Northern Ireland: Belfast, Carrick-A-Rede and Valeries scones

Hello everyone! Hard to believe that I'm back at my apartment after traveling to the opposite end of the island and seeing and experiencing some of the most amazing things I will probably ever see! Bear with me as this will be a longer post.  So many things to talk about!

For those of you who don't know, I traveled all the way to Belfast in Northern Ireland this weekend.  It was about 6 hours of travel on a bus.  Since Belfast is in Northern Ireland we had to switch buses in Dublin and catch another one up to Belfast to cross the border.  We also got to use the pound instead of the euro!

You may be wondering who Valerie is in the title of this post.  Valerie and Gary Maloney are a couple that I know from my church in Cambridge, Minnesota.  I also grew up going to church with their two sons.  They are living in Belfast for 4 years working for Youth for Christ.  They were kind enough to invite me and two of my friends (Bridget and Tierney) into their home for the weekend.  What a blessing it was to have people who knew the area and nice people at that!

We arrived in Belfast late on Thursday evening and almost the minute we walked in the door, Valerie  offers us tea and biscuits!  We of course accept it and begin our weekend of yummy treats and tea.  On Friday, Gary had to work so Valerie was gracious enough to show us around Belfast.  I can't tell you how nice it was to have our own personal tour guide!  The first thing she brought us to see was St. George's Market.  It is an indoor market with all different kinds of stalls from ethnic food to hamburgers and antiques to hand knit baby clothes.  So many sights and smells and we loved it!  We ended up having our first traditional Irish stew there and for cheap too.  As a food lover I thoroughly approve of Irish stew :)

Next we went to Victoria Square which is a large shopping center that is technically outdoors because it has no outer walls but it has a huge dome for a roof.  Its hard to explain but it was really cool.  In the center you can take the elevator to the top and see a panoramic view of the city, which we did of course.  It was amazing to see how far the city stretches and fun to listen to Valerie talk about the landmarks.  Next we walked to the Albert Memorial clock, named after none other than Prince Albert, and snapped a few pictures.  Then we headed to one of the most famous buildings in Belfast, City Hall.

There are many things that are significant about city hall including its history and what it is used for.  The few things that stuck out to me were 1) The same craftsmen carved the wood around the deputy chiefs chair also carved the wood workings on the Titanic. 2) The pillars in the rotunda are from Greece.  3) There is a cabinet in the great room that was meant for the Titanic but wasn't finished in time.  4) It took 8 years to build and cost 369,000 pounds.  It was very cool to see the inside and all the little details that someone was adamant about putting in that specific spot.  We also went into a room that is used today for government meetings and sat in their pews!

That evening we also drove over to the Titanic Quarter where the Titanic was built.  There were lit up outlines of the ship on the ground to show how big it really was.  It took us awhile to walk the length of it.  They also have a museum there and the building is made with an exact replica of the size of the bow coming out of the corners of the building.  It was a big ship!

                                                          Irish stew in St. Georges Market

Victoria Square

On the center viewing deck in Victorias Square

                                                                           City Hall


Our evenings with the Maloneys consisted of good conversation, games of farkle and phase ten and delicious food and of course desserts and tea.  It was fun for me to hear their stories and get to know them better after having grown up in the same town my whole life!  May I add again how gracious these people are?  They showed us genuine Irish hospitality.

Saturday was our sightseeing day.  Both Gary and Valerie were our tour guides on this day and the five of us piled into their car and set off for the northern coast.  Our first stop was Carrick-A-Rede.  Before I go any further I just need to say how the landscape and the beauty of creation in this country has blown me away more than anything else I have ever experienced.  I have officially fallen in love with Ireland and its charm and beauty!  Carrick-a-rede bridge used to be a bridge used by fisherman to transport their daily catches from an island to the mainland.  The rope bridge used by the fisherman only had one side to hold on to because they needed to use their other hand to carry the fish.  I can't imagine having to do that! Its 70 feet above the water and 100 feet across to the other side.  It was a bit rainy that day but it drove the crowds away and we were able to take some really cool pictures because we were just about the only people there!  We stopped for lunch at a little cafe where we ordered potato and leek soup with wheaten bread, which I've been told is very traditional. Oh and don't forget the tea!

The next stop was the very famous Giants Causeway.  I think one of my favorite parts about seeing the Giants causeway was hearing the story be told by a true Irish woman as we walked down to the sea.  If you are curious about the story and have time, you should google it.  Its pretty cute, but its a bit long to put in the blog!  Although I would like to believe the story of how the Giants Causeway came to be, I know that it is from volcanic eruptions and the unique shapes of basalt rock that resulted from water cooling and cracking the lava.  It was pretty incredible to say the least.

Last we had a quick tour of Dunluce Castle which was in its prime around the 16th century.  It over looks the North Atlantic Ocean and again it made me wish I could have seen it in its glory days.  Rumor has it that the wife of the Lord who lived there insisted on adding on another kitchen.  During a party when the food wasn't coming out quick enough they went to check the kitchen only to find that it had fallen into the sea along with all of the cooks and food!  As you can see, this castle was literally on the edge of a cliff and the views were stunning.

We made our way back to town and had another fun evening of games and conversation.  Valerie introduced us to her favorite thing to put on dessert, custard.  It is a bit more liquidy than pudding and it is served warm over just about anything.  We had it on swiss roll with raspberry filling.  I can see why its her favorite!  On our last morning we all went to church and then Valerie made us a traditional Irish breakfast as our parting meal.  Fried eggs, Irish soda bread, bacon, sausage, baked beans, scones and tea of course.  It was a feast!  Sad to say we had to rush off very soon after and catch our bus back to Cork.

                                                          Path to Carrick-A-Rede bridge

Carrick-A-Rede Bridge

                                            Our kind hosts and tour guides, Valerie and Gary

                                                              North Atlantic Ocean

                                                                   Giants Causeway

Bridget, myself and Tierney

Full Irish breakfast

                                                               Valerie and her scones!

This was a weekend I will never forget!  To be the recipient of true irish hospitality in the home of familiar people was more than I could ever ask for!  So a huge thanks to Gary and Valerie for taking the time to show us around Northern Ireland.  Your generosity will not be forgotten!

Thanks for reading everyone!
To my mom and sisters: I hope you had a great time in Washington D.C.!
To my dad and brothers: Did you survive without mom? Hope all is well on the home front!