The European Extravaganza!

The BelFAST update

OK, so when we last left off, we were still in Dublin. No longer the case. We're in Belfast and getting ready to head off for Scotland in a couple of hours.

So, what has happened since we last wrote? Well, the fish and chips in Dublin far surpass those from Holyhead, so that debate can be put to bed. Of course, the massive helping there managed to put us into carb/potatoe/huge pieces of fish overload, and we are now sticking to a strict "curry-only" diet!

The big highlight of the day when we left Dublin was actually doing laundry. We've been doing most of it in the sink since Prague, so it was nice to do a proper load. It was a good way to use up some of our euros, since they are no longer good. Of course, I also put mine to good use on sweets as well...

Bought tickets to catch the train up from Dublin to Belfast as our passes don't work here. Thankfully the prices aren't too high (only about 33 euros for the ticket... try saying it with an Irish accent; it's fun!). When we reached Belfast, we walked to our hostel, and then went to get some food. We happened upon a great little kebab/Indian take-away shop, which we made our daily haunt. The prices were good and the food even better, so we didn't feel to bad about it. Like I said, it seems as though the Irish want to prove they have rebounded from the Potatoe Famine beautifully and give you about 5 with every meal!

It's quite cold here in Belfast (think October in Toronto), so we've been bundling up as best we can. Mom & Dad, I hope you don't mind if I use your credit card to splurge on some new jeans as the ones I brought are literally falling off of me and apart on me (I experimented last night to see if I could remove them without unbuttoning them... and yes, I can...). Our first night, we shared the hostel room (very tiny) with a very frightening man that we dubbed "Dracula O'Toole". He was a native of Belfast, and creepy as heck! He came in and said that "we should be getting to bed", then demanded that I remove my bag from the bunk, and then when I scurried out of the room to change, dropped his pants in full view of Laura. Scary! He also, spoke in a slow stilted manner, and said that Belfast was one of the most interesting cities we would visit and that there was nowhere else like it (imagine huge "...." between each word). When I said it seemed like a nice place to walk around, he made this "not really... I am going to kill you" face. We were very relieved to see him gone after the first night.

One good suggestion however was to take a black cab tour of the city's murals. We had been planning to do so anyway, but we definitely had a good time. Our cabbie, Walter, took us around Belfast and showed us all the political/historical/religious murals painted by the two communities (Catholic and Protestant, for those of you not in the know). He was great, and after one mean-spirited camera gag (he pretended to drop mine), we got to hear all the gruesome stories as well as take tons of pictures. Afterwards, he really just reinforced for us that Belfast, although interesting, is still pretty scary. When we visited the "Peace Wall" which divides the two neighbourhoods, you could see all these burnmarks and dents in it from explosives in recent years. It was so strange! Just more proof that religion causes nothing but trouble (with a capital T)! I think it was definitely wise that we took the tour with Walter (and some other tourists) because then you don't feel so exposed when you're taking pictures and asking questions.

Once that was done, we ventured on a Bailey's pub tour, where we visited 6 of Belfast's historical pubs. Our tour guide, was an older woman named Robyn, who rocked! She told us that if she slowed down in front of shoe store windows we should just give her a prod. As if! Anyway, we ended up chatting with this adorable Irish couple (it was the woman's birthday) about our trip, and it was just a very positive experience. Plus, we got a complementary glass of Bailey's, which is a far better reward than a pint of Guinness! So sweet, like candy! Mmmmm.... We should have tried to pilfer more. Our favourite pub was this one that was all literary themed (what a surprise!)... although we were a bit aghast to realize that from afar, Oscar Wilde looks a bit too much like Severus Snape (sob!).

We went back to our favourite little takeaway shop, where we chatted with the staff and were gifted with a free bottle of Coke. Save for Dracula, everyone has been very friendly here, and the people really seem to be making Belfast a far better place than it would be otherwise!

Yesterday, we made a day trip of visiting The Giant's Causeway. It probably shouldn't have taken us all day to get there, see it, and get back, but it was a Sunday which meant that the rail and bus service was hugely diminished. On the train ride over, we had to share a compartment with the most frightful family. One of the daughters was about three times a child her age's normal size and wearing pants that sat so low they could not conceal the crack of her bottom (whether standing or squating). The youngest daughter's eyes rolled about madly in her head and she repeated the same sound over and over again, much to her father's annoyance (which he showed by smacking her and strapping her into a stroller). We think there were definite mental problems at work there, as the mother was the only one who seemed to speak English, and did so in a very slow and stilted manner as though it was difficult for her. We have no idea what the other 3 were speaking, but they certainly rank as the most terrifying people we have encountered along the way. I suppose that is the nasty side of the "class system" at work. In more pleasant news, we got to ride along the Northern coast on the top of a double decker bus (open top), the wind whipping at our hair. It was very much like the scene in the first Bridget Jones movie where she and Daniel are on minibreak and she winds up with the huge frightful hair... But so beautiful! The coast is gorgeous, and we both agree that if we were to return to Ireland, it would be to see more of the countryside since it is clearly Ireland's real draw.

We can't say enough good things about the Giant's Causeway. Although they looked a bit freaky on the web, they were really cool up close. Laura could hardly stop taking pictures, and we both amused ourselves with the little tide pools and lounging about on the warm rocks in our best impressions of lizards. After spending a good deal of our time in cities (although they are quite varied in the UK), it was nice to spend some time in the countryside and be right next to the water. We don't quite understand the people who were swimming in it, but maybe this is warm for them! We were actually lucky to have such nice sunny weather, as it can get very windy and it would have been far less enjoyable if we had been swept out to sea or crushed by falling rocks. As we climbed the steep incline back to our bus, we kept repeating our mantra: Climber's Legs!

It's off to Scotland today; we're catching the ferry from the port here in Belfast to Stranraer, and then catching the train to Stirling. Tomorrow we'll visit the Monty Python Castle, and then make our way to Fort Williams where soon enough we'll be on the Hogwart's Express! Eeeee! Now, if only we could get our hands on some Ice Mice and Bertie Bott's... Honestly, Marks and Spencers... why have you let us down?

posted by Steph @ 8:48 am