Belfast: The final hours (pictures)
November 20, 2005
It seems like I was in Belfast for a while, doesn�t it? But really I was only there for 2.5 days.
I spent my last morning/afternoon in Belfast just walking. My bus back to Dublin was leaving at 6, and seeing as I hadn�t actually seen any of the sights in the city yet I decided to first go take pictures of the political murals I�d heard so much about along Shankill Road (Protestant/Loyalist) and Falls Road. (Catholic/Republican) in west Belfast. From what I�d read in various sources I had heard that the Loyalist murals were more plain and direct than the Republican ones, and I found this to be true from what I saw. I actually didn�t get great pictures of the Republican murals, because I couldn�t find them as by that point it had started raining heavily and I was getting kind of intimidated by all the looks I got from drivers and passersby. It was interesting too that the Loyalist murals were all pretty much about the �cause�, while the Republican murals I saw also spoke to other political causes.
Observe:
Loyalist murals on and around Shankill Road:
Meanwhile, these are the much more colorful Republican murals I saw a block or two away from where the Loyalist ones are concentrated. So close, yet so clearly different
Republican murals along Falls Road:
Moving a little bit closer�
After taking pictures of the murals I wandered further south and east towards the Ulster Museum, and spent about an hour in there, and later wandered a bit through the Botanic gardens.
On my way to the museum I had passed the Queens University campus, where Neville had told me he would be working out and practicing for most of the day. We�d met up in the hostel lobby earlier that morning, and said our goodbyes since he had to practice and I wanted to see the murals and we didn�t know if we�d see each other again before I left. After exchanging email addresses and phone numbers, he said, �Come here,� pulled me up to my feet, and gathered me into a big bear hug, and then we got one of the hostel staff to take a picture of us. It's really cute, and once I get the more personal pictures up online I�ll send out the link.
Anyway, since I still had a couple of hours before the bus I figured I�d try to find the university gymnasium and see if Neville was still there. Unfortunately, I had to pay to get into the gym, which I wasn�t about to do. In looking for the gym though I walked around the campus area enough to fall in love with the quaint houses (which reminded me of Philly�s Shannon Village complex) that seemed designated for university students.
So I just made my way back to the hostel, taking random pictures, and browsing bookshops. I bumped into Adrian (the hot Australian) on the way back, and we said our �See ya laters.�
Once back at the hostel I had some time to kill, so I just sat around the lobby. Caspers, very much hung over from the night before, saw me sitting with my pack and offered to walk me to the bus station. He was very chatty along the way, telling me all about his 12-year plan for Belfast. We bumped into Neville on the way and told him to come along, but he just looked kind of sad and said something along the lines of, �We already said our goodbyes. I don�t want to say them again.� Caspers, too, seemed sad along the way, but perked up considerably when I hugged him at the bus station and thanked him for coming with me and carrying my bag. I also snapped this picture of him:
He said, �Well, maybe I will see you again someday.� And walked off into the sunset. Really. I rushed to find my bus, and who did I happen to see, but the quartet I�d seen on Grafton St. a few days before in Dublin. I asked the Christian Bale look alike if he knew which one was the Dublin bus, but he hurriedly told me that he didn�t and rushed off, wash tub in tow.
I settled in for the two and a half bus ride, during which we were stopped twice by the police and two guys were pulled off the bus for not having proper documentation, and arrived to a windy Dublin. Happily, Maz had insisted that I spend the night at his place instead of a hostel before setting off for Galway to see Inky (!!) the next morning.