Martha and I were exhausted after Dublin...we really were. We'd spent both day and night exploring the city and sleeping less than desired. She was very strong and stayed awake reading 'The Hobbit' all during the flight to Rome. I, on the other hand, who can sleep anytime, anywhere, in any position, slept the entire 3 hours (except for the brief 5 minutes I was awoken in order to see the huge snowy mountains below). That first night in Rome we needed sleep, lots of sleep, and so that's exactly what we did.
It greatly interested me that we stayed in a mixed hostel room. I wasn't worried or embarrassed to be in the same room with guys. I just didn't know how clean they would be or if they would snore. When you are in close quarters and need sleep, those two worries become quite important. Thankfully, the boys were quite clean and organized and they did not snore. The guys, from Egypt for the first two nights, then from Argentina the next two, were quite well behaved indeed!
The hostel for Rome, the Alessandro Downtown was less friendly than Abigail's in Dublin, but it boasted more amenities and a really nice hall bathroom in which every WC included a sink. The morning and nighttime sharing of the bathroom that Martha and I endured in Dublin was solved in Rome. We were also able to wash our clothes (conveniently at the midpoint of our trip).
I suppose our assault on the city of Rome was more premeditated than Dublin. We only had three short days, one of which would be devoted to the Vatican, another devoted to the Colosseum and Forum, and the last day we knew we'd visit Trevi fountain. In Dublin there were lots of little things to visit. In Rome we wanted to hit the biggest things first.
The mornings were earlier in Rome, but the nights, sans Irish pubs, were shorter and allowed for enough sleep. It was a good thing that we rested more, because the walking was more strenuous in Rome. When it had taken us ten minutes to walk somewhere in Dublin from our hostel, it was suddenly taking that long to get to the metro stop. I actually ended up hobbling for the last day in Rome and the day in Paris. I don't know how it happened but I upset something behind my right knee. Despite the hobbling, and only having three days in such an amazing city, we were able to explore Rome and have a ton of fun!!!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Eurotrip 2011 (Dublin prt 5)
I love food! I don't cook well, nor do I eat at fancy restaurants, but I KNOW something good when I taste it-Ross always chuckles at me because my mouth changes into a little smile and my eyes close. There's no other way I know except to LOVE my food!!! In Dublin I really enjoyed everything we did, including the multiple amazing restaurants we ate in and the new meal ideas we came across. So here are a few...
On O'Connell street we found our way into a pub serving Irish Breakfast. The menu made it clear, to the Irish, what that meant, but to Martha and I the ensemble still made no sense. When our plates arrived the term ' irish breakfast' came to life, but we still didn't exactly know what we were about to put into our mouths. The confusion came from the use of Irish terms on the menu. Then when the food arrived there were a couple of little cakes our plate that looked like sausage rounds but tasted like oats. I suppose it didn't matter what the technical terms were for the yummy things we ate because we both cleaned our plates. Tomatoes, ppotato wedges, beans, two different sausage-oat cakes, a sausage link, eggs, toast, and mushrooms all mixed together (AND I HATE MIXING FOODS which is a testament to how good the combo was) for a wonderful meal!
What is a boxty? Even after eating boxty or a boxty I still couldn't quite describe it except to say it's in between and crepe and a pancake which is then filled like a burrito with anything you want. Since before we went to Dublin, I had been telling Martha that we must visit Gallagher's Boxty House. We finally made it there on our last night, thus finally learning how fantastic boxty is! We ordered a meat and vegetable boxty which ended up looking like a large chili filled pancake roll and, while it sounds disgusting, it tasted wonderful. Perfectly cooked carrots, delicious lamb, little chunks of potato, and a chili like sauce filled our tummies with warmth. If I go back to Ireland and I see boxty offered at a restaurant I will most definitely be entering to dine.
Lumpy Bumpy was a dessert encountered in Bewely's on Grafton. We were in such a hurry before a pub crawl to get in a good dinner and almost didn't get in dessert. I am SO GLAD we did. The name is a bit odd and there's no lumpy or bumpy in the cake, but perhaps if you eat enough you will become lumpy and bumpy. Lumpy Bumpy, now that I have been blessed to eat it, is a caramel and vanilla layer cake with buttercreme and caramel icing on top and whipped creme. It was light and sweet, but not too sweet, and so creamy and ....just GOOD! Oh and the food at Bewley's was scrumptious as well, but I am all about dessert!
Gogarty's for lunch on the last day (as if to prolong the good times had the night before at the same location) left me loving Dublin food and sad to leave the city. Martha dug into a little pot pie served in the same dish it was cooked in; the plate it was sitting on was heaped with side items. I devoured my seafood chowder, enjoying each and every mouthful. Again, as always, we were running a bit late but decided to chuck our set schedule and enjoy the Irish cheese platter we'd ordered. I can't honestly list the cheeses but my goodness they were yummy! To be honest, I was fearful of a deep yellow wedge streaked with a dark green almost black veins...Despite it's horrid appearance, the cheese turned out to be less strong than a blue. It was kind of sweet in fact. The amount and quality of food we were served was worth so much more than our bill demanded. Gogarty's drinks, food, and music are something I can't wait to get back to my next time in Dublin!
Ah the Queen of Tarts - not hearts - TARTS! I found the little bakery/restaurant online on every top ten restaurants list I came across, and I knew we HAD to go. If there was one restaurant in Dublin that I would walk forever to find or pay whatever to eat at, it was going to be the Queen of Tarts. The day we spent in cathedrals and the castle we were obliged to walk past the little restaurant just at the perfect time...LUNCH. So, pushing open the award littered door, we stepped into a fifteen foot by fifteen foot eating area with a counter brimming with pastries at the very back. Maybe a dozen tiny tables filled the space. I wanted to eat everything in the restaurant. Savory soups, hearty sandwiches and wraps, pastries and pies and mouth watering baked goods.... I debated overstuffing my self and also getting things to go since I knew we wouldn't be coming back (it was a bit far from the city center). Our tea arrived in a cute red teapot. The teacups seemed to be real china - the fact that they were mismatched added charm. The 'tart' that I got, actually more of a quiche, was filled with cheese and vegetables that I would never eat on my own (carrots and eggplant) but they were fantastic together. Martha loved her sandwich on homemade bread. Finally and, you guessed it, running late, we ordered dessert scones! We briefly talked about taking our scones to go, but neither of us wanted to pass up a few more minutes in the calm tea-room atmosphere and sacrifice the butter and cream that came with our little treats. (Even as I sit here writing about the scones I'm feeling suddenly desirous of visiting the bakery on my block). The scones were huge and dense and filled with raspberries. The Queen of Tarts gets credit for serving me the best scone of my life! I can't even describe that goodness, and most assuredly I was completely full from the meal, but the scones were so good I wanted at least 5 for the road. I didn't order 5 for the road unfortunately but when I visit again I shall!!!
On O'Connell street we found our way into a pub serving Irish Breakfast. The menu made it clear, to the Irish, what that meant, but to Martha and I the ensemble still made no sense. When our plates arrived the term ' irish breakfast' came to life, but we still didn't exactly know what we were about to put into our mouths. The confusion came from the use of Irish terms on the menu. Then when the food arrived there were a couple of little cakes our plate that looked like sausage rounds but tasted like oats. I suppose it didn't matter what the technical terms were for the yummy things we ate because we both cleaned our plates. Tomatoes, ppotato wedges, beans, two different sausage-oat cakes, a sausage link, eggs, toast, and mushrooms all mixed together (AND I HATE MIXING FOODS which is a testament to how good the combo was) for a wonderful meal!
What is a boxty? Even after eating boxty or a boxty I still couldn't quite describe it except to say it's in between and crepe and a pancake which is then filled like a burrito with anything you want. Since before we went to Dublin, I had been telling Martha that we must visit Gallagher's Boxty House. We finally made it there on our last night, thus finally learning how fantastic boxty is! We ordered a meat and vegetable boxty which ended up looking like a large chili filled pancake roll and, while it sounds disgusting, it tasted wonderful. Perfectly cooked carrots, delicious lamb, little chunks of potato, and a chili like sauce filled our tummies with warmth. If I go back to Ireland and I see boxty offered at a restaurant I will most definitely be entering to dine.
Lumpy Bumpy was a dessert encountered in Bewely's on Grafton. We were in such a hurry before a pub crawl to get in a good dinner and almost didn't get in dessert. I am SO GLAD we did. The name is a bit odd and there's no lumpy or bumpy in the cake, but perhaps if you eat enough you will become lumpy and bumpy. Lumpy Bumpy, now that I have been blessed to eat it, is a caramel and vanilla layer cake with buttercreme and caramel icing on top and whipped creme. It was light and sweet, but not too sweet, and so creamy and ....just GOOD! Oh and the food at Bewley's was scrumptious as well, but I am all about dessert!
Gogarty's for lunch on the last day (as if to prolong the good times had the night before at the same location) left me loving Dublin food and sad to leave the city. Martha dug into a little pot pie served in the same dish it was cooked in; the plate it was sitting on was heaped with side items. I devoured my seafood chowder, enjoying each and every mouthful. Again, as always, we were running a bit late but decided to chuck our set schedule and enjoy the Irish cheese platter we'd ordered. I can't honestly list the cheeses but my goodness they were yummy! To be honest, I was fearful of a deep yellow wedge streaked with a dark green almost black veins...Despite it's horrid appearance, the cheese turned out to be less strong than a blue. It was kind of sweet in fact. The amount and quality of food we were served was worth so much more than our bill demanded. Gogarty's drinks, food, and music are something I can't wait to get back to my next time in Dublin!
Ah the Queen of Tarts - not hearts - TARTS! I found the little bakery/restaurant online on every top ten restaurants list I came across, and I knew we HAD to go. If there was one restaurant in Dublin that I would walk forever to find or pay whatever to eat at, it was going to be the Queen of Tarts. The day we spent in cathedrals and the castle we were obliged to walk past the little restaurant just at the perfect time...LUNCH. So, pushing open the award littered door, we stepped into a fifteen foot by fifteen foot eating area with a counter brimming with pastries at the very back. Maybe a dozen tiny tables filled the space. I wanted to eat everything in the restaurant. Savory soups, hearty sandwiches and wraps, pastries and pies and mouth watering baked goods.... I debated overstuffing my self and also getting things to go since I knew we wouldn't be coming back (it was a bit far from the city center). Our tea arrived in a cute red teapot. The teacups seemed to be real china - the fact that they were mismatched added charm. The 'tart' that I got, actually more of a quiche, was filled with cheese and vegetables that I would never eat on my own (carrots and eggplant) but they were fantastic together. Martha loved her sandwich on homemade bread. Finally and, you guessed it, running late, we ordered dessert scones! We briefly talked about taking our scones to go, but neither of us wanted to pass up a few more minutes in the calm tea-room atmosphere and sacrifice the butter and cream that came with our little treats. (Even as I sit here writing about the scones I'm feeling suddenly desirous of visiting the bakery on my block). The scones were huge and dense and filled with raspberries. The Queen of Tarts gets credit for serving me the best scone of my life! I can't even describe that goodness, and most assuredly I was completely full from the meal, but the scones were so good I wanted at least 5 for the road. I didn't order 5 for the road unfortunately but when I visit again I shall!!!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Eurotrip 2011 (Dublin prt 4)
I could talk about all the things we visited/saw/toured: The Book of Kells, Trinity College, The National Gallery, Joyce Center, Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour, Guinness factory, Jameson distillery, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin Castle, National Library & Yeats Exposition, Abbey Theatre, Pearse Train Station, Oscar Wilde Memorial, Dublin Spire etc. The pubs we lounged in, famous bridges we crossed, and the streets we strolled make for equally good memories. Yet, out of all the things we did, the two things that stick out in my mind as overwhelmingly blissful (I say ‘overwhelmingly’ because Dublin was blissful and everything we did was amazing) are Gogarty’s pub and the Leprechaun Museum.
Gogarty’s pub was the meeting place for the musical pub crawl, and at the time, Martha and I were wary of it because it’s located in the Temple Bar area. Our last night in Dublin, after a very filling dinner, when our feet couldn’t handle more walking, Gogarty’s lured us in and up to the second floor where we spent hours of enjoyment. We heard one traditional Irish band for a while. Then two ridiculously talented Irish dancers took the floor for half an hour. Afterward a second Irish band took the stage. We stayed for about 5 hours, most of which were spent on stools at a wooden bar set before the stage, beating along with the band and singing the lyrics that we knew. Over the hours we made a couple of acquaintances and had a couple pints, we bought a CD from the band, and although we finished the night about 30 minutes before the bar closed, we left with huge grins and the feeling that our night couldn’t have been any more perfect.
The Leprechaun Museum was a random idea indeed. Our first day in Dublin Martha had seen a sign for it, but we neglected it until the last few hours before heading to the airport. There’s not a huge wealth of Leprechaun information I would call ‘museum worthy’, so we were unsure what we’d find. The museum turned out to be SO FUN!!! It is definitely a museum geared toward a younger crowd (aka pre-teen children), but the only other people in the museum were three other American girls around our age who were equally thrilled about Leprechauns, so the guide gave us the mature content and a ton of details. The museum is designed to be a journey through different themed rooms. Martha and I had a fantastic time in the first room where everything was giant sized. We climbed up onto chairs fifteen feet tall and handled a teacup larger than a family sized casserole dish. It was like being a little kid again when life was all about climbing and pretending. After a few more themed rooms ranging from solely informative to solely entertaining we found our way to a pot of gold. Martha, me, and the other girls perched on the rim of the large bowl and listened to leprechaun information from the guide. In yet another room we found ourselves within a forest. Another room with colored string from the ceiling took us through a veritable rainbow. By the end we were laughing and giggling - I think we re-found some of the happiness we'd depleted from travel stresses. You were allowed to color a picture at the very end which the museum would stick in a frame on the wall. Pictures colored and inner child set free, we left leprechaun land lighter than air.
Eurotrip 2011 (Dublin prt 3)
When I think back on our eurotrip I want to remember the hilarious ‘deaf’ problem Martha and I couldn’t escape (we got over it by Rome). I misheard at least a phrase an hour or repeated something to Martha that she’d just finished telling me. She was stuck constantly correcting the oddities I thought she’d said and shaking her head in wonder, exclaiming, “Yes I see such and such, I just pointed that out to you.”
I also must admit a perpetual clumsiness, on both our parts, during the entire 10 days. I fell up stairs and down them, tripped on even ground over nothing, lost my balance while standing still, caught my ring in my hair multiple times, and almost walked in front of fast oncoming traffic (but was literally snatched back by my trusty amie). Martha did a better job at life…she lost things and then found them, tripped a bit here and there, and she kept ‘losing’ me in crowd situations, but otherwise she was normal.
I think that when people travel they get to know one other better than they did before. Even though we’ve known each other for 5 years now, Martha learned that I am a 4 year old. Whenever I am hungry, tired, or need to use the restroom I become very pushy while at the same time being equally apathetic. I don’t care which restaurant is picked or if I’ve brushed my teeth or if one must buy merchandise to use the ‘facilities’…I MUST eat, sleep, and go potty. It’s fine when I am being the leader of the moment because I become super ‘take charge’, but poor Martha…when she was the leader and wasn’t making decisions fast enough for my 4 yr. old temperament I would become rude, bossy, and downright unpleasant. Thankfully, Martha always forgave my bad mood.
‘Sharing’ money became a bit confusing during the trip. It was inevitable that we’d let our feet dictate our daily path, thus one of us was always missing cash thanks to forgetting to find an ATM. As friends do, the one with cash would kindly take over the bills until an ATM was found. We had running ‘tabs’ with each other throughout the trip. It was quite a feat at the end to figure out who owed who for this entrance fee or that meal. To our credit, we’d taken the time each night before bed to write down all costs for the day and who paid which bills, so at the end we actually had an account of every single thing paid for. I never thought of it as a way to keep up with what we did, but looking back at the notes reminded us what we’d seen and done in ten days.
Pharmacies became a ‘thing’ on our trip and it all started in Dublin. It must have been our first or second morning in Dublin that Martha awoke to a sore throat. We visited the pharmacy to snag some lozenges and thought that would be our only non-touristy cost. Except that I ended up with the same sore throat, then Martha needed tissues, then I needed cold medicine, and then I needed ‘second skin’ for the blisters on the bottom of my feet. 5 visits to pharmacies in 10 days made us appreciate the friendly and knowledgeable staff. Taking note of the flashing green cross became second nature and a source of endless jokes.
When I traveled with Ross I resorted to buying a pair of faux suede short ‘elf’ boots (as Ross called them). Right before my trip with Martha, I noticed that I had walked almost through them. A detached, worn in heel and a palm sized hole at the ball of my foot showed proof of the tremendous amount of walking accomplished here in Europe. I thought that the boots would last through the trip. I was very wrong. By our third day of travel I was sitting down every chance I got, I had acquired an ill mood and permanent wince, and I was drooling over every shoe store we passed. Truthfully, I wanted Clark brand moccasins. However, we were around Grafton street and already late for something when I couldn’t bear the pain anymore - I HAD to have new shoes. The shops were closing and each store we roamed into seemed more expensive than the last. I was almost out of hope and ready to go barefoot all the way to O’Connell street to the Clark store when a Footlocker guy advised us to visit Korky’s for ‘booties’. Sure enough I found inside, and on sale, a pair of faux suede, faux fur lined, short boots equally as cute as the ones I had walked through. Unfortunately as I type this I have already almost walked through the new pair. The outside soles aren’t worn through but the inner ones are. Ah well, they served their purpose I suppose. I don’t know if maybe I’m buying my European shoes too cheaply (40 euros is NOT cheap to me) but they really don’t last as well as American shoes at the same price.
I also must admit a perpetual clumsiness, on both our parts, during the entire 10 days. I fell up stairs and down them, tripped on even ground over nothing, lost my balance while standing still, caught my ring in my hair multiple times, and almost walked in front of fast oncoming traffic (but was literally snatched back by my trusty amie). Martha did a better job at life…she lost things and then found them, tripped a bit here and there, and she kept ‘losing’ me in crowd situations, but otherwise she was normal.
I think that when people travel they get to know one other better than they did before. Even though we’ve known each other for 5 years now, Martha learned that I am a 4 year old. Whenever I am hungry, tired, or need to use the restroom I become very pushy while at the same time being equally apathetic. I don’t care which restaurant is picked or if I’ve brushed my teeth or if one must buy merchandise to use the ‘facilities’…I MUST eat, sleep, and go potty. It’s fine when I am being the leader of the moment because I become super ‘take charge’, but poor Martha…when she was the leader and wasn’t making decisions fast enough for my 4 yr. old temperament I would become rude, bossy, and downright unpleasant. Thankfully, Martha always forgave my bad mood.
‘Sharing’ money became a bit confusing during the trip. It was inevitable that we’d let our feet dictate our daily path, thus one of us was always missing cash thanks to forgetting to find an ATM. As friends do, the one with cash would kindly take over the bills until an ATM was found. We had running ‘tabs’ with each other throughout the trip. It was quite a feat at the end to figure out who owed who for this entrance fee or that meal. To our credit, we’d taken the time each night before bed to write down all costs for the day and who paid which bills, so at the end we actually had an account of every single thing paid for. I never thought of it as a way to keep up with what we did, but looking back at the notes reminded us what we’d seen and done in ten days.
Pharmacies became a ‘thing’ on our trip and it all started in Dublin. It must have been our first or second morning in Dublin that Martha awoke to a sore throat. We visited the pharmacy to snag some lozenges and thought that would be our only non-touristy cost. Except that I ended up with the same sore throat, then Martha needed tissues, then I needed cold medicine, and then I needed ‘second skin’ for the blisters on the bottom of my feet. 5 visits to pharmacies in 10 days made us appreciate the friendly and knowledgeable staff. Taking note of the flashing green cross became second nature and a source of endless jokes.
When I traveled with Ross I resorted to buying a pair of faux suede short ‘elf’ boots (as Ross called them). Right before my trip with Martha, I noticed that I had walked almost through them. A detached, worn in heel and a palm sized hole at the ball of my foot showed proof of the tremendous amount of walking accomplished here in Europe. I thought that the boots would last through the trip. I was very wrong. By our third day of travel I was sitting down every chance I got, I had acquired an ill mood and permanent wince, and I was drooling over every shoe store we passed. Truthfully, I wanted Clark brand moccasins. However, we were around Grafton street and already late for something when I couldn’t bear the pain anymore - I HAD to have new shoes. The shops were closing and each store we roamed into seemed more expensive than the last. I was almost out of hope and ready to go barefoot all the way to O’Connell street to the Clark store when a Footlocker guy advised us to visit Korky’s for ‘booties’. Sure enough I found inside, and on sale, a pair of faux suede, faux fur lined, short boots equally as cute as the ones I had walked through. Unfortunately as I type this I have already almost walked through the new pair. The outside soles aren’t worn through but the inner ones are. Ah well, they served their purpose I suppose. I don’t know if maybe I’m buying my European shoes too cheaply (40 euros is NOT cheap to me) but they really don’t last as well as American shoes at the same price.
Eurotrip 2011 (Dublin prt 2)
In Dublin we did two pub crawls. Okay, yes, the crowd was 75% tourists BUT both of the pub crawls were really fun, safe ways to have nights out in a city we didn’t know, and they turned out spectacularly! The first pub crawl was a musical pub crawl. For the very low price of 10 euros we joined a large group led by two Irish musicians who ushered us to two pubs after the one we’d all met at. The crawl attracted us because it offered both traditional Irish music and also a history lesson. The very talented, personable, and funny musicians informed the crowd about different instruments, various song origins and stories, and they gave a general overview of how Irish music has changed throughout the last few decades. Aside from the interesting lessons, we were treated to jigs, reels, and ballads and instructed to sing along to a few tunes. They two guys ended our few hours of musical entertainment by giving out the names of two pubs where tourists were scarce and the music would be lively.
The second pub crawl was a literary pub crawl. I know how it sounds…but trust me when I say it was a fantastic time! Again the crawl crowd was mostly tourists and again it was a cheap cost (9 euros). We were definitely interested; that’s the reason we showed up at all. However, neither of us really knew what to expect with a pub crawl that demanded higher thinking. The crawl turned out to be two professional actors and literature obsessed guys who, while allowing the crowd opportunities to mingle and plenty of drinking time, performed scenes/parts of various Irish novels and plays. With each performance they also included a bit of biography on the writer and the work. We visited three pubs and finished the tour with a quiz on information covered throughout the crawl. The literary crawl was quieter than the musical pub crawl and the crowd was more nerdy I suppose, but I feel like the combination of both crawls gave a good picture of the two sides of Dublin that we explored. During the days Martha and I were invested in galleries and museums and at night we soaked up the sounds of Dublin. If I visit Ireland again I’ll definitely go on more pub crawls. As we found out, it’s a great way to enjoy different pubs, thus having a night out, while learning about the city you are in and meeting people from all over the world.
The second pub crawl was a literary pub crawl. I know how it sounds…but trust me when I say it was a fantastic time! Again the crawl crowd was mostly tourists and again it was a cheap cost (9 euros). We were definitely interested; that’s the reason we showed up at all. However, neither of us really knew what to expect with a pub crawl that demanded higher thinking. The crawl turned out to be two professional actors and literature obsessed guys who, while allowing the crowd opportunities to mingle and plenty of drinking time, performed scenes/parts of various Irish novels and plays. With each performance they also included a bit of biography on the writer and the work. We visited three pubs and finished the tour with a quiz on information covered throughout the crawl. The literary crawl was quieter than the musical pub crawl and the crowd was more nerdy I suppose, but I feel like the combination of both crawls gave a good picture of the two sides of Dublin that we explored. During the days Martha and I were invested in galleries and museums and at night we soaked up the sounds of Dublin. If I visit Ireland again I’ll definitely go on more pub crawls. As we found out, it’s a great way to enjoy different pubs, thus having a night out, while learning about the city you are in and meeting people from all over the world.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Martha's Care Package
You might think that since Ross brought me a ton of stuff from the US that I wouldn't want anything else. Perhaps I would be more excited about eating French things and buying stuff here. Nope, neither is correct. I just...okay I have to admit it...I miss processed American foods and things I know. So, once again, with someone coming to visit I begged for a care package.
Martha kindly brought me the following:
Neutrogena face wash - In my defense I've tried three different face washed that are supposedly fantastic and each has left my face greasy in some spots and dried out in others. I just wanted 'the usual' !
Gummy Vitamins - after I finished off the ones Ross brought I realized I felt better taking vitamins daily. Now I have a huge bottle of dinosaur shaped red, orange, and yellow gummy vitamins ;-)
Poptarts - I just wanted something for breakfast that was bad for me. Yep, not nutritious at all!!! To my delight Martha arrived with S'mores and Frosted Cherry poptarts.
Mac' & Cheese - yes yes THE american comfort food again. The one box that Ross brought gave me so much happiness that I requested THREE from Martha.
Necklace - I didn't ask for it, but I received as a gift a really pretty hand made necklace from Martha with symbolic beads and colors. It's a special reminder of our core group of girlfriends throughout Sewanee. It will remind me when I look at it of all the wonderful times we all shared together and all the love and support we continuously gave to one another.
I think that's everything. I have already eaten the poptarts of course :-P
I'm really thankful to the Lord for care packages and Martha's visit! I'm super happy to have some things from America again!
~Tam in Toulouse
Martha kindly brought me the following:
Neutrogena face wash - In my defense I've tried three different face washed that are supposedly fantastic and each has left my face greasy in some spots and dried out in others. I just wanted 'the usual' !
Gummy Vitamins - after I finished off the ones Ross brought I realized I felt better taking vitamins daily. Now I have a huge bottle of dinosaur shaped red, orange, and yellow gummy vitamins ;-)
Poptarts - I just wanted something for breakfast that was bad for me. Yep, not nutritious at all!!! To my delight Martha arrived with S'mores and Frosted Cherry poptarts.
Mac' & Cheese - yes yes THE american comfort food again. The one box that Ross brought gave me so much happiness that I requested THREE from Martha.
Necklace - I didn't ask for it, but I received as a gift a really pretty hand made necklace from Martha with symbolic beads and colors. It's a special reminder of our core group of girlfriends throughout Sewanee. It will remind me when I look at it of all the wonderful times we all shared together and all the love and support we continuously gave to one another.
I think that's everything. I have already eaten the poptarts of course :-P
I'm really thankful to the Lord for care packages and Martha's visit! I'm super happy to have some things from America again!
~Tam in Toulouse
Eurotrip 2011 (Dublin)
In Dublin we stayed at the coolest hostel- ‘Abigail’s’ on Aston Quay. Not only did it have a huge kitchen-TV- Internet-Check In Desk area where everyone hung out together (totally reminded me of college) but all the walls were covered in modern murals. I couldn’t get over two of the murals in particular, one showing Dorothy guiltily looking into her picnic basket while a cop shakes his finger at her, the other showing Jesus about to shave his beard.
I felt really bad that the first order of business in Dublin, after checking into our hostel, was rushing to the Weir & Sons jewelry shop, but I desperately needed my claddagh ring resized. After several minutes of comforting and assurance from the kind female clerk, I handed over my ring, the payment, and my address in France. I came close to tearing up since I distrust the postal system and simply didn’t want the ring off my finger, even if it was to resize it. Sitting here blogging, my finger feels very naked…I can’t wait to have that familiar weight back on it.
We walked Grafton street a bit, the main pedestrian thoroughfare in Dublin, taking in the Irish accents, the touristy street music, the smells and sights. We’d just spent all morning and afternoon in France and suddenly we were in Dublin – it was unbelievable!
We had so much fun being typical tourists on the Ghostbus Tour that first night! We didn’t know what to expect and weren’t sure if there would be room on the tour. Sitting in the top of a double-decker bus with blackout curtained windows and scary decorations we rode through the town while a speaker at the front told various stories about ghosty sites in Dublin. The professional actor who was our speaker for the night was fantastic. He wasn’t too over the top, but he was definitely a bit showy. We stopped and got off the bus twice, to visit a church and a graveyard. We were told to take pictures and look for ‘orbs’. I don’t know that I believe my eyes, but one photo of Martha taken in the dark graveyard shows four round circles floating above her head in different sizes and greyish white colors. Whether we believed in Ghosts or not, it was really entertaining to hear all the true, gory stories of old Dublin and to visit the sites in the dark.
The remaining few hours of the night were spent in ‘The Celt’ taking in traditional Irish music. We were reluctant to find pubs in the Temple Bar area since other tourists would be drawn to them. The last thing we wanted was to be surrounded by Americans shouting the words to Don’t Stop Believing and behaving like they were in a frat house. Martha pointed out The Celt down the street from the Dublin Spire. Inside the pub, greeted by loud music, Martha watched the fiddle, (she plays violin) while I bobbed to the lilting beats. We both felt like we were in the movie ‘P.S. I Love You’ when the band started playing ‘Galway Girl’. The band members took breaks and mingled in the crowd. They sold a few CD’s and down pints of Guinness. They were regular, musical gifted Irish people who were a ton of fun to listen to and meet. A guitar, a bodhran drum, a fiddle, and a wooden flute was all it took to keep us entertained for hours till the pub closed.
I felt really bad that the first order of business in Dublin, after checking into our hostel, was rushing to the Weir & Sons jewelry shop, but I desperately needed my claddagh ring resized. After several minutes of comforting and assurance from the kind female clerk, I handed over my ring, the payment, and my address in France. I came close to tearing up since I distrust the postal system and simply didn’t want the ring off my finger, even if it was to resize it. Sitting here blogging, my finger feels very naked…I can’t wait to have that familiar weight back on it.
We walked Grafton street a bit, the main pedestrian thoroughfare in Dublin, taking in the Irish accents, the touristy street music, the smells and sights. We’d just spent all morning and afternoon in France and suddenly we were in Dublin – it was unbelievable!
We had so much fun being typical tourists on the Ghostbus Tour that first night! We didn’t know what to expect and weren’t sure if there would be room on the tour. Sitting in the top of a double-decker bus with blackout curtained windows and scary decorations we rode through the town while a speaker at the front told various stories about ghosty sites in Dublin. The professional actor who was our speaker for the night was fantastic. He wasn’t too over the top, but he was definitely a bit showy. We stopped and got off the bus twice, to visit a church and a graveyard. We were told to take pictures and look for ‘orbs’. I don’t know that I believe my eyes, but one photo of Martha taken in the dark graveyard shows four round circles floating above her head in different sizes and greyish white colors. Whether we believed in Ghosts or not, it was really entertaining to hear all the true, gory stories of old Dublin and to visit the sites in the dark.
The remaining few hours of the night were spent in ‘The Celt’ taking in traditional Irish music. We were reluctant to find pubs in the Temple Bar area since other tourists would be drawn to them. The last thing we wanted was to be surrounded by Americans shouting the words to Don’t Stop Believing and behaving like they were in a frat house. Martha pointed out The Celt down the street from the Dublin Spire. Inside the pub, greeted by loud music, Martha watched the fiddle, (she plays violin) while I bobbed to the lilting beats. We both felt like we were in the movie ‘P.S. I Love You’ when the band started playing ‘Galway Girl’. The band members took breaks and mingled in the crowd. They sold a few CD’s and down pints of Guinness. They were regular, musical gifted Irish people who were a ton of fun to listen to and meet. A guitar, a bodhran drum, a fiddle, and a wooden flute was all it took to keep us entertained for hours till the pub closed.
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