Have just got back from Ireland. To be fair, it wasn't hell - I had a great time when I could actually enjoy the holiday but I spent over £60 on phone calls in three days sorting out the magazine.
It was all going so smoothly when I left. Everything was in order, on schedule and all that sort of thing. I got on the flight (which was great - am getting used to this flying lark and am no longer a gibbering fool who's scared to look out the windows) and the shit hit the fan. Sod's law. However, ranting about that is no fun. Instead, Irish stuff...
- Smoking is interesting in Ireland. You have to be 18 to buy cigarettes (good call) and the warnings have got radically more full-on since I was last there a month or so ago. They're now over an inch high black bold warnings taking up more than a third of the pack, saying things like 'Smoking kills' and 'Smoking harms you and people around you'. My favourite warning was 'Smoking is highly addictive. Don't start' - surely a bit late by the time you've bought a pack? There were several darkly amusing warnings, giving me the urge to collect the full set, which goes a bit against the intention, I think.
- I have now had an official tourist experience. Decided to go on one of the horse drawn carriage tour things cos it was all Christmassy and romantic looking and I'm a girl. The bloke driving the carriage was very tasty - and most intrigued by my job. He pointed out 'Ireland's Oldest Door' and other such interesting features, including Bono's house. It's huge. And we saw Bono getting into his car so can now tick that off in the 'I Spy book of Dublin' (I Spy books rocked. But there was always something impossible to find, like 'I Spy by the Sea' You've got to spy a rock, some seaweed, some sand and... a mermaid)
- Apparently (according to aforementioned yummy driver) someone walked into the National Gallery there, took a painting worth over £1 million off the wall, walked out, put it in the back of their car and drove off, never to be seen again. Sounds urban-myth-like but entirely possible, I guess.
- The nicest soap in the world is at The Clarence. I have no idea what type it is but it smells gorgeous.
- The best Cosmopolitan's in the world are also available at The Clarence (couldn't afford to stay there but they have a bar that's open to the public. For only (!) ten Euros, you can enjoy their cocktails and feel glam)
- Office parties in public bars are a good thing, if nice people who work there insist on using the company tab to buy strangers drinks. If there are any nice people in Ireland looking for a fab - and screamingly efficient, if the stories she was telling are anything to go by - temp, please let me know as I feel rather guilty that the lovely lady who 'bought' us drinks may have got bollocked and lost her job.
- Thre's a top kebab place between The Clarence and the Jury's Inn, Christchurch. Sadly, I can't remember what it's called because... well, the very act of buying a kebab will surely explain?
- Cafe en Seine is a beautiful cafe that's well worth a visit - all Twenties decor and feels very glam (although the waiters didn't understand the difference between chocolate and nuts which is not a good thing.) And Gotham (Gotham City?) is a fantastic place to have lunch - top guacamole, lovely pizzas and brilliant sandwiches. Not too expensive either.
Oh, and it's been a good week for press. As well as being in Time Out (thanks to Stuart and Green Fairy for pointing it out - I had no idea.) I'm also in the latest issue of Bella (24th Dec issue) talking about how ace my job is (complete with unflattering pic)
And finally... in another sod's law incident, the deadline for the column I've just been offered was brought forward. Nothing like juggling deadlines for fun. Still, got it done so feel quite pleased with myself. Losing track of what day it is cos of all this weekend working though. As to Christmas shopping, am hoping I can still do it online and get stuff in time.
Posted by emilyd at December 14, 2002 04:21 PM