I am apparently ill informed regarding Irish weather. Thinking that rain in Ireland typically resembles more of a mist than actual rain, Natalie and I headed out to explore the city without an umbrella. This exploration quickly turned into a search for a winter hat (for me) as the Siberian style winds were causing all feeling in my ears to vanish. On Sunday, nothing in Belfast is open until 1:00 pm. (This is not really a problem, unless your ears are really cold and you are looking for a  winter hat to help fend of frostbite.) With time to kill, we walked to the center of town and got caught in a surprise rain storm. Kicking ourselves for not bringing an umbrella, we ducked into a local bar for an Americano and a dose of Irish culture.

Feeling well caffeinated and cheered by the now sunny weather, we headed back out to explore Belfast. 1 hour of exploration and a cozy winter hat for my ears later, the sky began to look ominous. I mean really, really, dark. I was starting to get a bit apprehensive as I noticed locals running into the closest shops and bars. Than the rain started to fall. Sideways. I imagine that the sideways style rain was the unfortunate result of the gale like winds that kicked up at about the same time. We ducked into a covered doorway, out  of the wind, to wait it out. This offered us the rare opportunity to watch tourist and Irishmen alike getting blown down the street, usually with their umbrellas turned out backwards.

The rain eventually dissipated and we were treated to a brilliant rainbow that spanned from horizon to horizon. I mean this rainbow was like nothing I have ever seen before. Each color was brilliantly displayed against a sunny sky and the colors seemed to sparkle as the last of the rain drifted through it. I imagine that this happens often as we were the only ones on the street taking in the stunning view.

Tags | Ireland