Locks, Love and The Liffey

The various bridges that cross the Liffey in Ireland offer different glimpses into the different areas of the city. 

I especially appreciate whatever creative soul took the time to go to every bridge in the city and spray paint this completely legitimate question. 

But my favorite bridge in the city is one that young couples have began to treat in a similar fashion as the Notre Dame bridge in Paris. Couples have been engraving their names on pad-locks and fastening them to bridge to symbolize everlasting love. 

Piece of Cake

One of the most exciting things about being in a place you've never been before is discovering those wonderful hole in wall places. When I wandered a little further from the tourist route, and took a few turns I found myself in the most wonderful bakery that held the most fantastic cakes.

The problem with truly beautiful cakes is... at the end of day, they're still cakes. They are made to be eaten. They last for only a moment... then they're gone. But don't worry, they tasted as wonderful as they looked.

Dublin | Grafton Street

I somehow managed to convince my Mum that I was responsible enough to take my sister to Dublin with me. Just the two of us. Wow... she must trust me... for some reason.

Once we were checked into our hostel (yes, hostel, they're not so bad) we made out to the oh so famous Grafton Street.  It is located in the heart of Dublin, and is one of two primary shopping streets in the city. But the real excitement isn't in the shops. Its on the street. For it is there, especially on a day as wonderfully beautiful as today, that you will find Dublin's famous Buskers.

Busking is the act of performing entertaining acts in public places for donations. Traditionally those may have been monetary donations, but were more often food. I don't think they're really looking for a crust of bread in their cap at the end of the performance anymore though.

The types of performances you might encounter on Grafton Street vary greatly. On opposite corners of one cross section of the road we found two very different, though equally talented musical acts.

The Harp is a traditional Irish instrument, so as expected this woman was playing a beautiful classic Irish piece. Her concentration at striking each string perfectly on such a loud and busy street was mesmerizing. The men on the opposite corner, who I later learned were American, were playing music that was quite a bit more modern. They're music had more of a John Mayer feel to it... and don't let the array of buckets serving as drums fool you. They provided amazing sound at the hand of a skilled drummer, accompanying a very talented lead vocal on guitar. After closer inspection of photos from the day, I realized that on one of the drummer's buckets was his name and a youtube logo. Want to see him in action? There are so many videos of him online, I particularly like this one. 

Further down the street we ran into this impressive fellow. Now don't get me wrong, I've seen this 'living statue' bit before, in every city, in every country. Now that's not to say it's not impressive. I certainly couldn't stand still for hours on end covered in metallic spray paint. However this man was the most impressive one I have seen to date. I don't need to tell you that he looked like a real statue, because the expert has spoken. If a pigeon mistakes you for the real thing, you must be pretty darn convincing. Now that, if you ask me, is what is really impressive about the whole thing. I'm terrified of Birds, Alfred Hitchcock thoroughly nailed it, they are terrifying. But Pigeons might just be worst of all... they are essentially flying rats. And this man has one on his head.

I don't want to sound dramatic here... but I would literally die. Literally. 

This man stood still while a pigeon climbed across his head. He does not deserve your spare change thrown into his bucket... he deserves a medal. Bravo.

A little further down the street I asked myself this question...

... what's harder than riding a 10 foot UniCycle? 

...doing a Comedy act while riding it...

... oh, and juggling fire batons. That would make it a little harder also. 

...Where on earth do  you learn to do that? 

not in your parent's living room

that's for sure...

Enter my favorite Act of the Day: Keywest 

I was ...and am still a bit.... smitten. Wow. 

Cute Guys, Great Music. Sounds like a dream, no?

These charming men are actually well on their way to Stardom. Having signed with a label and produced their first album, they are already receiving airtime in Ireland and some parts of Europe. 

They sang a selection of covers (though usually putting their own spin on them) and a few originals.

  

We official album consisting of all original songs, and their 'street albums' will all their covers. Both fantastic buys. Here's a video I took of them previewing one of their original songs... It's a little shaky at times, but hey, I'm in a crowd,  Enjoy!  

You can check out more about Keywest here.

Now, being somewhat musically talented its easy to dream of a life busking. Until you run into this man at the end of the street. Fair enough, we all dream of running off with the circus, but no one really wants to scoop elephant poop. His poem written on the sidewalk of Grafton Street goes as follows:

Life On The Streets

Life on the streets is always Tough, sometimes Happy, but mostly Rough!

When I was young, I tought it was cool, but if i could could turn back the clock I would've stayed in school.

Please tell your kids to take my advice, because life on the streets is not very nice. 

Thank you for stopping to read this poem, and I'm hoping you can take this message home.

And if you could spare any small change for a bed, it would give us somewhere to lay our head.

Thank you. 

beemindful always.

Going to the Chapel...

Yesterday my Auntie Jo, my Mum's sister went from Jo Bedford to Jo King.

What a name right? Jo King. She'll have fun with that. 

After stress, tears, and exhaustion in the preparations... the day went off without a hitch. The speeches were eloquent, and not too embarrassing. The meals were delicious and the weather was nice, despite threatening reports of potential rain. I even managed to sing my song at the church without forgetting the words. Success. 

Weddings are always a nice occasion, as it puts all the family in one place, at one time... that sounds like portrait time! The Grandkids somehow all managed to be color coordinated with one another (alright, two were bridesmaids so they matched... but still... impressive) so we took the opportunity to snap a picture of us all together, all grown up. 

The Marquee was decorated beautifully in a rustic, homely feel. The tables were set beautifully, each named for a place that the couple had traveled to together. The seats were set to encourage conversation, and the wine was placed accordingly to help.

The meal was buffet style, with a vast selection of delicious foods, their bright colors, and delicious smells, adding to the bright, joyful feeling of the day.

But lets be honest... We all know why really go to weddings. It's a perfect excuse to throw off inhibitions and dance the night away. 

And it always helps the mood of the day, if the Bride is classy, and very photogenic.

beegleeful always.

Taking time to smell the flowers

Today my sister, my dad and I took advantage of a rare sunny and warm English afternoon to track through the countryside. The 3 mile circuit makes its way around a series of ancient Anglo Saxon burial grounds. It's not quite as morbid as it sounds... Sutton Hoo, the burial ground, boasts one of the richest burial sites found in Great Britain. But aside from the history of the burial grounds, it also offers a beautiful walking trail. Picturesque scenery and plenty of trees for climbing. Great father-daughters day. 

beejourneyful always.

Antiques, Crafts, Flea Markets, and Food Vendors

Camden Town

I think you could call this the boho capital of London. The Streets of Camden are lined with ornately decorated buildings, dozens of identically dressed punks... all expressing their individuality... and handmade knick knacks found here, and here only. 

Camden houses 6 different markets and entertains over 100,000 people each weekend. My favorite market is located in the Camden Lock and adjoins to the old Camden horse stables, which now also hold market stall. This market consists largely of hand crafted bits and bobs, one of a kind jewelry, and vintage clothes and furniture. Its a dream. 

Not to be forgotten, the horses that one stood in the stalls that now contain markets are paid homage to in dozens of large, ornate statues. 

 

What about the food at Camden? What about it indeed... Traditional Pub food, Fish and Chips, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek... take your pick. Vendors are at the ready to present you with delicious food from whatever corner of the earth strikes your fancy. And don't be afraid to haggle, even with the food vendors. This is a market after all, and they're willing to cut you deals just like anyone else. 

The Festive market stretches for miles in every direction. Every alley way, nook and cranny is filled with wondrous treasures. So make sure you leave yourself plenty of time and put on your walking shoes! 

   

I came away from the day with treasures for my friends back home, a hand crafted leather messenger bag, a hand made bronze broach, and day full of wonderful memories.

beerummageful always. 

Sniff Sniff, Achoo

It's June. The briefly nice weather has disappeared. We're sitting at a cozy 53 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrrrr. And to top it all off nicely, the drastic change of weather has given me a cold. Is this June? I'm confused. Achoo!

Born and Raised and Vollard Suites

Today there was a Jubilee procession in the center of London. But, as it was raining, and I didn't really feel like battling the crowds of thousands, I opted for a museum visit. Never again will a museum be more at my disposal. While the entire population of London and the surrounding areas took advantage of their two days off of work and attended the festivities, I practically had free reign of the museum. The British Museum was holding an exhibition of Pablo Picasso's Prints: The Vollard Suite. 

The prints were made when Picasso was involved in a passionate affair with his muse and model, Marie-Thérèse Walter, whose classical features are a recurrent presence in the series. After spending two semesters studying great works by famous artists it was a fantastic opportunity to get to actually see and experience a few of the pieces for with my own eyes, not just through a powerpoint slide, or the glossy pages of an overpriced book.  The prints were accompanied by works by Rembrant and Goya, pulling comparisons and making references to one another. To the average bear it probably wouldn't have been the most thrilling of days, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 


I attended the exhibition alone, and thus, wandered the streets, undergrounds, and sites of London alone. I loved it. I put my headphones in and put John Mayer's new album, Born and Raised on repeat. It truly is a little bit country, and a little bit rock and roll. It is quite possibly his best album yet, though that is hard to say, because each of his albums are delightfully unique. Well done John.

With no one to hurry me along, or take me to where they wanted to go, I had a fantastic day, completely to myself, doing exactly what I wanted to do for the day. 

beemuseful always.

Love-uh-ley Jub-ilee

Happy Diamond Jubilee!

Lizzie is a trooper. Sticking with a job for sixty years is not something to be scoffed at. I'm impressed. So if  Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor can manage to find 60 years for the good people of England, I can try to find 60 facts for the good people of blogland. These are the facts, not always in the history books... Lets go. 

1. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on April 21, 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, May-fair, London, which was then her parents’ home and is now a Chinese restaurant.
2. The Queen was born on 21 April 1926, but her official birthday is celebrated in June.
3. Her childhood nickname was Lilibet, because she couldn’t pronounce Elizabeth properly.
4. She is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England.
5. The Queen has seen 12 different Prime Ministers during her reign – from Sir Winston Churchill through to the incumbent David Cameron.
6. There have been 12 U.S. Presidents during her reign.
7. In 1954, Her Majesty became the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe while on a six-month tour. She was also the first to visit Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
8. The Queen made a historic visit to the Republic of Ireland in May 2011, the first visit by a British monarch since Irish independence.
9. She says her trip to Ireland was one of the highlights of her long reign
10. When her father unexpectedly became King, Princess Margaret, then six, said to her: “Does that mean you’re going to be queen? Poor you.”
11. At the beginning of her reign the Queen requested that her husband, rather than her sister, act as regent for a young Prince Charles in the event of her death.
12. The Queen has sent almost 540,000 telegrams to couples in the UK and the Commonwealth celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary.
13. The Queen, and her husband The Duke of Edinburgh have sent approximately 45,000 Christmas cards during the last 60 years.
14. She has given out approximately 90,000 Christmas puddings to staff, continuing the custom of George V and George VI.
15. Many people sent the then-Princess Elizabeth clothing coupons for her wedding dress during post-war rationing in 1947. She returned the coupons as it was illegal to give them away.
16. The Queen signals to staff with her handbag. If she wants to leave a dinner in five minutes, she puts her bag on the table. She moves it from arm to arm to tell aides she is tired of talking to someone.
17. She has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign. The first, Susan, was an 18th birthday present.
18. Her robes were so heavy at her Coronation that she asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to give her a push, saying: “Get me started.”
19. She carries good luck charms from her children in her bag, including miniature dogs and horses and family photos. One picture of Andrew was taken after his safe return from the Falklands.
20. She is a patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association .
21. She was a huge fan of 70s cop show Kojak, which starred Telly Savalas.
22. A security guard denied her entry to a private stand at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1991. He later said: “I thought she was some old dear who had got lost.”
23. The Queen and Prince Philip joined the 93,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium to watch England win the 1966 World Cup Final.
24. An avid reader, she loves crime thrillers by PD James, Agatha Christie and Dick Francis.
25. One of her corgis accidentally mated with a dachshund belonging to Princess Margaret to produce a new breed called a dorgi. She now has three dorgis which are called Cider, Candy and Vulcan.
26. The Queen’s collections of art, furniture, jewels and horses are thought to be worth around £70million.
27. Irishman Michael Fagan broke into her bedroom at Buckingham Palace in 1982 and sat on her bed for 10 minutes as she engaged him in conversation. Help arrived when he asked for a cigarette.
28. She banks with Coutts & Co and there is a Coutts cash machine at Buckingham Palace.
29. The Queen costs the public purse £36.2m each year, including £359,000 paid directly by the Government to Prince Philip.
30. Britain's monarchy is the most expensive in Europe, though the Netherlands isn't far behind. Spain's royal family gets a comparatively meagre £7m allowance each year.
31. She’s very small, officially 5 foot 3 inches but most believe she’s really about 5 foot 1.
32. When she was positioned behind a high lectern at the White House in 1991, a TV man was heard shouting: “All I’ve got is a talking hat!”
33. Elizabeth was educated at home in London with Princess Margaret, her younger sister.
34. The Queen was educated by her governess Marion Crawford, to whom she gave the nickname "Crawfie".
35. The Queen sent her first email in 1976 from an army base.
36. When the Queen and Prince Philip were reunited in Portugal in 1957 after a four-month separation because of official duties, he wore a tie with hearts on.
37. Prince Philip’s pet names for his wife are said to include “cabbage” and “sausage”.
38. The Queen and duke have been married for a whopping 64 years.
39.  The Queen is the first British monarch to have celebrated a Diamond Wedding Anniversary.
40. The Queen's platinum and diamond engagement ring was made by the jewellers, Philip Antrobus Ltd, using diamonds from a tiara belonging to Prince Philip's mother.
41. She joined crowds in London to celebrate VE day on May 8, 1945. In her diary she wrote: “Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, Pall Mall, walked simply miles. Saw parents on balcony at 12.30am – ate, partied, bed 3am!”
42. Should the royal chauffeur take a day off, the Queen is quite capable of driving for herself, having learnt to drive in 1945.
43. While singing Auld Lang Syne for New Year in 2000, the Queen joined hands with Prime Minister Tony and Cherie Blair and Prince Philip but she got the movements wrong and didn’t cross her arms.
44. After signing up to the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service, Princess Elizabeth worked as a mechanic and truck driver during the Second World War.
45. She is the only British monarch in history properly trained to change a spark plug
46. The young princess was a Girl Guide and Sea Ranger.
47. She first flew in an aeroplane in July 1945
48. her beloved corgis have their own chef and are fed “wonderful” food including steak, poached chicken and rabbit.
49. She demoted a footman for feeding her corgis whiskey.
50. There is said to be a Billy Bass singing fish on top of the grand piano at Balmoral.
51. She loves hunting and shooting animals on her Scottish estate.
52. The Queen is the first monarch to have seen three of her children divorce.
53. The top video on Her Majesty's official YouTube Channel is a clip of Prince William and Kate leaving Buckingham Palace in an Aston Martin.
54. What gives the Queen the giggles? Ali G impressions, according to Prince William.
55. The Queen has sat for 129 portraits during her reign, painted in a variety of styles.
56. The Queen's first portrait was painted in 1933, when she was seven, and the most recent was for Rolf Harris in 2005.
57. The Queen is Godmother to 30 different children.
58. The Queen has launched 23 ships during her reign.
59. The Queen is the second monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee, previously Queen Victoria was the only, British monarch to celebrate such an occasion.
60. If Queen Elizabeth lives to hold the throne for 3 years and 8 months more, she will have replaced Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years, 7 months,  as the longest reigning monarch in British History.  

beereignful always.