Sunday 1 July 2012

A Happy Canada Day From Nuremberg! (With a Little Irish Help)

Well,
Much like the rest of my year, Canada Day 2012 hasn't quite gone according to plan. I blame the weather, it really didn't lend itself to the typical activities we associate with July 1 at home.

The prognosis was looking good. Friday and Saturday were incredibly hot and sunny, to the point of being uncomfortable. As I mentioned in my previous post I was looking forward to a fun filled day on the beach. That's still on my To Do list and I really would like to post about it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Yup, I had it all planned out. I'd wake up comfortably early, get in an hour or so workout at the outdoor pool, come back for brunch then chill out in the sun. That says Canada Day doesn't it?

Last night a cold front came through. Major thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. It's continued on and off all day, in fact it's still raining as I write this. I didn't know what it would take to close the pool but with thunderstorms and a 15 minute bike ride to get there I decided to abort that phase. The beach was looking unlikely too so I went into full Plan B mode: Do my laundry right away so as not to get stuck doing it in good weather. That proved to be absolutely the right thing to do. I was in and out in just over an hour.

Welcome Respite From The Rain
Fortunately brunch is an all weather activity. My chosen spot is a local Irish pub, O'Shea's. If the trees weren't in bloom I could almost see it from my balcony. They have a nice outdoor beer garden/terrace in addition to the pub itself. Outdoors wasn't an option today but fortunately I can be flexible in matters such as this. Can anything be more Canadian than eggs, bacon, sausages, potatoes, beans and toast? How about if we add a Guiness or two?


What's Not To Like?
 So I got to speaking with Evan the barman who's my newest best friend in Nuremberg. Evan hails from Offaly in the centre of Ireland and has been here for ten years. He asked me where I was from so of course I had to let him know it's Canada Day. Useful information for someone working in a very well known bar I should think. As a very gracious host he offered to buy me a Canadian Club in celebration of my day. As a gracious guest I accepted, of course. Does anyone in Canada actually drink CC? It's been a long time for me but surprisingly I enjoyed it. Unfortunately Evan insisted on buying me a second one. I really don't like to refuse hospitality offered so sincerely so against my better judgement I accepted and thanked him profusely.

The good news is that I have now doubled my knowledge of the Gaelic language. Previously I was limited to the standard toast: Sláinte (Health). I can now add to my repertoire the very useful: Póg mo thóin. Look it up.


Best Country In The World
  Following the almost inevitable proceeding nap I caught most of the Tour Stage 1 on Eurosport.com (no live TV coverage in Germany!) I'm ready to engage in the patriotic activity of watching Spain meet Italy in the Euro Cup soccer final. I may head out and grab a burger first but I expect I'll pair it with a soft drink or a milkshake.

Wherever you are I wish you all a Happy Canada Day, and
Thanks for reading,
Tom

3 comments:

  1. I drink Canadian Club. Props to Evan.

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    Replies
    1. ??? You don't even drink!
      Evan is the man.

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  2. Going to graduate school was a positive decision for me. I enjoyed the coursework, the presentations, the fellow students, and the professors. And since my company reimbursed 100% of the tuition, the only cost that I had to pay on my own was for books and supplies. Otherwise, I received a free master’s degree. All that I had to invest was my time. hotel Nuremberg

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