Howth - rain sun wind and rain again

Weekend! And I even have some free time!
Yesterday we went to battle the elements and climbed a mountain (small hill :)) in Howth. I had not seen this view of Howth before and I was really blown away (partly by the wind every time I stepped out of the woods).
The climb is really doable for someone who thinks mountaineering is for others to suffer through and the views are a great reward.
The best reward I must admit though is a cosy pub lunch of fish ‘n’ chips after the climb and of course apple crumble for dessert.
Life can be good!

Oktoberfesting in Dublin

I am almost ashamed to admit it, but this weekend I visited the Paulaner Oktoberfest at the IFSC in Dublin.
I have only heard good things about this strange outdoor event so I decided in the end that I have to see for myself what the hype is about.
It definitely was a strange sight; smiling crowds of everyday Dubliners would patiently queue for ages just to be rewarded with an overpriced drop of Weissbier.
The culinary experience included: sausages from the grill, cooked sausages, polish food (sauerkraut and pork) and of course good old German pizza. To me that was almost the most authentic thing, but then again I know little about Bavarian authentic cuisine.
My personal highlight was the music in the tent. First we were able to witness a band with 3 band members dying of boredom and two members miming away a little too energetic. Then they played the most bizarre mixture of the worst German Schlager from the 80’s. I was about to turn away in embarrassment when I noticed how excited the little ones were. Even the smallest babies were happily wiggling around with their arms and legs surely delighting their parents who were able to enjoy some beer and pretzel in glorious peace.
That’s when I had a thought; people always say where would we be without laugher - Germany...however who takes care of all the high class entertainment in Dublin with X-mas markets and Oktoberfests...well think of the answer.

Autumn in Dublin

Autumn is my favourite season and this autumn is gorgeous so far. Today was a really sunny day (yes they do have those in Ireland as well) and everyone was outside smiling happily.
I walked by the sea; wind in my face, fantasizing about hot chocolate with marshmallows (I discovered this treat here in Ireland and am seriously addicted these days). After all this travelling a real treat.
The city looks better these days as well; red creepers are decorating the fonts of Georgian buildings and at the same time you will still find trees and bushes in full bloom.
What more could you ask for on a lazy weekend?

Massive Attack on the Olympia in Dublin

I was lucky enough to be able to go for the Massive Attack gig at the Olympia this week.
I really enjoyed it! The crowd was in a great mood, the venue had just the right size and massive attack played all the nice old mezzanine songs!
I was afraid that this would be a concert where I would watch two men playing with a Mac, but I was happily surprised that they had thought about bringing singers along as well as an impressive crowd to make up the band.
I would go and see Massive Attack again any time!

Get the Lisbon treat - take two

Long time no post. The reason for this is that I haven't been in Ireland very much lately to share any of the latest updates. I travelled for work and I also finally went on holidays to some of the most beautiful countries in the world! I think It's time soon to start a travel blog:)

Now I am back for a week witnessing the final moments of the heated debate around the Lisbon treaty. It's definitely something that was discussed with a passion.
During the last week it seemed almost impossible to walk anywhere in this town; people with YES and NO shirts would surround any innocent commuter and heavily compete with each other as to how many leaflets they could force into people's hand, who really only had one thing in mind; they did not want to be late for work. It was good to see that this time round there was a real discussion and I think more people really tried to get themselves informed, which was absolutely necessary as some of the campaigns simply played with the fears of the voters rather than basing the campaign on actual facts.
In the end Ireland voted YES and I leave it up to you to make up your mind about this result.