Goodbye Dublin, Hello Belfast

Out with the old, in with the new.

Today we hopped a bus from Dublin to Northern Ireland - Belfast, specifically.  The bus ride was pretty painless as there weren't many stops and the scenery was nice.  I know now why lamb is an option at most restaurants and shops as most of the countryside as occupied by sheep.

The city of Belfast definitely has a slower pace of life than the hustle and bustle of Dublin.  It has a more authentic, small town feel for sure.  The hostel we're staying at (Arnie's Backpackers) is comfortable and the people have been very welcoming and hospitable.  we got placed on the third floor which is only accessible through a narrow and steep set of stairs that is a blast to climb with a thirty pound pack. After unloading we took a stroll around the city and sat around City Hall for a bit.

An old white guy

It turns out only a thing of crackers in the morning makes you really hungry at around 5 so we saw a restaurant that cook up spuds and we figured that if there was a place that should be able to make a mean potato it would be Ireland. A potato never tasted so good, but that could have been the ravenous hunger.

The City overall has a completely different personality to Dublin. While Dublin seems like it was always a large city, Belfast seems to have first been a small town that was centered around the City Hall and a few Churches then had building come up around it. You can see a modern sky scraper right beside a church that looks like it is hundreds of years old. Sometimes it isn't a church at all, but rather a shopping mall.

Church or shopping center?

Queens University is near our hostel and it is breath taking. I couldn't imagine attending a university that every time you step into a building you are stepping into a piece of history.

Even though we have only been here a few hours I think it is safe to say we are excited to see the rest of the town. Till next time, by the way, I need to give Dave credit for the first part of the blog post. He will be updating periodically as well.

Real quick, We saw this and decided to let Zach get a glimpse at his dream car. This is for you Buddy.