Photography at Its Best 2018 (Pt. 7)

The Europa Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland was once the most bombed hotel in the world as the Troubles raged in Northern Ireland.

Built in 1971, the hotel is a four star rated hotel right smack bang in the middle of Belfast City, and close to the rail network, taxis and bus routes, Many famous people have stayed in this famous, once infamous hotel, such as presidents, prime ministers and celebrities.

The hotel got its famous status as the most bombed hotel in Europe and then in the world after 36 bomb attacks on her, most of which were reported by foreign reporters who were staying in it at the time of the attacks, and who were in Northern Ireland to cover the ongoing troubles of the time.

The Europa Hotel in Belfast is also probably one of the most photographed hotels and building in the world also.

The hotel also gained the nickname of the "Hardboard Hotel," because of the hardboard windows after each bomb attack.

The Hastings Group bought the hotel in 1993 and closed it for the first time in its history so that it could get a $8,000,000 refurbishment and then reopened in 1994. Its first visitors to the new Europa Hotel were President Trump and his wife Hilary, which saw the hotel getting worldwide fame and advertising without cost.

The Crown

The Crown Bar in Belfast is right across the street from the Europa Hotel and is a must-to visit for any tourist or simply if you are visiting Belfast because of its architecture and art.

Originally a gin palace in the Victorian Times, the building is a listed building and owned by the National Trust, and leased to Mittchells and Butlers who run it as a Nicholson's pub.

Once more the Crown Bar is a building and pub with worldwide fame, and again one of the most photographed building and pub, inside and out, and is well worth a visit to treat yourself to a pint of the black stuff, the world famous Guinness, or as I call it the "Genius of Guinness."

It use to be called "The Railway Tavern," in the 1800's because of it being right across from the rail station, and has appeared many times in movies, dramas, documentaries and of the news in the days of the Troubles, and being situated right across from the Europa Hotel, whenever the Europa Hotel was bombed, the Crown Bar suffered damage also.

Diversity

This piece of sculpture art is next to the Europa Hotel and is also right across the street from the Crown Bar.

The sculpture shows the diversity in Belfast in 2018, which has become a truly European and World City, though the entertainment and tours of Belfast leave a lot to be desired as other World Cities I have travelled to over the years, but with no government at the moment the chance of drinking and entertainment laws will not change anytime soon. So, as for Belfast being a tourist hot spot, this is a tourist board fallacy, because we in Northern Ireland are way behind other major cities and their tourism.

Talking to a friend from the Shankill Road in Belfast, who has gone to University to educate himself on starting his own Shankill Tours he told me, "The tours of the Shankill Road and other parts of Belfast have foreign tour guides, who have only ever read of the areas they are taking tourists from books or training schools run by others within Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland who also do not live in the Communities they are touring," which is very strange indeed.

Surely if you want to present a true story of a communities history, its people and murals, then you have to come from that community!

If you like my stories and their photographs, please leave a tip to help me achieve my goal of becoming a professional author and to further grow my storytelling and photographic projects, and to those who have already tipped me and read my story posts, I thank you so much.

Best wishes,

Aunidan