time flies

It has been a while since my last post and I am happy to say a lot has changed in the past month.  First being that I have a new photography website in which I welcome you all to visit promptly.
www.julielevyphotography.com

And yes, there is another blog on my website.  While that blog will be more focused on recent photos this one will remain as my public journal of verbal diarrhoea.  God, I hate that word.  Is that even the correct spelling?  You know what, don't answer that.

The other big news is that I have a new job.  Everything my professional experience has been training me for...craft beer representative.  Bam!  For the next month (trial period) I will be that annoying beer sales(man) who visits restaurants between lunch and dinner rushes hoping to pin down the person in charge.  Lucky for me I have a great product to push, O'hara's ales from Carlow Brewing.  The restaurants are new territory for them and it is my job to prove it a lucrative one.  Wish me luck.

In other news we were in northern Spain last week for a family wedding and I had a blast pretending I was photography student fulfilling class assignments with my point and shoot.  Some fun photos on my new blog here.  And for the generic holiday photos go here.

Wow, I am really taking this more words than photos thing seriously huh?  Here's something to break it up.  The only photo of me and Niall from the wedding.

We ate more than we should have but I do no regret it in the slightest.  Here is the menu from our Sunday lunch with the family (all homemade) and complete with you choice of txakoli (delicious white wine of the region), kalimotxo (shitty red wine mixed with coke) or beer.

First course (my favorite)
boquerones (marinated anchovies)
jamón serrano
devilled eggs
ham and cheese croquets
pickled white asparagus
percebes (barnacles)

Second course
bacalao (cooked cod fish in butter and oil)
fried fish
steam clams

Third course
pan seared t-bone steaks
fried pimientos de garnica

Dessert 
homemade flan
cake
coffee

It doesn't seem like a lot when I write it all out but needless to say I immediately headed for the couch afterwards.  Zzzzzz....

late to the game

Ok, I may be a little late to the game on this one, but I just found one of the best cafés in the world.  The Fumbally.

I am in love.  The communal wooden tables, the high ceilings and big bright windows.  Chalkboards, live plants, rustic farmhouse atmosphere.  Heaven.

Despite the fact that this place was recommended to us by a very dependable source (Aunt Mari) months ago I only recently rediscovered it the other day as I was running (I am discovering so much these days due to running).  So even though it is a cool 2km (1.3mi) away I had to venture out to see what it was all about.

I ordered their regular falafel wrap and a tea while eyeing the flour less chocolate cake for later.  The wrap was saucy and oh so flavourful with crispy cabbage, fresh tomatoes and cooked beets.  I have been craving good falafel since I have been here (actually since I left LA years ago).  Although this isn't quite like the delicious fried mess you would get from a middle eastern counter in the valley, it has satisfied my recent craving.  Think more Follow Your Heart.

Chocolate cake and coffee were of course delicious, but I can't wait to try their italian sausage or porchetta sandwich, both on homemade ciabatta.  Plus they have an entire plate dedicated to the avocado!  Need I say more.

So far the only downside that I can see is that they are not open on Sundays.  This place screams brunch to me.  Unfortunately, not too many Irish people are screaming for brunch.  In fact, this is funny, brunch doesn't start until noon or one around here.  It seems that getting up at 8 am is ridiculously early for a lot of people, which means we have nice quiet mornings to ourselves more often than not.  However, I see myself adapting to that lifestyle a little too easily.  Talk to me in a month.

Uh-oh, time to cut this short.  I have to go because it is going to start raining and I don't have a rain jacket.  Weather changes more often in a day here that it does in Rockies, I'll tell you what.  You think I would have learned between the two.