We arrived reasonably early and were able to fit in a 'Black Cabs' tour which takes you around the various areas of Belfast that have shaped it's political history over the recent decades. For anyone tht goes to Belfast, this is well worth the price of admission and really gives you an insight about the past and current situation. The city has basically been a warzone, however the turmoil has somewhat 'ceased' recently. Things are kept in check by over 60 'peace walls' that seperate people from killing each other. Just walking around the neighbourhoods there's a feeling that chaos could break out any minute. Armoured police cars tour the streets and political murals are prevalent. The first hand experience really puts a different perspective on the SBS news reports we got back home. Interestingly many locals dont seem to take sides with the whole debate. The general consensus however was that the only solution is time.
Update: Two weeks after our visit it seems it hit the fan again in Belfast. Might be later rather than sooner before this fire's out...
The next morning we trekked down to the Titanic Quarter of Belfast which, as the name suggests, is where the Titanic was built. Much of the original infrastructure from the Titanic construction is still there which gives you an appreciation for the scale, however the rest of the area seems to be going through a sterile redevelopment renaissance with the construction of dozens of new apartment buildings.
Following our epic walk to the Titanic quarter, we did one of of soon-to-be favourite free walking tours. The guide purposfully skirted around the political turmoil that taints the city, and rather focussed on more of the 'local trends and traditions' of what it's like to live in Belfast and some of the more tourist friendly attractions. It was by all means insightful, but thankfully we did the Black Cab tour the day before or else we would have missed out on some integral Belfast history.
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