So our first mission was to go get some food. We had now realized that if you wanted somewhat tasty, decent food, you had to eat at a pub, not a restaurant. So we opted for White’s Tavern, the oldest pub in Belfast. The wooden beams were still original and apparently it was a nice little place. So we walked down the street to find the place, and didn’t find it. Then we doubled back, and didn’t find it. So after a few moments of frustration, staring at my tour guide where the giant star said “here” for the tavern, I wondered if it was down the side street instead of on the main street? It was worth a try before giving up completely. So a couple of steps off the main street we see an alleyway, with the sign for the pub. Okay, not a side street, 
but down an alley of a side street of the main street….. Makes TOTAL sense! Here, we had found what could only be described as the BEST FOOD ever in Belfast, and the Guinness was pretty damn good too. Our waitress, who I’ll call Ms. Ireland since she was also one of the nicest folks we met in Ireland, was beyond fabulous. We ordered tons of food: Guinness, vegetable soup (that was flavourful), bread, garlic mushrooms, Irish stew (Ms. Kitty), more bread, and roasted peppers with rice and cheese (Dr. Goth). She was a bit amazed at how much food we not only ordered but also was able to consume. We felt a little guilty and told her we 
were feeling rather starved, to which she replied, “Oh I understand, I’m starving too and I could eat all of this myself!” Yay, a fellow woman unafraid to eat heartily in public. Gotta love that. But the best of the meal was yet to come. When after the remaining entrée dishes were removed, we asked for dessert, much to her surprise (yes, we could still fit some in). She laughed and told us our two options were 1. sticky toffee pudding or 2. strawberry meringue. We looked at her and said, “yes.” “Yes what?” “Yes, we’ll take both.” She walked away shaking her head and laughing. Soon, two plates of sweets arrived at our table. The strawberry meringue was quite good, and the cream was real cream, not that 
crappy whipped cream crap you get in the US. But the winner for dessert was the sticky toffee pudding. We would eat that down to the last drop. I do have to admit that I seriously considered licking the plate clean, it was THAT good! I asked for the recipe, and Ms. Ireland told us to come back after 4:00 p.m. and the cook would give it to us. YES! I’m so psyched now.
And off we went, well satisfied, tummies full and quite happy. We spent the remainder of the day casually walking about the city. We went back to St. Anne’s church, walked around inside and took photos. Obviously it wasn’t a Catholic church since there were no candles to light (yeah, I had to ask Ms. Kitty why there were no candles…bummed). Pretty place though, the ceiling mosaics were quite detailed.Then we meandered through the streets some more, found a store where we both purchased cute hats. These were obviously not for the warmth factor, just the prettiness. I got a black suede cap that looks totally cute when I wear my hair in braids and Ms. Kitty got a soft pink cashmere beret-like cap. It went nicely with her scarf and coat. And since earlier she had noticed that her lovely silk scarf was no longer on her head, she needed something new. We never did find the scarf, much less did she know when was the last time she felt it still on her. We also went into some other stores; I got some doggie treats for the babies at home. It was a mix of rabbit and game treats, I’ve never seen that in the US and wasn’t sure the boys would like them, but what the heck. I did resist the urge to buy a Cadbury crème egg the size of a grapefruit! I couldn’t image getting that through in my luggage or in my carry-on. But then again, there were many different brands of these gigantic eggs, all amazingly huge, filled with things like crème, chocolate or caramel. Also I saw a huge white chocolate duck the size of a small dog! I’m not sure what is up with the Irish and their desire for sweets that large.
We then realized it was 4:30 p.m., time to go back to get my sticky toffee pudding recipe!! So back to the pub we went, since Ms. Ireland told us to come back. Unfortunately, upon our return the cook decided he would in fact NOT give me the recipe. I went away saddened with no way to remake that masterpiece. Anyone got a good sticky toffee pudding recipe for me?? Please send…. Either that or I’ll need to Google for it.
Alas, we returned to the hotel and the room had not been made up, at all. Ms. Kitty was not pleased, AT ALL. She stopped back down at the front desk to complain as she was also headed off to the cool Visitor’s Center to do some last minute emailing. While she was gone, I packed up my suitcase, tossed the trash out, and laid out my clothing for the plane ride home since I had to be up at 5:15 a.m. and knew I would be incoherent to choose clothing. Ms. Kitty returned by 5:30 p.m. She had been kicked out of the Visitor’s Center since they closed early in the winter hours, which by the way that info was not posted on the door of the place. No one had still come to our room yet to clean, and they had told her someone would. Well, it could be hours before these people decided to work, so we decided a nap would be the best course of action. During our nap, nearly 2 hours after we first asked for the room to be cleaned, housekeeping showed up. I just asked for fresh towels and robes. After he left I put the pile of white terry cloth in the bathroom and realized he never gave us fresh robes or even washcloths. Horrible Housekeeping people!!! I went back to sleep.
After a lovely 2-hour nap, we both woke up and finished up the last bit of packing. I got everything to fit, including my killer new boots that I spent way too much money on. I realized I still had so much more to write about of our Sunday adventure. But since I have a 6 – 7 hour plane ride back across the pond, I would have time to fill in the gaps. Alright, I believe it is time to conclude for the night. More tomorrow while I jet back to the US, home to my own bed, my cute doggie, Mr. Fabulous and food that has flavour! Can’t wait. Yes, QUITE!
PS: One more day to write about, the return home.......
