I see Paris, I see France...

About a month ago, our Vice Dean (in Poland) asked if I would be interested in representing the University at a program in Western France- and of course they would pay for my trip. Frankly, I did not even ask what the program was about (nor did I care)- I just accepted on the spot. A few days later I had tickets to Rouen, France in Upper Normandy.

I later learned the program had something to do with international study programs. Again, who cares? I am accompanied by our Vice Dean (and my friend) Magda.

I left Gdansk on Wednesday. But I first had to teach a few classes that morning- then headed to the airport. Gdansk is much like Kansas City when it comes to flying. You pretty much have to fly to a hub from Gdansk, then to your final destination. So I flew from Gdansk about 45 minutes to the large airport in Copenhagen. I ate dinner in Copenhagen while I awaited my flight to Paris.

So, three languages in three hours.

We flew into the large airport in Paris, Charles DeGaulle. It was an great flight. You fly over the city and see the Paris lights. You are able to see the Eiffel Tower from the air, all lit up.

After I deplaned, I felt all professional and dignified when waked off the jetway and a driver was holding a sign “Dr. Gartland”. Life is good!

Rouen is about and hour and a half away from Paris. The driver was also taking another faculty from the airport who is attending the conference. So, I rode in the back with this beautiful faculty from Madrid named Fatima- life is really good! (I still have no idea what this program is about- but all the perks are good).

As I mentioned, Rouen is in upper Normandy. It is probably an hour inland of where the D-Day invasion occurred and the American cemetery is located (Remember Saving Private Ryan?). It is unfortunate, but I will not have time to get out there.

This morning we went to the University for our program. We are at École Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen (Rouen Business School). I finally found what I was doing here. The program has two components to it.

First, it is a place where schools which do student exchanges with each other can meet and network. There are about 135 faculty and administrators here from six continents. I was surprised to see people from US schools here, including some of our US Jesuit schools.

Secondly, while all these faculty and administrators are here- Rouen Business School puts them to work. All students of Rouen Business School have to do an international trip or internship as a part of their degree program. Then they have to write a presentation and present it to us faculty to be judged and graded. Students at the Bachelors and Masters degrees discuss their international experiences and topics. We did two today and have several tomorrow.

These are very stressful to the students, as they are presenting to eight faculty all from different countries, whom they have never met AND presenting in English- which is not their native language. As an example- our student today had to present to a group of faculty from Poland, US, Finland, Spain, and Malaysia.

Finally tonight we went to a traditional French dinner. Pate, wine, cheese, duck, wine, bread, dessert, wine, then expresso.

Probably the thing I found most fascinating about the day was the location of the restaurant. Rouen is a very old city. The building where our restaurant is located is very old too. History occurred right in front of our restaurant’s door. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake right across from the front door. I stood in the very spot (then went in to gorge myself with French food).

I found the description below from on the internet- “Eyewitnesses described the scene of the execution by burning on 30 May 1431. Tied to a tall pillar in the Vieux-Marche in Rouen, she asked two of the clergy, Fr Martin Ladvenu and Fr Isambart de la Pierre, to hold a crucifix before her. A peasant also constructed a small cross which she put in the front of her dress. After she expired, the English raked back the coals to expose her charred body so that no one could claim she had escaped alive, then burned the body twice more to reduce it to ashes and prevent any collection of relics. They cast her remains into the Seine. The executioner, Geoffroy Therage, later stated that he "...greatly feared to be damned."

Lost in Translation

Some of you may recall the 2003 movie by the same title.

Working at a Jesuit based University in the States we are taught always to reflect. Reflect, reflect, reflect.

So as I reflect on my teaching experience in Central Europe- I am learning much about my own strengths and weaknesses as a teacher/professor. Professors are successful in the classroom for many different reasons. My reflections have always led me to the conclusion that my success is based on my approach and how I use examples.

Granted, I have no idea what it is to be like a 20 year old today. Having four kids, a mortgage and my own college experience a generation behind me- it is fair to say I don’t walk in the same shoes as my students. I don’t see the movies they see, and I have never heard of most of the bands on today’s top 40. I also remember when MTV played music. The students don’t.

With the obvious generation gap- I still try very hard to be “current” with my students. Instead of doing cases on semi-conductors, airplanes and widgets- I find companies and products they are familiar with- Beer! Ipods! DVDs, Walmart!, McDonalds!. I have found I can still get the same lesson across, but with using these more familiar products. It is a better experience for them. I know these products and companies well, and tell stories and anecdotes (lots of anecdotes) the students can relate to.

Secondly, is my odd (a little off center) sense of humor. For those who know me well- I need to say no more. Fueling that, there are always a few students in each of my classes who I politely tease, and this also tends goes over well and helps creates a bond. I joke about all things- but hopefully it leads them back to a lesson or point. I interact with students by engaging them in light conversation, and get them to discuss relevant issues- so they don’t realize they are in the middle of a lecture.

And anytime I think I have been talking too much- I always have the fall back question “What do you think”?

I call my teaching style conversational lectures (I am sure educational professionals have a formal name for this- but it what I call it). I still lecture- I just try to keep my students from realizing it.

The above approach has worked for me for years and years.

I was then curious how this style and my normal bag of tricks, examples and humor would translate to a European audience of 20 year olds. Would they get it? Would they get me?

I am pleased to say- the European students have reacted as well- maybe even better than my Rockhurst Students.

I say better, as my style is much rarer over here than in the States. I am rather a novelty here. The EU students are use to much formal- black board style lectures.

They get me, or at least seem to based on their student evaluations. I can still politely tease a few (with brings me in closer), and for the most part my humor and conversational lecture is well understood (and appreciated).

About the only thing I have to do- is change up products. A common example I use with my American students is the competition and difference between Walmart, K-Mart and Target. Every student in the US has been in these stores numerous times and can visualize the example I am giving them. So I use lots of trivia about these stores. Same thing with Beer. In the US I speak of Bud, Coors and Miller. I also like to use Amazon as an example.

Well, the EU (specially Poland) do not have these products or companies (although they have heard of Walmart and know some about it)- the rest they have never heard of. So instead of Walmart, K-Mart and Target- I had to quickly learn about retailers Real, Leclerc and Carrefour. Also, Instead of Bud and Coors- I had to learn about Tyskie, Żywiec and Lech. Also, most here don’t use Amazon (so I have moved to Google). So, other than this minor modification in product and companies- I seem to translate well to the EU students and can use my style.

I keep saying EU students- as my classes are really international. They have strong exchange programs at Politechkia- so besides Poles, I have French, Germans, Czechs, Spaniards, Portuguese, Slovaks, and even someone from Nigeria in my classes. So English is their second, third or fourth language.

Finally, with over 14 years of teaching at the University level (nine years full time)- I have become somewhat proficient at reading faces and body language. I can typically tell when they are bored, confused, need a break, etc. I can then adjust, based on how I am reading the group. I have found the student body language is basically the same between the EU and US students.

There is a BUT to my story.

I also have classes with Chinese students. Politechnika has an ever increasing exchange and recruitment programs with China. They tend to keep them together in a single cohort.

Now, I have had lots of Asian students in the US for years. And for the most part it has never been an issue- as most of these Asian students are already well indoctrinated into the Western world (both language and culture).

My currrent Chinese students are different in two ways. First- most are just learning English (they are far from competent in it). Secondly, most have just recently left China and are new to the Western world.

So given this barrier- my proud teaching style of “conversational lecture” falls absolutely, positively, unquestionably flat.

They don’t get me, they don’t get my style. They don’t get my jokes. I don’t dare tease one of them. Plus they are not familiar with any products, etc.

As they have trouble with language- my fall back question of “What do you think” just gets me a blank stare. Conversations are almost impossible. My anecdotes don’t register.

When teaching this group- I always am reminded of the old Johnny Carson bit during his monologue. When something he said got no response from the audience- he would tap the mic and ask “is this on”? That is exactly how I feel in teaching this group. “Is this on”?, as I get absolutely no reaction to anything I say.

I have yet to even be able to read their body language. They look like they understand the concept I am talking about and ready to move on- so I ask a simple question to verify their knowledge- and I get nothing. But what does this mean? I can’t tell.

Now, lets be fair to these Chinese students. I cannot blame them. They are all bright and friendly. They actually do well with written work. If I give them written instructions or a written question- they can it take home- slowly translate, think about it and carefully write a response. When I allow this- they respond pretty well and do decent work.

But in the classroom itself- they cannot verbally respond to my questions and comments or have regular conversations. But unfortunately, my entire style is based on this form of interaction. So, where it is my success with western students- it is my Achilles heel with these students. I have one of these classes for three hours- it seems like 10. I walk out drained.

I have yet to come up with a solution for this, but keep trying. But it is obvious, I am lost in translation.

A New Term, Diversity and Past, Present, Future

Politechnika started its new term this week. As mentioned in previous blogs- most European schools do not start until October 1 (they think August and September are prime holiday months, so why be in school). So the first term (called Winter) goes from Oct to Feb. Then the second term (called Summer) goes from Mid February to Mid-June.

I basically made a deal with Politechnika when I came over. I would do whatever they wanted- as long as I did it on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That leaves me a four day weekend for family travel, conferences and the occasional research project. Why be in a foreign country if you can’t explore and be stuck in a classroom?

Frankly this schedule is not much different than my gig in the States. Professors usually teach three days a week, and use the other two for research and service. Not a hard life- but someone has to do it (but you have to go to college for about 10-12 years for the privilege). So, we are over-educated and under-worked.

Anyway the Summer term started Monday (even though there is still a foot of snow on the ground). I am teaching five classes, which is actually a heavy load for a meek professor. At Rockhurst, I would teach three classes in a term. Here, you normally teach four classes each term. However, I mentioned that Politechnika has a shortage of professors that are comfortable with lecturing in English- so they asked if I would pick up a fifth class. As I love to teach- (and the class fell on one my three designated days) I was happy to oblige.

I am here as a Strategy Management and International Business Fulbright Professor- but I have ended up teaching some Statistics. I have taught Statistics for about 15 years. I use to enjoy it quite a bit- but it has dragged on me in recent years- so I slowed down. Here is the problem with Statistics. I really enjoy performing stats (professionally) and teaching it. The problem is- students do not share the same view of the subject (big surprise). In a typical class of 30, maybe two like it, and the rest really hate it; no matter how innovative and applied you try to make the class. That takes away from the joy of teaching it- when you just get blank stares, and people playing solitaire on the their computer. In recent years, I have moved to occasionally teaching an advanced Stats class. That is better, as it is an elective and you typically only get students who want to be there.

But all professors typically teach a principles class that most students do not like- BUT this is where you tend to spark a career interest in one or two students and it changes their life- that makes up for it. That is really how I became an Economist. When I did my MBA, we had to take a Managerial Economics class. Out of a class of 18- 17 hated it- but I LOVED it. I was an Economist from that moment. I enrolled in a Masters and PhD program the week after MBA graduation.

Anyway, I have ended up teaching quite a bit of Statistics in Poland- as they really need someone on their faculty that can do it in English (we have lots of Statisticians who are great teachers- but in Polish). Of course, I get the same blank Polish stares, as I get blank US stares when teaching it. It is a universal stare and blank expression that transcends all cultures. (Just think back to the classroom scene in Ferris Buller... those are the looks I get when teaching stats).

So this term- out of five classes, I have two Statistics classes. Both are an unusual blend of students. My first Stats class is 100% female (and Polish). I am the only guy in the room. I don’t think that was done on purpose- just the way it worked out. My second Stats class is 95% Chinese- of which many barely speak any English. So, now I will get to add the blank Chinese “stats stare” to list.

My other three classes are on my “favorites“ list; and why I am really here. I have two sections of Strategic Management and one section of International Management.

These classes are always a much different dynamic, here and in the States. The ratio of love to hate is reversed. Typically a couple hate these classes and the rest enjoy them. That changes the classroom dynamic SO much. It also makes teaching it so much more enjoyable, when the students are engaged.

The Strategy Management classes are pretty typical with mostly Poles and some students from other parts of Europe. In fact, I had several of these students last term for Stats- so they know me and I know them.

The International Management will be also be different. This requires more prep for me. Although I teach a great deal of international type classes- I not taught this specific version before (my colleague at Rockhurst usually does it). So it is using a book I have not used before- so I have to read it too. I also have to create slides and lecture notes. But anyone who knows me- realizes I don’t have to actually know anything about a subject to successfully lecture on it for hours.

Finally, the class make up is different too. No Poles are in the class. About half are Chinese plus several from France, a few from the Czech Republic and a German. That will be an interesting dynamic.

Teaching at Politechnika has been great and what a learning experience. We (Politechnika and I) have both initiated early conversations for me to stay on their faculty permanently. Now before Lisa reads this and has a stroke, thinking I am trying to get us to move to Poland- NO! (Settle down Lisa. Have a drink).

It means I would stay active in their academic community, come over on occasion to deliver short classes, do research, etc. I have no interest in leaving Rockhust (So, settle down Cheryl. Have a drink, too. She is my boss at Rockhurst and reads these). Rockhurst is very, very good to me as well. But if I can become a bi-continent professor- that would really add to my already inflated Fulbright ego, which I desperately need.

On that note- want to see my Politechnika faculty profile page?: http://www.zie.pg.gda.pl/modules.php?name=Encyclopedia&op=content&tid=202

So, off to teaching the next generation of European Capitalists (but Glenn Beck seems to think they are all Socialists- I invite him over here for one week....).

Are We Really a "BIG" family?

I have not mentioned this in any previous blogs- but traveling with a family of six in Europe is surprisingly challenging. Most places are not set up for six.

This was unexpected to me. As in the numerous times I have been to Europe, it has either been by myself or with one other person. So traveling with a wife and four kids was new.

Europe has gone through a dramatic shift in the past few decades. Birth rates are down and so is average family size. The average birth rate in Europe is 1.4 children per female (that is not even enough to sustain the population). Since WWII, Europe has really become a one or two kid family continent. Oddly enough, you even see that in 90% Catholic Poland, Spain and Ireland. In 2006, Europe had more people that died than were born. So small families and a shrinking population are the norm. And the accommodations reflect that trend.

Now, we have four kids. That is certainly above average- but I never thought of that as “huge.” Actually in our little microcosm of Olathe- it is rather normal to have three, four or five kids in a family. So, I was surprised to experience the barriers in Europe to a family of our size. Almost everyone I have met in Poland has one, maybe two kids. You rarely see a family of three or more kids.

I first encountered this challenge before I left KC. Now finding three or four bedroom apartments and rental houses in the Midwest is quite easy. In Europe and specially Poland- it was very difficult. Most apartments I looked at were two or three rooms (that’s total rooms- not bedrooms), designed to fit three or maybe four people. I actually rented one of the largest places I could find (1200 sq ft- yes that is considered big). We really turned out to be lucky with our little house and we love it- but other problems existed as we traveled.

Europe really does not cater to families larger than four or maybe five total people.

When traveling, my one of my biggest challenges is to find a place for us to stay. I really have to search to find decent large (six and above) accommodations.

Let’s start with hotels. In the States we could usually cram ourselves into an Embassy Suites. In the States, you usually have two room choices: having one Queen/King bed in the room OR two double beds. In Europe, a “double” means two single beds (and little floor space). A "single" is one Queen (with little floor space). A "suite" adds you a fridge and microwave (no more beds, couches or floor space). So, for most European hotels I can get two per room and rent two or three rooms.

So, I have resorted to renting flats when traveling. This is even problematic- as most tell you the maximum number allowed in the flat is 4 or 5 people. I usually can find a few special ones that hold six (I spend hours on the internet looking for just that). Secondly, they charge you by person (regardless of age). So they give you a nightly rate times six. In theory- Lisa and I could stay in a flat and pay 80 Euros for the night. However, to add the four kids into the exact same flat (and taking up no more of their space)- the rate goes to 250 Euros a night. It personally irks me to pay the same amount for my seven year old, Trey, to sleep on the floor, as I get charged to stay there (and no, it is very difficult to hide children from the landlord- particularly mine. I got caught in Warsaw doing it).

Many restaurants also do not have seating for six (in contrast, most restaurants in the US have a couple six or eight tops available). In Europe, the physical space of the restaurants is usually quite smaller. So they rarely have a table for six us over here. We usually have to wait for a four top next to a two top to open and push them together. Ironically, the only place I have consistently found seating for six is at McDonald’s and Burger King. In Warsaw, we were turned away from a few restaurants- who would not serve a group of “our size”. Sometimes I feel like I’m traveling with the Von Trapp family- without the singing.

Even food comes in small batches. Cereal comes in 150 or 300 gram bags and milk comes in one liter bottles. Imagine how many multiples we need just for one meal.

Transportation is another issue. If we need to take a cab- we sometimes have to wait for quite a while before a six seater is available. Many cabs are minivans- but they have the back seats removed- so they really only seat four or five.

A couple of airlines I have looked only allow you to purchase five tickets per transaction. The pull down menu even stops at five. It says- “if you have more than five people”- call group sales (when in the hell did having four kids become “group sales”?- back to the Von Trapp's image).

Anyway- I am not really complaining- just observing and sharing. Even given the challenges at times- we are having a wonderful, wonderful time living and traveling. I just found this to be an unexpected challenge of the trip.

Really Budget Airlines

I thought I would blog a little about another unique experience we had, traveling on a really budget airline.

Now what is a really budget airline? It is one that takes Southwest Air’s basic model, and really expands (or contracts) it.

The one we flew on was Ryanair. On Ryanair, their average ticket price is $20 to $40, and that is to fly across Europe. Now $20 is not some special promotion fare, that is the usual fare. It is even much cheaper than trains. But believe it or not, Ryanair is one of the most profitable airlines. It is a very interesting business model.

Now for $20 to $40 (plus tax), all you basically get is safe transportation between point A and point B. Anything else (and I mean anything else, costs you). They are a fully a-la-cart airline.

Here are some of the things you get or don’t get for that $20 flight.

-First and most importantly is baggage. You are allowed one free 18 pound bag to carry on board with you. If you have a purse, laptop bag, newspaper or anything else, it has to be in that single carry-on bag (so you don’t get your bag plus your purse). They are militant about it. They weigh and measure suspicious bags as you age getting on. If you are caught with more than one bag OR exceed the weight/dimension, they check it for you and charge you a very high check in fee.

-If you do need to check a bag, like all airlines anymore, they charge you a hefty fee. But their fee for a checked bag is about twice as high as what is now normal. So you are greatly encouraged to not check a bag. Then Ryanair has to hire less baggage handlers.

-They charge you more to use certain credit cards. You get charged nothing if you pay with their Ryanair Visa.

-If you want to get on the plane in the first boarding group, you pay an additional “priority fee”. Otherwise, you go to the end of the line, regardless of when you checked-in. If you have small children or difficulty getting on the plane, you are encouraged to purchase a propriety ticket.

-They do not have airport check-in at most airports or even kiosks. It has to be done on-line and printed at home (saves on ticket people and buying kiosks). Sometimes they even charge you to check-in electronically.

-The planes do not typically pull up to the terminal or use jetways (as I assume parking a plane at the terminal cost the airline more money). Instead, you walk down the stairs, go outside and walk across the tarmac and up some stairs directly onto the plane. The reverse occurs when you land.

-The plane’s seats do not recline (that way they do not break).

-There is no pouch in the back of the seat (too much to clean).

-As soon as the cabin instructions are given by the flight attendants, they turn into sales people. They walk up and down the aisle the entire trip selling perfume, smokeless electronic cigarettes, lottery tickets (yes, lottery tickets), rental car deals, food, and anything else you can imagine. As we are landing, they leave their sales job and turn back into flight attendants. This is hilarious.

-They only fly and book direct flights. Meaning, you cannot book a connecting flight together (they have no hub system). So, if they do not go directly to a city you want, you have to buy a second ticket, many times on a different airline, and handle your own baggage.

-They tend to fly into the older airports that are not used as much (like Southwest uses Love Field and Midway). However, some with airports (like Frankfurt-Hahn) it takes a two hour bus ride to get into the city. Similar with Paris and London, you are not flying into Heathrow or DeGaulle. It can be quite a trip to get into the main city from the airport.

-They do not fly every route, everyday. In fact, most routes are only flown three or four days a week, one time that day. So, if you want to return on a Sunday- they might only fly on Saturdays and Tuesdays, and a single flight time to chose. When we came back from Dublin- I wanted to come home Sunday. But all they had was a Saturday at 5 p.m. route. This way their planes are full by not having too many routes too often.

-If the airport raises their landing fees- then they stop flying there and start flying somewhere else. They tend to pit small city against small city in the same region.

-Absolutely no food or drink (even water) is given for free. All is available, but at a cost.

-Punctuality is very important. They put you on the plane early, and shut the door 20 minutes before the flight is schedule to leave. They frequently pull away 10 minutes before they are scheduled to assure punctuality. So unless you are early- you are late. No running down the aisle to catch the flight at the last minute.

-The CEO of Ryan was recently interviewed. He is looking at two new cost savings measures. First, he thinks bathrooms take up too much space on an airplane (most airplanes have one in the front and two in the back). He wants to remove the back two bathrooms to allow for more seats. Then charge to use the front one. This charge will minimize people who want to use it.

Secondly, are seats. He likes the bus idea, where there are some seats and some people stand and hold on to rails. He is interested in adding some handles, and charging less for those standing positions (or charging more to get a seat- depending on how you look at it).

-Does all this work- yes! We took 3 Ryanair flights over 10 days. With six people, that is 18 legs. I paid $650 for all 18 tickets, or about $35 a ticket (and we were flying from East/Central Europe to very Western Europe).

-That said, we all packed very lightly, three outfits per person (we wore one of those, so two packed outfits). No purses, or even my coveted red backpack. No food or drinks purchased, and we stood at the end of the lines and never sat next to each other on the plane. We also had to pick the places and dates of our vacation around the airline schedule- not the other way around.

So, if you are a real minimalist- then these budget airlines are a real bargain. Given all the above- Ryanair is the fasting growing airline in Europe. They are also not the only one- many with the same business model are appearing (EasyJet, Wizz).

Now my question is (or one that people will be asking)- you do give up a lot of service for a $35 flight. However, with all the American airline companies starting to charge for everything, too (last week it was announced there will be a charge for blankets)- people will ask why they still pay $400 for the flight.

(PS- I just looked at taking the family back to Germany. The ticket prices from Gdansk to Frankfurt-Hahn are $6.53 a ticket (yes, 6 bucks)- NO additional fees or taxes. So, is that worth a couple hour bus ride......).

Something Else.....

As we have been on holiday for nine days, and combined with traveling all over Europe since September, you start to take the sites for granted. We were at a point of saying “Oh look, another thousand year old building, with tremendous historical significance. Ok, let’s move on.”

So, we really needed something else, a zoo. We traveled outside the city to the 170 year old Dublin zoo (which would still qualify as a very old historical structure in the US). It was a nice day (low 40s), and pretty sunny. The zoo was not crowded and we were able to get around to things quickly. The zoo is newly renovated and done quite well. They have natural habitats for the animals, which gets you very close- I still think back to the KC Zoo as a kid and those horrible cages with rusting sharp curved bars.

They have two nice sections, one on primates and one on African animals. The kids really enjoyed watching the monkeys play (not realizing I see the exact same behavior everyday). One chimp in particular made sure we were well entertained. Then off to the big African animals, tigers, elephants, etc. It was a wide open space and and everyone could express themselves how they wanted without harm. Keep in mind we have been in museums, where a single spin of a coat could destroy a priceless artifact. So we really needed the change of pace. We spent a good three hours at the zoo.

We then arrived back home- I made sure we walked past the Molly Malone statue, and into Temple Bar. Temple Bar is the cultural eating and drinking area of Dublin. We found a “traditional” (read “for tourist”) Irish restaurant and had a very good dinner. Irish stews, Stews made with Guinness, Fish and Chips (with mushy peas) and of course, an order of chicken nuggets. Washed down with a good Irish cream ale: Kilkenny. They played Irish folk music overhead. Expensive meal, but worth the experience.

On Friday, we had planned something else very different. Many of you know that I spent about a year researching the Gartland ancestry. The US branch of the Gartlands started when my Great Grandfather, Lawrence Gartland, moved from County Wicklow, Ireland in 1880. I have his records of journey and naturalization as a US citizen. He settled in St. Louis in the 1880s as a gravedigger and lived until the 1950s. He left Country Wicklow at or around the same time as his sister to find work, but without his parents (he was 20 at the time). It is commonly believed that his father was named Myles Gartland, who lived in and never left County Wicklow. I have not yet found information on that generation. Most Gartland men are either named Lawrence or Myles. My son is at least the fifth Myles Gartland in the family tree. My father is the third Myles and I am the fourth that I have found so far.

Anyway, I just have documented that Lawrence was from County Wicklow, which is the county directly south of Dublin. So we hopped on a train and rode directly down the Irish Sea coast to County Wicklow. I had nothing in particular to look at other than being in County Wicklow, the Gartland’s ancestral lands. It felt nice to be in a homeland.

Of surprise to us was the sea. Dublin is near the sea, but the main source of water you see is the River Liffey. Of course, Ireland is an island and surrounded by sea. On it’s eastern banks is the Irish Sea. It has tall and rocky cliffs with the water breaking along. Truly a lovely scene. The train rode right along the seaside, sometime just feet from the edge of the cliffs.

On our train trip back- I had run out of gas, as had Ben and Natalie. So much in nine days. Lisa and the smaller kids had other ideas. They wanted to see an English speaking movie. So, half of us went back to the flat and half went to see a movie. We all got what we wanted.

Edinburgh Scotland and Dublin Ireland were great. I think however both Lisa and I give the edge to Edinburgh.

So, holiday is over and we are back to Poland, where we hope Spring starts soon!

Beer, Whiskey and the Easter Rising

We have continued to have lots of togetherness over the past eight days. We are still having a great time. But arguments between the kids break out more frequently.  And as all parents know, whatever comes into a kid's head, immediately comes right out of their mouth (no filter). This times four kids brings me to our first topic of the day: booze.

Dubliners (and the Irish) have been known to taste a drop or two. Two of the creators of this magnificent liquid are right here in Dublin: Guinness Beer and Jameson Whiskey only about a mile apart.

We started our day at Guinness. The St. James Gate Brew House is where that dark stout beer got its start over 250 years ago. It is a rather standard tour. Recall that booze is one of my two research areas. I have been on a hundred tours of different breweries and distilleries. This was not only my first trip to Guinness, but the first time my family was able to see what magic occurs when you put water, barley, hops and yeast together.

Guinness was really the first major beer to be exported, as historically most beer was made and consumed locally. Guinness got this chance by the luck of Britain being an empire. Where the troops went around the world to colonize, Guinness followed. Nice to have the world’s most powerful military as your advertising company. At the end of the tour you get a nice sample of the beer in their 360 degree view of the city bar, high up on top of the old brewery. Actually my favorite part of the tour was not the beer, but the floor they had for advertising. In the 19th and 20th century they  used unique and popular advertisements that are still iconic all over many parts the world.

After a few hours of Guinness, we went to the Dublin City Hall and the Dublin Castle, which are next to each other. The Dublin Castle is famous as the English seat of power from 1170 to 1922. It is not one of the English’s most elegant castles, but it certainly protected them over their centuries of Irish rule.

The second buildings was the old City Hall. This had a great exhibit of the City of Dublin from the Viking age to present. It was nicely done. What I found most interesting was the part on the Easter Rising of 1916.

As I mentioned, the English had ruled Ireland for 800 years, and some of the Irish were getting tired of it. In 1916 on Easter Monday, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), basically a guerrilla army, attacked the British at their castle. In the area of City Hall and surrounding streets were the war zones. Actually the British won this battle decisively, and the IRA leaders hung. However, over the next few years, on these same streets, the IRA, under the leadership of Michael Collins, kept after the British until they surrendered. The entire area we were in had been demolished by street fighting over the years. In the surrender, the Irish got lower Ireland back, but not Northern Ireland (that is still under English rule today). The IRA stayed active in that fight though the 1980s. So I found lots of this more modern Irish history fascinating. I also downloaded the movie Michael Collins (Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts) to see how Hollywood depicts it.

After a good guerrilla war, it was back to booze. Ben and I went to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery. Again, more than a few Irishman (and women) have taken a wee drop over the centuries. There is a great old quote, "If it wasn't for whiskey and red headed women, the Irish would rule the world!"

So, Jameson is the best selling Irish Whiskey of them all. This was a very good tour, better than most booze tours I have taken. They really explain well how whiskey is made, but also what is different about Irish Whiskey (distilled three times for one thing, which makes it smoother). The best part of the tour was the end. Again, they are really proud of their Irish Whiskey. They give you a small shot of American Whiskey (Jack Daniels), a small shot of Scotch Whisky (Johnny Walker Black) and then a shot of Jameson Wiskey. Then they take you through each one explaining the differences in tastes and how they were made differently (JD for example is a lot more rough, as it is distilled only once). Poor Ben just got juice.

So after  hours of booze and guerrilla war, I ended the day by seeing Molly Malone again, and meeting back up with the rest of the family.

Great day in Dublin.