pretty views | Tales from the Hutt

Saturday, 20-Sept-2025

To be clear – we’d booked a trip on the Hogwarts Express. Which meant the fancy train from the movies.

In reality, we got a diesel engine pulling poorly washed, very normal looking, rail cars. We were… we were not happy. I believe someone stomped and said something about screaming. It may have been me. It may not have been. We’ll never know.

That being said, we made it through the disappointment and were able to enjoy the ride. Because let’s be honest – we’re inside the train, so what it looks like on the outside doesn’t impact our enjoyment of the views, right?

Right.

I mean, ignoring the dirty windows. And the mediocre “high tea” that we ordered.

…

Okay I may still be a little bitter.

But hey! Here’s some pretty views, and a gorgeous photo of Andrea! And we did get to spend the ride chatting with a really cool couple from Tasmania, so that was definitely a highlight.

Spring, in Dublin. 2025

Dublin is pretty all year round. But for now, here’s a few views from spring, 2025.

In full candor – this MBA was kicking my butt. Term 2 kicked off pretty well, but quickly became a bit overwhelming… constant groupwork, near-infinite readings, and constantly conflicting schedules and overwhelming deliverables took their toll.

I wasn’t able to get out of town at all, in the spring, and my time in the gym dropped down to a quick workout once a week, at best. Now, I did get my daily bike rides to and from campus… but that can only keep energy going for so long. Climbing? Nope, the trip there and back was too much – I legitimately didn’t get a single day of climbing in between February and… well, July or August.

But!

I had my phone on me, and was able to carve out a few seconds here and there to appreciate the beauty of this city that I now live in. Europe is great, even when I’m overwhelmed and busy, and it helped to remember that by snapping a few quick shots as life flew by.

One neat set that I’ll keep separate from the others: These were a series of placards on a nearby building, telling stories from some of the residents. Very neat, and nice to include in a neighborhood quickly gentrifying.