Farwell, Emerald Isle

Today is my last day of work here. It definitely had its moments of good craic and was worth the weather sacrifices. How else would I have learned about wellies, Dubs, and men's kleenex? :)

A few more words:
-Relations (relatives)
-Fringe (bangs) - learned at the $$ hair salon I tried (Lunatic Fringe)
-grand, grand, and grand (say this when all else fails)

"It's All About a Bit of Craic"

This was a quote from an Irish dance instructor, at a class off of O'Connell/W. Parnell St. that I randomly showed up at on Wed night. I was late and therefore totally clueless, but by the end things started to make sense (having a partner with a clue didn't hurt either). The instructor was saying that in the end, Irish dancing is less about the "right way" to do things and more about the craic. So true about everything here :)

I Guess I am Hopelessly American Because...

- I love ice in my pop.
- I love putting off shopping until late at night, knowing I can always do an 11pm Safeway run.
- I expect to get all my laundry done in 2hrs or less.
- I like wearing sneakers - even white ones on occasion.
- I like my 8lb dumbells, and I love knowing I can buy them almost anywhere.
- I still consider > $4/gal gas as already really expensive.
- I prefer brown rice to potatoes, hands-down.
- I wear white socks regularly :).

When in Ireland, Do as the Irish Do..

My brother was in town over the weekend. We went on a DART tour Saturday, going up to Howth (the northern end). It was the best weather day yet here, and we did a beautiful 4.5 mile hike/walk. Later we went to Malahaide and found Malahide Castle in a huge park just in time for it to be closed :( Then we went south to Bray on the train, just to see the southern-most point. I took him to the Porterhouse (Temple Bar) later, which amazingly doesn't serve Guinness - oops. But they have the most amazing fruit beer called Floris. Yummm.

Sunday, we went via train to visit our cousins in Co. Roscommon. They had us drinking Jameson on the rocks (and a bit of pop :), just for the craic. I don't think I've ever had more than a sip of that before! I think I've sampled all the typical Irish alcohol varieties at this point, so Irish customs will probably clear me as OK to leave without any hassles :). Check, check, and check.

Merci, Pari

I went to Paris over the weekend to meet up with my brother, visiting from the US. The highlight was a bike tour in Giverny and a visit to Monet's gardens there. Tres bien! The farmer's market that we stopped at in Vernon had the best tomatoes of my life. Yum!

A Bit of Boston

The first time I heard a Dublin nativer speak, I heard it instantly -- a bit of a Boston accent. The "A" sound sounded just like "Hahvahd Yahd." I have talked to other Americans living in Ireland who noticed this as well. So now I know one place that helped create that ol' Boston accent :).

The other thing I notice about the Dubs is their use of "t" instead of "th." It is quite funny to me at times, hearing "tree" instead of "three." But "there ya go!" as they say.

More sights checked off the list

Over the weekend I got the chance to see some sights outside of Dublin (yey). I took the train to Kilkenny castle on Saturday, which was a nice 2 hour ride through the green Irish sheep and cow landscape.

On Sunday I went to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains, just a 1-hour drive south of Dublin. We did a 2-hour hike and then of course spent some time viewing the ancient Glendalough cathedral, graveyard, and the round tower.

The best part: it did NOT rain either day! Amazing.

How to Look American

There seems to be one definitive way to spot an American here: the appearance of white socks! This even applies when wearing shorts, when wearing white sneakers (also less common here), or even when at the gym. I'm curious now if the stores here even sell many of them. In Europe, black is the new white :).

Things I love about Ireland

1. They speak English!
2. They love tea as much as I do
3. It's the home of the Cliffs of Moher and Butler's hot chocolate (mmm!)
4. Their accent is one-of-a-kind
5. They know that one's work is not the only important aspect of life :)
6. The Irish people really are friendly (it's true!)