Foray into Northern Ireland

After the mounds, we traveled North to Belfast.  This was our first foray into Northern Ireland where things are a little different.  Steve forgot his passport, we were a little concerned we would not be able to get into the "country" but there was no issue.  Since it is part of the UK, you have to use  pounds,  not euros.  The pound is stronger so not a favorable  exchange for us, but the dollar is weaker than both... They also use miles rather than kilometers but everyone uses pints!

The signs in the UK area are a little different - like, instead of "yield" the signs say "give way".  The highway signs that tell you the distance to the next town are like in the US, where the closest town is listed on top, and towns that are father away go down the list.  In the Republic, the town that is closest will be listed on the bottom of the sign.  It takes some getting used to!

 When we went for breakfast in Belfast, there was a meal served on a "bap" which is pronounced "bop" - this is like a floured roll and I will say it's a hit with me - at lunch I had a burger on a bap and it was tasty!  There are other things that are very English, but also a large  mix of Irish and there were places where things were posted in  Gaelic as well.  There is a walking mall and lots of great shops and pubs and it is easy to walk around.  We walked past Queen's University and it was quite beautiful.  

There is a different feel in Belfast - it doesn't feel as at ease as in Dublin.  They don't allow the wearing of sports jerseys in the pubs, and though people were nice and friendly, there was a reserve I didn't feel in Dublin.  It was still a great time and a fun place to visit.  There is a lot to see and do. 

 When we were there, they had the World Firefighter and Police Games going on. I had never heard of them before! The town was inundated with extremely physically fit men and women and there were people from FDNY, Houston Fire Dept, and Las Vegas!  There were probably more - it's a huge event with all kinds of things - badminton, soccer, basketball, arm wrestling - check out the web site it is pretty amazing!  The hotel clerk asked us if we were there for the games and we looked like stupid Americans because  we had no clue!  

Our hotel was great and the vending machine had beer and wine!  We stayed in Belfast for two days and then drove up the coast.