Christmas in Ireland

Maybe not what you would expect to see when you read the title of this post. I took the above picture in the walled garden next to Malahide castle on December 27th. It was an extremely windy day and we had a lot of rain. It was also cold and we spent most of the time indoors looking at old furniture in the castle and souvenirs in the Avoca shop.

Playing with HDR. The church is next to Malahide castle.

When we came back and I showed Lee Ann this and some of my other Malahide pictures, she couldn't believe I had taken them that day. Because the wind was blowing so hard, it would rain one minute and then, for a few seconds, we would get blue sky with clouds drifting very quickly.

Malahide castle

For the holidays we had James, Anika, and Jessie, a childhood friend of Anika's, here. The two Js had never been to Ireland so we tried to show them a little bit of Dublin and the surrounding area. This is not the best time of the year to visit -- we had to wait out a bunch of rain and storms -- but we nevertheless got some sightseeing and some cultural events in.

Anika

Jessie

Lee Ann and James

The picture of Castle Rag (and here) is sort of an accident. We went to Naas to see Jigginstown Castle because a book Lee Ann got for Christmas had a cool picture in it. But it was surrounded by a fence and scaffolding. From the looks of it, only some of the brick walls survived. Not even worth taking a picture. The one in the book was from the inside, where we could not get to.

Castle Rag near Naas.

In a field next door was the much cooler and older Castle Rag. It seems that used to be a common type of dwelling at the periphery of The Pale (beyond which things get really bad.)

St. Patrick's cathedral

On Sunday before Christmas we went to St. Patrick's cathedral to attend a service. (Check out the 3-D view on the bottom of their page!) I don't usually do that sort of thing voluntarily but this was a sung service by the cathedral's choir. We were there an hour early and had good seats near the front by the choir. It was pretty neat.

Christ Church cathedral

But, we did even more culture! We saw the film Moon Man at the Irish Film Institute (IFI) and went into the medieval crypt of Christ Church cathedral for a Christmas market and to look at the exhibits; including the cat and the rat which, during a chase, got trapped in one of the organ pipes and were later found mummified. The Moon Man movie is visually very imaginative, but not exactly a thriller, even though it has marching armies and space ships in it. The Secret of Kells was better.

Coach House of Dublin Castle

We also saw the Chester Beatty library, next to Dublin Castle, which is very interesting.

Bective Abbey

From the back

On a brief trip to Kells we stopped at the almost 900 year old Bective Abbey which is often overlooked by tourists but well worth a visit. Of course, we also did Grafton Street and other touristy parts of Dublin's city center such as the George's Street Arcade. And we ate our share of Irish food in places like Bewley's Oriental Cafe, the Winding Stair, and O'Neill's.

The Winding Stair

My pictures are here and here.

Heidi has changed

Bern in Christmas mood at sunset.

This is my 100th post!
At the beginning of December I was visiting Switzerland and had a chance to go out with Stef and take some pictures of Bern. On Sundays the shops are closed and so there are much fewer people in town: ideal for taking pictures of the old town.

The Christmas markets were too crowded to go near them

Despite the closed shops, there were a lot of people in town for the Christmas markets. At first I thought I could do some present shopping and take pictures of cute stalls and handmade articles. But it was way too crowded and I fled in disgust.

They run the old tram during the holiday season.

I did get a couple of decent pictures further away from the busy markets and then met Stef for a sunset session up in the Rosegarden. That's another place that attracts locals and tourists alike to watch the sun set behind the old part of Bern. There were no tables with a view available at the restaurant more than an hour before sunset, and even outside it was somewhat difficult to get a spot with a good view.

In the Matte part of old Bern.

The sunset was so so; I saw a much better one last month in Phoenix Park, but the snow covered roofs and the street lights did give me a shot or two that I'm happy with.  I have to try this again...

The Nydegg bridge with the Rosegarden in the background, up the hill.

I flew Aer Lingus on this trip. They, and Swiss, are the two airlines that have direct flights between Dublin and Zurich. Aer Lingus lands at terminal E in Zurich, which means I had to take the little subway that connects the terminal to the rest of the airport.

Waiting for sunset.

They ring (electronic) cow bells and play alphorns over the speakers of the train to welcome travelers. There is also a short movie which they project in an ingenious  way onto the tunnel wall as the train drives by. Looking out the train window, the movie appears projected right in front of the window. However, since the train is moving, they have to update the pictures on the wall in synchrony with the movie's and train's progress.

The quick movie used to show a Heidi girl blowing you a kiss. But now things are different. The new Heidi is not as cute,  has her little brother with her, and carries a crossbow a la Wilhelm Tell. Very disappointing.

The rest of the pictures are, as usual, on picasa.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I also got to eat a Grittibaenz again, after many, many years. Thanks, Kathrin!

Connemara Bike Ride

Lee Ann had found a half-off deal for a guided, half-day bike ride in Connemara near Cong with Connemara Glorious Cycle. We met our guide, Noel, in Clonbur where he provided us with bikes and helmets. Another couple was supposed to join us, but they had canceled just before.
They used to have a bike shop in Cong where they maintained and sold bikes, and organized these tours. But then the company who owned the building they were renting their shop space from, went bankrupt.

Their current address is 7 Radharc Na Sleibhte, Rusheen East, Clonbur, Co. Galway, which is weird. Addresses in Ireland are usually a lot shorter. Something like 2 The Drive, Clonee, Dublin 15, or Hyde House, Dublin 2. Outside of Dublin, there are not even zip codes.
Our GPS brought us to Clonbur successfully, but then it was at a loss. Luckily, the town is not very big. There is a pub, a hotel, a post office, a church, and a little store. Lee Ann called Noel and he appeared out of a house near where we had stopped. Since they (temporarily) lost their business premises they had to spread their inventory among friends and relatives in the little village. At least that is how it appeared to me. I'm sure the haste in which we left one of the buildings after Noel retrieved a bike from there was coincidental.

Off we went along a nature path through the forest along little lakes or loughs. Along the way, Noel pointed out sights like a bird sanctuary and the ruins of a century-old castle hidden in the trees. We stopped to descend into a cave that water had carved into the lime stone and had a great time.
For lunch we stopped at Ashford Castle situated beautifully on Lough Corrib. It is now a posh hotel and the tour included tea and club sandwiches. We, in our biking clothes, were ushered into the castle and announced by name to the Maitre De of the salon where we sat in deep velvet chairs next to a century-old enormous fire place. It was fun. For lunch the place is not quite as stuffy as I made it out to be. There were families with little kids there having their tea, and playing and running around was perfectly OK for the kids.

After lunch Noel collected us, showed us the castle grounds, and we rode back along Loch Corrib, the largest loch in the republic and the second largest in all of Ireland. We dutifully returned the bike and concluded our day with dinner at Cullen's at the Cottage; a very nice restaurant on the castle grounds where jeans are a permissible evening attire.

By the way, if you ever are in the area and want to spend the night, stay at the Ashfield House B&B. We did. It's close to the Castle and Cong, very clean, comfortable, and charming. It is also close to The Neale where you can go admire a pyramid among sheep and other curious follys.

The next day we spent some time exploring Cong and the dry canal between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib. The canal is often described as an engineering fiasco with the explanation that the porous lime stone cannot hold water and that one lough is higher in elevation than the other. Engineers of the 19th century knew of course how to deal with this. The problem was that halfway through construction railways had gained in dominance and the canal was no longer needed for shipping. It was finished as a way to drain off water from Lough Mask, but not intended anymore to be filled with water.

On the abbey grounds in Cong

In the afternoon we visited the National Museum of Ireland near Castlebar with its country life exhibit. It is interesting and situated on beautiful grounds, but a little bit too much straw for me. In Ireland, and especially Connemara, trees and their wood are precious resources. This is doubly true for the times in the past when the English drove the Irish off any land that could be used for farming or forestry. So, the people adapted and did with what they had: straw. We learned how thatched roofs are made and maintained, how straw can be used for ornaments, chairs, baby cribs, baskets, and insulating pads to hang on your front door.

Lee Ann thinks I didn't spend enough time in the other parts of the museum, but after a certain amount of itchy straw I retreated into the museum cafee where they had delicious 21st century deserts.

New York

I'm falling behind again, so this post and the next two will come in quick succession (so I hope) and read more like a travel blog.

In mid-November I spent a couple of days visiting the IBM Watson lab. I was on my way to Denver for the annual Supercomputing conference.  When booking, I had decided to spend the weekend in New York. It had been decades since my last visit to Manhattan. I wanted to see the new Highline park and ground zero. The last time I was there, the twin towers were too.

I was staying in Stamford, CT and took the train into Grand Central station.  Someone had told me that they had cleaned up the ceiling and that now you could see the artwork again. So, when I arrived I dutifully looked up. While I was standing there, a you woman broke off her group, walked over to me, asked "Are you ready?", stood next to me, shoulder to shoulder, raised her cell phone, and took a picture of the two of us.

Then she walked back to her group, they giggled, and walked off. No clue what that was all about.  I still had my billfold afterward. It was over in a few seconds. So, if you see a picture of me and some chick on facebook, it doesn't mean a thing; I swear!

On Saturday the weather was great, but I got there fairly late and by mid-afternoon it was already getting dark in the canyons of New York. The low Winter sun is great for taking pictures, but it disapears early and the tall buildings block out a lot of light early in the afternoon.

On Sunday I was there earlier, but it was raining. It was cool to see the upper stories of many buildings disapear in the clouds, but it made taking pictures more difficult for me. I like lots of color and golden sunlight. None of that was available that afternoon in New York.

As usual, the rest of my pictures are available on picasa.

Fall in Ireland

Last time I wrote about our trip to Switzerland and the Fall season there. Of course, it is Fall in Ireland too! It's getting cold, but we have had some nice sunny days here. So I thought we would go out and try to capture some Fall colors around here; who needs New England.

I asked around at work and a colleague recommended the Hell Fire Club on top of Montpelier Hill just South of Dublin. It is a nice spot with a very interesting and weird history, and a great view of Dublin. The sun kept coming and going; not very many useful pictures. There were also a ton of people up there on the three-day weekend Monday we were there. I need to go back. Maybe on a full-moon night, or when there is snow. Dublin usually doesn't get snow, but that hill is just tall enough to get a light covering once in a while.
(Edit: I just spent some more time in the comment section of this site. It seems it is a very popular place to visit by day AND night; by the living and maybe others. I bet it was busy Halloween night ;-)

One of the difficulties of getting good pictures now is that even when the sun is out, by 3:30 it starts to disappear. I tried again. This time closer, in Phoenix Park, which is just a little over a mile from our house. Again, the sun came and went, but I got the tree above when it was fully lit. Incidentally, the hill behind it is where the Hell Fire Club is (more or less).

Phoenix Park is home to a large herd of deer. They are not tame enough to let you touch them, but they are pretty used to people. By now the sun was setting, again, so I tried to stalk them and get a group picture in front of the setting sun.

Getting there, but not good enough.

Better. More light on the grass and the orange of the sunset is beginning to show through the trees.

Far from perfect, but much closer to what I had hopped to achieve. Although I complain a lot about the weather here, the sunsets, when you can see them, are often very beautiful. That evening I was maybe not in the best position after chasing those deer, but this is not bad for simply aiming your camera West and shoot over the trees.

Next week it is off to New York to visit Watson and then to Denver for Supercomputing. The weather is promising to be no better than here in Ireland, but it will still be fun and interesting to immerse myself in high-end geekishness.

Switzerland in Fall

Before: Misbehaving deer

 I'm not sure why the deer above is sticking out its tongue at its dad, but it is inexcusable. So we ate him!

After: Very nice dinner

 Well, it is Fall and deer hunting season in Switzerland. We spent a few days there earlier this month visiting my Mom, siblings, and friends. Fall, and only Fall, offers delights like Suser (slightly fermented, unfiltered grape juice; new wine), Vermicelles (a desert made from chestnuts), mushrooms, and venison.

Lee Ann liked it

 What's on the plate above is not the one in the top picture, but close. The one above lives on a deer farm run by a former butcher. The one on the plate was shot nearby in the wild. We got to meet the hunter who, the rest of the year, is a bus driver where my brother works. If you are not a vegetarian you should try it. It is expensive but very delicious with the sauce, all the vegetables and other sides.

An old house in Murten

 Speaking of vegetarians: I would be one, if I was any more involved in the process of turning picture 1 into picture 2. Being a city boy has its advantages. Salad is pre-washed, milk comes in cartons, and meat comes cut into pieces that betray their origins.

On the way back home, we missed the plane and had to spend an afternoon in Zurich

 Of course, the Swiss are also very good at living off their animals without killing them. Anika found this story with incredible pictures. I want to learn how to make pictures like that. Americans label one of the over 300 cheeses made in Switzerland, Swiss. Gruyere, the topic in the story, is also widely available in the States, but I bet many Americans think it is French. The sad part is that almost none of the other Swiss cheeses are available. No Vacherin, Appenzeller, Raclette, Tilsiter, or the incredible Tete de Moine.

Winter has started early this year in Switzerland

 The situation here in Ireland is almost worse: Cheddar of any kind, but not much else. There are a lot of small farms that produce interesting cheese, but the products are hard to find. There are a couple of shops that sell cheeses from other parts of Europe, but it means a trip into town and spending quite a bit of money.

Once a column in the huge Roman theater

 The land of cheese has other things to offer as well: medieval towns like Murten and old Roman settlements like Avenches. The latter is a favorite field trip destination when you learn Roman history in fourth grade. I think that may well be the last time I have been there.

The remnants of the Roman theater in Avenches

 We are back in Ireland, getting ready for Halloween. I've already seen a (grown up) Superman (stocking up for a party in a liquor store), a tiny (and crying) Buzz Lightyear, and a girl with fairy wings attached to her thick winter coat. The Irish celebrate Halloween with candy and costumes, but also fireworks; starting early in October!
It has gotten a little cooler, the leaves are turning, and we had some nice days this month. This is a three-day weekend and we are setting our clocks back, a week before the USA. I had hoped to get out this weekend and take some colorful pictures of sunlit trees and leaves, but right now it is raining and predictions are it will continue like that for the next few days.

Wet roofs in Murten

 The weather in Switzerland wasn't great either. When looking for shelter under the arcades in Murten with found the Irish pub below. The remaining, few, pictures from this trip are, as usual, on picasa.

An Irish pub in Murten, Switzerland.