move

Made it, and alive

The park near my flat.

Hi everyone!

Well, I have made it to Ireland and am still alive. My furniture has arrived, and I”m slowly getting unpacked. I’m enjoying life here, and am laughing at the fact that it seems that every other day I’m getting soaked going to or from work. It’s amusing from the “well, it’s Ireland – what the heck did I expect” perspective. I’m looking into getting a proper pair of Wellingtons (aka wellies – aka galoshes) and a good waterproof jacket so that I am at least partly dry in between each of the walks to/from work and home. Hopefully I’ll find one I like, that fits, and that isn’t too expensive very soon.

On other notes, I did get a little brief visit with my great aunt last weekend – she was in town for the start of 14 day tour. She’s doing quite well, and she took a few photographs of us while we were out to dinner in the city. On the bad side, I took a ton of photographs of the trip over ( 20 hours of driving, then some 57 hours on the ferry in 4 days as I went to Ireland, back to France to return the car, then back to Ireland again) and also of my first trip to the Guinness factory, and some initial shots of Dublin – only to promptly lose my camera. I’m not sure, but I think I left it in the back of a cab after seeing my Aunt – and am trying now desperately to retrieve it (or at least the card out of it) as futile a chance as it may be.

I do, however, have a new smart phone – which takes pictures and video and does 10,000 other things I haven’t figured out yet. It’s not a great camera, but I suppose it’ll be ok for the moment – until I get my big one unpacked and find the tripods among the multitude of boxes that still remain. So, without further adieu – here’s a few pictures from the park that is 3 blocks from my apartment – complete with large green spaces, plenty of trees, and a pond. Riddick is very happy with the park – and all the doggies he gets to meet in there. (Is it just me, or are Irish doggies more friendly than German ones?)

More of the park near my house

More of the park and one happy dog.

Anyhow, more on how I’m settling in and hopefully photos of the apartment soon – once I’m done unpacking.

Share

Packing and Logistics

Well, here I am. I’ve now started packing, and things are trying to come together with the move to Ireland. It looks like I may have to get some approvals for the move, however, because logistically – I’m just not finding an easy way to move the dog.

I thought I was going to be able to fly him – but being Riddick is 35 kilos and is 11 years old – most of the pet carriers simply don’t want to touch him because it’s risky. So, I’ve looked up the logistics and submitted to the company that I may need to drive from Berlin to Cherbourg, France (1400 km) to catch a 19 hour ferry up to Ireland. From there, it’s a 3 hour drive (on the opposite side of the roads) to Dublin and my new flat. It’s a little bit more expensive than expected, so I’m now waiting on approvals.

If the approvals come through – I’m going to book a ferry. This could be a bit of a logistical problem again – because the ferry only goes once every 3 days. While that’s do-able, the other issue coming up now is that the ferry only has 1 kennel that’s big enough for my dog. It looks like it’s booked out at least 2 – 4 weeks in advance and I will have to have a reservation for it. *crosses fingers* That means I’m already a week late – and hoping to be in Ireland by the middle of the month.

Packing, Packing, and more Packing….that’s what I’m doing right now. Good thing I left some stuff in Ireland when I went earlier. It may take 6 weeks before I get my stuff from the moving company, but at least I’ll have something of my own there.

Share