Dublin is a beautiful and modern city. With a literary and cultural heritage second to none, you should consider spending some days there if you haven’t done so yet. It’s the birthplace of many great writers and poets, such as James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. Rich in parks, historic sites, theatres, music and comedy venues, there is a wealth of things to do there. I especially recommend the following: Trinity College and Old Library, the National Museum of Ireland, the Christ Church Cathedral, the Guinness Storehouse and, of course, Temple Bar, which is the district where you should head for a long night of pints.
January 26th, 2003
Every language has its idioms (a phrase not immediately comprehensible from the words used). But native English speakers are just as likely to be confused throughout mainland Europe… especially in Spain 
Más loco que una cabra (crazier than a goat)
In England it is the “hatters” who are considered mad, but presumably in Spain it’s the goat who sits next to unsuspecting people on the bus and rants about the state of the country.
Yo te conozco bacalao, aunque vengas disfrazado (I know you codfish, even though you wear a disguise)
This means “I know your game”, but it makes you wonder how Spanish codfish do disguise themselves. Do they wear a strap-on pointy thing and call themselves swordfish?
Yo tengo una tía que toca la guitarra (I have an aunt who plays guitar)
“So what?” you may reply when a Spaniard tells you this. Good point: this idiom is equivalent to “And what does that have to do with the price of eggs?”
Comer frijoles y repetir pollo (To eat beans and to belch chicken)
This is the Spanish version of “his bark is worse than his bite”. But the Spaniards don’t seem to have researched this point since beans have a much more explosive effect wind-wise than chicken.
– extracted from “in-flight”
January 24th, 2003
I’ve started 2003 with one of those classics that -almost- everybody should read. The book in question is Dubliners, by James Joyce. And yes, it was one of my xmas presents!
