Wake Up Maggie I Think I Got Something To Say To You

After the rude awakening by Stephani, leering down at me so early in the morning, we soon started to wonder about food.  Saturday morning in town for coffee sounded like just the thing, so we looked up popular breakfast spots, and Maggie May's Breakfast came up in first place. About a 14-minute stroll up Victoria Road from our hotel, it's cozy and friendly. The first booth we were seated at was slightly small, and with a baby seat next to it didn't leave room for my bag, so we got a new table. 

Who is Maggie?

When we spoke with the current manager she told us Maggie is her granny, a delightful lady.  Look at the dessert choices, wow. Who would say no to a slice of "Jammy Joe" with hot custard on a cold Saturday afternoon? I had the "Belfast Bap", a french roll stuffed with bacon, sausage, black pudding and egg￡9.50.   Stephani had "Stuffed Soda", which consisted of Irish soda bread with sausages, bacon and egg ￡7.50.  Two coffee's and we were well sorted. 

I thought I saw my Mum

I was fiddling with the settings on my camera while we walked back to the hotel when I looked up and across the road. I saw a short woman who looked so much like my mother my heart skipped a beat. Her hair was short cropped with a hint of blonde coloring. She had a weathered black mac and had that salt of the earth look about her, enough so I said to her, "You look just like my Mum." Her name was Joyce and she told us we had missed warm sunny weather by two weeks.  Mum would always describe the weather in Belfast as "Bitterly cold." We had a lovely chat with her in the street telling her about Evelyn and Sid and what part of Belfast they came from.   "The trip is about closure yes?"  The Irish don't beat about the bush in conversations, they can get right to the heart of it quickly, which I always appreciate. Such a heart warmer of a lady. I will remember her. 

A lovely visit with Norman, Laurie and the kids

It's always a treat to spend time with family, especially lovely family like the one my uncle Norman has with his wife Laurie.  There's Dawn, Laurie's daughter, who told us about the AirBnB that her and her husband, Glen have been spending time on. Her wonderful children, and her children's children, who came in like a whirlwind. Laurie's other daughter, Clare, was not in attendance, but heard some lovely stories about her. Laurie and Norman were kind and welcoming, and brought us up to speed on everything since we were last here. It was so great. 

The thing people want to talk about when they figure out we are Americans

We had quite a few conversations today with people from other parts of the world, including Northern Ireland. One woman from Canada in the elevator introduced herself, and we apologized for everything. She gets it. It's not us, it's him.  The thing we pickup from mostly every conversation is how crazy it all seems. Most people understand. I've never felt ashamed to announce where I live before now, it's a strange feeling. Thankfully, we are not being ridiculed for the actions of this person and his policies.