25 June: Peace Bridge opens!

One of the first events we heard about when we found out we'd be in Derry this summer was the opening of the Peace Bridge, a pedestrian bridge connecting the downtown to the Waterside. Our townhouse is on the Waterside, so we have been excited for the opening. Two annual summer events, the Carnival of Colours (in our favorite St Columb's Park) and the One World Festival (in Guildhall Square, just outside the city walls) were planned to coincide with the bridge opening this year. The Walled City Market, an open air market that usually has stalls in Guildhall Square once a month, had an extra weekend date for the bridge opening.

We started our morning by taking the bus to town. We (ok, I) shopped the market, getting some curry sauces, a pair of earrings, and an art print. We walked into the Diamond, the area inside the walls, for lunch and, then walked through the Craft Village and Guildhall Square to listen to live music. We especially enjoyed local musician and DJ Aidan Logan. We rode the bus to St Columb's to see the Carnival. M enjoyed an improv group's tennis match. Steve got to see the playground for the first time.

At about 3:30pm, we joined the queue to cross the bridge for the first time. Halfway across, we saw and said hello to Caroline, who had given us a ride home from the Derry FC game last Friday! The long queues on both sides of the river spoke to how excited Derry citizens are to have the bridge to connect the Cityside (traditionally Catholic) with the Waterside (traditionally Protestant). We were glad to be able to celebrate with Derry. After crossing, we had an early dinner at Wetherspoon's before walking back across the river. On our second crossing, we saw our landlord and his assistant. We stopped back at the Carnival and then walked home.