Hello faithful readers. First some good news – my torn calf muscle has now been healed for a while and I’m back to my sporty-self again. Now for the not-so-great news: my boss has yet to reach the half-way mark of my thesis that I handed-in in February. More good news: I have lots of free time to travel around without feeling the slightest bit guilty, although not nearly enough vacation nor the budget for it. Still, I managed to swing a trip to Northern Ireland towards the end of March. To get the cheap flight I had to head out the day after St. Paddy’s Day, but my liver probably thanks me.
I had a lovely (or grand as they like to say) time in Belfast and Derry meeting friendly people, having a few pints, and seeing beautiful cliffs and coastlines as well as learning a lot about the recent if dark Northern Irish history. I started out in Belfast at a very welcoming hostel (Arnie’s backpackers in case you ever pass through). Hostel highlights were definitely the coal fire and free tea. They even had a boiling water spout in the kitchen for instant tea since they make so much of it which I thought was pretty cool.
Coal fire to warm you up after the biting Irish wind and rain:
The hostel was only a few minutes from Queen’s University:
Belfast isn’t the fanciest city, but is reasonably inexpensive, down-to-earth and fun. One claim-to-fame is that it’s where the Titantic was built ( “she was alright when she left here”).
Model Titantic at Belfast City Hall
Although most of the violence from “the Troubles” (the unrest from the late 1960s and 1998) is more or less over, the highly political Protestant and Catholic murals, painted curbstones and the so-called “Peace walls” are visible reminders of the extreme segregation that still exists between the two groups.
The Europa hotel - the most bombed building in the world which is where most of the paparazzi stayed during the Troubles
One “Peace wall”
A hopeful message for the future (VB = Victoria Bitter, Australia’s favourite beer)
Belfast’s city hall is pretty impressive. Recent renovations succeeded in achieving a high-tech building which still looks as if it belongs in the 19th century. Below are pics from the outside as well as an interior stained glass window.
One of the neatest things were these chandeliers, which are electronically-controlled such that they can lower each wire individually to replace a light bulb if necessary.
Just outside of Belfast is Cave Hill, a beautiful park which offers great views of the city.
My friends got a little far away when I stopped to tie my shoe, but it makes for a nice silhouette against the landscape.
I also made it South of Belfast to Newcastle which is next to the sea, with a stop at some picturesque ruins along the way. At a seaside cafe I also tried my first “ knickerboxer glory” . Yes, it sounds strange but is actually a multi-layered ice cream creation which is a mix of fruit, jello and vanilla ice cream. I’m happily about to dig into mine here.
In addition to the scenery (and the not-so-well-known ice cream), I love the Irish accent and their own turn of phrase. Everything is softened and more affectionate somehow. To stay (eat-in in a restaurant) is “ar yew sittin’ in then?”. A bathroom break is a “comfort stop”. And hang on is “just give me a wee moment”. Going into a shop you get affectionately called “luv”, “darling” or “dear”. There are interesting ones too, as I learned the other day from an Irish friend of mine who calls muffins “fairy cakes”.
I also enjoyed most of the food I tried including scones with butter and jam, well-made tea, Irish stew and potato farls. I didn’t have a chance to try the Irish whiskey (with “ey”, as opposed to Scottish whisky), but it is apparently very smooth and less smoky than the Scottish whisky since it is distilled 3 times instead of twice.
I would be remiss if I didn’t show at least one picture of the ubiquitous Guinness. The Guinness really does taste better in Ireland, probably because it’s fresher since they go through hundreds of pints a night and can give you a perfect pour every time.
The pub scene is great and they have fun names such as “Kelly’s cellar” and “Fibbers McGee” (I have yet to meet anyone named Fibbers though). Almost everywhere has live music, and at least one person generally has enough liquid courage to start up the dance floor as it approaches midnight. One evening I teamed up with a motley crew including an Australian from Tasmania who insisted on being called the “Tassie Devil”, a male nurse and a Swiss woodworker who makes alphorns by hand. It was pretty freezing inside most of the pubs since they kept their doors open but you can see that we were all having a good time.
Still to come in the next post: Giant’s Causeway and County Derry.
