Sand for Grand Canal Bridge???

Back in Dublin I arrive in the midst of a snow chaos! Yes, the unbelievable has happened in Ireland...after making an appearance for the last time during the 80s, this Christmas it has...hold on...snowed in Ireland! Claims have been made that almost 8 inches of snow have been spotted.

So Monday morning I innocently started my slippery way to work and witnessed an inferno of stranded busses, sliding garbage trucks and generally scared people.

After 1 week of snow, ice and sleet I mastered the art of not falling when walking on ice again, but I have to say I am very surprised that very busy areas have not been cleared at all. Every morning when I reach the bridge at Grand Canal I see the most cautious of people falling flat on there back. It looks really painful and could easily be avoided with just a little sand.

Another thing struck me as well. What makes us jump up straight away declaring to everyone that we are fine when we fall, when it's clearly visible that the fall must have been rather painful?

Anyways; it does not look like the snow will stop next week. I think I will walk even faster and enjoy to see some white in the trees. It's almost winter in Ireland :)

Stormy Weather & Tea Roses

Nothing much to report. The weather has decided to be stormy, wet and unpleasant and is keeping everyone hostage inside.

So with the wind blowing through the drafty walls and the rain splashing against the windows, we are happy to spend a weekend watching tea roses unfold beautifully in our glass pot. Nothing nicer than a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea. I can even can almost feel the X-mas spirit knocking on the door. Yesterday we tried our luck at making German Vanillekipferl. Can you see the evolution in this image?

Back in Dublin!

I am back! Happy to be here again.
Back from another trip to San Francisco. I think it will be the last one this season. I have to say I am getting pretty good at relaxing on 12 hours flights, but the jet-lag still gets me every time.
First weekend back in Dublin just walking around, happy to be at home. There is nothing better than a relaxed weekend in good company and lots of sleep :)

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.

The U2 experience on the Dublin Luas

This weekend the city of Dublin truly belonged to U2. The big event was possibly only overshadowed by the long awaited opening of the ikea store on Monday. Apart from that the city belonged to U2.
I went to see U2 on Friday for their opening gig. Just to put things into perspective: I am not really a fan. I do like the music, but I had to get the new CD just before the gig to prepare myself for the big event.
When I rushed from the office on Friday it was rainy and cold and I was wondering a bit what the evening will bring. Once I sat in my seat (situated roughly 5 km above the stage in the nosebleed section) I gazed down at the gigantic spider looking construction (not entirely sure what to think about it yet) and the sun came out turning everything into a golden light.
U2 was very good! They played a great mix of songs, really engaged with the crowd and kept the preaching to a bare minimum though it was noticeable that the crowd really started to join in once U2 had played through the first set of songs from the new record. Standing ovations started in my section after "Elevation".
After the gig it was all happy faces and despite the big crowd everyone walked peacefully home while humming a U2 song.

Now even after the concert there is just no escaping U2. For the entire weekend every pub has played exclusively U2 and every time I step onto the Luas they are already there; people wearing their iPods humming away to yet more U2 songs. I am still enjoying the after concert happiness and hum along when I hear the music, but sometimes I wonder where this will all end?

Summer in Ireland

I know what you think...you think this will be a rant about the oh so cold summers in Ireland with days and days of rain and if you get lucky maybe a half day where you are able to wear your sandals. Well think again! Summer has arrived in all it's glory and it looks like surprisingly enough it's here to stay.

When you walk down Grafton street these days you will see smiling people in beautiful (and less beautiful) airy summer outfits. People will stop for a coffee (or a pint) after work on some terrace or they will just sit in a park and enjoy endless picnics.

Last weekend saw the gay pride parade in glorious sunshine; great costumes, interesting characters and lots of happy faces (and funnily enough dogs).

The previous weekend I went to the street performance championship in Dublin. The weather was almost great and the acts from all around the world were rather good. You can find a lot of funny pictures on this photo blog.