15

Today is my final day on the Emerald Isle…packing up the backpack, (which seemed to explode its contents in the guest bedroom at Stuart and Julianne’s) and preparing to head off to Paris in the morning, by way of Dublin. I had initially thought I’d be in London tonight, which would have been interesting, considering the G20 related activities. But, when I looked into flights, and thought about it, I realized staying in Belfast would work out better and be nice to get one more day with Stu and Julianne.

In honor of my departure from the north of Ireland, here are a few of my favorite new Irish words/phrases: 

• Donkeys: “It was great to see Stuart in Julianne–I hadn’t seen them for donkeys.” 
• Craic: “What’s the craic?” “Give me your craic!” “Any craic from Belfast?” Meaning, what’s the news, what’s the latest…digame, in Spanish
• Wick: “That’s wick!” “That tv show was wick” Meaning, bad, terrible. 
• Yous: the plural of you
• So it is: “It’s raining, so it is.” “It’s a lovely place, so it is.” Sort of a nothing phrase, to add to pretty much anything
• 15: A sweet with marshmallows, digestive biscuits, and other scrumptious flavors, cooked in a pan and served sliced

guinness group photo reflection

This being my 3rd visit to Belfast (and Dublin) these aren’t exactly ‘impressions’– more like ‘highlights’ — but I thought impressions sounded better for a title…

It also may seem as though all I have done during my time in Ireland is eat and drink, which is completely untrue. While eating and drinking, I’ve enjoyed having good craic with old friends Stuart and Julianne as well as newly-in-person-but-previously-on-facebook friend Sara. See, so it’s not just eating and drinking…

• Great brunch of chorizo, spinach and red pepper at The Yard in Holywood
• Yummy recipe (cooked by Stu) from Rachel Allen, Lamb tagine with lemon and pomegranate couscous
• Great day trip to Dublin complete with 
  • breakfast (delicious porridge) at Avoca
  • a tour of the National Gallery (featuring Fabritius’ The Goldfinch)
  • a pint of Guinness 
  • and finishing off the day with dinner at Wagamama 
• Sunday dinner at Stu’s parents…a delicious curry and lovely conversation with Derek and Lesley  
  

  Dinner with Derek and Lesley

• Perusing the latest on Stu and Julianne’s cookbook shelf: Rebar,  Cook with Jamie (Oliver), Rachel’s Favourite Food for Living by Rachel Allen
• lunch at Boojum–fantastic Mexican food–up to California and Mexico standards
• good coffee at Cafe Nero and ground cafe in Waterstones bookstore

Okay, so, we did do a lot of eating and drinking, but so much fun to do so while catching up with good friends!