We had an action packed day today.  Last night we booked a “Black Cab Tour” and also purchased the Hop On Hop Off tickets from our guesthouse.  The cab was to pick us up at 9:30 so we were up and getting mobile by 8.  Downstairs for breakfast we run into a couple of ladies from Alberta (Calgary and Pleasant Valley) who have found it cheaper to fly to Belfast to take a cruise to eastern Canada.  Newfoundland and the Maritimes.  The cruise will return them to Belfast and then they will fly back to Alberta!  It is hard to imagine that this could be cheaper than travelling to the Newfoundland and the maritimes from within Canada!!!

Our cab arrives right on time and parks in the car park behind The Gregory and begins our tour right there with information on what he will cover.  It will be mostly the “Recent Conflicts” which begin in 1969.  We start in the predominately Catholic Republican area of Falls Road.  In this first photo you see a section of what is called the “Peace Wall”.  This abuts right up to the back yard of some of the homes along the border between the “The Falls” and “The Shankill” areas of Belfast.  The house in this photo is on The Falls side.  The wall had been lowered in an attempt to soften the divide between the two areas.  When it was lowered (before the wire section at the top was added) bricks, stones and other objects were tossed over the barrier.  The cage on the homes were then added to protect their backyards from the projectiles flying over the lowered barrier.  After that they added the wire fencing to stop the projectiles from being thrown over it.

Our guide Jackie describes how police and British Army officers used plastic bullets to subdue protesters.  Many were killed by these plastic bullets.  He shows us and example of one.  He says they were intended to be shot towards the ground a few feet from the target.  It was supposed to bounce off the ground and hit the target below the waist.  He tells us that many were killed with shots to the head.  This is what a plastic bullet looks like.  I get to hold this and the weight is substantial.  Definitely will do damage.

We travel through the gates between the two areas.  These gates are still closed at 9PM these days.  They still feel that young people fueled by alcohol can still cause issues even though the peace pact was signed in 1997.

After Jackie dropped us back in the center town we joined the Hop On Hop Off bus tour.  One of the stops on the bus that we were advised to take in the the was the Crumlin Road Gaol.  This facility was opened in 1846 and operated until 1996.  It has a very interesting history.  In the early years housing petty criminals (male, female and children).  Most recently it held Republican and Loyalist protesters.  The guide led us through the building and told us tales of the lives of the prisoners, some of whom were imprisoned for some very minor crimes.

As we walk the streets we come across this old church that is starting to be restored.  The Carlisle Memorial Church.

Here are some photos of spots in Belfast we found interesting.