Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Camp is a blast!!!
Hi y'all! This will be short as internet access here at camp is limited. Just wanted to let you know that I am having tons of fun at Barrettstown and the kids arrive today : ) I have so many pictures to share and lots of new Irish friends. I get back to Dublin Tueday so until then.....
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Malahide Saturday...
Yesterday Chad and I took a trip to Malahide, Ireland. It's only a 20 minute train ride outside of Dublin to this little fishing village. They were having their annual "festival" so we went to check it out.
At the first stop and man got on the train and sat in the seat across from us. At first glance he looked a bit quirky. He was dressed in a funny hat and had lots of jewelry on. Before we knew it he was pointing out where Bram Stoker (the man who wrote Dracula) lived, the school where the band U2 was formed and other landmarks. We began to talk and told us he was a poet from Malahide and sold his books in Dublin and other places around Ireland. He went on to tell us about his life hosting a children's TV show and how he had received electro-shock therapy a few years back....ummm yep what do you say to that one??? He told us he was once on a mood stabilizer but felt it made people into zombies who walked around smoking all day. He told us about his mother who used to scare him with stories about communists. He said at the time he didn't know what a communist was....but he was pretty sure he'd know one if he ever saw one. He also told us how much he loved Johnny Cash and that he had met him once when he was in concert in Ireland.
We had a lovely conversation and he said he was headed to the Starbucks in Malahide to meet a friend who designed the album covers for U2. At the end of our ride I asked for his name and a picture for my blog. His name is Pat Ingoldsby and he was more than happy to let me take his picture. He told me to google him because despite the fact that he doesn't have internet he had heard he was on "it" a good bit. When we got off the train Chad and I looked at each other and couldn't decide if he was a total nut, truly a famous Irish poet or both.
Well sure enough when we got home I googled him and he was telling the truth. He is all over the internet including Wikipedia - you know if it's on Wikipedia it has to be real : ) Below is the link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Ingoldsby
I felt like we had just encountered something/someone very special. Not everyday you meet a famous poet. I am going to try to find a copy of one of his books while we are here since I can now say I know him.
Anyways, back to the trip to Malahide. The festival was not very festive but we really enjoyed the little village. We walked around the coast looking at all the boats and then in true Ireland fashion we were caught in a massive down pour of rain. Cold, cold rain!! We headed for the first restaurant we could find and stopped for lunch.
By the time we finished eating the sun was back out again. We had seen most of the village at that point so we walked to the Malahide Castle. It was closed for renovations but we were able to see the outside. It re-opens in September so we will have to make a trip back.
On our walk back to the train we were again blessed with a beautiful rainbow. That's one of the wonderful things about having bi-polar weather I guess!
On our train ride back we did not have the company of Mr. Ingoldsly, however we did get to listen to 3 gentlemen talk about all the odd things they had ever eaten.... to include dog :(, alligator, guinea pig and kangaroo.....seriously no joke! Chad and I just giggled like kids listening to them talk.
In the morning I am off to a camp at Barrettstown Castle for children with cancer. Not sure if I will be able to blog from there but I promise to have lots to tell you when I get back in a week! Below is the link to their website if you want to check it out!
At the first stop and man got on the train and sat in the seat across from us. At first glance he looked a bit quirky. He was dressed in a funny hat and had lots of jewelry on. Before we knew it he was pointing out where Bram Stoker (the man who wrote Dracula) lived, the school where the band U2 was formed and other landmarks. We began to talk and told us he was a poet from Malahide and sold his books in Dublin and other places around Ireland. He went on to tell us about his life hosting a children's TV show and how he had received electro-shock therapy a few years back....ummm yep what do you say to that one??? He told us he was once on a mood stabilizer but felt it made people into zombies who walked around smoking all day. He told us about his mother who used to scare him with stories about communists. He said at the time he didn't know what a communist was....but he was pretty sure he'd know one if he ever saw one. He also told us how much he loved Johnny Cash and that he had met him once when he was in concert in Ireland.
We had a lovely conversation and he said he was headed to the Starbucks in Malahide to meet a friend who designed the album covers for U2. At the end of our ride I asked for his name and a picture for my blog. His name is Pat Ingoldsby and he was more than happy to let me take his picture. He told me to google him because despite the fact that he doesn't have internet he had heard he was on "it" a good bit. When we got off the train Chad and I looked at each other and couldn't decide if he was a total nut, truly a famous Irish poet or both. Well sure enough when we got home I googled him and he was telling the truth. He is all over the internet including Wikipedia - you know if it's on Wikipedia it has to be real : ) Below is the link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Ingoldsby
I felt like we had just encountered something/someone very special. Not everyday you meet a famous poet. I am going to try to find a copy of one of his books while we are here since I can now say I know him.
Anyways, back to the trip to Malahide. The festival was not very festive but we really enjoyed the little village. We walked around the coast looking at all the boats and then in true Ireland fashion we were caught in a massive down pour of rain. Cold, cold rain!! We headed for the first restaurant we could find and stopped for lunch.
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| Chad refused to be in any pictures...guess he wasn't feeling his cutest : ) |
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| This bird sat up there forever just surveying the land |
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| Can you see the rain off in the distance? |
By the time we finished eating the sun was back out again. We had seen most of the village at that point so we walked to the Malahide Castle. It was closed for renovations but we were able to see the outside. It re-opens in September so we will have to make a trip back.
On our walk back to the train we were again blessed with a beautiful rainbow. That's one of the wonderful things about having bi-polar weather I guess!
On our train ride back we did not have the company of Mr. Ingoldsly, however we did get to listen to 3 gentlemen talk about all the odd things they had ever eaten.... to include dog :(, alligator, guinea pig and kangaroo.....seriously no joke! Chad and I just giggled like kids listening to them talk.
In the morning I am off to a camp at Barrettstown Castle for children with cancer. Not sure if I will be able to blog from there but I promise to have lots to tell you when I get back in a week! Below is the link to their website if you want to check it out!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Just a walk around town...
Yesterday Chad was on call so I had the entire day and night (and today) to myself. At home I would have gotten home from work, probably eaten something frozen for dinner, then watched some TV and gone to bed. Life is a little different as a "stay at home wife".
After my spin class and lunch I decided to try to find a bookstore for more reading material!! I am loving the fact that I can read for pleasure again without falling asleep or having anything else nagging to do. So I left our apartment and started walking. The city streets here are littered with beauty! I wanted to pull out my camera phone every 5 seconds to capture something.
My walk from home takes me across the Liffey (river) into town. I love listening to the sounds of the city and all the seagulls...we are just a short walk to the ocean as well. Our apartmet is just behind that building that looks like a tilted tin can :).
I really just wandered around town most of the afternoon. I stopped in shops that looked interesting or cute. I managed to only buy 2 new books to read and a pair of cheap jeans to take to camp with me next week. Chad would have been proud :) I love all the little streets with flags and lights draped across. They look like something out of a movie.
This church was nestled in the middle of the city...so pretty! I have no idea what church it is.
This cute little shop had vintage and vintage inspired clothes. I could have spent some money in this place!! The dresses they had were so cute!
Beautiful flower stands everywhere with reasonably priced blooms...I am a huge sucker for fresh flowers but I managed to contain myself. If I were in St. Louis our whole house would be full of those hydrangeas.
The last shop I stopped in I found this t-shirt...too funny. I felt the need to follow it's instructions and here it is "on my blog".
When I started getting tired and hungry I headed for home. This last shot is a picture of the sun setting off our balcony...at about 10:30pm. Yep folks, they have some long days here during the summer. I can't complain though. It means I can be out walking around in the light longer.
We have decided to go to Malahide this weekend. It's a small fishing village about 30 minutes outside of Dublin. They are having a huge festival with food and music and who knows what else!
After my spin class and lunch I decided to try to find a bookstore for more reading material!! I am loving the fact that I can read for pleasure again without falling asleep or having anything else nagging to do. So I left our apartment and started walking. The city streets here are littered with beauty! I wanted to pull out my camera phone every 5 seconds to capture something.
My walk from home takes me across the Liffey (river) into town. I love listening to the sounds of the city and all the seagulls...we are just a short walk to the ocean as well. Our apartmet is just behind that building that looks like a tilted tin can :).
I really just wandered around town most of the afternoon. I stopped in shops that looked interesting or cute. I managed to only buy 2 new books to read and a pair of cheap jeans to take to camp with me next week. Chad would have been proud :) I love all the little streets with flags and lights draped across. They look like something out of a movie.
This church was nestled in the middle of the city...so pretty! I have no idea what church it is.
This cute little shop had vintage and vintage inspired clothes. I could have spent some money in this place!! The dresses they had were so cute!
Beautiful flower stands everywhere with reasonably priced blooms...I am a huge sucker for fresh flowers but I managed to contain myself. If I were in St. Louis our whole house would be full of those hydrangeas.
The last shop I stopped in I found this t-shirt...too funny. I felt the need to follow it's instructions and here it is "on my blog".
When I started getting tired and hungry I headed for home. This last shot is a picture of the sun setting off our balcony...at about 10:30pm. Yep folks, they have some long days here during the summer. I can't complain though. It means I can be out walking around in the light longer.
We have decided to go to Malahide this weekend. It's a small fishing village about 30 minutes outside of Dublin. They are having a huge festival with food and music and who knows what else!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Weekend happenings
Phew, I'm finally getting this blog caught up! This past Friday one of Chad's attendings invited us over for dinner. Here they call attendings, consultants and surgeons go by Mr. not Dr. - confusing I know! Anywho, Mr./Dr. McNally and his wife had us over to their home in Howth for dinner. Mr. McNally suggested we take the Dart (one of the train systems here) instead of driving because parking can be an issue. So, we walked to the station, paid for our ticket and hopped on...all with plenty of time to get there. When we arrived and Howth Junction we got off and assumed we were in Howth - NOPE. We had gotten off way to early and the next train didn't come for 35 minutes! So after paying 10 euros for 2 tickets we then paid 15 euros for a cab ride to get us to their home so we weren't late....haha so many new adventures! We made it and had a fabulous evening with great food and good company. Howth is an adorable little fishing village and Chad and I plan to go back so we can explore the town. I wish I had taken my camera though so I had some pictures to post!
Saturday morning we woke up to beautiful sunny weather and decided to get out and explore Dublin. Everyone had been telling us to go see the Guinness Storehouse, that it was sooo neat and had so much history behind it. We took the Luas (the metro/subway thing) over to take the tour. The tour was EXPENSIVE, self guided and left a lot to be desired but we still had a good time.
Before we made it to Guinness we walked by a church where a wedding was taking place. Chad and I had to stop and watch a little because these girls and their dresses were ridiculous! The bride looked beautiful, as she should but her bridesmaids.....it was too funny. I have never seen so much spray tan and hair bleach in my life!! It was like Jersey Shore gone Irish! I snapped a couple candid photos for evidence. Can you see the one on the left coming out the church?
It gave us a could chuckle to start the morning. We made it to Guinness and paid our 40 euros to get in and like I said we were somewhat disappointed. They give you a map and a basic rundown then its up to you to walk through on your own. The problem with that is there was no one along the way to answer questions or give more info. After having taken the Anheuser-Busch tour in St. Louis (which is free I might add and guided) Guinness could do a lot better. Chad's comment, " I didn't even get to pet a horse on this one". For those of you who haven't done the AB tour they keep the horses on site for you to see and pet.
All that being said, it was really interesting to learn the history and see the building behind Guinness which was started back in the 1700's. Probably the most interesting to me, Arthur Guinness signed a lease for the original building and land back in 1759 for 45 pounds and 9000 years. I wonder what it will cost them when the lease runs out? Haha
We had lunch in their cafe which was actually really good and then hopped back on the Luas and headed home for a nap...yes we are old!!
Sunday we got up and went to church. Chad found the only baptist church in a 50 mile radius so we went to check it out. We are for sure the minority here as most people are either Catholic or Church of Ireland. It definitely made me miss our church in St. Louis but I'm sure after we go a few more times it will be better. The people were very nice and even though they are between preachers right now the sermon was pretty good. The building itself is beautiful!
After church I wanted to go out to Kildare County to an outlet mall...yes I came to Ireland to go the outlet mall. No really, Chad needed some new pants and we still needed some things for the apartment. It was about a 45 minute drive to mall where we shopped around. When we were finished we walked into town to find a place to eat and stumbled St. Brigid's Cathedral. It was originally a pagan shrine built in 1223 that was later converted into a church.
After we had explored the interior and grounds we were starving. A local woman suggested we eat at Harte's which was a great suggestion. The food was excellent! We both ordered filet which was served on a 440 degree stone. Basically, it came to us seared on both sides and we used the stone to cook it ourselves. We also got a lesson on Gaelic football by our waiter as there was a game on between Meath and Dublin...Dublin won incase you wondering.
After dinner we headed home so Chad could get some rest before going back to work Monday. We are still trying to decide what to do this weekend....either stay here in Dublin and explore or go to another nearby town?
Saturday morning we woke up to beautiful sunny weather and decided to get out and explore Dublin. Everyone had been telling us to go see the Guinness Storehouse, that it was sooo neat and had so much history behind it. We took the Luas (the metro/subway thing) over to take the tour. The tour was EXPENSIVE, self guided and left a lot to be desired but we still had a good time.
Before we made it to Guinness we walked by a church where a wedding was taking place. Chad and I had to stop and watch a little because these girls and their dresses were ridiculous! The bride looked beautiful, as she should but her bridesmaids.....it was too funny. I have never seen so much spray tan and hair bleach in my life!! It was like Jersey Shore gone Irish! I snapped a couple candid photos for evidence. Can you see the one on the left coming out the church?
It gave us a could chuckle to start the morning. We made it to Guinness and paid our 40 euros to get in and like I said we were somewhat disappointed. They give you a map and a basic rundown then its up to you to walk through on your own. The problem with that is there was no one along the way to answer questions or give more info. After having taken the Anheuser-Busch tour in St. Louis (which is free I might add and guided) Guinness could do a lot better. Chad's comment, " I didn't even get to pet a horse on this one". For those of you who haven't done the AB tour they keep the horses on site for you to see and pet.
All that being said, it was really interesting to learn the history and see the building behind Guinness which was started back in the 1700's. Probably the most interesting to me, Arthur Guinness signed a lease for the original building and land back in 1759 for 45 pounds and 9000 years. I wonder what it will cost them when the lease runs out? Haha
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| Welcome to Guinness! |
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| Copy of the lease is displayed in the floor of the atrium |
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| They kept a sample of the original yeast in a safe which has been passed into each new batch |
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| Of course I liked the bulldog labels! |
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| Another bulldog we spotted on the way home |
Sunday we got up and went to church. Chad found the only baptist church in a 50 mile radius so we went to check it out. We are for sure the minority here as most people are either Catholic or Church of Ireland. It definitely made me miss our church in St. Louis but I'm sure after we go a few more times it will be better. The people were very nice and even though they are between preachers right now the sermon was pretty good. The building itself is beautiful!
After church I wanted to go out to Kildare County to an outlet mall...yes I came to Ireland to go the outlet mall. No really, Chad needed some new pants and we still needed some things for the apartment. It was about a 45 minute drive to mall where we shopped around. When we were finished we walked into town to find a place to eat and stumbled St. Brigid's Cathedral. It was originally a pagan shrine built in 1223 that was later converted into a church.
After we had explored the interior and grounds we were starving. A local woman suggested we eat at Harte's which was a great suggestion. The food was excellent! We both ordered filet which was served on a 440 degree stone. Basically, it came to us seared on both sides and we used the stone to cook it ourselves. We also got a lesson on Gaelic football by our waiter as there was a game on between Meath and Dublin...Dublin won incase you wondering.
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| Can you see the Club Orange off to the left....he is addicted!! |
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Home sweet home...away from home!
For those of you who are coming to visit us, this will soon be your home away from home too! When Chad came to Dublin to find us a place to live I had 3 requests. 1) I wanted to be close enough to walk to the heart of the city 2) I wanted to be walking distance to a gym 3) I wanted to be walking distance to a grocery store. Chad went above and beyond and found a place that met all that criteria and then some! We are a 2 minute walk to my new gym and a little grocery store and about a 15-20 minute walk to the city center.
So let me take you on a tour! When you first walk into our apartment and look to your right you see the living/dining room and a wall of windows.
Just around the corner to the right is the kitchen.
Beyond the wall of windows we have a little balcony. The table and chairs came from Ikea so we would have a place to sit/eat outside.
Our view off the balcony.
If you went to the left when you walked in you would enter a hallway to the guest bathroom and 2 bedrooms.
At the end of the hall is the master bedroom and bathroom. We have a small balcony off the bedroom that overlooks a central courtyard between the buildings.
Both of the bathrooms have towel warmers which I'm sure will be nice when it gets colder here.
So that is our new place. Definitely different than our house in St. Louis but perfect for us here. Now if only it came with a complimentary bulldog to snore loudly and drool on the floor!
So let me take you on a tour! When you first walk into our apartment and look to your right you see the living/dining room and a wall of windows.
Just around the corner to the right is the kitchen.
Beyond the wall of windows we have a little balcony. The table and chairs came from Ikea so we would have a place to sit/eat outside.
Our view off the balcony.
If you went to the left when you walked in you would enter a hallway to the guest bathroom and 2 bedrooms.
At the end of the hall is the master bedroom and bathroom. We have a small balcony off the bedroom that overlooks a central courtyard between the buildings.
Both of the bathrooms have towel warmers which I'm sure will be nice when it gets colder here.
So that is our new place. Definitely different than our house in St. Louis but perfect for us here. Now if only it came with a complimentary bulldog to snore loudly and drool on the floor!
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