Day 5 - Belfast

Today we head for Belfast, the capital and largest city in Northern Ireland.  I have to tell you that I have been looking forward to this experience.  I have never been to Belfast before, and admit that my knowledge of the city and the conflicts that it has endured is not that great.

Thanks to a newly built highway, the drive to Belfast takes only about 2 hours.  We arrived at 11 and met up with Ken, who would be showing us around for the day. 

Our first activity was a Black Taxi Tour which is given, as you would suspect, in a London Black Taxi.  This tour focuses on the political strife that has occured in Belfast over the last 50 years or so and proved to be very informative.  It gave me a much better perspective on the recent history of the city. 

One thing I learned on the tour is that In Belfast, graffiti is very common, but not necessarily the way we are used to seeing it.  Some of the graffiti is very elaborate and paints a picture of current events, as well as the past troubles.  Here's a sampling of what we saw:

After our Black Taxi Tour, we did a more general city tour.  Did you know that the Titanic was built in Belfast?  Here's a look at the drydock where it was finished:

 

When faced with criticism about the sinking of the Titanic, the locals like to say, "It was fine when it left Belfast!"

Stormont Parliament Building

Presbyterian Church

The Crown, a historic pub in the center of Belfast

While in Belfast, we also had a delicious lunch at Deanes at Queens, a casual bistro by famous Irish chef Michael Deane.  Here are a few photos of his modern approach to traditional Irish favorites, Fish and Chips and Calves Liver and Onions.

Before heading back to London, we decided to check out the local shopping at the Victoria Square Shopping Centre, an indoor/outdoor shopping mall in the city center.    Very nice shops in a beautiful setting.

Check back tomorrow for more on the tours and activities we'll be offering to Super Achievers next June.