It's Tradition.

Friday, March 18^th, 2016.

London, UK / Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

It’s about 6pm and my (company-provided) chauffer is pulling up to Heathrow. It’s the end of a full work week in London and now I am off to enjoy a weekend to myself. I am catching the last flight to Belfast to visit another long lost AmeriCorps friend, Cate and her 2 American cats.

Checking in at Heathrow is uneventful. I have arrived very early and now I am bored. I find a café and order cake and coffee (I’m officially on vacation, which means I get cake.) About an hour before my flight leaves, I make a quick stop at the airport bar to grab a half pint of Guinness. I have heard that it tastes different in Ireland and I want to test that theory. The airport-Guinness tastes pretty good, much better than in California.

After waiting nearly 2 and a half hours for a 45 minute flight, I am boarding Aer Lingus and am on my way to Belfast!

The Belfast airport is tiny and deserted. It looks old, but I decide to withhold judgment for now. Cate has instructed me to take a cab to her flat so I look for the cab line and am completely surprised to see my entire flight in line for a cab and no cabs. Slowly, the cabs trickle in. It is freezing outside, but the girl in front of me is wearing a short skirt with no tights, so I try to not feel so sorry for myself (In true LA fashion, I am wearing boots, jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a peacoat.)

Finally I get into my cab. I cannot understand a word that the cab driver says. I’m pretty sure that cabs work the same in Northern Ireland so I just smile and give him Cate’s address. Eventually I end up at her flat. Hooray!

When I arrive Cate and her friend, Marseille, are finishing up a very late dinner. They are worried that I am tired, but I am not. To the pub!

Today is the day after St. Patrick’s Day. So it’s “slow”. As it turns out, a slow day in Ireland is like a very busy day anywhere else! The pub is packed and very, very loud. I decide to order a Guinness to test my theory. I want to order a half pint, but Cate does not let me. I acquire my first ever Irish Guinness and it does not disappoint! I make a big deal about the wonderful creamy flavor for all of my new Irish friends, but honestly its anti-climatic because it tastes just like the Guinness at Heathrow. 

After a pint, we move to another, quieter pub. Here, we get a whole table to ourselves and proceed to talk about our favorite topic – boys! Cate is single, Marseille is married and I am dating two lawyers. We have lots to talk about. After we finish this round, Marseille has to go home, but Cate and I are up for one more pub. She decides to take me to the oldest pub in Belfast. It is adorable and a little bit smelly. Oh well, time for more beer!

This pub is kind of awesome. It’s almost empty, but there is a group of locals playing traditional Irish music in the corner. We order 2 beers and I finish mine way before Cate. I tell her that I want to order a whiskey to sip on while she finishes her beer. She encourages me to do so, but when I go downstairs to put in my order to bartender insists on selling me 2 whiskeys (she does not want Cate to be left out). I finally give in and return with 2 whiskeys. Cate can’t stop laughing. She has been struggling with this Irish tradition for over 2 years now.

Eventually we finish all of our alcohol (fulfilling yet another Irish tradition) and walk back home. Cate’s flat has 3 stories and I sleep on the very top. It was an awesome evening and tomorrow I have 1 full day Belfast. I can not wait.