In the spirit of a random Saturday evening where I should be getting ready to go watch the March Madness at a co-workers house but don't have the motivation to leave the house right now, I thought I'd write about my latest obsessions. Biggest obsession - THE GYM! Ever since I wrote my annual resolutions, I've been obsessed with getting my weekly dose of exercise in. I've been doing about 2 hours of working out, 3 times a week in addition to my usual walking around Dublin as my feet have become my primary means of transportation...besides the DART and the bus that is. But inevitably, I feel a million times better knowing that I have been getting my weekly doses of sweat in and I can feel my body getting stronger...to the point where I feel guilty if I even miss one workout. I don't know if this is because I'm in Ireland, where my weekly outside of work activities are significantly less than when I am in So. Cal but I've had a lot of fun hitting the gym after work, riding the bike, weight training, etc. I have yet to see any major results but hopefully soon, it will come.
My other major obsession has been reading novels. I used to read obsessively as a child, anything I could get my hands on, and lately I've noticed a significant increase in the amount of reading I've been doing...mostly easy reading but still I have been powering through books as if I was training for a read-a-thon. In the last six weeks, I've read Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell, The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie, Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell, The Undomestic Goddess and Shopaholic Abroad both by Sophie Kinsella. I've now moved on to "Why French Women Don't Get Fat" which Christine let me borrow and I have four more books waiting for me to read when I finish this one. There is nothing more relaxing than spending a day curled up with a good book and getting caught up in the story line. I really enjoyed the Starter Wife as it was based in LA and the descriptions of the places they were visiting were all familiar, reminding me of home. And of course I always recommend the Candace Bushnell books as she wrote "Sex and the City" and her books tend to have similar themes and characters throughout each of them.
Another obsession of course has been travelling around Europe. The best thing I've had at my finger tips since I've lived here is easy access to Europe where I get a chance to see and experience places I've never been. The summer is getting nearer and the closer it gets, the more excited my senses get...waiting and anticipating all of the places I will hopefully travel to and things I will do. I am excited to have visitors this summer and can't wait to have more exposure outside of Dublin. The weather was gorgeous today reminding me of how exciting it can be to wander around places I've never been when I am not so busy fighting the elements to do so. I'm hoping to do a short trip for Easter, LA at the end of April, Barcelona with Christine and Aaron in May, LA for Karen's wedding in June, France with Jude in July, Italy with my mom and brothers in August...and the list goes on and on and on...it is moments like these when I wish I had a time capsule to push me forward and get it started, but the excitement and anticipation is just as fun and well worth the wait.
Interestingly enough, there are things in LA that I have had to sacrifice in my journey that although would be nice, I haven't really missed. For one, I still don't have a TV that gets more than 4 channels but I never turn it on and still haven't ventured out to replace it which has maybe triggered my increase in exercise and reading, which is better for me anyway. I don't have a car here so I have lost the convenience of commuting quickly which at times can be frustrating, but I get more exercise each day from walking around and I notice I shop a lot less, only buying what I need or can carry instead of compulsively having shopping marathons. I've also saved alot of money from not having the added cost of another car payment, insurance, gas, repairs, etc. which has allowed me to spend that money to afford travelling around Europe. However, it would be nice to be able to jump in a car and travel around Ireland for the weekend. I can always rent a car to do that though and as the weather gets nicer, it will definitely be a consideration.
Another big difference that I noticed today as I was going through my closets was how different the clothes that I wear here versus what I would wear in LA. I found a box full of sandals that I wore regularly in LA that I hadn't even pulled out of the box until today, only to look at them, reminisce for a second and then put them back because they wouldn't be appropriate to wear in the constantly changing weather conditions of Ireland. I could maybe wear them in the summer, but I haven't touched them since I've been here although upon leaving LA, they felt like critical items to have. Same thing with my dresses...I love wearing dresses and still will wear them to go out at night, but very rarely put them on for work, because even though it may be sunny and clear when I wake up in the morning...sunny being in the 40's, by mid-afternoon it is inevitably pouring and I am miserably cold again and regretting my choice of attire. I find that I am living in layers, jeans, boots, t-shirts under sweaters, jackets, scarves, and anything warm. I don't leave the house without a coat with a hood or gloves in my purse because it can be bitterly cold at night or unexpectedly rainy, even when it gorgeous in the morning. But despite all the rain, I have given up on umbrellas. They are completely useless here. Most times when it rains, it is too windy to not have the umbrella flip inside out or it mists and I find it easier to put up my hood on my coat, then carry the umbrella with my usual two bags, one being my purse and the other being my gym bag. It just becomes too much stuff to carry and rarely keeps me dry anyway so I've deemed them useless. Plus I have to admit that after some of the wild wind we had this winter, I'm a bit afraid that I will get picked up off the ground Mary Poppins style if I had an umbrella. So I've given up on that.
Other things that have changed since I've been here...my eating habits. I've switched from coffee to tea. I find that the coffee here is often bitter and tasteless whereas the tea in Ireland is wonderful, warming and soothing in the cold weather. I also eat a lot more fresh food here. There is a significantly less amount of processed food here so food tends to perish quickly. So whereas in LA, I would grocery shop a few times a month at places like Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Costco, I have to pick up groceries here at least every few days and there is no point in buying more than you can eat in two or three days, because inevitably the food will spoil and I find my self throwing things away before I ever got a chance to eat it. Also the portions of food here are much more reasonable than a US portion of food. I find that most restaurants here wouldn't even have a "doggie bag" for left-overs because the serving size would be just that...a serving versus the customary three servings at a typical restaurant in LA such as the Cheesecake Factory where I've never been able to leave without left-overs.
ok, well someone just IM'ed and distracted me and I have things to do so that's enough for now.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Falling Down on London Bridges
Friday night, our company threw a party in City Centre to kick of St. Patrick's day and celebrate successes of the company. Ironically enough, our St. Paddy's Day party was at a Cuban style restaurant/bar called Floradita with a live band, cocktails, tapas and we had almost the entire thing to ourselves. They had amazing fruit fusion non-alcoholic cocktails which I was drinking along with Cosmopolitans.
It was a fun evening. Christine and I were two of the few dancers of the poker crew and the evening as a whole was a big success...very fun.
Saturday afternoon I boarded a plane to London. Even Steven & UK Craig met me at my cousin's house that evening, we went to dinner at a quaint italian cafe in Knightsbridge,
and then headed out to a music/images show. In the spirit of St. Paddy's Day, I bought them hats from Ireland and got a tattoo of a shamrock airbrushed on my arm.
After leaving the show, we wandered through the streets of London to a club "The End" where we danced until 5am when Steven had to head off to catch his 10am flight. My favorite DJs of the night at The End was Noze. They're French and have simple catchy lyrics with a fantastic beat line and did a live set.
I'm amazed that I made it through the night as I made the silly mistake of wearing a dress with wedges that had a 4 inch heel and my feet were throbbing by about 2am after all of the walking and dancing, but I did my best to keep up with dancing kings, UK & Even, especially considering Even was sucking it up for the night despite having a nasty flu type cough and was only feeling, according to him, around 82% although he looked 110% in the tradition of St. Paddy's Day.
Sunday I headed out around noon, shopped at Zara's for a bit and then wandered into Harrod's where I met a charming older man and woman, James and Veronica, at the lunch counter. We began eating lunch and chit chatting. James is from the UK and Veronica is from Northern Ireland and the three of us struck up a 4 hour conversation, during which James began buying us wine, I was sure the two of them were going to hit it off...and since all I ate was a salad with bacon and cheese in it and I'd only slept for a few hours, I was quickly and unknowingly beyond my limits of alcohol without even realizing it. Bobby called and I met him for another drink across the street at the Westbury Hotel and then I went to meet David (Steven's band mate) at the Old Queens Head where he was doing a solo acoustic act for the evening. Needless to say, I didn't make it out for very long... and headed back early to Bobby's to sleep off the wine.
So all and all it was a fabulous weekend minus the lack of food and the overdrinking on Sunday which is never a good mixture. But the dancing and seeing Even & UK was wonderful.
Next stop...possibly Barcelona for Easter and then LA for Coachella...the countdown is ON!!!!!
Special SHOUT OUT to my NANA who turned 80 today!!! Happy Birthday NANA!
It was a fun evening. Christine and I were two of the few dancers of the poker crew and the evening as a whole was a big success...very fun.
Saturday afternoon I boarded a plane to London. Even Steven & UK Craig met me at my cousin's house that evening, we went to dinner at a quaint italian cafe in Knightsbridge,
and then headed out to a music/images show. In the spirit of St. Paddy's Day, I bought them hats from Ireland and got a tattoo of a shamrock airbrushed on my arm.
After leaving the show, we wandered through the streets of London to a club "The End" where we danced until 5am when Steven had to head off to catch his 10am flight. My favorite DJs of the night at The End was Noze. They're French and have simple catchy lyrics with a fantastic beat line and did a live set.
I'm amazed that I made it through the night as I made the silly mistake of wearing a dress with wedges that had a 4 inch heel and my feet were throbbing by about 2am after all of the walking and dancing, but I did my best to keep up with dancing kings, UK & Even, especially considering Even was sucking it up for the night despite having a nasty flu type cough and was only feeling, according to him, around 82% although he looked 110% in the tradition of St. Paddy's Day.
Sunday I headed out around noon, shopped at Zara's for a bit and then wandered into Harrod's where I met a charming older man and woman, James and Veronica, at the lunch counter. We began eating lunch and chit chatting. James is from the UK and Veronica is from Northern Ireland and the three of us struck up a 4 hour conversation, during which James began buying us wine, I was sure the two of them were going to hit it off...and since all I ate was a salad with bacon and cheese in it and I'd only slept for a few hours, I was quickly and unknowingly beyond my limits of alcohol without even realizing it. Bobby called and I met him for another drink across the street at the Westbury Hotel and then I went to meet David (Steven's band mate) at the Old Queens Head where he was doing a solo acoustic act for the evening. Needless to say, I didn't make it out for very long... and headed back early to Bobby's to sleep off the wine.
So all and all it was a fabulous weekend minus the lack of food and the overdrinking on Sunday which is never a good mixture. But the dancing and seeing Even & UK was wonderful.
Next stop...possibly Barcelona for Easter and then LA for Coachella...the countdown is ON!!!!!
Special SHOUT OUT to my NANA who turned 80 today!!! Happy Birthday NANA!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
So...I totally admit that I haven't been a good blogger lately, but the truth is that I haven't had much to say. In the past few weeks, we've had several birthdays including the two sets of twins, my mom & Chrissy, and Thyra's twins, Connor & Corbin, Alex and Masha and my Nana is turning 80 in about a week which is fantastic and I wish I could be in LA to celebrate that.
I am settled into a weekly routine which consists of working, hitting the gym 3 nights a week, my weekly night with the girls to watch Grey's Anatomy(my favorite night of the week), and the random outing here and there. Hasn't been much going on to write home about. I am proud to say that I've only missed two days at the gym since I started and I was sick that week again so I'm using that as my official excuse:)
One interesting thing at the gym is that when I weigh myself, which of course I do almost every time as if the pounds have miraculously fallen off since the last time I was there(which they never do), I have to read my weight in stones. Stones as a measurement of weight = 14 pds. so I would be quite impressed with myself if I was able to say, I lost a stone from my dedication to cardio and weight training. The other weight measurement here is kilos which is even more difficult to translate to pounds so I've decided to stick with stones.
This weekend is St. Patrick's Day which is a week long celebration in Ireland but I have decided to head out of town for the three day weekend...can you believe it, we actually get an extra day off for St. Patrick's Day... Work is throwing a celebration in town tonight to say thank you and kick off the St. Paddy's day weekend at a restaurant called Floridita including cocktails, tapas and a Latino band. I'm leaving tomorrow for London to visit with UK Craig and Even Steven which should be a blast... I plan on dancing until my feet lift off the ground:)
And of course, the countdown towards Coachella is on...I'm really looking forward to that. So far we have a large crew heading out there and Rasmus got a 30 foot RV so we're all going to head down there in that...I can't wait for the sun and the dancing and seeing everyone at home. Unfortunately, my schedule will be really tight as I'm only in town for 5 days and 3 of them will be at Coachella, but I'm hoping to squeeze quick rounds in with everyone on the other days. We are also having a bridal shower for Karen that Sunday and then I leave Monday evening...it will be a very quick trip...but Rasmus has assured me he will have energy drinks waiting to help me adjust to the time change as quickly as possible and I will do my best to squeeze everyone in. So let me know your schedules and if you will be around during that time:) I can't wait to see everyone.
Love you all!
Ness:)
I am settled into a weekly routine which consists of working, hitting the gym 3 nights a week, my weekly night with the girls to watch Grey's Anatomy(my favorite night of the week), and the random outing here and there. Hasn't been much going on to write home about. I am proud to say that I've only missed two days at the gym since I started and I was sick that week again so I'm using that as my official excuse:)
One interesting thing at the gym is that when I weigh myself, which of course I do almost every time as if the pounds have miraculously fallen off since the last time I was there(which they never do), I have to read my weight in stones. Stones as a measurement of weight = 14 pds. so I would be quite impressed with myself if I was able to say, I lost a stone from my dedication to cardio and weight training. The other weight measurement here is kilos which is even more difficult to translate to pounds so I've decided to stick with stones.
This weekend is St. Patrick's Day which is a week long celebration in Ireland but I have decided to head out of town for the three day weekend...can you believe it, we actually get an extra day off for St. Patrick's Day... Work is throwing a celebration in town tonight to say thank you and kick off the St. Paddy's day weekend at a restaurant called Floridita including cocktails, tapas and a Latino band. I'm leaving tomorrow for London to visit with UK Craig and Even Steven which should be a blast... I plan on dancing until my feet lift off the ground:)
And of course, the countdown towards Coachella is on...I'm really looking forward to that. So far we have a large crew heading out there and Rasmus got a 30 foot RV so we're all going to head down there in that...I can't wait for the sun and the dancing and seeing everyone at home. Unfortunately, my schedule will be really tight as I'm only in town for 5 days and 3 of them will be at Coachella, but I'm hoping to squeeze quick rounds in with everyone on the other days. We are also having a bridal shower for Karen that Sunday and then I leave Monday evening...it will be a very quick trip...but Rasmus has assured me he will have energy drinks waiting to help me adjust to the time change as quickly as possible and I will do my best to squeeze everyone in. So let me know your schedules and if you will be around during that time:) I can't wait to see everyone.
Love you all!
Ness:)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Dave Matthews Acoustic Concert
So after a quiet weekend, I am at work on Monday when I receive a call from a coworker who says, "Hey I just got back in town from LA, are you busy tonight?" My first thought, "yes, I have to go to the gym." Instead I say, "Why what's goin' on?" He proceeds to tell me he has an extra ticket to the Dave Matthews Acoustic Concert and it starts at 8pm, can I be there? Hmmm....let me think about that...HELL YEAH I can be there. In case I forgot to mention it, I have been a Dave Matthews fan since college and have attempted on a few occasion to see them perform in LA...unfortunately always unsuccessfully. So I hurry home from work that night, DART it into the city, meet Kevin, hail a taxi to the concert hall, which is actually a boxing arena the size of a high school gym, and as we are about to walk in a scalper asks us if we need tickets. Kevin asks him what seats they are. They are no better than ours, but suddently the guy yells out to his buddy and the buddy runs across the street and trades/upgrades our tickets for 30 euro which we can't seem to muster in change so we give him about 25 and walk into the arena as Dave is singing and find we have upgraded to 7th row seats for a three hour acoustic set with him and Tim Reynolds...and since I could never do it justice, I'll leave the rest to them...
and here are some of the pics as well...
It was amazing...I can't wait to go again in May when the whole band is in town:)
AND finally...a shout out to ALEX...HAPPY BIRTHDAY:)
and here are some of the pics as well...
It was amazing...I can't wait to go again in May when the whole band is in town:)
AND finally...a shout out to ALEX...HAPPY BIRTHDAY:)
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Birthdays, Trips to LA...and on and on and on about nothing.
First things first... two of my best friends have had birthdays this week. Last Sunday was Karen's birthday and today is Tara's birthday. The hardest part about being away from LA is not being home to celebrate holidays, celebrations, birthdays and day-to-day events with the people I love most....because although I know that I came here to learn things and expand my horizons and get out of my comfort zone, etc. etc. etc. and I am sure that I still have more to learn and experience here, I can't even begin to go describe all the countless things I have been through with them because it would take years to recount all of the memories and experiences...and I miss them both (and everyone else for that matter) terribly especially when I am not there for the big and little things...so in honor of you...Karen and Tara...
I Love You TWO!!!!!
Things have been mellow around here. Everything is in a routine which is good, I really look forward to Tuesday nights with the girls and we made Mexican food (burritos and nachos) this last Tuesday. Jim was even able to join us which was a nice evening. For those of you who don't know, Jim and Jo moved here from LA as well and just had a baby boy (James Joseph). It's amazing to see how this little boy grows week by week. In the five weeks that we've been having "Grey's Anatomy" nights, he has changed tremendously and his personality is beginning to form. It's very cool to see and be a part of.
Since Paris, I've been back in the gym on a regular basis, trying to mix cardio and weight training and I have to admit that as much as I love it, I am sore today. I guess that's the price you pay for staying out of the gym for a while... your body catches up with you when you begin to push it again. But I am happy to be back on track with that so it's worth it. The gym is like a disco club, dark colors and beating music, tealights on stairwells and I really like it... and it keeps me out of the pubs which seems to be the only other form of week night entertainment around here, which is not my preference.
I booked a flight for the end of April for our annual Coachella tradition. I can't believe it but Coachella tickets are already sold out for Saturday and Sunday, so I bought one for Friday and will hopefully get tickets for the rest of the weekend when I get out there.
Karen has changed her wedding date to June 23rd so I booked an appointment for yesterday at a wedding shop in Blackrock to do the bridesmaid dress fitting yesterday. She picked out beautiful bridesmaids dresses for us and I am so excited for her wedding. The shop was an interesting example on how retail is so different here than in the US. There was actually a sign on the door that basically said, "we only allow our customers in by appointment...so if you don't have an appointment, please don't be offended if we don't let you in." While I was there, one of the girls arrived early for her appointment and they actually sent her away and asked her to come back at the scheduled time.
It amazes me how people here actually put up with such poor customer service and how the retailers actually get away with doing things on their own timeframe...and the consumers have little choice but to deal wit it. In LA, if customer service wasn't meeting expectation, people go somewhere else to buy their product. Here, customer service is poor everywhere and if you so much as threatened to go somewhere else, they would basically say, "That's fine. This is how we do things here and you won't get better service elsewhere so good luck." It still amazes me how different the cultures are in terms of service and expectations!
Ok, I am actually boring myself at this point...so that's all for now.
I Love You TWO!!!!!
Things have been mellow around here. Everything is in a routine which is good, I really look forward to Tuesday nights with the girls and we made Mexican food (burritos and nachos) this last Tuesday. Jim was even able to join us which was a nice evening. For those of you who don't know, Jim and Jo moved here from LA as well and just had a baby boy (James Joseph). It's amazing to see how this little boy grows week by week. In the five weeks that we've been having "Grey's Anatomy" nights, he has changed tremendously and his personality is beginning to form. It's very cool to see and be a part of.
Since Paris, I've been back in the gym on a regular basis, trying to mix cardio and weight training and I have to admit that as much as I love it, I am sore today. I guess that's the price you pay for staying out of the gym for a while... your body catches up with you when you begin to push it again. But I am happy to be back on track with that so it's worth it. The gym is like a disco club, dark colors and beating music, tealights on stairwells and I really like it... and it keeps me out of the pubs which seems to be the only other form of week night entertainment around here, which is not my preference.
I booked a flight for the end of April for our annual Coachella tradition. I can't believe it but Coachella tickets are already sold out for Saturday and Sunday, so I bought one for Friday and will hopefully get tickets for the rest of the weekend when I get out there.
Karen has changed her wedding date to June 23rd so I booked an appointment for yesterday at a wedding shop in Blackrock to do the bridesmaid dress fitting yesterday. She picked out beautiful bridesmaids dresses for us and I am so excited for her wedding. The shop was an interesting example on how retail is so different here than in the US. There was actually a sign on the door that basically said, "we only allow our customers in by appointment...so if you don't have an appointment, please don't be offended if we don't let you in." While I was there, one of the girls arrived early for her appointment and they actually sent her away and asked her to come back at the scheduled time.
It amazes me how people here actually put up with such poor customer service and how the retailers actually get away with doing things on their own timeframe...and the consumers have little choice but to deal wit it. In LA, if customer service wasn't meeting expectation, people go somewhere else to buy their product. Here, customer service is poor everywhere and if you so much as threatened to go somewhere else, they would basically say, "That's fine. This is how we do things here and you won't get better service elsewhere so good luck." It still amazes me how different the cultures are in terms of service and expectations!
Ok, I am actually boring myself at this point...so that's all for now.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Honorable Mention...ok dishonorable mention.
So I posted a ton of beautiful pics of Paris on my blog and sent y'all a bunch of pics of my trip...but this one deserved a "dishonorable mention" on my blog for being a downright disaster...and hilarious...btw, Karen is the only one I know of who got it without mention, hence why she is my fashion guru...so I'm shopping in the most glamorous section of Paris which hosts the highest fashion in the world, ie. Louis Vitton, Prada, Gucci, etc. etc. and Caroline and I walk into an overpriced shoe store to browse and I come across this shoe. I immediately start laughing...Caroline looks at me like I 'm crazy (she's right, maybe I am) but I start giggling and take out my camera to take a picture of this...
Yes ladies and gentleman, for the measly price of 300 euro, you too can own this beautiful high fashion from Paris...camel toe shoe...and for those of you who want to see that in $$$, it costs about $390.00 US dollars to purchase.
Are we the only one's who think that's funny????
The designer(unknown) must be laughing his/her way to the bank!!!
I'm now waiting to see it in the US Weekly section of "The Fashion Police...When Bad Clothes Happen to Good People" section(my favorite), lol;)
Yes ladies and gentleman, for the measly price of 300 euro, you too can own this beautiful high fashion from Paris...camel toe shoe...and for those of you who want to see that in $$$, it costs about $390.00 US dollars to purchase.
Are we the only one's who think that's funny????
The designer(unknown) must be laughing his/her way to the bank!!!
I'm now waiting to see it in the US Weekly section of "The Fashion Police...When Bad Clothes Happen to Good People" section(my favorite), lol;)
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Caroline and Vanessa in Dublin and Paris!
Caroline was my first visitor to Dublin since I moved here in September and so we took the opportunity to get some art and culture and planned a 4 day trip to Paris while she was here.
She arrived on Saturday, February 3rd, just in time for The 6 Nations of Rugby matches to begin on Sunday, so after a victorious win by Ireland, we headed to the City Centre to meet up with one of my old Tiltware employees from LA, James. We first headed to John Kehoe's for James' first pint of Guinness, then to the Sporting Emporium to place a bet on the Superbowl Game, and then we went to Fallon & Byrne for a bit of wine and cheese.
Later that night, we headed to Ray's house in Dalkey for a Superbowl Party thrown for all the Americans who have of course been missing American football. Caroline, James and I bet on the Colts and for the first time in years, they finally won, which was extra special since not only did we double our money, but Thyra for years had made me bet on the Colts(being from Indiana) in office pools only to have us lose over and over again so I was really hoping for a victory for them...which we got!!!
Monday I headed into work, but didn't make it through the whole day so I went home early and we laid on the couch watching Sex and the City episodes until bedtime. Tuesday morning, we had our 1st real snow in Dublin, amazing.
Caroline headed into the city centre while I worked and we went to Jo's house for Grey's Anatomy night on Tuesday night. Jo was very excited to have a pediatrician from the US in the house as she has a 4 week old baby and baby James took to her immediately and pretty much stayed glued to her for the evening, it was very cute.
Wednesday after work, we headed to Paris. Funny enough, our flight was delayed so we got there a few hours later than expected so we checked into the hotel around midnight and walked down the block and found an open cafe for a late night snack. We awoke Thursday and headed towards the Eiffel Tower.
The plan was to go to Versailles but after a few hours of walking to pick up tickets, eat breakfast in a cafe, wander around, I was exhausted and so we headed to another cafe for a light lunch and it ended up pouring so we were lucky to have a bit of cover from the torrential rains.
It quickly ended and we went back out and ventured to the shopping area so that Caroline could buy something from the Louis Vitton store in Paris.
I then discovered my love for french lingerie shops. It makes Victoria's Secret look like amateurs because the french lingerie shops are so extensively packed with beautiful things in all shapes and sizes. I would be hard pressed to find anyone who couldn't find something they loved in one of these many shops throughout the city. As we walked back to the hotel, we found a nice place for dinner and made a reservation for later that night. The service was good, the dessert was amazing so well worth it.
Friday, we dedicated to shopping so after eating breakfast in another cafe, we headed to Lafayette Galleries, which is equivalent to Harrod's in London. It's 6 stories high and a very long block wide and is filled with every designer known to fashion. They had an entire 1/2 a floor designated to lingerie so I went a bit crazy in there. We hit the shoe section, a bit of the clothes and ended up closing the place out. We found another adorable lingerie store across the street so we wandered into there but they closed before we could try anything on so that was a loss. We then hit a happy hour cafe across the street for more crepes and wine and cheese and french onion soup.
Saturday, we were dedicated to the art and culture so we first headed to Musée d'Orsay where I got to see my favorite Degas paintings and my favorite sculpture, "The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years" is exhibited there as well along with a huge variety of other fabulous pieces. We mostly wandered through the impressionist section of the museume where Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Sisley, etc. are displayed. It was quite fabulous.
We then crossed the bridge to Le Orangerie for the Waterlilies display by Monet. This was Caroline's favorite and quite beautiful... we wandered through the entire museum and then headed to the Louvre, where we were able to see the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci as well as some of his other works and some of the Greek sculptures. The Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo were quite impressive in person and of course I love the statues of all of the Greek Mythology characters.
I have to admit that the walk between the museums is breathtaking, somehow the city has a romantic feel as you walk through parks with children playing with boats in the ponds and couples strolling holding hands. There is a quiet nature about the city and a warmth that is quite overwhelming.
After our beautiful day, we headed to one last cafe so that Caroline could try a crepe...she hadn't had one yet...and when she ordered hot chocolate, she was literally served a silver tea holder with melted chocolate in it...wow, talk about decadent. Then it was back to the airport where a few of the French were heading to Ireland as well for the Ireland vs. France Rugby match and everyone was singing their national anthems back and forth in the airport. It was quite entertaining. Caroline left early Sunday morning to head back to LA and I have to admit, I was quite sad...I was getting used to have someone to run around town with. But she has already promised to return and maybe we will even make an annual trip to Paris in February's since we both decided it was the best time of year to go. The weather was beautiful, the city was not crowded, the clothes were all on sale since the spring fashion lines had just been announced, and all and all it was a fabulous trip.
I would have to say that Paris is definitely the most beautiful place I have ever visited. I can't wait to go back and explore some more.
That's all for now.
xoxo.
Ness
She arrived on Saturday, February 3rd, just in time for The 6 Nations of Rugby matches to begin on Sunday, so after a victorious win by Ireland, we headed to the City Centre to meet up with one of my old Tiltware employees from LA, James. We first headed to John Kehoe's for James' first pint of Guinness, then to the Sporting Emporium to place a bet on the Superbowl Game, and then we went to Fallon & Byrne for a bit of wine and cheese.
Later that night, we headed to Ray's house in Dalkey for a Superbowl Party thrown for all the Americans who have of course been missing American football. Caroline, James and I bet on the Colts and for the first time in years, they finally won, which was extra special since not only did we double our money, but Thyra for years had made me bet on the Colts(being from Indiana) in office pools only to have us lose over and over again so I was really hoping for a victory for them...which we got!!!
Monday I headed into work, but didn't make it through the whole day so I went home early and we laid on the couch watching Sex and the City episodes until bedtime. Tuesday morning, we had our 1st real snow in Dublin, amazing.
Caroline headed into the city centre while I worked and we went to Jo's house for Grey's Anatomy night on Tuesday night. Jo was very excited to have a pediatrician from the US in the house as she has a 4 week old baby and baby James took to her immediately and pretty much stayed glued to her for the evening, it was very cute.
Wednesday after work, we headed to Paris. Funny enough, our flight was delayed so we got there a few hours later than expected so we checked into the hotel around midnight and walked down the block and found an open cafe for a late night snack. We awoke Thursday and headed towards the Eiffel Tower.
The plan was to go to Versailles but after a few hours of walking to pick up tickets, eat breakfast in a cafe, wander around, I was exhausted and so we headed to another cafe for a light lunch and it ended up pouring so we were lucky to have a bit of cover from the torrential rains.
It quickly ended and we went back out and ventured to the shopping area so that Caroline could buy something from the Louis Vitton store in Paris.
I then discovered my love for french lingerie shops. It makes Victoria's Secret look like amateurs because the french lingerie shops are so extensively packed with beautiful things in all shapes and sizes. I would be hard pressed to find anyone who couldn't find something they loved in one of these many shops throughout the city. As we walked back to the hotel, we found a nice place for dinner and made a reservation for later that night. The service was good, the dessert was amazing so well worth it.
Friday, we dedicated to shopping so after eating breakfast in another cafe, we headed to Lafayette Galleries, which is equivalent to Harrod's in London. It's 6 stories high and a very long block wide and is filled with every designer known to fashion. They had an entire 1/2 a floor designated to lingerie so I went a bit crazy in there. We hit the shoe section, a bit of the clothes and ended up closing the place out. We found another adorable lingerie store across the street so we wandered into there but they closed before we could try anything on so that was a loss. We then hit a happy hour cafe across the street for more crepes and wine and cheese and french onion soup.
Saturday, we were dedicated to the art and culture so we first headed to Musée d'Orsay where I got to see my favorite Degas paintings and my favorite sculpture, "The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years" is exhibited there as well along with a huge variety of other fabulous pieces. We mostly wandered through the impressionist section of the museume where Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Sisley, etc. are displayed. It was quite fabulous.
We then crossed the bridge to Le Orangerie for the Waterlilies display by Monet. This was Caroline's favorite and quite beautiful... we wandered through the entire museum and then headed to the Louvre, where we were able to see the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci as well as some of his other works and some of the Greek sculptures. The Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo were quite impressive in person and of course I love the statues of all of the Greek Mythology characters.
I have to admit that the walk between the museums is breathtaking, somehow the city has a romantic feel as you walk through parks with children playing with boats in the ponds and couples strolling holding hands. There is a quiet nature about the city and a warmth that is quite overwhelming.
After our beautiful day, we headed to one last cafe so that Caroline could try a crepe...she hadn't had one yet...and when she ordered hot chocolate, she was literally served a silver tea holder with melted chocolate in it...wow, talk about decadent. Then it was back to the airport where a few of the French were heading to Ireland as well for the Ireland vs. France Rugby match and everyone was singing their national anthems back and forth in the airport. It was quite entertaining. Caroline left early Sunday morning to head back to LA and I have to admit, I was quite sad...I was getting used to have someone to run around town with. But she has already promised to return and maybe we will even make an annual trip to Paris in February's since we both decided it was the best time of year to go. The weather was beautiful, the city was not crowded, the clothes were all on sale since the spring fashion lines had just been announced, and all and all it was a fabulous trip.
I would have to say that Paris is definitely the most beautiful place I have ever visited. I can't wait to go back and explore some more.
That's all for now.
xoxo.
Ness
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