Cork- Ireland

 

The views of river Lee

When the travel bug bites, but you know you cannot take off, that’s when it helps to have friends who are travelling. This week I decided to piggyback on the travels of my friend Johan Devits who took a two-day weekend trip to Cork, in Ireland with a buddy. The content and images in this article are from him and the article is based on his input and storytelling.

Cork is the second largest city in Ireland and lies on the bank of the river Lee. In the 6th century, Saint Finbar, who is the patron saint of Cork today was the Bishop of Cork and abbot of a monastery in what is now the present city.

In the 10th century the Vikings arrived there and they settled in the city to do trade. This was due to the fact that Cork is one of the world’s largest natural harbours, owing to which it was back then an important centre of trade in the global Scandinavian trade network.

From the 12th century, Cork was ruled by the Anglo-Normans (France) and influences of this can still be found today in the city. Huguenots were French Protestants who found refuge in Cork during this period as they were persecuted in France due to their religious beliefs. The historical presence of Huguenots' landmarks and community events and French-named streets like Huguenot Quarter and French Church Street pay homage to those times.

In the following centuries, the city was attacked, besieged and destroyed several times.
Fortunately, it was always rebuilt. Due to their long history of resistance and strife for independence, the city got its nickname, The Rebel city. 

Today, Cork is a lively city with rich history, culture and of course, food. It's widely recognised as the country's food capital. It boasts of a rich range of local products, made by using artisanal methods. Cork County has a lot to offer to a visitor due to its proximity to the coast and the numerous grassy hills. One can visit Cork's Butter Museum or the English Market to see how food and its history in the country takes a front row seat for all Corkonians.

English Market

The English market is a large covered market in Cork and is widely regarded as one of the best in Europe. It represents the core of Cork's thriving culinary scene.

Fun fact, when Queen Elizabeth visited the English Market in Cork in 2011, Pat O 'Connell, a local fishmonger made a funny joke about a monkfish which resulted in a very spontaneous feel-good moment. This moment was captured by Valerie O'Sullivan, making the photograph one of the most memorable pictures of her career. The photograph captured a significant diplomatic moment that occurred in the most unlikely of places and covers a royal visitor and the subtle change in Anglo-Irish relations.

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/the-big-picture-photo-of-queen-elizabeth-laughing-at-fishmongers-joke-captured-feel-good-mood/40428561.html

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2022/09/08/cork-remembers-laughing-queen-elizabeth-with-fondness/

Shepherd's pie

Johan enjoyed a culinary experience in Cork at an eatery called Kelly's Place. He says it was like being catapulted 40 years back in time. The place had a very old look as well and the traditional food served here was delicious. Johan thinks of the Irish as one of the friendliest people on earth and was not surprised that the service was fantastic. He also found the meal to be very reasonably priced.

Cork, he says, really has something for everyone, museums, shopping, hiking…

Johan explains in detail what he discovered and why he suddenly loved this city. When he just arrived and checked in, he and his friend decided to go immediately to visit Blarney Castle. With the bus they got there in 20 minutes.

In Cork, all the buses are double Deckers, so they sat right at the front on the top floor which gave them an amazing view. Blarney Castle was originally built in a wooden structure in the 12th century, but after destruction it was rebuilt in stone in the year 1446. There is a stone in the castle wall that is world famous. According to legend, everyone who kisses the stone receives the gift of eloquence- the ability to speak with great fluency and persuasiveness.

Blarney Castle

One must take the time to explore the beautiful gardens. Don't hesitate to enter the pub next to the Blarney Castle hotel if you have to wait a little bit for the bus to go back. The pub has a very pleasant atmosphere and super-friendly service. There are captivating sayings in the pub, and especially the one above the entrance door is noteworthy. It reads - We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. Once back in town, after having a meal, Johan and his friend ended up in the bar Sin e. A bar with a unique decor where they enjoyed a performance of traditional Irish music. In Ireland all over and in Cork, live music plays a significant and major role in this society. Everywhere in the city, you will also find references to the legendary musician Rory Gallagher. This musical icon spent most of his life in Cork, and stated several times in interviews during tours that he missed his beloved city. Reporters once asked Jimmy Hendrix how it felt to be the best guitar player, to which he replied, “I don't know, ask Rory”. In the evenings, let yourself be seduced by the charm and liveliness of this city.

The next day they had booked a free walking tour in the morning, which is highly recommended. Their guide Owen gave the best of himself, made them discover beautiful places, enriched them with interesting and fun facts.

After this educational tour, they continued strolling through the city, and they started to notice that more and more people were showing up in red sports shirts. They were curious, and had to find out what was going on.

This is how they discovered a hitherto unknown to them sport called Hurling. Hurling is a team sport of Celtic origin, and would describe it as a mix of rugby, football and hockey. It was a unique experience to see the match in one of the pubs. All families with members from literally 5 to 95 years were cheering for their local team (Cork GAA) passionately as they watched the game on screen. 

 After this pleasant intermission they continued walking through the streets of the outskirts of the city where they came across countless unique places. Later in the evening they ended up in another pub where live music was being played, with a great singer who sang one hit after the another. In this cosy and busy pub was a group of 50-year-olds celebrating a bachelor party. Despite being tourists and foreigners they involved Johan and his friend in their festivities. That is the real reason to go to Cork, says Johan who after this lovely weekend claims that the Irish are one of the most hospitable and friendly people in our region of Europe. This aside, Cork has enough places to explore and is ideal for a long stay. It offers several magnificent castles, picturesque villages, breathtaking nature with cliffs and islands, one of which was the Titanic's last port of call.

https://www.titanicbelfast.com/history-of-titanic/titanic-stories/titanic-s-maiden-voyage-the-queenstown-connection/

Hurling

Hurling 

amazing street art

Learning to say Goodbye- guest post- written by Latha Warrier, my sister

 As a young child I remember being completely obsessed with dolls. They were my greatest passion. I cherished each and every doll that I owned and cared for them long after their newness had worn off. Perhaps part of the reason for this was that I owned very few real dolls. Apart from a rubber duckling, I remember having all of three dolls in my whole childhood.

The prettiest of these was a large size baby doll whose eyes would close when the doll rested and they would open when the doll was held upright. That remained my baby for several years. I already had this doll while we were still in London and at five years of age when my family and I returned to India for good, the doll came with us. Needless to say, as an imported toy, it attracted a lot of attention and I was very proud of my beautiful blue-eyed, golden-haired little companion.

About a year after we had settled in Mumbai, my parents took us to visit cousins in a nearby suburb. I insisted not just on taking the doll along but on carrying it on my person, as if I was carrying a real baby.  I was meeting my cousins for the first time and both sisters were as, if not more, excited at the toy that I had carried as they were about meeting me.

My cousins and I must have had such a great day that when my parents asked me if I wanted to stay back for a few days on my own, I happily agreed. They left for our home that evening while my doll and I settled in to enjoy our vacation.

My uncle and aunt had government jobs and left for work the next day. I was the youngest of the three girls spending the day together and my elder sisters babied me. I happily did what I was told. Once we were all bathed and dressed for the day, the older of my two cousins figured it would be fun to give my doll a bath too. Excitedly we watched as she washed and dried the doll and laid her down to sleep in the small space we had created as a bed. From her resting place my doll stared back at us wide eyed and accusing. Something was wrong, her eyes wouldn’t shut. I was aghast and I must have started to cry.

I know I must have started crying. I was a regular cry-baby back then and it took just about nothing to set off my tears. I can’t remember crying though. All I remember was that we knew that something was wrong and that we needed to do something about it. My older cousin, still a child herself, tried to physically shut the dolls eyes and I’ll never forget what happened next. The eyes detached themselves and fell into the hollow mould of the doll’s body. My doll has lost her eyes. Two holes remained in their place in the once beautiful face.

The beauty of childhood is how easily we recover from tragedies. I hadn’t learned then that we needed to show and carry our grief for all time. In fact, I can’t even remember what happened next except that we continued to enjoy the rest of my stay there. My doll came back home with me at the end of the trip, blind but not beaten and my cousins’ home continued to be my go-to place for the vacations for several years after that. It was on one such trip to their home, that I met a pair of sisters called Latha and Lekha and so when I was 11 and was gifted with a little sister it seemed to me like the natural choice for her name. I asked my dad if we could name my baby sister Lekha and the whole family approved.

My doll went on to die a tragic death when I was around eight. I was dancing in my front room to the beat of some music and remember twirling myself round and round. In the midst of my utter abandonment, I asked my five-year-old hyperactive brother to fetch my doll for me. I had wanted her to join me in this dance of glee. My brother Venu of course for once, decided to oblige me. He picked up my doll and flung her to me. I wasn’t expecting this and was in the middle of a turn and was in no position to make the catch. She missed my arms and crashed onto the cement mosaic tiles on the floor and broke into what looked like a hundred pieces. I remember seeing her eyes on the floor staring at me and reviving the memory of the last time I had seen them. This time I really cried and was inconsolable for a long time. Finally, I think it was Raj, my older brother who came up with the idea of burying the doll properly. That’s when I stopped crying and started getting ready for the funeral. We lived in a largely catholic colony and burials were part of the local culture. I remember my catholic friends helping me to plan the funeral. We found a box for the remains of the doll and gathered some flowers and later that day, my brothers and friends gathered outside the watchman’s cabin in our apartment building. We dug up the earth and placed the coffin in the ground and solemnly said goodbye to my little baby. Thankfully we didn’t mark the ground because I know I did go back to retrieve the doll the next day and couldn’t find anything where I looked. That was the first time I learned what it was to have a sense of finality that comes with loss.

You can visit Latha's website here https://www.lathawarrier.com/

The mystery of the pink curry

Traditional Kerala meal served on a banana leaf- Sadhya

 

When I was small, there were many vegetables I didn't like. But, growing up in a vegetarian household meant that eating at least three to four different vegetables everyday was inevitable. My mother was an expert at hiding them or blending them in delicious sauces. Disguised in the delicious sauce or curry and some piping hot rice, there was very little chance that I didn't eat it. 

But of all my enemies in vegetables, there was a period I absolutely abhorred cucumber. It's something I eat daily nowadays, so we have definitely made up, the gourd and me. Today's story is of a day when my mother, my sister and I were having our lunch together. There was hot rice and some dark brown chickpeas that my mother made in a dry fashion with grated coconut for flavouring. Next to these items, laid on the clean tiled floor where we were seated cross-legged, was a bowl of a pink curry. Now this was something new. And my mother didn't usually do new. I eyed the liquid, lifted it up with the ladle and let it drop back into the vessel. My mother mumbled something about my surely liking it. I looked at my sister and she was busy eating her lunch and just gave me a glance from the corner of her eye. I asked my mother what it was and then my sister what it was. They both mumbled something about it being tomato based. I nodded to my mother and she served me the curry.

I really loved the taste, I savoured every morsel on my plate and felt my tiny stomach fill pretty quick. The moment I finished my meal, my sister started giggling hysterically. She said that she couldn't believe how I could have eaten so much cucumber without flinching. I felt a wave of horror, anger and betrayal as I looked at the two women in front of me. I don't think my mother had wanted my sister to tell me the truth as she just looked sheepishly at me. I got up with tears in my eyes and ran into the washroom. 

I locked myself inside the washroom and tried to get what I had eaten out but obviously that didn't happen. I swore to not trust either my mother or my sister and screamed that I would report them and their lies to my father when he got home. The little me was not having any of their games!

No smoking please

 

I was the youngest kid of the family and my father was already 48 years old and mother 43 years old when I was born to them. Both my parents had survived impoverished childhoods, had grown up in villages in Kerala, had migrated out of the village for work and were living very busy lives with my three much older siblings when I was born. At the time the brother closest to me in age, 8 years older to me, was born, they were living in London U.K. My father had accepted an opening in the Indian High Commission in London after he retired prematurely as a soldier in the Indian Army. They lived in London for four years and all the children had British accents when they came back to India after the posting.

One of the perks of working in the High Commission meant that my dad had a smoking allowance. This monthly allowance was a good amount of money even for those days. Almost equal to if not more than his salary. The idea was always to earn extra money to help look after his growing family, but he wasn't going to be dishonest and so he took to smoking.

When he came back to India after giving up this job, he presented his remaining stock of cigarettes and his lighter to one of my uncles. The uncle was very happy to receive a few cartons of imported cigarettes as they were quite a novelty. He asked my father why he didn't want to smoke them himself. To this my father replied, "In the U.K. I received an allowance to smoke. Here smoking will take away from my salary. So, no, I don't want the cigarettes." Remarkably, he never took up the habit again.

That was why and how my father stopped smoking. For him the reason he started and ended that vice was the same. All his actions were guided by his desire to be of benefit to his family.

Meet multifaceted Daniel Vaz- Head Coach Nike Run Club, trainer, marathoner and Aerospace Engineer

 

35kms - Khadakwasla

In India, so many people study hard, achieve amazing heights in school and college and make a huge effort to make all their financial dreams come true. Very often these studious people work so hard academically that their focus is just that. Studies and careers. Not Mr. Daniel Vaz though. Having done his B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering from I.I.T Mumbai he's currently still working at 63 as the C.E.O of a company that specialises in climate control in process industries. This is just his work! What he does outside of it is equally if not more interesting. 

Health and Fitness has always been an important part of Daniel's life. He was a footballer for most of his life and so one could consider him generally very fit. But life gave him a new direction when one of his friends asked him to accompany him to participate in a marathon back in 1996. This was really uncharted territory for most civilians back then. Most of the participants in that Pune International Marathon were elite runners from the defense forces. Daniel and his friend received vests to track their time for a nominal fee. When they reached the halfway mark, they were deemed too slow by the organisers and asked to leave the competition. Daniel remembers not liking what he experienced at that halfway point and left determined to better his speed.

In those pre-internet years, Daniel found a book written by a runner named Bruce Tulloh on distance running. He used the book as his guide to start training regularly. This training became a part of his daily life while work and home were also a priority. In 2002, the same friend asked Daniel to participate with him again. This time it would be a recreational marathon in Goa organised by the Goa Salgaonkar Sports Club. He had seen the ad in the Times of India newspaper. They called the organiser and registered for the race which was to be run from Benaulim beach to Vasco M Corporation. They were two among only 27 runners who were to run the 42 kms. From the runners who participated, only 12 completed the race. Daniel was the runner in the 12th spot. He was asked by the ambulance accompanying the runners to give up somewhere along the way as they were informed that the 11 runners in front of him had already nearly finished the race. Daniel asked them to go to the finish line and not wait for him and continued to run. He had friends cheering him on, who would give him water when required and he just focused on finishing the race. At an amazing 3h 55mins Daniel crossed the finish line to a thundering applause thanks to the fact that the winners of the race were being awarded their medals at that exact moment.

Coach- Nike India

These two races were key to Daniel's hunger to understand his body and its capacities during a long distance run. His training continued with vigour for the next couple of years. India was now seeing the beginning of modern marathon runs with the Mumbai Marathon's first edition in 2004. Daniel continued to participate in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathons every year. Now his name figures amongst the Mumbai Marathon Legends. In 2019, he received a permanent BIB number. He chose 810 which were the first three digits of his I.I.T membership number. Daniel has run 46 full marathons which include several famous overseas marathons. Travelling to participate in a marathon abroad became part of his family's vacation plans. Some of the overseas races he did till date are Berlin, Wurzburg, London, Lausanne in Switzerland, Budapest, Istanbul and the Lochness marathon in Iverness, Scotland.

Addressing Nike runners

Berlin marathon - 2017

Budapest marathon - 2019

London marathon - 2024

Around 2007, Daniel started offering long distance training advice by participating in seminars  in the domain of Recreational Running to employees of different companies like Mahindra & Mahindra, Colgate Palmolive, Standard Chartered and Chase Manhattan. He was also asked to train cadets  in the Goa Navy Physical Training School.  From 2008 onwards, he has been the Head Coach for the Nike Run Club. 

In the same vein, Daniel emphasizes that only last month, Nike organised a special  'After Dark' run in Mumbai and it was a Women's only edition. He worked for them as the Race Director on this occasion. 

He also backs his knowledge on running long distances with a solid certification that brings his experience on terrain and scientific accreditation together. He has a C.S.C.S certification (Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist) from the N.S.C.A (National Strength & Conditioning Association, U.S.A). He has had the honour of being Race Director for the Mangalore Triathlon, Mangalore Beach Festival's Half and Full Marathon.

Race Director Mumbai Ultra 12hrs

There is another interesting race where he is Race Director since 2019, the 12 hour Mumbai Ultra. In this race that is held on the 15th of August every year, participants run from the Veer Savarkar Smarak in Shivaji Park to Worli which counts as one loop. They run for 12 hours and try to make as many loops as they can in that duration. The winner is the one who completes the time with the maximum number of loops.

Health Coach, Nivea 2022 - 23

Daniel also worked as Health coach to Nivea when they launched deodorant for marathoners in 2022-23.

Mr. Vaz is also a writer for Fit Page India, a website where he has contributed more than 150 articles. The site covers everything under the Sun about running. He has advice about Strength Training, Running, GPS watches, the new technology Sweat Patches that checks the hydration level in the runner's body during long distances etc. Daniel also offers online training to several aspiring Marathon and Ultra Marathon runners who use his program to train for races that range from 42-50kms to 100kms or 100miles (160kms) across the world. Some of these races are the Ladakh Full Marathon and the Khardungla 72kms which is at very high altitude, 11000 feet and above. Other races include the Border 100 which is an Ultra that is held in the desert in Rajasthan. There are also runners training for the Comrades 90kms run held in South Africa.

Podium at Bangalore Ultra 2010

Daniel trains and motivates runners live when he runs with his running group, Road Burners in and around the Kandivali - Malad areas.

It's hard to believe that a man who does so many things for leisure works at such a high post in a Company. He doesn't seem to want to slow down despite having endured all sorts of running-related injuries. He just works on getting better and better at something that brings him immense satisfaction and joy. I'm super happy to have spoken to someone who has seen and helped India in getting fitter first hand and is actively contributing to the overall health of everyone around him. We can all learn what stamina, endurance, grit, determination, failure and success means when we look at the way Daniel has lived his life, from dreaming to doing to achieving. Kudos!

Daniel can be contacted on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dan_zico/ or FB https://www.facebook.com/danzico

Henry Love- Instagram series - uploaded 6th June

 

Henry Anger - Instagram series - uploaded on 3rd June 2025

 

Rant on the courier systems, post and delivery of goods in Belgium

 

The world today produces more and more. We all are aware of the tons of stuff that are  being produced every single day all over the world. Whether they are clothes, appliances, hardware, household goods, the supply of goods is ever increasing and in your face. You scroll for five seconds on your mobile phone and you have an ad pop up showing you a sparkling new product that you can buy. The crazy thing is that often what used to cost us maybe 100 Euro years ago costs a fraction of that cost. Yes, it's nice for a simple consumer to be happy about this but the flip side is that everything related to quality is seeing a downgrade. From the product itself to even the delivery of these products.

Ever since COVID, the online industry has seen a massive rise in consumers opting for the convenient method of scrolling and clicking their products. The companies promise super rapid delivery and yes within 24 hours very often you have the product in your hands. I, as a conscious shopper, avoid using these methods to shop. But for those who do, it's worthwhile to look at the faults in a system that allows for cheap products, reduction in delivery timings and its ironic consequences.

In the last few years, despite not buying anything online myself, I have noticed that because our products are cheaper and our delivery timings are reduced, a large number of products ordered by consumers are not reaching them.

In the apartment building in which I live, there are hundreds of residents. The delivery people for various services including the Post, either don't have the time or the inclination to wait for the person who the package is destined for to reach the hallway. They ring the call bell of the owner, gain access into the apartment building and then usually just dump the package in the lobby without waiting for the rightful owner to pick it up. As a result anyone can pick up and steal the package before the bonafide recipient arrives and this is what happens more often than not. I have at least 2 stories of my own where this has happened and I'm aware that this happens in other residential areas too. 

Yesterday was yet another story! The flowers that my older daughter had ordered for her sister were not delivered despite the fact that I was at home. The delivery driver probably did come to the building, he simply left a note saying " sorry, we missed you" on the online app that my daughter used to order the flowers. There was no ringing of the bell or anything to indicate he even came to the building. Now those flowers will have to be picked up one day later from a shop where all these goods land up when the courier person cannot or will not actually reach the person they were destined for.

On any special occasion be it Xmas, New Year and the like, this problem is multiplied maybe a thousand times and products are either not delivered, stolen by neighbours and outsiders or sitting to be picked up the day after in one of the many 'next-to-home' shops.

What is the point really of having this convenience? Creating a world in which products are so cheap that we don't even need them to reach the consumer? When a postman doesn't even have the time to deliver a registered post and just leaves a paper that says go pick the letter from the local office? Who is this benefitting? What sort of world are we going to see in the coming decades? 

Have you experienced something similar? Do share your experience in the comment box below.

My daughter's 18th birthday!

 

18 is an age,
When life has just begun,
When the person inside you..
Feels obliged to be present in everything fun

You know yourself well,
But yet you desire
To know things around you …
Everything hot in your dictionary equals to fire

Silently your body grows while you’re asleep,
You want to claim the world,
You’re so eager to leap

The world is awaiting the reveal of the woman of depth that is in you…
Oh my daughter you will conquer some heights ,
But life will make you experience dips too

Nothing in life is impossible to do,
Nothing or no one should ever make you ashamed of you

You carry your identity,
That’s unique .. it’s true
You’re unique and special
Just one in the world.. who’s you!!

Your mother I became and learnt to laugh loud,
Coming second in our home 
Who you’re becoming makes me proud!

Yes, we fight and bully me you do
But my darling little princess,
I’m on this roller coaster ride ..
With you!

Come back to being a baby,
Sometimes I may indulge you,
The baby you were was so naughty and cute…
Close my eyes and she takes the place of the adult who’s now you.

Strange and Intriguing happenings -#energyfield #openmindedness

 

There are times in life where we do something or discover something that's unique. Where what's happening transcends what is evident to the eye. When doing it and experiencing it we know we will never forget this exact moment. I have a very interesting memory of one such incident when I was 18 or 19. That evening there were two things that I experienced that went beyond what I knew existed in the world.

I was invited by a friend to a conference in town where they were talking about a book in particular. The book had a technique to help us memorize lots of words in a few minutes. Funnily enough, I don't remember much about either the book or the author though. I remember being in a large room full of people, we must have been at least 500-700 people. There was a moment when the speaker announced that he would choose a volunteer from the crowd to demonstrate what he was trying to convey in the book. The moment he uttered the words " I will choose one person from this audience", I knew that person would be me. I guess with that thought, I had sent out the perfect receptor energy. That day I felt the presence of a thread of energy for the first time. It was like I was pulling the speaker to me. He got off the stage, took the stairs and used the big aisle that divided the large room. He walked a little, stopped and looked around. Then he continued walking. Remember there were hundreds of people and several rows of chairs on both sides of the aisle.

When he reached my level, he looked towards the other side first and then turned to look towards my direction. He stood there and pointed at me. He had a mike in his hand, so he said "You, the young girl wearing a brown shirt". I was very stunned by what had just happened. I didn't understand why I had felt the pull of energy or how I knew he would choose me.

I walked up to him and he asked me to accompany him to the stage. I was obviously very scared. It was scary to stand up there in front of so many people. He took me backstage and asked me to listen to a story. Then if I remember well he showed me 50 words on a sheet of paper. The next thing I knew I was speaking to the audience and saying out the words on the list in perfect order. He had put  this list on a screen or board for everyone to see. I was facing the audience and the list of words was behind me. The whole experiment had taken 5-7 minutes backstage. I was scared to make a mistake but somehow knew I wouldn't.

Sometimes in life so many inexplicable things happen around us. The pull of energy between the speaker and me and the fact that I could recite all those words flawlessly are small examples of incidents that paint such mysterious colours into our otherwise normal lives.