You Can't Get There From Here

Today we went to see some new friends we met earlier in the week. The building is situated on a fence line that separates the Hill Road and Shankill neighborhoods of Belfast. These neighborhoods are traditionally the battleground of para-military organizations, angry youth, and home to protests and marches of various kinds. To control the violence, a fence/wall was built. On the road where this building is situated there is a double fence that blocks the road with a 20 meter neutral zone between sides. When we met up with our friends during the week, the fences were open, and we entered from the Falls Road side. This morning we followed our original path and found the fences closed and locked. We backtracked and walked up Falls Road looking for a way around but found none. There was literally no way through. Walls and fences blocked the way - every way. We were forced to go back to the city center to actually go around and walk back up Shankill Road, making us 20 minutes late for our appointment.

For all the advances made in the peace of Northern Ireland, this locked heavy metal fence with razor wire around it stands in witness to the continued issues that exist.

On a lighter note, one if the acts performing for the MTV European Music Awards was doing a sound check at a huge stage near City Hall. All the girls were screaming, guys were running to get pictures. I didn't have any idea who he was. No clue. A sure sign I'm getting old.