One Year and 8 weeks - Craic on the Emerald Isle

The day before we were supposed to leave for Ireland, we were able to pick up our new residence permits (only after 2 months waiting), which expire the beginning of March 2012, so that yet again we will be permitless and unable to leave the country for 1 to 2 months.  Ah well... in the meantime, it means we can leave the country without concern.

Painting Guinness advert
outside of pub in Galway City

Wednesday night, we flew from Zürich to Dublin for a long Easter weekend in Ireland.  We got in late to Dublin, so we spent the night near the airport.  In the morning, we rented a car and took off for Ireland's west coast.  The first half of the day was slightly stressful because the Irish drive on the left side of the road, so M kept reminding K "driver to the centre, driver to the centre..." while K also had to deal with a manual transmission car.  Despite the traffic near Galway, our destination for Thursday, this was probably some of the easiest driving of the trip since it was primarily highway driving.

In Galway, we parked the car and strolled about town.  First, we found Eyre Square, the center of Galway City, and then made our way to a pub/restaurant off the square to have some lunch and our first pint in Ireland.  After lunch, we walked around to some of the city "highlights," which included Lynch's Window, where the serving mayor in the late 1400s hung his son for murder (supposedly giving us the term lynching), the home of Nora Barnacle (James Joyce's wife), and the Spanish Arch, probably named for Spanish traders that used to frequent the harbor.  We also walked through the touristy shopping district, where the traditional Irish Claddagh ring is sold.

Pub in Oranmore, Co. Galway

Galway was pretty crowded particularly with it being a bank holiday weekend and there being such nice weather (we had good weather almost everywhere, which we were told was atypical), so we decided to leave and to find the bed and breakfast we were staying at in Oranmore, a small village about 10 km away.  After pretty horrendous traffic leaving Galway and driving back and forth across Oranmore, we finally made it to Oranhill Lodge, which had two incredibly friendly hosts.  They wanted to hear all about us and were excited to give us advice on where to go to make the most of our short time in Ireland.  After we settled in, we walked to one of the local pubs to have a drink, then headed to one of the Indian restaurants in Oranmore.  We had a delightful dinner and left the restaurant stuffed.  We walked back to the bed and breakfast and turned in.

Us at the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare

Cliffs of Moher

Beaches of the Burren

The next morning (Good Friday-which is the only "dry" day in the calendar for all of Ireland) we had a lovely breakfast; K got a mini full Irish breakfast, and M got an egg and cheese on a toasted crumpet. We  got some more advice on what to see on the day's outing and got in the car and started towards the Cliffs of Moher, located in County Clare, about an hour and 15 minutes away from Oranmore.  The only bad weather we had for the trip was at the cliffs-it was windy and raining sideways. Despite the weather, the view of the cliffs was beautiful.  We walked along the cliffs, waved frantically in the direction of North America across the Atlantic, and tried to catch a glimpse of a puffin (which may have been one of the black specks we saw on a giant rock).  Once we were cold and wet enough, we went into the visitor center to learn a little bit how the cliffs were made and about the surrounding environs.

The Burren

After we left the cliffs, we drove around the Burren, a karst landscape studded with enormous limestone bedrock.  We stayed mostly on the edge of the Burren, right along the water, which was primarily lined with cliffs.  The drive was beautiful, but slightly harrowing, often with only an ancient dry stone wall separating our car from the dropoff.  We got out of the car every now and then to climb on the rocks and enjoy the view.  Some of the coastline opened up into some nice sandy beaches as well.  M had fun running all over the beach, and we both had fun looking at objects in the tidal pools.  We stopped for lunch at a small cafe in the middle of nowhere with slow service, delicious food, and a wonderful view of the hills and the ocean.

After lunch we headed back out into the Burren in search of the Burren Perfumery, which was recommended by the hosts of our B&B.  After some almost off-roading in the Opel rental car, we found the perfumery, which in additional to selling soaps and lotions, distills it's own fragrances from the unique flowers found in the Burren.  We watched a slideshow on local plant life in the area, and then strolled through their small herb garden.

Following the perfumery visit, we drove to Poulnabrone, a portal tomb in the Burren, which we had passed on our way into the perfumery.  This portal tomb is estimated to be 6000 years old.  (By the way, Stonehenge is estimated to be only 4500 to 5000 years old.)  The limestone slabs of which it is constructed are quite large, about 4 or 5 feet high, and it is amazing to think that our Bronze Age ancestors were able to construct this tomb with such a heavy building material.  At the tomb, M decided to practice her French on unsuspecting French tourists; they were happy to have her take their picture in front of the tomb.

Poulnabrone Portal Tomb

Connemara

After the tomb visit, we headed back to Oranmore.  Since it was Good Friday, no pubs were open, so we had Irish fastfood (SuperMacs), and then turned in for the night.  The next morning, we had another delicious breakfast (the mini again for K and french toast for M).  We then headed north through the County Galway into the Connemara.  The Connemara is actually primarily bogland, from which peat historically has been harvested.  But it is not exactly how we pictured a bog to be.  We thought it would be...well...more wet.  And it is kind of muddy, but parts of it look pretty much like grassy prairies with short brush dotted throughout the landscape.  We drove up and over and across the Connemara.  We passed the beautiful Kylemore Abbey, hiked for an hour or so in the Connemara National Park, where we got to learn some about the landscape, and stopped for a small lunch in pub in Clifden.  We then headed onto the Sky Road, a winding loop along the coast with fantastic views of the coast, sheep, and the famous Connemara ponies.  We then went northward to the town of Westport, in the County Mayo, where we had just booked a room for the night in local B&B close to the town center.  We wandered around town to try to find a restaurant, but found the town had many more pubs than restaurants.  We settled on a hotel restaurant and had an alright meal.  Then, we walked over to the famous Matt Malloy's pub for craic.

Craic (pronounced "crack") is the Irish/Gaelic word for fun, good conversation, and just overall enjoying yourself.  Since the previous night had been Good Friday, the Irish had to make up for all the missed drinking and merriment for the night before.  At the pub, we installed ourselves at a little table and enjoyed pints of Guinness and Bulmer's cider and waited for the traditional Irish music to start.  While we waited, we struck up conversations with a cast of characters, including a friendly Dubliner in Westport for his stag party, a sloshed bloke from Northern Ireland who claimed to be an Olympic gymnast from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and a Frenchman from Brittany, who it turns out was playing the Irish flute with the Irish band that night.  (In case you didn't know-and we certainly didn't-Breton is one of six Gaelic languages spoken in the world today.) We really enjoyed the conversation, as well as stomping and clapping along to the music.  It was a very convivial atmosphere.

Easter Sunday, we left Westport to make the relatively boring and long drive back to Dublin.  On the way, we stopped at the Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey welcome center in the town of Tullamore, where we got to learn about the making of Irish Whiskey, as well as some history about the area.  K sampled some of their whiskey, while M tried their whiskey liqueur, Irish Mist.  We had some lunch at a local cafe, and then got back on the road to Dublin.

Once we made it to the hotel in Dublin, we dropped off the rental car and hung out at the hotel, which was again close to the airport.  We then set about planning what we would see the next day.

Monday morning, we caught the bus into the center of Dublin and started our self-guided tour of Georgian architecture.  In addition to walking around town and looking at the buildings and statues, we also popped into the Irish National Gallery which had a small but excellent collection of European art, from Titian to Picasso to Vermeer to Monet.  There was also a small collection of works from Irish artists.

L-R Trinity College; Oscar Wilde statue; Georgian building near Irish National Gallery

After the art museum, it was time to find what we had really come to Dublin for:  the Guinness Storehouse.  "To store," in brewing terms, means to add yeast.  So the Guinness Storehouse used to be the building where they added the yeast to the wort prior to fermentation.  Today, the storehouse is a 7-story tall museum dedicated to Guinness, its history and its product, that is actually in the shape of the world's largest "pint" glass.  Through the different floors, you get to learn about beer brewing, learn how to appreciate a Guinness beer using all five senses, learn how to properly pour a Guinness (which takes 119.5 seconds), and look at and watch old Guinness advertising.  K got to pour his own Guinness on one of the floors and got a certificate saying he is a master pourer.  At the top of the "pint" glass is the Gravity Bar, which provides one of the best bird's eye views of the city.

K demonstrating how to pour and serve a Guinness. a) Hold glass at 45 degrees.  b) Straighten the glass as it fills.  c) Let the surge settle and the head to form. d) Top off the glass without spilling.  e) Brilliant! 

Tuesday morning, we got a very early flight back to Switzerland through Geneva.  We trained back to Neuchâtel, did some errands, and gave our kitties giant hugs.

Lessons learned:
1. Failte (pronounced fall-shuh) is Irish for "Welcome".
2. Guinness is a stout, which is a type of porter, which is a type of ale, which is a type of beer. Also, Guinness is actually ruby red, not black.
3. Many pubs in Ireland (and UK) offer beers and ales.
4. Ireland is not part of the UK; Northern Ireland is.
5. You can have the foam head stamped or draw a picture of a shamrock (or anything else) with the beer as it comes out of the tap, and the picture will remain in the head until the bottom of the glass.  (Though the picture will likely be distorted by the end of your drink.)

One year and 5 weeks - Visitors!

Mary and Jack touring Neuchâtel

Last weekend, we had our second set of visitors arrive in Switzerland.  We picked up Mary and Jack, friends from California, at the Geneva airport last Saturday night and had a dinner at Les Brasseurs (the local brewpub).

Sunday, we gave them a mini-tour of the canton.  We walked down the hill and then back up to the chateau and the collegiale.  Then we strolled through town past Neuchatel's famous painted fountains.  We walked along the lake and enjoyed the views and played on the dangerous playground equipment.   In the late afternoon, we drove up to the Creux du Van for a short hike.  The weather wasn't great; it was cloudy and rainy which meant that it was quite muddy.  But we enjoyed our walk, especially when we got to see the chamois mountain goats.  There were two adult females and two yearling goats.  The goats were primarily interested in eating grass at the cliff edge and seemed unconcerned with our presence; they let us come within only a couple meters from them.   It was wonderful to be able to watch them from such a close vantage point.  Sunday night, we had fondue at home.

Monday morning we tried to visit an absinthe distillery in the Val de Travers but had neglected to see that we needed to book in advance.  We did, however, have a nice drive through the hills and valley.  Next, we took our visitors to Gruyères where we visited the fromagerie and the Nestle/Cailler chocolate factory.  We decided to skip the castle this time but did drive up to the town of Gruyères to souvenir shop and to walk along the old ramparts.  This time at the chocolate factory we arrived early enough that we were able to take advantage of the chocolate tasting at the end of the tour.  M was the only one that powered through all the samples, but, needless to say, she had a belly-ache later.  After returning to Neuchâtel in the evening, we headed up to the local peak, Chaumont, and the observation tower, to look over the valley de les trois-Lacs.

Luzern, L to R: Mary & Jack at Verkehrshaus, Swans in front of the
Hofkirche, Kapellbrücke & Wasserturm

Tuesday, we went to Luzern (Lucerne in French).  We started the day with a trip to the Verkehrshaus, also known as the Swiss Transport Museum.  Though the entrance fee was steep, the museum was pretty amazing especially for four inquisitive engineers (though M is slightly less inquisitive than the other 3).  The museum was comprised of multiple buildings, each filled with a mode of transport: trains, cars, boats, and aircraft.  It had cut-aways of a train and a steamer boat, a car crash-test demonstration, flight simulators, a giant photo map of Switzerland, and a courtyard with razor scooters to play with.  It wasn't quite as awesome as the Deutsches Museum in Munich, but it was close. After the museum, we parked in the city and walked to the lake.  We then threaded back and forth over the Reuss River on the series of bridges, one of which was the Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge, originally built in the 1300s and restored after a fire in 1993.  Next to the bridge is the Wasserturm, or Water tower, dating from the 1200s.  The town is quite pretty, particularly with Mount Pilatus towering over the lake, but Luzern is also full of tourists.  We stopped at an English pub by the river and enjoyed the late afternoon.

Geneva, T to B: CERN building,
Yvette and Sean

Wednesday, we headed to Geneva, but first stopped for a tour at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherce Nucléaire, or the European Organization for Nuclear Research).  Things got rather technical in talking about particle colliders, and, well, M got kinda bored.  (In her defense, there was a group of Dutch teenagers that wouldn't shut up making it pretty hard to follow the technical explanations.) K, Mary, and Jack were enthralled.

  In the afternoon, we met up with Sean and Yvette, more friends from California, now currently living in Wisconsin, who had arrived for a day in Switzerland to accompany Mary and Jack to Italy on the next leg of their journey.  After we had everyone in tow, we walked around the city a bit to see the Flower Clock and the Ile Rousseau.  We were also able to see the Jet d'Eau this time, which had been off during our last visit.  Since we didn't have enough room in the car for 6 people, we split up.  The girls took the train back to Neuchatel, and the guys drove.  The final meal of the visit was another fondue.  There was lots of fun conversation and laughter so it was with reluctance that we turned in close to midnight.

Thursday morning, we bid "adieu" to the gang at the Neuchatel train station as they caught their train to Italy.  Then, we headed to work for a short week.

This Saturday, we had a somewhat unexpected guest.  We learned midweek that a friend from California, Joseph, now living in Chicago, was in Zurich for business.  We invited him to Neuchâtel and gave him a tour of the town.  The weather was wonderful (t-shirt weather), and we walked by the lake and through the market which was full with people out enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures.  In the late afternoon, we decided to head up to Creux du Van for the second time in a week.  Though we saw no chamois this time, the view was awesome.  The skies were blue, and we could see the Alps behind us, as well as part of Ile St. Pierre in Lac de Bienne.  We got back to Neuchatel just in time for Joseph to catch the 7:30 train back to Zurich and for us to get ready for a colleague's birthday party.   We had an interesting time at the party.  M primarily stuck with the English and Spanish speakers, but K chatted up some of the francophone guests.

Sunday, we took the bikes out to enjoy the gorgeous weather.  We decided to go easy, so we made it a relatively short bike ride to La Tène.  Everybody else in Neuchatel seemed to think that being outside was an excellent idea too, and all the grassy areas we passed were brimming with people grilling, sun bathing or playing volleyball.

Lessons learned:
1)  So figured out why we haven't gotten our residence permits.  Apparently, the commune was missing some paperwork from our company that justifies why they need to employ us, non-EU/Swiss citizens.  And apparently, the commune had asked the law firm that had handled the paperwork for our original application to provide this paperwork.  The law firm ignored the requests, so the commune threatened our company that if they didn't get the paperwork in 10 days, we'd be deported.  Fortunately, it appears that HR was able to clear things up so that we will not be kicked out of the country.  However, we won't be convinced that everything is alright until we get our new permits.
2) CERN was founded in 1954 and straddles the French/Swiss border.