Celtic Oktoberfest: Day 3
Alarm was set last night to ensure we make it onto our Paddywagon bus for our Giants Causeway day trip. We also wanted to get get breakfast and make sure we had enough time to walk to the bus. It’s time to get to know Belfast. The breakfast spot we had picked out was called Maggie Mays. It was basically a mini-chain in Belfast. Also good to note that they don’t split checks and they are cash only.
I got the Ulster Fry. Though at Maggie Mays, it’s called the Bumper Fry (so much food for such a good price 6.60 Euro). Also, sooo much bread. So here’s what was in my Bumper Fry: 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausages, potato bread, soda bread, pancake, hash browns (the triangle kind), mushrooms, beans, chips and tomato. It’s Northern Ireland’s answer to the full Irish breakfast (sans black & white puddings). Also, their shakes look fantastic, but we were full and we didn’t want to miss our bus.
We arrived early-ish, so we checked the immediate surrounding area (Starbucks, Europa Hotel…). We tried to get our bearings, but eh….we’re on holiday. Did you know the Europa Hotel is the most bombed hotel in the world? How crazy is that? It suffered through 36 bomb attacks during The Troubles aka the Northern Ireland Conflict or the Conflict in Ireland (thanks, Wikipedia).
And the well-branded Paddywagon bus has arrived. There were people on it (it came from Dublin), but we were still able to get seats and sat down to enjoy our journey north. Our tour guide was fantastic….as I sit here are try to remember his name…got it, Frank!
First stop was the Dark Hedges. Some of you may know it as the Kings Road from Game of Thrones. It was awesome, but why are there people in my shot? One of my favorite parts about this stop was taking the path through the fairy house forest. That’s what I’m calling it. My new fascination with Ireland (North and the Republic of) is fairy houses. They’re just way too adorable and awesome. They make you want to believe or actual believe…because why not?
Next up was the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge…and yay for the misty rainy weather. Not really, but let’s do this. Let’s cross this precarious looking rope bridge. The drop’s not that far right? All lies…there’s not even enough water under the bridge at the moment because it’s low tide…oh, and it’s cold out with this blustery “breeze” and rainy weather. We braved it and were rewarded with some pretty awesome views. From the pictures, you wouldn’t even know about the crap weather.
And then it was off to lunch at The Giant’s Barn Cafe. It was served cafeteria style. It’s such a cute little place and served its purposes well. I got salmon on brown bread and leek soup (I think it was leek soup). It was actually really good and decently filling though it didn’t look it.
Then it was back on the bus to our final destination and, basically, the whole reason for the day trip. We were on our way to the Giants Causeway. Giants Causeway was really cool and super fun to “play” in. Beware, it could be slippery so no running…and that’s right, this girl did not heed that advice. But I didn’t fall, and I didn’t fall in so, all in all, a successful visit. It was so fun and it’s just so amazing the basalt hexagonal columns of rock. Apparently, it’s the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption (thanks again, Wikipedia). I like the story that it was built by a giant named Finn MacCool.
After the Causeway (we accidentally left someone there and had to go back), we did a quite photo opportunity with Dunluce Castle. It’s basically falling into the sea, but that’s neither here nor there for the now-ruined castle. Also…it’s Seat of House Greyjoy, the great castle of Pyke (from that show Game of Thrones).
After going back to pick up said missing person from the bus, we made our way back to Belfast. We were close to our dinner location but had some time to kill, so we headed over to the Crown Liquor Saloon for a pint or two and even made a new friend that shared her secluded booth. I say secluded because there’s a door on it. It’s just so awesome…small booths, but awesome vibe.
Dinner was to be at a place called Stix & Stones. It’s our fancy steak dinner night (that we have to cook ourselves, mostly). We got some cocktails that sounded fantastic (we weren’t planning on it exactly, but were too good to past up). We ordered the steaks and the sides…and watched as the smells waifed towards us and the sound of the sizzling steak. We were ready. The steaks came out seared. We were supposed to slice and finish cooking them on the hot stones to the desired temperature. It was kind of a cool experience. The sides were delicious…and we came on a night where Surf & Turf was the special. Winning at life. We got a goat cheese appetizer (OMG so good). I got shrimps and Anne got scallops. We also got pesto fries and garlic parm fries.
It was a fancy night indeed. Overall, a very good day that made our vacation seem so real…I mean tea at the Titanic was a great official start to our holidays.
Eat. Drink. Explore 