BELFAST! :D Even though we crossed a body of water, it’s still UK. I haven’t left the country yet, but I plan to soon!
I woke up at 4:30am and it was pitch black outside and freezing! Ana and I trekked from Queen Margaret Residence to the Main Gates, just making it in time before the bus left. I couldn't believe I actually woke up for this trip.
We made it the Irish Sea ferry by 10:15am. The ferry was a lot nicer than I expected. Kinda reminded me of the Titanic and then I suddenly really, really didn’t want to be on the boat. Too bad I was pushed to go further into the ferry by the crowd of people behind me. Before we plonked down and settled in on the couches, we went out to the deck to see what’s out there. I’m so glad we did because the view was beautiful. Yeah, it was a bit gloomy and chilly. But there were moments where sunlight peeked through the clouds and the sea glittered. Everything was so green. It was just amazing. OH! We also saw a double rainbow! I took it as a good sign. :)
We arrived at the Linen Hostel around 2-ish and checked into the room. We were put into a same-gender (females) room. It had 10 beds and 1 bathroom. I’ve never stayed at a hostel before. It was quite interesting. I haven’t slept in the top bunk since forever. And I never slept in a room with mostly strangers either.
We were so hungry and sleepy. Our growling tummies forced us out to find some grub. We searched everywhere for a place to eat. Everywhere we went, we weren’t satisfied. But soon it took too long so we just settled at Campbell’s. It was known as “Belfast’s Oldest Coffeehouse”. Ehh, I didn’t know if it was just like an advertising gimmick. You know, like how some restaurant’s say “World Famous Burgers”? Anyways, I ordered the sausage, egg and soda potato for 2pounds. The food was an oily yummy mess on a plate, and it hit the spot.
After our “linner,” we went to scope out the city. It was a bummer to find out that many things were closing. When we arrived that the City Hall for a tour, it was already closed. Instead we just walked around the building and looked at the different statues. To our surprise (more so for Erika), we encountered a teenaged couple making out at the base of a statue! Throughout the evening, I noticed there were a LOT of teenagers everywhere. They just sat around the city centre and hung out. And the people here are very affectionate. It was kinda-sorta cute. We explored most of the city. To my surprise, Belfast was kind of small so it was easy to walk to different places. We went to most of the places listed on the map within a few hours. Awesomeness!
By the time it grew dark, we were having trouble finding a place to eat for dinner. At the end, we chose to eat at the Crown Bar. The place was nicely decorated with framed pictures hanging on the walls and it had a homey glow. We all ordered fish and chips because it was the fastest. Lesson learned: I don’t think waiting until we are super hungry to find a place to eat is a good idea. But the fish and chips was came out quickly. I will not lie. I inhaled the whole thing. :)
Around 9ish, I went with Christina and her friends to go to a pub called Auntie Annie’s for a drink. I’ve never really went out to a pub just to get drinks so it was a cool experience. It was so crowded but we were lucky to find a table and seats at the far corner of the pub. It was great because it was kind of away from the big crowds. I had cider. And it’s not like apple cider back home. It had some alcohol in it and I was surprised to find that I liked it. I met Christina’s friends and had a fun time. I just didn’t expect being such a lightweight. I had a pint of cider and I was already tipsy. It was embarrassing to be dozing off while the girls were talking. I couldn’t help it though! ><
The second day at Belfast.
We cheated. =/ We ate McDonald’s for breakfast. And it was sad to say that it was the best meal so far at Belfast. After breakfast we only had a few hours before back into the hostel and meeting up with the people from International Society. Ana wanted to go see C.S. Lewis’s statue and I wanted to do it too. It sucked we didn’t have that much time. We chose to walk over to Queen’s University and the Ulster Museum.
We had so much fun at the Ulster Museum. I definitely learned a lot and kinda understand the history behind Northern and Southern Ireland. We played in the kid’s interaction room for about an hour. There was so much to do! I wrote my name and Vanessa’s name using Egyptian symbols. Ana rebuilt Noah’s ark. Erika tried on a corset. We played with toys that children a few decades that played with. It’s crazy to see how kids back then were entertained with these toys and nowadays it’s all about PSPs and Nintendo DS’s.
When we were back on the bus, I actually socialized outside of the people I know from EAP. Whoo hoo! I spoke with some Chinese girls who thought I was from China. It was definitely weird to be asked whether I was Chinese or not. For a moment, I was afraid that they thought I didn’t look Chinese or something. Haha. We talked about where we went. They took a taxi and went to the castle. From the pictures I’ve seen from their cameras, the castle looked amazing. If I were to go back in time though, I would still have gone to the museum and Queen University. I think it’s the nerds in us.
Belfast was fun, but I was a bit disappointed in how it didn’t really have an Irish feel to it. I’m looking forward to going to Dublin now. :) No more hostels. I think I’m going to have to look into B&Bs or something. This was my first overnight trip, and I think I got the hang of things. I’m excited for more trips to come.
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