A visit to Cave Hill

These are some photos from our walk up Cave Hill back in Dec.  Cave Hill overlooks Belfast and if you look at the outline of the mountain you can see the giant's face.  Cave Hill was the inspiration for the giant in the mountain in Gulliver's Travels... at least that's what I am told.   Also, it is where the Kings and Queens of Ulster were crowned as they overlooked their kingdom.  Fortunately, it was a really lovely day for a walk, and I wasn't wearing any royal regalia.

Christmas

As usual I am way behind with my blog... sorry!

Here are some photos from Christmas.  We had a very quiet holiday, just hanging around and enjoying the time Kev had away from work.  In these photos you will see the icky Christmas Pudding.  Obviously I didn't eat any, but its something he loves so we got it.  Its this brown spongy cake with pretty much any and every fruit you can think of.

The holidays here are similar to home, aside from the pudding, the only difference being not as much snow and we have crackers at the table.  By crackers I mean the foil things you pull apart to get the prize inside, not the crackers you eat when you have an upset stomach... although those could be useful as well at the holidays.

More Christmas Photos

I went downtown with Kev (he has the only working camera at the moment, as a result of my move, I've lost mine) and we had dinner at the Continental Market on the lawn of City Hall and took some photos of the lights for you all.  The market is open every year from the end of Nov to the end of Dec and has food and gift stalls.  Not everything is homemade, but the food is!  Its a great little market, and it is always packed.

Glenariff Park and Bushmills Distellery

On Saturday we decided to take a chance with the weather and head up the Coastal Route to Glenariff Park.  Glenariff waterfall walk, which was where we were headed, opened 80 years ago and is a 3 mile path.  It is one of the toughest 3 mile paths I've ever walked.  You start at the top of a hill and walk down into the valley.  Not too tough, but then you walk uphill back out.  You have to pay attention to the signs in the park, otherwise you could end up hiking a mountain ridge without realizing you're heading the wrong direction.  The place is known as the 'gateway to the Glens' or 'Queen of the Glens' and has absolutely stunning views.  It does have one of those park center/exhibition things, but it is only open Easter to October, so we didn't get to see that.  

After that we headed on to Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills (what a coincidence!).  Bushmills is celebrating its 400 yr birthday this year, having received its "license to distill" in 1608.  It is the worlds oldest distillery and has been in the same location all that time.  They have had at least 2 fires that have burnt the place to the ground, only to rebuild and start again.  They are working on some of the buildings at the moment so we didn't get to see the actual distilling area and on our way to the bottling plant the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate.  We were given the option to go and finish the tour, but Kev and I decided to just head to the bar for our free sample of whiskey.  Because of the cold, the bar tender was also giving out free Hot Toddies!  The tour was lively and educational, but pictures were strictly prohibited.  

It was a long day, but well worth the travels along the Coastal Route.  Its some of the most beautiful scenery that I've seen, and you can see Scotland from here on a good day.

Ice Hockey, Giant's Style

Friday Kev took me to see the Belfast Giants play hockey against the Sheffield Steelers in the Odyssey Arena.  I wasn't even aware Belfast had a hockey team, let alone that they were actually good.  Second in their league!  We had fantastic seats, 3 rows off the ice.  The stadium was far from crowded, but the fans that were there were true followers and supporters.  

The Giants won in overtime, they played 5 min of regulation time and then won the shoot off.  Other things that were interesting...

1.  You know how they launch t-shirts out of air guns at most sporting events?  Well here the Subway Sandwich man launches 12 inch sandwiches out of the gun.  Go figure.

2.  Their mascot is a gorilla.  

3.  They're named the Giants after Giants Causeway and the Giant sleeping in cave hill who was the inspiration for Gulliver's Travels.

Christmas Lights in Belfast

On Tuesday Belfast City turned on the Christmas lights!  I met Kev after work and we went in town to see the show.  There was Scooby-Doo, Hollyoaks (a soap show) actor Gerard McCarthy, Olympic medalists Wendy Houvenaghel (I googled her, she is a cyclist) and medal winner Paddy Barnes (boxing), as well as X-Factor finalists Same Difference from last years X-Factor.  It also marked the opening of the Christmas Continental Market which has sprung up on City Hall's front lawn.  The market has food, crafts and all kinds of goodies from everywhere.  There were loads of people downtown for this.  I wasn't a big fan of Same Difference, but the kids that were out seemed to like them. X-Factor is Simon Cowell's brain child here, like our American Idol, Leona Lewis was last years winner.   I don't have any pictures, will get some soon.  But below is a clip I found on YouTube from CityBeat (a radio station here) of the countdown and lights getting turned on. 

Holestone

So this weekend Kev took me somewhere I would never have known to go, the Holestone.  Located out in the countryside in Antrim.  Its a monolith from the Bronze Age and it sits in the middle of a field on a little hill.  County rules folks, remember to close the gate as you are walking in someone's pasture.  Inside there's a sign that tells you about the Holestone and the legend behind it.  No one knows why the 10cm hole is cut into the middle of the stone, but it's believed to be a Celtic stone that people came to when they were looking for love and happiness.  Tradition is that the woman sticks her hand through (don't worry, I checked for spiders before I did that) and then the man takes her had and by doing they are "married" or as Kev said, "you're stuck with me now love!"  

The Holestone- NI Tourist Board

Royal Irish Regiment Parade

There was a lot of controversy here not too long ago over a homecoming parade for the Royal Irish Regiment. They are part of the British Army based here in Belfast and have just come back from the Middle East. There was a counter-march at the same time as this parade, but I wanted to see the parade so I missed the counter-march.  In these pics you'll see the guys marching in past City Hall.  It was one of the shortest marches I have ever seen.  They were not allowed to march armed or have a fly-over like they had intended.  They weren't allowed to do this because it would be viewed as a threat and a show if military strength by Nationalist and Republican groups.  Some of the people I know from Uni were at the counter-march, and said there were a few times where it could have "kicked-off" but for the most part it stayed under control.  After the parades were done, town was dead.  Everyone left, so I did some Christmas shopping. :)

Quantum of Solace!

Good Movie!

Kev and I didn't have much to do on Halloween (or anything we really felt like doing that evening) and in order to avoid the trick-or-treat clans (we didn't have any candy either) we decided to go see the new James Bond movie.

The only theater with seating available was at the Odyssey and it was a VIP theater... oh la la!  No idea what this meant other than it cost a bit more and we got free popcorn and drink refills.  But when we walked in and sat down, we were sold.  The chairs were Lazy-boy-esque with (faux) leather, leg rests and a back that reclined.  The few extra quid really paid off! Oh yah, and the movie was pretty good too.

After that we went to the Joymount Arms in Carrickfergus.  It was a very good meal, for a very good price.  Not a bad Halloween.

Pumpkin Pie and the Apartment

Our apartment is lovely.  Below are some views from our living room.

Its about a 10 min walk from the train station and the train has me into the city within 20 min.  Its actually an easier commute than I had in DC.  The layout is different than any other apartment that I have ever lived in.  I think this may have been a house that was gutted and set up as 4 apartments.  When you come into the apartment, you walk up the stairs and on the right is a door leading to the main hallway.  Off of this hallway there are 2 bedrooms, one bath (the other is an ensuite) and at the end of the hall is the living room kitchen.  Everything is great.  My only complaint is that I believe I have now encountered the worlds smallest washer/dryer.  It is one machine, a washer/dryer combo, and it can only was about 4 kg of clothes at a time.  4 kg= 3 –5 shirts, some socks, underwear,  maybe a pair of pants.  So, it’s a slow process, but it’s a step up from having to put quarters in the machine.

I made Pumpkin Pie not too long ago for Kev and friends to try.  Everyone's first reaction is something along the lines of "Pumpkin Pie? Why would you eat that?! Thats disgusting!" but none of them have tried it.  So far, Sarah and Shay liked it, their kids didn't and Kev doesn't.  But my thanks to mom for sending the pie stuff over!

Comedian Ed Byrne

During the Queens Film Festival comedian Ed Byrne came to Elmwood Hall on campus to do 2 performances.  I got tickets so Kev and I could go for a night out and see him.  He's actually a really funny comedian, I encourage you to look him up on youtube! And if he's ever in your area, go see him.

School

I’ve had quite a few questions about school.  Here’s how it works, the university provides me a desk, chair and a computer in a communal office if I want to use it. I meet with my primary advisor every few weeks and am not required to be anywhere at any specific time.  There is a secondary advisor, but apparently he’s even harder to track down than my primary and I shouldn’t expect too much from him.  The loads of free time I have should be spent working on reading relevant literature, creating timelines, outlining research projects and attending sporadic training classes provided by the school that help me with presentation skill, time management and even MS Word.  So, they’ve given me enough rope to hang myself with, but there is also a tremendous amount of freedom to spend just following whatever you want.

Downpatrick

Kev and I went for a drive today, he took me to Downpatrick, a place where he spent a lot of time as a boy.  Its also the place the burial place for St. Patrick  at Down Cathedral. Down Cathedral existed when St. Patrick was a place of worship when Patrick was around, but little is know about what that building would have looked like.  In 1188 John De Courcy installed a community of monks and dedicated the Benedictine Abbey of Down to St. Patrick.  That building was destroyed by the invastion of Edward Bruce from Scotland, rebuilt in 1512 and destroyed yet again during the Tudor conquest but the ruins remained.  In 1787 they set about restoring and rebuilding the Cathedral to its former glory.  In 1826 the structure was completed and in 1987 the restoration was completed.

While in Down, we stopped at the County Museum, where I preceded to beat Kev at a life size game of chess.  The Museum is located within the County Goal and you can see old jail cells, dress from the time period, and the history of the county. From there we drove further into the Mourne Mountains, through Newcastle by the seashore where we stopped and had dinner at the Burrendale Country Club, and back into Belfast.

More than I ever wanted to know....

How to get accepted to a foreign PhD program:

1. Think way too much about it before deciding to go for it
2. Research and write 2 page proposal
3. Fill out online application
4. Fight with previous school for transcripts (this took me about a month)
5. Submit all of the above and wait (waiting involves fretting to everyone you know that you're never going to get it, lots of sleepless nights, and a few bottles of vino)
6. Find out from a friend of a friend of a friend in the admission office that after 2 weeks your application is still sitting there, beg her to walk it over to your department
7. Application is returned to admissions, friend emails you to say you've been admitted
8. Try to find FAFSA code for school
9. Admission packet arrives 4 days later
10. Find out school was only JUST re-approved for FAFSA
11. Fill out FAFSA
12. Find out you need the long SAR report from FAFSA, call Dept. of Ed for report, must wait 10-14 days
13. Send SAR, lender Master Promissory Note to school
14. School sends you an email loan offer and you agree
15. Apply for visa - Need transcripts, bank statements, address in UK, pay stubs, passport photos, pretty much any paper you can send, and due to new regulations, you have to prove you have enough money to pay for school and live in the country for 1 year without working or recourse to public funds. Eeek.
16. Get biometrics (fingerprints, facial scan) for visa application
17. Pray for a 24 hr turn around on visa so you can make International Orientation in 3 weeks.

I'm only to step 11.... International orientation is Sept 18th, I think its safe to say I'm going to miss it.

However, if you ever need help with immigration law, I'm your woman!

Occupational Hazard

Last night Lucy and I went on the musical pub crawl of Dublin. I highly recommend this. The two musicians who take you around are very knowledgeable and play great songs. They play traditional stuff so don't expect to get a Black Velvet Band or Wild Colonial Boy, but bring a song with you to sing. They ask for it at the end...

Anyway, I'm at the bar getting a drink and I start talking with a man named Frank. Frank is a police officer from Thomas River New Jersey, knows the memorial, Police Week and his FOP sponsors 2 unity tour riders each year. He and his buddy are in town on vacation. Leave it to me to meet 2 cops from Jersey in Dublin.

And that's about all I have to say about that. The tour is good, pretty large too, about 40 people go so get the St. Goargtys in Temple Bar early. Its 10 euro and worth it. Oh, we stopped at the chip shop on the way home. I will miss decent chips when I get back to the states. Let me clarify: chips= a cross between potato wedges and fries, crisps = potato chips.

Now its time to study some more because finals are this week!

Travel time!

Ok, so I finally got it worked out. I'll be traveling Europe April 17- May 3. I'll be back in DC on May 6. Here's the tour I booked:

1. Day London to Amsterdam

   Meet your Contiki Crew and see the White Cliffs of Dover before travelling through Belgium and into the Netherlands to Amsterdam. (D)

2. Day Amsterdam

   Visit the cheese village of Edam on a bicycle tour of the Dutch countryside. Spend your free time wandering along the canals, shopping or visiting famous museums such as the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank's House. (B)

3. Day Amsterdam to Rhine Valley

   We cross the German border and head for the stunning Rhine Valley. At St. Goar we take a Rhine river cruise past vineyards, fairy-tale castles and the legendary Lorelei rock before learning how beersteins are crafted. (B,D)

4. Day Rhine Valley to Lucerne

   Our path takes us toward the towering Alps and vast serene lakes of Switzerland. A special treat is our two night stopover in Europe's highest hotel on the top of Mt. Pilatus (weather conditions permitting). Enjoy fabulous views from the cable car on your trip to the summit. (B,D)

5. Day Lucerne

   Take the cable car down the mountain and be charmed by medieval Lucerne with its Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument and opportunities to shop for local specialties - watches, chocolate and Swiss army knives. (B,D)

6. Day Lucerne to Innsbruck

   Pause in Vaduz, capital of Liechtenstein before crossing the border into the gorgeous countryside of Austria. Later this afternoon stroll the cobbled streets of Innsbruck and view the famous 'Golden Roof'. (B,D)

7. Day Innsbruck to Venice

   Today we wind through the astonishing beauty of the Brenner Pass to cross the border into Italy. It's a short boat ride to the historical centre of Venice to see St Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. There's no better way to see Venice than from a gondola so why not join us for a ride before treating yourself to a Venetian evening meal? (B)

8. Day Venice to Rome

   Past medieval hillside villages and through the Apennine Mountains, we travel south to the fabled Seven Hills of Rome. Do as the Romans do and stroll past the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Later be delighted by your first glimpse of the Colosseum on our sightseeing tour. (B)

9. Day Rome

   Ancient and modern Rome await your discovery. Why not take a guided tour of the Imperial Forum and walk in the footsteps of Gladiators? In your free time explore the Vatican City and Sistine Chapel, snap up Italian fashions or just watch the world go by with a gelato (or two). (B,D)

10. Day Rome to Florence

    Our morning drive leads us to Florence, the Renaissance city set in the beautiful Tuscan Hills. Learn about the Duomo, Giotto's Bell-Tower, Piazza della Signoria and Santa Croce as our local guide walks us through the city. Free time to shop or visit one of the famous museums. (B)

11. Day Florence to French Riviera

    Our first stop this morning is Pisa where we see the world-famous Leaning Tower. Winding along the beautiful coastline we reach France and the Riviera playground of the Côte d'Azur. (B,D)

12. Day French Riviera

    Rub shoulders with the rich and famous on the Nice promenade, shop for French fashion or laze the day away on the sun-drenched beaches. Tonight we visit Monaco! Why not join us for an elegant meal, view the Royal Palace and take the opportunity to try your luck at the casinos of Monte Carlo? (B)

13. Day French Riviera to Lyon

    We visit a French perfumery before our lunch stop in Avignon where you can view the Palace of the Popes and the famous bridge. Then north along the Rhone Valley to the gastronomical capital of France, Lyon. (B)

14. Day Lyon to Paris

    Today we stop at the magnificent Château Fontainebleau before venturing on to Paris, the 'City of Lights'. What better introduction than with our sightseeing tour and your first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower? (B,D)

15. Day Paris

    Today's sightseeing includes some of the most celebrated icons of Europe. Perhaps take the opportunity to visit the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe or the Champs Elysées. Tonight, why not complete your Parisian experience with a French meal and a famous Parisian cabaret? (B)

16. Day Paris to London

    Today we drive past World War I battlefields on the way to our cross-channel ferry back to England. Time to swap addresses and say goodbye as we arrive early evening in London. (B)

Its pretty quick but it gets me where I want to go. I'll try and keep you all posted! Oh, and no word on my comps yet, I'll let you know if I pass. Finals in a week!

Paddy's Day!

Well, since I'm a dork my Paddy's weekend started with a Seamus Heaney poetry reading at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. I almost didn't go, but then someone reminded me he was old and could die, so this might be my last chance to see him.... talk about a depressing motivator. But it worked, I got there when they were announcing doors closing in 2 min.


The next day I met Sarah, Lucy, Lucy's bf and his friends (who's names at the moment evade me.... Matt, Spence and ??), and Maggie for the parade in Dublin. Now, I did not know the parade was themed. The Irish in their infinite wisdom don't really do parades like we do. Most of the marching bands were from the States, and the theme of the parade was energy. I wish I had known that before the parade, because to me it looked like a bunch of crazy costumed people running around (think Mardi Gras on LSD).

Then we headed up to Croke Park for the county finals of hurling and GAA football. I have to say, being in Croke park was loads of fun! We were 3 rows back from the field. There were about 32,000 people there. I'm sure if I could get tix to a big game it would be even more fun. I highly recommend going for the craic if you can and you're in Dublin.

I met Ciara and Damien in Dalkey after that for dinner and drinks. All the crazies were out but it was a good time!

Bono Sighting!

Today I went for my usual walk/ run. Though, after last night, it was more walk than anything. Some of you know this but others may not. I live in the same neighborhood as Bono and the Edge (of U2 fame), Van Morrison, Enya, and Maeve Binchy. Bono, Enya and Van Morrison all have houses on the back side of Killiney Hill where I walk.

I decided today to head down Vico Road which takes me down to Killiney Beach and walk the beach for a bit. On my way back up the very long hill I see these two men running towards me (obviously they weren't running towards me just in my general direction). The one man was dressed head to toe in spandex and the other had this crazy white hair and was in shorts and a t-shirt. I kept walking and as they passed I made eye contact twice with the man in spandex... yes my friends it was the great Bono himself. Just in case I thought I had lost my mind (as he was NOT wearing his trademark purple glasses, just a skull cap hat) I asked my host mom about him when I got back. Apparently his house is right on the corner of the road and the man with the crazy white hair is his friend who owns quite a few pubs in town....

Just another day in Killiney I guess.

Rugby & the Druids, Bray for a night out

Today I went for a fabulous run. I don't know if it will ever happen again but it was great! I need to do a few more if penny and I are actually going to do the San Fran Marathon in Oct....

Anyhow, I get back, and I go to sit down on the side of my bed and there is this god awful cracking noise. My fat ass broke the bed frame!







So Mary had to call Fay so he could bring his tools home to fix it. I was so embarrassed but we all had a good laugh about it. Fay says the wood cracked length wise so it was probably a defect... and even if that's a lie I'm going to go with it.

After Bob the Builder (aka Fay) got done. It still creeks, I'm convinced I'm going to end up on the floor one day....









After that we went down to the Druids (which is a block away) to watch the rugby matches, have a few pints and hang out. Then we had dinner at the house and headed out with Ciara (my host sister) to meet her friends in Bray. It was a good night!

Here are some pictures in case you think I never go out:

Work Update

So for those of you interested here is a work update...

After preventing me from getting as much (or really any school work done) Jimmy has left for NYC and the art show has gone off without a hitch! I had to knock a few heads but it worked out. We've sold 7 paintings so far, the first one going to Jean Kennedy Smith. And apparently Jimmy's been talking me up to the Irish Consul in NYC and they'd like to meet me the next time I'm in town (could a possible job be looming... only fate knows). The Consul is going to be doing a huge thing (poetry, video, art...) on bogs in Feb and Jimmy wants me to help coordinate that. No prob, I'm a rock star anyhow, ha. So for as frustrating as he has been I have to give the man credit, he has good contacts.

View my catalogue for the art exhibition here:
www.finugeweekend.com

Click on the Irish Boglands link, must have Flash installed for it to work and the link is only good for 4 weeks. The catalogue design is all mine, someone else made it an e-book tho.