There and Back Again

Ireland 2009

2011-09-16T15:12:00.001-07:00

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Photo Books...

2011-09-09T12:56:00.001-07:00

I've been too lazy to actually write my travel journals lately, though I have made a few photo journals. I will post some of them here. Enjoy!

Ireland 2011

2011-09-09T12:51:00.001-07:00

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'Tis the Season

2010-02-05T09:35:00.001-08:00

'Tis the season...	7 weeks ago

	My favorite Christmas song is Fairy Tale of New York. It doesn't translate so well in print, but you can hear it here and see the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCr30.... Enjoy The Rebel Jesus, printed below, and listen here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxDwy... The Rebel Jesus, lyrics by Jackson Browne Music with The Chieftains All the streets are filled with laughter and light And the music of the season And the merchants' windows are all bright With the faces of the children And the families hurrying to their homes While the sky darkens and freezes Will be gathering around the hearths and tables Giving thanks for God's graces And the birth of the rebel Jesus Well they call him by 'the Prince of Peace' And they call him by 'the Savior' And they pray to him upon the seas And in every bold endeavor As they fill his churches with their pride and gold And their faith in him increases But they've turned the nature that I worship in From a temple to a robber's den In the words of the rebel Jesus Well we guard our world with locks and guns And we guard our fine possessions And once a year when Christmas comes We give to our relations And perhaps we give a little to the poor If the generosity should seize us But if any one of us should interfere In the business of why they are poor He'll get the same as the rebel Jesus Now please forgive me if I seem To take the tone of judgment For I've no wish to come between This day and your enjoyment In this life of hardship and of earthly toil We have need for anything that frees us So I bid you pleasure And I bid you cheer From a heathen and a pagan On the side of the rebel Jesus

13 important points to consider when choosing a contractor

2009-11-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

In September 2008, during Hurricane Hanna, we had to cover our leaking roof with a tarp. Faced with the prospect of putting a pricey new roof on a 70 year old house with bad plumbing, no closet space, tiny bathrooms, and needing new floors, my husband and I decided to knock the whole mess down and build a new house.

We didn't have any idea what we were getting into, and no idea how to go about getting into it. As it happened, a neighbor had recently constructed a modular home on our street. After a walk through his place, we decided to go the modular route, rather than build what I've since learned is called a "stick built".

The company that made my neighbor's house, and eventually ours, is called North American Housing Corp. They sent us a catalog, and a disc, with hundreds of floor plans, and the names of a couple of builders to talk to. As mind boggling as it was choosing a floor plan, it was probably even more important to choose the right builder for us. The builder we used is Bob Franz, who heads up Bob Franz Construction, of Sterling, VA. Bob Franz Construction is Bob Franz and 1 or 2 day workers.

This isn't really about the house, which is lovely, but about the choosing the builder, so I will try to stay on topic. We found nothing online about either of the builders whose names we were given, so we had nothing to go on. I will share some things I have learned by experience, in no particular order of importance.

1. If your builder isn't on time for your 1st appointment, and doesn't call until he's 40 minutes late to let you know why, take it as an omen for how he'll respect your time throughout the project. This is a big red flag.

2. Get a builder who listens to what you are saying. If he counters every desire you express with how he did it better somewhere else, watch to make sure he isn't going to go ahead and do it his way. Here are just a few examples, though I have a dozen more...the floor plan for our house showed a porch that extended only partway across the front of the house, from its center, ending before the dining room. I decided I wanted the porch to extend the full length of the dining room, as well. The builder thought it would be too dark. When the plans were drawn up, I noticed the porch ended before the dining room. I had to remind him I wanted a full porch, and the plans had to be modified. After the porch was built, the builder put the railings up at varying distances from each other. I told him I wanted them equidistant; that it looked peculiar with a random short section between railings. He insisted it couldn't be done, and he didn't do it. I told him the azaleas I wanted planted should be a riotous orgy of bold color, reds, purples, hot pinks, all mixed up. Instead, in front of my porch, he was preparing to plant 6 - white, peach, peach, peach, peach, white. And in front of the windows, side by side, 4 pink ones. Spring is here now, and in front of my porch with the odd railings, I do NOT have a riotous orgy of color. While some of the azaleas are blooming, there are several still green, just beginning to bud. It appears they won't even bloom together and I will be buying more and planting them myself.

One more example of needing your builder to listen - we have a generator for those far too frequent times the power goes out in our area. We wanted the office on the generator, for obvious reasons. The office was left off, and the electricians had to be called back out. FOOTNOTE TO THIS!!! Yesterday we had the generator serviced, oil changed, all that...and guess what? Turns out the generator was not even hooked up. This is a reflection on not only the builder, but the electricians, and the inspectors! Pretty amazing, and another example that in the end, you're on your own. If you have any doubts about your builder, watch him like a hawk.

3. During the construction phase, if your builder doesn't return your calls or emails in a short time period, worry. He is likely putting other jobs ahead of yours and doesn't want to have to explain that to you.

4. Make an agreement UP FRONT for your builder to give you a financial accounting of his expenditures. In writing. Don't take your builder's verbal word for it that "there's plenty of money left." At the end of our job, Bob Franz handed us a HUGE bill for expenses he didn't have permission to incur, beyond what we had agreed to pay him. If you have an exact accounting, you can exercise your right to bypass upgrades or extra features if you know there isn't money for them. This was a very expensive lesson we learned!

5. Put a completion clause in your contract. Your builder's delays are not costing HIM money. It's you who will be paying double rent, double bills, bank extensions, etc. Our initial move-in date was June 1. We actually finally got our occupancy permit on November 3.

6. Excuses - If your builder makes excuses rather than taking responsibility, you will find yourself paying him twice for the same work - once to do it, and again to correct it.

7. Be certain your builder knows the rules and codes of YOUR county or city. Otherwise, you'll be paying for him to be educated as he makes mistake after mistake. Our builder, Bob Franz, knew a lot about how they do it in HIS county...but, we're in OUR county, with a whole other set of codes.

8. Make sure you and your spouse agree on the builder. If not, the builder will learn quickly to play one against the other, and will go over the head of the opposed spouse to the compliant one. This can cause a lot of stress and cost a lot of money.

9. Find out 1st thing if your lender will go along with your builder's draw schedule and methods. If not, you can spend weeks and $ with loan approvals, assessments, and appraisals, only to get to the paper signing and have the bank say, no way. The builder told us TWO banks had let him do it his way, but both banks said, That's not our policy....

10. Watch how your builder treats his employees. Insist on talking to prior clients before hiring him, and ask them about this. If he doesn't have reliable help, or if they don't respect him, it's your work that suffers. Bob Franz had one man helping him for most of our job, and two men for part of it. Midway through, they were no longer there, and another person finished the job.

11. Find out in advance what happens to your job if your builder is incapacitated because of illness or injury. Our builder had a medical issue about the same time the 2 workers disappeared. For 3 weeks, nearly no work was done on our house. Find out who takes over, or does the work simply stop for 3 weeks? This will cost you, not him.

12. Ask for a work schedule, in writing. Once your house is actually being built, if he says something will be done by a certain time, or in a particular order, make him follow through. If he is spending endless days on the same tile job, or one room is taking 3 days to paint, call him on it.

13. Do overs. Keep a list of things done wrong, or sloppily. Make your builder correct these at HIS expense. You have already paid him to do it wrong! Make sure he isn't charging you time and materials again to correct it.

So, those are some of the most important points I can share about choosing a builder. If you want further information or details, feel free to email me, and I will be happy to elaborate.

U2 in concert in DC

2009-10-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

We saw the U2 show in DC September 29. It was so, so, so wonderful. Our seats were very good for a stadium show - just a few rows off the field, center of the massive stage set up, on its right side. For football, it would be about the 30 yard line, and they were on the same side where my Redskins season tickets are. I bought these tickets with my U2 membership code while in Ireland in March. Chuck was driving through Limerick, and I was in the passenger seat, madly typing on the laptop, logging in to buy them. Our seat neighbors were quite nice. They came from Baltimore, and the man shared tissue for ear plugs during the opening act, Muse. They may or may not have been good, but they were too loud and the sound was distorted.

The tickets said showtime was 7, but the opening act didn’t start until 7 30. I was afraid they were having the same traffic problems as there were for Sir Paul, and they were stalling…but I think it was just the plan. They played until 8 15. When Bono thanked them later, he said, hard to believe just 3 people make all that noise ;-) Though their sound was dreadfully distorted. U2’s sound was perfect. The set was very cool. The theme seemed to be a spaceship theme, but I thought it looked like a spider with only 4 legs ;-) Under the legs, there were teams of people, 3 on each leg, each manning a huge light. They were strapped in, roller coaster style, on the ground, and the contraption was raised up along the underside of the legs of the set until they were waaaaaay up high. There were people up in the belly of the thing, operating the big 360* screen, which expanded and contracted, like a slinky, as needed. The stage didn’t rotate as I remember reading it would, but there were walkways all around it that all the band used, and 2 bridges that spanned the Red Zone (pit) crowd from the main stage to one of the walkways – and the bridges were periodically moved to span different areas. Any band member might be on a bridge when the bridge passed overhead.

U2 took the stage about 9, after Space Oddity played. Bono started the show by introducing his “cabinet” – He said Larry was the writer of their Constitution, back in high school…Adam was minister of culture, and foreign affairs, which seemed to be an inside joke with the 4 of them. He said Edge is the leader of his free world and he named him President The Edge, and himself he said was Majority Leader, and made mockingly light of suggesting he was “verbal, elegant, and quite well turned out “ ;-)

I read a lot of fan reviews that said the crowd was dull and not engaged. Not so in my section. DC crowds are famously reserved, but most everyone knew every word, and no one ever sat down from the 1st note.

The set list and observations:

Breathe – new album – the 1st 3 were new, and well accepted.
Magnificent - new album - I love this song. It’s infectious in a different way than Vertigo, but it soars in concert.
Get on Your Boots - new album – This is one of those songs that is sort of eh, but takes on its own life when live. Translates into a completely other song.
Mysterious Ways – Great concert song with the first of many opportunities for crowd participation.
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Just amazing. Bono sang the first line, and the crowd sang the rest of the 1st verse, through the chorus. Then he turned it back over to us at the end. The last show I saw was a crowd of 20,000 singing it at Verizon Center. Last night was 80,000, and the effect was on a par with as many singing Hey Jude last month. Magic.
Elevation – Near frenzy response, and another sing along song.
Your Blue Room – I wasn’t really familiar with this song. Apparently it was an unusual addition to the setlist.
Beautiful Day – Bono dedicated this to Eunice Shriver..there was a murmur of appreciation.
New Year's Day – and this to Teddy, giving him much of the credit for “a peaceful Ireland.” The place went wild.
Stuck In A Moment – This was a religious experience for me. It was just Bono and Edge, on acoustic guitar. Unplugged. I loved how they just lounged against each other, back to back. I’m so glad this was on youtube. I’ll add it to my favorites, and I will probably record it for my ipod.
Unforgettable Fire – I have always liked this, and its ethereal feeling was compounded by the weird set.
City of Blinding Lights – Bono pulled a kid out of the audience, a boy about 8 or 9, and asked him to take a walk with him. He said I’m looking for the face that I used to have…at one point, he led the child to a camera (there were several, following every move to broadcast up on the jumbo screen above) and put his face right next to this lovely wide eyed child’s…both just staring out for a minute. It sounds weird, but it was touching. He put his glasses on the kid. This is a good song, but I never paid much attention to it until I heard it live last time. It’s mighty in concert.
Vertigo – Bono said he was going to teach us a Spanish lesson Irish style, and before a note was played, the place went nuts. This may be the best concert song ever.
I'll Go Crazy – Remix - new album – Larry came down from the drums with a bongo (no idea what the real name of the drum is) around his neck, and drove this song while walking along the walkway. He has a huge fanbase on his own. He even smiled a couple of times ;-) A lot of fans really weren’t pleased with the remix.
Sunday Bloody Sunday – This started with some reference to Iran, but the stage and crowd near the stage ended up bathed in Kelly green light. In the crowd right in front of the stage was a Sikh with an American flag. Bono motioned he wanted the flag, which the guy tossed him. He was so careful to catch it respectfully. Then he indicated he wanted the guy to come up. He invited the guy to sing the last verse with him, then they hugged like long lost BFFs.
MLK – He called this an Irish lullaby.
Walk On – This was dedicated to the woman in Myanmar who’s been under house arrest forever. Some people had masks of her face to hold up and about 50 or 60 young volunteers came out on stage wearing them.
One – A video from the charming and adorable Desmond Tutu introduced this. He talked about how the same people who worked for civil rights in the US ended apartheid in S Africa, and violence in Ireland, and a litany of other ills in the world. He said, twinkly eyed, I see those same people when I look around this place tonight! And he said he, like Bono, believes that in our lifetime poverty on this planet can be ended.
Where The Streets Have No Name-Segued right into this, then they left the stage and waited for us to raise our phones as we once raised lighters, to call them back.

Ultraviolet – This song is sort of annoying ;-) Bono swung from a round red mic hanging from the spider like set thingy, and his jacket shot red laser lights all around. I think all the red agitated me. He did this one on SNL with all the red last weekend.
With or Without You – As always, stunning.
Moment of Surrender- new album – I LOVE this song. It was a great way to end the show.

Preaching was minimal, really, but all positive, all grateful for the good and hopeful for better. The powerful of Washington were there, and he dropped names - Speaker of the House, other politicians, activists, even a Catholic Cardinal, Cardinal McCarrick. He thanked the halls of power for opening doors to his lowly self and not laughing him out of town, and while he talked, a little scroll of accomplishments ran on the screen. He respected both sides, and asked that we all take a minute to be grateful for the idea that is America, asking that God bless America. He didn’t dwell, and never said a single negative thing. He seems endlessly in awe of DC and what it is supposed to represent. He seems to believe we have it in our power to do things right, bless his heart.

Odd thing – there were NO usher type people, but I never saw any indication of trouble over seats, no misbehavior. Bono referred to the Nation-State that is U2. Seems it polices itself nicely!

I wish I had made plans to go to more shows on this tour. I LOVE this band!

Sir Paul at FedEX Field

2009-08-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sir Paul played until a few minutes before midnight. For some reason we in the stadium were never told, he never came out until 9 10, even though tickets stated starting time at 7 30. They brought out a mind-numbing duo of techno DJs called Thievery Corporation at 7 45, and they “played” – put techno CDs on and stood and bopped with headphones around their necks, while drinking something and nodding to each other how cool they were. One had on a leisure suit. They finally sent them off at 8 15 or so, and all the stage change required was their table be moved, so we figured Sir Paul by 8 30. By 9, people were chanting WE WANT PAUL, and rumors were flying that something was wrong.

I never did hear what happened, except that on the way home, the traffic guy on the radio said the concert was just letting out, having started and hour and 40 minutes late, “and those of you who were trying to get there know why.” But he didn’t say! People coming in were saying traffic was hosed up and it was taking 2 hours to get into the lot. Is THAT why they held up the show – because some people couldn’t be bothered to leave in order to get there on time? Lots of people were in their seats at 6 45. 60,000 others couldn’t manage? And on game days, we have 92,000 get there pretty much on time with no trouble.

But – the concert…once he came out, WOW! His voice hasn’t lost anything. He rocked. He looked great, slim and energetic, and his hair was blowing in the very welcome breeze all night. He still has a nice head full of it. The sound was great. As loud as it was (and it was loud) we weren’t left with the fuzzy ears after. He has a crack band, and they all have a lot of personality on stage. They aren’t just the backup band. I just love the drummer. He looks like a bouncer or a prison gang leader or maybe a wrestler ;-) But he comes off like a big teddy bear and he plays divinely and has a nice voice.

There were maybe only 2 songs I didn’t know every word to, and they were off the new album. I was never a real big Wings fan, but I knew all the Wings stuff he did, and he did all the ones I liked best. Here is the setlist:

Drive My Car
Jet
Only Mama Knows
Flaming Pie
Got To Get You In To My Life
Let Me Roll It
Foxy Lady (instrumental)
Highway
The Long and Winding Road
My Love (dedicated to Linda)
Blackbird
Michelle (for Mrs Obama)
Here Today (dedicated to John)
Dance Tonight
Calico Skies
Mrs Vanderbilt
Eleanor Rigby
Sing the Changes
Band on the Run
Back in the U.S.S.R.
I'm Down
Something (for George, on a ukulele George gave him)
I've Got a Feeling
Paperback Writer
A Day in the Life / Give Peace A Chance
Let It Be
Live and Let Die (fireworks)
Hey Jude (singalong - now just the boys! now just the girls!now just the people in the back!)

1st Encore
Day Tripper
Lady Madonna
I Saw Her Standing There (STILL hits those high notes!!!)

2nd Encore
Yesterday
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
The End

Paul was quickly forgiven for his tardiness, and he didn’t shortchange us. There was no intermission in the 2 hour and 40 minute show. He was chatty and told stories and dropped names… He dedicated Michelle to Mrs Obama. He talked about Jimi, and his friends John and George, he explained certain things about songs, and of course, gave the crowd ample time to adore him. There was a lot of video behind the band, and much of it Beatle history.

The only big complaint I have is the crowd. The rest of them may have been great, but the people in my section should not be let out unsupervised. Something I have never seen before, I saw directly in front of me, and to my left. These people were taking endless phone video, and then they’d sit in their seats and WATCH on the phone screen what they had already recorded!!! Completely ignoring whatever was going on on the stage for the next 30 seconds or a minute…then they’d leap up, record another segment, sit and watch it…I do NOT get this.

The late start also gave time for more beer to flow. The couple to my left came and went continually to the bathrooms and to buy more beer during the show, and each time, the woman pushed and shoved her way past the entire line, knocking people into their seats. The man was steadier on his feet, as he trampled mine. They also hailed the beer seller every time he came, whether they had beer already, or not, anticipating needing more. The row of fans had to pass money to the seller, and beer to the drinkers, interrupting the show. We tried ignoring them, and they would tap us, with money in hand. It was either that, or they’d barge out of the row to get it. They said they had hired a limo so they could get plastered. The woman warbled along to several songs she couldn’t sing the words to, so she just made a lot of loud noise instead of shutting up and letting people listen. The couple to my husband's right carried on drunken conversation through the entire show. The woman kept disappearing, and when she reappeared, she would loudly recount every detail of whatever had happened while she was gone, and he would respond. They also had video going the whole time. I managed to have a good time in spite of them, but I’m certain the place was full of such types. They couldn’t all be in my section. Concert manners need work. There was a very nice family with 2 boys about 9 or 10 behind us who had come from Mexico for the show. We spent a lot of the pre-show time chatting with them.

There were impressive fireworks during Live and Let Die…and huge flames shooting from the stage that cast so much heat we felt the blast of it in row 13. And at the end, right before the Sgt Pepper reprise and The End, he said comes a time when inevitably, we have to go home…and that coincides, oddly enough, with the time YOU have to go home. After 2 encores of 8 songs, he knows he will still be called back, so he caused a distraction. Right at the end of The End, they all came out and bowed and waved, and as they disappeared off stage, confetti started shooting up out of the stage into the sky and falling on us all. Every surface was covered, and like little kids, we all forgot about him, and played in the confetti. Hehe…smart man.

So, that’s that!

2009-07-26T03:38:00.000-07:00

	Jackson Browne at Wolf Trap

	I have been pretty unhappy with Jackson Browne for about the last year. In the interest of balance, I thought I'd better post my positive thoughts.... I went to the Wolf Trap show last night, where it was ungodly hot and steamy. I don’t know how the band can function in that heat. Jackson asked the people on the lawn if there was a breeze, because there certainly wasn’t one in the pavilion. Jackson and band didn’t seem to notice they were playing in a tropical swamp. He came out grinning, just about right on time, and he never stopped until 10 44 when the show ended. I couldn’t have been more delighted when he opened the show with I’m Alive. That’s one of my all time favorite albums, and favorite songs. Next was Barricades of Heaven – a sort of dreamy version, with a long fade out (is that the right term?) I wasn’t that surprised to hear I’ll Do Anything, after reading reviews here, but I was really happy he played it. I can’t remember the last time I heard it played live. Next was a rollicking version of Fountain of Sorrow. From the crowd reaction, it was obvious this was the 1st song most of them knew. He introduced Time the Conqueror as from his new album. This one is growing on me. Off of Wonderland got the same treatment as has been reported here – it’s from the 60s, not HIS 60s…I like this song a lot. In the Shape of a Heart was next. I’m always surprised by the evolution of this song, which was once such an…angry song, when done live. I always loved the crashing drum punctuating the chorus lines…Keep it up (BOOM) try so hard (BOOM) and such. It sort of meanders quietly now, more sad than angry, no drum crashes. Too Many Angels was very nice with the 2 girls. They did a nice job with the counter songs. Unlike some who have posted recently, I like The Naked Ride Home. He told us it was a drinking song, and should never be sung alone. I was happy to hear it. Take It Easy – Jackson had some real problems with the notes in this song, and not just the high ones. It was the Eagles version. 18 minute intermission here… Jackson came back and opened the second set with a gorgeous Jamaica Say You Will…just lovely. The 2nd/3rd songs were the Doctor My Eyes/About My Imagination combo. This used to be one of the highlights of any show, for me. I looked forward to the sassy back and forth between Jeff and Jackson. My favorite verse (the cradle to the hearse) as well as the part that used to be between Jeff and Jackson have been turned completely over to the girls. Everyone else seems to like it, but I liked it better with Jackson and Jeff… Followed by Lives in the Balance. I watch Fritz sitting on his little box, and just wait for this one to be over. Going Down to Cuba. Jesse Helms is dead. He was dead before that album ever came out. That line just makes me cringe. Jackson teased us here – he said everywhere he goes, people are calling for Redneck Friend. I was very excited about him playing that, but he didn’t. He just asked if there were any rednecks in VA…apparently there are a good many, from the crowd reaction. He told us we’d be surprised to know there are rednecks in Vermont, and that it’s a rapidly spreading social phenomenon. I think it was here when he talked about it being the first time he’d played Wolf Trap. He asked who was from DC, from MD, and curiously, who was from Alexandria (a VA city near DC.) He also asked what to call us – and settled on Wolf Trappers. That struck him as pretty funny. He played Just Say Yeah instead. This has never felt like a Jackson Browne song to me, but it’s okay. He sat down again at the keyboards, and started to play The Late Show. I hadn’t even dared hope for this, even though a friend assured me he’d really heard it at his show. I LOVE this song so much. And, the CAR DOORS were there! Jackson half rose from his bench, and “slammed” each one. Next was For a Dancer…the girls did a nice job with the overlapping parts. The Pretender was next. I love Fritz’ drums in this song. I wish Jackson hadn’t given the “get it up again” line to the girls. Running on Empty…Always in my top 3 Jackson Browne songs. I never hear it without a whole range of emotions overtaking me. Hearing it live never fails to just overwhelm me. The crowd was finally on its feet, and I think everyone sang on the “I don’t know about anyone but me” line. Jackson left the stage, and returned for the encore. The 1st song was I Am a Patriot. When he sang “I want to be with my family, people who understand me” he opened his arms to the entire crowd. Segue into It’s Your Thing. The final song was The Load Out/Stay combo. Of course, the entire place sang along on this one. During Stay, he said, It’s your turn to sing! And turned up the lights to laugh at us while we sang. The whole band hung around and applauded the audience at the end of the show, instead of just walking off. It was fun. This was the 4th show I’ve seen promoting the new record - the September show in DC, which was technically before the release of the new album, and 2 in March in Europe, and was really disappointed in all 3. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that this is my least favorite album since Lives in the Balance. I devour anything new Jackson does, but this album just left me cold. That he only played 4 of the new songs, and they were the 4 I find easiest to listen to, was a relief. But his entire stage presence was very different. He seemed to be having a really good time. And so did I!

I LOVE my smart car!

2008-11-18T17:43:00.001-08:00

I got my smart car in September 2008, after being on a waiting list for it since November, 2007. In 2006, I saw them everywhere in Rome, and wanted one worse than anything. I love it! It gets a lot of attention, and makes people smile and wave. It's the main thing that makes me smile in the morning, and I can't wait to leave work and get in it. (I know, I can't wait to leave work anyway!)

I see a yellow one around frequently, and a red/orange color one occasionally, and an older white one has been parked a street over for a week, though I never see anyone near it, and it never moves. I think we'll be seeing more of them around, if the number of people on the waiting list is any indication.

Fall holiday, 2008 - New York, Chincoteague, VA and Cape May, NJ

2008-10-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

October is a great month for travel. Last year we were in New England, looking at changing leaves and covered bridges. The year before, we went to Rome and Venice in October. This year, our wanderings took us to NY, to the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland, and to Cape May, NJ.

We started out with a drive up to NY for a few days. We toyed with flying, since we park our car once we arrive and don't take it out again until we leave, but it's such a pain to fly. With the waiting time and all the rest of the nonsense these days, it is as fast to drive there (with an EZ Pass) as it is to fly. And there are no cheap flights. I can't understand how you can fly to Madrid from London for €8 but it costs hundreds of $ to fly 250 miles within the States.

So we took the big truck. I didn't think NY would respect my little Smart Car. We didn't see any up there. Go figure. Parking was an ordeal, as it was the last time. NY is simply too crowded to park pick up trucks. But once it was stowed away, we had a good time. We went to see 2 shows, and spent a day at Ellis Island.

The first night we went to see Wicked - which is the true story of the witches of Oz. Wow. Just goes to show you what a misinformation campaign can do. It's like Karl Rove was behind it all. Hmmmm. It was at the beautiful Gershwin Theatre, and funny and touching and altogether enjoyable.

The Lion King, which we saw the next night at the Minskoff, was possibly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. The spectacle of the massive African elephants and the tall giraffes entering the theatre via the aisles was breathtaking. I'm not typically a fan of African music, but the sheer joy of the production made me a fan that night.

In between, during the day, we took the ferry from Battery Park out to Ellis Island. It was a pretty clear, blue sky day, and not hot. I love Ellis Island. We've been before, but it had been years since we'd done the "processing" tour. The last time we went, Tom Brokaw was the voice on the tape. He led listeners through the arrival experience. At each point, he explained, Here, this is what would happen to you. I personally felt like I was channeling many gone before me, and it was intense. The new voice is a woman, and she uses the 3rd person narration, rather than speaking to the listener. Here, this would have happened to them. It wasn't as effective, I thought. It's still a very poignant tour, but I can't imagine why they changed it. I don't think it was a bad way to make people understand what our ancestors endured to become citizens. It may be the difference in why my grandfather immediately referred to the US as his country, and today's immigrants (and their citizen children) continue to refer to where they came from as "my country." Maybe fear of being turned away wasn't a bad thing. And there in the harbor stood the Statue of Liberty...

We came home for the weekend, and spent a day with Hanna, always fun, then a day watching the Redskins lose by TWO at FedEx Field. Grrrr. Not so fun.

Monday morning, we set out for Chincoteague, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and Assateague, the National Seashore shared between Virginia and Maryland. We took our time, and got there about 3 in the afternoon on a warm, sunny day. The Maryland side of Assateague, where most of the ponies can be seen, is about a 90 minute drive, so we put that on hold until the next day,and took the shorter ride to the Virginia side. The beach is usually deserted when we go in March, and we have the place to ourselves, but it was pretty busy in midOctober. There were kids and dogs playing on the beach, people playing in the waves, people fishing...and many sunning themselves.

We drove up to see the lighthouse, which is in miserable shape. The paint is faded and splotchy, and there is a big black hood wrapped around the light portion. It's getting a facelift, fortunately. I walked up the path to get a picture, and came back with about 25 mosquito bites. I've never seen anything like it.

As busy as things were, a lot of the island had closed up for the season or were running on a slow schedule. The Village Restaurant, for example, was closed on the Monday night. We had to go to Don's so Chuck could get a seafood platter. I got gorgeous sunset photos from Don's dock.

Tuesday, after breakfast at Bill's, we headed out to the Maryland side of Assateague. There were quite a few ponies to be seen, and we visited with them and took pictures. They were as reserved and watchful as always, and all had that beautiful rock star hair.

We had lunch in Berlin and bought Hanna a few little gifts, then headed back to meet Spider Fleming at 4 30 for a sunset cruise around the island. He was able to take us completely around the island, in spite of the water being merely 3 feet deep in places! I was amazed. At a different time of day, he has to turn around to avoid the shallows. He was full of information about the island and islanders, whom he called "Teaguers". At first I wondered why he was calling them Tiggers ;-) The island is 7 miles by 1 mile, and has just over 4,000 year 'round residents.

We were out with Spider for about 2 1/2 hours, and in that time saw dozens of dolphins, eagles, flocks of pelicans, and ponies on the beach. Spider said they drink the salt water, and have for centuries. I didn't know that, but it makes sense, since they live among the salt marshes. When they are adopted following the pony swim, and live where they are fed fresh water, their systems adapt right away.

The sunset was among the most glorious I have ever seen. I must have taken 100 photos. Spider returned us about 7, and Chuck finally got his seafood platter from The Village.

To get to the ferry that leaves from Lewes (say Lewis) Delaware to Cape May, we drove along the beaches on Wednesday - Ocean City, Fenwick Island, Bethany, Dewey, Rehoboth - and boarded about 1 pm. There were 2 small lighthouses out in the harbor at Lewes - The small white Harbor of Refuge Light at the mouth of Delaware Bay, and the Delaware Breakwater Light, a small red lighthouse on the inner breakwater of the Delaware Bay.

Where we were staying in Cape May was not far from the ferry. We were booked into Congress Hall, built 1816, and facing the Atlantic on the rear side, and the little village on the front side. I fell in love with my first step into the lobby. The elevator mechanisms were updated, but the old facade was retained. The walk to our room was through long, wide, high ceilinged corridors, past common areas with fire places and open seating areas and snugs - very European - and huge staircases with massive windows and window seats on the landings. The doors opened with real keys on brass keychains. Among the hotel's amenities are a full service spa, a giftshop, a night club in the cellar, and a very good restaurant called the Blue Pig. We had breakfast there one morning.

A foyer with an uneven floor opened onto the large turquoise- and white-painted room, which was full of overstuffed red furniture. The wood furniture was white, and the accessories - lamps, mirrors, frames, etc - black. The bathroom, with tiny black and white tiles on the floor, was painted the same colors as the rest, and the huge, deep tub, sink, toilet, and little table were all white. There was a roomy shower, as well, discreetly behind glass in a corner behind the door.

One of my favorite features was the windows. The panes were still old wavy glass, and when the sash was raised, what remained was a half door. The half door opened into 2 parts that swung open onto a balcony. From our balcony, we could sit in rocking chairs and look across the yard and gardens, past the koi pond and heated pool to the ocean. The walk from room to beach was about 3 minutes.

We were there in the fall, but for those who like the beach in summer, hotel staff will set up your chairs and carry your belongings to the water's edge for you. They will bring you food and drinks, and at the end of the day, cart it all back for you.

If we walked out the front of the hotel, we had only to cross one road and were immediately in the village, or town. It is pretty much closed off to traffic, leaving the cobbled streets for window shoppers, strollers, and sidewalk diners. We spent hours enjoying the little shops. The first night we walked over and had dinner at a little joint called The Ugly Mug. Hundreds of members have their own beer mugs hanging from the ceiling. The 2nd night, we had excellent Italian at Cucina Rosa. The best part was being able to walk back to the hotel after a leisurely stroll with a frozen custard from Kohr's.

The entire picture postcard area was decorated for fall, with hay stacks, corn, pumpkins and other gourds, scarecrows, colored leaves...Every direction displayed another image of the kind of Americana we recall from childhood and can't find anymore. Gorgeous, vibrantly painted Victorians, little shops run by people who speak pleasantly, a town square with a large gazebo in its center, and in Della's 5 and 10, a soda counter with a jukebox and a real soda jerk with a white smock and cap. Peter and Gordon were on the jukebox when we walked in. I was enchanted with the whole of it.

The second day there, we took a 3 hour whale watching cruise. It was quite warm and bright, but shade was adequate. We didn't see any whales, but we saw plenty of dolphins - some were even surfing our wake - and enjoyed a day on the water and lots of sights and information. The Cape May lighthouse is an exceptionally pretty one, and we were only a few miles from it. We photographed it in different lights, as well as from the cruise.

I have never been to Wildwood, but it loomed large in legends from my childhood. Cape May isn't but 15 or 20 minutes from Wildwood. It was closed down for the season, but we drove through anyway. It was like driving through 1965. What a blast. I am so happy these places still exist in any capacity.

The final morning there, we were on the beach at sunrise, and it was a glorious sunrise. Blood red and blinding, and the day dawned much cooler. We had breakfast at Uncle Bill's Pancake House (not to be confused with Bill's in Chincoteague) and a last walk through the town before heading off to catch the 11 o'clock ferry back to Delaware.

Cape May is one of those places we always meant to go, and until now just never did. I have a feeling we'll return again! As for NY and Chincoteague, we'll always go back.

All photos by Judi

Jackson Browne - Time the Conqueror

2008-09-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

I tried really hard to like this album. I really wanted to like the tour promoting it. The rest of the world, so far, is drooling over how spectacular both are, and I sit confounded. We saw the first show of the tour, about a week prior to the album's release. I had heard snippets, but not had the chance to get to know any of the songs. People I knew who had heard advance copies were praising everything from content to production, and comparing it to I'm Alive, Jackson's breathtaking album from 1993. But when I heard the song titles and some of the descriptions of the songs, I wondered what they were smoking! At least 4 titles suggested "protest songs". I put that in quotes, because it's been years since Jackson has written a good protest song along the lines of Rock Me on the Water or Before the Deluge. These titles suggested political rants more in the category of Lives in the Balance.

Here is the tracklist:
1. Time The Conqueror 2. Off Of Wonderland 3. The Drums Of War 4. The Arms Of Night 5. Where Were You 6. Going Down To Cuba 7. Giving That Heaven Away 8. Live Nude Cabaret 9. Just Say Yeah 10. Far From The Arms Of Hunger

First I will address the songs themselves.
Time the Conqueror is not a bad song. It speaks to the reality of aging, and the acceptance of the next of life's phases. Time may heal all wounds, sings Jackson, but time will steal you blind. Not terribly original, but it has a nice flow. There is a pair of girls singing a LOT of backup on this CD, and on this song song particularly, they make his singing sound flat. I don't understand why they get the exposure they get on this album. I found them very distracting, but I seem to be in the minority. They are getting all the oohs and aahs.

Off of Wonderland is next. This is my favorite song on the album. It sounds more like a Jackson Browne song than anything else on here. Wonderland was apparently the name of a street off of which Jackson lived in those early days before anyone had heard his name. It's rhythmic, catchy, charming. It isn't brilliant, but it's very likable. I don't think it's a coincidence that he has put this one out as the single, or that it's the 1st new song he offers in concert. It's classic bait and switch. There is much enthusiasm to hear more of the new stuff, then wham!

Before you know what hit you...it's Drums of War. This is a loud, yammering, preachy lot of noise. It's repetitive in the way of The Next Voice You Hear, only it's determined to MAKE YOU LISTEN! There is a spoken word bit in the middle, with a petulant tone, that's just mind numbing. It is mostly a series of essay questions one might find on a high school test in government class. I count over a dozen such questions. Here is a sample...
Who gives the orders, orders to torture?
Who gets to no bid contract the future?
Who lies, then bombs, then calls it an error?
Who makes a fortune from fighting terror?
Who is the enemy trying to crush us?
Who is the enemy of truth and justice?
Who is the enemy of peace and freedom?
Where are the courts, now when we need them?
Why is impeachment not on the table?

And he finishes that off with -

We better stop them while we are able.

Please. This is not songwriting. It's bad lecturing. No decent teacher would relentlessly pound his own ideas into his students this way. He would offer them a chance to think on their own.

Before anyone suggests that I think Jackson should continue to re-write For Everyman or Late for the Sky, I don't. But he himself writes in Off of Wonderland that he was "waiting there for Everyman".

Next up is The Arms of the Night. This song just meanders along. Nothing musically stands out about it, except there's a falsetto thing periodically, and more girl singers singing in a different key. It feels like one long sentence about bad relationships. And here he recycles the angels and flight concepts from Late for the Sky.

You've had a moment to catch your breath, and now you'll hear a blistering 9 + minute tirade about Hurricane Katrina, called Where Were You? This song is another series of clumsy essay questions, like:
Which side of the border between rich and poor?
Where were you going to evacuate to?
Assuming there was any way to
Where, if you didn't own a car?

There's more - 9 minutes more! - but I'll spare you. There is a country song titled Where Were You?, but it's about 9/11. I can't help thinking that wasn't an accident. It would be like Jackson Browne to compare a natural disaster that the US handled wrong, with terrorism. I will often agree with him that the US government is wrong, but that's pushing it. And regardless - it doesn't make good music. He should run for office if he wants to preach policy.

Next, Jackson is Going Down to Cuba. The back story here is that he was allowed to go to Cuba a few years back on a cultural visa, to play with Cuban musicians. Then, he wanted to bring the Cubans here to play with him. That was denied. 4 or 5 years later, he puts out this song about how he's going to go anyway. He sings romantically about the women with gardenias in their hair and the beautiful one who spoke to him in a hotel. He drinks lovely drinks and eats ice cream, and naively, he never once mentions the dictatorship or human rights violations so abhorrent to him anywhere else in the world. Worst of all, he put out this song with a snide little comment about "old Jesse Helms". Jesse was not a friend to many liberal thinkers, but he died 2 months before the album came out. It sounds as dated as the old Reagan bashing he did on Cocaine Rehab for 20 years after Reagan left office.

Giving That Heaven Away is a little break. It's a little song about someone he had a hot time with in a Winnebago 40 years ago. It has a lot of tumbly, clever lyrics but it's badly enunciated, and the girls in the background overwhelm it. It's still one of the best songs on the CD.

Live Nude Cabaret follows. It's a song about Jackson's visit to a strip club. It's dreamy and floaty and to tell the truth, I stop paying attention to what it's about because it's not very interesting.

Just Say Yeah is supposed to pick up where My Stunning Mystery Companion (from The Naked Ride Home, Jackson's 2002, and most recent CD of new work) left off. That was a romantic song; this is a playful song. Both are about the same woman. It's okay. Nothing stands out as memorable, but it stands head and shoulders over most of the record.

The final song on the album is called Far from the Arms of Hunger. The gist of it is more essay questions. I never thought of Jackson as a "one trick pony" but this album makes me wonder. As he dreams of the same Utopian society he gifted us with so eloquently in For Everyman, he asks:
When will we find
When will we mind
When we decide
the means to turn our world around

I haven't disliked a Jackson Browne album this much since Lives in the Balance in 1986. In the decades since, he has forced that song on concert audiences, saying that he'd been told it was more of a speech than a song, but it was a speech he was going to make anyway. Now his concerts are full of more of the same...speeches. The difference is that the reviewers of the record and concerts are all carrying on like this is new or original, encouraging rather than discouraging the preaching.

The concert I attended, the first of the tour, was my 58th Jackson Browne concert. I have some experience to draw on, regarding his shows. I left feeling disappointed and angry. He played only 20 songs, and 8 of them were off of this terrible album. I have no objection to an artist promoting his newest work, but Jackson coyly asked if we'd listen to a couple of new songs, then said he was going to play as many as he could get away with before people started leaving. People were screaming for songs he wouldn't play. When he did play an old one, the crowd went nuts, but the feeling was that he was throwing a bone to quiet them down. He also took at least a 20 minute break, and then he played only 1 encore.

I would sum up the show as "phoned in" where the old stuff was concerned. A couple of the old songs were heavily political as well (Lives in the Balance, I Am a Patriot) and some of the rest pretty obscure (Culver Moon, For Taking the Trouble.) They seemed to be songs chosen because he could turn them over to the girls singers. The new stuff was simply boring and frustrating.

Why he is now the flavor of the month is what really mystifies me. A few less than adoring reviews are starting to surface, so I know I am not alone. Maybe, like me, they were waiting and giving it a chance.

Finally, the CD packaging is ugly. It's cardboard, with 2 little tabs meant to hold the CD in place. It's a black trifold, with a black and white photo of Jackson on the front, grey-bearded, unsmiling, in black shades, looking like a unibomber mugshot. Inside the lyric booklet are more black and white photos of a surly looking Jackson and a surly looking band. I find the sound on the album muddy, and Jackson's lyrics often mumbled.

Oh well. He is 60 (or will be as of October 9) and has given us a 40 year body of work unparalleled by any other of this generation. I am grateful for that.

And his hair was perfect!

Jackson Browne

2008-09-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Jackson Browne has a new album coming out in less than 3 weeks! It's been 6 years since The Naked Ride Home. There have been a slew of live acoustic things since then, and nice as they are, that all starts to sound alike. I'm a little nervous this one will be all about politics, and that would really ruin my day.

A great friend of mine in Spain (hi Fernando!) put it best...When Jackson whispers, his music is a miracle, when Jackson shouts, his music disappears.

I hope there is no shouting this time.

Castle Desmond, Adare, County Limerick, Ireland

2008-06-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

For years and years I have been going to see the same castle in Ireland. I can't remember if the first time was on my very first trip over, or not. It was a ruin, being restored, in Adare, County Limerick. I was told the name was Castle Desmond. It's on the main drag through Adare, and if you've ever been to the visitor center there, you've likely passed it either coming or going. It's not too far up the road.

The castle is on a curve, and there isn't anywhere to pull over to take a photo, so year after year I have risked life and limb to do so, as cars and trucks fly past where I am walking, no footpath, hidden from view until they round the corner. I figure people may as well look at them, since I do that!

I have more pictures than this in albums somewhere pre-digital, and when I find them I will scan and post them. In the meantime, here is the progression from my 2nd trip over in 1998, through 2008.

1998

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009 - A different perspective, from behind the castle, from the Adare Manor Golf Club. Be sure to ask permission before you do this! It's only polite...for some reason this thumbnail looks grainy! Be sure to click on the photo to see it clearly.

2011 - back to the original vantage point!

Northern Neck and Tangier Island

2008-06-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

In October, we took a couple of days and went to the Northern Neck of Virginia - the northernmost of our 3 peninsulas on the Chesapeake Bay. We stopped on the way at Stratford Hall, the very lovely plantation house where Robert E. Lee was born. Its history is full of good stories to rival any fiction.

We ended up in Irvington, at The Hope and Glory Inn. http://www.hopeandglory.com/ We were lucky enough to stay in Cottage 5. Our hosts, Dudley and Peggy Patteson, made it feel like you feel when staying with your favorite relative - the one who makes sure you have everything you could possibly want, anticipates your every desire, and still keeps that necessary distance. Go see them!!!! You can even relax in privacy in a tropically appointed outdoor bath!

While in Irvington, go see Crystal, who took good care of us at the Trick Dog Cafe! http://www.trickdogcafe.com/ and Phoebe at the White Fences Vineyard, and buy some of her yummy Meteor wine! http://www.whitefencesvineyard.com/default.aspx We took the 90 minute ferry ride out to Tangier Island, 18 miles out into the Bay. My husband says they have the best crab cakes you will ever eat at the Waterfront Restaurant. http://tangierisland-va.com/waterfront/

We rented a golf cart - the vehicle of choice on the island, population 400 - and drove ourselves all over. The people were welcoming, and the friendly kitty cats plentiful. It's another world, so isolated - they have a doctor in 2 days a week, and a dentist every Saturday - but they have direct TV, and I counted 9 NFL teams represented across the island.

There are more pictures over in the album titled Northern Neck-Tangier Island on bebo. http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?MemberId=3922111499&PhotoNbr=1&PhotoAlbumId=5770959045

All photos by Judi

Ireland travel journal 2008

2008-06-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Ireland 2008
This was our 11th trip over to Ireland, our 3rd in the springtime of the year. The weather was predictably Irish for March and April – 40s, some rain, some sun, lots of clouds, gale force winds, and white caps even on the lakes! We even saw a snow flurry or 2, and the last 2 days were sunny and around 60*. One night in Galway, where our hotel was right on the Atlantic, I was aware all the night through of howling winds.

We left on a Wednesday afternoon, out of Dulles, on St Keeva or, in Irish, Naomh Caoimhe. It was so nice not to have to go first to Boston, or NY, or London, but flying direct from here meant flying into Dublin, rather than Shannon, as is normal. That suited us, as it has been years since we spent any time in Dublin, aside from the occasional day trip every 3 years or so. Traffic in Dublin is a nightmare, parking is worse – which can combine for a really stressful day trip, and a decision to skip it. So since we were flying into Dublin, we made a plan to spend a few days there on foot – the best way to see Dublin.

We had a pretty bumpy flight, landing in Dublin about 7 am Thursday morning. Neither of us had any sleep on the plane. That’s the only drawback of not having the extra exhausting hours of a layover in another city – we weren’t really tired enough to sleep through the flight. I had an Amazonian woman in front of me who reclined her seat, and spent the entire flight in my lap, continually trying to recline further.

The airport in Dublin is pretty primitive, compared to Shannon. There is a walk of about 15 minutes to clear customs, including steps up without an escalator. We collected our bags, got our hire car (a red Fiat Bravo about which Chuck liked nothing, so we pretended it was a Red Cortina, after the Saw Doctors song) and hit the road to Merrion Square, where we were booked into the O’Callaghan Mont Clare. I liked it fine. It was sort of shabby chic, but comfortable. Breakfast was not included, and was €32, which with our current exchange rate is about $50 a day for a self-serve buffet. That’s life in the big city!

Merrion Square is full of those lovely old Georgian buildings with the colorful doors, and a big park just diagonally across from our hotel. Oscar Wilde was born in the house across the street, and there’s a statue of him lounging lazily on a rock in the park. We were just a couple of easy blocks from O’Connell Street, about a block from Trinity College in one direction, and a block from St Stephen’s Green in the other. If you can’t walk where you want to go in Dublin, you can jump on a bus or even grab a taxi. That’s tacsaí, in Irish.

I like Dublin, which is a pretty big city. It’s a European city – not really an Irish city, like Galway, or Donegal, or even Cork. But there are a few things I noticed that bear mention. Where Irish is spoken in the West, and most signs in the West are often written exclusively in Irish, I had not noticed that to be the case in Dublin before this trip. There is more more written Irish now. It is fitting, as Dublin has so much important Irish history, which is one of the reasons I wanted to be in Dublin over Easter.

When we arrived at the hotel around 9 or 9 30, an amazing thing happened. Our room was ready. Usually we have to find something to do until late afternoon. We had already planned to leave our luggage with the front desk and head out into the city. As it was, we did something we have never done. We had breakfast, and then took a nap! Usually that first day, we go until we drop. We slept until about 2, and were refreshed when we hit the streets.

We walked miles in the cool, rainy afternoon, exploring O’Connell St, the quays, Trinity, Temple Bar. At the tourist center, we bought Dublin passes, which allowed us into many Dublin area sites free of charge or at reduced rates, and unlimited bus passes for 3 days. Dinner was at Kennedy’s Pub near the hotel, where I had an excellent cream veg soup, penne pasta with wild mushrooms, and a pint of Smithwick’s. We had no trouble falling asleep on Irish time that night and getting up on Irish time the next morning.

Good Friday – 21 March
Usually we are leaving Ireland around Good Friday, but Easter fell early this year and all schedules got rearranged as a result. We wondered if we would be able to find anything open on Easter – anywhere to eat, even – but Easter wasn’t the problem. I remember, year before last, the pub in our hotel police taped the pub doors closed, in case anyone thought of having a pint on Good Friday, so I should have realized Good Friday would be the interesting day. We asked in the hotel and they said food would be served in the hotel bar, and if you showed your resident’s card, they’d even serve alcohol. This was said very quietly, as Catholics know to abstain on Good Friday, but other visitors might not have such restrictions.

Most businesses were in fact closed and shuttered, including restaurants. I didn’t see a single pub, and the city is rumored to have upwards of 800 of them, open. We found plenty to do, that aside. The day was cool, breezy, and sunny as we walked to O’Connell St. We bought tickets to take a Liffey River cruise later, then hopped a bus to Kilmainham Gaol. We had been before, on either our 1st or 2nd trip over, and it’s truly haunting. It closed its doors after its last prisoner was discharged in 1924. That last prisoner was Éamon de Valera, who later became independent Ireland’s 3rd president. Kilmainham housed generations of Irish rebels in its years as a prison. It was especially poignant to take the tour at Easter, near the 92nd anniversary of the Easter Rising. The Rising failed as a rebellion, but when 14 of its leaders were executed in cold blood by the British – crosses still stand in the yard marking the spots - the people were stirred to action. What followed was a Civil War that led to independence for the 26 Republican Counties. Some places have an aura, and this is one. Little has been changed in the prison since 1924, and our guide, Conor, was a moving story teller with a feel for the people, the place, and its history.

Our Liffey cruise was at 1 45. The Liffey divides Dublin into North and South sides. Our hotel was on the South side, and it seems there’s a bit of rivalry between the sides. Paddy, who was the sort of bellhop/concierge at the hotel, told us the Dublin football team hadn’t done well because too many of the players were North Dubliners. As soon as we got on the boat, it started raining. It wasn’t a big deal, and didn’t go on long. On the cruise we saw the new Docklands area, which is not new, but is a depressed area being newly revitalized. They plan to have hundreds of offices and flats, and hope to double the population of the area. Among the new buildings is the U2 Tower, which will be the tallest building in Dublin. No one has ever been allowed to build higher than the spires of Christ Church – until U2 decided to. The cruise director told a Bono joke: What is the difference between God and Bono? God doesn’t walk around the streets of Dublin, acting like he’s Bono.

We also saw the penthouse where Colin Farrell lives – Colin Effing Farrel, as the guide says he is known in Dublin - and the current U2 recording studio at Windmill Lane.

Docked in Dublin, on the Liffey, is an exact replica of the Jennie Johnston, a famine ship that sailed numerous times between Ireland and Canada and the US. Its distinction is that it never lost a single soul on any one of its journeys. We saw the replica being built in Blennerville years ago, and now we saw it finished, quite grand, and in a place of honor.

There was an Elvery’s Sports in Dublin, and I bought a Meath jersey. The Hard Rock didn’t do St Patrick’s Day shirts this year, and they had nothing else we wanted. We had a snack there, and took a bus tour all around the city to help decide what we’d do the next day. The Guinness storehouse was closed for Good Friday, along with all the rest. We had our dinner in the hotel pub.

Saturday - 22 March
The morning dawned sunny and 40ish, and we headed to the quays along the Liffey to get a bus to Croke Park. Croke Park is the 84,000 seat Gaelic Athletic Association stadium. There they play Gaelic football, hurling, handball, and rounders. I have only seen hurling, which is wonderful fun to watch, and football. Gaelic football is not like our football. The ball is round, smaller than a soccer ball, and can be kicked over a goal post – good for 1 point - or into a net, which is worth 3 points. It can also be dribbled, and can be hit with the fist like a volleyball. The game is played without pads or helmets. The GAA is completely amateur. The players all have day jobs, and receive no pay for playing.

As we walked the lane to the stadium, an old gentleman walking a dog greeted us in Irish. When we replied in English he said, Oh, I’m speaking Irish to you – I thought you were Irish. He introduced his dog as Bran, named for one of the dogs of Finn McCool, Ireland’s giant of legend. Sceolang is the other. I believe Sceolang had passed on, and poor Bran looked very elderly himself. We had a nice chat – the old fellow talked a little about sport, and asked where in Ireland my family came from. I told him Cavan and Donegal. He asked if I knew what Donegal meant – I did – Fort of the Foreigners – and he told me Cavan means the Hollow. I had not known that. He taught me a few more Irish words, wished us well, and we went on into Croke Park.

Croke Park is now a gorgeous, state of the art stadium, but has stood since 1884, when it wasn’t so nice. Since 1884, rugby and soccer were forbidden to be played there, but they are bending that rule now, and the Irish national teams are playing there while the rugby and soccer stadium at Lansdowne Road is renovated. Lots of GAA fans aren’t happy about that. Croke Park is also the site of the 1st Bloody Sunday, in 1920, when British forces opened fire on a crowd attending a sporting event. One set of stands is named for Michael Hogan, a player killed that day.

We got to go into the players’ lounge, where the centerpiece is a very grand chandelier made of Waterford crystal. It’s made of 32 Gaelic footballs (one for each county) and hundreds of little sliotars, the hurling balls, and they change color to reflect the county colors of the All Ireland winners. The guide told us they actually claim 2 other “counties” that have GAA teams – London, and NY. We went through the area where the players warm up before matches, and sound effects were played as we walked through the tunnel to the field, letting us hear what the players hear as they enter. Pretty cool! We got to see the field from the different levels, the luxury boxes, and at the top is a viewing stand that looks out over Dublin. The spire on O’Connell St was clearly visible in the distance. Interesting thing about that spire – it stands on the spot where there used to be a statue of British Lord Nelson, which was blown up in 1966 by the IRA to commemorate the Easter Rising’s 50th anniversary. Aside from damage to Nelson, no other damage was done in the explosion. The army bomb squad then came in to remove Nelson’s remaining stump, and the controlled explosion they performed destroyed much of the surrounding area.
Of course, there was an Elvery’s on site at Croke Park with the mother lode of GAA jerseys. I got a Kilkenny and an Offaly.

We took a taxi back to the hotel to drop our stuff. The driver told us he has a second home in Spain, where there are more Irish these days than Spanish buying property. He also thinks the Good Friday pub closures will not go on much longer. The business people don’t like losing the business. He was full of interesting insights about all the new foreigners to Dublin.

After an early dinner, we went back to O’Connell to catch the Ghost Bus. It was a double decker bus, fitted out in black, with dark windows, spooky music, and a disclaimer that no children under 14 were allowed. We got off the bus and wandered inside a graveyard, and heard tales of body snatching, and went to an old leper colony with lots of grim stories. There was an insane asylum, where some of the craziest were the ones in charge. It was pretty fun! It was a nice night, so we walked a bit around Dublin, then back to the hotel to the pub.

Sunday – 23 March, Easter
Hell didn’t freeze over, but I went to Mass on Easter. Other than weddings and funerals, it was the first time I’ve been since…well, 1973. That’d be 35 years, wouldn’t it? It was a nice Catholic Church called St Andrew’s, around the corner from the hotel. The sermon was about more than faith in the grand Resurrection…rather it’s about bringing about your own resurrections of faith every day, in small ways. The priest was young, Irish, and aware that not everyone in the congregation was local. He said early on, Customarily, this is where we kneel in Ireland, but I know different countries do things differently, so everyone just do what you’re comfortable doing. It was a pleasure to listen to him for an hour. I found it interesting, however, that there were TWO collections taken up. I don’t really know why.

Easter was our last full day in Dublin – though we planned to come back the night before our flight out. It was blue and bright early, overcast and grey later. Huge brand new flags flew above all the official buildings of Dublin, smaller ones on the street corners, and on businesses. Some places were closed, but most were open after noon. We went for a stroll with lots of other people through St Stephen’s Green, which is a big park (about 1500 X 1800 ft.) full of fountains, lakes, statues and a large variety of bushes and flowers. Very pretty.

At noon, we caught the Viking “duck” tour. When we got on, there were already a few “Vikings” on board wearing Viking hats, with horns and all. I wasn’t too sad that there were none left for us. The driver explained that all of us on board were Vikings, fierce and terrifying. All others NOT on board were NOT Vikings, but Celts. He said when he gave the signal, we were to roar at the Celts. We drove all over Dublin, roaring at unsuspecting Celts. It was quite hilarious. Several times throughout the day, starting at breakfast, we saw a man dressed as Jesus, walking endlessly around Dublin, bearing a cross over his shoulder. We saw him again while on the Viking boat and I am happy to say we Vikings did not roar at Jesus on Easter Sunday. We drove overland to the Docklands area, then got in the water and floated around the Liffey for a bit. Going from land to water and back again was quite an ordeal. I remember in Boston just going from one to the other. In Ireland, we had to stop, put up the sides and roof, and all put on life vests before going in the water. The reverse was required on exiting the water. It was a very entertaining bit of silliness.

For Easter brunch, we decided on Italian. The little place called Pasta Fresca was quite good. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and warmed up, as the Viking invasion was pretty chilly. We walked to O’Connell St, where a rally commemorating the 92nd anniversary of the Easter Rising was being held in front of the General Post Office, the façade of which bears bullet holes, to this day, from the original event. We had missed the actual parade and the military flyover, but the rally was still ongoing. Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Féin, spoke, and there were honor guards and color guards, and bands. That was unexpected and very cool to be part of. While there, we saw the famous James Joyce statue across the way from the Post Office.

From Joyce to Wilde – next stop, Merrion Park, to visit old Oscar reclining on his rock. 2 pillars nearby were covered with some of his wry sayings, and local artists plied their wares along the sidewalk (footpath) outside the park.

Monday – 24 March
Well, that was fun. I do like Dublin a lot, and on foot is definitely the way to go. Monday morning we checked out, making a plan to come back and go to a football game at Croke Park with one of the girls at the desk, a rabid fan. She was delighted to know I already had a Dublin jersey. I didn’t tell her I have a dozen others, also.

We arrived across the country in Killarney about 5 pm, stopping once in Roscrea, County Tipperary, to have lunch at a carvery, and once in Adare to see the progress of Desmond Castle. Again I risked life and limb to track its restoration in photos. The end result is merely informative – the picture is nothing special. The day was grey and dull and the castle looks like a construction site. I always enjoy seeing it, though.

Wow…what a lovely place the Lake Hotel in Kerry is. It’s not in the city centre, where we haven’t stayed recently anyway, but is just a few minutes’ drive away. Our room overlooked the Lakes of Killarney, with the ruins of the castle of the McCarthy Mór in the foreground, and the Kerry Mountains behind – misty and mystical that first evening. We went into Killarney town for dinner, and then wandered down to Mac’s for dessert. Mac’s has undergone a complete transformation. It’s all black and white and silver now, mirrors and dim lights. Its days of family friendly diner are long gone, but the homemade ice cream is still mighty tasty.

Tuesday – 25 March
The day dawned bright and clear, perfect for a drive to Beara, the southernmost of the Kerry peninsulas, and my favorite. It’s southern enough that the southern half is actually considered Cork. This was probably the warmest day yet, although it may have been a simple matter of being the least windy day yet. The lakes along the way were glass smooth, and the entire county looked like a postcard. We stopped in Glengarriff to shop, hoping to find a purse to replace my Donegal tweed, with no luck. The sky began to darken, and light rain started to fall up along the top of the Healy Pass as we approached the statues depicting the Calvary scene. It didn’t rain long, but it never brightened up for the rest of the day. After we came down, we had lunch at a pub in Kenmare, before going on to Killarney town to shop. I found a green wool handbag which was made at Muckross House. Lovely. We walked to the lake, to the castle of the McCarthy Mór, and had an excellent dinner in the hotel.

Wednesday – 26 March
Another bright morning, still cool, but calm, with those big fat white clouds floating above. My shopping goal was another purse – one that I might use more for every day, rather than have to worry about destroying, as I am notoriously hard on purses – and Christmas cards. I know! In March! But lo and behold, as we pulled into Dingle Town, what do we see down near the Super Valu but a Christmas shop! I’m thinking, Divine Intervention, this. We parked and went in, and the shop, truth be told, didn’t look like a Christmas shop, but an Irish crystal shop. I didn’t have a good feeling about finding cards there, but I asked. Mary, the proprietor, didn’t seem to think it too odd a request, but explained that she was in the middle of expanding and restocking, and any cards she’d had were sent away. But Walter might have some...As we stepped out to get directions from Mary, the clouds got moody and we were standing in a rather sudden hail storm! She pulled us inside to wait it out, and stepped out with us again as it passed. Walter had the shop up the hill on the next street, with no sign, but we’d know it because it had a black gable over the door. They wouldn’t open until about 11, or whenever they decided to come downstairs. Apparently they live above.

We meandered our way to Walter’s, which was open, and full of lots of stuff tourists will buy and never have use for. Lots of Fungi the Dolphin stuff, and Kiss Me I’m Irish stuff… but Walter wasn’t there. There was a woman there, who I assume was Mrs. Walter, and I told her Mary had sent us, and what we wanted. She thought a minute, and told me she did have some, but she’d have to go find them. They were put away in a safe place, as she had meant to have them for herself, but she would look for them and I could have them. She’d need time, so she suggested we go drive the peninsula, and come back in a couple of hours.

We had lunch at Harrington’s chip shop, as usual – they deep fry Milky Ways and 3 Musketeers there, but I’ve never had the nerve – and took off for Slea Head and the Conor Pass. The weather was Irish, very changeable. There were deep blue sunny skies, drizzle, rainbows, huge puffy clouds, snow on Mt Brandon, and the Skelligs disappeared behind fog as we watched.Back in Dingle Town, Walter was in the shop, selling Dingle keychains and caps to a crowd of Americans. I said, Hi Walter! Do you know if there was any luck with the Christmas cards? He had a Tom Poston sort of look about him, cardigan and all. He said he didn’t think so, but went for Mrs. Walter, who had scared up about a dozen cards. They were very beautiful – illuminated lettering, vibrant colors, a greeting in English, and a verse in Irish – and made right there on Dingle. The sentiments were a little more religious than I generally choose, as many of our friends are nondenominational. And there were only ¼ what I need, but I bought them. Mrs Walter and Walter were delightful.

It was just 3 30, and with lots of light left this time of year, and a plan to leave the area the next day, we decided to squeeze in the Ring of Kerry. Of the 3 peninsulas, I prefer Beara and Dingle. Iveragh, the Ring, comes in third, but I’m always happy to get a chance to see it. The rain returned in earnest while we drove the Ring, and from Blennerville to Killarney, we saw 4 different rainbows.

Later that night, we stood outside overlooking the castle of the McCathy Mór, when we noticed a small herd of 3 or 4 deer just below our balcony, grazing.

Thursday – 27 March
The Tarbert Ferry, which leaves Tarbert in Kerry, and docks in Killimer, in Clare, shaves hours of driving off the trip. We were headed to Galway, and likely would not have had time or patience to stop and spend the day in Clare if we’d decided to drive. We’ve used the ferry 3 or 4 times, now. For €17, you cross with your car in about 20 minutes. The price has gone up. We had a school of dolphins swim alongside for a while.

It was a pretty cold and windy day, low 40s* not considering wind chill, but the beach at Lahinch (or Lehinch, depending on which signs you believe - Irish signs, especially in the West on the Gaeltacht, are always an adventure) was as busy as on a summer day. There were children playing on the shore, in Wellies and winter coats, and people walking dogs who were bounding in the surf. There were also dozens of surfers of all skill levels, in wetsuits. The waves were quite high, and the surfers seemed not to mind the cold or the wind! We used to go there and walk the “old prom” which was the only prom, then. It seems in recent times they have built new and trendy bars and shops in front of the “old prom” on the spot where we used to sit outside at a picnic table in the wind and have lunch bought through a chip shop window. Now you have to go away from the ocean a street or so to find it. We had lunch in Lahinch, but sat inside, because it began to rain. The surfers, already cold and wet, stayed in the water.

We drove by the Cliffs of Moher without stopping. It does sneak up on you now. The designers of the visitors’ center succeeded in camouflaging it into the side of a hill, which is better than some big granite square, but it is so sterile now. The walk to the cliffs is like a widened EU road. I’m waiting for them to put iron guard rails along the cliffs themselves. There is a Darwinian aspect to those cliffs, just like the cliffs at Dún Aengus on Inis Mór. Just don’t get too close to the edge. That’s the secret. Whatever wondrous spiritual beings inhabited the Cliffs of Moher all these millennia have now departed.

It was about 4 when we hit Furbo - Na Forbacha, in Irish – and checked into The Connemara Coast Hotel, situated on Galway Bay, as the name states, along the Connemara Coast. We had a view of the bay, and a rocky beach, though there was a tennis court in between. Sometimes cows grazed inside a stone fence near the beach. It was quite pretty, but nothing dramatic like Killarney. We had an excellent meal at the hotel, and walked along the footpath by the bay.

Friday – 28 March
From Furbo, we took the coast road up to Westport, County Mayo. It was raining softly, but the town is still such a pretty little place I didn’t mind too much. We usually bring umbrellas, and rarely need them, but we forgot this time, and could have used them. We just put up the rain jacket hoods. Of course we checked out the Elvery’s in Westport, where they had a hoody Chuck wanted, but not in the right size. One of the girls checked, and found the Elvery’s in Castlebar had the right size. Castlebar is a good sized town about 20 minutes nw of Westport, in Mayo. We got the Mayo hoody, and got on the N17 to Tuam, back in Galway. This was just the beginning. Before the day was over, the Elvery’s in Tuam sent us to the Elvery’s in Claremorris, back up the N17 the way we’d come, into Mayo…well, you get the idea. More new football jerseys, in addition to the hoody.

Finally, we ended up in Tuam, where the sign in the square tells us among the famous Tuam people are The Sawdoctors (all one word) who are a local band who have had considerable success in Ireland, the US, and the UK. We had fun seeing how many song references we could find. The N17 - the Galway to Sligo road - of course. They sing the “grey stone cathedral’s spires are dwarfed by a tall metal tower in the sky” and indeed they are, by a cell tower. In front of the Tuam Cathedral is the broken cart wheel of St Jarlath.
We had tea at the Palace. We didn’t go in, but big as life there were The Thatch, and The Brogue. We never did find The Rustic Vaults. There are many other things over the course of other trips, like The Green and Red of Mayo, and Clare Island. And we sang more than once, Oh God, Will It Ever Stop Raining? It was fun to stop in, after all the times we’ve driven through, and see the home of The Saw Doctors, and all the things they sing about.

Back in Furbo, it was pouring, and we had dinner at a very good bistro called Pádraicín’s, right on Galway Bay.

Saturday – 29 March
It was very cold, and rained on and off all day. We started out late, as it was one of those lay around and listen to the rain lazy mornings. We went south to Clare, always beautiful in grey weather, which seems to complement its stony landscape. We asked a local man how to get to Caherconnell, which is a well preserved stone fort probably inhabited as long ago as 400 AD. He said, Never heard of it! And because it is the Irish way, he asked everyone else he knew about it. No one had heard of it. So we drove around the Burren with the little map on the brochure, and found it. The girl at the desk laughed and said, The locals have no idea we’re here. Just as we started our self guided tour, the rains came with a vengeance. We gave it the best we could before giving up, going in the visitors’ center, and enjoying hot drinks until it passed. We drove around the Burren, in search of another fort we never found, but we did find the birthplace of Michael Cusack (Mícheál Ó Ciosóg) who was the founder of the GAA. Refer to 22 March for a refresher on the GAA. I say, yay Mícheál!
And we stopped at the Poulnabrone Dolmen.

We took the coast road to Doolin, and on up to Galway and Furbo. Through the day, we’d seen 5 rainbows. Right outside Pádraicín’s, where we had dinner, there was a double rainbow over Galway Bay.

Sunday – 30 March
As if once was not enough already, Ireland’s clocks sprang forward sometime while we slept. The Daylight Saving Time makes no sense anymore, and here we were doing it twice. At least we got that hour back on the return trip.

What a nice day this was. Still cool, about 45*, but mild winds and sun, with big puffy clouds in a blue sky. The ultimate goal was Minaun Heights on Achill Island, but we went to Mayo along the coast road. We didn’t see Peter O’Toole in Clifden, again, though I always look for him! Leenane was as hauntingly beautiful as ever. They are still doing road work in the village, and progress looks like exactly at the point it was last year. The whole village was closed, as we passed through around noon, and I guess the village and the shop owners were at church yet. Or maybe there are some places that still stay closed on Sunday!

There was no one at Kylemore Abbey in Letterfrack. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. I thought they might have Christmas cards there, but they said they never carried them this past year. Chuck bought me gorgeous earrings – a brushed silver strip of ribbon sort of design with a small gold trinity knot in the center – and a silver St Brigid’s Cross necklace at Kylemore.

Minaun Heights, or Minaun Cliffs, the high point of Achill Island, was cold, but not as cold as it is sometimes. There was no rain, but it was hazy, not as clear as I’d hoped. Keel Beach, far below, blends into a palette of all my favorite colors – The blue sky, turquoise water, brown beach, green fields and mountains, and white clouds all around. Achill Island looks like it is becoming a resort area, and I guess that shouldn’t surprise me.

Monday - 31 March
Next stop Donegal. There are a lot of reasons to stop on the way up. Going through Sligo, we turned off at Knock, the shrine where Mary appeared with St Joseph and St John back in 1879. Guess what I found there? Christmas cards! One of the lovely little nuns came out of the back with a box full and let me have at. They are really a bit more religious than you see around here, but there are enough of the toned down ones that I will be able to pick and choose for certain folks. The Yeats place just past Drumcliff, where we usually eat, was under renovation, as it seems all of Ireland is, but we stopped and had a bite there anyway.

Originally, we thought about staying over in the North these last days, maybe in Belfast, but the dollar to pound ratio, along with a lack of clear direction discouraged us and we decided to stay in Letterkenny, and go back and forth. We stopped at the Letterkenny Elvery’s and declared its selection extremely wanting. Nothing for us.

After we checked into the Radisson, around 5, it was too late to head off very far, and too early for dinner. The hotel local attractions listed a place I had never heard of, Beltany Stone Circle. We had to drive about 10 minutes away to a town called Raphoe, and down a lane. At its end was some sort of government facility behind gates, and on either side, dairy farms. Between the facility and one of the farms was a likely looking path, so up we went. The climb was steadily steep, and muddy, with a canopy of huge trees overhead. Halfway up a boy on a pony appeared, and told us the Circle was up a little farther, through a sheep gate, and across the field. After quite a bracing walk up, we found the sheep gate, and began to cross the field. It’s probably not a coincidence that the hill is named Tops Hill. It was like being at the top of the world. We could see much of Donegal and Derry below us, the fields spread out in neat parcels of green, separated by straight stone walls, and dotted with fat white sheep. Out of the shelter of the trees, the wind was fierce, stinging skin and bringing tears to my eyes, but the light was lovely. The sun was just about to set. And there was the stone circle.

Beltany is dated back to about the year 800-1400 BC, and 64 of the stones still stand after these thousands of years. The name Beltany suggests that the pagan festival of Beltane, or Bealtaine, was celebrated on the site. Beltane, the Irish word for May, is the Celtic festival of spring, welcoming in the sun, the warmth, crops, all that, after the long winter. There is often an otherworldly, mystical feeling to some of these old places, especially the passage tombs. There is debate as to whether Beltany is a passage tomb, but it assuredly radiates an aura. Outside the sheep gate, on the path’s other side, was a wooded area with straight rows of magnificent evergreens. I’m sure Druids are still living in those woods.

When we came down from Tops Hill, the town of Letterkenny was pretty much closed down. We picked up some take away, went back to the hotel, and ate in the room. It was a nice change from being on best behavior for weeks!

Footnote to the Raphoe story- a couple of days later, the news was full of 3 dissident IRA men being arrested and a bomb making factory discovered in the woods of Raphoe. We decided it must have been the Druid woods, and the kid on the pony was really a lookout.

Tuesday – 1 April
This was the coldest day of the trip, grey, overcast, and very windy – we even saw a few snow flurries! We headed south toward the Blue Stack Mountains, with a stop in Donegal Town to buy a present for Hanna, and to check out the Donegal Town Elvery’s. Success for Hanna, but another dud of an Elvery’s.

The roads through the Blue Stack, and indeed through much of rural Donegal, have speed limits posted at 80 kph, which is nearly 50 mph. Some are even 100 kph, which is 60 mph. These roads would be maximum 15 mph here. They are full of hairpin turns and dips that could swallow a car. Chuck was doing about half what was allowed and we were bouncing all over the car, in tears of hysteria. It was like being a kid on a roller coaster. I don’t know why it seemed so funny that day – it isn’t an unusual occurrence in Ireland!

We continued north through the Derryveagh Mountains to Creeslough, to Doe Castle, the seat of the MacSweeney family built in the 16th century. We have never been able to go to Doe Castle. It was under renovation for a few years, and closed once for a Sweeney family reunion. It didn’t appear to be open this day, but at least we weren’t stopped at a gate and sent away. When we drove up to it, no other cars or people were in sight anywhere, but a crazy Irish sheep dog greeted us by lifting his leg on our car tire, then falling into step beside us as we walked to the castle. He was friendly as long as we stayed on the path, but it agitated him when we ventured onto the grass to check out the sides and rear of the castle. He stood on the path and barked at us until we came back. Then he walked us to the car, and went ahead to wait for us to pull out of the car park, so he could bark and chase. They’re all crazy, these dogs. As for the castle, it looked great from the outside!

From Creeslough, we went up to Fanad Head, to the lighthouse. The wind was so strong up there, all my pictures look shaky. There is no barrier against the wind up there. We came back to Letterkenny through Rathmelton and Lennon, where some years ago the locals invited us to join in their annual parade, and had dinner in a pub.

Wednesday – 2 April
The only time we’ve been to Northern Ireland to visit, as opposed to just passing through to shorten a journey, was a few years back when we went to the Giant’s Causeway. The Causeway was spectacular, but the trip left a little bit of a bad impression on me, and no real desire to go back over. The first time we went through was 1997, before the truce and ceasefire, in the middle of the night. We’d left a concert in Ballybofey around midnight, and had to be in Dublin to catch a 6 am flight. The only way to do that was to cut through the North. There was barbed wire everywhere then, armed guards in towers, check points…it was grey and military looking, as most occupied places look, compared to the open green of the Republic. That drive never quite left my memory, even as tensions have eased.

The trip to the Giant’s Causeway a few years ago left a bad feeling because they wouldn’t accept euros, even though areas around the border inside the Republic take Sterling, just as a courtesy. But it isn’t one extended both ways. We only needed 50 pence to ride a bus down to the Causeway, and I ended up having to exchange $20 to get it. (I didn’t want to spend my euros!) I also HATE seeing Union Jacks flying in Ireland. It just looks wrong.

The Derry and Antrim coastlines are beautiful, of course, and very Irish. It used to be much easier to tell you were in the North, because the roads were so much better, but thanks to the EU, Irish roads are as good or better in many cases. It’s funny how many times we found ourselves talking as if it were 2 separate countries, when it isn’t. We stopped at Dunluce Castle, but not at the Giant’s Causeway.

We saw signs for a ferry to the Republic, so we took a look, learning that it left from a grim and scary place called Magilligan Point in Derry and crossed to Greencastle on the Inishowen Peninsula. The road to Magilligan Point took about 6 minutes to drive and was lined on either side with barbed wire, and high walls. On one side was obviously a prison of vast proportion, and both sides had signs warning stay away because it was a firing range. There were hundreds of huge jack rabbits living in the grassy areas on either side of the road. It was surreal. When we got to the ferry loading area, a nice man who seemed to hate his job made us open the trunk, and he looked under the car with mirrors. I guess people are still nervous, or we looked like terrorists. The ferry only held about 10 cars, and there were about 6 of us on. The fog was so thick that the Irish coast disappeared as we watched, but in a few minutes we were safely docked.

On Inishowen we went to Malin Head, and it was typically freezing and windy. It is even in summer. We didn’t stay long, but went off in search of Mamore Gap, which is always in the same place, but doesn’t seem to be. The statue of Padre Pio has a new sort of stone shelter. It’s pretty elaborate! After a cup of tea in Malin Town, we headed back to Letterkenny, and about 7 pm, the sun finally came out.Thursday – 3 April
Our last full day in Ireland. Since we were leaving out of Dublin, and fairly early, we planned to drive down and spend the night near the airport. We took our time, as it was a bright blue day, and quite warm, driving the NI coast. Derry and Antrim were full of waterfalls, and in the sun everything was so green and shiny. In Derry, we found ourselves in the middle of the third funeral of the trip. There are always several. One was in Cork – the parked cars stretching half a mile in either direction, and the mourners all walking from the cars to the church, which was not big enough to hold most of them, it appeared. Men were trying to direct traffic around the walkers. Another was in Galway, and we just had to wait for the procession to pass. The one in Derry was all on foot, in the middle of the road, with the hearse leading the way, but the casket being carried behind by pall bearers. Cars just stopped wherever they stopped and waited. It’s so very different than the detached way we do it here.

In Antrim we found a ruined castle built down on the water, out on a narrow spit of land called Kinbane Head, not visible from the road. Also in Antrim is a really beautiful area called Glenariff. Vista after vista, and a big Forest Park known for even more waterfalls. We had lunch in Carrickfergus, and passed by Belfast on the way down to Dublin. Belfast has worse traffic than Dublin has ever dreamed of having. If we ever decide to go on and stay in Belfast, there will not be driving involved.

It was still blue and pretty when we got to Dublin, so we stopped at Malahide Castle and took some pictures. It was closed for the day, but the grounds were full of people enjoying the warm day. It hit about 60*.

Friday – 4 April
Leaving is the hardest thing. But leave we did, on St Colmcille. We had put 2146.4 miles on the old “Red Cortina” across Ireland. That’s not near a record, but we must factor in not driving the 1st four days in Dublin. The plane ride was terrifying, with the plane falling nose first several times due to turbulence over Maine.

It was nice to come home. Chuck and Hanna picked us up at the airport, and I realize as much as I would love to live in Ireland, I would miss them too much.

But every trip to Ireland, for me, is another homecoming, too. I learn more, and absorb more with each trip. I wonder about all the construction…the wider roads, the big subdivisions full of ugly houses SO far away from anything. There aren’t jobs for these folks, so they have to commute on the new wide roads. It’s so easy to see the problems they will face in a few years, especially as their economy is slowing, and the EU will only bail them out so far.

I also noticed so many things closed for renovation – Pádraig Pearse’s school in Dublin, and in Galway, his home. Both Dalkey and Drimoleague Castles, in Dublin were being restored.

I wonder if the influx of foreigners will change Ireland, or if Ireland will change the foreigners, as it has every other group that’s landed on its shores since the Dawn of Time. They still close up on Good Friday, and ring the Angelus on TV and radio, and I noticed more Irish language signage in places like Dublin this time – and even a remarkable amount in Antrim in the North – not just in the West. There is still enormous pride in being Irish, in spite of the desire to be European.

Change is inevitable, but change is not always progress.

Here’s to Ireland!

Slán agat!

All photos by Judi

Italy travel journal 2006

2008-06-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

Travel Journal, Italy, October 2006

If all roads lead to Rome, some take longer than others to travel. We left home on a windy, rainy day that delayed our flight out of DC, and left us sitting on the runway in NY for 2 hours before taking off, finally, around 9 30 pm. The plane bounced all the way to Italy, making sleep impossible. When we landed around 11 am in Rome, it was about 17 hours since we’d left home.

We were met at the airport by a lovely Italian man who drove us the 45 minutes from the airport to our hotel in a Mercedes van. His English was limited, but better than our Italian, and he recommended sights to see, directing our attention to points of interest on the way. Our hotel, The Sofitel, was small, but beautiful, and comfortably elegant. Luigi, who showed us to our room, was just one of many charming and outgoing Italian men who gave us advice and help during our stay. He taught us the Italian words and phrases we needed to know just to be social in Rome. Buongiorno, buonasera, per favore, gratzie, and potrei avere ancora un po’ di vino? – Could I have a little more wine?

After we checked in, we went to the Spanish Steps. At the bottom is Piazza di Spagna, and the Barcaccia Fountain, the first of at least a dozen fountains we saw in Rome. At the top is Piazza Trinità dei Monti, and the church of the same name. In between are 138 wide, steep steps, usually full of people who are people watching, and vendors selling paintings, statues, flowers, and other things. We met Massimus and his horse, Kiko, at the bottom, and hopped aboard for a carriage ride around Rome.

Massimus was a real wise guy who kept us amused with jokes and anecdotes about the places he showed us. He took us to the Pantheon, where we got out and explored. It was built around 27 BC, as a temple devoted to the 7 deities of the 7 planets, and destroyed in the year 80. The current building was constructed in the year 125. It’s been a Christian church since the 7th century, consecrated by Pope Boniface IV, and is used mostly as a tomb.

He showed us Trajan’s Column, intricately carved, and depicting the wars of Rome in ancient times. We saw the Mausoleum of Augustus, and drove by many ancient ruins, which we would return to later, including the Coliseum, Forum, and Circus Maximus. We passed by Trevi Fountain for the first of several times.

As Massimus returned us to Piazza di Spagna, at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, I spotted my sister in law, Romana, in the crowd. She and Chuck’s brother flew in from Prague to spend a few days with us. We walked to Via Veneto, one of Rome’s main streets, and found a little restaurant for dinner. There were no more than 5 or 6 tables in the place, and the proprietor looked like Anthony Quinn in his later years. The food was delicious! When we left, he gave Romy and me yellow roses. We walked back to our hotel, stopping on the way in the Hard Rock Café, and made a fairly early night of it. We’d been up about 33 hours, and were starting to feel it!

Sunday morning dawned clear and bright, and ended up being about 75*. That’s a little too warm for me, and was the warmest of our days there. Most days were around 70*, with the mornings and evenings cool and fresh, and we didn’t have any rain at all. We caught the subway from Barberini Square. Luckily we had been warned about the pickpockets and gypsies in Rome, and made sure no wallets were in back pockets. As we boarded our train, Chuck felt fingers plucking at the side pocket of his cargo pants, which was double buttoned and velcroed! When he reacted, the man slithered away, but returned, not once, but twice more to try again! There was a pack of young girls with babies in slings who kept edging up to people in the station. I wonder how many tourists were victimized by that group. At the end of our day, we rode the subway back, but opted not to use it again. It’s a shame, because it’s cheap and easy to use.

Our subway adventure brought us to ancient Rome. We toured the Coliseum with an Italian guide who was full of information. There were too many people there to really get a feel for the history and grandeur of it, but I wouldn’t have missed it. We saw the Forum, the Temples of Venus and Romulus, Circus Maximus, where Ben Hur and Russell Crowe played, the Arch of Constantine, and the Palatine Hill, which is up, up, high, and overlooks it all. We tried to go into Domus Aurea, the Golden Palace of Nero, but it was being restored. We had a funny young Aussie girl give our tour of Palatine Hill. We ended up back at Trevi Fountain, where we threw coins over our shoulders into the fountain. According to legend, this assures you will return to Rome.

The plan for the evening was a bus tour of Rome after dark. As we waited for the driver to pick us up at our hotel, the doorman said to me, Lady!!!!! La Luna!!!! He stood in the road pointing up at the most beautiful full moon. Aside from being lovely, it was interesting because the moon we left at home was nowhere near full.

The “Lady” thing was a source of constant amusement to us. It was the way most Italian men addressed women. “Lady, please”, when inviting us to follow, or sit, be aware of a skirt about to catch in the door, or look at something like the moon. It was always said with the utmost respect, and always caused us to smile.

So – Rome at night. We were driven around the ancient sites, and to Vatican City, which were all stunning in the light of la luna, but we weren’t allowed to get out and take pictures. This is the reason I would never take a group tour. I would be perpetually frustrated about things like that. We did get out twice – once at Trevi Fountain, which was as wildly crowded at night as during the day, and again up on a high hill, so we could look out over all of Rome. We finished up with a late dinner and a bottle of wine at a sidewalk café near our hotel.

Monday, and our last full day in Rome, was for the Vatican. Bruce and Romy opted to go shopping rather than go to the Vatican, so we were on our own. We took a taxi to Café Vaticano, where we were to meet our private Italian guide, Francesco. He was arranged for us by the Sofitel concierge, and this is a plan I would recommend to anyone who wants to tour the Vatican. When we arrived, there were 2 lines, as far as the eye could see, already snaking around both sides of the entrance. One side was for group tours. The other direction was for individuals on their own. The line literally stretched for blocks. I thought, we will be in that line for hours. Not so. Francesco had a sign with our name on it, and as soon as we said Hello, he steered us into the line at the front. Apparently he has an arrangement with a tour guide who gets there very early to slip in with them. An interesting point - No bare shoulders or knees are allowed at the Vatican, for women, and men must be covered to the ankle.

Francesco explained we would do the tour out of order, and he apologized in advance if we were rushed through the early part of the tour, but assured us we would return to those spots and see everything we wanted. I’m sure we walked 10 miles at the Vatican that day, starting with the long walk to the Sistine Chapel, where we were virtually alone. There were 10 or 15 other people there, and we were able to listen to him quietly explaining many facts about the paintings. No photos were allowed, but it’s okay because there’s no way to capture the beauty.

Francesco spent the next 3 hours with us, always managing to keep us a step ahead of the hordes. We could see them at various times, across the way, looking like the shoulder to shoulder crowds on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Eve. But we had the hall of statues, several courtyards, and Raphael’s apartments basically to ourselves. On the way out to the crypts, and St Peter’s Basilica, we passed back through the Sistine Chapel. It was packed to the rafters with people being continually shushed. I was so delighted with Francesco and our special tour!

The crypts and St Peter’s Basilica were crowded, as was the square, but not so much that Francesco couldn’t continue his quiet tour with us. We saw the Swiss Guard, and the Pope’s apartments (from outside!) and I sent myself a postcard with a Vatican City stamp, since they wouldn’t stamp my passport.

Back in Rome, we had lunch at a sidewalk café and rested our very weary feet. The one last thing on my “must do” list for Rome was a crypt in a church that was luckily nearby. The church is Santa Maria della Concezione, and Capuchin friars had unearthed the bones of thousands of their brethren, and created amazing and intricate artwork with the bones. There are 6 separate rooms, and each one, as well as the connecting hallway, is a Grateful Dead fan’s fantasy. There were floral patterns, and lanterns, and clocks and entire scenes, including one of Jesus raising Lazarus – all this and more, all formed with bones. I found it quite compelling and oddly beautiful. It ended with the warning: What you are, we once were. What we are, you shall become.

One of the many pleasant things about our hotel was a rooftop terrace that overlooked all of Rome. It immediately overlooked our neighbors at Villa Ludavisi, a family boasting at least 2 popes, and in the distance the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica dominated the skyline. Bruce and Romy came to meet us on our terrace, and we had our last dinner in Rome in town.

Tuesday we all met at the train station. We had booked 1st class seats to Venice, and enjoyed the 4 ½ hour ride immensely, sitting across a cozy table from each other and sharing Czech wine Romy had brought from home. We enjoyed the company of the adventurous older couple across the aisle, and against all odds, we saw them again in Piazza San Marco the next day!

The same driver took us to the train who had brought us to the hotel. He took us a roundabout way to the station so I could get a picture of the Spanish Steps deserted in the early morning. He and the hotel staff shared the opinion that we should skip Venice and stay in Rome. It’s cold, they said, and rainy, and nothing but “a bridge, and a bridge, and a bridge”. But Venice is a magical place. We knew that as soon as we arrived at the train station and were met by a girl holding a card with our name, who whisked us off to our own private water taxi. Our driver made his way down the Grand Canal, past looming old palaces and one grand, domed church after another. We were put out at a dock near Piazza San Marco and we dragged our bags through the square, past the birds of St. Mark’s, and the Doges’ Palace, and the basilica – past the square with cafes and string quartets that play pretty much around the clock. We were told our hotel, Plaza San Marco, was less than a minute’s walk from the square, so we asked, and were directed down a small cobbled lane full of shops, less than a minute’s walk away!

I was delighted to be handed a big skeleton key on a massive bright red tassel, in lieu of the usual key card. I was more delighted to find our room was a corner suite with a wrap around balcony, opening from 3 separate sets of French doors – 2 from the sitting room, one from the bedroom – and overlooking a canal. It smelled like baby powder, and was very spacious. Even the foyer was roomy enough to hold a bench and a good sized chest.

Some things I learned about Venice – it consists of 120 islands, and on each of the 120 islands is a Catholic church. Marco, a gondolier we will meet later, told us, “Another island, and another church.” Big, ornate, domed churches, full of priceless art are everywhere in Venice. As for the Roman assessment of Venice, it was not cold or rainy while we were there, but they were right about the bridges. There are 427 of them connecting Venice’s islands. We may have crossed all of them in our days there, and I lost track of how many breathtaking churches we went in. I was amused that the Italian word for church is chiesa (kee-ay-za) but the phrase for place of worship is sala di culto.

Our first afternoon, we walked for miles and hours, exploring, and bought water taxi passes that allowed us to hop on any water taxi, any time, to go anywhere. They have a system and schedule as intricate as any subway. We ate dinner at an outdoor place overlooking the Grand Canal, and watched the sun set from the stately Rialto Bridge, first erected in 1181.

Our hotel package included a private tour of the Murano Glass Factory, on the island of Murano. It wasn’t part of Bruce and Romy’s package, so we went alone. This is not one of the islands connected by a bridge, so we were collected at our hotel by our first Marco of the day. He took us to our private taxi, which took us out into the Adriatic, where the boats must stay in lanes and follow speed limits. Stefano met us and took us on a tour of the part of the factory where men make the glassware and chandeliers, jewelry, statues, and home decorations Murano is famous for. Then we looked at showrooms filled with the finished product. Much of it was too big and too busy for my taste,but Chuck and I were both charmed by a wine decanter suggesting the shape of a cat prepared to pounce, delicately etched with grapes on vines. We bought that, and matching wine glasses. They will be made specifically for us, and shipped. They should arrive soon after the case of Italian wine Chuck ordered back in Venice! (In addition to glassware and wine, I bought a silver coliseum charm, a silver gondola passing beneath the Rialto Bridge charm, 2 oil paintings of Venice by a local artist, and many gifts!)

When we returned to Venice, we were let out at the dock near the hospital. Nearby, there were many ambulances “parked” at the dock – all boats. The ER entrance is through a tunnel under the hospital. The police “cars” are all boats, as well, with flashing lights.

We toured St, Mark’s, and the Doges’ Palace. Those Doges knew how to live. What art the churches don’t have, the Doges have. Absolutely amazing. There was too much to look at!

At twilight, Chuck and I took a gondola ride with the second Marco of the day. He pointed out the meanings of markings on the bridges, and which buildings are Unesco buildings, meaning renovations are being paid for by all of us. We actually own part of some buildings in Venice ;-) He didn’t sing, but some gondoliers did. We went along the Grand Canal, and through many of the canals that are like side streets and back streets. There are even stoplights!

We had dinner on our own, late, in a courtyard under bowers of vines, next to a statue of St Anthony in a wall grotto. Afterward, we strolled through Piazza San Marco, listening to the quartets, eating gelato in the shadow of St. Mark’s. At night, there are no birds. They all retreat to the roof and eaves of the buildings in the piazza.

Thursday was our last full day in Venice, we spent most of it on our own, shopping, and stopping into random churches and stores, and taking the water taxis from island to island. We went to San Giorgio, and Lido, and ended up in the campanile at Piazza San Marco, watching the sun set over all of Venice from 325 feet up. We had another wonderful Italian dinner (I had so much good pasta, I can’t ever hope to taste anything so good here!) at another friendly sidewalk restaurant, and ended the night at some pub that played nothing but Allman Brothers – the first music we heard in a week that wasn’t Italian!

Friday the 13th we woke early, and had a last walk around St. Mark’s. It was a much nicer day for travel, leaving, than we’d had coming. Our private water taxi picked us up at the dock at 10 30, and we went by water to the Venice airport. That was a pretty unusual experience!

I adored Rome, and Venice is a fairy tale place, and I loved the people, and their humor, as much as the magic of the places.

All photos by Judi

Ireland travel journal 2006

2008-06-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Ireland trip, 2006

This was our 9th trip to Ireland. I planned this trip with the intention of taking things much easier than we normally do. I always say, if I want to relax, I’ll stay home. After this many trips, going to Ireland *is* going home, and I know I will return again. With that in mind, I abandoned our usual circuit that takes us all around the country, and focused on a smaller area – beginning in West Cork and ending up in Connemara. We chose 4 hotels as bases, and branched out from there. We took a couple of boat trips, but nothing like last year, when we went to Arranmore Island, off Donegal, or Clare Island, off Mayo, and Garinish, off West Cork. Still, in staying “close to home” we managed to put 2,329 miles on the Beemer. Petrol, by the way, was about €1.10 per litre, or about $5 a gallon.

A few general details first. April is considered the rainy season in Ireland. (We’ve been told July is the dry season – when it only rains 4 days a week!) We must have been lucky, because the weather was delightful throughout. We had a few misty moments, and some “showery spells” but we had only one rainy day, and it was near the end of the trip. The temps were in the 40s, with the hot day being 50*.

We arrived a couple of hours later than expected due to our flight leaving Boston late, on the St Padraig. Added to a long layover in Boston, we landed at Shannon about 26 hours after we’d left home. I really miss that direct flight out of Baltimore!

We picked up our car, a silver BMW 118D, a little hatchback diesel sort of thing with a plastic key that looked like it belonged to a child’s toy car, and a push button starter. But it had an auxiliary jack in it that allowed me to plug in my iPOD without all the attachments required last year. We had about 1,000 Celtic songs at our fingertips with no muss no fuss.

We headed south to County Cork, to a lovely little village called Clonakilty. On the way, we drove past the Limerick club where we had tickets a few days later. It was good to see it wasn’t in the industrial section of Limerick City, in spite of being called Dolan’s Warehouse and was on Dock Road. We checked into our hotel about 3 in the afternoon, and just hung around until dinner. I have never been as tired as I was after that flight, and remembering the plan to take it easy, we did.

Those were the 1st two pretty uneventful days of our trip – Thursday and Friday, 30 March and 31 March. The adventures started the next day.

Saturday, 1 April – We’ve never paid a lot of attention to most of Cork, aside from Cobh, the Beara Peninsula, and Mizen Head. It’s just been a place to pass through on the way to somewhere. We decided to spend some time exploring, and started off just south of Clonakilty to Galley Head, where there is a lighthouse. The entire area is coastal, and it was so windy that day! I have tangles in my hair that will be there until June.

Next we went to Timoleague, very nearby to the east, where there is an old Franciscan abbey, built in 1240, on the OLD monastic site (6th century). There’s a pretty garden, and the town is colorful and charming. On the way there, we tried to find a way to get in to Castlefreke Castle, in Rosscarbery. It was sealed off, and we don’t usually break and enter historic sites until much later in our trips. But who wouldn’t at least try to go to a place called Castlefreke?

On several trips before, we have gone right through Kinsale, further east still, and every time we have said, This looks nice…but we never made time to stop. So, we went to Kinsale. It’s a pretty little coastal town, but doesn’t stand out more than many others. I think if you are a big seafood fan, they specialize. We did tour Charles Fort, a well preserved star shaped fort from the 1600s, and a heritage site. On the drive back, we passed Inchydoney Beach, a long, beautiful stretch that causes the entire town of Clonakilty to beam with pride. There were guys with surfboards on the water, a couple of them attached to big colorful kite type things. Gale force winds AND the sun was out! We went walking on this beach a couple of evenings, collecting seashells.

Sunday, 2 April – It was mostly sunny, very windy, and with “showery spells”. These come out of nowhere and wash everything down for 3 or 5 minutes, maybe less, and are followed by wonderful fresh weather, often sunny, until the next showery spell. We went east again Sunday morning, to Cobh. Cobh is further east than Kinsale, so we back tracked the route of the previous day, but we wanted to get there early and see if the harbor cruise was running. As it happened, it was not. The sign said they’d be back in June. The harbor was so choppy, I doubt they’ve have been going out anyway. We walked around a while, but the town was literally closed. Of course, it was 10 or 11 on Sunday. We hadn’t thought about the fact that they were probably all up in St Colman’s at Mass…and the stores don’t open there on Sunday!

It was no hardship driving along the coast road back through Clonakilty and past it, west to the always fun-to-say village of Skibbereen. Skibberreen is one of the little peninsulas that juts out along the coast of West Cork. Boats to Sherkin Island and Cape Clear leave from there, and it is a very sweet, colorful little town. Its next door neighbor, just west, is Baltimore. Another lovely little coastal town, a little touristy, pretty, and with boats going out. They revel in their history of being attacked by pirates way back when. There is a huge space ship looking thing on top of a cliff at the harbor’s entrance. It is called The Beacon, and is also known as Lot’s Wife. The picture of Chuck next to it puts its enormity into perspective. The hill was very slippery and marshy and I came down part of it on my butt, requiring laundry be done sooner rather than later.

Monday, 3 April – We left Clonakilty and headed northwest to Killarney. This is usually the last stop on our itinerary, so it was nice to enjoy it without the usual dread of knowing the trip is coming to its end. We stopped in Bantry on the way, and toured Bantry House. I would recommend this tour when the gardens are in bloom. It was all green when we were there, but I imagine the flowers will be spectacular. There are 100 steps up a terraced hill behind the house that allow a view of the house, gardens, and Bantry Bay that’s worth the stop. This isn’t a Heritage Site, unfortunately. There was no one else there when we went, and we were welcomed to roam freely, in and out. It’s a beautiful setting, and full of wonderful ancient Irish things and some good Rebel history.

Next, we drove out to Mizen Head, and had lunch overlooking the cliffs there. Wouldn’t you know – just after we pulled in, a tour bus full of older folks pulled in, all wanting their tea.

The last stop we made before Killarney was Glengarriff. We first visited Glengarriff last year when we took a boat trip out of there to Garinish Island, also spelled Garnish Island, and also called Ilnacullin! This is a good time to point out that it’s a fun game to see how many ways the Irish change the spellings of their placenames within a 2 block radius! Anyway, Glengarriff is a wee village, with a gorgeous, stunning bay and really adorable main street. They were building a big ugly hotel there this year, so we aren’t the only ones to have discovered it. Last year I bought a sweater made from black sheep wool, a tweed purse, and an Irish cap for myself. I bought another this year, and added an Irish brooch to it. We had a lovely chat with the saleslady in one of the shops, and she invited us to stay and have a cup of tea with her.

In Killarney, we checked into The Gleneagle, and headed for the city center. Mac’s was closed, and stayed closed the whole time we were there, so we went to Robertino’s. Margaret was still working there.

Tuesday, 4 April – It was a fine day for the Ring of Kerry, including stops at Staigue Fort, and Sneem, which is such a picturesque little village. We had lunch at the Scariff Inn, which has a strange hybrid US/Irish flag flying out front. I found that oddly disturbing, though many Irish establishments fly a US flag. It was the first combination flag I’d ever seen, and I hope the last! The café and shop also accept US dollars, which I’ve never seen anywhere in the country. One entire wall of the café is window, overlooking a postcard view of Kerry and the Atlantic. The little old man who ran the gift shop was as corny as Kansas in June, and full of information. He told us about the Killarney Bog Village, among 100 other things. I would estimate we have driven by it no fewer than 50 times over 9 visits, and never saw it. It is situated between Glenbeigh and Killorglin, behind the Red Fox Inn. Again, we were all alone there. It wasn’t actually open, but you pay the entry fee at the Red Fox Inn, and they don’t mind if you wander at leisure. You can even come back in for an Irish Coffee, at a discount, afterward! I took many pictures. You can see how the bog men lived, and there are sweet bog ponies.

On the way back to town, we took note that the Kissanes’ sheep farm, near Kenmare, was still closed for the season. If you want to see them do sheep herding and shearing demos, which we enjoyed last year, you will be able to in summer. And, you’ll have a chance to adopt a sheep ;-)

Some of those very alarming armed guards in camouflage had taken over Kenmare, as a deposit was being made to the bank from an armored truck. While we were there (in Ireland, not in Kenmare!) several armored trucks were highjacked and robbed. We went into Killarney town again for dinner, and in search of a book I wanted that won’t be available in the US for months. (We got The DaVinci Code in Ireland in paperback 2 years ago! It was just released in paperback here a week ago.)

Wednesday, 5 April – Dingle town. Our mobile phone charger failed, and we discovered an entire new section of Dingle town when one phone store there directed us to another. Make sure when you get to Dingle that you explore the streets BEHIND the main street! Great stuff back there, including a stone church at the top of a hill. We did the Dingle drive, Slea Head, across the Conor Pass, and back to Dingle for lunch. We didn’t go on the Fungi boat tour, because we had another dolphin watch tour planned for Clare.

We went to the Gap of Dunloe to see if the pony traps were running for the season yet, and met Jim, who was one of only 2 drivers out. He and Tom took us on a nice ride up to the old British jail. He offered to take us farther, but last summer we took the buggy to the top, and the boat ride down through the lakes, and I realized that to the British jail was far enough in a trap. We met the parish priest on the way, and Jim stopped to show us Echo Lake. We called out, and a perfect echo returned! No one ever showed us that before, probably because of the summer crowds. The funniest thing – as we approached mid point on the return trip, Tom started neighing furiously. In the distance, another horse answered. Jim said, “He’s calling to his friends that he will be back soon.” This went on all the way back, growing more and more frenzied, until Tom met up with his friends.

Thursday, 6 April – We drove the Beara Peninsula this day, which is the least developed of the 3 peninsulas, and is mostly, but not all, in County Cork. There is a little island off of Beara called Dursey Island, and they have a cable car that goes from Beara to Dursey. You can see both sides clearly, and the entire structure looks to be made up of 2 of the metal things they string electrical wires from, and a cable car that runs back and forth. There was a signpost on the Beara side that pointed to Dursey Island, and also announced, curiously, that it was 3310 km to Moscow!

We had tickets to see The Saw Doctors in Limerick later that night and about a 90 minute drive to get there, but after the Beara, we had a little time to spare before that. We toured Muckross House.

After dinner we left for Limerick. The Ticket Master thing said 9 p.m. So, I figured since it was general admission, in America, you'd need to be there at 4, at the latest. But I remembered even when going to see Jackson Browne in Ireland, at a general admission concert, we walked up to the door 15 minutes before showtime, and got 2nd row seats. And we could have had 1st, if my friend hadn't been taping!!!

So, remembering that things there are just so much easier, we went to the venue at about 8 30. It was a place called Dolan's Warehouse, with a capacity of 350. One section was a pub, one a really intimate room for lesser known acts, and the Warehouse. As we walked to the pub to find out what to do, we could hear the sound check. There was no line, nothing...I asked in the pub where I should go to get my tickets. The barman said, at the door when it opens. He also said, It'll be more like 9 30 - they never open on time. So we ordered a pint, decided to relax. I didn't really care about being up close, like for a Jackson show. The pub was packed, but in the middle of all the activity, the barman came up to us and said, The Warehouse doors are open now, if you want to go get seats. I thought that was really sweet, that he thought to do that.Well, at the door, I told the girl I didn't have my tickets, but I had my little TM sheet printed out. She said, That's fine...marked off my name, which was on her little list, and we went in. The place had a tiny stage, and a floor with a few tables at the back, and a bar to the side. Then there was a sort of U shaped balcony that had a rail and bar stools. We went up, sat overlooking stage left, at the upper left point of the "U". It was amazing. Nearly the best seats I've had for a concert, and we walked in 10 minutes after the doors opened. It was so much fun. The band loves its job.

There were only about 50 of us in the U, as it was just a rail with one bar stool deep. No one in front or you, no one behind. Oh - and when I went to the bathroom, there wasn't a line. It's all simpler there! We saw these guys play the Birchmere, and Wolf Trap, which is big. It was so cool to see them in a tiny room! They played until midnight, and we got back to Killarney about 1 30. There was a guy named Curtis Magee playing in the hotel lobby, and 100 old people with him, drinking and singing along! We said, Aha!!! We knew they waited until we went to bed to have parties!

Just an item of interest – Van Morrison will be playing a concert at The Gleneagle in May. While we were staying there, it was country music week. Colette and Jive Beat one night, singing Stand by Your Man~~~~

Friday, 7 April – We left Killarney and drove to Tarbert, got right on the ferry, and went across to Killimer, just minutes from Kilrush. It was very efficient, and €15 one way. We were across in no time. We spent the day on Loop Head, West Clare. There used to be a pub here with a sign that said, Last pint until America, or Boston, or something like – but I didn’t see it this time. Loop Head is rugged, and isolated and very much off the beaten path. There is a lighthouse at the tip. People live there, but it hasn’t been really settled. St Senan’s Well is there. If you read Ireland, by Frank Delaney, about the storyteller, there is a story in it about a St Senan - maybe the same one. There sits the well, in the middle of a fort nearly as tall as the little chapel they’ve built over it, in the middle of nowhere. Inside are many offerings left by people who come to the site to pray. We ended the day in Ennistymon, at the Falls Hotel, with a walk down by the falls. In April, the sun was still up after 8.

Saturday, 8 April – We planned to take the Carrigaholt Dolphin Cruise, but it was “too fresh”. The best definition I have heard for “fresh” is anything from a cool breeze to gale force winds. We learned to trust the judgment of the people who run the boats after our near death Skellig adventure a few years back, and found things to do on land. I braced for a visit to the Cliffs of Moher, which used to be a highlight of every trip, in any weather. They are “upgrading”, which is usually a bad idea and more so in this case. At this time, they have replaced the building with the outdoor toilets, the little gift shop, and the dirt car park with a much more tour bus friendly set up. The treacherous walk to the cliffs, a worthy test of Darwin’s theory, is now a tidy and safe walkway with a fence. The thrill is gone for me. They are building a whole new visitor center that will be hidden under a grassy hill, so as not to detract from the grand Cliffs. The current mess will be removed. I will reserve judgment on that.

We had lunch in the tiny village of Mountshannon, and toured Castle Birr Demesne in County Offaly . If you are interested in photography or astronomy, this is a good tour.

Sunday, 9 April – Finally, the dolphin tour! We bought lunch from a deli and ate on the beach at Kilkee, watching a girls’ football team practice in the 45* temps, and people in wetsuits learning to dive.

The dolphin boat went at 2, and was about a 2 hour trip. Including the couple who ran the thing, we had 18 people on the boat. The couple visited and talked with everyone who wanted to talk. They gave us names for several ruins we passed by, and lighthouses, and recommended things to see. We saw dozens and dozens of dolphins! Big ones, little ones, groups and loners. I gave up trying to get good pictures and just enjoyed watching them play around the boat. This was a very cool trip.

Monday, 10 April – The last leg of the trip and this is when I always start to get sad. We left Clare for Galway, where we stayed in Connemara, in Oughterard. We stopped in Galway City Center to buy me a couple of football jerseys. I already had Kerry, but wanted Galway and Clare. I decided to forego Cork, which is RED and white. I don’t do RED ;-) As we passed by Rossaveal, we stopped in and got tickets for the next day to go to the Arans. You are probably saying, you don’t pass by Rossaveal going from Clare to Oughterard. We do. Now you can see how we put 2,329 miles on the car in 2 weeks.

I loved the hotel in Oughterard. It had the best feeling from the minute we checked in, until we left and they wished us Safe home, with a God bless you, and hope we’ll see you next year! The other places were nice, but you know how you can feel immediately at home.

Very near the hotel was a castle built in 1500, Aughnanure Castle, which has been nicely restored and is a heritage site. We went there in the late afternoon, and then on to the Glengowla Silver Mines, also very near. The sign offered a tour, and we thought, Why not? It had the look of a ghost town – not a soul in sight. As we walked toward the little office/shop, an older man appeared and went in with us. He said they were still giving tours, and the guide would be right along. We put on our hard hats, and followed our 18 year old rockhound guide John, who told us everyone calls him Johnnay. So we did, too. We learned all you could want to know about the galena, from which you can extract silver if you heat it to melting. (It became a joke with us that most food in Ireland, soup especially, is served hot enough to melt the galena!) The tour was amusing, but when we got back to the office, we got into a conversation with the older man, Paddy. He had a cousin who left Ireland when they were young, joined the US Army, and was killed in a battle somewhere. He keeps a photo of his cousin, in US Army uniform, in a place of honor on the wall there, and wonders if he married and had kids here. He tried to use the internet to find out, but was confounded by it. Of course, over the course of this, I took a photo of the photo and offered to see what I could find. I told him I’d email him if I found anything. He said to Johnnay, Do I have email? I have his snail address, just in case.

Tuesday, 11 April – We booked the 1 o’clock ferry to Inis Mór, on this very cool, sunny, windy day. We spent the morning driving around Connemara, to Leenane, which is such a breathtaking place. They have built a café adjacent to the ticket office at Rossaveal. You can eat there, or get food to take away if you wanted to eat on the ferry. A lot of people on our ferry were sorry they had eaten before. This was our 7th trip over to the islands, and by far the roughest seas! Our first trip over was on a little boat that felt like it was going to capsize any minute. This was one of the BIG ferries, and the waves were having their way with it. Lots of plastic bags were handed out, and many were used.

When we got off the boat, there were lots of vans about, but only one pony trap. We walked straight up to him, and Chuck said, “Oh good, you came for us. You must have got our text message.” The driver didn’t miss a beat. He said, “Sure I knew you were coming.” We had the best time with him. His name was Mike, and when he heard we’d been to the island and done the standard route several times, he asked if we wanted to go to the other end, which looks across to Inis Meáin. Mike left us to walk where we would, and waited for us up over the hill. The scenery was beautiful, and there were remains of a church from around the year 500, and a great cemetery with old and new headstones, side by side, each telling stories of the island’s families.

The chip shop was closed, but there were several other new pubs, restaurants, and hotels sprung up since last year, and my photo of the harbor is very different than last year’s, once again.
The boat ride back was much calmer and quieter, I’m happy to say.

Wednesday, 12 April – This was the first real rainy day of our trip. We went to Kylemore Abbey, where it seems to be raining or overcast, always, no matter what it’s doing anywhere else. We didn’t tour the house, just looked in the gift shop and took pictures of the house.

After lunch in Leenane, where, guess what – they were doing major road widening – we decided to go up to Mayo to Achill Island. It was a nice drive, past bog after bog, but by the time we got to Mayo, the tops of the mountains were obscured by fog. We didn’t go up, since the roads there are still one winding narrow lane, and we couldn’t have seen a thing from the top. We went to the end of the island, instead, where there was an impressive beach. We had to wait out a funeral, one of 2 we saw with hundreds of cars in the procession.

Oh, I was really shocked to see that Peacocke’s was closed for the season! I thought Peacocke’s never closed.

Thursday, 13 April – The last full day in Ireland. I hate this day! I try to drag my feet to stop time, while cramming in everything. In the morning we drove around Connemara, and found Tully Cross, where thatch rules. Streets of thatch cottages, including one that resembles a wookie. It’s actually a lodge – Pine Lodge. After lunch in Clifden, which gets trendier by the day, we decided to head into Galway to the City Center. Over the last few years, they have been “improving” Eyre Square. It was supposed to reopen this day, after a € 9 million refurbishing, but when we got there, the construction fences were still up, and a full crew at work. There are supposed to be 120 new trees. I didn’t see nearly so many. We didn’t see much different, and the people of Galway are pretty annoyed by the whole thing. I didn’t take pictures because it was basically a construction site. However, in Galway, I did find the book, at last, that I’d been seeking all over Ireland.

We drove back to Oughterard by the longest possible way, through Cornamona, and Cong…I had already done all the VAT paperwork. It is too depressing to leave that until the last night. We had a nice dinner at the hotel, enjoyed the turf fire in the lobby, and tried not to think about the long Friday ahead.

Friday, 14 April – There was only one thing left to do. I needed to go to Adare to see my castle, and its restoration progress. It’s usually on the way to Shannon, as we are usually coming from Killarney, and are heading north through Adare. We had time to go past Shannon, to Adare, where I dodged traffic to get the shot, as I do annually, and ran back to the car.
Then on to Shannon, where we boarded St Keeva. I can find nothing about St Keeva. Next time, I will ask about her. Or him.

Other highlights: During the time we were there, we saw the rugby matches that led to the Heineken Cup final. This would be the equivalent to the NFL football playoffs. Regional or, in Ireland’s case, provincial teams from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and France play. The country went mad when it turned out that the final would be All Ireland - played between Munster and Leinster, at Lansdowne Road in Dublin. The final was set for April 23, so we missed it. I am pulling for Munster, who are the underdogs.

We also missed two other things we couldn’t help being drawn into. The Irish Grand National, which was won by a horse who came in at 20-1, and the first Easter Parade in 40 years. A friend sent me pictures she took of this historic event.

Observations - The area around Moll’s Gap was being ripped up and widened. Many other roads as well. In some cases ancient stone walls have been torn down to widen them, and metal guard rails put up in their place. That said, we saw some of them being replaced with new stone walls, being built in the old way, with no mortar. Maybe over time, they will replace them all. And for every big ugly sprawling McMansion we have seen going up in the last years, this year we saw as many lovely little Irish cottages going up, with thatch roofs and window boxes. I am so happy Irish people are aware of the importance of preserving their heritage.

So, there you have my rather involved and shockingly long travel diary of our 2006 Ireland trip.

http://www.bebo.com/jxnfan
There are Irish pictures in the various Ireland volumes, as well as the Lighthouse and Cemetery sections of my other website.

All photos by Judi