It was a Bank Holiday long weekend in the Republic, so Michael and I took advantage of the extra day and caught the train to Belfast. There we met James and Amber, who flew over from London and we set about showing them the city.
The weather was remarkably pleasant (ie not raining), so we were able to walk to the St George’s Market where Michael and James each tucked into a Belfast Bap. Michael had been looking forward to this lunch for days and it didn’t disappoint. Amber and I chose a much lighter lunch, then, after a brief look at the market, we walked over to the Titanic Quarter. We left James and Amber to have a look at the Titanic Experience on their own. It is a fabulous exhibition, however, as Michael and I have visited it twice previously, we decided to venture back into the city.
The Belfast Pride Festival was taking place and we were able to watch thousands of people celebrating Northern Ireland’s LGBT community. It is strange to realise that the people in the north of Ireland do not enjoy the same marriage equality that is the right of people in the Republic. One can only hope that the situation will change sooner rather than later (as indeed it should back home in Australia). The parade was very colourful with many weird and wonderful costumes on display.
We met up with James and Amber back at our hotel before heading out for dinner at Molly’s Yard. Michael and I had dined in this restaurant housed in a converted Victorian stables on our first trip to Belfast. This visit, the second time around, did not disappoint. We all enjoyed our meals and it was nice chatting about travels past and future plans.
Amber was starting to feel the effects of her cold, so we dropped her back at the hotel to enjoy an early night whilst the three of us took a walk into the city centre. Michael and James shared a drink at Kelly’s Cellars, a traditional Irish pub dating back to 1720. The building has whitewashed walls and uneven floors and a band was playing. The joint was jumping as they say, so we stood in the courtyard where we were able to still hear the music and hold a conversation at the same time. We walked around some more before the rain poured down and we called it a night.
The rain was still pouring the next morning so after breakfast we took a brisk walk to the Ulster Museum. Currently on display is a giant, 77 metres long Bayeux style tapestry depicting key scenes from every episode of the TV show, Game of Thrones. Each week, new scenes are added after the latest episode is aired. The series is not to my taste, however even I was impressed with the tapestry. There were two ladies working on the next panel as we were there and I couldn’t help thinking that Michael’s mother would have enjoyed sitting there working on the tapestry and chatting with the other ladies.
We returned to our hotel where we were picked up for our Black Taxi Tour. Michael and I were thrilled to discover that our guide was to be Steve, the same guide we had nearly two years ago. Once more Steve provided a balanced view of the troubles as well as a comprehensive account of the history of Northern Ireland as he took us through both the Catholic and Protestant areas of Belfast. At the end of the tour Steve asked Amber and James to guess his religious background and they both guessed the opposite to each other. I think that they enjoyed the tour and gained some understanding of the complex issues that still face Northern Ireland today.
Steve dropped us into the city centre where we quickly showed James and Amber some of the narrow alleys and murals. Then it was time for lunch at Yardbird, which claims to be one of the oldest buildings in Belfast, dating back to 1780. There was no time to linger over lunch though, as James and Amber needed to head out to the airport for their flight home. It wasn’t a long weekend in England, so they could only stay the one night in Belfast. It was lovely seeing them again as always, and it won’t be very long until I see them again.
Michael and I spent the next day wandering the streets and shops and getting involved in long conversations with the locals. Belfast people, like most Irish, are very friendly and as soon as they hear our Australian accents, love to tell us about their Australian experiences/connections. One gentleman told us about his visit to Melbourne in the 1960’s and how he still remembers the stained glass ceiling at the National Gallery of Victoria. Another elderly gentleman told us all about his daughter who is a doctor in Ivanhoe. I was pretty chuffed when he asked Michael if I was his granddaughter, less so when Michael responded that he was talking Blarney! Later, we got talking to a younger man in the coffee shop and he recommended a visit to a nearby whiskey shop. When we arrived, we found the shop locked, so we popped in to the pub opposite to find out if he knew where the owner was. The barman told us that the owner would be back soon and while we waited he regaled us with the history of the street and pub. It was a really relaxing way to spend the morning.
Lunch was at a fabulous old deli, Sawers, which was established in 1897. We took a seat under the awning outside and watched the weather change minute by minute from sunshine to rain and back again, whilst sharing a charcuterie board and sipping wine. Then it was time to return to our hotel and collect our bags for the walk to the station.
The walk was pleasant but as we neared the station we could see an armoured police vehicle blocking one of the streets. A short while later, another three police cars arrived and we could see about 30 or so teenagers congregated. Michael and I had stopped to see what was happening when we clearly heard the thud of either a rock or brick hitting one of the police cars. We took that as our signal to move along and mind our own business. The following day I read in the news that officers were attacked and cars had been torched by masked youths apparently angered by the removal of wood from the site of a nationalist bonfire. Petrol bombs, bricks and bottles were hurled and police and a number of cars were destroyed. I guess it was just another day in Belfast.
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