Sweet oh sweet French wedding :)

FELICITATIONS PAM ET MATT :)

Some of you may remember my blog post about Pam and Matt's Bachelor party last June -well this weekend I went back home to my hometown for their wedding. It was splendid. First for the sweetness of seing so many loved ones I had not seen in a long long time - Soazic for example had just arrived back for her year in Australia 2 days prior to the wedding. And just because it was simply splendid all around! The wedding ceremony started a 9:30 in the morning, and the celebration lasted in 7 am this Sunday morning. The food was delicious - we were eating from about 3 to 8 pm - usual for a French wedding though :) Games and songs and many surprises for the bride and groom. Oh And on top of that, before the dance started I had the opportunity to play a game of "petanque" - this fun fun ball game from southern France that I had not played in 10 years! And of course I played veru poorly - what not even that got over my excitment of actually being playing the game :D We danced until the weeeee hours of the day - oh how sore my legs are!!!! Unfortunately I missed "la rotie" (Another French tradition where the friends of the couple make this made up concotion of "food" - usually has a lot of chocolate, and other food items, but other non-food items can be added-that the newly weds have to eat in the wee hours of the morning the day after their wedding when all the friends go and wake them up...sounds a bit weird, but it is always a lot of fun)...it was sooooooo hard to leave this morning to catch my flight back to Dublin, when everybody was getting ready for the "post-wedding partying". I really wished I could have stayed home longer.....but I guess I can't really complain since I'll be going to Seattle tomorrow :)

Crepe party :)

Anke and I had a little crepe party before she left :) Oh look at her mastering that crepe throwing! :) :P Such mad skillz!

If you've never seen an Irish sky....

...here you go, in all its glory!

Night out at the pub

On Saturday night we went out to one of the pub in the Temple bar area - my fav part of town-, a blast :D Anke broke her record and drank 1/2 a pint :) Not bad Anke ;) I am SO proud of you! We did some nice sing alongs too...oh glad it was only the two of us. I'll do another "American Pie" with you anytime!!!!

Anke visiting!

My friend Anke, who studied with me at the University of Arizona and a big salsa friend of mine, came to Dublin this weekend to visit me :) Luckily she came during the first and only weekend without rain this summer!!! Lucky her :) Of course she keeps telling me that she is the one who brought the sunshine :P uh uh. We went around the city, had nice dinners, chilled at home, walk around through temple bar and went to the farmer's market......and got yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum Butler's hot chocolate! :D We are ALL about food! The Dublin castle where currently has a great sand statue exhibit in the courtyard. The theme: Irish writers. Very impressive! My favorite piece was Gulliver's travels'..I was just surprised that they manage to keep them up given all the rain of these past few days :)

We also went to Church to have a pint of Guinness.....well, let me explain for those of you who are starting to wonder :D The place I call the Church - I say, I call because it's not it's real name- is an old Church that was reconverted in a nice bar//loundge. One of my fav han outs here, and they often have nice music to add to the atmosphere. Those Irish, let me tell you....they really can't hold their drinking :)

London baby :) Michou saved the Queen!

And yes! I went back to London mid-August :) Guess life has really not been too bad for me lately. My Sarah was visting Celine in London, so we though it would be a perfect time for me to get over there too so that the three of us high school friends could spend some time together! Again, we got ourselves lost in Camden market - love this place so much-, enjoyed the London Sun (oh I never thought I would say that in my life....but that Saturday in London is actually the ONLY day of sun I got this summer. SAD)

We also took our little French man Michou on a strole in the streets of London :D For those of you who don't know Michou, please let me introduce :) He is the little French mascott that my 3 friends (Sarah, Celine, Valerie) and I have been taking traveling around the world with us - has any one of you seen the movie Amelie? wink wink. Next, he'll be going to Belgium with me and Stockholm with Valou (is it Stockholm??). You'll get to se emore pics of him, so don't be shy and say hi to Michou anytime :D

The US frogs in Dublin

My two bugs came and visited me with their parents in July. That was fun! :) Nico got so big again! And it had only been a month since the last time I saw him. Here is another classic of Cal and myself :P

Long time gone!

I know, I know, don't tell me (I can hear Stephie complaining from where I am!) it's been a while since I posted on my blog! It's been a busy past month folks!! And I had to find an apartement...and I've been traveling some more...and a Leprechaun that jumped out of a Guinness stole my computer...ok, I have no more lausy excuses for not writting. BUT I promise never to do it again. Almost never. Not often at least. :D

Alright, so it's true that I had to find my apartment! And I did! You don't even know how challenging it is to find a decent place in Dublin. Housing is outrageously expensive - when I talk to my sister who is currently renting a 3 bedroom house for about 450 euros a months....makes me want to cry. Anyway, I really though I'd end up finding a nice bridge to live under - woudln't have you liked this, Anke :D I would have prepared you a NICE bed right by the river :)

But in the end I ended up finding something. Of course I am paying way too much for it, but I was starting to get a bit desperate - and I must say I really like this one. A lot of light - really important when you live in a country that is covered by clouds 99% of the year and a nice homy feeling to it, I think :) Oh, and did I mention it is in the "ethnic" part of town so I have like 15 Chinese and Korean BBQ restaurant in the streets around. Ha ha. That should be good times ;)

I live in the city center, if you guys come visit me you can easily take the bus from the airport and it will drop you off only a couple streets away from mine. My place is technically "North of the Liffey - North of the River" as they say here - so my friends make fun of me: people here like to make the distinction between the "South" and the "North" (the North supposedly being a bit more dodgy)...yeah my ethnic neighborhood :)

Enjoy the pics!

Apartment hunting!

Now that I am done with all my traveling, time for me to go apartment hunting! Wish me luck! - and I know most of you actually will wish me luck, since all your hopes are on me finding a sweet place where you can all come and crash :D

Lisboa!

So you won't seemany pictures of monuments and lansdcapes from my trip to Lisbo since I spent 90% of my time in meetings and conference rooms....but nonetheless had a hell of a time with my account team from Belgium :D Was also able to enjoy 1 hour of sun at each lunch breaks. Which equals two hours of sun in two days. More than I've enjoyed so far this summer in Europe! - Seattle people, I just hate you and your heat wave :D

Jean-Pierre qui travaille, mais oui!

Who would have though? See, miracles do happen afterall. Although. I have to say that I still have my doubts....I THINK he may just have been pretending for the sake of the picture. Oh well, regardless, nice try Jean-Pierre :D

Quelle tenacite a l'effort tout de meme ;)

Sing along in the Tube :)

Taking public transportation in London was quite an experience all around, my friends, from the not so good of taking bus 25 at 3:00 am so today's concert in the Tube - the tube, for those of you who don't know, is London's metro. I was riding along, on my way to Heathrow airport, with my suitcase, had just managed to find a seat, when a man came in with the guitar and said "Sorry everybody that I am late for the concert. Now we can finally get started! we're gonna have some fun together this evening!" and starting playing all sort of classics, like "Brown-eyed girl" etc. My favorite part when was he decided to sing Jewel's "leaving on a jet plane", dedicated to all of us since we were on our way to the airport. Just brilliant:D Not much, but it brightened my day.

God Save the Audrey

oh yes I really need to be saved!!!! I swear I was almost getting used to people driving on the left side, then went to Belgium for a week and it screwed up all of my efforts. Oh and those London drivers, they're pretty fast too let me tell you :) then going to Portugal, and people on the right side....and then Dublin! Geeeese they really want me killed :D

So afterall, I did end up extending my stay, and oooh am so not regretting it! More time spent with my coworkers - they are OK folks ;) But B you get all of the hate, out of everybody;) :D. And then I was able to spend the weekend with Celinette :) We went shopping in the city center. We also went to the Camden area, and I absolutely LOVED it! Boths and little shops one after another, original cloths, jewels and all sorts of random thingsm , any type of cheap food you may want, colors, people, commotion, fun....just amazing! If any of you ever comes to London, make sure you take some time to take the Northern line and hang around Camden :)

Look up, it's red and beautiful :)

In Camden. The red prisms were completely stunning with the sunshine passing through them!

Agent 0707, au rapport!

Yes, Maud, that's you I am talking about :) Even though I talked to you on your birthday, I still wanted to wish a JOYEEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUX ANNNIIIIIIIIIIIIVERSAIRE on here :) xoxo

Dinner fun!

Did you want to hear Tracey in her Donald Duck version? Have always dreamed to see Andy do his shopping cart dance???? Then you should have come out with all of the EMEA DMO team last week :) My coworkers (London+Dublin) and I went out to dinner last Tuesday and had a blast. Here are some pics.....also have an awesome video of Tracey's performance, but have promised not to share it...well, at least for now :D

LONDON BABY!

Enough time spent in airplanes and airports! Just got to London today, and am already in love with this city! Just a feeling about it, something I felt walking in the small streets of the city center, or by the Thames river. The city is just vibrant, so much energy, but at the same time there is also something soothing about it. Of course, right now you can definitely feel the tension due to the latest bombings, and it is hard to miss the many cops and army men patrolling the streets of the city, or the random searches of vehicles. Regardless, I am just amazed with this city. Maybe I will extend my stay by a a few days....- after all, I do have to go through London on my way to Lisbon this weekend. Just a thought ;) This way it would also give me more time to see my high school friend Celine, who moved to London in January :)Qu'on fasse un peu la fete, ma Celinette :)