Hill of Tara

Another cold foggy Saturday morning in Dublin... what better way to see the Hill of Tara, home of Ireland's ancient high kings! Actually, we went more for the tiny cafe at the foot of the hill which has killer brown bread and lovely eggs. Really - the Hill of Tara conjures up wonderful images of ancient Celtic tribes meeting, warring, worshiping, etc. But once you've been in Ireland awhile, you can nearly imagine a Celtic king on any hill or knoll (it's gets easier to pass up the cold mist for a good cup of tea)! A few photos of The Hill

Victory on the hill!

Catching up.. Irish National Stud Farm

The last month has been a busy one, and I'm just now catching up...... After returning from Oktoberfest, we had to recharge the batteries with a weekend or two in town. One of our first destinations was the Irish National Stud in Co. Kildare. Ireland has a racing horse obsession, and the National Stud is a state run breeding operation that houses some fairly high dollar horses. Luckily, we showed up right on time for the tour, which was really worthwhile (makes the visit)! We got to see the 'teaser's' quarters, the breeding arena, and some of the racehorses. The grounds of the National Stud also include a Japanese Garden and Tea House/Cafe which were both really peaceful and gorgeous, and made for a nice afternoon. Afterward, we made a stop in to Kildare Outlet Village and nearly bought out the Nike store (yes, we're perfectly American). Some photos here

Irish Horses

Dachau

While in Munich for Oktoberfest, Reuben and I took a morning to visit Dachau, the concentration camp memorial. Definitely educational and thought-provoking. Some additional photos from the camp here.

The front gate to the camp with famous "Work makes you free" detail

Oktoberfest 2008

This may not be the last time I go to Oktoberfest... It could become something like a regular pilgrimage to the 'motherland'. What a great time! Reuben and I met up with friends from NY and London in Stuttgart, then headed down to Munich for the last weekend of this year's Oktoberfest. We didn't have tickets to a tent on Saturday, so we sat out in the pouring rain at one of the beer gardens. Funny enough, the rain just kicked the party into overdrive - - all sorts of people from around the world protesting the rain by shouting and drinking even more beer. On Sunday, we did manage to get a seat at one of the tents, and it was brilliant. Chad, Catherine, Collin..great to see you guys - let's do it again (I bought a dirndl to wear for next time)! Photos from Oktoberfest!

Working out the arm at the Fisher-Vroni Tent

Fear and Loathing in.... Stuttgart?

This is what Oktoberfest looks like when you work in a operations management job. If you can't tell, I am bitter about spending my first two days in Germany sitting in a hotel room with a cell phone glued to my ear. Kyle, if you are still up for starting that brewery, let's do it..... Then I can at least have my beer for free while I close out the quarter.

Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be manufacturing managers