Northern Ireland changing times

Northern Ireland changing times

Our apartment building in Belfast is part of the major redevelopment of the Belfast docklands
which built the Titanic. The scale of the Titanic, the massive old
cranes, graving docks and pump house are impressive, and we got lots of
photos (Arthur hogging the limelight again!), although someone needs to
explain to the bus drivers that they should pick up passengers!

Our cabbie for the black taxi tour had grown up during the worst of the conflict, and is quite pessimistic that Ireland will ever be united. The conflict is still part of people's daily lives with huge gates closing every night to block off protestant and catholic sections. We saw the murals off the shank hill road (the one with the gun that follows you around -like the Mona Lisa was amazing!!!), signed our names on the peace wall, went to one
of the local catholic community memorials with the barbed wire cages around
the houses, and drove past the Sinn Fein headquarters with its fortifications.

We also visited an exhibition in the Belfast library of posters developed during the conflict, found “Arthur Square” (another photo opportunity), and the new shopping plaza in the city
centre, finishing up with fajitas for dinner in a Mexican restaurant with amazing
chandeliers made out of beer bottles - another photo opportunity!

Next morning, after getting lost several times we drove north to
Ballycastle, and our first experience of Irish roads (built around hundreds
of roundabouts - some with traffic lights). We walked the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, a
20 metre bridge between two islands at the northern tip of Ireland -
Arthur got a certificate to prove his exploits. We also walked miles in
the rain to clamber over the giants causeway - amazing rock formation!
Following these exploits a small dram of whiskey at the Bushmills
distillery, was needed to calm the nerves, and further enhance Phil's
knowledge of scotch and Irish whisky. This may have led to the singing of
Danny Boy as we passed its author's birthplace at Limavardy, and getting
lost as we tried to find the hotel in Derry.

We are staying in the Tower hotel, the only hotel in the inner walled city
- the maiden city as the Lonely Planet insists on calling it, because the
walls have never been breached. The walls are impressive, and the inner
town is very steep, full of tiny cobbled streets and very old buildings,
and we found a really cool brassiere for dinner. Unfortunately inner Derry
becomes hoonsville at midnight - so much for sleep!!!

From the city walls you get a good view of the Bogside - the site of
the Bloody Sunday massacre. We found the peoples corner, the commemoration
to the hunger strikers, and the 12 murals at the end of houses on Roseville
street. The guide at the People's museum showed us a photo of his brother
dying in the Bloody Sunday massacre, yet spoke with optimism about the
recent findings of the Bloody Sunday Commission of Inquiry. At the
people’s gallery we had an opportunity to chat with one of the three artists
who painted the murals while he signed our book and told us another of the
other three artists was now living in Mildura in Australia.

We left Derry at midday, getting lost driving out of the city towards Donegal. The only way we knew we had crossed the border was the travel signs on the side of the road changed from miles to kilometers.