Dancing & Politics in Belfast | Belfast Pocket Guide
I hadn't read much about Belfast but the political history was enough to draw me in - and the fact I could catch a ferry from there across to Scotland for only 30 quid had me sold. So I booked my train ticket and sat down in a dingy railside cafe where I ate a dry raspberry scone and downed a cup of cold black coffee.
I took the trip north in the mid-morning sunshine, the plan being that I would spend a day or two in Belfast, then catch the ferry across to Scotland. I hardly noticed when we crossed the border - although the letterboxes changed colour and the sky seemed to turn a little more grey. The grass outside popped through the snow and ice, melting with the damp dew afresh upon the ground.
My first impression of Belfast was the smells drifting from the fish and chip shops on every corner. The streets were quiet and icy. I couldn't understand the thick Belfast accents that reverberated around me, not to mention the women were all wearing an extraordinary amount of makeup - I later learnt this is a British thing. The street art decorating every wall somehow felt alien at first after two weeks in a small town in medieval Ireland. I would find out later the art adorning the walls of the city was mainly political.
In Ireland, there were people everywhere laughing and dancing and drinking but in the UK, people don't really stop to chat. As I carefully navigated my way to the hostel, I imagined how much it would hurt to slip and fall flat on my ass. I tentatively made my way to the central city along the icy streets.
By that afternoon I'd checked into my hostel, and discovered it was full of Australians. I befriended a small group of people comprised of Aussies, an American and a Dutch girl, and chaos ensued. I remember a lot of dancing. I remember drinking a lot of cheap wine and bitching about boys with Sheree in the hostel kitchen. I remember Tanner and Angela looking on in what I think was part concern part laughter as Noel and I had a drunken snow fight at 3 am in the morning. I remember wandering aimlessly with Emma in our quest to find Indian food and winding up lost in the dodgy end of town. I remember a walking tour where my hands just about froze off it was so cold. I remember walking through a Christmas market in the central city, past a stall selling kangaroo meat - I remember Dan, one of the Australians, crying out in dismay.
Oh my god, they're eating Skippy!
I remember drinking a lot of Guinness and I remember an old man who'd been working in the same pub since the 1960s telling me he pours the best pint in the world. I remember it tasted like syrup, and I remember the band playing Crowded House and jumping around so much I thought I might puke.
Giant’s Causeway
On my second to last day, I headed up to Giant's Causeway on a bus tour and was amazed at how alike the landscape was to the South Island of New Zealand.
Legend has it that the causeway is a bridge-like structure built by the Irish giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill, so he could fight his Scottish foe Benandonner. There's a causeway directly opposite in Scotland as if the two areas are actually the remains of a bridge. There a several different legends about the causeways - many of which have been lost to time. Some believe the causeway were stepping stones for the Fomorians, who were allegedly supernatural creatures that came from the sea. Another more popular tale is that Fionn Mac Cumhaill discovered Benandonner was a lot bigger than him. Terrified, he had his wife disguise him as a baby. When Benandonner came across the seas he found what he assumed was Fionn's child, saw his foe was "a giant among giants" and fled back across the Irish Sea - destroying the causeway as he went so Fionn couldn't chase him down.
A Quick Guide to Belfast
What to see in Belfast
A day trip to the Giant's Causeway is a must. I'm not usually one for bus tours but we only paid about 20 quid and it took us all over the very tip of the isle. We saw a lot of the set from Game of Thrones including different castles and ruins, and other bits and pieces.
If a bus tour really isn't your thing make sure you book a walking tour. The tour I went on was a free one that shows tourists around the city and gives you a little information about the street art and political history. When I head back, the first thing I'm booking is a political tour - The Conflicting Stories Tour is run by Republican and ex-loyalist political prisoners so you get both sides of the story. The infamous Peace Wall is also an absolute must - did you know it's still closed and locked every night?
Where to stay in Belfast
I stayed at Global Village. During my four months of travel, this hostel was definitely one of my favourites. Heed my advice though - if you don't like to party, stay elsewhere. Otherwise bottoms up!
What to try in Belfast
Make sure you try a pint of Guinness at Robinsons Bar in town - it's the best pint you'll ever have. No joke.