Coffee Addict? I prefer Enthusiast ...

"Suave molecules of Mocha stir up your blood, without causing excess heat; the organ of thought receives from it a feeling of sympathy; work becomes easier and you will sit down without distress to your principal repast which will restore your body and afford you a calm, delicious night."

  ~Prince Tallyrand

I woke up this morning, after a long sleeping (it is the weekend, after all), and realized that I had a headache.  It soon dawned on me that I had been drinking quite a bit of coffee in the house as of late, and my long slumber had delayed my coffee fix.  Sure enough, a glass of water, and a hot cup o' joe later -- i was good to go. 

 

I love the coffee here in France.  Even the cheap coffee is good.  When I first arrived here, I eagerly walked in to a grocery store, peaking down isle after isle, seeking to find a large, proud display of the worlds best coffee -- all ripe for the taking.  There was no grand display of java; no designer coffees packaged in ornate tins, and wooden boxes.  It looked like cheap coffee.  I searched for the most expensive package, only to find that they're all the same -- about 3 measly euros.  I have discovered that good coffee is not a craze like it is in the US.  There are no Starbuck's here to tell the people that $4 for a cup of coffee is ok.  I'm sure that there exist plenty of high-class coffee snobs, who drink boutique coffees from silver chalices, but I have not seen them. 

Coffee is simple here.  Strong and Black, with a hint of sugar.

And the little man inside my mug is a new favorite.  His name is Joe. He sits inside my new Guiness mug, because what's a trip do Dublin without a Guiness souvenir.

He's a symbol of the little man inside us all that runs on coffee.

 

`ajb

Ireland: Where They Still Don't Speak English

Four score and six days ago, I set out for Dublin.  Spirits were high, and we were hoping for the best.  At first thought, I wasn't all that excited about returning to Ireland.  I remember thinking to myself, "I won't go back to Ireland before I've seen other parts of Europe". 

I lied. 

Within 2 hours I was in another country, with a place to stay, and freedom to roam a very sweet city.  It is dirty, yes, and the countryside is really what you want to see, but we had an incredible time. 

 

 

*The highlight of the trip was the bus tour of the Irish countryside.  You have not lived life to the fullest if you have never stood atop a cliff's edge, looking out over acres and acres of beautiful landscape, blue water, and every shade of green known to man.  The air is crisp. The smell is wonderful. No camera could ever capture a scene like that to the fullest.

I'm pretty I became healthier from breathing in air from the Irish country-side. 

 

Terry, our Irish tour guide was quite humorous.  He took us to this old village, which had been around since the late 16th century.  We walked along this path from one lake to another, and saw the raw Irish countryside.  We must have made five or six stops, stopping for food, coffee, and to see where BraveHeart was filmed.  (That fact was both cool, and disappointing -- you mean they didn't even film that in Scotland?  Sad day) . 

More fun, led to more good food, and of course live Irish music in pubs.  We toured around downtown Dublin and saw Trinity College, founded in 1592, and Christchurch, as well as Dublin Castle.  We also managed to find the "U2" wall, which is this old building, coated in a thick layer of graffiti. You can actually see the recording equipment in the second story window which was used to record several of U2's brilliant albums. History was made there -- and I saw the remnants. 

Ireland is wonderful, and I am quite happy to have had the opportunity to tour through a small part of it again.  They still don't speak English though ... 

 

`ajb

Beauty Has Many Beaches

In the words of Tanner, "Pornic is the most beautiful beach - in the world!" Now, there could very well be other beaches, in other countries, on other continents, which rival, or even, surpass the beaches of Pornic in beauty, but i'm with Tanner. 

I arrived in Pornic to discover that it was overcast, and consequently, low tide.  No beaches as of yet, no sunshine, and it smelled of fish.  Seaport town. 

Dublin' the Fun

*As we progress into the third and fourth weeks of our trip, things are slowing down, and settling in.  Nantes -- is my home.  The French way of life is growing on me more and more, as i watch everything close down from noon til 2 for lunch; as i watch people value meals with friends over an extra few hours of work; and as i come to love their respect for good food.  I could get used to this ...

In other recent news ... i'm going to be headed to Dublin, Ireland for 3 days and 4 nights in a little less than 2 weeks.  We're flying in on a friday night, and leaving on a monday afternoon.  Gorgeous.  I cannot wait. 

And now, i will leave you with an assortment of pictures.  These pictures may include, but not excluding:

~A large mechanical elephant

~Laughing Barbara

~A nameless cathedral discovered by Daniel Huber and myself

~Random things ...

 

~ajames