Parting Shots [Dublin]

Things that caught my eye while exploring this great city. The history, mood, and color of Dublin in images.

Peeling Back Layers of History

Red-eye Structural Support

A Guinness Moment

Walking on Broken Glass

Fading Irish Eyes Smile

I'm a bit late in posting about our trip to Dublin. And, so close to our Easter trip to Valencia. Absorbing two vastly different cultures in the space of a month. Yes, living in Europe does have its advantages.

Snow was falling when we left Göteborg. So much so that they had to de-ice the plane before take-off. We arrived in Dublin late Thursday afternoon to mostly sunny skies. It was the weekend before St. Paddy's Day. We were staying in the Temple Bar area, the heart of Dublin nightlife. For more photos of our trip to Dublin, click here.

All signs pointed to the festivities taking place the next week. Lots of shops sold celebratory paraphernalia. TJ eyed the hats and tried a few on. On Saturday, he finally broke down and bought one. Surely this hat is worth the 2.95 euros he spent, don't you think? Note: The images below link to my Picasa photo album with all trip photos.


There are bars and restaurants galore in Temple Bar. Some more festive than others. We did not drink in this puce green bar. Instead we opted for the elegant, red Temple Bar Pub down the road. But, regardless of the bar, you were guaranteed to find live singers and a livelier crowd. The crowds really picked up Friday and Saturday nights. There were a surprising number of Americans running about. A few we spoke with had found amazingly cheap flights to Dublin. So, why not hop on a plane and party in Dublin and tour the Irish countryside? Recession be damned!

We took a sightseeing bus around the city. Personally, I think these Hop-on Hop-off buses are the best way to get around in most cities. Not that I have anything against walking. We did a lot of that as well. We walked around the quiet, manicured lawns of Trinity College. And along the pedestrian shopping mecca of Grafton Street...where elbows push you 'round and buskers sing by candlelight (name that song). Viewed the state apartments in Dublin Castle. Passed through the dank recesses of Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison. And savored the view from the top of the Guinness Storehouse where we enjoyed a free pint.

I was skeptical at first about going to the museum. Neither TJ or I are big fans of Guinness beer. But, the 7-story building is absolutely beautiful. And, the exhibits were very well done. Now, I can see why it is one of the top visitor attractions in Ireland. And, well, there was that free pint of Guinness. Which turned out to be quite tasty.

Overall, the food and drink were pretty damn good in Dublin. Lots of character and taste. And sometimes, unintended humor. We passed by this bar while touring around the city. Wish we had been able to have drink here. I'm sure I would have felt right at home.

Opera Diva Wins Melodifestivalen

The winner of the 2009 Melodifestivalen has been selected to represent Sweden in the Eurovision contest. It's opera singer, Malena Ernman, who sings La Voix in both English and French to a throbbing disco beat. It should have strong multi-national, multi-generational appeal. How can it lose? I mean, this is the 35th anniversary of ABBA winning the Eurovision contest. Well, that satirical musical number presented at the finals in Stockholm might not go over well with this year's Eurovision host country, Russia. More on that later.

Melodifestivalen is bigger than ever. Here's an introduction to this year's event. There were four regional contests held around the country to select the semi-finalists for the finals in Stockholm. In additional, there was a second chance contest (andra chansen in Swedish) to select from those artists that did not make it through the semi-finals. The first regional show was right here in Göteborg. The event was televised live. According to reports, 3 million people watched that show. For perspective, Sweden only has a population of 9 million. In the United States, 100 million people would have to American Idol to achieve the same ratings success.

My take on the artists and songs in this year's contest can be described in one word: flat. There were some very lackluster performances and forgettable songs. Now, I like Alcazar, but their song, Stay the Night, was as limp as a semla sitting in milk. At least compared to this little ditty, which I love. And, Måns Zelmerlöw's Hope & Glory didn't have any. Måns was a favorite going in to the contest. Maybe next year. I still think he is the Enrique Iglesias of Sweden. E.M.D. with Baby Goodbye was pretty good but the song title was self-fulfilling. And Agnes, who I like, didn't deliver enough Love Love Love. Still, most had the requisite sing-along-pop and dance sensibility. Which is what Melodifestivalen is all about. The winner, Malena, wasn't expected to do well, but the public voted for her in big numbers.

Now, on to the controversy. At the finals, there was a parady skit and dance number that mocked Russia and its national anthem. The dance number had Matryoshka dolls and Cossacks and dancing bears. Oh my. Lots of Russian stereotypes. Offensive, maybe. But, funny as well. Oh, those nutty Swedes. Enjoy.




And, one final treat. In honor of ABBA's win at Eurovision 35 year's ago, here is a video of them singing Waterloo in Swedish at Melodifestivalen that same year.

Shopping Cart Rentals

Pay a deposit to obtain a shopping cart. Get the deposit back when you return the cart. This sounds like a strange concept to some of you. But, the system is common throughout Europe. And it works quite well. Of particular interest to Americans, you see few, if any, shopping carts that have strayed far from their respective store parking lots. As a former grocery store employee (more than 25 years ago), I can attest to the straying nature of shopping carts. They just like to roam.

So, the system is quite simple. There are two slots for coins; one each for a 5 kronor or a 10 kronor coin. Depending on the exchange rate, that works out to something over $0.50 to less than $1.75 for your shopping excursion. So, in most cases, you really do want that coin back. Insert the coin into the slot and the chain connecting your cart to the one behind it is released. Reverse the process after shopping by reconnecting the chain to your cart. Voila! Coinage retrieved.

And, yes, TJ and I shop at Willy:s. We like Willy:s. Um, I mean we like to shop at Willy:s. Oh, you know what I mean.

Scene: Spring Awakening!

Finally! Spring has sprung. And not a moment too soon. The flowers have been pushing earnestly through the ground for the past week or two. We were almost able to walk about with no jacket on Saturday. Almost. Maybe another couple of weeks for that feat. But, seriously, where do Swedes get their tolerance to frolic about in t-shirts or a short skirt in cold weather? They've been doing it all Winter long. Certainly, my time here has not been long enough to master those chillin' skills.

Anywho, this was the scene this Spring weekend in Kungsparken in Göteborg. Flowers are blooming. That's blommor är blommande if you are following along in Swedish. Hard to believe that it was just 6 months ago that Autumn had settled in.

Just a little reminder...

Semla Tasting Contest

Well, if someone's gotta handle the tough assignments, it might as well be me. The relocation service department (WIN) of the West Sweden Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Västsvenska Industri- och Handelskammaren) sponsored a semla tasting contest. This activity involved eating, judging, and scoring. How could I pass up that opportunity?

First, the basics. What is a semla? A semla is a wheat bun made with cardamom that is sliced in two, filled with almond paste and whipped cream, and dusted with powdered sugar. Now for an important distinction: multiple semlas are called semlor.
A good overview of the semla is here. Traditionally, semla was consumed on the last Tuesday before Lent, otherwise known as Fat Tuesday, or Fettisdagen in Swedish. But, Swedes cannot resist a sweet tasty treat. And so, you will see semla appearing in stores starting January and continuing on through Easter.

As part of the semla hype, newspapers have "Best Semla" competitions. And, so with Swedes weighing in on the best semla, it was thought to give non-Swedes a chance to test their taste buds and voice their opinion. Göteborg takes its semla seriously. There is even a semla academy in the city. There are established standards for making semla. More on what makes a good semla is here. Apparently, it's all about the almond paste.

I had tried a semla last year. And came away not being impressed at all. It was like eating a dinner roll with super light whipped cream. I don't even remember tasting any almond paste. Which may have been the problem. Still, plain [flavorless] whipped cream does nothing for me. I tried not to take this bias into the contest.

We tasted semlor from four different establishments; two of which were from the Best of Göteborg list. Each semla was cut into four pieces. As you can see below, cutting a semla is not always an easy task. But, the fresher (softer) the bun, the easier it is. This particular semla had a dry bun. Not so easy. And kind of messy.

Still, the pieces were big. And, I ended up having five. I had to resample Semla 1.

The results: the group chose the semla from ICA Focus, a grocery store, as the best. I used to love buying donuts, muffins, and cookies from the local grocery stores (Shaw's in Maine, King Sooper in Colorado, and Safeway in California). Just an unscientific observation.

Second place went to Brogyllen Konditori, which was voted #1 in the Best of survey. Interestingly, we rated the semla from Steinbrenner & Nyberg last; while the Best of survey rated it #2. My favorite was voted #3 overall. The almond paste was mild (not overpowering) and smooth. The cream, light but not too airy. And the bun was soft, moist, and slightly chewy. Cultural palettes diverge at the semla.