Monday

It is really nice to not feel like a tourist.  Having our apartment made it nice to spend time at home yesterday.  I am trying to figure out all the appliances.  The stove is gas and I seem to have it under control.  I have not tackled the oven yet because nothing is labeled.  Maybe I should try garlic toast, nothing like the smell of burned toast. lol  The dishwasher cleans better than our one at home, it is on its way out.  I need lessons in dealing with the washer/dryer combination though.  It is not drying the clothes for me it will super heat them but they are still wet.  Clothes do dry fast on a drying rack when they are that hot.  So our agreement seems to be it will wash and I will hang things on the drying rack.  We have a very large living area with huge windows so that is not a really bad thing.

I will describe our apartment. It living area has a very Ikea looking kitchen, the top cupboards are all to high for me to reach.  Good thing we only have a few dishes.  The kitchen area has a tile floor. 

Ceiling to floor windows look out on the Lagan River it is very deep which made it perfect for the ship building that used to happen all around where we live.  On one side of our view we see the Odyssey, a theater and ice arena on the other side is the brand new Titanic Museum.  We can only see the corner of it because the next apartment blocks our view.  The Lagan River is a tidal river so we get to watch the tide.  It has been a great learning experience for the kids.  Straight across for our view is a cargo ship area they haul lorries out of Ireland and then return others two days later.  It is a very busy little shipping yard.

cargo ship

Odyssey

Titanic Museum

The kids share a room which is bigger than any of theirs at home.  It has one window that looks out the side of the apartment to the entrance and the neighboring apartment.  It is a ceiling to floor window too. They have a wardrobe and chest of drawers to share for their clothes.  The girls are supposed to share a double bed and Sammy has a cot.

The main bathroom is nice with lots of tile.  Just one problem the whole apartment is shifting and the door can't be opened all the way.  It is a little unsettling to see all the cracked drywall.  Something is not right. 

main bathroom

The master bedroom and bath are bigger than my living room at home.  It is completely furnished and has a long window that looks out on the river.  The bathroom has lots of tile and it has a huge walk in shower.

masterbath

Inside the front door is the washer/dryer, water heater, and all the electrical stuff.  We have built in sound to every room, kind of fun.  Steve and the kids are loving it.

We did finally get out and walk to the shopping area.  The sun was shining and you do not want to waste a sunny day in Ireland.  Our shopping list still has a few items we need to make life here work a bit better.  We managed to find a few things but it looks like a trip to the big Tesco or Ikea may be in the works.  I am going to go crazy with the dull knives we have supplied here.  You know a knife is super dull when cutting lettuce is a chore.

Steve got home early and we enjoyed supper together.  We watched the clouds blow away and the cargo ship get loaded.  The kids ran out to play in the sunshine at the front of the apartment.  Some of the people on the sail boats put their zodiaks and rowboats in the river to enjoy family time.  It was fun to watch them.  They all needed to wear a life jacket though.  As the kids got ready for bed the clouds started to roll in.  Steve and I watched the city lights come on and this tide recede until bed.  It was a great first day in our home away from home.