Spain

As Ireland was just starting to settle into a cold spell, Josh and I decided to spend the weekend in Malaga, Spain.  The weather was a balmy 70 degrees and we were happy to shed our jackets and soak up the sun.  This vacation was truly a first for me.  Some of you may know that I am the worst person to go on a relaxing getaway with, in fact I have always been slightly appalled that those two words could be used in the same sentence.  My typical vacation consist of me planning a months worth of activities for two days, and ends with me being cranky because I may have missed something.  I tell myself that I am just an enthusiast. Interestingly enough, I read a quote before our trip to Spain that read: if you rush to see everything, you'll end up seeing nothing.    Well it was settled, it was time to slow down and enjoy the surroundings.  We ate and drank a lot, we went without a plan and had an amazing adventure.

View from our hotel.

One of the many random bands playing throughout the city.

Chapel in the heart of the city.  Its right tower was never completed.  The money was put toward the city's renewal.

Hans Christian Andersen is the author The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid. Thank you Hans for providing me so much entertainment as a child.

Amazing cathedral

Pirate ship!  When docked it's actually one of the largest bars I have ever seen!

My favorite person in the whole wide world!

Malaga at night

This is the house where Picasso grew up.  We also visited the Picasso museum, but pictures weren't allowed.  Admittedly I haven't always been the biggest fan of Pablo Picasso.  His paintings are difficult to look at and are mostly unpleasing to the eye.  After spending many hours learning about the artist, I understood that was the purpose behind his work.  Picasso felt that the academic teaching of "Beauty" was detrimental to the human spirit.  Embracing flaws and incorporating imposing view points, Picasso's went on to create work that largely gained recognition through talent and morbid curiosity.

"Nothing is ever complete, it is merely in another state of being.  When I have created something that I do not have the courage to change, I know I am done."  Pablo Picasso

We also spent a good amount of time viewing the Toy Guarda, an intriguing section of the museum dedicated to the development of Toys!  We learned that artist introduced a social reform with toys.  Many toys were adopted by the schools during the 18th century and are still used today.  The Toy Guarda wanted to change the way children were viewed.  This brought about the idea of "Childhood".  I also enjoyed learning about the creation of children's books.  What themes do most primary stories have?  Think about it before reading on.  Themes that you and I have grown accustom to had to be thought up by someone.  Artist, together with psychologist asked children to tell them a story.  From those stories they generated themes such as; reaching your dreams, being the hero, having someone to care for you, and of coarse included should be characters that are identifiable or animals!  

 

Beginning of the Arabian Palace.  Malaga was under Arabian domination for 800 years.  The influences can be seen throughout the architecture and delicious dishes.

The palace's name is Alcazaba, which means it is a walled fortification in a city.  This structure is among the oldest.

Part of the palace

The Arabian Palace is split into two sections.  The top section held royalty.  The lower section was used for protection and defense.  This section was built as a maze, making it difficult to navigate.  And for some reason I doubt intruders were given a map upon entering. 

Arabian gardens

View of the city from the top!

The aqueduct ran throughout the structure.

The ocean and mountains

Colosseum

Simply beautiful

The large church that reaches higher then the rest is where Antonio Banderas was baptized.  He was born in Malaga and is currently a "Good Will Ambassador" in the fight against poverty.  Mr. Banderas is very popular here!

We are still in the palace.  The trip up was painstaking.  It was a long walk with an incline that was fierce.  Once we reached the peak, Josh and I were so embarrassed that we struggled so much when we noticed quite a few elderly at the top.  We later learned that they took a bus, which made a feel much better.

The city at night.

Cheers to you!

And you!



Next up: My parents visit, trip to Prague with Erin, and Josh and I going home for Christmas!

London

Josh had a day business trip to London and I was lucky enough to be able to accompany him.  While he worked, I took in the sights.  I started my way through Hyde Park, over to Buckingham Palace, back to Big Ben, up the London Eye, and ended my day being entangled in one of London's largest protest in decades (but we will get to that later).

Hyde Park is one of the largest royal parks in London.

Beautiful surroundings

I tried to take him home

Buckingham Palace in the distance.

View of Knightsbridge Barracks, which is where Horse Guards are stationed.  These guards responded to emergencies at the Buckingham Palace in 1795.

If you squint, you can see the Household Cavalry riding to Knightsbridge Barracks

A closer look at the Buckingham Palace and the Knightsbridge Barracks

The Memorial to Queen Victoria was completed in 1911 and carved out of 2,300 tons of white marble.

Buckingham Palace still operates as the Administrative Headquarters of the Monarch.

The Queen faces out towards the people.  The Angel of Truth, Charity and Justice sit on top of the statue.

The Horse Guards

Knightsbridge Barracks

I think it is easy to tell how this horse feels about his job!

On my trek to Big Ben, I noticed there were hundreds of guards.  I finally stopped to ask if this was typical for the Parliament building or if something was happening.  The guard responded they were preparing for the Education protest.  As she pointed to the group in question, I laughed to myself, because there were at most 25 protesters at that time.  Continuing on my way, thinking about how London may have over spent on guard protection, I snapped a few photos of Big Ben and took a jaunt over to The London Eye.

Big Ben sits at the end of the Parliament building.  It is one of the largest four faced clock.

Maybe if I had a clock this big, I would be places on time!

The Parliament Building

The London Eye

Getting ready to get on.

View of Big Ben from the top of the Eye.

Me

 There were 20 of us in one capsule, they were very large.

A few photos of Big Ben and a ride on the London Eye later, the very small demonstration had gained momentum and there I was, amidst 50,000 protesters.  A news article described the situation as the following: estimated 52,000 students took to the streets of London on Wednesday to protest government plans to increase university tuition fees while cutting higher education funding by 40 percent. The demonstration was one of the biggest student protests in decades and the largest turnout against the British government’s austerity measures that were announced last month.

The demonstration, while I was in London, remained peaceful.  

Students and faculty joined together to fight the government's decision to raise tuition to 9,000 pounds.

One school made a float.

Students would show up in waves of 50 every two minutes.

Just another day in London!

Finding Life's Passion

Now that I have a lot of bit of time on my hands, I have been thinking about what to do next.  Teaching has become so desperately my passion, it has been difficult to separate from it.  As most teachers, I found that hobbies, over the years, have dissipated.  No longer in education, I have been given an opportunity to find other avenues of interest, besides my job.  

Only being in Ireland for a month, I have quickly learned that, although fun, my purpose is not being a compulsive shopper.  I have been looking for volunteer work now that Josh and I are settled in and am feeling very anxious to get started...doing something.  In the midst of trying to find something "work like", I am reminded to take this time to also explore my crafty side, artsy side, academic side and somewhere the healthy side that is excited to get moving and cooking. Lately I have been inspired by friends and family, people who are trying new things; Bruce and Jason becoming quite the photographers, Moriah taking pottery, Stephen and Julie taking dance classes, my parents renewing their love for travel, and my husband picking up and trying the guitar.  Now it's my turn.  Following suit from my friend Kim, I have created a list to keep me motivated, focused, and enjoying every moment of our Irish adventure.  Some parts of the list or task orientated, but most items involve me trying something new. 

 

Get Artsy

1.     Finish wedding album

2.    Reprint honeymoon pictures

3.    Fill frames

4.    Take a hobby class

5.    Take a painting class

6.    Take a photography class to learn how to use our new camera

Get Cultured

7.    Take a language class

8.    Take a dance class

9.    Learn authentic Irish dishes

10.  Go to the Opera House

11.   Watch a River Dance

12.  Go to local museums

Get Educated

13.  Take an art history class

14.  Start my masters

15.  Learn how to sew
16.  Write a children' book

Get Committed

17.  Reinstate weekly date nights (one of the easiest goals to do!)

18.  Web cam with the family twice a month
19.  Get the neighbor's dog, Sammi, to like me (it took a lot of treats, but we are buds)

Get Domestic

20.  Take cooking classes (Rachel Allen and Blue Haven)

21.  Create and stick to a budget

22. Put $200 into savings a month (thank you automatic transfer!)

23.  Make a dessert from scratch

24. Have dinner ready or prepared when Josh gets home (I would say 90% of the time this happens)

Get Involved

25. Donate to a charity (World Vision/Local Pet Shelter)

26. Volunteer time at a charity

27. Raise money for an event

28. Find a place to volunteer 2-3 times a week (Rockbourgh school)

29. Work at Operation Christmas Child with the family

30. Build a house with Habitat for Humanity

Get Healthy

31. Get back into running (started walking every day and running once a week, I am building up)

32. Focus on rehabilitating my knee

33.  Cut out pop during the week (Done!  Its gone!)

34. Walk to places that are close enough (This one is easy to do because we are 5 minutes walk to the main city centre)

35. Take time to get massages on a more frequent basis

Get Organized

36. Check into PPS number (Done!)

37. Change address with the Department of Immigration (Done!)

38. Change address with the post office (Done!)

39. Get car insurance paper work squared away (Done!)

40. Get Dax and Callie’s move squared away (Done!)

41. Choose wedding pictures to be fixed by Kim (Done! Just waiting on them to get to her!)

Get Covered

42. Get insurance (Done!)

43.  Go to the dentist

44. Get eyes checked/get a physical

Get Social

45. Meet two new friends (Done! But am always welcoming more!)

46. Call or email friends on a weekly basis

47. Call parents and siblings twice a week (or more)

48. Go to the pub and watch the Matches with the locals (We love doing this, we even won a Munster jersey during one of their raffles)

49. Plan a dinner party

50. Join a book club

Get Adventurous

51. Go to Africa

52. Learn how to sail

53.  Learn how to deep sea dive

54. Go backpacking through the Alps

55. Try surfing

 Get Spiritual

56. Experience Irish churches

57. Watch Flatiron’s Web cams

Kinsale

This past week Josh and I have officially moved to Kinsale!

Kinsale:

...take one spectacular location,
season liberally with Norman, Spanish and English influence,
add one major battle and let it simmer for 400 years.
Kinsale is not just a place - it's more a state of mind."

Peter Barry

The medieval town of Kinsale is not just about food (although it is the culinary capital of Ireland). It’s also about traditional bars, beautiful buildings, narrow streets, shops and galleries and lots of activities on land and sea.  Feeling as though we are still on vacation, Josh and I are very lucky to be living in the laid back fishing town of Kinsale.  The people here are very friendly and are always sure to say a big HELLO as they pass by.  We have enjoyed discovering quirky shops, Farmers Markets, and booming pubs.   Today we visited James Fort, which guarded the harbor's entrance during The War of the Two Kings in the 1640's.  Construction cost 645 euros.  You can tell I read the tourist informational guide!

Path leading up to James Fort

The mighty wooden door guarding the entrance to the Fort

Secret tunnel leading out of the Fort

I can only assume another secret escape out of the tunnel :)

The Fort and all of her glory!

Fort with escape route

View of Kinsale from the Fort

Our new house:
Josh and I love our new place!  Our home is three stories of charmed bliss: from the ornate chandeliers, to the crystal knobs on the kitchen cabinets, to the waterfall/Koi pond in the backyard.  Since being here, we have taken the time to rediscover simple pleasures, such as reading by the fire in the sitting room, listening to the rain in the family room, and cooking together with the Aga.  The renting agent, Maggie, is taking me to an Aga cooking class next Tuesday!

We hope you enjoy the virtual tour of our home.

Updated Kitchen

Cooking Aga

Sitting room with view of Kinsale

Family room with view of backyard

Formal dining room

Front entrance

View of Kinsale from our door step

Kinsale

Front of house

The car

Koi pond

Backyard with a stunning view

Steps leading to the upper garden

Where Dax and Callie will be spending much of their time!

View from the upper garden

Sammi the guard dog.  I've used peanut butter, lunch meat, and a left over enchilada to try to coax Sammi to come inside on wet days.  He won't budge, he is very dutiful.

Our house is the located on the Compass Hill Scenic walking tour.

Narrow roads in Kinsale.  This is not a one way, but it should be!

Steps leading to town!  The walk to town takes less than 5 minutes.

Wonderful husband and view.

Me at the pier.

The harbor.

We have a lot coming up.  Be looking for pictures from our day in London, our trip to Spain, and mom and dad Wesling are coming for Thanksgiving!