After two days of utter enjoyment in Dublin, I trained up to Belfast. What a gorgeous journey! Sheep dot the landscape like little woolen bushes, and green hills roll forever to the horizon. I understand why they call it the Emerald Isle. Belfast is part of Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. This means different currencies (from Euro to Pound), and a totally different vibe. I was curious to see this part of the country as my mother's side of the family hails from the northern county called Derry, or LondonDerry. This is a pretty remote area, and without a car it's hard to get to. There's also not a ton there. So, since I feel that it's probably not the wisest decision for me to drive a car on the wrong side of the road along with the wheel on the opposite side of the car... I chose to visit the relatively close city of Belfast. Belfast also has a rich history - most notably for the "troubles" that occurred in the late 60's through the 90's, but it's also famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. 

Before giving you a smidge of history, I should describe the city . It's quite beautiful with the river Lagan running through it. My AirBnb was in the old dock areas, about a 10 minute walk from city center. It was a very nice, clean and modern little flat and I basically had it all to myself as I hardly saw the host. I've been incredibly lucky with weather and haven't seen a drop of rain (knock on wood!), and the leaves are slowly turning various shades of yellow. Walking into the city in the morning provided a refreshing jaunt with views of the distant mountains creating a backdrop like patchwork quilts of forest greens, ochres and earth tones. These reflect in the water which gurgles pleasantly as it sweeps by with little swirls of lemon and fennel and pear as the leaves quietly land on the surface. It's cold, so cars and people create puffs of steam as they zip or walk by. It's a lovely setting.  

Back to some history - I feel that using the word "trouble" to describe the urban guerrilla warfare that has plagued Belfast since the early 20th century is an understatement . The Irish Republican Army originally started battling British rule in the Irish War of Independence back in 1919. This was resolved in 1921, with the Anglo-Irish treaty. The IRA emerged again, albeit a slightly different branch (i.e. more scary), in the 60's which would lead to a 30 year campaign against the British (i.e. Protestant) presence in Ireland. Their war against the pro-British Ulster Volunteer Force would cost over 1,700 lives. The cease fire wouldn't come about until the early 90's with the help of Bill Clinton. As I said, "trouble" doesn't seem to cover it. Today the city is completely safe, and relations between the two sides have improved considerably, but there is still a heavy pall that hangs over the city. While a beautiful place, there is a sense of sadness that seeps into the streets and lurks behind corners.

On a more pleasant note, the most fantastic thing in Belfast, in my opinion, is the Titanic Museum. What a place. It opened in 2012 and it is indeed a modern marvel . The building itself is gorgeous and subtly invokes the silhouette of an ocean liner cutting through the water. Upon entering you'll find state-of-the-art technology working in tandem with beautiful artifacts and interactive exhibits. I easily spent three hours inside wandering the halls. The subject isn't all about the ill-fated journey, but more on how the ship was made. It was truly a marvel, and I found it fascinating learning about the construction. A must see! 

On my last full day in the north, I joined a Paddywagon tour to Ballintoy and Ballycastle, where we experienced the rope bridge to the tiny island of Carrikarede and then made our way to the Giant's Causeway. This was by far the best thing about my time in County Antrim (sorry, Belfast). Once again, the weather was incredible. The sun made for a warm day, and the autumn light made everything feel like a dream. My favorite part of the tour was Carrikarede. This is what you expect to see when coming to Ireland. The island is small enough the tour group felt like goats finding purchase to claim a spot to soak it all in . The water was pure turquoise, something you don't see unless it's sunny. It was incredible. The green was fluorescent and again rolled off in every direction and the ocean gently lapped the coast below providing that perfect soundtrack that can never be contained inside a sleep machine. I could have stayed forever. In that moment, I found Ireland. Sadly we did have to move on, and the Giant's Causeway was cool, but after that momentous stop, everything else was a bit underwhelming. The Causeway is something to see, and the legend behind it is intriguing. To read more about it, check out the story of Finn MacCool. 

I found it very interesting that when I told Dubliners that I was visiting Belfast, they all asked "why?" There is clearly still some barriers between the north and the south, and in all honesty, I can understand the Dubliner's question. While I am very glad I've seen Belfast for myself, and did enjoy many moments during my visit, I don't think I'll ever want to go back. I also feel that I really did see all of it - it's a pretty small city and I walked the whole thing in eight hours! I never felt unsafe or uneasy, but by the end of my time there I realized how glad I was to be moving on. It makes me happy that there is hopefully a bright future ahead for Belfast, but I think it will be some time before the past is truly behind them.