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Date:
July 1, 2002
This email is a little dated. Currently I am in Oban,
Scotland.
Hello from Belfast Ireland !
I hope this email finds you well.
Since my last email my travel has included a three day
stay in Dublin. The capital of The Republic of
Ireland.
Also a three day journey north along the west coast to
Belfast. The capital of Northern Ireland. During my
travels I have been struck by the distinct differences
between the two Irelands.
Dublin is a city bursting with vitality. A sense of
prosperity exudes from the crowded sidewalks ,busy
stores and lively pubs. This is very different from
the Dublin I visited 15 years ago . In the late 80`s
Dublin was depressed. Everybody seemed to want out of
the country. Now businesses are recruiting foreign
workers to fill vacant positions. Entire sections of
the city have been revitalized. The city has gained
the title "The New London".
As I cycled north I anticipated a strong military
presence at the Ireland/ UK border. I was greeted by a
truckstop/diner. There was not even a immigration
checkpoint. I did see a few military helicopters
dangling cargo nets in the distance. They seemed
innocent enough.
I visited grandma Quinn`s house in Bangor which is
located on the outskirts of Belfast. Grandma Quinn is
the grandmother of Dan. Dan is a Canadian cyclist who
I met in Dublin. He accompanied me for three days.
Grandma Quinn fed me pizza ,coffee and cookies while I
watched Germany defeat South Korea in The World Cup.
She is a very spry 76 year old Irish sweetheart. I
hope to see Dan again in Scotland.
I was aware of the ongoing conflict in Northern
Ireland before I chose to visit Belfast. The Loyalist
want Northern Ireland the remain under the rule of the
UK. The Republicans want to annex Northern Ireland
creating a united Ireland independent of the UK.
Decades of bombing and rioting have marked the
conflict. I was naive on Ireland`s current political
status. I assumed the Good Friday Agreement fostered a
solution to the Troubles. A day after my arrival to
England I was surprised by the footage of rioting in a
Belfast neighborhood.
Curiosity motivated me to take a Black Taxi Tour of
Belfast. The tour passes through both Catholic
(Republican) and Protestant (Loyalist) areas and
includes a description of life in Belfast. The tour
was conducted by the taxi driver who delivered his
information without emotion..
Belfast has the feel of a depressed industrial city in
the Northeast US. Most of the neighborhoods are blue
collar and abandoned house are never out of sight. A
five mile long wall separates the Catholic and
Protestant sections of Belfast. The wall recently
received an additional wire mess that commands a
height of 30 feet. The houses adjacent to the wall
also have their own protective fence. The secondary
fence provides protection form rocks and petrol bombs.
Huge disturbing murals adorn the buildings in the
Protestant neighborhoods. One depicted The Grim Reaper
walking over the graves on IRA members who had been
targeted for execution. The Loyalist also display
thousands of British and Scottish flags and paint the
curb the same red white add blue as the British Union
Jack.
The tension of a divided city produces rioting on a
scale that often does not catch the international
media`s attention. I saw debris from a recent clash.
Ironically the general crime rate is very low. My
guide attributes this to the justice dispensed by the
paramilitary groups. A baseball bat with embedded
nails can be the punishment for car theft. ( I believe
this supports your theory on crime Vimar )The police
who are not respected are housed in buildings that
resemble prisons. There are sections of the city that
are considered neutral. This includes the prosperous
downtown area. Either side welcomes tourist to their
neighborhood. The danger is the risk of being in the
wrong place at the wrong time. I leave Belfast knowing
the the ongoing conflict is a deeply rooted problem
with no easy solution on the horizon.
I have created a rough itinerary for the rest of my
trip through Europe. I intend to ride to Inverness
Scotland and then down to Edinburgh. Then to Amsterdam
(by boat) Brussels, Munich, Prague, Krakow, Budapest,
Bucharest and Istanbul by the end of October. How is
that for a geography lesson Suzanna ?
I miss you all and keep in touch,
Dennis
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