This morning we were up and out of the hotel by 9 AM. Once on the bus we were introduced to our city guide Martin McCrossan, a very experienced guide who absolutely loves Derry. This is a statue signifying the Catholics and Protestants coming together in peace. 
He walked us around the walls of this very old city, 
describing the history of the various sites
as we went.
We gained a much better appreciation of ‘the troubles’ and an even greater appreciation of just how wonderful is peace. We learned about Bloody Sunday (January 30, 1972)and the way in which this was glossed over by the British, and how there is now a multi million dollar inquiry which started in 1998 is being conducted. This first mural
is a tribute to the young girl who was shot in the head as she went out on an errand. The second mural depicts the Bernadette Devlin, 
Member of Parliament for Northern Ireland who went to jail as a result of a conflict in the House. 
We also learned that the border, which is just a few kilometers outside of Derry is rather contentious as Derry is predominantly Catholic, where as the rest of Northern Ireland is Protestant, and The Republic is Catholic. The peace was worked on by a number of individuals, among them a Canadian general. This made all of us stand just a little taller. This Presbyterian Church
which was closed a number of years ago due to damage to the roof is going to be repaired and reopened. Martin saw this as a wonderful sign of the strength that peace has brought. This is a shot of the oldest Shopping Centre. 
Once we completed our tour of the Derry Walls we headed for the new
shopping centre. There was a singer, beautifully face-painted children, food samples and photographers.
Martin was excited by the fact that this shopping centre was now open, and this was a very special day, as the new food court was being officially opened today. This made us instant celebrities as we were the first tourists to visit. It also meant that we had our picture taken for the local paper, and we were invited to partake in lots and lots of free food samples. Despite having just finished breakfast – we all did our part. 
We had the opportunity to meet the 
Mayor—Mary had quite an in-depth conversation with his Honour. 
Then we were off on our own to a beautiful cathedral
that was erected between 1628 and 1633. 
As we walked about we all 
appreciated the wooden carvings on the ends of all the pews, 
the stained glass windows and the cushions on the seats and the floor for kneeling.
From here – some of us walked down the old
Irish street to the Union Hall, 
then back up again checking out all the stores as we went. From here some returned to the hotel via the bus, some walked and some took a cab. All in all it was a really great day. When we returned we met 2 of George’s sisters (he has 3 sisters and many brothers). 
He walked us around the walls of this very old city, 
describing the history of the various sites
as we went.
We gained a much better appreciation of ‘the troubles’ and an even greater appreciation of just how wonderful is peace. We learned about Bloody Sunday (January 30, 1972)and the way in which this was glossed over by the British, and how there is now a multi million dollar inquiry which started in 1998 is being conducted. This first mural
is a tribute to the young girl who was shot in the head as she went out on an errand. The second mural depicts the Bernadette Devlin, 
Member of Parliament for Northern Ireland who went to jail as a result of a conflict in the House. 
We also learned that the border, which is just a few kilometers outside of Derry is rather contentious as Derry is predominantly Catholic, where as the rest of Northern Ireland is Protestant, and The Republic is Catholic. The peace was worked on by a number of individuals, among them a Canadian general. This made all of us stand just a little taller. This Presbyterian Church
which was closed a number of years ago due to damage to the roof is going to be repaired and reopened. Martin saw this as a wonderful sign of the strength that peace has brought. This is a shot of the oldest Shopping Centre. 
Once we completed our tour of the Derry Walls we headed for the new
shopping centre. There was a singer, beautifully face-painted children, food samples and photographers.
Martin was excited by the fact that this shopping centre was now open, and this was a very special day, as the new food court was being officially opened today. This made us instant celebrities as we were the first tourists to visit. It also meant that we had our picture taken for the local paper, and we were invited to partake in lots and lots of free food samples. Despite having just finished breakfast – we all did our part. 
We had the opportunity to meet the 
Mayor—Mary had quite an in-depth conversation with his Honour. 
Then we were off on our own to a beautiful cathedral
that was erected between 1628 and 1633. 
As we walked about we all 
appreciated the wooden carvings on the ends of all the pews, 
the stained glass windows and the cushions on the seats and the floor for kneeling.From here – some of us walked down the old
Irish street to the Union Hall, 
then back up again checking out all the stores as we went. From here some returned to the hotel via the bus, some walked and some took a cab. All in all it was a really great day. When we returned we met 2 of George’s sisters (he has 3 sisters and many brothers). 
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