Haggerty In The Hague

Sorry it took so long to write Part 3 of my Ireland travels.  Better late than never, I guess…

On Friday morning we drove from Galway back East towards Dublin.  We arrived to find Daimler had already arrived at our rented apartment, as he flew in just for the weekend.  I tried to handle my passport situation, but was informed that the earliest they could help me would be on Monday - not good for a Sunday flight.

After everyone got into town we settled into our apartment and enjoyed the view of the city.  That night we went to Temple Bar, a district in the center of Dublin that’s known for its bars and lively night scene.  We went around to a few places bar hopping and reviewing our week of fun.  As we walked along the streets we found a band on the street playing Oasis songs, so we all stopped to sing along.

Saturday morning we all went out for a great Irish breakfast at the restaurant named Gruel.  That afternoon did a little touring around before we headed to the Guinness Brew Factory.

The Guinness Storehouse tour was great.  It was a 7 level self-guided tour that told you everything from the history of Guinness to the brewing process and advertising schemes.  The best part was the Gravity Bar at the end - where everyone gets a pint of Guinness in a bar with the best view of the city.  We timed our visit right, as we had views of the city both in the daytime and at nighttime.

After the Guinness tour we headed into the middle of the city, where the guys had rented a sweet room right on Dame Street for us to play poker in.  We had a few beers, some good food, and hung out for a few hours playing poker.  Later that night we headed out to a super pub to continue the fun.

The last day was spent trying to handle my passport and changing flights.  We did manage to get out of Dublin to the seaside town of Howth - about 25 minutes outside of town.  We got this idea after watching Anthony Bourdain eat a seafood shmorgishborg in Howth on his show “No Reservations”.  We found a great restaurant and had a fabulous meal.  We also found an interesting little construction company while making our way through the Dublin train station…

Ireland was great - I’ll certainly be back!

Ireland, Travel, Winter

I'm having an awesome time!

Rob, Matt, and Gemma love the beer bike!

And the video:

Amsterdam, Netherlands, Summer

Matt and I went to the AC/DC concert in Amsterdam on Tuesday with our friends here in the Hague.  It was a great time!  We went to a bar beforehand and then headed into the concert.  You can check out the pics and videos in my Picasa Photo Album.  Enjoy!

AC/DC in Concert!

Amsterdam, Summer

Does anyone else find this news article hilarious?

And here’s the forecast.

It’s definitely interesting living in a country where on a week that the temperature gets in the mid 70’s they feel they need to issue a warning about sunscreen  Guess we should find some!

Den Haag, Netherlands

On our second day in Rome, we woke up early to head to the Borghese Gallery.  This museum in the North of the city houses a large collection of Bernini sculptures, amongst other art.  We saw such greats as Apollo and Daphne and the Rape of Proserpina.

Apollo & Daphne by Bernini

Closeup of the Rape of Proserpina, by Bernini

From the Gallery we walked over to the Spanish Steps - the large set of 138 steps climbing between Piazza di Spagna at the bottom and the church Trinità dei Monti at the top.  We spent some time people watching and relaxing here, and enjoying the nice day.  Next, we made our way towards the Pantheon and strolled along the fancy shops in the nice shopping area.

The Spanish Steps

The Pantheon was incredible.  This two millennium old structure was amazing, but tough to capture its immense scale in a photograph.  We walked around the inside of the structure and marveled at the how the top of the dome is open to the elements - which was evident because we saw the floor was wet from the rain earlier that morning!

View of the Pantheon dome

Next, we headed over to Piazza Navona, which was a larger scale of the Campo Di Fiora square we had visited the day before.  We made our loop around the area, checking out the several beautiful Bernini sculptures in the square.  All in all, we thought this area was a little too commercial for us, so we decided to head back to Campo De Fiori before dinner.

Bernini Fountain in Piazza Navona

Instead of going to a restaurant for happy hour, we decided to grab some Chianti, Pecorino Stagianato, and Salami Picante to enjoy while sitting in the square. Great relaxing time!

Lindsey in the center of Campo Di Fiore

Traditional Italian snacks in the square!

After a few hours watching the Italian kids try to soak each other with water balloons, we headed over to a pizza place for dinner.  The pizza was a great way to wrap up our fantastic Roman holiday!  We’ll certainly be back!

Italy, Summer, Travel

At the beginning of June Matt and I both ventured to Rome for a weekend getaway. We stayed right by the Coliseum so it was a perfect place for touring around the city. We had a great view of the Coliseum from our window!

We arrived at night and made our way to the Trevi Fountain. This was really cool as it was lit up at night and much less crowded than during the day! We got some good pictures, enjoyed the incredible architecture, and had some delicious gelato. All in all a good first night.

Trevi Fountain

The next day we woke up and went straight to the Roman Forum. The history and architecture of this area was amazing. We saw many of the old temples, remnants of old churches and government buildings including some great views of Rome from Palentine Hill. We also saw the Coliseum - a must do for a first trip to Rome. It was really humbling to be in a place that was such an integral part of Roman history.

Flexing at the Roman Forum :)

Looking over the Roman Forum

Lindsey and Matt at the Coliseum

After the Roman Forum we went and got one of the best panini’s I’ve ever had as we made our way to Vatican City. The cheese and meat tasted really fresh and the bread was to die for! This gave us energy to make the trek to St. Peter’s Square which is the entrance to Vatican City.

Lunch!

Since we arrived mid-afternoon, we had no problems getting through the security check point. We had to wait about 30 minutes to climb the steep flights of stairs to reach the Cupola (or dome) of St. Peter’s Basillica, but it was well worth it. There were some awesome views of both the inside of the dome and of Rome itself!

St. Peter's Square

On the way to the top of the dome!

Inside the dome of St. Peter's Basilica

The view from the top :)

After we descended from the dome (all 500 + steps!) we took in the beauty of the Basilica itself. We also visited the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel while in Vatican City. Although neither Matt nor I are practicing Catholics, it was still very cool to be in such a monumental place.

After a long day of touring we walked to Campo de Fiore to do some people watching and drink some wine. This was a really neat area as you could get a better appreciation of the Roman/Italian culture while sitting in this square. More on this place to come

Campo de Fiore

Our final adventure for the day was dinner at this incredibly good restaurant that was recommended to us by some Italians at Matt’s work. It was called La Spaghetteria L’Archetto and was situated on this little side street near the Trevi Fountain. We had pasta with mussels and clams and some delicious wine. I would recommend it to anyone!

Delicious dinner

After this exhausting day we decided to go back to our hotel and catch some zzz’s before another day of tourism!

Italy, Summer, Travel

Raw herring, or Hollandse Nieuwe, is a Dutch delicacy dating back to the 14^th century. Since it’s a delicacy, naturally Matt and I both had to try it. It’s best in the Spring and early Summer, and is served with raw onion. Matt’s first herring experience was Koninginnedag , or Queen’s Day, back at the end of April while in Amsterdam.

Matt Eating Herring

Clearly Matt was not a fan

I tried raw herring on the first weekend I was in town while at the beach in Scheveningen. After one of the best weather weekends so far in The Hague, Matt and I wandered along the boardwalk to a local stand selling herring.

Bucket of Herring

Looks appealing right? Well I dove right in, ordered my herring and….

Lindsey ordering Herring

Before the plunge

Eating Herring

Loved it!! It tasted pretty fishy and salty but I thought it was delicious. So much so that I decided to eat it in true dutch fashion- picked it up by the tail and chowed down.

Lindsey Loving Herring

Still Loving Herring

Needless to say, Matt didn’t get near me for the rest of the afternoon Overall, a dutch cuisine success!

Food, Netherlands, Summer

Lindsey and I took a walk along the Scheveningen boardwalk the other day.  Here are a few pictures of some art we found around the area.

Den Haag, Summer