Belfast

I was in Belfast from Tuesday - Thursday last week. It is an amazing city. I wasn't quite sure what to expect not really knowing very much about 'the troubles' except for what I've seen in movies like 'In the name of the Father'.

First stop was city hall - a very impressive 100 year old building. I even got to sit in the Mayor's seat and pretend to be mayor for 5 minutes, reliving all those political dreams I harboured when I was 13-14.

On Tuesday night my host Ruth (the sister of a friend ...) took me on a tour of the murals that are painted on buildings all around the city. On Tuesday morning I was reading Ephesians chapter 2 and had been reflecting on the way that Christ has brought down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile, to be confronted with the immense hostility between Loyalist and Republicans. At one stage we were in a republican area trying to get across to the loyalist side, only to be confronted by a bricked in street with barbed wire, for the protection of all concerned. There were also lots of references to Catalonian freedom from Spain and the middle east conflict, with different groups aligning themselves with the stuggles of others. I've never seen anything like it before.



I was also impressed by Queens University, the C.S. Lewis statue and the botanical gardens.