfast has become one of the safest cities for tourism in Europe. But it is not only safe, it is a vibrant community, with great shops and restaurants and bars and markets. Much like our visit to Croatia, we were surprised and thrilled to see how much Belfast has to offer.
We arrived in Belfast on the afternoon of November 19th after a short flight from Glascow on a budget airline called Flybe. As long as you followed all the rules about the weight of your checked bag and carry on, it was a fast, cheap way to get to Belfast. After touching down and collecting our bags, we checked in at our hotel, which was right downtown. We had been saving up Amex points for the last part of the trip so Ramada in downtown Belfast was free. Yay!
We had done a little research before arriving and found out that the Belfast Beer and Cider Festival just happened to be going on the day we arrived! So we put on some warm jackets and wandered out onto the streets of Belfast in search of a cold beer. The festival was really fun. It was in an old building called Ulster Hall right downtown and there were hundreds of small independent beer and cider producers from all over the UK and Ireland. We sampled a few different beers and a cider and enjoyed the local music. We were hungry so we grabbed a few pasties (pastry dough filled with meats) to go along with our beers. And yes, I am putting on weight. Nobody could eat this much street food without packing on a few pounds! Not to worry though, I'm sure I can drop the weight when we come home. At the holidays. Between Christmas parties. Oops.
Fun at the beer and cider festival!
Shaun with a cider in one hand and a pastie in the other
After the Beer and Cider festival we headed out to check out the city. We have had a crazy knack for arriving in places when there are festivals going on and this was no exception. Tonight was the annual Christmas Tree lighting celebration at Belfast city hall! There were thousands of people packed into the downtown area, mainly families who had brought their kids down to see the tree lighting. There was live music and a huge Christmas Market and everyone was in a fabulous mood. It was a great entree into this great city. We stayed downtown for a while until the crowds started really building and then headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.
Craziness at the tree lighting ceremony
The next day we decided to do a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. It was a good way to see all sections of the city and get some history in the meantime. The tour guide was very good. She grew up in Belfast and had experienced all the changes first hand. The tour started off with a history of "The Troubles". She gave a very good, even sided talk about how the city had been torn apart by the Troubles on both the Protestant and the Catholic side. They took us along the "Peace Line", the walls that had been erected to separate the Nationalists (Protestants) and the Republicans (Catholics) and up Falls Road and Shankill Road to see the famous murals. It was amazing to see the murals and the Peace Line but also sad to see that after all these years the walls still stand. Nowadays though, people write messages of peace all along the walls and tourists are even encouraged to add their names to the wall. After about 30 minutes we finished that part of the tour and moved on to the rest of Belfast city.
Murals from the Nationalist side...
...and the Republican side. Bobby Sands is a hero of the Republicans. He died in prison after a prolonged hunger strike.
Our tour guide made the point that even though these murals tell the history of Belfast, they don't help the country to heal. I can see what she means.
Here is something you may not have known about Belfast! This is where Titanic was built! There was a lot of joking around about how everyone is still blaming the Irish for the fact that it sank, but there is quite a bit of pride about this part of their history as well.
As part of the revitalization of Belfast they are building a massive complex down on the waterfront along the old ship building wharfs. The "star" of the complex is a Star shaped building that commemorates Belfast's role in the building of Titanic. There are hotels and shops and restaurants going up all around the complex. As nice as Belfast is now, you can see that it will be even nicer in years to come.
After our bus tour we walked around quite a bit, just getting a taste of the city. By the afternoon it was starting to get dark and so it was time for the Christmas Market!! The Christmas Markets in Europe are a big deal and I can see why! There are hundreds of wooden stalls set up all round City Hall in Donegall Square and you can get everything from clothing to glassware to ceramics to woodcrafts. As backpackers we can't really pick up much along the way, but we did enjoy the food and drink! Belfast's Christmas market had an amazing selection of food from around Europe! There was an exotic meat vendor (think Zebra and Ostrich burgers) and someone doing French Crepes. There was a guy who had a whole pig roasting over a spit and someone cooking a cheesy Swiss potato pancake. There were little makeshift pubs for beer and everyone was selling mulled wine. It was very cold out so a nice hot cup of mulled wine really hit the spot!
Heading in to the Christmas Market
Enjoying the sights and sounds of the Christmas Market
This guy was giving out free hugs outside the market. Of course I took him up on it!!
After trying out a bunch of delicious foods (the pork sandwich was ridiculously good) we decided to visit a couple of pubs on the way back to the hotel. First stop was the Crown Liquor Saloon. It was built back in 1885 and was done in extravagant Victorian style. Within the pub are booths called Snugs that have doors on them. If you get there early enough, you can settle into your own Snug and have your beers in complete privacy! We weren't looking for privacy so we drank our beer at the bar! After that we popped over to McHughs for a beer and a little live music before wandering back to the hotel. We were heading to Dublin in the morning so we needed to get packed up.
We only had two nights in Belfast, but they were two really great nights. If you get the chance to visit the UK or Ireland, don't forget this little corner to the north. The past is finally behind them and I think Belfast will very quickly become a favorite destination. The people are lovely, the city is beautiful and it really feels like things can only get better for this once beleaguered city. I know Shaun and I would be happy to go back again. Slainte!
Happy Christmas Indeed Belfast! You deserve a Happy Christmas.
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