Hey there pretty people! I know I say this every time, but... I know it's been awhile since I blogged last! My life took a turn for the crazy, and I have been travelling like a maniac for work lately. I went to Barcelona then Dublin, Chicago, San Fran, Dublin, Turkey, and now tomorrow I head off for another 3 weeks away, in San Francisco and Los Angeles!
The last time I talked to you, Peadar and I were moving into our new apartment. A bit more spacious and with a view of the sea, it was time for us to move on from the lovely "Anchorage". We now live in "Marina View". See the view from our balcony below, on a lovely Irish day.
Peadar Rockin in the Kitchen
Big Windows
Peadar's Contribution in Decorating the Apartment
To try and cover the last two months in one post, I am going to break it up between Swimming and Travelling for Work. I started swimming with the National Aquatic Center's Masters Swim Team back in the fall and between now and then have gone to three "Galas" or swim meets. The first was in Derry, in the North of Ireland, just after the new year. Peadar and I went up for the day, in the morning we walked around the city, and in the afternoon I did some swimming.
Northern Ireland is still considered part of the UK, although they have an independent justice system and police force. During the 80's was a time called "The Troubles" when there was conflict between those that wanted to be independent of Great Britain called "The Republicans" and those that were loyal to GB called "The Unionists." Derry was an important city during this time and saw a lot of violence. The thing that struck me the most about visiting here was how much a part of everyday life the history of the conflict is, between graffiti on road signs and buildings to the ever-present wall around the city (from long before the 1980's - the city has been in conflict for hundreds of years) to the more recent communication towers previously used to spy on rebels. Check out some pics below:
Peadar standing on the wall, a good view of Derry behind him.
The pic on the left shows graffiti on the walls with the names of Republican prisoners. The pic on the right shows a sign from Unionists saying "no surrender" to the Loyalists, and right next to it graffiti against the PSNI (Police Service Northern Ireland) most likely from the Republicans. The painful history of the town runs deep.
Real cannons that were used to defend the city.
After swimming hard, Peadar and I headed to a chipper, which is basically like a local fast food restaurant. Normally I can't eat in them at all because they are full of gluten, but there was a lovely one in Derry that did celiac-friendly fried food! Check out the menu board below:
The next swim meet after Derry was the opposite direction, we headed South to Cork:
Peadar and I stayed on the Fota Island Resort and walked around a coastal town called Cobh (pronounced "Cove" for all my American peeps) which was awesome because it was the last port the Titanic visited after Southampton before she sank. Seeing as it's the 100 year anniversary of the maritime disaster, it was interesting to walk around the town and see the "White Star Line" headquarters and the bridge where people walked out to get on the boat to board the steamer.
If you look closely you can see the sign that says "White Start Line" on the top of the building. There was a historical center we visited as well, which was small but informative. There is a major Titanic museum up in Belfast (where it was built) that Peadar and I are definitely going to go visit soon. The cultural center in Cobh had history on the Famine and the practice of sending prisoners to Australia by the British authorities as well. Apparently they sent so many men there that there was a shortage of women and they had an incentive program to try and get some ladies down there! |
| Peadar the Potato Farmer determined not to let history repeat itself! |
Cobh was a gorgeous town, built into cliffs in the side of the sea.
I took this funny picture when we were walking through the village. A shop called "The Princess Rooms" right next door to the Social Welfare Office. Ironic :)
The latest of my swimming adventures was to the West, in Limerick, for the Irish Long Course Championships. My mom, Suzie, flew into town the day before, just as I was getting back from Barcelona. She, Pad and I headed down for the day, and it was a great success. I got a bronze medal in the backstroke and swam in two relays that broke Irish records!
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| My friend Laura Harvey and I. Laura was also in the relays that broke records. |
We then had a chance to visit in the Naul before I was off to my next biz trip and Suz got to meet baby Joey!(Peadar's Sister Olive's Son Joseph Edward. Dad is Finbar. Pad's nephew.) I was just hanging out with him for Easter Sunday yesterday and he looks so much bigger and his features are more defined than when this was taken just a few weeks ago.
Such. A. Gem. While we are on the baby Joey track, his christening was last Saturday and it was the same time the local GFC (Gaelic Football Club) that Pad plays for to host the "Sam Maguire" which is the trophy the Dublin county team won last season. So baby Joey got to take his picture in the cup! Is it a sign he is going to grow up and play football?
Above: Grandpa Eddie holding Joey.
Thanks for hanging in there. A few quick words on my travels and then I'll have caught you up on all my comings and goings :) At the end of Feb I went to Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress. This was my second time there, and found this to be way more enjoyable than last trip. Barca is amazing, but it is pretty annoying how concious you have to be about your surroundings and always having to worry about whether you are being pick-pocketed. But at least this time I was staying in better hotels and eating at nicer restaurants so I had a great time!
Pic of the conference I was at from the roof of the Museo De Rock (Rock and Roll Museum)
Paella and Sangria
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| Fancy Night Out in Barcelona |
I was home for a few days for the Limerick swim meet and the Adare weekend and then it was off to San Franciso for work. I was staying at the Fairmont on Nob Hill.
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| The Iconic Fairmont |
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| View from my room |
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| While got a little carried away playing with our bendable boxPAY men at the booth! |
I was there for a tech conference, and these days I am carrying around a serious amount of electronics. My purse is getting very heavy!
The weather was mostly bad but we got some sun one of the days!
One of the days we went to a private speak easy called Bourbon & Branch. They served old school drinks and had quite the whiskey collection. It was a cool place! Another good spot was the Tonga Room bar inside the Fairmont. It rained indoors every half hour and had good tropical drinks.
As a city San Francisco was lovely, but the hills are unbelievable. San Franians must have great calf muscles from all the walking. It was very high-tech too - most of my cab drivers used Square, which is a little toggle that plugs into your smart phone or tablet so you can swipe a credit card to accept payment.
After San Fran, I flew home to Chicago for the day, and it happened to be St. Paddys! An American living in Ireland, but yet I managed to be state-side for an Irish holiday. I had some gluten-free beer to celebrate, and we had amazingly warm weather for March in Chicago! Apparently there has been like no snow there all winter, which is so unusual.
My little brother Greg, and friends Andrea and Shawn (who are getting married this Summer!) Shawn looks sad because he is referencing his leg, which he broke the last time I was in town and we were out. He even had to get metal plates in it.
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The last leg (pun intended) of my journey was to Istanbul, Turkey. Unfortunately I was working almost the entire trip and didn't have much time to explore, but I did get to see a lot in the short amount of time we had.
The teas and coffees were fab! Above is a traditional Turkish tea and on the right is a banana split coffee!
Above is a traditional Turkish symbol of protection that adorns ornaments and jewellery and the colorful treats on the right are Turkish Delight. Chronicles of Narnia, anyone? The below picture is a bar that is actually indoors, but looks like an outdoor cafe.
- Turkey was great, but the craziness continued as the day I got back we had a black tie event for work in the Dublin convention center (see pic below). The Digital Media Awards were a good time, but I picked up a cold from all my travels and didn't want to stay out too late.
Lot's of love from the two of us, and I will write again soon.
X's & O's,
Amanda
P.S. Found another American girl that married an Irish Farmer... I guess it's not as rare as I thought :) Check out a fellow Yank's blog:
http://marriedanirishfarmer.com/
