Artsekta Fusion Band

Today saw the ‘Taste Of Polska’ arrive in Belfast and exhibiting at the beautiful St Anne’s Square inner courtyard

The event is part of the V Polish Cultural Week combining with the 12th annual Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival

Khana Kitchen

There was music, dance, visual arts and of course the food which attracted us

A Polish Speciality

Artsekta Fusion Band were the stars for us as they entertained the public with their mix of Indian, African and Irish music

All in all, a really nice day which we were happy to recommend to our guests to visit

Who can resist a Barbeque..

Belfast Marathon Line Up

Today saw the 2011 annual Marathon around Belfast

And they're off ...

There was a record number of entrants totalling around 20,000 and part of the city centre had to be closed off to traffic

The weather was perhaps a little too kind with unusually hot weather for this time of year but it did make it much more pleasurable for the spectators cheering their family and friends along

The event is now sponsored by some big names which include Deep RiverRock, Belfast City Council, Sport Northern Ireland, Daily Mirror, Charles Hurst Renault, Athletics Northern Ireland, Premier Inn Hotel, Translink, Asics, Up and Running and U10 so it was bound to be a big success

Matthew Cordner at the starting line

Our son Matthew Cordner ran his first full marathon today and finished the gruelling 26 miles in a very respectable time of just over three and a half hours – sadly not  enough to win the £2000 prize but a great effort

The route started at the City Hall and finished at Ormeau Park to the cheers of the crowds

Apologies to the runners who contacted us for accommodation at our apartments but previous confirmed bookings meant that we were unable to accommodate them

Remember to book early for next year …

Paddy's Day, Belfast

Paddy’s Day got off to a great start at 12pm with a parade leaving the Belfast City Hall

It was made up of many colourful performers, musicians, acrobats, etc

A short time later, it arrived at Customs House Square where crowds were eagerly waiting to see stars such as Stacey Solomon and Lemar as well as local irish bands and dancers

It was a great afternoon and the weather was kind to all

The celebrations are set to continue

Custom House Square, Belfast

Palm House in Belfast's Botanic Gardens

Its been a long cold winter over the whole of the UK but in Belfast at least, it looks like Spring has eventually sprung

The Palm House in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens is a beautiful place to visit at any time but on a warm Sunday afternoon what better a way to walk off lunch than a stroll around these lovely gardens

Whilst the spring plants are still struggling to come up, let alone flower those inside the Palm House are being cossetted in the warm humid environment created by Belfast City Council’s gardeners from the Parks Dept. This team of gardeners take real pride in the displays they create not just in the Botanic Gardens, but also around the city
The gardens first opened in 1828 and then became a public park in 1895. The Palm House was designed by Charles Lanyon and construction began in 1839 with the two wings being completed a year later

Botanic Gardens is situated beside Queens University and many a student can be seen studying for exams or just hanging out waiting for their next class. Its also a favourite of tourists and we always recommend guests staying at Self Catering Accommodation Belfast to visit the Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens and Queens University

Spring crocuses flowering outside the Palm HouseSpring Display Inside The Heated Palm House, Belfast Botanic Gardens

Spring Display Inside The Heated Palm House, Belfast Botanic Gardens

Mahatma Gandhi Quote

It was Mahatma Gandhi who, in a speech in South Africa in 1890 said the following -

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider of our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

How appropriate this is not just to our business in Self Catering Accommodation Belfast, but to anyone in the business! Good customer service and courtesy costs nothing and yet it benefits both parties.

Amazing that over 100 years ago, Gandhi shared these thoughts and their importance remains the same today …

Starting a couple of days ago and ending tonight at 11pm, staff from CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) have set up shop at the prestidious Ulster Hall on Bedford St offering a choice of beer, cider and perries

Live Music

When Jane and I visited it last night there was a great atmosphere with a live band playing on stage and incidentally enjoyed some of the produce on sale which probably made them play better

The range of beers was quite extraordinary as was their names and strengths. Nearly 100 keys were offered for sale at different prices depending on their strength but as payment was by tokens purchased on the way in (and easily replenished) the same payment was either for half a pint (strong) as it was for some of the less strong beers (I should not call them weak)

Names rolled off the tongue like Empire Strikes Back or Tring Huck-me-Buck to name just a couple. But it was the Orkney Skull Splitter @ 8.5% that floated my boat and probably would have split my skull with a hangover this morning had I not decided to be sensible and only have 1 before moving onto the (almost as strong) Lees Moonraker @ 7.5%

Beer Galore

..and yet more beer

All the old hits over the last 25 years in quick succession and despite recovering from a flu-like illness Mick’s apology in advance was not required as it was faultless

Tickets were priced at £38 which was a real bargain for a wonderful evening of song and a flash drive with their gig recorded was also on sale at £25. Personally, I think I’ll wait for the DVD as there is bound to be better sound and picture quality

Its not unusual for us to welcome guests to stay in Self Catering Accommodation Belfast to see various shows - lately 2 of our apartments were booked for the lady gaga gig; the only strange thing is that with so much talent visiting Belfast, there’s still accommodation available

Its not that I’m at all averse to Christmas and the beginning of the festivities but really, Christmas in Belfast before we’ve even got Halloween over?

I took both of these snaps at a shop in Belfast earlier today having been dragged out of our comfy apartments only to be shocked by the sight of Christmas and Halloween goodies for sale in the same shop on the next shelf to each other

The irony was that I’d have had concerns over the ‘use by’ date of the chocolates on the advent calendar

I’m still trying to decide if it was a trick or treat!