Belfast Rising

Traveling from Dublin, a city with an excellent tourism infrastructure, it was interesting comparing Belfast to it, what with Belfast recent period of peace. There is lots of growth here in Belfast, which benefits more from the UK economy (fragile as it is) than Dublin does from Ireland.

Belfast, with its small city centre, is easy to traverse by foot. You can pretty much get anywhere in about a ten minute walk from the centre in any direction. Belfast is very working class and, while I enjoyed my few days here, one can imagine this will be a much better, more lively place to visit within the next few years. People are down to earth, especially since they haven’t been overwhelmed by tourists. The restaurant scene is growing and it’s cheaper to get a pint at a pub here than most other places in the UK.

My highlights are City Hall (with free tours daily Mon-Sat), the political murals, the Titanic Quarter and museum, and St. George’s market.

Here are some highlights in photos: