!!!Bruxelles!!!

My Friend Jamie and I left for Brussels on Saturday morning really really early! We got their around 9 am and headed to the flat where we were staying. Immediately I loved the city! Brussels, for most American travelers is a bit off the beat and path and maybe thats why I loved it so much, but without a doubt it was amazing. It might even go down in the books as one of my favorite spots in Europe. I don't know exactly what I liked about it so much, but it was a very friendly city and it felt very comfortable despite the language barrier. Saturday morning we arrived at our flat, my friend in Dublin offered us a place to stay there so that we could see the city and it was really nice being in a home rather than a hostel! We tried to walk into the city, not realizing that we were to far too walk, but we hopped on the metro and in minutes we were in the heart of Brussels. Jamie and I went out for lunch and I, of course, had mussels and pomme frites which was absolutely delicious! Jamie also had a belgium dish, basically a hamburger with an egg on top which was also very tasty. We toured around the city center and ended up in the Museum of Music. It was a pretty amazing full of old instruments; however, we didn't learn much because there wasn't anything written in English. After, we did a lot of taste testing, beer being on the top of the list and it was valentines day, so lucky for us, there was free belgium chocolate everywhere, and of course we couldn't come back to Dublin without having a Belgium Waffle... AMAZING!!! The city of Brussels is very small and we nearly covered everything in a day. The streets are narrow with lots of cobbles and it definitely has its own unique vibe. On Sunday we took the train to Bruges. It took us about an hour to get there and I am really glad we went and checked it out. It is a very cool city, although it is a bit more touristy than I would have expected. We had a great lunch there and walked along the streets and to the main plaza, which was pretty spectacular. We got back to Brussels just before dark, did a bit more tasting of Belgium beers and headed back to our flat to make dinner and get some rest before our early flight the next morning. It was a great trip, so nice to have a real place to stay and be in a city that was so friendly. It seemed to me, more of a town than a city and I feel its always worthwhile to experience something a bit off the beat and path!

Fees Protest

Last Wednesday, everything in Dublin came to a halt when 15,000 students marched through City Center to protest the reintroduction of college level fees. Students from all over the country gathered in Front Square at Trinity and marched to the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell St. and then to the Leinster House where opposing politicians, trade union members, and student leaders spoke to the gathering of protesters. 

I met up with my Irish friends (pictured) who were also protesting, although I mostly ran around the crowd trying to get some cool pictures. The protesters were really rowdy and three guys (pictured below) had painted themselves, were half naked were my best photography subjects. Tons of the students kept asking if I was from the media, so after about the hundredth time I just started saying "Yeah I am from MTV." The group of boys who I got the best set of pictures from wants me to e-mail them since they show such great intensity and of course since I'm from MTV!

The protested lasted from around two pm till nearly five and the whole time the students where chanting "No cutbacks, no fees, no Fianna Fail TDs." It was big and it was loud, an awesome opportunity for me to play with my new camera and get some great shots!

"No to Fees"

"Laughing Guarda"

"Take Our Picture for MTV"

"Dubliner Cowboy"

TradFest and Mates From Manchester

Last weekend was a lot of fun! I have been traveling a lot and sometimes it is really 

nice to take a weekend to explore Dublin. TradFest was the event last weekend which comes every year to Dublin's Temple Bar. Jamie and I went to a bunch of Pubs to hear amazing Irish Traditional Music. We met up with my French friends, Pierre-Simon (Pictured), Baptiste, 

and Cyril at the Quays Pub in Temple bar and enjoyed Guinness and good tunes together! 

Going to a pub on a Friday early in the evening is an awesome experience, probably Pierre and my favorite thing to do because no matter what pub you are in, it is always packed with people that just got off of work! The pub culture is very cool and the people you meet are always so friendly.

Later that evening we ended up meeting a crowd that was visiting for the weekend from Manchester. They were tons of fun,

definitely Yupies and without a doubt, they only came to Dublin to have a good time! They complained about the price of a pint, nearly 6 euros! In England you can get a pint for less than 2 quid, but they did tell me that the extra cost was worth it for the friendly Dubliner crowd, with which I completely agreed! I had so much fun with my mates from Manchester on Friday that I ended up hanging out with them on Saturday also!  

Although Temple bar is really touristy, you never fail in finding good music there. I asked an Irish lad why he comes to Temple Bar with price of pints and all the foreigners, and he replied, "you can always count on the people in Temple Bar for a good time because most likely they are on Holiday and in a good mood." Its definitely true that the vibe in this part of town is happy and wild, not a care in the world. With the Tradfest in town, nearly every pub 

had group of 4 or 5 band-mates sitting around a table, also enjoying a Guinness while they casually played their tunes. The music is fabulous with a sort of blue grassy tone to it, incorporating tradi

tional instruments to bring out a true Irish feel.

On sunday Jamie and I decide to go into town to see a Irish Photography exhibit for the festivities. We arrived to the Gallery at the most perfect time, there we 4 long rows of bagpipe players, irish step dancers, and people in costume... 

all of them were under the age of 14. 

Hearing bagpipes is probably one of the most powerful musical experiences, I don't know what it is about the sound, but it is truly amazing! After the parade of Irishness left, we went into the Gallery to check out the photos. 

Having become really interested in photography in the last month or so, this exhibit was very inspiring. Many of the pictures were from the rural irish country side, the locals that live there, and the portraits of them all captured their character to the truest essence. The Artist, Nutan has traveled all over the world as a photojournalist, and is Irish photographs are some of his most prized. 

I was lucky to be in Dublin this weekend because I absolutely LOVE Trad especially in a pub setting, where everyone is enjoy each-others company and the harmonics of the band. All the festivities this weekend from the music and art, to meeting new friends and hanging out with old ones couldn't be beat!