Malahide

After painful deliberation about "where to live" in Ireland, Reuben and I finally decided on the seaside town of Malahide. I was determined to live in the middle of Dublin City, but suddenly, this little village wouldn't leave my mind. Our first trip to Malahide was a cold, wet, wintry day, but we went for our walk on the beach anyway. I love the Irish Sea and the sound of the sailboat buoys in the wind on a weekend morning run.

Malahide Beach in the Winter

Bratislava Break

Another work trip took me to Bratislava, Slovakia for a long weekend. Reuben was able to meet me there and join in the fun. We started in Vienna Friday night (it's just 50 mi from Bratislava) - out on the town with work colleagues. Saturday we spent the day exploring sights we hadn't yet seen in Vienna. The zoo was a highlight with my first ever Koala viewing (I couldn't believe I'd never seen a koala before). Went back to Bratislava Sunday morning to spend the day traipsing around the town.

Bratislava was an amazing little city, and the weather was great (mid-60s in Feb, how lucky)! It reminded me of Sopron, Hungary.... with a central old town and towers at the gates. Bratislava had some unique features remaining from prior Communist rule (spaceship-like bridge, concrete high-rise housing sprawl). Reuben and I had lunch at a wonderful little restaurant right on the main square overlooking the opera house and enjoyed the sun.

Visitors from the States

I never realized how many work visitors I'd receive now that I am in Europe. We had several guys over from the Raleigh and Boulder offices in mid-February, and Reuben and I were able to act as the local pub guides. The pub of the evening was the Oliver St. John Gogarty right in the heart of Temple Bar. Great pub for a Tuesday evening in February when tourist traffic is light....otherwise, you may not be able to squeeze in the door! A grand time was had by all, with plenty of merriment, jigs, and pints. Not so grand for Wednesday morning project reviews.

A toast to Ireland with Allison's co-workers mysteriously excluded from the photo

Here's what's going on in the background!

Hole in the Wall

There is a near perfect pub on Blackhorse Rd in Dublin, just at the edge of the Phoenix Park. It's called Hole in the Wall, and is built around, well, a hole in the Phoenix Park wall. I've heard that historically, people would take a walk in the park and be able to grab a cool pint through the hole. In any case, the absolute, hands down, best mushy peas with fish & chips anywhere in Dublin. The atmosphere is quite perfect too, and what else - a good pint of Guinness. Hole in the Wall Review

Possum Junction goes global at Hole in the Wall