Where are the guys with guns I was promised??? Aka Northern Ireland is almost exactly the same as the Republic but with stupider money. Pt 1

*Note- Picture is of Ulster Fry referenced at the bottom

So we got up pretty early, like 7 ish. I know this isn’t that early but when you’re trying to sleep in a hostel it is really really early. First thing on the list was showering and it was only a little sketchy as they had separate men’s and women’s bathrooms. A lite breakfast of toast and jam, instant coffee, cereal was provided. You had to wash your own dishes, and most people even did.

It was still around 9 when we got back to the car park, somehow it was like 32 euro and we died inside a little. With car back in our possession we went back to the hostel collected our bags and got back on the road. It was only 136 km (85 miles) to Belfast from Dublin. We assumed it would take a lot longer being that we would probably have to let men with guns cavity search us, but it was a risk we were prepared to take.

The road to Belfast were good quality, almost like a highway here. It did end up taking us like 3 hours to get there, however this way more due to people not knowing how to merge then anything else. In fact, we didn’t realize we were in Northern Ireland until we saw that the gas prices had changed to pounds sterling rather then euros. /s.t.a.t.

Anyway so we get to Belfast and its kinda run down, bleak, like a town you see in all the movies about people who rise above their situations and make good. The original plan was to take a “black taxi” and listen to the cabbie talk while he gave us the tour. After 20 minutes of being lost as anything we decided to pull over get some lunch and ask for directions at the same time.

After a bit of walking we see a deli but they don’t take credit cards, so they direct us to the nearest ATM. Its in a grocery about 3 blocks down so we do our business and come back. Its so cheap we splurge and each get something. Tracy got Chicken Tikka Masala sandwich, I got garlic turkey and mike got a ham and turkey panini. Now garlic “whatever” does not, in most instances, mean covered with garlic or garlic flavored as you might think. What it does mean is a weird dressing similar to Mayo that is decidedly reminiscent of garlic.

This was the first time we were introduced to the concept of a Fry. There are two types of Frys to be found in Ireland: the traditional Fry and the Ulster Fry. The Ulster type is mostly found in Northern Ireland and surrounding areas. It includes 2 strips of bacon, eggs done sunny side up, 2 sausage links, a triangle shaped piece of soda bread cut in half (like a bun), mushrooms, a wedge of tomato, potato bread, and sometimes a single pancake thrown in for good measure. All of this is fried on a grill and put on a plate. As soon as I saw it I knew it would have to be mine, but being stuffed after only half my sandwich it was going to have to wait for another time.

Why the face?!? aka Dublin, no one likes you pt 2

After lunch is a little blurry (I waited to long to try to recall the hijinxs). I know we went back to the parking garage, then back to the hostel to put our bags in our rooms. We wandered a bit more but Ireland as a whole packs everything but the pubs up after 5. Thus we ended up at a bar, it was nice enough until a guy pushed open the door and let his 3 children run in… the best thing was he didn’t even come in. They each had cups and ran around shouting trick or treat. While they were all in costume, it a bar several nights before Halloween actual so no one had candy. A couple people gave them money before the bar tender wrangled them out back to their father.

Since we had a late lunch we stopped at McDonald’s for an evening kid’s meal. The best thing about Irish McD's is that they look at you like you're a crazy person when you order your burger with katchup and mustard only. The lady that took our order actually had to go back and tell the cook that it wasn't a joke she needed that burger. Eventually we were victorious! Then and after that we went to a grocery and picked up batteries, beverages, and a knife. The knife was only because they didn't sell scissors there are far as we could tell.

We grabbed regular cider, fruit flavored cider, and some Guiness for Mike. Then we headed back to the hostel for a planning session. The room was 4 bunk beds so we could’ve had roommates, but one of the reasons we took the trip when we did is its off season in earnest. Its just as well we were alone in that room. I'd always wondered what the ball looked like in the Guiness cans but I'd always been concerned about messing up a knife. Here I was with a 3 euro knife! Turns out its a plastic ball about the size of a ball used for jacks and it looks like frosted glass.

A guy on our floor who did have a roommate almost killed him. About 4 in the am we were wakened by shouts and clomping of feets. Apparently these two guys were each traveling alone, but ended up being assigned to the same room. Guy A just wanted to sleep and Guy B just wanted to talk to Guy A about how cool Ireland was. I really am surprised there wasn’t more violence, but Guy B was fast and good at running in circles just our of reach.

End Day 2