Honeymoon Part 1: Ireland

Despite the fact the b.f. and I planned on taking a European vacation before we planned to get married, everyone is calling our recent vacation our "honeymoon". I'm not sure why I feel strange about the word "honeymoon", but then again, I'm also having trouble using the word "husband". What it all really boils down to, is that no one gives a rats-ass that I don't want to call my trip a honeymoon; it's the first vacation my boyfriend husband and I have taken after our wedding therefore, it must be our honeymoon. ("If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck").

Honeymoon Part 1: Ireland

Fiddle-dee-dee and such! My boyfriend husband's extended family is from Northern Ireland, so we spent the first half of our trip in Belfast and the surrounding area, with a quick stopover in Dublin.

Things you may know about Ireland:

1) It is green and hilly.

I refused to leave Ireland without visiting a caste. This one on the right
is in Carlingford, a name for whatever reason, we had infinite trouble remembering;
"Where was that castle again? Carlington? Carlsberg?"

2) There are lots of pubs.

The Crown Bar in Belfast is the epitome of Victorian decor.
The pub is such a historical monument it's owned by the National Trust.

3) It's damp.
4) There are a lot of (natural) red-heads.
5) U2, James Joyce, the Pogues, Frank McCourt, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor, Colin Farrell

Things you may not know about Ireland:

1) The Republic of Ireland (the one with Dublin) and Northern Ireland (the one with Belfast) are two different countries. (Seriously, a lot of people don't know this).
2) George Best is a very famous Northern Irish footballer (soccer, that is). I'm the moron that landed at George Best airport and asked; "So who is this George Best anyway? A politician?"
3) The "Peace walls" have stood longer than the Berlin wall. Irish political history should not be taken lightly.

4) English currency is the pound sterling, Irish currency is the Euro, Northern Irish currency is a different Irish pound. You can use English pounds in Northern Ireland, but you can't use Northern Irish pounds in England. This results in a wallet full of confusing bills.
5) Thin Lizzy, Liam Neason, the Titanic, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Before Ireland, all I knew about Thin Lizzy was "The boys are back in town".

Now the entire "Lizzy" discography is sitting in my living room.

Sprinkled in with the family visits and pints of Guinness, we managed a little shopping.

Him: records.

Her: yarn.

Some hobbies are easier to fit in your suitcase than others.