Notes From Another Land

Remembering 2014

“He is the happiest man who can set the end of his life in connection with the beginning.”
– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

2014 was a year of firsts for me. My first move to Ireland. My first Irish job. My first visits to Germany, Scotland, Belgium, St. John’s and the Czech Republic. Followed closely by my first Irish funeral and first Irish Christmas, both in the same week.

Sadly, a member of our family passed away during the holidays. As you know from my previous post, we had been spending the past few months going back and forth between Galway and Kildare to be with them.

If you asked me why we were leaving Australia to move to Ireland at the start of 2014, I would have told you it was to travel and be closer to our families and friends. By the end of this year, we had done our fair share of travelling but it’s the moments spent with our loved ones that have stuck with me. Because of our move, I was able to visit Canada four (4!) times in one year and my parents were able to take their second Irish vacation.

We started the year off in Galway, living with the in-laws before making the move to Kildare. That first month was the best form we got to see our loved one in during 2014. They would pop over for tea, have a quick visit and bring us the papers. Our weekend trips to the West to catch up with family wouldn’t have been possible if we were still living Down Under.

As I’ve been working remotely and the husband’s work has been so flexible, we were also able to spend the past three months commuting across the country. Time is precious and those moments we spent in Galway will never be forgotten. He passed surrounded by everyone he loved, just as he would have wanted, a life lived full circle. And we were able to be there with him.

I do have travel updates to fill you in on and photos to share but right now I just want to share this one. We went for a walk in the woods, up the small ‘mountain’ near my husband’s farm after Christmas, before New Year’s Eve. In a year of ups and downs, a hillside hike seemed fitting. I wanted to think happy thoughts about what the future and 2015 may hold for us. To get some fresh winter air, rare sunshine and remember all of those moments before ringing in a New Year, new beginnings and experiences.

Happy New Year to you all and only best wishes for 2015.

One of them

When I last came through Irish Customs after my trip to Newfoundland in October, the officer took a look at my passport and residency card and said, “Ah, you’re one of us for a while.”

It made me smile. It was the first cheery response I’d had during my time in Ireland so far. Other officers had asked why I came back after being in Canada and one of them poked fun at the fact I was working for a boring old state organisation. But this guy made me think, yes I am one of you for a while.

Over the past 10 months, I’ve tried to adapt to life in a small rural town outside Dublin, faced a few red tape dramas and worked with an Irish company that has been around for 80+ years and is a household name. I’ve hosted a Paddy’s Day weekend complete with a roast dinner, watched Brian O’Driscoll play his last home game and attended networking events where I met some of the people who are giving entrepreneurship a fair go on the Emerald Isle.

This past month I’ve spent the majority of my time in Galway as we have an ill family member. I’ve been back to cafe hopping to work remotely in between hospital visits, while I try to ward off the damp and wet Atlantic weather. To top it all off, our car engine seized one day while we made our way to the hospital. We bought it in March and without warning one morning, it just spluttered and stopped. So we pushed it to the side of the road and started walking up the N17 in the sideways rain, hailing a bus after 40 minutes, soaking wet. We are back on the public transit bandwagon again, just in time for winter!

It’s been a challenging four weeks to say the least. But something funny has happened along the way. With all of the time we’ve been spending in Galway, the hubby was able to help his brother get started on building a fence and finishing up a few jobs around his house. I’ve gotten to catch up with our relatives down the road, as you can’t go for a walk without popping in at houses along the way. We’ve taken walks around Salthill where we were married, trying to clear our heads with the view. Both of our work colleagues have been more than understanding, enabling us to work flexible hours and offering support whenever they can. And the hospital staff have been friendly and accommodating, never enforcing strict visiting times. I can’t count on both hands how many offers of assistance the family has had.

As we head towards the holiday season and the start of another year, it’s made us contemplate our time in Ireland and what the future may hold. This past year has had its ups and downs, with us missing our life and friends in Brisbane and the tropical climate. But looking back, if we were in Australia we would have missed out on so many moments with family and friends in Ireland and Canada. These things have always been important to us but an illness puts a different focus on elements and events that seemed insignificant before.

I may not be Irish, fully integrated into society or quite settled yet, but I am proud to be one of them for a while.

Exploring North America’s most easterly point

This past October I took advantage of a new direct route offered by Canadian airline, Westjet, from Dublin to St. John’s in Newfoundland to visit one of my sisters. In under six hours, I was walking around the colourful streets TripAdvisor likens to a mini San Francisco!

Unfortunately I’ve only been to San Fran’s airport so the comparisons end there. But here are the noticeable differences:
– the airplane did a full on u-turn upon landing before taxiing to its gate, my first ever airplane ‘u-ey’!
– at arrivals the airport security asked if I was transiting through or home. To which I replied a confused, “neither?” Who knew visiting St. John’s isn’t an official answer…
– there is only one bar and it closes at 10.15pm, or whenever the last flight goes. This is for all you pre boarding pint happy travellers, get in early or be disappointed. Or, since the airport is a short drive from city centre, get a good drink in at your new local and then hail a cab for the trip home!

These small differences all gave me a chuckle and I hope they help prepare you for your next Newfoundland experience. Now for the good stuff – all the places I visited!

Post-emotional embrace with the sister, she wheeled me off to her local java place, Coffee Matters, before we headed to Cape Spear for a short stroll and pics at North America’s most easterly point. I can now say I’ve been at the most easterly point of two continents, Australia/Oceania and North America! I was then treated to a yummy homecooked meal, drinks and an Irish live music tribute at Kellys Pub on George Street.

The next day we went to Lester’s Farm to find the best pumpkins, walk through the corn maze and see the animals. Some little kid stole one of our pumpkins when we weren’t looking and rocked out of there with it in his wagon. Be prepared when you pick your perfect pumpkin, someone else may have their eye on it too!

This was all followed by lunch at YellowBelly Brewery (I’d go for the Irish Red Ale if I were you) and an evening at the The Duke of Duckworth (aka, the Rovers Return of NL!)

The next morning we had a leisurely brunch at Mallard Cottage in Quidi Vidi, followed by a visit to the Quidi Vidi Brewery and Village Plantation where a host of local artists work on site in their studios. I chatted to printmaker Graham Blair for a while before buying one of his Minke Whale prints.

We then hiked up Signal Hill for a view of the coast and the city below.

My last two days were spent eating and drinking in the downtown core, where the sister and I popped in and out of local shops, cafes and eateries. Here are a list of places we went to in addition to the above, all of which I’d recommend to visitors!

To eat and drink:
– Hungry Heart Cafe (a social enterprise offering tasty seasonal dishes)
– Rocket Bakery and Fresh Food (always bustling and popular with the lunchtime trade)
– The Adelaide Oyster House (newly opened, great for a good glass of wine and sampling their share plates)
– Fixed Coffee & Baking (good outdoor patio-weather pending!)
– Jumping Bean (solid coffee and a view of St. John’s main street if you’re into people watching)

To shop:
– Afterwords Book Store (for the next airplane read or addition to your personal library)
– Craft Council of Newfoundland & Labrador (for local wares, I picked up a couple of pairs of handmade wool socks)
– Fred’s Records (music and more)
– Tval Skincare (handmade natural goods inspired by Sweden and made in St. John’s)
– HOME (any gift you could ever need to buy for your humble abode or someone else’s can be found in this gorgeous shop)
– Junk (quirky pieces, I picked up a printed poster and unisex t-shirt)

To work:
– Common Ground Coworking (I had to pop in for a few hours and they were more than accommodating, with a chilled out and adorable office dog to boot!)

While it was a short trip, it was perfect for five days spent catching up with my sister, meeting some friendly locals and exploring a small, coastal Canadian city I hadn’t had the chance to while living in Ontario.

If you’re in Newfoundland or Ireland and considering taking advantage of Westjet’s seasonal and direct cross-Atlantic service, make sure you get in early. More great news for 2015: they’re also doing trips to London (and advertising in island slang!)

Weekend in London town

It seems we never tire of a trip across the pond to visit friends!

Last month we spent a long weekend in London, catching up with our Aussie mates who were over visiting from Brisbane en route to Italy. We also caught up with our other Brisbane friends and an Irish relative who are all living in London.

We rented an Airbnb in Clapham, walking distance to the tube and main shops in Clapham Common.

The husband hasn’t had much of a chance to be a tourist in the city so we headed to Camden Village to the markets before an evening trip to Westminister for a delicious gluten free dinner and drinks at The Truscott Arms. I had forgotten how nice it was to have a long, lazy meal with friends. We ate outdoors as London hadn’t been hit by autumn weather yet, in the private courtyard which was covered in fairy lights and so quiet you could mistake it for a friend’s back garden anywhere in the world. Surrounded by a table full of Aussies, some of them old coworkers, we felt as though we could have been dining al fresco in Brisbane!

The next day I took him to the chaos and shopping mecca that is Oxford Circus where we marveled at the DJ spinning tracks for shoppers at H&M, such a far cry from our tiny one main shop street village in Kildare. After a few craft pints at the famous Victorian style Princess Louise Pub in Holborn with friends, we made our way to Covent Garden to catch Once, the musical at the Phoenix Theatre. Highly recommend to any fans of the movie, Glen Hansard and/or The Frames!

We were so inspired that we decided to book our next big trip to Prague in early December to take in the Christmas markets, a bit of snow and see some of the Czech Republic (if you have no clue where this is coming from, one of the main characters in Once is Czech).

For now we are settling back into Irish life, watching the autumn hours set in as it gets darker earlier and earlier in the day. I only realised this week as we were driving down a tree lined street with orange and yellow tinged leaves, this is our first fall (North American speak for autumn) in five years! Around this time in Queensland, we’d be embracing spring and lounging by the pool as temperatures began to soar.

Now it’s time to stock up on woolly socks and layers, as the brisk weather starts to bring the temperature down. Today it was only 11 degrees and I see it has already snowed in the mountains in Banff, Canada…time to face our new reality of four distinct seasons!

Later this month I will be off to the second Ireland to visit my sister in Newfoundland, Canada. I’ll finally get to see a slice of her life over there on the rocky east coast where the locals talk a bit like the Irish and have their own tricolour flag to boot! We’ll celebrate a belated Canadian Thanksgiving complete with a pumpkin festival and I’ll get to experience the crazy island life few Canucks get to see for themselves. Happy October, enjoy the change in seasons wherever you are 🙂

Local characters

Remember when I mentioned I often find out information from complete strangers? Maybe it’s because I am inquisitive, perhaps it’s my friendly Canadian nature. Or maybe I have an inviting presence that spurns people to confide in me.

Either way, we decided to go for a lovely 10km walk through Dublin’s southeast suburbs last Saturday, where I had an in depth conversation with two 60+ male locals who filled me in on everything from council politics to the history of Grace O’Malley. Before this encounter, we had stopped along the way to watch some Gaelic Football and get a bite to eat in Ranelagh. Then we popped into a Rugby pub in Booterstown for some tea before moseying to Dun Laoghaire for a bit of post-Belgium Leffe at Dunphy’s.

This cosy spot has been open since the early 1900s and upon entering the supposedly low key pub, we were met with the sight of locals enjoying ‘a few quiet pints’, including an older gentleman sipping his Guinness while reading a novel and writing notes to himself at the bar. Cue music from Tourism Ireland. It was like discovering every tourist’s dream – a real authentic Irish pub with real authentic locals going about their Saturday night.

We sidled up to the bar, drank our Leffe and were asked for travel advice by a couple of American tourists. That’s right, I blended in and my Galway-influenced Canadian accent can now be mistaken for a local lilt.

The highlight of the night though, was meeting my two older friends, an artist and a politician, who after helping me look up DART times, started talking about the history of Irish emigration to Newfoundland in Canada. Where I just happen to be going this October to visit my youngest sister! We traded travel tips and pirate stories about Ms O’Malley, discussed the expense of the new local library during the recession (€36m lads, can you believe it?) and I was even given some advice on integrating in the Emerald Isle.

I told them I’d be back after my trip to ‘The Rock’ (Newfoundland) for a few quiet pints. Who knows who I’ll run into then?

Beers and mussels in Brussels!

We took a weekend jaunt in August to beautiful Belgium where we soaked up glorious rays of sunshine on cobblestone patios, sipping on fresh local beers and picking at our moules et frites (mussels and French fries for the less cultured readers). It doesn’t matter if I was one of you in July, since my trip to Bruges and Brussels, after countless kms spent exploring tiny alleyways built five centuries ago and brushing up my rusty French on menu translations, I am now cultured, ok?

To be frank, we spent most of our time walking. When we weren’t walking, we were stopping to admire and snapping fleeting photos. When we weren’t being tourists, we were eating and drinking. We even found time to ride in a tiny boat along the canal in Bruges, have lunch at the oldest pub (people have been frequenting it since 1515) and finally found the elusive underground haunt serving over 120 Belgian beers.

But since pictures are worth more than words, here are a few to keep you going until our next trip to London in a few weeks time to have an Aussie reunion!

In summary, here is a handy list of brews we sampled. All were delicious and small, so don’t judge us.

– Leffe (it’s a must)
– Duvel (the catch up beer)
– Primus
– Hooegarden (when in Rome, eh?)
– La Chouffe (a cute dwarf logo, what’s not to love?)
– Fort Lapin
– Saison 1858 (award winning, best enjoyed in summer)
– Malheur (dark, delicious and 12% people!)
– Mystique
– Bruge Zot
– Gauloise Ambree
– Stella Artois (but of course)
– Jupiler
– Delirium Tremens (very tasty)
– Campus Premium
– Floris Wit Blanche
– Westmalle

Summer love

Amy Lynch | Notes From Another Land | Toronto Canada

I have had a whirlwind of a summer!

I’ve walked the cavernous rooms of the Tate Modern while discussing life in small town Ireland with our friends in London. Stumbled across a makeshift throwback to my hometown in Borough Markets, while sipping on freshly pressed watermelon juice.

Wandered the streets of Dublin City South suburbs in search of potential homes, apartments and neighbourhood haunts with the fantasy of moving back to a city. To the buzz, the hum and the noise of other people, events and life in motion.

I’ve been on dress duty in Toronto, looking on as one of my childhood friends married her travel partner and New Zealander soulmate on Toronto Island in a dreamy and warm beach wedding along Lake Ontario.

I’ve explored Irish and Canadian seaside, countryside and cityscapes by foot, train, DART, streetcar, VW Golf, ferry, water taxi and plane. I’ve yet to ride a bicycle in over four years!

I’ve watched baseball, FIFA World Cup, hurling and Gaelic football games. Families playing in the park during the long Irish summer evenings and moonlit cinema movies on picnic blankets in the Christie Pits park.

I’ve found a great BBQ restaurant on South George Street, dined on seafood and sauv blanc in the quaint suburb of Howth and drank some of the best coffee in Toronto at Jimmy’s on Portland.

Of course I’ve also been enjoying both Irish domestic and Canadian craft brews, as long as the summer patio season will allow.

Now as the days are getting shorter and I’ve touched back down in Dublin to go back to work I’m left with a funny feeling. That life is not split 50/50 for us between two countries. Some of me still feels like it’s in Brisbane, while other parts long to discover new European destinations and relax with friends and family in the Canadian comfort of home.

How can I be from one place and love others so much?

Having a laugh

Amy Lynch | Notes From Another Land | Kilkenny Ireland

I’ve been off the radar for a month now! My how time flies.

Just a little snippet of what I’ve been up to:

A quick spring trip home to Canada to eat great true north strong and free food (and to see my family and friends of course).

Joining the Irish workforce in Kildare, going to meetings in Dublin, cafe hopping at lunch and navigating the public transit system.

Bridesmaid wedding prep duties for the official occasion in Canada this August and hitting up Ireland’s east coast beaches in hopes of acquiring some colour.

Roadtripping in our VW (Lady in Red) across Kildare, to Kilkenny and Galway.

Spending the Bank Holiday weekend at the Cat Laughs festival in Kilkenny where we saw five gigs and 21 comedians over three days. Solid giggles all weekend long! The husband also celebrated his birthday in the city of the ‘Medieval Mile’.

Stay-cationing in Dublin. The weather has been great so far this month with calls for sunshine over the next week. So, we’ll be exploring our own backyard in between catching World Cup matches!

Highlights from the Highlands

Easter in Edinburgh, Notes from Another Land, travel, adventure, vacation, blog

I’m on a bus to Dublin airport en route to Canada for the bank holiday weekend so I might as well share some highlights from our trip to Edinburgh.

First I will start with Customs – for all you international couples out there, be sure you check your boarding pass before going through security. Turns out I forgot I’m not really Irish or an EU passport holder so we had a bit of a hiccup at the gate. Luckily I made it through with a sheepish grin!

Once we touched down it was under 20 pounds for a black taxi from the airport to our hotel on Bread St at the Double Tree Hilton. We were a short stroll to the theatre district and Grassmarket area, which is a lot more touristy now but back in the day, was used as a public gallows and an area for selling livestock (like the ‘mart’ as they say in Ireland). It was here that we sampled some local brews and whisky at The Last Drop. You may guess by the name, it was supposedly where those visiting the gallows enjoyed their last drink in this life. Similar to England, they ring a bell for last call and sometimes dim the lights. In Ireland they usually flash the lights before ‘lock in’ where the bar is closed from outside but you can still finish your pint.

We spent the next day walking the Royal Mile which leads to the Queen’s home when she visits the city at Holyrood Palace. On our way, we stopped by the Scottish Parliament and sat in the sunshine at the bottom of Arthur’s Seat.

We walked up to Calton Hill instead of the more serious climb up the former, for a lookout over the city and the Firth waterway that surrounds the northern part of Edinburgh. It was beautiful.

Oh look, here’s a pic I snapped of some local lawn bowl players. Almost felt like we were back in Oz!

We walked back up Princes Street amongst the throngs of shoppers and ate at a pub down one of the pedestrian streets.

Later that night we had drinks at Brodies Tavern, another local tourist spot and rested up for a big day at Edinburgh Castle, which sits atop volcanic rock overlooking the city from all angles. Tip: buy your admission tickets online to skip the queue.

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying more sunshine and stopped in at the Elephant House Cafe where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter.

That night we went to Frankenstein’s, one of the popular local bars, where we sang along to karaoke (badly of course)!

It was surprisingly quiet for a long weekend but being Easter, everyone was probably enjoying time with the family. It was nice as the city wasn’t too overcrowded with tourists, which we heard happens during festival season. The city seems to have events happening on a regular basis and there’s definitely enough to see during a weekend trip.

Edinburgh is a beautiful city and I will hopefully go back again!