Ciaran's Adventures In Blogland

Oslo, Norway

2009-09-02T20:36:00.003+02:00

In the Fjord

2009-08-27T18:46:00.002+02:00

These are pics taken in the Oslofjord. What a beautiful place!

Back from Norway

2009-08-26T17:06:00.004+02:00

Wow, my very first cruise was just great! My better half and I went to Oslo, Norway, for my birthday.

Here's the Color Fantasy. It's gigantic!

We started the cruise in Kiel, a city in northern Germany. Above is a picture of the Kiel Fjord.

Me in the dining-hall. Oh, let me tell you about good food! Ever heard about a Scandinavian Buffet? You'll love it if you like eating seafood.

I'll post more pictures soon.

A Piece Of History

2009-08-17T17:04:00.005+02:00

Some of you may know that, after WWII, Germany was divided into the Federal Republic Of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The German Democratic Republic existed from 1949 to 1990. The German Reunification took place October, 3rd, 1990.

Last week, I visited the memorial Marienborn, formerly known as Border Checkpoint Helmstedt-Marienborn. This was the largest border crossing during the division of Germany.

Some people tried to flee from the German Democratic Republic but many of them were discovered here - only a short distance from West Germany.

If you are interested in Germany - click here for more information.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

2009-08-10T20:17:00.004+02:00

Thanks, guys, for still reading - and commenting! - my blog which I had almost abandoned. During the past months I found it harder and harder to express myself in English. This is probably due to lack of practice. All I ever do is read English books. I don't write much anymore and there's nobody to speak English with. :(
I want to go to London and to Los Angeles bad but I'm totally scared of not being able to understand people.
The weird thing is that I find it easier to listen to Americans (I used to live in the US as kid for a couple of months) but people tell me that I sound very British. I always thought I had some kind of southern accent (having lived in Georgia) but apparently I don't.
Thank you so much for your comments!!! Maybe now I can motivate myself to practice more. My grammer's awful.

Your first projects ever?

2009-08-05T21:46:00.002+02:00

Do you remember the first three or so FOs you knitted? Which were the first projects you chose?
Mine were 3 scarves and a Klaralund.

Under the bed

2009-07-19T20:25:00.003+02:00

Your personal Top 5 Blogs?

2009-06-01T16:51:00.003+02:00

Today I have a question for you:
Which are your personal "Top 5 Blogs"?
Leave a comment and let me know which blogs you love to read.

Shawl

2009-05-06T20:19:00.004+02:00

I wanted to crochet the Tranquil Wrap but it hasn't turned out the way I wanted so far...

Take a guess...

2009-05-04T18:51:00.002+02:00

What's this? ;)

Evening

2009-04-28T20:56:00.003+02:00

Yesterday's evening sky, as seen from my bathroom window:

My first trip to Turkey - Part 4

2009-04-19T21:01:00.005+02:00

This picture is especially for Bev:

Here's the ring he gave my on our last day in Turkey. Isn't it beautiful? I got another ring for Easter to wear on my left hand.

Good for you: Knit and Crochet!

2009-04-13T21:43:00.002+02:00

Have any of you seen this video yet:
http://blog.lionbrand.com/2009/04/13/knitting-good-for-your-brain/ Found via the Lion Brand Blog.

My first trip to Turkey - Part 3

2009-04-08T18:06:00.001+02:00

Here are some more pics from Turkey. All were taken in the city of Antalya:

My first trip to Turkey - Part 2

2009-04-05T14:00:00.003+02:00

Here are some more pics of our trip to Turkey. I took so many pictures I can't show them all, sorry.

In the picture above you can see the famous chalk terraces of Pamukkale, which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Here's the inside of a mosque which is a place of worship.

This is another view of the Taurus Mountains.

And here's us holding hands while on the bus. :)

Florida: Visiting the Conch Republic

2008-05-21T11:54:00.012+02:00

My boyfriend Mike and I just returned from Florida where we spent two great weaks.

On Sunday, May 4th, we arrived in Miami and spend a night in the Circa 69 Hotel in Miami Beach. The next day we went to Key West and walked up and down Duvall Street.

We went to Sloppy Joe's which is the bar always mentioned in one sentence with Ernest Hemingway.

We then had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe where one could also sit outside and view the strollers on Duvall Street. The food was really good.

A little later we participated in the famous Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square. Mike even took part in a gymnast's show. He had to do push-ups and hold probs.

The Florida Keys are famous for their beauty. All along the way one can stop the car and get out to enjoy the ocean.

It was so hot and I got my first sunburn. I wish we could have spent some more time on the Florida Keys and not only one day in Key West and one in Key Largo.

We went to Key Largo on Tuesday and had Conch for dinner. It was really good although I would probably not have eaten it if I had known what it was (I had to google it).

There will be more pictures of our trip these upcoming days. I will try to cover one area of Florida in each post.

Florida: From Ft. Myers to Orlando

2008-05-23T17:20:00.010+02:00

Leaving Key Largo behind we crossed the Everglades and headed for Fort Myers. We liked Ft. Myers a lot for its nice places, good food, and great bookstores! ;)

One night, we had dinner at the famous "Lazy Flamingo" on Sanibel Island. I can only recommend it! Have some grouper and garlic bread.

When we arrived in Orlando on May 12th, I finally met a good friend from Georgia. I hadn't seen him for 9 years. It was so good to see him again.

All of us went to Disney World the next day and to the Universal Studios the day after that. In the evening we had such a great time at the "Adventurers Club".

I even joined a show - although I didn't quite volunteer...

My first trip to Turkey - Part 1

2009-04-04T14:55:00.004+02:00

My boyfriend and I just returned from our trip to the Turkish Riviera on Thursday. It was the first time I ever visited Turkey and also the first time I set foot on the continent Asia...

Here are some pictures I made. More will follow soon:

Through the city of Manavgat flows a river with the same name. We spent two great days there and enjoyed a fantastic Turkish meal in a small restaurant by the riverside.

During our trip we also got to the the Taurus Mountains. As you can the in the picture the clouds were kissing the mountaintops. It was so much more impressing when seeing it with one's own eyes.

Here you can see one of the sepulchres in the necropolis Hierapolis.

This is one of the sarcophagi in Hierapolis. This old necropolis was very impressing. You could feel ancient times all around you.

Please excuse my bad English. I'm so tired right now and seem to have trouble to find the right words today. Although I read many English books the language is slipping away from me - due to lack of practice, I guess.

More pictures will follow soon.

Necropolis

2009-04-04T20:27:00.005+02:00

I've been trying to alter some of the pictures I made during our trip to Turkey. I'm not very good at it yet but here's my first try:

I wanted the pics to give some more impression of age, of melancholy. It worked out okay in the first picture, the other one lacks that certain ancient feeling, I think. The original photo is the one below the altered version.

See you in two weeks

2009-03-20T22:49:00.001+01:00

I'm on vacation. :) We'll spend some time in Turkey. I've never been there before. Have you?

See you in April!

Thoughts

2009-03-11T21:24:00.006+01:00

Today, a 17-year-old boy killed 15 people and himself in Germany. Why did he do it? Why do things like this happen again and again? Not only here but in other countries as well.

I can't stop thinking about all those people who died, many of whom were students.

Sunday afternoons

2009-03-08T15:02:00.002+01:00

It's 3 p.m. here in Germany and once more I wonder why Sunday afternoons are the weirdest time in the whole week?
On Sunday afternoons I can't keep myself from thinking about what work will be like on Monday. Also, I easily get bored on Sunday afternoons.
D., whom I only see on weekends, left an hour ago. We live 210 kilometres / 130 miles apart from each other.

How do you spend your Sunday afternoons? How do you feel about the day before you go back to work?

(Inter)National Craft Month & Crochet Week

2009-03-02T18:07:00.004+01:00

Check out the Lion Brand Notebook: March has been declared National Craft Month and National Crochet Week is March 16-22. Unfortunately, it's not officially the INTERNATIONAL Craft Month. :(
But well - let's make it the INOFFICIAL International Craft Month, shall we? ;)

My cell phone

2009-02-19T16:53:00.003+01:00

I tend to forget that some calls actually cost money. So do short messages... Argh. I received my phone bill today. It's bad. It's sooooo bad. Why is being in love so expensive?

But I have a plan. I won't call anybody anymore. Only him. Which will probably save about... hm... 2 $ a month...

I'm in trouble.

"I don't think about moving to another place anymore..."

2009-02-15T17:50:00.004+01:00

"...unless I know if you'll be moving in with me." That's what he said today. He had been thinking about finding a new place when we first met and I had started collecting boxes for the move a couple of weeks ago. But now he told me that he'll wait until we've both decided where our next step will take us. Isn't that sweet?