Iceland Part 3 - Comedy and Ocean Waves

Our last full day in Iceland, and we were up early  and picked up by the bus for our whale watching tour, this was something that both Glenys and I have always wanted to do. The weather wasn't too good, a threatening grey sky and little spits of rain, it was also markedly colder than the previous two days. 

We arrived at the harbour and got onboard the boat.  On offer were all in one padded, waterproof suits, Glenys and I decided to have them.  Well, what a performance getting them on!  We already had quite a few layers of clothing on (in my case, knickers, tights, thermal long johns, jeans, thick socks, walking boots, bra, thermal vest, thick jumper and warm jacket and fleece gloves, chola hat - I am rather cold-blooded ).  Because of all the clothes we weren't exactly supple and needed to help each other into the suits, it was a bit of a struggle and we gave people around us a laugh that's for sure!  Once in the suit I found it hard to bend my legs as I had so many layers on and my gait was a bit like a zombie as I ambled along!  But later in the day I was glad to have that suit on and didn't care how I looked.

There was a snug inside area, but we decided to go out onto the top deck.  We watched Reykjavik slowly disappear into the horizon as we headed out into Faxaflói Bay, the largest bay in Iceland.  Various types of seabirds swooped and glided over sea their wingtips almost touching the water, this was their world, and their elegance and grace was beautiful to see.

The guide spoke - in excellent English, as do most Icelanders - over the tannoy and told us they used a "clock" system for anything that she wanted to bring to our attention.  We were to look out for gatherings of birds, spouts of water in our quest to see a whale.

After about three quarters of an hour at sea the weather very quickly worsened, a strong, icy wind tossed the boat in the choppy sea and water spray shot over our upper deck.  I pulled hood of the suit up as far as I could and the only part of me that was exposed to the elements was my eyes, thank heavens for those suits!  It was almost impossible to walk so most people just stayed where they were in the wind and spray.  And, despite our hardy, dogged determination the whales were a no show today.  It was disappointing, but we knew a sighting wasn't guaranteed.  In the angry weather Iceland looked almost primeval and our little boat quite insignificant.  Humankind can be very arrogant thinking we have everything sorted to our satisfaction, but nature still is ultimately in charge in places like this. 

Getting out of the suits was much easier than getting into them LOL!  But they did the job perfectly, the only parts of me that were cold were my feet and hands, the only parts not covered by the suit.  We disembarked, and as we walked along the harbour I tried to ignored the whaling boats on the other side of the quay.  It was a strange juxtaposition, on one side boats setting out to celebrate and watch whales and on the side boats setting out to kill them.

We got a taxi back to the hotel in order to take off all our thermal wear before going back into the city centre to do some shopping.  First we had scrumptious chocolate cake and coffee in a place called Sufistinn (it had said in our guide book that they are supposed to have the best cakes in Reykjavik and I think they must be right). 

Iceland is a notoriously expensive place (even by British standards!) so we knew we wouldn't be buying much.   We went to the main shopping street Laugavegur and pottered round the places there.  Reykjavik doesn't really feel like a city, the centre is small by most city's standards, but I thought that was a good thing.  Down some streets you would get grand vistas to the sea or mountains.  It was very clean and hardly any litter.

By now the weather was miserable, drizzly with a strong icy wind.  We got a few souvenirs and then started to look for somewhere to eat.  We checked on prices, some were very expensive, some more reasonable, we settled on a modern place called Solon that was amongst the reasonable batch.  We had a lovely meal there and there was a good atmosphere in the restaurant.

We took a taxi back to our hotel and packed.  We had to be up very early next morning (4am!) for our flight home, so after a glass of wine (from a bottle we had brought with us as alcohol is unbelieveably expensive there) we had an early night.

4am, oh no.  Glenys and I are both not the best first thing so there was little conversation as we got our stuff together and boarded the bus to Keflavik.   At the airport we had to use self service check ins of which there weren't very many so it was a long wait to get to one.  Then almost every other person, including us, who used them could not get checked in!  So then you had to join the bag drop queue to check in the usual way.  It took ages and as I'm ratty anyway at such a ridiculous hour I was not best pleased!  Luckily security was fast and efficient.

Our plane was first going to Manchester, dropping off and picking up before going to Glasgow to do the same.  We thought that we would just wait on the plane, but no, UK regulations meant we had to get off the plane in Manchester, go to the transit area and through security before getting back on the plane!  I'm all for being careful with security, but this was pointless, we'd been screened in Iceland.  Or do the British authorities not trust the Icelandic security?

Finally we were back on the plane, in the same seats.  The flight to Glasgow was quick and there were some mutterings when the flight attendants announced that passengers going on to Iceland should just stay in their seats!  Ahh well.  At Passport Control there was a horrendous queue, it took about half an hour to get through, and then when we got to baggage reclaim our bags were not there!  Another 20 minute wait and they came through.  Then finally we were on our last leg home.

Iceland is an amazing place to visit for anyone who loves wildlife, nature and stunning landscapes.  For me there was a beauty in its dramatic volcanic vistas,  bubbling geysers, waterfalls, glacier sharp mountains and moody seas that I found both awe-inspiring and humbling.  Mother Nature is definitely still boss in Iceland and her "angry volcano" has recently told the whole world that!  Below is a fantastic photo taken of Eyjafjallajökull and the northern lights recently.

Picture: REUTERS/Ingolfur Juliusson

Iceland Part 2 - Enchanted Plains and the Language of Geysers

We set off on the famous Golden Circle Tour at 1pm, Steiner was our driver/guide once more.  We drove out of the city on a road that led us to the mountains.  Some parts were a bit like Cumbria, some like Scotland and some could only be Icelandic.  Sparsely inhabited, we could go for ages and until we saw a farm nestling in a hollow by a mountain.

Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park.  This a plain surrounded by mountains and fractured rocks and there is a large lake called Þingvallavatn.  The lake's water was co clear and still that the mountains were reflected perfectly onto its mirror-like surface.  It took my breath away, an alien, desolate landscape of immense beauty.  The photo I took that I've added here doesn't really do the place justice.  It was silent and the air pure, magical.

The first Icelandic parliament (Þingvellir means parliament plain), the Alþingi was set up here in 930 and the General Assembly continued to meet there until 1798 when the seat of government was moved to Reykjavik.   Iceland has the longest continually running parliament in the world.

Now for a lesson in plate tectonics - The Eurasian and North American plate boundaries run right through Iceland  that is why is a very geologically active area.  At Þingvellir, the two plates are pulling apart and the land between is subsiding. This is happening at the amazing rate of two centimetres a year!  We walked down by one of the fault lines, it looked so solid and permanent, yet this place is anything but!  I found it very awe inspiring to be in such a place.

Back on the bus we headed for Gullfoss (Golden Falls).    The animals we saw the most of were ponies, sturdy and tough with long coats, a bit like the fell ponies that roam around parts of Cumbria.  Part of the road to it was very poor and we were joggled about a bit.  The road had only recently re-opened after the winter.  

Gullfoss is situated on River Hvita, the water cascades down two steps that face in different directions, one is 11 meters high, and the other 22 meters, then the water roars into a very narrow canyon that is 70 meters deep.  Gullfoss is the biggest waterfall in Europe. It was very beautiful, some of the falls were still iced up forming strangely shaped mega-icicles.  Spray reached high into the air. 


It was getting quite cold now, so we went into the visitor's centre for refreshments.  I decided to go Icelandic and try their traditional meat soup, Kjötsúpa.  It is made with lamb and vegetable and was delicious, feeding and warming, just what I needed.

Then it was back to our bus for our last stop, Geysir, just a few miles along the road in the Haukadalur valley.  This is a very active geo-thermal area named after the biggest geyser there (our  "geyser" comes from Geysir).  Geysir erupts approximately once a day, the smaller Stokkur erupts roughly once every five minutes and we saw this happen, with little warning, a few times, sending boiling water and steam about 30 meters into the air with a huge whoosh, very spectacular.  

In a relatively small area there are about 30 geysers and bubbling pools, steam drifts in the air and there is a strong smell of sulphur.  It's like being on another planet, everything about it is so alien.  If you stand quietly you can hear the "language" of Geysir - bubbling, popping, hissing, gloopy thuds, deep gutteral moans, even high pitched whistle-like sounds, each geyser has it's own voice.  I found it absolutely fascinating.

No wonder the Golden Circle Tour is popular, in a few hours you see so many wonders of nature.  And seeing the fissures at Þingvellir and the boiling geysers and pools at Geysir made me realise that our earth is very active beneath the surface, and in places like Iceland even on the surface.  The power of nature in Iceland has recently shown itself once more with the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull sending ash into the atmosphere and grounding airlines all over Europe for days.  Sometimes Mother Nature is still in charge.....   

Then it was time to go back to Reykjavik, we came back another way so saw different scenery.  Every now and then by the roadside mounted on rocks were mangled cars - these were crashed cars, used as a warning to drive carefully, never seen anything like that before.

We ate at our hotel that night and it was delicious.  Then we went to Bedtime Stories, held every Thursday night at our hotel.  And there you listen to an actor reading Icelandic stories, old and new, whilst drinking hot chocolate.  You also can use pillows and blankets to snuggle into if you want.  I really enjoyed it and it has inspired me to buy one of the books.  Then it was off to bed, it had been a long, but enjoyable day.

Iceland Part 1 - No Snow, But We Find a Pearl and a Smokey Bay

Glenys picked me up from home in the morning and we drove up to Glasgow, it was a nice morning so the drive was pleasant and there were no delays.  We parked the car, got the shuttle bus to the terminal and before long we were on the plane heading to Iceland.  The trip lasted just over two hours, my first view of the country was seeing the Blue Lagoon shimmering amongst the brown-black volcanic landscape, as I looked out that familiar excitement of arriving in a place I had never been before grew. 

The terminal at Keflavik was very smart, lots of wood, slate and granite, obviously quite new.  We got our ticket for the Flybus to Reykjavik and headed towards the city approximately 40 kilometers away.  We were travelling through the Reykjanes Peninsula, a flat area in south western Iceland.  The land was desolate, the dark volcanic lava fields and wildly scattered rocks barren except for grey brown lichen that grew over some of them.  Often there were little cairns of rock built by people.  The road was very good and we passed many new roads that seemed to just disappear into nowhere.  I was surprised there was no snow - though we could see snow on the mountains that surrounded the perimeter of the plain.  It was a lovely afternoon, sunshine and blue skies, what a wonderful welcome Iceland was giving us!

We reached our hotel, the Loftleiðir, after a 50 minute journey.  From the outside the hotel was not inviting, it was like a 60s/70s building, not the most aesthetically pleasing to look at!  But it was completely modernised inside and was really lovely.  We had separate rooms and instead of small singles we both got a normal sized room which was great.  Mine looked out over the car park of the hotel, to the right, on a forested hill, was the famous Perlan (the Pearl).  I could see Reykjavik city centre with high snow capped mountains behind.

We decided to walk up to Perlan which was close to our hotel on a hill called Qskjuhlid .  The Pearl consists of six metal tanks around a central dome.  It is where the geo-thermal water from beneath the earth is stored and then pumped out to heat the Reykjavik buildings.  The dome changed colour with the sky and time of day, it was an impressive building.  We walked up wooded hill and into the building.  It was very modern, on the ground floor is the Saga Museum which at this hour unfortunately was closed.  There is a geyser that regularly soared up almost to the top of the building. 

On the 4th floor there is a viewing balcony that surrounds the dome, the 360 views from there are breathtaking.   It was a lovely evening, sunshine and lots of blue sky that made the calm water of the bay a deep blue.  Below Reykjavik spread out looking very pretty with it's white and bright coloured buildings and church spires, all flanked by dramtic mountains.

Also on the 4th floor of Perlan was a cafe (unfortunately we could not afford to eat at the plush restaurant on the 5th floor!) and by now we were really hungry.  We had a lovely meal that was not too expensive.  We sat by the window looking out over Reykjavik - this cafe must have one of the best views in Iceland. 

The darkness comes very slowly at this latitude, and it was still light as we walked down  Qskjuhlid.  We passed close to one of the many "hot holes" of Iceland from which steam was rising into the air.  In shady corners small areas of snow still lingered and as the sun got lower it got decidedly cooler.

Next day we had a couple of tours, the first, in the morning, being a tour of Reykjavik.  The city centre is compact and I was surprised to learn that the city is not that old - by European standards.   The first settlement in the area was around 870 when Norseman Ingólfur Arnarson arrived.  However there was no urban development until 1786 which is recognised as the date of the founding of the city of Reykjavik (which translates to Bay of the Smokes, referring to the geothermal geysers in the area).

The houses tended to be either white or greens, blues, yellows and most had a outer cover of painted corrugated steel.  Our guide, Steiner, said that rooves and walls are covered in this as other materials do not cope well with Icelandic weather and they found this material serves the purpose well.

The city was much more open than I expected, it is very spread out with a lot of new building going on, it's still developing.  We saw the Parliament building and drove through the oldest part of the city which was very pretty.

Then we went on to the Hallgrimskirkja, which is the building you see from all over Reykjavik and beyond, situated on a hill and soars 244 feet into the air.  It was begun in 1945 and finished in 1986.  It is one of those few examples of a 20th century building that is stunningly beautiful and unique, that will be treasured for a very long time.  The architect, Guðjón Samúelsson, is said to have designed it to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland so much part of Iceland's landscape.  It is the Lutheran parish church of Reykjavik.  Inside it is very simple, almost bare, this made the one stained glass window really stand out as the sun shone through it, it was gorgeous.  I think it is one of the most beautiful churches I've seen.

We visted Perlan again and were told more about Iceland's unique geothermal heating system.  Nearly all the country's heating and hot water is via the hot water that is under the land's surface.  This natural resource was first harnessed in 1930 and gradually developed throughout the country.  The one thing that is cheap in Iceland is heating and hot water.

We drove a little outside of the city to Bessastaðir, the residence  of Iceland's President.  It was situated on a flat area of land close to the sea.  What I noticed most was the silence there, so, so quiet and peaceful - except for the calls of the geese that were flying in for the summer and landed close by.   I can imagine the weather can get wild there as it is very open, but on this sunny day it looked a lovely place to live.

After that we drove back into Reykjavik and our tour ended.  We had an hour and a half for lunch before we went on our next trip.  We sat in a lovely little square in the oldest part of the city for a while enjoying the sunshine before going to look round a few shops and then had a delicious coffee in a place called Sufistinn.  Then it was back to the bus for our afternoon trip.

Next instalment to follow soon.

Off to the Land of Ice and Fire Soon!

My cousin Glenys and I are off to Iceland soon for a few days.  It one of the places on my "to do" list and I'm really excited about going there.  Whilst there we've got a day long island tour and a whale watching trip.  Again the latter is on my list, there's no guarantee of seeing any whales of course but it'll be an experience anyway.  I don't think we'll have time to go to see the volcano that erupted recently, and which is still grumbling, but if we can we'll go to see it.  Check back here for my write up about the trip.

 

U2360° At The Rose Bowl DVD Details

U2360° At The Rose Bowl will be released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray by Mercury Records on June 7, and in the US on June 3, 2010.

U2360° At The Rose Bowl was the penultimate gig of last year's U2360° Tour in support of their Grammy nominated album No Line on The Horizon. The Rose Bowl performance was the band's biggest show of 2009 and U2's biggest ever US show, with a live audience in excess of 97,000.

The show was also streamed across seven continents via YouTube. The first ever live streaming of a full-length stadium concert, U2360° at the Rose Bowl had over 10 million views on the channel in one week.

Shot entirely in HD, the concert was filmed with 27 cameras and directed by Tom Krueger who had previously worked on U23D, the first live action 3D concert movie taken from U2's Vertigo Tour.

Available in standard and 2-disc deluxe DVD formats (see below), U2360° At The Rose Bowl will also be U2's first concert available in Blu-ray. The deluxe formats and the Blu-ray will feature a new documentary called Squaring the Circle: Creating U2360° with new interviews from U2, Paul McGuinness and the team behind the touring production.

Tracklisting of U2360° At The Rose Bowl is as follows:

Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, No Line On The Horizon, Elevation, In A Little While, Unknown Caller, Until the End of the World, The Unforgettable Fire, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, Sunday Bloody Sunday, MLK, Walk On, One, Where The Streets Have No Name, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, Moment Of Surrender.

U2360° At The Rose Bowl is released in the following formats:

- Single Disc DVD, live concert only
- 2DVD Super Deluxe Box Set (content to be announced)
- Two Disc DVD Deluxe edition
- Blu-Ray Single Disc edition each featuring the live concert plus:

Squaring The Circle: Creating U2360° Documentary
U2360° Tour Clips
Bonus Track 'Breathe' (Live At The Rose Bowl)
Berlin Timelapse Video

Videos:
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Animated)
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Live At Barcelona)

The Making Of 'Get On Your Boots' Video
The Making Of 'Magnificent' Video

(Info from U2.com)

Caught My Eye

Passing a church in my city I saw this sign "Dog is man's best friend - someone always gets things the wrong way round"

Good one!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

U2 DVD Coming!

U2.com has announced that a DVD of the 2009 Pasadena 360 concert will be released soon. No exact date but rumours are that it will be late May, which would make sense as it's just before the next leg of the tour.

More On Bono's African Trip

When Bono turned up in Ghana last week no one really knew why as it was unpublicised.  Now it has emerged that ONE has embarked on a "listening and learning" trip to Senegal, Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya with members of  the organisation's board and supporters.  You can read more on the trip blog here

Hudson the Dachshund

Just love this, so funny and Hudson looks just like my Max!

Bugs, Quiet U2, Weird Happenings

I'm just recovering from a nasty bug that resulted in me spending most of my weekend either in the bathroom or crashed out in bed and feeling very sorry for myself!  My dogs had to make do with runs in the garden rather than walks, but they were so good and slept when I did, they know when you are not well.  I'm still not 100%, but much better than I was and am now back into the usual swing of things.

U2 have been so quiet over the last few weeks, various "off duty" sitings of Edge and Bono in New York and the other day Bono popped up briefly in Ghana.  But there is no sign that the band are together working on any new material.  It's been a strange year for them really, an album release that was generally well received critically, but not a huge hit, and poor chart positions for single releases.  A stadium tour of Europe and North America that sold very well considering the difficult financial times.  The Brit, Grammy and Meteor season has been and gone and U2 did not win one award though they were nominated in the two latter events. 

After the tour Bono was going on about another album they hoped to release this year called Songs of Ascent.  Then the album became an EP, and now there is talk of, maybe, a new single before the next tour starts.  This doesn't sound like a band that is brimming with creativity and "on fire" to use the main man's favourite term.  I wish they wouldn't come out with these kind of statements only to disappoint fans.

It may just be me, but I sense a change coming for U2, I'm not sure what, maybe they are stepping back a bit, which I can understand.  Adam has just turned 50 and Bono will do so soon, a decade birthday always makes you ponder and look at where in your life you are now, your path forward, the things you have left behind.  Perhaps they are taking time out to chill and to decide just what is going to happen with the band and maybe they will just have to learn to accept that biggest isn't what they are now.  But biggest doesn't matter anyway, we fans have always known that.

And finally, I want to share a very odd thing that happened to me earlier this evening.  I went to work as usual, and when I came out one of my car headlights was on!  It had been light when I went to work so my lights were off when it was parked (my lights go off anyway when the engine is switched off).  I thought it was well weird and if anyone has an explanation I'd love to hear it!

Strange Friends

Saw this fascinating story online, A zebra that is a fearless dental hygienist!

BBC News - Zebra snapped putting head in hippopotamus's mouth

Another Gig That Never Happened!

My friend Debbi came up to stay with me last weekend.  We, and our friend Dawn, were supposed to see the U2 tribute band ZU2 play locally.  Unfortunately the band cancelled due to poor ticket sales (we saw them in the same place last year and it was a sellout - weird).  So instead Deb and I went out for a meal and then came back to mine, opened our bottle of Veuve Cliquot (two bottles in two weeks we are living the high life!) and watched the Amsterdam 360 DVD.  It was wonderful to relive the gigs and it brought many happy memories from last years shows.  This DVD is just as good, if not better than many official ones, and it is meant to be shared between fans, not bought, which is how I got it and the way it should be.

Although our weekend didn't quite go as planned I really enjoyed it.  It's so nice to spend time with a good  friend where you can be yourself, where silences are not uncomfortable and sharing and laughs come easily.  
 

Spring and Black Woodpeckers.....

It was a lovely day today, blue skies and a little warmth once more in the sun.  Crocuses are brightening up the gardens and verges, daffodils are nearly out and the crows are gathering in the tall trees - always a sign spring is not far off.  Soon I expect it to be what I call Bird Song Day, when all the birds seem to be singing to herald in the rebirth of spring, nature is amazing. 

Heard this on the local news today, if you want a good laugh read about it here - someone must be feeling very embarrassed now!

A Day of Mishaps!

I was woken with a jolt today - literally!  I heard a crack, then another and another, then I sunk in my bed, another crack, and I was sinking lower.  I am not good in the mornings, but eventually due to my sunken state under the duvet, realised my bed has collapsed!  I know I'm not slim but this was ridiculous!  I hauled myself out of the bed and peeked underneath and many of the pine slats had given way along with the central metal bar of the bedstead.  I realised then that my laziness a few months ago had come to haunt me.  When I'd decorated my bedroom a while back I'd dismantled the bed and afterwards put it back together.  However after it was all done I realised I'd forgotten to put the three metal legs onto the central metal bar.  I couldn't be bothered to sort it out thinking it would be ok.  Well, my laziness was costly because today the lack of those legs caused that central metal bar to give way.  So now I have to get another bed, and will have to sleep on my mattress on the floor until it arrives.  Just shows that taking the easy way out ultimately doesn't pay!  But I  did find a half price bargain bed on the Tesco website, and I also got 1000 Clubcard points - I'm manically saving these points and changing them to airmiles for a planned trip to the US next year and this has boosted my miles so this episode has had one bonus for me.

Then tonight at work I managed to trip over my own feet and fell heavily on my knee, luckily there was no one around to see me sprawling ungainly on the floor!  My knee is now sore, swollen and very bruised, think I'd better get to my bed (on the floor) before anything else happens!

Websites, Another Job, No U2 in Ireland and a Short Trip to Dublin

I've been neglecting my blog these last few weeks, I will update it more regularly from now on, this hiatus has just been a blip.   

I've been really busy with various things, one being working on a Cumbrian genealogy website that hopefully will see light of day soon.  I'm very much into genealogy, it can lead you on a fantastic and surprising journey as, like a detective, you delve into your past as you follow the clues and twists and turns of your family history.

I've got another job!  Not in place of my present little job, but in addition to it - after all it is only ten hours a week.  On Thursdays I've been working as a volunteer with Age Concern at one of their day groups for the elderly.  I really enjoy it and now am going to go on the organisation's paid staff as a bank carer - I'll fill in when regular caring staff are unavailable.

U2.com finally laid rest to all the speculation about Dublin shows by saying all the European shows for 2010 have now been announced.  I have a feeling that the band may finish the 360 Tour in Dublin next year, no one is saying the Rome show is the last gig of the tour, just of Europe in 2010.  Maybe they will get to Australasia and south America in 2011 too.  I've decided I'll just go to the two German shows I've got tickets for this year, then see what happens next year.

My friend Debbi and I have been on a short trip to Dublin recently.  I got the train to Manchester Airport and as I walked into the station I saw wallpaper on walls, armchairs, settees, lots of lights, laminate flooring.... then I remembered that I'd heard they were making an ad for Homebase at the railway station.  It really cheered the Victorian station up, they should have it like that all the time, easy chairs would be nice to relax in as you wait for your train.  The ad must be getting screened in the summer as the extras were in light clothing, some of the women were shivering in their short sleeves as they waited and waited for the next take on this icy February morning. 

I met up with Deb in Manchester and soon were were on our way to our hotel in Dublin, Bewley's.  After settling in we went out to the nearby shops and bought some wine and nibbles.  Wine is generally horrendously expensive in Ireland and there was one on special offer we fancied but it had a cork and we had no corkscrew.  The helpful shop manager offered to open it for us and I walked back with an opened bottle of red wine in a brown paper bag LOL!

We got our gladrags on and got a taxi to The Clarence Hotel where we were having a meal in the Tea Room.  Prices in that restaurant have tumbled dramatically and it is now really good value for money.  Our meal was fabulous, the chocolate fondant was to die for!  After the meal we had a cocktail in The Study (now open to anyone, not just residents) and chatted for ages.  We wanted to have one more Cosmo cocktail to share and the very helpful waiter made us two glasses topped up with the cranberry juice to make it go further.  Seems the hotel has now got a longer drinking licence letting people drink later as we left at 12.30am and usually the place is closed to non-residents from not long after 11pm. 

On the Friday we checked out Hanover Quay, but there was no sign of U2, I was quite glad we could move on as the wind was piercingly cold.   I love the name of this road close to U2's studios (photo above).  I thought it was just a weird name, but  when I Googled it I found out it was named after Bindon Blood Stoney (1828 – 1909) a civil engineer during the late 19th century. Bindon Blood Stoney was the main engineer working on Dublin Port and Docks in the second half of the 19th century.

Every time we go away now we treat ourselves to a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne (our tastes have got expensive as we've got older).  We meant to get a bottle at Manchester airport but, because we were flying Ryanair carrying only one piece of hand luggage to save money, we had no room for it.  It took us a while to find it, but eventually there it was, in the Eurospar in Barrow St.  So this time when I returned to Bewley's I was carrying champagne in a purple paper bag!

The Meteor Awards, in which U2 were nominated for three awards, were taking place that night at the RDS Simmonscourt, which was minutes from our hotel and we could see the building from our room.  Seeing U2 were nominated we thought that if they were in town they might go so we decided to wander round.  Unlike The Brits last year there was nowhere that fans could stand to watch stars arrive and we just wandered aimlessly for a while.  The ticketholders were arriving and they were very young, so much so that I felt very out of place!  After a short while we decided to go back to Bewley's and have a meal and then opened our champagne. 

Later that evening the Meteors finished and it seemed the VIP cars left on a road right outside our window.  We sat there having a great laugh (whilst supping our Veuve), at some very boisterous young girls hanging onto and running after various cars!  We later found out that Adam had been at the event to present the Industry Award to Lord Henry Mount Charles.  U2 won none of the awards they were up for though they were hotly tipped to take home all three!  Is Ireland's secret love affair with U2 over?

On our last full day Debbi and I did our own thing for a few hours during the day.  I went through to Dun Laoghaire to visit friends Ken and Elizabeth and had a lovely visit and it was nice to catch up on their news.

That evening we went to The Town Bar and Grill in central Dublin for our meal.  We've been there a few times now and it is always fabulous, it is expensive, but we save money every month for our trips and so it doesn't hit the pocket as hard as it could!  I decided to be adventurous and had a starter I'd never had before, wood pidgeon and chestnut lasagne.  The wood pigeon was lovely, but I now know I don't care for chestnuts!  I had tiramisu for dessert and it was the nicest I've ever had, absolutely delicious. 

It was a great way to end our short trip to Dublin.  Over the years we've seen all the sights etc, so a big part of our trips now is to eat really well and wash it down with lovely wine, something we both love doing.  Along with the company of a good friend it's a great way to spend time in Dublin!

Someone Stop Me!

Ever since I was a toddler I've loved shoes.  My mother told me that from a very young age if I got new shoes I would keep them on and even go to bed in them.  Recently my shoe obsession has got a bit out of hand.  I bought a pair of warm comfy boots during our month long freezing snap, a great buy my tootsies were lovely and warm in them. 

Then I got a bargain in the sale of a great pair of shoes that were £55 for £16, well, at such a bargain price I just HAD to buy them didn't I?  

I trawled the Net and found a wonderful pair of walking boots at half price.  Well, seeing I enjoy walking with my Dachshund boys so much they were perfect, so I got them. 

Then I found a lovely pair of going out shoes at less than half price so I had to buy them too.  Then just a couple of days ago I saw a gorgeous pair of ankle boots at half price, I didn't have a pair of ankle boots so, really, it was meant to be wasn't it?  I bought them.

But I must stop now, really I must!  I will NOT buy any more footwear!

U2 to Play Aviva Stadium in Dublin?

A guy on the Irish TV3 channel announced today that U2 were going to play the Aviva Stadium (it used to be Lansdowne Road) in the summer to end their 360 tour.  I'm not sure what to think as the tour isn't ending in the summer, the last announced gig at the moment is Rome well into October.  I suppose it could mean NEXT summer if the tour continues into 2011 but that's unlikely I would have thought.   There's nothing on U2.com to confirm either. 

Rumours always surround U2, but this announcement definitely happened, you can watch the video of it here .  Time will tell.......

Life Goes On

I haven't written much in my blog recently mainly because life has been quiet and I've just been plodding on with my normal life.  This time of year often is quite dull I find, and I'm getting sick of the winter.  Mind you the good thing is that the days are getting longer which is always good to see.

But things are livening up soon, it's not long until my first trip of 2010, a few days in Dublin.  It'll be great to be back in what feels like my second home once more, it'll be seven months since I was there, a long time for me.  As per usual we've already got our evening meals mapped out and I'm salivating at the thought LOL! 

Meanwhile the story below has nothing to do with Dublin but it tickled my fancy today:
The Multilingual Car Park Machine....