Belfast

-- pictures from Belfast --

I can now say I've hit all the countries within the UK, because last weekend I went to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We made our way over via a 1 hour flight -- the flight itself was easy, but getting to the airport and dealing with security and such is a pain. The city is interesting because it's partly similar to others I've visited -- the scenery is reminiscent of Scotland, and the combination of old architecture and new industrial is somewhat like Cardiff. However, there's a different atmosphere in parts of Belfast, because of the Northern Ireland conflicts... we passed a block of buildings that had been burned down due to fighting as recently as 2000

Our first full day in town, we went on a 'black cab tour.' There are a number of cab drivers in town who will take you on a tour of the city, and so we did this with two girls we met at the hostel. Walter, an elderly Irish man, told us stories about "the troubles" -- the local term used by people who didn't participate in the fighting. We saw both sides of town, the gates that separate them, and the murals painted on both sides

Belfast also has lots of areas with history similar to that of the rest of the UK - there's a cathedral, a city hall, and all the standard town areas that we've found elsewhere. Our hostel was right near the Queen's University, which had lots of large gothic-looking buildings. The second day we visited a variety market and wandered around town, and that evening we went to the Christmas market and admired all the lights

I split off on my own for the final full day, and went to Cave Hill park / Belfast Castle. It was about a 20 minute bus ride out of town, partway up a series of hills. The castle was rather fairytale-like, with silly cat statues in the garden and bits of pink trim. There were 3 trails through the park, and I set out on the middle one, which was supposed to take about an hour. However, it wasn't that well marked, and I soon realized that I was back where I started. Being unsatisfied with that, I started up the longest (and most difficult) trail, mostly so that I could go higher up the hill and get a better view of the city. I continued along for an hour or so, and got to where I could see all of Belfast spread out below me in the valley around the bay. There are pictures in the gallery. At this point, however, it was going to be rough going back the way I had came -- it had rained a bit, and my Chucks weren't exactly made for trekking down a steep hillside. I was debating my options when another hiker came along - a man with his two dogs. I asked if he knew a different route back down, without traveling the full length of the trail (which would have taken me several more hours). He pointed out the way, so by cutting across a field I ended up making my way back down with relative ease. Whew. It was quite enjoyable - I suppose even worth the hassle of flying.