belfast

July 11, 2025

Our Airbnb is on the top floor of this row house.

Although cute, it didn't have air conditioning and was almost unbearable in the 88° heat!

It was definitely a working class neighborhood and every street looked the same.

I did love all the brick!

A lively neighborhood pub.

We were close to the beautiful botanical gardens with this very large greenhouse.

The Ulster Museum is located in the Botanical Gardens and was definitely worth a visit. Like most of the UK, the museum was free.

We walked a long way along the River Lagan to get to the downtown area.

Almost every building had colorful planters.

I didn't realize that there was a child in the center of the eye until I saw the photo on my larger monitor at home.

The locals call this sculpture the Onion Rings.

The Big Fish is made up of hundreds of ceramic tiles, and each one tells a story. The tiles feature texts, images, and newspaper clippings that reflect moments in Belfast's history, both good and bad, from the early days of the city through the modern era.

We had every intention of going to the Titanic Museum until we heard it was very hot inside and they had zero artifacts from the ship. We opted not to go.

The Titanic was built in a Belfast shipyard. The outside of the museum is built to the exact height of the ship.

It was interesting to see how they built ships in the past in these dry areas...

... before they allowed water in to float the ship out.

Obviously, this one went nowhere!

Before I comment on the photos below, I'd like to write about The Troubles. The Troubles were a violent, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted roughly from the late 1960s to 1998. At its core, the conflict was about the constitutional status of Northern Ireland—whether it should remain part of the United Kingdom or become part of a united Ireland—but it was also deeply intertwined with ethnic, national, and religious identities. The clash was between the Unionists/Loyalists (Mostly Protestant) that identified as British and wanted Northern Ireland to stay in the UK and the Nationalists/Republicans (Mostly Catholic) that identified as Irish and sought unification with the Republic of Ireland. The Troubles involved paramilitary bombings and shootings, riots and street violence, political assassinations, civil rights clashes and mass incarceration and internment without trial. Over 3,500 people were killed, tens of thousands were injured or traumatized, communities became segregated by religion and politics, and daily life was marked by fear, checkpoints, and surveillance.

July 12, 2025
​We had no idea that we’d be in Belfast on a very important day for the Unionist/Loyalist/Protestant segment of the population!! We were there on the most important day of "Marching Season". 
 
FROM AI: In Belfast, Northern Ireland, marching season generally refers to the period from April to August, culminating in the Twelfth of July celebrations, which commemorate the Battle of the Boyne that happened in 1691. This period is characterized by parades, primarily organized by the Orange Order and other loyalist groups, and can be a source of both cultural celebration and community tension. 
 
On the eve of July 12th, wooden palettes are stacked 2-4 stories high and filled with tires and other flammables for a giant bonfire. I pulled these two photos (above) from the internet. The one on the right is from a Northern Ireland newspaper of a bonfire that happened last night. At the top of some of these bonfire stacks they often  burn effigies of politicians or other despised people/groups as well as the Irish flag. In this case, it was migrants. We, of course, were nowhere near any of these rowdy, drunken bonfires on the evening of July 11th.

However, we did walk by an area where there was a giant bonfire the night before. You can see the burnt area in the middle.

The police were blocking traffic for the parade/marches.

Many neighborhood marches eventually converge in downtown Belfast.

They are very dedicated to Britain.

Many people wearing red, white, and blue.

After they march through, there is trash EVERYWHERE. Street sweepers showed up immediately.

Once the marchers converge downtown, they march back. The route is 6 miles long and takes all day. So some people just sit and party, waiting for the marchers to come back through.

Amongst all the trash in the street, I kept seeing empty bottles of Buckfast. From the internet: "Buckfast is a caffeinated wine made by Benedictine monks. It has become deeply embedded in working-class and student communities throughout Northern Ireland and Scotland and is infamous for its link to antisocial and violent behavior".

It really was just one GIANT boozefest.

No photos can capture the amount of trash!

After being around all that drinking and rabble rousing, we thought we'd go to a neighborhood AA meeting. However, no one else showed up so we just went back to the Airbnb for the evening.

July 13, 2025

Surprisingly, the streets were mostly clean after the parties of the day before. Unfortunately, that was not so for the flower boxes.

We walked over to see the Peace Wall that divides the Protestant and Catholic sections. The gates are still used but are mostly open until there are issues.

The best tour to learn about The Troubles is with the Black Cab tour company. Unfortunately, they were all booked so we had to do a walking tour instead. Behind the cab is the 30 foot Peace Wall that stretches for 21 miles. (There are 99 peace walls in Belfast).

I'm not sure who is more colorful - me or the wall?

Of course, we saw quite a few references to US politics as well.

A Protestant neighborhood. The three flags in a row are the Scottish flag, the flag of Britain, and the UK flag.

Now we are on the Catholic side. They are quite clear they don't want any police or army from Britain.

The Solidarity Wall honoring Irish Republican Army (IRA) martyrs.

On the Catholic side, you'll see solidarity with Palestine.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this street art...?

The Europa Hotel is known as the "most bombed hotel in the world". It was bombed 36 times during The Troubles. While the hotel endured numerous attacks, the IRA typically gave warnings, and the hotel manager was known for quickly evacuating guests. The hotel became a symbol of resilience and a hub for journalists covering the conflict.

We ended our tour of The Troubles at the Beacon of Hope statue. It symbolizes peace, harmony, and thanksgiving.

I kept looking across the street to see the "walk" symbols and could never find it. Turns out, it's on the same side you leave from.

Yes, the clock tower is leaning. As a result of being built on wooden piles on marshy land around the River Farset, the top of the tower leans four feet.

There is always an adjective to describe pubs and restaurants.

A makeshift memorial outside the Liverpool Futbol store honoring Portuguese player Diogo Jota who recently died in a car crash. He played for Liverpool.

I thought I'd end Belfast with a perfectly manicured, cute pub. It's been an interesting city that still has a lot of simmering tension and hostilities under the surface. A nice place to visit, but I certainly wouldn't want to live here!