Shopping in the run-up to Christmas can be a bit of a chore if you have to brave the crowds and the weather decides to get wintry. Belfast shoppers have not yet turned feral, so the experience of traipsing around craft shops and department stores wasn’t too bad.
The family tradition of buying a new decoration for the Christmas tree was achieved with ease, blouses were selected in M&S and even the scrum down in Boots was tolerable.
But I had reached my limit of shops and overpriced novelty items. The bar beckoned. It was busy and we only found a table and one chair. But the cider was good and we could make ourselves heard above the buzz.
Baltic might describe the cold weather, but was also the bar we found ourselves in after we had searched in vain for any table in the city centre restaurants. £13.50 for two glasses of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is a bit steep but the alpine decor and friendly barman helped.
No taxis were to be had, except with priority booking. Luckily my better half is a valued taxi customer and we made our way to the Bengal Brasserie on the Lisburn Road. Good food, nice ambiance and a bottle of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The end of our shopping adventure.
odespinner 