Ireland

Tuesday, 23rd July
Today we took a drive to Limerick, and found the old castle that is there, King John's castle, built in 1200.  We looked from the outside at first, and marvelled at how such buildings are still about today. This one is sitting right on the river edge, and is a wonderful sight. It is not all that big, but still pretty impressive.
On the drive back, we see a thatched roofed house, which there don't seem to be many around anymore.

Wednesday, 24th July.
Today we leave Ballyforan, and make our way to Drimoleague. It was a great drive, and we stopped in a a place called Castletownshend, which is a castle, but is occupied by its present owners. It is sitting on a nice Loche  and was very pleasant. We found some Bunderberg Ginerbeer here, and enjoyed a bottle and a light lunch. We arrived at our destination in the afternoon.

Thursday, 25th July
We went into Skibbereen were I had made a hair appointment. We arrived early, and walked around the town and found that the town seemed to have an amazing amount of hair dressers, and of course pubs. When I had finished getting my hair done, I went to pay with my card, and the hairdresser said, we don't have card facilities. I didn't even give it a thought,  just naturally figured they would, and of course I had no cash on me.  I was horrified,  but the lady said,  not to worry, just to come back when I get some.  So of course, that was my main priority, as Bob had gone of to explore the town. So I wandered about finding an atm, getting the cash, and paying for my hair cut. I then find Bob,  have a cuppa, and then we wonder a bit more before heading out of town.
We decide then to go on and explore Bantry. When we got there, there were markets on in the town, which made moving the traffic through the centre very slow, but we were going to stop anyhow and check out the town. So we find a park, and check out the markets, upon which there were a lot of stall holders, and it seemed to be well supported. There were many things, both new and used. So after going through the markets, we get to the car and make way to a place called Mizen Head.
Mizen Head, is the most  southern point of Ireland. The trip from Bantry to Mizen Head was about 50 mins drive and saw the land scape change  from rugged windey roads in amongst Rocky outcrops on mountains to suddenly open up to beautiful small sandy beaches, where people had to walk along boardwalks of a hundred or so meters to get to the beaches, which were short sandy areas, unlike our beaches back home. The only way to get to the most southern point is by car for most of the way, and then you have to walk the last bit. There is a bridge which you have cross, in which the bridge is 45 mtrs above the water and then some steep steps. We do this, and we are told there are seals in the water under the bridge. As I  walk across the bridge, I stop to see if I can spot the seals, with my thing with heights, I am super careful as I approach the side and also being very careful not to lose my camera or sunglasses over the edge to see the seals. I am rewarded to being able to see 6 seals swimming in the water below. It was a great thing to be able to view this. I spoke to one lady who worked there, and she has been working there for over 10 years, but has lived in the area all her life, and she told me, that when she was a girl, she would run all over the hill sides. I also spoke to a couple of young guys there, who are basically there to answer any questions, and to see that every one is ok, and they are only there for the summer holiday.  The weather was lovely, and we ended up choosing a great day to experience this wonderful area.

 

Friday, 26th July

Today, we are going to explore Glengarrif, and hope to see more seals a bit closer. The trip from Drimoleague is around 40 mins, and again we go through Bantry and traffic is moving much easier today. We see some lovely places on the sea front, and get to Glengarrif, searching for Seal Point. As we are driving into the town, Bob sees the ferry sign, and we turn in. We just pull up, and get out of the car, and a man asks us if we are going on the ferry. We say we are, and he tells us the ferry is ready to leave. So we make haste, purchase tickets and hop on the ferry. We have no idea where we are going or what we are going to see. Ahh, but it was worth it. We find out that  we are on our way to Garnish island, and on the way to the island we sail past seals.  There are a good few of them, and even a couple of little ones.

It was awesome seeing them there, just basking on the rocks. We get to Garnish island and discover it was an island owned by John and Violet Bryce, who purchased it from the war office in 1910, and transformed it into a wonderful garden. It has many structures scattered throughout the gardens, including a clock tower, a Grecian Temple, a Martello Tower, but just before you get to the Tower, from a distance there appears to be a wall, but the closer you get to this wall, it reveals itself as a flights of stone steps. It is a great optical illusion in which I have a good giggle about. At the tower, I venture inside. The steps inside this tower were so narrow, only half my foot fitted on the steps. The gardens also have an Italian garden complete with pool. There were so many lovely plants and trees, even a couple of species from New Zealand, and a Huon Pine from Australia. In the flower garden, the size of the Dahila's are amazing. Bigger than a man's fist. 

So we leave the Island after exploring it, as we got here, on the ferry, and veiw the seals again as we pass by them again, only this time we have the ferry to ourselves. Once on land again we set out for more adventure. 

Taking the scenic route, and looking at some tourist guides, we find a track called the Healy Pass. This road snakes around mountains sides and lakes, and goes up hills of which one must come down. It was a spectacular drive, although, a very slow drive, due to it only being a single road most of the time, and with hairpin bends, but would recommend it to anyone who likes a lot of scenic views, with not much traffic. We stop at a parking bay, where there is a shop, just on its own, in the middle of no where, and of course, me being a girl, go in to have a look, while Bob is taking photos of the magnificent views around. I talk to the gentleman in the shop, and he has had the shop since 1964. And add to that, he drives the very road we were on every day twice a day. Amazing,

From here, we go onwards to find a Waterfall, and again, the road into this place looks more and more like a goat track but only with a bit of bitumen the longer we are on it. Our little hire car isn't exactly built for this type of terrain, but we go on, and when we get to the destination, I am surprised by how many other small cars are here aswell. The waterfall was not exactly as we thought it would be, so after a walk to the falls, and a pic, we head on continuing on our scenic route. We drive through tunnels on the sides of mountains, and eventually get back to our base. A truly wonderful day, yet again.

Saturday, 27th July

Mostly a rest day, we did go to the local pub for a drink and what we thought a meal, but turns out the pub  doesn't really do meals, only hot chips. It is very noisy in the pub, as the local team were playing in a round of Hurling. This seems to be a very unusual game to watch, if you have no knowledge of it. We stop at the local supermarket, and grab something for tea, and head back to our digs. 

Sunday, 28th July

We leave Drimoleague today, and head for Waterford. Getting into Waterford around 11.30, it is to early to check into our hotel, so we go to check out the city centre. We find a car park, and head to the shopping area. Being a Sunday, the shops don't seem to be opening up until 12 or 1 pm, but we do discover, there there is some festivities going on, as there is a hugh stage being set up, and parts of the mall area have been sectioned off. We wander about, and in the next street over there is a huge tv screen  ring put into place, with speakers. We ask a guy passing by, what it was all about, and we're told that the world teams for GAA were parading through the streets. In one of the pubs we went into, a Canadian family were sitting near, and we asked questions again,  and found out that  this was were the competition was going to happen over the next week. Both men's and women's. 

Mizen Head

During our travels on this fine and sunny Thursday, 26 July, we visited Mizen Head arguably (but acknowledged) the most southern point of Ireland. It was a bit of a whim to go there but wow it exceeded our expectations by some measure. Once an old pilot station and lighthouse it is now a tourist attraction of breathtaking scenery and maritime history.
The adjacent Fastnet Rock and its lighthouse provide a turning point for the bi-annual Fastnet Yacht Race, a race of international significance attracting over 300 entries every 2 years and responsible for many yachting tragedies over the years.
The attached photos display the scenic beauty, and Roberta, of the site and the walks provided our daily exercise to boot.

Irish Stone Fences

Beautiful Ireland was once an island littered with volcanic rocks. To clear land for grazing and growing grass the rocks had to be removed but what to do with all those rocks?
Well Ireland is now known as the island of stone fences. In fact it is estimated there are some 400,000 kilometres of stone fences - greater than the distance to the moon - take that Neil Armstrong.
Some of these fences were constructed 5000 years ago, most around 200 years ago and some are still being done today - I witnessed same yesterday. Most of the fences were built when labour was cheap with many constructed during the potato famine of the mid 1800's when people would work for the farmers for food.
While they were relatively expensive the land had to be cleared and given they have lasted this long and they require little to no maintenance,  may have even been cheap.
Most are dry walls - that is built with no mortar or cement. Just carefully and skillfully place the selected stones and you will have a wall to last. Most walls are around a 1 metre high and up to 1 metre thick and some run for kilometres. They make small to large paddocks to contain the livestock, mainly sheep and cattle. They run along roads everywhere, form boundaries and run up and down hills.
There are now many types and forms. The original dry walls are still there, some later ones had some mortar, some had fancy decorated tops, the ones facing roads were fancy and those running back to form the paddocks are less so. Some of the newer ones use cut stones of all shapes and sizes.
Amazing sights wherever you go in Ireland this is one special one - all 400,000 kilometres of it.

Ireland

Monday, 22nd July
Today day we did a bit of exploring of the area around us. First stop was Ireland's oldest shop in Ireland, Jeremiah Higgins, in a place called Claremorris. It was established in 1820, and has had many different goods sold through it through the years, and is still operated by the sixth generation of the Higgins family.
Next, we ventured onto Cong, to where a movie was made by John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, The Quiet Man,. This is a busy little place with people of all ages wondering around. The movie was made in 1951, and it seems that it has many fans, or at least John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara fans. The pub that features in the movie, Pat Cohan, is doing a lively trade, as is most of the village. The village has a nice little  brook running through it, and also has the essential old ruined church. Then we make our way to Kylemore Abbey, Connemara. And what a beautiful drive that was, watching the landscape change to rolling hills and brooks and lots of sheep. The Abbey is now  home to the Benedictine Nuns in which their role was to educate Catholic girls in times after the war. . It was built in 1871, and took 5 years to complete. It was a home to the Henry family and once inside, it is set up as it would have been in the day. In 1903 it was sold, and had to be sold several years later due to gambling debts. At some stage, a fire destroyed a large part of it, and it has been rebuilt. About 1 and a half kms up the road is their Victorian Gardens. It is a garden surrounded by walls, and it 6 acres, and have not only flowers, but vegetables and fruit trees. It was very nice sitting there  taking it all in. Bob and I then walk back to the main area, and marvel at all the water running out of the ground. A lovely day exploring.

Ireland

Monday, 15th July
Today, we explore Belfast, and we find a very fancy shopping centre, but don't  spend to much time there, as we want to find the Hop on Hop off bus. Our first hop off drop we get of at is the Titanic Museum. Even though the Titanic is not here, this place was very very good. The building itself is made to scale of the Titanic, and it is very impressive. Loads of history and information about, not only the Titanic, but the way people lived, and conditions they worked in.
Next we get back onto the bus, and soon wish we hadn't. Our live commentary was focused so much on the past of Northern Ireland and the " troubles". Even though he did say he was giving a " balanced " commentary, it didn't take us long to work out that he was a Catholic man. Many sites were of what had happened to the Catholics, and there was seldom mention of the Prodestants, or the churches.  The tour takes us past murals depicting war and guns and loss of life. Which is no doubt a big part of their history, but how can they move on, when keeping all this stuff in your face. He did say that the Easter peace agreement was a good thing, and that " the island of Ireland " had peace as a result of this, and it was a good thing.  But you could feel the undercurrents bubbling, and know that, it wouldn't take much to stir the pot. We were driven through the peace walls, which are walls, 40 ft high, to keep Prodestant  and Catholic communities apart. It seems archaic and so out of place in this time and age. After the tour ended, both Bob and I felt that all we wanted to to was to go back to our accommodation and shut ourselves away.

Tuesday, 16th July
Bit of a rest day, but we do venture into Lisburn, and discover an absolutely lovely business centre. But first, we go through the Irish linen and museum. This is something that is very interesting, and we get to see the ladies do some weaving, and get the history, of how things were done, and conditions that these people worked in. The ladies were using weaving looms that were 190 years old. And that, to become a weaver, one had a 5 year apprentiship and then another 2 years on top of that. It is amazing to see what the flax is, and how the linen is achieved. I have learnt much.
Then after this, we go on to explore the business centre. It is a bright and cheery place, which is busy. We also discover a coffee shop called Bob & Berts upon which we have to get the mandatory photo.

Wednesday, 17th July
We leave Lisburn today and make our way to Newtownstewart. On the way, we go past Portrush, where the British open  is being played. We continue onwards, and come across police that have closed the road. We figure, due to the large number of traffic because of the golf tournament, they are only allowing those who have permits to go through as we found out. The officer who come to our car asks if we have a permit, and reply that we are going to the Giants Causeway,  and we are turning where the traffic is being stopped. The Giants Causeway, is an amazing place, but it was very windy, and proved to be a drizabone visit. This is the  second time I have had to use it. To take pics, one had to hold on very tightly to the phone, as it was very blustery. We then continue, and drive to where The Dark Hedges are. This is a road, that was planted with 150 beech trees in 1775 of which there are still 90 of them left. This was also a scene set in the Game Of Thrones,
We arrive at our next place and settle in. We take a walk about the street, and find a shop that seems to sell almost everything. It is a clothing store, come everything else, a bit like Ace Dealers of Roma, but not to that large scale. As we enter the shop, I notice in the window upstairs that there is rolls of yarn, so while Bob and the store owner are chatting, I go upstairs to investigate, and to my delight, I find some needlework I can do. A cross stitch, which I will attempt, and also a cross stitch cushion cover. I have been looking for something like this to do since being in France, and looked in London. Whole chatting to this man, the question is asked where to get something to eat, and we are told just up the street. Well, later on, we decide to check out the recommendations we have been told about, and it is more than just up the street. 20mins later, we find the place that was suggested. But it was good, and the service was great also. Driving back, it still gets to me at how light it is, even at 8.45pm, I had to put my sunnies on. Crazy.

Thursday, 18th July
We are venturing into Londonderry to see the Walled city. This is a city inside a city. It is the old part of Londonderry and the Walls were built in 1613 to 1619 as a defence against the Scottish and the English. These walls are the only ones still in tact in Ireland. And inside these walls there is a lively little business area filled with lots of tourists and eaterys. On our way to Londonderry I read about the Sion Mills, which is on our way back, so we stop to explore this. In 1835, there was a flax linen mill, and a grand Manson and stables. The stables now are a museum, and there is still the workers building. The water power from the river, was 1000 horsepower, and as we discovered, it is no longer operational, and is in a bad state of disrepair. Talking to the local, he told us that a woman, who had won money bought the "old mill",  which is a 3 storey building, but didn't get the turbines.
We drive on to Omagh, and look about. We find another Bob & Berts cafe, and have a late lunch early dinner. The cafe, has a large menu selection, and is very comfortable. We notice there are a lot of flags flying, a real passion for their northern Ireland and the UK. It is almost a bit off putting, as flags, are on the sides of roads, in house yards, and on frames built across main roads.

Friday, 19th July
We leave our pub room today, and have been looked after very well by the staff member there, Helen. This lady couldn't do enough for us. And she did a great breakfast aswell. We are leaving Northern Ireland and heading to The Big Apple, Ballyforan, Ireland. I do the driving today, as Bob has been doing most of it, and we get to our place of rest relatively early. This is a great place, the place is attached to the pub, and when we get inside, there is a nice welcome message, and a note with chocolates upstairs welcoming us. A bit later we go down to the pub and have a beer, then go for a drive to the next little village to see what is there, and stop at the general store there, grab some things for tea, then go to the general store back at Ballyforan.

Saturday, 20th July
Rest day today. The weather is cloudy, with occasional showers. There is no washing machine in the accommodation, and no laundromat in the town, so plans are made for us to go somewhere tomorrow to do the washing. We go down to the pub, and have a drink, and walked in, and the pub is deathly quiet. Everyone is absorbed in the football game on the tv. It is a game of Gaelic football, in which the local team is playing Dublin. It is very different to the football game I am familiar with. There is no eatery place here, and the pub, doesn't do meals, but there is a food vendor that operates every afternoon from 5 to 12pm. We are told he does great food, so that is our selection for this evening.

Sunday, 21st July
Today is washing day. To achieve this we have to travel 20mins away to Roscommon. Roscommon appears to be like so many other places, a busy, vibrant town. We find the laundromat, which is nothing like the ones back home. These ones are set up outside, with a bit of a shelter over the washing machines and dryers. We set our washing going, and go for a drive to check out the town. We come back to the washing, and put it in the dryer, and have a coffee while waiting. I have scone with my coffee, and it is almost the size of 2 scones back home. After the washing is done, we go on to explore Athlone which is 30 minscaway. This town has a couple of notable things. It has a castle in the town centre, and it is the place of the oldest pub in Ireland. Bob chats to a guy with a dog who is fetching a stick from the water. Much like our Jack does, and his dog is black and white like Jack, but is much quieter in the water. After we leave Athlone, we go to Ballinasloe to get some groceries for the next couple of days. The weather is still cloudy, with showers. We do like the houses around here, seems most of them are detached once on the outskirts of towns.

England and Scotland, week 2

Monday, 8th July.
 Bob, went on the Magical Mystical tour all about the Beatles, as it was not my thing, and I went and discovered Liverpool. I walked about finding a few interesting things, like the bombed church. This church was bombed during the war in 1941, and has not been repaired. The city deciding to leave it as a memorial to all those who lost their lives during the blitz. There are many old buildings, and lots of new ones also. I find a statue of Queen  Victoria and the shopping mall. This place is like a rabbit Warren. Lots of streets going in all directions, some with high end brand names, and all with many eating places. In the afternoon Bob and I catch the hop on hop off bus to view the city. On our way back, we find the Wall of Fame, where every brick has a name of a famous artist, or group etched into it. There is also a statue of John Lennon there, so the mandatory pics were taken.
After retiring for the night, we are awaken to a ruckus happening in the hallway outside, loud voices, and lots of swearing, it sounded like the police were taking a male away from the premises, and he was complaining about how they were hurting him. After this settles, we again drift off to sleep, only to be awoken again by the screeching of fire alarms. Boy those things are so loud, it almost hurt my ears. No amount of covering them lessened the impact. But that is what they are designed to do. Again after listening to the hallway, it was a false alarm. So again we try to sleep, but alas, this was not to be. Two other times the alarm goes off.

Tuesday, 9th July
We check out of the motel, in which the lass behind the counter apologises for the alarm going off. Poor girl, I feel somewhat for what her morning is going to be like, as other clients check out, and probably give her a hard time, in which she was not even on duty whole it was all happening. We take a stroll to the wharf and catch the Ferry and do a cruise on the Mersey River, to see Liverpool from the water. After the cruise, we poke our head into the Cavern, when it all started for the Beatles. Then, we leave Liverpool and head off to Edinburgh. It is really amazing that we cross into another country, and there is nothing of any significance to say you have crossed a boarder. Except for a sign with the Scottish flag on it, that was all. We stop at one of the service stations, and I look at the tourist shop there. We get off the high way and take a less busy road, which is good. We get to our accommodation, and settle for awhile. We  walk to the local takeaway place, which is virtually just around the corner, and grab tea. The food were are served is a massive serving. And it was very enjoyable.

Wednesday, 10th July
Today, I take the car to go to the Edinburgh Castle. Bob is staying back and resting. Thank goodness for the gps in the phone, as it makes it much easier to find places. Getting to the castle, you have to drive through the old part of town, and what a wonderful experience that is. It is very old world, with buildings, and cobbled roads that are small. There are many buses and people everywhere. I get to a parking station, and walk to the Castle. After climbing some stairs, I get to the entrance. I just take in all that is going on around me, people everywhere going into the castle, going to the numerous shops. I go on up to the castle, walking through where the Military tattoo is performed. I have to almost pinch myself that I am here, waiting  in line to get a ticket. But the wait is well worth it. Once inside the Castle walls, it is like another village here. There are museums, and residences that are lived in, there are eaterys and bars. A wonderful experience.
I make my way, back to the entrance, and venture down the street, looking at all that is about. Many souvenir shops, and the tartan weaving mill. It is filled with wonderful tartan clothes and scarves, aswell as all the usual gift lines. There is a Whiskey Experience, so I go in and check it out. I am not a fan of scotch whiskey, but there are so many different brands, and the walls are fill with bottles of different whiskeys.
I eventually go back to our accommodation. Later in the afternoon, we go for a drive to check out the rest of Edinburgh, go down a road that is only for buses and trams, and cyclists, so I found out from a cyclist. He was looking at us, and said, " I don't think cars are supposed to be here,". Onwards we go, and eventually get to where cars are meant to be. We find where the Royal Yatch Brittania is and many other parts of the city. We go back to the unit, and we is a to get some tea from the pub, that's just around the corner. Once we get there, it appears, to not have served meals or anything else for a long time. Looks like the takeaway gets our business again tonight.

Thursday, 11th July
Today we are going from Edinburgh to Inverness.
We take the highway for awhile, then change to less travelled roads. Instead of going straight to Inverness, we are going to take the scenic route, taking in Aberdeen. Along our travels,we take a detour to St Andrews old golf course. This is where the British open  is played, and many international players play. On our way again, we stop at a roadside pub, and have a bite to eat. I have coffee, and am elated to get a large cup just like we would back home, and the coffe was good aswell. We drive on and we come across a castle ruin called Dunnottar castle. Although the weather is not the best, we decide to go and explore this place. I put on my oilskin coat, which has not been used before now, but as it is cloudy and rainy, it is a good thing to have. After walking the path part of the way, the clouds are closing in, and visability is not very good and there are steps down and up to the castle.  I decide to go on, and after going up and down 237 steps, and am so pleased I did. There are cobbled paths up to the main part. Although the castle was surrounded by clouds it was still amazing. The views on a clear sunny day would be absolutely breath taking. There are birds nesting in the cliffs all around the castle. The ruins are wonderful, and there is stories of ghosts in one of the rooms. Returning back to the car, after restepping the 237 steps, and shedding the oil skin, as it got hot while wearing it on the way back, we continue our journey. We drive through Aberdeen, which is known as the silver city, not because of silver, but more a reference to  the grey granite incorporated in their buildings. It also has an offshore petroleum industry.
We find our lodgings, in a very old world hotel. It is a maze of stairs to get to our room. The room is a good size, and the bathroom is a great size, compared to some we have experienced. We head down to the bar and have a drink and order something to eat. Haggis for starters, which is actually quite tasty. Our meal was very good.

Friday, 12th July
We leave Inverness  on way to East Kilbride, hoping to find the Loch Ness Monster. Before we leave, we have a hot breakfast which consists of  bacon, eggs, toast,  a sausage, grilled tomato,  baked beans and...... black pudding. Both Bob and i try the black pudding, and I am not a fan of it.
Driving to Loch Ness is a beautiful drive, with lots of Lochs and waterways to be seen. We find a canal, which have the gates and locks for the boats to go through. Bob asked some questions from a worker there, and found out one could sail from ocean to ocean, via the canals. We get to where nessy is, and couldn't see her. But it is very pretty just the same. Lots of buses, and people about. I want to see a highland cow, but we couldn't find of them either. We make our way onwards to our next place, and again, decide to take the scenic route. And I am so glad we did. The landscape is breathtaking, and even though we are not on the highway, there are lots of other folks using these roads also. Rolling hills, babbling Brooks, and green green countryside. A dam that has dammed a river, with a very high wall. Our next lodgings are good, and we settle in.

Saturday, 13th July
Morning of catching up with washing. Bob is meeting with a friend for coffee, so we go to the shopping centre, to check it out. His friend is taking longer than expected, so we go to find if there are any craft shops, that I might be able to get something to do. There is nothing in this centre, and ask a store attend and, she suggested another centre not far away. So we head over there, and there was nothing there that was suitable. Back to the unit, and wait for the coffee date, which happens. After Bob gets back we go to the pub next door, and it is a pretty flash pub, and very busy.

Sunday, 14th July
We say farewell to East Kilbride, and begin our next league. Heading for Ireland. We catch the Ferry at Cairnryan, arrive early, and fill in time at the terminal. This is a first for both of us, taking a car on a ferry. I am  Super excited. The ferry crossing is a two hour journey, and we say goodbye to Scotland and say hello to Ireland. We are staying in Lisburn, at an activity farm. It is good to be out if the hussle of cities. On our way, we make a stop at a pub, looking for the owners, as we met them in Canada at the Niagera falls. As it turns out, they weren't there, so we continued.
On our way to the farm, we gather some things for the next few days.

Belfast not for us.

59 "Peace Walls" separate communities across Belfast, Northern Island. These walls, up to 11 metres (40 feet) high and up to 5 kilometres long run through suburbs, along and across streets, and are designed to separate Catholic and Protestant residents of the city.
Think Jerusalem and the west bank wall (now), West and East Berlin (then), North and South Korea (then and now) - all this is happening within this city.
During the day all is calm and "normal" but at 7 P.M. the many gates in those walls are closed and do not open again until 7 A.M. Many will have seen Will Smith's movie "I am Legend" where all is calm during the day but the "animals" come out at night - Welcome to Belfast 2019.
Roberta and I took a tourist Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour of Belfast yesterday. In our ignorance we thought, like most cities, it would be all about historical buildings, monuments, new structures and points of interest. Shortly after joining the tour  we hopped off at the amazing Titanic Exhibition and Museum - well worth the time, then joined the bus tour again, 2 hours later.
Shortly after the bus took off our on-board tour guide, who provides live commentary, began providing some history of Belfast. Some scant details of the shipbuilding, engineering and linen past soon developed into a broad overview of the Troubles. The Troubles were (are) the result of the mostly catholic Republic of Island (south) protagonists wanting to have protestant Northern Island (U.K.) back to be one Ireland, a fight dating back to the start of the 20th century. The loyalist North fought off the republican South in a bloody conflict - civil war, which lasted for over 30 years culminating in a peace declaration in 1998.
Our guide gave his "balanced" version of the history of the Troubles but the guide's catholic background could not be hidden. It was very obvious, even though he kept referring to peace, the passion and anger was still just under the surface. There are murals around the city celebrating leading personalities of the Troubles, the Union Jack flies in protestant areas and the Republic flag in catholic areas.
There are places in Belfast where Catholics nor Protestants do not dare go. There are clearly defined Catholic, Protestant and mixed-religion areas of the city. Those who believe the peace declaration of 1998 solved all the issues are sadly mistaken. The fuse is just waiting for a spark.
This was a surprisingly confronting, unnerving, astonishing tour which shook us up with brutal reality. We were sickened and saddened - we had been ignorant and innocent - now we just wanted to get out of the city, get back to our accommodation, go inside and pull the blankets over our head.
We have another day here in Belfast area but will not be going near the city choosing to try and forget something that has changed us forever. This may sound over dramatic but it is as it is.