PS: There are only two more weeks until Bowling Green State University’s Dance Marathon! Please help us raise money for Children’s Miracle Network! The link on the right of my profile links you to my Sorority’s (Phi Mu) donation page for Dance Marathon! Remember it’s For The Kids (FTK)!!!!!
Thanks!
-A
So we finally made it to the bus station after stopping at Starbucks, like I said before when a little bit of home is available you have to indulge haha. We enjoyed our breakfast and then it was time to board the bus. It’s about a 2 hour bus ride up to Belfast from Dublin. The bus itself was pretty nice. It was a charter bus and it was fairly empty, so there weren’t too many distractions or disruptions. The bus ride was fairly uneventful. I tried to sleep, but who wants to sleep and let Ireland pass you by? The landscape was beautiful and so green. I saw numerous sheep and horses. Also there are mountains, I think they qualified as mountains or just really big hills haha, at one point that were simply amazing. Every now and then you could catch a glimpse of the ocean on our way North.
Here’s some quick information one must know before we get into Belfast. It’s in Northern Ireland which is part of the UK so the currency is the Pound. Also, while some may not admit to it, there is still some strong feelings about the separation of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Some believe there should be a unification of the two parts while others are loyal to the Crown. Belfast also has a rocky history of turmoil and unrest. They are working past their dark history and working to improve their city. The main college in Belfast is Queen’s University, which was founded by Queen Victoria in 1845 and opened in 1849. Also the RMS Titanic was built in Belfast “Built by Irishmen and Sunk by Englishmen” is a popular saying seen a lot more of recent due to the 100 year anniversary of the ship sinking.
On with the story…
We arrived around 10 AM and had to find our hostel. We were staying at Arnie’s Backpackers which is just down the street from Queen’s University. It’s a bit of a hike from the bus station though. We made it finally and checked in. What’s neat about staying at a backpacker’s lodge is that the staff are students or travelers traveling Europe or studying at the local university. The guy that checked us in that day is from Detroit, Michigan! What are the odds!? It was cool to see someone from the States that knew the area well and could tell us the cool places to visit. So Akasha and I went out for lunch, after getting some money.. The Pound is a funky currency.. Just saying. So we ended up grabbing some Fish and Chips at a place that won “Best Fish N’ Chips in Belfast” It was alright, let’s say we didn’t go back haha. Then we wandered the main part of the city and found the current City Hall and the Victoria Square. My goodness what a mall!!! It was both an Indoor and Outdoor mall. So many stores to visit and they had an Apple Store! Which means free wifi! Haha. We spent some time there then headed back to find a place with Trads music (recall from the previous post that Trads is Traditional music).
We were told of a great pub on the other side of town called Madden’s with great music. So we set out that way after looking up directions. It was a good 30-45min walk and we arrived to where our directions led us. A parking lot. Confused we asked the guy working the parking lot if he knew of the pub. He said no and that the only bar was the one across the way. It didn’t look like our type of bar so we decided to go into the mall that was right there. Hoping there was free wifi to look up directions again was a lost cause. Finally I walked up to the info desk and asked the very nice lady if the Pub still existed. She was so excited about the pub it was hilarious! She said to go out the doors opposite we walked in on and it would be right across the street. Sure enough it was! An odd thing about this pub is that you have to be buzzed in. No biggie though they let everyone in. Akasha and I walked in expecting to hear music and for there to be a crowd. That was not the case. We were the only “Outsiders” there. The bartenders were very nice though and pretty much took us under their wings. Barry and Declan are their names if you’re going anytime. They taught us Gaelic and the history of Belfast. They also asked us a bunch of questions about our time abroad and such. It ended up being a great time, no music that night though except for the two guys playing pipes and drum which was cool. Declan showed us the upstairs which where they have a whole other bar for Trads nights which happened to be Friday’s and not Thursday’s. It’s really neat and I def recommend going there if you get the chance. We also met a few of the local patrons to the pub and they were all nice. Who turns down a free drink or two because you chose to visit Ireland? Not us haha. They also showed us this freaky looking drink, which I can tell you I would NEVER drink in my lifetime or the next. It was a bottle with some kind of alcohol, not even the Barry knew what it was as it’s been there for many years, that had a Snake eating itself. GROSS! It didn’t smell very good either. The night finally wound down and Declan got us a cab back to our hostel.
Freaky Drinks.. EWW!!
The next day we spent taking a bus tour of Belfast. That was really cool. You get to hear all about the history and see some interesting sites. One place in particular I remember is the former City Hall in Ulster. It was destroyed by the locals and continues to be vandalized to this day. Across the way from the former City Hall is the former prison where a child died. Since the child’s death laws were placed against having children and adults in the same cells let alone prisons. Another interesting bit of history we learned was about the Europa Hotel. It is considered the most bombed hotel in Europe. It was bombed 33 times and numerous more were found and diffused during the “Trouble Times”. After the tour we went shopping for a bit in Victoria Square and I Skyped my dad and best friend from just outside the Apple Store of course. Afterwards Akasha and I went to lunch at The Kitchen Bar per a suggestion by Declan the night before. It was DELCIOUS! I had the Roast of the Day which was Chicken and came with potatoes a salad and Soda Bread. Akasha had a flat bread pizza and we split a bowl of Irish Stew and Soda Bread. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Irish Stew and Soda Bread!? It’s divine! After our meal we were overly stuffed and people watched for a while. It’s amazing how different the style is in Ireland in general compared to Austria. It’s more laid back in ways and in others its very stylish and put together. I definitely saw more hoodies and sweats in Ireland than anywhere in Austria. However there is still the sense of “getting ready for the day” and “looking your best” there. I might also add that there are quite a few handsome men that were walking around that day haha!
After we sat around for a bit we went to the “New City Hall” to meet up for a Ghost tour of Belfast. Needless to say that didn’t happen. Thank goodness. It was sketchy at best but something good did come out of not meeting up for the tour. We met a church group that had a member from Toledo there! How crazy is that! She even went to school in Texas! Small world yet again. Also the leader of the group that night, who was a native of Belfast, had actually been to Cedar Pointe! Very cool. So we talked for a bit then decided to call it an early night since we had to meet an early, 6AM, bus back to Dublin the next day. So we headed back to the hostel and it was drizzling and pretty dark. As Queen’s University came into view you would have thought you were transported to Hogwarts! It looks so cool at night!
We were in a bit early and decided to take advantage of the free internet. NETFLIX works in Ireland!! I may have died a bit and gone to heaven. So I watched an ep of Fawlty Towers since we were technically in the UK then packed up so that I wouldn’t wake our roommates up in the morning.
The next morning we set out for the bus station, remember it was a bit of a hike from the hostel, and it was POURING down rain. We didn’t know a number for a cab so we walked. We were soaked to the bone but made it. We boarded the bus for Dublin and fell asleep.
Next up Cork!!
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