Tompers and I have returned from our second trip to Belfast
and I can proudly report I have been to every google recommended drinking
establishment in Belfast and I am certain I could provide a very excellent pub
crawl in the city, but for research purposes and nothing to do with your man I
should probably make a return trip to suss out more ventures. That being said,
I would highly recommend making at least a weekend out of it, and of course my
rules apply of only one drink per establishment, and best to start out drinking
as much Guinness as you can handle before switching to something else.
(Guinness is low in alcohol and calories #bonus) Also crucial, drink water! I
always seem to forget that over here, however I am smart enough to keep a
couple of litres of water beside the bed. Evian has these great lids so if
you’re dealthly hungover you can sort of prop the water bottle on a pillow next
to you and it acts like a hamster water feeder.
Tompers came up with this
innovation (he holds the bottle on the pillow for me, although I’m sure you
could make it work without him) and it’s brilliant. No need to lift your head.
Here is a list of my recommendations for the Belfast Bar
Blitz:
·
Bittles Bar *
·
Cosgroves Bar
·
Duke of York *
·
Filthy McNasty’s *
·
Lavery’s
·
Morrison’s Bar
·
Pavilion
·
Robson’s
·
Fibber Magee’s
·
The Basement Grill
·
The Belfast Empire Music Hall *
·
The Crown Liquor Saloon *
·
The Eglantine
·
The Garrick
·
The Hatfield House
·
The John Hewitt
Of the establishments that I’ve visited in the 4 days I have
spent in Belfast these are the ones I recommend checking out. I’ve gone to the
trouble of putting an asterisk next to the MUST SEE’s as Tompers has reminded
me not everyone can drink as much as me, or would want to. Also now that I
think of it there are places I still want to check out there. I guess another
trip is going to have to happen. After
all I would love to dine at EIPIC.
Now for the story of Belfast… As you might have read I met a
man when I was up in Belfast the first time, for Good Friday. You see after
Tompers and I had adventured all over the city, I returned him to the hostel at
half four for his nap because he was exhausted and touristed out. Craving a
pint of Guinness I decided I should head out to the first stop on my list of
places I wanted to see. This being The Crown Liquor Saloon. A tourists must see
bar. Also the most overwhelming mess of stained glass, and patterned tiles the
world has ever seen. (Okay maybe not the world, but it was enough to make me
cringe a little) Standing at the bar drinking a pint of Guinness this English
Bloke started chatting me up. We ended up getting on rather decently so I told
him I was going to head to get something to eat, and he asked if he could join
me. Seeing as I didn’t know anyone in Belfast I figured having a new friend
along could be fun, so off we went. I ended up spending the evening bar hopping
with him and he was decent company. A bit odd, but aren’t we all, and he was
paying for everything (bonus). The next day he met up with me to do some more
bar hopping, and I decided I wanted to catch an earlier bus home as my original
ticket was for half eight but I decided I wanted to catch the bus at half five
to get home a bit early and avoid having to wait around in Dublin for an
additional hour for the bus to Galway.
Well the last place on my stop was Robson’s, and the man
behind the bar had the most amazing accent. I always forget how much I love the
Northern Ireland accent until I spend an entire day listening to some bloke
with a posh English accent. Tompers little ears sure perked up. Some shameless
flirting may have occurred, the English lad went out for a smoke and the barman
took the opportunity to ask me for my number.
Oh and I missed all the earlier busses. I took the bus at
half eight. Tompers made me or I probably would have sat at that bar all night.
So upon realizing it was time for me to leave and the
English bloke still had not returned (I had been using his charging cube) I
fired him a text message saying I had to go, and that I was leaving it with the
barman for him. He proceeded to tell me he was in the hospital and had been hit
by a car…
…the universe hit him with a car so the barman could pick me
up?
…Or did
he throw himself in front of a car after spending two days trying to pick me up
completely unsuccessfully and see me instantly lust after a man serving us
drinks…
I’m still not even sure what happened with yer-man... Did
he even get hit by a car? Do I care? No,
not really.
