What is that strange, glowing orb in the sky?

This weekend was unusually sunny!  Mark is happy about that, I am ambivalent. . . nothing new there.


It DID send us up to the roof garden on our building to check out the view - - pretty nice up there!  Looks like we'll have a good view of the St. Patrick's Day parade if the spectators aren't too obstructive.  Who needs bleacher seats?

up on the roof

We also took another stroll through our "neighborhood park" - - St. Stephen's green. . . can't really stay away from that place - it has a certain calming effect.  We walk slower, breathe deeper and smile more when we are within the walls.

This week we stopped to read each statue as we made our rounds. . . I commented to Mark that James Joyce actually did most of his writing while living outside of Ireland - - he wrote "Real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad."

Saturday evening took us to the National Concert Hall for our first symphonic experience in Dublin.  The venue itself was worth the price of admission . . . take a look at the organ. .

one of the young men in the choir loft was wearing his "Batman" T-shirt for the occasion

And this VERY Waterford chandelier.

The program was part of the Dublin International Film Festival, and featured movie music which was either composed by Danny Elfman, or which had influenced his work.  Amazing work by a theremin player, and an altogether entertaining program.  Coming back on stage for an encore, the conductor announced “no evening of Danny Elfman would be complete without this piece” and launched into “The Simpsons” theme song. . . the crowd went wild!

Sunday morning was taken up with packing for our mid-mester return to Indy for Mark to catch up on some obligations and me to catch up with friends and family.

Sunday afternoon we continued with our “end of the line” theme, taking the Dublin Bus to the far far away stop of Dun Boyne in County Meath.  There we were collected by Mark’s research partner who drove us farther into the country to his home to pick up his wife.  The tour for the afternoon included Trim where we visited this. . .

Trim Castle

You may recognize the castle if you saw “Braveheart” which was filmed on site here.

Then into the old country of fairies and kings, to the Hills of Tara. . . the weather cooperated by changing from sunny to overcast, misty and windy - - perfect for hearing the fairy talk.

Fairy Cottage

Passage Tomb - being stabilized (for passage to the underworld?)

A lovely dinner of traditional Irish Stew left us happy and ready for the road ahead.

Left early Monday morning and am writing this in JFK awaiting our flight to Indianapolis.  After a week there, we go to San Antonio for the annual Demolition convention. . . don’t know if you’ll be hearing from me during our stay at home or not, but you’ll definitely hear from me once we return to Dublin!

Slan for now.

Shhhh. . . listen!

Looking on the map it appears that we are right in the thick of things in Dublin, but it's actually pretty quiet in our neighborhood. . . so when a bird started singing outside our bedroom window at 5:00 in the morning I had to wonder what was going on?  Birds shouldn't be singing before sunrise!  When it happened again that evening after sunset, I was able to see on the ledge a rather large, solid color bird with no distinguishing markings.  Once it woke me up again at 5:00 the next day, I had to investigate!  I Googled - "Irish songbird night" and then it came to me - - "Blackbird singing in the dead of night . .  " how could I not have known!

Ash Wednesday brought more sounds into the apartment as the Cathedral bells welcomed Lent.  From their website:

"The Christ Church Cathedral Society of Change Ringers

(Established 31 July 1670)

Greetings from the Christ Church Cathedral Society of Change Ringers, Dublin! Ringers worldwide, please note that visitors are welcome both to join in service ringing and practice sessions. Contact the ringing master, Leslie Taylor with requests for use of bells.

Those who ring the great bells of Christ Church Cathedral maintain a tradition going back centuries. The cathedral's deployment of 19 bells, ranging in weight from a quarter of a ton to two and a quarter tons, represents a world record of numbers of bells available for full-circle ringing. Every bell as it sounds out has been swiftly swung through 360 degrees, to combine with the others in the music of the changes. The oldest bells still in use here date from 1738 while the first notice of bells in Christ Church tower is an entry in the records for the death of John Kyrcham, 'maker of our bells', in 1423. "

 

Listening in my Irish class has also gained importance since I have now given up on the aspect of actually reading Irish, and am concentrating on being able to use a few phrases appropriately.  That means writing everything down phonetically.  This may not win me any points with the teacher, but it will save my sanity.  In and exercise with a classmate who was "taking the class to impress his girlfriend"  we determined that buying chocolates for her would be much easier!!

 

My reading has been focussed on Irish authors, and I find the voice in my head using the lilting Irish brogue as the characters speak - - - one advantage to being a slow reader!

 

Other activities this week included a dinner with another DIT colleague, and attending four short plays by Samuel Beckett performed in the Samuel Beckett Theatre at Trinity College - - - flashback to my ONE semester as a theater major at FSU when I would have convinced myself that I actually understood Beckett!  Having read the memoir by his widow "Must You Go" I think I'm just as satisfied that I DON'T understand him (Diane Rehm made it sound like a much better book than it was) . . . my opinion only, if you loved it, I'm sure you aren't alone.

 

Ready for another weekend, then back to the US for a short visit for Mark to attend to some obligations. 

 

Slan go foill (bye for now)

 

 

 

 

Weekend notes - no special agenda

Since Mark had played hookey last week, he really HAD to get some work done over the weekend, so we filled in the gaps with short trips here and there.

I think Ed will like the hand made bodhran we found at this sweet little shop (the owners look like they may have been there since it opened in the 1800's).

Very Traditional Irish Music Store

Another walk through St. Stephen's Green showed more signs of Spring just around the corner - - I haven't figured out what the red "R" stands for, but I'll let you know if I do.

Lord Ardilaun - worked to get the park opened to the public

Fortunately he succeeded

Our destination was the National Gallery of Ireland to see a watercolor that is so richly colored that it is only unveiled for one hour three times per week. . . the photo is from their website, as obviously I would not have photographed inside the gallery. The colors were truly beautiful, but what doesn't show in the photo is the intricate detail - - it looks as though the dress was woven by his brush, and each hair individually placed.  Amazing!

"One of the Gallery’s most popular watercolours, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton (1816-1900) is now installed in a specially made cabinet in the Millennium Wing. Due to its delicate nature, the Burton watercolour will be available to view for a limited time each week"

Saturday evening Mass again - - had to hear that great choir singing in Irish again!  Then, I really was in a mood for PIZZA - funny what I miss - - - and Mark said he knew just the place.  We arrived and were early enough to get seated immediately.  I quickly glanced at the choices and was ready to order, while Mark continued to read and read.  Finally he started suggesting different combinations - - chicken, goat cheese, fresh beets - - really?  I wanted PIZZA - - pepperoni and hot peppers, please. . . so, we ordered the "American Hot" and I was a happy camper!

Sunday morning work, work, work for Mark while I caught up on some reading and bill paying. . . then off again on an adventure.

In keeping with our earlier "end of the line" trip to Howth, we headed to the end of another line -  this time to the southern terminus of the Red line of the Luas.  It took us into the foothills of the Dublin mountains, and skirted the sea-coast which we could catch glimpses of from time to time.

Views from the Luas

The terminal location was a disappointment until we chatted with the Luas driver as he walked from one end of the train to the other for the return trip. . . he explained that the barren fields were the graveyard of the "Celtic Tiger".  A major hotel, retail and apartment complex had been started, then failed to materialize - - - but not before the transit line had already been extended to serve it. At least the infrastructure will be there when they need it!

Heading back toward city center, we stopped off in a suburban shopping location to see what a mall looked like - - any you know what?  It looked like a mall!  Complete with Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and TGIFridays.  Some things are the same everywhere.

Hard to see, but that's the modern mall at the end of the street

Luas bridge

It was fun to ride for a while, but we were glad to get back to walking

Have a great week everyone and Happy President's Day!

Walking South, Darting North

Another week winding down, dinner in the crockpot and laundry in the washer - - time to post some pictures!

Mark was able to work from home some this week since his research partner was away for the week.  This enabled me to convince him to "play hookey" during some of the day, and work at night (can't waste good weather). . .

Wednesday after I returned from my Irish Language class (still struggling, but getting a few words into my head) we walked south toward the Grand Canal to see what was beyond our neighborhood.  Found that we have an excellent view of the Wicklow mountains on a clear day ( Ended up in Ranelagh and found yet another DIT campus (they're spread out all over the city) . . . did some "suburban" grocery shopping (much better prices than a couple of miles away in Dublin 2) and found our way back, stopping for tea for two.

Ranelagh

With an even better weather forecast for Thursday, we boarded the DART (local train system serving Dublin metro area) and rode 25 minutes to the terminus of one of the trains, our destination - - - Howth.

Howth is a seaside town with a beautiful harbor overlooking Ireland's Eye.  While we are not seaside people by nature, the real draw of the place was the walk along the cliffs.  I don't have words to describe how beautiful this was, so enjoy our photos!

Ireland's Eye

Harbor- near and far

St. Mary's Abbey

Martello Tower

Keeping good company

The Nose of Howth

Good thing I'm not afraid of heights anymore

Baily Light House-near and far

Howth Castle

Perfect day for a walk!  Now to figure out the fun for the weekend!

Etherials

We have favorite wildflowers which Mark has always referred to as "etherials"  .  .  . I think that is how I will remember Spring days in Ireland.  One minute the sun is shining, then five minutes later it is shade of gray, followed by mist, followed by sun. . .they refer to "four seasons in a day" here, and it is true.

This weekend illustrated it well.

First out on Saturday, an exploration of the music stores which are everywhere in our neighborhood on Great George's Street. . . looking at bodrhans as a possible thank you to Ed for looking after the house while we're away . . . lots of educating to do when looking at instruments, and the locals are happy to help.

After a quick lunch at home, back out for our first trip to Phoenix Park, a national historic park of 1752 acres which houses the official residence of the President of Ireland.  We didn't make it that far into the park on this first visit, but I'm sure we will on a future one.

The posts say "350 year

Annivesary" but I didn't stand in the road to get a better photo

Wellington Monument

Warmed up with a cup of tea before heading out of the park

Heuston Station to catch the Luas

Finished up Saturday with some more shopping - - bookstore, wine and Mark's Valentine "flowers" - - basil and thyme plants - a kitchen garden :)

Sunday brought another concert opportunity. . . this time for a trio of Piano, Oboe and Bassoon.  For this failed oboeist, the double reeds always capture my heart.  It was an amazing concert of 20th century pieces (Poulenc, Previn and Francaix) brilliantly performed in a beautiful space . . . and it was free!  Love it!

That was followed by our first ride on the city bus service - - easy once you figure out the routes.  A 15 minute ride from the city center took us to the National botanic Gardens.  The glass houses were our original destination, but the grounds sucked us in, even though it really is early for anything to be blooming. . . nevertheless, just the forms of the trees in winter made it worth the walk!!!

Copper Beech

Spooky lane

Winter Aconite

Glass houses inside and out

Happy Valentine's Day!







Normalcy(?)

Full moon rising over Whitefriar Street Church

(this one's for Anne)

TGIF everyone!  This is the first week since leaving home that we have stayed in one place all week long - - no travels to UK for conferences, no Fulbright field trips, just normal day to day!  It's been lovely.

This is the week that I've gotten down to some of the things I "meant" to do while here. 

I've browsed through numerous used book stores to supply myself with reading material, and I've also gotten half-way through reading "Irish History for Dummies" which I downloaded from my Indianapolis Public Library account  . . . highly recommend!

I also started my Irish language class!  Great fun, but somewhat intimidating.  While this is a class for "absolute beginners", what I didn't think of is that MOST of the class is made up of young people for whom English is also NOT their first language, meaning that they have already shown an ability to learn a difficult foreign language and are thus MILES ahead of me on the capability curve.  The class profile included native French, Spanish and Chinese speakers, and. . . me.  It doesn't even matter that I'm OLD, I'd be just as far behind if I were still YOUNG!!

But, I didn't come here to stay inside my comfort zone!

I painted my first watercolor since arriving - - I worked from a photograph of the Connemara Coast (see "View from bus .. " in Galway post) that I took while there last week.  I'm not able to scan and share (no scanner, no printer here) - - but suffice it to say that Mark liked it!  Always an achievement.

On Thursday Mark and I finally headed to the Garda immigration office to have our passports officially stamped for  an extended stay.  All the document searching before leaving Indianapolis payed off, as we moved smoothly through the process and were in and out of the building in less than an hour.  The horror stories of long waits had convinced us to show up at opening time, and even though this is Ireland, they actually started the process promptly at 8:00 am.  Good work, Garda!

This evening we've been invited to dinner at the home of one of Mark's DIT co-workers. . . she stayed with us for a weekend last Spring and we are looking forward to meeting her family.

So, for now, tabhair aire (take care) and I'll see you on Monday!

Pat

Weekend # 3 - - settling in

One thing I forgot to mention in my Galway post was the fact that we were welcomed at the Chamber of Commerce on "The First Day of Spring - - St Brigid's Day" complete with a Bridget's Cross for each of us hand made by local school children.  Here's mine.

Brigid's Cross

Brigid is a Patron Saint of Ireland and is known for her healing powers.  We'll keep our cross handy while here!

So, in the spirit of Springtime, we headed to the plant store for some greenhouse therapy - - anyone who knows Mark will not be surprised that he really needed to get some plants into this apartment.  I also prevailed and brought home my favorite flowers - - daffodils!!

My favorites

After drying out from our walk, we ventured out again for some wine, fruit, pastries and a newspaper - - everything we needed for a quiet night in front of the TV reading the paper . . . we did enough going out already this week!

Sunday morning changed our mind, as it was no longer raining!  Yay!  So, out to church, followed by a walk through St. Stephen's Green - Springtime really is showing it's face here.

Just to prove that Mark IS here with me

We stopped for lunch across the street from the hotel where the Irish Rugby team was about to emerge on their way to the big game in Dublin today - - the opening game for the Six Nations between Ireland and Wales.  . . not the Superbowl, but at least there were excited fans milling about and a feeling of what it might be like in our hometown!

More walking, this time toward the Georgian district surrounding Merrion Square.  We went on a guided tour of the Georgian House Museum, re-done to the period of the first owner in the 1790's. . . this was particularly entertaining to us because on our first visit to Dublin in 2010, we were given a tour of a Georgian townhome which is occupied by a family who lives in it as if it is STILL the 18th. century.  A living museum, complete with exactly ONE light bulb.  The actual museum was much more modern.

Next stop was the Natural History museum which was rather small but crammed full of glass cabinets with everything you'd expect in an old Natural History museum - - reminded me of our first trip to the Field nearly 30 years ago, before it was all fancied up.

Natural History Museum 

Out for Hot Chocolate, then home to make dinner, catch up on Downton Abbey on the BBC, and stay up too late to catch the opening of the Superbowl.  .   . didn't stay up to finish watching, but was happy with the outcome when I woke up this morning.

Back to normal, Indy?  Hope you all had the time of your lives!

Cheers!