Distilling, brewing and Molly Malone

Our next stop was the Old Jameson Distillery. I have not been a big appreciator of whiskey (Irish or otherwise) but all our travel advisors had highly recommended the tour so off we went, and I have to say I really enjoyed it.


Unlike other blends where several whiskeys from either other distilleries or the open market are combined together to reduce costs, the Jameson distilling tradition has always insisted upon producing every component of its whiskey "from grain to glass." Jameson is similar in its adherence to the single distillery principle to the single malt tradition, but Jameson combines malted barley with unmalted or "green" barley. The most famous component within Jameson is the legendary "Pure Pot Still" (the name describes it, a mixture of malted and unmalted barley distilled in a still pot) component unique to Irish whiskey distilling tradition.


The company was established in 1780 when John Jameson established the Bow Street Distillery in Dublin. (This is the location of the tour and visitors center today.) Originally one of the six main Dublin Whiskeys, Jameson it is now distilled in Cork, although vatting still takes place in Dublin. With annual sales of over 31 million bottles, Jameson is by far the best selling Irish whiskey in the world, as it has been internationally since the early 1800s when John Jameson along with his son (also named John) was producing over a million gallons annually. By law, Irish whiskey must be produced in Ireland and aged in wooden casks (Jameson uses sherry casks for additional flavor) for a period of no less than three years, although in practice it is usually three or four times that period. (Jameson is aged for 12 years and up.)


Jameson Irish whiskey is produced from a mixture of malted and unmalted or "green" Irish barley, all sourced from within a fifty mile radius around the distillery in Cork. The barley is dried in a closed kiln fired by clean-burning anthracite coal to preserve its flavor. Like most Irish whiskey, Jameson is triple distilled for optimum smoothness. The philosophy is balance, ensuring that no one flavor element overpowers another. The end result is a sweet-tasting whiskey. The tour showed us the techniques for building and use of the barrels and how it impacted the flavor of the end product. They even provided barrels to illustrate what the whiskey smells like along the process, and the honey-like smell at the end is remarkable.


Not surprisingly, this tour was dominated by young men - not many ladies, and not one that wasn't with a young man). This was valuable to me, however, when the guide asked for volunteers for the tasting at the end of the tour and insisted on 4 men and 4 women. There were around 30 people in our tour and only 6 were women, 2 of which didn't even raise their hands. Good stuff. This worked out well for D too, because even though the shot glasses were small, they contained a lot more whiskey than I was prepared to consume, which meant that D was going to be a part of the tasting too. We tasted an American whiskey (Jack Daniels), a Scottish whiskey (Johnnie Walker Black) and Jameson.


Our knowledgeable guide briefly explained the differences in the whiskeys before the tasting. For the budding aficionados like myself, here is a recap: The basic types of Scotch are malt and grain, which are combined to create blends. Many, though not all, Scotch whiskies use peat smoke to treat their malt, giving Scotch its distinctive smoky flavor and are distilled twice. While the market is dominated by blends, the most highly prized of Scotch whiskies are the single malts (Johnnie is a blended Scotch whiskey). American whiskey is distilled from a fermented mash of cereal grain. There are many different varieties (bourbon, rye, corn) but the main point made by our guide was that it was distilled only once. There was a remarkable taste difference between the 3 types. I appreciated how relatively smooth the Jameson was compared to the Jack (Jack is harsh!) but I did also like the smokey element of Johnnie. I was grateful for the education.

All tasters became certified tasters (as this lovely document proclaims) upon completion of the tasting and correct answering of which one we liked best (all proclaimed Jameson superior). All those not partaking in the tasting had their own drink choices of: Jameson straight, on the rocks, with Ginger Ale, with Coke, or with Cranberry juice. As we all finished off our drinks (I received a mixed drink as well as the tasting -oh boy!) it was fun to meet the others on our tour. There were several American exchange students, an Aussie, a few Scandinavians and Germans and a smattering of other nationalities. I had little difficulty finding willing volunteers to take the Jack and Johnnie off my hands (I tasted it, passed it to D and then passed it on to the students). Several had just come from the Guinness Brewery, so were already feeling friendly. So, we got a taste of the atmosphere before our arrival, since Guinness was next on the agenda.


It is harder to find than you would think - they own a HUGE complex - but thankfully signs like this and the ant-line of tourists with Guinness gift bags helped lead us safely to our destination.


We were wicked hungry (all that whiskey on an empty stomach, not so good) and unfortunately got there after their restaurants closed (talk about bad luck). So we enjoyed a coffee shop sandwich and took in the atmosphere. The Storehouse is laid out over seven floors surrounding a glass atrium taking the shape of a pint of Guinness. On the ground floor the massive exhibit introduces you to the four ingredients; water, barley, hops and yeast, all of which combine together to make a pint of Guinness.


I am not a fan of Guinness - I prefer dark, sweet beers and Guinness has a bitter, heavy flavor and feel that I have not enjoyed. My trip advisors informed me, however, that Guinness in Dublin tastes better than anywhere else, not just because of the atmosphere, but because it has to be really fresh to taste the best. Apparently, Dublin goes through A LOT of Guinness, so generally, the beer on tap is always fresh. And, I would expect the Guinness Gravity Bar (where one can indulge in a complementary pint of Guinness and enjoy the 360 degree views over Dublin) to serve fresh beer. I learned that the beer has to sit for close to a minute, to settle, before being consumed. In this time, it changes color from an almost white, to carmel, to the dark brown-black it is known for. I tried to capture the transformation in this pic.


D was good enough to procure our beers for us as I staked out a spot by the window (over the air conditioning vent - it was HOT!) overlooking the brewery. I tried my beer and agreed with my Guinness loving friends that it really was better here - but still not my style. (I hate to admit it, but I have become quite fond of Belgian beers. I feel like I am cheating on Bavarian beer by saying that. So silly...)


We made our way around the uber-crowded bar to enjoy the views. Since the weather was so clear, we could see for miles in every direction, that alone was worth visiting the bar. Gorgeous.


In order to allow a little rest for the weary, we left Guinness and headed back to the hotel for a quick rest before our Traditional Irish Music Pub Crawl. This pic is of the Temple Bar area, which is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Ireland. Unlike the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets. It is promoted as "Dublin's cultural quarter" and has a lively nightlife that is popular with tourists. This was where our pub crawl started.


We had 2 professional traditional Irish musicians take us to this pub, and play for us in an upper room that was reserved just for our group (no fighting over chairs - it was great!) They gave us time to all get a drink (Irish cider is lovely) and then proceeded to educate us on what is and isn't Irish music. Needless to say, they were incredibly entertaining and the music was first rate. We have some fun video of them playing and I even got sucked into buying a CD at the end (normally I am stronger than that, but I have no instrumental Irish music, and the Irish Rovers need company in my iPod.) I did discover, though, much to my chagrin, that the Chieftains, a group that my mom has enjoyed for years and I thought to be a silly group, are actually remarkable musicians and have done more to maintain traditional music here than just about anyone. I am now intrigued to listen to their music.


We finished up right by our hotel (sooooo nice) at another truly Irish bar - our guides quickly told us which ones were genuine, meaning ones you would actually catch Irish people at instead of just tourists - called Brannigan's. As we passed by this monument of sorts, our musicians informed us that Dubliners living north of the river Liffey have nicknames for such city art as this south of the river Liffey and visa versa (not surprising that they have a sense of humor). This was supposed to be called the Millennium Spire, in honor of the changing of the millennium, but since it didn't get finished until 2003, it is just called the Spire - or the "Stiffy by the Liffey" or the "Stiletto in the Ghetto." There is a statue of Molly Mallone south of the river and she is called the "Tart with the Cart." (Difficult to understand why when looking at the pic below...)


"Molly Malone" is a popular song, set in Dublin, which has become the unofficial anthem of the City. The song tells the tale of a beautiful fishmonger who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin, but who died young, of a fever. She is typically represented as a hawker by day and part-time prostitute by night. The song is in a familiar tragi-comic mode popular in the late 1800's. I don't know where I heard it but when our bus driver started singing it on our day trip out into Wicklow County, I could sing along with him. There is nothing "traditional" about this song, and the musicians guiding us from pub to pub definately thought very little of it, but I love it and it makes me smile just to think about. Here is a verse and chorus, and if you ask me when I return to the USA, I will gladly sing it for you:

In Dublin's fair city,
where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

"Alive, alive, oh,
Alive, alive, oh",
Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh".

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

I am a quarter Irish and have had been curious about Ireland since I was a little girl and my grandma visited and brought me back a little doll. The dress was white with 3 leaf clovers on it and I loved it to shreds (literally.) Another event that peaked my curiosity about Ireland was reading the book Trinity by Leon Uris in high school. It is a powerful book that chronicles the early days of the Irish rebellion against the English colonial occupation from the Irish perspective.


I also have very fond memories of listening to a record of the "The Irish Rovers" called The Unicorn. This record is a great mixture of fun light songs like the title song, The Unicorn, sad ballads like The Wind that Shakes the Corn, and historically intriguing ones like The Orange and the Green, which talks about the challenges of the Catholic-Protestant conflict from the perspective of the son of a Catholic mother and Protestant father. I recommend the album. Anyway, I wanted to start our visit off on the right foot, so I had brought my iPod along so that I could listen to the Irish Rovers and D decided that he wanted to capture me singing along with them. Thankfully, no video:-)


Onto the beauty that was our weekend. DISCLAIMER: We had no rain, hardly even clouds our entire trip, so if you are encouraged to go Ireland because of what you see here, please do, but don't expect the blue sky - we were told that we were there on the one weekend of summer that they get a year. Lucky us.


We started our touring at Trinity College. The students run a tour that takes you around campus and points out interesting buildings, sculpture and historical facts and then finishes up at the Long Library, which contains the Book of Kells.


We weren't allowed to take pics in the Long Library, but the internet is full of free images, so thankfully the next couple will give you a feel for this gorgeous library and its contents. It really is remarkable. The main chamber of the Old Library, the Long Room, is nearly 65 meters in length, and houses around 200,000 of the Library's oldest books. When built, it had a flat plaster ceiling, with shelves for books on the lower level only, and an open gallery. By the 1850s these shelves had become completely full. In 1860 the roof was raised according to plans by the architects Deane and Woodward, to allow the construction of the present barrel-vaulted ceiling and gallery bookcases.

Marble busts are placed down either side of the room. The books that are in the Long Room are organized by size - which means that unless you know the exact dimensions of your book, you can't just go up to a shelf and find it. This system has a wonderful ascetic for the viewer, but isn't the most efficient.

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript (text supplemented with additional decoration) in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was transcribed by Celtic monks ca. 800. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination (post-Roman art from the British isles). It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure.


The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospels in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colors, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasize the themes of the major illustrations.

The manuscript today comprises 340 folios and, since 1953, has been bound in four volumes. The leaves are on high-quality calf vellum, and the unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation that covers them includes ten full-page illustrations and text pages that are vibrant with historiated initials and interlinear miniatures and mark the furthest extension of the anti-classical and energetic qualities of Insular art. The Insular majuscule script of the text itself appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The lettering is in iron-gall ink, and the colors used were derived from a wide range of substances, many of which were imports from distant lands (the gold is gold, blue is crushed lapis lazuli, and red comes from the blood of a specific beetle from India). The manuscript takes its name from the Abbey of Kells that was its home for centuries. It was amazing to see and worth suffering the crowds.


D and I love walking as much as possible in cities we visit; you are able to get the feel and character of the place, and you never know what you might come across that you wouldn't have seen otherwise. This church is one of those. It is Christ's Church and spans almost 2 city blocks. I couldn't capture it all but I particularly liked the archway bridge leading from one building to the other.


My cousin Veronica studied abroad in Ireland and thankfully gave me a great itinerary of things to do (Thanks V!). She recommended St. Patrick's Cathedral, which we enjoyed visiting. D enjoyed the park just outside it for a few minutes rest before venturing on with our tour. (Poor D, I am seeing a pattern of walking him into the ground...)


St. Patrick is said to have baptized Christian converts at a well that once existed in the park alongside the cathedral. Because of this association, the church has stood here since the 5th century. The Normans built a church in stone on this site in 1191. This was rebuilt in the early 13th century into the building that stands today.


This stone was discovered in 1901 on the traditional site of St. Patrick's Well, it was about 6 feet underground.


The Chapter Door commemorates the amicable conclusion to the feud between the Earl of Ormond and Earl of Kildare in 1492. The Earl of Kildare cut a hole in the door and through it stretched out his arm to grasp the hand of the Earl of Ormond, his enemy, who had taken refuge in the Chapter House. By taking the initiative and reaching out in reconciliation peace was restored. (We have a lovely pic of D reaching through the door.)


The altar is beautifully carved. The detail is remarkable and I really liked the scripture chosen for the middle sections.


This is the back of Christ's Church as seen from the north side of the river Liffy.


This is a silly pic because we like to eat at a restaurant called Ireland's Four Courts. So since we were going by, we had to take a pic. It is literally a place where there are 4 courts that abut each other, hence the name. It is also a tram stop, hence the sign.


We liked the contrast of old and new here. The beautiful old stone base and the very modern new apartments on top.

Next up, a tour of fine drinking establishments and the alcohol that makes them famous.

Hever Castle

Hever Castle is an important historic castle on the English landscape, once the family home of one of England's most famous Queens - Anne Boleyn, the intriguing 2nd wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I.


There have been 3 main periods in the construction of the castle. The oldest part dates to 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey. In the early 1500s the Bullen family bought the castle and added a Tudor dwelling within the walls and so it became the childhood home of its most famous inhabitant, Anne Boleyn. It later passed into the ownership of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. From 1557 onwards, the castle was owned by a number of families until finally in 1903, American William Waldorf Astor invested time, money and imagination in restoring the castle, building the "Tudor Village" and creating the gardens and lake.


The tour inside the castle (where we weren't allowed to take pictures) illustrated the Astor family's commitment to retaining the period beauty while incorporating modern conveniences. All power outlets are hidden so that the intricate wood paneling wouldn't be marred. Learning about the Astor family was also fascinating; they had several rooms dedicated to them and their stewardship of this property. Since 1983, the castle has been owned by Broadland Properties Limited and open to the public. The castle has a homey atmosphere and houses historic 16th century Tudor portraits, furniture and tapestries. Other artifacts include 2 magnificent Books of Hours (prayer books), both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn.


One of the most magnificent areas of the gardens is the Italian Garden, which was designed to display William Waldor Astor's collection of Italian sculpture. Over 1,000 men worked on the great design with around 800 men digging out the 35 acre lake at the far end of the garden - taking 2 years to do so! Within 4 years the 30 acres of classical and natural landscapes were constructed and planted.


It is impossible to capture the scope of the Italian Garden unless an areal shot could be taken. It has 2 colonnades of marble and foliage leading down to the lake with large internal lawns and smaller hedged-in gardens. This sculpture caught my attention. Seems a bit salacious, don't you? Hmmmm...


This is one of the internal gardens. Apparently, the hedges planted (and that were historically accurate for Italian garends) grow extremely slowly so the gardens are only reaching maturity now (that would take serious patience - 100 years after their planting?!). We were struck by how quiet and secluded it felt, and since it was such a smaller space, it felt cosy. Each of these interior gardens had their own water element, which also added a peaceful air. Perhaps the risque statue is making more sense now that we discovered this romantic, secluded hideaway.


This water fountain faces the lake at the end of the colonnades. It reminds me of Trevi Fountain in Rome - which is probably the idea. D and I decided to walk around the lake since it was a beautiful day (and a glorious property) and it was also the first time since 1939 that visitors have been allowed to walk the entire distance around the lake.


It proved to be quite the wildlife experience. In case the weather didn't scream that the season was spring, all the animal families would have. We immediately came across a swan pair with their cygnets. (I had to look up what baby swans were called. For the curious, a female swan is a "pen" and a male is a "cob.")


Not much farther down the path we came across a duck with her ducklings. It was fun watching them. Birds at the fuzzy feather stage are so sweet.


We had the lake area all to ourselves and thoroughly enjoyed the view.


To keep the theme going, next was the ewe and her lambs. Little did we know that we were entering their "pen" area, but our shoes got the picture quick. It became exceptionally difficult not to walk in sheep droppings, no matter how much we danced around. We tried to dodge the pies but it became impossible as the next pic will show.


If you look at the ground around this group of lambs, you will see droppings everywhere. We tried not to disturb the sheep (clearly not many people choose to take the lake walk since we saw no one else that day and the sheep looked well entrenched) but it was almost impossible because off the path the poop was even deeper (seems like there is a life lesson in that, doesn't it?). It was fun to be able to get so close to them. They were smart to stake out the shade, it had actually become quite a warm day, but since there was low humidity, it was just about perfect in the shade. D and I sat in the shade with the view of the first picture (on that lawn under a glorious, huge tree there) for lunch before we had to get back on the bus to head for home. We agreed that it was just nice to be out in the sun enjoying beautiful countryside.

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a cliff overlooking a bend in the River Avon. Warwick Castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when Sir Fulke Greville converted it to a country house. It was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978.


From 1088, the castle traditionally belonged to the Earl of Warwick, and it served as a symbol of his power. The castle was taken in 1153 by Henry of Anjou, later Henry II. It has been used to hold prisoners, including some from the Battle of Poitiers in the 14th century. Under the ownership of Richard Neville – also known as "Warwick the Kingmaker" – Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king, Edward IV. Warwick Castle has been compared with Windsor Castle in terms of scale, cost, and status.


Since its construction in the 11th century, the castle has undergone structural changes with additions of towers and redesigned residential buildings. Originally a wooden motte-and-bailey (which was a building type that consisted of creating an artificial hill and building a wooden fortification on it, with a moat), it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognizable examples of 14th century military architecture.

In the 17th century the grounds were turned into a garden. Warwick Castle was purchased by The Tussauds Group in 1978 and opened as a tourist attraction.


We appreciated this sign, given that in Belgium they don't warn you in advance that the climb you are about to take could kill you. The sky was clear and once we made our way to the top, it gave us stunning views of the countryside.


These are the stairs leading up to Guys Tower. Towers were the mainstay of a castle's defensive system. Because they projected above and out from the wall, they gave archers a clear view downwards and sideways. Guy's Tower was built in the 14th century. It is twelve-sided, stands 39 meters high and has 5 stories.


Some of the beautiful views from the parapets.


The Great Hall and State rooms - the parts of the castle that were turned into a country home, from above.


Poor D! The 530 steps wore him out. But, given how inviting that grass was (truly like a carpet) I didn't blame him for wanting to take a little rest.


The Great Hall is the largest room in the castle and throughout history had been its heart. In the early middle ages, straw and dirt covered the floor of the Great Hall. Burning in the center of the room would have been a large fire, its smoke turning the air acrid. The only natural light filtered through narrow lancet windows. Here it was that the nobility ate, drank and even slept. The hall as it stands today was first constructed in the 14th century. It was rebuilt in the 17th century and then restored in 1871 after it had been badly damaged by a fire. The period weapons and armor, as well as the enormous side-table, add to the atmosphere and give a greater appreciation for just how big this room really is.


I have never been to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, so it was fun to have many of the rooms of the castle contain wax exhibits. This one is of Henry VIII and his 6 wives, which I liked because I had recently read Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance. The castle also had wax figures in rooms of the former Earls and some of their famous visitors, like Winston Churchill (MUCH shorter than I thought) and Queen Elizabeth II (taller than we thought - although we couldn't see her feet, so we hypothesized that she had heels on and was on a platform).


The castle boasts of a peacock garden, containing lovely hedges and flowers and full of the birds as well. They are all over the castle grounds and have recognized that people are a source of food and not dangerous, so they come VERY close to you. This one was scared up toward me by a toddler who became too curious for his liking, which was great for me to get this pic. He ran within inches of me.


Again, the falconry display was our favorite. So much so that this time, we caught both shows. They flew the same birds but since we knew what was going to happen the second time, we were able to sit in the shade and really take it in in comfort. The troupe of trainers/handlers were more professional than the one we encountered at Mary Arden's Farm and we took the opportunity to talk to them after the show. We learned a lot about the falconry business (all over, in England, the Middle East and America), the birds that are used and when (they use the eagles in the summer - when the biggest crowds are there - because they are such big, impressive birds to watch flying and this troupe is one of only 2 that are licensed to fly such big birds, and falcons are used in the winter), feeding, and about breeding them.

D and I were so excited to see an American Bald Eagle up close and to see him fly (his name was Stan). I guess he is a particularly good flyer (different birds have different skills, some are better flyers, some are better killers, etc - didn't know that) so watching him was a joy. And, it turned out that Stan is a new dad - they had, for the first time, been successful in breeding him and the chick was 4 weeks old. Rick, the handler kind enough to chat with us for so long, even offered to let us see the eagle chick, which we eagerly accepted. They had him in a shack "behind the scenes" and he was all fuzzy grey with HUGE claws (I guess like puppies, they grow into their feet.) The coolest/funniest bit was that there was poop just everywhere. Apparently, it is instinctual to go to the nests edge and relieve themselves - but there is a projectile component to it that meant that the shed had poop stains 4-6 feet away from the nest all over the walls. They had hence put up a cardboard "backboard" to coral the mess. We even got to witness the pooping (making sure we were not on the business end). The highlight of our day.


I don't know much about medieval weapons; the standard mace, sword, lance, longbow are about the extent of my knowledge. This remarkable machine is called a trebuchet and is a siege machine developed in the 13th century for attacking the solid castle walls. As the defenses of castles improved, so did the weapons of attack. The trebuchet was the largest and most formidable of the siege machines and is, in essence, a huge catapult.


The trebuchet was used to fire huge projectiles to breach castle walls. Large rocks and stones were the main ammunition but there is evidence of more unusual material. Manure and dead animals were also hurled by the machines into the besieged castle to spread disease - pigs were the animal of choice as they were thought to be more aerodynamic. [I am not making this up - I couldn't make up stuff this good. Aerodynamic pigs?!? The first chemical warfare.] Weighing in at 22 tons and standing 18 meters tall, this massive machine was fired twice for us - the second time at the end of the day with a flaming fireball. We had talked to the trebuchet operator (a recent college grad in philosophy - funny huh? - who has interest in medieval weaponry) during his off time and learned about the machine, how they learned about it (big school for medieval weaponry in the Netherlands), how sophisticated it really is (both in construction as well as firing it - the wrong set up results in the cannon ball dropping straight down on top of the machine, destroying it and killing those operating it) as well as the best place to watch the fire show at the end of the day. We have some good video of that too.


These last two pics were just because it is so darn pretty there that we felt compelled to try and capture it. This place was really surprising and great. It had the feel of the Renaissance Festival (a huge Medieval fair that has several locations around the US that have great shows, food, dressed characters teaching and entertaining, singers, the whole works) but was at a legitimately historically accurate place and therefore, kept everything educational as well as entertaining. The food wasn't as accurate, but that is good by me. I saw so many kids running around with little knight and princess outfits on (all sold by the gift shops) and it was great. This is a terrific place for families - good stuff for kids, awesome stuff for adults, and enough to do to keep all happy all day. We loved it.