Belfast Blitzkrieg

It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door... You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. - Bilbo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring

A dangerous business, indeed. Well, I made it to Belfast - it's been less than forty-eight hours since I arrived, but it already feels like I've been here for an eternity. That's just the way it goes, I think. The first glimpse of Belfast City from the window of the airplane was an astounding one; we arrived at about 8:30am local time, and the sun was only just rising. And rise it did. Brilliantly. High above the city, with the early-morning lights glinting down below, and nothing but green, lush fields around it, the sun rose as a fiery red ball, casting everything in a flame-tinged, eerie sort of light. Very beautiful... Unfortunately, we quickly descended beneath some clouds, and more blew in and covered the sky. It's basically been raining off and on ever since!

Well, it would probably take a while to tell about everything that I've been up to, so I'll try and make it short by just verifying what you all already know: the Irish - specifically, here in Belfast, the Northern Irish, and, hence, the British - love football. Which is to say, soccer. But let's stick to British terminology. In the pubs last night, all the television sets were airing the match between Arsenal (one of - if not the - most famous football clubs around; they're based out of north London) and Tottenham Hotspur (aka the Spurs; also based in London), and it could definitely get pretty raucous, let me tell you... Collective cheering, shouts, glass banging when goals were scored or dangerous shots blocked, collective booing at a goal by the opposing team or, especially, at goal-post hitting misses by the fan favorites. I'm not entirely sure of the reason, but everyone, and I mean everyone, was backing Tottenham. No one was rooting for Arsenal. A little confusing; I don't exactly know why every North Irishman that I met backed one London-based team so vehemently against the other... hopefully, I'll find out someday!

One way or another, though, the Irishmen and the Spurs had their way: the final score was 6-2 in favor of Tottenham. Very interesting... apparently, the Spurs' victory allows them to advance to the League Cup final. Sounds exciting, but, being but a silly American, I'm not sure that I quite grasp the importance of the event. Still fun to watch, though.

Alright, check back again soon for more... I'll try not to be sleep deprived when I write it!