che on the road: Ireland

Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Snapshot on the road: Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Amazing hexagonal basalt columns that were formed due to volcanic eruptions

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Dublin in Black & White

Taking a time out to pursue my other love (photography) has been a breath of fresh air when I was in Dublin. I got the inspiration to take black and white shots from the charcoal paintings that I saw along Grafton Street. Here are the fruits of my labor:

Ha'penny Bridge - this bridge is called as such because before, people need to pay a half penny in order to cross it. The Ha'penny Bridge divides Dublin to the north and the south.

A small alley leading to Temple Bar

I waited for a few minutes here until all three are reading at the same time

Arnaldo Pomodoro's "Sphere Within Sphere" sculpture in Trinity College. Versions of this sculpture can also be seen in different parts of the world.

Old books in the Long Room Library

Staircase in the Long Room Library

The Campanile, Trinity College

The Parliament Building - this building was built without windows to save on taxes. In old times, in Ireland, the more windows a building have, the more taxes they pay. This building now serves as an office of the Bank of Ireland.

Ducks at St. Stephen's Green

Cute little boy at St. Stephen's Green

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Sampling the foods in Dublin

I have been back from Dublin, Ireland after having stayed there for 2 months and I'm starting to really miss the place. Two months may not be enough to sample all the foods there but these are some that I have tried out:

Traditional Irish breakfast at Quay's Irish Restaurant, Temple Bar area. It consist of Irish bacon or rashers, sausages, egg, potatoes, baked beans, bread, white and black pudding.

Irish beef stew at Metro Cafe

Wok In's delicious prawn noodles

Leo Burdock's Fish and Chips

Peri-peri chicken, salad and chips at Nando's

My version of gourmet dinner: Fish cake, asparagus with butter and coleslaw. I bought everything at Tesco's, a grocery near my apartment. I love asparagus!

Some of my other recommendations include the butter croissant from Spar, Chicken and Bacon wrap and a glass of Hot Angel (white chocolate) from Insomnia Coffee, corned beef from M&S, roasted chicken from Supervalu and the Garlic and Cheese fries from Supermacs.

Where to find them:

Quay's Restaurant
10-12 Temple Bar Square
Dublin 2
Website: http://www.quaysrestaurant.com/index.html

Metro Cafe
43 South William Street
Dublin 2
Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/metrocafedublin

Wok In
Lower Stephen Street
Dublin 2

Leo Burdock Fish and Chips
In several locations within Dublin but the oldest (100 years) was the branch near Christchurch Cathedral
West Burgh Street, Christchurch
Dublin 8
Website: http://www.leoburdock.com/index.html

Tesco
Temple Bar Metro
40-47 Fleet Street
Dublin 2
also in several locations
Website: http://www.tesco.ie/

Spar
Mayor Street Bridge
Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC)
Dublin 1
also in several locations
Website: http://www.spar.ie/

Insomnia Coffee
4 St. Stephen's Green
Dublin 2
also in several locations
Website: http://www.insomnia.ie/

Marks & Spencer (M&S)
24-29 Mary Street
Dublin 1
also in several locations
Website: http://www.marksandspencer.ie/

Supervalu
Aston Quay, City Centre
also in several locations
Website: http://supervalu.ie/

Supermacs
Westmoreland Street
Dublin 2
also in several locations
Website: http://www.supermacs.ie/

Monday, August 12, 2013

Creative juices flow on Grafton Street

When I arrived in Dublin a few weeks ago, I was greeted with sunshine. It was quite unusual, I think, because from what I've read, they say it always rain in Ireland. So I was expecting that the Irish rain will be welcoming me when I arrived. But the sunshine continued for 2 weeks and it has been a great time for me to pretty much explore the area. The one thing that I have grown to love in Ireland is the Irish's passion for art - you see musicians, painters, singers, photographers on the street. A very good place to nourish those creative juices.

busy Grafton Street - where shopping and passion for the art collide

One place to see that art is in Grafton Street. Aside from being Dublin's shopping district, Grafton Street is also where you will see a lot of performers. And the good news is you will see different sets of performers everyday! Here are some of the creative and talented people that I have seen so far:

Men (and dog) in black

Dancers

orchestra on the street

Strip Cheese - the best I've seen so far

So when you're in Dublin, don't forget to drop by at Grafton Street and also give a few euros if you enjoyed the show. Some of these street performers rely on a few donations to get by. Walk through the entire street and who knows you might even see the flamenco dancers or the guy who eats fire!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Snapshot on the road: Souvenirs from the Guinness Storehouse

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Prelude to the Emerald Isle

For the coming weeks, I will have a wonderful privilege to visit Ireland, also known as the Emerald Isle. Here are some of the images that I found in the web and I just can't wait to explore it! I'll be writing some articles about it and I hope you'll join me in this wonderful journey.