Belfast - Aug 21

Northern Ireland from above

Flew in to Belfast. Meet a family from Vancouver on the plane. They made some recommendations on what to do when I visit in Oct. There was also a family with three young girls that kept all of us entertained.

Hostel - 4th window down

Got to my hostel, Global Village.  I really liked it.  Then I went off to St George's Market. It is a covered market with lunch (freshly made paella, paninis, indian, and more) to live music (at least on Sunday when I visited), crafts, antiques, fresh food (meat, fruit, veggies, cheeses, etc.), and more. My mom would have stayed there for hours.

St George's Market

The market has an interesting history. It was one of many markets set up near the center of Belfast. During the early part of WW2, those who lived nearby were able to eat fresh food, even when the rest of the UK was hungry and standing in lines.

After German bombing on Easter Tuesday, 1941, the market was used as a mortuary for the 255 of the 700 people killed.

City Hall

After the market I stopped by the harbor for a while, then headed off to the city hall. It has a nice park in front with, again, a big screen TV for the Olympics. They sure take their Olympics very seriously here!

Also on the ground was a 100 year memorial to the Somme battle where so many Belfast soldiers fought and died.  They had a couple dozen panels with pictures of Somme today and commentary about the people and happenings in the same area during the war. It was heartbreaking.

St Anne's Cathedral and Tower of Hope

I caught a hop on hop off bus. Since it was the last bus of the day, I used it to get a brief overview of the city and a ride home in the mist that turned to rain.  It gave me an overview of the city.  I just wish I had been able to get off at some of the stops along the way and explore more.

Republican mural on building wall

There was a lot of conversation about "The Troubles", as they call the time when the Irish Republicans and Separatists were fighting.  (I swear there was a sci-fi show that talked about "the troubles", and every time the guide said it it made me think it's a sci-fi movie).  In one part of the city many of the walls are filled with murals - one area for the republic, another for the Separatists.

I wish I had had at least another day here.  There is so much to do in the city.  The Ulster museum came highly recommended and was not far from my hostel.  I also skipped the Titanic exhibit, which people at the hostel raved about, but honestly I am feeling a little Titanic'ed out.

So my hostel.  I really like it, but i had an interesting experience….