A lot has happened in the last couple of months. I moved. Summer is officially here. The Irish version, at least. And I've gotten to do some pretty cool things, even though my search for a job has been increasingly difficult and frustrating. However, the mostly nice weather does make my lack of work entirely more tolerable.
I moved out of the busy city center, to Rathmines, which is about a 30 minute walk from where I was previously living. I live in a nice area now, though our apartment is in the "basement," which is really more like a deeper ground floor that is horribly damp and a bit moldy/mildewy. We purchased some plants, and two of them have mold all along the soil, and nothing ever dries. You can hang up a towel that you used after taking a shower and 2 days later it will still be damp. I have never encountered this problem anywhere I have lived before, and it's a bit off-putting.
Before the concert. During Hozier's set. I really wish I would have gotten an after picture. We were destroyed, muddy, and soaking wet. It would have been hilarious to compare.
I got to go see the Foo Fighters and Hozier at Slane Castle. The weather was absolutely miserable though. It was pissing rain the entire day, and my trusty North Face rain jacket proved to be not so waterproof after all. I mean it kept me dry for about 3 hours, but when it rains all day and night, 3 hours is not enough! My friend Hugh took me to the show as he ended up having an extra ticket. However, I can't say that I truly saw the Foo Fighters as we didn't end up seeing their whole set. There may have been a bit too much drinking, a bit too much mud, and a bit too much rain involved.
Brunch poutine chips @ Taco Taco were divine though probably not very traditional poutine. Pesto Mediterranean pasta @ the Metro. Ham, leek, and cheese sandwich served with a grain, veggie, and pomegranate salad @ Considered.
I, of course, have been eating at lots of great restaurants, though I really shouldn't be. I am way too poor to be eating out and eating as unhealthy as I have been. Oh well. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and a fatty meal just hits the spot so right. It's weird how satisfying it is to eat both an incredibly unhealthy meal and an incredibly healthy meal depending on one's mood.
Pitt Bros. So good.
My friend and I went to this BBQ restaurant called Pitt Bros. It was superb. Dare I say on par with Kansas City BBQ, and that's saying a lot. It was delicious, the atmosphere was super fun and fresh, they had tasty homebrews, and you could grab as much self-serve ice cream as your heart desires at the end of your meal. We ended up getting a platter to share. It came with ribs, pulled pork, & sausage as the main courses, and we chose bone marrow mac & cheese and fries on the side. The mac and cheese was the only thing that wasn't fantastic. All the BBQ sauces they had were delicious as well. We have been talking about going back ever since.
All pictures taken on the same day, the same walk, the same few hours, up to the mountain and back down.
I walked around some of the Wicklow mountains, which were beautiful. Striking views of the city and on the other side more mountains. I also took the Luas (tram) to nearly the end, which is on the outskirts of Dublin. There were some farms, and I got to kick it with a really nice, but really sick looking horse. He was sad! He came up to us, and just wanted some loving.
Poor lonely horsey.
A couple weekends ago, I took a swim at the Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire. The Forty Foot is a spot when the tide is in, where the water is 40 feet deep (hence the name) and with a little "cliff" to jump off of. And I when I say swim, I mean that I jumped into the ungodly breathtakingly cold water, and immediately swam as fast as I could to get out! Twice. Ha. I checked the temperature later, and it turned out to be 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which does not sound nearly as bad as it feels. Trust me.
These are 99s from Teddy's Ice Cream in Dun Laoghaire, a famous ice cream shop. I didn't get a photo of the Forty Foot, so this is me looking in the direction of the Forty Foot. The Forty Foot is on the other side of the building with the reddish roof.
I really miss summer. Like real summer. Like sweat your balls off, you can't move, the air is so thick, kind of summer. Therefore, I am dedicated to acclimatizing myself to the sea here. If I can't have my real summer with float trips, pool parties, and other water-related activities, then I must learn to love swimming in frigid Atlantic water. That being said, I am going surfing this weekend in Donegal, which I am super stoked about! I hope that this surfing expedition fares better than my last. Considering there will be proper lessons, I am confident there is no way I could suck as bad as before. In the meantime, I must go off to look for this incredibly elusive thing called a job.
Kimchi & burnt end fries @ Bread and Bones. Salad and chili I made, which was delish.