Belfast Christmas Fair

The idea came to me out of the blue on Saturday. I was still on a bit of a high after the successful conclusion of work on the quarterly magazine, and I thought I deserved a bit of a break and a change of scene. I'd been threatening for some time to use my travel pass for an inter-city train journey and decided that Belfast would be the place to go, largely because my mate Dave goes up there on business every Monday, and it would be an opportunity to meet up.

Dave catches the crack-of-dawn train, but I had no need to do that and waited until the one that left at 9:35, which reached Belfast at 11:40. While at it, I asked about upgrading to 1st Class and was told it would cost twenty each way, payable on board. I presented a 20-euro note when the ticket collector came around, but he said the twenty was sterling, and that the euro price was 24. What did I get for that? Nicer seats, a lamp on the table beside the window, complimentary newspapers and a glass of orange or apple juice, with everything else payable in cash. It was all very comfortable, and my Enterprise Breakfast was okay, and it was nice to be offered a complimentary second pot of tea - but, let's face it, it certainly wasn't worth 24 euro, and I immediately decided that I wouldn't be upgrading on the return leg.

The weather had been glorious right up until we passed Dundalk, but then it clouded over and turned damp. I got the shuttle bus in to the city centre and spent time right away soaking up the atmosphere around the Christmas Fair which is set up in front of City Hall. Right away I was struck by the buzz, and couldn't help comparing the rather frenetic pace wit the quieter, easier-going style in Dublin. Certainly, there's a clear feeling that Belfast is much more prosperous than Dublin, with more people about, and no visible sign of retail businesses closing down.

I shot off lots of blips, and I've spent ages going through them and tearing my hair out in an attempt to choose today's blip. I toyed with the idea of linking to some of the rejects but finally decided against that. These two girls on one of the stall at the Christmas Fair seemed best in the camera and I kept coming back to them as I worked through things on the pooter. So here they are.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around different shopping areas, stopping off for lunch in Café Vaudeville and then making my way to the waterfront, an idea spoiled by a turn in the weather. I ended up back at the railway station an hour ahead of departure time, met Dave, and we shared the return journey. All in all, a good day, and I'm really glad I did it. Next time I got to Belfast I'll skip the 1st class upgrade and I'll wait until the weather is a bit better.