Triple Distilled!

After the hustle and bustle of my days in Paris, I took this morning as a chance to sleep in. Dad returned "the boat" to the rental agency and picked up the Gormans. While everyone went to lunch, I opted to sleep in a little more and picked up a light snack before heading out.

The day's main event was a tour of the Jameson Distillery. Our tour guide, Andy, was quite knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. At the beginning of the tour, he asked for 8 volunteers... 4 females, 4 males. Ever the adventerous type, I raised my hand enthusiastically and was chosen. Andy handed me an empty green tube and said to hold on to it as there was a surprise at the end of the tour. Dad also received a green tube.

The tour was quite educational and very interesting. I learned a lot about different types of whiskey and what makes Jameson so unique. Using the finest barley in Ireland and pure spring water, the "whisketeers" create an incredibly smooth spirit with a distinctive flavor. You will have to take the tour in order to learn about the actual procedure.

After the tour, it was time for the 8 volunteers to partake in a whiskey tasting. Each seat had a placemat, labeled with 3 shot glasses of different types of whiskey: A famous black label scotch, the American Jack Daniels, and, of course, Jameson Irish Whiskey.

Each whiskey had its own unique processing and flavor attributes. The Jack Daniels, single-distilled, aged in a brand new oak barrel, has a very sweet, woody flavor. The black label scotch, double-distilled, has a smoky flavor provided by the drying method of its grain (open-kiln, peat smoke). Jameson has a fresh, smooth taste. The triple distillation process and aging in used barrels (for a greatly reduced flavor of woodiness and subtly added flavor of barrel's previous inhabitant) make Jameson Irish Whiskey my favorite whiskey by far.

Included in the price of admission is a free glass of Jameson. I had mine on the rocks and would not recommend it any other way. Why destroy the purity of such a smooth whiskey by adding soda or juice? It's such a waste! Save the mixers for Jack Daniels. ;)

After the tour, we stopped at Fresh to pick up a quick dinner. I had a chicken sandwich with sweet chili sauce, lettuce, onion, and tomato. It was delicious, quick, and inexpensive. The perfect combination for any meal on the go.

Dad, Billy and I went to The Richmond after dinner. I had another pint of Bulmers cider. Billy had the same. Dad stuck to his Fosters. It was a nice evening out in Dublin.

Pint Count: 4
Whiskey Count: 4 (Good whiskey count: 2)

By the way, were you wondering what the green tubes given to us volunteers were for? Well, I am now, officially, a "Qualified Irish Whiskey Taster". The tube was for my diploma. :)

What a lovely day in Hamburg!

It was truly a magnificent day in Hamburg. The weather was lovely for this time of year and the company was spectacular. Armin led the way on a walking tour of his town. The place is stunning. It is a perfect balance between industrial, natural, and residential areas. Of course, I'm sure he only took me to the nice parts. There's got to be a ghetto somewhere, it is a city afterall! :)
We visited the city hall and parttook in a guided tour. The best word to describe Hamburg's city hall might be "incredible." With imense chandeliers, hand carved walls, and more, it is definitely not a place to be missed. I've never seen such a beautiful government building before. Amazing.

Ambialet- Through the Eyes of a Dog

...or 2... sometimes 3. Hahaha. It was a beautiful day here, in Ambialet. While everyone was off on another school field trip, I stayed behind. After a quick brunch of yoghurt and bread with nutella & jam (delicious!), I decided to go for a walk.

Well, Jay-Z and Bruen (pictured above), the wonderful pair of dogs at the Priory, thought that was a fantastic idea and joined in as I walked through the gate. Now, I'm not going to mislead you and claim that I took the dogs for a walk. In reality, the canine duo took me for a walk. As such, I got to see the rural area of Ambialet through canine eyes.

Jay-Z powered forward and lead the way as Bruen and I walked down Heartbreak Hill. We made our way through town and crossed a bridge over the Tarn. On the other side of the bridge, we came across another dog. Apparently he knows the pair from the Priory, so he joined us on our walk. For lack of a better name, we will call him "Crazy Mystery Dog" (CMD).

At one point, Jay-Z and CMD went off on their own. Bruen and I went to the river and I sat on a bench while she swam and chased after the ducks, which was pretty entertaining. Eventually, CMD found us and decided it was time to play. Jay-Z returned, then went off again.

I stopped at Nadine's for a cup or 2 of coffee. Since Bruen wouldn't leave my side, I had to sit out on the patio. No worries, Bruen is a pretty awesome dog and the weather was nice. With no sign of Jay-Z, I decided he'd find his way back and headed back up the hill to the Priory. Guess who was there! Yep, somehow Jay-Z beat us back home. Haha, gotta love those crazy dogs.

It was a great day and I now know where every duck and cat lives in Ambialet. Oh, and CMD? Yeah, I learned later tonight that CMD used to live at the Priory before he got kicked out for poor behavior. He has a new home now and technically isn't supposed to hang out with Jay-Z. Woops.

"I don't talk to strangers..."

True to my travelling form, I went exploring on my own today. I couldn't really tell you exactly where I went for most of the day, but I enjoyed the freedom of being on my own and came across some interesting things.

I wandered through the streets and alleys of Barcelona, stopping in at a few shops, picked up a shirt and sunglasses. By lunch time, I got a bit tired of wandering around aimlessly, so I stopped at a nice little tapas place. They were out of one of my choices and gave me the wrong thing for another choice. However, the food I did get was pretty good. A lovely lunch complete with crab salad on a toasted bagguette, skewered barbecue flavored pork, and skewer of shrimp, mushrooms, and bacon. I finished the meal with a cup of coffee and looked at my map.

Making my way around the city, I decided to treat myself to a bus tour. I purchased a ticket from a rather strangely grafitti'd booth and hopped on the bus for the green line. It was a nice way to get off the street and see a large part of Barcelona. I would definitely recommend taking a bus tour of the city on the first day. It allows for a brief overview of everything there is to see and lets you know where everything is.

The bus had started at a park filled with statues, once the ride had come full circle, I decided to check them out. It was a lovely experience until a rather creepy man started talking to me by the fountain. Strangely, at the exact moment he started talking to me, the vast collection of tourists swarming the park suddenly vanished. Leaving little time for mistakes, I executed my escape perfectly. I simply asked him if he had the time. He told me the time, I said I had run to meet my group for dinner (or else I'd be late, of course), and left.

Of course, I didn't have to meet anyone for another hour and a half, so I made my way to the open market with all the delicious fruit. There, I came across a few of the students, so I just hung out with them until it was time to go to dinner.

We all ate dinner at a trendy restaurant near our apartment called Tasty. I ordered the seafood spaghetti dish and it was delicious! There was the perfect amount of garlic and everything was cooked perfectly. I guess it's time to add mussels to my list of tasty things to eat!








After dinner, a few of the students and I wandered around and came across a cute little sports bar by the water. The bar is called Nit Borbo. I ordered a Bellini and watched the futbol game. It was a good time.