Musings

More random things incoming....

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Unless you have a book or are messing around with your phone, it can be pretty boring riding the tram.  There are a lot of apartment buildings track-side and in an effort to combat the tedium, I've been mapping out windows where I've seen a cat tree.  When I go past, I see if any kitties are perched on their tree; so far, I haven't seen any.  There's a couch on the balcony of an apartment near the Central Park stop (Central Park in Irish is An Phairc Lair - pronounced "an fark lar") where we once saw what looked like a golden retriever napping.  I haven't seen the pupper again but it's probably been too chilly for him/her to be out on the balcony.

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A while ago, I was riding the tram, and in the seat across from me was an unattended carry-on bag.  I thought, "Oh great, I come all the way to Ireland only to be blown up by a damned bomb."  When we reached the Brides Glen stop, I let the tram driver know about the bag.  He grinned and asked, "It's not ticking, is it?"

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We haven't been on the motorways much, but it's interesting to note that there really aren't any billboards.  It's a refreshing change from most of the US highways.

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Aside from over-the-counter medications, there are no TV commercials for pharmaceuticals; it's illegal.  I do kinda miss the Jardiance commercial though.

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When you think of Ireland, you think of shamrocks, Guinness, whiskey, leprechauns, and potatoes.  My favorite potato of all time is the russet.  It's very earthy and meaty, and I really like the flavor of it.  There are no russet potatoes in Ireland, of course, and I haven't yet been able to find one that I enjoy.  The irony of not liking potatoes in a land synonymous with them isn't lost on me.  "Water, water everywhere/Nor any drop to drink."

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Many of our cable channels originate in the UK.  I've noticed that the UK seems very committed to pre-death funeral planning; there are at least three different commercials for it.  I've also noticed that UK commercials are a bit more...blunt.  In an ad for an incontinence product, one woman asks another woman to join her in some activity and the second woman says, "Oh, and worry about people seeing me bulky pee pad?"

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Gelatin is called "jelly" here.  This photo looks like it's a box or packet of gelatin powder, right?  The kind where you add hot water to make it?  Yeah, no.  It's actually a pouch containing a slab of pre-made Jello.  I bought one, and I'm a little afraid to try it.

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More words that are different here:

Rocket = arugula

Sorted = figured out (I got my issue sorted)

Courgette = zucchini

Chicken goujon = chicken tender

Biscuit = cookie

Cupcake case/pie case = cupcake liner/pie crust

In range = the items a store carries (their lineup/stock)

All Aboard

On Friday, we boarded a Luas tram a couple of hours before sunrise (which doesn't sound as heroic when you realize that sunrise doesn't happen until 8:30 this time of year).  There was a dense fog and between that and the dark, it felt like I was in a cocoon.  I hadn't ridden a tram in the dark before, so it was a bit jarring.  Inside the tram, it seemed brighter than usual with no outside light to mute the glaring overhead lighting.

Our destination was the Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) Dublin Connolly station.  About 23 stops later, we exited the Green Line Luas tram and walked a bit to get to the Red Line Luas station at Abbey Street.  The tram takes you directly to the Connolly station, but that leg of the route wasn't running yet, so we got off the tram at Busaras and walked the couple blocks to the station.

It was close to the time of our Irish Rail departure, so we didn't linger too long at the station.  Eli had reserved two seats for us, so we went to a ticketing kiosk to print our paper tickets and then headed for the platform.  There were gates you had to go through before you could enter the platform - like subway turnstiles.  You fed your ticket into the machine and it would open the gates and allow you to pass.  Eli had to put his ticket in multiple times to get it to work.  The machine kept buzzing and not letting me pass, so in swooped a member of the station staff.  He said, "Is it not working for you, luv?" and he swiped his security card to get the gate to open.

We were in the C car, so we walked down the platform until we found our carriage and got onboard.  This sign helpfully indicated that we had reserved these seats, which I thought was pretty cool (it's hard to read but it lists our names).  We put our backpacks and coats in the overhead storage and settled in for departure.

The conductor came through, asking people for their ticket so he could punch them.  I wished him good morning, and he said, "It'd be a good morning if I were in the pub."  🙂  A bit into the trip, a woman came by with a trolley, inquiring if we wanted a drink or snack.  I told Eli I had to bite my lip not to say "We'll take the lot," which is what Harry Potter said to the trolley lady in the first HP movie.

Our car was fairly empty and quiet.  There was a pair of younger ladies in the seats across the aisle from ours, and they came fully prepared for a two-hour trip.  They had fruit, drinks, cookies, and a small snack pack that had crackers and salami.  They kept up a steady chatter of Spanish for the entire trip, and it was fun to try to catch words I understood.  (As we got closer to our destination, one of the women started applying makeup, using her phone's camera as a mirror.  The train's motion was fairly steady with a few bumpier stretches, and I was in awe that she was brave enough to have a sharp eyeliner anywhere near her eye.)

The fog lifted as we moved farther away from Dublin.  It was still grey but eventually, there was enough light to see the surroundings as we flew past.  There were small, green pastures that were outlined by fences made of stacked stone.  They were devoid of livestock, so I said, "I was promised sheep."

And I got sheep.  Lots and lots of sheep.  Along with a few cows and some horses.  Some of the sheep were close to the tracks, some were just smallish white dots on the horizon.

At some point during the ride, Eli got a text notification so he glanced at his phone.  It was our mobile provider, Virgin, letting him know that international roaming was now in place.  For those of you who may not know, Northern Ireland is part of the UK so even though it's on the Irish island, it's a whole 'nother country where they use pounds instead of euros and sing "God Save the King."

We arrived at Grand Central Station in Belfast on time, leaving the train and headed for the station.  Again, there were machines that required you to swipe your ticket to get into the station but they were also apparently being recalcitrant because a staff member was just waving people through.

We stopped at the Customer Service desk to see if we could get a visitor transportation pass there, and happily, we could.  The passes were about £7 each, and they were valid for unlimited travel all day.

Our first stop was the Botanic Gardens.  The gardens were established in 1828 by the Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society, in response to public interest in horticulture and botany.

There were many different types of trees and flora, and we heard a lot of birdsong and saw many squirrel friends.  At one point along the walk, a couple of squirrels seemed to be wanting to approach us - I'm sure people feed them, so they're used to getting handouts from humans.  I didn't shoo them away, but I told them to get back.  Getting bitten by a squirrel in Belfast didn't sound like the best use of my time there.

They had a grass labyrinth laid out with various types of rose bushes along the sides of the walking area but, being December, all of the bushes had been cut back in preparation for winter.  I'm sure that's quite a sight to see in the summer with all of the different rose varieties in bloom.

Inside the grounds is a building that houses the Tropical Ravine.  As shown in the last photo, the temperature was 24.4 C which is around 76 F.  I love ferns, so I was tickled to find a couple fern species there.  The waterfall was wonderful, and I got a video.  I was cursing internally while filming though because there was a woman talking VERY LOUDLY nearby.  Lady, I want to hear the water, not you.

Also on the grounds is the Palm House, which was built in the 1830s and is one of the earliest examples of a curvilinear cast iron glasshouse.  The first plant photo is some kind of cactus-ish creature, and it made me laugh.  There's this innocent-looking bouquet of blossoms at the end of a nasty stem of spikes.  It's like "party in the front, bloody screaming death in the back."

After our journey around the Botanic Gardens, we took the bus to CastleCourt Shopping Centre.  Eli wanted to tour the Crumlin Road Gaol (jail); I had no interest in that, so I said I'd wander around the mall instead.  I like to take my time while I'm window shopping; Eli isn't as fond of that activity so this seemed like a good compromise.  It was near lunchtime, and we were both hungry, so we stopped by the food court.  Eli had a falafel dish and I had KFC - as one does when you're in Belfast.

Then he was off to jail and I was off to explore the mall.  There were the usual clothing and shoe stores, but there was also a candy store called Gobstopper and a Bargain Books where everything was 50% off.  I had to force myself not to buy anything at the bookstore.

Feeling a bit peckish, I went to a shop called Muffin Break and got a chocolate chip muffin.  This thing was the size of a softball and only £2.80!  Believe me when I tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed this confectionary delight.  The edges of the muffin top were slightly crunchy, and the rest of it was moist and delicious.

My feet were tired, so I found a comfortable place to sit down.  I texted Eli my location and in short order, he arrived to collect me.  Our train back to Dublin was slated to leave at 4 p.m. so we decided to head back to the station.

The bus stop was right in front of an amusement center (a casino, basically) in a slightly sketchy looking part of town.  As we stood waiting for the bus, a person exited the casino, speaking loudly and angrily in a different language.  I tensed up, ready to defend if necessary, but they continued on their way, still angrily barking as they moved down the street.

Back at the station, we had time to kill before our departure so we went to Pret a Manger, which is Starbucks-like.  Eli got a falafel and halloumi wrap as well as a grape and elderflower fizzy drink; I got a Coke; and we split a chocolate croissant.

We went to the platform, but they weren't allowing people to board yet so we took a seat.  It was interesting that a large line was forming, but they didn't let people through until about 5 minutes before departure.  Staff was punching people's tickets at this checkpoint, which slowed things down even more.  I didn't think they'd let the trail pull out while people were still working their way onto the platform but I hoofed it to car D just to be on the safe side.

The outside of this train looked old, but the inside was modern and looked fairly new.  I didn't get a photo, but again there was an LED sign that had our names listed.  The seats were purple and covered with a velvety upholstery.  For the trip back to Dublin, our seats were oriented facing the front of the train; on the trip to Belfast, we were sitting backwards.

It was dark by this time so there wasn't much to see out the windows.  I read a book for a little while; Eli played around on the socials using his phone.  We had trolley service again but, as we had had a snack at the station, we didn't get anything.

The ride back was fairly uneventful.  A group of people boarded at the first or second stop, and they were talking quite loudly.  I was like, "Dudes, read the room.  It's quiet in here besides you."  Thankfully, they got off at the next stop, and the train was quiet again.

We pulled into Dublin Connolly around 6:20 p.m.  The Red Line tram that would've taken us from the station to Abbey Street was again in service....and we just missed it.  We caught another Red Line tram to Abbey Street and walked a bit to get to the Green Line tram that would take us home.

On the front of each tram, there's a lighted digital sign that tells you the tram's final stop.  The tram that pulled up when the Brides Glen tram was due said "Not in Service."  We still piled on, and the driver never kicked us all off, so we figured we were good to go.  It was packed with people so we had to stand for quite some time.  I sat down as soon as a seat opened up as my hip was bothering me, and Eli eventually got a seat as the population thinned.

We'd been away more than 12 hours so the cats were glad to see us, and I was just as glad to be home.

As Eli pointed out, I've now been in three different countries since August (US, Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland).  Not bad for someone who had never been outside the US in over 50 years.

So This is Christmas

Eli took today off work, and we visited the Christmas market at Dublin Castle.

We rode the green line Luas tram to St. Stephen's Green and then had about a 12-minute walk to get to the market.  I had never been through that part of the City Centre before, and it was quite overwhelming.  Tattoo shops, pubs, eateries, donut shops, grocery stores - just store after store after store.  Some of the places were basically a small hole in the wall where people could walk up and get pizza or a snack.

And there were so. many. people.  We had to weave our way around slower walkers or people who just decided it was a good idea to park themselves in the middle of a narrow sidewalk.  Many different dialects and languages floated around us as we made our way to the castle.

Once there, we had the "rat in the maze" experience of doing that switchback waltz as we moved through the barricades they had in place to contain a large queue - there was no queue today but considering it was around 1 p.m. on a Monday, that wasn't surprising.

This was the entrance into the castle courtyard.

There were vendor booths set up with all manner of handicrafts - candles, jewelry, handmade wooden puzzles, clothing - as well as a handful of food vendors.  Nothing says Christmas in Dublin like one cart selling churros and another one selling corn dogs.

There was a carousel set up in the center of the courtyard.  Of course I rode the carousel.  My trusty steed's name was Robert.  Eli was next to me on a horse named Codi, and the horse on the inside rail was named Dylan.  Who named these horses?

We took a tour of the State Apartments, which are part of the castle.  As you might imagine, this place was very opulent.  Lots of huge paintings on the walls, velvet couches, the whole nine yards.

We also visited the Chapel Royal, which is right outside the courtyard.  It boasted soaring arched ceilings, lots of stained glass, and a humongous pipe organ.

After we left the courtyard and before visiting the Chapel, we got a drink from one of the vendors and stood beneath a small shelter, sipping our hot chocolate and listening to the Christmas music being piped over loudspeakers:  Wonderful Christmastime (Paul McCartney), All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey), The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole), White Christmas (Bing Crosby), Happy Xmas (John Lennon and Yoko Ono), and Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Bruce Springsteen) were just a few of the songs we heard.  I was certain they were going to play "Last Christmas" by Wham and I'd get Whamageddon-ed, but it didn't happen.

Hot chocolate:  How it started vs how it ended

Adventure complete, we headed back to the tram stop outside St. Stephen's Green, past the busker singing in the Centre square and the man feeding a huge flock of pigeons,  accompanied by a light mist that never fully blossomed into all-out rain.  Feet tired from walking on cobblestones, it was good to sit and let the tram take us home.

(If you want more information on Dublin Castle - including learning the names of some luminaries who have been entertained within its walls - go here:  History | Dublin Castle )

Everyone Knows It's Windy

Eli was on the hunt for some tennis shoes so we headed to Dundrum Town Centre this morning.  Or rather, we blew all the way to Dundrum Town Centre this morning.  It's extremely windy here at times - today being one of those times.  I had to hold my headband to the top of my head for fear the wind would snatch it away.  I'm going to have to pull my hair back into a ponytail or something because looking like Cousin Itt isn't great when you're trying to navigate stairs.

We journeyed to three or four different stores inside the mall but had no success.  For whatever reason, it's very difficult to find wide-width shoes in stores here.  Eli and I both got some winter gloves, and I found a raincoat.  It may shock you to learn that it rains here in Ireland.  A lot.  And I didn't have a medium-weight, waterproof coat so it was nice to remedy that today.

Holiday shopping is in full swing so the mall was full of people and noise and lights.  Not my idea of a swell time, by any stretch of the imagination.  I managed to pass by the bookstore without being drawn in by its siren song.  Please clap for me.

We tried a new restaurant for lunch - one I had suggested.  I know - shocking!  I tend to stick with the tried-and-true places so for me to both be willing to try something new and to have been the one to suggest it was a pretty big deal.

The bells of the church down the street had just rung 12, so I was afraid that the place might be full.  Happily, we walked in and there were only a couple people there.  It probably helped that the restaurant is in a little alley a block or two from the mall entrance so they probably don't have a lot of foot traffic.  Or at least they didn't today.  Business did pick up a few minutes after we arrived.

Nando's is a South African multinational fast casual chain that specializes in Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri style chicken (description from their Wikipedia page).  If you know me, you know that about the only word I'm comfortable/familiar with in that sentence - culinarily speaking - is chicken.

Not knowing if we should wait or seat ourselves, we stood by the door and the hostess approached with a smile.  She asked if we'd been there before and, when we said we hadn't, explained how to order (either using a QR code or going up to the counter), pointed out where the drink station was, and also asked if we had any food allergies.

Eli ordered a mushroom and halloumi pitta with sides of broccoli and chips (aka fries) along with a hard cider; he also had an appetizer of spiced olives.  I got chicken butterfly (grilled chicken breast) with sides of mac/cheese and garlic bread along with a bottomless glass of Coke.  And it was soooooo good!  The garlic bread was soft on the bottom/middle but crispy on top and had a great garlic flavor.  The mac/cheese was very thick and creamy.  The chicken was tender and coated with peri-peri sauce, which tasted to me like a sweet BBQ sauce.

We didn't save room for dessert but if we had, I was eyeing the bottomless tub of soft-serve vanilla ice cream.  Doesn't that sound wonderful??

The staff came over multiple times to ask if we needed anything else, always with a smile and always so pleasant.  There was music playing but it wasn't so loud and obnoxious that we couldn't hold a conversation.

All in all, it was a really good meal and good experience.

I will leave you with a few more bits and bobs of random stuff:

- Rather than stocking stuffers, these items are called stocking fillers.

- You do your grocery shop or Christmas shop - not shopping.

- Underwear is called knickers.

- A basket is a hamper - so a gift basket would be a gift hamper.

- Sweaters are jumpers - e.g. I'm wearing my ugly Christmas jumper.

Pod People

Eli's birthday fell mid-week, so we celebrated yesterday by going to a restaurant at the Carrickmines mall called The Vanilla Pod.

It was a very grey day, and the sky was quite close to the ground.  There was a constant drizzle - enough to make you damp but not really make you wet.  I felt a little like produce in the grocery store when the mister jets engage.

We got to the mall a few minutes past noon.  The restaurant opened at noon, and there was already a line out the door.  We stood for a few minutes before deciding to do our shopping, hoping that when we returned, the place would've cleared out.

Our shopping quest was for salt and pepper shakers.  I had ordered some from Ikea but for whatever reason, those couldn't be shipped to us.  Don't ask me to explain it because I can't.  One of the home stores we went to had a Pier 1 mood - lots of cute holiday paraphernalia with fabric reindeer and fluffy seasonal blankets, with a pleasant scent of spices in the air.  You wouldn't think salt and pepper shakers would be hard to find, but you'd be wrong.  We eventually found some and went on our way.

Since we had time to kill, we went into a store called Woodie's.  It's basically Menards with housewares, tools, gardening stuff, paint, etc.  I had seen online that they carry rubbing alcohol (it's like a unicorn - you can't find it here very easily and when you do, it's mega expensive) but we didn't find it after wandering around.  Eli did get a tea ball though so it wasn't a complete waste.  Plus, as I told him, it was nice to see what types of items they have, in case we need something in the future.

Stopped at a pharmacy called Boots which is much like Ulta. They didn't have the products I was looking for but again, it was nice to make a reconnaissance ramble to see what they have on offer.

Back to The Vanilla Pod we went.  There was still a line, but it was shorter and moved along very quickly.  The three parties ahead of us were seated in short order and then it was our turn.

Eli had a pasta dish with an elderberry lemonade; I had a pepperoni pizza with a Coke.  Everything was very good - and very expensive, but that's the way things are everywhere, not just here.   My only complaint was that it was quite loud, making it hard to have a conversation.  In psychology, "the cocktail party effect" happens when you're surrounded by external stimuli but can still focus on something - e.g. you're in a loud restaurant but are able to focus on the conversation you're having with one person.  I have the opposite issue - if I'm surrounded by voices, I can focus on none of them.

Eli wanted to visit a mall in Dun Laoghaire which is accessible by bus.  The bus stop is right across from the tram stop, so he went to stand by the bus stop sign while I went to wait for the tram.  Even though I wasn't planning to ride the bus, I was apparently close enough to have an effect since it was late.  🙄  But eventually it arrived and eventually the tram arrived, and we both got to where we wanted to be.

Finding Balance

I can be grateful for all I have while also feeling grief for all I've lost.  Dr. Joanne Cacciatore

There was a post on Facebook where the author stated that his family was going to move to Ireland, and he wondered about the issue of homesickness - if people experienced it and how they handled it.

I had been thinking about writing a post like this for a while and answering his question on Facebook helped to bring sharper focus to my thoughts.

It may sound woo-woo or whatever, but the harmonics of this place, the energy, isn't compatible for me at the moment.  I've told people that I feel like a tree that's been transplanted into foreign soil - my roots are reaching out for something familiar but nothing feels "right" or comfortable.

No matter where I traveled in Minnesota, it always felt like home.  The surroundings, even when physically different, were the same somehow.  Here, things feel a bit off - like a radio station that isn't quite tuned in.  I don't remember having this much trouble acclimating when I moved to Texas but then again, I was 30 years younger and the circumstances were different so it isn't an apt comparison.

I have a feeling the lack of definite seasons is also going to be difficult for me.  I NEED that delineation and, as was the case in Texas, I just don't think that's going to happen here.

In Minnesota, we lived in a house surrounded by trees/grass, and we had daily visits from all manner of wildlife - birds, squirrels, deer, bunnies.  Here, our balcony looks onto a small courtyard but there are so many hard surfaces and not much greenery.  Considering I draw comfort from nature, the lack of it when I look out the window isn't helpful.

Coloring this entire experience is also the fact that I'm carrying a lot of grief over Lissa.  My move to Ireland would've put her over the damned moon.  She would've been so thrilled for me, so eager to hear about my adventures.  Maybe she would've been able to visit, and we could've sat in a Dublin pub, listening to traditional music, she with a pint of Guinness or a shot of Jameson's in her hand, her Irishness coming home for a little while.  Everything I experience here at the moment has a sour taste of regret.

However hard this has been at times, I'm giving myself the gift of grace.  We haven't even been here for three months yet which is a drop in the ocean compared to being in Minnesota for over 50 years.  I don't expect my homesickness to ever fully disappear but I think that the longer I'm here, the more comfortable I'll feel.

As I write all of this, there's a part of me that gets irritated by all of the doom and gloom and complaining. I've been given this incredible gift but rather than finding gratitude, all I can find is sorrow.  But as the quote at the top of this post reminds me, life is not about absolutes.  Grief and gratitude, gain and loss, joy and sadness - all of these things can co-exist, and that's okay.

More Random Stuff

The wheels on the grocery carts are multi-directional so when you want to go from the middle of the aisle to a spot closer to the shelves, you just push your cart sideways.  It took me a while to get the hang of maneuvering - the first few times, I was weaving all over the place.  I appreciate the difference though - so much better than having those static wheels.

Caps on bottles are tethered to the neck of the bottle after you open them.  This is to help more caps be recycled (when they detach, they're sometimes too small/light for the recycling equipment to handle and they wind up as non-recycled waste).  Bottle rings are also harmful to wildlife so this keeps them attached to the container.  It was an adjustment to get accustomed to these caps but now, it's no big deal. 

There are a couple of tram stops that are near a park-and-ride.  When we approach those stops, the announcement tells passengers to "alight here for park-and-ride."  Not depart or get off, but alight.

Tram/bus stops are announced both in English and in Irish.  It's interesting because some of the towns sound different depending on the language - Carrickmines is Carraig Mhaighin and Cherrywood is Coill na Silini in Irish.  But then there are places like Cowper which are pronounced and spelled...Cowper.

The tub/showers in our apartment have two handles.  One knob turns the water on and controls the flow; the other one controls the temperature.  You don't have one knob for cold and one knob for hot.

Eggs are found on the shelf at the store and not refrigerated.  That wigged me out a bit because my only experience with store-bought eggs was getting them from the fridge section.  But I've eaten some (and Eli's been eating them hard-boiled for a while) and haven't dropped dead so I guess they're okay.

Take-out is called take-away.

The windows don't have screens on them.  The apartment advises to open your windows every now and again.  And have all the bugs inside?  No thank you.

Band-Aids are called plasters.