It all really is ironic, isn’t it?
Even since we started working from home, the howling wind and lashing rain that we got so accustomed to on a daily basis ceased all of a sudden. Instead we had the most gorgeous weather yesterday. Birds chirping, flowers blossomming, while we were trapped indoors. Continue reading “Sunset in Dublin”
Ah I didn’t want to say that name that’s been taken the world by surprise. But we must be strong enough to fight it.
When we arrived at the Venice Marco Polo airport, there were masked people in hazmat suit carrying contactless thermometers screening passengers. Border control and customs took merely a minute – the fastest I’ve ever encountered in any airport in the world.
My dear friends and fellow bloggers, I am back.
During the 11 months of my absence, I was offered a job in Dublin and successfully relocated to the Irish capital.
As it turned out, starting a new life, leaving everything behind, wasn’t all that easy. Continue reading “Hello Dublin”
I discovered this flavorful chicken dish during our visit in Budapest. The traditional recipe calls for sour cream at the end. I tried both and prefer to cook it without.
After a quick lunch of noodles and dumplings we retraced our steps back to the Sea of Wisdoms. From there, down the Longevity Hill to the shore of Kunming Lake.
At the top, a panoramic view of the park and its surroundings await.
“Yiheyuan” 颐和园 (Summer Palace of Beijing) is an imperial garden from the Qing Dynasty. Built in 1764 as “Qingyiyuan” 清漪园 during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong. It was burned down towards the end of the Second Opium War by the Anglo-French troops and was reconstructed in 1888 by the Guanxu Emperor to celebrate the 60th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi, adopting its present name. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for “its harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value”.
Last month I went back to Beijing. While I was there working half of the time on a project, I did get to visit some of the sights around the city.
The morning after my arrival, I took a stroll in the neighbourhood Yuyuantan Park 玉渊潭公园.
At the Porto airport, a Sixt rental agent was trying to upsell us a Mercedes-Benz. It’s only 42€/day she claimed – 18€ more than the Smart car we booked off Expedia – and it would come in handy when you drive those mountain roads. She almost had us, that is, until we reviewed the total amount and realized that, contrary to our understanding, the daily rate had now jumped to 66€ (almost tripled the amount we had initially signed up for) and we were going to be driving for 9 days. We politely declined her offer and kept our Smart.
