Pancake Tuesday

Today is Pancake Tuesday!! I wasn't familiar with this concept, but apparently in Ireland it is a tradition to eat pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday. Also known as Mardi Gras, this is a day in which people indulge and eat a lot of rich food in preparation for the penitential season of Lent.

In Portugal we celebrate Carnival on this day, but apparently that celebration isn't very popular around here. I totally understand not wanting to participate in a parade with very reduced outfits in this cold, I really do...

But back to the pancakes. Pancakes are delicious. I absolutely love them, especially with maple syrup... But here pancakes have a not so small extra to go with the syrup. I've been told that a very popular way of eating pancakes here is with bacon and maple syrup. They even sell bacon soaked in maple syrup in stores! This concept was so strange to me... I don't really like mixing sweets with food and I frankly thought I'd feel sick if I tried it. But when in Rome... So I tried pancakes with loads of bacon all dressed in maple syrup. The verdict? Divine!! It's so, so good! I don't know why I haven't tried this before. I'm definitely incorporating this dish into my Carnival celebrations from now on!

My  homemade sweet and salty pancakes

Mr. Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe

Today I decided to walk through Dame Street during my lunch time. As my eyes innocently wandered through the shops and restaurants' windows I suddenly stopped and stood there staring as this incredible sweets shop appeared right before me. The cheerful music and warmth inside (as if the sweets weren't all I cared about at this point) invited me in. Imagine walls covered in shelves from top to bottom. Now imagine those shelves filled with the most amazing selection of sweets in all kinds, shapes and flavours. Being the sweet-tooth that I am, it blew my mind instantly.

Mr. Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe

I think one of the reasons why I loved it so was because it reminded me so much of Honey Dukes in Hogsmeade! (For those of you who don't know, I am a huge Harry Potter geek, also known as Potterhead.)

So there I was, wandering through the shop, trying to fulfill the impossible task of deciding what to buy, because I literally wanted everything... And then I looked at the counter and froze: they had Harry Potter Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans!!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! Obviously I didn't need to look any further...

I just couldn't wait to try them, but I was getting late for work, so I decided to wait until I got home, which was a very smart move, because let me tell you, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans aren't very easy on your stomach... 

I was excited to try the weird flavours because the ones I got before were just regular jelly beans inside an Harry Potter package. But these where the real deal. The box included flavours like Grass, Black Pepper, Rotten Egg, Dirt, Sausage, Soap, Booger, Earthworm and the highly acclaimed Earwax, amongst some scarce pleasant flavours like Green Apple, Banana, Lemon, Blueberry, Cherry, Watermelon and Marshmallow. I must say the Earwax and Booger ones were actually quite tasty in comparison with the Rotten Egg one. That was the absolute worst. I can still feel that taste in my mouth. It actually tastes like rotten eggs, so I almost felt sick after eating it. I probably won't be eating any more beans in the near future, but I'm glad I experienced it!As for the Chocolate Frogs, yum! And they come with a colectible card, just like the real ones. I got none other than Gilderoy Lockhart... Needless to say now I want them all, so I guess I'll be buying more of these until I have one of each!

So yeah, this discovery totally made my day and I'm pretty sure I'll be going to Mr. Simms A LOT while I'm here... Yey!

First day at work

For those of you wondering, my first day at work went well. I didn't get lost on the way there which was already a victory! As I was crossing the Essex Bridge I looked up and saw the portuguese flag undulating in the wind. An inexplicable feeling of pride and reminiscence filled me. For some strange reason it comforts me knowing that I'll be seeing my flag every single day on the way to work. 

Essex Bridge

As for the workplace itself, well it is a very relaxed, artsy and welcoming place. I really enjoyed the atmosphere there and the people were all really nice. I'm sure I'll still be pretty lost and wondering how to do things in these next few weeks, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it!

Dundrum

Today I tried to wake up earli-ish because I wanted to go to Dundrum, a small village right outside of Dublin. It only takes a 20 minute ride on the LUAS to get there. The LUAS is a tram serving Dublin which is supposed to reach most parts of the city. I find it quite weird though, because it only has two lines and they're not connected. I think you would need to walk through the city at least 15 minutes to get from the Red Line to the Green Line, which doesn't make much sense. But I assume it is a work in progress and they'll eventually connect the two. It doesn't affect me much regardless, since I'll be walking to work everyday.

Dundrum is such an adorable place. I just loved the houses with coulourful doors and windowpanes, the cute little shops and the beautiful Holy Cross Church. Dundrum is also home to a great shopping centre. I loved it for two reasons: the italian restaurant of one of my cooking idols, Jamie Oliver, AND the awesome three stories high Hamley's toy shop. The kid in me just took charge and I completely got lost in there... I regret nothing! ^^

Dundrum

In the afternoon I headed back to the city and, since it was still early, I went to the Natural History Museum. Mammals, birds, fish, insects... they have it all. My favourites were the giant deer skeletons in the Irish Animals section. Unfortunately, pictures weren't allowed... But I'm pretty sure I won't forget their impressive size. They were so, so big!

I had so much fun this weekend. Everything is so new and exciting. I think I'm going to love every minute here! But after so much exploring I must get ready for my first day at work tomorrow... Wish me luck!!

First Impressions

I woke up today with the sun making its way through my window. Could it be real?? I looked outside and it was a gorgeous blue sky with no dark clouds to be seen and sun, lots and lots of sun!

I was so happy, I couldn't have gotten dressed any faster. Grabbed my map and off I went! I was still pretty lost. Reading such a tiny map is much harder than it seems, but after a few steps I found this beautiful garden that kept me going.

The Garden of Remembrance

So down the road I went until O'Connell Street. And my is it impressive... It is the widest street in Dublin and apparently it's constantly bubbling, due to its innumerous pubs, restaurants, shops, hotels and whatnot. The spire, a huge needle shaped monument right in the centre of the street, is gigantic and quite impressive.

O'Connell Street and the Spire

I didn't have to walk much more to find one of the iconic figures of the city immortalised in this statue placed around the corner of North Earl Street.

James Joyce

I went on until I reached the gates of Trinity College. My map said there were green spaces inside, so I decided it would be a good place to sit down and have lunch.

Trinity College

After about five minutes of immobility I started to deeply regret my outfit choice this morning. Since it was such a beautiful day I dressed a lighter jacket with a winter sweater as I usually do in Portugal, which was fine until the sun decided to hide and I started to slowly freeze. I thought my hands and my nose were going to collapse at any moment. I didn't even have a scarf or gloves or anyhing... So I just started walking around to warm up, which helped a bit, but not much, so I decided to go to the National Museum of Ireland, which was nearby. They have an amazing archaeological artifacts collection, from Prehistoric Ireland with focus on the impressive goldwork from the time, to the Viking Age and Medieval times. The Egyptian Collection and the Roman Empire artifacts were also very impressive. But what stuck in my mind the most were the human remains from the Iron Age. I guess it's not every day that you see bog bodies of human sacrifice victims. They were so well preserved it was almost creepy. Definitely a must-see!

Having regained the feeling of my every limb, I went for a stroll around Stephen's Green, a beautiful, beautiful park in the centre of Dublin, with tons of trees (Cherry blossoms!!! *.*) and flowers, and fountains and a lake with ducks.

St. Stephen's Green

Dinner tonight was chinese curry. Yap, chinese restaurants here serve curry. But not just any curry... The best curry I have ever tasted! Even better than Indian curry. It was sooo awesome. And here they serve it with rice and french fries, which I found really strange, but french fries with curry sauce are to die for!

So yeah, my first impressions of Dublin are pretty great so far. It's a beautiful city, specially in the sunlight and the food isn´t as bad as I expected. On the contrary. So yey, Dublin! The adventure continues tomorrow...

Lisbon - Dublin

After much anticipation, preparations and despair over packing 5 months in a suitcase, the day finally arrived. I'm moving to Ireland today!!!

I never thought it would be this overwhelming... It was hard enough saying goodbye to my friends and family, but amazingly enough I was able to hold back the tears. I just kept thinking over and over in my mind "I still have some more days in Portugal, it's fine." or "It's just five months, I'll be back in no time." Albeit all those things were true at the time, the final countdown reached its end and there's no more procrastination, no more goodbyes... I was on a plane to London, all alone. It's so exciting and so terrifying at the same time! The captain told us that the flight should take a couple of hours and that the weather forecast for London consisted of many clouds and cold showers... (I did not see that coming!)

Eventually I started to feel the weight of the two hours of sleep I got last night and slept like a baby until the touchdown in Heathrow. That airport brings me good memories, from the first time I was in London. But I didn't have much time to reminisce... Had to rush from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 and go through security all over again... (Yey!) Luckily the rain decided to give me a break!

At 1 pm I was already on the plane that would take me to Dublin, which was much smaller, but still confortable. The excitement was starting to build up. I just couldn't wait to get to know the city I would call home for the next few months.

After a total of about 7 hours of flying and waiting around I've finally arrived to Dublin and my luggage was all there. Props to British Airways for not losing all the precious belongings I slaved so hard to fit in my bags over the past week!

And then the real challenge began... To get to my residence carrying all my stuff and not getting lost in the process. Luckily I had a map and some directions written down, which led me to the airlink. Paid my 6 euros  ticket to get to the city centre and hopped on. The trip was fairly smooth and in about 15 minutes I was getting off in Parnell Street. The problem was... I had no clue of which end of the street (which is huge btw) I was in. Oh, and perfect timing for it to start raining, Pete! After looking around for about 5 minutes like a moth blinded by a flame, I decided to ask someone the way. And  after 5 more minutes walking, this time in the right direction, and a bit more wet and cold than I had hoped for, I arrived to the hotel's reception. And yes, I will be staying in a hotel. Why? Well, because my residence is part of the hotel group and they only have a room available for me at the residence in March, so in the meantime I'll be living here. Shame, isn't it?

My room is nicer than I was expecting and I have a sofa and two beds, for some reason I have yet to understand.

After such a long day like today, I only had enough strength to take a shower and go down to the restaurant to have a proper meal. I barely ate anything all day so I deserve it. And lucky me, there was a traditional irish music live performance going on to set the mood for my typical irish dinner! =)

My first irish dinner: Guinness Beef Casserole

My beds!

And now, sleepy time...Tomorrow I'll start exploring this lovely city, hopefully with a little less rain!

The beginning

This is my first blog in a very long time. I´ve always liked writing, but, being as well known by my procrastination skills as I am, I've never forced myself to do it up until now.

But since I'm embarking in such a fascinating and life-changing adventure and I'll actually have something of interest (or so I hope) to share with the rest of the world, why the hell not?

This is the beginning of what I hope will be a regularly updated and detailed (wishful thinking ftw) log of my day-to-day life in Ireland, with all its adventures, cultural clashes, language mishaps, wardrobe malfunctions and much, much more! ^^

Hope you enjoy!