*The events, and pictures/videos, occured over the course of Saturday, March 9, 2013 to Sunday,March 10, 2013
I left on my trip to Ireland today, and I made it! First off, I will say that I had people helping me make this trip easier, in terms of getting ready, even before I left for this trip. My friend Allie, helped me out so much night before I left, Friday March 8, 2013. She helped me get laundry done, to bake the muffins I was making for Brent and I for when we left for DFW in the morning, and she helped me to clean my apartment a bit.such a big help! My friend Brent drove me to DFW, which was not only way cheaper than the bus but a lot more fun! Driving with a friend to DFW to have them drop you off so you can go to Ireland is such a fun time!
After Brent dropped me off at DFW, in plenty of time, I had about 1.5 hours to kill despite my worry I would miss my flight-and no delay(no thunderstorm)I took my flight to Boston. It was a good flight, went by fast, no real turbulance. I was so so worried I would miss my flight to Dublin because I had 1.5 hours between the time I landed and the time they began to board the flight. I had to exit the airport to get to the shuttle between terminals to get to the international terminal. then I had to go back through security! thankfully, I got through it with 30 minutes to spare, so I ate a slice of pizza and a lemonade. Aer Lingus is thus far, my favorite airline! besides the fact that the Irish people with their accents were cool, it was a good airline. you had the individual screens, and a decent selections of movies. I watched Hotel Transylvania and Ice Age: Continental Drift. the meal was good, for an airplane meal. BBQ beef with mashed potatoes, crackers, brownie, 3 ounces of water, some small fruit platter thing, small dinner roll with butter and cheddar cheese. I had most of it actually. it was a good meal, I liked it. I got little sleep during the flight, but not a lot of turbulance.pretty smooth flight.I landed in Dublin and it was cold but not raining. I ended up taking the bus to Belfast from the airport. it was easier than going into the city to the train station, and most likely cheaper as well. plus, the bus was empty! there were 3 people, myself included, on it!about 2 hours later or so, I arrived in Belfast. Managed to find my own way to my hostel, looking at some maps and signs along the way, and thanks to the directions they gave me of being near Botanic station. I got there really early, before check out time at 10:30am, so I paid and everything and then had to wait. most likely fell asleep waiting. I owned 180 pounds, which when I booked the hostel online it said was $303, but after I paid I looked at my bank account online and it was only $138! I went to the desk and asked if I was charged the full amount and they said I was. maybe the pound went down in value or something. or maybe tomorrow the rest of it will be charged or something. after I got to my room, number 4, I went to sleep. I knew I wanted to go the yarn store and they closed at 6, but I kept setting the alarm and it would go off and I would reset it for another hour and go back to sleep. ended up sleeping until 5pm. lol. I think it was more because night before I left I got 3.5 hours or so of sleep, so it made the jetlag worse. anyways, I worke up at 5pm and asked for directions to High Street and went off.
I got a little bit lost, turns out I walked right by the street but a friendly man on the street helped me. I finally found it, and got there about 10-15 minutes before they closed but the lady was so nice and helped me with the sweater I bought, which I love! it's a cardigan, blue but it has different specs of blue in the color which I love. She also helped me with the wool for Brent, and since my cardigan that I chose was less expensive than the one I looked at online, I bought this cool ring, with celtic knots on it. all together it was $212, and since sales tax is included in the price, I can fill out a form and when I get back mail it back to them and they will refund the sales tax for me since I am taking the items out of the European Community. I did go $12 over my $200 budget for this, but this is the biggest souvenier I want, the rest will be just keychains and stuff from the places I visit in Ireland, and the hotel was less than I thought, and even when the bank adds the foreign fees tomorrow of each of my purchases, I'll just be careful with my budget, walk as much as I can to places, and look for cheap places to eat. 
Walking back to the hostel, it's about a 15-20 minute walk or so, and it is cold out but it's a nice walk, lots of sights and shops and things to see. I enjoyed it, despite the cold. I love Belfast, at least the bit I saw today. I walked by City Hall today and it is beautiful! and the city centre is pretty and very walkable! lots to see and do and plently of places to eat. I am very proud that I did not take a cab anywhere today, even though its my first day. I think I'm going to really really love Belfast! 
On the way back, I stopped off for dinner, at a resturant called Bishop's. It was not expensive, and the food was good! I loved the look of it. I thought it was beautifully decorated. I was sitting in a booth by this fireplace, and I loved it! I love the beautiful red wallpapaer, with raised pattern on it, and I loved the look of the wood with the red. gave it a it very comforting and warm feeling. the fireplace, as you can see, was not a working fireplace, but I did not mind at all. it's beautifully carved and I loved it! it was such a cute little place, not expensive, that I'm for sure going to go back. going to try other places of course, but I loved this one.
This is what I ate at Bishop's: Chicken Curry with Rice. one of the cheapest meals on the menu, but so filling! I ate about half of it, got full. it did have a bit of a spice to it, but not so much that it was overwhelming. I'm already craving it again. :) very simple dish, but inexpensive and very cheap. all together, it was about 8 pounds, including the drink and that is about $12. not a bad meal price you know?
After I was done eating, I walked back to the hostel and starting writing this post. tomorrow is my Titanic Day, so I will be doing a Titanic Tour, and she, the lady that does the tour,is picking me up at my hostel at 10am. since it's 12:39am, I should be off to bed soon. Breakfast is included with the price of the room, so I will try and get some food then.
my first day in Ireland was really good, and already I know I'm going to love my time here.
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