A dream comes true

So here we go. This about big boobs and what you can do with them. 
Chastity is the favorite character of EW, I think, it's understandable. :-). He read about her in the novel I am writing about at the moment. He wanted to hear more of Chastity, so my darling, this ones for you.
Thanks for all the encouragement and inspiration.
I hope you, my dear readers, are going to enjoy the story as much as EW and ZA. Of course I had also fun writing it.

Chastity Shelton was attractive and knew it.
She was nearly six feet tall; her hair was shiny black, long and straight. Chastity's skin was dark as black coffee.
She loved hard sex. Most of her boyfriends obliged willingly.
Chastity fantasized about having her watermelon sized boobs bondaged and slapped. It spurned on her imagination and made her wet.
One night she woke up from such a real dream, her carefully manicured hand found her honey pot.
The long red nails caressed and stroked until she climaxed.

Chastity was very excited. Today was the day.
Chastity arrived at the studio, dressed in a pink tank top, white micro skirt and gold colored nine inch platform shoes.
Before changing into the clothing provided by the company, Chastity met with the other actors and the director, who explained, what he expected.
Afterwards they got dressed for the first scene and put on the make up.
Chastity amused herself on the dance floor of a club. She had changed into a latex corset and hot pants, wearing very high stilettos. She was watched by another African American man and a platinum blond haired woman. They kidnapped her from the dance floor and brought Chastity into their chamber of pain and lust.
Chastity found herself in handcuffs. The corset had been opened and pulled down, releasing her huge boobs.
"Open your mouth." The woman ordered, while the man grabbed her hair from behind and forced her head back. Chastity complied.  The blond inserted a steel ring gag covered with leather and the man closed it tight at the back of Chastity's head. One white hand touched Chastity's right breast, caressing it gently and then squeezed the nipple vicious. Chastity moaned. It was painful and highly erotic at the same time. The man had moved now to the front. He forced the black girl to lie down. His tongue played with Chastity's dark chocolate colored nipples. Lying on top of her he found the perfect spot to put his hot member. The man pressed Chastity's boobs together and moved the penis between them. The blond had undressed in the mean time and put on a strap on. It was 8 inches long and 2 inches thick. She assaulted Chastity by squatting over the victim's face and inserting the strap on into Chastity's mouth. "Lick the dick! I know you like it." Chastity moaned. She was helpless and had to endure the movement of the strap on and the real thing between her breasts. It turned her on.
Her hands had lost feeling after lying on them and being hand cuffed.
Soon she was upright again and her melons were tightly bondaged. Both the man and the woman were licking and nibbling on them. The man was suddenly biting hard into Chastity's nipple, while her other breast received a hard smack. It hurt and thanks to the gag only a strangled cry escaped Chastity's mouth. Another punch set Chastity's breast on fire. It was an odd feeling, having one breast fondled and the other slapped at the same time. Lust and pain were mixing.
The couple let up for a moment, removing Chastity's gag and hand cuffs. She was ordered on all four and felt her hot pants pulled down and her legs spread. The woman was licking her behind, while the man stuffed his penis into Chastity's mouth expecting a blow job. Chastity enjoyed the woman's attention, having difficulties to concentrate on the hot, fat, thing in her mouth. The man gained her attention by twisting her nipples. The blond stopped, what she was doing and soon was dominating Chastity by riding her ass hard with the strap on. It was a pleasure for all involved. The man was near climax and with drew his erected penis. Chastity sat back, pushing her still bondaged boobs up and sucked her own nipples, while the man gently touched the other ladies smaller breasts and pleasured Chastity with his other hand. Both women reacted with groans. Soon the African American was lying on her side, the man was entering her vagina, the blond fucking her ass with the strap on. The man was grunting with effort, slapping Chastity's boobs and squeezing them, making her cry out and moan. He suddenly stopped moving inside her, removed his erected member and finished with a satisfying hand job, spraying semen over Chastity’s boobs and into her offered mouth. After that the cameras were switched off and the bondage removed.
For Chastity's flavor it was all over too quickly, and she was dreaming about the next job coming up.

©2011

Travel Report Part 2 Vilnius

Our flight left Helsinki in the early afternoon. We had chosen Air Baltic to Vilnius, Lithuania via Riga, Latvia. The airline is very good. All flights were punctual, seats were assigned and the staff very friendly. There is an additional charge, if you have check in luggage (20 Euro for one piece.) Food and drink is available for purchase on board. All was reasonable priced and looked very tasty. The flight to Riga was around an hour. We had a little bit time to explore the airport before catching our connection to Vilnius.
We arrived in the evening in Vilnius. The airport is very small. Taxis were waiting outside the arrivals hall and as in all Baltic countries the meter charges aren't regulated. There is an airport cartel, and they overcharge generally. We paid 90 Lithuanian Litas (ca. 26 Euros), which was of course higher than usual, but we weren't bothered too much, having some experience with Beirutian taxi drivers and informed ourselves about security issues in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Arriving at the Radisson Blu Lietuva, there are two Radisson Blu's in Vilnius (The Astorija is the other), was quick, around fifteen minutes. There was also snow, but the river Neris wasn't frozen over. The Lietuva is located in the New Town of Vilnius. It is the highest hotel in Lithuania, previously it was the highest in the Baltic States, but was dethroned by the new Swissotel in Tallinn, Estonia. Before it was also known as the Reval Lietuva, but Radisson bought the hotel chain and rebranded all of the properties. The hotel has twenty two storeys. On the top is the Sky Bar. The hotel also has a fitness center, the Lobby Bar and the Riverside Restaurant as well as meeting facilities. Swedbank and the Casino are on opposite sides, while the Europa complex is just across the street. The Holiday Inn and the Best Western aren't too far away either.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is within walking distance and the Old Town easy reachable within ten minutes on foot just across the bridge over the river Neris.
The check in was efficient and friendly. Internet access was free and fast, both up and downloading worked well. At the Klaus K uploading was slow, but downloading quick. See also Travel Report Part 1.
We had booked a Business Class Room, which included breakfast and free movies. The room was huge, more like a junior suite and equipped with a kangaroo sized bed (two double beds pushed together), storage space beside the bed and a wardrobe at the entrance including safe, a sitting area and a writing desk. A small cupboard to store the mini bar and on top was a LCD screen TV placed. You could swivel it to either side (sitting area or bed). The bathroom was accessible through two doors, one was located beside the bed, the other at the entrance way. The toilet had an own room and sink. There was a comfortable bath tub, separate shower and one sink. Bath amenities were by Anne Semonin and included even a hand creme.
The design was Scandinavian.
The minibar was filled with soft drinks, water, juice and alcohol. The choice was to our satisfaction and we liked the local water.
In Room Dining is 24 hours available and we ordered Caesar Salad with Chicken, Steak, well done (it arrived medium, he was happy enough it wasn't too bloody in the inside and decided to let it pass), the fish in butter sauce, yummy apple pie and delicious chocolate cake. The quality was good and the meal arrived within half an hour. I watched a movie, while my fiancé uploaded all the photographs he had taken earlier. TV Channels in English were available.
The next morning after a comfortable sleep we went to breakfast at the Riverside Restaurant. The breakfast was served buffet style and had everything one might needed with an egg station, if guests preferred to have omelet or fried egg. There was yogurt, fruits, fruit salad, pastry selection, cornflakes, juices, scrambled eggs, cold cuts, cheese, fish, pickles, bread and much more.
The area, where the food was served, was spotless clean, but some of the tables hadn't been cleared with the used dishes left behind by previous guests and the carpet wasn't cleaned. Another guest had dropped a bread piece, and it was still there, when we arrived.
After breakfast we went exploring the area. The Swedbank Building has a terrace with beautiful views over the river and the hotel.
The Museum of Contemporary Art was inspirational from an architectural stand point. Crossing the street we passed an unfinished building and one that was only half constructed. The Europa Complex included the Europa Tower, the Europa Apartment block and the Shopping Mall. It was very windy outside and we were frozen through, so we went into the shopping mall for a stroll. The mall is dominated by shoe and clothing shops. They also have a Cow Parade (life sized cows made from plastic or other material and decorated by famous artists) like in many other cities around the world; donations are going to poor kids in Lithuania.
We had a coffee break at Cozy Europa on the ground floor with cappuccino, macchiato and creme brulee. All very indulgent. The coffee came from Lavazza by the way.
Reaching 5 PM we went back to the hotel. We went to the Sky Bar for a cocktail, enjoying views over both the Old and New Town. The cocktails were excellent and the atmosphere was upbeat.
At dinner I had salmon & cheese sandwich. It's not on the menu, but it seems the person, who took the order misunderstood me (Ham and Cheese was the original order) I love fish, the sandwich was really nice and it wasn't more expensive, so I didn't let it go back. My better half enjoyed Pepperoni Pizza and we had the same desserts, just exchanging, who ate what.
I watched another movie. It was early bed time for us, because we had an early start, our flight to the next destination was leaving before 09.00 hours.
The check out was as efficient as the check in and the taxi to the airport was 55 Litas, ca. 16 Euro.
Next time, when in Vilnius we are going to have a look at the Old Town.
Watch out for the last part of our itinerary.

©2011

8

This is a quite tough one and some would consider it abuse. As always I'm against violence in any form in real life.

Read for yourself, why Fin received another spanking and why he had to drop his underpants. If you like, you can leave a comment.

Fin was feeling bad. His beloved maternal grandfather had recently died, and he missed him. Fin had an hour free time; normally students should have used the time to do homework. Fin didn't bother. He wanted to be alone and looked for a quiet place to remember and deal with his grief. Of course he was in trouble for it, and his parents had been informed. Fin dreaded going home. He could imagine what was waiting for him.

Mike, Fin's younger brother, sensed on the return from school something was wrong with Fin. He was twelve, his brother eleven month older. Fin didn't want to talk about it.

The tensions between Fin and his parents were clearly in the air. Mike knew Fin was going to "get it". He believed Fin pretended a lot how much a spanking hurt. Mike thought Fin wanted pity or attention. Of course he didn't know, what was going on behind closed doors, but when Mike was spanked, the pain was over within hours and no marks were left. What Mike didn't know, was the difference between his and Fin's treatment.

The Noose's took a much harder stance, when it came to Fin.

Fin hoped he wasn't caned in his bed room. Mike's room was just beside his and he didn't want Mike to hear what was going on.

Coldham and Beverly Noose believed Fin had cut classes without any good reason or maybe simply to annoy them. They had discussed how they were going to punish their oldest son.

After dinner they called Fin to his mother's home office. Fin's behavior had been especially embarrassing for Beverly, who worked as a school administrator. What picture did it make, when her own son was truant? It didn't occur to Fin's parents to ask why. First Fin received a lecture; his facial impression was growing darker by the minute. It seemed Fin wasn't going to be repentant. Fin barely kept his anger under control. He didn't deserve an additional punishment (He was in detention for being absent at free time.) or being warned he was going to end up on the streets, if he continued cutting classes. He was sure his parents wouldn't see it that way. He also knew, he was going to end up bent over, no matter if he explained himself or not.

"Coldham Fintan, you are going to receive eight strokes with the cane. Please drop your pants and bend over." Fin's father ordered. Fin was surprised, shocked and relieved. He had calculated he would get maybe five. Four was the usual number, five had been the most, and he found each caning unbearable. Fin was concerned what his backside was going to look like after eight strokes and feared his father or mother, depending on who was going to execute the sentence, was going to cause bleeding, when the welts started to overlap. Fin normally wouldn't have begged for a lower number of strokes, but he was seriously worried. His parents weren't willing to discuss the issue or ready to give Fin a set of four strokes now and the other half a few days later, when the welts and bruises were starting to fade. Tempers were rising. Each party thought they were right. Beverly had enough. "Shut up! Drop your pants and bend over! NOW! Or you are going to loose the privilege of keeping on your underwear!" His parents knew Fin hated it, when he had to strip. Their son was beyond caring, if he kept his briefs on or not. Fin had to give in, but he was defiant and opened the button of his trousers very slowly. "That's it. You're getting it on the bare!" Coldham bellowed. Fin complied, but was still delaying. As soon as he was going to be in position, his punishment was going to start, and Fin hated the whole idea of being humiliated and hurt. Fin guessed he had made his parents angrier by talking back and defying them, so he was in for a thrashing, making him even gladder, he wasn't spanked in his room. Before upsetting his parents further, he pulled down his white briefs and bent over the oak desk, barely managing to keep himself from shaking. Fin didn't want to show fear. He wasn't sure, if he was able to keep from crying while his father, who had picked up the 3 foot long and 3/8 of an inch thick cane, was wielding it. If Fin could prevent it, he would. One of the things he didn't like was showing how much it hurt or being comforted afterwards and told how much he was loved. Fin didn't believe it.

Coldham was angry and he wanted to make it known immediately. Having caned Fin for about six years, he knew exactly what got a reaction from Fin, who generally took it stoic. Coldham raised the cane slightly higher than he would have normally and placed the stroke where Fin's thighs and buttocks met. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Fin screamed. His eyes watered, and his behind was on fire. With great will power he refrained from getting up and rubbing away the pain or letting the tears fall. It was going to be a struggle. His mother was watching from the sideline, another thing Fin disliked. There was a swoosh. Fin cried out again, when he was hit only slightly above the first welt. He wasn't as loud as before. The pain of the first and second stripe merged, Fin was expecting the next cut and wasn't disappointed. The cane landed a bit awkward and wrapped itself around Fin's hip. He was howling with pain. To Beverly's surprise Fin wasn't crying or out of position. She had gone through a similar experience, when she was a couple of years older than Fin and hadn't handled the pain as well. She had jumped up and been a sobbing mess after her father's strap had wrapped itself around her hip.

Beverly decided to see how hard the next strike was. She thought Coldham was on the verge of over doing it.

Fin was angry. His father was doing it on purpose, and his mother had fun watching all of it! He was going to show them! No matter how close Fin was to tears, he wasn't giving in. Fin's complete bottom felt sore, even though, the cane hadn't touched the upper part yet.

Swish. "Owww!" Fin had tried to take this one quiet, but it was impossible. Beverly was convinced Coldham was using the cane stronger than necessary. She gave her husband the agreed sign, he was going too far. Coldham nodded. The next three strokes were lighter, but Fin felt every one very intense. He managed not to get up or to cry. It was very hard to keep self control. His response to each was vocal. Having lost count and feeling drained, he just hung on to the edge at the other side of the desk and hoped it was over quickly or he was going to break down.

Coldham took his time, because he was trying to figure out, where to place the last cut. He had different choices. Fin's bum was already bright red and covered with seven angry welts. There was space at the very top, but Coldham disregarded it as too dangerous. He didn't like caning Fin on the thighs for the same reason. Besides that the pain was excruciating. Having own experience, Coldham knew it was worse than anything else. Okay, having the cane laid hard on the palm of the hands, was maybe the worst.

Coldham thought he had inflicted enough pain, based on his wife's and Fin's reaction. Making Fin cry in front of him and Beverly was near to impossible. Their son was proud and stubborn as hell. Coldham was aware tears were flowing later.

Fin's father took a step nearer towards the blond boy. The cane was hovering low above Fin's behind and when the very light stroke cut diagonally across the other welts, it still hurt a great deal. Fin went limp. He hadn't made a sound and was fighting with the tears, which tried to escape. Fin hung his head low, so that nobody could see it. Was there another lash coming? He couldn't take it anymore. Fin simply wanted to sink to the floor and don't get up for a while or dressed for that matter. He felt very weak. Fin's mother was rubbing his back and saying something, but he couldn't hear. Beverly was whispering nonsense, trying to comfort Fin. She felt a little bit sorry for her son. It had been a quite harsh caning. Beverly justified the punishment by thinking Coldham and she wanted to make sure Fin was staying on the correct path.

Fin's senses were returning to normal. He heard clearly his father told him he could get up and dressed, if he liked. Fin still needed a few more minutes before he felt he could move. He was in agony. The bruise forming on his left hip was hurting the most. Fin dreaded pulling up his clothing. It was awful. Beside his briefs feeling tighter than usual, the soft material caused friction on his skin, making him moan. Fin thought he couldn’t hold back the tears much longer and hastily dressed completely. He was already leaving, when Fin’s mother stopped him. “Fin, are you going to cut classes again?” Fin shook his head. “Alright, you are free to go.” Fin didn’t reply. He reached the door, closed it softly and burst into tears. Fin cried quietly, making his way to his room as fast as he could. His main priority was getting rid of his pants and underwear. After he was undressed from the waist down, he threw himself onto the bed and sobbed into his pillow. It took Fin around fifteen minutes to calm down. Fin was not only crying from pain. It was a combination of emotions, too, like feeling ashamed, angry and hating his parents with all his guts. If he would have had the means, he would have taken his revenge. He wished they were dead.

Beverly checked a few hours later on Fin. He was sleeping uncovered on his tummy. Fin’s bottom had bruised and the cane welts were still visible. The bruising was especially pronounced at the lower part. She didn’t think Fin was able to sit for a day or two. 

She allowed Fin to stay at home from school until sitting was bearable again.

Fin forgave his parents after a while and didn’t want to see them dead. Still he wasn’t uttering a word to them for about a week and hid on his room. After two weeks the last signs of his caning were gone.

Fin came to the conclusion he had to find another way to deal with his grief and found an outlet. He called his grandmother, who lived in Massachusetts, regularly. It was balsam to his soul talking to her. She understood and listened, knowing when to comfort and when to keep quiet.

Fin recovered from his loss within a few months.

The end.

©20011

Travel Report Part 1 Helsinki

One and a half weeks ago we began our travel to three cities in three countries.

Our flight started around mid day from Dublin Terminal 1 with SAS, Europe's most punctual airline, to Helsinki. They didn't disappoint. We started on time and arrived even a little bit earlier than planned in Copenhagen. The connection time was 45 minutes and perfect. It allowed a short visit to the toilet and shopping for beverages for the next leg to Helsinki. The flights were both very pleasant.
Helsinki Vantaa Airport is very efficient. We were at the Arrivals Hall within half an hour. We took a mini van to our hotel. The price was fixed and gets cheaper the more people travel in the car. For two persons it was 26 Euro. The taxi driver was female and asked, if it was our first trip to Helsinki, which was the case. She showed us on the way some of the sights, directions to the harbor, the shopping area and told us which trams were stopping in front of our hotel.
We arrived in the early evening and the first impressions of the Klaus K were good. It is a design hotel and member of the same organization. The check in was uncomplicated and relaxed. The receptionist wrote on the card jacket the room and floor number (the elevator opens to different sides, so it is important to know, if you are staying on Level A or B.) as well as the internet code (free access). We had a Mystical Room, the entrance room, and it is not big (20 square meter), but the concept is very good. There was a small wardrobe including safe to the right and the entrance to the bathroom to the left. The bed was queen sized and had typical Scandinavian pillows, small, but three of them. Below the window a desk was placed, containing the mini bar (Not to our taste. Why? Too much alcohol, only a small bottle of water, one small juice and a vitamin water, the rest was all soft drinks or alcohol), all information about the hotel and Helsinki. Unfortunately there isn't enough space for a chair, so the desk is used more as a storage space than writing desk. To compensate for it, there is a "rollaway" table pushed over the bed or as I did push it to the chair in one of the corners and use it to write there. Our view was over the courtyard. There is also an LCD screen in front of the bed with a few international TV Channels like CNN or BBC World.
The bathroom is very small with a sink, toilet and shower. The shower is only separated with a curtain, but the floor has underground heating and the water is quickly evaporating or flows away through the drain. My original fear was that the use of the shower causes flooding, but it wasn't the case and I was very happy. Bathroom amenities are from Malin & Goetz and provided in environmental friendly large dispensers. The products are excellent and I was looking forward to use them every day. Officially Malin & Goetz is not available in Finland.
In Room Dining is available 24 hours, but the selection is very small and there is a 10 Euro service charge on top of whatever you are ordering. The hotel has two restaurants; Ilmatar serves breakfast or can be booked for functions and Toscanini, serving Tuscan cuisine.
We had dinner twice at Toscanini and every time it was absolutely fantastic. My fiancé had twice the same; I had a different main course. We shared the antipasti platter with salami, artichoke, marinated onion, sun dried tomatoes, ham, cheese and much more. On the first evening I had risotto with tiger prawns, on the second pasta carbonara with a twist, instead of bacon the chef used spicy Italian sausage. My better half had the pasta roll filled with ricotta and ham. Our desserts were tiramisu and panna cotta. We had wine from Apulia once, the other day we had juice. One can also choose a four course dinner with fish, meat or vegetarian, but the portions were so big, a three course was perfect. It seems unheard of in Finland that you want bottled still water. When you ask for it you get tap water, but it is crystal clear and tastes very good.
Another observation is, if you order entrecote, it's generally to share. The price is either quoted for two persons or per person, so don't be surprised, if you see 52 Euro for entrecote (South American Restaurant near main train station) for two persons or 27 Euro per person at Toscanini.
The four course meal costs, if I remember correctly, 48 Euros per person or nearly double, if you want it paired with the suggested wines.
The hotel also has a bar, sometimes there is live music.
There are also two meeting rooms available and a 24 hour shop, where you can buy Finnish specialties.
The next morning we had breakfast (available during the week until 10.30 hours) at Ilmatar, serving organic, traceable and mostly Finnish produce. If you like omelet, you have to pay extra for it, if breakfast is included in your overnight rate. Boiled and scrambled eggs are free. There is a choice of black coffee, green, black or white tea. There is an extra charge, if you want cappuccino.
The buffet offers cold cuts (including sauna smoked ham from Finland), cheese, pickled cucumbers with dill, fish, fruits, fruit salad, yogurt (much more fluid and the whole opposite than Greek yogurt), pastries, fruit soup, jams, juices and much more. The variety changes every day a little bit.
After breakfast we went exploring. It was cold and snowing a bit, but stopped after maybe half an hour or so. It turned into a beautiful, sunny and surprisingly mild day. First we passed the Swedish Theatre and a few designer shops, the Kaemp Hotel, a member of Luxury Collection Hotels, the Glo Hotel and went on to Senate Square. It is dominated by the Cathedral. The building and the interior are very beautiful and highly recommended to visit. The interior is understated, but looks stunning.
We moved on to the Bank of Finland, located behind the Cathedral and admired the statue of Johan Vilhelm Snellman, a statesman, by Emil Wilkstroem (1864-1942). It still bares the marks of Russian bombings during World War II at the foot. We also saw the building of the 4th Estate and followed the street until the end and we were at the sea. The sea was frozen over and it was interesting for us to see that. It never happens in Ireland.
We returned the same way and went to the main train station. It is in Art Deco design and looks very good. It's understated, but on the other side a grand building. It has one unique feature. Should the president of Finland take a train he/she has an own lounge, but the location is secret, of course.
The KIASMA, the Museum of Contemporary Art, is nearby. On the way you see the Post Office and Post Museum.
The architect of the KIASMA was Steven Holl, an American. It is inspired by Japanese Zen. The architecture is flowing, feminine and very well integrated. I loved spending time there, alone to marvel at the lines. When the building was finished in 1998 it cost 38 Million Euros and is adding an extension at the moment, so some floors are closed.
Entrance to the museum costs 8 Euro per person. We saw Saraa Ekstrom's "Limbus" and Tidelines. Both exhibitions were inspirational, sometimes eerie and interesting. They were different from each other. We had lunch at the cafe, which was great. We had huge turkey and cheese sandwiches and shared a cheese cake. There is also a salad bar or if you have larger hunger, they can also prepare hot meals for you.

In front of the museum is the statue of Marshall Mannerheimer, the sixth president of Finland. On our way to Finlandia Hall, architect Alvar Aalto, we passed the Parliament Building. Finlandia Hall is undergoing restoration at the moment.

It was late afternoon and we decided to return to our hotel, but to make a stop at the Kaemp for a drink. Unfortunately all spaces at the bar were full, so we just had a quick look around and then walked to our hotel.

The next afternoon we took a taxi back to the airport. It cost slightly less than 40 Euro.

To sum it all up: Helsinki is a great city to visit. It has to offer something for everybody and is walk able. Would we return to the Klaus K? Definitely. Maybe we are going to try out a new room type, just to gain more experience.

Look out for the next part of our itinerary.

What's coming up?

I'm at the moment in Hamburg and was very busy since last Wednesday. My writing suffered a little bit, but you can all soon read my experiences of my travel and of course I think one or two spanking stories are following too.
Hope you enjoy the stories and travel reports as much as I do. As always, feel free to leave comments. I would love to hear from you. Is there anything you would to read about?

So travelwise you will read about:

- Scandinavia

- The Baltics

- Germany.

Short stories coming up:

- A new story about Fin.
  Would you prefer to read how Fin got his undeserved punishment or why he received eight strokes with the     cane?

- A story about big boobs and what you can do with them.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Your Writer1976

Day Trip Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland

The previous weekend the weather was so beautiful my better half and I decided to go to Dun Laoghaire.
Dun Laoghaire is a port town to the south of Dublin. It's a Gaelic name and pronounced Dun Leary as in O'Leary. When arriving in Dublin over eleven years ago it was a real tongue twister. We confused a few Irish by pronouncing it the way it is spelled. Our Gaelic hasn't improved much, it's very difficult to learn, but now we know how to pronounce the most common words.
Back to Dun Laoghaire. There are different options how to get there. Of course you can go by car. There is also public transport, like the DART, a light rail, or the bus 7 and 46A. The DART is probably the most scenic, because it runs along the coast line for most of the time. You have beautiful views over the sea. You can get it at Conolly Train Station or Tara DART Station.
Both buses 7 and 46A have stops on O'Connell Street or near Trinity College. On this occasion we used the bus, having prepaid tickets already.
The stops for both DART and bus are at the Dun Laoghaire Train Station, not far from the Stena Lines Ferry Terminal, going on to Holyhead in Wales and other destinations.
We walked to the East Pier to take in some fresh air and sea breeze. Even though it was sunny the wind was blowing cold. We enjoyed the stroll, seeing sailing boats, of course other people waling or sitting on benches,dogs and small kids We took the opportunity to shoot photographs. Suddenly the weather turned and it started to rain. We were hungry by now and decided to look for a restaurant. On the promenade are a few choices, like It's a... (sandwiches, soups, bagels, etc.), Mao or an Italian restaurant. We went to Mao's. It serves pan Asian cuisine from China to Malaysia. My better half had honey sesame chicken with rice and a cocktail, I Thai Chicken with cashew nuts, peppers and rice and orange juice. All freshly prepared in the open kitchen. What we both liked were the quality of the products and the price. Unusual for this type of restaurant the portions were just right. Normally there is too much rice. It was filling, but didn't make us feel over eaten or bloated. We had room for dessert and coffee. We had the same, banana fritters with vanilla ice cream and cappuccino. The banana fritters were really hot and I nearly burned my tongue, so be careful. The total bill came just under forty Euros.

Our needs fulfilled and the sun shining again we went to the Royal Marine Hotel, now independently owned, but a couple of years ago it belonged to the Gresham Hotel Group. It's a four star plus and a classic hotel with modern features. There is a restaurant, bar, lounge, spa, fitness and business centre and meeting rooms. There was a free wedding show going on, so we decided to use the chance to make us a picture of the hotel.
It started with the Mercedes Benz S-Class outside and continued inside the hotel with brochures.
It was not clear where the wedding show was, so we asked the friendly receptionist, who guided us the right way.
We were greeted by a waitress and offered free champagne, martinis or alcohol free options. We went for the champagne. We were now in the bar area. The bar island near the window with views over the sea was Art Deco style, while the rest of the room was kept in a clubby atmosphere with a lot of brown, white and green. Riding scene paintings added additional atmosphere.
We moved then to on through a corridor and saw signs for the toilets down the stairs.
The ladies toilets were spacious. Unfortunately there are no induvidual trash cans in the cubicles, so if you have to deal with "womanly issues" it could get embarrassing.
The coat hangers are placed slightly too high for my flavor. I liked, that there were many sinks and mirrors. There were Gilchrist & Soames hand wash and cream at four corners. I like the company, but thought it would have been better, if each sink would have had it's own hand wash and cream. It invites to simply wash your hands with water, especially when it's busy.
One of my pet peaves is people, who don't wash hands after a visit to the rest rooms.
There are only hand dryers available. It's not a problem, because they are fast.
Overall the toilets were spotless clean and had a sleek modern design. The reason for too few toiletries could be to leave the room uncluttered or it could be also a cost cutting measure.
On we went to the main event. The largest meeting room was transformed into a wedding function. We were offered a brochure with all the wedding packages and prices available. Tables and chairs were decorated as if there was already a wedding planned for the day. There was already a set up, what the proposed menu items looked like. It looked gorgeous, but unfortunately I'm not abig fan of tradtional cuisine.
If you like you can choose a wedding cake, including cup cakes, from the international award winning company Cake Box, also based in Dun Laoghaire. They offer a choice of over 300.
The hotel can organize a live band or a DJ.
We could have had a tour of the hotel and seen different room types, but decided against it, because we wanted to keep the surprise for a later overnight stay. We strolled along Main Street before returning home.


©2011

My favorite item Part 3

 A stepfather's dilemma what he should do with his stepson after he is suspended from school after a fight.

Jayden Prince and Roscoe O'Malley weren't on speaking terms. The wait for their respective parents was awful. The formidable principal Mrs. Kowalski had already found out, what had happened exactly. She was going to have a talk with the parents of both miscreants and the sentence was announced. Roscoe hoped his mother was coming to collect him. He knew how she was going to react and could deal with it. He wasn't too sure about his stepfather. They had met the first time slightly over a year ago and were still getting used to each other.

Roscoe was sorry and felt guilty. He shouldn't have started the fight.

Mrs. Prince arrived quickly. She was white faced and her lips pressed into a thin line. Mrs. Prince ignored her son and went into Mrs. Kowalski's office after being invited by the secretary. She returned a few minutes later. Mrs. Prince picked up her son and promised him a serious talk at home.

Roscoe feared nobody was arriving to collect him. Maybe Mommy and Daddy were so angry with him, they didn't want to have anything to do with him...

His stepfather came, but it had taken him time to arrange for a babysitter for Roscoe's younger siblings Tina and Alyssa. Before going into Mrs. Kowalski's office, he insured Roscoe hadn't been injured. Outwardly Daddy seemed calm. Roscoe sensed it was a facade. What emotions his Daddy hid, Roscoe couldn't say.

Roscoe tried to find out more by sneaking to the door. The walls weren't very thick and he could listen in without any problems. The secretary was busy and didn't look up, what Roscoe was doing.

"Mr. Richards, I wished, we would have met under different circumstances. I like your books." "Thank you, Mrs. Kowalski." "Unfortunately Roscoe and one of his classmates had a fight. It seems Roscoe started it. You probably have read the school regulations already and know, that this offence is punishable with a week’s suspension." "Mrs. Kowalski, isn't there another way round? I'm sure Roscoe and Jayden are very sorry for what they did. They are very young and boys that age normally make up fast, no matter how serious the reason for an argument or a fight a few minutes earlier seemed. Maybe Roscoe could apologize and both boys get detention?" "Mr. Richards, my hands are tied. If I start to make exceptions, everyone wants one. No, the suspension starts from tomorrow." Roscoe sneaked back to his seat. It took a little bit longer for Roscoe's stepfather to re-emerge.

Sam Richards was angry, upset, disappointed and worried. He kept his emotions under control, though, and didn't show a great deal of them. "Roscoe, ready to go?" He asked. Normally they would have talked all the way home. This time around Roscoe was trotting behind Sam, his head hanging low. Roscoe had realized his step father was angry. He feared he was going to be punished. If his real Daddy would have been here, Roscoe would have been shouted at and received a short, but painful lesson.

On the way home Sam Richards analyzed, why he was so angry. It was the strongest feeling. Roscoe was a miniature copy of his biological father. Sometimes it was hard to swallow for Sam, who had been at the receiving end of Oliver O'Malley's madness and still carried the psychological and physical scars with him. Thank goodness, the bastard was dead! Sam realized his biggest fear was that Roscoe had inheritated Oliver's violent nature and his anger came from there. There was also a little bit of guilt on Sam's side. Roscoe had seen him and his brother Dominic fighting. Maybe Roscoe thought it was okay to solve his problems with his fists, even though Sam had explained, he had been wrong and never should have let it escalate. Knowing, what had bothered him, Sam was able to breath lighter.

At home Sam sent Roscoe to the living room. Roscoe hated the wait. What was keeping Daddy so long? He returned with two mugs of hot chocolate. Roscoe was sitting on the sofa. Sam took a seat on the chair. "Start." Sam's voice wasn't unfriendly. "Are you..." It cost Roscoe a lot of courage to ask. "Are you going to spank me?" Sam was surprised. It never occurred to him. "No. Tell me, though, why you attacked Jayden, based on that I am going decide, if you get punished in a different form, and please don't lie to me." Roscoe was relieved and admitted everything. Sam could understand perfectly well, why Roscoe had lost it. What his son needed was reassurance. "Come here." He heaved Roscoe on his lap. Sam didn't mind Roscoe's weight. "Jayden was envied, and I know how difficult it is to keep calm... The best reaction would have been to ignore him. Jayden has it all wrong, though. I love you very much, even if we aren't blood related, and would be very hurt, if you wouldn't call me Daddy. Not all step fathers and step kids have bad relationships." It comforted Roscoe. After a short pause Sam continued: "Remember on the plane to London, there were a lot of Americans?" Roscoe nodded. "Or the Americans we did see in Paris and Madrid?" Roscoe nodded again. "See, they were on vacation or live there. I can also show you statistics about Americans living abroad on the internet, if you like, just to confirm it. Remember, when you helped me on the book tour last year?" Roscoe gave Sam the books he had to sign. "Yes, I loved it." "Me too, you were a great assistant. So I must be a writer, mustn't I?" Roscoe agreed, feeling much better. Sam and Roscoe cuddled. Roscoe gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. "Roscoe, what I want you to do now, is write a letter of apology to Jayden." Sam left him alone to compose it.

Later Mrs. Prince had called, asking permission to visit with Jayden. Jayden's mother didn't accept bullying and forced her son to apologize. Roscoe handed over the letter he had written and after the air between the two boys was cleared, they went off to Roscoe's room. "You had only to write the letter?" Jayden asked incredulous. "Yep. What about you?" "Mommy has confiscated my Nintendo DS. I have it back at Easter." "Oh, that's tough. It's ages away." It was around one and a half months until Easter. After a moments consideration Jayden asked: "Do you want to change parents?" Roscoe didn't.

The End.

©2011