18 March 2012

The Day after St. Patrick's Day

So, how is everyone feeling today? Did everyone survive their St. Patrick's Day antics?

Well, I hope you all enjoyed your St. Paddy's Day, whether you're actually Irish or not. 



This year was the first time I celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, and it was the first time I was able to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday with him. Did I mention that my boyfriend was born on St. Patrick's Day AND his name is Patrick, AND he's actually Irish. Anyway, March 17 is a huge deal, in many ways. But to be completely honest, St. Patrick's Day seemed more like a "greener" version of a regular Irish Saturday night. Meaning, loads of people wearing more green than usual. 



Now, I was told that what I experienced was a bit scaled down from previous years, but it seems to me that the Irish don't take their holiday to as much of the extremes as the rest of the world. People were dressed in green, even wore little bunches of shamrocks on their jackets (like how we'd wear a poppy back home) but I didn't get the crazy wild feeling of what other countries make it out to be.... now I wasn't celebrating in Belfast or Dublin. I'm sure the major city's had crazy celebrations. But they have too...tourists are expecting leprechauns and green beer! 



Instead, I went out to the Down Royal for some horse racing! I have never gone to a horse race track, and from what I saw yesterday, horse racing is a very very popular sport here in the UK and Ireland. People love gambling on horses, and ladies love dressing up to watch. Now, I didn't go to a very fancy horse race, but there are some places that really dress to the nines. 




I placed wee bets here and there, but ended up breaking even the first time, and later only lost 6 pounds, so I didn't lose to much! Later we went out for some drinks, watched England play Ireland in a rugby match (which we quickly decided to forget ever happened), watched some traditional Irish music, and drank some more. It was lovely night, and I'm glad I finally experienced this famous day in Ireland, amongst the Irish. 



I hope you all had a lovely St. Patrick's Day as well, and that no one got into too much trouble! 


Keep Smilin Folks, 

M. 

14 March 2012

Irish Coffee Shop Hoppin: Black Bear Cafe

Black Bear Cafe


Location: 
Belfast
17 Stranmillis Road 

Hours of Operation: 

Mon-Tues  8:30am - 6pm
Wed 8:30 - 6:30pm
Thurs 8:30 -8pm
Fri 8:30am - 2am
Sat 10am-5pm
Sun CLOSED


Drink(s) Ordered:
 Americano £1.60
Cappuccino £2.10

Before 11am, all hot drinks are £1 pound to take away!

Wifi: 
Yes 

Do they serve food/treats?:
Yes! They have a selection of soups and treats. They post their daily soup selections on their twitter account (@blackbearcafe). They also bake up nice treats, and have some local businesses deliver cookies and other goodies throughout the week. Their baked goods selection is also posted on twitter on a regular basis. I once had a wee banana loaf, and it was lovely! 


----

Black Bear is a fairly new cafe in the Queen's Quarter, steps away from the Ulster Museum and Queen's University. Cute place to meet up with friends in the area, or in between your Uni classes. I normally visit Black Bear with my fella (Pat) before he goes off to class or when I have some time to kill in the area. Pat is a frequent visitor though...Exhibit A)



 Their decor is clean, sleek and simple. The walls are displayed with artwork/crafts from local artists, and a few crafty cards hang here and there. There is lots of sitting. The large tables are especially ideal for large group gatherings, perhaps group study sessions?




I really enjoy the big window at the front of the shop. The flowers hanging outside the window are a perfect touch. They also decorate each of the tables with a little vase with flowers. Whoever keeps the place lookin' good seem to choose flowers that are in season which is brilliant. It's currently daffodil season in Ireland! Personally, I really like tulips!





I should also mention a really important factor as to why I enjoy Black Bear so much... they've had Canadian music (Arcade Fire, Dan Mangan) playing in the background on a few of my visits! Huge deal for me! None of this looping "blah" music that every other establishment plays. Extra points for this!

Oh, and  the americano was nice. Cute cups and wee milk jugs. :)


I give Black Bear

4/5 Hearts :) + 5/5 Maple Leaves (for playing Can-Indie music)


- Keep Smilin' folks,

M.