Posted on by rosalieglez · 1 Comment

True love

Every now and again we witness something that changes our perspective on life. Our feelings change, momentarily for some, infinitely for others.

It could be the guilt you feel when your child tugs on your coat. Quietly asking you if they can give food or money to the homeless woman and child you had just passed without even blinking an eye.

It could be something simpler, like the feeling when someone smiles at you when you are having a bad day, week, month even.

When you least expect it, something happens that makes you stop and think. Something that changes your mood for the better, or brings out a hidden emotion from inside you.

Living in a rather scenic part of the country I seem to attract a lot of tourists while running my daily errands. Little old couples with British or American accents who happen to be lost on their way to the Cliffs of Moher or Doolin pier. They all compliment Ireland on how beautiful it is, that they find the country towns miniscule compared to the cities “back home” and chuckle at the fact that they consist mainly of pubs. Bless their hearts. It’s a wonder to me why they would ask me of all people. I am not what you would call ‘your average Irish-looking person’. I am lightly tanned, have long black hair and brown eyes. And I seem to speak in a half-American, half-Irish accent (or so I am told). But they always seem to go directly up to me. Most especially before noon, far too early for me to be interacted with by anyone. (Just ask my husband.) I am a busy person, always in a rush and never having enough time to ‘stop and chat’ when I’m asked, or even go for a coffee when the friendly people in town invite me. I am just in too much of a rush and never find time for people.

Well, this particular time I had just arrived to a neighboring town for a meeting that was due to begin in 10 minutes. A rather important meeting that I had been rehearsing over and over in my head for weeks. My argument was fresh in my brain ready to be unleashed, until she walked over. The sweetest elderly lady, just as I was getting out of my car.

Excuse me, young lady. My husband and I are wondering if you could help us with directions?

She pointed at a smiling old man standing beside their car. He waved. Of course I nodded, the meeting wouldn’t begin for another 10 minutes, I had time to help this lost, ever so cute couple. I silently hoped it would be quick. I couldn’t guess where they were from by their accent. I racked my brain for countries that spoke English.. American maybe? No, it wasn’t as strong as the American accent. Hmm.. I watched as the lady slowly unfolded a map, hands trembling slightly. Really? She would be finished unfolding once the meeting was over if we were lucky! Her husband walked over as she spoke.

We are from Canada and my husband gifted me this little trip. It’s our 60th anniversary and I have always wanted to visit Ireland. It is wonderful, so small and green. Everyone is so polite and mannerly. People even thank the bus drivers here!

Their 60th anniversary. My heart climbed into my throat, how darling. Yes, the bus driver thing was true. ‘We are quite a thankful bunch of people’ I replied, stifling a chuckle and let my features soften into a smile. Maybe it was a good thing I decided to help. I didn’t often smile before noon. She nodded, smiling, and continued:

We arrived in Shannon airport at 6:30 and got here to Ennistymon by 8 o’clock–

I glanced at my watch. 8? But it’s almost 10? Have they been waiting here for someone who could give them directions? I looked around. There were plenty of people in the town that would have gladly helped..

But we followed the route to Doolin pier just like the map showed us and ended up going to the Cliffs of Moher and then back here again. It looks like Doolin pier is after the Cliffs. I just don’t know how we came all the way back to the beginning.

She chuckled and looked at me, seemingly embarrassed. Her husband took her hand and gently kissed it as I quickly scanned Clare for Ennistymon on the map. The man put on his reading glasses and squinted down at the thin yellow lines which indicated secondary roads.

I pointed the route out to them and explained slowly. They had to go back to Lahinch and take the first right that has a sign pointing down it reading ‘Liscannor’..

With the curly blue line beside it?

Her husband held her hand as he spoke to me, he was the driver. “Yes”, I laughed. The curly blue line. He was referring to the symbol for ‘coastal area’. How adorable.

From there they had to continue along the same road. I showed them the road they had taken, which indeed took them straight back to Ennistymon. They had taken a wrong turn so I showed them which ones to take. They looked at me uncertainly. After fishing for a biro (pen) in my handbag, I clearly marked the road out for them on their little, quite outdated map of Ireland. When I finished, they smiled at me in thanks.

We are so grateful, young lady. I’m sure we would have forgotten and taken the same wrong turns if you hadn’t penciled the road in for us.

She smiled and her husband took my hand and shook it. With a “God Bless” they walked back to their car. I smiled. They looked ever so sweet walking arm-in-arm, at eachothers slow pace. They had so much time, so much patience. I turned away and locked the car, checking I had everything ready for the meeting. I hadn’t even congratulated them! I looked over, they were ready to go. “Happy anniversary, by the way!” I shouted, hoping they would hear. They waved and sped off.

60 years.

I checked my watch once again, 10:02, I was late. I probably wouldn’t remember everything that I had rehearsed for the meeting. But it didn’t matter to me in that moment. I walked, slowly, calmly, to the office. Much different to my normal dash as I rushed between meetings. I sat down at the head of the table, it had already begun. I glanced around to see disapproval in every face. But I just couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

I hope the couple got to the pier in the end, but I have a feeling that it didn’t really matter. They would be just as happy driving around in circles together for the rest of the day. What a happy thought.

I can’t wait to be 80.

Posted on by rosalieglez

Valentino Made Me Do It

What is a lady without her high heeled shoes?.. Nowadays there are more styles of heels than ever before; In all colours, shapes and sizes. Not to mention brands, qualities and comfort levels. One would believe it should be easier to find the perfect pair, but with the millions of options online or in store it’s getting harder and harder to choose just one. I find myself poring over Instagram photos of the people I follow, showing off their Giuseppe Zanottis, Louboutin Pigalles and Valentino spikes. Of course they all have one thing in common, a beautiful design & high level of comfort in a towering heel. Instagram is full of “inspo” and that means a hell of a lot of showing off. Why not, though? I thought. And that’s how I came to blog about my new shoes.

I have just purchased my first pair of Valentino heels. I chose the Rockstuds in a peachy-pink colour and I am in utter LOVE! The colour, the design, the heel.. Everything about them is just perfect. I had wanted these heels for so long, and finally they are mine! My wedding anniversary is on the 28th and I’m really thinking of wearing these with all white and a peach blazer. What do you think? Give me a few different ideas.

Rozalez xo image

_MG_0232 _MG_0228

Posted on by rosalieglez

Norn Iron – Cuban Sandwich – Newgrange

Hello lovelies!

This past weekend (my weekends include Thursdays!) the Hubby & I decided to go on a little adventure. We had found a place called the “Cuban Sandwich Factory” which had a stall in St. George’s Market in Belfast, Northern Ireland; so we chose to go there and stop to visit Newgrange en route. Why did we have such a big interest in Cuban sandwiches? Well, if you have read previous posts you’ll know that I am half Cuban and my hubby was born there. The last time we went to Cuba -in March 2014- I had a Cuban sandwich every day for brunch. They were incredible and the flavours were so intense that they had me searching everywhere in Ireland for a place where we could eat them.. But sadly could never find one.

Coincidentally, on our first trip to Belfast in March this year, looking for Victoria’s Square, I passed the entrance to the car park thinking it was further ahead. (Us lady drivers, eh?) We ended up on a one lane street which was closed off ahead of us for pedestrian access, so I went to make a U turn. We saw a Cuban flag on a signpost outside of a shop and decided we should check it out once we finished shopping. We forgot all about it unfortunately, but a couple of weeks later I remembered and quickly searched online. I typed “Cuban Belfast” into Facebook and there it was: ‘Cuban Sandwich Factory- Belfast, United Kingdom’. I’m pretty sure I let out a cry of joy and called Liony into the lounge. That was the day we planned our visit to the UK, and everything had to fit around this vacation.

From where we live to Belfast City it’s about a 6 hour drive, allowing for short breaks to have lunch; and simply rest for a few minutes from the pains of the accelerator. (motorway for 4 hours + high heels = PAIN) If you’re planning to leave or arrive at rush hour, allow for an extra 45 minutes in the City. We decided to stop in Drogheda for a night or two to visit the Battle of The Boyne centre, and the infamous Newgrange Monument, so we left our house at 10am, stopped at the Barack Obama Plaza at 1pm for 30 minutes- *TIM HORTONS DONUTS* -and arrived in Drogheda at around 4pm.

Our stay in Drogheda was marvellous, on the first day we went out to dinner and for a sightseeing walk. It was a rather hot evening; I even got to wear a dress and sandals! That night we simply relaxed in the hotel and readied ourself for the busy day to come. Unluckily for us, the following day the humidity levels were super high which made it uncomfortable to walk, so we (meaning I, with Hubby as my copilot) drove to the different attractions. Firstly, we visited the Battle of The Boyne centre and walked around it’s historical battlefield and beautiful gardens. We stopped briefly to double-check the directions to the main attraction; Newgrange. Newgrange is the best known Irish passage tomb which dates to c.3,200BC. The most famous feature of Newgrange is the small opening or ‘roof box’ above the entrance. At dawn on the winter solstice (December 21st), a shaft of sunlight enters the chamber through the opening. “To the Neolithic culture of the Boyne Valley, the winter solstice marked the start of the New Year- a sign of nature’s rebirth and promising renewed life to crops, animals and humans.” (extracted from http://www.worldheritageireland.ie) The Celtic art is breathtaking, I recommend everyone to visit Newgrange someday.

Once we had finished our tour of the beautiful Pre-Christian attractions, we left off back to the hotel. It was such a long day that we decided to call it a night and set our alarm for 8am the following morning. It was officially Cuban Sandwich day! We were up and out by 9.30am and en route to Belfast City. We converted our Euro into the “Irish” Pound Sterling and off we went. It was approximately a 2 hour drive from the hotel (accounting for City traffic) so we were at the market in Belfast by 11.30am.

The variety of hot or cold food, desserts, raw meat/fish & vegetables was immense! It took us a long time to look through all the stalls, which were advertising their delicious treats and beautifully handcrafted “Norn” Irish trinkets, to find the stall for the Cuban sandwiches; but we got there in time to avoid the midday “cola”. (Spanish/Cuban for queue) We greeted the vendor, who, of course, was also Cubano -from Matanzas, actually- and chatted about the Cuban population of Ireland/Northern Ireland. I can tell you one thing, those sandwiches he makes, they are heaven and nothing less. There is no other word to explain to you how glorious they were, how perfectly the flavours complimented eachother without overpowering the taste of the main ingredient, lechón asado. Hallelujah. If I could live anywhere in Ireland/N.I. I would choose to live right next to the Cuban Sandwich Factory and go there for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Needless to say, we took a couple more for the road.

We took a stroll through the city and did some shopping in Victoria’s Square, then went to TK Maxx to check out the shoes. I really needed a new pair of walkers, I was destroying all of my ballerinas by using them to go on long walks, and needed something that I could wear especially on days where walk is all I want to do. I found the perfect pair of pink, super girly, Adidas Comfort QT shoes which were perfect for what I wanted. I put them on right after leaving the shop, and it felt like walking on air! I wore them to drive back down to Dublin for a bite to eat, and then all the way home. I haven’t had shoes as comfortable as these in forever, Not to mention how cute they look.

Once we finished our shopping we decided it was time to say “Bye-bye” to the United Kingdom and get back to Ireland. It felt like the longest day in my life! I hadn’t driven for so long before, so once we got home I simply unpacked, did washing, showered & fell asleep instantly. It was the perfect weekend away; but now I had to rest. Zzz…

So tell me, what do you love/hate about Northern Ireland? Do you feel it’s still a part of Ireland? I, for one, don’t feel it’s my country. It is completely different to Ireland, this is why I feel like I’m on holiday on our own Island:

1. Pounds Sterling. I have no idea why the UK haven’t converted to Euro yet.. (Will they ever?) It makes me feel so out of place to not know how much each coin is without looking, or not understand the whole pence/penny idea..

2. The Union Jack (UK/GB flag) – This is clearly not the same country where the tricolour flag flies high and mighty; one country with two flags? I don’t think so.

3. The Norn Iron Accent: I can’t help but giggle when I hear someone talking in this incredibly distinctive accent. In Ireland we have many an outrageous accent, try gettin’ a pint in Limerick, sham! *sham- dude* or a Michael Collins (Cork) accent where the nasaly tone is only barely understandable.. But Northern Ireland has an accent incomparable to any of our own, it’s impossible to get used to it for me.

4. No Gaeilge (Irish) names for towns or cities or even teaching Irish in schools! This is the most infuriating. Why would you say you’re “Northern Ireland”, meaning ‘still part of Ireland only the north’, and not even use Irish words! You’re not Irish, you’re British. I know you may say we don’t even speak Irish down in the Republic, but at least we keep our language in schools and on TV, and in our signs!

(Can I say rant over?) I just want you all to know that this doesn’t mean I don’t love being in Belfast, or in N.I. for that matter. It is still a beautiful place with great history (The Titanic Shipbuilders, Belfast Cathedral, Botanic Gardens) and of course, the City is the absolute perfect place to shop! They might not be Irish, but I love travelling and it’s great to go to the United Kingdom without having to get on a plane or a ferry.

What do you think I am missing? What else would you like to hear about our little adventure?

Thanks for reading PetiteTreazures,

Rosa