Gorgeous and Welcome!

After several days of cloudy skies and rain, the sun was out and shining today in clear blue skies. Such a welcome sight! The town was alive with thankful hordes of people enjoying the lovely weather. Just look at it!

Dry Walks Today

This morning was beautiful! And even though it got overcast throughout the day, the rain held off until I was home. It wasn't even a hard rain, either. I appreciated it so much!

Chicken Salad Salad

So pretty I had to share. And those tomatoes are from Holland - to DIE for.

Over it

Rain. All the time.

Saturday

I decided to finally see 'The Dark Knight' and got a bus up to O'Connell Street a little early for some shopping. I have never seen a city bus so crowded on a weekend. I had to go to the top floor and I sat in the seat right in front of the stairs. It only took a few seconds to notice the man in front of me was talking to his hand. I promise there was no blue tooth, just this poor crazy man, who looked otherwise completely normal, speaking feverishly into his hand. Luckily he got off the bus at the next stop.

I headed up to a book store called Chapters, which I love. There are new books downstairs and second-hand books upstairs. I was there to look for a book about Vienna, my next trip in September. Not only did I find 'Top 10 Vienna,' I also found a street map book and a tourist guide book on Dublin.

After my success in Chapters, I thought I'd celebrate in style as I tried the new spring rolls at McDonald's. Not surprisingly, the spring rolls weren't very good, and to make matters worse, I had yet another run-in with regurgitation. A toddler in a stroller who'd been screaming since I had arrived lost his Mickey D's all over his sweatsuit. That does it - I'm a barf magnet. In Scotland, it was the lady on the Highlands tour bus. On my trip to Jax, the sick girl in the seat in front of me on the 8-hour flight. And finally, the McDonald's incident.

Disgruntled, I quickly gathered my trash and got the hell out of there. It was time to head for the movies. Dark Knight was really good, and as I exited the cinema, it began to rain on O'Connell Street. It has rained on me EVERY time I've been to O'Connell Street. It's kind of a thing now. I caught the bus and began to brace myself for the walk home. Luckily I had my rain jacket with hoodie with me. The rain was 'lashing down' as they say here. I was soaked from head to toe by the time I got home despite the jacket. My jeans were drenched and my hair had gotten wet despite the hoodie. The rain had also made its way up my sleeves and into my purse. It was insanity!

About two hours after getting home and watching the heavy showers come and go, it was time to meet friends at The Barge. The Barge is a pub pretty close to my apartment where we were to meet and have dinner before seeing a concert. It took us two hours to be served PUB GRUB, for crying out loud. The service was the slowest I've ever experienced. Although we were tempted to dine and dash, we got the barkeep to cash us out. We took some photos of the weather outside while we had waited.


Off to Whelan's, where a guy we used to work with at ML was performing with his band. And I do mean performing. Our friend was the life of the band! He was so into it that I had to smile. It was so nice to see such passion on the stage. He's the one on the left.


After the show, I called it a night. The bar was driving me nuts. It was so crowded that it was a battle to wedge myself between the wall-to-wall bodies to escape. It was nice and cool outside, and no longer raining. After a long day and night, I went home to bed.

Friday Night

We went into town to the Market Bar after work, and it's absolutely enormous inside. A girl at work told me it's an old cobbler shop.



There was a man there who wore his pants up to just under his armpits, and clearly he was there to chat up the ladies.


I also saw this little gem in the toilet stall and had to go back out and fetch my camera for a photo. It says 'I know him!' and in response 'So does your ma!'

On the Road

Work in Progress at Central Park Dublin

Sunday on the Town

I heard there was a good Mexican restaurant in town, so I got ready and headed out for lunch at about 1:30 today. It had been a sunny morning, but as usual, as soon as I left my place, it looked like this:

It started raining as I turned the corner for the bus stop, then I had to run and catch the bus. It was really pouring out there, as it usually does when I go to O'Connell Street, so I had to pull the umbrella out as soon as I got off the bus. I quickly discovered that the bottom of my flip flops had zero traction as I began to slip around immediately upon hitting the ground.The streets have marble tiles in some spots around there, so it's like walking around in a flooded bathroom. I somehow managed to avoid falling, but several times had to correct my footing after sliding around for a second.

I found Taco Taco in the Epicurean Food Hall, which is like a food court in a mall without the mall. It has Greek, Japanese, Italian, Turkish and Asian Fusion restaurants and even a fish n' chips place in it. I'll be back for the tacos and to check out the rest! After my lunch the rain was gone. I was going to catch the bus but it took forever so I walked 2 km to the National Gallery, which is near Merrion Square.


The gallery was amazing, and huge! I enjoyed walking through its many halls of beautiful paintings - including 'The Taking of Christ' by Caravaggio, which I studied in my Art History classes. I walked then to the National Museum, but after I walked in and saw all the cool stuff and knew I only had about 45 minutes before it closed, I decided to come back another day.

Exhausted, I walked about half a km to the LUAS and called it a day. I'm now doing the usual main activity of every weekend - laundry!

Friday at the Pub

Target is so cool

I bought this reusable bag at Target when I was in Jacksonville last week, and I think I might be in love. This bag is HUGE and its straps are long enough to put over my shoulder. The best part is that I can fold it up and keep it in my purse. And the whole thing is a big hug for the earth. I love it!

Me and the Fam

Science Project

My mom and I saw some videos on You Tube of people popping corn with cell phones. They had four phones positioned around some popcorn kernels, and when all of the phones rang, the kernels popped!

We decided to try it for ourselves to see if it really worked. The bad news is, it didn't work. The good news is, our brains are not soon to be fried by cell phone radiation.

Sadie the Great

The Sunshine State

Home Again

These days, I'm not sure where home is! I visited Jacksonville and got to see loved ones and had a great time. I ate at my favorite restaurants and got my food fix of things I can't get here in Dublin. I got to see my dog, although she made it clear she'd adjusted to life in her new house with her grandparents. I saw family and a few friends, bought some new clothes and A LOT of new shoes.

Here's a shout-out to my buddies who ate lunch with me at Crazy Sushi, who made a special request to get in the blog - HOLLA! This is a photo of a photo, so forgive the quality.

Today I arrived after a bumpy flight with little sleep to the rainy summer in Dublin, which is not much different from what I experienced in Jacksonville!

Back from Florida

Aaahhh... back to the Dublin rain! Got back this morning from my visit home. I'll be catching the blog up a little later. Need sleep. Sooooo tired...

Bats in the cave?

If you don't have a tissue, here's how you check:



Works every time.

In my neighborhood...

Retail, restaurant or strip club on the way?

Chilling

Wow - the weekend has been a wild one. I'm resting up today and, of course, doing laundry. Friday night I saw Ministry in concert. It was a great show and the finale was 'What a Wonderful World' if you can imagine that. I met up with friends again last night at a place called the Foggy Dew. Nice pub, good music, great times. I hope the next couple of days passes quickly. I'm ready for my trip to Jax! A break from the wild world of work is quite welcome.

Weekend in the Country

This weekend was dog-sitting in the country. It was a very relaxing weekend, and still fun. I rode the bus and the train to meet my Australian friend in Dun Laoghaire (pronounced LEERY) to see Mamma Mia and do a little shopping. We rode back down to the house and watched Crocodile Dundee. It was fun watching one of the only 'pieces' of Australia I've ever seen with an Australian! This morning we got up and had some breakfast and did some baking - banana bread, which was delicious, took the dog for a walk, then sat outside with our books listening to music for a couple of hours.
I also booked my trip to Vienna, which won the vote for September's trip. Vienna - 5, Stockholm - 4 and Prague - 3. Thanks to all of you who helped me decide. If I have a bad time there, I'll know who to blame!

You Get to Choose!

I have two days left for holidays, and I am having trouble picking a destination for a mid-September trip. Please help me choose between the following:

Prague, Czech Republic
Oslo, Norway
Stockholm, Sweden
Munich, Germany
Vienna, Austria

The city with the most votes on Thursday this week will be my choice. I look forward to your vote!

An American Holiday in Ireland

I arrived to work on Friday, July 4th and proceeded to the cafeteria as usual to get my porridge and coffee. When I walked in, I was shocked to see the walls covered with red, white and blue paper decorations. After I paid for my porridge, I got in the line for coffee behind a woman who works on my floor. I don’t really know her, but the cafeteria manager approached her and asked if she thought the decorations were too much. She said no. The manager said at least she hadn’t put eagles up. And this woman from my floor says ‘It should be vultures, anyway.’ Nice, lady. REAL nice. I guess not all of them hate American things, as many in the building enjoyed hot dogs for lunch that day, offered as part of an American menu special.

After work, a few of us went to Sinnott’s, a pub near St. Stephen’s Green for a couple of beers. The new technologist from Jacksonville who has joined the Dublin team and his wife joined us at the bar, then we decided to make our way toward something for dinner. We stumbled upon an area I’ve never seen before, and found a pub called the Hairy Lemon. We ordered dinner and said our fairly early goodbyes. As SOON as I walked into my door, the rain started. This, after a long sunny day for a change.

I woke up Saturday to rain pounding on my skylight. About mid-morning, I got on the LUAS, for the first time catching it just in time to get my ticket and get on, and rode down to the end to meet a friend who took me to Northern Ireland for lunch and shopping. The groceries up there probably cost a good 40-50% less than they do in Dublin. I bought lots of stuff, several pounds of chicken and pork chops and prawns (shrimp) and it was all very cheap. I also found a really nice basket to replace the cardboard dinner set box I’ve been using to hold computer accessories on a shelf since I moved in here. It was a productive trip and a nice drive in the sunshine.

I got back just in time to get ready for a birthday outing. Luckily, my friends called to offer to pick me up in a taxi on the way to the bar, because the rain had started up again and I was dreading walking in it. We rode together, and had the chattiest taxi driver in all of Dublin, who turned out to be one of the free bus drivers from the Merrill Lynch buses. The place we went, called the Village, was very cool – great atmosphere and we got a perfect spot to sit before the place got too busy. Soon enough, it was packed with people, and the DJ was playing really great music and we were all singing along to songs like Roxanne, Sweet Child o’ Mine, and Whole Lotta Love. It was a great time.

Today I’ve been relaxing at home trying to catch up on laundry, which continues to be the first item on my to-do lists!

Rainy Days

So it's rained every day for maybe over a week. Everyone around me is complaining about it non-stop. They talk about depression due to a lack of sunshine. Well, I'm over here laughing it up folks - laughing it up! I am just so thankful it's not hot! I'm happy to live with the rain as opposed to the sweltering heat around the rest of the world right now. The daily commute is a little bit of a pain, but I'm dealing with it. Loving Ireland, still, during what everyone here says is the worst part of the year! It rains in Florida, too, right?

Wonderful Weekend in Ireland!

What a week! I had my first visitor in town for a few days. Julie arrived as I finished work last Wednesday. We had fish and chips for dinner and poor, tired Julie managed to keep from falling asleep as we ate. I had to work on Thursday, so she was on her own to explore the city centre a little bit. I called her at 2 and she was having a nice pub lunch. I was jealous. We met at my place after I left work and headed to the Leeson Lounge to meet up with our ‘Quiz Night’ team. We had a blast at the quiz, even though we didn’t come close to winning. At 11 or so, the quiz ended and we went home to get a good night’s sleep before our tour of Dublin on Friday.

Up to Steven’s Green on the LUAS, we rounded the corner of the park on foot and caught the Hop On Hop Off city tour bus as the rain fell. We decided to tour Kilmainham Gaol (jail) first, and we both enjoyed the tour very much. Back on the bus, next we were off to the Jameson Distillery. We had paninis at a little café across from the distillery and then wandered around the gift shop while we waited for the tour to start. The tour, again, was very informative, and we even got to taste the whiskey at the end. Finally, although we’d hoped to squeeze a few more tours in, we finished our day with a walk to Guinness for the self-guided tour through the Storehouse. And of course, we enjoyed a nice pint from the Gravity Bar at the top of the 8-story building as we admired the great views of the city.

We had a lovely bangers and mash dinner at the Quays restaurant, then met up with some friends in Temple Bar. We had a great evening of people watching, live music and good craic. Our pub tour landed us in several interesting places, including the Clarence, which is the hotel owned by Bono and the Edge from U2, a Russian bar called Pravda just on the north side of the river Liffey by the Ha’Penny Bridge and the Porterhouse, a 4-story pub which had a lively blues guitarist and singer performing. After getting some great video footage of some goof ball dancing to the music, we got in a taxi and headed home. On the way there, we encountered a road block where the Garda (cops) were stopping cars to make sure everyone was buckled in. It was scary, because the taxi driver was saying “hurry up and put your seat belts on!” so we struggled to find our seat belts and get them locked before it was our turn. We barely made it in time for the flashlights to find our buckled belts.

The next morning, we picked up our rental car and headed off to the west coast, making MANY stops in the Burren to take pictures of beautiful lakes, ruined castles and abbeys. We got a little lost a few times, but found our way with the help of the Burren Centre, where a nice lady told us exactly how to get to all the places we had missed so far, including the megalithic tombs and the Aillwee Cave. Our final stop was the Cliffs of Moher, which amazed us and nearly froze us to death. We left the Cliffs and made our way toward Galway, nearly running out of gas on the way. We stopped at I think three closed gas stations and even tried unsuccessfully to steal some at one very panicked moment. We pulled in to a very strange pub with Ireland’s strangest clientele and found out the nearest gas station was almost in Galway, and crossed our fingers we would make it. Much to our relief, we found the station and finally filled up the tank.

We found our way to the hotel in Galway at about ten, and went off in search of dinner. We found a Papa John’s pizza and brought it back to the hotel to eat it. Not very Irish, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The next morning, we had our breakfast at the hotel, then tried to find the sights in Galway. We had no luck with the search and got on the road to Clifden in Connemara, where we would take a beautiful drive on the ‘Sky Road.’ The driving was quite precarious but the views were worth it. We even saw several sheep walking on the road, which both of us found extremely funny. We ended our tour of the Connemara region at the Kylemore Abbey, which is sitting at the bottom of a beautiful hill on a lake. It was gorgeous – fairy tale stuff. Just a bit up the hill, we saw a Gothic church that looked like a small cathedral. We got some sandwiches and started back toward Dublin. We had a long ride home, which seemed even longer since we were both exhausted from all we’d seen and done over the past few days. Fish and chips (again!) for dinner and then off to bed. I got Julie to the airport on time this morning and got to work on time, myself. What a great long weekend!

Greyfriars Bobby

In Scotland, I learned the story of this little dog, who was obviously a famous figure in Edinburgh history. I love the story and found it very telling of the loyalty a dog has to his owner. Saying a dog is man's best friend is an understatement. Wiki says this about him:

"Greyfriars Bobby (died January 14, 1872) was a Skye Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh, Scotland after reportedly spending 14 years guarding his owner's grave, until his own death in 1872.

A year after the dog died, the philanthropist Baroness Burdett Coutts had a statue and fountain erected to commemorate him. Several books and films have been based on Bobby's life, including Greyfriars Bobby by Eleanor Atkinson and the films Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog and The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby (2006).

Bobby belonged to John Gray, who worked for the Edinburgh City Police as a night watchman, and the two were inseparable for approximately two years.[1] On 15 February 1858, Gray died of tuberculosis. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Bobby, who survived John Gray by 14 years, is said to have spent the rest of his life sitting on his master's grave. A more realistic account has it that he spent a great deal of time at Gray's grave, but that he left regularly for meals at a restaurant beside the graveyard, and may have spent colder winters in nearby houses.

In 1867, when it was pointed out that an ownerless dog should be destroyed, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Sir William Chambers (who was also a director of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), paid for a renewal of Bobby's licence, making him the responsibility of the city council.

Bobby died in 1872 and could not be buried within the cemetery itself, since it was consecrated ground; instead he was buried just inside the gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard, not far from John Gray's grave."

Not So Peaceful Saturday

Did you ever have one of those days? I bet you think I’m going to tell you I had one of those days today. Not so much. I was sitting on the couch with my laptop, and a strange, unpleasant noise began that was like a ring and a beep at the same time. I ran to my security alarm and found that nothing was wrong with it. I ran upstairs, which is where the noise seemed to be emanating from. Nothing seemed to be amiss up there either. I walked out the front door and heard the next door neighbor growling and cursing, which is not unusual – I hear it a lot, along with his blaring music from time to time. So I figured it was his alarm, and walked back inside. Then I thought, since it wasn’t raining for once in the whole day, I’d walk up to the market. So I rounded up my raincoat and started to walk out the door, then had to run back in and turn off the music from my laptop. This whole time, the alarm noise had become worse, and was absolutely deafening. I was just about to turn around and head back to the door when I heard knocking on it. The mysterious next door neighbor, whom, until today I’d only ever heard, was asking me if I knew how to work the alarm. I walked over to his place and noticed that his alarm was different from mine. I asked if he knew the code and he yelled at me “I haven’t used this thing in a year! I have no idea what the code is! I even turned off the power and it’s not making any difference!!” Then he stomped off muttering “I can’t believe this! It doesn’t make any sense!” So I kept pressing buttons because I didn’t know what else to do. He came back over and told me he’d tried to call the number on the alarm pad several times and couldn’t get them to answer. I asked if maybe he could google the company name. “I’ll have to turn the power back on!” I said I was sorry, I didn’t think I could help anymore and slowly backed out of his place, into pouring rain – again. So I went back inside for a while to wait out the monsoon. This poor guy’s alarm was STILL wailing at this point. More growling curses, more slamming coming from the other side of the wall. I knew I’d be just as angry or worse if it was me. I saw the rain slack off and left for the store. When I returned, it was quiet. I witnessed at least half an hour of solid alarm ringing prior to my departure, and was never more relieved walking toward home in silence.

Wild Boar Pizza

Remember I told you I ate a wild boar pizza a few weeks ago? Well, here it is!

Edinburgh is Fantastic!

I have returned from Scotland, and I'm happy to report that my trip was wonderful! It went off without a hitch. The flights were fine, the b&b was the best ever (breakfast was GREAT and the hosts and environment even better), and I loved the city of Edinburgh. Best of all, I received no 'good luck' from any bird during my trip. Scottish birds must be kinder than Italian and Irish birds. I visited museums with art and museums with history, and even The Childhood Museum. I ate haggis, saw huge cathedrals, heard plenty of bagpipes, climbed a few hills for great views of the city, toured castles and a Georgian home. I even went on a ghost tour that took me UNDER the city and into the vaults! On the last day, I went on a tour of the Scottish Highlands, given by a Scot wearing a kilt - very authentic. I am working on getting all the photos captioned and loaded to share. In the meantime, enjoy a fine sample of the best.

Not again....

I had a terrific morning today. I was walking out the front door to head toward the bus stop when I was struck in the upper pants leg with BIRD CRAP!! 33 years I managed to avoid bird poop, and have been hit twice in one month all of a sudden. So I headed back in to correct the situation and decided that cleaning off the pants was a better option than changing outfits at that point. So I whipped the pants off, cleaned them with dish soap and water, then headed back upstairs to use the hair dryer to dry up the spot. I needed to do this because the spot was literally right beneath the crotch area, and I didn't want to appear as if I'd wet my pants. It's worth mentioning here that the placement of the bird poop was a miracle in itself. HOW DID IT GET THERE???? So in the midst of my pants drying efforts, the hair dryer died. Please believe I was cursing at this point. I cut my losses and left the house at a high rate of speed. I was now in serious danger of missing the bus. I power-walked faster than I may have ever walked in my life, and saw another girl that rides my bus run past me (confirming the fact that I was in serious danger of missing the bus). I literally stepped onto the sidewalk as the first folks were getting on the bus.

So I was off to work, feeling soooooo 'lucky' (I'm beginning to doubt the whole bird poop is lucky theory). I arrived and settled in, and found an e-mail in my inbox, pointing out a note I wrote in the highlights for the week, which are distributed to just short of everyone in ML, called "Department Abassador." Seriously??? When I checked my submitted highlights, I found it had been spelled correctly. Somehow during the editing process, the spelling had been changed, therefore making me look like a complete idiot. I am such a stickler for good spelling! Anyway, nothing I can do now. It's out there.

The day got better, despite its rocky start. It's all about laughing when you feel like crying.

Guns and Groceries

So, here's where I did my grocery shopping on Saturday.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0609/rathmines.html

Needless to say, I won't be back. I feel like I'm back in Jacksonville!

Weekend

Friday night I ate a wild boar pizza at Miller's on Baggot Street and drank a pint or two at The Waterloo - probably the nicest pub I've been to. It was beautiful inside with high ceilings, perfect lighting and not too much of a crowd. And... that was about the most exciting my weekend got. After battling the shower to get hot water for a few hours yesterday morning, I finally gave up and headed out. I found a shortcut to the grocery store I like on Rathmines Road, which runs parallel to Ranelagh Road. It's a good thing I found a shortcut, too, because my shoulders actually HURT today from carrying the load of groceries I bought there yesterday. I'm talking serious pain. After that I was exhausted, so I lounged around and did laundry the rest of the day.
Today was even less exciting. I went up to Grafton Street and bought some travel toiletries and a guidebook for Edinburgh. I had a headache brewing all morning and afternoon, so I went home and took two ibuprofens and a long nap. More laundry.
That's all folks!
This Friday I have tickets for the 'Taste of Dublin' festival. It should be fun, but I have to make sure I'm home early enough to get a good night's sleep before Edinburgh. I have to leave my house at 4:45 to be on time to the airport!!

The Battle Rages On

My effort to keep bad luck away continues. I relocated another spider today, as he was hiding out behind my recycling in the kitchen. Here's my latest POSW (prisoner of spider war):



Please do note the highly advanced and sophisticated equipment I have employed for this daily task. Patent pending.

Scotland, here I come!

I'm going to Edinburgh next weekend! I found a great deal on a flight and hotel and I'm looking so forward to it. This time I'm going to have my very own bathroom, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to take a shower whenever I want! It's funny how much the little things mean when you've had the alternatives. I will be there from very early on a Saturday to very late on Monday. Here's a web link to the Lonely Planet info on Edinburgh: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/scotland/edinburgh/. Not quite as much time to plan this trip, but I don't think it will be a problem. I'm definitely going to do the hop on/hop off bus tour and maybe a sightseeing trip around the outer areas - maybe Loch Ness?
I consider this my third European trip, since I went to 1) Northern Ireland and 2) Rome. I have officially caught the 'travel bug!'

Tall Ships and Zen Hussies

GREAT day today. I went to the Maritime Festival in the docklands along the Liffey today. It was lots of fun... kind of like the Shrimp Festival in Fernandina. I walked along the arts and crafts booths, saw lots of flowers and plants, ate a yummy sausage dog that was too humongous, did some great people watching and heard a fantastic live band. They are called the Zen Hussies, and they are a jazz band. They're from Bristol in the UK, unfortunately, so I may never see them again. I love seeing real bands like that - they had a trumpet and a sax and the big bass and guitars and the singer was so goofy. It was fun. While I was walking across the bridge, I saw four kids jumping into the river. They were wearing wet suits and had drawn quite a crowd. I'd have to say the boys were around 12-14 years old? It was weird. I'd never heard of anyone swimming in the Liffey before. Here are some photos of the day:

Old Friends

After anxiously awaiting the big-screen return of my four New York friends, today was the big day. I saw Sex and the City today! It was great, and it's a good thing, because I waited through half an hour of commercials to see it! I finally saw two movie previews... just before they showed two more commercials before the movie started. It was so frustrating! I was like, "Bring on the girls, already!!!" It was strange, because the last movie I saw at that theater started without any commercials or previews at all. At any rate, the movie was good. I really miss the TV series, and it could have gone on for three or four hours and I'd have been enthralled the entire time. It's so much fun to watch the fashion and the New York lifestyle. I miss the Big Apple. I am wishing I'd made a trip up there before I left for Dublin!

Spiders

I have seen about a spider per day since I moved into my townhouse, and it's been driving me near mad. So I did some internet research this week to find out what I was dealing with, since pest control is not a realistic option here in Ireland. I found out a couple of important things as I scoured the web: 1) there are no poisonous spiders in Ireland (not sure I believe that yet, but it WAS slightly comforting); and 2) it is bad luck to kill a spider. Considering I have killed every one that I've been able to get to since I've been here, I figure I have enough bad luck to last a while. This might explain some of the mishaps in Rome? Soooo... I have decided to cease and desist with the arachnocide and begin mending my luck. Therefore, tonight I saw the first spider since my decision was made (Monday) and I put a jar on him, let him crawl in, then threw him outside. I didn't feel any luckier. Maybe just a little more like a hippy. I am happy to keep up the effort, but if I find one crawling on me anywhere, I may not end up so lucky. He won't be lucky so much either.

ANOTHER Birthday Shout-out

Happy birthday to Auntie M-J!

Birthday Shout-out

Happy Birthday to Madelyn!

Nice, Relaxing Weekend

Other than a little walking around yesterday to return some library books and get some groceries, I have been at home relaxing all weekend. I've been reading and doing laundry, occasionally doing some internet surfing. Next weekend is a three-day weekend, and I'm trying to decide if I should find a short trip to take. Because it's a little last-minute, I think it's going to be too expensive. Just a few weeks ago I stumbled across a free flight to London (before tax, which made the total like €20) and it's not so free now... about €200. They account for the holiday weekends like everyone else, I suppose. I may have to find little day trips to keep me occupied.

The teams at work will begin processing "in parallel" with Jacksonville next week. Everyone is pretty excited, since they've been training for two months now. I am preparing for the little things that come up when you switch from a test or practice environment to the real thing. It should fill my days quite nicely.

Not much more to tell - I guess I'll make up for the humongo-blog from last week's trip to Rome by being shorter this time. You're welcome!

Bruce in Concert - for free

I am listening to the Bruce Springsteen concert live... from the inside of my house!! He's playing 3 shows at the RDS this weekend (the first last night, the second tonight and the third Sunday). I can literally hear it as if it were happening on my street! It's actually 5 miles or so from my place, same place I went for the rugby game. I'm where the red dot is, RDS is circled.

Rome, In a Large Nutshell

Okay - here it is. It may seem long, but it is as abridged as possible, I promise!

What a trip it was, indeed. I saw most of the city, mostly on foot on the three suggested walks I found in a book from the library. Without the book, I'd have had no plan, so I am thankful I found it.

Wednesday:
9:00 AM: I took a shower so cold (boiler timing issue) it literally made my head ache. YIPES!!
9:45 AM: Caught the Aircoach to Dublin Airport.
10:30 AM: Breezed past the check-in counter, since I'd checked in online the previous day.
10:35 AM: Got through security.
10:40 AM: Walked about a mile (literally) to the Ryanair gates and found a good seat for the wait.
12:10 PM: Got in line to board with my passport and boarding pass.
12:20 PM (flight leaves at 12:30): *Debacle Alert!* Was denied boarding and told to go back to check in (no online check-in for US passports - would have been useful knowledge BEFORE I GOT MY PRINTED PASS).
12:30 PM: Arrived at the Ryanair assistance counter to discuss the issue with a service associate. No more flights to Rome that night.
12:35 PM: Went outside to wait for the bus back to the city, thinking of canceling my entire trip because I didn't know what else to do. Tried to call the B&B to see if they'd charge me anyway, but I wasn't able to figure out how to call Rome from my cell phone. I was livid to the point of tears - but I didn't cry. I don't know HOW, but I didn't.
12:40 PM: Came up with a plan. Went back into the airport and see how much a flight to Rome would cost. Went to the Aerlingus desk and bought a new ticket for 3:30 PM.
12:45 PM: Back through security, back to the gate which was much closer this time, and back to my book for two hours.
7:30 PM: Arrived in Rome
7:50 PM: Found train to Termini, which is Rome's main public transportation station.
8:15 PM: While en route to Termini, received call from the owner of the B&B wondering if I was coming. I told him I was on my way and should be there in half an hour. He said I'd better hurry if I was coming on the Metro, because it stopped running at 9.
8:30 PM: Purchased ticket for the Metro with little trouble and was on it by 8:45.
9:15 PM: Arrived at B&B with no trouble, as it was very close to the Metro station, greeted by Signor (Mr) Betti, who showed me to my room, where I noticed a sign on the shared bathroom door that showers could only be taken in the afternoons. Also found that I had a TV with nothing but Italian channels.
9:20 PM: Signor Betti walked me to a pizzeria down the street and told me goodnight.
9:30 - 10:30 PM: The place was very busy, and they barely understood English, but had an English menu. I sat at a table for two and shortly after I was seated, they seated a businessman at the table just next to mine. I ordered 1/4 litre of red house wine (about 2 glasses - only €1.50!!) and a margherita pizza. The pizza came - uncut - on its baking tray. The crust was thin and crispy and the pizza was delicious. The businessman ate his whole pizza in the time it took me to eat 1/2 of mine, and had polished off a tiramisu before I'd finished the pizza. I ordered a tiramisu at the recommendation of the waiter, who'd been very patient with me. It was all very, very good. I paid my tab and headed back to the B&B, exhausted from my stressful day.

Thursday:
8-8:30 AM: Washed up as best as I could without a shower (still no shower since my icy one the previous morning), and opened the window to let in a little air. I noticed there were rocks on the ledge but it looked like there had been some construction going on outside, so no worries. The air felt good in the room. I planned to hit the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica (a five-minute walk) first, then come back for a shower in the early afternoon.
9-10:30 AM: The Vatican was amazing: ornate details of the walls, ceilings and floors, statues and sculptures 500 years old, and of course the Sistine Chapel is the highlight. I was awed by it, really. I had to sit down on the benches along the sides of the room to just take it all in. Michelangelo's paintings practically looked alive, as if the figures were coming out of the ceiling.
10:30 AM-12 PM: Around a winding ramp with wide steps and out I went, on to Basilica di San Pietro just down the road from the Vatican. Amazed at the size of the place. It is like its own village. I sat at the base of a column. *Debacle alert!* Just as I was cooling down enough to get into the long line (it wound around the entire piazza), a bird pooped on me. I can't believe it finally happened. It's been years of fearing bird poop and it never happened until the day I was sitting at St. Peter's, waiting to go in. Stupid pigeon. I was able to clear away the poop without much effort using a napkin I had in my purse. The damage wasn't too bad. And I think I can qualify the incident as special religious poop since it happened at St. Peter's... so, literally, Holy Crap! The inside of the basilica was even more breathtaking than the outside. Most of the decorations are Bernini's, and the dome is absolutely beautiful to behold. Best of all, seeing the Pieta was unbelievable.
12:30-1:30 PM: After wandering for a fairly long time, I headed back to the B&B, eager to get cleaned up after the poop incident. It seemed like a long walk back, although it was probably worse because it was really heating up out there, with the sun blazing on me as I hiked. The cleaning service woman was in the middle of working on the bathroom, a delay I didn't mind since I was happy to use a clean shower. She told me she'd be five minutes and I said fine. *Debacle Alert!* As I started to open my door, I heard strange noises coming from inside my room. I wondered if maybe someone was inside cleaning it as well. Imagine my surprise when no one was in there. That's when I noticed the rocks all over the floor. In my hurry to get out to my sightseeing, I had left the window open and now the demolition was clearly again in progress, and quickly piling up on the floor of my room. Excellent! I rushed over to the window to get it closed, and had trouble with it due to the rubble in the window frame. As I struggled with it, dust and rubble continued falling as the heavier chunks pummeled my head. I was finally able to clear the way for the window to close all the way, and then set about finding a way to clean up the mess. I used a chair cushion to sweep it into an organized pile for the time being.
1:30-3 PM: After the shower, I made my way back out toward the sights. I got a little lost getting to the next place - Castel Sant'Angelo - from the B&B, and decided to stop for lunch since I was a little hot already and it would be a good chance to study the map and try to find my way. I went into a little deli and ordered a panini, and grabbed a bottle of water. The food and water must have helped me regain my wits, as I found my way shortly after departing the deli.
I got to Castel Sant'Angelo and paid for my ticket and walked up lots of steps to find a gorgeous view of Rome. I started snapping away with the camera, of course, and enjoying the breeze I felt from such a great height. I found a nice couple and offered to take a picture of the two of them with their camera and handed them my own for a return of the favor. They happily obliged. After a little further exploration of the castle, I decided to move on to the next part of the walk.
3-6 PM: Had a lovely (though very warm) walk past pretty piazzas, monuments, churches and fountains. The walk was along a beautiful road with low trees and plenty of wonderful views of the city. I had walked so far that all of the huge sights I'd seen earlier in the day were far away and tiny now, but part of a gorgeous and amazing scenery that made me forget how hot I was a few times.
6-7 PM: I took YET ANOTHER shower and got ready to go out for dinner. I told Signor Betti I wanted pasta, and he gave me a map and directions to La Soffitta, which was just a few blocks from the B&B. He even called them to let them know I was coming. After the shower, I made my way there.
7:30-9 PM: I was greeted by a very nice Italian man who spoke English, thank God, and seated me at a table near the bar, and it was a great people watching location. The restaurant was busy, and I was still treated very nicely as I ordered and then ate the DELICIOUS tortellini with meat sauce. It was so good, and I was happy to polish off the meal with a piece of cheesecake for dessert, that was like no other cheesecake I'd ever had. It was thinner and creamier, and seemed to have some sort of pastry on top. Yum. I asked my waiter for his name - Angelo - and told him I'd be back on Saturday night. I went home 'fat and happy' and read for a while until falling asleep.

Friday:
9-10 AM: Headed to the Metro, which took me directly to my first destination: the Colosseum, or Colosseo. When I came out of the station, the Colosseum was directly across the street. It was massive and extremely impressive. I got through the line and made my way through the enormous ruins in a state of amazement. It was unbelievable to be wandering around a structure that had been around since AD 72, and had seen bloody battles, countless spectators and wild animals, as well as survived earthquakes and pillaging to still be standing.
10 AM-12 PM: The next stops on my tour were the Palatino and the Forum. Ancient ruins are my favorite, so I was having a spectacular morning. Again, seeing the remains of structures dating back to hundreds of years BC was awesome. I had to pinch myself a few times as I imagined the ancient Romans going about their business in the places where temples and civic buildings used to stand tall and magnificent. Strangely enough, the song 'Gravity' by John Mayer was being played somewhere nearby at a fairly high volume so that it could be heard all around the area. I wandered until I felt that I needed to move on before I didn't meet the rest of my schedule.
12-6 PM: I continued wandering the streets of Rome, based on my walking guide. I saw the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina, where there are several temples in ruins and the probable site of Julius Caesar's 44 BC assassination. Oddly, it is currently a cat sanctuary as well, which you can observe in my photos. I also saw more beautiful fountains and ruins, including Teatro di Marcello, which looks a little like a smaller Colosseum. I saw the broken bridge (Ponte Rotto) on the Tiber, and the Templi del Foro Boario, two very well-preserved temples from the 2nd century BC. I stopped at Santa Maria in Cosmedin, where the Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth) is part of the facade. I waited in line to stick my hand in its mouth, which legend has it will close on a liar's hand. It turns out that I'm not a liar. My last stop was Piazza del Campidoglio, where the Capitoline Museum is. Great people watching and a nice place to have a rest on the steps before heading back to the B&B.
6-9 PM: Shower, dinner at the pizza place again (this time I had sausage and mushrooms and it was delicious!) and back to bed to rest up for my last day.

Saturday:
9AM-4PM: I toured the famous piazzas of Rome, including Campo dei Fiori, where I found a lovely market with food and vegetables and spices and jewelry and flowers and everything else under the sun, complete with loudly bargaining Italians. It was fascinating. Around the piazza were many sidewalk cafes, where the chairs were all turned toward the middle of the plaza as if to watch the 'show' going on at the market. Another one that impressed me was Piazza Navona, with three large fountains and bustling with people, including many street performers and guys dressed up like the ancient Romans to pose for photos with gullible tourists. The next major piazza on the list was Piazza della Rotonda, named appropriately for the Pantheon, a massive structure that is the highlight and most imposing feature of the area. Here I saw the tomb of Rafael and the amazing dome with the circle of sunlight pouring in from the roof. It was beautiful inside.The afternoon included the Trevi Fountain, which is the most famous one in Rome. It is literally a building with water pouring out to beautiful statues and many many folks enjoying the chance to toss in their coins, which is told to ensure another trip to the eternal city of Rome. I was also impressed with the Piazza di Spagna, which I glimpsed from blocks away as I noticed the mob of locals and tourists swarming around it. The Spanish steps within the piazza link to a French church at the top, and at the bottom sits the Fontana Barcaccia, where people were dipping their feet and water bottles for refreshment and relief from the hot sun. I finished my tour of the piazzas with a stroll along the Villa Borghese gardens, again with beautiful views of the skyline of Rome.
4-6 PM: I finished the day with a trip back to the Capitoline Museum, since I hadn't made it the day before. The statues were wonderful - the broken Emperor Constantine in pieces on a patio were the highlight for me, and the views of the Forum from the upper level were fantastic.
7-9 PM: I went back to see Angelo at La Soffitta for my last dinner in Rome, and was greeted with great enthusiasm and treated like a queen. I had veal cutlets with tomato and roasted potatoes, followed by a plate of Italian cheeses and antipasti. Toward the end of my meal, I started chatting with a Chinese couple from Canada who were wrapping up their honeymoon with a quick trip to Rome, and we got along famously and talked for about an hour. I gave them my e-mail address and she was planning to send me some info about trips she's taken around the world.

After dinner I headed back to the B&B and hit the sack early, already looking back fondly at the memorable moments in Rome - both the good and the bad. Despite the various debacles experienced in the first 24 hours, it was a magnificent trip that I am overjoyed to have taken. You'll be happy to know that my trip back to Dublin was happily uneventful.

I'm Back!

Okay, folks - I'm back from my trip to Rome and working on a total blogathon for you. It's going to take some time though. For the time being, I had a great trip and have some good stories for you. I'll have it posted during the next couple of days. Here's a decent photo to tide you over. It's me in front of the Trevi Fountain - one of the most famous sights in Rome. More to come...

Happy Mother's Day

Saturday Night Fever

Nothing much new to report. I've had a quiet weekend. Last night I went to a birthday outing and discovered that the best people-watching is on Saturday nights at the bars. They call bachelorette parties 'Hen Nights' and bachelor parties are 'Stag Nights.' Last night we were witness to a Hen Night that will stick in my memory for some time. The group arrived wearing pinstriped suits and fedora hats. One poor girl amongst them was pregnant. They all got their drinks and sat down toward the front of the bar. Not too long after that, an "NYPD officer" walked in. He proceeded to strip down to his tighty whities for the crowd of squealing hens. It was quite a sight. And the shoes girls wear around here... it's something else. They dress up pretty fancy to go out on the town, and they are probably wearing the same shoes that are worn in the states - super tall heels. It's probably so amazing to me because I cannot imagine 1) standing in them all night long and 2) walking home in them at the end of the night. I heard a radio talk show host talking last week about how many girls he sees walking home barefoot at 4 in the morning. The mere thought of that is utterly disgusting to me - the amount of dog poo and other random dirtiness is enough to put someone in the hospital. If they need to be coerced into never doing that again, they should take a look at the bottoms of their shoes every once in a while. YUCK!!! I watch the ground a lot around here. There's some pretty gross stuff just waiting for the bottom of a shoe or, for that matter, some idiot's bare foot.

The longest week ever...

Despite the bank holiday on Monday the 5th, this has been the longest week ever! I'm so happy it's Friday. Nothing big planned for this weekend since my trip to Rome is Wednesday. I will be resting my feet and making Roman tour plans all weekend, except for a birthday outing tomorrow night.

Even though this week was long, it was gorgeous weather. A little hot for my taste, but it's all anyone can talk about around here. It's been as warm as it usually gets, and the sun has graced us with its constant presence in the sky all week - until close to 10:00 at night!! Brilliant blue skies, nice cool breeze. I'm told it won't last, but it's hard to imagine I'll need a coat again any time soon.

Hopefully I will have a good story for you by the end of the weekend. It's been pretty normal around here.

May all the moms have a nice Mother's Day!

More Zoo Photos

Check out more photos of my trip to the zoo!

Make a free photo slideshow

Phoenix Park and Dublin Zoo

All those people who laughed at me about summer and warm weather are crazy. I was hot today!!! It started out rainy and overcast, but cleared up to a warm 70 degree day. I went to Phoenix Park, which is larger than Central Park in New York but quite similar in other ways. It seemed the whole city was there today. There was a 15-minute line to get in to the Dublin Zoo, which is inside the park. If you google map Phoenix Park and Dublin, you will see that the park itself is almost as large as the City Centre!

I think the zoo must have been busy because of the new baby elephant (you can see him lying down for a nap in this photo on the right).

The monkeys were really up to it today - they were almost all out and about in their areas and I didn't see any of them sleeping. I got some great pictures of them.

It was a lot of fun seeing all the animals, and even though I was hot, I think most of the city probably thought today was the best day in Dublin's history. It really did shape up after the initial showers this morning. I have been very lucky with the weather and my sightseeing. Keep your fingers crossed that I keep my good luck for my trip to Rome in a couple of weeks!

Finally scheduled!

After many weeks of hemming and hawing, I have booked a flight and hotel in Rome and I will be there in two weeks! I am so excited! I got pretty good prices on both, so I'm pleased. The people at work who have been there tell me I can get through it in 4 days, and I have three suggested walks from a book I checked out from the library last week. I guess I will have to try to learn at least a little Italian before I go. The b&b I booked is in the city near the Vatican. It's going to be great. I can hardly wait, so it's a lucky thing I don't have to wait that long!