Random happening from my first full week...

As of this past Thursday I had officially been in Dublin for 1 week...oh and what a busy week it was. After we returned from our weekend getaway I was in a tizzy to get our apartment the way I wanted it.  I had a huge list of items I needed and an even longer list of things to clean. While the apartment came furnished we needed hangers, sheets, some kitchen items, etc.  In the US my first stop would  have been TJ Maxx or Target. Well guess what?  Ireland has its own version of TJ Maxx they call TK Maxx. Even better, it was walking distance from the apartment.

So I had a nice walk to TK Maxx and stopped for some Starbucks on the way home. I bought 2 pairs of double sheets and threw them in the wash when I got home.  When I went to put them on the bed...THEY DIDN't FIT!! I was so mad! I had all ready washed them and thrown away the package! Turns out some european doubles are a bigger than standard - learned that the hard way.

Well, Tuesday Chad was on call so I decided I would take him to work so I had the car.  In Dublin they drive on the left side of the road and for a girl who has worked hard to stay on the right side of the road for the past 12 years this was a challenge. I did just fine on the 2 lane roads but when it came to a 4 lane divided street...well lets just say there was a lot of honking and a really quick U-turn :( I got home and was utterly exhausted from concentrating so hard, haha!

The  next morning I decided to brave the roads again to make a trip to Ikea. All was going well until I went through a toll in to a tunnel and got a flat tire right at the entrance! Luckily, they have a bazillion cameras in the tunnel and before I could panic or cry a traffic patrol dude came to my rescue. Because I was in the tunnel they had to tow me out to safety. Get this, it was free!?! Never would happen in the US. The tow truck driver towed me to a nearby hotel and went to put on my spare tire which didn't exist.  Yes thats right....our car is too small to carry a spare.  So I called the rental car company and they sent out a guy with a new tire. This was my view while I waited : )

So thankful for this guy!!!

Yes that's my clown car

 After all of this, I made it to Ikea with about an hour to spare before I needed to pick up Chad. For those of you who have been to Ikea, an hour goes by in about 5 minutes! I guess at some point I will have to brave the roads again...just not yet.

On a side note, let me tell you how much fun it has been to be at home and have the time to cook, explore, sleep and workout at my own will.  Having been a resident for the past 2 years I think I am even more grateful!! I know Chad is enjoying having a non-grumpy, well rested wife and home cooked meals.  I'm sure at some point I will be bored or ready to go back to work....but not yet : )

Fresh pasta with sauteed chicken and veggies

Breakfast for Chad

Spicy chicken kabobs with spinach, strawberry and goat cheese salad

Coming up tomorrow a tour of our new apartment.

Castles and Cliffs and Boats...oh my - Part Three

The third and last day of our trip we spent exploring the Aran Island of Inish Oirr.  The island sits off the coast of Doolin and is the smallest of the three Aran Islands. To get there we had to take a small ferry : ) If you know Chad at all, he gets really sea sick/car sick and basically nauseous on anything that moves so it really surprised me when he suggested taking the ferry over to explore. Thank you Daddy for sending us with a large supply of scopolamine patches!! Chad still got a little green but no barfing!!!

Anyways, the boarded the ferry and took a 40 minute boat ride across the Atlantic Ocean to Inish Oirr.  Only about 300 people live on the island. Many are farmers and the rest provide tourism.

Our boat was called the Rose of Aran

Once we got to the island they had horse drawn carts and bikes to ride to explore the island.  We opted to walk though. We started up a big hill to the castle on the island....also originally an O'Brien castle!  I'm telling you, I think this family owned every castle in Ireland at some point.

Pulling into the bay to park the ferry boat

Fishing gear left on the pier

After the castle we walked back down the hill and stopped in a little cafe for lunch. All the cafes were in small homes and the food was homemade and delicious.  Chad enjoyed a glass of his new favorite drink, Club Orange, and we sat outside to enjoy the weather.  The owners dog snoozed outside the entire time despite all the people coming and going.

Club Orange....very popular drink in Ireland

Our other lunch on looker

After our bellies were full we walked along the shore in search of the island's ship wreck and lighthouse. The cargo vessel, the Plassey, wrecked there in the 1960's and was never hauled away. The boat has been moved above the tide over the years and now sits up on a rocky shore. It's like a huge rusty playground : ) Lets just say I hope everyone climbing it was up to date on their tetanus shots. I stayed on the rocks while Chad went aboard...he said he really wanted to climb the the top but some dad was telling his kids it was too dangerous. Chad decided to be a good guy and not make his task that much harder.

We kept walking along the shore with the lighthouse in sight.  The best part of the walk (to me anyways) was all the shells. Because most people take the horse carts or bikes they stay on the paths above the rocky shore line. Since we were on foot we walked along the rocks and tide pools where there were TONS OF SHELLS!! ALL FOR ME!  I stuffed my pockets with as many shells as I could carry as we walked.

me picking up shells...Chad was in charge of the camera

Cute dog walking along the rocks with his famiy....Lola would not have made it!

After the lighthouse we headed back to the paved path to walk back into town.  The entire island is divided into small plots by stone walls. No mortor or brick, just huge stacked stones. Some plots had homes in them and others cows or just empty fields. It was amazing to me to think how long it would take to make those miles and miles of walls.  It looked like a huge maze.

Taking a nap on the wall

When we made it back to town we had about an hour before the ferry would be back to get us so we stopped for afternoon tea.  The Irish take their afternoon tea seriously. All the cafes serve tea with cream and sugar and a delicious assortment of baked goodies!

This sign said everything is homemade from their own eggs and veggies from the garden

My ginormous cinnamon roll and Chad's coffee cake

 After another trip on the ferry (without any puking, yay!!) we got in the car to head back to Dublin.  To end our trip we saw the most fabulous rainbow.  The neatest part, we could see both ends! I couldn't capture the entire thing on camera but I did get a picture of both sides.

Can you see the double rainbow?

That pretty much sums up my first weekend in Ireland! We had such a fabulous weekend and a great start to my 6 months here.  More to come on my Dublin adventures soon!

Castles and Cliffs and Boats...oh my - Part Two

Day 2 of our trip started with breakfast at Dromoland followed by a couples massage in their spa.  It was the perfect way to relax after my long flight and adjusting to the time change. May I say I have the best husband : ) After our massage, the spa packed up a lunch to go and we hopped in the car to move on to our second destination.

We drove for an hour or so to the west coast of Ireland and arrived in Doolin at Ballinalacken Country House and Castle.  This place was incredible!!! The house/B&B we stayed in was built in 1840 and sits next to the remains of the castle.  The plot of land is about 100 acres and overlooks the Cliffs of Moher and the Atlantic Ocean...Chad was jealous!!. The foundation of the castle was built in the 10th century then added on to in the 14th and 15th centuries.

We dropped our bags in the room and ate our fancy packed lunch before heading out to explore the Cliffs of Moher.  The Cliffs rise over 700 feet above the ocean at their tallest point and were named for the Moher tower that was built at the end of the cliffs as a look out point for ships.

Factoid...the Cliffs appear in the movies Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and The Princess Bride.

Another tower we spotted from the road on the way to the Cliffs

 The beginning of our walk (which turned into a loooong hike) started on a paved trail with railing... with about 500 other people out to see the same sights.  Then we came to the signs below : )

Apparently many people have either accidentally or purposefully lost their lives on the Cliffs.  At the end of the paved trail there was a memorial to those who died as well as signs of who to call if you were feeling suicidal.  Very sad to think about : ( Chad and I both agreed we were feeling pretty chipper and it was probably ok to continue! We passed the EXTREME DANGER sign and kept on walking.

At this point the road became dirt, grass and rock but the view was still awe inspiring. Far off in the distance we could see the tower at the end of the Cliffs and we decided we would walk to the very end.  How often do you get to experience something like this right?

Chad throwing rocks to watch the splash

 We saw tons of sea gulls and other birds nesting in the rocks on the side of the cliffs. I was hoping to see a puffin but no such luck...maybe its not the right season for them?  Anyways the gulls were all over as well as evidence of their new babies

Can you see the gulls nesting?

Egg shell in the grass

 Needless to say, after a 3 hour hike we made it to the end of the Cliffs to the watch tower.  The scenery was beautiful and green.  Then we turned around and headed back : ) The hike back took alot less time because yours truly wasn't stopping every 5 seconds to take a picture.

We were pretty exhausted after the long trek and went back to the room to take a nap before dinner.  At dinner we met a lovely couple from Chicago, Margaret and Josh.  She had just completed her residency in pediatric neurology and he is a hospital administrator.

The following morning the 4 of us went on a tour of the Ballinalacken Castle ruins given by the owner.  This castle and land, like Dromoland, were originally owned by the O'Briens but bought by the family that currently owns it in 1938.  Were able to go up the original staircase to the top of the tower.  Surprisingly, the castle tower is very sturdy though I'm sure this would never be allowed in the US.  Someone would rope it off and say it was dangerous or a landmark or something.

Margaret, Josh, Chad and the owner

View out one of the windows

One of the original fire places and chimney

Up on top

You can see the cliffs out the window : )

Floor joists in the corners where the wood floor would have been and another fire place.

Next up, day 3 in the Aran Islands!!