116 Things We Know Now

In commemoration of our 2nd anniversary in Ireland, here are 116 Things We Know Now That We Didn't Know Two Years Ago:

1. The smell of a turf fire.
2. How to ask for the check in Spanish, French and Italian. And also in Ireland, where it is always "the bill."
3. The bus lines that serve Adelaide road, where Sharon's office is.
   
4. Where the cheapest .5 liter of diet coke is to be found (Tesco).
5. What a potato farl is.
6. We don't like Tayto.
7. What the Lisbon Treaty is; no, wait, still don't know.
8. The difference between a glass and a pint.
9. The best substitute for American bacon is smoked pancetta.
10. Irish people think Hershey's chocolate tastes like vomit.
11. Bar Poë in Granada serves amazing tapas and tintos.
12. Vin Santo with Cantuccini is the perfect dessert in Italy.
13. Croissants in France really are worth the trip.
14. Fanad Head is a gorgeous spot.
15. The smell of orange blossoms blooming in Spain.
16. That the spots painted on sheep have something to do with breeding. And who owns the sheep.
    
17. What Fuchsia looks like, and that it can grow into 10-foot hedges.
18. What a fancy shmancy dinner in Paris is like.
    
19. The predominance of the comedy quiz show.
20. Bill can drive on the left as well as the right.
21. How to hunt for white truffles in Tuscany.
22. How to get to Slovenia.
23. There's no left turn on red in Ireland.
24. How to order fish and chips: I'll have a one-and-one, please.
25. Kinsale was full of Spaniards in 1601.
26. That "your man" means "what's his name" or "that guy."
    
27. Who "Good King Wenceslas" was: the patron Saint of Prague.
28. Fireworks are very popular at Halloween in Ireland.
29. Rich Hall still has a career.
    
30. People in Ireland assume Thanksgiving is a bigger holiday than Christmas in the US.
31. That cheap airline seats are worth only so much annoyance.
32. That you can visit Newgrange three times and it is still very cool.
33. That eating grilled squid in Barcelona will change your life.
34. Don't tread too near seagull chicks.
    
35. One should do a bit of planning before hopping over to London for the weekend.
36. The view from Arthur's seat is worth the climb.
37. The Campanile of Pisa, known for its listing, is quite beautiful.
38. The Irish like to protest.
39. Gaudi was an insane genius.
40. Grits are a perfect accompaniment to a Full Irish breakfast.
41. How hard it is to give an Irish bank your money, or pay your car tax to the gov'ment.
42. You can't get f**king giardia in Raheny, according to Bill's doctor.
43. Bulmers goes great with everything.
44. Espresso is better in Italy.
45. The smell of gorse blooming, smells like Victory, I mean, coconut.
46. Everyone in the world knows the song Sweet Home Alabama. Turn it up!
47. Taxis are impossible to find in Brussels.
48. A vestibule is used to divest--take off your armor.
49. Everyone in Ireland thinks gyros (doner kebab) are drunk food.
50. That the aroma of roasting barley can fill the air for blocks (see #102)
    
51. Bread is as popular as potatoes in Ireland.
52. Leonardo De Vinci is buried in France.
53. Michelangelo's David is truly magnificent.
54. UK/Ireland, Continental Europe and the US each have a different formulation of Diet Coke.
55. Guinness is better in Ireland.
56. Sticky toffee pudding is made with dates.
57. The Bakers' Guild had nice digs in 17th century Brussels.
    
58. The Christmas Card was invented in London, primarily for business contacts.
    
59. Oliver Cromwell was a jackass.
60. Lardo is delicious.
    
61. The high towers at monastical sites were in fact probably not used as hideouts during attack; the doors are 15 or so feet of the ground for structural reasons.
62. The Irish don't understand the extent, or reasons, that Ireland is so popular in the States.
63. The Irish closely follow US politics, especially the presidential primaries and elections.
64. Still don't know how to properly order a sandwich. Thank goodness for Subway, but even then they don't know how to "run it through the garden."
65. Cinnamon is not a popular spice in Ireland.
66. The Irish love porridge.
67. How quickly one becomes accustomed to four weeks of annual leave.
68. The Irish pronounce courgette, mange-tout, and aubergine with French pronunciation, but say fil-let for fillet.
69. The perfection of Heinz beans on toast.
70. A clerk or hostess will ask "Are you okay?" meaning "Can I help you?"
71. A common currency is very handy for travel.
72. Living in Dublin makes every other place feel like a bargain.
73. Wedding celebrations last for several days in Ireland.
74. Rainbows really are everywhere in Ireland.
75. We'll never complain about gas prices in the US again.
76. Just when you think a road can't get any more narrow, it does.
77. You can drive three minutes into the Wicklow mountains and feel like the only people on earth.
78. The Irish love The Simpsons.
79. You can buy graham crackers in Dublin for €8.00.
80. The Hampton Inn has no idea what a Continental Breakfast is.
81. Fresh figs are amazing plucked straight from the tree.
82. It is possible to accidentally order ice cream in Brussels.
83. It is possible to accidentally order sweetbreads in Italy.
84. It is possible to accidentally order a skin-on, un-battered, deep-fried chicken breast in Ireland.
85. It is possible to order a cheese called the devil's suppository in France, on purpose.
    
86. We love food markets wherever we go.
87. Ireland is not really a food culture, bless its heart!
88. The Spanish know how to eat.
89. Garlic in mushy peas is "just not done!"
90. St. Stephen's Green in Dublin is one of our favorite places on earth.
91. Marks and Spencer has a terrific food hall. Harrod's has a splendiferous food hall.
    
92. Traveling with friends and family is great!
93. The Irish drink oceans of tea.
94. "Fresh" is a meteorological term. And fog can freeze.
    
95. It is possible to go "out past the sheep."
    
96. The Irish can't conceptualize a Southern Biscuit.
97. The adventures of Craggy Island.
    
98. Some of the basic defenses of a fortified dwelling: murder hole (hot sand works great!), rough and tumble stairs (stairs of varying widths and heights that ascend circling clockwise giving the descending swordsman the right had advantage), archers.
    
99. "Keep it under your hat" comes from the archer habit of keeping an extra bow string under his hat.
100. How to pronounce names like Niamh, Roisin, Diarmaid, Padraig, Cathal, Aoife, Orlaith, Caoimhe and Siobhan.
     
101. Cornettos are loads better than Drumsticks.
     
102. These words are not commonly used in Ireland: downtown, block (as in city block), store, backyard, movie, queso.
     
103. Food is gorgeous, and an attractive woman is massive.
     
104. On Thursdays, shops stay open late. Until 8:00.
105. France's tradition of the cheese cart should be implemented in all cultures. I want a cheese cart in our house.
     
106. Sharon likes beef tongue.
107. The etiquette of ordering rounds on a night out with workmates; no, wait, we still don't know that.
108. We like mushy peas.
109. Most soups in Ireland are blended. If not, someone might complain that there's eating and drinking in the soup.
110. It's unfortunate when things are banjaxed, pear-shaped, or just manky.
111. Cathedrals are pretty.
112. Public transportation in Paris, Barcelona, Prague, London and Brussels is pretty great. Not as great in Dublin, but still better than anywhere we've lived in the US.
     
113. We love Basset's All Sorts, Bourbon Cremes, Jaffa Cakes and Double Deckers.
     
114. The Czech word for September means "when the sun shines but is not hot."
115. Pick pockets in Barcelona are quite bold.
     
116. St. Anne's Park has many moods.

Updated Oct 19: #16

Guest Blogger: Aunt Gay

We were thrilled to have Aunt Gay and Uncle Larry visit in September. Here's a note from Aunt Gay:

Our ten days in Ireland were, without a doubt, one of the loveliest trips we have ever taken. The weather cooperated with us. We never saw a drop of rain! It was all wonderful, but surely the highlight was the three day road trip Bill and Sharon took us on to County Donegal.

We had a wonderful stay at Frewin, a charming B&B in Ramelton. Our hostess, Regina, was delightful . The scenery was breathtaking. The lighthouse at Fanad Head was a favorite for Larry, lighthouse devotee that he is, and the dramatic coastal scenery was indescribable.


Then on to Sleive League through gorgeous mountain passes. These gigantic sea cliffs surely make one feel small!






Those are only a few of the highlights of our trip with Bill and Sharon. Give Bill a map and he will drive down the wrong side of the road to anywhere! We went WAY "beyond the sheep"!! The rest of our visit was also wonderful, as we took several fun day trips and also got to spend the evenings with the Gunters. Thanks, guys, we had a great time!!

Tales of Slovenia continued

On Friday after breakfast at Skerlj we chatted with a couple from Wales. Like many visitors to Slovenia, they were heading to the Alps for some hiking and camping. We talked about various places to visit in the area, one of which was nearby caves. Bill and I decided that a cave visit would be our activity for the day, so after a snack of leftover pizza we hit the road for Divača. Unlike Idrija, Divača really was only 30 minutes away. We stopped for lunch at Gostilna Malovec. Bill had some gnocchi and a salad, I had some spinach pastry, and for dessert we had a regional specialty--pastry layered with nuts and cottage cheese called gibanica. Wonderful.

We arrived at Škocjanske jame, the Škocjan caves, in time for the 3:00 tour. Even though the Škocjanske jame tour takes about an hour, we saw only a few of the cave's chambers. The size of the cave system, its excellent examples of karst topography resulting from dissolved limestone, and the cave's beauty have earned Škocjanske jame distinction as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We enjoyed our visit underground in the cool, moist, otherworldly surroundings (where no pictures were allowed). We descended a couple hundred meters and then had to climb our way back up many steps. The tour ends at the opening of the cave where the Reka-Velka river begins its underground path. The river valley and surrounding mountains are breathtaking.










Friday night as we went to dinner, the courtyard was full of people, and a brass band was unpacking its instruments. We learned that Skerlj was hosting a 70th birthday. The party was taking place inside, but as we dined in the courtyard we were able to enjoy the festive music.

Unfortunately I fell ill during the night, and spent all of Saturday in our room. Bill made a few forays out--to bring me chamomile tea and bread, to drive to the next town to find some lunch and buy me bananas, to walk through the village, and to eat another amazing dinner at Skerlj.

By Sunday I was thankfully upright again, and we left mid-morning for our drive to Marco Polo airport outside Venice. We stopped to visit Štanjel, a walled village perched on the side of a mountain that we had sped past during our driving fest the day before. We sat in the garden by the Villa Ferrari and gazed out at the spectacular scenery. We watched a hawk gliding on the air currents. For minutes at a time he appeared motionless before suddenly diving straight down into the valley. After lunch we continued our drive back into Italy.

Our flight wasn't until 9PM, so we still had several hours to fill. After crossing into Italy we picked a random exit and drove into the walled town of Palmanova. 16th century Palmanova was an innovative fortress town, built in the shape of a nine-pointed star. We wandered around the square for a while, stopped into an "internet cafe"--actually a restaurant with a computer in the corner (which the hostess had to convince some kids to relinquish)--and enjoyed some kind of alcoholic lemon ice.

Then it was back on the road to Marco Polo. Hopefully the airport is not as close to Venice as we'll ever get.

Over the Mountains

On our second day in Slovenia, August 27, after a lovely breakfast and stroll, we set out for Idrija, a town about thirty or so kilometers away as it appeared on the map. What the map didn't show was the three mountains we had to cross to get there. Up and down, round and round went Sharon and Bill in the little Fiat. A flat, green space in the valley to catch your breath. Then again into the hairpin turns, so tight upon themselves that I said they were hairbow turns. "I think we're on a Möbius strip of road," Bill said.

We got hungry and ate some nuts I had brought along. We glimpsed amazing views too fleeting for the camera and cyclists with no fear of altitude. The trees and houses started looking more peaked and Alpine. Around 3:00 we reached Idrija and wandered around somewhat deliriously, looking for Gostilna Pri Škafarju where a wood-fired oven reportedly turned out lovely pizzas, and you can try the regional specialty, žlikrofi.

We found the restaurant just off the square and sat at a picnic table out front. We ordered a starter of pršut, cheese and olives, and pizza and žlikrofi with mushroom sauce. The server brought out some ketchup. For what? The pizza, he said.

The žlikrofi are small dumplings filled with potato and bacon and served with a variety of toppings. These žlikrofi were gorgeous, obviously handmade. The filling was fluffy, not at all gummy. The sauce contained fresh porcinis. Delicious. The pizza was wonderful as well. Perfect crust. We ordered far too much food, and wrapped up half the pizza to take with us.

Idrija is a lovely town, known for a history of mercury mining and lace making. We were a bit too late to visit the mining museums, but we did stop by some lace shops. We didn't have long to stay though. We were due back at the farm at 7:30 for dinner.

Life on the Farm

We arrived at Skerlj farm around 2:00 on Wednesday. Our day had started 11 hours earlier, so we decided to pass the afternoon at the pool. From the moment we stepped off the plane in Treviso, we were bathed in warm sunshine. We didn't eat a single meal indoors until we were back at the airport.

After a dip and some poolside reading, we took a nap. After our wonderful meal, we sat on the patio outside our room in the lovely evening.

Thursday we enjoyed a breakfast of fresh fruit, bread, honey, cheese and pršut and a daily baked fig item. All our meals were enjoyed under a grape arbor laden with grapes. After breakfast we visited the rabbit hutch and peeked in on our pig neighbors. We walked down the hill past grape vines and peach, fig and plum trees. Veggie patches were planted in any available spot. The chicory patch was clipped in places--last night's salad most likely! We walked to a church down the hill and sat in the cool breeze and enjoyed the view. I could have spent the entire day there with some bread, cheese, a jug of wine and a book.

See more pics in the slide show below:




We walked through the small village and back up the hill to our lodging. That afternoon we headed out for a drive to Idrija.

Dinner for a Tenner

In July Bill and I noticed an interesting tidbit in the New York Times about agri-tourism in Slovenia. After one glance at the slide show, we knew we had to go. We were looking for a destination for a short trip in August, and so we immediately made plans to visit the Skerlj family farm in Tomaj, Slovenia.

My mental picture of a farm is a white house surrounded by corn fields, and my expectations for a secluded farmhouse had been reinforced by the farm where we stayed in Tuscany, reached via a long, curvy drive. So I expected the Skerlj farm to be very remote, but in fact it is perched in the midst of Tomaj village. The area is hilly and the farm is terraced. The buildings are centered around a courtyard. The sloping hill below is covered with steps of grapes and fruit trees. Across the road behind the pool are more grapes, and vegetables and figs. Every available spot on the property grows some beautiful, delicious plant. In addition to the fruits and vegetables, the family keeps bees, rabbits and pigs. Our room was right above the pigs. Very farm-like!

Dinner at the farm is an unbelievable €10.00 per person. We planned to partake of the dinner offering the first night, but then thought we might try other restaurants on the subsequent evenings. But after that first night we were so taken but the fresh, beautiful food and dining under the grapes in the cool breeze that we had dinner at Skerlj every night.

Our starter on the first evening was a lasagna made with crespelle instead of lasagna noodles. Crespelle are crepe-like and make a wonderfully light lasagna. Each dinner featured a salad fresh from the garden dressed with a simple vinaigrette. Chicory, cucumber and cabbage were included almost every night, with a variation of tomatoes, apples, and beans. Yes, beans are common on Slovenian salads. I was happy to see that Slovenians love the mandolin slicer, as I love wafer-thin cucumber and salad veggies. We had several preparations of pork during our stay, and fried rabbit one night. We're not skilled at eating rabbit; I seemed to encounter a lot of bones, but it was delicious with the plum sauce. We had just visited the rabbit hutch that afternoon, so I was wondering if I would recognize my dinner. :( The vegetables with dinner were all terrific. We particularly liked the zucchini the first night that was cooked with garlic and pumpkin seeds. We had several delicious soups--a veggie soup drizzled with bučno olje (pumpkin seed oil), a classic Slovenian ingredient, and a wonderful mushroom soup. Dessert was homemade ice cream on two nights--honey flavored, with their own aromatic honey, and peach. It was wonderful to eat tomatoes and peaches grown in actual sunshine! We also had a wonderful panna cotta and a plum dumpling.

We drank Skerlj wine with dinner every evening, and in the end the wine tab was about €7.00. That with the €20 a night total for dinner is so affordable my mind is still spinning.

Take a look at the slide show below for pics of these amazing meals.

What We Did Last Summer

With schools starting back around the globe (or at least in the US and Ireland), the summer is quickly fading to wistful memory. Even though for me school starting just means no seats on the DART, I am aware that I haven't reported on any of our summer activities. So, in the grand tradition of school busywork, here is What We Did Last Summer:

May
After our return from Spain, we celebrated Bill's birthday with dinner at Carluccio's and a movie at the Savoy. Later in May we attended a couple of plays: a stage production of The Shawshank Redemption at the Gaiety and Miller's All My Sons at the Gate. The Shawshank production really just left us thinking about how great the movie is; the production of All My Sons was excellent. The visit to the Gate gave us an opportunity to try one of the Asian restaurants on Parnell. We visited the Hop House for some tasty Korean fare.


Laurel wreath at the statue of James Connolly to commemorate his execution on May 12, 1916 for his participation in the Easter Rising.

June
Over the June bank holiday (first weekend in June), we once again attended the Trinity Church weekend at Ovoca Manor in Avoca. Again this year we were blessed with splendid weather in which to enjoy the beautiful setting in Wicklow. It was nice to feel that a year later we're a bit more connected. Bill led worship for a couple sessions and we even performed in the talent show. Click here for more pictures from Ovoca.

Also in June we attended a dinner party at our friend Colin's in Laytown. I'm pictured with Colin's famous Bread and Butter pudding. We also attended the Taste of Dublin. We tried some bites from various restaurants in Dublin. The two highlights were fish with mushy peas from an Indian restaurant, Jaipur, and the burgers from Ely.












We hosted Bill's friend Sarah for a week before she left to spend four months volunteering in Nepal. She's French, and prepared us lovely omelets for dinner.


We took the last Friday in June off of work for a long weekend in Kinsale. We'd heard that Kinsale was a gourmet mecca, and we learned that Kinsale has long been in the food business. A busy harbor, Kinsale was a provisioning center for seagoing vessels. Its proximity to Great Britain also made Kinsale a hotly contested and heavily fortified port. Especially in the Battle of 1601, where some Irish Chieftains from the North joined forces with Spain to try to wrest control of the port from the English. The English defeated the Irish and Spanish forces, leading to a power gap in the North that made way for the Protestant Plantations to move in and create the Protestant/British connections in the Northern Counties which are now a part of the UK.

We had gorgeous weather in Kinsale, so much so that we came back sunburnt. Click here for more scenes from Kinsale. And here for spectacular views from our coastal drive on Saturday.

On Sunday we stopped by a huge SuperValu in Clonakilty and stocked up on local sausages and cheese. On our drive back through County Tipperary we stopped at Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel. Of the two sites, Cashel is definitely the more spectacular and interesting. Set imposingly upon a hill, the site was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years. The majority of extant structures date from the 12th and 13th C when Cashel was a religious center. My favorite part of Cashel was the 12th C Chapel. A uniquely sophisticated Romanesque structure, the chapel contains extremely rare examples of Irish frescoes.

July
We celebrated July 4th with some very tasty burgers (seriously, Bill had the mince ground fresh at the butcher!) with potato salad and coke floats for dessert.




We enjoyed the long days with walks along the coast. And basically, July slipped by pretty quietly.


August
Over the August Bank holiday we spent Saturday night at Mornington House in Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath. We love staying in these manor houses, and the hosts and guests at Mornington house made for a fun stay and interesting conversation ranging from ghost sightings to Afghanistan. Plus we enjoyed a lovely dinner with many items fresh from the garden. Click here for more pics.

Other August activities included dinner guests for chilaquiles and tres leches cake and a visit to the food market in St. Anne's Park, after which Bill made blackcurrant and blueberry jam.





Our summer was light on guests, but that will soon change!