Buddies in Ireland

360, minus 10, degrees

2008-01-14T16:29:00.000-05:00

We have just about made it full circle. We are in our final month in the land of 1,000 greens. We have 1 1/2 more weeks here and then we shall embark on an exciting journey to visit Prague, Krakow and London! We have found that most of our favorite memories have been created while we have been traveling this year so we're greatly anticipating this trip.

Over Christmas we were really lucky to have had an excellent reason to come home. You see we were originally not going to come home for Christmas as the cost of the flights were exorbitant. But 2 friends (that I, Christina, have known since high school) got married to each other and we wouldn't miss it for the world, after all, I got to be a bridesmatron! The whole 2 weeks that were home was just about non stop traveling as we attempted to see as many people that we could, we didn't do as great a job as we hoped since 2 weeks is actually not a whole lot of time after all... Seeing both of our familys around the Christmas holiday was so sweet. Gosh we REALLY miss everyone. Then the wedding was just one amazingly fun moment after another.

We got back to Ireland to some classic winter weather and are doing our best to make the most of our last weeks here. Work has been tricky to go back to for only 3 weeks. Its almost not enough time to get into the swing of things before I start to pack it up, hand my patients over and say my goodbyes. I've had contact with people all over the hospital, people who have helped me during my major transition time, even if it was just a kind smile or pointing me in the right direction as to where to find a chart. People who i get to see just about daily on the ICU, the nurses, physios and care attendants. Some people impact you more than they can know and its hard to know just how to say goodbye to everyone...

Our living situation has changed drastically over the last 2 months. Our landlord moved out in the beginning of december after getting married. We had the place to ourselves for almost a month, it was bliss!! But when we got back the landlord rented out all the other rooms and now there are 6 of us!! whoa! God had prepared both of us well for this though through both of our stints as full time volunteers in Atlanta, thank goodness, other wise it could be quite the shock. So far, so good with everyone here, which is such a blessing. We are all young 20-somethings and get along surprisingly well.

During our last week here we are planning a few nights out with friends that we've made during the year here. One last hurrah at set dancing at Monroe's and then a real proper goodbye party on the Friday night before we leave. People have been really sweet about telling us that they'll miss us, and they seem so genuine. I think it hasn't fully hit us yet, but i know we'll miss lots about this place. I'll especially miss tea breaks, gotta love a half hour break at 10:00 everyday!

Well, here is what our plans are for our travels post Emerald Isle:
Ryanair to- (by the way, we got this flight for .01 euro!)
Prague- 5 days
Eurail to-
Krakow- 3 days
easyjet to-
London- 5 days
HOME throught JFK on the 13th of February.

If you have any suggestions about highlights so see in any of those places we'd LOVE to hear from you!

Take Off to the Great White North

2007-11-27T16:56:00.000-05:00

The last of our travels around Ireland lead us to Northern Ireland in search of the famed Giants Causeway. We departed on Thursday afternoon when Christina got off early from work, in hopes of beating the end of the day traffic. It worked perfectly. The car was afforded to us from our lovely British, (now living in Galway,) friends the Dobell’s. They are wonderful people and yes very generous.

We stopped in Sligo for dinner and a chance to stretch our legs but soon drove on. Our goal for the evening was to get to our B and B just across the border in Enniskillen. The winding roads and early darkness made things a bit treacherous but we made it safe and sound. We learned later that Enniskillen was the site of an infamous 1987 bombing that killed 11 people during “the troubles” in Northern Ireland.

Friday morning we were off to Armagh, southwest of Belfast. We stopped downtown at a small park for a Frisbee tossing session and a walk to the grounds of a local planetarium. The facility was closed but the outdoor amenities were quite educational and fun. Did you know that it takes 8 minutes for the light from the sun to reach us here on earth! Also, the light we’re seeing from some stars was emitted way back in the 1500’s! Holy Cow! But we digress…We then lucked out and found a great lunch spot. After our delish bagel sammys we were off again.

We arrived in Belfast at about 3, meaning we found the city at that time. It took us another hour to actually find our B and B. The directions were horrible and we were lost countless times. Ireland never was really great at the whole, having-street-signs-so-people-know-where-they-are thing. Thankfully Christina has excellent map and navigation skills so eventually we arrived.

It was a true test of patience and remarkable that we were able to land at our b and b in one piece and not too frustrated. As if that wasn’t enough our room wasn’t ready yet. But not to worry because our very friendly and talkative German hostess (who refused to make Irish breakfast, fair enough I suppose) offered us tea and directed us to the Belfast Castle which was only a 20 minute walk away.

We departed for the Belfast Castle hoping to see the grounds and get a bit of history. The Castle is situated on top of a well known area called Cave Hill and has been restored into a restaurant and tourist attraction. It was too bad that it was dark at 4:30 otherwise we would have explored more. Cave Hill is supposed to be a great place to hike and it offers great views of the city and surrounding landscape. We didn’t realize that being so far north we would be in the dark before dinner time, so we only had a short visit, and then ventured on to town for some dinner.

We decided that Saturday would be the better day to go into the city as most stores would be closed on Sunday. Plus we had the Giants Causeway to see then. Again thanks to our wonderful tour guide at the B &B we were directed to a lovely farmers market called St. George’s Market. It was BRILLIANT. Imagine Fresh fish and seafood, organic smoothies, fresh ground coffees, hand made crafts and jewelry. You name it they had it. And did I mention the band played everything from Bob Marley to the Beatles! We enjoyed fresh fish tacos (meaning the chef picked out one of the fresh fish a vendor was selling and cooked it) and paella for lunch.
After leaving the market, we rode the Belfast eye, A.K.A. the large ferris wheel situated next to city hall and a smaller version of the famous London Eye. It was a sight to be seen, it would have been gaudy if it wasn’t so perfectly white and almost sculpted in the way it looked. The view would have been great but the rain made it a little less awe inspiring. Still, we got to see the bay, Cave Hill and a nice view of the sky line.

Saturday night we ventured to the south side of town to try out the Fat Buddha, a fusion of Thai, Japanese, and Korean food. Great meal but half the fun was finding the place as we saw huge masses of people file into local pubs in hopes of watching a Northern Ireland soccer match critical to the upcoming Euro cup 2008. They won 2-1 in dramatic fashion, and the crowds were thrilled with the result. We could tell because songs like “we’re not Brazil we’re Northern Ireland” sung to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic, sounded in the streets as well as the pubs. Not that that made any sense to us, but they seemed very happy with themselves.
Now about these Belfast residents, they definitely have their own distinct accent. It’s a thicker brogue and closely related to Scottish. They even say words like “wee” when referring to something small.

Sunday we ventured to the Giants Causeway and up the scenic Antrim coast road. We started early and took our time. The views of the ocean were fabulous wherever we stopped. The cool fall air only added to the experience as we walked to explore the coastline and stretch our legs. We could even see Scotland across the water! At the closest point it was only about 14 miles away! Eventually we made it to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the temporary bridge that originally was used to allow the fishermen to get further out on the rocks in order to catch the migrating salmon. It’s a popular post card image that many of you have probably seen. It was fun to be there but we were sad that bridge wasn’t there for us to cross. (Its only up for the spring and summer months).

The Giants Causeway was like a scene from another world. This is a place where the rocks form in hexagonal pillars, 40,000 interlocking basalt columns to be exact. They formed in this way due to the slow nature in which the magma cooled and then how the rest of the earth around was worn away. Most of the columns are hexagonal but some have been found with four, five, seven and eight sides. The ocean did seem to have its effect on the rocks but erosion was only slight. The legend goes that a Giant in Northern Ireland wanted to be with his Scottish love. The only problem was that pesky ocean in the way. So he built “steps” so he could travel to see her. There are similar rocks on the Scotland side, hmm, could the legend be true?

Monday we decided to hit the road early and head for the Hill of Tara, just north of Dublin. Typical of Irish roads, we were detoured due to a road closing. Again Christina’s navigation skills got us to our destination no worse for the wear. The Hill of Tara wasn’t like I expected it to be. It was a huge gently graded hill that still managed to have incredible views in all directions. We learned that on a clear day you can see 15 counties! It is also where the high kings of Ireland were crowned. We also learned that even though it’s a tourist attraction that it’s still a field where sheep graze so you need to be careful where you step as plenty of land mines abound.

We made it back to Galway at dusk. We stopped off at the Dobell’s for dinner. Like I said earlier they are British, and the meal was likewise. Two pizzas (one with corn) baked beans, and chips aka French fries, and then “pudding” for dessert, which isn’t necessarily pudding, but whatever sweet comes to the table. We didn’t say anything and gladly ate the meal with them but later Christina and I had a good laugh about how stereotypically British it all was.

So that was our trip to NI. It was wee and sweet but we learned an interesting bit of knowledge upon our return that most Irish people from the “south” don’t ever make it up there. It seems that we foreigners have seen more of this country than the natives themselves. Go figure…

Race Day

2007-11-01T17:06:00.000-05:00

I woke up at 6:15. Well, really it was 6:25ish when I pulled myself out of bed. I was awake before the alarm but for some reason I was having a hard time getting out of bed. Eventually I got dressed, being careful not to forget the band aids on my chest. I then had a lovely pre-breakfast meal. I had read that you should eat 2-3 hours before the race so I didn’t want to take any chances. I fueled up with a cookies and cream Powerbar, banana and some pecans all washed down by a Gatorade-like drink. I could only hope this was the true breakfast of champions.

It was now 7 and Christina was up and ready to go downstairs for breakfast. Two pieces of bread and a bowl of corn flakes later I felt ready to go. After a short taxi ride we were in downtown Dublin looking for the starting line. First I had to drop my bag off at the luggage depot and then it was bye bye to Christina for a while.

Runners were everywhere; stretching, walking, and trying to stay warm. I even saw some wearing trash bags for warmth and to keep the wind out, very clever. Others brought extra layers of clothes that they simply threw to the side of the road in the 10 minutes before the race began. It seemed like such a waste, but what did I know, I was only a newbie and knew little about how a plastic bag can keep you warm before the start of a race.

Finally the gun sounded and the race began. A large CHEER erupted from the mass of about 12,000 runners. I was excited to get going but because we were packed in like sardines it would be another 3 minutes before I could reach the starting line.

The starter made a joke about all the bobbing heads and the fact that we were a sea of colors bounding down the road. Not very funny but no one was really listening anyway. Everyone was preoccupied with avoiding the other runners and his remarks were drowned out by the melodious sound of sneakers hitting the pavement.

The first mile flew by even though I was trying to take it slow as I had been advised by many a friend, family member and any reputable running book or magazine. I knew they were right but I still had to force myself to save my energy for the remaining 25 miles. I felt like everyone around me was running like it wouldn’t take them 4 hours to finish this thing, I knew better.

Mile 3 soon came and the first port-o-potties (or as they were called, port-o-loos) arrived. There was a long line and I wasn’t about to be stopped. I soon realized that I was not the only one unwilling to be held up in such a line, as most people weren’t using these toilets to relieve themselves at all. I was able to wait for another mile or so but soon I was joining the other runners (not all men mind you) in the wooded area of the park for a bladder emptying of my own.

Mile 3 was also significant in that it was the first of many water stations; they came every 3 miles afterwards. The best part was that they had squirt bottles, an enormous upgrade over cups. You could take them with you and ration your water for when you might need it most, brilliant!

By about mile 6 I was still feeling good when I was surprised to realize that I had reached this point quicker than I thought I would- about 56 minutes. This was a welcomed development but it didn’t take away from the fact that I still had 20 miles to go.

Mile 10 was when Christina told me to look for her. I saw the mile sign and about a minute later there she was smiling ear to ear shocked that I had gotten there so soon. Sarah, our friend and Christina’s fellow OT, was also there to keep Christina company and to cheer me on. I had an official cheering section! I was past them in a flash but it gave me the boost I needed.

Maybe it’s no coincidence, but miles 10-13 felt great. I was in the zone. I overtook some people and felt like I was cruising. Despite this steady pace I too was getting passed and thus I came to the conclusion that for every one person you pass ten people passed you. A little defeating but you can’t let that bother you.

Another great dynamic of the race was seeing the fans out in full effect! Countless cries of “well done” and “you can do it” sounded throughout the masses. Little kids lined the streets and I made every effort to slap hands with a child if they stuck their hand out there for me.
Miles 16-20 were getting harder but I still felt reasonably ok. One part of my body or another would start to hurt but I kept running. Somehow the pain would go away, at least for a little while. I thought if I can just keep running, even if I slow down, I would make it.

It wasn’t until about mile 22 that I “hit the wall”. My legs started to cramp up worse than before. Again I slowed down and tried to work through the pain. That strategy worked until mile 25 ½ when my left hamstring wouldn’t allow me to run anymore. So, at that point, I walked, much to my dismay as well at the spectators lining the streets to cheer along the final stretch. Luckily, after about a minute, I was able to run again. Just in time too, because I saw Christina and she ran with me until she was eventually yelled at to leave the course, but that was ok, I was rejuvenated and was able to finish, running all the way.

Surprisingly, I was more emotional when I turned the corner and saw the finish line not when I actually crossed it. By that point I was relieved to not have to run anymore. I was quickly greeted with a medal and eventually by the goodie bag that held the coveted finishers t shirt. I walked through the finish area in hopes of finding Christina. A long half an hour later we met up and what a sweet reunion it was.

To sum it all up, I was sore but happy. The Dublin Marathon 2007 was a huge success. Not because I ran 4:12, about 20 minutes faster than I had planned but simply because I finished. I knew I would. I had decided before the race that I was going enjoy the entire day and let the time be what it would be. That's exactly what I did. The finish was awesome but the process of how I got there made it all that more sweet.

Some highlights of the race:
Not a drop of rain.
Three separate music spots: one playing the Rocky theme, one Bruce Springsteen, and another with some upbeat dance tunes.
The Drum line at the start and end of the race.

The Phoenix Park Zoo and seeing the seals.
Seeing Christina at mile 10. Christina's smile was just the boost I needed.

Eating an orange slice at about mile 18 from a family of volunteers.

Slapping hands with a good number of kids lining the streets.

Eating a mini snickers bar at mile 24

Being complimented at mile 25. "That’s a beautiful pace. You’ll definitely get there with that"

That concludes my writings about the Dublin Marathon 2007. There are no official plans for another race of this magnitude but I am open to suggestions if someone is looking for a running partner.

Thanks for all of your encouragement.

The Emeral Isle and the Eternal City

2007-10-20T08:14:00.000-05:00

In early October we were greeted by our last visitors, Christina’s parents. It had been since January that we had seen them last and the time apart had taken its toll. All the Skype calls, emails and packages were great but no substitute for the real thing. The Yulo’s arrived on a Friday and Christina was fortunate enough to get that afternoon and Monday off in addition to the week off she had already taken to go to Rome. Our Atlantic crossing visitors were like most of our guest tired upon arrival, but of course there was to be no rest for the weary. After a short visit, we checked them into their B and B. Marless House was again very welcoming and the Host, Mary was especially kind.

During the course of the rest of the day we showed them around town, had lunch at the Kings Head with Dad's first Guinness, and even managed a nap before we went out for the evening. We wanted our visitors to be in fine form as there as an important Rugby World Cup match of Ireland vs. France on that evening. Ireland had a rough go of it and the game ended as a one sided defeat but it was still fun to burgers the size of our head and try to explain all the rules of Rugby when I hardly know them myself.

Saturday was a driving day. This was the first time that Dad had driven on the left side of the road. Although he was quite good at learning this new approach he was not too keen on the whole thing. I would have gladly added myself to the insurance but that would have taken an almost two hour drive out of our way just so that John would drive less. Somehow that didn’t add up to us. So we set off for the Cliffs of Moher. We took our time and got there eventually. We stopped for lunch and many a time on the coast road to take in the beautiful views of the waves crashing against the craggy coast. The sun was out and we were on an adventure and saw no need to rush. When we did finally make it to the cliffs they were well worth the wait!

Sunday we took a break from driving and after church went into town for the Sunday market. We each got a falafel and cruised by the fresh produce, crafts and art work that the market had to offer. That night we went to McDonagh’s for the obligatory fish and chips dinner. You can t come to Ireland, let alone Galway and not have fish and chips. That just wouldn’t be right. So we indulged in the greasy goodness and got drenched in the rain afterwards as we tried to make it back to our car. Now that’s how we roll in Ireland!

Monday was another driving day as we went west on a drive to Connemara and Kylemore Abby. By this point Dad was becoming more confident on the roads. Connemara is a rugged countryside with lots of rocks and barren grassy plains. Mix that with scattered showers and sun and you had recipe for a wild day of driving, we even saw six rainbows in one day!!

Tuesday we embarked on our journey to Italia. Dad picked us up at 8 for breakfast at their B and B. Mary, the host, had invited us and we were not going to turn her down, Irish hospitality rivals Southern hospitality any day! It was great meal filled with lots of chatter amongst the tables of mostly US visitors. After a long drive across Ireland we reached the Dublin Airport. A two hour flight later we were all in a new country! When we touched down in Italy we were tired but so excited to start our adventure. The Yulo’s arranged for a driver to pick us up and what an experience it was to begin with an authentic Italian driver zooming his way down the “old Appia” and “New Appia” (Appian Way) past catacombs, the Colloseum, huge statues and lots of Smart Cars and mopeds that we were sure we were about to take out any second since we were in a large van tailgating everything in his path.

The place where we stayed, The Hotel Genio, was wonderful. It was located around the corner and past two gelaterias to the Piazza Navona (which Christina was quick to check out) and a short walk to the Pantheon. Wednesday we went to the Pantheon first. The dome is incredibly impressive… how did they DO that?? There is a hole at the top and water just comes right in when it rains! There are drains but they the size of a masquerade mask and there was only one, so we were glad it was sunny for fear of getting flooded out if it rained. Trevi Fountain was our next stop- and we loved it, it is such a beautiful sculpture! It’s a relatively new addition to the city, having been built in the 1800’s. It’s a great place to people watch. Legend has it that if you throw a coin in the fountain that you are promised to return to Rome- we definitely tossed in our change! We then found the “best place for Gelato in Rome” right around the corner and licked the fabulous flavors of cognac, pistachio, or banana (which I thought tasted better than the actual items they come from) while perusing a classic scene of farmers selling their goods at a small veggie market. There were elderly women and men vending their best grapes, chestnuts, tomatoes and sundry items. On a side note: Rome is great because you are spending your time mostly outside and if you go in it’s usually into a gorgeous church or a wonderful hotel or restaurant.

The Spanish Steps were also on our agenda for the first day. Or ground zero for tourist as they were called on our oft used map of the city. We hiked our way to the top and were greeted with a nice view and another gorgeous church to visit. It was a long day filled with tons of walking up to this point so the Yulo’s decided to head back to the Hotel for a cat nap. Tired though we were, we decided to press on. We found a quiet park with a great view of the city and then toured the Piazza di Poppolo. The Piazza itself was enormous not to mention the huge 2500 year old obelisk from Egypt and four lion fountains at its base. Eventually we trekked home and went out for one of many delicious Italian dinners.

Thursday was our day to go to the Vatican. We awoke early to avoid the crowds but that effort was in vain. We soon found out that for some strange reason the Vatican was free today and thus the line was already very long, even at 9am. After about an hour wait we finally got in to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Every room was more beautiful than the next. The Map room was an especially mesmerizing surprise. Maps of all of Italy covered both walls of a seemingly endless corridor. And the ceiling was filled with masterpiece upon masterpiece. Truly a room to spend hours in if you had the time and patience.

The Sistine Chapel was amazingly beautiful but a bit frustrating as well since the guards repeatedly yelled for everyone to be quiet and not to take photos. But people continued to talk and use their cameras. It was rude all the way around. Not the scene I was envisioning but still breathtakingly beautiful. It was phenomenal to note the detail that Michelangelo put into every inch of his work. His interpretations of Biblical stories are so dramatic and moving.
The Raphael Rooms were also a highlight. He himself did not paint all of them but they were credited to him as they were completed by his lesser known students. Nice for him but they don’t get any credit. By that point we had very tired feet and it was nearing the end of the day so we decided to come back on Friday for the rest of the Vatican experience: St. Peters Basilica and climbing up to the Cupola.

On the way back to the hotel we picked up a huge loaf of bread (as in the size of Christina’s torso), an assortment of cheeses, and a bottle of Chianti. What more do you need right?? What ensued was one of the many highlights from our entire trip. We had wine with cheese and bread on top of our hotel while we watched the sunset over the Vatican. What a romantic city!

Again Friday we woke early to beat the lines at the Vatican and this time we were successful. No more free days to create a log jam at the entrances. Saint Peter’s Basilica was ornate, overwhelming and totally gorgeous. We toured the entire church trying to take in all its magnificence. The Pieta was especially wonderful. Christina and I then climbed the Cupola to the top of the Basilica. The journey was tight going round and round spiral stair cases, up over 400 stairs, and through slanted narrow hallways- but we made it and the 360 degree view of the city was well worth the climb. We could see the 7 hills of Rome and beyond!

Saturday we went to the Roman Forum which includes the Coliseum. It was there that we were able to more fully realize the type of city Rome was a couple thousand years ago. Some of the ruins were in surprisingly good shape, while others were just seemingly piles of rubble, but the fact that we were walking among buildings that were erected at the time of Christ was fantastic. The “Temple of Romulus” (the founder of Rome) actually still had the originally bronze doors intact. At the south end of the Forum lies the awe inspiring Coliseum. It was an incredible structure for that time. It even used to be flooded at times to recreate sea battle scenes! However it was very sad to imagine what took place on the grounds most of the time -so much spectacle and history but yet so much death and cruelty.

Saturday night we again had wine with cheese and bread on top of our hotel while we watched the sunset behind St. Peter’s Basillica. This time it was Pino Grigio but the result was the same.
Sunday was our day to go to the antique market in Trastavere. It was short tram ride to the south part of the city. Boy was it ever a market. There had to be at least 10,000 people there, probably more. Booths were selling everything from old refrigerator magnets to jewelry to clothes to pet turtles. We found a few scarves for Mom, but that was about all we bought, just SOO much to root through and take in. The rest of our time was spent trying to stay out of the hot sun and see if we could find an antique or unique olive oil cruet but to no avail. We did find a great pizza place and I got a chance to sample Peroni, the Italian beer with Dad.

Changing gears…Sunday as you may know was the last day of the Major League Baseball season. You may also know that Christina and her parents are all Mets fans while I am a Phillies fan. The two teams entered the day tied for first place. Now during one of our walks around the city we noticed an Irish Pub that advertised showing all MLB games. We stopped by and the manager told us that yes they could show the game but that they might not have enough TVs as they also show all the NFL games. Football is usually more popular than baseball so we understood. But he did tell us to call or stop by and if he could he would put the game on for us. So of course we stopped by and the Phillies game was already on. The Phillies ended up winning the game and the National league East Championship. It was the first game of the season that I was able to watch and I couldn’t have asked for a better result. The Yulo’s and Christina were great about the whole thing. They were sad to see their beloved Mets loose but happy for me and the phightin’ Phils!

Monday the group split up. Christina and I went back to the Roman Forum and the Yulo’s went on a bus tour that included stops at the apian way and catacombs. Our trip was great but it included more walking, while the Yulo’s got to enjoy the comforts of a bus. Christina and I visited a wonderful church with an interesting set of tunnels and natural spring beneath the church. We also saw the Boca de Veritas or Mouth of Truth. As legend has it if you stick you hand in the mouth of this giant face and tell a lie your hand will be chomped off. So of course we stuck our hands in and were careful not to tell a lie as a friendly passer by took our picture. It was the last thing that we had wanted to see in the city. We could leave Rome knowing that we had done EVERYTHING we had set out to do. We met up for our last dinner with the Yulo’s and filled each other in on our day’s adventures.

Tuesday was a long day filled with planes trains and automobiles but not exactly in that order. We took a taxi to the airport in Rome, plane to Dublin, bus to the train station, train to Galway and bus to right down the street from our house. It was sad to say goodbye especially after such a great week together. But we all threw coins in Trevi fountain and are all sure to return to Rome to do it all over again!

Brogues and Barrets

2007-09-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

My euro-savvy sister, Kim, recently came to Galway for a short but sweet visit. It was her first time to the Green Isle, so savvy as she may be we still got to show her around. The jet lag didn’t seem to faze Kim as it had all of our previous visitors. She was a little sleepy but more in the got-up-a-little-early kind of way, not the I-just traveled-5-hours-in-a-cramped-plane-and-didn’t-get-a-full-nights-sleep-and-now-it-feels-like-1am kind of way. What was also noteworthy was that once she made it to Galway she navigated the notoriously unpredictable city bus and arrived at our door without getting lost! The fact that she chose the bus over a taxi and managed to arrive in a timely fashion is extremely impressive.

When Kim arrived on Friday she was looking to stay awake and get familiar with her surroundings, so the two of us ventured into town by the for mentioned bus. We then proceeded to walk around town for a few hours only to run into my friend Dara from one of the agencies I volunteer with. The conversation was comical at first because Dara had met Christina and now wondered who this new woman was that I was walking around with. After I assured him it was my sister (he didn’t argue) it was all good.

We awoke Saturday to clear skies and sun, and as we have taught you all, this is incredibly rare to Ireland. We were lucky as it was the day that we had scheduled to go to the Aran Islands. If you remember last time I ventured to this same place, I was drenched by the rain all day. So the prospect of sun and clear skies was a vast improvement even if we all forgot to bring our sunglasses.

We had a great day biking all over the Island. Kim rode a bike for the first time in years, we saw seals, which find the shores of Inis Mor a grand place for sunning themselves, and got as close as we could bear to the cliffs at the Dun Angus fort.

Another highlight of Kim’s visit was our journey to County Mayo to once again visit the Gronell-Burke homestead. It was another beautiful day and our time at the cottage was calm yet enjoyable. We took lots of pictures, walked all around the property and generally tried to absorb the fact that our great grandmother used to live in the very spot we were standing on.

Tuesday night we headed to Shannon Airport for the second leg of our visit with Kim. This time we would be headed to Paris, France where Kim lived for a year as an exchange student. Kim was thrilled with the prospect of returning to the culturally rich Mecca that is Paris.

We arrived late in the evening and were greet by a glowing Eiffel Tower as we entered the City. Luckily we didn’t have any delays with our flight and the hostel was still open. We were a bit nervous since we had to check in by 1 and arrived by bus to the opposite side of the city at 12:15. We decided against the Metro and were blessed by the most efficient, if not rather erratic, taxi driver we’ve ever experienced and made it to the hostel just in time… although Christina was noted to have white knuckles by the end of the ride. It was an unassuming place but we had our own bathroom and two nice beds so we were plenty happy.

I awoke early Wednesday with a bold ambition: Run 5 miles in a city I didn’t know and a language I didn’t speak. I managed to complete the run but it was a bit monotonous as I was forced to run up and down the same street as to avoid getting lost. During my run I soon realized that Paris had welcomed us with a beautiful day, the let’s-go-see-Paris-from-the-Eiffel-Tower kind of beautiful. So that was first on the agenda. Well, finding a bakery for breakfast was first, but our Eiffel tower plans were a close second.

The Tower itself is massive and awe inspiring. You can take the lift (elevator) for 8 Euro or take the steps for 4. We chose the latter. It was a bit unnerving climbing the steps hundreds of feet off the ground, but also surreal. We had to keep reminding ourselves that we were really in Paris, on the Eiffel Tower for goodness sake! At the observation deck we got a full panorama of the Paris skyline and Kim was great about pointing out places of interest.

Once we ambled down we had a picnic lunch in a nearby park and decided to see the Louvre next. We went straight for the main attraction, Mona Lisa, and she did not disappoint. Her eyes followed us around the room and her smile was conversation inspiring to say the least. We also managed to see Venus De Milo, Winged Victory, and of course the glass pyramid that greets you to the museum, all awesome in their own right.

The Louvre was great and we were glad to have gone but it is extremely large and a tad overwhelming. So we left satisfied with what we had seen. We took a short rest while on the Metro and then ventured to the Sacre Coeur a.k.a. the Sacred Heart Basilica. We even got to rest our tired feet a little more during the evening vespers service where about fifteen nuns sang and prayed all in French of course. It was very peaceful. Later we found a café for dinner and ventured to Notre Dame for a crepe and some mango gelato. It was a long day but very memorable.

Thursday we went to the Pompidou, a museum for modern art. The sculptures in the water fountain were colorful, silly and one of our favorite sites. The museum was great too with lots of unique pieces. After a quick Panini we walked around the city to a few of Kim’s favorite shops and neighborhoods. It was a nice change of pace and a chance to see a different side of the city. I think we were exhausted from the day before so we headed back to the hostel for a nap. A few hours later we woke in time to head to a vegetarian restaurant Kim suggested. The food was excellent and our cheery waiter made the evening simply delightful as he humored us when we tried desperately to speak French, pretty terribly I might say, but we certainly tried.

Friday was another running day for me. This time I was a little bit more prepared. I had studied the map with Kim, planned out the Metro I could take if I got lost and even stuck 20 Euro in my shoe just in case I needed to hire a taxi. It was the run of a lifetime. I ran past the Louvre, Notre Dame, River Seine, and lastly through the legs of the Eiffel tower!! I didn’t get lost once and made it safely back to the hostel with the 20 Euro still tucked in my sneaker, what an incredible life experience.

After another delicious pastry breakfast in a cozy park we headed off to the Musee D’Orsay, a museum that once functioned as a train station. The high ceilings and ornate metalwork made for a quite a backdrop for all the art we saw.

That night we finally got a chance to gorge ourselves on baguette and cheese. Wine would have been nice but alas we didn’t remember to bring an opener, Orangina was the next best substitute. We met up with Kim’s friend and a few of his own friends for a wonderful dinner and evening out complete with mojitos and a walk along the city streets. It was so fun for us to hang out with such friendly and fun people and to hear the beautiful language being spoke all around us.

Sadly, we had leave on Saturday. We did some last minute touring of the city which included a visit to another bakery and the Impressionist Museum. The most colorful pastry shop caught our eyes just as we were headed to the Metro station and so we had to stop in for a one last sweet. We then rushed to get our bus. We got there with not minute to spare, a quick hug to Kim and we were off.

All in all it was a whirlwind tour, but one we won’t forget. Thanks to Kim for being such a wonderful tour guide.

A Webby Riney Good Timey

2007-08-20T11:20:00.000-05:00

Our most recent visitors, Melanie and Eric Webb just left on Saturday. Melanie, my childhood best bud, and sidekick of serious silliness came with her fun-loving husband to Galway to visit for the last week. Despite their major jet lag, they were fun from the start. I made some WAY too strong java (note to self, never let the tea drinker mix the instant coffee) to keep them from falling asleep standing up. They were even up for exploring on that first evening. So of course we introduced them to Galway properly with McDonagh's fish and chips and a trip to the Front Door for some pints, Baileys and Irish Coffee (that's all together, not for each of us). Unfortunately I had to work the next day, but i left early after meeting them for lunch. We walked along shop street, the pedestrian only street, which is filled with funky shops, restaurants and talented street performers during the summer. That evening Eric played a spot of footie with Mike in his weekly soccer game. Melanie and i cheered them on and were ready with our CPR skills at any moment- the sides were playing fiercely.

The next day at work i was pretty miserable/ thankful to be there... why such a contrast you ask? Well Mike took Mel and Eric to the Aran Islands for some biking fun. I hated being away from my friends and the exploration they were experiencing while i was stuck in an old hospital with an old smell, wearing bottle green trousers; hence miserable. However, there was not one moment of the day that i looked out the window and didn't see lashing rain and gray skies. I often thought about how i lent my rain pants to Melanie, how Eric declined borrowing Mike's, and Mike fully clothed in his rain gear.... if there was one more on the trip, Eric wouldn't be the only one with a pruney, dish-pan-hands-like body; hence thankful. However, I have never met 3 people who are better sports about being fully soaked and clammy for 5 straight hours while touring a small island by bike. The 3 of them stepped off the ferry into 50 degree lashing rain weather and took a minute to decide between taking a bus tour around the island, a horse and buggy or bikes. After a minute they all said "what the hey, let's get wet and go biking!" They were trekking along the narrow roads trying to see through splashes and drops, attempting to climb hills through the insane weather, and what was that noise? The melodious sound Melanie was hearing was Eric (A.K.A. champ of the day) singing silly songs and keeping everyone laughing. At one point, just as Melanie was getting the hang of riding a bike without really being able to see or being able to remember what dryness felt like, two tour busses, were about to pass right next to little Melanie as she was cut off the road and was forced to hop off the bike to avoid being smushed into the stone wall. As if she wasn't wet enough, she hopped off directly into a puddle ankle deep and for the rest of the day her socks were sloshing with each step. Although it was a "crappy/ fun" day i am told it was the true bonding time for Melanie, Eric and Mike.

Wednesday i woke up with a bit of a cough, a headache, and i just couldn't make myself go to work. Especially not after Tuesday when every time i coughed a little the entire department tried to throw me out on the streets. A cultural lesson for me: Back in the states staying home sick from work meant you actively were experiencing both diarreah and vomitting, had a severely contagious disease which caused death, or had a limb actually hanging off of your being, otherwise you're considered fit to treat patients. This is in comparison to Ireland where if you cough more than 4 times, or complain of a headache or god-forbid, menstrual cramps, or say that your belly doesn't quite feel right after eating mashed potatoes, chips and crisps for lunch you can't be at work, someone must give you a lift home immediately and don't even think about coming in tomorrow if you don't feel better. But i digress. So Wednesday i went with my buddies on a bus trip to the Burren and Cliffs of Moher. We had a surprisingly beautiful, mostly dry day. The Burren was again phenomenal, the Cliffs were extremely windy (see picture on the far right of the page) and the coast line, my favorite, was breathtaking.

Thursday we head off to Dubs, Dublin that is. The train was SO worth it! 2 1/2 hours v. 5, toilets, food, a table to play cards, take 2 or to sleep on! I don't know that we'll EVER take the bus cross country again. We got to our B & B and were on the move again. We checked out Temple Bar, where all the pubs and restaraunts are and found the Bad Ass cafe where Sinead O'Conner used to waitress. We saw Christ Church, an impressive Cathedral with history dating back to the 1100's. Click on the picture and note the sign: We also got to St. Patrick's Catherdral too late to go in but the park was beautiful. And we saw the place where St. Patrick is to have baptized the Irish in the 5th century.

Our dinner was as Irish as it gets, some form of meat, some form of potatoes and Guinness.
Friday we got to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College after an amusement park-like wait in line. It was worth it- the history of the 8th century text of the 4 gospels was fastinating. It is an illumiated manuscript made with colors from ALL over the world from things like chalk from northern Ireland, to blue from a certain plant in China, to purple from a pregant insect of the Mediterraean (i'm serious). Then the ancient library of 2 open arched stories was beautiful! The old books from centuries ago were arranged on enormous bookcases about 30 deep! We finally got to see St. Patricks Cathedral on the inside, we checked out St. Stephen's Green and Marrion Square. After walking for hours 2 days straight we needed some rest so we found ourselves a cozy pub. We taught our buds how to play King, an easy to learn game our Brazilin friends taught us. Melanie and I didn't do so well, but we played for hours while sipping some warming drinks. We followed that up with a fantastic Italian dinner with Limoncello for dessert, which is a Webb family favorite. Our evening couldn't have been sillier or more memorable.

Parting was painful but we have some Riney-Webb future trips already planned that we're definitely looking forward to, Montana anyone?

Don't take my word for it

2007-08-05T07:58:00.001-05:00

I always thought I was really good with directions. After all, I navigated Michael and I halfway around Ireland and we only got lost once, but signage in this country is in a poor state so i'm forgiven for that one. Well when our cousins Billy and Bill came to visit i resigned my self from map reading! We took them to the Aran Islands for Michael's birthday, the 28th, for the day that was meant to be the nicer of the 2 weekend days. They suggested that we go a different way from how we went the first time Mike and I went so we could see a new part of the island as well. Checking the map i noted a clearly marked yellow oval appearing to go past major sites of the island and then an equally clear white mark connecting to the outter skirts of the island. We never checked out that white line last time, i thought to myself. Confident as i was following the map we started off in the opposite direction than we did last time. The map showed the white road following the coast and jutting inwards up over a hill and eventually connecting with our destined yellow brick road. We biked about 10 minutes until we saw what looked a small road headed over a hill. This MUST be it. We started out ascent until the road got rockier and grass was growing beneath our tire wheels, narrower and narrower it became until it stopped at a gated path leading to a field of cows, the chickens were keeping watch over the gate and there was no where else to go. I looked back and noticed that Bill clearly was skeptical and never even bothered making the trek, but waiting about 1/2 way up for us to figure out for ourselves that this definitely wasn't our little white road. Thankfully there were workers i could ask to point us in the right directions. They said "Go right, and after the steepest downhill, make your second right." No street signs, no landmarks, just a quick look to his friend to make sure those were good enough directions. Off we were... "does this seem like a steeper hill than the last one"... "no that one ahead looks worse"... "its gotta be this one we just took, but where's the road". We found the "right" road somehow and up we went... and up, and higher, and steeper and did i mention up? it was ALL loose rock, ALL up, and this was considered a road. There weren't even COWS around here!! We went about 20 minutes when Bill asked, are you sure this is the right way... i didn't know what to say but "no". So on we went since going down this on our bikes would surely cause some major injury. Just when we thought we were going level, around the corner it went up again, i hated that direction after about 30 minutes! At last from the top we could see that somewhere off in the distance that little speck could be another person- hope at last. We hopped on the bikes and were never so glad to see a paved road as we were that day, ah, the yellow path... and that is why it is so clearly marked and encouraged to take. We again took them to ancient fort of Dun Aengus in the rain, and road back in the rain for some sweater buying and fresh fish and chips eatting, trying to dry off as the wet seemed to penetrate through our rain gear! I think they had a nice time dispite it all...

We came back for some key lime birthday cheesecake for Michael and then Mike's birthday dinner was the highlight of the day i'd say. Delicious Thai food (i think Bill and Billy's only meal without 3 huge mounds of potatos) finished off by a chorus of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" by the whole restaraunt, he was thorougly embarassed, excellent.

Sunday, supposedly the ugly weather day was blue and bright and actually WARM. We drove all through Connemara and i mean ALL through it. We intended to just go to Killery Harbor (irelands only fjord) but again... with the map in my hand we saw WAY more of the coast line than we were hoping too. After about 2 hours in the car and passing only 1 town and perhaps 3 signs i couldn't even find our whereabouts on our map! Oh NO! So we pulled over so mike and i could study the next huge collaboration of signs posted and figure out which way to go, we must have looked just as we were.... completely lost, because the next car stopped, rolled down the window and offered his help immediately. He was our hero, he lead us to the next town that we could actually buy lunch in! We finally made it to the Connemara National Park and walked around on a path that started off much like our Aran Islands uphill path did- not funny. But the view from the top was of course gorgeous and worth it. We finished the drive home with the most phenomenal views of the green of Co. Mayo. Field upon field, steep hills with tiny streams of fresh water rolling down, determined stone walls reaching the tops of each tall hill. The area is amazing. Anyway, after all that driving Billy actually finished the 7th Harry Potter book! Well you know, not EVERYONE can be engrossed by the unbelievable natural beauty surrounding us each moment.

However, dispite all that, i'd have to say the most fun was the darts we played the first night we were there. Billy and I play against each other in a game that truly could have lasted weeks by the rate we were going... we were terrible (sorry Billy). Neither of us could get our last bulls eye and it must have been an hour at that point. So we moved on to Rinehimer's v Sickles in a game of 300- after 4 games the tournament was tied 2-2, but we decided that billy really won our first game since he was the first to get a bulls eye in our 300 games. So the Sickles happily left the champions. We had a great visit with them... who's next? Just don't let me get near the map!

Movin' on up to the East Side

2007-07-10T12:58:00.000-05:00

We finally ventured east on the green Isle. We had a four day journey planned with a multitude of stops along the way. The most exciting part was that we DIDN’T TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION! Although he hadn’t driven stick shift in over 4 years, Mike got us from Galway to the East, Southeast and home, safely and without a scratch on the car. It takes a special Irish gene to be able to drive stick on windy narrow roads, of which you may have to dodge sheep, other cars and be able to not freak out when you can’t see around the myriad of curves because the bushes have grown about 10 feet high. Well, Mike’s Irish genes were shining brightly this weekend for sure! Although he was a great driver, managing the automatic windows was another thing. I was in stitches as he tried to crack his window a bit, but didn’t quite have the light touch to avoid the window going either completely up or down. It must have opened and closed at least a hundred times on the trip when all he wanted was a couple inches of air! I guess he’s been riding a bike too long now.

We had free tickets to the European Open at the K Club in Kildare about 20 min. west of Dublin. We stayed in a posh B&B, as it was the only one left, besides the Jacuzzi tub was certainly a draw. It looked over the country club and from the 2nd floor window we could watch the golfers on the 17th hole. We walked over to the club on Thursday morning as the first and only bit of sun was desperately peeking through the cloud laden sky. As soon as we got to the first hole the rain began and didn’t stop until evening. Despite the horrendous weather, chill, and the muddiest shoes you could imagine, we had a great time. Out motto became the deep thought by Jack Handy, “as the cool soft mud squished between my toes I thought, man, these aren’t very good shoes”. However, being within spitting distance of multiple golfers was so fun. Padraig Harrington, the Irish favourite, was one we tried to follow… as did EVERYONE else. We also kept tight on the trail of Nic Fasth, as a matter of fact, Mike had a lovely conversation with the bloke, and it went a little something like this: Mike-“Hey, nice putt” Nic- “Thanks”. Then about 7 holes later we saw him sneak into the woods for some relief… if you know what I mean. We even got a smile from David Frost! The tourney was fun, but we were disappointed that we never got a chance to see the eventual winner- ‘Monty’, the Scot, but Mike’s new friend Nic came in 2nd so we were proud of him for that.

That evening we drove to the Wicklow Mountains, known as “The Garden of Ireland”. The stunning landscape, cute little towns and breathtaking mountain scenery explains that name quite clearly. We made it to B&B #2 and collapsed on our bed after showering the mud off our shoes. Friday, after Michael’s 9 mile run for his marathon training, we explored Glendalough, which means Glen of two lakes. It is nestled between the greenest of mountains covered in grassiness and evergreen trees. Hiking around the place gives you a peace and a real “I love the outdoors” feeling. The history of the monastery located between the 2 lakes was fascinating, it was founded in the 9th century; those monks couldn’t have picked a more beautiful spot. We then hiked up to Poulanass Waterfall which rushes through many levels of the forest and shoots out like a waterslide at its first fall. We could have gazed at the view of the lake and mountains all day, but there was more exploration to do. We found a gorgeous exotic garden and walked about enjoying the variety of plants and colors. Mikes poor legs had enough by then after a 9 mile start and we just about fell asleep on a bench at one of the most scenic spots as we rested and took in the view.

We rambled south to Waterford next. The drive was so entertaining and my navigational skills were really challenged. Ireland rarely uses road names or road numbers except for on major roads, and as we looked at the map there are absolutely NO major roads from Wicklow to Waterford unless we were to go way out of our way. Following signs from town to town was our only means of knowing where to go. The drive never lacked amusement as we passed through towns with names like “Oola”, “Kilmacow” or “Mooncoin” I thought we were magically transported back to rural Georgia with the sounds of these places! Waterford was a nice city, fairly industrial though. The Crystal factory was more impressive than we expected. The process of making one piece is so laborious and calls for such skill that master crystal etchers go through more training than I did as an OT! We saw the whole process of glass blowing, cutting, carving and etching the glass. My appreciation of the pieces grew 10 fold after all that, and we wound up leaving with a bit less money than we started with.

Our final destination was Rock of Cashel- now here is a place with history! It began as a castle for kings starting around 360 AD and is said to be the place where St. Patrick plucked a shamrock to explain the Trinity and relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is also to have baptized and converted King Aenghus here. Oliver Cromwell did serious damage to this place, but there are still very well preserved ruins here, and even bits of the fresco in the chapel. The 800 year old stone roof of the chapel was very impressive to see; especially when we learned that is has yet to leak!

Our adventures were exciting and it was hard to leave them as we drove home. But we did manage a grocery run before bringing the car back to save Mike one less trek to the store on his bike and home again with his backpack full of produce!

Marathon Update

2007-07-10T06:03:00.000-05:00

The Training Continues…

Well I am a little late in giving an update on my marathon training but never fear as I have been hot on the trail the past few weeks.

My routine of Monday 3 miles, Tuesday 4 miles and rising 1 mile per week, Wednesday 3 miles and Friday 9 miles and rising 1 mile each week is working out well. That being said, I come to love my short runs and dread the long ones. Mostly I have to fight off boredom and fatigue when I run for so long. I want to run faster so I can get done faster but then that makes it all that more difficult. You see the difference between a 9 minute mile and a 10 minute miles when running 9 miles is a whole 9 minutes and that is a long time, Don't you think??

In related news, I am happy to report that I have a two new running buddies, Justin and Emmanuel. Both of which are experienced runners who push me to run harder. Justin is on staff with the charity that I volunteer with and Emmanuel is a friend of a friend. They are both great guys so it’s nice to have some company as I train.

I also have been doing a little bit of cross training. In addition to all the biking I do all over town, I am now a regular on a tag rugby team and at a football (soccer) pick up game every Monday night. I wouldn’t consider either sport one of my best but its fun to get the exercise and meet some people in the process.

Well that’s about it. I run 10 miles this Friday so hopefully that goes well. I hope to give another update in a few weeks.

Tara and Arthur - visitors extraordinare

2007-07-01T08:22:00.000-05:00

Ok this is slightly embarrassing- we’re so overdue a blog entry, what I’ll be writing about now actually happened last month! Geez..

Tara and Arthur, my friends from Elizabethtown College, came to visit early in June. Although we only got a few days with them, they were quality and filled with adventure. When they arrived to the western side of the island they followed my directions, which I proudly wrote out realizing I’ve been in this country long enough to actually tell OTHER people how to get around… wow. We were anxiously expecting them at 6ish! Well, 6:20 past, 6:37, 6:40, 6:55… now I know Tara isn’t the most timely (we’re similar in main ways) but an HOUR late? I finally get a call, and lo and behold, my directions we craptastic, again. This is the 3rd time someone has gotten lost on our directions… I’m hopeless! (Read: if you’re planning on visiting no matter how confident I sound in my directions stop and ask multiple time and print out your own). They finally reach us in time for us to take them for the token fish and chips at McDonagh’s and wander around town. We showed them around, walked down to the water and saw a real seal swimming around!!

Mike and I were excited to start our part of the vacation early as Tara and Arthur got the last room in the hotel they were staying at and it happened to be a jammy (Irish lingo for “sweet” as in really cool) suite. We stayed on the pullout couch in front of the enormous tv in the kitchen/living room/ dining room area, although we all could have fit on the gianormous California king in the master bedroom. I thought they didn’t even have KING sized beds here… they don’t. It turned out to be 2 full sized beds literally ZIPPED together?! We stayed up in the suite playing cards until we were dozing off mid-hand, while catching up and making fun off me as I knocked yet another glass of beverage (1st was water, 2nd was tea, despite how it sounds) off the table- it was turning into full contact Nutsy (our card game of choice).

We left the next morning for Co. Donegal where part of Tara’s family is from. Our plans were to sight see the Glen Gesh Pass (titled as one of the most beautiful sights in all of Europe) some sea side towns and do some heritage hunting. We made our way to Glen Gesh fully aware that the maps were fairly unclear as to where it is, which we’ve gotten used to, so as we got closer we asked directions and followed signs the best we could. We stopped on our way there in this pretty cool valley-ish place scattered with bleating sheep and greenery. It was lovely, a classic Irish view. The sheep were pretty skittish around here. We found this out because I’ve made it a goal to pet one of those fluffy things before we leave… and even if you don’t think they see you… they have eyes on the backs of their wooly bums because they just always scamper away whenever you’re within arms reach. So we were on our way, to find Glen Gesh again, but once we left it got flatter and browner and less and less pretty… we must have missed a turn off or something. We turned around and saw no other road besides the rocky dirt ones. Well, it turns out we were IN the Glen Gesh pass. We decided that, yes, its pretty… but whoever wrote that part about one of the most gorgeous in all of Europe must not have traveled far… maybe even not outside of Donegal. Oh well. We made, it to Letterkenny for the night and had a little party in our room that attempted to rival the raging dance club thumping right outside our window (hotels fail to mention those parts when you’re making reservations).

On Sunday we went on the search for Tara’s family. Getting lost was the fun of the game for the first hour on the road, until we were on the right track to St. Colmkille’s Abbey where we found Tara’s ancestors’ gravesites. There is something exciting about that, it seems to give a sense of completion. We explored lakes and woods around the area and were off back to Galway. We decided on one more look out point since we were a bit disappointed on our pass through the pass. We picked a random spot to stop- St. Johns point. Although the road to the point was VERY narrow, meaning we actually had to pull off into people’s driveways (if you can call them that) if we saw another car coming, since ONE car barely fit on that road. We were wondering where the heck we were being led… Well, it turned out to be a hidden gem of a beach and look out spot that we would NEVER had expected to be so beautiful. The water at this little beach was clear and blue as the Caribbean. We looked out on the southern part of Donegal to our right and the northern part of Sligo to our left. It was fabulous to walk around the grassy hill, the sandy beach and wade in the warm bay water. We stayed there about 2 hours as we were so excited about the treasure we found in this place and were just loving soaking it all in.

The next day in Galway was a much needed lazy day of card playing and exploring the city. The highlight was while playing Nutsy I got the ultimate Nutsy hand- 4 aces face up, which our nerdy, I mean, amazingly smart husbands, figured out to be a 1:270,725 chance! Quite amazing! We reminisced about the old days, T.G.I.F. TV, big wheels and Saved by the Bell. I made a bet with them that if I lost my 1:270725 chance hand that I would have to do the Steve Urkle dance on the main street of Galway, and vice versa if I won. See the picture below to find out who won!!! Also, thanks to our amazing visitors we now have some much missed “good” peanut butter- Jif, Oreo cookies, and really missed Pad Thai mixes to have Thai food when we like.

Ireland is a great place to have visitors since there is so much to see and do within a small island. Another set of visitors and new things for us to experience as well.

Do the Running Man

2007-06-22T12:45:00.000-05:00

Attention everyone I have an announcement to make…. I, Michael Morgan Rinehimer, am now entered in the Dublin City Marathon to be run on October 19th 2007!! Always being a capable runner but inconsistent at best, I figured it was now or never. I have a great opportunity to train in the rolling hills of Ireland and not stress how I will fit it all into my busy schedule.

This is week 2 of my 16 week training schedule that I compiled from various online running sites. So far I have been running small distances but the big ones are not too far down the road, literally. Today was my longest run to date. I ran roughly 7 miles in 66 minutes keeping a good, steady pace throughout. I felt good and didn’t walk at all, which was a relief as last week I cut my run at little short to only 40 minutes when I was scheduled to have run closer to 50 minutes or 6 miles.

In case you were wondering the schedule is as follows. I run Monday Tuesday Wednesday with Wednesday becoming my big mid week run. Those runs top off at 10 miles. Thursday is an “off day” and Friday is my weekly big run when I will run a maximum of 20 miles. Saturday and Sunday are to be ”off days” as well but they recommend doing cross training as much as possible. I think I have the cross training thing covered with all the biking I do every day.

So I ask for your support and accountability and if anyone is so inclined I wouldn’t turn down having a cheering section on race day. Christina will be there of course (with signs and whistles, as she has warned me) but the more the merrier.

I will do my best to give weekly updates as to how the running is going and what local attraction or new site I have seen along my route (today it was a new golf course I never new existed, and to think its less than 7 miles away). Until then happy trails to you all.

What a wonderful visit

2007-06-16T05:51:00.000-05:00

My parents came to Ireland for what has been our best week here to date. We toured the countryside, had a few pints, took in the local flavor, kissed a stone called blarney, and simply had a blast doing it.

The visit started with a knock on our door early Sunday morning. I was awake but Christina was still sleeping as our visitors were more than a few hours early. The flight was fast, they didn’t have to wait for their bags, and the drive from Shannon was actually quick. Not that we are complaining but we were still in our pajamas when they arrived. A nice breakfast later and we were off to check in at their B and B and to walk at the beach at Salthill. It was a beautiful welcoming day, with hardly a cloud in the sky, and the beach was crowded as Co. Galway was playing Co. Mayo in a Gaelic Football match at the nearby stadium. Galway was victorious and there were celebrations all over town.

That night we my cousin Tara and her husband Rich (also visiting for the week) came over to hang out. We stayed up nice and late sharing Ireland stories and sharing what each of us has deeed as "not to miss" places to see. We were so excited since they mentioned Dingle and that was our plan for later that week.

Monday was our trip to County Mayo, site of the Gronell-Burke homestead. My Mom, being a Gronell, had never been there so it was an emotional day for her. It is her grandmother’s old home that we saw.

We toured the grounds for about two hours. Taking pictures, walking around, and finding fun bits and bobs (letters, postcards, kitchen tools…). Eventually we visited with the family who bought the land, who happened to be old family friends of my mom’s parents. We even got to see the cemetery where some of our family was buried.

Monday night we went to McDonagh’s for the best fish and chips in Ireland (again) and then made it to Taaffe’s pub for trad music. What a happy occasion to spend time at two of our favorite places with family.

Tuesday was a day to be in Galway. We had lunch at the hospital so my parents could see where Christina worked where she gave us the full tour. Afterwards we walked around town some more. That evening we got to share Monroes with my parents for set dancing. We watched as feet flew and woment spun faster than our eyes could keep up with. My mom, being the loving and friendly woman that she is, and definitely not someone to miss out on a golden opportunity, took the chance to speak with Carmelita, the best dancer on the floor. Carmelita said that when she dances its like all of the worlds problems disappear- the joy and excitement that she shows on her face when she dances certainly portrays that.

Wednesday we picked Christina up after work and headed south to County Cork and the town of Cobh, (pronounced ‘cove’). Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic and we had heard that it was a beautiful little city, it did not disappoint. We found a great cheap b and b and had a nice dinner while watching the Champions League soccer final. My dad particularly loved that Liverpool sang long into the night, dispite being the LOSING team! You would never find that in the states. Probably they were just drowning their sorrows but it was still fun.

Thursday we toured Cobh and the titanic/ famine/ irish heritage museum before heading off to Blarney Castle. The Castle was wonderful. We took lots of pictures and toured the grounds gardens in addition to kissing the stone of course. As you may know kissing the Blarney Stone is supposed to give you “the gift of gab”. My mom joked that she didn’t need the gift of gab but instead needed to find the “shut the hell up stone” so we found that stone too and she kissed it. Afterwards at a pub for dinner my dad said that he didn’t think he had been given the gift of gab to which I replied, keep drinking!!

Thursday we drove to Dingle Peninsula and Dingle town, although they are trying to switch its name to An Daingean much to the chagrin of the residents. Dingle was and is the most beautiful place we have seen in all of Ireland! It was covered in the greenest rolling hills covered with tufts of sheep and winding stone walls up the steepest of places that i can't imagine how they got them there. Not to mention the craggy cliffs and beautiful blue and green ocean and crashing waves. We drove around the coastal road which took so long since there was a new and even more beautiful scene every 50 feet literally! It is simply awesome, a site not to be missed.

Friday we toured the rest of the peninsula, stopping almost every mile to take pictures from a new even more beautiful vantage point. After a hard day of sightseeing we headed to town in search of ice cream and not just any ice cream… Murphy’s ice cream! Made from the cream of cows right there in Dingle and filled with the best ingredients, like honeycomb, baileys irish cream, lavendar or strawberries that made the ice cream actually taste like creamed strawberries! It was awesome! After licking our spoons thoroughly we went back to the b and b to rest up before dinner. The fresh seafood at Out of the Blue (seafood only) restaurant was heavenly. My dad and I had the sea bass while the ladies had scallops. It was the best meal we have had since we have been here.

Saturday was spent mostly in the car as we made our way back to Galway. We did manage to see the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren so that was a great way to break up the trip.

Sunday we opted for a much needed lazy day in Galway and thus more quality time together. We filled the day with some shopping and lots of card playing.

And thus our time with the Rinehimer’s came to an end. Great visitors, great countryside, great memories!!

Thanks for your patience

2007-06-05T06:44:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

I know that we have been very slow with posting lately. Let me assure you, it has nothing to do with the amount of things going on here, there are always plenty. Actually our computer is having a major malfunction and since we rely on it way too much (as we are now realizing) we are unable to post until it is fixed. I'm writing this at work actually...

Some fun things you can look forward to reading about in the (hopefully) near future are: a visit with Mike's parents and cousins, a fun road trip with Mike's parents and our own road trip to see Riverdance right here in Ireland.

Can't wait to be able to tell you more about it.

Love you all!

Mates from the States

2007-05-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

Michael and I had such an incredible time with our first all-for-us visitors! My college girlfriends, Steph and Beth (links to their blogs can be found on the right) came for 4 days of sheer bliss and laughter. I would highly recommend visiting Steph's blog where she recounted our visit all in limerick (you know... that fun Irish poem) its hysterical!!

We were shocked almost as much as they were with the weather that graced their visit. Purest of blue skies with temperatures reaching the 80's... They thought their plane took them to the Caribbean and not their planned route of the Emerald Isle. Thursday they arrived to a delicious Irish stew Mike had created, only for me to reheat it on the "range" and get so caught up in talking to the girls that i let it burn and more or less ruined pot #1 of the meal. The creamy stew was flecked with black burned pieces of lamb and potato. Good thing Michael cooked 2, he saved the day. We then brought them to our favorite pubs. We started at Monroe's, the large spacious pub with wood all around, where you leave smelling of peat and wood fire! We then sauntered to Taaffe's, our favorite for trad music. It did not disappoint! It was packed, and the fiddle, guitar and accordion filled the air amidst our conversations.

Friday, i took the day off and we actually went to the beach! We layed out on the sand at Galway bay and watched as other people actually went in the water, imagine, in May, in Ireland!! We played Guillotine (our favorite card game based on the French Revolution where you win by getting a head... hee hee), searched for hidden wonders and shielded our eyes from the brightness from the pale Irish skin exposed along the beach. It was around this time that we realized, with great entertainment, that capris have become increasingly popular among the men here, who knew!? As we counted all we could see the rest of the day, the figures astounded us- 11.. 12.. 13! After the heat and rays we needed something to quench and refresh us. Mike and i had yet to find the perfect place that serves icy goodness that would do just the trick, however, we spotted a wonderful nook along the promenade and after peering in realized THIS is what were searching for- about 16 flavors of creamy goodness for a cup or a cone! That evening we enjoyed the "best fish and chips in Ireland" at McDonagh's complete with tartar for the fish and vinegar for the chips- YUM! We brought them down to the spanish arch where we sat along the River Corrib and watched the swans, cormorants and the mulitude of people drinking at the park before going out for the night, oh yeah and more male capris 21... 22... 23!

Saturday was Aran Island day!! It was their first gray day here and i suppose it helps to see the Islands as they are lived... covered in gray clouds. Somehow its still beautiful that way. We got the ferry over which took about 45 min. Approaching the Inishmore we noticed how bare it is- scattered with small cottages here and there, but mostly stone walls and green fields were all we could see. We rented bikes and were off... but with any good rented product there were flaws. Steph's seat was too short for her 5' 10" frame so i switch with her as i figured it would fit my 5' 2 3/4" frame better. I hopped on and the seat wiggled and collapsed with a crash- i questioned my weight, assessed the situation and repositioned the seat. As i began to pedal again it turned left and right with each movement and again fell! After my moment of despair imagining riding for 7 miles with my knees slamming against my chest from having a much too low seat, i got my wits about me and fixed it! A few chains popped off through out the day but other than that we made it soundly around the island! We reached the highest point of Inishmore, upon which lays an old light house. The view was glazed with haze, yet you could see quite a distance with the bay on all sides. Its amazing how many stone walls were built, but while we were on the island we learned that the Aran Islands were originally part of the burren when they were still connected to Ireland and that is why there is so much limestone there. We continued on past some beaches, many thatched cottages, a multitude of farm animals, some beautifully sculpted Celtic cross grave stones and finally made it to Dun Aonghasa, a 500 year old circular fort built right on the edge of a cliff! The ruins are so well preserved! There aren't any walls like at the Cliffs of Moher so we scooted our way out to the edge of the cliff on our bellies far enough for our heads to peep over and looked down the 250 foot drop on crashing waves and the blue ocean. A lovely surprise was that right where we were looking down, only about 2 feet below were a beautiful cluster of pink wild flowers... how they survived the wind and weather there amazes me! We came back by the coast road and had enough time to enjoy the Aran Sweater market and make some purchases! Our night was finished off with delicious Shepard's pie, many card games and uncontrollable laughter.

Sunday was as leisurely as you can get. We got to hear of Beth's trip to New Orleans to help with the rebuilding and many of Steph's stories of her trip to Africa. We tried to get the bus for town, but Ireland is notorious for poorly timed public transport for a reason and couldn't bring ourselves to wait longer than a half hour for the bus. We drove into town and enjoyed some girly time of looking in boutiques at clothes and jewelry and just enjoyed being together again. Our time together ended with a trip to Dunguaire Castle for a banquet! Dunguaire Castle was built on the Galway Bay in 1520 and was the home of King Guaire. There was honey mead wine to greet us, a harpist and songs during our meal which consisted of an absolutely gorgeous 4 course spread, complete with endless pitchers of both red and white wine, and poems and singing to finish off the evening. We had such a giddy fun time being called "lords" and "ladys" by our "maids and butlers", it was the perfect end to the visit. Steph and Beth left Monday morning after one last large "Irish breakfast" with eggs, sausage, potato hash and tea and one last card game. It was so difficult to see them go especially knowing we won't see them again until January, but the memories ought to keep us laughing and hold us over until then.

Remember to check Steph's blog for her version of this story fully in Limerick!!

British Buddies

2007-05-07T11:19:00.000-05:00

Friday night was a perfect night to go out to the pubs. It was also a perfect night to go for a long walk around the city. We did both

We enjoyed our walk which included stops along the River Corrib at the Spanish Arch, and Claddagh area. We weren’t alone either as people seem to come out of the woodwork and hang out by the river on days like this one. It stays light until 9:30!!

After our walk and time outside we settled in to Taaffe’s Pub on Shop Street. Its one of our favorites as it offers trad sessions every night at 9 30. We hadn’t heard good music for a while so needless to say we were in the mood. The band didn’t disappoint, playing old favorites like Whiskey in the Jar and Fields of Athenry.

Towards the end of the night we started talking to the group of men next to us. They were nice fellows who felt bad for slowly by slowly boxing us in to a small corner. We didn’t mind because we had a drink in our hand and clean line of site to the band but they insisted on buying us a drink, and who were we to refuse. An hour later we had met a handful of their crew, all characters to boot. They were on Rugby tour and had a match scheduled for Saturday at 3. The team was intriguing to us as they consisted of youngins in their late teens to veterans in their 60’s. They were here from the Isle of Wight, a small island in south central England. It’s mentioned in the Beatles song “When I’m 64” in case you were wondering where you might have heard of it before. We were invited to their game and we pass this up as this would be our first chance to see a live rugby game.

Saturday was beautiful. We rode into town and the Saturday market was well under way. We sauntered around the city stopping off at our favorite bakery called the Oven Door, which by the way, I’m sure is what heaven smells like.

A little while after arriving at the pitch, the team arrived in full Blues Brother attire: The suits, the shades, the attitude. They were lacking 3 players however. Somehow in a group of 35 guys they couldn’t get 15 players together to make a full side. Perhaps after 40 years of rugby one’s body revolts even against the word “rugby”. So with a bunch of beer-bellied, arthritic bodies out the field, we witnessed our first live match. It was back and forth but managed to stay low scoring. We happened to sit next to the coach so he gave us a more thorough lesson on the intricacies of rugby (i.e., when is a “line out” yours, when it’s good to kick the ball, and why does it look the guys in the scrum are holding on to each others crotches, you know, that kind of stuff…). After their not-too-disappointing loss we stayed for a pint with the team and chatted it up until saying our goodbyes.

We finally have a really live rugby match under our new Irish belts, Hurling and Gaelic football will have to be next.

So, that’s the story of how we met the Rugby club from the Isle of Wight. Not bad right.
`Till next time, alright?

Hang Ten and Pucker Up

2007-04-16T15:43:00.000-05:00

Well dudes and dudettes, we caught some gnarly waves whilst surfing down in Clonakilty, County Cork this weekend!! It was the first experience for both of us but that didn’t stop us from standing up and doing some truly legit surfin’.

Our tour guide, chauffer, instructor, equipment supplier and host was none other than Ian Murphy or as his friends call him “Murph”. Ian was Christina’s OT student for only two weeks in February but the two got along well at work and soon he had invited us to surf with him sometime. We jumped at the invitation before it was even was warm enough to sanely think of surfing.

Clonakilty is a coast town south west of Cork City. It is a cozy place with only a few thousand residents so it was nice to know a local as we did manage to visit a few of its pubs.

Saturday after a quick breakfast we went to gather our gear. Wetsuits being our main concern as the water was approximately 50 degrees. We strapped 4 boards to the roof of Ian’s car, packed all the wetsuits and soon we were on our way to pick up another surfin’ buddy, Joe, and then hit the beach.

Inchydoney beach was perfect. The water was beautiful and only filled with a handful of surfers. The waves were only about 2-3 feet but when you’re faced with having to surf that it makes them seems like tsunamis. We suited up with our skin-tight body armor, booties and all, and made our way out to the water.

After a brief (and I mean about 1.5 minutes-brief) explanation on the basics of surfing we were in the water. Ian did explain that we should paddle a lot and try to “pop up” to stand on our board but that was about it. Surprisingly we weren’t cold at all. Our hands and head were the only things not covered but if you didn’t think about it you hardly noticed they were cold. Wet suits are a brilliant invention!

The first 30 minutes to an hour were great but neither of us were able to stand up and really ride a wave. Then came the breakthrough we had been waiting for! Christina got up and rode a wave for about 2 seconds. Then about 10 minutes later Michael was able to get up for about a second, and in his excitement he turned quickly to see if Christina was watching and biffed it into the water. That was it but a second felt like an eternity.

For the next half hour we each got up about 3 more times. Christina riding the best wave of all, lasting over five seconds as she coasted all the way to the shore!! It was awesome. Soon after that we got tired. We kept saying we’d go in after “one more” which turned into about 20 more tries each. Our spirit was willing but our arms and legs had had enough. We finally came in for the day, ecstatic, proud and absolutely nackered! We had a blast and best of all we had really done it, and to think it took us traveling to Ireland for both of us to surf for the first time.

The rest of our weekend was spent in Cork City with Michael’s cousin, Mike. After picking us up at the bus station we had a quick dinner and headed out for a walk on the town. Cork is much more of a “City” than Galway. There are wide streets, busy intersections,and its much more spread out. After a pint at the Thirsty Scholar we headed home. We were wiped out from surfing (bad pun intended).

Sunday we made our maiden voyage to Blarney Castle. It’s a short bus ride from Cork to the sleepy town of Blarney. The castle is situated on lovely grounds full of blooming flowers, huge trees, and winding paths. We ventured to the top of the castle through narrow winding stone staircases in our quest to kiss the famous Blarney stone. There is a nice man sitting there who holds your waist as you lie on your back and kiss the stone upside down. It’s over before you know it and your head gets a little rush but it’s an experience not to be missed.

We dreamt of the great times with Mike and of hangin’ ten in Clonakilty as we napped on the bus back to Galway- definitely one of our best weekends yet!

Language Lessons

2007-04-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

We are happy to report that in the coming months we will he hosting a number of visitors. And we would gladly welcome more if you are not yet booked for your very own cross Atlantic flight. Regardless if you are coming to visit or not we wanted to take the opportunity for you to learn some of the most used and comical Irish Phrases.

Craic or crack = fun, good times
How you getting on? = how are you?
Brilliant = great
Grand = great
Sorry = excuse me
yer man = that guy (whose name you cant remember)
Banjanxed = broken
Gas = funny, or crazy
Petrol = gasoline
Give me a ride = sex
Give me a lift = drive me somewhere in your car
Briclelbrack = odds and ends, small little toys, knickknacks
bits and bobs = this and that
Failte (fawl-cha)= welcome
Cheers = thanks
Slainte (slawn-cha) = cheers
Nackered = tired
An Lar = city centre
Give it some welly = turn up the heat (while cooking) or give it some gas
Yolk= thingy or whatchamacallit
Footpath = sidewalk
Gardia = Police
Squash = Juice
Corgette = zucchini
Press = cabinet
Quay (pronounced Key)= waterfront
Take away = take out (food)
Come’ere= listen (as in, listen to this{important info, or juicy gossip})
Not since donkeys = not in a very long time
mingin'= gross
mighty= really really really great
culchie or buff= from the sticks
takin' the piss or pullin' the piss or takin' the mic = joking or pulling your leg
locked out of your tree= plastered or drunk

So there you have it. Study up so you can know whats going on when you visit. And if you aren't planing on visiting you should make plans to do so ASAP. we love you all...

Tour of the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren

2007-04-03T15:52:00.000-05:00

Our day started with O’Nachtin Tours providing a cab to pick us up. A nice feature meant to help tourists. Despite NOT being tourists, we are also not ones to turn down a free lift.

The bus itself was nicer than our last tour to Connemara but the driver and passengers we met were not quite as interesting and lively. There was no teasing the front seaters about being in love or that they would have to sing us a song as there had been on the first trip. We were happy nonetheless as it was shaping up to be a beautiful day with no signs of rain.

The Tour started out towards the Burren and Aillwee Cave. You might remember that we had tried to see both sites unsuccessfully on our first attempt (not on a guided tour mind you). This time we actually made it to the destination, but still didn’t see inside the cave, we decided to do a bit of exploring instead. The hillside above the cave was in the very heart of the Burren and was calling us to walk about it. Huge limestone rocks covered the ground as far as the eye could see. That being said our hike was a bit tricky as we tried to scale the side of the mountain. Limestone stepping stones completely covered the hill, and as some wobbled and others were jutting vertically out of the land it made for a good challenge.

Lunch in Doolin… We ate outside with our packed lunches under a hazily blue sky. We sat at a picnic table with some nice girls from Spain, yet another chance for Michael to brush up on his Spanish. We managed to share a few stories and a few laughs through his broken Spanish and their broken English, but it was great to chat it up with some friendly people.

We stopped at Poulnabrone Dolmen (ah!) which is a 4500 year old burial tomb. It is right in the middle of the Burren and was discovered not too long ago by a local farmer. Its pretty impressive considering the monument was created in 2500 BC!

We would say Cliffs of “more” but the locals say “Mow her”! Either way it’s still breathtakingly beautiful. Now the Cliffs of Moher have undergone a few changes in the past months. There is now a four foot wall guarding the cliffs. You can still get a great view and now with the added bonus of not worrying about falling off to your emanate doom. The cliffs themselves are spectacular, 300 feet of shear vertical drop. Today the wind was mild making the ocean seem lazy as the wave slowly but still fiercely crashed against the walls. The haze cast a mysterious gray across most of the cliffs, and the others were lit up colorfully by the sun. We could have stared at them for hours and hopefully we will when we visit again.

Our day ended with a sleepy ride back to Galway along the magnificent coastline. We didn’t make many stops since not much is worth noticing once you have seen the cliffs.

And thus another tour complete. What beauty there is here in Ireland.

Two more counties down...

2007-03-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday night my cousins Mike and Tom Malloy came to Galway for the night. The next morning we were to go to County Mayo, the home of our Great-Grandmother, Mary Burke and the site of the Gronell estate. We were to catch the bus to Partry a small town near the aforementioned estate and walk, hoping to find it. We had an old map and directions from family members but still weren’t sure how easy it would be. We awoke to a beautiful day (which means no rain) but we all knew not to jinx it by making a comment on the weather. We made it to Co. Mayo perfectly. The bus was easy enough as it stopped right in front of a pub in Partry. And when we went inside the bar keeper knew exactly were we were to go. A man at the bar even said, “oh yeah the Gronell Place. I know where that is…” I was filled with pride and happiness!! People in Ireland knew my family’s name like it was a local family in a small town, which actually it was for many years.

The property was about a 15 minute walk down the main road. Luckily there was a footpath and loads of sheep and other farm animals to make the trek all that more pleasing not to mention safe. The house itself is in ruins but we expected that. It had been at least 20 years since anyone had lived there. And houses like it were common all over Ireland. Small, made of stone, with what used to be thatched roofs. They were abandoned for more modern housing in Ireland or wherever people emigrated to. Back to the story…

The three of us took numerous amounts of pictures, both of the house and each other. It was a proud moment for us all as we looked at old pictures of our grandparents and realized that we were standing in those very same places. We then met Eleanor the neighbor living across the street, who happened to be going for a walk. She and her family had bought the land from my Grandmother about six years ago and she had met many of my aunts and uncles who had come to visit at one time or another.

She invited us to go to her mother in laws house which was situated next to hers and just down the road. We were on a roll as everything seemed to be working out perfectly. Maura was a delightful woman at approximately 85 years of age. She was mildly forgetful but she knew our Grandmother May Gronell and was happy to entertain us. After about thirty minutes of questions about our time in Ireland, our family and talk of the weather we all gave her a hug and proceeded on our way back to the bus stop.

On our way we took more pictures from behind the old house and of a local church that we suspected our great grandparents attended while still in Partry. One stained glass even was donated on behalf of our family.

That evening we caught a bus to Limerick for my cousin Mike’s Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. We woke up Saturday and headed to University Limerick. We thought we would take Bus Eireann but it zoomed right past us. Luckily another bus came shortly after and was headed directly to the University. We made it to the campus and were lucky enough to see a flying Frisbee appear over a hill top. Amazingly and quite randomly we had found the tournament! The pitch, consisted of three main fields with games or practice going on on each. Tom was there watching Mike get ready for his second match of the day. Cousin Mike must have talked us and our frisbee skills up because we were quickly recruited for the Cork B team (which was made up of non-students or beginner players) as soon as we got to the field. We found Tom and he became our photographer. The team was very friendly and happy to have some subs to make the game a tad bit less strenuous for everyone. They lent us shirts and everything. The game was a bit lopsided in the other teams favor but yours truly did make a diving catch that lead to our first score.

The rest of our day was spent in downtown Limerick. We toured King John’s Castle and walked around the city taking in all the shops, wonderful architecture and old buildings. The Castle was awesome as it offered a great view of the city and the Shannon River. Not to mention all the history it held. On the river there were about five kayakers playing in some rapids. Very neat to watch as they did tricks and turns to stay in a small pocket of the river that was particularly fierce.

After our sight seeing we met up with Mike, Tom and the team for dinner and trip to Riddler’s Pub, a seemingly tame place with cheaper prices than the Pubs in Galway. Eventually we made it upstairs to find the DJ and the “real party”. We didn’t know this but people from the various Frisbee teams had agreed to dress up Halloween style with the theme being video games. We saw great costumes like pacman and his ghost, two sonic the hedgehogs, the Mario brothers, and Lara Croft.

The team invited us to play again on Sunday but we decided to sleep in and head back home at our leisure. We slept in and made it just on time to the bus station to catch the bus back to Galway. All in all it was a great weekend. Full of fun people, a new city and a healthy dose of ultimate!

Tour Buses and Friendly Folks

2007-03-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

After St. Patty’s day we booked ourselves onto a bus tour (much to my chagrin at the time, since I always thought they were the epitome of touristy and avoided them like the temptation to ever say “top ‘o the mornin’ to ya”). This bus was taking us to Connemara, an area that is lovely and very rustic. Despite my stereotype of the tours, we were very excited to be getting out of Galway for a while and to get a chance to see another part of the country for more than 2 hours. We were picked up by a taxi (as part of the tour!) and boarded the bus with 32 other ‘foreigners’. I think that we were the only ones on our bus that spoke English as our primary language, which made it really fun!

We made a bunch of stops throughout the day. One of the highlights was the ruins of a famine village. There were more stone walls here than we could believe! It looked like a giant labyrinth. The village homes were very tiny one room stone houses, of which roofs were missing and often walls were collapsed or destroyed by the landlords of the homes. Many of the people were forced out of their houses and had to watch as their homes were literally ripped apart by the owners of the land if they could not pay rent. The history was incredible.

The landscape in Connemara was beautiful. Homes were sparse and there were more sheep than people in most places, which Mike and I enjoyed seeing very much. We could tell a few farmers shared some land for grazing their sheep because some of the sheep on one field would be spray painted red, while another was pink and blue!

Lakes and mountains are sprinkled throughout and cast a breathtaking view when the sun shone upon them, which to our surprise was quite often that day. Greens and deep blues scattered the landscape. I was hoping to see the reflection of the mountains in the water, but the wind was so fierce that there were actually whitecaps in the lakes. Michael really enjoyed being outside in the beauty, and being able to get a sense of this area that we will be able to share with our visitors soon.

Another highlight was the Kylemore Abbey. It was originally built by Mitchell and Margaret Henry as a castle-home for their family. He built it right on a lake, overlooking the mountains, what a life! After his death it was bought by Benedictine nuns who transformed it into a private girls’ school. They restored the gardens and church and have kept it up beautifully. We’d like to go back to see the large gardens in bloom, there is a whole herb garden and ‘herbaceous border’ and I bet it would smell like the best kitchen ever! Oh yeah and we want to go back to see the ‘Nuttery’ as well, hee hee!

We met a friendly lad named Luca, on the tour. He’s from Turino, Italy and we got a chance to talk with him a bit. After the tour we met him out for pint at Taffe’s and for “Irish” music. However, there were so many tourists from the weekend that they played more American music, to humor them, than Irish songs. Tunes like “Country Roads” and “Bridge over Troubled Waters” were sung loudly by the crowd. We were a bit embarrassed to be American at that point, and disappointed to not be hearing Irish music in Ireland… oh well the tourists seemed happy.

The next night we met Luca again for a pint, but this time it was at Monroe’s for the set dancing (see previous blog). The music was jumpin’ and so were the dancers! Luca was dying to be on the dance floor and I was joking about how serious and intimidating these dancers are from my experience watching them last week. Well, before I knew it, Luca was pushing me aside, but kept pushing and pushing until I was right beside the best dancer on the floor. Luca was standing and looking down at me as if it were our turn on the greatest carnival ride. The next thing I knew was I was being lined up and was given instructions on how to do the next dance! I quickly looked back for Michael, who was happily having a conversation in Spanish to another person we met from Spain. He beamed at me, gave me a thumbs up, and I wondered was he secretly laughing at what was to come.

After watching the dancers I knew a bit how move my feet in a triple step, and after my three second lesson (literally), I had a vague idea of when to switch partners and when to hold on for dear life during the spinning. I was so dizzy after one of the dances that I had to keep hold of my partner for fear of looking drunk and falling to the ground. Michael said that I looked great and that I looked like I knew what I was doing. It was a big advantage to have the best male dancer as my partner, and I kind of just kept my feet moving as I was pushed and pulled in figure 8’s and tight circles on the floor. It was so much fun!! Luca definitely held his own, and he was proud to have done what it seemed he had come to do. We hope to meet up with Luca again, whether it’s in Italy (as he invited us to stay with him if we are traveling) or back here or the US (as we did the same for him).

St. Patty's Day

2007-03-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Our March 17th started with a drenching rain as we walked to catch a bus downtown to watch the parade. Typical weather for the Irish holiday. The parade itself was wonderful with many schools, organization and sports clubs being represented. Some of the spectators and marchers even wore kilts but most wore green and with a shamrock somewhere, usually in the form of face paint, sticker or funny head piece. We wore green but didn’t have the luxury of additional flare as we were limited to the number of bags we could take on the plane over here :)

We took an umbrella as well but quickly learned that they were useless as the wind swirled so much that you never knew at which angle the rain would be attacking you from. And ours went inside out so many times we would have been just as well with a colander over our heads.

After the parade had sufficiently drenched us, we tried to find a not-packed pub to watch the rugby match in and to dry off a bit, which proved to be a difficult feat not only cause of the holiday but because it was the final rugby matches to determine who wins the Grand Slam. Eventually we found The Hole in the Wall. That’s the pub’s name, no joke, but it wasn’t as small as you might think. It even offered stools and a near by fire so we were in good shape. Ireland won the match in convincing fashion but everyone was on edge to see how the French team would fair because the teams were tied for number of games won, and the team with the greatest point differential would win the coveted Grand Slam. All was well until France scored late in the match on a highly contested try to steal the Grand Slam by a measly 2 points. The refs were being called all sorts of bad names across the country. I have a feeling all the fans drowned their sorrows in a few more pints but we opted for dinner and music at our next destination.

Dinner was unique as all the Irish restaurants were full with long waits so we ended up eating at an Indian restaurant. I know, not what you expected, but it was a place we had wanted to try, and only try once… pretty disappointing, we should have waited in a line.

We then moved on to the Crane Bar, which was having free “trad sessions” all day. That meant that they had random people lined up to play acoustically which is tough to hear with loud drunk people all around not so interested in the music. It was fun when random people joined in singing traditional songs. They were good but it was lacking the pep we had experienced in our other trad listening adventures.

I hope we're not disappointing everyone with the lack of flare and extravagance that was this St. Patty’s day, but we realized that American’s celebrate with just as much excitement and partying, and even more so because they get to pretend they’re Irish for a day… while here, well, they never get to pretend.

I’m rather happy and full as I report that Michael has tried his hand at another Irish meal. Tonight was corned beef and cabbage and it was bowl-lickin’ good, literally! It’s very handy to have the culture living right with you (Colm, our landlord) to tell you the history and “real” way to make it. The Irish don’t actually have it all the time on St. Patty’s day like we in America think they do, and in fact a more common dish here is bacon and cabbage. There you have it, and how was YOUR St. Patty’s day, we’d love to hear the American (or British or German or African… wherever you maybe reading this) version!

Move over Michael Flatley

2007-03-15T16:44:00.000-05:00

Every Tuesday night, at Monroe’s Pub on Lower Dominic St, the dance floor is open and a handful of set dancers come out to show there stuff. The music is upbeat and the place is packed with the dancers on center stage. Now to an American it looks like a combination of country line dancing and square dancing and indeed it is. After talking to a native I found that both American dances have origins in set dancing tradition.

The dance itself has about 4-5 varieties depending on the song played. Most of the time there were two groups of 8 people doing variations of spins, circle dances and partner switching. The whole scene is lively and you can tell that the dancers are getting a work out. We didn’t try to dance ourselves, even though Christina, was dying to be part of the craic. We merely watched, but we might look into trying to learn if we can find a class or someone to teach us a little. Our housemate, Collim, has an 8 year old daughter who does Irish dancing, Christina may see if she could get free lessons.

During the course of the evening we met one of the girls who had been dancing. Orla and her Fiance Joe were fun people who were more than happy to chat it up about dancing, life in Galway and the like. All in all the evening was “grand”!Good drink, good dancing, and most of all good craic. We’re definitely going to check that out more often

Weekend Rambles

2007-03-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

The weekend started by a trip to the farmers market. Held every Saturday just off Shop Street in downtown Galway, it hosts farmers selling locally grown and organic produce and so much more. There are also loads of other booths including a cheese monger, a purses and jewelry guy, hand made pottery, and various food stands, namely falafel. I had been craving one of these Middle Eastern delights ever since we arrived but either I wasn’t hungry (imagine that) or the line was 20 people long. But this day I was not to be denied as there wasn’t a line to be seen. It was worth the wait. Toasted pita, fresh veggies, creamy tahini sauce, spicy chickpea patties. Yum! After I ate my treat it was time to take in more of the market and make our way towards a pub to watch the rugby match.

Eventually we ended up at The Kings Head to watch the match vs. Scotland. This time Ireland squeaked it out at 19-18. It was back and forth but with less than 10 minutes to go Ireland took the lead for good. And for those who have been following the 6 Nations Tournament, France lost so now we have a chance at the Grand Slam! (Which means winning the whole shebang). Going into the last set of matches, it’s a tie with England France and Ireland all with one loss. The tie breaker is total points in which we are only 4 behind France. We play Italy, this Saturday, St Patrick’s Day, so if we do well we might have a chance to win it all!! And on St Patrick’s Day no less!

Sunday was a bit different as there were no pubs and definitely no falafel. We took the bus south to Co. Claire. We tried, tried being the operative word, to see The Burren, a beautiful limestone rock formation with numerous trails and interesting plant life. We made it on the bus ok but we didn't have enough time to see The Burren as the Sunday bus schedule limits us to a measly 2 ½ hours pretty much where ever we would choose to go. Well this trip went wrong in so many ways! We got dropped off in Ballyvaughn, a very thoughtfully planned out place because from our books this is in the heart of the Burren, and there is a great exploratory center only ¼ of a mile away! We got off the bus in the continual rain and asked at the information station (which was a miracle in itself to see because it wound up being pretty much a one road town) and got informed that that center is no longer there. Ah, of course. Surely there is a way to hike through this Burren, being in the heart of it after all, and being able to see its presence all around us on all the hills- imagine hill after hill of what looked like stacked rectangularly shaped stones, as if they were planned and placed there… certainly the land wouldn’t just be formed that way with such lush green fields all around, but yes that is the mystery and beauty of the Burren. Well, all those hills were someone’s farm and property, which made sense why they were sheep and cows attempting to graze on some of those stones. We were then informed that we could take the Burren walk that would EVENTUALLY take us through some of that stone work we want to see. But we only had 2 ½ hours and this walk was about 3 miles just to the first hill top. We then decided to forego that walk and try a closer, albeit more touristy, cave instead. We were told it would be 2 km. away, very walkable, however, it wound up being closer to 4 km one way, and remember, all in the rain, by foot with no “footpaths” and mud everywhere. We never made it because we had to get back for the ONLY bus that would take us back to Galway, so we ended up with a tour of the countryside and a chance to see some sheep close up. It rained all day and we didn't see what we set out to see but actually it was a lot of fun. We definitely had to adjust our attitude at times towards the whole thing, but in hindsight, it was just neat to start our exploration of the rest of the country. We have plans to go back already but this time we will spend the night nearby so we have the whole day to hike and explore… in the right place.

Mike’s Turn

2007-03-07T15:58:00.000-05:00

I know everyone has been enjoying Christina’s blog entries but I wanted to write one of my own for a change.

How to summarize life in Galway… My days during the week started of a tad bit less exciting than Christina’s but that has begun to change. I started by looking at the internet and local paper searching for jobs. I learned about what was available and what I might be able to do. You see I am an eligible spouse which means that I need a work permit of my own but because I am already in the country and my wife has a work permit they try to make it easier for me to get that permit. They don’t have to advertise the job within the EU and I don’t think we have to pay the 500 Euro fee. Keep your fingers crossed about that! So all that being said some companies are not interested in me right off the bat because they don’t have to go through the hassle when they can hire a regular Irish citizen. So now more than ever I need to stand out! So now a few weeks later I have some applications sent in and a few interviews lined up and hopefully those will all go well.

To supplement my time I have begun volunteering. So far at only one place, Enable Ireland, but hopefully more assuming I don’t get one of these jobs. Enable Ireland operates a thrift shop to raise money for children with disabilities. I sort clothes, price them and send them upstairs to be bought. Its tedious work but the staff and other volunteers are fun and it’s great to meet new people. We take a tea break and we chat it up about everything from Rugby to why we moved to Galway. The other site I am interested in volunteering with is Community Catering which is similar to Meals on Wheels and the work I did at Café 458. I have been disappointed though as they have not returned my calls or emails.

We are also looking into joining a hiking or outdoors club as they would be a great chance for us to meet people with similar interests. So far it’s still just an idea as we haven’t found a group yet.

Well I am off to another interview tomorrow. Wish me luck…

Our Surroundings

2007-03-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

We havn't posted in a while because we're having trouble viewing our own blog... grrr.. that problem still isn't fixed but at least you all can see and read what we're up to.

We had the craic (please refer to blog #1 for information on this excellent phrase) this weekend! The most talked about rugby game was being played on Saturday. Ireland v. England in Croke park (which has historically ONLY held matches of Gaelic sports- Hurling and Gaelic football) and was named after the Archbishop Croke. It’s a big deal for them to allow rugby to be played there after Bloody Sunday in 1920. One of the biggest controversies was over the British singing “God Save the Queen” There was a lot of buzz about this going around and we couldn’t wait to be apart of it. We got some info about some good places to watch the match and the #1 places was the King’s Head which is where we watched the match the first weekend we were here and we wanted to check out a new place. We went to the Skeff Bar on Eyre Square PLENTY early- we were told to get there 2-3 hours early because of the crowd of people that will be there. We got there at “half 2” (2:30) and the game didn’t start till half 5!! We had lots of nibbling and drinking to do. We kept ourselves merry watching the Scotland v. Italy rugby match before hand- Italy spanked ‘em!! GO ITALY! By half 4 the place started to fill up, all the seats were taken and people started to crowd around any inch of a table that was slightly open. A friendly bloke found a stool and sat next to us and he wound up being our personal rugby informant- very helpful and VERY enthusiastic about the game! During the game there were cheers abounding, shouts of joy and songs to go along with just about every good thing that happened to Ireland, or bad thing that happened to England. We couldn’t quite understand what they were singing except for this one where they kept singing “Cheerio” to the tune of “stars and stripes forever” as we know it. Well it was a great victory for all Irish with a 43-13 win! People were crowding the streets with Irish flags, cheering and talking only and all about the match! It was unbelievable!

Sunday turned out to be so beautiful so we spent all day just biking and walking along the shoreline and the "sea" as they call the bay. We checked out some wind surfers who looked like they were taking a beating from the gusts the Ocean brings in. The shore line changes so quickly from being boardwalky to rugged to farmlandy all within about 2 miles. We found a driving range to keep up our golfing skills, a trailor park and some mini cliffs which you can see in the pictures to the right. We had a great time finding our own way around, but welcomed some advice from a worm scavenger (people pay 1 Euro per worm for fishing!! geez!) on how to best to get to the cliff we eventually walked along. It was a beautiful albeit grayish view out to sea from there but so very refreshing to be at the water after 3 years of landlocked life in Atlanta.

We trekked back to the sea this weekend as well and continued on to Barna Woods. It had a very green, almost rainforesty feel to it. We walked into the trees and we instantly were struck by the contrast of the deep browns of the mud and wet bark to the rich green of the moss on just about ever living and non-living surface you could see. The moss covered almost every rock, and there were tons of them, so it looked like fuzzy little aliens in hiding just waiting to pop up and scramble around. We were definitely reminded of Lord of the Rings scenery.

We were foiled by the weather Sunday. We had planned our first day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. We researche the bus schedule and had everything checked up on. When i woke up on Sunday to the sounds of rain smashing up against our window by gusts of wind that must have been about 40 mph, i thought of Michael and i standing at the edge of the Cliffs, which have no railings, and imaging being uprooted by the wind and tumbling the 300 m. to the picturesque sea below and thinking... hmm.. i think this isn't the ideal day for this trip. We sadly lay in bed thinking of what else we could do today. Time passed to when we should have gotten on the bus and wouldn't you know it about 5 minutes later the sun was so bright our room was filled with it and the curtains were closed! The weather here is as moody as a high school girl with PMS. We learned our lesson and are not letting the weather change our plans next weekend!

The house that we're living in is now full. We have a new flat mate, Paddy. He's a friendly bloke and will be living up stairs. I'm glad that we like everyone that we're living with. Even the cats here are more friendly, we have one that comes around and dispite the sneezing fits that could ensue, i can't help petting her beautiful striped fur. She's nudges your hand when you stop petting and lays her head in your lap in total relaxation like a dog. I think thats why i like her so much.

I'm slowly getting more and more confident at work. Having a student given to me for the last 2 weeks of his placement helped a bit since he knows more about the system than i do. Its a symbiotic relationship really- i teach him about treatments and documentation and he teaches me about the practical things about the hospital and the irish health system.
Michael has 2 more interviews this week, both of which seem more promising than the last few. Friday he went on a day long "second interview" for a sales position. He went door to door with the sales woman. They were selling products like Desperate Housewife board games, craptastic game boy wanna-be's and make up kits. The products were all knowingly poorly made and just about useless. His hours would have been half 7 to half 7! We decided he'd have to sell his soul to do this job with a clear conscience. He didn't take the job. Hopefully these next 2 jobs will not require a sold soul, keep your fingers crossed.

Let us know if you get Skype- we'd love to talk!

psssssssssss.....

2007-02-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

PSSSsssss..... That's the sound i THOUGHT i would have heard one morning... let me explain. It was a lovely, everyday morning as i got ready for work. The sky was actually not TOTALLY filled with clouds (which means it could be a beautiful next couple of minutes) so i was so happy to get a clearer morning to ride into work. As i geared up with my waterproofs (those boy scouts must have started in Ireland, you really DO need to always be prepared) i got on my bike and started to go. I felt pretty sluggish and although i kept changing to lower and lower (easier) gears my thighs were burning, and that was just on flat road. "my thighs must still be sore from yesterday" was my thought. But when i finally reached my favorite part, the downhill, i was STILL Having to pedal!!! What is the deal!? I got off my bike at the bottom of the hill thinking maybe my brakes were locked up, maybe something has rusted in the salty air. I finally realized it- my back tire was flat flat flat! Ah. Well.... look at the bright side, the cloud cover doesn't look too ominous. I started down the footpath feeling completely self-conscious of people watching the dork who doesn't realize to RIDE her bike, but to walk along with it like a friend keeping her company, i was wishing there was a sign following me saying "FLAT TIRE! give me a ride!" Well the cloud covering, as it always does, finally gave way and i was pretty wet when i finally made it to work. Oh the adventures of being a non-gas guzzling commuter.

Michael and I went to get our PPS # (equivalent to a social security #) so that i can get paid. It just so happens that it of course will take 2-3 weeks for them to mail us our #'s. As things go, i won't get paid for quite a while. Things are pretty inefficient here, not like the German's for sure! It seems that if someone is off on holiday, or off sick, their job isn't covered, no one else steps in, you just have to wait for them to come back. Like my ID badge which you can only get 2 times a week between 2 hours each of those days. I'm trying to get use to that, but its harder than i thought to be patient! (even after all we've been through to get here.)

Its the first Friday of lent and so instead of eatting meat tonight, Michael and i went out for FISH AND CHIPS!! yum!! We found the best place for them in Galway which was unanimously McDonagh's Seafood house. We loved it, grease and all! They serve them with vinager and then you can buy dips: curry, tartar, ketchup or mushy peas (Eileen- your fave!). It got packed in there, it was certainly a local favorite. After walking around Shop street checking out the fine food stores carrying lots of cheeses and wines we found ourselves at Monroe's Tavern with a pint an excellent cover band. Although they were Irish, they played everything from Blue's Traveler to the Beatles to Dave Matthews and Bob Dylan. We had the Craic!

Tomorrow is the HUGE deal rugby match- Ireland vs. England at Croake Park. This is the first year EVER, sports besides gaelic sports are being played there. Also this is the first time since England played there in 1919 and 14 Irish were shot down by the English military. There's hostility, excitement and suspense all around. We're hoping to get a seat a pub, but we have been told to get there like 3 hours early!

By the way, i've made it up that hill without stopping many times, however the butt and thighs are still going through the burn baby burn phase!

Settling In

2007-02-18T12:58:00.000-05:00

Our big task of finding accommodations is finally completed. We did not get our first choice, which was an apartment of our own. All of the apartments that were decent that were 2 or even 1 bedroom were €800 and up and if they were less, we didn’t think we could tolerate them for a year for reasons like they had kitchens in little closets, or the room was the size of the bed. Before we left we thought €800 would be affordable, but we realized how much traveling would be costing and how important that is to us and we so we chose the less expensive path. So we’re now residing in a “double en suite”, which means we’re renting a room with a full sized bed and a bathroom (with shower) attached to our room so it will only be us using, that which is nice. The house that we’re renting the room in is a “semi-detached” house with 2 other bedrooms, a really nice kitchen, our own small fridge/freezer, a living room with a working fireplace that I think we’ll actually get to use, a washer and dryer, and small closed in back yard (like a small Brooklyn sized one) where we could safely keep our bikes, if not inside. The man, Collim, who we’re renting from, is a nice, quiet man who said he won’t be around too much and that we can use anything in the house. The area is interesting- it’s a development and all the houses look the same. It’s very safe feeling, but not at all like what I imagine a neighborhood to look like in Ireland. However, right across the road from the development is very “Ireland looking”. Grassy and rocky with short stone walls everywhere, hilly and smelling of cows. I really like having that so close by to keep me feeling like I’m actually in Ireland. We moved in Sunday, and a friend of mine from work, Carmel, helped us out since she has a car and biking with 4 suitcases would have been hellish! It’s actually not too far from our first place,which is good since it took us 2 trips to schlep all our stuff over. The other nice things is that it will only take me about 10 minutes to bike to work and probably close to 20 to get home since it’s up a pretty steep hill, and right now I have to stop ½ way to ease the burning in my thighs. My goal is to be able to do it without stopping in a month.

First week of work went really well. It was gradually less overwhelming. However the differences have not ceased to surprise and shock me at times. Partly it’s that this hospital seems behind the times with things in general, and then the same with OT. Things like the fact that we only have about 8 wheelchairs to choose from to loan and test out with patients (when we could really use about 50), or that the wait list for patients to see a community OT is about 18 months. There just isn’t enough… anything to go around it seems. There needs to be about another 500 OTs to make things run smoother through out the system. Anyway, I got to see 3 patients on my own on Friday and that really helped me to understand everything, just getting my hand in things. Each patient was pretty different- one I did a home assessment with and then order equipment for safety in the bathroom, one I did a cognitive assessment with, and the third was a determined but VERY heavy duty patient who had had a stroke, he was pretty challenging, and so was his family but it was nice to actually physically be treating patients again.

Michael made a few connections around the city, put in a bunch of applications and refined his CV (resume) once again to fit Irish standards. He went on his first interview on Friday, which he biked to and it took about 30-40 one way! He’s a biking stud! It went well but the logistics of his work permit still need to worked out. We think we understand what he has to do, but it’s going to be a pain in the butt. Internet access at our new accommodation should really decrease the stress of him going from one internet source to another trying to get everything done. His legs are so sore from biking around all day long! There’s a question about whether the €500 fee for the work permit will apply to him but if it does, you can pray for the employer to be willing to pay for it as mine did especially since most of the places he’s looking into are non-profits (which they call ‘charities’ here).

We got initiated into pub life on Friday night! Carmel invited us out to a pub called Front Door, where we met her with her fiancé and a bunch of her friends from all over Ireland and even 2 from the States (she had some visitors this weekend). It was a blast being in a large, jam-packed, boisterous pub with a bunch of extremely friendly, generous strangers who were quick to find out what we like to drink. Pints are much larger than they seem, but we didn’t realize that till after we finished them. Michael did a great job of keeping up the Irish tradition of buying rounds for the people you’re with. Everyone we met was hysterical, crazy and made our first pub experience unforgettable. I was educated on how to get yourself to like Guinness- just drink LOTS of it and eventually you won’t be able to stop…. Great. We are continually being recommended to other pubs for one thing or another so we’ve got a long list to check out, and that’s just in Galway! If you come to visit we’ll take to our favorite ones!

Until next time- Sláinte (slawn-cha)- Cheers!

Livin' the life

2007-02-13T09:14:00.000-05:00

I started work on Monday wearin' my bottle green outfit from the 5'10" woman. It was about a foot too long so i had to roll up the pants from both ends to keep it from looking ridiculous, other wise it wasn't so bad since i was surrounded by about 7 others in the same uniform. I was so busy on Monday learning the different wards and the charts, paper work, where to go for our coffee/tea break at about 10 every day and about OT equipment and all of that. There is so much to learn, but once i really get my feet wet i think i'll be fine. The documentation is SOO different. its a lot easier and a lot less. We are responsible for a whole lot more though. We do all the wheelchair fittings, all the equipment orders even if its nursing stuff like mattresses or IV stuff. We do a lot of contact with community OTs and nurses which is good and we see people in EVERY part of the hospital (ICU to the emergency room, to oncology patients to the geriatric population) . The tricky part is that most of these patients are not organized in a certain ward so we just go all over the hospital to see what ever area we're 'specialized' in. I'm supposed to be medical/ surgical. Anyway, so far so good. Oh and the people i work with are so lovely!

Mike and i got bikes yesterday and we're ridin' fools. we had our first event in the rain today going to get ourselves registered with immigration which wasn't as bad as we thought. The next task we had today was to go to get our Irish Social Security numbers which is much more of a hassle. We thought we had everything but we need something a bit different which hopefully won't take long to get. But the bikes are a blessing cause its really cutting down on travel time (which is great when its raining) even though our butts are really sore already.

Please pray for us about getting accomodation. We will be getting a long list of postings for 'lettings' tomorrow and will be searching for the right one for the right price. its my biggest source of anxiety right now! It would be ideal for us to have our own place but we're getting ourselves ready for sharing a room somewhere if we have to. We just hope we find something by Sunday since that is when our 'lease' is up at this place, even though we think we can extend it a bit. We're just ready to know where we'll be staying for a year so we can finally unpack and 'move in'.

We got cell phones and it has been very helpful to have them although we didnt really seem to miss not having them when we didn't... oh well. We'll post our numbers later if anyone is so ambitious to call us.

We love you!!

Day 2 of Galway fun

2007-02-10T07:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was one LONG day of thursday just melding into Friday, we slept a bit on the plane but it was not quality even though we each had 3 seats to ourselves. We slept as well as we could. Our flight was a bit delayed, but thanks a million to Uncle Tommy who got us out MUCH faster than we would have otherwise. The pilot actually said at one point "somethings are going our way and we're 2nd in line to take off now" mike and i just looked at each other and smiled knowing that most likey was Uncle Tommy's air traffic controller connections!

Yesterday we kinda flew through customs and got on the first bus to Galway at 7:55, it left right on time. we got into galway at 9:45 and took a taxi to the University College Hospital (UCH) where i'm working. We meet up with Colette, the woman in HR there, and she got us squared away with our luggage and then we picked up a few groceries and then set up a bank account and then met with Pauline and this all was done walking and before 12:00... it was an absolute whirlwind and totally exhausting for 2 people that just flew from JFK! Well i met some of the OT's and the saw the department. Pauline is letting me borrow here bottle green uniform.. should be amusing as she is about 5' 10". we'll see on monday

Colette took us to our new place. We schlepped our luggage to her teeny little car and literally shoved our luggage into her trunk and back seat. Poor mike was stuck in the back with bags surrounding him, he couldn't move if he wanted to. Then i proceded to open the passenger door when Colette said "you're gonna be drivin' are ya?". ooooh yeah... the cars are opposite here. oops. We finally found our little 3 bedroom town house like place. The carpet is really loud and hideous, i'm way taller than the fridge and the bathroom shower has this little 1/2 wall screen to keep the water from spraying out. Our kitchen table is even decked out with a Guinness table cloth! Well the good thing is that its about a 10 min walk to work for me.

After crashing we walked through the city and found ourselves in a bar with traditional music playing. We felt really out of place everywhere and felt like we had no idea how to do anything, but it was still fun and we had some drinks and then found a restaraunt and mike had fish and chips and i had this great fishermans bake, it was like a glorified shephard's pie with fish and delish veggies topped with mash!

our legs were exhausted last night and we crashed! This morning we're doing it all over, we're looking for bikes and cell phones to call each other. Mike's mission on monday is to find a new place to live, a place to work and maybe go grocery shopping a bit more.

We're only able to use the internet cafe right now since we don't have WiFi at our place and don't know where to find a plce to use our laptop yet. So we don't know how often we'll be able to write for now.

We love you all!!

Here we go!

2007-02-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

Sigh and Phew! It is so true that our plan and God's plan will very often be two very different things. Once again, what we had planned to happen with this trip has not worked out exactly, but just enough to keep us guess, anxious and nervous as all get out!

My work permit was supposed to reach us via FedEx on Monday before 10:30, especially since i was told that it was picked up on Friday in Ireland. However, i was later updated that it was NOT picked up on Friday by FedEx because you know... its Friday, and people don't like to work late on Fridays... and we would have to wait until Wednesday to receive it. Ok... now that was cutting it close. We already arranged our flight to leave from JFK on Thursday at 7:10 and if the work permit was late by a day, oh geez. Our (mostly meaning my) stomachs were in big bally tied up gnarly knots on Wednesday morning. You see, at this point we had decided to leave for Brooklyn on Wednesday around 10:00 to make it to Grimaldi's (the world's best pizza, conveniently located beneath the Brooklyn Bridge) around 12:00 and meet my Brooklyn residing Aunty Am there so that she could then take us to JFK, leisurly enough, on Thrusday. Sooooo, having our last breakfast in PA with Mike's parents was so anxiety ridden that i thought the oatmeal was going to come back up. 9:00 past, 9:45 past, 10:00 was here and i just couldn't take it! I got on the Phone with FedEx about to plead and tell them over the phone that i was on my knees, all this time praying that God would miraculously take away my anxiety and let me actually enjoy this anticipation of moving to another country. It was at that moment in the midst of my prayer that i saw the FedEx truck stroll down the country road. I hung up the phone on someone mid-sentence, scream "THE FED-EX TRUCK IS HERE!" and ran to put my sneakers on, knowing fully well that Mike's parents don't have numbers or a mailbox to denote thier driveway. I grabbed my coat and started to race down the icy driveway to catch the truck as i imagined it driving right past the non-marked driveway. This time I was praying that i wouldn't break a bone and cause myself more delay being casted up in a hospital some where. It was then that i saw the glorious, white, orange and purple truck with an angel in the driver's seat coming straight for me. He handed me my work permit, i told him he saved my life and thanked him profusely for doing his job on time and celebrated with jumps and hugs with Michael and his mom.

Phew.... and i thought the SAT's were stressful.

Needless to say, Grimaldi's was incredible, the last good pizza we'll have for a year. And we have finally been able to really get excited about this whole thing. There is nothing stopping us!
We know where to go once we get there, we have a cool house to stay at for 9 days and we're going to be meeting the people we've been corresponding with for 2 months at long last on Friday morning! ITS GOING TO BE GREAT!!!!
Next stop- Shannon Airport!

THE GOLDEN TICKET

2007-02-02T09:50:00.000-05:00

Its almost surreal, but my work permit is in transit to us as I type today! The woman in human resources at the hospital emailed me this morning that she FedEx-ed it today! Its been a VERY long time coming. We have had to be more patient than ever. And of course, this has not quite been the plan that was laid out in a little brains 10 months ago. Either way, Michael and I will be leaving the US from JFK on Thrusday the 8th at 7:10 pm and getting in the next morning the 9th at Shannon Airport at 6:10 am. Its really happening.... WOW!!

I have gotten some fun details from my new supervisor, Pauline, about some things for when we get there. Ok, so i'll be wearing a really cute, just-my-color uniform, to work: bottle green trowsers and white tunic/poloshirt/ blouse with bottle green trim. I mean really, who doesn't LOVE bottle green. I'm surprised its not "Guinness Brown" that we have to wear. Also we may have a really fun 3 bedroom semi-detached, furnished house to stay in temporarily until we find our own phat pad! Housing is really expensive so we will most likely wind up in a small one bedroom apartment with hopefully something larger than a twin bed.

Well, we have a ton to do around here... packing a trip for a year is no small feat. We also have to bring every small piece of important documentation you can think of from our birth certificates to a reference letter from our previous landlords... oh boy!

Keep happy thoughts about all this in your head for us, specifically that we definitely get the work permit on Monday. That we don't forget to pack anything crucial. That all transportation goes well. That packing and all this isn't too stressful. And, of course, that i really DO look cute in bottle green.

Waiting Game

2007-01-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone-

Well the good news is that I no longer have to apply for a work visa to work in Ireland.... that process was crazy anyhow. After much research, many calls and pulling about 1/4 of my hair out I finally figured out just what it is that I DO have to do to work in Ireland. You see, once it became a new ,Ireland decided to revamp their entire process of getting people into the country to work. To learn this new process has NOT been easy, you see, for a while, the Irish themselves didn't even know it. So, I was sent to the same 3 websites by 4 different people for the information, however all 3 had the same NON-UPDATED, WRONG information. And no one on the phone had any clue of what i had to do, apparently the website knows all. Well... i was finally told that now i have to apply for a work permit. So most of the things i hunted in a panic for, the things i drove to my Alma mater to get, and the stuff my parents lovingly turned their house upside down to find all turned out to be not at all needed for this new application process. aaaah well.... 'tis in the past.

I have officially applied for my work permit as of Thursday the 4th and now its just the waiting game of up to 4 weeks for everything to get processed. More relaxation, emails, reading and trying to make ourselves useful around here at Mike's parents house.

Lessons to be learned: look on the bright side, stay organized, do what you gotta do, and stay around calm and optimistic people when you have to do all these things that will inevitably make you insane at least for short periods of time.

Thanks everyone for helping to keep us sane!

2006-12-28T22:11:00.000-05:00

Ireland!? Why are you going? How are you getting to go?? What are you going to do there? Why IRELAND?

That's what you're thinking, or have thunk at some point right? Well... let us tell you:
warning: we thought talking in the 3rd person would make our story easier to follow.

Yes its true, Michael and Christina are going to Ireland for a year. Christina found a program that finds jobs in other English speaking countries for Occupational Therapists. Out of the 5 choices of countries we choose Ireland. A year of experiencing a new culture and traveling in Europe and drinking Guinness and learning that 'crack' really is fun! (Crack in Ireland means: fun, enjoyment, abandonment, or lighthearted mischief; and sometimes in the context of drinking or music).

So, Christina will be an Occupational Therapist at the University College Hospital Galway (yeah, i know it seems like the name makes no sense) in Galway City, in County Galway on the very western coast of Ireland. As for Michael, he is still searching for a job in pretty much anything... he's good at so much, as long as he's with people he'll be great!

We're hoping to leaving as soon as possible, but applying for a work visa in Ireland is a bit tricky and requires really strange things like more pictures of me (not showing teeth), a letter from my college saying that i really went there, my thoughts on catching a leprechaun and a 3 paragraph essay on why Guinness is the best beer.... Please keep your prayers focused for now on the work visa coming through as soon and as smoothly as possible. As soon as it does we'll be on our way across the pond to the Emerald Isle!

We really can't wait! For now we're enjoying some relaxation in Pennsylvania with Mike's parents after moving from our beloved Atlanta and our amazing friends there. We miss it a LOT, but are ready for our adventures that lie ahead!