I'm not sure what I expected from Belfast. Maybe not bombed out buildings and soldiers all over the place, but at least some underlying tension. I'd been told to go to Belfast just to experience the "Big Brother" like atmosphere. What I found was a normal, thriving city. More upscale than Dublin but not as sophisticated as London. No machine guns, no rioters, nothing out of the normal.
Went out by myself tonight. Belfast has a great nightlife. Lots of live music, friendly people, atmosphere, and of course beer. Unlike Dublin, London, and most of the UK, the pubs in Belfast stay open until about 1:30am. After listening to some great music (Irish traditional and contemporary) and talking to some of the locals (including explaining to this guy over and over again that I wasn't interested in playing rugby on the local team), I headed home and stayed uplate doing my laundry.
Didn't get to bed until after 5am, but all my close are clean! Travel brings out an apreciation for the simple pleasures in life...
