The Lederman Kitchen

Hola desde Madrid.  Actually, hello from San Francisco...  Michelle and I are slowly but surely catching up on the blog, one trip at a time.  We have to go all the way back to August 2013 for our weekend to Madrid.   Why did we go to Madrid?  Why not?  Who doesn't like warm weather when you're stuck in an Irish summer (albeit the best Irish summer in 18 years )?  Who doesn't love tapas crawls?  Who doesn't love exploring a major European city for a few days?  Who doesn't love Spain?! This was my third trip to Spain since we moved to Dublin and our second together.  In fact our first trip outside of Dublin was to Barcelona .  I fell in love immediately.  After an amazing weekend in San Sebastian earlier in the year I was itching to go back.    Michelle in front of the Royal Palace We flew in bright and early from Dublin and hit the town to see the sights.  First stop (after c...

The Euro Cup is in full swing and it's the first time Ireland has made it to a European Championship tournament since their debut in 1988. While their first game against Croatia may have been their best chance for some points, they lost.  And tonight they take on the reigning world and European champions, Spain. Although it would be a huge miracle for the Irish to claim a victory tonight, the buzz and excitement around Dublin is apparent. adidas ad at the bus stop And that's a huge shoe onto of the shelter From flags on cars, to flags on Pubs, to hats, wigs and jerseys, everywhere you look now is spattered with Red, Orange and White to support of the team. Everyone seems to be cautiously optimistic, because in soccer, big upsets do happen. I love that the M&M's are also fan's of Ireland This one is hard to see but the cafe down the street had 2 special soups today, a green and orange one, to support the team We need at least a draw...

Our first real weekend trip was last weekend.  We took advantage of a 3 day weekend Brian had and left the rain and cold for sunny Barcelona. We packed the weekend full of walking, walking, sightseeing, tapas, and more walking.  By Monday, we were both excited about a little excursion to the Beach for some down time. Highlights from Barcelona are: -The amazing architecture -Pintxos , snacks on toothpicks at bars, their version of Happy Hour.  Fun and delicious -FC Barcelona game. Messi scored a hattrick and it was the coaches last game. - Barri Gothic district - old winding medieval streets that you can spend hours in and still walk around a corner to a place you've never seen. The biggest let down of Barcelona were the Public Bikes.  They had amazing bike lanes off the street, the bike stands were everywhere, the weather was perfect BUT you had to be a local to use them.  So frustrating. This is La Boqueria .  Friends recommended that w...