Enjoying real, permanent snow. Making gingerbread cookies, peanut butter cookies, sugar cookies, decorative fake clay painted cookies. Buying last-minute presents. Chasing bundled-up, rosy-cheeked children back into the mudroom with their snowy boots on. Hearing about how I should go down the boys' ravine ramp on a much-patched-up inner tube (I think I've avoided this for a few years now). Singing Christmas carols. Wondering how on earth my mom acquired unique stocking stuffers and multiple presents for each of her children. Eating, eating, eating....
Before all of the housemates headed off for the holidays, we celebrated (with friends) by going to the Queen's Orchestra and Choir Christmas Concert and then heading off to a late supper at Scalini's Italian Restaurant. Mmmm. Mmm...
This is Belfast City Hall, complete with Belfast's version of the London Eye. The annual Christmas Market was stationed out front, and more than a few days this past month I'd meander through for a mug of mulled wine, a burger from around the world (my choice of meat included kangaroo, ostrich, venison, bison), and some Christmas cheer.
Myself and Abby at the Christmas Market! In this photo we're sitting across from a mulled wine stand eating Dutch pancakes (rounder than pancakes, flatter than ableskivers) drizzled with Grand Marnier and chocolate--and a snow-like dusting of powdered sugar. For those of you familiar with them, it was like eating a fresh twist on Jaffa cakes.
As you can see, there is a lack of snow on the ground. Even in winter Ireland is green! This is Stephen's Green in Dublin, two blocks from the hotel that John, Jolene, and I stayed at during their 12-hour layover. I can't help but wondering what the gardener is doing with his wheelbarrow during frosty weather on the eve before Christmas Eve!
From closer up, the two trees: one is flowering with pink blossoms while the other is a holly tree with glossy red berries.
Stephen's Green Shopping Center is all lit up inside! I popped in for a bite to eat and to warm up.
Dublin's famous Grafton Street, jam packed with last-minute shoppers. I happily joined in to buy winter boots because my shoes were leaking. Notice the chandeliers hanging from the centers of the light-strands all the way down the street! There were musicians every couple feet--choirs, bands, merrimakers in costume! I couldn't take it for too long though; it was hard manouevering through the crowds with bags in hand.
The O'Connell Street Christmas tree in Dublin. I only realised later that they also had a creche (a Nativity scene) behind the tree. I wonder how many countries in the world still allow public displays of Christianity such as this. On one street there was even a live creche with real animals!
It was wonderful seeing John and Jolene once their flight from Vienna arrived and grabbing a pint in the Temple Bar area at 1:30am! We were on the lookout for Santa Hats, which were being worn everywhere but we couldn't find out where they were coming from--and we were too tired to exert ourselves. Instead we went to bed, only to discover that our hotel's basement club got out at 3am. Crowds of drunken merrimakers were right outside my window, and while they kept me up, thankfully John and Jolene were already too tired from travelling to stay awake.
This is St. Peter's Cathedral off of the Falls Road in West Belfast, during daylight. I walked here for 9pm "Midnight Mass" last night, because I'd heard there was a famous boys choir singing during the service: the Schola Cantorum. As I walked through the city center and down the Falls, it seemed like every church in the city had erupted in chiming bells. The streets were devoid of people unless there was a church nearby.
The Cathedral was packed and lit with candles when I arrived (the photo is from a different day). I didn't realise until then that the Bishop of Down and Conner was presiding. As for the 40-member Schola, they were fabulous. They sang most responses from Schubert's Mass in G, a few carols, and then a rendition of "O Holy Night." After the service, I went up near the altar to see the creche and discovered many elderly women climbing into the stable to steal hay from it. Crazy Irish Catholics.
Myself and Chris with our Christmas blackberry custard pie.
Merry Christmas!
God bless you, every one!
No comments:
Post a Comment