Ancient Relics

   

     On our last day in Ireland, we visited the Neolithic monuments at Bru na Bóinne.  Until we arrived there, I was completely clueless about this site, but it turns out to pre-date the Egyptian pyramids, and contains the largest known collection of megalithic carved stones. Access to the area is controlled to preserve it and unfortunately, visitors are not allowed inside the tombs (except for one small chamber in Knowth).  Still, it was pretty interesting, especially since we were given history and explanation of the structures by an utterly charming and handsome archeologist (really, what a cutie).  The downside to this visit was that it was freakin' cold.  We had uncharacteristically cold weather for our entire Ireland tour but at Brú na Bóinne, the relentless wind made the low temperatures feel worse.  Even the cute archeologist was not winning enough to keep us from scurrying back to the bus.

     After this visit we drove to nearby Drogheda and settled into our hotel.  We were scheduled for a walking tour of Drogheda in the afternoon, but I could not bring myself to go back out in the cold weather.  I later discovered I was not the only one -- most of us spent the afternoon indoors packing, shopping, or (in my case) using the hotel gym.  Later, we met up for a farewell dinner which was had in the hotel 'pub,' with entertainment by a group of really, really old musicians.  Really old.  They played sitting down.

     Thus endeth our tour.  We fled to the airport in shifts the following morning, and I arrived home 20 hours later, exhausted,

     Stand by within a few days for another blog post with some final thoughts.

Photos.

The really old musicians:  here and here.

The Boat and the Castle

     Our main tourist visit on Sunday was to the TitanicVisitors Experience in Belfast.  When I visited Belfast around 10 years ago, this site was nothing but barren dry dock in disrepair and I remember being amused when our tour guide said that a Titanic display was being planned. I thought they had missed the boat (haha) with that idea, since the Titanic movie was already several years old at that point and I figured interest had waned.
     Well, they did it anyway and I have to say, they did an outstanding job. I know I've been a big cynic about all these tourist attractions, but this one is awesome. The building itself is stunning and is scaled to mimic Titanic's hull. It is called a visitor 'experience' (vs. a museum) with good reason; it has been designed to be highly interactive so that visitors actually become part of the displays. Video is used in a variety of creative ways and to great effect. Somehow, they've managed to make you feel as if you're touring the actual ship when, of course, there is no ship for you to tour.  It the best museum-type experience I've encountered and I recommend it to visitors of all ages.  --  it is fascinating, and I can't imagine anyone being disappointed.
     After finishing up at Titanic, we had a short drive-through of Belfast which did not include any of the stuff I think is most interesting (the Shankill Road area, the Bobby Sands mural, etc) although we did make a short stop at the Europa Hotel which was bombed nearly 30 times during The Troubles.
     A few hours later, we arrived at Cabra Castle where we were greeted by the enormous Cabra Castle mascot dog, Oscar.  This is a real castle that has been restored into a hotel/event center. It was still cold and rainy, so instead of walking the beautiful grounds, we all decamped to the bar!  Later, we had dinner in the castle dining room, which was followed by a display of Irish dancing performed by two charming young ladies.  They answered questions for us as well, and cajoled a few of the group (not me) into  joining them on the dance floor for a short lesson.
     The castle is cool but not the overwhelming experience they play it up to be. The main building is a maze of passageways leading to a limited number of restored public rooms.  But, if you have your heart set on having your wedding party at a castle, this is the place.  Our group did not stay in the main building but rather in the courtyard rooms.  Mine was quite nice, spacious and comfortable and unhaunted (supposedly, a few rooms are).
     Monday is the last official day of our tour.  We're going to visit the Megalithic Tombs at Bru na Boinne, then spend the afternoon and night in Drogheda (DRO eh da).   Drogheda is just a short distance north of Dublin, and we will be driven from there to the airport on Tuesday morning.

Here are photos.

Derry

     I really loved the town of Derry.  I was intensely interested in it before arriving since it is the site of the Bloody Sunday events (I cannot explain why I have a huge interest in The Troubles of Northern Ireland.  I have no personal connection, and there are certainly many other US and worldwide events of equal or greater magnitude, but I have always been intrigued). I had a vision of Derry as dark and dejected, but it surprised me.  The town is anything but.  The people are lovely, friendly, and the town is full of promise.  They are anxious to put The Troubles behind them.  There is an attractive riverfront area on the Foyle, with a brand new pedestrian peace bridge joining the two sides.
     We had a short bus/walking tour on Saturday morning lead by Martin McCrossan who apparently, is the "go-to" guy in the area. He was informative, charming and passionate (and a major name dropper - he has guided tours for major politicians and celebrities). He provided an overview of the city history and layout, and spent a fair amount of time describing progress in recent years in Catholic / Protestant interactions.  After this tour, the group boarded the bus for their trip to the Giant's Causeway, while I stayed behind to spend more time in Derry.
     I walked back to the bogside (site of the Bloody Sunday events), walked the whole area,  took photos of all the murals, and toured the Museum of Free Derry.  This museum was excellent, providing a detailed account of Bloody Sunday and related events. It has sobering memorabilia on display, including clothes worn by some of the victims when they were shot, and a banner that was used to cover some of the victims' bodies on that terrible day.
     While I am fascinated by all this history, many people in Derry have moved on.  An interesting happening:  When I was looking for the Free Derry Museum, I got a little lost (as usual).  I was standing near a corner where, by my figuring, the museum should have been, but I couldn't see it.  Just then, two youngish women came walking out of a housing complex, apparently on the way to do their shopping, so I asked them for help. I showed them the brochure from the museum and they looked confused and one said "I have no idea."  I showed her the address (which was for the street we were standing on) and then suddenly she realized and pointed me around the corner where she thought it was.  She was correct, but I was struck that she lives in view of  Free Derry corner, and about 100 feet from the museum, but is little affected.
     After my museum visit, I walked the old city walls, had a wonderful salad lunch, and cruised through the local shops. The weather was miserable (hail!), but otherwise, I really enjoyed my solo day.  When the group returned, we had another potato laden dinner and left Derry on Sunday morning headed for a drive-through of Belfast, on the way to our stay at the restored Cabra Castle.

Here are photos of Derry.

a recent article

U2's  Bloody Sunday

Galway to Derry

 

  On Saturday, we left Galway and drove to Derry making a few stops on our way.  The first was at the Country Life Museum which gave all sorts of history about thatching (yawn) and the third was at the Belleek pottery factory.  This was also a yawn, but I did come away with an appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into the creation of this pottery, particularly the flower bedecked baskets.  Also, I made friends with an adorable cat.
     Our second stop was probably a yawn for the rest of my tour-mates, but I was totally excited to see W.B. Yeat's grave which is located in the Drumcliffe Churchyard in County Sligo.  One of the best parts about this stop is that you just pull up and walk over there -- the site has not been made into a major tourist extravaganza.  (OK, there is tea-room / souvenir shop but it is set aside and unobtrusive. I'm sorry to report I did not refrain from buying a Yeats t-shirt).  The Drumcliffe Church is still an active one and it was mindblowing for me to visualize congregants passing by Yeats's grave every week on their way to services.  I'm sure I'm not the first to notice that the door pulls to the church are in the shapes of swans.
     We made it to Derry by 5pm and I got a workout in at the hotel exercise room before our hotel meal. The hotel was swarming with men from the Royal Navy wearing snappy blue suits with embroidered insignias and pinned with ribboned medals.  There was some sort of ceremony planned for Sunday and we later found out that a member of the royal family was there (Prince Michael who heads the Royal Navy), so half the hotel was occupied by the English equivalent to the secret service.  We also noticed a heavy police presence in the surrounding area and I wondered how much of that was extra due to the royal visit, vs. whatever is typical for this area that has so much history with The Troubles (more on that, next post).
     Here are photos.

The Food

     Our breakfasts are had at the hotels and so far, they have all been extensive, buffet style, with plenty of variety.  As you would expect to see in America, there are scrambled eggs, sausages, potatoes (McDonalds-style hash browns, or restaurant style wedges), pastries, fruit, jams and jellies. What the Irish call bacon is what we consider ham slices. Sadly, I have not seen any Nutella, a breakfast treat I have enjoyed on prior trips. Unlike in America, breakfasts also feature platters of deli meats and cheeses (salami, etc. and soft  brie-like cheese),  brown beans (yuk), tomatoes (stewed or baked), sautéed or steamed mushroom slices, and little brown or blond muffin looking-things that I've since learned are black or white pudding.  Warning: in the same way that sweetbreads are not bread, these are not pudding.
     As I've hinted previously, our pre-ordained lunch stops have been at pubs or small eateries that feature fried everything.  Fish and chips (fries), burgers and chips, cheese sandwiches, and seafood chowder.  The only greens appear as pitiful garnishes to these bounties of cholesterol. The lack of greens carries over to dinner (again, at our hotels), all of which feature three courses:  appetizer, main and dessert. One night I ordered a goat cheese / pear salad as my appetizer.  This turned out to be an enormous piece of crusty bread with melted goat cheese over the top, with a canned pear half and a couple of dandelions languishing on the side. Tasty, but hardly a salad. You can understand my joy when yesterday, on my rebel trip to Galway, I found a Mixed Greens restaurant for lunch.
     Our Galway restaurant was heavy on the potatoes.  Each dinner entree featured a decorative swirl of green-tinted mashed potatoes, as well as shared side dishes featuring two more types of potatoes.  On Wednesday night, they were scalloped or boiled.  On Thursday, they were mashed, or diced with onions and cabbage.  Other sides are typically carrots, parsnips or beets (do you detect the pattern?  root vegetables!)
     As you know, I am not a big beer drinker (bring me the wine) but at the pub last night, I couldn't bring myself to priss out with a pinot grigio or cabernet, or even a lighter beer like Heineken. I asked our guide, Bob, what was the least intense beer I could order without embarrassing myself.  He advised me to order a shandy beer, which turns out to be a glass of 1/3 lemonade (!) and 2/3 beer. I ordered it (the tender did not laugh) with Smithwicks (the W is silent) as my beer choice.  And I have to concede that Bob's advice was sound.  It was a little sweet, but a way for me to drink and enjoy darkish beer.  
     I've noticed that pubs and restaurants are stocked with barware for each of the beers  / ales they serve.  Thus your Smithwicks will be served in a Smithwicks glass, your Guinness in a Guinness glass, Beamish in a Beamish glass, and so on.  Plenty of my tour-mates have been enjoying Guinness every night and truly, a properly drawn Guinness is a vision to behold -- rich and creamy mocha looking toward the top, then darkening in degrees toward the bottom of the glass.  Bob, who clearly likes to hoist a few, later said "people think I drink a lot but really, they're all shandy beers."  Uh huh.  Nice try Bob, but I'm not buying it.

Breakfast fare:  "Bacon"  Bangers and Black/White puddings

Breakfast fare:  beans, mushrooms, tomatoes

Solo Travel vs. Tour

     Loyal readers know that in the past, I've traveled entirely solo, so going on a tour this time is a big change. The verdict so far?
     On the plus side, there is no thinking required on my part. Everything is orchestrated and they tell you where to be, when, and you get driven to all the sights. They've done a very good job coordinating so you spend 1.5-2 hours max between stops and then have plenty of time at whatever the destination tourist sight is.  Our driver/guide has also done a good job getting us to each place a bit ahead of other bus tours, so we're ahead of the crowd, so to speak. It's not that crowded overall anyway -- but I bet it will be in a few weeks when the tourist season begins in full swing.
     It does feel really cheesy to be descending en masse at all these tourist sights. But I keep reminding myself that I would be going to all the same places if I were doing this on my own and it would be a lot more work.  It's just that when you do it on your own, you have the illusion that you're exercising some control when, in fact, you're really following the same tourist blueprint.  And it definitely is a blueprint.  It's clear, and a little disturbing, that everything we do and buy has been pre-ordained  by the Irish tourist industry.
     On the minus side, I'm chafing under the regimen. Everything is dictated and there isn't much time to do things outside the group. Typically, we get on the bus by 8:30 each morning,  go all over the place, and return by 4:30 - 5:00.  All the dinners are pre-arranged, so we eat as a group at the hotel.  Ditto breakfast.  We are supposedly 'on our own' for lunch but what really happens is that the driver pulls up to whatever restaurant his friends own, and directs us in there and we all eat together again.  On Wednesday, I had vowed not to eat at his chosen restaurant, but it turned out to be the only restaurant at our stop, so I had no choice.
     On Thursday, I staged a small rebellion.  We were in Galway and the plan for the day was to drive to Cong and take a tour of the area where some of the 1952 movie "The Quiet Man" was filmed. This sounded like the ultimate in "making something out of nothing to sweep in more tourist dollars" so I decided to bail on the bus tour and spend the day by myself in Galway.
     I took the city bus into town and  then tooled around on my own for awhile (museum, St. Nicholas Church). Then I found the tourist office (yes, a tourist office but somehow, this seemed better) and asked if they had any walking tours. They nodded to an old man and said he was scheduled to conduct a tour in about 5 minutes. This guy (probably in his 70s or older) has lived in Galway all his life. He took us around for 2.5 hours (!) and showed us all sorts of things I would not have discovered on my own.
     Afterwards, I was hungry so I backtracked to a restaurant I had spotted. There seems to be a serious deficit of lettuce here in Ireland so I was thrilled to find a restaurant called "Mixed Greens" where I had a delicious salad (more on food in a future post). After this late lunch, I shopped around, took the bus back, used the hotel exercise room and then met my fellow tourists for dinner.
     After hearing about their day, I feel confident I made the right choice.  They said the Quiet Man tour involved a group re-enactment of some of the movie scenes (a horror ranking right up there with Karaoke in my book) and that the rest of the day involved a lot of bus time with nice scenery, but nothing better than we had already seen.
     I had been a little afraid folks might be offput at my leaving the group for a day but on the contrary, I detected a bit of jealousy and admiration at my moxie.  One woman said "wow, I didn't know we could decide not to go" and a man whispered over the dinner table: "you didn't miss anything!"  I'm planning a similar rebellion on Saturday -- I'll skip the trip to the Giant's Causeway (I've been there) and spend the day in Derry.

Catching Up

     It's time I caught you up, fellow travelers.  I'm just realizing that I haven't reported on our doings since we arrived in Killarney.  Killarney seemed to be a nice, touristy town.  Lots of pubs and shops and cleaner looking than Cork or Dublin.  But I was feeling peckish (jet lag related I think) and therefore did not get out as much as I'd like.  

     On Tuesday we toured the Dingle Peninsula, stopping at an information center where we learned about the Blasket Islands and their erstwhile residents.  We also stopped in the town of Dingle itself, which is yet another collection of  restaurants and souvenir shops.  The Dingle peninsula is all about the scenery and the gaelic culture and we were not disappointed.

     On Wednesday, we left Killarney heading toward Galway.  En route, we stopped at the charming Adare Village (pretty park, cute shops), but the day's prime destination was the Cliffs of Moher.  They truly are incredible (see pictures).  The weather changed about 5 times in the 1.5 hours we were there, ranging from foggy to misty to overcast but clear.  I was impressed with the visitor center here -- it is built into the landscape (a cliff interior) so it is relatively unobtrusive.

     After also crossing the Burren, we arrived in Galway only to sweep right past it and settle into our hotel at nearby Salt Hill.  This hotel is right on Galway Bay and has wonderful views, but is several miles from the fun part of Galway.  For this reason and others (more on that in my next post), I bailed out on today's bus tour and spent the day by myself in Galway.

     This proved to be a good choice.  I got in a lot of much needed fresh air and walking, took a very good walking tour offered by a city guide, visited several other sights on my own, and generally enjoyed making my own decisions for a day.  I rejoined my tour buddies for dinner at the hotel and afterwards, several of us went back to Galway to try out some pubs and Irish music.  

     We leave Galway tomorrow and will cross into Northern Ireland for two nights in Derry, which I am excited to see.

     One downside of all this bus travel is that my little point and shoot camera doesn't do well from the bus, so many of my photos have my own reflection in them or are blurred.  I've tried to pick out some decent ones so take a look.  (Several of us have a plot underway to exploit the much better photos that one of our tour mates, who has a real camera and knows out to use it, seems to be getting).

The "E" Word

     As we motor around Ireland, our driver/guide (Bob) keeps us entertained with historical information, painfully corny jokes, and commentary about recent Irish cultural and political matters.  Much like in the U.S., Ireland has suffered a bad recession following a building and lending boom that collapsed in 2008-9.  The news is filled with familiar debates over the failure to hold banks and other financial institutions responsible for their roles in these events.  The business closures and job losses that followed, are also familiar.

     Interestingly, although many are suffering from the poor economy and unemployment, the consequences are not as dire as we find for many in the U.S.   For example, (Bob tells us), there is no homelessness in Ireland.  Anybody who cannot afford housing on his own can sign up for it with the government and will be provided with a home.  Rent is charged according to ability to pay.  After living in such a home for 7 years, the occupant is eligible to purchase it at a favorable price and mortgage rate.  The government also provides health care as well as end-of-life hospice.  A person nearing end-of-life can receive multiple, daily care visits in his own home, and 24 hour attendance, if needed, at the very end.  College level education is government funded - there are no private universities. Thus, anyone can attend college, provided he passes the rigorous entrance exams. These are just a few examples of how Ireland takes care of its citizens.

     As you might have guessed, these services are paid for with very high income tax rates, from a low of 22% up to 60%.  There are additional taxes and fees at every turn -- a yearly tax on car ownership, for example.  My impression is that the Irish are no more thrilled at paying taxes and fees than anybody else, but there does seem to be general understanding and acceptance that this is is what it takes to provide the services to which all Irish citizens are entitled (ah! there it is -- the E word!).   Indeed "entitlement" seems to be a point of pride here in Ireland rather than being regarded with derision, as it often is in the U.S.  To say "everyone is entitled to housing and health services" is, in the U.S., a left leaning view.  But it's a given here in Ireland where the opposite -- that not everyone is entitled -- is unthinkable.

Of Bodhran and Blarney

We've arrived in Killarney and before I catch you up on how we got here, I've got to tell this story:
After dinner tonight, a bunch of us decided to go to a pub and hear some music and in short order, we settled in at a nearby pub featuring a trio playing traditional Irish tunes on fiddle, bodhrán and guitar.  They played in the front while our large group gathered in the  back near a stage where soon, another band began to set up.     This set up was unbelievable. There were 4 or 5 twenty-something guys wheeling out trunk after trunk of  equipment which included huge speakers, amplifiers, microphones, at least 20 neatly coiled electrical cords, a sequin studded backdrop drape, and who knows what  else.   They spent no less than 45 minutes assembling all this stuff, with a distressing display of plumber's booty each time one of them bent over to plug something in.
We watched in horrified fascination.  These guys set up enough  equipment for a U2 concert at the Dublin O2,  yet this pub was no bigger than The Shine Cafe.  They even brought their own lighting arrays, for God's sake. We waited and waited  and finally one of our group inquired, only to be told that it would be another  1 1/2 hours before  these guys began their set.  We were highly invested at this point, but not  enough to wait that out so regrettably, we made our way to another pub.  It's hard to imagine these guys would be able to live up to the expectations they were setting, but they did seem to have a following of folks willing to wait them out.
Here's a short synopsis of the past two days.   We left Dublin on Sunday morning, stopping at  New Ross and then Waterford on the way to Cork.  We made it to Cork around 5pm and immediately were taken on a walking tour of the main city center which features the River Lee, St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, the Beamish and Crawford Brewery and a lot of pigeons.  We spent only one night in the very modern River Lee Hotel, and left early this morning to Blarney Castle (yes, I kissed the Blarney Stone - stand by for a photo of that) and nearby retail extravaganza.  After that, we made our way here to Killarney through Kenmare and on the Ring of Kerry.  Of course, the scenery is gorgeous (see photos).
Tomorrow we see sites around Killarney in the morning, then drive out to the Dingle peninsula, and return to  this very nice hotel for a second  night.

Here are a few links to info on items above:

bodhrán  -  http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=dMI4X8OOMOg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdMI4X8OOMOg

Shine Cafe - http://shinesacramento.com/

Blarney Castle - http://www.blarneycastle.ie/

Ring of Kerry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Kerry

Photos from the past two days, including a few snaps of the band setting up this evening.

A hundred visions and revisions

   
     Readers, I hope that you are at least somewhat familiar with the history of Ireland's fight for independence, and 'the Troubles' that disrupted all of Ireland, but were especially felt in the north.   Many believe that the 1998 peace agreement put an end to it all.  Certainly, great progress toward peaceful relations has been made in the ensuing years, but there is still plenty of passion about this and it is close to the surface throughout Ireland.
     Witness this article in today's Independent, taking Gerry Adams to task for his evasiveness about his history with the IRA and its violent acts. The article is all the more interesting for the interweaving of Eliot's Prufrock throughout.

Dublin Day

Let me just start by saying that however abashed I am at being on an escorted tour, at least I am not riding around in a bright yellow, faux viking ship wearing a devil-horned helmet (see photo).  I have already spent more time than it's worth trying to decide if these people are getting a discount to wear these helmets, or if they actually paid extra for the privilege. In any case, the line they have crossed is a line I don't want to get anywhere close to.
On our tour, we started off with a trip to Russborough House,  a beautiful and art-filled estate about an hour outside of Dublin.  The grounds are also gorgeous, and covered by lowing sheep who, in my view, have nothing to complain about.  This was quite an interesting tour, topped off by a video showing numerous 3-D photographs taken by Alfred Beit, who purchased Russborough  in part, to house his art collection.
After returning to Dublin, we were cut loose to do our own things.  I visited the Dublin Writers' Museum (info and displays on Swift, Joyce, Wilde, Yeats, Shaw, Lady Gregory and many others), the Temple Bar area, the General Post Office (site of the 1916 Uprising) and many other sights as I wended through the streets.  In the evening, we drove to Howth for dinner at the Abbey Tavern followed by a show of Irish music and dancing (think River Dance).  A tourist trap?  Absolutely, but nicely done and devoid of viking helmets.
           Factoid:  The Irish pronounce Joyce's great work differently than we Americans.  American:  "you-LI-seas"     Irish:   "OO-li-seas"
Tomorrow we leave Dublin making several stops on our way to Cork.

Today's pics

A Technical Note

Despite some trial runs while still at home, I'm finding it difficult to navigate blogspot and picasa via iPad.  I've been unable to incorporate links,  some of the formatting is getting hosed, and picasa is foiling my attempts to label pictures. That, combined with the spotty internet at our first hotel, is making things difficult.  Hang in there while I try to work these issues out.  I hope to catch up on things tonight.

Let the touring begin!

Friday:  The tour company dropped several of us off at our hotel by about 8:30am Dublin time.  Happily, I was able to check in early, shower, and take a nap.  I awoke around noon, went on a short walk, and then met our tour group in the hotel lobby, at which point touring commenced at full steam.  There are fewer than 30 of us, so we are a comfortable fit on the cushy tour bus.  We piled on and took off with great fanfare, only to sit, stymied in the horrible Dublin holiday weekend traffic (Monday is May Day). Our tour guide was clever, however, and she kept the narrative going until we worked our way out of the city center.
We crisscrossed quite a bit and eventually, ended up at Kilmainham Gaol.  The gaol started out housing perpetrators of all manner of major and minor crimes, but ended as a repository for political prisoners.  It was here that 14 men were executed for their parts in the 1916 uprising.  It was plenty grim -- dank and cold -- with cells built to house a single prisoner but which were overstuffed with 5-6 prisoners during the high-crime era of the potato famine. Children were imprisoned as well as adults, for infractions such as stealing apples or bread, or throwing snowballs at one another.
After returning to the hotel, our guide gathered us all together for a short talk on tour logistics and then we were set loose for dinner.  I conned a few people into going with me to the International Bar on Wicklow Street, which turned out to be a seemingly authentic pub (but how would we really know?) where we had Irish stew, that being the only choice on the menu. People are right when they say that a Guinness here is better than a Guinness elsewhere.  I did not drink one (too wussy) but a few folks did, and they received elaborately prepared creamy, mocha-like ales with a solid inch of foam on the top.
I finished the evening with a short walk of the nearby Merrion Square park, which features a statue of Oscar Wilde.  See the photo and note that the statue is not painted -- the colors come from the various stones carved.

Pics

Here are a today's pics.


Pics

On the Ground in Dublin

I have just arrived in Dublin and I'm sitting here at the airport cafe with some grumpy tour-mates awaiting our transport to the hotel.  The flights were l-o-n-g, and mostly uneventful except for some horrifying turbulence somewhere over the Atlantic.  Truly, I had  some stressful moments wondering at what point I should reach for the useless life vest under my seat (honestly, have you ever heard of a plane going down in the ocean and they later rescued survivors bobbing safely over sea swells?). It was fairly gnarly, with a few passengers screaming just to keep it lively, but it didn't last more than a few minutes.  Awhile later, the pilot apologized over the PA system.  I was under the impression that turbulence is not something under his control -- thus, no need for an apology.  However, if I am mistaken, then I do not forgive him.

Anyway, I don't have much to report so far, so I will just share the poem I wrote earlier today.  It is a TriCube (my first), a la Phillip Larrea.


Boarding the Airplane

Single file,
down the aisle
to our cramped

pleathered nests.
Luggage wedged
overhead.

Passengers
wedged below.
Our wings, clipped.

Misinformation

Some months after concluding my 2009 Italy trip and blog, my architect and otherwise-very-smart friend gently informed me that I had misused several terms when describing the many cathedrals, domes and bell towers I visited. As it turns out, for example, duomo does not refer to a dome itself.  Rather, duomo properly refers to a cathedral, although sometimes it is used informally to refer to a non-cathedral church.  Likewise, I wasn't entirely on point with aedicula (that seems to be the correct spelling, although I've also seen aedicule, aedicole and edicole). Aediculae (plural) are architectural frames around doorways, windows or niches, which may or may not serve as small shrines.

Whew, I feel better, even though it took 4 years to correct myself. 

Regrettably, I notice several other points of inaccuracy when reading over those old Italy blog posts. (9/21/09: cafe is NOT spelled with two F's in Italian -- what made me think it was? I can't remember!)

Anyway, my point is: reader, be warned. I am often getting my information from guidebooks, other tourists, wikipedia, or my own misguided inferences. I try not to be too much of an idiot; alas, I sometimes fail. So please forgive what I hope are only occasional fact-checking lapses. 

Preserving the Past

As I update this blog for my upcoming trip to Ireland,  I wanted to preserve some of the original content from my 2009 trip to Italy.   Here is the map and itinerary for that trip.  Stay tuned for Ireland 2013!

 

2009 Italy Itinerary

Sun Sept 6 - Rome
Thu Sept 10 - Florence
Sun Sept 13 - Monterosso al Mar
Thu Sept 17 - Milan