July 26th and 27th - Transit day + Stormont in Belfast

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Yesterday was a transit day - I don't know why I always book bus travel on my birthday... you think I'd learn.

It was a very chatty day. Sat with a family of Germans for breakfast - the dad was horrified that I travel around Europe by myself lol. The kids thought it was cool. Turns out they have relatives in Winnipeg - always a small world.

At the station, I had two workers stop to chat with me. One about the weather (shocker) and the other about where I was from. He asked if I was from the French part in Quebec... uhm... no... but I am French? Which of course led to how I must visit France to see where I come from. Yes, like... 400 years ago lol. Anyway, also chatted with a priest who was cycling around Ireland. People have interesting lives.

Note to self and others travelling Bus Eirean - do yourself a favor and if you buy your ticket online make sure you get a paper ticket at the station (if they have a ticket station but that's a whole other gripe) because the drivers do not know how to issue internet tickets (despite it saying how to on the print out...) and then they get cranky for you wasting time. I went 0/3 with my internet tickets...

Once on my way things were fine. I slept most of the way as usual lol. Getting to Belfast, what a shocker, it was raining. I have been in this city 7 days total in my life - 9 by the end of this trip - and it will have rained, continuously, the entire time I've set foot in this city. Honestly though.... let up Belfast, the rest of Ireland played nice.

Today I headed to Stormont (their Parliament) just so I could be indoors. They have a lot of security which isn't surprising - they board the local bus and do a sweep before letting it on the estate. Oh God did I laugh when I got off the bus though - not a SOUL on the entire grounds. No. One. I had a full 360 view with no one other than security at the top of the hill and at the bottom. I literally walked around the middle part laughing to myself for 10 minutes.

Security at the top of the hill was nice. Funny enough they only asked why I'd come to visit and not who I was or where I was from. A tour had started 15min earlier so they offered to catch me up or I could go sit for tea. I opted for tea which was fun in itself because even though Parliament is on holiday, it's still a pretty busy place - people watching was fun. (And tea was only 60 pence so I mean, win-win!)

The building itself was quite pretty inside - very ornate and surprisingly colourful considering the outside drabness. The tour was fabulous - it started with just me lol, but a bunch of English and locals joined about 10 min in. They were all cute little old ladies and men.

Anyway, the tour! Really well done - interesting history and overview with some humour mixed in. Their building is very much set up same idea as Westminster or our own Canadian Parliament - the two houses, for example. I prefer their HoC though - it's in a U-shape and they, gasp, are supposed to work together rather than be divided by politics. But what I found most fascinating was how detail oriented the architect and planner was... every thing had a point to it. The number six plays a big part (6 counties) - six pillars out front and in the main hall, 60 steps up to the building, 6 pointed stars etc. The building faces south as a basic screw you to Dublin, along with a giant statue outside giving a taunt in that direction. (The building was legit built to be like yo' we're better than you.) The cross roads outside almost make a Union Jack, but they've broken the St. George's Cross and high-lighted the St. Andrew's one instead. Oh yes, and 365 windows and 365 something else I can't remember. Within the chambers everything has its place too - every design has a story. All quite remarkable.

My favourite story was that from the War. RAF used the Senate Chamber as a headquarters... now... it's a giant (like really giant) white building, on a hill, on a giant estate with nothing around it, with mile long roads basically making an arrow pointing at the building. A bit of a target for bombing, no? So simple fix they had - they covered the building in tar mixed with cow manure... no joke. Covered it. The idea is that A) it would be black and B) moss would grow. They also covered the roads with something green I can't remember.... I just remember the cow poop and tar. That is brilliant.

I also liked hearing about the Irish Elk antler designs (incorporated into these detailed carvings all over) - they actually got the idea from lamp posts that Newfoundland (of all places) gave them that had caribou on it... they thought the caribou were moose at first lol. Anyway, they liked the look of the design apparently.

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