BELFAST is the capital of
Northern Ireland and its largest
city by some way. More than a third
of the province's population live
within the Belfast conurbation and,
consequently, there's a pace and
bustle about the place that you'll
find almost nowhere else in Northern
Ireland. In appearance it closely
resembles Liverpool, Glasgow or any
other industrial port across the
water, and, similarly, its largely
defunct
docklands - in which,
famously, the
Titanic was
built - are undergoing massive
redevelopment. Though the city
centre is still characterized by
numerous elegant
Victorian
buildings, there's been an enormous
transformation here, too, and the
streets leading northwards from the
hub of Belfast life,
Donegall
Square , are packed with chain
stores and new shopping precincts.
Yet it is not simply the city's
appearance that is changing. Nowhere
is the optimism engendered by the
peace process more obvious than
Belfast at night. Most evenings, the
city's bars, clubs and restaurants,
especially around the
Golden Mile
, are crammed to overflowing and new
venues seem to spring up almost
daily. It's almost as though a
generation deprived of nightlife by
the Troubles has decided to stage a
permanent party while it has the
chance. Belfast is thriving
culturally too: as the tension
diminishes, visiting artistes and
performers are returning in large
numbers and there's been a
significant resurgence of homegrown
talent. Music, theatre and the
visual arts are all flourishing and
traditional Irish culture is the
subject of rapid rediscovery.
Belfast is a place for getting
out and about, and has plenty to
experience. This need not take more
than a couple of days in the city
itself, although Belfast is a good
base from which to visit virtually
anywhere else in the North. In the
centre, concentrate on the glories
that the industrial revolution
brought: grandiose architecture
and magnificent Victorian pubs
. To the south are the lively and
influential Queen's University
and the extensive collections of the
Ulster Museum , set in the
grounds of the Botanic Gardens
. A climb up Cave Hill , to
the north, rewards you with
marvellous views of the city spread
out around the curve of the natural
harbour, Belfast Lough .
Security measures in the city have
been considerably relaxed and many
of the barriers and controls have
been removed. However, the iron
blockade known as the Peace Line
still bisects the Catholic and
Protestant communities of West
Belfast , a grim physical
reminder of the city's and country's
sectarian divisions.
