Taste Of Polska Comes To Belfast

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 City Marathon 2011

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 …

Another Excellent St Patrick’s Day In Belfast

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

Spring has sprung in 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

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 …

A Merry Christmas To All Self Catering Accommodation Belfast Guests

Stephen & Jane would like to extend seasons greetings to all our guests

The Biggest Bar In Ireland Comes To Belfast

The Ulster Hall now plays host to the Belfast Beer & Cider Festival

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

 

I have to admit that at one point it took on the appearance of a Belfast working mens club with mostly men proping up the bar eager to try every out everything on offer before settling down to a nights drinking. For the ladies (at least those who didn’t enjoy  drink beer, there was the alternative choice of cider or perries in various strengths

A working mens club or something more interesting?

Hats off to Belfast City Council for allowing this ‘devils brew’ to be sold at the Ulster Hall. Its the sort of event that visitors to our lovely city really enjoy

We had guests at each of our 3 Self Catering Accommodation Belfast apartments over these last few days and I was proud to be able to announce to them that Belfast had its own beer festival not to be missed and only 5 mins stagger from the apartments

Luckily one of the apartments was available last night which meant we could relax at the festival and then head back without having to worry about drinking and driving – a most enjoyable evening

Lunch at St Georges Market Belfast; a very civilised alternative to shopping

So the thing is this, Jane wants to go shopping and I want to go for lunch – how do we compromise?

Musicians play at St Georges Market

Simple, we go to St Georges Market and have lunch, Jane shops for food and I take great pleasure in consuming it

 

There really is a great atmosphere at the market which is now open Friday, Saturday and Sunday and attracts both locals and tourist visitors alike

 

This market fell into disrepair for many years until Belfast City Council took control of the situation, spent a lot of time, money and effort on it and hey presto, it’s now officially one of the 10 best markets in the UK to visit

 

Of course we’ve a long way to go to compare with some of the continental markets which abound but it has a character all of its own. It’s a real pleasure to sit over lunch at the market and listen to

Deli counter

local live bands before spending the next hour perusing the various stands including the deli counter

 

We always recommend that our guests which stay with us at Self Catering Accommodation Belfast visit the market if possible. It’s then just a short stroll to the Victoria Shopping Centre for some serious retail therapy

 

So there you have it, lunch at the market followed by shopping, or in my case lunch at the market followed by Jane going shopping and me wandering around the stalls getting the groceries in for the next few days. All in all, a very civilised alternative to shopping!

Self Catering Accommodation Belfast says farewell to Simply Red

Simply Red have performed their last gig together at the Odyssey Arena Belfast on Monday night and what a night it was

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

Christmas shopping begins in Belfast before Halloween has even arrived

Christmas Arrives In Belfast Before Halloween

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!