10 of Dublin’s Most Beautiful Buildings

Some of my friends have ancestors who came to the US from Ireland a few generations ago. For them, visiting the capital city of Ireland, Dublin, might be a good opportunity to make themselves familiar with the history of where their grandfathers came from.

But what to do once you’re there. You could do what many do and head straight to the bar but you’d be missing out on a lot of history seeped into the walls of the beautiful buildings dotted in and around the city.

You don’t have to leave the city center to visit Dublin Castle, an 18th century building,now used for state visits and conferences and offering some amazing dining facilities. When you see it for the first time, don’t be surprised if it looks familiar as its appeared in loads of films and even doubled for the Vatican in the opening episode of The Tudors.

Stroll across the beautiful, Georgian Ha’penny footbridge (don’t worry, you won’t need a half cent to cross it anymore) which will take you over the River Tiffey. From the bridge, you get an amazing view of the Custom House, which is arguably the most magnificent building in Dublin. Every single stone mason in Dublin was commissioned to work on the bridge in 1791, and it cost a staggering $300,000 to build. Sadly, the original interior was destroyed by the IRA bombings in 1921 during their War of Independence.

Transport yourself back to the 18th Century with a walk through the cobbles of Trinity College which homes the ‘Book of Kells’ – a 9th Century Gospel manuscript. You can even get a tea-towel for your Mums with it printed on! Sticking with the religious theme, Christ Church Cathedral, where King Edward VI was crowned, has had a church built on the same site since 102 AD! and is well worth going to see.

You won’t be able to miss ‘Spike’ as you wander around the city as he dominates the skyline. He was commissioned for the Millenium celebrations and stands on the site of Nelsons Pillar, again destroyed by the IRA.

If you like gore, go see Kilmainham Gaol,now a museum, but once home to Dublin Gaol where many men, women and children were imprisoned in appalling conditions and Irish Rebellions were publicly hung. Now the largest vacant gaol in Europe, but whilst empty of prisoners it is crammed full of their history.

Temple Bar, on the south bank of the Liffey, is the “cultural quarter” and it has kept its medieval feel with gothic buildings and narrow cobbled streets.

The Storehouse is Dublin’s number one attraction – home to Irelands most famous brand. And while the building itself is worth a visit people undoubtedly go to savour a complimentary glass of the black stuff in the trendy Gravity Bar on the seventh floor where the views are as spectacular as the surroundings and the drink itself.

And after all that history you can reward yourself by visiting some of the many trendy bars and clubs in Dublin (although many of those are housed in some pretty splendid architecture too).

Save Money at Disneyland

Disneyland is an excellent travel destination for both kids and adults. Everyone will enjoy visiting Disneyland, because there are so many attractions. However, it is also true that most of us realize how expensive such a vacation can be. Fortunately, there are many ways to save money at Disneyland.

-Traveling to Disneyland can be a big expense in itself. Make sure that you will travel in a car that will not require any road-side repairs. Such repairs can be costly and we want to avoid that. If you are renting a car, then deal with car rental companies that offer the best deals.
-Going to Disneyland is probably the most expensive during summer. However, many people prefer to go during spring or even during some other time. You might be able to save a lot of money with off-season bargains. Take that into account when planning your vacation.
-Most Disneyland sanctioned hotels are quite expensive. You can save quite a bit by staying at a different hotel. You can still watch Disneyland fireworks from many other hotels, so staying at a Disneyland sanctioned hotel is not mandatory.
-Consider buying a Disney Multi-Day or Annual Pass. If you plan to travel to Disneyland a lot, then this can save you a lot of money.

Ocean Paradise – Green-Blue Natural Diamond


Diamonds have always been known to be the most valuable natural gemstone existed. Colors and clarity are the main elements which determine the value of a diamond, when fancy colored diamonds are even rarer to find and are valued at a much higher price than clear diamonds. Colors of diamond range between all known colors, but there is one unique and rare diamond which is the only one of its kind; “The Ocean Dream” diamond, a Fancy Deep Blue-Green diamond which is the only one known to the GIA as a blue-green diamond out of 27 known colors. The Ocean Dream was found in Africa and is a one of its kind diamond which is sized at 5.51 carats and its value estimated at multi-millions of dollars. Since it is the only blue-green diamond known to men, it has no price and its value cannot be measured precisely. The blue color of a diamond is considered to be rare since it is nearly impossible for this color to be evolved in diamonds, various geological institutions determined that the exposure of the stone to radiations for millions of years could be the cause for this unique color, though even then, there is no substantial proof for this evolvement of color.
Recently, another Fancy Blue-Green diamond was found in Brazil, the second blue-green diamond. The diamond was named “Ocean Paradise” based on its unique color and rarity. Ocean Paradise was found at a size of 6.43 carat when after polish is now 1.6 carat, the Fancy color was argued upon between DHG Gemological Laboratory and the Gemmological Center of Moscow State University; Moscow State University claims the color of Ocean Paradise to be Fancy Greenish Blue when DHG determine it to be Fancy Green Blue, both have concluded that Ocean Paradise is oval shaped and has a clarity grade of VS2. At any case the value of the gem now stands on over $100,000 per Carat when the value for the entire diamond cannot be précised since it is the second diamond of its kind.
Diamonds are the most exquisite gemstone when Fancy colored, in particular blue, are even more refined and outstanding and cannot be priced or valued for any fortune.

Traveling and Money

I am still not sure whether or not I will want to travel somewhere this summer. One thing that discourages me from doing that is the lack of money, but when I think about all those places I could relax in, I feel sorry that I might not be able to go anywhere this summer. One idea I have is to leave the kids at their grandparents house and go somewhere by myself, somewhere where I could enjoy my time. I do not know yet what I am going to do about the lack of money. Maybe borrowing it from somebody is not such a bad idea if I know that going somewhere on vacation would help me regenerate? I will have to think about it. Once I come up with something, I will tell you about it.

Buying Stuff Online

Each year online shopping is becoming increasingly popular. There are many online stores on the Internet, but what I always liked the most were online auctions. You can usually save a lot of money by online auctions as the buyer simply has to be the highest bidder in order to win. Of course, you have to watch out for auctions where people for some unknown reason bid a lot of money on some items that do not necessarily have high value. Some bidders may bid a lot due to their pride as they will set their mind on winning an auction. Usually however auction prices are lower than typical prices you would find in a store.

Web Presence for Small Businesses

It is not uncommon for small businesses to want to establish a Web presence. Establishing a strong Web presence can be a way to bring new leads and sales. This will result in a financial profit and that is what businesses are all about. A small business may not have enough capital to advertise on TV or in other places where advertising is expensive. Fortunately, establishing a Web presence does not have to cost a lot, so it is a relatively good way to gain exposure. It may also be a way to strengthen customer relationships, as customers will be able to visit the website at any given time. This of course means that a business should invest in reliable hosting.

Hotel Supplies

I enjoy a lot of things in life, but One of the best memories of my life are when I was visiting hotels. For hotels, being able to access Hotel Supply Online can be crucial as it is important for hotel guests that hotels are supplied as well as possible. Would you enjoy a hotel that made sure that all of their guests have access to anything they need? I know that I would. It is in the interest of hotels to ensure that their guests are as happy as possible, as this way they might return later.

I wonder if the hotel I visited in Atlanta took advantage of Atlanta Hotel Supply as I really enjoyed staying there. The whole hotel looked pretty new, including the furniture, cutlery and so on. That was something that definitely made me smile. While there are many kinds of supplies, I often like spending time in a hotel bar, so Hotel Bar Supplies would be something that I would be able to appreciate. There is something relaxing about hanging out near a hotel bar. Do you feel the same way? Do you have some memories of staying in a hotel you would like to share as well?

Streaming Videos

Streaming video sites are becoming more and more popular these days. A good example is YouTube that many people probably heard about. Video streaming sites try to make watching video clips online as convenient as possible. The technology has gone a long way since I started watching streaming videos and these days the quality of videos is simply better. hey also load pretty fast which is due to the fact that more and more people have access to fast broadband. Video streaming will be with us for many, many years because it is a convenient way to share video clips with others.

Something to Make a Home a Friendlier Place

When I was a child, I used to live in a home I loved very much. I am not saying that I am not fond of my current property, but there must have been something about this particular house and its surroundings that bring so many warm feelings and memories. Maybe it is all about those whitehall mailboxes scattered all over the neighborhood? We also used to have a beautiful mailbox that I remember until this very day.

Right now, when I think about it, I don’t really have any personalized custom plaques anywhere close to my house. I believe that my neighbors have some of them, but to be honest, I haven’t really given that much thought to the idea of having such plaques. Maybe it is time for me to do something about it? I will try to think about the topic during the remainder of the weekend and see what I am going to be able to come up with.

There’s one more thing I would like to mention in this post: residential mailboxes. When it comes to your mailboxes or your mailbox, how does it look like? Do you have something that is going to bring fond memories to your children when they think about your home, or did you go for a standard mailbox that doesn’t stand out?

Interesting Career Choices

I know that finding a job might not always be easy especially in a down economy. I still remember the time when I had to look for a job for a very long time and I found it after a few months of searching for it. The truth is that the more you look for a job, the more likely you are to find it. I am positive about it. If you have been looking for a job for some time and so far you have not had luck, my advice is not to give up just yet. I still remember looking for my job a few years ago. A lot has changed since back then. Today, the Internet plays an important role in helping people find various jobs they are interested in. Were I to look for a job again, the Internet would be the first place to start my search.

Logistics Facts

Running a logistics company can be a daunting task. Every person who happens to run this type of company knows about it. There are so many laws and regulations to keep in mind, especially if you have a fleet of trucks that you need to manage. Having said that, owning or being a part of a logistic company can be a very rewarding task, something you can take pride in and talk to others about.

When I visit websites such as www.nextexitlogistics.com, I realize that owning a fleet of trucks means that as an owner, you need to pay for weighing your tracks on weigh stations every now and then. Of course, this whole process costs money, but this is simply something that cannot be avoided and there is nothing you can do about it. The penalties for avoiding weigh stations can be harsh, especially if this is something you do repeatedly. I recommend, therefore, that if you have a fleet, that you make sure that you never dodge such stations and that you always make sure that you comply with the laws and regulations in your state that tell you exactly what to do. I am sure that the owners of Next Exit Logistics are aware of it and that they take every step possible to prevent such situations from happening.

Of course, there’s more to logistics than just having a few trucks that you send on the road. When you own a logistics company such as Next Exit Logistics, you know that logistics is also about international shipping and many other tasks that need to be taken care of. I am glad that this is the case because I appreciate when my parcels appear on my doorstep very fast, usually within 24 hours after ordering something online. I appreciate the work of all those logistic companies to make that happen.

Is Losing Weight Easy

It is not always easy to lose weight especially after a holiday when everybody around you seems to do nothing else but eat. One of the things preventing some people from losing weight is hunger. I am hungry from time to time, especially before meals, but when I am very busy, I tend to ignore the problem. Having said that, it is hard to concentrate on anything such as job or entertainment while you are hungry, so eventually I usually decide to eat something. Even if you want to lose weight and have a lot of determination, hunger might easily stand in your way. From my personal experience I can say that there are at least a few solutions to solve the problem: ignore it, eat something that does not contain a lot of calories or eat a meal and exercise regularly. I noticed that exercising on a regular basis keeps me keep my hunger under control.