Belfast, Ireland

Today was the first day that was not 70-80 degrees with clear skies! Today was a little chilly and had some cloud cover. Nevertheless, we had a great time. We took a leisurely guided 14 mile ride on a bike path along the river Lagan. Beautifu!!! Green everywhere, the river was actually full, and there were lots of dogs! We've been having severe puppy withdrawals, so it was like a little "fix" to see some happy dog faces on the trail. We stopped at a place called The Giant's Ring. It's a crater-shaped grassy area measuring 200m in diameter, built sometime in the neolithic period. The center was very flat, and the people had built up the sides using no metal tools. The area appeared to be a place for gathering. There were horse races, burial ceremonies, and other activities. In the center of the ring was a standing stone memorial. Cool place.

As part of the excursion, at the end of the ride, we gathered at this "hip" riverside pub for drinks. I had a Coke, and Corey got a Guiness. As we relaxed, our guide referred us to a downtown pub called the Royal Crown or Crown Pub. It is a restored Victorian building. Boy were we grateful for her recommendation! That place was so neat! All of the original fixtures were intact: carved booths complete with four walls and a door on each booth, stained glass everywhere, and even the victorian lamps were LAMPS! They were somewhat modernized, I think, because they burned on mantles, like camping lamps, but they still held some awe for us. There was even a plaque on the wall of our booth, that informed us that one of the mirrors in the booth was installed in 1859, but got cracked by a bombing in 1999, and was restored. I was a bit taken aback.... Who is throwing bombs these days??? Well, I hear about it on the news, but I forgot where I was... Anyhow, Corey and I ordered Irish Stew for lunch. Yuuum-my!

Back on the ship for a nap and some food

Watched a comedian. He was funny about a third of the time. Oh well, they all can't be Jerry Seinfeld :o)