The future is electric!

The future is electric......well for me anyway!

I had been considering getting an electric bike at different points over the last few years. As I wasn't doing so much cycling I didn't think it was worth it.

However, since I moved job and am now cycling over 20km a day to and from work I reckoned it was the right time to get one. 

I decided to purchase from Greenaer as they have been in the business of selling electric bikes for the past 10 years, carry out servicing of electric bikes and they also had a secondhand version of the bike I wanted in stock.

Here it is - the Kalkhoff Agattu.

What a bike!  It's light and so much fun to ride and it makes my cycle to work such a pleasurable experience in comparison to my cycle on my old bike where I arrived to work hot, sweaty and tired. Even though it is cold I am enjoying my commute by bike a lot!

Here's a close up of the battery.  It's about the size of a brick and I need to take it inside when I am not using the bike. During the winter in particular, the battery needs to be brought in to the house as they really don't like the cold weather.  See here for more tips on looking after your battery in the winter.

As you can see I have a set of panniers on my bike. I am not really a fan of panniers, I much prefer to use a basket, where I can just load my shopping in with no hassles and be on my way. However, I will admit that the crate that I had on the front of my dutch bike was heavy and certainly destabilised my bike. So panniers it is for me on this bike. I also got the panniers in Greenaer - they sell a range of accessories along with bikes. I also got two locks for my bike.

If you are thinking of buying a bike, I recommend a visit to Greenaer. They were easy to deal with and were very helpful when I was making my purchase.

And if you haven't been on a bike in a while it might be the time to get back on!

Teeling Whiskey Tasting

Tuesday evening brought me to Ely Chq for a Teeling Whiskey tasting where they were introducing the Revival IV.

The tasting was led by Teeling brand ambassador Kevin Hurley along with award winning sommelier Julie Dupouy of Down 2 Wine who introduced us to a Muscat wine as the Revival IV is made in Muscat barrels!

 

Along with the whiskey there was also some delicious charcuterie and cheese.

In order to taste each wine we poured a sample in to a nosing glass - here I am having a good sniff!

Having tasted four different Teeling Whiskey on this evening and following the recent Powers whiskey event I attended, I can honestly say that I am beginning to acquire a taste for quality whiskey - particularly when I add a drop of water to the whiskey which I find rounds out the flavour.

Teeling Whiskey Distillery is in the heart of Dublin and tours can be arranged in their distillery -I plan to visit very soon!

A big thanks to my twin sister Amy for arranging tickets for this super event :-) 

Stella Theatre in Rathmines

As I mentioned in my last post we made plans to visit the Stella Theatre this afternoon.

The Stella has been recently renovated and they have done a marvellous job.

We had considered going to Murder on the Orient Express which I imagine the setting of the Stella would add to the cinematic experience of this film. However, all seats were sold out so we went to see The Florida Project instead. The Stella offers table service with a selection of food such as tuna poke, tacos and sticky bbq ribs which we will probably get on our next visit.  There is also a cocktail menu and a full bar is available.

As we left the Stella we agreed that the theatre is fantastic - the amount of space each visitor has is great - the seats are huge leather loungers and they even have leather pouffes that you can store your coat in and then throw your legs up on to for more comfort!

Here's a few pics I took at the cinema today.

You can check out an old picture of the Stella on my blog here.

Pot Bellied Pig - Rathmines

We planned a visit to the Stella Theatre for an afternoon movie today and decided to have a bite to eat in Pot Bellied Pig beforehand.

Ciarán had told me that he had eaten the most amazing wings here when they opened so he was looking forward to having them again.

The brunch menu was great with lots of tasty options.......but no wings!

When we went to give our order to the server, Ciarán asked do they not do wings on the weekend. Well he nearly jumped out of his seat when he was told they were gone as he screeched "gone forever?!"

I thought his reaction was the funniest thing ever (a tad over the top but very funny).  He went on to tell the server that he was going to start a campaign to bring back the wings!!

Anyway we went on and ordered - I had the sweet potato and chorizo hash while Ciaran chose the rasher sandwich and added an egg on the suggestion of the waiter (good one!).

Well wait until you hear this!

What appeared on our table but some chicken wings!!

The waiter very nicely had a word with the chef and they were able to sort us out.  What a hero!

The wings were amazing as was all of the other food and the service was brilliant too.  This place is incredible - I can't wait to go back (wings or not!).

What I'm up too....

Here's my regular update of what's going on in my life.

Here's one of the books I read while hols. Anne Tyler's "The Amateur Marriage" - wow what a book, I really enjoyed it. I plan to read more of her books in the future.

I booked flights to London for a day trip to see the Basquiat exhibition in the Barbican. To say I am excited is an understatement. We will fly out at 7am and return at 11pm. All we need to do is book a meal in a nice restaurant and we will have serious day of fun!

Look out for my blog post about this day out in 2 weeks.

Back in 2014 I blogged about the Stella cinema (see here). It has now been remodelled and is back open and is amazingly glamorous.  I have booked tickets to see The Florida Project on Sunday afternoon. Again look out for my blog post after this cinematic experience!

Have a look at the Stella Website here for more info. 

Oh dear god!!!  Look at this picture!!

After my shower on Tuesday morning, I felt something on my arm as I dried myself. This is what was under my towel on my arm!!!

Aaagh!!!

Spiders do not generally come in big sizes like this in Ireland. To say I was shocked was an understatement. Still lived to tell the tale and also posted it to facebook straight away where most people agreed that they would have screamed out loud if they even saw this spider in their presence!

Busy day tomorrow watch out for my next blog post where I tell you what we get up to!

Key West BABY!

I have a lot to catch you all up on!

For the last 2 weeks I was on holiday in Key West with my (our) best friend and my twin sister.

Quite honestly it was a trip of a lifetime and exceeded our expectations (and we had been planning it for 3 years!)

Day 1 started with Yoga on the Beach which set the tone for the holiday - chilled out and laid back!

Here are a few pics from our trip in no particular order:

Eats in the Blue Macaw

 Morning Coffee from Cuban Coffee Queen

 My first taste of Key Lime Pie!!

 Sunning on the beach

 Reached the end of the US 1

 Bought the Citizen newspaper from the news box on the street

 Went fishing!

 Petted a dog- or did he pet me?!

 Hook and cook in Dantes

 Powerboat Parade down Duval Street

 Got beads at the parade then shopped in Coach

 Buffet Brunch in Margaritaville Resort (formerly the Westin)

 Bottomless Mimosa!

 Way South!

 There was some drinking done ;-)

 Did I mention we drove to Key West from Miami?

 One night we even dressed up and drank wine!

 We made lots of friends on Duval Street!

 We were amazed by the size of the Tarpon Fish

 We made it to First Flight (formerly Kelly's) Happy Hour after our drive down from Miami

Aside from all of the above we did loads more like Trivia nights, sunset on the Ingham and lots of biking around the island.  Fun times for sure!

A wonderful weekend of musicals and meetups!

Saturday night brought us to The Helix in DCU for "All or Nothing" the story of The Small Faces. 

I love a musical so I was delighted when Amy invited me along to this show.

I had never been to The Helix before and I was very pleasantly surprised. Even better was the trip over on the bus - we took the number 11 which went from the top of my road all the way over to Dublin City University.  Amy got on the same bus at Dawson Street.

Amy dressed for the occasion in a blue 1960's mod looking dress. While I went straight to the theatre from work so was not in a mod outfit.

The show was amazing with brilliant singing performances from all of the actors but in particular the actors who played Steve Marriot's mother and also the two actors who played young and old Steve.

I woke up humming "All of Nothing" which is always a good sign that I enjoyed a show!

Hopefully the show will return to Dublin because my mother was raging that she hadn't been invited as she was a big fan of The Small Faces in their day.

On Sunday it was breakfast with Amy & Alice in Doheny &Nesbitts to make plans for our upcoming trip to Key West Florida. Amy arrived at the pub to find it closed so she rang them and asked them  to open up for her as she was outside! The friendly barman asked if she was looking for breakfast and said he would open up and sort her out for a bite to eat. 

We have been having breakfast in Doheny's fairly regularly - it is a convenient spot and the breakfast hits the spot.  I enjoy their tasty omelettes which I got again today. 

Excitement sure is building for our upcoming holiday.  This time next week we will be on the way to Miami where we will pick up a car and then drive to Key West. Fun times ahead!