Spring-summer update

Yeah, I know, I haven't been posting much lately... I've been trying to spend my free time outdoors or socializing, rather than in front of my computer, since I've been quite busy at work : )

Since I last posted, I've taken some time off to travel and surf in California and Mexico and in early June I volunteered for Surf2Heal in Tramore, Ireland. That week I also moved from my apartment in Charlotte Quay with amazing views to Grand Canal Dock to a house in the very neat sea town of Dalkey.

A friend had offered her old car to me, but the transfer ended up not happening for different reasons. Now that I put the idea in my head that I would get a car, I'll probably buy one anyway. I need freedom to travel to the West in the search of waves : )

The move to Dalkey

Starting my day in a quiet and beautiful place like Dalkey is great. I'm quite settled in at this point, although I still need to get a small piece of furniture for my room, a clothes rack to dry my clothes inside and shoe rack for the house.

Dalkey has some amazing places within just 5-10 minutes from my house. Walking 5 minutes to the NE, you get to Bulloch harbour and a pebble beach. From there, you can see Howth and the East end of Dublin. Walking about 6-8 minutes S of my place, you get to an incredibly cute little harbor called Coliemore Harbour. From there, you could swim to Dalkey island --that's how close it is to it. The first time I walked there it was sunny and the water was calm and of a bright turquoise color. The harbor was empty, but I guessed i'd would only fit a handful of small boats. I continued walking on that road, following the coastline and, in just a few minutes, I got higher up on the hill and was breath-taken by the views across Britta's bay. It was just a little after 6am and the sky was clear, the sun shining on the flowers that filled every spot of the coast that hadn't been built up on. I knew I was close to Bono's house, and I understood why a rich and famous musician would want to live there! : )

More about Dalkey is to come in future posts.

Highlights of the last few weekends

July 23-25

Friday: Socializing

- TGIF: Food, drinks and relaxed conversation with colleagues.
- Paul's farewell drinks at Scruffy Murphy's.
- House-warming party at my old place on Charlotte Quay : )
- The MOST INCREDIBLE experience I've had in Ireland so far!!! This needs a paragraph of its own!

Not knowing the train schedules, I walked back to Trinity College from the house-warming party in order to catch the NiteLink. I slept through the bus ride until Dun Laoghaire, where I realized I didn't have my house keys. I got off in Dalkey and texted my housemate, hoping that my text message would wake her up and I wouldn't need to knock on the door at my arrival. She didn't reply, but as soon as I screecked the gate open, I heard my name from across the street. She was at a neighbor's trying to top up her phone credit to reply to me!

I was tired but accepted her invitation to go to a local pub, where her friend was at the moment. Oh my god! As we walked in, we didn't hear loud drunkard conversations but sweet singing voices! A bunch of 45-65 year-old men, a handful of 25-35 yo and three women sang beautiful songs with a Guinness in their hand.I was truly impressed by the singing skills of the people in the pub. And yes, they had a few beers at that point, but they were singing real songs, not drunkard ones! I had a real Irish experience, just like that, because I forgot my house-keys at work :)

Saturday: Trip to the West

- Headed West to surf in Co. Sligo with Marcus. Strandhill.
- Beautiful pre-sunset at Strandhill.
- Jazz concert with David Lyttle Three feat, Soweto Kinch (GB) at Tobergal Lane Cafe, on Sligo International Jazz Festival.
- Accommodation: We stayed at the Harbor House hostel (Sligo). Very friendly staff, huge self-service kitchen, linen includes towel, but no breakfast included.

Sunday: Surfing, Music of the World, Cinema

- Early session at Strandhill (pix by others)
- Dun Loaighre World Cultures Festival. It was great! I walked around streets and parks, checked out the market with food and crafts from different countries, bought music CDs, listened to Irish traditional music, watched a very nice parade formed by cultural group of differente backgrounds...
- Baraka at IFI.

July 17-18

- Surfing in Co. Sligo with two wonderful people, Karin and David. Enniscrone and more.
- Surf conditions were just alright by the time we got there, but we still had two fun sessions at two different spots that weekend.
- Accommodation: We stayed at the Railway hostel (Sligo), a very conveniently located youth hostel run by an extemely friendly couple. It has a computer with wi-fi and free cereal, milk, tea and coffee.

July 10-11

- 1 milion heads at a demonstration in Catalunya to claim respect of our people's decisions.
- Balkanarama: fantastic Balkan music live show at the Button Factory (Dublin).
- Spain won the soccer World Cup with mostly Catalan players.

Respect our people!

This blog post in English (by Miquel Marzabal Galano) summarizes why last Saturday more than 1 million people demonstrated on the streets of Barcelona. Want it or not, Spain is giving us more and more reasons not to be with them.

• Following is the beginning of a letter I really liked:

"Letter to my friends in Spain 

Dear friends, 

I would like to share with you a feeling, though I'm sure you are already familiar: in Catalonia are sad, deeply disappointed and, of course, also outraged.

I know you are many and many of us want to Catalan, which I like to come to Catalonia that you feel well treated here and, even, I like to talk in Catalan may understand but not always. I know you are many and many who respetáis our national feeling, but not what you share.

To all of you to say that the Constitutional Court ruling is an unprecedented turning point and determine a before and after our relationship with the entire Spanish State. It is sad and should never have happened. The statute was drafted and voted in the Parliament of Catalonia, then refined in the Congress of Deputies (which hurt us deeply in Catalonia), and finally was ratified overwhelmingly by referendum, even if for many represented a lesser evil.

[...]" 

(Original text in Spanish, click on "In English" to read in that language)

• This article about the demonstration on Saturday starts:

"A human tide of more than a million people has swept the streets of Barcelona.

Led by the present and two previous presidents of the region of Catalonia, the huge crowd came to express its anger at a Spanish Constitutional Court ruling trimming Catalan self-rule." (Includes video)

I'm proud of my people. I'm glad that people from different colors and ideologies in Catalunya are now bonding together, realizing that what we have in Spain is not a pure democracy. Glad they are speaking up.