Belfast: Day 2

On our second day in Belfast we spent most of the day touring the city and learning more about its history. This was our first day on the tour bus. After driving around in the cramped red bus in Scotland, these buses were heaven. Our first driver/tour guide, Michael, was REALLY into Ireland's political history. As in, that is the ONLY thing he talked about for two days straight. Even when we were driving between sites he would not stop talking for hours and hours. It's not that what he was saying wasn't interesting, it just was WAY too much info without any breaks. Ever. Even my professor said later that hiring him was a big mistake!

First we just drove around the city looking at all the artwork on the buildings, flags, and signs of the political tension in the city. A very watered down version of the history of Northern Ireland is that N Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. However, not everyone in Ireland supports being part of the UK, while others do. This has been an issue for hundreds of years. Back in the 1500s Henry the VIII conquered Ireland and there have been land disputes ever since. Adding to the political turmoil is the religious conflict between the Protestants and Catholics. In the 1600s the Catholics were huge supporters of James II who wanted to reverse some of the laws that had been passed by parliament (land confiscation, penal laws, etc.) On the other hand, Protestants supported William of Orange. James was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne. Every year there is an Orange Parade in Ireland that celebrates this victory. Since there is still so much tension regarding this event, there are always riots and violence at the parade. We were actually in Northern Ireland when the parade happened, and we were not allowed to go. After seeing videos of the homemade bottle rockets, police beatings, and people getting sprayed with firehouses, I can't say I wanted to!

During the early 1900s there was a rebellion called "1916 Easter Rising," which although unsuccessful was largely responsible for starting the War for Independence. The rebels became known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA). In 1921 the war ended and Ireland was divided into Northern and Southern Ireland. Southern Ireland is now known as the Republic of Ireland. During the "Troubles" in the 60s and 70s, the same type of conflicts came up again and thousands of people were killed. In many territories (especially in Northern Ireland) the neighborhoods/cities are divided into Protestant and Catholic areas. After dark it is not a good idea to be on the wrong side of the neighborhood. As we drove around the city it was amazing to see how much tension is still present.

Murals like this one were all over the city.

The Loyalist neighborhoods hang British and Scottish flags on their doors. 

Dividing Fence

Driving through Ulster

Random cathedral we stopped to look at for a car break.

Gorgeous mosaic

This church kind of reminded me of the Minoans

Northern Ireland Parliament Buildings

I think this was the point in the trip when we started spending 24 hours a day with each other so the pictures just keep getting weirder and weirder. Don't judge.

Some famous person...

Some type of museum or famous building. This is where we had lunch (which by the way was from Marks and Spencer's- the best grocery store on the planet. Their salads, sandwiches, pizzas, fruit, and snacks are incredible.) This afternoon was so random. First we saw a wedding party who had their ceremony in this building. The bride and groom were hipster/gothic, but their parents were seriously the classiest people I have ever seen in my life. Then when we were having lunch there was a flash mob of kids who came running through the square and almost trampled us. They did their dance and then ran away again. So random.

Queen Victoria

Walking around downtown

After touring the city on the bus most of the day, Michael gave us the option of dropping us off at the Titanic museum or continuuing the bus tour. Obviously at this point we chose the museum. I thought I could never get sick of hearing an Irish accent, but Michael proved me wrong.

The Titanic museum was AWESOME! It opened in 2012, so it was very modern and interactive. It had an IMAX theater, really cool exhibits, and even a rollercoaster! Okay it was more like a ski lift, but it was great. I may have ridden it twice. The ship was built in Belfast, so that is why they built the museum there.

Jaci and Emilia on the Titanic ride

Carolyn and I

Audrey

Round 2!

Glass floor with TV screens underneath that make it look like the sunken ship.

After the museum we took taxis back to our hostel. Our cab driver was interested in our program and what we were learning. He started telling us more about Belfast's history and it was interesting seeing the different points of view between him and our tour guide. Our driver was a moderate loyalist, while Michael was a "rebel" or whatever you'd call it. His side of the story was a lot more toned down and he disagreed with a lot of the things Michael said. So who knows how much of what I learned on the tour was accurate!