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WTF?: Dublin’s Litter Problem
My husband and I have now been in Dublin for just over 10 months. We can safely say that it is the dirtiest city we’ve lived in, thanks to its massive litter problem. We lived in New York City, Seattle, and Boston over the past nine years. Yes, NYC is gross in that garbage is left out on the street for collection, but at least the trash is placed in sealed bags (usually). (Now, their rat-infested subway tracks is a different story, but it’s not like people walk on the tracks.) Boston, I’ve seen some disgusting things on occasion (for example, a bloody tissue on a seat on an Orange…
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Observations: Week 4
Ireland may not celebrate Thanksgiving, but it sure does love Black Friday. Sales have been going on all week. Yesterday, Ryanair had one-way flights to Belgium, France, and the UK in January for €5. €5! The tram from Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh city center costs more than that! Many buildings here require you to press a button to open the door when exiting (not really in restaurants and shops, moreso in apartment and office buildings). We’ve gotten the hang of this and are walking into doors less often now. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the bread here and how we have to keep it in the freezer. Dairy…
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One Month!
On our one-month anniversary in Dublin, we also finally received all of our belongings from the States! Lots of unpacking and settling in to do!
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Observations: Week 2
We’re used to getting great deals when buying things in bulk. Not here. Smaller-count items are often cheaper, so it’s worth looking at the unit price when shopping. Guess that’s why Costco doesn’t exist here. The love for crisps in the British Isles is like none other. I like how at the grocery checkout area, a wide range of snack-size bags of crisps are arranged (in the States, it’s usually just candy and gum). #cheeseandonion We’ve done two loads of laundry in the new apartment. It’s still really bizarre having a washing machine right next to the oven. It’s even more bizarre having a washer that’s also a dryer. (Spoiler: Having a…
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Observations: Week 1
Drivers really do not want to brake for pedestrians. Cross at your own risk. It really doesn’t rain here much. In fact, we absolutely love this weather. It’s perfect for strolling. 50s everyday, yay! None of the doors stay open. On that note, door stoppers are a hot item here. Be prepared to visit several home/hardware stores to find one that actually has them in stock. Sliced bread products have really short lifespans. The freezer will quickly become your best friend. They don’t have seltzer products like Polar or La Croix here, which makes us really sad. The flavored sparkling water beverages here have these weird sweeteners added to them, imparting a…
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Arrival
“We’re home,” I whispered to my husband with an excited grin as our plane bounced and skidded on the runway at Dublin Airport. He smiled and groggily nodded, exhausted from our 6-hour red-eye flight. This journey marked our third major move since we got engaged in 2013. The first two were cross-country (NYC to Seattle, Seattle to Boston) and with both relocations, it hit us pretty quickly that we were off to a new destination. But for whatever reason—even though we were moving to a new country, a new continent—reality wasn’t really sinking in this time. Not at all. Maybe it was because we had a whirlwind last couple of weeks…
