2012 Recap

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a fun and safe NYE, and I wish everyone a happy & healthy 2013! It's hard to believe that another year has gone by so quickly. 2012 was one hell of a year! As we begin another year, wipe the slate clean and make unrealistic resolutions, here's a recap of one of the most eventful years of my life...


January: 1 year ago we rang in the New Year in Breckenridge, CO, I made President's Club at my company for the previous year, and the ball started rolling for the rest of the action-packed year when I found out my boyfriend received and accepted his job offer in Dublin.

Breckenridge, CO

February: We decided to move and get married before our larger ceremony this summer, and I experienced sporadic panic attacks while holding in my giant secret until I finally put in my 1 month notice at work.

3.17.12 :)

March: This was arguably THE biggest month of my life to date, including a much needed girls trip to Scottsdale before the insanity to follow... engagement, marriage, resignation from work, goodbyes to friends and family, and a move to Dublin, Ireland! This was a month that will be hard, likely impossible, to top!

DUBLIN

April: After arriving in Dublin and briefly acquainting ourselves with the city, we took a mini honeymoon around Ireland, spent Easter in Barcelona, I started looking for a job, and we found and moved into our Dublin apartment.

Aran Islands - Ireland

May: As we started adjusting to life in Dublin and meeting new people, we took a lovely weekend trip to Paris, and I went through the interview circuit, culminating in my acceptance of a great job offer. 

Paris

June: After accepting the job offer, I began my now infamous work permit process, blissfully naive and unaware of what I was in for at the time. We also traveled to Italy twice, taking back-to-back weekend trips to Venice and Rome!

Rome

July: We traveled to Amsterdam, went home to the U.S. to be in a good friend's wedding, started planning our 2013 wedding, and I received the unfortunate news that my first work permit application had been denied.

Fellow Bridesmaid and Maid of Honor in our upcoming wedding!

August: We took a memorable road trip through Belgium, my previously anticipated employer reapplied for my second permit, and I decided to take advantage of my involuntary sabbatical and ventured out on my first solo trip to the gorgeous beach towns of San Sebastian, Spain and Biarritz, France.

San Sebastián

September: September was the month of visitors! Friends came for the American Invasion, otherwise known as the Notre Dame vs. Navy game in Dublin, and my parents came to visit for about 2 weeks. B and I traveled with them to Northern Ireland, and I took a trip with them back to the southwest of Ireland. At the same time, another Chicago friend visited. The month ended with my 2nd permit denial and my starting back at square one after 6 months here.

Malinhead - Northern most point in Ireland

October: After some soul-searching, I started my job search all over again, then achieved a personal milestone when I started this blog. My In-Laws came to visit us in Ireland, and the 4 of us traveled to Munich for Oktoberfest and Madrid in back-to-back weekends. AND... more Chicago friends came in to complete another month of visitors!

Madrid

November: The month started off well, as I accepted a new job and turned in my third permit application, hoping that the third time was the charm! We traveled to London for a weekend, and met friends in Lisbon for Thanksgiving.

Lisbon

December: We traveled to London again to see friends, took a short weekend trip to Belfast, and went home to the States (Chicago, Cleveland, and Cincinnati in 1 week!) for Christmas. We returned back just in time to spend our first New Year's in Ireland....

NYE 2012 - Dublin

Now, that may or may not sound like a lot, but it is the abridged version to me. I have experienced a roller coaster of emotions and experiences over the past year, so it feels like much longer than a year (or maybe a dog year!). In retrospect, I'd probably choose to delete the recurring theme of work permit trials & tribulations, but this seemingly never-ending saga has made me a much stronger person. I'm of course hoping that 2013 will bring a less bumpy road, but I'm grateful for what I have here and now and, whatever comes next, I'm ready for one unforgettable ride!

Barcelona Itinerary

Itinerary #2: Barcelona...

There's plenty to see here, and this is only written from time spent during a long weekend. We do try to see as much as possible, so here's a guide for 2-3 days in Barcelona... 

Where to stay:

We stayed at the HCC Regente (there are other HCC hotels throughout the city as well), in the neighborhood of Eixample. It was a great location -- walking distance to Las Ramblas, and around the corner from Cervesería Catalana, the restaurant I raved about in my post about our trip. Anything around that area would be great, Gràcia is similar, or I'd suggest Ciutat Vella to be closer to the Gothic Quarter and nightlife... depends on what you're looking for!

Hop On / Hop Off

Would definitely recommend using the Hop On/Hop Off bus to tour the city. You can walk most places in the city, but there are a couple areas that are a little far, unless you're looking for a hike! The rail system is great too, but the bus provides transportation AND audio commentary. There are a couple different lines to take: red and blue are the best; green is just OK, but is good transportation to Port Olímpic. About €20 for a two-day pass, pick it up in Plaza Catalunya.

What to see:

Las Ramblas -  pedestrian street, filled with street vendors - very cool place to walk through - watch for pickpockets, as it is a touristy area!

Mercat de la Boquería - huge open-air market off La Rambla - explore and grab a bite to eat!

Gaudí works: Casa Milà, Caso Batlló, Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Colònia Güell... MUST sees! Park Güell was probably my favorite of our trip. The architecture is so interesting, the park is beautiful, and there are great views of the city from the top.

Port Vella: Las Ramblas ends in Monumento a Colón and Port Vella. Pretty area, has the Museu D'Història De Catalunya.

Barceloneta: neighborhood in Ciutat Vella district - next to the beach, also has a market to check out - good place to stop for lunch or dinner

Barri Gòtic: neighborhood with medieval architecture, narrow pedestrian streets, opening up to little plazas

Montjuïc / Museo Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC): art museum - we actually didn't go in the museum, but the building is gorgeous and the steps of Palau Nacional provide one of the best views of the city

Also, Fuente mágica de Montjuic, "magic fountains," with an impressive lights display at night, and the Olympic village (from 1992 Olympics) are nearby...

Cable car to Montjuïc: We didn't do this and I want to next time!! Take a cable car up to Montjüic to see Castle Montjüic and 360 views of Barcelona

Port Olímpic / Poblenou: redone for the '92 Olympics, now very modern area along the beach with trendy restaurants and clubs 

FC Barcelona: Lastly, I would recommend seeing a Barça game at Camp Nou - they weren't in town while we were there, but it's definitely on the list for next time!

Of course, mix in stops for food to try tapas (huevos fritos, jamón iberico, patatas bravas.. to name a few favorites), black paella, mojitos, sangría, good house wines, etc.... suggestions from the locals are always the best! 

Easter in Barcelona

We returned from our mini moon on a Tuesday, Brandon went in to work on Wednesday and Thursday, then we left for another trip on Friday. Our first trip outside of Ireland... to Barcelona for Semana Santa, or "Holy Week" (last week of lent before Easter). We really hadn't had time to settle down in those 2 days between traveling, but there was a Monday Bank Holiday to be seized. There are 4 or 5 bank holidays throughout the year in Ireland, and we try to take advantage of each and every one of these long weekends to start checking off our extensive "hit list" of travel destinations. With no particular order in mind, we chose Barcelona first...

Panoramic view from Museo Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

We arrived on a Friday evening and, by the time we got to the hotel and freshened up, it was already close to 11pm. Conveniently, people don't eat dinner in Spain until 9 pm or later anyway! We went to Cervecería Catalana, a restaurant recommended by our concierge and put our name in to wait (yes, there was still a wait at 11pm... nuts!) Well, it was worth it! We stayed until 1 am, drinking house Rioja (house wines are actually very good in Spain) and eating a delectable variety of tapas. The meal was so enjoyable that we veered from our typical routine and dined there twice during our trip!

Over the next couple days, we took a Hop on/Hop off bus all around the city to see the various sites. We walked down Las Ramblas, the main promenade inundated with street vendors and crowds passing through.

Las Ramblas

On a side street off La Rambla is Mercat de la Boqueria, an enormous public market filled with fresh meats, fish, cheeses, fruits, spices... you name it! Very cool place to walk around and grab a bite to eat.

Mercat de la Boquería

La Rambla ends at the Monumento a Colón, the tallest Christopher Columbus Monument, located at the site where Columbus returned after his first voyage to the Americas.

Monumento a Colón

We then strolled through Barri Gòtic, the gothic quarter with stunning architecture and a labyrinth of narrow streets opening up to little plazas. 

La Seu Cathedral

 Barri Gòtic

... And into La Barceloneta, an adjacent neighborhood that meets the beach boardwalk.

La Barceloneta

Of course, you can't go to Barcelona without hearing about Gaudí, a famous Spanish Catalan architect. His well-known works consist of Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, Sagrada Família, and Park Güell. All are amazingly creative and awe-inspiring.

  

 Casa Milà - or La Pedrera

Casa Batlló

Sagrada Família

Park Güell views

Park Güell

Finally, we visited the modern beach strip near Port Oliímpic. What I love about Barcelona is the juxtaposition of architectural style throughout the city. You can go from the Gothic Quarter with all the historic and intricately designed buildings, to the Catalan Modernism of Gaudí, to the "Miami Beach" type clubs (mojitos are a must).

Port Olímpic

Combine that style with sunny weather and tasty cuisine, and I'm sold! It's just an awesome city, and still one of my favorites of all we've seen. I wouldn't mind living in Barcelona for a while :) Without doubt, I'll be back to visit again!