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A brief tour of Europe
With summer in full gear, a slew of visits to and from friends continue to occupy our time. I started by freeloading in Germany with Claas Schulitz (a German friend and former neighbour from childhood), and then the freeloaders showed up in Dublin. First to arrive was Larry, then Carrie (though she went off to Derry), but, alas, no Barry or Harry as of yet. Bonnie, who almost rhymes, arrives in a few minutes. Our enthusiasm for visitors has not yet waned as the visits and visitors have been of the highest standard, as have the pubs.
Fellow travelers in Hamburg Germany Claas was visiting his grandmother in Hamburg, having a bite to eat, when he noticed the black and yellow HLX plane flying overhead, remarkably on-time. Grandparental duties faithfully dispensed with, and a good excuse to leave in tow, he rushed off to meet me. After spending a few hours walking all around Hamburg, including some places of ill repute (don’t worry ladies – we just laughed from a distance), we headed off to the real fun in Braunschweig and Hannover.
Hamburg's waterfront In Braunschweig, we met up with Claas’s brother Mark, who was about eight the last time I saw him, and some other Germans and a Frenchman at an outdoor drinking establishment clearly designed to annoy the neighbours. Claas, Mark, and I decided it was time to call old friends, or pretty much anybody whose number we had. Somehow we made it back to Claas’s apartment, where a 2 am phone call to my mom was also of utmost necessity. She put up with us with good grace, and we happily fell asleep. Given the number of “phone calls” we had placed the evening before, Claas did not sleep in especially late. However, I was too excited to sleep past 7 am since we were going to see Hannover 96 in a Bundesliga match (German soccer, top division) in a stadium designed by the Schulitz architectural gang. So, awaking well before Claas, and wanting to be in a proper frame of mind, I read about Le Courbusier, the famous architect. I discovered that he (or his theories) is to blame for many sixties concrete monstrosities, which I can forgive him for, and for placing an unforgivable pillar in the middle of my old office, which, apart from hanging the disco ball from, served no good at all. In fairness, he had some nice ideas about rooftop patios.
AWD Arena (courtesy Schulitz+Partner) After a wonderful breakfast with his parents (oh, yeah, Mom, they said to say, “Hi”, etc.) we started our trip to Hannover and AWD Stadium. No football match is complete without a pre-game trip to a beer garden, and so that is what we did. The beer garden was wonderful, on the edge of an in-city forest, and we all enjoyed the warm sun, lazy dogs, and happy children. Finally, and after a visit to a different beer garden, it was time for the match. The subway let us off close to the stadium where we walked down a tree-lined street towards the game. We could glimpse the top of the stadium through the trees and hear the noise of the crowd from the distance. Arriving at the outside of the stadium, our anticipation was rewarded even more with glimpses inside through the “windows to the stadium”. Schulitz and Partner Architekten did a great job, and I would love to see another match there. Scotland
Duart Castle, Scotland After Larry Santoni arrived in Dublin and visited a few pubs, we popped off for a quick trip to Scotland, or, as he preferred to call it, Mecca. The purpose of this trip was not to lust after the beautiful Scottish ladies, though they were beautiful, nor to stare at the grandeur of the Highlands scenery, though it was grand, but to sample Scotland’s great contribution to the world of beverages, of which the Scot’s are justly proud.
Markie Dan's pub, Oban After flying in to Glasgow, we made our way to Oban, home of the Oban distillery. Oban is a pretty town, set on a scenic harbour overlooking various isles. In addition to some fine walks and a nice boat excursion, Larry and I visited most of the pubs in town. Basically, we visited two pubs for every cultural activity. Our favorite pub (for drinks) was Markie Dan’s, who had an amazing selection of Scotch, and quite good prices, too. We sampled only a few, or perhaps several and possibly many, but came up with a few favourites. Old Pulteney, Teanenich, and Glen Mhor above the others, all brought smiles to our faces. It was with a bit of sadness that we learned that Glen Mhor, our new favourite, was demolished in 1983, and that once these bottles are gone, there will be no more.
Oban and its landmark, McCaig's Tower, Scotland Dublin and Surrounds Our visitors were forced into death marches around the Dublin area. Larry, not that he would complain about it, had some monster blisters on his feet from day one. In addition to museums, pubs, tourist shops, pubs, traditional music, and pubs, they went on some fantastic walks. While Dublin is a large city, there are lovely hikes very nearby. The best hike was around Howth. On one of those days that southern California takes for granted and Dubliners don’t dare hope for, we drug Larry and Carrie for miles and miles and around Howth along a cliffside walk with views to die for. Whilst the fish & chips at the beginning are best forgotten, we had a wonderful time and I managed to get sunburned yet again in Ireland. Of course, we finished up a hot, sweaty hike with cold beer in the outdoor sitting area of a very nice hotel.
Relaxing after a long hike, near Howth While there are many other stories to tell, such as the young ladies who tried to pick Larry and myself up at a bar, perhaps it is best to finish up here. That is to say, if you want to find out whether or not Larry fended the ladies off, or just how friendly Carrie was with the French guys, you’ll just have to come visit and ply me with stout, or porter, or ale, or pilsner... Friends near and far, here and gone The pleasure we’ve had with our visitors (Larry is so sexy) reminds me of all the friends that haven’t, for one reason or another (cheep, cheep, cheap...), been able to visit, and also of those friends who are no longer with us. So, to friends near and far, here and gone, to the travel writer Pete McCarthy departed for lands unknown and to the demolished distillery Glen Mhor, I lift a pint of the black stuff and a dram of pure holy beauty, and say cheers to you all.
Larry, Carrie, and Hannah, enjoying the sun near Howth - Peter, Dot, Lindy and Katie Niamh |
