Dublin - Day 3

The weather has been so great here but nothing lasts forever. I expected rain and today we got it - but just a little. Nothing like a Midwest downpour. More like a Seattle mist. Is that normal? I’m not sure but it didn’t stop me from doing what I planned.

First I headed for breakfast to a place that was recommended to me on Grafton St. It’s called Bewley’s Oriental Cafe but it was all Irish in there. Had a delicious scone with clotted cream and a latte. 

Very pretty inside with stained glass windows.

Next I did a walking tour from the O’Connell Bridge north of the river using my good friend Rick Steves travel guide. He never disappoints me and you can move at your own pace. The River Liffey runs through Dublin and divides the city in half. I have spent the majority of my time south of the river as most tourists do, but there is a lot of history north as well. The bridge is named after Daniel O’Connell who I have mentioned on both previous posts. Famous for being one of the key organizers of the Revolution of 1916. So of course there is a statue of him on the north side of the bridge. There are a number of statues on the walk but I’ll just hit the highlights. You also walk by the General Post Office where the Proclamation of Irish Independence was read in 1916, and then by The Spire which is basically 398 feet of stainless steel that no one likes. It cost a lot of money and really has no purpose so there are quite a few pet names for it - none of them flattering.

Clockwise from the top left - O’Connell Bridge, statue of Daniel O’Connell, General Post Office and the Spire.

Next a walk through the Moore Street Markets where the locals shop. Many of the shops have been staffed by the same families for decades. Definitely had a different feel than south of the river. A stop at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral to say a prayer and light a votive. Pro is for provisional because it’s being used as a Catholic Cathedral but is really just a parish church. Contrary to what you might think Ireland is not very Catholic anymore. The dominant religion is Anglican and both big Cathedrals that used to be Catholic are now Anglican - Christ Church Cathedral that I was at yesterday and St. Patrick’s Cathedral which unfortunately I didn’t make it to today. 

Moore St. Markets and St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral

Gate Theatre where Orson Welles, Geraldine Fitzgerald and James Mason had their professional debuts. 

Last spot on the tour was the Garden of Remembrance. It honors the victims of the 1916 Rising because it was where the rebel leaders were held before being transferred to Kilmainham Gaol. The park was dedicated in 1966 on the 50th anniversary of the revolt. The pool is in the shape of a cross and there is a beautiful statue at one end called Children of Lir. 

The Irish flag flies above the statue. Green for Catholics, Orange for Protestants and White for Peace to live together.

Conveniently right across the street from the garden is the Hugh Lane Gallery - an art museum I really wanted to see. It was started by Sir Hugh Lane who was an art dealer, and it’s just the right size to spend a nice hour browsing some really great art. They have a few pieces of artists you would recognize, and they have an exact replica of the studio of Francis Bacon in addition to a number of his completed and partially completed works. They didn’t allow pictures so you’ll have to take my word for it.

The Hugh Lane Gallery

After the museum I headed south back over the bridge and walked through the Temple Bar area of town. Dublin and Temple Bar are pretty much synonymous if you talk to anyone that’s been to Dublin, so I figured I should at least walk through the area. It was pretty quiet in the middle of the afternoon but I hear it can get wild at night. Lots of bars, restaurants and live music. It’s very quaint with cobbled narrow streets and I can’t even guess how much Guinness is consumed in an average night there. I’ll save that for my next trip to Dublin.

The official Temple Bar

My last stop of the day was at Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty Library. You have to walk through a little bit of the castle to get to the library, and I heard the castle tour wasn’t that great so headed right to the library. The library was really the highlight of the day for me. Alfred Charles Beatty is actually from the United States, and made his money from mining. He lived in England for many years but fell in love with Ireland and retired to Dublin. His hobby was collecting rare ancient manuscripts and beautifully illustrated books from around the world. Much of his collection is religious in nature - Christian, Moslem, Buddhist etc. His collection includes 1,800 year old manuscripts and some of the original letters of Paul! Mind blowing! That’s A.D. 180-200. And I got to see them! I’m still so excited about it. I love books and writing and paper so much - and to think I went there as almost an afterthought. Paul’s letters were written on papyrus and it was really thick - the original paper obviously. No pictures of course but so incredible.

A few pics of the castle as I was walking through to get to the library. And the library is free!

And finally I ate a real meal! I actually had a hard time finding a spot for just one person. With holiday festivities in high season everywhere my hotel recommended was packed. But it was cute because everywhere I went they apologized and sent me to a place they recommended and said to use their name. Anyway finally place number 4 was packed but did have a bar I could eat at and they went really out of their way to be so kind to me. The manager and various other servers kept asking me how I was doing and if everything was ok. Maybe they just felt sorry for me but who cares. The food was delicious! It was called Bull & Castle and I had delicious roast chicken with Parmesan polenta. Glass of wine and all is good in my world. 

I am intrigued by the blue bottle of Gunpowder Irish Gin.

So that was my day. Dublin has been amazing! I know many people come here and spend their time in the great pubs which is fine, but there are also so many great historic sites to see, and I’m leaving knowing so much more about the history of this great place. Tomorrow I’m off to my second destination of the trip. Check back soon and see where in the world is Patti!  

Dublin - Day 2

I had a full list of places to get to today, and inspite of not getting a very good nights sleep (jet lag I curse you) I was determined to cover lots of ground - and I did! No secret that I love museums so I had three on my list. First up The Book of Kells in the Trinity College Library. Maybe not technically a museum but it felt like one. The Book of Kells is a 1200 year old version of the four gospels elaborately inked and illustrated by a group of monks, considered by many to be the finest piece of art from the Dark Ages. It’s written on calf skin and while you do get to see it in the exhibit no pictures are allowed. In the room preceding the actual book there is a great exhibit walking you through the process and details which helps you understand what an amazing book it is. The intricacy is incredible.

Trinity College and bottom left is an example of a page from the Book of Kells. 

The other part of the exhibit is seeing what is called The Long Room of the Old Library. It was built between 1712 and 1732 and is nearly 200 feet long. It contains over 200,000 books, most of them very old. The central walkway is lined with marble busts of famous philosophers and writers, some of them dating back to the 1700’s.

Do you see there is no J in the row of letters on the bookshelf? The Latin alphabet has no J - I learned that today. 

Next on my list - The National Museum of Archeology . This museum shows off the treasures of Ireland from the Stone Age to modern times. I also learned a lot about what a bog really is, and that because of the composition, things are naturally preserved better than they would be normally, including dead bodies - of which I saw a few😳 I also learned that there is a reason leprechauns look for a pot of gold. Ireland doesn’t have much in the way of natural gold so all the more reason to look for it I suppose. (I made up the part about the leprechauns but the other part is true.) The building itself was really beautiful too.

I decided not to take any pictures of the dead preserved bodies - you’re welcome! 

My third and last Museum was The National Gallery of Ireland. Did I mention all the National Museums are free? And everything I did today was in a very compact area so easy to walk between all the sites. This is their museum of art, and I loved it. They had some really great collections and the building has recently been redone and was gorgeous. While they had works by Monet, Picasso, Caravaggio etc, they had a large collection of the Irish painter Jack Yeats that was impressive. 

Right across the street from the National Gallery is a pretty little park called Merrion Square. Built in 1762 it is surrounded on three sides by elegant Georgian houses all distinguished with colorful doors - the somewhat famous Doors of Dublin. I had read about them and loved seeing them. Some of the houses have had famous owners. The top right blue door #58 housed Daniel O’Connell one of the key figures in the Revolution of 1916 that was jailed and executed at Kilmainham Gaol. Bottom right black door was owned by William Butler Yeats the poet and playwright. 

Hard for me to pick my favorite! 

In the square there is a cool statue of Oscar Wilde lounging. I walked through the park to check it out.

 Next I walked down the street to St Stephen’s Green. Kind of like the Central Park of Dublin. The park got its start in 1664, and has a great history ever since then through the revolutions and now in more peaceful times. Even though it was overcast and chilly there were lots of people eating lunch on benches and walking through the park. 

Next up a little window shopping on Grafton Street. They have closed Grafton to all but pedestrians and there are lots of great shops and restaurants lining it from Trinity College down to St Stephens Green. Since Christmas will be here soon it was very busy and lots of people out and about.

Lots of children in school uniforms.  

Last but not least I headed to Christ Church Cathedral to hear a free concert by the Cathedral Girls Choir. What a nice way to wrap up a busy fun day. The Cathedral occupies the same site as the first wooden church built in 1030 and is huge and Victorian in design. Pictures aren’t allowed during the concert - they actually don’t call it a concert - they call it an Evensong. It is really a religious service with lots of beautiful singing.  

This picture is just one small piece of the huge church.  

Inside the church after the service was finished.  

You might be wondering - is she not eating? Well I’m not doing a great job of stopping for meals. I had so much I wanted to see today that I just grabbed snacks when I needed to revive myself. But contrary to what I had heard I would say Dublin appears to have some great food. I got some recommendations from people that work at the hotel and I’m hoping to actually go get a decent meal tomorrow. I have added it to my list! 

Well that’s it for today. So far Dublin has exceeded my expectations as an amazing place. The people are so nice and it’s been really easy to find my way around - except for the one time I kind of went in a circle tonight😊 I need some sleep! 

Dublin - Day 1

My last trip of my 2018 gap year has begun! First stop - Dublin. This is my first trip to Ireland, although It has been on my list for awhile. Just going to see Dublin this time around, but hoping to come back and see more of the countryside when the weather is warmer. And so far I am in love with it!  

I arrived today and am functioning on basically no sleep, so this post will be brief and possibly incoherent. As usual I did my research in advance (thanks again Rick Steves).  So upon arrival I immediately found the location to buy a multiple day transportation pass, and it’s already paid for itself in just one day. It gets you transportation to and from the airport, use of the Hop On Hop Off bus for the length of your pass, and unlimited use of the city busses and trams. It’s called the DoDublin Travel Card. It worked out perfectly for me today because when I got on the wrong bus it was no big deal to get off and find the right one. It pretty much is a given that I’ll do that at least once or twice each day. Doesn’t cost me any extra to take the scenic route😁

A delicious scone and tea......because I’m in Ireland!

I dropped my luggage at the hotel and headed out to find the Hop On Hop Off bus. Got to enjoy part of the tour befor I got off to see my planned destination for the afternoon - Kilmainham Goal. Highly recommended to see, it's a historic jail used by the British as a political prison. It was built in 1796 as Dublin’s county jail, and many who fought for Irish Independence were held or executed there.

An excellent museum and guided tour.  

It is recommended to book your ticket in advance for the guided tour, but since I wasn’t sure when I would be going I just took my chances. It’s not a super big tourist time here now and since I was just one person I was able to get a ticket in the last tour. The guide was really good - lots of information but some humor too. We were allowed to take pictures and he said if we took pictures of ourselves they would be cell-fies. I thought that was pretty good!

96 individual cells in this block - also my attempt at a Wes Anderson-like photo. If you don’t know who he is you’re missing out!

That took up a good part of my afternoon but I learned a lot about Irish history by going there. Lots more for me to see in Dublin over the next few days. And Dublin is definitely all decked out for the holidays! 

I have a packed agenda for tomorrow so planning on getting an early start. Now time for some 💤. 

Tampa Trip

Bratefest 2018 in Tampa Florida...... how could I not attend? As many of you know my nephew plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so it was a great reason to all head there for a long weekend and attend the game. And since many of us live in colder climates we didn’t need much of an excuse to head to where it’s warm. Plus I’m blessed to have a family that is always fun to be with. A little crazy but a lot of fun. 

This is how Florida does Christmas! 

The main event was of course the game on Sunday. Tampa Bay versus the Charlotte Panthers. The stadium in Tampa is very cool. Since the weather is usually great there’s lots of fun things outside the stadium pregame. This year they added a fun beach with music and comfy chairs. We were excited to once again get pregame passes to go out on the field and watch the players warming up. Thanks Cam!

Jack always seems to track down cheerleaders for a great fun photo. Lots of Brate 84 jerseys all autographed of course. 

It’s fun to stand outside the tunnel and see the players coming in and out. 

Hi Cam and good luck! 

We had great seats for the game and they won! Cam had 3 catches and no injuries so of course we were happy about that. 

Our group on the field pregame. 

We ate at a couple of good restaurants but I did a bad job of photographing the events. My brother Phil and sister-in-law Pat are down in Tampa for all the games so they made reservations at a couple of their favorite spots. First night was at Besito Mexican Restaurant. Everyone loved it. Great atmosphere and upscale mexican in a nice area. 

After dinner at Besito. 

Second night when we had dinner after the game with Cam we went to Bella’s Italian Cafe and again everyone loved it. Great job Phil and Pat! Thanks for organizing for the group.

Most of us stayed over for Monday and had planned to head to St Petersburg which is only about 30 minutes away. I had heard the Salvadore Dali Museum located there was excellent, so was able to convince (or coerce) the rest of the group to join me in a visit there. There was a little apprehension but after all was said and done everyone agreed that it was well worth the stop. We all learned a lot about the artist and have a new appreciation for his talent. He was actually ahead of his time and kind of a genius. There was also a very cool virtual reality exhibit that everyone did and really enjoyed. 

It’s in a very cool building also. 

Now for some time at the beach! First some food. We headed to a place right on the water where we were able to sit up on the deck overlooking the water outside and have some great grouper taco’s, shrimp skewers and various other delicious options along with some beers and special rum punch. 

We kept calling it Crabby Phil’s but Phil insisted he’s never crabby. 

Let’s watch the sunset on the beach and dig our toes in the sand! Yes!

My brothers and I - my mom used to say the rose between the thorns - but they are actually not thorny at all! And the fun ladies in the family - the sisters I never had.  

A fast but very fun trip to Tampa/St Pete. I would love to go again and spend more time. Florida in the cold weather is never a bad idea. 

One more big trip to finish out my year. Check back soon and wishing you all the best holiday ever! 

Artisans of India

This is my third and last post about India, but I was so impressed with the artisans we saw throughout our trip I wanted to make sure and give them their due. Each area or state in India is known for some kind of artistic handmade item and before seeing the amount of training, artistic ability and just plain old hard work that goes into it I didn’t have the right appreciation for it. Also the fact that these skills are passed down from generation to generation so it’s really a family affair. And in many cases we were able to meet the actual artisans that had made the items we purchased.

Delhi - 

Delhi is the closest big area to Kashmir which is best known for rug making. We went to a few stores that specialized in this item and learned about the process which is all done by hand. The patterns have been in families for generations so they could tell you about the families that made each design. Because the quality is so high the rugs literally last forever, and are very easy to clean and maintain with no wear and tear. Cindy was intending to purchase a rug for their new place and found one she loved. Luckily they ship to the US so she didn’t have to haul it around for the remainder of the trip. 

Every rug was gorgeous so it was hard to pick.

 Udaipur -

We went to an art school to see what Udaipur is best known for which is miniature paintings. The paintings are colorful, opulent and very detailed. The training to be an artist takes many years and we got to meet a few of the painters and learn more about it. Originally the final works were all painted on ivory but since that’s not possible now they have switched to camel bone. First the painting is done on silk, then thin paper and finally camel bone. The colorful paints all come from natural pigments and colors and are so vibrant. I don’t have a good example of the finished product as we weren’t allowed to take pictures of that but they were spectacular. And pricey!

Top right are examples of the pigments used for painting. Top left is one of the artists making me a quick sketch to take home of a Ganesh. He didn’t want the instructor to see him do it so I stuck it in my pocket quickly. So I actually have an original😊 

Jaipur - 

Jaipur is known for block printing on fabric but we ran out of time to go see how it’s done. Next time for sure. 

Ranthambore - 

This was where we did the safaris so it was very rural. One of the afternoons Ajay took us to a local women’s coop and it was my favorite shopping experience of the trip. They explained that many of the people in the area started as nomads and moved around as they owned no property. Then the Indian government helped them to purchase a small piece of property to farm and live on, and then the woman made their handicrafts but had no way of selling them. So their handmade items were taken to large cities like Delhi to sell, but the locals got only a small percentage of the sales. In the 80’s with the development of the credit card machine they were able to open the coop and sell locally thereby helping them sell directly to the customers and keeping a higher percentage of the profits. So now 60% of the money goes to the creator, 30% to the coop which is divided between everyone, 6% to the Tiger Reserve and the remainder for parties for the entire community - a great example of how they help each other and their local community. The people we met there were so proud of their work and it was really beautiful.

Incredible paintings and beautiful hand pieced quilts, table runners, pillows etc. 

I bought this beautiful mini quilt to lay on my couch. It is of my favorite figure - the elephant or Ganesh  and looks amazing in my place.

This beautiful woman made it and was so happy I loved it! 

We also got to see a demonstration of sari tying and I volunteered to be the model. And henna tattoos too! 

A sari is one very long piece of fabric. I think I could do it now! 

Agra -  

Agra as you may recall is the home of the Taj Mahal so they are best know for marble mosaic art. It’s what covers the Taj but there is a lot of technique and artistry along with tedious hand grinding of each stone to make the beautiful artwork. This artisan craft is again passed down through generations and children are exposed to it through their families. The designs are first painstakingly carved into the marble and then the stones are ground by hand to fit into the carvings to make the design. They design all kinds of items in lots of sizes big and small. The stones fit so perfectly that you can’t feel them at all when you run your finger over the design. 

I bought the small container pictured middle right and the bottom right is me with the man who made it. He is a master and has been perfecting his skill over 20 years. That little container has 496 stones fit into the design, and of course I had to get a Ganesh! 

Khajuraho - 

Gems! That’s what we saw in Khajuraho. And it’s good luck to wear your birthstone so one of mine is the Star of India so I bought earrings. I don’t have a picture of them but quite a few of the ladies got rings!

Varanasi - 

Handwoven silks and brocades in Varanasi - gorgeous! Again made by families utilizing multiple generations of members. The pictures don’t do them justice, they were amazing and some made with pure gold thread. I couldn’t afford one of those but Cindy and I did treat ourselves to beautiful handwoven silk scarfs - pictured here with the gentleman that made them. Love the colors!

When we were in Agra Ajay took us on what he called a “Shop Hop.” Doesn’t that just sound like fun? He took us to 4 unique shops that the locals frequent. The one I will never forget was an art and jewelry store called Kohinoor Jewelers and you needed to call ahead and basically ask permission to come. They had no visible storefront just a big gate with armed guards. The first floor is called the Kohinoor Museum and showcases their private collection of needle and thread, three dimensional handcrafted embroidery and precious artifacts. We weren’t allowed to take pictures and I can’t even begin to describe how extraordinary the pieces were. They were all created by Padmashri Shams who passed away in 1999. Shams is the originator of this art form where he embroidered his artwork in cotton thread over and over till he got the required thickness and movement. They are also laden with precious stones and the end result is magnificent. They have been offered millions of dollars for each piece but will not sell. We were so lucky to see it. The upstairs is an incredible jewelry store - making Tiffany look like Target. (No offense to Target - that’s more my speed - Target not Tiffany!) They showed us jewelry that was mind blowing - none more than these pieces with emeralds that belonged to Mumtaz Mahal who lies in the Taj Mahal. 

Cindy tried on an 11 carat emerald ring! She decided no one would think it was real - but yes it is!

A few last memories I wanted to share. We saw this beautiful flower art all over India. So time consuming but so pretty.  Petals floating in water - big and little containers everywhere.

In Khajuraho we had the opportunity to see traditional dancing. The costumes were so colorful and through dance they told the history of India. 

We were heading to the airport in Varanasi to fly back to Delhi and catch our respective flights home and didn’t anticipate what an exciting finish we would have to our trip. An Indian diplomat made an unexpected visit to Varanasi causing the main road to the airport to be totally shut down so what should normally have taken us 20 minutes by bus took us 2 and a half hours on a deeply rutted extremely narrow dirt road through a rural village. Every vehicle going to or from the airport was trying to get there on this road which at best had enough width for one small vehicle. So it was like a traffic rubix cube to negotiate passage. At one point when our bus was straddling a train track someone on our bus noticed that a train was coming straight at us at which point Ajay jumped up and yelled “Get Off The Bus! Leave everything behind and get off!” So as the bus was still trying to inch ahead we were all jumping off the bus and running. One of the villagers hung a red piece of cloth across the track to signal the train to stop and luckily it did - just feet from our bus. Somehow the bus driver inched his way backwards enough to get off the track and the train proceeded. Just another day in India! We all missed our flights to Delhi but everyone stayed really calm. We have learned patience in India😊

Our group off the bus. 

The comparison has been made that I am doing my version of the book “Eat, Pray, Love” and in many ways that’s the way it feels to me. My month in Europe in the spring was definitely Eat and India can qualify as Pray. My last trip to finish out my Gap Year is to places I truly Love, so check back and read about that. My time in India was very special and weirdly I find myself still dreaming about it every night - Cindy said she is doing the same thing. I wake up and still feel like I am there. I can’t think of an explanation other than that I think my brain is still processing the experience. So often I hear Ajay’s voice saying “I have everything I need - food, shelter, clothing, family and friends.” That is the message I brought back with me from India. Counting my blessings today and everyday.

Thank you India for sharing your amazing country with me. Incredible India is for real! Namaste🙏🏻