Paris, and back in Ireland

So we had an incredible weekend in Paris, it had been a long time since either Josh or I had been there and it was really cool to be able to be there together. The pictures are below. Loved it, and loved the ability to just pop over there for the weekend and then be back to start up a normal week. The travel options here are truly the best part of being in Dublin.

http://picasaweb.google.com/erinhittman/ParisFebruary2009?feat=directlink



We've moved upstairs...our building has 2 penthouses, one of which is a bit larger and nicer than the other. We've been promised the best one, but it's not available quite yet. There isn't anything wrong with the other, it's quite nice and large with tons of natural light and a better configured living space than where we were before, so we are quite happy living here until the other one opens up, hopefully soon. It's not like we have a lot to move, only the stuff we brought over which is the equivalent of abt 5 suitcases, so I'm happy to move us like gypsies to get the best possible place. I'll put pics of the place up soon. Our shipment should arrive by the end of March, and things will start to feel like home then. More than anything else we are looking forward to obtaining our bed. Obviously we are quite large, and the two of us attempting to sleep in these tiny double beds is ridiculous.



We made the first steps toward completing our legal status in Ireland. We got the green card, and had to register yesterday with the Gardas, the Irish police. We spent the better part of about 5 hours standing in line, waiting, and finally getting Garda cards, which aren't residency cards or even identification cards, just proof we complied with the basic requirements of registration. So we have to register with the Office of Social Welfare to try for a PPS#, the equivalent of a SSN in the States that we need to get anything done here, and what that will accomplish i have no idea, but we'll play along later this week. It's frustrating as hell, and honestly i understand why people enter countries illegally, this is wildly inefficient, time consuming and expensive. At one point yesterday, with about 250 people waiting to be seen, the 12 service desks that were available had 3 people working, and each person takes 15-20 minutes. The most efficient they got was to have 8 of the 12 open. There were people from Russia, Nigeria, China, India, all trying to get this card, and we were among the few lucky ones who managed to walk out of there with the card we set out to obtain.



This week is pretty standard, we've got the English/Irish match Saturday that we are trying to get tickets to, and Mick is helping us look too, so if they can be found, we'll find them but if we can't we'll head to a pub. Mom is sending me a package that includes Kraft macaroni and cheese...it's funny the things you miss when you can't get your hands on them. I am craving chips and salsa and that mac and cheese. The food here has been rough to adjust to, overall it's just not good, but we are sorting thru the bad restaurants and have found a few we really do like so we can hit them regularly and continue to explore.

Dingle

Josh and i went to Dingle, a coastal town on the western coast of Ireland for Valentine's Day weekend. We'd been wanting to go for awhile; before we left the states we saw that Dingle had been named the singular most beautiful place on the planet by National Geographic http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/getaways/12/17/dingle.ireland/index.html#cnnSTCText

Then it turned out that Josh had a rugby connection to a guy whose family has a bed and breakfast right in Dingle, so we had to make it our first trip. It was incredible. We already are planning our next trip out which we think will include surfing and as soon as we get Harp out, we are definitely going hiking on the pass that seperates Dingle from Tralee. There are some people who we absolutely must take out there...



The Heatons were incredible, their place was lovely and they were so hospitable. Their son David and his girlfriend Eileen took us all over the town and gave us the local experience, and we hired out a tour guide to take us on to some of the archeological sites that are scattered over the area; our two hour trip just scratched the surface. The scenery is truly amazing, and the history and culture are palpable. The link to the pictures are below.



http://picasaweb.google.com/erinhittman/DingleIreland?feat=directlink

Photos

These are just some random pictures of what we have been doing and of the areas that Josh and i walk pretty much every day. If you look at a map of Dublin, the Liffey is the river that essentially bisects the city into a northern and southern half. Apparently it's like taking your life in your hands to venture into the northern side, so we stick safely on the southern side for now. Looking back at a map, squarely in the middle of what would logically be downtown Dublin is a park called St. Stephen's Green, and that is sort of home base for us to figure out where things are in the city, it's about a 10 minute walk from our apartment and from Josh's permanent office space. It's really pretty.
Saturday we watched the 6 Nations Ireland v. France game at a really cool little old pub called Mulligan's, which was unequivocally different than any sportsbar i have ever been in...We met a friend of Alex Rau's from Argentina who is newly in Dublin as well, and she introduced us to a beer called Kilkenny which i really like. Ireland won the match, i met a bunch of the people Josh has been making friends with here, it was a good night.
Sunday we ventured out this past weekend to the beach that runs down the southern half of Dublin's Bay called Sandymount, all the way down to Booterstown. All very interesting.

This weekend we are taking the train out to the west coast to Tralee, then onto a tiny town called Dingle where we are going to spend the weekend at a bed and breakfast run by the fmaily of someone connected to Josh's rugby team back in Austin. I can't wait to see the countryside, but Dingle is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet in the wintertime, plus Josh is hoping to surf, so i'll come back with lots of photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/erinhittman/HittmansInDublin?authkey=rhur_l3D9_k&feat=directlink

First 2 Weeks

So we are settling into Dublin...it's great. Kind of cool how easily we both have been able to adjust to all the funny little differences that make living abroad worth while. It's been snowing here lately, which i am assured is a freak weather pattern that hasn't been this entrenched over Ireland for 30 some years, but that has been an interesting twist to the daily routine of walking everywhere to get everthing we need. Seriously, these old cobblestone and brick sidewalks are really not conducive to my heels in the slush and ice, i finally gave up last night and wore crosstrainers with a dress and tights to meet Josh and one of his council members for a really lovely dinner...walkedin and met them at the bar and tried to gracefully exit to the ladies room to put on my boots, but better that than falling on my ass on the way to get there in the white coat.
Got internet in the house, which is a supremely important improvement. Now i can actually map where i am trying to get to, find a yoga studio, research what the hell i have to do to try to talk my way into a bank account (i pretty much don't exist as far as the govmnt here is concerned. No job/no visa equals no way to obtain a legal address, which means i can't get an account or even get authorized on Josh's. My status as his wife, which is why i don't have those other items, apparently doesn't matter to them, and there isn't exactly shining opportunity for a work permit right now, so no jobs either. Can't win.). It's sunny today, we have dinner plans with a New Yorker who is married to an Irish girl, then tomorrow it's our first rugby match. The country is literally fired up abt these 6 Nations games, more so than any Olympic/SuperBowl/March Madness I have ever experienced in the States. They mobilize. We are going to try really hard to get tix to the Ireland/England match at the end of February, there is such history at Croak Park, and they are so damn passionate about the sport, the team, and the history, that we have to find a way to experience it while we're here.

The other most exciting development so far is the opportunity to travel...we're going to Dingle next weekend for Valentines, and we're taking the train to have that experience. I will put up pics as soon as i can. Then Paris the next week, which i am thrilled for. We've bot Amsterdam booked in March, and Prague booked in April, plus lots of people have started booking time to come and stay with us, which will be great.

It's sunny today, for the first time in many days although still cold, so i am going to take advantage to get out, get some fresh flowers for the house, get some groceries, explore a couple new streets and see what i find. I miss Harp; he's going to be so good at wandering around this city with me and i am sure they've never seen anything like him over here, i certainly haven't.