Hello again,
I just realized that today is my half birthday. Six months from today I will be turning 50. I can't believe it, but it's true. How did that happen? Where did the time go? I am so glad that I am celebrating life and honoring my Mom by doing what she loved as well. Traveling, enjoying good food, and most importantly - always trying to make the best of things.
The weather has been against us most of this trip but today is sunny and bright. It is warm and comfortable - probably in the 50's. I am off to spend the rest of the morning shopping and walking around town. This afternoon we are headed for Blarney!
I am about week behind (still) in my posts but I will persevere!
I hope wherever you are, you are having a wonderful day.
Now that I have had my half birthday in Ireland, I am open to ideas to celebrate my 50th birthday in style back in the States with my friends. Comment away!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Post Van the Man and the next day....
We got back to Ennislare House after the Van Morrison show without incident. I even managed not to fall in the slush or get my feet soaked in the puddles.
We got up on Monday, had breakfast and planned our day with Ann's help. She offered to drive us up the hill and suggested we take the train into Belfast from there. She recommended that we take the bus tour of the city. So that is exactly what we did. Like New York, the tour bus was a double decker. Unlike New York, the train was clean, beautiful, on a schedule, and on time. It was a other cold and wet day so the bus had plastic up where the 'open' part would normally be. It was impossible to take photos but I took some anyway through the too thick plastic and the rain drops.
The tour guide on the bus excursion presented a balanced view of the issues that plagued Belfast. He did not 'lean' in either direction. Mostly he described all the steps that are being taken to create a lasting peace. One of the solutions to getting everyone on the same team was to a tally create a team - a hockey team. The plan was to have players from all over forge ahead as a united front with fans routing them on. It was a good idea in theory but it seems that 80% of the team is Canadian and 10% is American. Hopefully that last 10% are creating the bond that was the original intent.
At the end of the bus tour we went into The Crown Bar and shared a 'Stew and Stout' before getting on the train back to Ennislare House. We spent some time enjoying the house and eventually went back up the hill and back to Ava for dinner. We really are creatures of habit. Actually, the food was really good and we just wanted more! We went back up the hill, hung out in the common room for awhile and called it a night.
Northern Ireland is beautiful. The signpost when we crossed into Northern Ireland had the Northern part crossed out in black magic marker, which I found interesting.
The Irish do have a way with words. All the hostilities and fighting and bombings and killings are referred to as 'The Troubles'. World War II is referred to as 'The Emergency'. You have to love their gift for turning a phrase.
We didn't spend as much time as I would have liked in the North, but I do hope to come back again. I would also like to learn a bit more of the history so I am better informed when I return.
P.S. Please excuse any typos or grammatical errors and/or auto-correct. I usually preview my posts and read through them but I am having Internet issues so it is posting as is.
I hope you are having a great day!
We got up on Monday, had breakfast and planned our day with Ann's help. She offered to drive us up the hill and suggested we take the train into Belfast from there. She recommended that we take the bus tour of the city. So that is exactly what we did. Like New York, the tour bus was a double decker. Unlike New York, the train was clean, beautiful, on a schedule, and on time. It was a other cold and wet day so the bus had plastic up where the 'open' part would normally be. It was impossible to take photos but I took some anyway through the too thick plastic and the rain drops.
The tour guide on the bus excursion presented a balanced view of the issues that plagued Belfast. He did not 'lean' in either direction. Mostly he described all the steps that are being taken to create a lasting peace. One of the solutions to getting everyone on the same team was to a tally create a team - a hockey team. The plan was to have players from all over forge ahead as a united front with fans routing them on. It was a good idea in theory but it seems that 80% of the team is Canadian and 10% is American. Hopefully that last 10% are creating the bond that was the original intent.
At the end of the bus tour we went into The Crown Bar and shared a 'Stew and Stout' before getting on the train back to Ennislare House. We spent some time enjoying the house and eventually went back up the hill and back to Ava for dinner. We really are creatures of habit. Actually, the food was really good and we just wanted more! We went back up the hill, hung out in the common room for awhile and called it a night.
Northern Ireland is beautiful. The signpost when we crossed into Northern Ireland had the Northern part crossed out in black magic marker, which I found interesting.
The Irish do have a way with words. All the hostilities and fighting and bombings and killings are referred to as 'The Troubles'. World War II is referred to as 'The Emergency'. You have to love their gift for turning a phrase.
We didn't spend as much time as I would have liked in the North, but I do hope to come back again. I would also like to learn a bit more of the history so I am better informed when I return.
P.S. Please excuse any typos or grammatical errors and/or auto-correct. I usually preview my posts and read through them but I am having Internet issues so it is posting as is.
I hope you are having a great day!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Van Morrison Set List
Hello again!
Trying to play catch up and failing miserably.
Here is the set list from the Van Morrison show. It was a wonderful evening and I am so glad we decided to be crazy and go to this show. I am happy to know that it was a benefit and that the exorbitant price we paid for tickets were for a good cause. LOL
Enjoy the music.....I know we did!
Celtic Swing
Only a Dream
Beauty of Days Gone By
Going Down to Monte Carlo
End of the Rainbow
Have I Told You Lately
Can't Stop Loving You
Unchained Melody
Philosopher's Stone
Pagan Heart
Dead or Alive
Drumshambo Hustle
Moondance
Jackie Wilson Said
Bright Side of the Road
Brown Eyed Girl
Help Me
Encore
Gloria
Trying to play catch up and failing miserably.
Here is the set list from the Van Morrison show. It was a wonderful evening and I am so glad we decided to be crazy and go to this show. I am happy to know that it was a benefit and that the exorbitant price we paid for tickets were for a good cause. LOL
Enjoy the music.....I know we did!
Celtic Swing
Only a Dream
Beauty of Days Gone By
Going Down to Monte Carlo
End of the Rainbow
Have I Told You Lately
Can't Stop Loving You
Unchained Melody
Philosopher's Stone
Pagan Heart
Dead or Alive
Drumshambo Hustle
Moondance
Jackie Wilson Said
Bright Side of the Road
Brown Eyed Girl
Help Me
Encore
Gloria
Dinner at Van Morrison
Here is the four course dinner menu from the evening at Culloden Estate and Spa.
A Trio of Irish Seafood
Organic Glenarm Salmon
Spiced Crab
Beech-smoked Mackerel Pâté
with Marie Rose Dressing
Cream of Leek and Potato Soup
Daube of Northern Irish Dexter Beef
from Jason Hamilton of Carnbrooke,
Dorm area, County Down
Slow cooked in a Red Wine and Thyme Jus,
Scallion Mash, Roast Honey Carrots
and Cauliflower Mornay
Steamed Chocolate Pudding
with Chocolate Sauce and
Glastry Farm Chocolate Heaven Cream
Bewley's Resort Blend Coffee and
Thompsons's Family Finest Teas
Petits Fours
I hope you all enjoyed dinner!
My next post will be the set list.
Enjoy!!!
A Trio of Irish Seafood
Organic Glenarm Salmon
Spiced Crab
Beech-smoked Mackerel Pâté
with Marie Rose Dressing
Cream of Leek and Potato Soup
Daube of Northern Irish Dexter Beef
from Jason Hamilton of Carnbrooke,
Dorm area, County Down
Slow cooked in a Red Wine and Thyme Jus,
Scallion Mash, Roast Honey Carrots
and Cauliflower Mornay
Steamed Chocolate Pudding
with Chocolate Sauce and
Glastry Farm Chocolate Heaven Cream
Bewley's Resort Blend Coffee and
Thompsons's Family Finest Teas
Petits Fours
I hope you all enjoyed dinner!
My next post will be the set list.
Enjoy!!!
Friday, January 25, 2013
Van Morrison
What can I say?
What a magical day!
We left Sligo in the morning and made our way to Northern
Ireland. The weather was cruddy –
slush on the roads, rain, sleet and hail again. It was grey and overcast when it wasn’t wet. The further north we went the better
the weather got but from we heard everywhere the cities and towns were shut
down by the two inches of snow that everyone got.
We got to Bangor in the early afternoon but then we couldn’t
find our way to the B&B. We
drove around awhile trying to go where Google told us the building should be
and then we saw someone to ask. It
was raining and cold and so I followed him upstairs and his girlfriend (wife?)
came out in the hall with her device of choice (Kindle? Nook?) and looked up Ennislare House and found the same misrepresented map as I did. They told us where to look for it and we headed on down the road again. We still couldn’t find
it – but they were very nice!
We finally went to a gas station and Ken called and got
directions. Unfortunately, it was
Sunday and we hadn’t planned ahead and gotten local currency. While the Republic of Ireland uses
euros, Northern Ireland does not.
They use British pounds. We
didn’t have any change in euros either so he had no choice but to use the
credit card. The call cost 8 dollars
and 10 cents plus the 3% our credit card will charge us for the international
fee. That was one expensive phone
call. On the upside – we did
finally find the B&B. There
was a large van parked right in front and it was blocking the sign from the
street.
Our room was absolutely gorgeous and it had a fabulous view
of Bangor Bay from a big bay window.
We met Ann who was incredibly helpful and friendly and fun. She offered to loan us money until we
could get to a bank the next day.
We said no thank you but I loved the fact that she offered. As it turns out we should have said yes
– but that story is for later in the narrative.
We knew we needed to get a bite to eat because the first
thing that was going to happen at 6PM was the champagne hour at the Van
Morrison ‘event’. Ann told us
about a lovely restaurant that was open on Sundays. Almost every town we drove through was shut down completely
because it was Sunday. We were
concerned we wouldn’t find anywhere to eat. Ann offered to drive us up to the top of the hill where the
restaurant was on her way to town.
We accepted gratefully, and went to The Ava Restaurant. We tried to eat
light but the food was too good. It was tapas style and we ordered one dish too many. They had the most delicious assortment of breads!
We walked back down to Ennislare House and I took a shower and
got ready for the show. Ken took a
shower and soon we were on our way.
I was all dressed up in my sparkly jacket over my black tank top and
black pants. Ken was wearing what
he calls his ‘puke’ shirt. He
loves this shirt but jokes that it looks like someone threw up. I was so excited about this event that
I even put on some makeup.
We headed down the road to Culloden Estate and Spa. The parking lot was slush and I was
wearing dress clothes – not a good combination. We parked the car and found our way inside. We were looking for the Stuart Suite
and we followed signs through the whole building to find the Suite. It was pretty obvious, pretty
quickly just how swanky this place was. It was equally obvious that the people who were there for the show were in a whole different league. I joked to Ken that they
weren’t going to let riff raff like us stay for the show.
We checked out coats and got some champagne. There was a HUGE champagne fountain
just for show in the center of the room.
No one was taking pictures of it because I guess to them it was no big
deal but I was blown away by it. I
decided to ‘behave’ and not be a ‘gauche American’ – so I didn’t take any
pictures of it…on the way in! I
did finally break down and take pictures on the way out but it wasn’t as
impressive then. They had started
taking stuff out of the room by then.
We were escorted to our table and sat down opposite a couple
who were from the area.
Eventually, two young (everyone seems young to me these days) women from
North Carolina sat to Ken’s right, and to my left was a guy from Canada. I think he was from the Vancouver area
but I could be wrong. Between Ken
and the two ‘girls’ (they really were women) were two guys from Germany. Our table for 10 had nine people at
it. Of those nine, seven had come
from overseas to see the show. Of
those seven, five had come just for the weekend specifically to be there for
the show. All 5 of those folks
stayed at the hotel. We were the
‘poor’ people at the table and boy did we feel it. There was networking going on all over the place and we were
just sitting there minding our own business.
We found out that the event was a fundraiser and there was a
silent auction. It was a bid
what you will pay silent auction, not an outbid the last person’s bid kind of
silent auction. I think the lowest opening bid amount was 250 BPS (British Pounds Sterling) which is equivalent
to almost 500 dollars US. The
couple across from me asked if I had pen so they could fill out the paperwork to
bid. The won a great John Cleese
piece. I can’t imagine what they
must have bid. And then we found
out they got it to give to their son for his 13th birthday! I can’t even imagine cash flow like
that! But I digress.
[Is this post long enough yet?]
Dinner started at 7 PM and went until 9 PM when the show
started. I will fill you in on
dinner and the show in my next post.
I didn’t mean to make this one as long as it is and if you are still
reading – thank you for putting up with this diatribe!
So much for the front door...
I don't know why the photo of the front door isn't showing up in my last post. It didn't show up on Facebook either :(
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Clifden, County Galway
I am falling so far behind in this blog that I may never catch up. Here is the photo of the front door I tried to post a few nights ago. I don't remember if I tried to post it here or on Facebook - but here it is.
We are off to dinner. I will try to post again later.
We are off to dinner. I will try to post again later.
Ballina
Hello from Pittsfield's Sister City - Ballina (pronounced BA-lee-nah)
I know I have not been keeping up out here but internet is hard to come by in some places.
Now, I have internet but no time to write.
I just wanted to check in and let you all know that we are having a wonderful time and I will catch up out here as soon as possible.
I hope you are having a great day wherever you are.
I know I have not been keeping up out here but internet is hard to come by in some places.
Now, I have internet but no time to write.
I just wanted to check in and let you all know that we are having a wonderful time and I will catch up out here as soon as possible.
I hope you are having a great day wherever you are.
Monday, January 21, 2013
I think we are up to Saturday. Let's see if I can remember where we have been...
We left Ashbourne at noon on Saturday and headed to Galway. We spent the afternoon shopping and wandering around. We had a quick bite at The Cellar which was very good and then were on our way again. We decided to spend the night closer to Belfast so we didn't have as far to go before the Van Morrison show on Sunday night.
We found The St Anne's B&B in Sligo. It was interesting in that it was more of a boarding house than a Bed and Breakfast. The first thing we were told is that we could have the first B but not the second B. We were told that it was difficult to find anyone to come in early in the morning so there was no breakfast. Since I am not a huge fan of breakfast and we had to get on the road early, that worked for us. The room was incredibly PURPLE! There was purple everywhere you looked. The bedspreads, the curtains, even the toilet seat! Out back was a beautiful pool but it was a bit nippy for a dip this time of year.
The room had three beds - a double and two singles. It was a large room but not particularly 'inviting'. There was a communal room with a TV and a balcony for smoking. The above mentioned purple striped toilet seat was cracked and held together with tape. I just saw a review from October commenting on the taped toilet seat.
There were two other people that we met while we were there and neither of them was 'on holiday' and staying at the B&B which is why I think it is more of a boarding house at this point in time. It was almost as if the lady of the house ran it and passed away and now her family is trying to carry on. I have no idea what the real story is but that is as good a guess as any.
I will say that the room was clean and the bed was comfortable enough to get a decent night's sleep. In the end, that is what mattered to us most that night so no complaints here. Well - one....the internet didn't work upstairs and I had to sit outside in the cold or downstairs on the steps between the first and second floor to have a signal that would last about three minutes before I had to shut down and then reconnect to get it reestablished. So much for St. Annes...
I think that about sums up Saturday. More next time...
Good night!
We left Ashbourne at noon on Saturday and headed to Galway. We spent the afternoon shopping and wandering around. We had a quick bite at The Cellar which was very good and then were on our way again. We decided to spend the night closer to Belfast so we didn't have as far to go before the Van Morrison show on Sunday night.
We found The St Anne's B&B in Sligo. It was interesting in that it was more of a boarding house than a Bed and Breakfast. The first thing we were told is that we could have the first B but not the second B. We were told that it was difficult to find anyone to come in early in the morning so there was no breakfast. Since I am not a huge fan of breakfast and we had to get on the road early, that worked for us. The room was incredibly PURPLE! There was purple everywhere you looked. The bedspreads, the curtains, even the toilet seat! Out back was a beautiful pool but it was a bit nippy for a dip this time of year.
The room had three beds - a double and two singles. It was a large room but not particularly 'inviting'. There was a communal room with a TV and a balcony for smoking. The above mentioned purple striped toilet seat was cracked and held together with tape. I just saw a review from October commenting on the taped toilet seat.
There were two other people that we met while we were there and neither of them was 'on holiday' and staying at the B&B which is why I think it is more of a boarding house at this point in time. It was almost as if the lady of the house ran it and passed away and now her family is trying to carry on. I have no idea what the real story is but that is as good a guess as any.
I will say that the room was clean and the bed was comfortable enough to get a decent night's sleep. In the end, that is what mattered to us most that night so no complaints here. Well - one....the internet didn't work upstairs and I had to sit outside in the cold or downstairs on the steps between the first and second floor to have a signal that would last about three minutes before I had to shut down and then reconnect to get it reestablished. So much for St. Annes...
I think that about sums up Saturday. More next time...
Good night!
The set list - as promised!
Arlo Guthrie at The Venue Theatre in Ratoath, Co. Meath, Ireland - January 18, 2013
Jess Klein was the opening act - I do not have that set list.
It was one long set with one encore...
Oklahoma Hills
Pretty Boy Floyd
St. James Infirmary
Haleiwa Farewell
When a Soldier Makes it Home
Deportees
1913 Massacre
I Hear You Sing Again
Do Re Mi
Alabama Bound
City of New Orleans
In Times Like These
This Land Is Your Land
Encore: My Peace
Did I mention that it was a wonderful show?!
Arlo Guthrie at The Venue Theatre in Ratoath, Co. Meath, Ireland - January 18, 2013
Jess Klein was the opening act - I do not have that set list.
It was one long set with one encore...
Oklahoma Hills
Pretty Boy Floyd
St. James Infirmary
Haleiwa Farewell
When a Soldier Makes it Home
Deportees
1913 Massacre
I Hear You Sing Again
Do Re Mi
Alabama Bound
City of New Orleans
In Times Like These
This Land Is Your Land
Encore: My Peace
Did I mention that it was a wonderful show?!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Day 3 - Friday aka January 18th, 2013
I am being specific with the day/date because I am rapidly losing track!
We started the day in Dublin and ended the day in Ratoath, County Meath. Well, actually we ended the day in Ashbourne because there are no hotels in Ratoath.
We left Dublin in the morning and headed north to Ratoath. The weather was awful. Rain, sleet, hail and snow. Fun enough driving weather when you are in your own car, on familiar roads on the right side of the street. Now try it in a rent-a-put, in a foreign country and on the wrong side of the road. It was less than ideal but we didn't let it stop us.
We had a bit of a time trying to find a place to stay. We discovered that there are no hotels in Ratoath and the 2 B&Bs are not operational in the winter. One looked really lovely - at a farm out in the middle of nowhere. The other looked kind of like the house from The Brady Bunch but with the weather I was hoping they would just give us a place to crash. No such luck.
We drove into the next town and found a very Neuvo-European-Chic looking hotel - The Residents Hotel. The lobby was all white and glass with marble tiles floors (very slippery in bad weather) and funky looking furniture. We got a decent room rate but we were 'warned' about the 'club' attached to the hotel and the noise that we might experience because of the patrons. Apparently they got a lot of bad reviews online due to the noise and we had to sign a waiver that we were told and would not get a refund etc. I guess the bad weather helped because we didn't have any issues - thank goodness. The room was huge with a king size bed so that was very nice.
We stayed in the room for the afternoon because the weather was so ugly we didn't want to go out until we had to. There was no way to go sightseeing and we definitely weren't going walking around. At about 5 PM we headed out to dinner and had a wonderful meal at La Bucca. It is another restaurant with an open kitchen and so we got to watch them prepare our food. It was pretty quiet when we got there but got busier and pretty crowded before we left. It was fun to watch them making food while we ate. We had a really nice waiter too, and that always adds to the enjoyment of a good meal.
After dinner we headed to The Venue Theatre at the Ratoath Community Centre for the first of the two Arlo shows on our schedule. We saw Arlo briefly before the show - said hello, caught up etc. The theatre is very intimate so although our seats were in the way back - they were still good seats. We had a nice chat with the sound guy - who was wearing a Ramones t-shirt.
I'll post a set list tomorrow - I'm too lazy to go up and get it and if I bring the laptop upstairs, I am likely to lose my signal. The show was very nice. Jess Klein opened and Arlo did one long set before heading off the stage. He came out and did one encore. I think Arlo has some new fans in County Meath.
We headed back to the Residents Hotel and called it a night but not before becoming a statistic in Ireland - we lost a hub cap on the car. Sadly, we didn't notice in time to go back and look for it. I wonder how this will work out with our insurance....that should be worth at least a post or two when the time comes!
Ok - that's it....end of day three.
I am being specific with the day/date because I am rapidly losing track!
We started the day in Dublin and ended the day in Ratoath, County Meath. Well, actually we ended the day in Ashbourne because there are no hotels in Ratoath.
We left Dublin in the morning and headed north to Ratoath. The weather was awful. Rain, sleet, hail and snow. Fun enough driving weather when you are in your own car, on familiar roads on the right side of the street. Now try it in a rent-a-put, in a foreign country and on the wrong side of the road. It was less than ideal but we didn't let it stop us.
We had a bit of a time trying to find a place to stay. We discovered that there are no hotels in Ratoath and the 2 B&Bs are not operational in the winter. One looked really lovely - at a farm out in the middle of nowhere. The other looked kind of like the house from The Brady Bunch but with the weather I was hoping they would just give us a place to crash. No such luck.
We drove into the next town and found a very Neuvo-European-Chic looking hotel - The Residents Hotel. The lobby was all white and glass with marble tiles floors (very slippery in bad weather) and funky looking furniture. We got a decent room rate but we were 'warned' about the 'club' attached to the hotel and the noise that we might experience because of the patrons. Apparently they got a lot of bad reviews online due to the noise and we had to sign a waiver that we were told and would not get a refund etc. I guess the bad weather helped because we didn't have any issues - thank goodness. The room was huge with a king size bed so that was very nice.
We stayed in the room for the afternoon because the weather was so ugly we didn't want to go out until we had to. There was no way to go sightseeing and we definitely weren't going walking around. At about 5 PM we headed out to dinner and had a wonderful meal at La Bucca. It is another restaurant with an open kitchen and so we got to watch them prepare our food. It was pretty quiet when we got there but got busier and pretty crowded before we left. It was fun to watch them making food while we ate. We had a really nice waiter too, and that always adds to the enjoyment of a good meal.
After dinner we headed to The Venue Theatre at the Ratoath Community Centre for the first of the two Arlo shows on our schedule. We saw Arlo briefly before the show - said hello, caught up etc. The theatre is very intimate so although our seats were in the way back - they were still good seats. We had a nice chat with the sound guy - who was wearing a Ramones t-shirt.
I'll post a set list tomorrow - I'm too lazy to go up and get it and if I bring the laptop upstairs, I am likely to lose my signal. The show was very nice. Jess Klein opened and Arlo did one long set before heading off the stage. He came out and did one encore. I think Arlo has some new fans in County Meath.
We headed back to the Residents Hotel and called it a night but not before becoming a statistic in Ireland - we lost a hub cap on the car. Sadly, we didn't notice in time to go back and look for it. I wonder how this will work out with our insurance....that should be worth at least a post or two when the time comes!
Ok - that's it....end of day three.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Day 2 or Talking in My Sleep
A new day dawns...or does it?
Yesterday started with Ken having a conversation with me that I have NO recollection of whatsoever. It seems that he was up and watching me sleep for about an hour.
Ken: Are you getting up today?
Me: I don't think so.
Ken: I'm going for a walk.
An hour later Ken returned to the room. I was still out cold. I had no idea that he left and no idea that he woke me earlier. I don't have any sense of having spoken with him at all. Anyone who knows me 'in the morning' will know that the language I speak at that time of day often does not resemble English. The fact that my response to him was intelligible speaks volumes (pun intended). Apparently, I was in another universe entirely. Needless to say - I did get up and we had a lovely day.
We walked around Dublin taking photos and heading in the direction of the Guinness Storehouse. The beer itself hasn't been fermented there since 1988 but it is a nicely designed attraction that gives you the history of Guinness and it's importance and place in the history of Dublin and Ireland. They have, of course, a gift shop with everything Guinness you can possibly think of.
What I don't have is any other photos as I have discovered that my very old laptop is not compatible with my very new (large) memory cards. I guess most of the photos will have to wait until I return home and can upload then to my new laptop. Originally, we weren't going to bring a laptop at all so I bought lots of memory. It's good I didn't return said memory when we decided to bring the old laptop. I will try to take some photos on my old, small memory cards so I can post a few.
Anyway - back to yesterday...
At one point in our walk over to St. James' Gate Ken stopped me from taking a picture of a church. Apparently there were three guys who, as Ken put it, were either diabetic or shooting heroin. I was oblivious. All I was interested in was taking a picture of the building! Sometimes oblivious is a good thing.
We did get hit up 3 times in 5 blocks for money our first night in town. Luckily, I put my 'New York' on and just (sing it with me) walked on by...
Ken tried to post our photo taken at the Storehouse on Facebook but it posted a photo of the people before us. I tried to send it to myself as an e mail so I would have it and it doesn't appear to have made it into my in box. I guess there isn't supposed to be any damaging evidence of our visit to Guinness.
When we left St. James' Gate, it was drizzling and misty and cold and damp. All the things Ireland is famous for. It was dark and we were hungry. We had a 15 - 20 minute walk back to our hotel and to the restaurant where we planned to eat dinner. Enter the magic of tourism. Lined up outside the Guinness Storehouse was a row of horse and carriages. We took a lovely, albeit, blustery ride back to the Temple Bar area where we were staying and got out of the carriage a block from our hotel. We regrouped and headed on out to dinner at Eden Restaurant.
The service was lovely, the food excellent, and we had the added fun of being able to watch the kitchen from our table. From there, we headed back to O'Neill's for another evening of Irish music. We only wish they'd play longer and later. The music doesn't start until 9 PM and ends at 11:30. We wound up talking with a couple who had been to see Arlo (Guthrie) that night in Dublin. We knew about the show but decided to pass on it. It was nice to hear that it was a good show and just to hear folks talking about Woody and Arlo.
We walked back to our hotel and that is the end of Day Two. Dublin was quieter on Thursday night than it had been on Wednesday. That is a good thing as I wasn't nearly as tired!
Yesterday started with Ken having a conversation with me that I have NO recollection of whatsoever. It seems that he was up and watching me sleep for about an hour.
Ken: Are you getting up today?
Me: I don't think so.
Ken: I'm going for a walk.
An hour later Ken returned to the room. I was still out cold. I had no idea that he left and no idea that he woke me earlier. I don't have any sense of having spoken with him at all. Anyone who knows me 'in the morning' will know that the language I speak at that time of day often does not resemble English. The fact that my response to him was intelligible speaks volumes (pun intended). Apparently, I was in another universe entirely. Needless to say - I did get up and we had a lovely day.
We walked around Dublin taking photos and heading in the direction of the Guinness Storehouse. The beer itself hasn't been fermented there since 1988 but it is a nicely designed attraction that gives you the history of Guinness and it's importance and place in the history of Dublin and Ireland. They have, of course, a gift shop with everything Guinness you can possibly think of.
We had a pint at the Gravity Bar. This is the top floor of the building (7 stories if memory serves) and 360 degree views from the glass windows. It reminded me of Windows on the World. I also learned how to pour the perfect pint. I have my certificate to prove it!
What I don't have is any other photos as I have discovered that my very old laptop is not compatible with my very new (large) memory cards. I guess most of the photos will have to wait until I return home and can upload then to my new laptop. Originally, we weren't going to bring a laptop at all so I bought lots of memory. It's good I didn't return said memory when we decided to bring the old laptop. I will try to take some photos on my old, small memory cards so I can post a few.
Anyway - back to yesterday...
At one point in our walk over to St. James' Gate Ken stopped me from taking a picture of a church. Apparently there were three guys who, as Ken put it, were either diabetic or shooting heroin. I was oblivious. All I was interested in was taking a picture of the building! Sometimes oblivious is a good thing.
We did get hit up 3 times in 5 blocks for money our first night in town. Luckily, I put my 'New York' on and just (sing it with me) walked on by...
Ken tried to post our photo taken at the Storehouse on Facebook but it posted a photo of the people before us. I tried to send it to myself as an e mail so I would have it and it doesn't appear to have made it into my in box. I guess there isn't supposed to be any damaging evidence of our visit to Guinness.
When we left St. James' Gate, it was drizzling and misty and cold and damp. All the things Ireland is famous for. It was dark and we were hungry. We had a 15 - 20 minute walk back to our hotel and to the restaurant where we planned to eat dinner. Enter the magic of tourism. Lined up outside the Guinness Storehouse was a row of horse and carriages. We took a lovely, albeit, blustery ride back to the Temple Bar area where we were staying and got out of the carriage a block from our hotel. We regrouped and headed on out to dinner at Eden Restaurant.
The service was lovely, the food excellent, and we had the added fun of being able to watch the kitchen from our table. From there, we headed back to O'Neill's for another evening of Irish music. We only wish they'd play longer and later. The music doesn't start until 9 PM and ends at 11:30. We wound up talking with a couple who had been to see Arlo (Guthrie) that night in Dublin. We knew about the show but decided to pass on it. It was nice to hear that it was a good show and just to hear folks talking about Woody and Arlo.
We walked back to our hotel and that is the end of Day Two. Dublin was quieter on Thursday night than it had been on Wednesday. That is a good thing as I wasn't nearly as tired!
Day One in Dublin (aka 3 days later but I finally have internet)
Welcome to Ireland!
We have been here a few days but this is the first time I have had reliable and usable internet.
I'll give you the short version - we left Massachusetts on time, we got to the airport on time, our flight left about half an hour late and still got in early. I don't remember airplane seats being quite so uncomfortable but I did get to watch my choice of a movie. I chose Bernie with Jack Black and Shirley MacClaine because someone (I can't remember who) just told me I should see it. Oh by they way - airplane food is as bad as I remember.
We got through customs quite quickly and our luggage was on the belt, undamaged and with nothing missing. Always a plus!
We upgraded our rental car (I could have packed more stuff!). It is diesel so it will get much better mileage and is less expensive to fill up. The car has a bigger trunk so all of our stuff in concealed, and I feel a little less vulnerable riding in it overall. It is silver so I am happy - I am not a fan of red cars.
I would post a photo but my card reader does not appear to be working. I don't know if it is the computer, the card reader or the card but I am trying not to panic. I assume all will be well when I get the card into my new laptop back home. This machine is pretty old and the card may just be too big for it to handle. I know I had that problem with my old camera.
Onwards and upwards...
We got in our rent-a-put and drove into Dublin proper. Actually, we sat in the car in the rental lot for half an hour looking at maps that made no sense. We finally decided to just drive and see where we wound up. Luckily, we wound up in Dublin! We parked on the street, found a place to stay and left our luggage at the hotel until our room was ready. Ken re-parked the car in a lot for the 2 days we'd be there and we walked everywhere we went. Dublin sort of reminded me of New York. It has pockets of neighborhoods, no parking and accommodations run the gamut from cheap to expensive. We chose a place that doesn't make it into the guild books but suited our needs perfectly.
After the car was parked, we went in search of our first pint of Guinness. We found ourselves at O'Neill's Bar and Restaurant. The food was okay, the pint was good and we had a nice walk around the area.
We went back to our hotel - the River House Hotel in the Temple Bar district. We decided a nap was in order. We set the alarm for 5PM local time. We'd been up for about 24 hours at this point and thought 5 hours of sleep was a good plan. We both got up when the alarm went off though I don't think either of us was very happy about it at the time. We took showers - and were human again!
We went out wandering and had dinner at Les Freres Jacques - a lovely French restaurant near our hotel. After dinner, we strolled around looking for (listening for?) live music and found ourselves back at O'Neill's. They had wonderful live music and a rowdy crowd on a pub crawl. I was sitting next to two young guys - one from Australia and the other from 'back home'. He was from near Saratoga in Glens Falls. Small world. On the way out we discovered the name of the band (just two guys on guitar and banjo) were called All Folked Up! Gotta love it!
The music ended around 11:30 and we headed back to our room. It was a noisy night out on the streets of Dublin but we didn't hear a thing. We were out cold and enjoying dreamland. End of Day 1.
We have been here a few days but this is the first time I have had reliable and usable internet.
I'll give you the short version - we left Massachusetts on time, we got to the airport on time, our flight left about half an hour late and still got in early. I don't remember airplane seats being quite so uncomfortable but I did get to watch my choice of a movie. I chose Bernie with Jack Black and Shirley MacClaine because someone (I can't remember who) just told me I should see it. Oh by they way - airplane food is as bad as I remember.
We got through customs quite quickly and our luggage was on the belt, undamaged and with nothing missing. Always a plus!
We upgraded our rental car (I could have packed more stuff!). It is diesel so it will get much better mileage and is less expensive to fill up. The car has a bigger trunk so all of our stuff in concealed, and I feel a little less vulnerable riding in it overall. It is silver so I am happy - I am not a fan of red cars.
I would post a photo but my card reader does not appear to be working. I don't know if it is the computer, the card reader or the card but I am trying not to panic. I assume all will be well when I get the card into my new laptop back home. This machine is pretty old and the card may just be too big for it to handle. I know I had that problem with my old camera.
Onwards and upwards...
We got in our rent-a-put and drove into Dublin proper. Actually, we sat in the car in the rental lot for half an hour looking at maps that made no sense. We finally decided to just drive and see where we wound up. Luckily, we wound up in Dublin! We parked on the street, found a place to stay and left our luggage at the hotel until our room was ready. Ken re-parked the car in a lot for the 2 days we'd be there and we walked everywhere we went. Dublin sort of reminded me of New York. It has pockets of neighborhoods, no parking and accommodations run the gamut from cheap to expensive. We chose a place that doesn't make it into the guild books but suited our needs perfectly.
After the car was parked, we went in search of our first pint of Guinness. We found ourselves at O'Neill's Bar and Restaurant. The food was okay, the pint was good and we had a nice walk around the area.
We went back to our hotel - the River House Hotel in the Temple Bar district. We decided a nap was in order. We set the alarm for 5PM local time. We'd been up for about 24 hours at this point and thought 5 hours of sleep was a good plan. We both got up when the alarm went off though I don't think either of us was very happy about it at the time. We took showers - and were human again!
We went out wandering and had dinner at Les Freres Jacques - a lovely French restaurant near our hotel. After dinner, we strolled around looking for (listening for?) live music and found ourselves back at O'Neill's. They had wonderful live music and a rowdy crowd on a pub crawl. I was sitting next to two young guys - one from Australia and the other from 'back home'. He was from near Saratoga in Glens Falls. Small world. On the way out we discovered the name of the band (just two guys on guitar and banjo) were called All Folked Up! Gotta love it!
The music ended around 11:30 and we headed back to our room. It was a noisy night out on the streets of Dublin but we didn't hear a thing. We were out cold and enjoying dreamland. End of Day 1.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Hi!
I know I said I'd 'fill you in' but that will have to wait. I just wanted to pop on to let you know that I am officially freaking out and overwhelmed with the 'stuff that's left to do before I leave' piece of going on vacation.
My check book is 50 dollars off...
I have checks to deposit and I need to withdraw cash for the trip...and I have bills to pay before we leave town.
I have a book that has to go back to the library but I still need to get some information out of it for the trip.
I can't decide if I want to bring an umbrella or just get wet. (Feel free to weigh in on this one!)
I have paperwork I must drop off in town before we leave.
I can't decide what knitting project(s) to bring with me.
And the list goes on.....
On the up side -
All my camera batteries are charged and all my memory cards are empty. (Must find my card reader if I am bringing the laptop).
I finished weaving in the ends to my new shawl - I will post photos eventually.
The whites are in the dryer and the rest of the clothes are in the wash.
I bought a pair of pjs and matching slippers on sale for 10 bucks and they will be the first things I put in the suitcase. Oh yah - it's a new suitcase, too!
Norton (the 5 pound Yorkie) got a bath and he looks beautiful brushed. He smells good, too!
Ok - sitting here typing at you guys isn't going to make my 'to do' list any shorter. I feel better just having shared my panic with you. Thanks, as always, for being there for me :)
Until next time.....
I know I said I'd 'fill you in' but that will have to wait. I just wanted to pop on to let you know that I am officially freaking out and overwhelmed with the 'stuff that's left to do before I leave' piece of going on vacation.
My check book is 50 dollars off...
I have checks to deposit and I need to withdraw cash for the trip...and I have bills to pay before we leave town.
I have a book that has to go back to the library but I still need to get some information out of it for the trip.
I can't decide if I want to bring an umbrella or just get wet. (Feel free to weigh in on this one!)
I have paperwork I must drop off in town before we leave.
I can't decide what knitting project(s) to bring with me.
And the list goes on.....
On the up side -
All my camera batteries are charged and all my memory cards are empty. (Must find my card reader if I am bringing the laptop).
I finished weaving in the ends to my new shawl - I will post photos eventually.
The whites are in the dryer and the rest of the clothes are in the wash.
I bought a pair of pjs and matching slippers on sale for 10 bucks and they will be the first things I put in the suitcase. Oh yah - it's a new suitcase, too!
Norton (the 5 pound Yorkie) got a bath and he looks beautiful brushed. He smells good, too!
Ok - sitting here typing at you guys isn't going to make my 'to do' list any shorter. I feel better just having shared my panic with you. Thanks, as always, for being there for me :)
Until next time.....
Friday, January 11, 2013
Long time no blog
And so it goes...time marches on and blogs fall by the wayside. I started this blog when I took my trip and stopped blogging when I got home. Well - it's time to take a trip again and someone asked if I'd be blogging. I guess this post answers that question.
My husband and I are leaving on Tuesday for Ireland and Scotland. Three weeks out of the country and so much to see and do while we are there!
I have been planning this trip for about 2 months and it is..as they say...crunch time.
I will fill you in a bit more when I have a little more time...but for now.....let's just say....
I'm baa-aaak!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Deja Vu all over again
When I was a little kid I was supposed to go to Disney World in Florida. I don't think any kid can get more excited than knowing they are going to Disney. The day before the trip - my grandfather wound up in the hospital and we couldn't go. Can you say disappointed?
There were a few other vacation plans where the same scenario played itself out. I got all excited and then at the last minute the trip got canceled. I stopped looking forward to trips and only enjoyed then after the fact, for a very long time.
So here I am - many years later. I am excited because I'm going to Disney World. I have been dancing around the house for weeks because, " I'm going to Disney!" I have been bugging my friend to go with me for 18 months and we finally had a plan. He was leaving yesterday to drive to Orlando and my flight was arriving today. The plan was he'd pick me up tonight, and tomorrow we'd be at Disney. Yesterday morning my phone rang. As soon as he said 'Hello' I knew something was horribly wrong. And unfortunately, I was dreadfully right.
His 18 year old daughter's closest friend, (who was a mere 21 years old), was killed riding his bicycle - on the way to see her. I can't even tell you the devastation in her voice. He was struck from behind by a woman driving a mini van. A parent's worst nightmare.
And then there is the trip to Disney - to go or not to go. And if we go - can we really have a good time. I'll let you know - I'm on my way to Disney.
There were a few other vacation plans where the same scenario played itself out. I got all excited and then at the last minute the trip got canceled. I stopped looking forward to trips and only enjoyed then after the fact, for a very long time.
So here I am - many years later. I am excited because I'm going to Disney World. I have been dancing around the house for weeks because, " I'm going to Disney!" I have been bugging my friend to go with me for 18 months and we finally had a plan. He was leaving yesterday to drive to Orlando and my flight was arriving today. The plan was he'd pick me up tonight, and tomorrow we'd be at Disney. Yesterday morning my phone rang. As soon as he said 'Hello' I knew something was horribly wrong. And unfortunately, I was dreadfully right.
His 18 year old daughter's closest friend, (who was a mere 21 years old), was killed riding his bicycle - on the way to see her. I can't even tell you the devastation in her voice. He was struck from behind by a woman driving a mini van. A parent's worst nightmare.
And then there is the trip to Disney - to go or not to go. And if we go - can we really have a good time. I'll let you know - I'm on my way to Disney.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Is it really March already?
Where is the time going? I know I am wasting most of mine - but at least I am having fun!
I am leaving for Florida on Sunday. Disney World and a Mets/Braves game. Woo Hoo. That's the good news.
The not such good news is that my friend's uncle passed away. He was a wonderful, kind, smiling man who always had something nice to say. It is a blessing that he is no longer suffering but he will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace, Uncle Harold.
My asthma seems to be getting the better of me these last few days. I am actually using the rescue inhaler to get some relief. I just want all this to be over with before I get on the plane.
I have to pack - which means I have to do laundry. I guess tomorrow is a good day for that. Friday night we have dinner plans with our friends who watched the house for us while we were gone.
Speaking of being gone - one of the things I never posted about was visiting our old house in Lake Charles. We visited our former next door neighbor, Miss Deen, and then headed over to our house. Miss Deen informed us that the couple who bought it were no longer a couple and that the guy living in the house with the woman who actually bought it, was gay. The things you find out and don't need to know when you live next door to Miss Deen! She knows everything about everyone in that neighborhood. I wonder what she used to tell people about us! She told us again how much she missed us and how safe she felt when we lived next door. It was very nice to see her, and her schnauzer, Heidi. They were great neighbors.
Our house looks fantastic! The inside has been done over completely. The kitchen no longer has that horrible duck wallpaper. The archway is gone and the water heater was moved so the room is no longer divided by the kitchen cabinets that were hiding it. She put a wall where the door was between the two bedrooms which was something I would have done if I had been 'staying' in that house. The house now has central air and heat, too.
The paneled walls in the living room were gone and replaced with sheetrock. She had the living room set up the same way I did. The room was so wide that we both put a long, narrow table against the wall and then a few feet in front of that put the couch (facing away) making a pathway between the back of the couch and the table as the entry way into the house. Hard to describe and I probably don't have photos.
Anyway - she was so happy to show us around. Her cat was very friendly and I'm happy to know that my house is loved. She is so happy we came over and got to see what she did with the house. If only I could remember her name!
More good news - we bought tickets to a Met game at CitiField for April. We got the same seats we had last year when we brought Mom with us. We sure are spoiled. They are on the 3rd base side between home and 3rd. They are the first row from the field, closer to home plate than the visitor's dugout. Wooo Hooo. I can't wait! (And yes, we are bringing my Mom).
I went to my book club meeting tonight at the Dalton Library and we had a wonderful discussion about the book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I also checked out Jaime Ford's website and blog. He said that he would respond to any questions posted so I asked him a question. Sure enough - he answered it. He is doing a talk and a book signing in Schenectady that I'm hoping to go to.
Oh and I may have found myself a job. I was looking at the hours the library is open and most days they open at noon. I said to Dorrie (the librarian) that those were hours I could handle and she asked if I was looking for a job. I told her that I was and she said they may have an opening in a few weeks for a Page. I would be restocking the shelves and stuff like that. It requires some Saturdays but I can live with that. We'll see what happens.
I guess that enough news for one post. I don't want to overload you with boring tidbits and information. I still want to get some photos from the trip posted. I wouldn't count on that happening before the trip south.
Sorry for being a slouch and not posting lately. Happy March!
~ Kassidee
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Feeling Uninspired
Hello out there. I feel there is so much less to say now that I am home. I woke up with a sore throat this morning and it's making me feel kind of 'blah'. I found cough medicine in the cabinet. I looked at the expiration date: 2002. (I took some anyway).
Yesterday was my Remicade treatment. That went smoothly. I am grateful.
Monday night I had a 24 hour 'bug' that lasted 36 hours. I will save you from the details - let's just say it wasn't pretty.
I did read a book I really enjoyed called Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It is wonderfully written as well as thought provoking (without hitting you over the head).
Closing Ceremonies for the Olympics are tomorrow night. I never seem to watch as much of the games as I think I will. I'm not sure why that is. I feel very disconnected from the games this winter. I used to know the names of the skaters and the skiers and lots of other athletes. This year the only names I know are Bode Miller and Apollo Anton Ono. I don't think I know any other competitors. It's strange.
Last night was a welcome home dinner for Ken and me. It got usurped by Jim's 60th birthday instead. It was a lovely evening with friends. We had good food, good fun and a good time!
I am going to cut this short and go in search of some cough medicine that hasn't reached it's expiration date yet.
Sorry I have been neglecting my responsibilities out here -
Hope all is well in your world,
~ Kass
Monday, February 22, 2010
I've been slacking, lately...
(Title sung to the tune of Peace Train by Cat Stevens)
Good morning. Now that I am home and have internet access on a daily basis, I seem to be writing less and less. Go figure.
We are actually not at home right now. We are in Westfield, N.J. I will try to fill you in on the comings and goings but for the moment I just wanted to pop on long enough to apologize for disappearing.
I hope to be blogging away again soon!
~ Kass
Good morning. Now that I am home and have internet access on a daily basis, I seem to be writing less and less. Go figure.
We are actually not at home right now. We are in Westfield, N.J. I will try to fill you in on the comings and goings but for the moment I just wanted to pop on long enough to apologize for disappearing.
I hope to be blogging away again soon!
~ Kass
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