I woke up this morning at 1am and never went back to sleep so I got up at 6 and went for an early morning walk around the area. Lots of people scurrying off to work. I really admired the Victorian architecture I found along the way. 
City Hall is one example. They say there are 3 tons of Cararra Marble inside but I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet and probably won’t.
This clock tower also caught my eye.
We had an excellent lecture this morning from a man who has made it his hobby to photograph and write about the murals that have come out of the “Troubles” which is how the Irish refer to the 30+ year civil war that tore apart Northern Ireland from the late sixties into the early years of the twentieth century.
It is all very complex and I am not going to try to explain it here. The point is hundreds of years of oppression going back to the defeat of King James (a Catholic) by William of Orange (a Protestant) in 1690 have resulted in deep hatreds and resentments which go far beyond religion. One side wants Northern Ireland to stay with Great Britain, the other wants it to become part of the Republic of Ireland. An upshot of all this has been a series of murals which have come and gone over the years and evolved in their content and message.
Those we sa
w today were much less graphic and intimidating than some we saw pictures of from the darkest days of the Troubles. Gone are the soldiers with guns and hooded masks. They have been replaced with artworks celebrating those who ha
ve opposed and overcome their oppressors.
An example is this one of Frederick Douglas and other American blacks involved in civil rights. Another hints that those who would end the peace are still out there. Some honor the 10 hunger strikers who
died in an effort to loosen restriction placed on political prisoners.
In addition to the Murals Belfast has a Peace Wall which I found particularly moving. Over a long stretch of graffiti strewn wall people have written messages of peace and hope such as those shown here. My parents visited Belfast in the 1980s or 90s and talked o
f checkpoints and soldiers carrying rifles everywhere. The checkpoints and soldiers are gone and the people of Belfast seem committed to maintaining the peace. I asked my driver from Dublin if he 
thought Northern Ireland would ever become part of the Republic because geographically it just makes sense. But what he explained to me is that economically it does not. And culturally it does not and while he thought that maybe at some time in the future it could happen the memories of the troubles will have to fade into the past and only future
generations who h
ave no experience of the oppression and the conflicts can bring about the healing that would be necessary.
Today we also visited Stormont, the Northern Ireland Parliament building, the equivalent of a State Capitol building in the U.S.
Its construction was completed in 1932. Its setting is on a former Estate allowing for expansive landscaping and views.
We had lunch at a restaurant called Molly’s Yard. What I am learning about Irish Cuisine is that they love their meat and potatoes. Potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So far I have had pork, beef, and chicken. No sign of fish or shrimp. And mention fish and someone tells you where you can go for fish and chips. Even with a morning walk around the area and an afternoon pedestrian shopping excursion to buy new clothes to wear tomorrow I feel overfed and bloated. Hoping to do better tomorrow.