Obviously, one of the big "features" of this was the commentary about "The Troubles". Even though Belfast appears very safe and friendly [the shuttle bus driver mentioned that tourists are always very welcome... well, maybe not the British according to one of them :-)], if you look around a bit, it's hard to miss the fact that there is still a bit of tension about. Hardly surprising considering the history I suppose.
A few bits and pieces I picked up on:
- The "Peace Walls" still exist, and in many places, are still locked up at night to stop sectarian violence!
- The latest "Peace Wall" was built in 2004 - many years after the Good Friday Peace Accord was signed...
- Some of the graffiti and murals is very recent [for example, Queen's Diamond Jubilee stuff]
- The murals looked well enough preserved... probably a brave or stupid person who would dare to scrub them off, I suppose.
Apart from all that, it felt like a very happy and safe place, and well worth a visit!
Anyway, here are some photos from the bus tour. The first one is of the big harbour cranes [called "Samson" and "Goliath"!]. The second is of the Parliamentary building, and the third of the Guard House on the grounds of Parliament [incidentally, it's staffed by G4S... I wonder how long for after the Olympics debacle :-(].
The rest of the photos are of the graffiti and murals/ shrines from the tour. A wee bit sobering, and makes me grateful that I live in a relatively peaceful country [accepting that we have our own problems of course...].
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