Country and Politics: All Over Northern Ireland

My visit to Northern Ireland was something I had decided early on. I saw a picture of Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede bridge and I was sold. I had to go there. Since both places were situated in the countryside, I know had to figure out a way to get there. Luckily, there were plenty of tours to get me there for a full day trip. So, I spent three days in Northern Ireland, one for the causeway and bridge, and the other two to explore the capital city, Belfast.

I arrived in Belfast on a Monday afternoon. There is a bus service from the airport that goes directly to Belfast City. Once I got settled, I decided to get my bearings and explore the city. One thing I did know about Belfast is that they don’t have trains for the main city, just buses and cabs. I have this aversion for buses so I decided to explore on foot. I discovered that Belfast is a small city. It is actually the smallest main city I have seen. It was very pretty nevertheless.

I was very disappointed to find out that majority of the city life was done by seven at night. Aside from local bars, I did not have any other options. While I was on foot, I decided that it would not be wise under these circumstances to wander late. So by seven in the evening for the next two days, I had nothing to do. I experienced extreme loneliness for the first time during my trip. It was something I had to learn to deal with. So, I sat at the edge of my bed and decided to embrace this feeling. I made myself decide this feeling will be brief because tomorrow will be a great day. And, it was.

The next day, I took the Allen’s Belfast Tour to see the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede bridge. There was a coastal scenic route that we took to get there. This gave us spectacular views of the coast.

We finally reached Carrick-a-Rede bridge. This was originally used by fishermen to catch salmon. Sadly, there are very few salmon left and this bridge is no longer used for this purpose.

We also passed a distillery, one of the oldest in the world. Irish whiskey is said to be distinct because it is distilled three times for extra smoothness.

Then we ended the day with Giant’s Causeway. These hexagon stone columns were said to have been a product of an ancient volcanic eruption. For a period, people believed it was built by a giant. Hence the name, Giant’s Causeway.

During my last day in Belfast, I took their famous Black Cab Tours. It is a political tour that covers the conflict surrounding Belfast and Northern Ireland. I was previously unaware of their troubles and this was a good experience to have some perspective. I was told that there is great conflict between the Catholics and Protestants, to the point they built this huge wall separating them. This became known as the peace wall which is now decorated by local artists. This conflict is said to be more political than religious. It just so happens that the Catholics want to be part of Ireland while the Protestants want to stay part of the United Kingdom. This conflict escalated so much in the past that just a few years ago, they had more soldiers in Belfast than in Afghanistan. I tell you now; Belfast is a small city. So this fact was hard to wrap my head around. On the upside, I am glad that Belfast is far from those times. I also see that they still have ways to go. The wall still stands, and the youth is still educated in opposing ways, so the cycle goes on.