Bonfire of 11th July and Boyne battle

11th of July, important day for one of the Belfast faction’s, for the protestants or loyalist. They commemorate the Boyne’s battle victory in 1690, what better way to celebrate the victory than burn an Irish flag??Yes…during the 11th night of July they make big bonfires in open fields and they burn the Irish Flag (the classic one…green white and orange).

Casually there was one of them at the end of my street, insomuch as I live in a protestant district, but not too protestant…in fact my street is too international, here lives foreigner people and with different religions, because we are near the university.

As you can see, the bonfire is as high as a house and this night the local people advise us for not to go to the bonfire for the danger of it and for the people who is being there…But usually I don’t hear the advices (my mother is right when she says that I never hear her comments…),so I decided to go to the bonfire and see “the party”.

The size of the bonfire is awesome when you see it without fire, but when you see it burning…it’s spectacular, I don’t know how they didn’t burn my home… the bonfire of my district was really quiet and without incidents, but in Belfast we had some problems this night (the normal problems like every year), but so quiet in general.

And now arrives THE MOMENT of the night when they stop the electro music and they put a patriotic song, then most of them accompany with their hand in their hearts. This Soulful moment leave me a strange feeling, not for the gesture of ones…or the chants of the others, is because I saw how deep the people of this city remains divided and stuck in the past.

PS: Dedicated to Teresa's tears, because they failed in their attempt to extinguish the bonfire.

Loves u, the bald of Belfast.

firsts ten days in Belfast

I arrived ten days ago to Belfast, and the experience is still positive, especially if you count that in 10 days, almost got run over "only" 2 times ... (I remind you that here they drive on the left) which for a foreigner is not bad, even if I have to admit that I needed all my concentration (which is not too much, but it's something said a bald like me, when he found a comb without spikes).

Ormeau Park

This country is really green, is the first thing that impressed me about this country, when I was still in the plane I Thought, where are the villages in this country? Well...they are in the middle of all that green, I have the feeling of I’m living in a park with houses in the middle, on my street there are many trees and I have a huge park right next to my house called "Ormeau Park " to give you an idea how big is, it has a golf course, 5 soccer fields (actual size, not the kind we had in school), 5 basketball field, 3 tennis courts, and a fairly large building indoor tennis, all that is "only" half park ...

I live in the South Belfast near Ormeau Bridge (loyalist Protestant area = English area), about 20 minutes from the city center. The center is small, but has everything you need for a good Sunday afternoon (yes, I say Sunday because here everything is open on Sundays), streets with many shops and food and stuff and a shopping center called Victoria Square just near the town hall.

Victoria Square is not like other shopping centers that I have ever seen, it is as if you took 3 streets of Barcelona, build a roof and put more floors above and below, and a viewpoint above all ... Well, that's Victoria Square.

In addition my favorite building at this moment(I have not seen much of the center) is the town hall, is big, and beautiful and has a front yard with lawn and a large screen for sports broadcast, when the sun comes here to say hello (this is not extremely common) is filled with people lying, watching TV or chatting, it's really pretty. For me Belfast is like a small London, a beautiful city center with shops, coffee shops and little streets and the rest are residential neighborhoods. Well…residential neighborhoods and churches, here are more churches than people per square meter (this is a personal mathematical rule.... nothing confirmed yet!)

But unlike London, Belfast is, above all, a university town, so not many people is living here now, in my neighborhood almost all houses are for rent cause  I live near Queens university (which is beautiful, the people says is very similar to Harry Potter castle) and is the students home, so until September it will not begin to come people again.

Queen's University

Speaking about universities, students and students party, I have not seen a too much party but I recognize that I have not been much in the center, as I preferred to use these 10 days to settle down to my house and the city. I promise to tell you more things about Belfast, Northern Ireland and most of its pubs later.

Hugs to all, love you:

The Bald of Belfast

When "miss" means something more

I’m here in Belfast since few days ago, and the integration in this city is not exactly being easy, otherwise I admit that I’m here for less than 1 week, and I have not visited any pub (well I have drank some pints hehe) and I have not seen much of the city.


But when I walk through the small downtown, the first that comes to my mind is: I miss ...
Because... what we mean when we say I miss you? When you miss is only when you do not see him/her/you? Or when you need to see it and you cannot?

Miss is more than a phrase, is a feeling. Not long ago I left behind my family, friends and loved ones, but when you really feel "Noon", you remember the people who give you the strength to continue each day.
There are many people that I saw recently and today I miss most than ever, I suppose in the background is a feeling of say thanks to all those people who once supported you and never said it, you never feel the importance of those loved ones (friends, family, special people) until you really think, what they say me now?
It's a brutal experience for me, to some of you I told you that "the first 2 month I will be shitty" but definitely with you here, it would be quite half hard difficult of what they can be reach.

When more comes to me this feeling is on daily things, when you have lunch, your family is there with you (although your mother is to tell you to sit at the table to eat and stop play with your food, and your father paste you  a shout when you change the channel on the TV ... but they are there)
When you're in home at night and would go to a friend's house to have a beer, just because to see them and laugh a while ... and not just any friend, there are irreplaceable friends (it is very easy to say, you will meet people there.) one good friend always said to me, the great friends can be long time without seeing, but when they see them each other, it is as if they had seen the day before.
When I go out, and I look the sky and I remember Barcelona with the blue sky and sun (a terrible sun…yes, but sunshine after all) and if you have a lot of heat, you can always get you in the shadow of those big beautiful buildings surrounding the Catalunya square in Barcelona. (Although when you're standing there a motorbike beeps at you because he wants to park right where you are...)
I think is not necessary say names, but thanks to all who once support me on this journey, which for different reasons, what you saw right.

I promise to tell you soon more about Belfast, pubs, people, and green parks.

Hugs to all, with love
The bald of Belfast.