Travelling Bug

Wow, what an amazing two weeks I had in Germany! It is completely impossible not to love the place. The trains are always on time, the scenery is magnificant, the history is fascinating, and the food is always delicious, as well as constantly available wherever you turn.

For anyone who is a lover of food, I highly recommend visiting the Turkish Market in Berlin (as far as my memory serves me you take the U1 to Gorlitzer Bhf, then walk the whole way up the street, and its just beside the river). The place was full of fresh food, whether its veg or fruit or meat, or even just take away Turkish meals or snacks, and all taste superb. The Turkish know how to do real food and seriously low prices (99 cent for a Kilo of apples!!). Who needs Tesco??

So, after bopping around Germany for the past two weeks, learning more of the language and culture, the ever present travel bug has gotten a new lease of life, and rainy Ireland suddenly seems even more depressing than when I left. The result of all this?? The TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) course is well under way. With 6 out of 20 modules done in a week and a half, my September 10th deadline cant come fast enough. And when that is done and dusted, there are only a few mere months in college between me and the world!! How much more exciting can u get??

So for the moment, I will have to simply get my fix from the travel channel, German music in the car, google images of Asia, and my desperate attempts to recreate some of the amazing meals I had in Germany. Will keep you posted on how that goes. For now, here are a few images from the country that has stolen my heart.

Start of Summer Shanninigans

Well, dear bloggers, it's been quite a while. So what is happening in the world of Dalton? Three words .... Work, Work, WORK!! I suppose I shouldn't complain in the economic climate in which we live in and all that jazz.

But I have still found time to take a look at the reading list for my college course next year..... bad idea. Ulysses is number three on the list of 17 texts .... Shoot me now! But on the upside Ian McEwan's 'Atonement' is also listed, which isn't a bad book, though I think the film did it more justice than it deserved.

I have also found time in my busy work schedule to fit in some light reading in the form of Jane Austin's 'Emma', which is purely perfect. Although Emma clearly has her faults, and borders on sickeningly shallow with regards to her attitudes towards personal attributes and love in general, the book is a great escape from the hustle and bustle of exam stress which has taken over my house. You see the sis is doing her Leaving Cert, which is code for enduring child cruelty at the hands of nitwit governmental examiners whose goal in life is to trick smart kids and ruin their lives. Doesn't it sound like such fun.....

But, despite the exam related stress and the narky customers which have come to make up my summer life, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. On Monday, I jet off to (not so sunny ... grrr) Germany to meet up with a lovely friend who I haven't seen in two years!! Sooooo excited!!!! So, lots of glasses of wine at sunset and discovering of German cities is on the cards for the next two weeks. Will keep you all updated, no doubt there will be lots to talk about :-)

Til then.

Lazy Day Gone Wrong

Isnt it typical that when you finally get what you have spent soooo long waiting for, you wish you didnt have it, and you want something else? I was always the type of person that looked forward to, for example, my birthday party, and needless to say, come the day of the party, it came nowhere near the high expectations that I set for it. I had a disgusting flashback of those sorts of disappointing days of childhood yesterday.

As I am heading off to spend next Friday night screaming and shouting ridiculously at 4 grown men in matching outfits on the O2 stage in Dublin (Westlife ... I know, sorta sad.... but you know the songs are catchy, dont try and deny it ;-) ), anyway I took the Saturday after off. My boss kindly gave me the Sunday before (ie yesterday) off too as part of my week's holidays which I am due. I was sooooo excited to have a Sunday off, a chance to lie in and do nothing for the day, the first chance I had gotten to do this since Christmas.

So I got up, my lovely Dad made a fry, we gave the Mother her green house for mother's day, and as I sat down in front of the TV in my pjs a terrible realisation occured. Everybody else had things to do that day. Conclusion ; I was left alone for the day. I took a positive attitude to this, and duely lazed on the couch watching Star Trek (yes I'm a sorta trekkie) which I never get to watch when the sis is around, and I played the piano (which turned itself off after 10 minutes and then refused to turn back on, typical), and then I sang as I did the dishes as nobody was around to hear me. After the half hour it took to do all this, I found myself .... How do I say this in a very gripping and Enlglish-student-type way? ..... BORED!!!! So bloody bored!!! I was that bad I wished I was in work, I even contemplated starting Ulysses!!

Typical isnt it, the minture you get what you want, all you want it what you left behind. Moral of the story children ..... Dont let yourself get busy, that way you will never get stuck with that problem of not knowing what to do with free time ;-)