Friends of Sport and Alcohol – Welcome to Belfast!

Belfast, a city that was known as the European Beirut, is now one of the most important touristic centers on the island of Ireland. Brief description? The locals are spending much of their time in pubs, while Catholics and Protestants are now conflicting just once a year.




Imagine a city where for nearly 100 years, half of the population is trying to massacre the other half. A city that was throughout the history ravaged by Vikings, plagues, fires, famine…A city where the greatest marine disaster in the history of mankind began…It’s hard to imagine such hell on earth, isn’t it? Have you ever heard of Belfast?

The capital of Northern Ireland is maybe not on the list of 100 most visited tourist destination but it is probably one of the most vivid places in the UK. This is, of course, due to the fact that less than two decades ago, it was carrying an epithet of European Beirut because of the war between the Irish Catholics (who wanted to be united with Republic of Ireland) and British Protestants (who were loyal to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II).

But today, 13 years after the Irish Republican Army laid down their arms, Belfast is almost perfectly safe city with the lowest crime rate in the UK and Northern Ireland. Incidents are rare, but Catholics and Protestants do get into conflict once a year, just to remind themselves of good old times. That usually happens somewhere in mid June when Protestants are marching through the city, celebrating the victory of King William III of Orange over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. With that victory, the Protestants have strengthened their position on this part of the Island.

However, conflicts are rare these days, primarily because Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods are separated – often with real walls that have barbed wires.  There are twenty such structures in the city and the police often patrol near them. The British government has tried several times to remove these barriers, but the Catholic population insists that they remain. 

These walls are now decorated with many political sketches, slogans and famous murals. Thus, they have become a tourist attraction. For a couple of pounds, every taxi driver in Belfast will offer himself to take you to see them, and there are also bus tours specifically for that.

The second largest tourist attraction in Belfast is – shipyard. Of course, this is no ordinary shipyard. This is the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard where, in 1911, the biggest, most luxurious, most beautiful and, obviously, the most tragic ship in the world was made - the legendary "Titanic". 


One part of Belfast is even named Titanic Quarter. The place where the ship was built is still there, and it can be visited as part of tourist tour that costs around ten pounds. Large cranes with Harland and Wolff initials are still the highest structures in Belfast, and this year, in front of them, people of Belfast marked 100 years since the launch of "Titanic".

Person would think that those who claimed that they have built an unsinkable ship should perhaps not brag about him now, given that already on his first journey "Titanic" ended at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking with him more than 1,500 human lives. However, people in Belfast have a perfect excuse.

The Irish built the ship, the British sank it – is a line that you’ll find on pendants, lighters, magnets and so on. With this, the Irish are clearly pointing out that “Titanic” went from Belfast to Southampton, and on to New York, in perfect condition, but British crew, led by Captain Edward J. Smith, eventually destroyed him.

This kind of humor, along with conflicts on religious grounds that shook Belfast, are clear evidence that people from the island of Ireland, both Catholics and Protestants, have little in common with their neighbors from the British island. When compared to cold, measured, cynical and sarcastic Englishmen, the Irishmen appear as if someone has taken them from the Mediterranean and threw them to this piece of land in the Atlantic Ocean.

Restaurants and bars in Belfast are always full, no matter if it is working day or not.  Favorite leisure of any Irishmen in Belfast is watching football or horse races in a pub, with friends and a glass of whiskey or Guinness. The mentality of locals is sufficiently illustrated with the fact that one of their two airports is named after a man who is greatly remembered for saying:” I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.” That man was, of course, the best UK footballer of all times - George Best.

This unsurpassed master of football was born in Belfast. He played for the national team of Northern Ireland even though he was offered to play for England.  The fact that the airport is named after him, and that his picture is the first thing every traveler sees after passing the passport control, is only a fraction of the honors that his countrymen have reserved for him.

Best is an icon in Belfast (primarily for the Protestant part of the population). His image is the second most common theme of mighty murals for which this city is known.  In the first place are, of course, fighters of the Irish Republican Army on Catholic side, and loyalist heroes on the Protestant side.

And even though world class football isn’t played on the fields in Belfast and across entire Northern Ireland, this sport is the main pastime of the local population. There are several teams from this city that are competing in the IFA Premiership (national football league in Northern Ireland), but the locals are more fond of several English and Scottish teams. 

The most popular English club in Belfast is Liverpool, regardless the fact that George Best played for Manchester United. Other English clubs also have supporters in Belfast, particularly those from the north of England - Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough…Among the Catholic population, the most popular is Scottish Celtic. 

Besides football, the main entertainment in Belfast is - drinking. But beware, it is strictly prohibited to drink alcohol on the street - the penalty is £500.

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It's nothing wrong with you!

Heart palpitations, skin changes, trembling hands... Many symptoms can simulate a serious disease, but they are actually harmless. 

Our bodies have an incredible capacity to scare us. Because of a single twitch you can easily think that you have multiple sclerosis, and for a minor change on your skin that you have cancer. You can spend days studying those symptoms on the internet. But now you can finally step away from the keyboard. Most bumps on the skin and body changes are actually harmless.

Skin changes

Skin changes, in the form of small thickening which is in some parts darker, is usually developing in areas where skin rubs on skin or clothing, as well as in the armpits, neck, under breasts, even on the eyelids. It is not entirely clear why some people are more prone to these skin changes. The good news is that these spots on the skin are virtually never cancerous and can be easily removed with a help of dermatologist.

Consult your doctor if these spots on the body do not quickly disappear, become rough, or darker and redder than the skin. It could be wart, keratoses (benign tumor of the skin) or even skin cancer.

Redness

These small, round, red spots and bumps on the skin (if you have problematic complexion and you’re over forty, they can be more frequent) are likely surface blood vessels that are not absorbed into the skin. The body naturally produces new blood vessels and replaces the old ones. But, with years, our body produces more blood vessels than can be absorbed, and then these little red dots appear. 

Consult your doctor if you want to remove them (a dermatologist can do it with laser treatment). But if you find a place where they are asymmetric, or if the dots are changing size, shape or color, begin to itch or bleed, or look completely different from any other place on your body, consult a dermatologist to make sure that they are not cancerous.

Trembling hands

Trembling hands (especially after 40’s) may be a hereditary thing. It can also be a sign that your blood sugar level is low and that you need a snack with proteins. But, very often, trembling hands are a symptom of stress or anxiety. Trembling hands can be more pronounced if you drink or eat something that contains caffeine, or if you are taking medicines that contain stimulants or certain types of medications for attention disorder or thyroid disease. Trembling usually stops as soon as you eat, or reduces or completely stops after stopping using stimulants.

Consult your doctor if trembling isn’t stopping. He can prescribe you beta blockers, type of medication for blood pressure that can calm your hands by blocking the stress response. Trembling hands may mean that you have Parkinson's disease. Weight loss, increased heart rate and changes in bowel habits are often a signal of an overactive thyroid gland.

“Midges” in the eyes

Within the eyeball is a gel, a substance composed of water, collagen and hyaluronic acid. Occasionally, especially as we age, collagen clumps coagulate and create shadows on the retina, which manifest as dots, distorted lines, or other strange shapes. This can be very irritating, but it is harmless.

Consult your doctor if a light that flashes, blurs or distort your vision, appears in front of your eyes. This could mean that eyeball gel is pressuring the retina.

Eyelid twitching

The cause is stress, fatigue, a lot of time spent in front of computer, excess of caffeine and alcohol. Separately or in combination, these things cause muscle twitches in the upper or lower eyelid. These twitches usually stop soon, but if they don’t, try to relax with warm pressings on the lids muscles or with artificial tears (twitches can appear because of the dryness of the eye).

Consult your doctor if you have twitches for several weeks. That may be a sign that your eye area or membrane is irritated. In rare cases, twitches may completely close your eyes or even appear together with twitches in your mouth.

Easy bruising

Some of us are naturally inclined to easily get black and blue marks on our skin, especially if we take aspirin, ibuprofen, or any other medicine. They prevent blood coagulation, which can easily cause bruising. Collagen protects our blood vessels from deterioration and bleeding in the skin, which is resulting with a bruise.

Consult your doctor if unexplained bruises are appearing all at once. This may be an early sign of blood disorders such as leukemia.

Joint crunching

That itself should not be a problem. If you are in the 30's or 40's, the snapping sound is most likely the sound of ligaments and tendons gliding over the joints. Even the "noisy" knees and ankles are commonly the result of cartilage abrasion and soft tissue. If these sounds are boring to you, then stretch regularly.

Consult your doctor if you have redness, swelling, pain and reduced mobility, along with the joints crunch, because it may be a sign of an injury of ligaments or tendons. Osteoarthritis may also be the cause, especially if you have it in a family history, or if you are running often (according to one research, you belong to a group of high risk). If you are over 50, crunch is most likely a sign of osteoarthritis.

Heart palpitations

In most cases, occasional, transient palpitations are just a side effect of medicines: antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants and medicines for thyroid gland. Heart palpitations can be caused by stress and anxiety, especially if you consume alcohol, cigarettes, or caffeine. Often, it is not so much because of stress, but because of refusing to deal with your stress.

Consult your doctor if you have any unusual cardiac symptoms, including palpitations in an unusual way which you have not previously experienced, especially if it is accompanied by other symptoms such as shortness of breath with exertion.  This may be a sign of heart disease.

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Student of a Generation!

American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was seventeen years old when he entered the University of Virginia. Already the first day he managed to gamble his annual scholarship and really soon he owed $ 2500 to local notorious gamblers.

At that time, Poe was already a true alcoholic, and this evil addiction later drove him to his death.

During the first semester, in almost all sessions he was drunk and he was not sober even during the exam period. It is remembered that, on examinations, he appeared in this state.

It is interesting that he passed all exams with best grades thus earning the title of the best student in his generation.

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