A Day In The City.

With the girls off on a sleepover at their cousins' place for two nights, Stew and I had a free day today, so we rode the bus into the city for an afternoon "at the shops", and in search of a Starbucks. Unsure of where exactly to find one, we stopped to enquire of a security guard, standing watch outside at a bank. 

"Aye, well, there is one now, let me think, although I'm not a hundert percent sure, only ninety... but do yous see that wee lane up there, well if yous go up there, head down it till yous come to the circle, and then just turn your head... yous'll see it."

Honest to goodness, that is exactly what he said. Clearest of clear directions to a local, maybe, but I started laughing the minute we left him! We did, in fact, find the Starbucks to be exactly where he said. Where we ordered our drinks to be "in", as opposed to "out", and were informed by the barista to "hold onto yer receipt, now, for there's a wee code at the bottom of it for the toilet, in case yous need to go". Very clear instructions when it comes to Mother Nature. Thanks yerself.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the familiar coffee taste, and sat and sipped and observed the Belfast world go by. Always fun to people-watch. Map-equipped tourists, snapping pictures on their phones. Freckle-faced red-head kids, and plenty of other nationalities too. Some religious extremists, from Canada no less, hustling passers-by with their propaganda. Immigrant newspaper agents, loudly announcing their wares. All of it struck me how quickly Belfast is becoming a multicultural city.

 

 

Then we browsed and poked through the stores, before ending up at Costa for our second coffee stop of the day. Love their incredible selection of pastries. And let me tell you, this Bakewell tart... absolutely divine. I might have to go back there for another one!