The Botanic Gardens

There aren't many attractions that I can speak high of in Dublin.  The Botanic Gardens in Dublin is my ultimate, most favorite attraction.The garden is really marvelous and the squirrels are really sweet although at the entrance numerous sign refer to them as if they were the Killer Rabbit(s) of Caerbannog in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail.(The first time we went there I had a cool vision about a vicious attack they might carry out on visitors in my head. These fierce species of animal...but soon turned into thin air as the squires are proven to be friendly.) At last let me  mention the cafe which serves balanced flavor cakes.(What do I mean? most places in Dublin would use salty butter for fluffy cakes and they don't.) And of course the coffee is also really nice. Here are some pictures I've taken back in October.

Cards

I love paper-mania products. Unfortunately there aren't many places where they are available in Dublin. The Arts and Hobby shop in Dunlaoghaire stocks a nice range of their products. I got some nice buttons, flowers and ribbons yesterday.I couldn't wait to get home and start making cards for my friends.Here are the results.

Dun Laoghaire

We went to Dun Laoghaire yesterday.I cannot even keep track how many times I have been there but still, I love every time we go.Here are some pictures of yesterday's trip.

Angelea's Ashses

Thanks to my huby's friend Henry we saw Angelea's Ashses last night.We both loved it and will go to buy the book today. I have seen a lot of films about Ireland and its history but this was the best. It is so authentic and touching. As a foriner it is so different to see an Ireland that is poor.The only thing I didn't get about the film is the title. I hope I get the answer after reading the book. If anyone has any suggestions I would be really glad to hear.


My favorit is the first coummunion day.Here is a little recap from the book:
First Communion day is the happiest day of your life because of The Collection and James Cagney at the Lyric Cinema. The night before I was so excited Icouldn't sleep till dawn. I'd still be sleeping if my grandmother hadn't come banging at the door.

Get up! Get up! Get that child outa the bed. Happiest day of his life an' him snorin' above in the bed.
I ran to the kitchen. Take off that shirt, she said. I took off the shirt and she pushed me into a tin tub of icy cold water. My mother scrubbed me, my grandmother scrubbed me. I was raw, I was red.
They dried me. They dressed me in my black velvet First Communion suit with the white frilly shirt, the short pants, the white stockings, the black patent leather shoes. Around my arm they tied a white satin bow and on my lapel theypinned the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a picture with blood dripping from it, flames erupting all around it and on top a nasty-looking crown of thorns.
Come here till I comb your hair, said Grandma. Look at that mop, it won't lie down. You didn't get that hair from my side of the family. That's that North of Ireland hair you got from your father. That's the kind of hair you see on Presbyterians. If your mother had married a proper decent Limerickman you wouldn't have this standing up, North of Ireland, Presbyterian hair.
She spat twice on my head.
Grandma, will you please stop spitting on my head.
If you have anything to say, shut up. A little spit won't kill you. Come on, we'll be late for the Mass.
We ran to the church. My mother panted along behind with Michael in her arms. We arrived at the church just in time to see the last of the boys leaving the altar rail where the priest stood with the chalice and the host, glaring at me. Then he placed on my tongue the wafer, the body and blood of Jesus. At last, at last.
It's on my tongue. I draw it back.
It stuck.
I had God glued to the roof of my mouth. I could hear the master's voice, Don't let that host touch your teeth for if you bite God in two you'll roast in hell for eternity. I tried to get God down with my tongue but the priest hissed at me, Stop that clucking and get back to your seat. God was good. He melted and I swallowed Him and now, at last, I was a member of the True Church, an official sinner.
When the Mass ended there they were at the door of the church, my mother with Michael in her arms, my grandmother. They each hugged me to their bosoms. They each told me it was the happiest day of my life. They each cried all over my head and after my grandmother's contribution that morning my head was a swamp.
Mam, can I go now and make The Collection?
She said, After you have a little breakfast.
No, said Grandma.You're not making no collection till you have a proper FirstCommunion breakfast at my house. Come on.
We followed her. She banged pots and rattled pans and complained that the whole world expected her to be at their beck and call. I ate the egg, I ate the sausage, and when I reached for more sugar for my tea she slapped my hand away.
Go aisy with that sugar. Is it a millionaire you think I am? An American? Is it bedecked in glitterin' jewelry you think I am? Smothered in fancyfurs?
The food churned in my stomach. I gagged. I ran to her backyard and threw it all up. Out she came.
Look at what he did. Thrun up his First Communion breakfast. Thrun up the bodyand blood of Jesus. I have God in me backyard. What am I goin' to do? I'll takehim to the Jesuits for they know the sins of the Pope himself.
She dragged me through the streets of Limerick. She told the neighbors andpassing strangers about God in her backyard. She pushed me into the confessionbox.
In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's a day since my last confession.
A day? And what sins have you committed in a day, my child?
I overslept. I nearly missed my First Communion. My grandmother said I have standing up, North of Ireland, Presbyterian hair. I threw up my First Communion breakfast. Now Grandma says she has God in her backyard and what should she do.
The priest is like the First Confession priest. He has the heavy breathing andthe choking sounds.
Ah...ah...tell your grandmother to wash God away with a little water and for your penance say one Hail Mary and one Our Father. Say a prayer for me and God bless you, my child.
Grandma and Mam were waiting close to the confession box. Grandma said, Were you telling jokes to that priest in the confession box? If 'tis a thing I everfind out you were telling jokes to Jesuits I'll tear the bloody kidneys outayou. Now what did he say about God in my backyard?
He said wash Him away with a little water, Grandma.
Holy water or ordinary water?
He didn't say, Grandma.
Well, go back and ask him.
But, Grandma...
She pushed me back into the confessional.
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned, it's a minute since my last confession.
A minute! Are you the boy that was just here?
I am, Father.
What is it now?
My grandma says, Holy water or ordinary water?
Ordinary water, and tell your grandmother not to be bothering me again.
I told her, Ordinary water, Grandma, and he said don't be bothering him again.
Don't be bothering him again. That bloody ignorant bogtrotter.
I asked Mam, Can I go now and make The Collection? I want to see James Cagney.
Grandma said, You can forget about The Collection and James Cagney becauseyou're not a proper Catholic the way you left God on the ground. Come on, go home.
Mam said, wait a minute. That's my son. That's my son on his First Communion day. He's going to see James Cagney.
No he's not.
Yes he is.
Grandma said, Take him then to James Cagney and see if that will save hisPresbyterian North of Ireland American soul. Go ahead.She pulled her shawl around her and walked away.
Mam said, God, it's getting very late for The Collection and you'll neversee James Cagney. We'll go to the Lyric Cinema and see if they'll let you in anyway in your First Communion suit. We met Mikey Molloy on Barrington Street. He asked if I was going to the Lyric and I said I was trying. Trying? he said. You don't have money? I was ashamed to say no but I had to and he said, That's all right. I'll get you in. I'll create a diversion.
What's a diversion?
I have the money to go and when I get in I'll pretend to have the fit andthe ticket man will be out of his mind and you can slip in when I let out the big scream. I'll be watching the door and when I see you in I'll have a miraculous recovery. That's a diversion. That's what I do to get my brothers in all the time.
Mam said, Oh, I don't know about that, Mikey. Wouldn't that be a sin and surelyyou wouldn't want Frank to commit a sin on his Communion day.Mikey said if there was a sin it would be on his soul and he wasn't a proper Catholic anyway so it didn't matter. He let out his scream and I slipped in and sat next to Question Quigley and the ticket man, Frank Goggin, was so worried over Mikey he never noticed. It was a thrilling film but sad in the end because James Cagney was a public enemy and when they shot him they wrapped him in bandages and threw him in the door, shocking his poor old Irish mother, and that was the end of my First Communion day.


Text credit  Angelea's Ashses by Frank McCourt

You Know You're Hungarian...

1.When you use sour cream more than ketchup.

2.When feeding your guests is your main priority even if they claim they're not hungry and in which case you get slightly offended/upset that they don't want your hospitality.

3.When Paprika is just as important as salt & pepper on the table & in food.

4.When you know what Unikum is and prefer it over Jagrmeister.

5.When it's shocking for you to realize that TV channels of foreign countries don't broadcast full live coverage of kayak/canoe and water-polo world championships on prime time.

6.When you tell someone that you are Hungarian, they ask "Are you hungry?" Then you congratulate them on being the millionth person to say that to you.

7.When you've heard, "If you're hungry, why not go to Turkey?" at least once in your life.

8.When you have at least one relative who's named Attila. Or József. Or János. Or László. Or István.

9.When you know that the "goulash" you see in many restaurants has in actuality little/nothing to do with the gulyás leves we really eat.

10.When meeting another Hungarian in a country outside of Hungary is amazing.

11.When you love Turó Rudi but can't really explain to foreigners what the hell it is until they try it.

12.When your foreign friends ask you if you still believe that Santa Claus brings the presents on the night between December 24th-25th... then you answer somehow confused that Santa Claus brings the presents on the 6th of December and it is actually Little Jesus who brings the presents on Christmas, but the presents are already there on the 24th at 6PM.

13.When a pancake is extremely flat in your country and you roll it up instead of folding it.

14.When you do not speak with your mouth full.

15. When they wanna show off by saying that they know your capital: Bucharest and no, they are not joking!

16. When you love Mákos Guba and you can't explain what MÁK is, neither GUBA to anyone.. and if you finally can, everyone will think you're some kind of weirdo for eating that.

17.When catching a bus an old lady with lots of heavy bags runs by you and reaches the bus first, then sits down panting and complaining how old she is and how the stuff is heavy and young people are not well educated, etc.

18.When you can swear for 5 minutes straight, with one breath, not using the same word, ever.

19.When you can show off your engagement ring, worn on the opposite hand.

20.When you run around during Easter and poor parfum/water/soda over women's heads and sing:"Zúg a traktor, szánt az eke, elvtársnő, öntözhetek-e?"

21.When you have difficulty pronouncing words starting with "W" in English, but you're capable of creating long and meaningful sentences using only "E" vowels in your mother tongue.

22.When the train hasn't even left the station, but you are already eating your home made sandwiches (usually with half a paprika or tomato in it). And most likely includes Wienerschnitzel.

23.When you call a 79 km long lake (the Balaton) the Hungarian Sea. And you are able to swim across it!

24. When you can eat ANYTHING deep fried (with breadcrumbs on it) and can make spirits (pálinka) out of (almost) EVERYTHING, including paprika of course!

25. When you NEVER leave home with wet hair because you can get a cold and you ALWAYS bring your hair dryer when going abroad, and are astonished when people do not have one in their own homes!

26.When you always sit in the same place and chair, even when the (class)room is empty and "your" place is at the end of the room.

27.When zou cant tzpe on and english kezboard because y and z are mixed up. (My personal favorit I had a lot of problem with this.)

28.When you know what a pogácsa/dobos torta/kürtős kalács/főzelék/túrógombóc is, and love most of them.

29.When you understand cynicism and sarcasm; and you at often times are cynical/sarcastic yourself.

30.When Winnie the Pooh and The Flintstones is actually much funnier translated into your language than the original.

31.When your language has two words for love.

32.When you know that "a copper angel whistling on a willow tree" is actually a swear-expression!

33.When you have Szaloncukor! On a Christmas tree! :D

34.When you have a nameday and no one foreign understands what that is good for.

35.When instead of a good fruit salad, you'd rather make Pálinka out of your fruits, (and you swear on its healing power - of course).

36.When you use fruit to make soup.

37.When you can pronounce easily long words like: megszentségtelenitéshetetlenségeskedéseitekért and you even know it has a meaning.

38.When you know that all parts of a pig are edible, and it takes only half a day, some friends from the countryside and 2L pálinka to prove it.

39.When you know what a Hungarian orange is. It's slightly yellower, it's slightly sharper, but our own.

40.When for every meaning there are about 5 words.

41.When you have ever poured yourself a nice glass of milk - from a plastic bag.

42.When you know what tejbegríz is, and love it!

43.When your dog is a guard dog, not a pet.

44.When you can make astonishingly delicious dishes without spending more than 3 euros (krumplis tészta, káposztás tészta, túrós tészta).

45.When you swear that garlic and tea with honey can cure sicknesses in less than a day.

46.When you love to swim, and swim in one of Budapest's outdoor pools at least 2 times a week.

47.When you laugh at Americans who think paying $3.00/gallon for gas is a lot.

48.When you are having a hard time explaining to any foreigner that actually, your family name is the first in your name, and it is not your given one.

49.When you don't use measuring cups when cooking.

50.When people question you for eating a sandwich for breakfast.

51.When mixing red wine and coke is a delicious combination and you can't believe that foreigners think it's weird.

52.When you can think of at least 5 different varieties of pörkölt and couldn't imagine your life without rakott krumpli or somlói galuska.

53.When you know that CS, DZ, DZS, GY, LY, NY, etc. are all ONE LETTER, and when telling it to your foreign friends, they all think it's weird.

54.When friends/family celebrate your birthday by pulling your ears.

55.When there is thermal water or a spa in your hometown or very close to your hometown.

56.When you think zsíros kenyér and pálinka is a balanced meal as long as you also have onions.

57.When you know which nation has the most Nobel prize winners related to its population.

58.When there are more books in your apartment than in a foreign friend's entire neighborhood.

59.When you eat bread with just about everything, even potatoes.

60.When you speak a language that no one can understand in the whole world... only Hungarians.

61.When you can recite at least ten poems from memory.

62.When your childhood fairytales didn't end as "they lived happily ever after" but "they lived happily until death".

63.Foreign people don't get it when you explain the whole "you can't eat watermelons after the 15th of August because Lőrinc peed into them" thing.

64.When you or your relatives put Vegeta in everything.

65.When the church bells ring at 12 noon you proudly tell you're friends that the bells toll for the Hungarians all around the world at 12 noon because of a declaration by the Pope for when the Hungarians defeated the Turks and saved Rome.

66.When your dad hunts, your mom's a great cook, and you're trading your venison stew for your teacher's peanut butter sandwiches.

67.When your mother and grandmother tell you to drink/use kamilla tea when your sick, grazed your knee, or have an infected eye. Apparently it cures EVERYTHING!
 
És néhany magyarul is....... 
 
Honnan tudod, hogy magyar vagy?

1. Amikor több tejfölt használsz, mint ketchupot.
2. Amikor a paprika legalább olyan fontos mint a só és bors.
3. Amikor valamelyik rokonod Attila. Vagy József. Vagy János. Vagy László. Vagy István.
4. Amikor szereted a Túró Rudit, de nem igazán tudod elmagyarázni a külföldieknek mi a fene az, amíg ki nem próbálták.
5. Amikor a külföldi barátaid megkérdezik, hogy hiszel-e még abban, hogy a Mikulás ajándékot hoz Dec 24-ről 25-re, a válaszod némiképp zavart, hiszen a Mikulás nálunk dec 6-án ajándékoz és amúgy karácsonykor a kis Jézus ajándékoz és az ajándékok már 24-én este 6-kor már ott vannak.
6. Amikor nem beszélsz teli szájjal.
7. Amikor 5 percen keresztül tudsz egy levegővel káromkodni úgy, hogy nem használod ugyanazt a szót kétszer.
8. Amikor az eljegyzési gyűrűd az ellenkező oldalon viseled.
9. Amikor a vonat még el sem hagyta az állomást, de te már eszed a házi szendvicsed (általában egy fél paprika vagy paradicsom van benne) és többnyire rántott hús van benne.
10. Amikor egy 79 km hosszú tavat (Balaton) Magyar Tengernek hívsz, és keresztben átúszod.
11. Amikor soha nem mész el otthonról vizes hajjal, mert megfázol, és mindig viszed a hajszárítót, ha külföldre mész és megdöbbensz, amikor valakinek nincs legalább egy otthon.
12. Amikor mindig ugyanazon a helyen, vagy széken foglalsz helyet, még akkor is, ha a terem, szoba üres és a te helyed a szoba végében van.
13. Amikor tudod mi az a pogácsa/dobos torta/kürtős kalács/főzelék/túrógombóc és szereted is őket.
14. Amikor a Micimackó és a Flinstone család sokkal viccesebb szinkronizálva.
15. Amikor tudod, hogy a rézfánfütyülő rézangyalát igazából egy káromkodás.
16. Amikor van névnapod, és senki nem érti mire jó az.
17. Amikor gyümölcsöt használsz leveshez is.
18. Amikor tudod, hogy minden zseninek vagy hírességnek van magyar kapcsolata, vagy csak szimplán magyar
19. Amikor mindenkinek elmondod, hogy a Rubik kocka magyar találmány
20. Ha töltöttél már magadnak egy pohár jóféle tejet, zacskóból
21. Amikor esküszöl, hogy a fokhagyma és a mézes tea kiűzi belőled a nyavalyát kevesebb, mint egy nap alatt.
22. Amikor gyerekként folyton répát kellett enned, és arra a kérdésedre, hogy miért, a szüleid azt válaszolták, hogy azért, hogy jobban tudj fütyülni.
23. Amikor nehéz elmagyarázni, hogy családnév az első helyen van, vagyis ez nem a keresztneved.
24. Amikor tudod, hogy a vörösbor és kóla kombináció finom és furcsa, hogy a külföldiek furcsálják
25. Amikor boldog szülinapot kívánnak meghúzva a füled
26. Amikor termálvíz vagy fürdő van a városodban, vagy közel hozzá
27. Amikor tudod, hogy melyik nemzet adta a legtöbb Nobel-díjast a világnak.
28. Amikor tudod mi az a tepertős pogácsa
29. Amikor ha esőben állsz, megnősz
30. Amikor el tudsz beszélgetni idegenekkel a buszon, vagy az orvosra várva intim dolgokról, de felháborodsz, ha az anyagi helyzetedről érdeklődnek
31. Amikor nem jó a normál méretű párna, vagy óriási vagy nagyon kicsinek kell lennie.
32. Amikor egy olyan nyelvet beszélsz, amit sehol a világon nem értenek, csak a magyarok
33. Amikor madártejet kapsz desszertnek.
34. Amikor nem pazarolod az ételt, a maradékot elteszed másnapra
35. Amikor a mesék nem úgy végződnek, hogy örökké boldogan élnek, hanem hogy boldogan élnek, míg meg nem halnak
36. Amikor a nagyid azzal fenyeget, hogy ne vágj pofákat, mert úgy maradsz
37. Amikor saját erős paprikát termesztesz az udvaron, vagy az erkélyen kis cserépben, hogy garantáld az erősségét
38. Külföldiek nem értik, ha azt ecseteled, hogy ne egyenek görögdinnyét augusztus 15-e után, mert Lőrinc belepisilt.

My Homemade Pesto (nut free)

I was so happy to learn this recipe form my colleague who is from Sicily. I love it with pasta and it is so easy to make. I substituted pine nuts to olives and the taste is still gorgeous!!!!It is also easy to make just put all ingredients in a blender and blend well.Here is my homemade recipe and some pictures.Enjoy.

1 large bunch of fresh basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 medium cloves of garlic
green olives
roughly 3/4 cup Parmesan grated
extra-virgin olive oil