TravelStream™ news feed for member scolson on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/scolson en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:02:36 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248804326/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248804326/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248804326/tpod.html Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:02:36 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Hi to all....My last day, my last blog...No walk to and from Croke Park tonight, a last 'real' Guiness and then it's airport time....

Today was overcast and drizzly all day....Still spent the day walking though...Started out at St.Patrick's Cathedral, headed back through the city centre and then spent the better part of afternoon on the north side of the Liffey with the locals.

St. Patrick's Cathedral was beautiful...Medieval era cathedral with foundations back to 600-800 CE....A bit irksome though that the original church, built by Roman Catholics was taken over in the 1600's and remains in the hands of the Chruch of England to this day...but then this is what all the 'troubles' are about....

An undercurrent of of hostility towards England is still well evidenced, if in the background, here and it is reciprocated by the brits and british royalty in their continuing to maintain ham-fisted control over old catholic churches and operate Trinity College as a british school... which, while beautiful, is a big English poke in the eye to Irish republicans

I might be getting into this Irish thing a bit much..So, after giving a picture of the queen the feckin finger I spent most of the rest of the day hanging with the locals in north Dublin...Went into their butcher shops (what they call steaks I call thick cut bacon)...grocers..veg markets..hardware shops...etc. Lots of fun and it was good to get out of the tourist zones since the good tourists (U2 fans) have gone home and the only ones left are noisy americans and nasty groups of unsupervised Italian teenagers.

Final impressions...A great walking city with lots to see. The nicest people(the Irish) I have ever met, friendly, more polite than Canadians I think, helpful, genteel. The best beer made by man. Never, never come here if you are offended by the 'f' word...it is used here like we use the word 'and' ...(I apologize in advance for any inapproriate use upon my return)

I worry for the Irish identity though. They are enamored with all things American and also want so much to be accepted as a sophisticated European centre, especially in Dublin. Local, Irish food, handicrafts, etc. hard to find, but if you want an burger with fries, budweiser, a clubhouse sandwich or any form of Italian food, well they can be had in every pub and restaurant, low-end or hi-end. I have never seen as many menus that had one side listing burgers and the other side listing pastas.....This is an island caught, literally between two worlds, America and Europe and Irish culture is paying a dear price.

Globalization sucks too, shopping for real Irish momentos is pretty much impossible...The good shops here are pretty much the same we have at home or Vancouver or Seattle...GAP, Lush, American Outfitters...Something else they have that we have...Hundreds of places selling mass produced (in China) tacky souvenirs...rant, rant rant...fecking English!

Final words...I am fortunate to have had the chance to travel here and experience all that I did...Special thanks go out to Lorraine and Ilan and all the crew at the 'Park' for looking after things for me while I was away....I am always thankful to have such great staff that I can count on and make it possible for me to travel and not have to worry (too much) about work...

I hope you enjoyed the blogs...I hope you didn't get to overwhlemed with the U2 chatter...Looking forward to seeing everyone in a day or two...Then I can show you all 300+ of my pictures and describe in great detail all that I saw and heard....zzzzzzzzz...feckin hell....singing out from Dublin...Sunday Bloody Sunday...lalalalalala.....Stephen

PS....I SAW U2 THREE TIMES IN DUBLIN, IRELAND...Feck me!!!!!!!!!


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248739841/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248739841/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248739841/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:47:02 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Hello from Dublin....Just back from the show (and post show pints)....Well, I did it...4 concerts in 5 nights....If I'm as tired as I am right now, how do these performers go on the road and do these shows night after night with so much energy and conviction....amazing.

Today was the sunniest and warmest day of my visit, not a drop of rain. After a great day wandering through the Georgian District of Old Dublin, Merrion Square and St. Stephen's Green it was back to the hotel, a quick change into my Bono outfit (ha ha) and off to Croke Park for one last U2 show....Tonight was great again. A different viewpoint let me see the full effect of the Claw..wow! Can't wait to see it indoors at BC Place where it will be dark from start to finish...Rumour is they will film the tour shows in Canada, Toronto at Skydome and/or BC Place for just that reason, they are enclosed and can film all lighting / stage effects in dark..

Tonight was clear, bright and warm so lights really never made full impact until late into the show...But who cares?...Came for the music and once again they did not disappoint, some wonderful performances of some older stuff tonight...I Still Haven't Found.What I'm Looking For was a highlight...Another great show, but Saturday remains epic.

As the show wound down I stood there thinking, now what am I going to do? Where do I sign up to join the road crew? (ha ha) Ran into some of the really crazy (I'm only a bit crazy) fans tonight, some have seen every show on the tour so far and another reminisced about seeing 31 (yes, thirty-one) of the Vertigo shows!! I don';t feel so nuts after all!

Off to bed with U2 songs still ringing in my ears....Tomorrow is my last day so a bit more wandering about and then it will be time to pack. I'll post again tomorrow withs ome final impressions and a few more photos....Stay safe tonight...lalalalalalalala...

Stephen
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248637683/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248637683/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248637683/tpod.html Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:53:53 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Hi to all....Using this day for what it was intended, a day of rest.....Slept late after an epic show last night and then took my time and meandered through the streets for a nice relaxing day

Will kick back here at the hotel before winding it up again for 1 last show in Dublin....How was Saturday's show compared to Friday?

(If you're bored with hearing about U2 you may want to skip the next paragraphs).

Friday's show was amazing, I and many other fans said they couldn't / wouldn't possibly be able to top it....WRONG!....Saturday's show was epic... .A connection between crowd, band and technology that will go down as one of their great shows...ever. From opening note of Breathe to closing chords of Moment of Surrender everything and everyone was connected for the entire show.. .Every soul on the floor to every person in the highest tiers of the enormous stadium sung their lungs out and did the U2 'bounce' for the entire 2 hour 30 minute show.

Highlights....Angel of Harlem, how great is that!.... Mysterious Ways (where Bono danced with 17 year old fan who had travelled from Honduras for the show)...Unforgettable Fire, as if on cue a very short but intense rain shower started...moments during the song with rain, mist and stage fog in spotlights made it eerily reminiscent of footage from their Red Rock concert (first flimed American show)....Rain stopped a few minutes later and clear skies for rest of show....Ever heard 80K+ people do the countdown to Vertigo....I did, ear splitting!

Numerous times the band stopped playing just to let and listen to the crowd sing. ...crowd took over Streets..moving some in band to tears...yes, Bono wept.. .There was a palbable sense of both crowd and band being swept away in a moment...Very cool, band and crowd on a single wavelength... Had a great vantage point for this show as pictures tell the story...Most of the these photos were taken without using zoom! For last show I'm in the stands a bit of a way back, wanted to take in the overall visual / spectacle for last show.

As mentioned today was a nice slow day, with a few Guiness stops along the way, including at the Clarence.

After my brush with greatness a little more walking until it was dinnertime at The Hairy Lemon...This place was reccommended to me as I was looking for somewhere with authentic Irish food....Had a tasty, traditional Irish Sunday lamb dinner...roast lamb with fresh mint sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy, veg....Yum.

Walked back to the hotel to post and then an early bedtime.... Hope you enjoy the pictures I 'dumped' in here tonight...



Only a couple of more posts and then I'll be heading home...signing off from Dublin...



Stephen
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248539441/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248539441/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248539441/tpod.html Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:25:19 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Hi to all...Now where was I?...I seem to remember leaving off my last post talking about U2....24 hours later and I sit here getting ready for show 2 still weary and drained from show last night...No superlative or multiples thereof can describe fully what I saw, heard and experienced last night....

For a hometown crowd of 80,000 plus U2 pulled off a flawless, spontaneous and memorable show. Well known hits from every era of their career and more obscure songs (for diehard fans) they have not played live either ever or for at lest 28 years. Much has also been made of 'The Claw' and it quite frankly was overwhelming at times....a star of the show....There were moments when band, crowd and lighted stage morphed into one massive spectacle beyond anything I have ever seen or imagined possible.

Big surprises, memorable moments...Get on Your Boots, the weakest song on the new album was amazing live...Edge pounded it out like I have never seen him play before and it really got the crowd going early...an acoustic version - just Edge and Bono on stage - of Stuck In A Moment....Vertigo, where the Claw took centre stage for an incredible sound and light moment...A very poignant, beautiful speech by Desmond Tutu which sequed to Streets With No Name...the crowd of 80K singing '40' a capella for 5 minutes...and the show ender, a stunning, stark version of the best song on the new album..Moment of Surrender.

The weather?...Well. "and Bono said let there be no rain, and there was no rain"...at 6:00 p.m.last night the sky cleared and the concert was performed under a cloudless blue sky...the first time it has not rained in the evening since I have been here...In fact it was still relatively light until well into U2's set...

It was a long day too, as I went down early with my GA ticket in hand and determined to stake out my spot 'on the rail' as they say....Managed to get very close, great view actually but packed in so tight it was hard to get any really good picture as it was hard to get arms in the air with camera and get a shot amidst the dancing fans surrounding...Hoping for better shots tonight!

Today Dublin is pretty much U2 nirvana and the media are calling the city U2Ville...The pressure's really on tonight as everyone is expecting the hottest show of the 3 to be tonight...After last night, I don't know what they can do to tune it up more....Every radio station, every pub has U2 music going all day today, it seems every second person on the street has a U2 T-shirt from either previous tours or the current one...

I joined the masses of fans today making the pilgrimage down to the band's studios on Hanover Quay and their old studio location at Windmill Lane...have included a few pictures here of the graffiti that is left by visiting fans....

And now it's time to head off for show 2...here's hoping for some good photos tonight....


Will post again tomorrow....Happy in U2Ville....Stephen



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248438196/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248438196/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248438196/tpod.html Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:09:53 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Hi to All...Friday early aftenoon here...A great day yesterday spent walking the streets of Dublin (getting lost only once)...Nice weather again, only a few showers...

Highlight of day included the tour of the Guiness Brewery and Storehouse....Who knew that beer brewing could be so interesting?

Great tour of the brewery which concludes at a place called the Gravity Bar where a free pint is part of the paid admission...The Bar overlooks the entire city, quite a view....but I was so enamored with the Guiness I forgot to take pictures...

Walked from Guiness back to my hotel, quite a hike but this is a walking city and don't even realize how far you've travelled until you sit down...Stopped in at Christ Church Cathedral on the way back...very beautiful chuch with history stretching back to 12th century...

After a rest at the hotel and a light dinner nearby it was off to the O2 arena to see Leonard Cohen. The arena is one of those massive European train stations converted into a state of the art performance centre. Capacity is about 18,000 but no bad seats anywhere, amazing ambience and pitch perfect acoustics. Cohen was fantastic. Never a huge fan but a convert now. The last of 4 sold-out shows in Dublin (the most dates in 1 place on his entire tour) he has a special bond with Ireland that was very obvious last night. Nearly 3 hour show that was perfectly paced with an amazing backup band and Cohen controlling the audience and mood for every second of the show.

After the concert headed up to Messrs MaQuire pub for meet up with some other Zootops (U2 fan group) for a night cap..Fans from all over the world at the table last night...Victoria (me)...Atlanta...Belfast...Slovakia...New Jersey.... Paper this morning estimates up to 12,000 fans from ouside of Ireland are here...Gathering was fun and lots of concert stories to go round...The bartender shouted "have you no homes to got to" (really!) and the night was over....As I headed back to the hotel ran into a number of fans who were heading down to Croke Park to get in the GA (genearl admission) line overnight..For me it was to bed, to sleep, perchance to dream....



Today, just a few hours really and it's concert time....goose bump moments started while I type this as they have obviously just started a sound-check at Croke Park which I can hear at the hotel (2kms away)....They just finished playing Streets....Can't believe I just stood on the balcony of my hotel in Dublin and could here U2 playing 'Streets With No Name' reverberating through the city core....vey surreal....and just now they are rehearsing A Beautiful Day...holy crap!

Gotta go...the pied piper is calling ....time to get on my shoes..walk over to Croke and the Claw and "go crazy tonight"....

As I sign off Bono is signing Angel of Harlem and the sound of U2 is drifting thorugh the Dublin air.

Stephen
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248306276/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248306276/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248306276/tpod.html Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:11:20 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Hi to all....A sunny warm day greeted me when I woke up...After a leisurely breakfst spent the day walking Dublin...Up O'Connell St., over to Temple Bar and a stop in at the Clarence (upscale hotel owned by U2)...more time on Grafon St., leisurely lunch at Davey Byrnes pub (figures prominently in James Joyces's Ulysses)...a quick visit to the Ireland Naitional Musuem...meander back to the hotel for a nap....A nice dinner at a nearby pub...A couple of Guiness to wrap up the day and...I think I've got the rhythym of this place!



The town is cranked for the U2 shows over the weekend...For one thing it will bring much needed business to their tourism industry...Every pub, evey person says the same thing..Getting devastated by the economy...Lots of closed up shops and pubs around...Makes me very thankful of how insulated Victoria is from the worst of the worldwide recession...We have no idea!

Tomorrow the U2 frenzy begins...Zootop (uber fans nickname) gatherings are arranged all over town, From certain vantage points in the city the spire of the stage can be seen in the north Dublin skyline...Towering over the highest of the stands in the 85,000 seat plus stadium....Friday will see special editions of the daily newspapers...the band is shceduled to arrive in town Friday morning...and, well it really is something else again!....



After a full day of touring about it's time for sleep (my hotel is just past teh bow fo the ship)...So long for now...another post tomorrow....Get ready for lots of U2 talk!



Stephen


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248256211/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248256211/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248256211/tpod.html Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:20:20 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Hi to all....I have arrived safe and sound in Dublin, Ireland....Travels were uneventful but long and made for a weary traveller last night..After being in transit for nearly 24 hours I got myself checked into my hotel, slept for a few hours, went out for a walk, some dinner and then came back for a good night's sleep.



The hotel is great, modern, bright and right on the north bank of the Liffey river. I have a small balcony which overlooks the river and the city centre on the south bank....I can also see Hanover Quay from my balcony (which is where U2's recording studio is).



I've only been here long enough to have a short walk and some dinner so not much to report on the sight seeing. I can tell you the U2 shows coming up this weekend are the talk of the town. Newspapers, magazines, radio are buzzing with stories about the shows. So this really should be something!



I'm off for a day of exploring and so will have more to report inmy next post...Safe and sound in Dublin...Stephen



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248125034/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248125034/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1248125034/tpod.html Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:27:12 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Safe and sound in Toronto....Uneventful flight from Victoria....Middle of my 6 hour layover here...Next stop..next post from Dublin...wow!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1247810826/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1247810826/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/2/1247810826/tpod.html Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:21:26 -0400 A Dublin Adventure

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Hi to all...The bag is packed, the boarding pass printed, and I'm ready to go.

A very surreal feeling tonight as I start my journey to Dublin. There are so many good reasons to go to Dublin so it is a bit crazy to admit 'out loud' my reason is primarily to see U2. So...crazy I may be but I can only say that life is to short not to do the odd crazy thing now and then.

Fair warning too, if you follow this blog over the next 10 days for few days, around the concert dates, there will be much ranting here about the band, the shows, the stage and the crowds (80,000+) at each night.

But before, between and after the concerts watch this blog for my thoughts, impressions and adventures in Ireland. I hope you enjoy...and now, a funny little story to give you a sense of why I, and thousands of others from around the world are travelling to Dublin this week...

A man, after a full and long life, dies. He arrives at the gates of heaven and is greeted warmly by St. Peter. Peter says to him "Before I let you in I just need to ask you a few questions about how you lived your life."

Peter commences to interview the man about the good deeds he did, how he helped others and how honest he was. The interview takes about 10 minutes and for the duration of this time the man can see over St. Peter's shoulder, and just inside the gates of heaven, a man with fine white hair and a beard who is clothed in long flowing robes. But this person also has a leather jacket on, sunglasses and he keeps striding around and then stopping, getting down on his knee and making grand, sweeping gestures.

The interview with St. peter comes to an end.

Peter says "You are granted entry to heaven after your good life, welcome."

The man replies, "Thank you. May I ask one question?"

"Please do" Peter says.

The man asks "That man with the white hair and beard, the robes, the leather jacket, the sungalsses...Who is he, what's his story?"

Peter rolls his eyes and replies "Oh don't mind him...that's God, but he thinks he's Bono."

See you all on my return...enjoy the blog...Stephen


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/1/1221580500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/1/1221580500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/scolson/1/1221580500/tpod.html Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:30:17 -0400 This Year In Jerusalem...Stephen & Chris, two brothers on a journey to Israel...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Jerusalem, Israel

A finalpost of some more photos...










]]>