Celebrity alert in Dublin!

Here's 2 pictures you might like to look at!

It's when Amy and I met Cuba Gooding Jr.

It was in the Shelbourne Hotel Bar.  He was having a quiet drink with his wife and we were sitting beside him.  He happily agreed to pose for a picture with us and told us how much he was enjoying Ireland.  He had been on the Late Late Show the night before so we told him that we had watched it and thought he was great.  He was in Ireland promoting a movie.

We had been out for dinner and were on our way to a party when we decided to pop in for a quick drink in the Shelbourne.  Dinner had been so nice that we wanted to continue the great vibe.  Well it certainly made out night to get a photo with this great actor!  What a nice guy!

One of my favourite films is Jerry Maguire - who hasn't uttered the immortal line "Show me the money" at appropriate times in your life??!!!  He is a legend!

The Key West Picture Show!

The Key West Picture Show.......have you seen it?!

It's a movie that was filmed in Key West in the 1970's and it has such a great feeling to it.  I probably like the scenes about the bicycling culture on the island.

You can buy it here if you are interested!

I bought my copy in Key West in the store next to Blue Heaven in the Bahama Village.

Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest in Dublin was quite crazy! It started off sedate enough and then the music got going and it went wild.  The place was packed and everyone was singing, dancing and drinking.  I believe that the beer was very strong which might explain the girl being taken away by paramedics at about 8pm.

When you left the beer tent to go to the bathroom it took about 20 minutes to get back in due to the crowds.  There was also a system where you exited one side and then went back in at the other side, this was causing a huge queue.  Luckily my sister and I were able to bypass the line and enter through the exit by pretending we were event staff - made believable by the fact that we were wearing  "Dirndl" style costumes!

The above and below are some girls in authentic Dirndls.  They were all German Nationals who are currently living in Ireland.

It was actually hard to believe that we were in Ireland it felt like we were in Germany!  It was such a great event - a really great day out in Dublin.

Beer lovers should take note of this festival and plan to visit Ireland in 2013 for it!  Of course there will be loads going on this year in Ireland because it is the year of "The Gathering"

Culture Night 2012

This Friday is Culture Night. I'm looking forward to it.  Last year we visited the Book of Kells in Trinity College which was really great.  We then headed to Kilmainham to the IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) to listen to live music.  On the way to the IMMA we stopped off in the Winding Stair Bookshop to watch some performance poets recite their work.  All in all a really great night!  The atmosphere in Dublin was fantastic! 

Look what's happening!

We have heard rumours that a Marks & Spencers Foodhall is coming to Ranelagh.  This is our favourite place to shop!

            On Sunday a building was knocked down where    supposedly M&S is meant to be built!  We can only wait in hope and see what they build!

Here is the building next door to Russells.  It is less then a 5 minute walk away from our house. Jason's Snooker hall used to be in this building.

I have been following this blog by an American in Ireland, it's a nice read and I enjoy seeing a foreigners perspective on life in Ireland!

Update 4th of Oct - we have now heard that an Aldi is going in here.  :-(
We are not impressed.....

Key West

We holiday in Key West, Florida every year.  You may have heard of Key West, it is the last of a chain of islands off the coast of the USA.  The island is the most southernmost point in the States but it is actually closer to Cuba then to the mainland of America.  It is 90 miles from Cuba (by boat) and 150 miles drive from Miami - the chain of the Florida Keys are joined by bridges from island to island (or key to key).

For such a small island (4 miles by 2 miles) it is surprisingly historic.  Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West for awhile along with Tennessee Williams and Robert Frost.  You can visit the house that Hemingway lived in with his wife Pauline.  It is a really interesting tour and the polydactyl cats living on the grounds are quite a sight!

President Truman managed to base himself in Key West for much of his presidential term.  The house that he lived in is now a museum and I thoroughly recommend a visit.  I think I have been to see it 4 times and each time I learnt something new!

There are lots of other sights to see in Key West including the Southernmost Point, The Key West Lighthouse, The Butterfly Conservatory along with numerous art galleries.

Nightlife in Key West is mainly based on Duval Street and also along the bight.  There are so many different different bars that there is something for just about everyone.  I went to the Green Parrot Bar with my parents to watch a Blue Grass band which was a lot of fun. Sloppy Joes where Hemingway hung out also plays a mix of music with performers coming from all over the country to play here.

While on the island, we love to bike around checking out the sights and also getting out on the water and doing some fishing.  Nothing beats coming home and throwing your freshly caught fish on the bbq and having a cocktail while cooking dinner!

Probably my favourite thing about Key West is the choice of restaurants.  I love the fact that there are very few chain restaurants in Key West and an amazing selection of fresh seafood restaurants, little small quaint charming restaurants and also rough and ready casual eateries.  All serving up great food and wine!  My two favourite restaurants are 7 Fish and Santiago's Bodega.  We also (surprisingly!) love the vegetarian cafe in KW - great healthy food in a very chilled out venue with very friendly staff.

If you do ever get to Key West my recommendation on where to stay is either in one of the cute B&B's in old town or to rent a cute conchy cottage through Historic Hideaways.

All in all I think Key West is a place unlike any other and I think you need to visit to see what it is like to vacation in Paradise!!!

Here's something further to read about Key West.

O'Stillman Cup

This weekend the O'Stillman Cup was played in Dublin.  Team Ireland played against Team USA.  Happily the cup was won by Ireland!  The American players were fantastic, great squash players and a lot of fun.

Here are a few pics from the weekend -