Where The Streets Have No Names

So, we’re not in Belfast, Northern Ireland, or overseas at all anymore for that matter, but this is honestly the first chance I’ve had to finish up our January travel posts! Hopefully a few of the pertinent details and memories remain!

If you only do one thing in Northern Ireland, it should be a Black Taxi tour. The past and present tensions in Ireland are so multi-faceted that they cannot be written about here with enough context or substance to bring understanding. Our two hour cab tour was intense and insightful, but so hard to get a grip on when you come from a place and a culture where you’ve just never experienced anything like this. At first I tried to understand all the sides of what was going on, was it Catholics vs. Protestants or Republicans vs. Loyalists. Who were the freedom fighters and did they want to be free from England or free from Ireland? Where did the IRA fit in? I’m afraid I still only have a vague understanding of what is referred to as The Troubles. What was clear, however, was the incredible oppression, pain and suffering that has been going on for generations. The “peace” wall, as it is strangely called, still remains and only recently have some mixed schools opened (that would be the mixing of Catholics and Protestants).

The U2 song, Where The Streets Have No Names, is about Belfast. We drove through this area, where street names were lacking to confuse and hinder “the enemy”. If you are interested in learning more about The Troubles, I recommend the link above for a start.

While in Belfast, we stayed in a pretty cool little hostel (Lagan Backpackers) run by a South African who liked meat. Yup, that is just about all I can tell you about him! Every morning a great breakfast was included. We could choose from a variety of menus that more or less included eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, toast and tomato. One morning, I did however choose to just have the oatmeal option. The response I got from our host was “why would anyone want to eat this is beyond me. It has no meat.” That brought a good laugh, and I think maybe even agreement from Dan!

Other highlights in Belfast included drinks at The Crown Liquor Saloon, one of the best known pubs in Northern Ireland, and Irish dancing (yes, us dancing!) at Fibber Magees. Highlights would NOT include our evening at the hospital where it was confirmed that I had strep throat. For the record, the Irish dancing came the next night, so I couldn’t have been that sick right?!