I'll post pictures of my new place soon, I promise! But it'll have to wait until Wednesday because apparently I've reached my upload limit for the month of September on Flickr. It's all full of English Gents. (tee hee!)
Anyways, maybe by Wednesday I'll also be a little more settled and unpacked and can then take better pictures than the ones I've got.
All in all, it's a pretty great place. Even better right now because it smells like the cookies I'm baking. Mmmm. Dalkey is a very nice little town, full of organic food which is actually super affordable compared to the price of organic in Canada. So I've definitely been eating well! I've finally got the cupboards and fridge well stocked so hopefully I won't need to buy groceries again for a few days.
School is starting to pick up a bit in terms of work load, but I suppose I would be a little less stressed out about it if I could actually get my hands on my textbooks. I don't understand why they have to be so difficult to find.
I'm off to take the last of my cookies out of the oven and finish up some homework. Hopefully I'll be posting again on Wednesday with pictures!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
I live here now!
Hooray! I'm all moved in! No pictures yet, as I'm still unpacking, but keep watching - I'll try to have some pictures up by the end of the weekend.
But for now...my unpacked bags call...as do the dishes, and the laundry. Ugh.
But for now...my unpacked bags call...as do the dishes, and the laundry. Ugh.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Good News!
I have a home! A real home of my very own! I just don't live there yet.
I found a perfect little apartment in Dalkey, fully furnished, all brand new, and very close to the train and the bus. Hooray! My landlady is this old Italian woman, the kind that wears diamonds and pearls at the same time, who I know is going to wind up driving me batty, but she's nice all the same. Her husband is English and I swear to god he looks EXACTLY like Michael Cane. He probably is Michael Cane. Next week I'm going to be getting things all sorted with the letting agents (get ready, Mum) and then I'll actually sign the lease and the landlady said I should be moved in by the end of next weekend. Hooray! So much to do, so much to buy! Most things are included, like nice dishes and cutlery and a little bit of cookware and all that, but there is still a list of more-or-less essential things that I'll need to buy yet. Most of them aren't too pressing and can wait until after I've moved in. Today I went and bought bed linens and a big cozy duvet, which I'll take pictures of after I'm all settled and everything looks nice. Very exciting. I'm quite anxious to just move in and stop living out of a suitcase. And use my pretty new tea set (as seen on .Mum's blog). I found a shop in Dalkey, just down the road from my apartment that stocks the exact same tea set, the mugs, the matching salt and pepper shakers, and the scented oil burner. I think I may go get two more mugs and the oil burner. Just for fun. I'm not getting the salt and pepper shakers because I much prefer to have freshly ground pepper than the powdered stuff, so I'll get a mill instead. But now I'm boring you...you'll have to excuse me, I'm just a wee bit excited. And Stef...Bono lives down the road. For serious.
In my last post, I told you all to stay tuned for Kalen and Elena's Adventures at Dublin Culture Night, which was last night. Culture Night quickly turned into Drinking Night, and became a total gong show. Drinking in Temple Bar area tends to do that, I suppose. I don't have many pictures to show you from the Culture Night spots we did see, because (being nighttime and all) it was very dark and my camera doesn't like to take pictures in the dark.
First we went out for dinner at this really tasty Italian restaurant in Temple Bar called Botticelli. Really good four cheese pizza. Mmmm. And wine. (yes, we started drinking early). We started Culture Night at the Blackchurch Print Studio (right next to Botticelli) and looked at some art, and saw some of the print-making process. Quite cool. Didn't take any pictures, though. Whoops! Then we went took a detour and went to the Brazen Head Pub, Ireland's oldest pub, dating back to 1198 (I'd like to point out that I've also been the the oldest bar in the US, but that one only goes back to 1772). Brazen Head was like 3 or 4 pubs all connected around an open courtyard. Very nice. Some of the people there were clearly regulars. So we had a drink there, relished in the fact that we were in the oldest pub in Ireland, and then went back to Culture Night. We walked up to St. Audoen's Church (no small feat considering it was up a steep hill, on a cobblestone road, and I was wearing 4 inch heels - maybe not the best decision on my part but I didn't expect to be doing so much walking). St. Auden's (pronounced AW-den) Church was built in 1190 and is the oldest continuously used church in Ireland, having changed denominations several times. I couldn't get a good picture, because it was nighttime, so I'm going to cheat and use the picture I took of it in March. The only thing different now is the garden.
We took a quick tour of the church, but didn't get to see the whole thing because they were painting in the actual chapel part. Yes, they still hold services there every Sunday. And every Sunday morning, they ring the bells for half an hour before the service. Manually. Quasimodo style. The six bells in the top of the church also happen to be the oldest church bells in Ireland. They had a spare one out on display inside the main hall.
Looks heavy. I don't envy those bell-ringers. We got to go inside and see the stone carving dedicated to Sir Roland Fitzeustace of Portlester. Sort of looks like a tomb, but it's not. He and his wife were both still alive when it was built.
He commisioned a seperate chapel on one side of the church. The roof is gone from it now, but that just makes it even cooler to be in after dark.
Again, please excuse the poor photo quality because it was so dark. Blame my camera, not me. It's actually much prettier and more impressive than these pictures would make you think. You'll just have to come see it for yourselves.
In the background of the pictures of Fitzeustace and his wife, you can see a similar stone carving, only this one is a little worse for wear. The features of the face and upper body and arms have been removed at some point through the years, possibly when it was illegal to practice Catholicism in Ireland. So nobody knows for sure who it's supposed to be, but if it's who they think it is, then that one is actually a tomb. Poor thing.
Some other interesting objects in the church...
An old broken door. Quite intricately carved.
An old container for communion wine and a cup and plate for communion. I'm sure the little description said they dated back to sometime in the 1600s.
I'm not sure what this is, or was supposed to be, but I liked the way it looked. If anyone knows what it is, let me know.
This was pretty cool. This is the Lucky Stone, which has been kept in the church since 1307. You can see the celtic cross etched into it. Kalen and I rubbed it for luck. Hooray!
After St. Audoen's, we decided to call an end to Culture Night and go bar-hopping instead. Again, these 4 inch heels were not working to my advantage. One pub we went to that was worth mentioning was Porterhouse. They're well known in Dublin for their selection of beers from around the world. Aside from brewing their own selection of beer (I tried their red ale, very nice.) they also have a multi-page menu of bizarre and exotic beers from all over the place. Kalen and I discovered a way to unite two of our vices with this, from England.
Yes, you read that correctly, ladies and gentlemen. That is chocolate beer. First it tastes like beer, then it tastes like chocolate. Seriously. And it wasn't as gross as it sounds, it was actually really good. We would both drink it again at some point. However, I blame this drink in particular for the hangover I had this morning. Ugh. Also, Kalen tried this weird beer from Belgium. It was raspberry beer. Made with real raspberries, as the bottle informed us. It smelled like jam. It kind of tasted like jam too...only...beer jam. I didn't much care for it. But honestly, it's a really cool bar. Definitely a place to check out when you're in Dublin. (That's right, WHEN. Not if. You're all coming to visit me!)
The rest of the night was spent drinking at a couple different bars.
In other news (or non-news) I've just been sort of wandering the city, getting my bearings and such, and I've found some neat things. This little church in Dun Laoghaire has quite possibly the most gorgeous door I've ever seen.
I <3 it.
In knitting news, when my mother was here, she bought me some really beautiful Manos Del Uruguay Silk Blend yarn in blues and greens, just lovely. I am going to make a shawl with it. However, last week I set about winding the yarn into a ball so that I could use it. Unfortunately, I had to leave it for a little while, having only spun about a quarter of it around the back of a chair. The family I'm staying with right now has 3 boys, aged 12, 8, and 6. The 6 year old, Daniel, came across my yarn in the kitchen and decided to "help" the way only a hyperactive 6 year old boy can. This was the result...
NINE HOURS LATER (Really. This was worse than the time Whimsy got herself covered in burrs.) this is what it looks like now.
Much better. But honestly, I have never seen anything so tangled in all my life. I don't even know how he did it.
Hopefully the next time I post, it will be with pictures of moving into my new place! Wish me luck!
I found a perfect little apartment in Dalkey, fully furnished, all brand new, and very close to the train and the bus. Hooray! My landlady is this old Italian woman, the kind that wears diamonds and pearls at the same time, who I know is going to wind up driving me batty, but she's nice all the same. Her husband is English and I swear to god he looks EXACTLY like Michael Cane. He probably is Michael Cane. Next week I'm going to be getting things all sorted with the letting agents (get ready, Mum) and then I'll actually sign the lease and the landlady said I should be moved in by the end of next weekend. Hooray! So much to do, so much to buy! Most things are included, like nice dishes and cutlery and a little bit of cookware and all that, but there is still a list of more-or-less essential things that I'll need to buy yet. Most of them aren't too pressing and can wait until after I've moved in. Today I went and bought bed linens and a big cozy duvet, which I'll take pictures of after I'm all settled and everything looks nice. Very exciting. I'm quite anxious to just move in and stop living out of a suitcase. And use my pretty new tea set (as seen on .Mum's blog). I found a shop in Dalkey, just down the road from my apartment that stocks the exact same tea set, the mugs, the matching salt and pepper shakers, and the scented oil burner. I think I may go get two more mugs and the oil burner. Just for fun. I'm not getting the salt and pepper shakers because I much prefer to have freshly ground pepper than the powdered stuff, so I'll get a mill instead. But now I'm boring you...you'll have to excuse me, I'm just a wee bit excited. And Stef...Bono lives down the road. For serious.
In my last post, I told you all to stay tuned for Kalen and Elena's Adventures at Dublin Culture Night, which was last night. Culture Night quickly turned into Drinking Night, and became a total gong show. Drinking in Temple Bar area tends to do that, I suppose. I don't have many pictures to show you from the Culture Night spots we did see, because (being nighttime and all) it was very dark and my camera doesn't like to take pictures in the dark.
First we went out for dinner at this really tasty Italian restaurant in Temple Bar called Botticelli. Really good four cheese pizza. Mmmm. And wine. (yes, we started drinking early). We started Culture Night at the Blackchurch Print Studio (right next to Botticelli) and looked at some art, and saw some of the print-making process. Quite cool. Didn't take any pictures, though. Whoops! Then we went took a detour and went to the Brazen Head Pub, Ireland's oldest pub, dating back to 1198 (I'd like to point out that I've also been the the oldest bar in the US, but that one only goes back to 1772). Brazen Head was like 3 or 4 pubs all connected around an open courtyard. Very nice. Some of the people there were clearly regulars. So we had a drink there, relished in the fact that we were in the oldest pub in Ireland, and then went back to Culture Night. We walked up to St. Audoen's Church (no small feat considering it was up a steep hill, on a cobblestone road, and I was wearing 4 inch heels - maybe not the best decision on my part but I didn't expect to be doing so much walking). St. Auden's (pronounced AW-den) Church was built in 1190 and is the oldest continuously used church in Ireland, having changed denominations several times. I couldn't get a good picture, because it was nighttime, so I'm going to cheat and use the picture I took of it in March. The only thing different now is the garden.
We took a quick tour of the church, but didn't get to see the whole thing because they were painting in the actual chapel part. Yes, they still hold services there every Sunday. And every Sunday morning, they ring the bells for half an hour before the service. Manually. Quasimodo style. The six bells in the top of the church also happen to be the oldest church bells in Ireland. They had a spare one out on display inside the main hall.
Looks heavy. I don't envy those bell-ringers. We got to go inside and see the stone carving dedicated to Sir Roland Fitzeustace of Portlester. Sort of looks like a tomb, but it's not. He and his wife were both still alive when it was built.
He commisioned a seperate chapel on one side of the church. The roof is gone from it now, but that just makes it even cooler to be in after dark.
Again, please excuse the poor photo quality because it was so dark. Blame my camera, not me. It's actually much prettier and more impressive than these pictures would make you think. You'll just have to come see it for yourselves.
In the background of the pictures of Fitzeustace and his wife, you can see a similar stone carving, only this one is a little worse for wear. The features of the face and upper body and arms have been removed at some point through the years, possibly when it was illegal to practice Catholicism in Ireland. So nobody knows for sure who it's supposed to be, but if it's who they think it is, then that one is actually a tomb. Poor thing.
Some other interesting objects in the church...
An old broken door. Quite intricately carved.
An old container for communion wine and a cup and plate for communion. I'm sure the little description said they dated back to sometime in the 1600s.
I'm not sure what this is, or was supposed to be, but I liked the way it looked. If anyone knows what it is, let me know.
This was pretty cool. This is the Lucky Stone, which has been kept in the church since 1307. You can see the celtic cross etched into it. Kalen and I rubbed it for luck. Hooray!
After St. Audoen's, we decided to call an end to Culture Night and go bar-hopping instead. Again, these 4 inch heels were not working to my advantage. One pub we went to that was worth mentioning was Porterhouse. They're well known in Dublin for their selection of beers from around the world. Aside from brewing their own selection of beer (I tried their red ale, very nice.) they also have a multi-page menu of bizarre and exotic beers from all over the place. Kalen and I discovered a way to unite two of our vices with this, from England.
Yes, you read that correctly, ladies and gentlemen. That is chocolate beer. First it tastes like beer, then it tastes like chocolate. Seriously. And it wasn't as gross as it sounds, it was actually really good. We would both drink it again at some point. However, I blame this drink in particular for the hangover I had this morning. Ugh. Also, Kalen tried this weird beer from Belgium. It was raspberry beer. Made with real raspberries, as the bottle informed us. It smelled like jam. It kind of tasted like jam too...only...beer jam. I didn't much care for it. But honestly, it's a really cool bar. Definitely a place to check out when you're in Dublin. (That's right, WHEN. Not if. You're all coming to visit me!)
The rest of the night was spent drinking at a couple different bars.
In other news (or non-news) I've just been sort of wandering the city, getting my bearings and such, and I've found some neat things. This little church in Dun Laoghaire has quite possibly the most gorgeous door I've ever seen.
I <3 it.
In knitting news, when my mother was here, she bought me some really beautiful Manos Del Uruguay Silk Blend yarn in blues and greens, just lovely. I am going to make a shawl with it. However, last week I set about winding the yarn into a ball so that I could use it. Unfortunately, I had to leave it for a little while, having only spun about a quarter of it around the back of a chair. The family I'm staying with right now has 3 boys, aged 12, 8, and 6. The 6 year old, Daniel, came across my yarn in the kitchen and decided to "help" the way only a hyperactive 6 year old boy can. This was the result...
NINE HOURS LATER (Really. This was worse than the time Whimsy got herself covered in burrs.) this is what it looks like now.
Much better. But honestly, I have never seen anything so tangled in all my life. I don't even know how he did it.
Hopefully the next time I post, it will be with pictures of moving into my new place! Wish me luck!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Kalen and Elena's Adventures in Bray (and Greystones)
Yesterday, Kalen and I had planned to go to a Fringe show, as the festival is on here right now. We picked a show, but it didn't start until 9 PM, so we needed something to do to fill the day. She had heard that there is a hill you can climb in Bray (south of Dun Laoghaire) called Bray Head, which is not a really difficult climb, and once you get to the top there's a really spectacular view. So, because it was a beautiful warm, sunny day, we figured we'd go give it a try.
We took the DART to Bray, which is a very pretty little village by the sea (it actually smells like the ocean!)
We walked along the road by the beach
until we came to the heart of the town. That gorgeous hotel with the turrets is a Best Western. Go figure.
We found Bray Head quite easily (it's huge) and started up the path.
It was a very pretty walk, the path up the hill is right along the ocean. We turned around and looked back towards Bray. Goodbye, Bray!
There are some old old stone walls on the way up. The sun was very bright.
And an old old gate. Clearly it's seen better days, but I quite liked it.
The walls just keep going, up and up, following the path.
Looking down over the edge (I didn't fall in! Yay!). I love all the layers in this rock. Makes you wonder just how long it's been there...
Look up. Waaaaaay up.
The Irish Sea is really quite a fantastic colour in the sunshine.
Here you can see how the path winds around the side of the mountain, and you can just barely see where the train runs straight through down below.
Nice colours...
It just keeps going....
At least it was very clear where the path was, so we couldn't get lost.
Mmmm...blackberries. We ate some, because we're hardcore like that. We didn't die from pesticide poisoning, and we didn't arrested. Yay! And they sure were tasty.
It's a long drop. We tried really hard not to fall. Mission accomplished!
Can you tell which side of this tree gets more sun?
The sea is still down there! Still not lost! Hurrah!
We liked these little baby ferns growing out of the rocks. They look like snakes. Or perhaps something slightly Tim Burton-esque.
Some areas were quite wet and muddy. Watch your step!
There were sheep up there!
These leaves were impressively shiny.
Lots of big trees...
Some with berries. We didn't eat those.
This tree is too cool. The tree itself is dead, but it's covered with things that are alive. Love it.
Hey look! A waterfall!
Can't see Bray behind us anymore...just mountain.
This used to be a fence post, until the ivy ate it.
Peek! I can see the water through there...
We saw lots of pretty flowers...
Watch out for this plant. It's not very nice.
We also found a snail
And a ladybug
But wait...
Oh my...that town over there is Greystones. We walked all the way into the next county! Bray is in Co. Dublin, and Greystones is in Co. Wicklow.
This was after walking for two hours. Kalen was told that the climb up the hill took about 20 minutes. Also, we never actually reached the top, we kind of just looped up and around. Way around. So we decided to just walk into Greystones, have some tea, and then head back to Bray on the bus. So that's what we did.
Back at the beginning, we think this is the path we were supposed to take to get to the top...
...but we both agreed that we would have to be in much better shape before we attempt that one. Yikes.
Once we were back in Bray (which was a much longer bus ride than we expected - we didn't think we had walked that far. But apparently we did.
We made it back to Kalen's apartment around 8, made a really quick but really tasty supper, and ran off the the theatre venue to catch our fringe show. It was called Saori's Birthday, and was...interesting. It was not at all what we expected. But oh well. At least we can say that we went to the Dublin Fringe Festival.
Next week's Kalen and Elena Adventure: Dublin Culture Night! Stay tuned!
But first...College starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!
We took the DART to Bray, which is a very pretty little village by the sea (it actually smells like the ocean!)
We walked along the road by the beach
until we came to the heart of the town. That gorgeous hotel with the turrets is a Best Western. Go figure.
We found Bray Head quite easily (it's huge) and started up the path.
It was a very pretty walk, the path up the hill is right along the ocean. We turned around and looked back towards Bray. Goodbye, Bray!
There are some old old stone walls on the way up. The sun was very bright.
And an old old gate. Clearly it's seen better days, but I quite liked it.
The walls just keep going, up and up, following the path.
Looking down over the edge (I didn't fall in! Yay!). I love all the layers in this rock. Makes you wonder just how long it's been there...
Look up. Waaaaaay up.
The Irish Sea is really quite a fantastic colour in the sunshine.
Here you can see how the path winds around the side of the mountain, and you can just barely see where the train runs straight through down below.
Nice colours...
It just keeps going....
At least it was very clear where the path was, so we couldn't get lost.
Mmmm...blackberries. We ate some, because we're hardcore like that. We didn't die from pesticide poisoning, and we didn't arrested. Yay! And they sure were tasty.
It's a long drop. We tried really hard not to fall. Mission accomplished!
Can you tell which side of this tree gets more sun?
The sea is still down there! Still not lost! Hurrah!
We liked these little baby ferns growing out of the rocks. They look like snakes. Or perhaps something slightly Tim Burton-esque.
Some areas were quite wet and muddy. Watch your step!
There were sheep up there!
These leaves were impressively shiny.
Lots of big trees...
Some with berries. We didn't eat those.
This tree is too cool. The tree itself is dead, but it's covered with things that are alive. Love it.
Hey look! A waterfall!
Can't see Bray behind us anymore...just mountain.
This used to be a fence post, until the ivy ate it.
Peek! I can see the water through there...
We saw lots of pretty flowers...
Watch out for this plant. It's not very nice.
We also found a snail
And a ladybug
But wait...
Oh my...that town over there is Greystones. We walked all the way into the next county! Bray is in Co. Dublin, and Greystones is in Co. Wicklow.
This was after walking for two hours. Kalen was told that the climb up the hill took about 20 minutes. Also, we never actually reached the top, we kind of just looped up and around. Way around. So we decided to just walk into Greystones, have some tea, and then head back to Bray on the bus. So that's what we did.
Back at the beginning, we think this is the path we were supposed to take to get to the top...
...but we both agreed that we would have to be in much better shape before we attempt that one. Yikes.
Once we were back in Bray (which was a much longer bus ride than we expected - we didn't think we had walked that far. But apparently we did.
We made it back to Kalen's apartment around 8, made a really quick but really tasty supper, and ran off the the theatre venue to catch our fringe show. It was called Saori's Birthday, and was...interesting. It was not at all what we expected. But oh well. At least we can say that we went to the Dublin Fringe Festival.
Next week's Kalen and Elena Adventure: Dublin Culture Night! Stay tuned!
But first...College starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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