"The Quietest City" Belfast by Etoile2B

I was studying in Oxford, England and decided to travel after my program ended. Among the places I visited was Belfast, Northern Ireland. I asked some of my friends to join me and they all thought I was crazy to go to Belfast, especially being a woman travelling alone. But I thought it was important to go. And I am so glad I did. I spent most of the time walking around the city, trying to get a feel for this place that is the heart of so much conflict. I sat in pubs and debated with people. I was invited to a Protestant demonstration and march. (I opted not to go). I explored Belfast Castle and hiked through the park overlooking the city. But the thing that affected me the most was this: as I was taking the train down to Dublin I looked out the window as we were leaving Belfast. There was a large empty lot and you could see evidence of an explosion and battle - it was a small, abandoned battle ground. Then suddenly there was another empty lot simply with rows of little unmarked white crosses. It was a trip I will never forget.

Belfast Clocktower

Belfast is not a pretty city by any means. It's an industrial city and grey and grimy. But it also struck me as a very quiet city. There wasn't the normal bustle that you would expect in an ordinary city. I took the ferry over from Scotland. I called a hostel from the train station in Galway to reserve a bed. On my way to the train two American guys heading the same way (they actually stopped me to ask me which train they needed to take to the ferry because they thought I was from Ireland) and since I was confident in where I was going I told them to follow me. We had a nice trip across to Northern Ireland, and since we were staying at the same hostel we agreed to meet up after we docked and retrieved our luggage.

As my bags were being inspected when we were disembarking the ferry a woman approached me and said, "I heard you say you were excited to come to Ireland. Is this your first time?" I told her it was. She said, "Well let me be the first to welcome you to Ireland. Where are you staying?" I told her the hostel I was staying in and she said, "No. Please come and stay with me and my mother. We have plenty of room." I graciously declined because I had already paid for the hostel so she gave me her phone number and invited me to tea. She also gave me her number in Dublin as she was going to be there the following week. That was my first experience in Ireland. Amazing people.