Mildew Wars

We love our apartment. Its in a great location, we don't look out on buildings, and its furnished and cozy. The one hitch is the mildew. Any of you that know me well, know I have a slight allergy problem. As a kid I was fine, then I hit my 20's... I can now produce enough snot for Mike to call me the "Snot Queen" at times.
We noticed the growing mildew problem about three weeks into our stay here. We talked to the landlords, and they claim that no one else has mentioned this problem. Apparently that automatically means its not their problem. We looked into buying a de-humidifier, but those are really expensive (about $200 US dollars). We weren't willing to buy it when for the same amount of money we could be in Italy. So, we opened all the window after showering, when drying clothes, etc. Then I went to work on the walls and ceiling and windows (yes, it was growing on glass!!) with bleach. This helped until winter hit and it was too chilly for open windows all the time.
Then one of the ladies at work mentioned that turning on a heater before you shower and during could help take the moisture out of the air. It did, but it only helped slightly. There was still water on the tile walls after you showered. And my allergies were getting so bad that the one Claritin a day was not working. So... again with the bleach on the ceilings, walls, windows, etc. until I was beginning to feel woozy from the fumes. The bleach and water mixture only worked for about a week, and then the blasted mildew would be out in full force again. It was getting incredibly frustrating since people are coming to visit us and our apartment has mildew all over. All we thought we could do was prepare them for the issue at hand and let them know that it was being battled... in vain.
About three weeks ago I read an article in a magazine about Green cleaning products. It outlined different recipes for making cleaning products that we environmentally friendly and supposedly worked well. I decided to give it a try. It couldn't make it any worse and the bleaching was not working at all, so what the heck. I just did the bathroom that weekend and I am happy to say that the bathroom has stayed mildew free for the three weeks!! The only set back was upon returning from Dublin we found that the decorative wall hangings in the bedroom has mildew starting to grow on them. Thankfully one washing solved the problem, so today its the bedroom that will be scrubbed with salt and vinegar. Doesn't smell all that nice, but its better than the horrid mildew. I cannot wait to live in a mildew free house, in a country where it doesn't rain so much and the humidity levels in the air aren't so high that mildew is a part of everyday life...

For Steve

That was how high the river was last weekend! At least you know that they weren't too daft when building it.

Sunday, 18 February

This was, sadly, our last day in Dublin. We both loved seeing our friends again, and Dublin is spectacular. Next time we visit Ireland, we would like to see more of the country side. It looks incredibly lovely and well worth the visit. Maybe we'll be able to see it on our way out of Europe, our maybe on a different trip...
As it was a uncommonly sunny day for a British Isles' winter, Justin decided to take us back over to Saint Stephen's Green Park. When the weather is nice, local artists hang their artwork out for sale. There are little brass numbers all along the fence, and artists have to apply to get one of these coveted spots. The artwork was spectacular, and if we had had unlimited supplies of money, I would have bought quite a bit of artwork... or at least one. But alas, we have not yet planted the money tree that my parents were always talking about. Even if we didn't buy anything, it was great to wander the streets looking at all the artwork. Its here that we encountered the most odd man. The was in front of us, browsing through the different paintings. Mike noticed him first and, of course, pointed him out to Justin and I. He was walking along and when something interested him, would stop, put his thumb in his mouth and touch the painting. If it was my artwork, I would have smacked him. As is, I don't think anyone even told him to stop.

We strolled through the park again on our way to the next stop of the day. It has amazed us how green everything is in February. The grass is green, and we even were able to smell fresh cut grass... in February!! I think that the smell of fresh cut grass is my favorite. And the flowers are all in bloom, there are buds on trees... its lovely. If they only had snow for a week or so, I would be right on board to move here. I suppose if we were a little more north than Glasgow, we could have just that. But, yes mama, its too far away from our families and friends. So... unless you guys all are willing to move over here, I suppose we'll just move back to the States.
After our leisurely stroll through St Stephen's Green, we headed to another park. Justin could not remember the name of it, and took to calling it the "Hidden Garden" because it is just that. While St Stephen's Green is in the hub of the busy part of Dublin, this park is off a little side street tucked in the city. Unless you know where it is, you'll pass it by, therefore its tourist free. It was absolutely beautiful as well. This old statue was just one of many we saw in this park.

After the park, it was off to the mall to finish our souvenir shopping. I, of course, had to try Irish ice cream. Not as spectacular as Chile's ice cream, but it was tasty. Its hard to measure up to Chile's ice cream though. I still think its the best in the world, and would travel there just to have more of it. Two and a half months of having it at least once a day was not enough for me... But, anyway, this man was sitting outside the mall. The dog was not real, it would have been really neat if it was, but I doubt that any dog would sit absolutely still until told to do so. Especially with hoards of people passing by. But you put money in his hat, the music would start and he would start dancing all around. It was great!

By this time, our trip was coming to an end. We headed back to Justin's to make sure all our crap was in the bag to go home. But on the way we got distracted, yet again, by rugby. It was not the same group playing (thankfully) as before, and they were much better. The boys in red and black are Trinity's team, and they were quite good. Unfortunately not as good as the other team, but such is life. On the Trinity team there was this wee boy though. Honestly, he looked like he was about my height (which is 5'2.5'') and tiny. I have no idea how he did it, but he got knocked over and popped right back up... amazing.

Before we left, Mike had to have one more Irish Guinness. So, we stopped in this very Dublin pub, O'Donoghue's. They were getting set up for live music. If we only had one more night, it would have been amazing to listen to them play, but something for next time I suppose. The pub was great, and is in all the tourist books. One thing that they are famous is for the band the Dubliners starting there, so the place is decorated with loads of pictures of them playing there. Because it is in all the tourist books, at one point all these irritating tourist came in, gathered all around near us, starting taking pictures (with flash... so irritating to be blinded while you are sitting having a pint), walking around exploring and then JUST LEFT! Never bought a thing. So rude and irritating. How can you honestly experience something if you just walk in, take a picture and leave? AND isn't it rude to the establishment? People these days...

Saturday, 17 February

Today was a bit of a late start, so it was not nearly as full as Friday. Too many late nights had finally caught up with us! James and Julia were up and about much earlier than us for shopping. We had no interest, so we slept. The picture above is of Mike, James, and Justin in the courtyard of Trinity College before we ventured out for the day. The first stop was to the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology and History. It was really fascinating. They had bog men that were really well preserved. It was creepy looking at them as many of them had been severed in some way, but interesting all the same. The skin looked like leather, and there was even finger nails and hair still intact. They also had beautiful mummies, pots, metal objects, etc. It is definitely worth a walk through when visiting Dublin (and its free!).

After the museum, we came upon an open market. It was great to see all the fruits and veggies out and we even saw some we had never seen before. We decided to grab lunch there and I had the first burrito in 5 months. It was glorious.
The Christ Church Cathedral was next on the list. It was an amazing church to see. When we entered the church we were treated with a choir performance. There was a High School Choir from Naugatuck, Connecticut signing and they were phenomenal. The church itself was amazing as well. We were able to explore most of it, even the vaults.
On our way back to Trinity, we passed by Dublin Castle and decided to stop and see what it was. Its not a castle at all, but a bunch of town houses and important buildings all grouped together. (If you click on the link, it will tell you exactly what all the buildings are.) We didn't really have time to tour the State Apartments since James and Julia were leaving that evening, but we did have time for the Chester Beatty Library. It was well worth the time spent there. They have an incredible exhibit on old books of religion. They have beautifully decorated Bibles, Korans, Hindu texts, Buddhist texts, etc. It was wonderful to see all the artwork involved and learn about the significance and evolution of it. Unlike the Book of Kells, it was (1) not overloaded with tourists, (2) was a much bigger exhibit, and (3) was free for all who wish to see it. If you are planning a trip to Dublin, go there. Skip the overpriced Book of Kells, and go the the Chester Beatty Library. Not only is it free, but its a much, much, much better exhibit.
I have no idea what it is with men that makes them act like kids when you put them together. Last time we all hung out together, Justin and James were running up hills in a race, all three guys were throwing rocks into the ocean (we made a special sea side stop just for that), and none of them can say "no, I've had enough" when it comes to pints. But at least its entertaining, and hopefully keeps them young. This picture is of Justin and James chasing each other through the snake like maze outside the Chester Beatty Library. There were three little kids running through the park that thought it was great fun and started playing along with them trying to "freeze" them.
In the Chester Beatty Library there was a ... you'll never guess ... ROCK DISPENSER!! Mike, being the wonderful person he is, gave me a euro so that I could get some. I got four "spiritual" rocks to help me throughout my path in life. I cannot remember what they are for, I just think that they're pretty. I think that this is going to be my million dollar plan when we move back to the States. Rock vending machines. There has to be other nerds out there who love rocks who would love to spend their change on rocks! And think of the overhead... get a rock polisher and you're in business!

Friday, 16 February

We started out our second day in Dublin at the General Post Office. Its a massive building and is one of the sites of a resistance movement against British occupation. When you get right up to the columns, you can even see the bullet holes! The Irish lost this fight, but there are great photos and a statue to commemorate the event inside.
Then we were off to the National Gallery of Ireland. The building it is housed in is amazing. It is actually three separate buildings that have been combined by knocking out the walls. Therefore, getting from room to room is interesting. The number of stairs from floor to floor is different at times and to get to some galleries it proves tricky, but well worth it. The artwork there is wonderful and you can get right up to it. I am amazed that they let you because you know there are special people out there that don't realize that touching the painting will actually damage it. Probably why its all under CCTV surveillance and there are lots of guards.

Then because somehow James and Julia got lost (like I said, lots of crazy ways of getting around and apparently random entrances/exits to wait at), Mike and I headed over to the National Museum of Ireland, Natural History. There are four different parts of the National Museum, three being housed in Dublin. The fourth is Country Life which is outside the city, obviously. This museum was rather small, but still had some very cool rocks. But then again, I think just about any rock is wonderful. There were loads of stuffed animals too. There was a really cute looking weasel like thing native to Ireland, and a HUGE skeleton of an extinct Giant Deer.
We then grabbed some sandwiches for lunch and had a lovely picnic style lunch at Saint Stephen's Green, which is a beautiful park in the middle of the city. Thankfully we were not assaulted by massive pigeons, like in London. We were visited by beautiful little blue birds, but I cannot remember their names.


Mike and Justin

After lunch we went to meet one of Justin's friends, Daniel. He is a wonderful guy who is also studying History. I have no idea what in History, but I think that he is a Modern Historian. There are too many different kinds of Historians for me to keep straight... We met him in this wonderful cafe/bar called Cafe en Seine. It was a little place and did not look all that wonderful from the outside, but then you step inside and its spectacular. The cafe seems to keep going for miles once you step in and its incredibly ornately decorated. Needless to say, I felt way under dressed in my jeans and t-shirt, but was willing to accept the shame if they let me stay. They did. Its near the high end part of Dublin, so come 5pm its full of affluent professionals and we would have no chance of being served. Kinda like dining near Wall Street in jeans. Trust me, it doesn't work. But, again, at night they also have a piano playing and its supposed to be wonderful. Maybe next time we'll bring nicer clothes so we can go AND get served all at the same time. According to Daniel, a few years ago, this was the place for the rich to be seen with other rich people. So, here I am being "seen" at Cafe en Seine. I am definitely not monetarily rich, but I am still being seen... maybe people will think I am rich and important though.

After our wonderful tea break, we headed over to the National Library of Ireland to see the William Butler Yeats exhibit. We had seen his father and brother's artwork in the morning, so it felt fitting to see WB Yeats in the afternoon. The exhibit was amazing. I have not read a lot of his work, but it was still fascinating. Throughout the exhibit there would be rooms you could walk into that would have mini movies on Yeats' life. Each room was spectacularly decorated. They also had huge flat screen computers that had programs up so that you could actually read his work written in his handwriting. It was like you were able to read his actual journal, and it was touch screen activated so that you could turn the pages. One of these screens even enabled us to click on a portion of his handwriting, zoom in and had a feature where you could change it to typed out text. It was wonderful.

After that we quickly headed over to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. I agree with Steve, it would not be worth the 8 euro to see. Not with the Chester Beatty Library in the same city, but that's a story for another day. We thankfully got in free as Justin's guest. Every student at Trinity College gets in free as do their guests. It helps knowing people. For those of you going in the future, bribe some student to get you in, free food should work. The book was interesting and so was the information on how books were first made, but again, Steve was right. There are tons of people gladly willing to push you out of the way, because they can. It was really irritating to get up there after reading all about it to get pushed around by tourists. But, I didn't pay for it either (and I was a tourist too.) The room after the Book of Kells is marvelous though. Its Trinity's old Library called the Long Room. It contains 200, 000 of the college's oldest books. Some years ago, the ran out of room, so they took off the roof and added another level. The room is absolutely full of books, and it was amazing. We unfortunately could not take pictures in there, so hopefully I just remember it... its not likely, but thankfully there are pictures on the Internet!

After seeing the Book of Kells, we headed back to Justin's apartment, but got side tracked by a Rugby match. Mike had never seen a game before, and really liked it. It was great to be able to see it again. They were not very good though and I am positive that when Christopher played, he would have beat them after one practice during his first year playing. (Well, maybe after a few practices.)


Here are some more pictures of our day:The O'Connell Bridge

Justin had told me about these plaques before we came. They are from the book Ulysses by James Joyce. Its set in Dublin and these plaques are placed around the town with a quote and page number. The plaques have been placed at the place in town where the action in the book was taking place. I tried reading it before we went and got 15 pages into it. I think that's as far as I will ever get.

Thursday, 15 February

The Ha' Penny Bridge


This past weekend we went to Dublin to met some friends of ours. Our friend, Justin lives in Dublin, and our friends Julia and James were flying up from England. We got into Ireland at 9am after the worst flight ever. We had been told that there would be turbulence during take off and landing. Take off was not all that horrid, but landing was dreadful. The plane was shaking and dipping so much that I thought I would vomit all over.
Mike was fine and causally looking out the window at the landscape... I was sweating, shaking, and highly nauseous. My only saving grace was that all of a sudden the flight attendants turned up the AC full blast. Our friends from England had similar issues, but James was not as lucky as the rest of us. Good thing it was him that was sick though... the rest of us would more than likely have felt rotten the rest of the day. He wanted breakfast right away, and after food was ready to go for the day and drink Guinness.

The Christ Church Cathedral

The bus ride into Dublin was great. We were able to start to see the city right away. The first thing that I noticed was all the doors. I have seen the posters of the Pubs/Doors of Ireland, but it never really hit me that I would be seeing them before I was 50. The doors are amazing; red, turquoise, yellow, orange, etc. all next door to each other with no issues. If someone back home were to paint the door of their house bright orange, there might be a neighborhood intervention scheduled. At the very least, everyone would talk about them.

After a tasty breakfast at Cafe Andaluz, we headed over to the Guinness Storehouse. Along the way we passed the Christ Church Cathedral. We had other things to do, so we just checked out the outside of it and the ruins (which they do not charge you to see). The church was massive and beautiful so hopefully we will see it later on in the weekend. The Guinness Storehouse was amazing! And you get a free gift! (That's what they tell you, but believe me, we paid for it. (At least Mike was cheaper because he's a student.) Either way the storehouse was wonderful. We learned all about the brewing process and the history of Guinness. Then we went to the top where we were treated to our complimentary pint of Guinness. Again... its another "free" gift...) The view from the top of the storehouse was amazing. You can see over most of the city, and Justin tells us you can even see the hills surrounding the city on a clear day.

Next on the list was a spectacular lunch at Gallagher's Boxty House. It was my first Steak Pie since arriving in the British Isles, and it was wonderful. Mike had the beef boxty that is the restaurants speciality. Boxty is a potato pancake which they wrap around a beef / chicken / veggie tastieness. It was very good and we highly recommend trying it if you ever venture to Ireland.

We ventured over to McDaid's Pub after some early souviner shopping. Its a beautiful old pub, but small. We had tried Kehoe's before stepping into McDaid's, but that pub was relatively full already. So, thankfully we were able to grab seats for all five of us. The pub was great and we entertained the lone gentelman next to us by playing pub games. I think he was sad to see us leave for the next pub as he lost his free entertainment. He did thank us for teaching him a new game though!

Mike, Justin, and James at the last pub of the night.

This is the front of Kehoe's pub, which we stopped into but didn't stay given the fact that there was no where to sit. But the interior was definitely interesting.

Small Island

The local library recently gave away a new book to all its clientele. I was slightly confused at first, but being the good Dutch girl that I am, I asked no questions. A free book is a free book. The book is called Small Island and is written by Andrea Levy. I had no idea what to expect as it was free. In my experience its not usually the excellent books that are free, but the mediocre ones that no one really likes.
The book is set (again) during the World War II era. It has about four main characters, two being from Jamaica. I really enjoyed the way the author set up the time line of the book. Each chapter would concentrate on one particular character's story. You would hear their views, ideas and take on events. I really thought it was a brilliant way to really get to "know" the people in the book. Also, it was not a straight time line. The book started off with a prologue, then moved to 1948, then before, then back to 1948, etc. It was quite nice to read a story in this fashion.
The story is set for a bit in Jamaica, but mainly in post war London. Its about the obstacles that the Jamaican couple encounter coming to London. The husband had been in the Royal Air Forces during the war and was fairly accepted during that time, except by the Americans. Then he decided to move to London after he returned from the war. He and his wife left Jamaica behind to return to the "Mother Country" only to be rejected because of the color of their skin. Only one women allows them to rent any rooms, and that is because her husband has never returned from the war. It was an amazingly quick read and the story had all sorts of great twists. Even if it was a free book, I highly recommend it.

Stupid People - 3

Since space in the city is tight, all the major shopping centres are all outside of the city centre. Its a 20 minute walk under an overpass, through graffiti decorated walls and through even sketchier tenement blocks. Needless to say, Mike has forbid me to walk there by myself. Its one of the few times I have actually listened. Let's face it, I'm a little white girl who cannot understand what most people in this area are saying. But every 2 weeks, we trudge to the shopping mecca.
This week Mike could not make it, so I took the bus with the bus driver who tried to tell me that he didn't stop anywhere near the shopping complex (although he did) and overcharged me. So, I was already frazzled by the time I got there. All our prior experiences in Tesco have been slightly trying. Most people do their shopping on the weekend so the store is usually packed with pushy women, screaming children, and those who have found that their legs cannot possibly work at normal speeds and refuse to walk any faster than a freaking turtle! Luckily for me, some of the isles were actually clear! I was able to finally peruse and even found chocolate cake, brownie, and muffin mixes. They even had pancake mix! (I have only seen chocolate cake mix once before and we have looked everywhere for it.) So, I got to the check out and realized that all the perusing and finding new products had resulted in me getting too much. I had money for the groceries (thankfully) and some left, but I still had one more stop. I decided to hit the ATM outside for a little extra cash just in case. Unlike usual there was no line! I walked right up to the ATM, slid my card in, punched in my code (and I even remembered it!), and then all hell broke loose. The stupid machine was apparently not working anymore. It was the same machine I used before my shopping, but now the card was not being spit out correctly. The machine started beeping louder and faster, and I almost had my card out when some man came up to my side and started talking to me. Needless to say, the distraction resulted in my f*#^ing card being eaten. What this man was trying to tell me was that the same thing had just happened to him. This man had watched me walk up to the machine, put my card in, try to get money out, and THEN decided to tell me that it wasn't working.
I told the customer service desk inside the store that the machine wasn't working (which they already knew...) and walked back outside. This same man came back up to me and started telling me that I needed to go find someone to help. He needed his card back. That's when I smiled and said there was nothing I could do and walked off. My mama would have been proud of me. I did not swear at him at all even though he really deserved it.
Mike thankfully came all the way up to the store to "save" me (and in record time too! And he even walked through rain and driving winds!) And in the end, I would have had enough money to cover what we needed from the other store. Although it was wonderful not having to carry it all back by myself!

The Iron Horse

Today's new pub was 'The Iron Horse'. We, again, stumbled upon this pub by chance. The outside of the pub is pretty bland, but the inside was really pretty. There is a massive stained glass light cover that was gorgeous and the woodwork is amazing.
While we were talking, a big burly man approached us with a grocery bag full of cigarettes. "Can I interest you in any ciggies?" We stated that we weren't and he immediately moved on to the next table. Since cigarettes are so expensive here, he either has just came back from Gibraltar or held up a liquor store. I hope that it's Gibraltar, Mike is doubtful of this.

Pub Hopping

This weekend we met up with another International Student from Canada to check up some pubs we had read about. They were supposed to be great Glaswegian pubs and were listed in Scotland the Best guide as being the best of the unique and old unspoilt pubs of Glasgow. As there were three that were all right next to each other, we decided to hit them all at once. That and they are right near the Clyde, in a slightly sketchy part of town. Elise and I were glad that Mike was with us! Well... here is what we thought of the pubs we visited that evening...

The first pub was the Scotia Bar. Its a wee pub right near St Enoch Square (a fairly large shopping mall.) Mike really liked this one because of the architecture. He had written a paper on the social aspects of pubs regarding to class in London. As he was writing the paper he learned quite a bit about the structure of the old pubs and why it was that way, and so on. Well, this pub still had the original snug dividers, which he found really interesting. And this was the most interesting bar, but it also happened to be the most popular bar. Because of this we were not able to get seats, so only were able to look around. I suppose we'll just have to go back to check out the ales!

The next on the list was Clutha Vaults. Now given the name I thought it was going to be a lot more intriguing than it was. Just your normal hole in the wall pub. It did have really beautiful watercolors of the city up on the walls though. It was your typical Glaswegian pub though, complete with the staring regulars, and loud arguments over who knows what. More than likely football (soccer) as there was a big match over here that day.

The third pub of the night was The Victoria Bar, or the Briggait. This one wasn't as bad as the Clutha Vaults. There was a small band playing on one side of the pub and it was nice to listen to. The bar staff were nice, although fairly inattentive since again, there was a football game on the tele. I had the oddest beer at this pub though. It was called Belhaven's Best. It was okay at first, but then came the unmistakable stench of vomit. And it wasn't from someone in the pub, it was from my glass. The beer had the most horrendous smell of vomit and it was awful. I WILL NOT be having that again!!

Either way, I think that Elise thought we were crazy for (1) walking that close to the Clyde right before nightfall and (2) we actually took her to those pubs. After those three we headed to the wonderful O'Neill's for something to eat. Interestingly enough it was in a beautiful old building in the Merchant City and the interior was amazing! Out of all four we went to that evening, this would be the one we bring people to. Slightly sad since its one of many in a mega pub chain, but its still really wonderful!
(stay tuned for photos of the pubs later on in the week!)

4 February 2007

The State

Mike normally meets me on my walk home from work. He likes to get out after a long days reading through books and writing papers, but mainly I think he likes it because of all the pubs between the M8 and our apartment. The pub we normally stop at was closed for the week so that they can install their super-chilled system. SO, we looked around the corner and spotted 'The State.'
The inside of the pub was amazing. Lots of stuff to look at and the seats even looked like they were the originals. The bar maid was incredibly nice and took the time to recommend different ales to us as well. Not something you usually get in a pub, which was a pleasant surprise. AND it looks like they have quite a bit of live music as well in the evenings. Needless to say, we will be heading back to this pub in the future! 5 February 2007

Love over Scotland

This is the third in the 44 Scotland Street series written by Alexander McCall Smith. The series started as a serial novel written in one of the Scottish newspapers, The Scotsman, and blossomed into what it is now. I suppose what drew me to read the books was the fact that it is set in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, and there are references to Glasgow as well. Mainly as the uneducated, seedy part of the country, but all the same, we are mentioned!
It is about the residents of 44 Scotland street and the people that they befriend. The lovely part about the series is that they are nothing more or less than the telling of people's lives, people that you can imagine meeting on a street in Edinburgh (where the book takes place), Glasgow, New York, Chicago, etc. The characters are wonderfully complex and make me want to read more and more about them. My favorite character so far is Bertie. He is a six year old boy who wants nothing more to be a six year old boy. But his mother is more than overbearing. She has him speaking fluent French by the age of four along with playing the tenor saxophone, attending psychotherapy, yoga, the Teenage Orchestra, and all the while working ahead on every subject. The mother is crazy and calls it all "The Bertie Project." I am pretty sure that everyone she meets, except the psychotherapist, thinks she's nuts which she is. But either way, the book is excellent and I really hope that another book in the series ensues.

Celtic Connections 8

The New Irish Tradition
Saturday, 3 February 2007

This was the last event of the Celtic Connections festival that we'll attend. Today it comes to an end, which is incredibly sad as we have had a wonderful time this past couple weeks listening to all the music in the city. But our last concert was lovely. This one was held at St Andrew's in the Square which is an old church that was saved from ruin by being converted into a beautiful venue with a restaurant in the basement. As seating was first come, first serve, we decided to get there early. So we had a wonderful meal in the restaurant in the basement. The food was excellent and they use mainly all Scottish ingredients. And the dessert was DEVINE. One of the best cheesecakes I have ever had the chance to consume.

I took a couple of pictures of the ceiling and the clock in the back of the church...

The first group on was Caoimhin O Raghallaigh, playing the fiddle, and Mick O'Brien, playing the pipes. This was an amazing act and I would love to purchase their CD that's out. They were incredibly mellow in their tunes and both played beautifully. I think that their music would be the ultimate relaxation method ... I can just imagine their music playing in the background with a glass of wine and a good book ... it sounds lovely.

The next group that played was definitely more lively in their song choices. They played excellently as well. It was advertised as just being Andy Morrow, playing the fiddle, and Tony O'Connell, playing the concertina, but came with three others playing the flute, guitar, and drum. They all played excellently together as well, so well in fact that they were cheered on to play one more set. The only irritating thing about that was that they seemed to "know" this would happen. They left all instruments on the seats for easy pick up upon returning.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin

I have read many a book throughout my life and have inevitably forgotten what quite a few were about or that I had read them at all. So... in my attempt to remember, I am going to try to post my thoughts and perceptions on the books I do read.

I just finished reading Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. I had also read The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by him, which is a great book about a fictional South American country.
For those of you who do not know, Captain Corelli's Mandolin is set in Greece during World War II and follows the life of Pelagia before and after the Italian and German occupation. It started off a tad slow (along with the first book of his I read as well), but was interesting and well written all the same.
The night that I finished it, I stayed up to nearly midnight just to finish the book. Since I am usually well past my prime by 10pm, this is a big thing for me. I'm 24 years old and cannot make it past 10 o'clock at night. Staying up until midnight on New Year's Eve was rough... but anyways... So, I stayed up until nearly midnight so that I could find out what would happen to the ill fated love of Pelagia and the Italian captain, Antonio Corelli. He narrowly escaped death by a Nazi firing squad, and was nursed back to health by Pelagia. Pelagia saw him off as he escaped into the darkness to try to help the fight against the Nazi's and promises to return to her when the war ends. He even leaves his much loved mandolin with her to ensure that his promise to return will happen. Now, while the ending was not bad, it wasn't great either.
This being the second Louis de Bernieres book I have read, I have come to the conclusion that he does not like it when all ends well and happy and the reader has warm fuzzies about the whole thing. There was definitely gore and violence in both books and leaves you questioning human nature. Yet I would recommend either of these books to anyone.
As soon as we get home though, I want to watch the video of Captain Corelli's Mandolin to see if it ends the same way!