Dublin and Edinburgh (Part I)

PART ONE - DUBLIN 

As you may (or not) recall, Rory and I traveled to Dublin and Edinburgh in October with our great friends Stewart and Jen. This was the trip where my camera threw a tantrum and decided to graffiti half of my photos with starbursts. Real mature, I know. Fortunately, Stewart was kind enough to allow me to use his ah-mazing photos on my blog.  Thanks Stewart! 

This was our second visit to Ireland in the past year so we were able to explore more of the non-tourist sites. Visiting Ireland is like seeing an old friend. You are welcomed with open arms, handed a Guinness, and peppered with stories from the past. Odds are, if you sit down in a pub the person next to you will strike up a conversation or start singing a ballad and by the end of the night you will feel like old friends. So here is a picture montage to my new friend and my old friend, Ireland.

It simply does not get any better than this.

Temple District area of Dublin

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland

Our favorite pub in Dublin

Jen, Me, and Stewart having lunch at O'Donoghue's Pub

After dinner drinks at O'Donoghues.  Do you see a pattern here?

Trinity College. We almost pass for students. Almost. 

Cheeseburgers make me VERY happy

On this visit we took a day trip to the east coast, along the Irish Sea/Atlantic Ocean. While the pictures depict a clear sunny day, it was windy and frigid. I was in four layers but the locals walked around in shorts and t-shirts. One beach even had two nude sun bathers. Not that I was looking. We took the Dart train from Dublin to Dun Laoghaire. We then hiked from Dun Laoghaire through Dalkey (home to Bono) to Killiney, where a dart train dropped us off in the town of Bray for a late lunch. The coast was absolutely brilliant (yes, I am using English slang because it is totally appropriate).  

Dalkey has some of the most expensive real estate in Ireland. You can see why with views like this one. 

Stewart on the beach in Dalkey

Lunch overlooking the ocean in Bray, Ireland

Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin

Inside Christ Church Cathedral

Last Guinness in Dublin at the famous Temple Bar before departing for Edinburgh

Ireland, I can't wait to return and share another Guinness (or twelve) with you. 

Observations (Part One)

I know I am supposed to be writing a post about Dublin or Edinburgh or Boston. Bad me. There are certain things that take precedence. Like my growing list of observations that can only be appreciated by fellow Americans. So here it goes...

1. The Chinese Takeaway (English for take out)
There are a lot of things I miss about home, my weekly Pho and Thai indulgences land high on the list. In my quest to fill the void of my cravings we've stumbled upon what is known here as the Chinese takeaway. I know it is NOT the same type of food but I am desperate. Takeaway is not the same as American take-out.  Come on, take-out is an American institution. Here, not so much. In the Chinese Takeaways there are no tables or decorations. Essentially, there is no dine-in option. Instead, after placing your order from the hundreds of options at a large empty counter you are expected to sit and wait on a fold-up chair. Don't worry, there is a flat screen TV and a plastic plant to entertain you while you wait.  As to why you are not allowed to eat inside the Takeaway (despite the ample room), probably because the food is SO HORRIBLE that no one would ever pay for it if given the option. 

2.  The ghost garage 
In America the garage is a coveted space. Regardless of what you use your garage for (I'm not judging) it is designed to park a car inside except if you live In England. That is because a car simply will not fit inside the garage unless you drive a SmartCar. Apparently, even if you do manage to squeeze your car inside, you better be capable of crawling out the trunk because there is no way you can exit through a door. Why build a garage if a car cannot fit inside? 

3. Though shall not have dry clothes
The English have an irrational love for line drying their laundry. In a country where it is raining more often than not, I've found this practice very impractical. The home we currently occupy does not have a dryer. (Don't ask me how that happened.) I am forced to use two indoor drying racks. Not only does it usually take three days for my clothes to dry but it leaves them feeling like cardboard.  If one is lucky enough to have a dryer, you can expect a single load to take 2-3 hours and still come out damp. Why, why, why can the dryer technology from the US not be utilized here? So on my behalf, please go hug your dryer today.  


4. The t-i-n-y parking lot
Anyone that has traveled to Europe knows the cars here are much smaller than the US. You won't see an Escalade, Tahoe, Ford F150 or even a Camry. Not only would those vehicles be impossible to drive on the narrow roads (or park in a garage!) but you would never find a parking spot large enough to accommodate the vehicle. The parking lots here do not allow for easy reversing or parking. It is not uncommon to make a 30 point turn to reverse out of a spot. I know this because it happens to me - frequently. So the next time you pull into a parking spot and you can open your doors with ease and reverse out in a single motion, just think of me and my 30 point turns. 


5. Dogs in a Pub
Dogs are allowed in most pubs! It is not uncommon to walk inside a pub to see a dog tethered to a table. Just a few weeks ago Rory and I took our dogs to the Cotswolds and ate lunch at a pub (on the patio)...with our dogs! It was great. Although, I still hesitate to bring the dogs inside the pub because I imagine our big dog (Rusty) taking a taste off a neighboring plate of food. 


6. Christmas is still called Christmas
...and no one is "offended" by it. 

A Roman Bath

Remember me? I started a blog about moving to England and then when I finally moved into permanent housing I didn't have internet for nearly two months due to stupid rules and so the posts were few and far between and without pictures. Ring a bell? Guess who has internet now? Ding - ding - ding. Now I can finally catch you up on the past month, which was quite busy. We had two birthdays, an anniversary trip to Bath, a trip to Boston and a day trip to London.  Don't even get me started on the first week of October. I'll give you a hint: Guinness, spooky castles and canines. 

BATH

When we got married, Rory and I decided it would be fun if we took turns planning our anniversary. This year was our fourth wedding anniversary and Rory's turn to plan. I didn't care where we went, I just wanted to be surprised. Have I not mentioned that it is nearly impossible to surprise me? Seriously. I've figured out nearly every birthday/Christmas present for the past umpteen years. Rory used to look at me with shock when I guessed things but now he knows to expect it so he won't even give me a clue. Needless to say I was still happy when I figured out we were going to Bath. 

View of the Bath Abbey from the Roman Spa

I'd been to Bath once before but I literally couldn't see it. It was that fuzzy trip to England where I'd lost my only contact (the other was already lost before the trip). So of course I didn't remember the clean wide boulevard or the cute little shops and restaurants. I also didn't remember that Bath was simply stunning.

On the morning of our anniversary we arrived early in Bath and found a cafe that served pancakes. A rarity in England. 

View from breakfast cafe

After breakfast we toured the ancient Roman baths. Bath was the spa town for the Romans. Don't tell but I (and a group of Japanese tourists) verified the water is still h-o-t. 

Entry way to the Roman Baths

Roman Baths. Can't you just picture the Romans taking a nice long soak? I know I was tempted. 

Overlooking the gardens in Bath

The Gardens

Avon Canal

After walking around Bath for most of the day we worked up an appetite for our anniversary dinner. Rory made reservations at a family run French restaurant called Tilley's Bistro. It was delicious.  We dined on escargot (snails), Pork a la Dijonnaise and Gressingham Duck Breast.  Yummmmm. 

On the way to our anniversary dinner

So where should I plan on taking Rory next year???? 

A Rant (Part One)

I was all prepared to write a nice post about our trip to Boston last week. I was going to tell you about lobster (again), a big fancy party, and Lionel Richie. Unfortunately, the computer battery I ordered from the US nearly a month ago has not arrived and I still do not have internet access (a very very very long story).  So now all I have for you is a rant about senseless bureaucracy.  If you don't want to read a rant you can turn back now. Go ahead, I'll wait. 

Red red wine tape

When I started this blog I wanted to document our move, travels, and the reality of living in a foreign country. Today's blog focuses on the "reality" of the very senseless red tape that has weaved itself into the fabric of UK society. People here are generally loathsome of the layers of bureaucracy which needlessly complicate simple tasks (like getting internet). Now I can say we've experienced this first hand. For weeks Rory and I have been fighting our auto insurance company. We went with a particular company because it promised a substantial "no claims" discount because we had been accident free for over 9 years (the max). We rushed to obtain proof from our last two insurance carriers in the US. Due to the short time frame we had to furnish the evidence of no claims we used the magic of technology and had the letters faxed from the US. The letters were sent to our UK auto insurance carrier. 

The excuses begin

After submitting the documents to the UK insurance company we received a letter saying we did not provide any proof to support the no claims discount.  The letter explained that we had to pay additional premium or face having our policy cancelled.  Only after calling the insurance company I learned that photocopies of the letters weren't sufficient. I was told the content of the letters was adequate (this is important) but the original letters were required. Understandable. My parents graciously FedExed (is that a word?) from California the original documents and we promptly forwarded them to the insurance carrier. A few days later we received another letter stating we only provided evidence of 3 years of no claims so  we must pay additional premium or the policy would be cancelled. WTH? Our letters showed no claims were made during the entire span of both policies, which dated back to 2001. Grrrrr.  

I called the insurance company (calls are not free here) to find out why. Forty expensive minutes later my nice and cooperative demeanor melted into anger and frustration. No one could explain why only 3 of the 9 years were accepted. The first "excuse" was that we only submitted one original letter which covered 2008-2011. I quickly advised that both original letters happened to be in the SAME envelope which were sent by certified mail and signed for.  So if one letter was received, both letters were received. After more ranting I was placed on hold for 10 minutes. The carrier then offered to call our US insurance carriers to "verify" our policies. I was *promised* a call back. 

Nearly two days later no one had called back. At this point I was beyond frustrated so Rory decided to see if he could get anywhere with the insurance company. He was first told that only copies of the letters were received (wrong). Then he was told only one original was received (wrong again). Then he was told there was a gap in the coverage (wrong). The insurance company was reading dates the English way (day-month-year) and not the American way (month-day year). 

After the dates were cleared up another excuse emerged. We could not get the discount because our two insurance policies overlapped for a seven day period in 2008 when we changed carriers. As a result of the seven day overlap, we would not get credit for the policy which showed there was no claims between 2001-2008. Huh? Ponder that for a moment. It makes NO SENSE. This is not an English regulation but one established by some underwriter for the insurance carrier. Our letters clearly established there were no claims from 2001-2011 so why would a seven day policy overlap matter?   

Since no one could explain the made-up overlap rule we asked to speak with a manager. The manager refused to get on the phone with us because "there was nothing she could do." Instead we were *promised* a call from a team leader within 48 hours. You guessed it...no one called us back. When we called (again) it was learned that our complaint was transferred to "customer service" and we should receive a call. When we asked for the phone number of customer service we were told "they don't have one."  So far no one has attempted to contact us. Surprise, surprise. 

In the meantime, we've familiarized ourselves with the financial services laws. As Rory so aptly put it, "you don't wake a sleeping giant." 

So do you think we will have to cancel our policy?

Or do you think the insurance company will give in and give us the no claims discount?

Almost homeless

Before you groan about another pictureless (and late) post, give me the opportunity to explain.  Right now we do not have internet. We FINALLY moved into a permanent house but for some reason it takes over a month to get internet. Apparently, we have to make an application to the internet gods which is delivered by homing pigeons. This is the only explanation I could come up with as to why it could possibly take SO long to activate a phone line remotely. Thankfully we recently discovered mobile internet. Why no pictures you ask? Both of our laptops are dying at the ripe old age 4 and 5. If my calculations are correct, this is equivalent to 70 dog years and 140 human years. The laptop I use for photos refuses to turn on. I think it went on strike. 

Onto the drama with our move. I previously mentioned the difficulty we had finding a landlord that would allow dogs. In our search we found the properties willing to accept dogs were gross (I’m talking avocado green toilets, ratty carpet, moldy showers and bathrooms in the kitchen), had no yard (or garden as the English would say), or was located in the middle of nowhere country. After a month of searching we finally found a house located in Abingdon (a compromise), which is about five minutes south of Oxford. The move date coordinated perfectly with the end of our corporate housing. Since everything was falling into place  something was bound to go horribly wrong. One week before our scheduled move, and the day the lease was supposed to be signed, we were told the house failed a gas safety inspection and the landlord decided to pull the house from the market rather than make the necessary corrections. (Gasp followed by string of curse words). 

We had one week to find a place to live. No biggie, right? Wrong. In California this would not have been a huge issue because you can secure an apartment in a day and a house within a week. The leasing market here is nothing like the States. Most properties go on the market 60 days before it is available. The properties hitting the market weren't available to move into until the end of October and the homes available immediately were gross (see above). Besides, after you found a place to live the paperwork was nearly as extensive as buying a house in the States! Trouble, trouble, trouble. As you would guess, there was a mad dash to find properties to view. After an exhausting day of touring homes I received an unexpected call.  The landlord of the original property decided to make the corrections. I was annoyed and elated at the same time. We wouldn't be homeless after all! Crisis averted. 

After all of the drama we finally moved into the Abingdon house one week ago.  Most of our belongings arrived unharmed. Although I have this odd sense that we are missing quite a few things. Overall it feels odd to transition from property owner to renter. Even though we are now surrounded by our own belongings it doesn't feel like our home. I guess you could say that despite being in a house, I still feel homeless. 

Madrid!

One of the reasons we moved to England was the opportunity it provided to travel around Europe. The question posed to us most frequently was, "where will you go first?" Frankly, we did not know. You are probably wondering how Madrid ended up being our first trip. At the advice of some great friends, we kept our weekends open and stayed on the lookout for last minute internet deals. So there you have it, Madrid was our first internet deal.

Madrid is the heart and soul of Spain. It is home to the Prado museum, Presidential Palace, and some of the best, if not the best, tapas bars in the world.  

View from our hotel which was near Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Sol

Our first Spanish breakfast. Cafe con leche and churros. Rory had Spanish ham and eggs with a Coca-Cola.

Plaza Mayor

Mercado de San Miguel. An indoor market that was a little slice of heaven.

Mercado de San Miguel

The market had numerous walk-up bars. When in Spain do as the Spanish do! 

 

 

Rory enjoying his Prosecco.

The Palace

The architecture in Madrid was stunning. I forced Rory to pose.

Instead of going out to dinner we decided to embark on a tapas bar crawl. Tapas are a small plate, or appetizer. Tapas are not just food but a way of life for the Spanish. It is not uncommon to go to 3-4 tapas bars in a single evening. Eating, drinking, and socializing at each stop. 

The first stop on our tapas tour was La Tourina Cerveria. Locals gather to watch bullfighting is this themed bar. The walls are decorated with actual stuffed bull heads, photographs, and elaborate tile paintings.

Nom nom nom nom.

Patatas bravas (Potatoes with red chili sauce) and pimentos de Padron (sauteed green peppers) at Casa Toni. 

Sweet house red wine at La Casa del Abuelo

We also sampled the famous gambas al ajillo (shrimp in oil and garlic) at La Casa del Abuelo. There is a reason those little shrimp are famous. They were dangerously good.

After our tapas bar crawl we were feeling quite confident in our ability to communicate in Spanish. We didn't have to point to our Spanish-English dictionary once! The following morning we wandered the back alleys of Madrid to find a "local" breakfast joint in an effort to stretch our Spanish language skills. I confidently ordered a coffee and breakfast pastry, and Rory ordered a chocolate croissant and orange juice. The waitress even said "muy bien," after I ordered as if to compliment my excellent language skills. The waitress brought us green tea, espresso, and a sealed chocolate donut (no orange juice). Muy bien indeed.

One of the many streets off of Plaza del Sol. Shopping, shopping, shopping!

Plaza del Sol

Yes, ham is sold "by the leg."

It wouldn't be a trip to Spain without a Flamenco show. A lot of stomping, clapping and brooding looks.

Al Hambra - our favorite stop.

Cheers!