I was in Belfast only for a few days and had lots of trips planned and places to see. But one part of my trip really stood out and that was the Black Taxi tour I took. I’d seen Belfast on the news and in the press and was familiar with some of the sights and murals and was really looking forward to getting a closer look.

My driver arrived at my hotel as arranged and right from the start I knew I’d made a great decision in booking the tour.

The International Wall, Falls Road, Shankill Road and the Peace Wall were the focus of my tour and my driver answered my questions and spoke with local knowledge about these places – I really felt like I wasn’t being told just ‘one side’ of the story, but was given a balanced view from a personal perspective.

I found the background to the International Wall really interesting and took time to take some fantastic photographs. The photograph I have of the Peace Wall is one I will also cherish – having written my own message of hope and peace there.

I also wanted to simply take a drive up and down the world famous Falls and Shankill Roads – to see people going about their daily lives against the backdrop of images I’d seen on the news so many times. My driver chatted and pointed out places of significance along the way and stopped off for more photographs.

Belfast is such a great city with a wide range of things for visitors and tourists to do – it has came such a long way in recent years, but for me getting a ‘real’ feel of the city and its past was important too.