Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 30

Oct 1

1) Today was a very, very exciting day! Woke up early because we were going to Belfast! 1) To meet my cousin who studies there, and 2) to watch the ice hockey match between the Belfast Giants and the Cardiff Devils. Took the bus from the Swan Pub (near RCSI) straight to Belfast (around 2 hour's drive). Reached the City Hall at around noon.

2) The first reaction I had was that Belfast had, in my opinion, much better architecture than in Dublin 2. Everything looked more intricate and opulent, with ornate carvings along buildings and engravings everywhere. Truly magnificent if you're interested in architecture. The next thing me and my friends quickly noticed was the weather. It wasn't that cold to be honest, but the strong and frequent gusts of wind added greatly to the wind chill factor, making it seem much colder than it probably was.

3) So first, we went inside City Hall, exploring only the ground floor since the other floors were closed. Then we proceeded to search for authentic Irish food, and settled upon a bistro called Robinson's, just opposite Europa Hotel. I tried the traditional Irish stew (the first time since I arrived in Ireland) while my friends had other options. It tasted really good, but was not really filling, if I'm perfectly honest. The meal cost £7, which is quite reasonable, if a little on the expensive side.

4) With our stomachs no longer gnawing, we walked all the way to Queen's University Belfast, where my cousin is studying. We spent a long time at the Botanic Gardens, taking pictures of all the pretty flowers there, before going to the adjacent Palm House, one of the earliest examples of curvilinear cast iron glasshouses. After that, we went to the Ulster Museum, which was about the same time my cousin called to tell me he had arrived. So together we went to Established Coffee, at the Cathedral Quarter, for a cup of joe. I sampled the mocha, which was really rich and aromatic, without the usual artificial sweeteners added and so on.

5) With time running short, my cousin drove me to the SSE Arena Belfast, where the ice hockey match would take place. Got our tickets, before making our way up to find our seats. It was my very first live hockey match (my very first live match to be honest) so I had no idea how it works. It was really fun seeing how pumped up the fans were, to the extent of banging on the drums and chanting songs to boost morale. After a hard fought game that went into overtime, the Belfast Giants were narrowly pipped 3-2 by the Cardiff Devils. That was the end of the night, and we were informed that the bus would arrive in about an hour's time.

6) Having not had dinner yet, we were left with only two options - an upscale Chinese restaurant called the Red Panda, or the less upscale non-Chinese restaurant variant, Pizza Hut. Choosing the latter, we each ordered something different. This time around, my friends all had pizza, while being the rebel, I chose lasagna. It was really satisfying and a perfect tribute to a more or less perfect outing for me. Took the bus home at 11p.m., reached Dublin in the wee hours in the morning, before walking back home as I always do. Tonight was especially chilly, and I only just found out the temperature outside is actually 6 degrees Celsius. Now is nigh on 3 in the morning, and I had intended to go jogging today... Oh well, I guess that has to be scrapped. Or maybe not. Stay tuned!

P.S. LOADS OF PICS SO DON'T BE AFRAID TO KEEP SCROLLING DOWN!