Someone recently described the weather to me in Dublin as "Forever Fall". So true! Sometimes the way it rains is more like spring but on the whole and whole it is like Forever Fall here. And Fall just happens to be my favorite season...
Remember my post awhile back about my 16 Euro dirty martini at the Westin? Well, I've topped it! At the Four Seasons premium cocktails are 20 Euro, and a Silver Margarita with Patron is 25 Euro! Now, I know it's the Four Seasons but how crazy is that! I'll tell you one reason why, alcohol is so expensive over here because they have taxed it to the max. A bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey is cheaper in America than over here. In Ireland. Wrap your head around that one! I think it's because there is a high rate of alcoholism here so they think if they keep taxing it that people can't afford to buy it. But I don't think that's working, I think the Irish authorities are just going to have a high rate of homeless, broke alcoholics if they keep this up.
Fair play to the Four Seasons though because the dirty martini was delicious. Now if only I could find good sushi I'd be in heaven here.
Another shot from when my parents came and visited. My dad and the Whyte's dog Brandy. They look good together don't ya think?
Friend Brandy Whyte on Facebook, he's been blowing up the newsfeeds lately.
Yet another Keating to hit up Eddie Whyte for lessons in shot gunnery. Eddie was kind enough to bring my little brother Greg shooting when he was here visiting me. Greg wants to know who was better, himself or Kevin. Eddie was very PC and said they were both good, and we'll have to have a shoot out to decide!
I've joined the National Aquatic Center's master swim team. It has been a real struggle getting back into lap swimming, but it's nice to have a coach to give you sets and times. Plus it's been fun to meet new people. Most of the team are triathletes who want to get better at swimming, ex-swimmers like me, or even open water swimmers (open water as in the ocean... like people who swim the English channel). In the summer the NAC masters team trains in the ocean in Portmarnock ,which is right next to Malahide. Can't wait to try that out. The picture below is from the paper and is a bunch of people doing the Liffey swim. As in the River Liffey that runs through the middle of the city. Similar to the Chicago River for all my Illinois people out there. I can't even decide which one is dirtier.
Peadar got up one morning at like 6AM to watch Ireland in the Rugby World Cup, since they were playing in New Zealand. Think he could get any closer to the TV?
A couple of swans in Grand Canal Quay...very different to the flooding that went down in the Quays this past week.
I found a mini-Peadar by the crosswalk coming home from work the other day. See the resemblance?
I was being touristy on my way out of town and took a pic of the ole Samuel Beckett Bridge. I will put together a little list of all the check box places you must see whilst visiting in Dubs.
News update: I have friends now! Well 2/3 girls below that are not me are related to Peadar so they have to be nice to me, but one isn't! Her name is Michelle Ryan and she is on the left in the red. Next to me on the right is Pad's cousin Fiona Whyte and his sister Catherine. Together we form the Dirty Thursday club which meets every second week for some shenanigans. Sometimes it's on Friday at which point it becomes the Frisky Friday club. Anyway, great girls, great times, can't wait for this week! :)
This blog has some old pictures (shame on me for not being on the ball, no pun intended) but a few weeks ago Peadar's Gaelic football club won the cup final. Mass drinking ensued.
Pad came home that night at like 3AM and "murdered" a block of cheese. I took about 10 pictures of him chowing down until he finally looked up, caught like a deer in the headlights!!
To sign off, Ciaran (pad's bro) and Jane (his GF and my friend) stayed over recently and played a little prank on me and Pad by creating a full blown image of a blackhawk hockey player in the bed. Luckily it didn't scare me, which it easily could have seeing as how I've been watching too many true crime shows on TV lately. :)
Happy (belated) Halloween!
XOXO
Amanda
