Episode 3.1 : Dublin *Holiday Edition*

Top o' the mornin (or evening) to you all!  I'm chillin in Dublin Ireland, finally made it here on Christmas eve after a not-so-fun 3 day stay stranded at the airport hotel in Berlin.  That was almost a week ago now, and its been a pretty mellow week.  The hotel we are staying in, Citywest, is the biggest hotel in europe, and im pretty sure its also haunted, and it could easily double for the hotel in the Shining...

I swear every time a turn a corner in this place i half expect twins on tricycles....  

Extra bonus, the venue is literally on the hotel grounds, about a 30 second walk from the front door of the hotel! scoooooore.

so ya anyways, this was my first Xmas away from home, and i definately felt it. Really helped that i had Joe here with me, and the rest of the ice guys and Holly, our honorary  ice girl here made for a nice surragate family for the occasion. I was unsure of how were going to be spending the holiday, but luckily, the team that actually made it here on time (not screwed over by the snow like us, and even worse the 3rd team), had the forethought to buy groceries for us all.  The result?  A delicious meal made via portable grill and zamboni.  Steak, baked potatoes, corn, and beans....

Not pictured - Corn....  but it made a delicious debut later....

  IT WAS AN ICEMAS MIRACLE!  Jason's use of the zamboni as a means of cooking was as inspired as Holly's soy sauce/guinness marinade for the steak.

Ok, so we were a little lazy with the beans, don't judge...

We chilled at the venue with our meals (and a little something to keep us warm)

What can i say, he has good taste....

errmm.... Great taste....

for a few hours, before retiring back to the hotel bar, where we lounged about with the rest of the crew and skaters all night.  Cactuar made his rounds.

OMG, I LOVE YOUR LITTLE CUCUMBER MAN!! .....Hes a cactus...

Nothing clever...No idea what was going on when i took this?

Eventually i had to retire to the venue, as i pulled night shift on Christmas, but for some reason it didnt bother me at all....

Good company makes everything easier...

THE .... SOMETHING RIVER!

ANYWAY, as new years approaches, I find that we have done very little in Ireland so far aside from chill at the pub.... I did go into town today with some peeps and get some delicious food and beer, but it was a very minor trip, nothing too exciting.

  Tomorrow, I'm sposed to go to the Guinness Brewery, and the Jameson Distillery.... promises to be an exciting day!  Should have more interesting things to write about afterwords....


PS, this thing cracks me up every time i walk past it.  SMILEY FACE  :D

gotta enjoy the little things....

 

Episode 2.1 : Berlin, Germany

I feel a lot more comfortable in Berlin than i did in Budapest... I think it has to do with the modernness of this city.  Budapest was very old-world feeling and i felt like i was a stranger in a land stuck in the past (old ladies in babushkas everywhere...).  Berlin reminds me to an eerie degree of Chicago or New York, and i am apparently more at home in a big city environment than i had realized. I love this city.

The view from my room

Anyways, i apologize for having been here a week already and not blogging.  It has been a busy and fun week though, so at least it was not out of sheer laziness!  There seems to be infinite things to do and see here, especially this time of year, so I'm trying to pack in as much as i can whilst not burning myself out.  Its been snowing all but 2 of the days or so that we've been here, and the days it didn't snow, it rained. This of course would bother most, but it just makes me happy.

That same view looks like this more often than not...

  This city knows how to do Christmas.  The streets are lined with decorations, little shops, and stalls selling delicious snacks and booze.  Then there are the Christmas Markets....

Like something out of a dream... at least, one of my dreams...

These big city-block sized markets are just wall to wall stands selling everything from wood carvings to clothes to fresh roasted chestnuts. There are of course 2 stands selling beer or gluwein (hot Christmas wine often with shots in it) for every one not hawkin booze

HOT BOOZE! GET YOUR HOT BOOZE!

.  Some of the markets even have skating rinks (shitty ones with wet ice...), Ferris wheels, and live music.

Dont forget the meat stands!!

My first night here, i discovered a nice Irish pub about a mile down from the hotel, and despite the fact that it seems a bit counter productive to visit an Irish pub in Berlin, I figured i might find some English speakers to give me some tips about the area. That's where I met Mike and Mike, and little Russian Dmitri...

2 American Mikes and a Russian...

As well as Scottish bartender Gemma.  After talking a few times, Gemma agreed to be my Scottish tour guide via facebook should I get the chance to visit her homeland.

Cactuar has always wanted to visit Scottland

   After a few pints one day, TC Mike Mike and I decided to do a bit of pub crawling around the greater Downtown Berlin area... this was a good idea.  Already a bit ragged at 3 PM or so, our first stop was.... another irish pub.  we stopped in for only a quick pint before heading back out and wandering upon another christmas Market, which actually had a giant mobile bar set up in the middle of it.  After enjoying a couple beers served to us by crazy German Mrs. Clause and Lurch in lederhosen, we met up with Dmitri, who has a place here and knows it better than most of us.  we wandered a bit after that, though at this point i don't recall where cuz i was several pints deep and just going with the flow.  I remember a mall, and this giant thing...

Trust me, its even bigger when youre drunk...

Next we found ourselves at a bar that claimed to require reservations, but was so empty that they would "overlook it" and give us a table.  it was one of those places that has the taps at the tables and just charges you for however much german beer you serve yourself.

i wish it had been guinness...

  It goes without saying that the nachos were excellent. After enjoying a few liters of beer collectively, we stumbled back out into the streets.  At this point, i was ready to head back to the hotel, but the Mikes and TC insisted that we stop in for 1, just 1 drink, at a hole in the wall in a dark alley simply called "German Pub".  It was a good decision.

All of us were somewhere between reasonably and unreasonably drunk at this point, but we all reacted the same way to our big stern looking german bartender.  we dug him.  He spoke NO english.  He was out of good beer. He didnt care what you thought about him. When TC ordered what he apparently thought was a Frau Beer (lady beer), he served it to him, and gave him a candy bracelet to wear.  He seemed less disappointed when i ordered water, but it clearly did not impress him. What happened next i still don't quite understand... we somehow got into a contest with him to see who could hold 4 giant beer mugs full of water up, arm outstretched completely, the longest.  He handily dispatched us all in his little game, before claiming euros from us all.  Then he gave us all shots and explained that he hates technology and fast food through his little translator friend that had come in for a drink. After that, i decided that if i was to get home before 3 AM, i should leave now.  He refused to take any money from me for the water, but i managed to slip him 5 euros before leaving.  My biggest regret so far is not catching this man on film... so sorry, no pics... Then came the walk home alone, from some dark alley, that i had no idea how id gotten to.  Using only a few landmarks and my dynamite sense of direction, i managed to make it all the way back to the hotel several miles away, unscathed.

This giant penis joke pretty much got me home...

     Monday we had our ice in.  It went fairly well, no real problems to speak of.  The labor was for the most part very hard working and smart, and most of them had done it before in past years.  Shows start tomorrow, and ill be there all day for them, so hopefully i can enjoy the show in all its German glory.

Next step... shopping....

I'm leaving this city broke, i know it....

Episode 1.3 : Budapest Hungary

      Well its about a week after my last post, and my last night in Budapest. It's been an interesting but all together smooth week, plenty of work but nothing too terrible.  We made beautiful thick luxurious ice, and it would seem from skater comments that they appreciated it. The show itself is interesting, with lots of random characters and scenes ranging from the its a small world ride at Disney World to the Jungle Book with visits from the Mad Hatter and the Incredibles... ALL IN HUNGARIAN.  I swear i heard Mickey say something about bladder problems, and at one point Donald definately called Mickey a bastard.  The crew and skaters with this show were all very nice, and i almost immediately felt at home with them.  So did Cactuar.

Cactuar with his favorite wardrobe gal Alex

  The weather has varied from feeling extremely cold, to comfortably cool.  Luckily, it never got too cold to enjoy some good ....screams?

Delicious screams....

  We did get some very pretty snow a few times through the week as well, though i hear that back home got quite a bit more than i did here.

In front of the Hotel

  One thing i noticed about being constantly cold (for some reason the venue seemed to stay at a solid 40some degrees the whole week) is that it really makes you appreciate a good hot meal. Not having had quite enough paprika my previous visit to restaurant downstairs, i decided a second round with the fellas after ice out would be a nice chance to refuel. I can finally cross off  "eat real goulash in Hungary" off my bucket list.

I hear it stays hot forever...

 Also a little chicken paprikash never hurt anyone (i dont think 0_o ).

That's pasta, not rice crispy treat...

  The beer i was drinking is a Hungarian Lager called (unpronounceable).  It was ok... though im not much of a Lager man...  
    On the way back from the ice out, we stopped off for a quick touristgasm. Hősök tere, or "Heroes Square" as its known to people who don't understand gibberish, is a big ass square filled with statues that are over 100 years old. 

I dont know who these guys were, probably kings or tribal leaders of the Hungarian founders, but man, these dudes were metal.  Seriously, does this not look like a Dethklok album cover?

Let us RIDE into the Sunset!

   I cant wait to one day be commemorated in statue, and though I'd prefer gold, ivory, I'll settle for endangered koa wood. 
Today being our last day here, it was finally time to do some shopping.  Joe and i made our way to the giant bazaar full of hungarian butchers, grocers, and arts n' crafts booths.

This place had everything, but consistently smelled like sausage...

  We did our shopping and enjoyed some local cuisine (stuffed cabbage), and made our way elsewhere 

Pictured: Elsewhere

 before returning to the hotel to pack up and prepare to fly to Berlin, where it would seem we may not have a place to stay, but more on that next time!  Not sure when that may be though, as ive heard there is no free internet at this next place, and it can cost upwards of 20 euros a day for access... ill be seeking out a starbucks for internet no doubt...  ta!

Episode 1.2 : Budapest Hungary

Ice in was fun.  No it wasn't.  The started out really well, with a surprisingly fantastic complementary breakfast from the hotel.

8 or 9 plates later, we hopped on the shuttle to the venue. Turns out the labor force was the least of our worries, and were in fact some of the hardest working locals I've seen.  However, we were given a unit with no slush ice (trust me its important), a leaking panel (also not good), a Zamboni that has been turned on for prolly a couple months and may or may not hold a charge now, sketchy start cards (they make the compressors go), and a whole host of other misc issues.  On the plus side, i met the coolest old English guy ever, Steve.

  Steve made several awesome racist jokes to TC, who loves that shit, and helped us get everything where it needed to be.  I look forward to having a beer with him in Ireland.  Another highlight of my day came when i got to combine 2 of my very favorite things: shoveling on ice, and heights, when i got to shovel the top of a 15ft trailer so slick you could barely stand on it.

  Needless to say, after lots of frustration, a few phone calls to Florida, and some really good Hungarian workers, we started making ice. After 12 hours at the venue, Joe and I were able to take a taxi back to the hotel, where i slept for 6 hours before returning to the building to continue laying down water for another 8 hours.  I cant complain too much about that though, cuz when i got to come back to the hotel and sleep, Joe had to go in for what SHOULD have been an 10 hour shift, but was instead a 12 hour shift cuz some adorable skater forgot to come in for her overnight shift.  Being the lead ice guy comes with a few nice perks, but i dont envy how often he gets F'd over. What good is having your own room when you're always at the venue...

Had some fine lunch eats at the hotel restaurant when i got back, sitting in front of a big giant street level wall of glass watching the snow come down and the many many hot hungarian girls go by while i enjoying some paprika heavy potato soup, followed by some paprika heavy paprika based minced chicken stuff covered in paprika.  it was all very good.  Ideally ill get some more sight seeing in tomorrow on my day off, since in about 6 days we jet for Berlin.

Well, more rest for me now. i'm fighting off a cold and id rather not ruin any time here by being sick.  Plus now that the skaters and crew are here, the internet is pretty much garbage.