Vacations Blog

What can be said about U2 that is not common knowledge? The 22 Grammy awards – the most ever won by a band, enroute to the 12 albums and 145 million records sold, or the watershed Live Aid concert which put U2 and Bono on the map and on the way to becoming a major force for philanthropy through music. 

U2

Today, U2 is not just a rock band. It is an institution of musical wizardry, with magic powers way beyond those of your ordinary garden-variety rocker.

A U2 concert is a seminal event. How Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton reach out and grab individual hearts and minds in the sea of fans at their concerts is a story all by itself. 

The perfect example is the currently on-going 360° tour by U2, supporting their latest studio album No Line on the Horizon. The 2009 leg of the tour has wrapped up, but the next year’s schedule is already laid out for well into fall 2010. 

So much advance planning becomes necessary because of the enormous amount of logistics, equipment and technical know-how that goes into setting up every single concert. It took them 2 years to come up with the production design. The U2 360° tour support staff for each concert travels along with the band in 180 trucks.

The end result of this vast enterprise is that the band – which is truly center-stage with fans surrounding them from all sides – is able to reach out to every single one of their fans during each show. A giant spider-like 170 ft tall steel structure looks down on the stage, and tucks out of sight all the usual tech gear and scaffolding that spoils the visuals.

U2 360° Tour

There are moving bridges which allow the band to move in-between two inner and outer rings of fans and reach out to everyone, with a 360-degree vertically expandable LED video screen and 12 manned cameras to capture all the movement without losing audio and video, and display the show from every angle to every corner of the stadium.

Naturally, with such an expansive setup, the performance and the songs need to be just as good. Read More »

Ireland is known for hospitality, pubs and craic (pronounced crack it loosely translates to fun or to have a good time).  Unfortunately, too many travelers miss out on the craic.  Allow me to help you find it and make your Irish holiday one filled with fond memories.

Photo by Jody Halsted www.havekidwilltravel.com

10)  Drive yourself. This is truly the best way to tour Ireland.  The pace is your own.  You can follow the intriguing sign for hot tea and scones or try to find the castle you think you see in the distance.  In Ireland, getting lost is half the fun.  Really.  The only time to avoid driving is in the city of Dublin (they have fabulous public transport) or if you want to do the Ring of Kerry (though I recommend skipping that and driving the Dingle peninsula).  Think of it this way; do you want to meet the Irish or other tourists?

9)  Get off the highway.  Unless you are in a hurry to catch your flight, get off the highway.  Many of the greatest sights in Ireland are far off the beaten path (Glendalough, the medieval town of Kells and the Burren to name only a few).  Sure, you may get lost (see tip #10) but in Ireland you don’t remain lost for long- it’s not that big!

8) When you visit a pub sit at the bar.  It’s a fact- locals sit at the bar; tourists sit at tables.  So grab a seat and say hello.  You’ll surely make a few friends if you buy them a pint and you’ll be invited to join in on the craic.  If you’re traveling with kids (as we do) sitting at the bar isn’t the best option.  Pick a table as close to the bar as possible and order your drinks from the bartender.  Strike up a conversation.  If you’re lucky the craic might move to your table! Read More »

This is a destination you probably have not thought of – yet. Well its time to change that.

If you are visiting Europe, or live there, it is a short flight to this island in the Mediterranean. Kayt Sukel, based in Germany, explains that the island has a remarkable history. Its temples pre-date the Egyptian pyramids. The island has great hotel options – but you could consider B&Bs or even renting a villa. The food is rich in choices – after all, the island has a great location in terms of regional influences. Getting around is easy by bus and there are great beaches and diving. Take a look at the island’s tourism information here.

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Tara Cosgrove is our most recent “local” contributor. Tara works for Sticky Fingers Travel Ltd an Irish company dedicated to providing information to parents who wish to travel with their children. Sticky Fingers is run by parents and all of their travel is researched by parents for parents. They provide independent and unbiased advice on family friendly holidays and accommodation, activities with children and things to do and see so that you can plan the perfect family holiday. It is a great site and Tara gives us great insight into her hometown of Dublin.

1. Give 5 adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of your town and its residents.
Vibrant, young, friendly, changing and fun

2. What is your favorite neighborhood in your town?
Dublin has so many great areas but my favourite has to be the heritage town of Dalkey which is about 10 miles from the centre of town. It is on the sea and has castles, artsy shops, great beaches, hill walks, an island with a Martello tower on it and seals in the harbour. It also has great restaurants and bars. Despite the fact that it is now home to lots of rock stars and formula one drivers it has retained a great village atmosphere (my granny still gets stopped on the street at least six times a day for a chat!).

3. Which cuisine do you think your town does best? What is the runner-up?
I am not sure if Guinness qualifies as a cuisine but it is definitely Dublin’s signature dish. It is still made right in the city centre and the smell of the hops can waft all the way down the river life on occasions. As a runner up we do great seafood here and several Irish restaurants have been awarded new Michelin star this year. A word of warning though for a Friday or a Saturday night book weeks in advance as the best restaurants get booked up really early.

4. What is the best free thing to do?
The beaches are great and as Dublin is on a bay there are plenty of them. Killiney beach is my favourite and you can get the Dart (our train system) right to the entrance. Walking the pier in Dun Laoghaire is also a great day out and you can reward yourself with a legendary Teddy’s ice-cream if you keep up the pace. Our Festivals are also great and we have just had the World Street Performance Championships here and there is always of course the St. Patricks Day Festival.

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?
A night out with friends or family to relax and absorb the great banter and atmosphere of Dublin nightlife. There are often four or five conversations going at the one time so it is hard to keep up sometimes. The Irish still love to talk.

6. List the best family friendly activity.
A day at the beach or at the park with a picnic would be my top pick followed closely by Dublin Zoo which is always a great day . We all come home exhausted.

If you are interested in parks, my favourites would be St. Stephen’s Green which is right at the top of Grafton Street, the best shopping street in Dublin and Herbert Park in Ballsbridge which has ducks to feed (but you need to get there early as they get pretty choosy as the day goes on) playgrounds, tennis courts and great planting. Further out I love Powerscourt Waterfall which has a 121 ft. waterfall and is a favourite area for family picnics, with woodland walks, a playground and masses of space and Knocksink Woods in Enniskerry which is quieter and great for a crispy winter walk in your wellington boots.”

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?
The Merrion Hotel in Dublin 2 is a splendid hotel in a Georgian terrace just opposite our government buildings. The rooms in the older part of the building are best if the budget can stretch to it. There are great common rooms with log fires for lounging about in and two in house restaurants so you do not have to set foot outside.

8. Describe a perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about. In 3 sentences or less.
Breakfast at home with the kids with a sneaky look at the Irish Times Saturday edition. A walk in the local park followed by some lunch or a BBQ with friends or family to catch up on all the craic (that means fun here in Ireland) during the week and then a few drinks to finish off the day at home or out for dinner

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go, whether it is in the guidebooks or not.
Dalkey Hill has the most amazing views of Dublin and takes my breath away every time.

10. What should we have asked, but didn’t?
Where not to go–like every big city Dublin has an edgy side so do get local knowledge about areas to avoid if you are not sure.

The London Eye, March 2008

My family of four will be visiting London over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and I realized today that I should figure out if there is any fun, family-oriented activities to celebrate the holiday of green. Well, turns out the close proximity to Ireland and a strong Irish community in London means that there will be tons to do!

According to the official London St. Patrick’s Day website, Sunday, March 16th is the day to set aside to celebrate my inner Irish-ness. A parade, which includes marching bands and county groups holding their county flags, in addition to festivals held in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Covent Garden, will certainly hold appeal for my family. I am most excited about the Irish Foods Market in Covent Garden, and my kids will probably enjoy the Children’s Area at Leicester Square. The best part is that most all of these activities are FREE!Since we are arriving a few days before the big festivities, I looked to the Hammersmith and Fulham Irish Center in London for ideas of how to get in the Irish mood. They list a week’s worth of St Patrick’s Shenanigans, including an Irish Dance Set, Irish Storytelling and ‘Fiddle, Sticks, Buttons and Bows’, presented by the Mulkere Academy of Irish Music.

On her London Travel Blog, Laura Porter lists her favorite Irish Pubs in London to try a pint of Guinness. After a day of celebrating with our kids, my husband will be happy to find a bar to explore some Irish suds! For more information, we can also check out the Top 10 – St Patrick’s Day guide on FluidFoundation, London’s leading independent drinking guide.

All this talk about St. Patrick’s Day has me eagerly anticipating our trip – guess I better make sure to pack some green and stock up on my St. Patrick’s Day doo-dads for the parade!

photo of Trafalgar Square on St. Patrick’s Day 2006 courtesy of Diliff