Living Abroad {1 Year in Dublin}

April 2nd marked 1 year of living in Dublin for us.  So much has happened in this last year, it's been a tough year, and a great year, and most definitely a year we will remember.  

St Stephen's Green, Dublin

Admittedly, living in Ireland was not been as easy of a transition as I expected.  But, I had formed expectations for living here before I had ever even stepped foot in the country.  I thought, how different could it be?  We were moving to a European capital city where the native language was English.  Turns out, it can be very different.

Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin

It was a big decision to start with.  It meant a lot for Brian and I.  Besides the material things like leaving behind all our beautiful wedding gifts we had received only a few months earlier, we were leaving a strong network of friends and family. We left our dog (don’t worry, he is living with family), we left our Nephews when they were not yet 1 & 3.  We left being a 1.5 hour flight from my parents and friends in Oregon.  I left a job that allowed me to see my sister at least 4 times/year.  We left all things familiar, in a city we loved and a lifestyle we were comfortable with, for a huge unknown.

Morrie keeping warm in the California Winter

Ultimately the decision was made as a way to grown both professionally and personally.  To gain experience working in International markets, based in a European HQ and having the ability to take weekend trips throughout Europe.  And that is how Dublin became our home.   So far, we’ve made some amazing memories, gone to incredible places, started new jobs and made good friends. 

In Copenhagen with good friends

What I love about living abroad is you discover the intricacies of another culture and the differences to what you grow up considering normal. You learn to appreciate where you come from, and develop an understanding of different ways of life.  Having access to travel to so many countries, we learn about different geographies, governments, history, art, architecture.  We crave seeking out local foods and browsing supermarkets to spot the differences in products, packaging and price.  You learn how to navigate countries where the language and streets are foreign.  And how to communicate with people who speak another language.  It's exciting, and at times frustrating but when you step back and put into perspective where you are, it's incredible.

We will never forget times like this - Eastbourne, UK

I love that we speak the same language as the Irish, but the language is so different.  We are constantly talking about this.  Just the other day, I noticed that people say “Safe home” where I would say, “Get home safely”.  Brian always notices when you ask for something, like, “Can I have a coffee”, the response is always, “Course you can”.  I can go on for days about the language differences and now I know for the rest of my life if I order a "rocket salad with courgette and aubergine" I'm actually getting an "arugula salad with zucchini and eggplant."

"Craic Dealer" T-shirt - Craic is slang for good time/atmosphere

I love to learn about the different holidays and traditions in Ireland.  Who knew there was a holiday called Arthurs Day that celebrates Guinness.  It’s like Hallmark creating Valentines Day so people buy more cards, but for Guinness.  Who wouldn’t raise a Pint to Arthur on his declared day?  And, did you know, the day before Good Friday is Pancake Day?  Literally, everyone eats pancakes.  Why don't we celebrate this in The States? 

Cheers, Arthur! 

We’re not leaving Ireland yet, but people always want to know – what do you miss from home, and what will you miss from Ireland.  I’ll give it a shot, and we can see how it changes.

What we miss about home (minus the really obvious things like family and friends):

• Weather – seriously, and we’re not asking for much – even 65°F would be suitable this summer

• Services – Let's just leave it at this - our appreciation for Comcast has definitely increased

• Supermarkets – the consistency of supermarkets – you can always find what you’re looking for (no one is running out of broccoli, and you don’t have to go to 6 stores to find chickpeas, true story).

• Mexican food. Like real Mexican food. We really miss it.  Brian just declared that every time we go home, our first stop should be La Taquaria in the Mission.  I’m in.

• Wine – you literally cannot buy a bottle of wine in our supermarket for under €7, which like $9.  And they aren't anything special.  Yes, we are slightly spoiled coming from the Bay Area.

• Deli Sandwiches – They just don’t exist like at home. First off, French’s yellow mustard is tough to come by and that's a necessary layer for me. Most sandwiches here are white bread with chicken filets, shredded lettuce, grated cheese and mayo.

Brian's Instagram from Sonoma LAST weekend

What we will miss about Ireland:

• My commute – this one is just me. It takes me 8 minutes on my bike or 15 minutes walking door to door – I am grateful for this everyday, even with undesirable weather.  I’ll take this over an hour in the car with a $6 toll any day.
• Brown bread – traditional Irish bread. It’s delicious and I need to learn how to make it before we leave.
• Afternoon Tea – Brian especially has really become a tea drinker, and is joining in on the mid-morning/afternoon/evening tea
• Pubs – The pubs here are authentic. They have been around longer than our country has been a country, and they have character.  Walk into any pub in Ireland and you’ll see a great mix of old and young and people from all walks of life, it’s really cool.
• Live Music – On any given night, on any day, there is an abundance of live music. On the streets or in the pubs. I love being able to just sit at a pub, enjoy a nice conversation with friends and listen to great live music.
• Lack of Insects – I don’t even think Brian and I have talked about this, and I haven’t brought it up because I didn’t want to jinx anything but there is a serious lack of spiders and insects here.  And no mosquitos.  Need I say anymore?  Dreamy.
• Not Driving – I really do love living a lifestyle that driving isn’t necessary.  We live around the corner from our supermarket, gym, Brian’s barber, restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, everything.
• Old stuff – the castles, the ruins, the churches, everything is old here – again, we just don’t have that at home

So, there you have it.  It’s been one year already.  Sometimes it feels like 1 week and other times it feels like all the time in the world.  I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. 

Visitors {Adina & Sean in Dublin}

Okay, second post in my effort to catch us up and the first post since my parents visited about out of town guests.  Adina and Sean, aka sister and brother in law, made their way over to Dublin as part of their first visit to Europe.  

  

After a few days in Paris, they landed in Dublin on a Friday night.  We have an out of town guest formula now that is simple and works every time: pints, dinner, pub with music.  Solid night out in Dublin.  Future guests take note, your first night here will be the following.

We started their tour of Ireland with a trip to the local pub for a pint of Guinness.  Smyth's in Ranelagh (our hood) has become our "local" as they say here.  Not a fancy spot but lots a cozy nooks, a nice fire place, and of course a decent pint of Guinness.  

Later that night we ventured up to the city center for dinner at Crackbird.  People are always skeptical when we tell them we are taking them to a chicken restaurant called Crackbird, but they are never disappointed.  Would I steer anyone towards a bad meal?  Seriously, I think it was my sisters favorite part of the entire weekend, she still talks about it.  

Sean on the other hand was in his element down the road after dinner at Dame Tavern, our favorite pub for some great craic and live music on a Friday night.  They always have a guy with a guitar playing Irish music, classic rock, and a few songs that the kids like but Michelle and I have no idea what it is.  Sean did as he always does and made friends with some old ladies and a few random dudes at the bar.  That's one great part of the Dublin pub scene, most everyone is friendly and happy to chat.

Adina, Sean, and the music man at Dame Tavern.

The next morning we ventured out for a little walking tour of Dublin.  We left our house and headed along the canal, up through Iveagh Gardens, over to Saint Stephen's Green, down Grafton, and over across the Liffey up O'Connell Street.  Again, future visitors take note...

Michelle and I in Iveagh Gardens

Adina and Sean in St. Stephen's Green

Look, sunglasses!  No umbrellas for a change.

Key West busking on Grafton.  I was in an unusually good mood thanks to the sunshine and bought all 3 of their CDs.

On the Liffey, no more sunglasses...

After a lunch of classic fish and chips, we made our way over to the Guinness Storehouse.  Michelle and I have actually been waiting for guests to come to Dublin so that we could go.

The 4 of us at the famous St James's Gate

Really cool collection of old Guinness bottles from over the years.

Water on its way to becoming beer.

Sitting in the man Arthur Guinness' chair

Finally the end of the tour and our perfectly poured pint up in the Gravity Bar atop the brewery.  

Perfect timing with the sun setting over Dublin.

Last shot before they kicked us out of the bar for closing time.

After Guinness we went to dinner at Coppinger Row, one of our favorite restaurants in Dublin.  It is the type of place that would be popular in San Francisco, London, or any other big food city.  It's a nice treat for Michelle and I from time to time. 

The next morning we took full advantage of the rare sunshine in Dublin and headed out to the country to see some castles.  Trim Castle is an incredibly well preserved Norman castle that was last lived in around the 1300s.  The reason why this is so cool is that a lot of castles that we have seen such as Malahide and Kilkenny where lived in up to the 1960s so their medieval features are all but gone.  That is not the case at Trim, and the setting on the Boyne river is spectacular.   

The castle keep

Notice the tower?  It is the remains of the bell tower from the cathedral across the river.  The house to the left was built from the ruins of the church.  There are several other smaller ruins around the castle that are accessible on a great walking trail along the river. 

Sean doing his best Katniss through the castle walls.

The tour at Trim Castle was really good and the guide was incredibly entertaining and knowledgeable.  After Michelle told me that she reminded her of Mrs. Doubtfire though, I had a hard time concentrating.  It was also freezing cold and after an hour I was ready for a warm pub and a cold pint.

Before the end of the tour though we were able to go up to the roof of the castle keep for some spectacular views of the surrounding area.

When we left the castle we had to deal with Europe on a Sunday.  We walked forever trying to find an open pub that served food.  It's not easy to get around on a Sunday.  Finally, we were successful and were able to warm up over a pint and some pub grub.  

After the castle walking through the town of Trim.

After lunch we crossed the river to explore some of the surrounding ruins and were awarded with a fantastic view of the castle. 

Blue skies but freezing cold.  Hey, we take what we can get here. 

Their first castle!

Very Irish, a stone wall and grass...

Showing Michelle who's boss.

 Unfortunately the next day Adina and Sean were off to Italy and we were back to our cubicles.  I don't know if they would have made it to Europe this year if we were not living in Ireland though so we were happy that our move got them over here to explore a little bit of what Europe has to offer.  

Weekend Getaway {Milan, Italy}

Okay, okay, we are pretty far behind on the blog so I am helping Michelle catch us up.  Who knows, maybe I will post more than twice a year...  

First post in my return to blogging: Milan.  We decided to go to Milan because I was down on Dublin for one reason or another, came home from work and told Michelle that we need to book a trip somewhere.  After a quick search on Aer Lingus we decided to make a quick getaway to Milan.  After all, it's Italy, how bad can it be? 

We left after work on a Friday night with the goal of getting to our Airbnb and getting sorted with time to find a local pizzeria.  After checking in we asked to owner where the locals go for pizza and he pointed us to a place right around the corner.  It couldn't have been better.  10:00 at night, one table left, no English anywhere and awesome pizza and beer.  The best part, since we are used to crazy expensive Dublin, we feel like we robbed the place when the bill arrived.  

We ended the night with a couple of more drinks in the neighborhood for a great Friday night out.  I still think it is amazing that we can work in Dublin all day and end up going out to dinner and drinks in Italy.  We definitely are not taking our proximity to the Europe for granted. 

Happy wife at Piccola Ischia.

The next morning we got up early to go see The Last Supper.  No, the picture below is not the real one.  The Last Supper is a massive mural on a wall in a church, this is a picture in the hallway after you leave the church by the ubiquitous exit through the gift shop.  Unfortunately they don't allow pictures of the actual painting...

That is why I made Michelle do our dirty work.

Secret iPhone picture of the real deal.  We never noticed the door under Jesus.  Crazy, right?

The actual church holding the last supper is a piece of art in itself, really an impressive building.

Even more impressive is the Duomo, Milan's main cathedral.  Unfortunately St. Peter's Basilica basically ruined all churches for us.  It is amazing that we walk into this magnificent building and say "Remember the Vatican?  Now that's a church!" 

Me waiting for Michelle to finish taking pictures as usual.

The coolest part of this church is that you can actually go up to the roof and walk around.  It is a really neat experience.  Highly recommended if you find yourself in Milan.  Just a few of the many, many pictures that we took up here...

 

 

 

After the church we walk over to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.  This is basically the coolest shopping mall that you will ever see.  Other than going to Massimo Dutti, our new favorite store, the thing to do at the mall is spin on the bulls nuts with your heal.  Yep, that's good luck.   

The bull.

And the spin

After seeing world famous art, admiring amazing religious buildings, and spinning on the bull's junk, we worked up an appetite.  I heard of this place call Luini Panzerotti right around the corner with these awesome little snacks.  Basically, they are small calzones either baked or fried and filled with sweet or savory deliciousness.  As the kids say, they were totes amaze balls.  If you are in Milan, go.  Just be prepared to wait the tourists and locals alike. This place can get packed. 

We only got one quick picture since we were sort of into our luinis.

Finally we were ready to move past the snacking and onto a proper Italian meal.  We headed over to the Brera which is a really cool area.  Hip shops, nice bars, and great food.  We found a little family place and had yet another amazing meal.  I don't know if you could tell from our big jackets but it was freezing in Milan so a nice carafe of wine and a cozy trattoria was very welcome.  I was craving lasagne and Michelle was craving risotto, one of Milan's specialties.  Perfection. 

Yes, most of my pictures of Michelle are in restaurants...

We spent the rest of the day just cruising around and checking our the world famous shopping.  Oh, it was also a couple of days before Fashion Week.  We thought of sticking around to show the Italians how to make Banana Republic and North Face uber chic, but alas we had to get back to our cubicles. 

 

Later that night we had reservations for a late dinner, but that was before we realized that Milan is known for their aperitivos.  We went back to the Brera and stumbled on this amazing bar that was packed to the gills.  This was definitely the place to be for the tragically hip kids who live the area.  

We ordered a couple of drinks at the swamped bar and were trying to figure out if we could snack on the food that was laid out.  The short answer is yes.  Buy a drink, snack on some munchies.  The problem was the place was so crowded that we could barely move. 

Suddenly we spot some guys leaving a table and Michelle makes a bee line to snag it, beating out at least 2 other parties.  Her ability to hover and snag tables is one of my favorite things about her.  

So we sit at this table, and next thing we know a waiter drops this plate of food on our table.  Milan, I love you.  

We were ready to order another drink and I asked that waiter, "What is that red drink everyone is having?"  Turns out that the Negroni is the drink to have (see picture below).  The Negroni might be my new favorite drink.  I liked it well enough to buy gin, Campari, and vermouth when we got back to Dublin so that I could make my own at home.  Negronis all around for our out of town guests!

I would like to say that we did not eat a second plate of aperitivos before going to dinner, but that would not be true.  They just keep bringing them!

Strong drink, tasty treats, great atmosphere.  Perfect way to start a Saturday night.

Sunday.  Snow.  It was cool for a bit, then it was slush.  Then we were over it.  We headed out to this canal where once a month they set up an antique market.  We kept saying, "this would be great in the summer."  We cruised around for a bit.  Warmed up over an espresso, ventured out again and finally found a great antique magazine advertisement that will one day be hanging up in our kitchen.

Lunch, warmth, another carafe of red wine, and the best eggplant that we have ever eaten.

I ordered a tripe and white bean stew that I was really hesitant about ordering, but so happy that I did.  Tripe is one of those things where when it is good, it is really good, but when it is bad, man is it bad...  I had this dish once before at Delfina back in San Francisco.  My buddies Eric, Michael, and I had a little bit of a dude feast one night.  The entire meal was grubbing, but the stew was the standout.  This dish the second time around, at this random trattoria in Milan, on the canal, with Michelle, warming up watching the snow fall outside, it was absolute perfection. 

Isn't she adorable?  This is what a happy and fed wife looks like. 

Alas, we had to venture out in the cold again.  We only had a few hours left so we cruised around back to the dumo to see it in the snow.

Then we made our way over to the castle and the surrounding park for a couple last photo ops before flying back to Dublin, and back to work on Monday.

Italy, you did it again.  Until next time.