Anita and I listen to Today FM in the morning. It’s a national station, broadcasting somewhere between 100 and 102 MHz all over the country. Most of the radio stations here have a programming format that I would describe as old-fashioned: a potpourri of DJ banter, call-in games and prizes, comedy routines, and pop music across at thirty-year span.
Here’s a sampling of music that we hear quite frequently on the radio. You’ll probably recognize most of it from American radio! (more…)
I am no Rick Steves, but here’s what he won’t tell you about Dublin, Ireland….
There is a new place called the Bakker B&B, est 2007. Conveniently located to the airport and is walk-able to many tourist attractions, such as Trinity College, Grafton St Shopping, St Stephen’s Green, etc.
The Bakker B&B is very homey & welcoming. Don’t let the name of the address fool you. “The Basement” is the place to be with a radiantly heated stone floor & crazy fireplace. This place is comfy & warm, not damp & misty, like the Ireland outside its door in November.
The guest accommodations are suitable for double occupancy & are the same rate for singles even during the peak season…(more about that later). Your stay at the BBB includes breakfast, but upon request may also include lunch & dinner (or dinner & supper).
Be sure to engage the owners in local and national news in the States. If you are lucky, they will even share a pint with you at the local pub, whether Guinness or Jameson, both are sure to make fast friends, especially if you buy a round or two.
Extra Special Perks include – a free walking tour of Dublin and Tourist information, such as info on local customs, maps, pamphlets, & reading materials. Internet connection is available by request.
The BBB is open all year round, but only exclusively by reservation. A minimum of 6 weeks notice is required.
Though the Euro is currently a lot stronger than the dollar, this visit is a must for all loyal (passport carrying) Bakker Bugle Blog readers. During the high season (April/May/June) visitors should book their exact dates of travel to lock in their stay.
Your satisfaction, like the coffee…….may be instant.
In no particular order:
The B.B. B&B hosts Sharon and Jaime, great friends and honoured Commenters of this blog. Their visit started with a chilly walk around Dublin, but all four of us were pleasantly surprised to see that Grafton Street has been decorated for Christmas.
Tomorrow, we depart for the Ring of Kerry. Anita and I saved this famous Irish destination for our esteemed visitors. Our first stops will be the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, followed by a night at a B&B in Killarney. On Monday, we’ll drive around the Ring of Kerry clockwise — the opposite of the direction that the tour buses use. On Tuesday, we plan to visit the Rock of Cashel.
By coincidence, we served Cashel Blue cheese at our party last night.
The last weekend in October was a bank holiday weekend (meaning a Monday off). That Monday, the 27th annual Dublin marathon chose to start in our front yard (literally). The main start was on the east side of Fitzwilliam Square, so the runners lined up in front of our house as they sorted between their start times.
I’d never been to a major race before. The start times were a bit staggered (elite women at 8:45, wheelchairs 10 minutes later, then the main start a bit after nine), so I dragged Will out early. It was like a small carnival outside our door — skinny people in trash bags, not so skinny people in trash bags and others in more normal running clothes. They were all over — some already lining up to get into the stalls, others wandering around talking to friends and family, still others making use of our park for a public toilet….
Will and I headed up to the starting line. It was a cool morning, only in the 40’s, but that is the perfect temperature for a long run (or so I’m told). It was so emotional and exciting to be at the start and I didn’t even know anyone running. Watching the runners throw their extra clothes and trash bags off right before the start, seeing the runners bounce and bob as they get ready for the start, feeling the large group pass you by as the main start happens…. it is a overwhelming experience. I can’t imagine how much more so it must be for the runners.
The most amazing part is how fast the city of Dublin cleans up after these events. The streets around our square were wrecked with clothes, wrappers, bottles and floating trash bags, but within a couple of hours, the city workers had the square looking like normal again.
Take a look at our photos of the event at Flickr: Set of Marathon Photos
I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that we have settled into our lives here in Dublin. Work has become more routine for me and Will seems to have exited his “tourist” phase and entered his “daily living” phase. When life starts to become more routine, the creativity of the BB staff becomes a bit stale. We here at the Bugle vow to fight that staleness with the freshest and most exciting content that we can possibly find!
Between now and the holiday season, the Bugle will continue to bring you interesting and exciting reporting. The BB B & B will be opening for some guests from the US. The holiday season in Ireland is almost upon us and we should have some specials stories relating to that. The Bugle will also be going back into history and reporting on stories from the fall that were missed at the time, including more from the trip to London and other thrilling events that happened here in Dublin.
Stay tuned!
Let’s talk about population first. The population of the island of Ireland is about 6 million persons. About 4.25 million of them live in the Republic of Ireland (the twenty-six counties). For the rest of this post, “Ireland” means the entire Ireland: Northern Ireland and the Republic (that is, all thirty-two counties).
Since so many readers of this blog are American, I’ll use US states for comparison. Illinois has a bit more than double the population of the island of Ireland.
The states that have approximately the same population as Ireland? (more…)
As I’ve mentioned previously, we’ve been really thrilled to get the NFL on our satellite. We were especially excited because we realized Sky Sports was broadcasting the “Game of the Season” between the Colts and the Patriots. The only downside — the game started at 9pm Dublin time. Recognizing that there was no way I was going to stay up until after midnight on a Sunday just to watch a football game, we set up the DVR and headed to bed.
In the States, delaying the game would have been a challenge. There would be no way to avoid knowing the outcome. But Will and I were confident that none of the newspapers in Dublin would report on outcome. We were right, so Monday night, we settled in to watch the game.
I’ve always liked Peyton Manning and I grew up close to the Colts, so I sat down and put my cheers behind Indy. Will was indifferent. Both of us, however, really enjoyed the game. (We watched it over two evenings.) While the outcome could have been better, the actual football played was excellent. The caliber and quality of the play was terrific.
I don’t know how many other games we will get to see this year that will be as excellent as that one, but I do know that I’ll be checking the schedule each Sunday!
Anita and I bought tickets to see Andrew Bird this Saturday night at a venue called Tripod. Tripod is a ten minute walk from our place, in a converted train station. The tickets were waiting at the box office.
There are two other music venues in the same train station: Crawdaddy and Odeon. I walked past the train station more than once a week, and yet I didn’t know where the entrance for Tripod is. So on Friday afternoon, I walked completely around the building. Tripod was closed, of course, but I still couldn’t find anything resembling a box office or an entrance. My best guess was that Crawdaddy and Tripod shared an entrance on the ground floor, since Tripod was on the first and second floors of the building.
No worries — we just left a little early on Saturday.
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