Ongoing Belfast experience

I normally pen things down when one major event happens but here in Belfast things are slightly different. Events are not that large nor are they small to be ignores. its like good things come in small packages. For a person who has been waiting for one major outing every few weeks this is a welcome change.

Carnmoney hills: There is a lad from Bangalore whom i befriended recently and just like all Bangalore boys, we all are the coolest dudes (forgive my ignorance , but let me indulge). We decided to head out for a short hike and we picked out the Carnmoney hill.
It was a short ride on bus to the outskirt of the city. There were different trails on it and we have to macho, so took the toughest. It was not too big a byte we took but was a mouthful not because of the steepness but for the fact that the previous night it had rained well and the forest floor was covered with leaves which along with muddy soil beneath challenged the sole/soul of the shoes.
The treat was a great view of the city from the 200 meter high hill. Way down we took to the trail that less frequently used and we realised why it was unused because it was unusable! Thats how thick the undergrowth was which we had to move with our bare hands and almost wade though the ankle deep slush. Glad we were out of there on to reassuring tarmac and paved side walks.
For pictures: "http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=289302&id=651679539&l=dde52f45a3"

Belfast Botanic garden and Ulster Meusem:
Right by the side of Queens university is this botanical garden. The glass house was built in the 1800 and still functions as it did 200 years ago.

It housed some good art work donated by artists. An Indian artist had donated a status of Goddess Saraswathi. I seriously doubt if it would be ever be permitted to be installed any where in India because it was so imperfect Some of the non vegetarians plants were amusing to watch. Nature at its best. These plants had some kind of trap door into which the draw in the tiny insects and end up digesting them!
just as good it can get inside a glasshouse the outdoor was just as scenic as it could get. The green carpeted park with the trees with their reddish orange leaves marking the end of autumn was spectacular. In a few days all the trees would have shed its leaves and stand bald prepared for the winter. Picturesque is another word for this experience. Just around the corner is the Ulster museum. This Museum is very different in the sense that it has science, natural History, Art, Fashion and everything rolled into one. It took us a couple of hours to visit every floor. Finally we had to stop because our legs stopped functioning. The top of my mind recall thing that i saw there was the prehistoric remains f the native Irish reindeer. It was so massive in size that end to end the antlers was 10 feet in width.
The stuffed native animals all looked so real and it felt like I was in a zoo where time has frozen. Stuffed birds and animals looked so real, it was like almost they are looking straight into your eyes. One section of the museum also explained the unique geographic history of this emerald island. One can clearly notice that the west coast is nothing like the east coast of Ireland. There were a class of arts students who were so engrossed in watching the art pieces there that we were dazed. Some of them read aloud poems that were written about some of the paintings. The fashion section of the museum is something that I least expected. I though all you need to do is take a walk on the high street and one would get a live ramp walk fashion show. To sum it all up; Great day!!
"http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=289298&id=651679539&l=be4db18dc9"

Causeway tour again: In the spirit of proving my high quality companionship to my friends here (excuse me) i joined on them on the tour that i took an year ago in the same month. We went around to some of the most stunning coastal routes witnessing the rope bridge and the causeway. The most unfortunate incident was that i went solo on exploration of the coast by the sea cliffs without my camera .Everyone else went on the rope bridge, but the most beautiful view was that of the 100 meter high vertical limestone white cliffs raising from the short beach. The turquoise blue ocean splashing on the white boulders was stunning. The oceans had carved caves into the cliffs on cave big enough for me to crawl into it 20 feet in!! That picture has just en-grained in my brain never to be erased. It would simply have been the best picture that i would have ever taken and thats exactly when I did not have my camera. May be the best picture is not stored on hard drives and servers but in the mind and heart.

"http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=266478&id=651679539&l=e018743ef3"

Halloween Fire Works display: Just a few hours ago from now I had been to my first professional fire works display. I did not have much expectation but I must admit the entire display was much beyond what I could image. All the Metro buses had pulled over; over the bridge. Traffic came to halt and it was a well worth the 30 minute stop.



For more beautiful pictures:

" http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=289531&id=651679539&l=9ad3f996c7 "