See Me Now

         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 insi de 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.  ...

     Our main tourist visit on Sunday was to the  TitanicVisitor s 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...

     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 maj...

    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...

     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 ev...

     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 ...

     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 ...

     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.  A...

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 se...

         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.

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. ...

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.

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 gri...

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...