So, after missing yesterday's Philosophy tutorial I had two extra journeys knocking about on my bus smart card. Last nSo yeahight I decided that it might be a good idea to go to Belfast to do some shopping. With winter rolling in quickly I need some warmer clothing, and Primark has been stocking some funky knitwear and flares, so I decided to forget my terror of the place and go shopping.

Shannon and I got to town to catch the bus at about half twelve, to discover that buses on Saturday are less than regular. Most buses only go between Lurgan and Belfast, which was no use to us. We waffled round town a bit, planning on getting the 2:32 bus, but then Shannon had a revelation: the train. We could try there, to see if they were more regular, and they were.

One thing I'll say about train services over here; they're a lot more vigilant. Even from a station as small as Portadown's, there's a man checking everyone's tickets as they go out onto the platform. It isn't like in England where you can just go onto the platform half an hour early and dawdle around; you wait in the designated area and then aforementioned ticket man will call you through when your train's there.

Yeah. The trains over here are different. Look at me with my Irish wisdom!

We got to Belfast (Great Victoria Street, the station I travel through each day), and as soon as we left the station, it began to rain. Just a drizzle at first, so I got my brolly out, then it began to pour. It was actually insane; we got soaked through. Heading up towards university to go to KFC there was a man standing in the doorway of the RNLI supporters club (I think that's what the place is, anyway) having a smoke, and he saw us walking along and shouted 'come and stand under here!' - it was a bit odd. We just told him we were going to KFC, which is just around the corner. Maybe he was just being nice but it was still rather strange! There's barely enough room for one adult in that doorway; let alone two and a kid of 13.

After KFC the rain had stopped - I hoped it was for good because even Shannon's waterproof SuperDry coat had soaked through. We emerged back on Great Victoria Street and dared to walk back towards the bus/rail station to find Victoria Square shopping centre and Primark - once we passed the station this would be unfamiliar territory for me.

Both places were surprisingly easy to find. To find Victoria Square we just followed a few signs and asked traffic wardens if we were stuck. The place is immense and I have to go back with a camera; I thought Liverpool One was fantastic for photograohy but Victoria Square is an architectural masterpiece - and a nightmare for navigation. It's not a 'square' as such - the venue is actually round, with the shops around its circumference and at its heart an ensemble of stairs, escalators and lifts. At the very top is a huge domed roof of glass - I believe a spiral staircase leads to an observation deck in the dome which would produce some killer photos.

From Victoria Square we headed straight to Primark, with a short excursion into Forbidden Planet, by following the shoppers we saw with Primark bags in reverse. Basically, we saw someone with a bag, we headed in the direction they'd come from. It was a strange technique that could easily have gone wrong, yes, but within about 15 minutes we found it.

How we got out, I'll never know. But I bought a whole winter wardrobe plus shoes and accessories for about £80. I'm mightily chuffed, and need to shop no more until summer as far as clothes are concerned.

And to keep the theme of my Northern Irish adventures going, Jason says he's noticed my accent is a bit more prominent already. If I can have a noticeably stronger accent in just five weeks, imagine three years here! My accent will be restored to its former glory! And then I'll just have to avoid Jason and Sian, who've both promised to ravage me to death at the first hint of an Ulster dialect - for the rest of time. And all those other scary Hibernophiles.

(Hibernophile - someone with a love of everything Irish. The culture, the accent, everything about it.)