Luck of the Irish

Sam and I decided to take a trip to Ireland in February.  We knew a lot of people that were going for St. Patricks day in March, but to avoid long lines and tons of people we enjoyed Ireland a few weeks before the festivities.

We saw and enjoyed many of the great things Ireland has to offer.   We left really not having a plan to what we were going to do.  Very similar to our trip to Rome last year.  This was the first time staying in a Hostel.  We stayed at Jacobs Inn, very happy with the facilities clean, and comfortable.  We stayed in a room that can hold four people.  three of the five nights we had room mates.  Not sure if we will do it again, but did save us some money on the hotel stay.  And really we hardly spend much time in the hotel when visiting a city.   

From our Hostel the main road with walking streets and shops was a 10 min walk, lined with pubs and restaurants along the way.  OUr first evening we did quite a bit of walking getting our directions correct and finding out certain places that were a must see list while in the city.  One being the Guinness Storehouse.  Above are a few pictures that we took while at the store house and on the tour.  At the end of the tour we were given a pint of Guinness.  

I found it quite unique that Guinness has been around longer than the Country of the United States!!  In 1759 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the St. James Gate Brewery which vistors can see while at the storehouse.  

I do have to say I am not usually a Guinness drinker but it did taste pretty good in Dublin!!

A number of the sites in the city were reachable by walking, others were a bit further away.  We used one of the hop-on hop-off tour buses to get to a number of the highlighted areas.  The building above though was a very short walk.  It is part of Trinity College.  Neither Sam or I really knew anything about Trinity College or its history.  It is a remarkable area of Dublin with a lot of history amongst the growing city. 

A large amount of Ireland's history relates to the 1916 Easter Rising which took place in Dublin.  We were given a lot of history about the 1916 rising where it took place and why.  the pictures above are of the Kilmainham Gaol, which was the location where prisoners from the Easter Rising were kept and executed.  

We also went to the Jameson Distillery, which was the original location of the distillery when Jameson Whisky was first made.  It now is only for tours.  Here too did we get to try Jameson following our tour.  I am not a fan of Whisky but when mixed with Ginger and Lime, it is pretty good.  Jameson is well known for its triple distilled.  Unlike Scotch or American Whisky.  It is has a much smoother taste.

Only Church/Cathedral we saw on our way to Belfast.

We had the opportunity on Wed to leave the city of Dublin and go to Belfast.  Unknowing to myself I did not know the difference between Northern and Southern Ireland.  Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and uses the Sterling currency.  There are very few differences though between the two areas.  There is a lot of history though in the city that we were given information about.

The city of Belfast was and still is a large part of the revolution and Ireland becoming it's own state disconnected from the United Kingdom.  Our guide mentioned too us that not over ten years ago he would not be able to complete trips such as ours to Belfast due to the restrictions and road blocks on the way to Belfast.  What we saw of the city was nothing different from any other European city that we have been too.  It was a great opportunity to visit the city and learn of its history and the Island of Ireland's History.  

The highlight of going to Dublin was to attend the Titanic Belfast exhibit.  Belfast in the early 1900's was built in Belfast.  This exhibit is built on the dry docks where the titanic was built so many years ago.  The exhibit is less than a year old and provided a great overall of the city of Belfast during that time the building of the Titanic, it's interiors, and the voyage of Titanic.  This was a must see and was great opportunity to get out of the city of Dublin.  We enjoyed a great lunch in the city and many sites.

The picture above is of one of the parks inside Dublin.  We were lucky during our week in Dublin to have beautiful weather and did not have to worry about any rain.  We were told that weeks like that were very uncommon.

Along with the many alcoholic beverages we had while in Ireland we also had some great food.  Traditional Irish breakfast, fish, mussels, steak, and chips!!  There really was no food I did not enjoy and tried everything that I could.  Happy to have enjoyed a city where we could understand everyone we came in to contact with.  We haven't yet made it to England or Scotland but maybe next time.

So many places we haven't gotten too.

Brooklyn's Coat

As many of you know our Puppy Brooklyn is a large part of our family.  We take her with us as many places as we are allowed and ensure she is dressed to go out as well.

Below are two coats that Brooklyn wears often when out in the snow.  The first is a fleece type the second was made by my Mom.  Pretty classy for a classy Pup!!  WIth a faux fur colar and underside.  

The Caviliar King Charles are well known for there long fur, so it isn't all the time that we do dress her in her coats as we do not want her to over heat.  One thing that I will continue to look for is a rain coat or something to keep her stomach dry.  She is mainly white on her chest and stomach and that is where she get the dirtiest.  

The past few weeks we haven't been up to much, Sam is finishing up school, I am finished up for the time being (School will never be done).  Preparing for promotion testing and our upcoming move back to the states.  Neither Sam or I have lived in the states for the past 6 0r 7 years so a lot is different and doing all the research to ensure car registration, cell phones, pet certifications are ll ready to go before our move.  

We also have one big trip coming up, that really will be a once in a lifetime trip looking forward to the next three months.  I will do my best to keep up with my postings and updated on what we are up to!!

Awards Ceremony

This awards ceremony neither Sam or I were up for an award.  We both went to support four members of my squadron that were up for an award.  This year's theme was the Oscar's.  Traditionally an awards ceremony requires either a Mess Dress or Semi-Formal uniform to be worn.  With this year's Oscar's theme we were allowed to dress for the Red Carpet.

It was so great to dress up fancy for the evening.  I bought this dress when I was still in Okinawa, this was the second time that I had the opportunity to wear it.

Additionally to our fancy dress for the evening, we had a great meal and pretty entertaining hosts.  My Squadron had two individuals that did one the Wing award in there category, NCO and SNCO.  My work center was also recognized as the USAFE Medium work center of the year!!  It was great to be a part of the evening and celebrate the great accomplishments of so many individuals.

I'm working on getting caught up with some of my posts, I have a few sitting in the que to be written just have gotten too it.

Cologne

Following New Years, Sam and I were given time off from work to enjoy the Holiday's.  We took the opportunity to visit a new city and get in some shopping.

We went to the city of Cologne, which is approximately 2 hours from our home. Cologne is known mainly for the beautiful large cathedral in the city center.  It is a site to see and can be seen when driving into the city.

During our trip we only took one picture and I seemed to have lost the photo.  We did check out quite a few shoe stores and shops in the city.

To learn more about Cologne check out Wiki.