Walking through city center on the way back to the hostel, we also passed the Europa Hotel, the most bombed hotel in Europe. It suffered 28 bombings during the Troubles. I also got to see the beautiful City Hall, though unfortunately I did not get to tour the inside. If I went back to Belfast, I would definitely do that.

On Saturday, I went to St. George’s Market with friends from the Arcadia group. We wandered up and down the aisles of delicious looking food and all gave into the temptation of baked goods. Along with a brownie, I also got some super awesome hand-cut potato chips. One generous vendor offered us some free wheaten bread and butter that was so yummy, since the market was closing and he didn’t want it to go to waste.

Our group split up to head towards different sites. Hannah and I strolled by Queens University on our way to the Botanic Gardens and the Ulster Museum.  Queens University is very pretty, as were the Gardens.  I was very impressed by the Museum, though a little too tired to read and comprehend the history and natural history exhibits. I enjoyed the art exhibits a lot–it was a fantastic mix of traditional, modern, and street art! In fact, all that I had seen of Belfast was an interesting mix of art, from the architecture to the statues to the little touches of art throughout the streets.

Part Two: The Giant’s Causeway

Named a World Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway is an unbelievable and strange site indeed. I particularly liked the folklore and stories about the area and the giant, Finn McCool.  The first picture is of what is said to be the giant’s camel; can you see it? The second is his boot!

I’ve taken a geosciences course so I feel like I should understand the geology of the area better, but to be honest I don’t! From what I gather, the rocks formed columns because it was volcanic rock that cooled very slowly.

Lastly, we stopped at Dunluce Castle nearby for a quick group photo.

Part Three: The Murals & Their History

Before I came to Ireland, I was curious about the Troubles, the conflict between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and all that it involves, but I never really understood it.  I finally feel like I have a much better grasp on the history of the conflict now, thanks to an amazing talk that Arcadia arranged by a professor whose name I unfortunately did not catch. 

I didn’t realize that the conflict went so far back, starting when King William III, a Protestant, seized the throne from the previous Catholic king. Despite Protestants being a minority in the UK (which Ireland was a part of then), they gained power, oppressed the Catholics, and kept power. We went through some of the more recent history, but I don’t trust my knowledge of that quite enough to explain it to others, sorry!

Anyway, after the talk about the murals of Belfast and Derry, how they’ve changed over the decades, we got to take a bus tour around the city to see some of the ones that are still up.  First up was the peace wall in the Catholic community, promoting cease-fire and anti-racism.

Often, people who died in the Hunger Strikes are painted into murals on the Catholic side. Below is a mural of Bobby Sands.

Our bus then drove through a set of gates that closes at night, separating the Catholic community from the Protestant community.  We stopped at the Peace wall on the Protestant side, featuring quotes from such people as the Dalai Lama and former President Clinton. It went on for quite a while, with lots of artwork and panels on the history of the conflict.

Next, we drove through some Protestant communities that none of us were too keen to get off the bus in.  Despite it being much safer now, there was a little bit of an edge to the air. I’m sure it was just the overcast skies and us being impressionable young people, but regardless, the Protestant murals tend to be much more militant and confrontational. The first picture is a mural of King William III, mentioned earlier, regarded as a hero on the Protestant side of town for his victory at the Battle of the Boyne over James II, and the second is a famous mural of a gunman, evoking the violence and terror of the Troubles.

I feel really inspired after this trip to Belfast–to engage in politics and world issues.  Seeing the implications of conflict on a people and a place and the way it is represented through art was very interesting to me.  I’m glad to finally begin to understand and struggle with the history of Ireland.  This weekend was what study abroad is all about: partly visiting big, fun cities, seeing famous, beautiful landmarks, and learning about different cultures, identities, and histories.