Fajitas...

Mexican Food!!

Matt (Jenny's friend, he's an au pair in Belgium), Vanessa and I. We got bored one night and decided to have a Mexican Fiesta.

I thought I would give a real update since I haven't in quite some time, oops. Nothing too exciting is going on, the writing on the hillside is finally finished: IMAGINE A CITY OF = (equality). Which is rather cool, and I wish I could have gotten pictures of each letter.

The first Halloween party, was rather uneventful. A lot more people than I ever thought, actually knew who I was, so often I had to feign drunken stupidity to get out of the awkward sitiuations of not having any clue who these people are.

Went to the Bushmills and Giant's Causeway (pictures at a later date) and it was a good craic. The Bushmills was rather uneventful, but I did get to taste 3 different types of whiskey, including the 12 year single malt. I had a hot toddy to warm up.

The Giant's Causeway was GORGEOUS. Did a lot of hiking and climbing and getting covered in ocean water. The wind was something wicked, now I know what it would feel like to ride a motorcycle in the rain. It started to snow, but it didn't stick.

Once I got home, I ran off to the ATL meeting, a UK group that helps new and beginning teachers. And now I have a free ride to the airport in December :D

So other than those few notes nothing too great, just getting ready to spend too much money on Christmas gifts and travel expenses, I can't wait!

Doing the American Thing

Now for the random shots of the day: 1.09 per gallon I know you're jealous

ASDA is our Wal-Mart

Heather's Birthday at the AH-mazing Indian Restaurant...

The American Restaurant, they actually served FRIES!!! Not chips!

The beginning of the Irish-American Scholar Conference. Stormount, the Irish parliment of sorts. We were only allowed to take pictures of the main hall.

Everything in the hall was exactly symmetrical. The middle chandelier is actually from the Queen of England.

ME!! With my sweet rolled pants I must say.

There was two of these gateways, Stormount is set up almost identical to the British Parliment.

All the Irish American Scholars...

The crucifix shrubs that surround the tombs of the one people buried on Stormount.

We weren't supposed to take pictures but the doorkeeper said he'd turn a blind eye.

Interesting fact: During WW2 Stormount was used as the headquarters for the British Air Guard. So in an effort to keep the building from being bombed, they painted the entire building with a mixture of black chemical and cow manure and the driveway, which incidentally forms a large X in front of the building to keep with the symmetry, was covered with coal and ash. The black on the building is where the mixture would not come off.

Side of Stormount

Front of Stormount

The man who prosecuted Oscar Wilde

.....

Stormount...

The Gate House...

Mural entering the Protestant side

Wire lady with hoop :D

....

One of Belfast's Trade schools

Gorgeous Church

Old Courthouse...

It's going to be renuvated into a hostel or apartments, and there's actually a tunnel that leads under the road to the prison on the other side of the street that they used during the "Troubles"

Some of the last people to be killed during the "Troubles"

Union Jack...

Pretty church..my pictures are a little out of order...

The top of the old courthouse, someone climbed up to the top and stole the scales.

The prison

Murals from the Peace Wall

...

....the barbed wire to protect? All places has some form of protection against someone coming in

Another random mural in the Protestant Area

With Stormount, a lot of the doorkeepers used to be jailers and a lot of the representatives from Sinn Fein were jailed by the doorkeepers, making the order of power a rather interesting thing to behold.

Almost a Month In

Tomorrow it will be a month since I left Sioux Falls and two months until I return. The time has gone by so fast and yet so slow; I feel like I haven't done much since being here but I know that will change when I start to travel. Nothing really new here other than the travel plans and the confirmed fact that Irish boys have no sense of rhythm and can't dance. Yay for dancing counting as P.E. we learned the Cha Cha today, I got stepped on four times, I gave up.
I miss you all

Historical Pub Tour

The Crown Bar, one of the oldest in Belfast
Pretty outside of the Crown

The windows to the Crown
It used to sit next to the railroad and since it was unsightly for a lady to be seen in a bar they sat in these secluded booths, and when they were ready to order they pushed a button and a flag went up to get the waiter.
The ceiling
That sign says no football jerseys allowed, due to fighting between Protestants and Catholics
A really old church down in City Centre

If i remember correctly, this bar is where the plots of overthrow were first hatched in the 1800s

Above the door to White's Tavern
A pretty mosaic showing the alleyways
White's Tavern has been in business since 1630 serving beer and wine to the ships that passed through
The Leaning Clock of Belfast
The street where the first Bible was published

Authentic Irish Coffee, kept me warm for about an hour.
Random Fountain thingy

A mural of the "Troubles"

The Leaning Clock of Belfast
A really cool chess set, apparently the figures represent important political leaders, I don't know who though.
I loved the directions. Male: Seat Up; Female: Seat Down
My first McDonald's Meal, pretty much the same as at home

Inside one of the booths at the Crown Bar the next day
The inside of the Opera House, I got a dirty look from the usher for taking this picture. The Opera House is decorated in almost an African/Indian style with elephants and monkeys galore. It's really gorgeous. We say Juno and the Paycock (Peacock but spelled with an Irish accent) it was an amazing play!
Why we call our street Dog Sh*t lane, they don't exactly follow leash laws. However, these dogs are so sweet, right after I took this the German Shepard came over to get a pat on the head.
Now as I discussed before about someone writing on the hillside, here's my proof. We are now up to : IMAGINE A CITY...I tried to take pictures every day but it got to be too much and I missed a few letters