Belfast

Friday, November 6, we got into Belfast with about two hours to spare before dinner so a few of us went out to explore the city. Abby, Andy, Casey, Toby, and I walked by Belfast City Hall and The Belfast Wheel. We ended up going into a mall that had a giant globe on top. We were able to go up and take pictures which was a ton of fun because they light the globe up at night. After wandering for a little bit longer we went back to the hotel for dinner which was pretty interesting as there was a mirror at one end of the room that had most of us looking at ourselves throughout dinner. Toby thought it would be fun to take a picture of us in it and he ended up using my camera because his wasn't turning out. After dinner Charity, Patrick, Andy and I wandered around trying to find a pub for about an hour, they aren't as easy to come by as they are in Dublin. We ended up at a place called The Beaten Docket where we met up with Jon and Kyle. It was karaoke night and the place was filled with a bunch of middle aged adults. We kept to ourselves and had quite a bit of fun.

Saturday after a full Irish Breakfast at the hotel we went on a double decker bus tour of Belfast. I was toward the back of the line with some of my friends so we ended up on the lower saloon of the bus, but it worked out in our favor as it was freezing outside. We only got pictures at the places where the bus stopped but we weren't popsicles by the end of the tour so it was ok. We had the entire afternoon free to just explore the city so we all went our separate ways. Abby, Casey, Teri, Kyle, Jon, Brady, Chris, Charity, and I all set out together to find St. George's Market. The market is indoors and there were a ton of food vendors, a few craft vendors, and even a mini petting zoo in the back. Casey and I got nutella and strawberry crepes for lunch and they were absolutely delicious. Teri discovered the petting zoo and then the guys had fun checking it out. We ended up going back to the mall so that everyone who hadn't been with us the night before could check out the globe. Casey took my camera and had fun taking candids of everyone for a bit. Once we finished there we went to Belfast City Hall for a tour. The building was absolutely gorgeous inside and it had only been open to the public for four weeks as it had been undergoing refurbishments for two years. I found the Johnston name again on an Honor Roll list in the building for those who had served in the Great War. After the tour we headed back to the hotel for a nap before dinner. Once dinner was complete a big group of us headed for The Beaten Docket for an night of friends, drinks, and great conversation. At one point Jeff, Abby, Katie, Erin, and I all ended up on the dance floor which was ton of fun.

Sunday we were due to head back to Dublin but not without a stop by the Northern Ireland Parliament Building first. All in all the weekend was extremely informative and educational in what has been going on in Northern Ireland in recent years. I was completely exhausted by the end of it, but I gleaned more from it than I ever dreamed I would.