Cheers Dublin!

I have been putting off posting about Ireland for a while now because there is so much to say.  Its not everyday you have current IRA member and former political prisoner give your tour of Belfast.  I visited both Belfast in Northern Ireland and Dublin in Republic of Ireland.  Most people don't know too much about the history and present two places, so I want to do them both justice.  That being said, I want to keep this post light so I focused on one of the most popular Dublin attractions: drinking!  Below are pictures of my favorite drinking related places in Dublin :)

 Butlers is a cafe offering gourmet Irish chocolates and drinks. The hot chocolate is literally made from a big pot of boiling melting chocolate mixed with steaming hot milk.  Drinks come with a complimentary piece of chocolate or truffle! 

 Adore the slogan! The location I visited was across The International Bar, home of the best Irish stew and the starting location of the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour. The tour is hilarious way to get the most of Dublin's history from an expert. Trust me, its a must.

 Dublin is of course home to the famous Guinness. A bit of sculpture inside of the Guinness building, classy ones they are. 

My personal Guinness recommendations: 1) At the pub next time try Guinness and Black Currant if you like things fruity. 2) Buy some of the chocolate in the souvenir shop, you can literally taste the Guinness.  Caramel was my favorite. (Above & below are ads through the decades.)

 Each Guinness ticket provides a free pint. One option is learning to pour your own perfect pint, my certificate and well deserved pint above!  

 Learning about the making of Guinness.  Also I just thought the saying was kind of bad ass.  Sorry for the blurriness.   

Jameson Irish Whiskey is another famous product of Dublin.  Their  distillery tour shows how the whiskey is made, comes with a free drink, and if you volunteer to be a taster you get to compare multiple whiskeys.  Although if you do the tastings you may never want Jack Daniels again. ;)

Go. Do. Good.

I know this is old, but I think sometimes we all need reminding of the message.  Do something good, no matter how big or small, for someone else.  No one is perfect, but we should aim to do better each and everyday.  I think after my trip to Ireland I am definitely feeling the weight of all the things so often taken for granted.  This is me saying go do something good, because the world needs some good karma. Since I'm being all sentimental, I might as well go all out and share this quote I saw outside the British Library: "Every day is a gift.  That's why they call it the present." If nothing else watch the video because Beyonce has an amazing voice.

You Don't Even Know... Yet.

London's Underground scene is loud, sweaty, and filled with some of the best music you've never heard of. Those nights dancing with the bands after their sets to the rest of the line up are what London's underground scene is all about.  Most the gigs are free and even the paid ones have amazingly intimate venues. The music is too good to go unknown, so check out some of the bands I've seen recently. Videos/links below.

If you like Reggae... No Promises by In Search Of. 

Or Anthem/Jazz/Dance/Cheeky.... Roman Summer by Bear Cavalry: http://soundcloud.com/bearcavalry

Maybe "Mutant Science Punk Rock?" Then Scotland's awkwardly amazing We Are The Physics. Applied Robotics video above. 

Illumini

There have been signs. The leaves are changing, the weather is colder, and pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks.  It may not even be October, but Halloween is upon us.  Arguably, it is one of the few holidays that does not lose its appeal as we get older.  The costumes are more ridiculous, the parties are better, and the attractions are much scarier than the stories we were told when we were seven.

To celebrate.... Illumini's Dickensian Hauntings opened last night at a darkly lit underground venue transformed with art, performers in full Victorian costume, and of course a hypnotist.  Figuring out past lives with the hypnotist was only one of many intriguing options however.  There was also seances, fortune tellers, and installations of all forms of morbid fantastical art. This modern nonprofit gallery aims to immerse visitors in these types of events to attract a wider audience and showcase the art in the exact opposite of the typical white wall gallery.  Clearly, they have excelled.

Check out some of the work!

Queued outside the venue.

I do love layers.  Ads Outside.

Artwork.

Contortionist in one of the corridors. 

Color changing chandelier installation.

Get in the mood music!

Fire Baby

  The Burnt Out Punks Grand Finale at the National Theater

I made the unexpectedly great life choice of attending The Mayor's Thames Festival, which is an end of the summer fest near the bridges in London.  Apart from inspiring spoken word and beat boxing by Lyrix Organix, there was an awesome closing performance by the Burnt Out Punks.  I was expecting a band, instead I got a combination of pyromaniacs, Swedish circus, and dancing. Everyone has a dream, this is the result of freaks and punks who had dreams to play with fire.  Let's just say the evening ended with a couple bangs and explosions.
Check out the following video to see one of the performers get crazy, or don't... Your loss!

FNO London

Normally, Fashion's Night Out is all about the free perks... and last night there were definitely fantastic drinks, gift bags, and delicious treats.  I had my very first ever macaroon at Victoria's Secret, liquid chocolate & truffles from Hotel Chocolat, and what seemed like an endless stream of available free alcohol.  Tory Burch even supplied gourmet takeaway food from Street Kitchen's van.  Still, the best part this year was not the edibles or the shop-portunities or even the spotting of celebs (like Misfits actress Antonia Thomas)- it was without a doubt the performers that made this night amazing.

My night started down by McQueen, Tiffany's, Chanel and all the other fabulously expensive places with incredibly long queues (lines).  While glamorous, it was also slightly depressing because I cannot afford very much shopping down there.  As I made my way down though I was delighted to see the evening turning into a street festival as much as an opportunity to shop.  It was complete with a swing dancing stage and some of the coolest buskers (street performers) I have ever heard.

Ended the night with drinks at the flagship for Superdry on Regent St. in the gorgeous high fashion punk barbershop Tommy Guns Salon. 

On Victoria Secret's giant glass staircase.

Swing Dancers and Visitors

Front and Center for the Dear Prudence performance.

At The Gazelli Art House, Philip Colbert of The Rodnik Band's (part musician collaborations/part fashion designer) had his Andy Warhol-esque clothing pieces on display for the evening.  He quite amusingly performed with No Cars, who were all wearing his collection. There should be a music video of it going up soon, according to the photographer we met there, and I shall be sure to share it! 

Buskers!

I tried to link to as much as possible because all of these artists and places are worth checking out. :)

In Case You Were Wondering...

Discovered in London...

1. Everything is smaller: showers, elevators, laundry machines, fridges.

2. Over a cup of ginger & lemon tea my roommate told me ginger was once used as punishment in "figging" where it is inserted into the bum causing understandable discomfort and burning sensation.  It is now a form of erotic pleasure. The English are known for their punishment fetishes, especially "flogging" or spanking.  It is rumored to come from their private school days.

3. The mixed drinks here seem to be Pimm's cocktails, which can be any type of alcohol depending on the number on the bottle.  http://www.anyoneforpimms.com/recipes/

4. Everything closes early on the weekends, even restaurants, if they open at all. 

Still to Do...

1. I saw Prince Albert's statue, still have no idea why the piercing was named after him.

2. Try Wagamama and Yo! Sushi, super popular Asian restaurants out here. 

3. Already went to the Ye Olde Cock pub, but Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and Filthy McNasty's Whiskey Cafe are also intriguingly named. Haha 

The London Eye view below us, those are the giant class containers we were in. 

Apparently the UK supports the gorilla population. I plan to watch this happen.

 Waterloo Station, the nicest tube/train station I've ever seen.  The inside also felt more like a mall or airport than a tube station.

View from the London Eye of Westminster Bridge, The House of Parliment on the left of the bridge with parlimentary offices in the building on the right, Big Ben, and behind that is Westminster Abbey.