It was a historic day in Northern Ireland yesterday as the Assembly met for the first time in the old Stormont parliament but there have been so many historic days recently that the public, press and politicians alike have learnt to take them in their stride.
Still, the marbled splendour of Stormont Castle impressed many media visitors. "Isn't it magnificent?" said one Dublin journalist surveying the architecture. "The oul' Brits were good at one thing anyway." The politicians arrived one by one, well turned out with their obligatory briefcases, like schoolchildren on the first day of term.
The PUP were all smiles and shiny suits. The DUP entered silently like disgruntled pupils who really didn't want to be there. But the Women's Coalition bounced in like eager and enthusiastic head girls.
Ian Paisley refused to talk to the press but his son, Ian Jnr, reassured anyone who doubted otherwise that being under the same roof as republicans meant nothing. "There will be no inappropriate relations with Sinn Fein," he joked.
Inside the chamber, the politicians settled down. Ian Paisley scowled; David Trimble scribbled furiously in a notebook; John Hume fidgeted and scratched his nose. Gerry Adams was the only male politician in the room in his shirt-sleeves. "Gerry's in his `I'm one of the people' mode," said one cynic, pointing to the cameras carrying live pictures which would be watched carefully in republican heartlands.
Barely a few minutes into business and the wrangling began. Sinn Fein asked for simultaneous Irish language translation. Unionists asserted it was just more republican posturing and would be a waste of taxpayers' money.
When Sinn Fein's Bairbre de Brun began to speak in Irish, there was a sudden outburst of coughing and spluttering on the DUP benches. But the Shinners weren't the only ones promoting alternatives to English. The Ulster-Scots Society circulated leaflets containing key phrases for assembly members.
In an obvious attempt to be all-inclusive, no party was left out. Sinn Fein was there - "Oporsels Worlane". The DUP, was "tha Claucht Pairtie o tha Fowk"; and the Women's Coalition, "tha Weeminfowk's Cleek". Fellow members were "Billie Forgaitherers".
And there were phrases which will prove more useful to some parties than others: "A'll winnae mak road" - I will not give way. Language proved controversial again when the rule that parties must declare themselves unionist, nationalist or other was raised.
Alliance disliked the word "other". It sounded like the party was "hanging there in mid-air". It preferred the description "centre". The Women's Coalition wasn't happy with that. Monica McWilliams said it was too judgmental. It labelled everybody else in the room "extreme" - hardly helpful to the peace process.
The DUP's Sammy Wilson said the Women's Coalition wasn't always so PC. He recalled Ms Jane Morrice saying it wanted "to be all things to all men". Ms Morrice later insisted she had said "women and children" too.
The Women's Coalition wanted to be able to switch on the party register from being "other" to being "unionist" or "nationalist" at seven days' notice in order to give support to whichever camp was in trouble from anti-agreement members. UK Unionist leader Bob McCartney said it would be disgraceful if the women could play "see-saw Margery Daw" on crucial votes.
Dr Paisley didn't believe that was the only disgraceful development. He noted there had been media complaints about facilities for journalists at Stormont but no mention in the newspapers or television about the press bar. "It ill behoves the press to pass judgment on others when they are not prepared to judge themselves," he thundered.
The speaker, Lord Alderdice, attempted to ease the situation. There had been a straw poll to find a name for the bar, he told the DUP leader. The most popular suggestion had been "The Place of the Devil's Buttermilk". Even Dr Paisley managed to smile.
But he wasn't the only one worried about the new facility. The Northern Ireland Office's Press Handbook noted that journalists understand any comments made by Assembly members in the bar "should not be reported unless he/she has the specific permission of the member to use the material".
Outside Parliament Buildings, a group of loyalists expressed concerns of their own. Angry that the Union Jack wasn't on display in the Assembly, they unfurled red, white and blue bunting and erected "Trimble is Traitor of Traitors" posters. They believed the DUP should have boycotted the Assembly and feared Dr Paisley wouldn't be able to resist certain temptations. "He'll be drinking in that bar with Gerry Adams before the year's out," said one protester. Now that really would be a historic day.