So, I am in Dublin and I am already fed up (ich bin genervt!) with some things. Don’t get me wrong – I love to finally be here but there are so many things that I have to get used to! However, these are all insignificant trifles (Kleinigkeiten) that I have to deal with.
First of all, there is the traffic (LINKSVERKEHR!). I have lived in England before, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. However, I find myself at a loss when it comes to crossing the street. I always have to ask myself: “From which direction do the cars come on this side of the road?” It already happened a few times that I had to run for the last bit of the road, so that a car could not run me over. Most of the times, I remember looking in the right direction before crossing but I often seem to forget to watch out for the other side. This is so confusing, especially as I am used to being a responsible Fußgängerin, let alone a responsible cyclist.
Another thing, I find it very hard to buy a good bicycle within my budget. I don’t want to spend hundreds of euros for a shitty bike! I went to quite a few different bike shops already, and it’s always the same: Either they don’t sell second-hand bikes and the offers start with €399, or they do offer second-hand bikes but the quality reminds me of garbage (Müll). I also tried a few websites like gumtree.ie or donedeal.ie, but every time I call a person who put an add (Anzeige) online, the phone is either busy or the person who answers tells me the bike’s already gone. Apparently, I am not the only person looking for a bike in Dublin. Some of the ads I tried were only a few hours old. Now, I don’t even call the ads which have been set up yesterday.
Hmm.. Let’s turn our attention to something nice: I went to the theatre on Wednesday! Guess, what play I watched! —- I watched Pride & Prejudice and it was wonderful! For anyone who doesn’t know it, this play is based on a novel by my favourite authoress of all times, Jane Austen. Although the book isn’t my favourite (my favourite book (LIEBLINGSBUCH) is Sense & Sensibility), I love all the movie adaptations of P&P. I mean those that I’ve seen so far. I have seen the 2005 version with Keira Knightley & Matthew Macfadyen (this was actually my first Jane Austen Movie – after that I soon started reading the books) and I watched the famous 1995 version with the shining Colin Firth. I also watched the Lizzie Bennet Diaries which was fun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisuGP2lcPs). I saw bits from the 1980s and the 1940s version to which I couldn’t really warm up.
Anyway, on Wednesday I went to the Gate Theatre of Dublin and had the greatest of evenings! I cannot compare it to any of the above. The thing that most struck me was how important the words were. Das Wort war das Wichtigste! The play was as close to the actual book as possible – and it was amazing! There was some music at the beginning and at the end, but otherwise the play consisted of sole dialogue. I was as happy as ever. The atmosphere in the audience was incredible. Here I have to mention that no seat was left empty. They (or should I say we) laughed at every joke or slight given by Mr Bennet and Mr Collins awkwardness was deeply felt. Lorna Quinn, the actress who played Elizabeth Bennet, was, in my humble opinion, the most talented on stage (Theaterbühne). She had to tell the storyline between the scenes and did a marvellous job. Her expressions were priceless and I shall never forget her upraised eyebrows (hochgezogene Augenbrauen) when Darcy proposed to her the first time in that insulting manner. It was delightful.
Sadly, I was not allowed to take any pictures. To see some pictures of the play and maybe also to read another review of it, visit this website: http://www.irishtheatremagazine.ie/Reviews/Current/Pride-and-Prejudice-by-Jane-Austen
That was it for the first post. Thank you for your attention. Hope to see you soon!
Regards.
studium4free 