Finally!

A long time ago, WAY back in 2013, we were struggling to figure out the ins and outs of our new Irish apartment. What is this strange washer in the kitchen? Why do all of the power sockets have switches...and why is there just a weird "shavers only" plug on the bathroom light? Are these Irish things or just big city things? Does every Irish home use an immersion water heater? Why does the water from that heater come out of our separate hot and cold water taps at skin-melting temperatures?

This week, Sara showed me a video that quickly explains why many of our apartment oddities (or normalities, depending on who is doing the asking) are the way they are. This video – from the Anglophenia series, which humorously explains British culture to Americans – is a good primer for anyone in the States to see what one might expect in an English home.

Yes, the video series is about England, not Ireland, and the Irish would be after me if I ever compared Ireland to the UK in any way. But there's simply no denying that the English left a pretty strong cultural impression when they finally let (most of) Ireland have independence. Left-side driving on the roads, blood sausage and curry sauce, rugby, and, of course, the English language.

Onward! In the video, our host explains the dual-use washer/dryer in the kitchen – although she leaves out the part about clothing not being dry after a two-hour drying cycle. She goes on to explain why there aren't any power sockets in the bathroom – so that's why we can't listen to the radio while we're in the shower? And hot and cold water taps are still separate...just because? I've been burning my fingers for nothing!

Interestingly, the last thing she shows us is the window – as she demonstrates that there isn't central heating or air conditioning in the mild climate of the British Isles – and she cracks that leaving the window open will lead to a room full of pigeons. Canny Americans will wonder, "How are birds getting in through the screen?"

How indeed? Not being plagued by sky-blocking swarms of mosquitoes, homes in the UK and Ireland usually don't need screens blocking the few precious rays of direct sunlight that filter through the clouds to their homes.

So there you are, American friends. If you've ever wondered what terrible hardships we suffer in our day-to-day lives, this video is a good start. A bathroom with no counter space? A washer and dryer that doesn't do either very well? Electrical outlets (and very few of them, mind) with switches? Believe it or not, it's possible to survive in such circumstances...somehow.

A Guide to the Irish Supermarket

Now that we've been through an American supermarket, let's take a walk down the aisles of a popular Irish market and see what we can find.

On the surface, most things will look just the same. Produce on the ends, packaged foods in the middle, meats on the back end, and a large selection of frozen treats.

...But look a little deeper, and the differences will pop up almost immediately.

Want a cart? Better pony up a deposit. Got that 1-Euro coin at the ready? No? Hike on over to customer service and break that 2-Euro coin! Most American supermarkets don't require a cart deposit, but for the notable exception of Aldi. Yes, we have Aldi in America, too! Even with the cart deposit, I still see a lot of shopping carts in the Grand Canal...

To be fair, not all Irish markets require a coin deposit.

Cart Deposit

...I thought the English hated the French, but it didn't stop them from adopting French words for certain vegetables. Green summer squash are known by the French courgette instead of the Italian zucchini. Eggplant goes by aubergine.

Courgettes

Aha, we've reached the breakfast meat cooler. A comparison of breakfast meats might be one of the most interesting Irish/American studies. Americans like smoked bacon and sausages loaded with herbs and spices. What Americans call breakfast sausage is either links or discs of fennel-and-pepper-loaded pork and... nitrate coloring. The Irish sausage seems to be made of pork and salt and... pink nitrate coloring? And don't you DARE insult the Irish sausage by comparing it to the British sausage which is made of... pork and salt and... pink nitrate coloring. British sausages are also not made by Clonakilty, the most popular brand of Irish sausage and pudding.

Yes, pudding. The closest American dish to meat pudding might be traditional turkey stuffing made from giblets and bread. White pudding is made from pork offal (organs) mixed with bread, spices, and lots of salt. Black pudding (eaten more in Ireland than in Britain) is colored dark brown with blood.

Meat puddings are of course not to be confused with bread or fruit puddings, sweet baked desserts. In America, the only thing we call pudding is a thick, creamy sweet custard usually mixed from a box of chocolate- or vanilla-flavored powder.

Black and White Pudding and Sausage from Clonakilty

Around the corner in the fresh meats, we find much more lamb options in Ireland than we'd ever see in a Midwestern megamart. People often ask if the lamb and beef for which Ireland is so famous is cheap. Sadly, they are not as cheap as would be expected. Island economy, you know. For us, Irish stew is an extravagance, which is a shame considering its peasant food roots.

Large Lamb Selection

In the ethnic food section, we find canned hot dogs and Pot Noodles (not Cup Noodles, Americans!) Canned and jarred hot dogs are rare in American supermarkets, but our selection of refrigerated hot dog (and bologna) meats is certainly not lacking.

Canned Hot Dogs and Pot Noodles

Baked beans. Americans think we have the market cornered on them. Boston baked beans! Beantown itself! Bush's secret bean recipe! Visions of the Old West!

None of that matters here, where beans-on-toast is accepted for every meal, and canned beans will be on the plate with any breakfast fry-up. Beans are indeed a great source of inexpensive protein, and they are available in all flavors, shapes, and sizes here. The individual serving packs for lunches seem to be particularly popular.

Canned Bean Selection

Making that classic English Irish fish and chips? Better serve it with mushy peas! When I first had fish and chips in London back in 2012, I asked the server what they called the mashed peas served with every plate of chips. She looked at me strangely and replied flatly, "mashed peas."

It should be noted that canned peas are also available in non-mushy form.

Mushy Peas

More pudding? 'Fraid so. In the home baking aisle, we can choose from all manner of instant rice pudding options. The closest American food to rice pudding might be tapioca. I say "might" because not many Americans eat tapioca, made from a starchy root rather than rice.

Rice Pudding

"You gotta eat your Wheaties!" Said the great Michael Jordan. Maybe he never tried Weetabix, a popular cold breakfast cereal more akin to what Americans would call shredded wheat. These rectangular blocks of whole grain wheat are usually served with milk.

Weetabix

But Americans recognize some breakfast cereal brands! ...Or do we? Kellogg's Corn Flakes have the same name and mascot, but just what is Tony the Tiger doing on a box of something called... Frosties? Strangely, the same cereal called Frosted Flakes in the States has been shortened for the folks over here.

...Are Frosties still Grrrrrrrrrreat?

Frosties and Corn Flakes

Condiments in Ireland aren't as scarce as they are in Continental European countries, so we can still find ketchup, yellow mustard, peanut butter, mayo, and most other bottled sugar and salt here. One popular condiment here is brown sauce, of which the most popular brand is HP. It seems a bit intimidating on its face... brown sauce? 

Never fear, Americans! The popular A-1 steak sauce is almost a carbon copy of this popular condiment. Here, it's not just served with steak, but on a number of meat dishes. Try that A-1 on a burger or with chicken fingers (goujons here, the French again!) and report back to me.

HP Brown Sauce

The great Irish tea battle has been raging for decades. Family allegiances run deep, and people from one side or the other scoff at the mere idea of serving or drinking an adulterated cuppa from the other (inferior) side. Barry's and Lyon's both make a regular blend (green box) and a gold blend (red box) and sell for about the same price. To me, novice tea drinker that I am, the blends taste the same from both brands, so I just buy whichever brand is on sale when I need tea.

...Not so with most of the families we know. You are either a Barry's family or a Lyon's family. You'd sooner marry your cousin than buy a box of competing tea!

In the photo below, it is clear that this market is pushing Lyon's with this extending display.

Lyon's and Barry's Tea

Of candy, we can say that most of the treats are similar, but with different emphasis and different packaging. In America, we have soft gummi candy, even a limited selection of the international brand Haribo, but Europe has been for me the champion of the gummi. At this supermarket, the best value can be found in the store brand wine gums- fruity gummi candy shapes with wine names like PORT on each soft chew.

Chocolate malt candy is much more prominent here. In America, we have Whoppers malted milk balls, but the popular Maltesers and its knock-off products provide a much wider selection of malty milk chocolate bars and balls.

The Pennsylvanian Hershey milk chocolate bar is revered with almost religious fervor in the States, but the slightly-sweeter Cadbury's Dairy Milk bars are the norm here. According to some Irish folks who've tried Hershey's on American holidays, it's too bitter.

Cadbury's is of course only known in America for its filled creme eggs usually eaten on Easter.

CANDAYY!

Of all the popular American food brands to gain Irish popularity, Old El Paso might be the most unexpected. Many an Irish and American cook can now reach for a taco, burrito, or enchilada kit from our Tex-Mex friends. Here in Ireland, there is always a great selection of Old El Paso taco supplies- but few or no competitors. They've got the market cornered.

El Paso is in Co. Mayo, Right?

Nearing the end of the store, we've reached the bakery, and two things are surprising. First, we learn that Irish soda bread is actually eaten here! Most American "Irish soda bread" is stiff, dry, and crumbly. Here, many families make (or buy) fresh brown soda bread to serve with traditional dishes like coddle, a sausage, cabbage, and potato stew.

Also, pre-cooked "American style" pancakes are sold cold in packages, presumably for reheating. Pancakes are of course very popular in America, but they are one of the few popular foods that haven't yet been turned into a frozen or pre packaged form. Interesting that flapjacks are one of the few American foods still solely whipped up on a hot griddle at home.

Soda Bread and Pancakes

Beyond the bakery, we are well into the junk food aisles. When it comes to potato crisps (which of course are called chips in America) in Ireland, Tayto is the head spud. This local brand uses Irish potatoes for their original, salt and vinegar, BBQ, and the clear Irish favorite cheese and onion crisps. King crisps might be a runner-up, but it seems to us that Tayto is top tater.

American favorite Lay's are sold under the Walker's name here, but the logo looks the same. Walker's are more popular in England it seems.

Tayto Crisps

Crisps here are usually sold in packs of individual bags. The large bags you see here are really bags of bags. Bags of bags and bags- six or twelve in each. It creates a lot of trash, and it really makes you feel guilty to sit down and eat a whole family-size bag when you have to open twelve "single serving" bags to do so.

One popular American brand does have a presence here, but note (as we've seen before) the slight difference in naming conventions. Presumably, Doritos Cool Original and Chilli Heatwave taste like the Cooler Ranch and Nacho Cheesier flavors we know and love in Iowa. I wouldn't know, Doritos are much too expensive here in Ireland.

Irish Doritos Flavors

But sometimes, changing the marketing and packaging for different countries makes perfect sense. Case in point Coke and Coke Zero and their new "Enjoy it with..." campaign. Here, the marketing folks use the local terms Mum and Mate and Irish names like Grainne and Darragh.

...By the way, when posing for a photo like this, make sure to put Mum BEFORE Mate Trust me.

Enjoy them with your Mum and your Mate

Not much is different in the freezers. The usual collection of microwave dinners, ice cream, frozen pizzas, and vegetables look out from their frosty tombs. One significant difference can be found in the selection of frozen fried potato products. We do have frozen French fries in the States, Ore-Ida crinkle cut being a personal favorite.

But...

Chips as Far as the Eye can See!

This freezer, above and below, is packed with chips of all shapes, sizes, and colors from the foreground all the way to Cory there. Like the large selection of baked beans earlier, this shows just how important these are in menu selections here. We've yet to barge in on Irish families cooking and eating at home, but judging from restaurant and carvery selections, chips seem to go with just about everything.

Curry? Forget the rice, pour it on chips! Lasagna? Sure! Gimme some chips! Other fried food? Gotta have it with chips! Mussels? Well ok, the Belgians have that covered.

That's it! Groceries in hand, make your way to the checkout. Just like at your local American supermarket, use your membership card for reward points and pass your coupons to the cashier. And don't forget to collect your Euro deposit for that cart on your way out!

Reflections Wrap-up and Future-spective

What have you enjoyed the most so far in Ireland?

Cory
I have generally enjoyed the change in lifestyle of living in Ireland, specifically Dublin. We are adjusting not just to living in another country, but we are also going from the suburbs to the city, from a single family house to a small apartment, from an educated college town to a gritty, diverse international capital. The day-to-day operations in urban Dublin are much different at a basic level, before we even consider the cultural and meteorological differences. It's also nice to take a few years off from mowing the lawn and shoveling snow...

Sara
Although much of the novelty of living in Ireland has worn off, I still love the possibilities presented to us by living here. Most of these are tied to traveling. We still have so much to see! We have barely made it to the west coast of this tiny emerald isle, which seriously needs to be remedied. Living in Dublin, we have the added bonus of extremely easy and inexpensive travel both within Ireland and to other countries in Europe. The ease of traveling can make it hard to quell the travel-bug between trips, but I love that we are in such a fortunate position.

What might you have done differently in the past year, knowing what you know now?

Cory
I feel like we could now be champions of the government bureaucracy battles we fought when we first arrived. Navigating the murky waters of the PPS office, GNIB registration, setting up utilities (especially internet...), and working with phone support were all sweaty palms and elevated heart rates for us. The old adage youth is wasted on the wrong people applies here. Why is it that the people who have the least experience with a new government, a new setting, and new expectations have such great demands made of them? Why can't we NOW fill out our initial paperwork and get our bank account set up?

Sara
I would have adopted a more relaxed and go-with-the-flow attitude more quickly. All of the paperwork Cory listed was very stressful at the time, and I was always worried that we would do something incorrectly or that we would miss an important step. Turns out that people here are generally pretty relaxed, especially when it comes to bureaucracy. Adopting a patient attitude and trusting that everything will work out is critical when the to-do list seems like it's a mile long and that you will never get settled. I should of just made a cup of tea and uttered the tried-and-true Irishism: "Ah sure, it'll be grand". 

What is your new favorite Irish influence or custom?

Cory
For me, maybe the most entertaining social custom I observe here is the loud, open, no-holds-barred distrust of politicians and bankers. We in the States have some implied mistrust of our system in general, but people are generally pretty quiet about their disdain for politicians- except during the occasional political earthquake that sweeps the system. Irish folks in pubs, on the street, and on the radio make no bones about their mistrust of the people they blame for the country going financially nuclear in 2008. "Bunch o'crooks, all of 'em!" is a common, family-friendly sentiment shared around town. I can't speak for pre-crash Ireland, but maybe folks were more trusting of their public figures when the economy was growing like a magic beanstalk?

Sara
I'm enjoying the process of understanding Irish and European sports. It certainly is a process because we have yet to find simple explanations for how all of the different leagues work for all of the various sports. That said, once we were able to figure some of them out, we had a blast following them. Six Nations rugby was thrilling to watch, and the uniqueness of gaelic sports has made them very interesting to learn and follow. I even started to get excited for the World Cup. Who know, maybe over the next couple of years I will be a bona fide soccer fan!

Besides your loved ones, what do you miss most about Iowa?

Cory
For me, it might very well be freshwater river fishing. I have easy access to great stream and ocean fishing here in Dublin, but I don't have nearly three decades of knowledge and practice with these strange and wily fish species. Gone for now are the days when I can walk down to the Iowa River and pull in as many carp as my arms can carry with but a bare hook and a dough ball. Maybe if I live in Ireland for a few more years, I can catch as many trout as I could carp...

Sara
Without a doubt it's the weather. Sara of a year ago would not believe that I am saying that, and all of my friends and family back home will think I'm bananas, but I miss Iowa weather. A mild climate is convenient and comfortable, but it sure gets boring after awhile. I want a day where the buses aren't running because it snowed 6 inches in one hour. I want a day where the skies open up and unleash their fury upon the mere mortals below. I want it to be so hot and humid that I am sweating while just sitting on the couch. I want it to be so cold that my nose hairs freeze and I can't take a full breath without coughing. I don't want it every day, but once in a while it's nice to be reminded who is really in charge in this world. That would be Mother Nature. For some reason, she pretty much gives Ireland a pass, and I have to say I miss her fury. 

About which European travel experiences are you most excited?

Cory
I am looking forward to heading farther east than I've ever been. I particularly am eagerly waiting for a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where I can walk across the Bosphorus Bridge and stand on the continent of Asia, thus bringing me to a tie with Sara for number of world continents visited. Solo trip to Antarctica for the win?

Sara
Can I say "all of them"? Is that allowed? If I had to rank them, I guess the top of the list would include our plans for a trip to Morocco (ok, not actually Europe, but it's pretty close) and traveling with my younger sister. The former because, like Cory, I want to add another continent to my tally. The latter because I can't wait to share a European adventure with my baby sis before she spends a semester in Austria. We haven't decided where we are going yet, but I know that it will be unforgettable!

What are your goals for the next year?

Cory
I am hoping to continue to improve my writing skills in my time away from full-time employment. Maybe this can turn into something more than a hobby for me. Having the daily blog post is a nice goal, and other writing projects force me to write in different formats for non-personal-blog audiences. With more practice, I hope to be able to communicate clearly and easily in all of the genres of freelance writing. 

Sara

I do not want to become complacent. I feel as though we have adjusted well to living in a foreign country far from home, but I do not want to allow myself to become lazy. I want to keep learning new things about Ireland and visiting new places. I think that after a year it might be easy to stay in the comfort zone that we have carved out for ourselves here. My goal is to keep pushing us to explore and take full advantage of living here.

Whew! That was an exciting week of anniversary retrospectives! We have certainly learned, grown, and changed a lot in one year away. After having looked at how much our habits and viewpoints have changed in the last year, we are excited to see that we are still flexible and open-minded enough to make such big changes comfortably. We're glad we did this series this week- not just for readers, but for ourselves! We can't wait to look at these posts next July to see what has changed in two years in Dublin! Will we have learned everything? We doubt it, but we are looking forward to smiling at the young, naive, Cory and Sara of today, just as we read the old posts from last Summer and smile at that Cory and Sara.

Cera Sara and Cory

An Irish Year in Frugality

It probably comes through loud and clear with many of our blog posts, but we should begin by stating clearly here that we are frugal. Cheapskates, penny-pinchers, tightwads, thrifty, call us what you will.

In Iowa, it became something beyond a necessity, beyond a hobby, beyond a skill; it became a way of life. Thrift store shopping was just the beginning. Learning to live high on the hog and low on the price tag was a mission; and we were good at it.

When we were getting ready for our move to Dublin, we knew that we would have to change our financial reality and our perspective. We knew that Dublin was the most expensive city in one of the most expensive countries in the world. Our spending power would be much lower, especially with only one income.

Could we still find ways to feed our cheap addiction in a new land? How have we learned to adjust our thrifty expectations and techniques in one very fast year?

Cheap Goods?

When we arrived in Dublin, we tried to work with all of our old thrifty habits. It was all we knew. To set up our new apartment, we visited a block of thrift stores thinking to fully stock our kitchen, bathroom, and closet with bargain basement secondhand goods... but sadly it was not to be. Thrift stores here are small and comparatively expensive. We were left to stock our home with the cheapest department store home goods we could find- after looking all over town.

We have yet to find the golden goose large thrift store dealing in piles of clothes priced by the bin- not individually- and shelves of out-of-style cookware, candle-holders, garden supplies, electronics, tacky wall art, dirty toys, and mostly-unbroken lawn furniture.

Grocery shopping has been more or less a wash for us. Certain kinds of goods are much more expensive than those in the States, while a (very) few can be picked up more inexpensively. We have changed our diet to match the prices of certain foods, namely meat. Our protein sources now come mostly from dry beans and lentils, which are cheap and easy to carry. Meat, which used to be a staple, is now more of a luxury item for us. On the other hand, milk chocolate digestive cookies were unheard of at Hy-Vee in Iowa, but these delicious, buttery, chocolatey cookies are so tempting on the shelf for 50 cents... is it OK to replace meat with cookies in the diet?

How Have we Saved?

In one area, we have excelled in saving- transportation. This has been one of our great savings success stories in Dublin. Because Sara has a short commute to work and I have... no commute to work, we don't have to rely on daily transportation on Dublin's good-try-but-not-quite-there public transportation system or (Heavens, no!), a car. We have definitely pumped our walking and cycling muscles since moving here, but more importantly, we've adjusted to the planning required for a largely foot-powered lifestyle. Shopping trips can't be quick runs... unless we are literally running to the store. We have to plan our trips to and around town, always keeping in mind time and carrying weight. Need something bulky and heavy? Better pick it up at the end of the day out and as close to home as it is available.

With almost everything costing more here, we have learned to be selective about our chosen pastimes and entertainment. It would not quite be accurate to say that we are living without or depriving ourselves of comfort and leisure activities, but do sometimes have to make difficult choices. This isn't all bad, as it happens. We have learned to appreciate our luxuries when they come, because we can't make them happen all the time. When we do go out for a pint, we usually keep it to one overpriced round, which is nursed and savored with the knowledge that the next one might not be for a while.

Maybe we can take these habits with us when we move on to an almost certainly cheaper place than Dublin. We could be the champions of thrift and economy!

One More Year in Ireland Approved!

Well, it really is official that we've been in Dublin for a full year. And that was made clear in a painful-but-necessary trip to City Centre to visit the Garda National Immigration Board (GNIB) office to renew our residence visas. Bureaucratic Purgatory, here we come!

Like any government office (in any country...) this is a depressing, poorly-lit hellscape of desperate-looking people (ourselves included) waiting for their magical number to show up on the display. It could have been much worse for us, but the attendant issuing our waiting number recommended we go out and walk around town for 90 minutes before returning, as the office was swamped.

And we couldn't figure out why. Last July, the place was dead when we went in the midafternoon. Maybe they get a bottleneck first thing in the morning, but we took the advice and went out for a coffee at Sherie's Cafe just off of O'Connell Street on the north side.

GNIB Waiting Coffee

After coffee, we walked through Henry Street and the (in)famous Moore Street to see the vendors setting up for the day. On offer was the usual selection of suspiciously-low-priced fruit, possibly stolen smartphones, and tax-free tobacco. We also saw the fresh (?) fish cart setting up. As we watched, a seagull landed on the fish cart while the vendor was turned away. It picked at an expensive salmon filet (seagulls must have good taste!) and tried to take off with it. The pecked and picked-up filet dropped on the sidewalk, and the attendant casually picked it up, wiped it off, and put it back on the cart for sale. Hmmm....

When we made it back to the GNIB office, the line hadn't moved much, but we just had to camp out and wait. A full four hours after we first arrived at the office, we were finally legally approved for one more year in Ireland, and our bank account was much lighter having paid the hefty yearly registration fee.

To celebrate, we decided to go out for lunch in a very touristy pub, The Brazen Head. We hadn't been to a tourist-trappy place in a long time, so it was a bit shocking when we first piled in to Ireland's Oldest Pub, dating to 1198.

The Brazen Head

The tourist vibe was actually quite welcome, because we were interested in drinks and lunch on an open-air patio. All the local favorites' patios were full of lunching Dubliners chain-smoking the tobacco they may have purchased illegally on Moore Street. No sign of fresh salmon, though...

Lunch

Luckily, it was still (just barely) lunchtime, so the menu had the smaller, cheaper(ish) portions of the tourist menu. Toasted sandwich and fish and chips with a Smithwick's Pale Ale and my first Kilkenny Cream Ale. I hadn't ever tried this light red, nitro-carbed ale before. It was ok, but not as good as...

Temple Brau and Hop Head Cask

The Porterhouse beers! We were committed to taking the rest of the afternoon off, so we popped over to The Porterhouse in Temple Bar to have some of their locally-brewed beers. For the first time, I had one of their ales from the cask rather than the draught. Cask ales have a unique character to them. Traditional draught beers are stored at refrigerator temperatures, machine-carbonated, and pumped through the taps by electric pumps.

Cask ales, on the other hand, are kept at cellar temperature- much warmer than a refrigerator. The beers are also less carbonated, and pumped into the glass by hand. The bartender has to make several long pulls of these special handles to fill up a regular pint glass. 

Celebration Porter (left) Plain Porter (right)

After the Temple Brau lager and Hop Head ale, we couldn't resist one of Porterhouse's famous... porters. We tried a Plain Porter, our old standby, and a Porterhouse special edition Celebration Porter. The Celebration weighed in at a whopping 7% ABV, with a big chocolate smack right up front. We don't get the chance to taste beers like this very often, so we have to savor it when we do.

Finally, we had to wrap up our legal status celebration and head back home. Here's to one more year in Ireland!

Dublin Sidewalk Astronomers Meetup

We found yet another great activity in the list of totally awesome and free events, the Dublin Event Guide. I know we reference and link to D.E.G. a lot here, but being the tightwads we are, the weekly issue is always a home run for us.

This week we met up with members of the Irish Astronomical Society on Sandymount Strand. The group was set up as "Sidewalk Astronomers" to pay tribute to the late John Dobson. When we arrived at the strand (after dark, of course) members of the group had set up telescopes and were showing the wonders of the sky to the public.

Dobson is known in astronomical circles as sort of a godfather of amateur astronomers. He spent years studying in a monastery, and while there developed an extraordinary invention. Using tubes and mirrors, he was able build a relatively powerful telescope with inexpensive and easily found materials.

Upon leaving the monastery, he published his design and encouraged amateur skywatchers to build their own "Dobsonian" telescopes and start looking up. He co-founded the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers, and other Sidewalk Astronomer groups have formed in his honor. Funnily, what Americans call "sidewalks" go by other names in other countries, leading to some confusion among international newbies.

The members of the society here tonight are all amateurs with a range of different equipment. There were traditional telescopes with lenses and one Dobsonian reflecting telescope present from the society members while we were there. We spoke with the knowledgeable and friendly members of the society for a while, learning a lot about the planets, stars, and the state of amateur astronomy itself.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating with us while we visited with the society. A cloud bank obscured the southern sky, so we weren't able to get a good look at the Orion Nebula or Jupiter, both of which were out and visible. We did get a chance to see some of the sights in the northern sky, and learned another interesting regional name difference.

Americans, what's the first (and usually only) constellation we ever learn to spot? That's right, The Big Dipper, that bright, shiny scoop in the sky. Good Scouts among us learn to use the Big Dipper to find the North Star, Polaris. Here, The Big Dipper goes by the name, "The Plough." I didn't catch it the first time our helpful astronomer friend pointed to it. I saw him pointing at the constellation, but missed it when he said, "Plough." When he said it a second time, I smiled and chuckled. I admitted to him that I didn't know The Big Dipper went by other names in different countries. He, of course, knew that it went by The Dipper in the States, so we both got a good laugh. Look at it again, Americans. You can see that The Dipper, when flipped, does indeed look like a plough blade and handle. Cool, huh?

He pointed out a few other constellations, or parts thereof, that were visible to the naked eye in the clear northern section of the sky. Light pollution from the city makes some dimmer stars difficult to see with the naked eye, especially in the sky directly above the city.

We checked out the telescopes themselves, fine pieces of technology, all. The modern lens-models were powered by a battery. When I asked why the power was needed, it was explained to me that these telescopes had driving motors on their mounts. The motors moved the telescope to follow the spinning of the Earth, keeping whatever was in the telescope still as it moved across the sky. I knew that stars moved slowly across the sky at night as the earth moved, but the movements are so slow to the naked eye as to be imperceptible. I suppose looking at something with high amplification would also amplify that movement. Installing these computer-controlled motors would indeed keep the telescope firmly focused on the field without irritating constant adjustments.

The Sidewalk Astronomers of Dublin conduct these public events regularly. Check their website for the latest public events. We certainly will, and we hope to come back on a clear night so we can fully benefit from the knowledge and wisdom of this enthusiastic society.

J2 Sushi

To celebrate a recent personal occasion, we decided to try some of the Dublin sushi scene.  Ireland and Dublin are of course not well-known for sushi like Tokyo and San Francisco, but Ireland does have access to wonderful seafood, so great and reasonably-priced sushi must be available somewhere in the city.

It is, at J2 Grill and Sushi on the North Wall Quay (pronounced key).

We visited on a Friday night, so we made reservations- something it must be said we rarely do.  Mostly because we are I am such a cheapskate that the thought of fancy restaurants makes my skin crawl and my wallet shrivel instinctively. 

J2 isn't all that fancy, reservations were recommended just because it is a small restaurant (maybe they would call it intimate), in a beautiful glass cube of a building right on the River Liffey.  We had a great table right next to the sushi bar, so we were able to watch the chefs at work.

Cool Menu!

We started with our favorite sushi starter, edamame.  Steamed and salted soybeans served in their pods.  I can't help but chuckle when I think of this food as a fancy, exotic treat when it grows literally by the ton all over Iowa.  Green tea in a clear pot and served in clear teacups rounded out our snack.

Edamame and Green Tea

Next, another favorite (included with our sushi special), miso soup.  Also made from soy (well... tofu and a seaweed and dried fish broth), miso is a great salty, slurpy soup- especially on a chilly night after a long walk to the restaurant.

Miso Soup

Next was our actual appetizer- called spider tempura at J2.  The menu described it as soft shell crab, fried in tempura batter.  We love crab and we love tempura, so we jumped at it.  When it came, it really was just that... a whole soft shell crab, dipped and fried tempura-style.  Nice.

Soft Shell Crab Tempura

Then... Oh yeah!  The sushi.  We ordered a sushi combination plate, more than enough for two diners to enjoy a selection of the specialty rolls made here.  We had all the classics.  We had salmon, we had shrimp, we had tempura, we had avocadoes, we had cream cheese, we had the spicy mayo, we had that awesome orange sauce that comes on a lot of sushi.  In other words, we enjoyed all the non-Japanese but very Westerner-friendly big bites of sushi enjoyed on both sides of the Atlantic... if not the Pacific.

Sushi Combo

We had a great evening at J2 with great food and great atmosphere.  It certainly didn't hurt that my dining companion was the best in the world.

All this for a very reasonable Dublin restaurant price.  This won't be something we have every week, but great sushi at great prices is hard to find, so we'll be back.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A happy and special Valentine's Day to all those reading this today.  Be you single, dating, married, or it's complicated, go have a good time today.

If you forgot about the holiday and have a special person who might be expecting a card, candy, or reservations- you better get moving.  You have to tell the person, "Look! I love you this much moneys-worth!"

I you aren't with anyone special right now, there are plenty of options for you.  There is the classic Anti-Valentine's Day activity of cocktails with your other single friends, there's the annual Valentine's Day slasher movie releases to check out, or you can just kick it solo surfing the internet.

Whatever your plans, enjoy the day, night, and weekend.  Spring is coming in the Northern Hemisphere, and life is good.

And yes, if you were wondering.  Ireland does celebrate Valentine's Day.  Yes, it is just as cheesy and over-hyped as it is in the Sates.  

Happy Double Holiday, USA!

Normally we don't have any posts on Sunday, but I felt this day was worth noting.  This Sunday marks a double holiday in the USA.  February 2nd is Groundhog Day, when the world famous Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his tree in Pennsylvania to predict the upcoming end of winter in North America.  I'll have to ask some of our Irish friends what they think about this strange rodent-based national holiday...

The big one, of course, is the Super Bowl.  Super Bowl Sunday is a classic American holiday, almost bigger than Thanksgiving.  People beg Congress and the President every year to declare Super Bowl Monday (the day after...) a holiday so people can get crazy with the cheap beer and greasy food during the game without fear of Super Bowl Sickness hurting their work productivity.  Studies show that workplace productivity is WAY down on the day after the Super Bowl anyway, do it, Congress!  You have the power!

Even non-football fans tune in for this highly publicized event.  The famous all-new television commercials with their record breaking prices always attract speculation and memorable moments.  Many people watch the commercials and wait for the game to resume before going to the bathroom or getting more food.  Remember Terrible Terry Tate?  Michael Jordan and Larry Bird playing HORSE for a Big Mac?  How about the annual GoDaddy "Too hot for TV" ads.  Spectacular.

Also attracting the non-game fans is the always-getting-bigger halftime show.  This almost hour long spectacle seems to get longer and more surprising each year.  The recent trend has been to introduce surprise guest stars and cameos to the advertised star's performance.  Remember Beyonce and the pop ups of the other hip hop artists and the reunion of her Destiny's Child gang for the finale?  What happened to the one I remember best from my childhood, Michael Jackson singing Heal the World?

Can it be 1993 again?

Because of the late kickoff time, I'll have to be watching The Game starting at almost midnight Ireland time.  With the extended commercial breaks and crazy halftime show, that puts me in bed by... maybe 05:00 Monday morning... But I know it'll be worth it.

Happy Groundhog Day and Super Bowl Sunday, USA.  Have some chili dogs and nachos for me!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today, January 31, 2014 is the first day of the new lunar year according to the Chinese calendar.  The Chinese Zodiac (according to most Chinese restaurant placemats and confirmed by Wikipedia) has twelve figures, each corresponding to a year.  The Western Zodiac calendar (Aries, Taurus, Scorpio, etc.) also has twelve characters, but they are each assigned a month.  In the Chinese twelve-year cycle, we are finishing the Year of the Snake and beginning the Year of the Horse.  The Snake will return in 2025 and the Horse will cycle back in 2026.  People born under each of these Chinese signs are supposed to have traits related to their Zodiac animal, and affinities to people of each of the other specific signs.

From our event program:

"Horse-born people are high-spirited and lively.  Their vivacity and enthusiasm make them very popular.  With a deft sense of humor, Horses are masters of repartee.  They love to take center stage and delight audiences everywhere.  Sometimes rash and wilful, they can be prone to rapid changes of mood and, although seldom really explosive of temper, when they do see red, it is not a pretty sight.  Those who have suffered a Horse's rage will never feel quite the same about him again."

What event?  What program?

This Program

 
We were fortunate and blessed to be invited by a member of the UCD Chinese student community to a celebration of Chinese culture and Chinese-Irish political relations at the National Concert Hall.  The event was organized and put on by the Chinese New Year Festival Committee.  Ireland has a large Chinese population (90,000 plus) and is culturally richer for it.  With such a sizeable community, Ireland (specifically Dublin) and her residents have access to Chinese art, food, and culture thanks to the support of the Chinese population.

The program began with a chorus of local students singing a traditional Irish song and a traditional Chinese song back-to-back.  After the welcome by the emcees (in English and Chinese) a performance troupe from Liaoning Province in China took the stage with some amazing, artistic, beautiful, and captivating performances.

Watercolor Horse from the Program

A group of dancers in elaborate and brightly-colored dress gave a series of dances throughout the night.  Their first dance, "The Harvest" introduced the audience to the eight-pointed handkerchief, which is tossed, juggled, and spun to create flashy illusions.

Chinese Handkerchief

A later performance by the dancers displayed amazing balance and posture as they danced on shoes with raised heels... in the middle of the shoe.

After the first dance, we were introduced to the acrobats and contortionists.  The first performance was a duet performance of two incredibly strong and flexible acrobats performing slow-motion acts of body-shaping and balance, several times balancing one atop the other.  One of the acrobats returned later for a solo performance titled, "The Rolling Lights."  This performance began with more incredible body shaping and folding in ways that made the whole audience gasp involuntarily.  For the finale, her partner brought out candle holders with electric lights to balance.  By the end, the acrobat had five lights, one on each limb and one balanced on her forehead.  With these five lights balanced, she rolled, stretched, and finally stood straight up after her partner had retrieved all the lights but the one on her forehead.  All of it done slowly and very artistically.  Incredible.

Another team performance by a different team was "Handkerchief Magic."  This act began with what I can only assume was a stand-up comedy act in Chinese.  The performer was dynamic and entertaining even if I couldn't understand the language.  His talent (besides the stand-up routine) was handkerchief spinning, which he did with larger and larger pieces with the help of his partner, until he needed to stand on two chairs to be high enough to spin (and keep spinning) a blanket-sized handkerchief.

I had never heard of the next kind of Chinese illusionism before last night, face changing.  This ancient art, performed in traditional Chinese opera, is a dance in which the performer wears brightly-colored masks- and using sleight-of-hand, switches masks throughout the performance.  The illusionist wears a cape and carries a fan, and uses these as misdirections and distractions as she runs, twirls, and makes mask changes faster than the eye can see.

The emcees introduced each act and filled the time between stage transitions with interpretations and descriptions of the artists we were watching.  One was Irish and the other Chinese, but both spoke English and Chinese, so everyone in the audience could understand and participate.  The year of the horse was referenced again and again as important for Ireland because of the popularity and high quality of horse breeding and horse racing here.  I had a feeling (as I often do at Irish events) that some of the jokes and references, particularly some those to horse racing on this night, went right over my head.  The Chinese emcee taught and practiced with the audience a phrase in Chinese meaning "swift luck" in English or, directly- "Luck when the horse comes in."  There's another horse reference, and the Irish emcee couldn't help but make a subtle reference to luck and horse race betting.  Even I could pick up that reference.

Building to the end of the show, two masters of Kung-Fu took the stage for an exhibition of this popular martial art in jumps, kicks, and hand-strikes.  Following that was a musical performance on the Suona, a traditional Chinese instrument much like a Western oboe, with a double reed and tone holes for fingering.  Unlike the oboe, the Suona has a wide brass bell, contributing to its very loud, bright, and projecting sound.  My music training was all been focused on Western music, so I was unfamiliar with this instrument, but I (and I'm sure most readers will) recognized the sound of the instrument as the melody voice in music played in Chinese restaurants- my total exposure to Chinese music and culture before this performance, unfortunately.

Here's a YouTube clip of another suona soloist.  Recognize that sound?

The dance troupe who had opened the night gave the final performance, a dance dedicated to the history and future of China.  After one more try at our new phrase in Chinese, the emcees wished us a good night and a happy Chinese New Year.  It was a great end to a great night.

Many thanks to the CNY committee, National Concert Hall, and our generous friend for the tickets.

Now Featured on Expats Blog Network

We here are proud to announce our new listing and affiliation with Expats Blog, an expat blogging community dedicated to serving current and soon-to-be expats.  The site links to blogs written by expats living in all corners of the world- from all corners of the world.  Tired of this American couple rambling on about their own narrow experience and viewpoint?  Try a blog by another American with a narrow viewpoint, or an Armenian, or and Australian.  The E.B. team update the site regularly with new blogs, forums, interviews and profiles of the bloggers, expat-related news stories, and yearly writing contests and blogging awards.

I suppose it should have stood to reason when we began this blog in April 2013 that expat blogging would be a popular phenomenon on the internet, but we continue to be surprised by the number and quality of amateur expat blogs and bloggers in our community, and we are happy to be a part of this richly diverse group.

If interested in Ireland expat blogging in general, check out the Ireland blog page.

To see our blog profile and leave a comment or review, here's the link to do so.

We've also added the Expats Blog badge to our Affiliates and Features page on the site.

Traffic Arrows

Look at the photo below.  Go ahead, take a long and healthy look at it.  The text of this post will wait...

Which way?

Clearly some kind of street marking.  Looks like an arrow of some kind.  These markings are on many city streets, usually at road-merging locations like the one in the photo.  "What's the big deal?"  One might ask.  The big deal is in the direction, not the marking.

So we all know that traffic moves on the left side here in Ireland, The U.K., and a few other countries.  Pedestrians here have to get used to looking for oncoming traffic on the correct side, especially if they want to be bold jaywalkers ignoring crosswalk lights.  No problem there, as most corners with crossings are marked with paint on the street with warnings to "LOOK LEFT" and "LOOK RIGHT."  I am only guessing this is for the convenience and safety of visitors from Continental Europe and North America- who are all used to traffic moving up to run them down on the right side.

But what about that marking above?  We were utterly confused our first week here when we saw these "arrows" on the street, because cars always drove from the narrow point to the wide side of the arrow- making this not really an arrow at all... A reverse arrow?  Sort of...?

In The States, traffic arrows dictate the traveler go from the wide end to the narrow point, like an arrow from an archer's bow.  The point is the direction.  These markings look a bit like a pointing arrow, but traffic moves the other way.

Totally unresearched guess:  Going from the point to the wide side the symbol, if one really makes a stretch, looks like it is spilling or pushing out onto the street.  Can anyone else see that?  It takes some time.  Going from point to wide has an almost inviting visual connotation, as if the symbol is opening up in the merging lane to welcome and admit visiting cars to the new road- which may or may not be marked with a sign.

Does that mean that all direction sign arrows are reversed like this?  Well... no.

Again one will ask, "What's the big deal?  Why does this little minor difference that clearly works for these people warrant a (getting longer and longer) blog post?"

...I guess it doesn't, but it's fun to think now, after six months in Dublin, about all the little confusions, unanswered questions, and subtle-but-tangible differences we were experiencing.  I would point to this as a warning to foreign visitors driving in Dublin, but chances a foreign (American) driver in Dublin City will have much larger worries than simple little hollow arrows pointing the wrong way. 

Happy New Year!

[Edit] This is the final version of this post, complete with pictures.  Thanks to all who followed along!

Happy New Year to all around the world!  To celebrate the New Year, we will be live-tweeting our day (and night) with status updates for no one anyone who cares to check in.  Again, due to lack of smartphone, photos will not be updated live, but photos will be added to this post for New Year's Day.

To join in on the action, you can follow us on Twitter, @HansonCory1 and @HansonSaraJ OR check back periodically to this post as we will be embedding each tweet into the body of this article as the day progresses.  You can interact by replying on Twitter or commenting at the bottom of this post.

Central Time Zone friends- we are six hours ahead of you in Ireland, so we'll be ringing in the New Year at 6 p.m. for you tonight, so you will all have the unique (?) opportunity to see how our night finishes as you are all beginning your night.  Let's ring it in!

Tweets and photos after the break.

Happy Christmas and Nollaig Shona!

A very Merry Christmas Day to anyone checking in on us here.  The blog will be dark today as we celebrate family, friends, and good cheer all around.  What are you doing on the internet, anyway?  It's Christmas!  Go watch the NBA games, or spend time with your families... or something!

More blog fun coming tomorrow, Boxing Day St. Stephen's Day!

Merry WWE Christmas!

Living with the Latitude

Tomorrow, December 21st, is the Winter Solstice.  The shortest day of the year for the most of the Northern Hemisphere, Planet Earth.  The higher latitude has been one of the sneakiest changes we've noticed in our move.

Europe is located surprisingly far North to many Americans, myself included.  When we were planning our European vacation last summer, I took a look at the map and was taken aback by the position of this continent.  I had always heard about Western Europe having such a temperate climate, and the Mediterranean countries feel downright tropical in the summer.

When we arrived in Dublin in the high summer of July, it was immediately apparent that we were not in Kansas Iowa any more.  The sun stayed up well into the "night" hours, keeping the sky lit well past our regular bedtime.  I had of course heard of baseball games played at midnight in Alaska and the six-month cycle of light and dark at the poles, but I didn't realize, until checking, that Ireland (and the rest of Europe) sits much closer to the North Pole than any of the continental United States.  With the upcoming Winter Solstice, I hit the internet and did some latitudinal research.  Per timeanddate.com:

Dublin: approximately 53 Degrees N latitude.  Length of day on December 21- 7h:29m:55s

Calgary, Alberta, Canada:  approximately 51 Degrees N latitude.  Length of day on December 21- 7h:54m:17s

Rome, Italy:  approximately 41 Degrees N latitude.  Length of day on December 21- 9h:07m:38s

Iowa City, Iowa: approximately 41 Degrees N latitude.  Length of day on December 21-  9h:07m:09s

Lesson here- climate is connected much more with geography than with latitude.  Dublin's winter is certainly nothing compared to what our friends in Calgary will see.  Likewise, Southern Iowa and Southern Italy share very little but a love of good food and good wine.

Dublin, with 90 fewer minutes of daylight on the solstice than our Iowan and Italian friends will see really shows the impact of the latitude.  I tried to capture with our camera the different...look... of everything with the sun so low in the sky.

Midday Shadows

It's difficult to describe in text and even more difficult to capture with a camera, but I have and will try.  The photos in this post were taken near midday about a week before the solstice.  I went out to the garden of our building on a sunny day to capture the angle and color of the light on the green grass and trees here.  Notice in the above photo just one splash of sunlight on the brown leaves of the hedge.  All the other grass (still brilliantly green, unlike Iowa or Calgary) is in shadow.

Sunshine on the South facing hedge

This photo of the garden trellis was taken on the South facing hedges.  Notice the sunlight on the vertical hedges but not on the green grass.  That grass is shaded by a fence several yards to the South.  Notice just a little bit of the orange sunset-like hue on the leaves and hedges?  Gone is the harsh white sunlight of high summer.  Again, the camera doesn't capture it as well as the human eye.

Midday Sun

After photographing the South side of the hedge, I simply turned around to face the sun from that same place.  Normally one would not point a camera directly at the sun to snap a photo, but I wanted to record how low to the horizon the sun passes in the winter.  In the above photo, the sun is partly shaded by a tree but can be clearly seen.  Even just after midday, the sun passes lower to the horizon than I have ever seen at this time of day.  

Contributing to the shorter days, I believe, is the presence of the Dublin Mountains just to the South and West of the city.  These modest peaks cast their shadow over the city, blocking part of the already low trajectory of the sun across the Southern sky in winter.  In the above photo, the top peaks can be seen over the green hedge.  Certainly the higher elevations have slightly longer days and more white sunlight during the day.

The golden color and Southern angle of the winter sun give everything a fresh and pleasing look.  The greens of the grass and leaves appear brighter and more vibrant.  The brown and red colors of the maple and oak leaves are naturally accented and matched by the fiery orange of the sun.  Drawbacks?  Well, seven hours of sunlight isn't much in the dead of winter.  Daytime plans must be made carefully and finish early.  Motivation to complete evening errands or chores drops with the sun.  That is to say, at 4:30 p.m.  Also, North facing indoor windows get very little natural sunlight in the winter, and South facing windows get burning orange sun all day long.

We were used to varying hours of daylight in Iowa, which is considered a Northern State in America, but the change wasn't quite as stark as we've seen here.  At least we aren't dealing with the snow, ice, wind, and bone-numbing temperatures with our short days.  I guess we should consider ourselves lucky to be here.

...And we do.