July 22, 2013–Belfast Sightseeing Tour via Tour Bus

Just across from our hotel in Belfast was St MacAulay Catholic Cathedral. It was constructed in the 1844 to resemble a castle. Most amazing is the interior which is ultramodern. Of special note is the ceiling with its remarkably formed concrete design. The church is very wide so that all the congregation is near the priest rather than being long and deep as is a typical church.

Above, a little hard to see the castle turrets of the church, but they are very interesting.

Below, we begin our sightseeing bus tour of the city. We have taken these open bus tours in all of the cities we have visited and find that we both learn a lot about the city and can see things that we want to come back later and look at more closely. It is hard to gauge has sensitive the people of Belfast are to their recent history and all the conflict, but we learned quickly that most have a great sense of humor about it. Our tour bus narrator was no exception.

Can you see the 7 degree lean of the Prince Albert Clock Tower. Also known as the Leaning Tower of Belfast. Built on a wooden base set upon a portion of the city that is nothing more than river silt, the tower began to lean severely. The foundation was repaired but a 7 degree lean was left in place on purpose.

The Titanic Exhibit and Memorial is designed to resemble the prow of a ship and from above the building is a 5 pointed star representing the White Star Line. The tour guide pointed out that when the investigation committee on the sinking came to Belfast after the disaster the ship builders said that, “The ship was in fine shape when it left Belfast. The problems started when White Star hired an English captain and a Scottish navigator. The iceberg was contributed by the Canadians!”

Above, the drawings building of the Harlan & Wolff Ship Building firm where the designs for the Titanic were drawn. The original plans are still lying on the drawing table. This shipyard employed 35,000 workers. Skilled workers earned 2 pounds/week and laborers earned 1 pound/week. 99% of the workers were Protestant as no Catholics were knowingly hired.

The ship above ferried First and Second Class passengers to the Titanic when it was docked in Southampton prepared to begin its maiden voyage.

Campbell College one of the wealthiest in Ireland sits on over 1,000 acres.

 

Above and below, the Parliament building of Northern Ireland.

Below right, two enormous shipbuilding cranes known as Sampson and Goliath. They were the largest cranes owned by the old Harlan & Wolff Ship Works. They now sit on the old H&W site and are protected from demolition by the landmarks commission. They are now symbols of the Belfast shipbuilding era.

As we passed the coliseum where the Belfast professional hockey team plays, the tour guide commented that they wanted to call the team the “Bombers” but decided that given Belfast’s history, the “Giants” might be a better name. She doesn’t know why except that the Giants arena is located near the H&W giant cranes.

St George’s Market in Belfast. The market is open Thursday through Sunday (Sunday only recently allowed by the church) and sells everything from crafts to food to groceries to produce to clothing.

Above right, St Anne’s Anglican Church in Belfast.

Sea buoy sculptures in the park opposite St Anne’s.

Above and below, the old Belfast prison where thousands of prisoners were held. The prisoners had to be segregated by their religion! You could not put a Catholic prisoner in a Protestant cell or vise versa. To the right of the prison below is the court building. It got so bad that a tunnel had to be built below the street connecting the prison to the courthouse. If you tried to take a prisoner across the street above ground, their compatriots would try to break them out of police custody or if a particularly heinous crime were committed such as a bombing that killed children, there would be a lynch mob trying to get the prisoner.

Below, a Methodist Church in the Protestant neighborhood. This is an area of Belfast that is still strictly segregated by religion and tempers remain on edge.

The top two floor of this housing tower were taken over by the British Army as an observation post sit it set in one of the few neutral zones between the religious neighborhoods.

Above and below, murals painted on the “Berlin Walls” separating the Catholic and Protestant neighbors. Below right, view of the walls separating the two areas.

Below, a Pub in a Protestant neighborhood commemorating the victory of King William of Orange over the Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne July 12, 1690. William deposed the last Catholic king of England and the marches in Belfast occur on July 12 each year in celebration of the religious victory.

A modern shopping center that was constructed on the site of some old government buildings. Our guide pointed out that an English contractor was hired to demolish the old buildings at a cost of more than 2 million pounds. She considered that, “a complete waste of local talent. You could have gone into any pub on Falls Road and found some lads who could have set a right proper bomb and demolished the buildings in no time and they would have charge no more than 500 pounds!”

Left and below, Queens College in Belfast. A very prestigious college.

Below, some various shots of some colorful local pubs.

Above, the exterior of “The Crown Bar” a pub on the register of landmark building for its ornate interior.

The Europa Hotel, one of the few 5-Star hotels in Belfast. Most wealthy travelers stay here. The tour guide pointed out that it was at one time the most bombed hotel in Europe since it was bombed so many times during The Troubles. However, she said that the honor of most bombed hotel in Europe had now been taken over by the Hilton Hotel in Bagdad. I did not have the heart to tell her that Bagdad was not in Europe so the Europa still holds that sad title.

Below, the Titanic Memorial on the grounds of City Hall where all the names of the deceased are listed in alphabetical order.

Elaine found a name, Fry, and wonders if this could have been a relative.  The names listed are passengers and crew members.

Memorial to the Titanic seamen from Belfast who lost their lives. Since the ship was built in Belfast, a great many of the crew members and engine room personnel were hired in Belfast.

Below, the interior of The Crown Bar. We had to go back and have a look after it was pointed out on the tour and to have a pint there to support this local landmark!

Above, note the interesting booths in The Crown Bar. You actually got a cubicle in which to have a private conversation and conduct business deals.

The Crown Bar built in 1826. Below, the Grand Opera House of Belfast.

Interesting tour of this city that has a lot of history in its short life. It was chartered as a city in 1866 so as cities in Europe go, it is quite young.