Belfast was an interesting stop over. Took a Black Taxi Tour of the "trouble areas". Great murals, tortured history and many mixed feelings. The many memorials to the dead were moving. It seemed strange to be taking tourist shots in front of the Sinn Fein headquarters, but Brian, our driver/guide, urged us on. Brian is a Catholic, so we got that perspective on this tour. He made a point to tell us that he had a "British name", but was not of that persuasion.
Most striking was the "Peace Wall" between the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods . Even now, when it get dark in Belfast, large metal gate swing shut to close off the various neighborhoods. Think of Berlin during the Cold War and present day Israel. Two communities with two separate deep rooted desires; one to be British, the other to be Irish...or maybe it's the religious thing. I like Belfast, maybe more than Dublin. It's a grittier place, with dark undertone that is interesting, but troubling.

Staying in Belfast was our first experience with using Airbnb to book a room. We stayed with David in a guest room in his apartment. He lived about 5 miles from the center of Belfast, so we got pretty good at using the bus system to get to the City Center.

After Belfast, on to Scotland