Our last day. I hurriedly and literally threw everything back into my suitcase and met up with Nicky after breakfast.
Today we were going on an Art Walking Tour with Belfast Galleries. We met our host, Susan at 11am at Belfast Exposed Photographic Gallery on Donegall Street.
From the Belfast Galleries website:
Belfast has numerous art galleries and one opens nearly every month as a stroll along the Lisburn Road will confirm. Belfast Galleries is here to guide you through a wide spectrum of visual art, from our largest public galleries to the tiniest privately run spaces and through streets where public art is transforming the Belfast landscape.
Here are a few clips of the tour.
I came away from the art walk feeling very inspired! It's usually the way that when you are in your home town you don't really take the time to explore and visit all the galleries and art events that are going on. When you are on holiday days are naturally extended, and there is more time to investigate, relax and enjoy.
The pace of the walk is fairly leisurely and takes part in the Cathedral Quarter of the city.
Our second tour of the day, the Belfast Music Tour began at the Ulster Hall. I think it's fair to say that myself and Nicky were quite happy that this tour took place on a comfy coach!
Taken from the Belfast Music Tour website:
Take a coach tour through Belfast's musical history The Belfast Music Tour is a bus journey through the heart of a great rock and roll city. From Them and Van Morrison to Snow Patrol, by way of awesome guitar players, punk rock and Hollywood soundtracks. Increasingly, this is an art form that is defining the new mood of Belfast, a place enlivened by potential and bold gestures.
Starting on Sundays at 2pm with a tour of the newly refurbished iconic Ulster Hall, which from its earliest years has played host to famous figures of the age and is now home of the Ulster Orchestra. The bus will depart at 2.30pm. Along the route, we will hear about the founding members of Thin Lizzy and the legend of Pearly Spencer.
You'll see the landscape that inspired classic Van Morrison songs and witness the venues that have birthed historic visits from Led Zeppelin, The Clash and U2. It's a story like no other and Belfast has delivered music as various as Ruby Murray, Ash, Gary Moore, and Stiff Little Fingers, plus traditional airs and electronic adventures.
I quite enjoyed the tour. We headed out of the city and the coach took us into the suburbs. Commentary mingled with music over the speakers of the coach.
One of my favourite songs from the music tour: Alternative Ulster, written in 1978 by Stiff Little Fingers from Belfast and performed at the Ulster Hall in 2007
Nothin' for us in Belfast
The Pound so old it's a pity
OK, there's the Trident in Bangors
Then walk back to the city
We ain't got nothin' but they don't really care
They don't even know you know
They just want money
They can take it or leave it
What we need is
(Chorus)
An Alternative Ulster
Grab it change it's yours
Get an Alternative Ulster
Ignore the bores, their laws
Get an Alternative Ulster
Be an anti-security force
Alter your native Ulster
Alter your native land
Take a look where you're living
You got the Army on the street
And the RUC dog of repression
Is barking at your feet
Is this the kind of place you wanna live?
Is this were you wanna be?
Is this the only life we're gonna have?
What we need is
(Chorus)
They say they're a part of you
But that's not true you know
They say they've got control of you
And that's a lie you know
They say you will never be
Free free free
Alternative Ulster
Alternative Ulster
Alternative Ulster
The times have changed and now there really is an Alternative Ulster. Just spending a few days in the city has made that apparent.
The final part of our last day was spend at Nicky's Uncle Ernie's house for Sunday dinner. It was smashing. Good company, good food and good wine. What more can you ask for? And Ernie was kind enough to give us a lift to the airport.
As me and Nicky were sitting in the airport lounge we felt sad at leaving Belfast and would love to have stayed another day (or 2 or three!). But it was not to be. Weary from the fantastic weekend, we boarded the plane and made our way back home to Birmingham.
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