The Berlin Wall - In Pictures

The East Side Gallery is 1.3km-long section of the original Berlin wall located along the Spree River. It is the largest open-air gallery in the world and has over one hundred original mural paintings. Here are a few pictures:

Puenting in Spain

My amigo, David, said "when I come back to Seville, we will go puenting!". Sounds good...wait, what's puenting? Not much to it...

• Tie one end of a rope to one side of a bridge
• String rope under bridge and up the other side (where you are standing on the edge)
• Tie the other end of the rope to you
• Jump (head first)

My view

View from the bottom (I'm on the left)

After the initial shock of jumping, it's a smooth ride. If you're keen, you can ask for a water-landing. So, if you find yourself in or around Seville, give puenting a try. David's buddies run the show and will show you a good time. Bonus - the lunch stop serves up a killer serranito!

CANNONBALL

Southern Portugal. Five unsuspecting friends. One cameraman. Cannonball success!

Click one of the pictures to see it BIG.

Glorious Lahinch of County Clare

Go to Lahinch. Stay at the West Coast Lodge, eat lunch at Joe's Cafe, eat dinner at the Corner Stone Pub and get your surf gear from Ben.

Saint Patrick's Day - A Few Things You Should Know

Before you head out wearing your "Kiss Me I'm Irish" t-shirt / button / hat, DON'T.

Here are a few other things you should know:

• First off - It's Paddy's Day NOT Patty's Day! This site is for you - www.paddynotpatty.com
• So who is St. Patrick? Short aswer - he's the patron St of Ireland... who was born in Britain. If you're going to celebrate in his name, perhaps you could learn a little something about the man - Get in the know. 
• No respectable Irishman OR Irishwomen would EVER drink green beer
• When enjoying a drink with friends, say "Sláinte" (slawn-cheh), it's Irish for "Cheers"
• Leave your cape made from an Irish flag at home next to your Kiss Me Im Irish t-shirt / button / hat 
• On a side note - I will not be repeating last years St. Patrick's Day TV appearance. Fame just didn't agree with me.

Just for the hell of it, here's a random vid I shot last year during the St. Patrick's Day festivities. I call him "SPOONMAN".

Your Spanish for My English - Trade?

After calling Spain home for a few months, I could do little more than order a montadito in Spanish. Ya, that IS sad. Knowing English has made me lazy when it comes to learning other languages. Why? Because no matter where I am, I can find someone that speaks it, if only just a little. That excuse is growing old, so before I return to Spain, I am boning up on my Spanish.

Lucky for me, Dublin is loaded with Spanish folk, so I jumped onto CouchSurfing and posted a little note titled "Your Spanish for My English - Trade?". A day later I had three shiny new Spanish teachers! That easy, kids. I've had a bunch of lessons already and between the three of them, I should be fluent within the next two weeks. No pressure!

So who are these kick-ass strangers that volunteered their time to help me? One's a psychologist, one is a student and the other is an Engineer. All three are awesome.

"UN tomate, por favor" 

Cecilia - Argentina. Her English is nearly better than mine so I feel like she's getting the short end of the stick on this deal! Our lesson today was in a supermarket, so I had to tell her the "One Tomato, Please" story... and then I asked her to pose for this photo. Ceci wins today's "Good Sport" award.

Where are you from?
I´m from Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego, an island on the south of Argentina. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world (you must go). Ushuaia is the last port before the Antartic. Yes, it´s cold but not as much as people always imagine. It´s a small place, beautiful, great landscapes, surrounded by mountains. Good place for skiing. ;)

Why did you come to Ireland?
I came to Ireland one year ago, with a working holiday visa. I really love traveling, meet people, know other cultures, live in different places, etc. Life is short and you have to enjoy it, today I have time to travel, and I can do things that I don´t know if I will be able to do in the future…I chose Ireland because I wanted to live a new experience, and it seems to be an incredible island. If I could I would live every year in a different country… but is difficult for me, it’s not easy to get working visas. Argentina only has agreements with Ireland, New Zealand, and probably from this year with Australia.

Why would you help a complete stranger learn your language?
Good question! I would like to hear your answer! You posted first, I just reply to you… I don’t know… I think it’s a great idea. We both need help…I want to improve my English too, and it is a good and funny way to do it. Also it´s free. Amazing!

Say something cool in Spanish
"Hoy puede ser un gran día, plantéatelo así, aprovecharlo o que pase de largo depende en parte de ti."

Say it, write it. Say it, write it. Say it, write it.

The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen

Rebeca - Spain
If I didn't know better, I'd say she was a teacher. Thanks to Rebecca, I can already point at anything on your face, and most of your body, and say it in Spanish. Now, I need to return the favour and help her with her pronunciation of the letter "J".

Where are you from?
I come from Avilés, Asturias, Spain. It is not very known, but it is like a remix of countries... green as Ireland, beaches, mountains, nature, rural life and cities, and some people talk Asturiano, a dialect which is diing out ("La xente llámame pol mio nome de pila").

Why did you come to Ireland?
I came to Ireland in September, to start my last year of Business... I am an Erasmus student (known for being party-lovers and quite lazy, although I hope this is not my case... ). I decided to leave my home because sometimes one feels that you need  to experience other things and live by yourshlef. Although I have travelled a lot since I was 9, this is the first time that I spend so many months abroad.. I chose Ireland because i like small cities, and I love Irish music and the warmth of the people here.

Why would you help a complete stranger learn your language? A nice person with such passion for travelling and metting people (ever more than me!) cannot be a complete stranger... But I think that language is one of the main components of a culture, so it is a easy and nice way of know others...  (in this case Canada!)

Say something cool in Spanish
"Cada pueblo, cada paisaje y cada persona en España te muestra una cara diferente pero amable de nuestra historia y de nuestra cultura".

My first lesson with Rebecca - Parts of the head/ face

He jumps off bridges for fun. No, really.

David - Spain. He's a man of few words but only because he doesn't know that many in English, YET. The fact that I know even less Spanish makes for interesting lessons.

Where are you from?
Seville, Spain. Seville is a diferent king of life, to live with optimism and enjoining.

Why did you come to Ireland?
I come to Ireland for improving my english and looking for a job . I left my home because I need open my mind and  new experience, in other country, other people, and why not...Dublin,

Why would you help a complete stranger learn your language? It´s good for me

Say something cool in Spanish
"Todos los días necesitamos nuevos retos que hagan hagan que evolucionemos y seamos diferentes, sintiéndonos mejor. así el resto de la gente también se sentirá mejor. Disfruta cada momento."

Ser - a must have!

Schengen Area - Plain and Simple. Sort of.

Knackers? "Hiya"? Ballymaloe relish on my chicken club? If you've guessed I am no longer in Spain, you'd be right! Gone are the sunny days and well-dressed Pijos of Seville, I am back in dirty ol' Dublin. Why? A little thing called the Schengen Area. If you're planning on saying goodbye to your cubicle and doing some long term travel in Europe, you should read this.

What's the deal with the Schengen Area?

• The Schengen Area is made up of 26 European countries (see list below)
• Those 26 countries basically act like a single country when it comes to internal travel, making border crossings easy peasy
• As your average Canadian tourist, I am only allowed to spend a total of three months (90 days) out of a six month (180 day) period within the Schengen Area
• That "six month period" I just mentioned begins as soon as I enter one of the countries in the Schengen Area
• You can spend all 90 days in one Schengen Area country, several Schengean Area countries or a mix of Schengen Area countries and non-Schengen Area countries (like Ireland or Turkmenistan). The key here is you can only spend a total of 90 days within a 180 day period. GET IT?

Why I don't dig it
Instead of being able to stay in each of the Schengen Area countries for 90 days, I only get 90 days to spend across ALL 26. For someone who wants to see it all, that just doesn't cut it. Of course, there are ways to extend your time in the Schengen Area but they involve paperwork. C'mon, paperwork?

Example travel scenarios
Example 1:  You fly into Paris on Feb 1. Between now and July 31, you can spend 90 days in the Schengen Area. You decide to spend all of the next 90 days eating Foie Gras and drinking Champagne. That's it, you're time is up. You must spend the next 90 days (until May 1st) out of the Schengen Area before you can legally return.

Example 2: You fly into Amsterdam on March 15. Between now and September 15, you can spend 90 days in the Schengen Area. You spend the next 30 days in the red light district. Yikes. You jump over to Belgium and spend another 30 days drinking beer. Then you catch a cheap-o flight to Turkey (outside of the Schengen Area so that's cool) and spend two weeks in the Baths getting scrubbed clean. Next up, six weeks in Greece. Whoops! Hold on, that's about 114 days in the Schengen Area. You run the risk of getting busted! Better leave for 90 days.

Example 3: You fly into Krakow on August 8. Between now and February 8 (of the next year), you can spend 90 days in the Schengen Area. You spend the next two weeks having the time of your life (because Krakow is the BEE'S KNEES) before catching a flight home. No worries, you're two weeks of debauchery barely made a dent in the 90 days you get in the Schengen Area. Well played.  

Remember!

Burn this into your memory - Once you've hit the 90 day maximum within the 180 day period, leaving for a short time and re-entering the area does not buy you another 90 days. You have to remain outside of the Schengen Area for 90 days before reentering.

So what's the big deal if you overstay your welcome?
In, what seems to be, the unlikey event you even get caught, you may face a) a beating in a windowless back room; b) a 1 - 5 year ban from the Schengen Area or c) an expensive fine. Any of these would make for a bad day.

A list of the 26 Schengen Area Countries

Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece

Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands

Norway Poland Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland

Want to read more? Wikipedia has loads of info on the Schengen Area

Be aware, I am by no means an expert on this topic so if you have any life or death type questions, your best bet may be to contact a Canadian Embassy.

Salty!