Ireland Summer Fun - Festivals A Go Go

The sun continues to shine here in Dublin and we are out enjoying it whenever we can. Glenn and I have hit the festival scene in Ireland this summer. I never realized how big festivals were in Europe. There seems to be something on every weekend.

A few weeks ago, on the recommendation of some good friends, we went to the Taste of Dublin festival at the Iveagh (pronounced ivy) Gardens. What a beautiful spot right in the middle of the city. I liked the park so much I am going back tomorrow for a birthday picnic with my friends. Anyhoo, Taste of Dublin was a fun-filled day of eating, drinking, and chatting with folks in the restaurant biz. We picked out a few new restaurants to try and found guy who imports microbrewery beer from California. Glenn was a happy camper. A definite highlight was one of the bands playing at the festival called 'Spring Break'. They played all of the cheesiest 80s covers. Their outfits were phenomenal. The lead guitarist had a little fan in front of him to blow his long hair around. I can't do them justice with a description in this space. You'll just have to come to Dublin and see them yourselves. Totally awesome!

Roses in Iveagh Gardens and Spring Break

The next weekend we went to another park in City Centre for the Street Performer World Championships. We watched Betty Brawn - the strongest woman in the world - lift two men at once ans swing them around. She also ripped a 400 page paperback in half with her bare hands. Impressive! We also saw Asher Tea juggle machetes while standing on a tower of 7 cans - the top one being a paint can. Frankly, a little frightening.

The winners were the USA Break Dancers (yee haw!), followed by two contortionists in second and third place. My favorite part was the festival food, of course. I had something that was a cross between fried dough and a pizza. Yummy!

Betty Brawn

We spent this past weekend in Bundoran, Donegal. This is such a beautiful part of Ireland. With a bunch of the rugby girls, we attended the Sea Sessions Music and Surf Festival. Luckily, the weather was perfect for a weekend of beach and outdoor music. A couple of standouts were Mick Flannery (singer/songwriter from Cork) and Zion Train (British dub reggae group). Check them out if out have a chance. We had so much fun listening to the performers, dancing, beaching, and getting up to all sorts of shenanigans with the rugby ladies. Glenn, as ever the token male, was thrilled to be surrounded by such a fun group of girls. Instead of camping, we opted for a couple of apartments just down the road from the venue. The best idea ever! We all had beds and a place to cook breakfast before heading to the beach or festival for the day. The only snag was a complete lack of waves. The surf competition was postponed until the end of the day on Sunday so we missed it. Otherwise, everything was perfect - weather, music,food, drink, and most of all the company. I'll carry the memories of this amazing road trip with me for a very long time.

Beach fun - rugby girls and Glenn (in the hat)

When we are not at festivals, Glenn and I are spending much time outdoors walking, visiting cafes, meeting with friends, hanging on our friend Shannon's amazing roof deck and playing tag rugby. That's right, the girls successfully bullied Glenn into playing co-ed tag rugby this summer. I'm only allowed to play when the team is lacking numbers, but Glenn has played every game since he started last month. He scored his first try last week. Go Glennie! The name of the team...well, you can figure that out from the following photos. No one can ever say that Glenn is not a good sport.

We are both looking forward to our favorite festival of the year - July 3rd on Manomet Beach. Our trip will be a ridiculously short one, but I can't wait to see the family. Brian's wife got him a ticket to come home for the weekend for his b-day. So excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's all for now. I have to go out onto the deck and finish my book before we fly on Thursday. I hear the chances of getting some sun in Manomet are pretty slim.

They Say it's your Birthday

A special shout out to two small birthday boys. Happy, happy, happy birthday Birch and Quinn! Sending birthday hugs and wishes your way.

A Note about Irish Weather

No, this is not going to be a post about the many grades of rain (who knew there were so many?!) or the lack of a summer in Ireland. It is, in fact, going to be a glowing review of Irish weather so far. Sure, February wasn't pretty at all. We know now to plan a vacation to someplace warm next February. We didn't have 10 feet of snow. We hardly had any ice at all this winter. The spring was not bad either. We had sunny patches between the rain and it was never that cold. Much like spring in New England. The summer, however, has been a completely different story. We have had day after day of nice warm, sunny weather. I have a tan. Our windows have been open for months. We've picnicked, played tennis and tag, walked for miles on the beach, and even busted out the summer clothes. We have been so lucky with this weather. I'm almost afraid to write about it and break the streak.

I took a long walk to the beach this morning and was amazed by the effects of all this sun (mixed with the inevitable bit of rain). Walking through the city I gawked through iron gates at the unbelievable gardens with giant roses (Alicia, even you would love these things), calla lilies, flowering bushes and trees, poppies, and greenery. When I got the beach, I walked the trail along the shore and passed clouds of wild flowers. So much color everywhere I turn!

For good measure, here is a shot of my little balcony garden. I've managed to keep geraniums, and dahlias alive. I'm also growing herbs and tomatoes.

Nice...Just a Few Weeks Late

Glenn and I had a fabulous mini-vacation in Nice in May. We rented an apartment not far from the Old Town and just down the road from the beach. It was a perfect spot. If anyone is heading there any time soon, I'll give you the contact information for the owner. She was so helpful and the caretaker was a wealth of information on all things French Riviera.

While we were there, we spent a lot of time at the market in Vieux Nice (Old Town). I am always drawn to produce/flower/antique markets and the European ones are truly fabulous. Here are a few shots from the Nice marketplace:

Candy Stall

Flowers and more flowers

The market was such a great place to pick up fun dinner ingredients as well as cheese, olives, fruit and bread for our evening wine hour. Asparagus, strawberries, and cherries were all in season. Oh how I miss that market!

The weather was great for walking around so we explored the whole of Nice on foot. We climbed about 1,000,000 steps up a hill called the Chateau and were rewarded with a magnificent view of Nice and the coastline. The port is beautiful and the beaches are great, even if they are river rock instead of sand. We took a dip in the chilly Mediterranean and won 35 Euros at the casino (on one coin). We also discovered some great restaurants. Glenn loved the dive bar around the corner from our house called the Lady Pub. I preferred the Havana Cafe with its salsa dancers. The Italian food was delicious as was the french food, of course! We are trying to recreate the Salade Nicoise at home.

Atop the Chateau and fishing boats in the old port

One of the many cafes we visited in Vieux Nice

We took a couple of day trips, too. A very scenic bus trip up the west coast landed us in Eze Villages, a medieval city built into the side of the mountain. A climb to the top ended in another breathtaking view of the coast for miles in either direction. There was also a lovely cactus garden that was an unexpected surprise at the top of the village.

Another day trip (a train this time) was to Cannes. We were there one day before the film festival started and the town was hopping. I've never seen yachts this size. Huge tents dominated the harbor and I'm sure the place was rotten with celebs, but I didn't notice any.

All in all it was a fantastic trip. I was once again reminded of what a lucky girl I am. Not only do I live a hop skip and jump from these beautiful spots with an amazing partner who loves to travel as much as I do, but also because this is the second time I've been able to visit this particular corner of Europe. Mom and I spent time here a few years back during our trip to France. That was such a special trip and I thought of our adventures often during my trip with Glenn. Vive La France!