belfast!

Oh hi! Where was I...? Oh yes, well, before my computer crashed (major boo...) I had almost caught this blog up to all my travels from back in the Fall and Winter. Last I left you, I was finishing up my trip to Copenhagen. As I was flying to from there, my friend Meghan was flying from Washington DC. We met up in London to fly together to Belfast the next day.



Can you tell we were a little exhausted by the time we were getting in? But Northern Ireland immediately welcomed us- even though we were there practically in winter, look at this green greeting we got as our plane was landing!



greeeeeeen!



Once again, our stay was made possible because of the generosity of a fellow PPK-er, Loretta, a.k.a. fezza. She and her partner graciously welcomed us into their home, where we got to have a great time with them, play their wonderful cat and puppy, and eat lots of wonderful vegan food!



Here's Angus the awesome.



And Poppy the pup! They were beyond adorable.



Fezza took us around and we got to see some of Northern Ireland's greatest sites, such as the Giants Causeway, above. This place was amazing.



We got to tour the city of Belfast and see the reminders of the not-too-distant troubles that went on there. Here is something I've always wanted to see in person, the mural in tribute to Bobby Sands.



We got to go to the famous Crown Bar, the most beautiful bar I've seen.



There, I got to try my first hot toddy- and fall in love with Irish whiskey! Mmmmm. Perfect on a cold winter night.



There aren't that many vegan or even vegetarian restaurants in Ireland, and this underscores the awesomeness of staying with vegans. Local delicious food! Above, you see Meghan and me snacking on delicious home-made sandwiches on our flight back home. (Ha ha, other EasyJet passengers!)



Here's a delicious curry that Fezza's partner made for dinner. It was so delicious and warming on a wintry night. (I apologize for the blurry photo- I was in too much of a hurry to start eating!)



Perhaps my favorite Belfast meal: This Ulster Fry-up, the breakfast of champions, vegan style! Here you see beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, sausage and bacon, and best of all some grilled potato bread. Mmmmmm! This was my first "proper" British breakfast and it was so lovely.



Lastly, Belfast was an awesome city for shopping. It is where I scored the cat dress, above. Festooned with funny kitties, it is my favorite item of clothing now!



Meghan and I want to thank Fezza for her incredible hospitality, friendship and most of all, all the delicious vegan candies and biscuits that she fed us! Thank you also for letting us play with your adorable pets. 6 months later, I really miss Belfast, and hope I have a chance to go back one day.

For more Belfast photos, including more mural images, click here
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belfast!