Faux Ireland

Hard to believe we're into March already. This term is flying by and continued to do so over the weekend as I was in Northern Ireland. I flew in Friday night to unbelievably strong winds and after getting lost on the streets of Belfast at 11pm, finally ended up at the hostel. Very nice hostel appearance wise, but was more of a hotel than a hostel. Tough to meet people and the rooms were horribly cramped.

Saturday was spent getting up early to go on a day tour to the Giant's Causeway, among other "sights" of the country. We first stopped at a small castle for a photo opportunity, then made our way along the coastal highway to a place called Carrick-a-Rede. The drive along the coast was beautiful and incredibly scenic. At Carrick-a-Rede, we were told that we could cross a rope bridge connecting the mainland to an island. Described by our guide as the 2nd best attraction in Northern Ireland, I was excited. Unfortunately, my dreams were crushed as excessive winds and rain killed any chance of crossing the bridge. Nonetheless, the chance to sit right beside the cliffs and look out over the ocean while alone with your thoughts made for a peaceful moment, something I seem to rarely have this term.

At our next stop, the oldest whiskey distillery in the world, I noticed that my camera batteries were nearly dead. Thinking pro-actively, I headed to the nearest shop and picked up new ones so I would be ready for the Giant's Causeway. We arrived at the causeway and I made my 1.5 kilometer trek to the actual sight. Along the way, I put in my new batteries and threw out my old ones. As I got to the sight, I went to turn on my camera, only to find it say Low Battery. I tried the other 2 batteries in the set of 4 and had similar results. My thinking ahead had left me with a nearly dead camera at the one location in Northern Ireland that I wanted pictures.

Luckily, I was able to turn on the camera and quickly snap a couple of pictures before it completely died. As well, some random American guy took a couple pics for me and emailed them to me. Very nice of him to do that, since I was basically SOL. I really enjoyed the tour as it gave you a lot of time at each place. I spent an hour sitting on the causeway watching the waves crash into the rocks. Great area for reflection and I can't wait to revisit it one day.

Sunday was spent hanging around the city centre and going on a bus trip to see all the city has to offer. It was a pretty surreal visit, since there isn't much in the way of tourism in Belfast. There has only really been 'peace' for 3 years and their tourism industry is growing at an unbelievably rapid pace. I'm really not an expert on the political affairs of Northern Ireland, so I won't try to be, but hearing and seeing how the city is constructed is very different from other places I've visited. Every major political / economic / public forces building has bomb/bullet proof glass and is usually surrounded by huge concrete walls. Each neighbourhood has a large brick wall surrounding their area, with a huge gate at the front entrance, which is closed and secured nightly. Buildings covered in bullet holes and bomb blast marks still stand. Pubs pull gates down over the windows at night and the only way you can tell a place is open is to hear the sound of music inside. While I'm describing all these aspects, it should be mentioned that despite all of this, it's a fantastic place to visit. All the locals are friendly to tourists and even if you were to venture into the less safe areas of town, I'm sure you would be fine.

This week will be filled as always. Tomorrow night, we're going to a filming of a game show called Duel. Wednesday, I'll be at Stamford Bridge for a second visit. This time, I'll be seeing a Champions League match between Chelsea and a Greek team called Olympiakos. Thursday, I was hoping to go to a restaurant I had heard about called Archipelago, but unfortunately, they were fully booked. I only mention this because this place serves some types of food I've never tried before, notably Zebra, Wildebeest and Kangaroo. I can't wait to try some kangaroo. This weekend is in Cardiff and Bristol.

Cheers.