My centre for the Part 1 Membership exam was initially listed as Dublin. Being on an Indian Passport I needed a visa to get there. After repeated requests the college agreed to change my centre, but it did end up being a journey over to Ireland, just north of the border to Belfast. In the end it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I took a few days as annual leave after the exam and had an excellent time in Belfast as the Annual Belfast Festival was on.In addition to the festival we also did a coach tour of Belfast city and it was quite an eye opener to see some of the murals and barbed wired fences that existed between communities separating them on religious lines. Saying that the murals have now become more of a tourist attraction but do represent graphic memories of a violent recent past. We also saw some performances at the Odyssey and witnessed the mind blowing opening ceremony of the festival. It was a carnival like atmosphere which culminated in singers and musicians performing in mid air, hanging from cranes.
