Guiness, Tombs, Blood Pudding and an introduction to Irish politics

After leaving Canada we landed in Dublin, Ireland to an overcast and slightly chilly autumn day, or just an autumn day as they would likely say here. We spent and hour or so coming through the customs line where we met Nick and Amanda – we had originally organized to meet them at the rental car place but because customs took so long we ended up in the same line. Which was good as the catch up helped to pass the time. So far Ireland C- on the efficiency of customs officers.

We got the rental car and drove in to Dublin. The streets were rather busy as the Hurling Final was on that afternoon. The street was a mess of red, blue and yellow colours which one would assume was the colours of the teams involved. Once we got checked into the hostel we decided to go get some breakfast. This turned out to be a bit of a mission in itself with all the local excitement. However, we found a crazy pub/restaurant that was serving a traditional breakfast. We got in a line with about 100 others and made our way down the line. The food was pretty much what you expected from an Irish breakfast eggs, sausage, blood pudding, mushrooms, toast, tomato and bacon. It was awesome, the restaurant was packed out and full off enthusiastic Irish men and women literally stuffing their faces with food that would make a nutritionist cringe.

After breakfast we made our way down to the town hall through the main street and joined a walking tour. The tours took around three hours and covered some of the iconic and historically significant downtown areas. The tour guide had recently completed a masters in Irish History and with a dry local wit gave an excellent presentation of Dublin's checkered history. It included a tour of Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Temple Pub (the local bar area) and an overview of which pubs and hotels were owned by Bono or other members of U2. It was an really fun day, which we capped off with a trip to the supermarket and a hostel made spaghetti bolognaise. 

We had an early night to make up for the red-eye flight we had taken the previous night and kicked off Monday with breakfast and a drive to the Newgrange monument. This was about 40 minutes tour of Dublin and is a stone tomb or human made rock formation that pre-dates Stonehenge. The tour was really interesting and discussed some of the rudimentary tools likely used to make the monument and some of the fascinating aspects of its architecture. Turns out that its build based on a three point alignment which allows light to flow in to the chamber only on the 5 days surrounding winter solstice.  We had a picnic lunch complete with wasps before heading back into Dublin.

Our afternoon was well spent doing a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. It was a self-guided tour which covered seven floors of the building. The tour overviewed the process of creating the beer, how it was made historically, how to taste the beer, how the beer has been marketed throughout the businesses lifespan and concluded with a free pint at on the seventh floor. This floors provided a 360 panoramic view of Dublin and is the highest point of the city. Also, interesting fact for the day. The Guinness book of world records was originally created by Guinness as a reference book to help solve arguments that were commonly started over discussions in the pub.

We finished our evening with a traditional stew at Temple Pub while listening to some Irish Music. It was a very touristy but thoroughly enjoyable way to spend the day.

Farewell Canada

So it has been just over two years since we moved to Canada. We landed here on the 7th of August 2011. It's pretty sad to be leaving because we have met so many amazing people and had some really good experiences. Hopefully we will be back sometime in the future.

Our last couple of days in Toronto have been pretty quiet. We had a little bit of work to do yesterday morning and in the afternoon headed downtown for a tour of the Steam Whistle Brewery. It was really interesting to learn about how they make the beer not to mention the generous samples that they were providing (I think Sam benefited from that more than I did).

In the afternoon we came back to Mississauga and went for a bit of a run - actually it was a terrible run but oh well at least we tried. In the evening we spent sometime with Aunty and Uncle, they told us lots of embarrassing stories about Zab growing up and even showed us some rather unflattering baby pictures. No, I joke (don't worry Zab). Aunties cooking has been amazing and we have been blessed to have experienced lots of South Indian dishes. Today we have been getting ready to head on the next leg of our journey. We will soon head to the airport to board a flight destined for Dublin.

Toronto & Niagara Falls

So we left Montreal on Tuesday to Downtown Toronto. We arrived downtown at about 9.30pm and caught a few trains and a bus to Zab's parents (Vilayil and Susan - henceforth Aunty and Uncle's) house in Mississauga.

Wednesday Morning once we were up and breakfasted we headed back into Toronto to explore for the day. Our first stop was BMV books which is a huge second hand book store where we stocked up on a few books for some of the longer flights and bus trips we are going to be doing over the next few weeks. After putting it off for the last few years I have finally caved and decided to start reading Game of Thrones (So to answer your question Randi - I do read fiction not just business and finance books). After the book shop we strolled down to Kensington Market, which was about 5 blocks south of the bookshop. It was a really interesting mix of shops and not what we were expecting at all. There were lots of little food/spice stores and coffee shops mixed in with a good dose of hippy culture and dope smoking paraphernalia. We stopped for coffee at this corner shop which opened out on to the road. It reminded me of a cafe you would see in Golden Bay because there was a sign on the counter which said "Cellphone or Service, you choose". I asked about it and the man behind the counter rudely answered, we got tired of people using cell phones in here - fair enough, very Golden Bayish I think.

We left the market and took one of the street cars south towards Lake Ontario. The Toronto International Film Festival is on at the moment, so we were kind of movie star spotting but didn't actually see anyone we recognized. We got off the street car and walked around the CN tower and Rogers Stadium down to the lake front where we went for a walk along the boardwalk and stopped for a late lunch.

The rest of the afternoon we spent just exploring around the different streets. We went for a huge walk through the financial district, town hall and around the University, which was fun. 

Yesterday, we got up a the crack of dawn and caught the bus to Niagra Falls. The trip was really nice and the falls were incredible. They were pretty much exactly how we expected them to be. Kimilla did her thing with the camera and had fun getting some great shots. I'll be honest, Canada wins when it comes to a good view of the falls. Anyone else who has been there will likely agree that the USA side of the river just does not decent view. 

I have a confession - I have to get this off my chest. For all the criticism of Tim Horton that I have given over the last two years but to Canadian and to Kiwi's thinking of coming to Canada, Kimilla and I have been finding we are becoming increasing dependent on it. Its not the terrible coffee, the chewy sandwiches or the sugary donuts. Its the cheap prices, the familiarity and the ease of access. Where ever you are no matter how touristy you can guarantee that there will be a Timmy's and that the prices will be low and the food consistent. It is in that light that we must have somewhere along the lines become reluctant frequenters of Tim Hortons. So yes, that is what we had for lunch yesterday and I'm not ashamed.

We spent the afternoon just looking around the falls and enjoying being in the sun.

Bonjour Montreal

We arrived in Montreal to a stunning sunny and slightly cooler day, which after the humidity was a huge relief. We got off the plane and through border security pretty quickly and took about 45min to get to our Hostel. We arrived at four in the afternoon only to be told in french by one of the cleaners that we couldn't check in till 6pm and that the owner was sleeping. So we took out some lock chains we had and fastened our 25kg packs to one of the beds before heading out exploring for the afternoon in the sun. The hostel is really well located on Sherbrooke Street - but unfortunately, not having access to wifi or a map, I followed my gifted sense of geography in the wrong direction, so rather than exploring downtown we ended up in a not so nice area just south of La Fontaine Park. Eventually we gave up walking and went to relax in the park, while trying not to let our first impressions of Montreal dampen our spirits - as many have told us it is a lovely place.

Just before six we went back to the hostel to check in. Once we had our room all sorted we went in the correct direction to explore Montreal. Less than 3 blocks from our hostel is St Denis street, one look at that street and we realised what people had been telling us about. It was Sunday of Labour Weekend and the streets were packed with people there were lots of cafe's, pub's and clubs with outdoor seating where people were just sitting together, drinking, smoking and socialising. There was lots of interesting music playing and the whole vibe of the place was relaxed and electric at the same time. We walked for a couple of hours through St Denis and St Catherine Street before calling it a night.

Our first activity the next day was a walk up Mount Royal. We walked to the summit and then down to Beaver lake. It was nice and the cool weather made it pretty pleasant.

The top of Mount Royal, facing downtown

After our walk it was lunchtime so we headed to a local favourite Schwartz's Hebrew deli as recommended by many but evangelised by Mr Lorne Dmitruk. It was well worth it, smoked meat sandwich had literally 7cm of the melt in your mouth meat.

Mmmm smoked meat

 Once the meat had settled we headed down to Old Montreal. Which had a very similar vibe to St Denis Street but was situated amoungst all the old historical building on a cobblestone road. I guess it was a good taster for what we should expect when we head on our Europe Tour in October. We had a nice walk but and down the street which is a collection of restaurants, souvenir shops and art galleries. We stopped at a pub and rested our feet while enjoying one of the local brews.

Once we got back to our hostel we had a bit of a nap before we capping our day off with a dinner of poutine (for the kiwi's - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine). As we were in Montreal it seemed fitting to eat there most celebrated dish.

Today we leave for Toronto on the bus, so we got up, went for a quick run around the park and have just finished a lovely croissant breakfast at one of the local cafes.

P.S. Dawn-Marie if you are reading this, Kimilla and I couldn't help but picture you sitting outside in one of the cafes enjoying a glass of wine. It all seemed very fitting.

Last days in NY

Yesterday after another faithful run around Central Park we headed back over the Brooklyn Bridge to show Katie and explored downtown Brooklyn, it was an extremely hot day and with the sun beating down on us there were a few iced coffees along the way...... then it was back to our favorite area Williamsburg for one last shop. A girl always needs another pair of .... well anything really! We stopped in at a cute we polish restaurant for some pierogi's to celebrate Katie's last night for dinner.

This morning we did a final workout in Central Park however some of us got a bit distracted......who knew Katie loves swings so much.....

Then it was farewell to Katie as she headed off to Indiana for her friends wedding, happy that this time we will be seeing each other soon, it's been three years of living in different countries! 

This afternoon Sam and I went to explore the other side of Central Park that we hadn't seen, another very hot day but such beautiful scenery, managed to catch a proposal at the fountains too!
It's sad to be leaving NY such a full on amazing three weeks that have just flown by but we are ready for our next stop....Montreal see you soon.

I have a dream

Yesterday we got up at some ungodly hour (4.30am - yes people it exists) and caught the train to Washington DC for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. The train ride was much nicer than what we have been used to on the NY transit system. Actually, it was a really nice trip we went from New York through, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and finally arrived in Washington DC at about 9.45.

The Ceremony was supposed to start at 11 am so we made our way down to the interesting part of town and got in line with the thousands of others under the Washington Monument (complete with scaffolding for earthquake repairs) to complete the required security checks. The whole process was agonizingly slow, it was 30 degrees, overcast and we were packed in like sardines (see our previous post on the Yankees game). It took over an hour and a half to get through, but once were inside the place was probably only half full.

It was pretty interesting listening to the speeches although not being an American it was somewhat difficult to relate - and at time's a bit cringe worthy. They would have speakers interspersed with musical or cultural performances which included a Haka (Canadians, see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka) from Destiny Church in NZ (we wondered if TVNZ reported that it was in fact Destiny Church that Performed the Haka?). We were also quite amused by some of the people that were sitting around us. One morbidly obese Africa American woman provided us with a few gold moments. She was sitting by herself on a deck chair probably about 3 meters away from her nearest companion. The distance didn't prevent her from engaging in rather loud and somewhat inflammatory conversations with those around her - whether they wanted to or not. The funniest moment was watching her sing along with the Gospel Music, it was all "whoop-glory" and "hallelujah" and at one point she exclaimed at the top of her lungs "That's my Girl, I love that Girl". 

As the day progressed the speakers got more interesting and there were some pretty high people in attendance including Jamie Foxx, Oprah Winfrey, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. For me (Sam - writing from Kimilla's account just to mess with you) the most interesting speech was from Congressman John Lewis who was integral in planning the original March On Washington in 1963. His speech was very heartfelt and was given significant weight because he was able to talk first hand about the different racial landscape that there is now compared to when he was younger. I also found the speeches from Martin Luther King Jr's brothers and Sisters to be fairly moving too. 

President Barack Obama giving his speech - if you
look close you can see him to the left of the platform.

After the Ceremony Finished we spent another 45 minutes trying to leave the venue with the thousands of others before nipping over to take a look at Barack's House on our way to get some breakfast/lunch/dinner - we hadn't really managed to eat until this point in the day.

We found a little Indian takeaway - which will forever (in our minds at least) be the best Indian food in Washington D.C. - it helps to be hungry. Afterwards we went for a big walk through the city checking out some of the important landmarks including Capitol Hill.

They day was really full on and after the ceremony and all the exploring we were pretty grateful to have a relaxing train ride back to New York. We got in at Midnight and due to some construction disruptions and a misinterpretation of the letter 'E' (side note: turns out when Kiwi's say 'E' as in the 'E-train' American (and probably Canadian's too) hear 'A' as in 'A-train"), managed to take over 2 hours to get back to our apartment. So it was a big day and we didn't bother getting up till 12 pm today - so its been a pretty quite one.

In the afternoon Katie and Kimilla went and got there nails done, while I went to the barber and got a haircut and a shave with a straight razor, which I think my ex-military wife likes a little too much - which kinda creeps me out. This evening we hit Little Italy and had very tasty pizza and pasta for dinner.

Statue of Liberty and Metropolitan Museum of Art

First thing Monday morning we diligently got up and went for our faithful run around the reservoir at Central Park. It was a nice warm morning but after all the walking we do each day my legs felt like they were made of wood.  Afterwards, we got fed and hygeined up before heading to the very bottom of Manhattan Island to catch the ferry to Staten Island. To be honest we didn't really see much that appealed to do in Staten Island, the big driver was that the ferry sails right beside the Statue of Liberty.  Which aside from going up the Empire State building is probably the most touristy thing you could do around here - but we couldn't really come to NY and not see it! It was a very quick ride about 25 mins and once we arrived on the Island we simply jumped back on the returning ferry. The Western facing side of the boat was a bit like the Empire State Building with the amount of people pushing and trying to get photo's - but lucky for us we have Kimilla, who does not hold back from using her military close quarter combat techniques to get to the best spot to take photos.

Afterwards we went to Union Square and got some bagels for lunch. They were really nice and came with a roasted vegetable cream cheese. After lunch, I went to geek out at over at Stumptown Coffee, this gave Katie a chance to enjoy the fine brew before her and Kimilla went to find some shoes that she needed for an upcoming wedding. By about 4.30 they were shopped out so we caught the sardine tin back to our place for a bit of a rest and some dinner.

In the evening we headed over to Greenwich Village to a place called The Shade where we enjoyed cocktails and dessert crepes. Peanut butter, chocolate, strawberries, bananas, almonds a combination of anything you wanted could be made into a crepe. They were huge and delicious! The cocktails were pretty good too!!!

This morning Kimilla and I again hit Central Park but this time to the chin-up bars to abuse our bodies once more. I'm pretty sure that trying to work out on a diet of bagel and crepe is really not ideal - but we ploughed though. Afterward Kimilla and I went our separate ways for a while. While she went to do the laundry (don't forget its her favorite thing to do here), while Katie and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Art Museum was amazing, we literally didn't get through 1/10 of the pieces that they had on exhibition and after nearly 3 hours we were pretty museumed out. We spent most of our time exploring an exhibition on American Civil War painting and photography, which was really interesting. We also explored a modern photography section and section on European Painting (boy they sure liked Christ, boobs and martyrdom). None the less it was a fun way to spend the morning.