October 21-25, 2019
Crossing the Irish Sea from Scotland to Ireland was a thrilling experience! The ferry was the size of a small cruise ship and the waves were rough and furious. There was a theater on board, several restaurants, game rooms, a casino – everything to make the 2-1/2 hour journey enjoyable.
I had taken a bus from Edinburgh, back through Glasgow to the coast were I boarded the ferry and then landed in Northern Ireland where a bus took me into Belfast. It was a full day’s journey.
I met lots of wonderful people along the way. My favorite was a 78 year old man who said I “stole his seat” – because he always sits in the front seat of the bus on his weekly trip across the sea to see his 74 year old “girlfriend”. I shared the seat and hours of conversation that I barely could understand or keep up with because of his heavy accent. But nothing deterred him from thinking we were great friends. Because he made the trip weekly, he took me under his wing and ushered me to the front of every line, making sure I knew where to leave my luggage, find the restroom and the best seat on the ferry for viewing and free coffee and tea! Paddy (seriously his name), was a great help and even had the bus driver in Larne hold the bus for me because I had been slow to retrieve my luggage! The driver later told me that Paddy wouldn’t let him leave until his “little American friend” was onboard.
Unfortunately, my impression of Belfast is not entirely favorable. I realize that as people travel, the experiences they have can really shape the feelings they develop for a location. Not to offend any of my new friends, but in the interest of describing my own experience, these are the things I noticed.
Buildings everywhere are painted to reflect personal agendas, biases and remembrances 
I saw irony here – and sadness
Belfast is full of trash. Having just come from Scotland where the streets are pristine, it was a shocking difference. There is graffiti on every street. The buildings are painted with artwork proclaiming the loyalties of Belfast’s two prominent communities – the Protestants and the Catholics and their cry’s to remember and the terrible losses they have endured during “The Troubles” (1968-98).
Years of internal fighting has taken it’s toll on the people and the energy is palatable. I could feel the sadness and the contention even today. There were young protesters on street corners with bull horns and angry shouting in the streets until late at night.
On a bright note, I met a wonderful woman. She was a friend of Flo’s from Edinburgh. Her name is Siobhan and she is happy and smart and funny. She showed me around the city and took me to my first pub in Ireland. I wish I had photographed the inside of the pub – it was tiny, dark with very low ceilings and it seemed like it had been there forever. Although I had a coke, I am sure she and everyone around me thought I was missing out on the very best of Ireland – the Guinness!
We took a cab ride – yes, the black taxi’s are a real thing! The taxi had 5 seats – one bench seat for 3 and two backwards facing seats. The taxi waited until it was full of passengers (whether you knew each other or not or were headed to the same destination or not!) before departing. Our ride through the outskirts of town depicted a checkered past that Belfast was desperately trying to overcome in order to welcome tourism. Unfortunately, their public transportation has some improvements to make before they are masters at moving people like Disney!
I had a fantastic dinner at a hole in the wall Turkish restaurant that was recommended to me and it did not disappoint. The seasoning for the chicken was “a secret family recipe” – like Kentucky Fried Chicken I was told. Funny.
It rains a lot in Ireland this time of year, but one one particularly beautiful day, I had the pleasure to meet an older woman named Mary from 5W who accompanied me to the Botanical Gardens and Queen’s University area. It was one of the more quiet and serene parts of town and I enjoyed this section of town very much.
Friar’s Graveyard
Mary had gone out of her way to include me in a group of friends and even had a theater ticket for me upon my arrival to Belfast. As I pondered the people I met during my time in Belfast, I was reminded that good people triumph over difficult circumstances – even when they last a very long time.
“They remind me every day of the resilience and hope that resides in the human spirit.” Lee Woodruff
Living All In 