Brianna In Ireland

Last Day...

2007-12-14T17:18:00.000Z

Last day in Dublin. It's shocking. Everybody says this, but it really feels like just last week that I was settling in and consulting my map constantly to get around the city.

I'll backtrack a few days. We had our final showcase on Wednesday. Rehearsals were a bit nutty because our instructors tend to be disorganized. Also, I hit my head really hard when I slipped in the shower on Tuesday and it left me with loudly ringing ears and a massive headache that made it difficult to focus in rehearsal so I had a few rough run-through moments. The showcase itself went fine. I didn't fall on my bum during the movement piece so I considered that a success.

Thursday I went to Avoca with Peter and Katie, where they finished up some Christmas shopping. Then Peter wandered off and Katie and I went to Habitat, an interior decorating store, where I discovered something really neat: Pocket Gardens. We had a final lunch at Queen of Tarts and I started feeling really sad because I knew I would never be coming back to that particular restaurant. That afternoon was the reading of Peter's adaptation of The Seagull. Later that night we had breakfast for dinner at Katie & Rachel's apartment. Sweet crepes with Nutella = delicious.

This morning I awoke with a unique sense of panic that I needed to see everything in Dublin one more time. This didn't quite happen. I did do a few things that I'd wanted to do, however. Peter and I strolled through St. Stephen's Green one last time and then took an ecocab. These are free, emissions-free bicycle cabs that will take you pretty much anywhere. Our 'driver' was very friendly and took us to The National Library where we saw a spectacular exhibition on the life of W.B. Yeats. I learned so much about the poet and it was well organized.

Then it was back to Temple Bar where we stopped at our favorite gelateria for the last time. I wanted to get my last cup of Butler's Hot Chocolate but that didn't work out. Perhaps I'll be able to get it at the Dublin airport tomorrow.

I have to leave early tomorrow to get to the airport with time to complete tax forms, go through customs, etc. I can't believe that it's all over.

Sliante!

2007-12-11T08:13:00.000Z

My last few days in Dublin are passing too quickly for my liking. I spent the weekend catching up on the sites I had yet to see, and catching up on sleep as well.

On Saturday I went to the Hugh Lane Dublin City Gallery. They had a really lovely collection of impressionist art. Peter and I both fell in love with a few paintings, and we thoroughly enjoyed this small but well-curated gallery. The bookshop had some excellent arts education books and it was a challenge not to spend all of my cash on the books.

That afternoon I took Peter to the National Museum of Decorative Arts, to which I had already been, to see the Viking ship and the period furniture exhibits. I saw these adorable Christmas origami ornaments on a huge Christmas tree in the lobby and I insisted on tracking down whoever made them. After I successfully found the museum's Art Cart director and got the web address, Peter pointed out that I'm really just a preschool teacher at heart. It's true. That's what I would love to do every day if it didn't involve wiping runny noses, cleaning up kiddie puke, and dealing with children who don't know when to go to the bathroom.

Saturday evening we watched this phenomenal Irish sit com called Father Ted with some other theatre students. It was recommended to us by our excellent acting teacher, Donal. He brought in the entire series for us to watch. I need to buy the boxed set once I get home because it is one of the most absurd and clever comedies I've ever enjoyed.

Sunday - again, sleeping in was a luxury. Then it was off to church where a choir made the Advent mass even more enjoyable. I always get excited when the Advent mass ends with O Come O Come Emmanuel. It's one of my favorite Christmas songs. Kate, Nora, Peter and I went to lunch at Avoca. Decadent quiche and a chocolate covered shortbread...yum. Then I went to Lush and smelled all of the soaps. It was difficult to distinguish scents after a while because they all blend together making one general organic-y stink.

The rest of Sunday was spent at the Chester Beatty Library, a superb museum featuring rare editions of religious texts and a nice exhibit drawing comparisons between Eastern Religions, Islam, and Christianity. The museum was just the right size for my museum attention span. I learned stuff and didn't get bored. Perfect!

Peter was a good man and hauled all of the Leeson Street residents to Corrigan's, my neighborhood pub, for some socializing and a break from writing papers. The pub is perfect. Comfortable booths and an abundance of pine garland and Christmas decorations.

Today I have more rehearsal and packing and cleaning. I need to take my un-needed items to Oxfam so that I don't have to worry about trashing them or taking them home. I can't believe I'll be home so soon. It will be sad to not be in Dublin, but nice to be with my family again and in a functional kitchen with appliances that work. I've already started making my Christmas cookie grocery list.

Thanks!

2007-12-05T19:07:00.000Z

Thanks to everyone who has sent Peter and/or myself mail in the past few days: Sarah, Nicholas & Cody, Jim, and my family.

I used the Christmas lights & stockings that Sarah sent to make a Christmas corner and I put up the picture that Cody sent me. Happy St. Nicholas Day eve to everyone!

Put a Cork in it

2007-12-03T21:39:00.000Z

This weekend we went to Cork. It was excellent. Cork has been my favorite city (other than Dublin) so far. It felt a bit industrial, yet had just the right amount of independent shops, fantastic restaurants, and open air markets. I just loved it there and felt really down when I had to get on the train to return back to Dublin. Maybe it's because it was my last weekend trip, but I think it was because I really connected with the city.

Peter and I left so early on Saturday morning that we arrived at the train station before it even opened. Once on the train I promptly conked out, and awoke just in time to work on the outlines for the pile of papers I have to write this week. Our first task upon arrival in Cork was to check into our B&B. There was a little mix-up there which was completely my fault, but we had a place to stay and it was great. Except for the fact that the B&B was on a tilt. I was leaning ever-so-slightly to the side for most of the trip.

Our first stop was the tourist office to figure out how to get to Blarney. Tickets in hand, we strolled around city centre and explored the shops until it was time to get on the bus. The town of Blarney is so quaint you'd think it was plucked right from a Yeats poem. The grounds of Blarney castle were an easy walk from the bus stop, and we were eager to see everything.
That's Blarney Castle.

Blarney Castle was the coolest castle we've seen so far because it was ruins, not a refurbished replica of the old castle. It was so fascinating to climb around in the ruins. It started to rain heavily, making the steep circular stone staircases very slippery and I was nervous that I would slip and knock out my front teeth, but I managed to get all the way to the top to kiss the Blarney Stone. A lecherous old man holds you, bending backwards over the edge, making snappy comments as you kiss the stone. I tried not to think about how many people's lips have touched the stone before mine did.
This is the stream that runs through the grounds of Blarney Castle.
This is Pete at the very top of the castle.
Me in one of the old rooms of the castle.
This is a sign from The Murder Hole, aka the Best Room in the Castle.

After kissing the stone it was time to explore the grounds. There was a druid circle, wishing steps, a witch's kitchen, and other beautiful natural settings filled with lore.
The grounds of Blarney Castle as seen from the top of the castle.

It began to rain even more heavily but we stuck it out for a while. When we felt that we had seen enough of the landscape, we booked it to a local cafe to dry out. We ended up at the Kopi Cafe in Blarney where I had some lovely dark hot chocolate and a slice of apple pie (I shared the apple pie with Pete, for the record.) Then we went to Blarney Woolen Mills, which was like any other Irish design store, but with more neat woven and knit items.

We caught the bus back to Cork and had supper at Market Lane, a restaurant that gets its ingredients exclusively from the exquisite open air English Market in Cork. We had walked through the English Market earlier - it was a bustling place with fresh produce and meat and baked goods. Market Lane was awesome. Well made food, excellent quality. We were tired and not really up for going to the pubs so we decided instead to see Fred Claus. Urgh. Not the best movie ever made.

The next morning we decided that we really, really wanted to visit the Cork Butter Museum. We walked all the way there and found it easily - but it was closed for the season! A grave disappointment.See how disappointed Pete is that the doors to the museum are locked?

So then we walked some more and went to the Cork Gaol. We walked the entire distance of Cork to get there. Uphill. Sore legs. Despite the physical strain, the visit to the Gaol was good. The building was filled with highly realistic wax figures dressed as prisoners, wardens, etc., which made for a creepy atmosphere.
See? The wax figures are creepy, aren't they?

Exterior of the Gaol
Interior of the Gaol.

After the Gaol it was back down town for lunch. We went to Market Lane again because it was so good. I had butternut squash and feta au gratin with sundried tomatoes. Yum. Then back home on the train to Dublin. And now I need to write papers.

Send me stuff! A Final Plea

2007-11-27T15:19:00.000Z

If you are feeling ambitious, now is your last time to mail me things before I leave Ireland. Letters, cards, cookies, tasty treats, and St. Nicholas Day gifts can be sent to:

Ms. Brianna Stapleton
27-29 Rathmines Road Lower
Dublin 6, Ireland

Visit your local post office today :)

L-A-Z-Y

2007-11-26T08:40:00.000Z

This was the most relaxing weekend ever.

On Friday after class, Peter and I decided to go to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. This idea was a bit silly because I hate modern art, but I always, always want to give it another chance to see if I'll like it. But it never comes through. I still hated pretty much everything I saw at the museum. Once Peter stumbled upon the sculpture that was filled with maggots, we decided it was time to go. Thankfully it didn't cost anything to enter the museum.

There was one cool part of the museum, and that was the response room. It's basically an art room full of supplies and walls to hang things on where visitors can create art in response to what they've seen in the museum and then post it on the walls for other visitors to enjoy. Cool idea!

We went to see The Darjeeling Limited at the Irish Film Institute that afternoon. What a beautiful cinematic space! And the seats were comfortable, and the theatre so warm, it was difficult to not fall asleep. The movie was perfect for a cold and wet afternoon because the sunny color palette warmed me right up. I loved the soundtrack as well. Tickets were a good price, and they screen a wide array of indie films. Maybe if I have another rainy afternoon I will go again.

Friday evening we crashed and relaxed, and I slept in on Saturday morning. Then we went to the Temple Bar farmers market - my new favorite place to be. We bought food for supper and had lunch there and enjoyed sampling the wears of the cheesemongers, avoiding the dead rabbits dangling from the butcher stand, and gawking at the squid for sale from the fishmonger. That afternoon we went around finishing up some of our Christmas and souvenir shopping. Then it was back to Pete's apartment to cuddle up to stay warm and eat our farm market supper.

Sunday - again, slept in until a scandalously late hour. Not much exciting happened. We went to see the Christmas Festival of Lights on O'Connell St., where there was supposed to be a parade and a choir and such, but there was nothing there! We waited and waited for something to happen, but nothing did, so we finally went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant and then I went home to work on papers. Again, not very exciting, but still a lovely day to relax and recover for the next two weeks which will be pretty intense.

Tabletop Entertainment

2007-11-22T22:12:00.000Z

At this evening's Thanksgiving dinner out courtesy of IES, myself and the RA Padraig demonstrated the towel chicken for the fellow theatre students:

The napkin chicken revealed.

Napkin chicken dances with napkin chicken in a dress.

...and in my head I dedicated this performance of the towel chicken to the Talen family. I hope they're doing ok.

Turkey Day

2007-11-22T10:49:00.000Z

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Also, I want to thank Anna and Jim for being great guests, for being patient during all the bad weather, and for buying us lunch and tea.

The Anna and Jim Show

2007-11-19T21:57:00.000Z

Anna and Jim arrived safely on Friday. We took them to Queen of Tarts for a first-day-in-Dublin lunch. Right across the street was Dublin Castle, so we took an afternoon tour. There were some beautiful details from the tour:
Anna and Peter mugging in the hallway.
The super fancy corridor.
The parlor where rich and royal guests were entertained.
This was the undercroft - the slightly smelly and eerie underground, medieval portion of the Castle.

Then we shipped them off on a bus to go to Guinness Storehouse, while Peter and I rested for a bit. Friday evening was another Dublin Musical Pub Crawl, which was not quite as cool the second time around, sadly.

On Saturday morning we got up very, very early to get to the Paddy's Palace hostel, where we were picked up for our Cliffs of Moher tour. It's difficult to express exactly how nutty our bus driver was. We drove to Limerick, where we had a brief break and then were herded onto another larger bus. I took the opportunity to run and get a snack from Tesco, where I was delighted to find gingerbread mean, which got me in a Christmasy mood. I caused a whole mess of problems at the self-checkout line though. So I took out my frustration on the gingerbread man.
This bus took us to The Burren. It was rainy and quite cold and windy, but we got a few good pictures! This is on the western coast, where the old sea floor is exposed, leaving a rocky and unusual landscape.

After The Burren the bus took us to Doolin for lunch, where I bought seafood chowder. To my dismay, I realized that the seafood in the chowder was still in its shells, so I didn't eat any of it. Luckily I had packed a PB&J for backup.

Our bus pushed forward through the miserable weather to the Cliffs of Moher, where the weather was so bad I almost didn't get off the bus. I did, and I'm glad, because I got to see funny signs like this:

We spent most of the time in the visitor center trying to dry off, but the clouds cleared for just a few minutes, allowing me to take some ok but misty pictures.

That's Anna and Jim unsuccessfully attempting to stay warm and dry at the cliffs. I would really like to go back on a sunny day. Did you know that The Princess Bride scenes with Inigo Montoya fighting The Dread Pirate Roberts on the cliffs were filmed at The Cliffs of Moher? Now you do!

On Sunday we took Anna and Jim shopping for souvenirs, and we braved the rain and cold to see the lighting of the Grafton Street Christmas display. It was pretty neat!
The minister of something-or-other came out on the mezzanine of Bewley's to welcome Christmas officially to Grafton Street, and an old man band wearing Santa hats sang Christmas carols.

The minister of something-or-other switched on the lights, everybody ooed and ahhed, and it was pretty. The light display was designed by the same company that lights the Eiffel Tower. So, now Dublin looks like Paris, but not quite as chic.
Then Pete and I got romantic and everybody said "Ew!"
And that's the end of our weekend story. I had a rough end to the weekend when I received news about the death of the son of someone I respect and admire very much, and I was very sad for his family and the tough times they have ahead. Peter and I have been struggling with this news a little so it was hard to get through classes today. I am trying to cheer up and look forward to Thanksgiving, but I will be thinking a lot about that family.

Get ready for Thanksgiving!

Sketchy Neighborhoods & Stray Cats

2007-11-16T11:03:00.000Z

Ladies and Gentleman, I'd like you all to meet Conor McPherson, our cat.

He likes turkey, and sometimes being petted, and he REALLY likes Cozy. She got him to come into our kitchen and he had a grand time rubbing up against the legs of our kitchen table and chairs, then he cuddled up to the oven because it was still warm. Otherwise he usually roams our back patio hunting for (ugh) mice and rats. But I'm going to pretend that they don't exist.

On Sunday I went to see the Lambert Puppet Theatre production of The Three Little Pigs and The Man Who Knew Best. It was so loud. Really, really loud. Screaming children crawling all over the place. An eye opening experience indeed.

Yesterday Peter, Kenna and I went to a performance of Coraline by Puca Puppets at The Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire. For the record - Coraline is a children's book by one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman. It was very exciting for me to find out that there was a puppet version of the book, and I was not disappointed. Seeing this, and also participating in the first reading of Peter's adaptation of The Seagull, has inspired me to think about doing a Neil Gaiman piece for my senior project in children's theatre. I would like to adapt one of Neil's other books for children, probably The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish or his new version of Snow White. Since Peter has such a knack for adapting, this could be a fun project.

Note to family: Mom, you should get The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish from the library and read it. It's supposed to be an excellent children's book. And Alanna, you have to read Good Omens. It's on my bookshelf.

After seeing Coraline, I had to go to the head office of the National Association for Youth Drama to pick up a book for my independent study. They had told me in an e-mail that it was a little difficult to find, but I was armed with the street address and a description of the building and bus routes to get there. Peter initially didn't want to go with me but I begged him to because I didn't know where the heck I was going, and he acquiesced. The moment we stepped off the bus a woman approached us and said, "Where are you going?" I told her, and she said, "Just mind yourselves. This is a really bad neighborhood. Just...watch out." Yikes.

And it was a bad neighborhood. Really dingy and frightening, and I was so puzzled as to why the NAYD office was there, but I managed to get the book and get out of there safely. Thanks to Peter for coming with me to watch my back.

Today Peter's cousins, Anna and Jim, arrive for a visit. We are going to show them around Dublin, then go to the Cliffs of Moher tomorrow, and then see the lighting of Dublin's Christmas display on Sunday. I have been looking forward to that all week!

Toddler Logic

2007-11-11T12:32:00.000Z

Overheard at a marvelous performance of Circus last night:

Onstage there is a middle aged man wearing a lion suit. He is barefoot and playing the accordian.

3 year old girl: "Why does the lion not have any shoes on?"
Father: "Because lions don't wear shoes."
3 year old girl: "Lions don't play music either!"

The show was really fun. It was 1.5 hours long, and only one word was spoken, once: "No." The physical acrobatics and clowning routines were pretty sweet.

Today I'm going to see the Lambert Puppet Theatre in Monkstown as part of my children's theatre independent study. This should be amusing.

A Nice Friday

2007-11-10T08:19:00.001Z

Class on Friday was a whole different sort of ordeal as we walked like fruits and vegetables for two hours. Although it felt completely ridiculous, there was an element of hilarity to watching everyone.

After class I went out to lunch with Katie Rice and her parents at Queen of Tarts, one of my favorite Dublin restaurants. They were very nice! I had a sunny-side up egg with my meal, and that made me want to try making sunny-side up eggs. I usually scramble my eggs. I think for breakfast this morning I'm going to try frying an egg instead of scrambling. Hmmm...

Friday afternoon I went to the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History. It was fantastic. Not only was every exhibit free, but the exhibits were amazing. Everything was so gorgeous. I really liked Irish Country Furniture because there were really beautiful pieces made from native woods, and some really innovative designs. The best exhibit, by far, was Irish Haute Couture of the 1960s. I learned that Ireland had a thriving couture house in Dublin throughout the 50s and 60s, but the fashion industry of Ireland died out around 1969 because people lost interest in Irish fabrics such as wools and tweeds. The garments on display in this exhibit were some of the most exquisite I had ever seen. I wish I had brought my sketchbook - the seaming on the dresses was really unique, and there were so many beautifully made suits, with great pockets and button details, and just really well made clothing.

Another great exhibit was The Way We Wore, tracing the evolution of clothing and fashion throughout Ireland's history. Again, more exquisite examples of garments and really interesting information about how fashion was connected with the political history of Ireland.

I was so delighted to find these exhibits, because it was complete chance - I had no idea what I was in for when I entered the museum, and it really was a fantastic afternoon.

I then walked through Grafton street at peak time and saw some of the craziest things I've seen yet:
-A homeless woman missing limbs, selling her life story for 15 EUR
-A mostly naked man dressed as an angel, modeling for the department store Brown Thomas, with feathery wings and white frosted chest hair
-A street 'performer' who brought a bag of sand and a water bottle, sculpted a pig out of the sand, and then stood there waiting for people to give him money for his sand sculpture

And then I treated myself to some Butler's Hot Chocolate. If I have not already raved about this, I really should devote some time to it. Butler's Chocolate Cafes sell chocolates and coffee drinks, and the hot chocolate is the best item on the menu. First, they take a scoop of this fudgey consistency chocolate mixture and put it in your cup. (Frankly, it looks a bit like dog poo, but I try to ignore that because it tastes wonderful.) Then they fill the cup with steamed milk and froth it all up really well, top it with cream, and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. The whole shebang is served with a Butler's Chocolate Truffle. Yep, pretty awesome. And the best part is that it is served at the perfect temperature so that you can sip it right away, unlike most other cafe concoctions. The only downside of Butler's Hot Chocolate is when the cup is empty.

I Can't Dance

2007-11-06T13:57:00.000Z

...which is why movement class is really, really hard for me. Also, I have trouble learning sequences quickly so basically I just bumble around during all of movement class. But I still enjoy it.

Just a few updates on what I've done lately. I went to see Uncle Vanya at the Gate Theatre and it was a very good production. The set was amazing.

Peter and I went to visit Newgrange and The Hill of Tara this weekend. Newgrange is a 5000 year old Neolithic fort...older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids. It was SO cool. At The Hill of Tara, there is a stone called The Destiny Stone. The person who touches it and makes the stone roar is the next king of Ireland. Peter tried, it didn't roar, so unfortunately we won't be claiming the throne any time soon. These sites were both pretty amazing. Also, we stopped at a church that had the relics of St. Oliver Plunkett. We saw his preserved head! It was a bit eerie, so Peter and I dashed to the bakery next door to the church and had delicious tasty éclairs. I never liked éclairs before this trip, strangely, but now I am quite fond of them.

I'll post pictures from the weekend trip later. They are all on Peter's camera so I have to wait for him to upload them!!!

Otherwise, this week I am just working on papers, making a playlist of Christmas music to get in the appropriate seasonal mood, and cooking. I made a Mexican tuna casserole last weekend that was good but didn't sit well with the stomach. I will try a different variation next week. Nora made pasta sauce last night and that was great. Tomorrow night is fajita night at the Leeson St. apartments, and our entire theatre class will probably be there pigging out on their tasty fajitas. I'm just enjoying the food that everyone else makes for me and I'll be grumpy when I have to start cooking again.

I'm planning upcoming trips to Cork (maybe) with a side trip to Blarney Castle and Killarney National Park. And the rest of the time I will try to see what I haven't already seen of Dublin before I leave. But for now...I have to do laundry.

You want to hear about London? Fine, I'll tell you about London.

2007-11-02T22:26:00.000Z

I've been avoiding making this post because I knew it would be a massive picture-heavy posting, but now I have a paper to write and this was a glorious opportunity for procrastination.

So, I went to London. On Thursday of last week I got up earlier than the sun - earlier than any sane person should ever wake. I hauled my sleepy self over to the AirCoach bus stop outside of Peter's apartment and was on my way to the airport. The flight to London was short and sweet, but not sweet enough to allow me to get the much-needed nap I had been hoping for.

Our first "London outing" was seeing the play Boeing Boeing. It was a 70s farce. Not a very tight production but a comedy was just what the doctor ordered for sleepy-face Bri. It starred the actor Kevin McNally, who played Gibbs in the Pirates of the Caribbean Movies. He cleans up well.

The IES staff members who were traveling with us took us out to supper at an Indian restaurant. I don't eat Indian food often because we don't have many options for ethnic cuisine at home, but I enjoy trying new things, and this meal was nice. Not so nice later on though, as my stomach decided to start a rebellion, causing a long and awful night of lots of sickness and little sleep in our filthy tin can of a hostel.

What is the first thing Brianna does when she has free time to see things in London? Visits Platform 9 3/4, of course! King's Cross Station put up a Platform 9 3/4 in honor of the Harry Potter books and our group had a photo shoot there.
Unfortunately we missed the Hogwarts Express by just a few minutes.

That morning our entire group, all of us students, went to the Tower of London. Peter and I broke off from the group tour to explore the many towers and armories on the grounds. The crown jewels are also stored there in a very shiny, velvety showcase tower. I tried to steal the coronation ring as a souvenir, but no dice, those guards are tough.
That's me by Traitor's Gate, the place where they bring in all of the political prisoners who are about to be beheaded. Pleasant place to snap a photo, eh?
This is me reading the prisoners' graffiti carved in the stone walls of one of the tower holding cells. Before execution, prisoners would carve their "final words" - often a prayer or political statement - into the walls of the fortress. These carvings have been preserved, and it's fascinating to peek into the minds of the desperate men and women who were held captive there.

After the Tower of London a more pleasant visit was in order. We toured Shakespeare's Globe, a replica of the original theatre built very close to the original site. I really enjoyed the tour. If only we could have seen a show there! My favorite part of visiting The Globe was the walk through the costuming exhibit. The Globe costume shop uses only the techniques and materials that were available in Shakespeare's time. They cut pattern pieces from burlap and muslin and hand sew almost everything. They dye all of their materials using only the things that Elizabethans would have used. A tedious place to work as a costumer, yes, but the results are amazing.

Here's a picture of all of the IES Theatre Students being ridiculous on stage at The Globe:
After that we ate pizza. Nothing special.

Then it was off to a performance at the National Theatre. In this great little black box performance space we saw The Enchantment. I really liked it, but I don't think anyone else in the group much enjoyed it. Think Hedda Gabler, A Dolls House, and Miss Julie all rolled into one depressing evening of theatre. The playwright committed suicide shortly after completing the script - that should give you a clue as to the tone of the play.

The next day of the trip I made a very poor life choice. The night before I had unpacked the shoes in my suitcase. I brought two pairs: walking shoes and fancy dress shoes. When I awoke, I went to put on the walking shoes, and I found that a pipe in our awful stinky dirty hostel had leaked into my shoes leaving the foam insoles soaked. That meant that I only had one pair of shoes to wear: fancy dress shoes. They sure were cute! But after the first hour of walking I wanted to SCREAM because they hurt so badly. I had five large throbbing blisters on my feet and I really didn't enjoy much of the walking tour of London because my feet were distracting me. One of the blisters still hasn't healed yet - it's red and kind of gross and on my right pinky toe. I named it Pookie and I'm hoping that he heals soon.

I did get to see Buckingham Palace on the walking tour. It is, of course, grandiose. We saw the curtains moving but no glimpses of Princes William or Harry. We were hoping to see the Changing of the Guard but there was no ceremony that day, so we just sat around and enjoyed the atmosphere of palatial life.

The Queen's Cavalry rode by on a practice trot. They don't really do much except accompany the Queen on ceremonial occasions and ride around looking royal and really rather silly. Here's a picture of them (just for you, Alanna!)
After Buckingham Palace we took the tube to Abbey Road and did the picture taking to celebrate our musical friends, The Beatles.
This was followed by a visit to the National Portrait Gallery. I got to see the famous Marilyn Monroe prints by Andy Warhol, along with many other exquisite paintings and photographs. The most intriguing was a portrait of a Nobel Prize winning geneticist. His DNA was mounted in gel on the wall. It was a clever and very contemporary take on the portrait, one that perfectly suited the subject.

That afternoon we saw the most glorious piece of theatre. Dealer's Choice by Patrick Marber. A very talented cast, with names and faces from some very big shows of late, such as History Boys. The show was everything I want theatre to be. In-your-face, seamless, trying, and wrenchingly beautiful. And, of course, I'm a sucker for pop culture references, so I feel obligated to point out that Roger Lloyd Something-Or-Other who played Barty Crouch in the Harry Potter movies was a lead in the show.

Another show followed: Rhinoceros at the Royal Court. Do I like absurdist plays? Yes and no. When performed well, as this production was, yes. On paper? Absolutely not. I'm still mulling over this one.

The next day I put on some comfortable shoes and got ready to enjoy London on my own terms. First we went to Buckingham Palace to see The Changing of the Guard, for real this time. We waited. And waited. And waited. And it rained. And we waited some more. And then it was canceled. These are our unhappy faces upon learning of the cancellation:

So, after a disappointing morning of waiting for nothing, Peter and I went to the National Science Museum. IT WAS THE BEST. You know how I know I will love visiting a place? If there are kids all around it squealing with delight. There were children running wild all over the museum and I could not have enjoyed it more. The medical instrument collection was my favorite, followed by the interactive spy technology exhibit. I wish we could have spent more time here. It was amazing.

What is a trip to London without high tea? Nothing, really. We went to high tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace and paid a mildly extravagant amount for tea and the accouterments. I knew I was way out of place when I asked for a glass of water and they brought out a chilled bottle of Scottish spring water and poured it for me. Everything was tasty, as it should have been, because we sure paid enough for it. High tea is basically a pot of tea with three courses of dessert. I have an insatiable sweet tooth, so in my opinion high tea is the best idea ever implemented by the aristocracy. Even the cucumber sandwiches were painfully delicate and fancy. They arrived stacked like Lincoln Logs:
Then back to our new hotel to sleep. (Peter and I got out of that horrific hostel for the last night in London. Thank goodness.)

Woke early (again!) the next day for more touristy business. We went to The London Eye. Yet another tourist attraction with monstrously inflated admission prices. The concession tickets were only available for seniors or the unemployed, but not for students! Grrr.

Oh well. The flight on The Eye was beautiful. We had a gorgeous day. Just look at the sky!
The observation wheel took us high off the ground so that we could get amazing views of London. Check it out:
Westminster Abbey and Big Ben
Me on the Eye with Big Ben/Westminster Abbey in the background.
Me giving Big Ben a pinch.

That afternoon we went to the British Museum, where I saw The Rosetta Stone and The Parthenon Marbles. I also very much enjoyed a gallery themed Living and Dying with a great exhibit called From Cradle to Grave that explored the dependency of humans on prescription drugs. And what was Peter doing while I was filling my mind with knowledge and goodness? Taking illicit photos with ancient marble sculptures.
And here are a few more touristy photos from the trip:

Kate, Rachel and myself on London Bridge, with the much more impressive looking Tower Bridge in the background.
Me in one of the iconic red phone booths, trying not to touch anything inside because it was unsavory.
The entire group of IES Theatre students posing in Trafalgar Square. Aren't we gorgeous?

That's all, folks. Time to get to work on those midterm papers!

Hallow's Eve

2007-10-31T23:14:00.000Z

Happy Halloween!

Tonight I went on the Ghost Bus tour with IES. It was kind of scary, not really though. I don't think it was worth the ticket price but it was a good thing to do on Halloween to celebrate the spirit.

There are a lot of fireworks going off because Halloween is the Irish celebratory equivalent to the 4th of July. It's nice to watch when you're out walking about at night but not so nice when you're trying to get to sleep I'm sure.

I had a weekend trip to London which I will write about later when photos get uploaded. Lots to tell! It was a trip of mixed blessings - some good things and some things that were very frustrating. I really want to go back and see more of London! What an amazing city.

We have a cat!

2007-10-24T20:13:00.000+01:00

His name is Conor McPherson and he roams around in our backyard. Today Nora fed him some turkey and Peter got him to come into the kitchen, but he ran back out into the yard as soon as Pete tried to pet him. He's been around the backyard for a few days now, and I really hope that he comes back when we return from London. I will take some pictures of Conor and post them later. Hopefully he doesn't have rabies.

This is more for myself...

2007-10-24T08:55:00.000+01:00

...than for anyone else. I need to keep track of the books I want to get from the library (or buy) when I get home and I can't think of anywhere to do it other than here. If I write it down in a notebook, I'll forget where I wrote it.

Martin McDonagh: Plays 1

The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh

The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh

Dubliners by James Joyce

Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle

The Deportees: And Other Stories by Roddy Doyle

Brownbread and War : Two Plays by Roddy Doyle

Cromwell by Brendan Kennelly

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney

The School Bag by Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Pete and Bri on a Cliff

2007-10-23T08:40:00.001+01:00

Ulster Weekend

2007-10-22T22:29:00.001+01:00

Today we returned from an eye-opening weekend in Northern Ireland. Here's how it went:

Friday we (barely) made it on the train because I got confused and thought that we departed at Heuston Station. We got to Heuston Station and looked around only to realize that we actually departed from Connolley Station and needed to be there five minutes ago. A very obliging cab driver raced us to the correct station and we did make it to the train on time, with only a few tears on my part.

Once we arrived in Belfast we were greeted at the train station by my friend Allyson. Allyson and I went to high school together, and we rarely see each other because we attend colleges that are thousands of miles apart. She is studying in Belfast this year, so we decided to take advantage of our proximity and visit each other while in Ireland. Ally helped us find our bed and breakfast, the Avenue House. It was lovely. Our proprietors were so kind and hospitable. They made us tasty breakfasts and engaged us in lively conversation. Peter and I would stay there again in a heartbeat, and we highly recommend it to anyone who seeks a place to stay in Belfast.

Nothing in Belfast is open past five except for eating and drinking and places of debauchery. Since places of debauchery were out of the question for the night, we went to The Bridge House which had cheap drinks and cheap entrees. Good food. We played cards for way too long and indulged in Bramley Apple Pie for dessert. Not as good as Grandma Rew's apple pie, not even close. Bramley apples are flavorful but this version of the pie doesn't have any cinnamon or spices in it, which is pretty much my favorite part of apple pie.

After sitting there for a few hours catching up and getting schooled by my fellow card players, I decided I wanted chips. I wanted chips badly. Ally and Pete refused to walk to find a decent chipper with me, so I had to get chips from The Bridge House and douse them with malt vinegar. I also found a packet of Heinz Mint Sauce while I was burrowing through the condiment bar. I decided that I would bring it home for Alanna. That's your Christmas present, Alanna. Just the mint sauce. Hehe.

We then went to see Stardust at the Movie House Cinema in Belfast City Centre. It was cheap, and even with the soaring exchange rate it was less expensive to see a movie there than at home at the Portage Theatres. Also, it was awesome. Probably because it was based on Neil Gaiman's novel, and everything that Neil Gaiman does is fantastic.

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and thought that our stomachs would grumble of hunger all day because we had to leave the B&B before general serving time. But our lovely proprietress gave us tea and toast and fruit and yogurt, so we left with contended stomachs for our Northern Ireland Coastal Tour. First stop: the rope bridge.

The Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge was originally used by fisherman to cross to an island where they could observe the spawning patterns of salmon and figure out where they needed to take their boats. The rope bridge is rickety enough to make you gasp as you cross, but naturally Peter felt the urge to swing and jump and make everyone queasy as they watched him teeter over the sea.

Once on the island we enjoyed the spectacular views. This particular view of three sea caves made me think of Pirates of the Caribbean, Ireland Style:

And of course we had to take the mandatory cutesy picture that makes everyone gag because we are so adorable:
The Paddywagon bus (yes, it was a bright and tacky shade of green with a leprechaun logo) then took us to Giant's Causeway. This was the highlight of the weekend.

There is a great legend about the formation of Giant's Causeway that is too detailed to tell here, but you should Google it because it's really neat. The unusual hexagonal rock formations are actually volcanic rock the bubbled up through a lesion in the sea floor.
Again, copious photo snapping ensued.
That's me sitting on the giant's boot. Judging by the size of the 'boot,' giant experts say that Finn McCool, the giant who built the causeway, would have been 27 feet tall. And he was the tiny giant!

This is the coastline:

And this is Pete literally bounding up the rocks in excitement:
Then we went to Derry to see another area where conflict happened during The Troubles. We were too exhausted to take the walking tour, so instead we went to visit some of the many Halloween shops. Derry is the Halloween capitol of Europe. Pete tried on a great mask:

And mourned Luciano Pavarotti:

And then we saw Potted Potter at the Lyric Theatre and slept, a lot, after a long day.

Sunday got weird. We took the black cab tour. Saw some incredibly interesting Loyalist murals:
And some equally interesting Republican murals:
I'm really glad that I got to see the walls dividing the Protestant and Catholic communities so that I could better understand the atmosphere of post-Troubles Belfast. The tour would have been much better, though, if our guide was not a seriously crazy anarchist who hated Protestant Loyalists and was slick enough to be a used car salesman.

Sunday afternoon was spent getting some much needed rest. After supper, as we were walking back to Ally's dorm, we got egged. Some teenagers drove by, yelled "Brit Pigs!" at us and threw eggs. It was gross. Egg all over my jeans, in my shoes, and on poor Ally's brand new expensive wool coat. Not the nicest thing to have happen on my last night in Belfast. But...looking back, it does add to the perspective of the remnants of hostility that remain in Belfast.

No class the next two days! But that doesn't mean recreation, it means getting down to business and writing those mid-term papers that are due. Then I leave for London on Thursday morning.

Who Knew?

2007-10-18T21:54:00.000+01:00

My roommate, Nora, posed an interesting question today. This is how it breaks down.

Premise: The Irish seem to love mayonnaise. They put it on chips and slather it on sandwiches.

Question: Could this be because Mayonnaise is from Ireland? Perhaps from County Mayo?

Answer: No. Sadly, mayonnaise originated in Spain, not in County Mayo. Thank you to Wikipedia for answering the question. The Irish must just like mayonnaise because they like hardy food that is bad for their arteries.

Last night was IES Movie Night. They showed InterMission. I enjoyed it - it was just the sort of film that I like. A bit gritty with an ending that is only partially happy.

I leave for Belfast tomorrow!

All American Feast

2007-10-17T18:52:00.000+01:00

Last week, our German housemates Bea and Nora made German food for supper. This week we Americans decided to reciprocate and treat them to an All-American Meal. The menu was as follows:

Sweet Potato Soup
Salad w/peppers, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Fried Chicken
Bananas Foster

My contribution was the sweet potato soup. It turned out SO well!

Here's the recipe for anyone who is interested:

Sweet Potato Soup

6 lg. sweet potatoes
2 sm. containers plain yogurt
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 lg. white onion
3 tbsp. butter
1 shot glass sherry

Cook sweet potatoes, either in oven or microwave. Scoop sweet potato meat of each potato and place in food processor. Turn into puree; add chicken broth and yogurt to mixture.

Separately saute chopped onion in butter until clear. Add sweet potato mix and onion in large pot and heat until bubbles form on side. Then simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add sherry and nutmeg and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve warm and in small quantities; it is very rich.

I did a little less yogurt than recommended, added cinnamon in addition to the nutmeg, and stirred in a little cream along with the sherry. It was SO good. It probably would have been less chunky if I had a food processor or blender to puree it, but I had to mash it all wish a fork, so let's just say it had 'hardy' texture.

It was a tight fit with the 5 of us in the kitchen cooking at once. Everything turned out fantastic! It was one of the best meals I have had since being here.

This weekend I'm off to Belfast to see my friend Allyson from high school. Still have a lot of planning to do for the London trip and our weekend trips in November!

Kilkenny

2007-10-15T08:23:00.000+01:00

I am so exhausted after this weekend and I can't explain why. I didn't do anything too strenuous, so I shouldn't be physically exhausted, and I worked on all of my writing assignments but that didn't bother me too much, so I don't understand why I am so mentally exhausted. Today is going to be a very very long day.

Peter and I left on the train for Kilkenny on Friday afternoon. We found our B&B easily because it was just a short walk away from the train station, and it was very nice. We decided to explore Kilkenny a little bit and we walked around until we found Kytelyr's Inn, a restaurant which was once owned by a woman who was burned at the stake for being a witch.

Then we simply browsed the downtown area. It is very nice, just what I was hoping for - small town but still a grocery store and clothing stores and everything you need. Kilkenny really is great. After supper we found a pub and stayed there for a while playing cards.
Then we moved on to a takeaway chipper where we got chips to bring back to our B&B. Once back at the B&B, we crashed and watched a programme on the all-Irish channel about renewable energy in Ireland. Did you know that Ireland has to import 95% of its energy? It has little to no resources. No fossil fuel, no oil, no gas, no coal. Just peat from the bogs, and that source is running low. Ireland is currently exploring harnessing wind and sea as sources of renewable energy, as well as wood chip burners, which seem a bit sketchy but the people on this program seemed very enthusiastic about that option.

In the morning our hostess made us a traditional Irish breakfast. It was salty and tasty and delicious. We packed up our very heavy backpacks and went to St. Canice's Cathedral.
The cathedral was just amazing. We loved seeing it. It's so old! There are tombs from the 1500s in there!
After we toured the inside of the cathedral we went outside to climb the round tower.
Yep, I climbed that. Even though I hate ladders and steep flights of stairs.

Upon entering the round tower, this is what you see:
How comforting. And it only gets more harrowing from there.
But once you get to the top, it's so worth it. The view is amazing. And thankfully, coming back down the ladder was almost easier than going up.

Then it was browsing the shops of Kilkenny and touring Kilkenny Castle. This castle has been in the Butler family for many generations. They had a close connection with the English monarchy so there are many tributes to various kings and queens within the castle. I wish we could have taken pictures inside, but cameras were not allowed, so here is a picture of the outside instead:
The day concluded with more walking around Kilkenny, another stop at the chipper, and a train ride back to Dublin. Sunday was unimpressive: shopping for groceries, writing papers, making supper. A delightfully mundane day. Sometimes you need that in the midst of all this excitement and travelling.

Today I just have class and no other obligations (Hurrah!) so I get to come home, make dinner, and do homework like a normal person instead of running all over Dublin trying to get to the right place at the right time. I look forward to the peace and quiet.

A Theatre Update

2007-10-11T08:57:00.000+01:00

I've seen two more shows this week. Here's the scoop:

Playboy of the Western World in a new version by Bisi Adigun and Roddy Doyle
This show was hilarious. The audience chuckled their way through most of the show. Unfortunately, as the writers adapted the play, they lost much of the tragic part of tragicomedy and the play glossed over the danger and the darker themes that make Playboy what it is. I have to do my performance analysis on this play, so it will be a welcome challenge. I've done my research and I hope that I can please the tutor - she seems to keep changing her mind about what she wants in the papers. Another bit of good luck came with this show: The Abbey produces teacher guides for workshops based on their current performances, and I was able to obtain one for my Youth Theatre independent study.

Long Day's Journey Into Night
Well...it certainly was long. 4 and 1/2 hours long. I admit that I probably bothered my seat neighbors because I got squirmy by the end of the show. It was neat to see James Cromwell on stage, but I kind of wanted him to just say "That'll do pig" so that we could all laugh and go home. There were some poor choices made by the actors, but overall I really loved the text. I had never seen or read any O'Neill before and now I feel that I must learn more about his work.

Today I have the morning off to work on papers (hurrah!) and the German students who are living in my house are going to cook authentic German food for us tonight. I'm also looking to get tickets for a puppet version of Neil Gaiman's Coraline on Monday.

Galway & The Aran Islands

2007-10-09T13:01:00.000+01:00

I'm still exhausted after my weekend trip, but I decided I should post about it before I forget everything. This afternoon I am catching up on homework. I just read The Beauty Queen of Lenane by Martin McDonagh. It was excellent, I really like his dark humor, can't wait to read The Lieutenant of Inishmore. I also read a significant chunk of Dracula on the train this weekend. It's deliciously frightening. My resolution to indulge in Irish literature only has certainly paid off!

On Friday after voice class, Peter and I packed up and got on the train for Galway. I paid 6 euro extra to reserve our seats on the train, which is good because it was packed on a Friday afternoon and people had to stand. However, some rude businessman was sitting in our seats and refused to get up, so we had to find seats somewhere else. He was a real jerk.

Upon arriving in Galway we went to the tourist office to get maps and decide how to get to the Aran Islands the next day, and then we ate at KC Blake's. I had read about it in my guidebook, and we really had no idea where else to go, and we randomly stumbled upon it, so we ate there. It was great. I had a boxty burger: a burger served on top of mashed potatoes, with potato chip garnish, and boiled potatoes on the side. Another side that came with the meal was a puree of vegetables - I don't really know what sort of vegetables they were, it was orange and unidentifiable, yet tasty! Here's what my boxty burger looked like:

Yum. We then had a bit of an ordeal finding our B&B. The proprietor kept giving us poor directions as we repeatedly called them telling them that we were lost, and it took as three times as long as it should have for us to get there. It also was much further away from the city centre of Galway than the guidebook claimed. We were so tired upon arriving that we just crashed and went to sleep because we didn't have the energy to haul ourselves back into town and go to a pub.

The next morning we explored Galway City a bit. We went to the open air market and walked around their shop street. Galway was a little disappointing - it's the fastest growing city in Europe and is basically mini-Dublin. It has all of the same restaurants, chain stores, etc. that we have in my neighborhood in Dublin, and it wasn't as unique as I hoped it would be. We then boarded the ferry to go to Inishmore.

The Aran Islands are simply amazing. Beautiful, rural, and non-globalized, which is the best part. The first thing we did was check into our cute B&B:
The owner had a nice dog, too. We went to the Aran Sweater Market to shop for woolens and Christmas presents for our families, then took a mini-coach tour of the island. This was a great idea. Our driver didn't pick up any other tourists, so Peter and I had our own personal island tour. The driver even pulled over and took Peter's camera so that he could snap photos of his brand new, one-hour-old baby calf for us.

We spent about an hour and a half admiring the ancient beauty of Dun Aengus fort. It rests on a cliff. It used to be a circular port, but part of it fell into the sea when the edge of the cliff collapsed. It was so breathtaking. I wish we could have stayed there all day long.

Pete took this picture while leaning over the edge of the cliff:
And I climbed down to one of the ledges for this one:
And this is of the edge of the cliff extending out into the sea:

And finally, this one was taken when Peter pushed me off the edge of the cliff and I had to cling to the edge to save myself:
Just kidding.

The mini-coach tour took us around other parts of the island where we took some more neat photos:
We ran into two other IES students after having dinner at the island and we all went to a small pub right next to our B&B. The locals were wrapped up in the rugby game and there was a wedding party having a post-reception drink, so we found a quiet corner and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Peter and I got up bright and early to get on the 8 AM ferry back to the mainland. I proceeded to slip down the flight of wet stairs on the ferry and get a huge bruise on my backside and arm, which made my movement class rather difficult this morning. That's what I get for being super clumsy.

Once we got back to Galway, Peter and I took the city bus tour. It was nice to learn about the historical aspect of Galway so that I didn't feel so overwhelmed by its obvious commercialization. The city was very foggy on our first bus ride around, and since the tickets were good all day we got off at the aquarium to see the fish (more octopus! more sharks!) and we took it again later in the day once the fog had cleared, and the view was much better. I also picked up some gifts for my darling sister, but I'm going to keep them secret so that she doesn't read this and ruin her Christmas surprise. This is a picture of Galway bay that I took on the tour. This is the least commercialized and most beautiful part of Galway City:
And after relaxing in the park in Galway and taking the train back to Dublin, I have begun another week of classes. They're getting more and more exhausting. Tonight we go to see The Playboy of the Western World - A New Version by Bisi Adigun and Roddy Doyle. I have been looking forward to this production since the day we arrived, so I hope it's great. I've thoroughly enjoyed the Roddy Doyle pieces I've read since being here and I can't imagine that this show could go wrong. So far, reviews have been mostly positive. Nora and I are both writing our performance analysis on this show, so I must be extra diligent in taking notes tonight.

And now that I realize I've written an extra long post instead of doing homework, I should go.

Possibility

2007-10-05T11:42:00.000+01:00

I've been casually searching for an excuse to return to Ireland in the future, and I finally found an ideal one:

ArtsTrain

It's a year long intensive training for youth theatre facilitators, and is a sort of segue into graduate studies. The work they do in this program is AMAZING. I'll put it on my list of "in case I don't get into graduate school" options. And Irish youth theatre is so strong, and the program so well established, that it's a highly tempting opportunity.

A Streak of Good Theatre

2007-10-04T09:01:00.000+01:00

One show each day this week, and so far none have been disappointing. Here's the rundown:

Monday - Traces

This urban circus show did something I didn't know could be done: It took a circus act and humanized it. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for the performers, hoping that they could make their stunts. It was breathtaking. This clip won't do it justice, but it will give you a taste of how amazing they are.

Tuesday - Pride of Parnell Street

A heartbreaking show about two determined people who loved each other but could not hold themselves up against the tide of class circumstances. Really sad, but in a glowing sort of way. This it the review that appeared in Irish Theatre Magazine.

Wednesday - James Son of James

Well...what do I say about this show...hmmm. It was a melange of physical theatre, musical, and satire. But I didn't get it. I enjoyed the dancing, understood the relationships among characters, and really loved the color palette selected for costumes, but I totally lost some of the plot. It seemed unresolved and surreal and strange. Perhaps I just wasn't smart enough to get it. But, to my comfort, a very nasty review appeared in the Irish Times yesterday, and although that's not good for the show it certainly makes me feel better because I wasn't the only one who though the show lacked clarity. I'm very glad I went though because it was unlike any theatre that I have seen before.

Getting very excited about my weekend in the Aran Islands. I leave tomorrow! Something not so exciting, however, has been happening with my cellphone. CellHire (a company recommended by IES) stopped providing phone service. Yes, my phone simply ceased working this past weekend, leaving me with no communication options in case of emergency. And they've been incredibly uncooperative and unresponsive as we try to fix this. As a result of this unfortunate occurrence, I have to go out today and buy a new phone...as if i hadn't already spent enough money. *Sigh*

Leisurely Sunday

2007-09-30T21:59:00.001+01:00

Sundays seem to call for rest and relaxation, so Peter and I planned a low-intensity day. Early this morning I did some sorely needed grocery shopping. Unfortunately, the cheap grocery store doesn't have everything I need, so I need to walk a little further to the more expensive grocery store tomorrow to get some basics, like cream of chicken soup and broccoli.

We took the bus to the National Botanical Gardens. It was a nice day, so it was a good place to walk around. And most importantly: It was blissfully free of admission. I most enjoyed the rose garden because of the many varieties and colors, and the lovely smells. There were also some impressive greenhouses.
We stayed in town to see our early evening performance of Hibiki, a Butoh dance piece. I did a tiny bit of Butoh in the Youth Shakespeare Workshops when I was younger, so I felt that I could at least relate to the piece. At first I had trouble staying awake because the nature of Butoh is very slow and precise and requires rapt attention - and I was dead tired from all of the stuff I've done this weekend. However, I pinched myself awake and really enjoyed the rest of the show. Good thing too, because I paid enough for the tickets.

Tomorrow is another day of class and running errands. I'm also pulling together the details for our weekend in Galway and The Aran Islands (next weekend.) I hope that everybody has a pleasant week.

Musical Dublin

2007-09-29T09:36:00.000+01:00

This is a clip from the Dublin Musical Pub Crawl. (I apologize for the poor visual quality, but it's mostly for the audio so that my Dad can hear it.) It was, unquestionably, the best experience I have had in Dublin yet. Two musicians lead us around Dublin to a few pubs and played music at each one. In between songs, they told the story of Celtic music and explained the instruments, rhythms, and history. The banjo player was spectacular. He is a Bela Fleck disciple, and his skill was totally amazing. It helped that he was also young and handsome. After the pub crawl, the banjo player suggested a pub to go to with a good traditional music session. We went there, and it was awesome. The whole place was jam packed with people, and I think most of the musicians were related to the banjo player. They were great though! I looked up his band and they play in Temple Bar on Saturdays and Sundays, so I will definitely be going out there to hear more, and hopefully buy some music.

Although the pub crawl certainly trumped everything else we have done for the past few days, I'll be sure to tell you all about that too. On Thursday, we went to the Dublin Writers Museum.
Also, this Georgian ceiling in the museum was designed by the famous Irish architect Michael Stapleton:

It was interesting and useful because a lot of the information helps me understand the background of the plays I'm reading for my Irish Contemporary Drama class, but overall the museum was a bit dull. I mean, what can you put in a writer's museum? Old books in a case? A pen that they used once? The exhibits were by no means exhilarating. However, it is interesting to note that so many famous writers came out of Ireland: G. Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge, Samuel Beckett, and the list goes on and on. How do so many talented people come from an island smaller than the state of Indiana? It's something in the air. Probably the cigarette smoke. (Just kidding. But the smell of cigarette smoke in this city is permeating all of my clothes and driving me mad.)

On Friday morning Peter and I took the train to Malahide to tour Malahide Castle.
It was nice, but not what we expected. I think Peter was hoping for ancient ruins of a majestic castle, while I was hoping for dungeons and high towers with princesses draping their hair out the window and dragons roaring in the courtyard. Well...not quite. The castle was a small castle, and it had been lived in until the 1970s, so it was modernized. Still impressive, but not really what my imagination had been cooking up on the train ride there. The best part of the visit was playing in the woods around the castle.
During our woodland frolic we noticed a sign stating that the woods had recently been treated for a rat infestation and were poisonous. So, we probably shouldn't have crawled around in there. But I feel fine today so hopefully I won't die of poisoning.

Today we are going to probably stroll around the city a bit, and then go to two shows. The first is a matinée of Bistouri at The Ark. It is a children's show that I am seeing as part of my Irish Youth Theatre independent study. Then, tonight, Peter and I got last minute tickets to see The Reduced Shakespeare Company in Dun Laoghaire. We're really excited! We're both huge fans of Reduced Shakespeare and their brand of highly physical, goofy, satirical comedy.

Just a tidbit as I work on my homework

2007-09-28T16:16:00.000+01:00

Irish Theatre Magazine describes the experience of going to the theatre:

"...spending two hours in a darkened room where some of the people are loudly pretending to be other people."

An Irish Insult

2007-09-28T00:27:00.000+01:00

"You're about as handsome as a pile of manure and half as useful."

(Courtesy of the Dublin Writers Museum)

Mid-Week Lull

2007-09-26T19:23:00.000+01:00

I haven't posted the past two days because I have done nothing worthy of posting about. I have been reminded of things that I miss and things that I like, though.

I really miss microwave popcorn, particularly kettlecorn in the little individual serving bags. That is my favorite snack, and when I pop it in the small bags, I am never tempted to eat three servings of popcorn all at once.

I love public transportation and being able to get anywhere by a combination of tram, bus, and feet. The other day I took the LUAS into town and completed a little shopping for necessities in the morning and got back home in plenty of time to change and have lunch before class. How useful! I was able to purchase and send a handful of postcards, so look out for some mail!

For class on Tuesday we went to the National Gallery to look at art. I'm still not quite clear on how this fits in with what we're doing in class, but I don't really get this particular class (Devising). The paintings pictured above are both by Jack Yeats, Ireland's most prized painter. I particularly enjoyed the paintings in the current Yeats exhibition, because they all related to circus/carnival/masquerade themes. My favorite painting was called The Fisherman's Mother and was an intimate and beautiful portrait of an elderly woman. I bought a postcard print of it.

This morning I was determined to go to the Irish Museum of Natural History. Peter and I stopped at Bewley's Oriental Cafe for chai tea to warm our chilled faces and fingers, then proceeded to the museum right outside of Merrion Square. IT WAS CLOSED. Indefinitely. I was so upset. I had really been excited to see this museum. So, we walked on Nassau St. and visited all of the tourist shops. We found the Blarney Woolen Mills outlet, which sells relatively inexpensive fishermen's sweaters. I also found a great store that sells Irish woolen scarves and tweeds. However, the museum closure made me really sad and cranky and I was kind of in a bad mood all day as a result - irrational, I know, but it just really started my day on a sour note. So, to the detriment of others, I was being a glummypuss for the rest of the day. I'm feeling better now, mostly because the psuedo stir fry Peter and I made for supper was really tasty.

Tomorrow I'm going to the Dublin Writers Museum (if it's open. I'll call ahead this time!) We don't have class until 4:30 PM tomorrow, so I'm going to maximize the day and do a little sightseeing before class. It's Movement class, so I can bank on my muscles being achy and sore again for the weekend. Our teacher really works us, and at first I dreaded going to that class, but now it's getting more fun. I'm feeling very comfortable with the rest of the group and they're all very nice, intelligent people to work with.

Conversation at Powerscourt

2007-09-23T08:43:00.001+01:00

Clerk: And what part of the world are you from, Miss?

Brianna: The States.

Clerk: Hmmm...can't see it, can't hear it. What part of the States?

Brianna: Wisconsin. It's in the midwestern region.

Clerk: Is it flat there?

Brianna: Some parts.

Clerk: It must be one of those regions where you develop a normal accent then because I certainly can't tell you're from there.

Powerscourt Gardens

2007-09-22T21:46:00.000+01:00

We were blessed with another absolutely beautiful day as we embarked on our trip to Powerscourt House & Gardens. We took the DART train again, then a bus from the DART station in Bray to Powerscourt. The trip there was very simple, no problems.

As soon as we arrived on the estate we could see this was going to be a beautiful stroll. The avenue leading up to the mansion was perfectly groomed, and the trees were spectacular. I will post more pictures later if I find the time. I took a lot of lovely photos. The mansion itself was spectacular, but sadly, none of the period furnishings are left. The mansion was redecorated and restored in the early 1970s (at a cost of millions of dollars). The day that the new decor was revealed in 1974, an accidental fire destroyed the entire central block of the mansion and gutted everything - including the millions of dollars worth of decor. Restoration has only just begun again. So, no fancy rooms to tour today. But the gardens were left intact and lovely!

First were the Italian Gardens, which were picturesque and full of marble sculptures. Peter and I liked them, but felt a little uneasy, because they were so manicured that there was something unnatural about them. They looked like the gardens in Alice in Wonderland. I expected the Red Queen to come screaming out of nowhere, swinging a croquet mallet.

Next were the Japanese Gardens. Also very manicured, but a little more natural looking. The path from the Japanese Gardens lead to these amazing moss covered stone arches. The twin arches are pictured above. These were, in my opinion, the best part of the estate. It was like something out of the Redwall novels I used to read as a child (Pete thought it would be the perfect sort of home for a hobbit).

We wandered the paths of the estate a while more and encountered more neat trees and the Walled Gardens (lots of lovely flowers, beautiful rose bushes!) and then left the estate. It was a 30 minute walk back into town to get lunch. We ate at Poppies Country Cooking. The food was quite good. However, after waiting in the sun for 2 hours for the bus, enduring the bumpy and awful bus ride back, and then sitting through an extra long DART ride due to mechanical problems, our stomachs were rumbly and unhappy. This is what happens when you eat a rich Irish meal and then travel on country roads.

Because of our grumpy digestive systems, we had plain pasta for supper and then went to see Grounded at The Ark. It was a really interesting production that used ropes and aerial circus type tricks in the choreography/blocking. It will certainly be good fodder for my independent study.

Hurling, Tarts, and Guinness

2007-09-21T21:12:00.001+01:00

Today was a lovely day, despite the dreary weather that began it. I finally got some wear out of my raincoat (which, Peter says, makes me look like a Beatle.) We departed early for the Gaelic Athletic Association Museum at Croke Park Stadium. It was a really neat experience because it chronicles the history of the three Gaelic sports: Gaelic football (similar to soccer, but allows certain pick-ups and hand throws), Hurling (which is so violent and awesome to watch, it's completely terrific) and handball (which is racquetball without any paddles. Seriously. They just whack balls against the walls with their bare hands. The Irish are so hardcore.) Historically, the GAA has been very involved in Irish nationalist endeavors, and I thought that was well chronicled in the museum exhibits. They have even gone so far as to ban GAA members from playing non-Irish sports, including Rugby. That ban no longer exists, but you can certainly still see the ferocious sense of pride that accompanies these uniquely Irish sports.

The coolest part of the museum was the "try it out" room where you got to try Gaelic football and hurling. As you will see in Image 4, Peter tried hurling and loved it. We went to Elvery's Sports Shop and he bought a hurling stick and ball to bring home. They're pretty sweet, and I'm thinking about bringing home a set for myself because it's an awesome souvenir. Anyway...the stick didn't quite fit in his backpack, and he carried it around sticking out for the entire day. As shown in Image 2, he mastered the reach-back-and-grab maneuver in case we were mugged. We were not. He was slightly disappointed that he did not get to defend himself with his hurling stick.

After the GAA Museum we went to Queen of Tarts, an adorable and TINY restaurant in Temple Bar. My housemates had eaten there earlier this week and recommended it highly, and I had read about it on some online forums. It was arguably the best meal I have had in Ireland (right up there with the Irish beef & Guinness stew.) I had a red pepper and goat cheese savoury tart, served with ciabatta bread and salad with dijon dressing, followed by a chocolate pear tartlet. The first picture of this post is my look of sheer delight as I enjoy my meal. Peter had a different savoury tart, and the Apply Crumble tartlet for dessert. I had a bit of his, and even though my tartlet was great, he made the better choice.

After that (very filling) lunch we trudged to another bus stop to head to the Guinness Storehouse & Brewery. Except...we got on the bus going the wrong direction, so we got a nice hour-long tour of a lovely residential area of Dublin. Eventually we got to where we wanted to go. The Storehouse had a spectacular museum describing the brewing process and the history of Guinness. The most enjoyable parts were watching the television ads for Guinness throughout the years - some of them were so hilarious. We also learned about all of the ingredients used to give the stout its unique flavor, and sampled some roasted hops. The tour also takes you through a tasting lab where you can try the latest Guinness brand beers (today it was a lager) and finally you end up in the Gravity Bar where you get your free pint of Guinness. I picked up recipes for beef and Guinness stew (which I will make for my family when I get home) and also Guinness cake (which I think I might make for my housemates when we have our Christmas party here). In the third picture you can see me lovingly hugging a Guinness keg before it makes its way down the conveyor belt. When you buy your ticket to the Storehouse you get a neat souvenir - a tiny clear globe with a drop of Guinness encased in the center.

Peter and I were exhausted when we got home so we made the very simple and very delicious Baked Chicken and Rice that I relied on when I lived in Door County. It's great - dump rice, cream of chicken soup, water, salt, pepper, and chicken breasts into a pot. Cover it. Stick it in the oven for an hour. Eat. Warm, tasty, comforting, and easy to clean up. We shall be making it again soon. On Sunday I think we will attempt a cheesy veggie pie.

I purchased a 30 day pass for the LUAS (Dublin light rail system) and Dublin Bus. So far, it has proven very useful. I paid 68 euro for unlimited rides on both the LUAS and Dublin Bus. Considering that I have been riding one or the other at least once a day, it was a smart investment.

I hope that you all are well!

Towel Chicken Arrives in Ireland

2007-09-20T09:39:00.000+01:00

Bad News for Me, Good News for the Euro

2007-09-20T09:09:00.001+01:00

This article appeared in the Irish Times this morning:

Euro hits record high against dollar

The euro struck a record high against the dollar this morning, extending gains after the Federal Reserve's deep half percentage-point cut in interest rates earlier this week sparked a broad sell-off in the US currency.

The euro climbed to $1.3997 on electronic trading platform EBS, the highest since the launch of the single European currency in 1999 and just shy of the psychologically important $1.4000 level.

That means everything gets more expensive for me. Yikes! However, the pound is dropping, which will ease the strain on my wallet during my trip to London in late October.

My First Theatre "WOW"

2007-09-19T10:08:00.000+01:00

Years of learning about theatre and being taught to analyze everything have made me a sour theatre-goer. I criticize everything because I have been trained to do so. I can enjoy parts of a show, but rarely is there a time when I can sit back and say I loved a performance...except for last night.

We went to go see Pilgrims of the Night last night at Project Cube. It was part of the Dublin Fringe Festival. The show was, without exception, entertaining, funny, and touching. Hilarious and thoughtful. Excellent. The venue was small and the stage was cluttered, but I adored it. It even had a zombie dance...beyond words, really.

The show itself is a modernized version of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. All of the actors were talented and engaging. We were sitting so close to the stage (practically in the playing space) and I was touched by not one, but two of the actors. There was an empty seat next to me, and one actor sat next to me and nudged me as he winked. Then, later, another sat next to me and patted my leg. It was surreal and hilarious. Lots of breaking the fourth wall.

Nora and I were so excited about the show that we had a little senior project talk going, but we'll see. Luckily, the play is available, in a volume called Plays by Len Jenkin (just in case anybody needs an idea of what to get me for Christmas...)

Interestingly, the playwright, Len Jenkin, also adapted Ramona Quimby for First Stage in Milwaukee, the same version (I think) which was performed at Zona Gale in Portage a few years ago. So he does children's plays too - a playwright after my own heart!

Here is a summary of the show for those who are interested:

Something mysterious but probably horrible—possibly life-threatening—has happened. Bright flashes of light blaze in the night sky; on the ground there seem to be fires, and in the air there seem to be flying saucers.

The good news is that all of that has happened on the other side of the river. On this shore, six weary, disparate travelers converge. It's very late, and they've missed the last ferry. Given the remoteness of this way station and the uncertainty of recent events, they decide to camp out here for the night. To pass the time, they decide to tell each other stories.

Thus begins Len Jenkin's lovely, timely play Pilgrims of the Night. In short order Jenkin introduces us to an eccentric cross-section of humanity: a former lost soul on the path toward redemption named Mr. Samuel Sundown; a savvy urban business executive type, Lily Black; a slick, even slippery shyster with the moniker Ray T. Fox; the wife of the ferry's captain, an enigmatic woman called Viva; and the flim-flamming Professor Hubert and his street-wise, somewhat troubled niece/assistant, Zoe. Watching over them all is Poor Tom, the lonely but omniscient ex-con who runs the station and narrates the play.

The stories these six tell each other (and us) feel, at first, like the campfire ghost variety: Ray's "Story of Nick Slick, Darlene, Rudy, and George the Cook" is a bawdy tale of a cuckolded husband; Lily's "At the Zombie Jamboree" fancifully places her supposed roommate Sherry in an empire of zombies masterminded by a fabulously wealthy sugar plantation owner; and Samuel's "Dr. Kremser, Vivisectionist" is a Twilight Zone-y narrative about a mad scientist and his possibly madder assistant. Speaking to our basic fears, the spooky stories are oddly comforting and entertaining, little semaphores of defiance to ward off the uncertainty across the water.

In the second half, the stories turn unexpectedly profound. "Olga the Headless Woman," Viva's contribution, is about a charlatan's exploitation of a sad, slow young woman who is, of course, not really headless. "The Story of Elmo March," narrated by Zoe, is a sweet-natured parable about an ordinary Joe who is enlisted by a silver fairy to spread the truth throughout the world—truth that no one will believe. And Hubert's final offering, "The Adventures of Bunny and Dick," is a creation allegory about an unlikely couple who set out to found a Utopia and end up becoming Adam and Eve.

The stories, brought to life with great charm and spirit by six actors in addition to the narrators, don't finally converge in a single spot; this troubled my companion at the show, who, seeing some of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress in this play, wanted some thematic closure. For me, Pilgrims of the Night is wholly successful, however, a celebration of the restorative power of storytelling, especially on dark, stormy, scary nights when other resources seem to fail us.

The Theatre Count - Second Edition

2007-09-17T22:33:00.000+01:00

This week brings four more shows to the theatre count.

Tonight I saw Trojan Women, which was part of the Fringe Festival. At first I wasn't sure what I thought, but now that I've been away from the theatre for an hour, I realize that I really enjoyed it. It was performed in an abandoned building. The performance space was really neat, especially since the luxurious fabrics of the costumes contrasted so starkly with the dusty brick rubble of the playing space.

Tomorrow night we see Pilgrims of the Night, which looks extremely weird. I might not like it, but I'll be sure to keep an open mind.

Wednesday is the preview of a very movement-based theatre piece (it may even qualify as a dance piece, I'm not exactly sure) called Incarnat. It's supposed to be raw and invigorating and I really hope it lives up to what I've heard about it.

Finally, on Saturday, the show I am most looking forward to: Grounded at The Ark. This is the youth theatre performance that I heard about during the director talkback session during Culture Night. The set looked amazing - ropes and a platform and small scale traffic lights.

Going to Gaol

2007-09-16T20:26:00.000+01:00

Today we toured the Kilmainham Gaol, the prison that served Dublin until the 1920s. It was the chief holding area for most political prisoners and the site where the commanders of the Irish Citizens Army were executed after the 1916 Easter Rising. The pictures above are of the cells, and myself and Peter in the cells, with the camera looking through the peephole that the guards used to constantly check the prisoners. The fourth picture is of one of the exhibits in the museum illustrating the Victorian mindset about self-discipline - one must always maintain a balance of pleasure and pain. Personally, I found that particular part of the exhibit to be hilarious.

This tour really came at a great time in the trip because I am reading A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle, which is a historical fiction take on the events of the IRA and the Easter Rising. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good book and enjoys history. It's a fabulous book, and I'm really engaged with all of the characters, so the tour made everything fall into place. I feel like I'm gaining a much better understanding of the Irish fight for independence. Also, it was just morbidly cool.

This afternoon we went to a pub to watch the Gaelic football all-Ireland final. It was crazy - we watched a vicious fight break out amongst the players. Pretty sweet. Tomorrow...go to class. Probably the least exciting part of my time here. Alas, I must remind myself of my true purpose for being here, that I am 'studying' abroad, not 'gallivanting' abroad...

A Day by the Sea

2007-09-15T17:08:00.001+01:00

These are pictures from my trip to Bray. I took the Dublin Area Rapid Transit train (DART) to Bray. It was so quick and easy - 45 minute ride, and everything was within walking distance of the station. The first thing we did was visit the aquarium. It was a bit smelly and the displays were wearing down, but the sea creatures were excellent. Most of the tanks were open tanks! The sharks were so close to me, it was amazing. They also had an exhibit featuring all of the fish from finding Nemo and their origins, as well as fun facts about each species.

Then we went down to the beach - you can see the pictures above. A beautiful stone beach, by the seashore. It was simply fantastic. Some of the stones are a bit porous - they look like swiss cheese. Not quite as porous as pumice stones but they are still unusual looking. Peter collected a few in his backpack.

We explored the downtown. It wasn't too spectacular, lots of little shops. We had shepherd's pie for lunch at Molloy's, a bakery and cafe. The shepherd's pie was good, but my side salad was strange. It was chilled lettuce and tomatoes served with cooked corn. Very unusual. I also tried a meringue and decided that I didn't much like it.

We then ventured up part of the path to Bray's Head, the big cliff. However, it was 75 degrees out, and Peter and I were dressed for the 56 degree weather that hit Dublin this morning, so we got so warm we couldn't go all the way to the top. We did climb up to a grassy knoll area and sat under an umbrella enjoying the beautiful weather and sea breeze.

Bray is a small town, and we had exhausted pretty much all of the options for things to do, so we took the train back to Dublin, which is absolutely packed today because people are buzzing about the rugby match. The pubs will be crammed full tonight!

Culture Night Adventures

2007-09-14T21:45:00.001+01:00

The pictures are from the tea room at No. 29, a restored Georgian mansion on Fitzwilliam St. in Dublin. The mansion has guided tours. For Culture Night, the tours were free, so Pete and I decided to go. It was fantastic! We got a free pot of tea complete with the sugar and milk accoutrement, and free cake too. This was followed by a short film and a tour of the absolutely beautiful home. The tour guide was good too, he pointed out all of the little items we were curious about and told fun stories about the Georgian lifestyle.

We also went to The Ark to hear a talk given by the director of their play for the Fringe Festival. She was excellent - she talked about writing for youth theatre, her inspiration, and her experience. She was young, so I really liked hearing from her and thinking about the possible youth theatre pathways I could pursue. Also, we got a sneak peek at the set, which was great. We will be seeing the show (which is titled Grounded) next week.

A few things I liked about this evening:

Our cab driver. He asked us where we were from, and then wanted to know why Wisconsin sounded familiar to him. After listing almost everything we could think of that comes from Wisconsin, we finally figured out why he knew Wisconsin: it is the home of Miller beer (which is big in Ireland, for who knows what reason.) Also, he told us the three places he would visit if he came to the States: Graceland, Harley Davidson factory, and the headquarters of Boeing. He was a hoot.

Another thing I enjoyed - the creative director of The Ark told us that the director talk would be a very informal presentation, and that we could "vote with our feet" - i.e., walk out if we were bored. I thought that was a nice way of putting it, and it made the whole thing much more relaxed and casual.

Culture Night & Volunteering

2007-09-14T08:40:00.000+01:00

I'm beginning the day with a horrendous head cold. I can't breathe through my nose at all. I brought decongestants, but I am reluctant to take them because they always make me slow down and shrivel up and today is a big day.

I'm heading to the Fringe Festival and Dublin Theatre Festival ticket offices today to buy tickets for the many shows I need to see. Tickets are expensive, but they almost always offer a concession price for students that is about 2 euro less than standard ticket price.

Tonight is a fabulous opportunity, Dublin Culture Night. The entire city has banded together to make admission to all museums free, and other arts and cultural locations around town will be offering free workshops and presentations. This is such a great idea! And when I see that a city as large as Dublin can band together to put on this event, it makes me think how simple it would be for Appleton to do the same, or even a miniature version of the event on campus at Lawrence. All of the events are family friendly and free, and they are providing free public transportation so that you can easily get from one area to the next. It is simply brilliant.

One of the stops I plan to make tonight is at The Ark, a youth cultural center in the Temple Bar neighborhood of Dublin. They have an indoor theatre, and outdoor amphitheater, and plenty of workshop space to do visual and performing arts workshops. I applied to volunteer there! It's really the perfect spot.

Another exciting development. I e-mailed my professors back at Lawrence and they approved a 3-unit independent study in Irish Youth Theatre. So, while I am here, I will be doing some research and reading to see how the Irish go about working with youth through theatre, and then once I get back to Lawrence I will summarize my findings and get credit for the class. I'm really excited about this. There is so much to discover.

Thursday News

2007-09-13T20:22:00.000+01:00

That's my house! I live in the bedroom on the second floor with the windows looking out onto the street. Isn't our bright blue door quaint?

Today I had movement class again, which terrified me on Tuesday, but today's class was not quite to frightening. It was better. This weekend I am going to Bray, a seaside town, and plan to see the beach and the aquarium as well as do a little hiking on the cliffs.

Tomorrow we have follow-up orientation and a 'scavenger hunt.' I'm not much for mandatory fun, but hopefully they'll give us free food or something as a reward for getting to the end. Also, the Fringe Festival is in full swing and I'll probably have to see a show or two from that line up, although it appeals to me less than the Dublin Theatre Festival.

I'm trying hard to budget, but buying groceries and amenities for a house of 7 girls is difficult, especially when we have to decide who buys paper towels, toilet paper, dish soap, laundry detergent, etc. Also, Peter and I are trying to budget for food together, so that's been a bit of a challenge. I am used to eating well and cooking full, delicious meals, but I'm learning to sacrifice the variety and flavor to eat more frugally while still maintaining nutritional value. We'll see how I do!

Environmentally Conscious Ireland

2007-09-13T09:19:00.000+01:00

I hope that you all enjoy this ridiculous picture of me. It was taken at Dublinia, a museum in downtown Dublin that chronicles the Viking and Medieval history of the city. I liked the museum because it was interactive and well organized. It was certainly intended for an audience younger than myself and Peter, but we love interactive museums and had a blast trying on the medieval costumes and playing with replicas of Viking weapons.

One of the cultural aspects of Ireland that I most admire is their environmental awareness. A few years ago the country passed a law that taxed plastic bags in grocery stores, so now you have to pay 0.23-0.30 euro to get a plastic bag. Some stores don't even have plastic bags to sell you. This means that everyone must carry some sort of grocery tote. Many use their backpacks, and there is no end to the canvas bags you see people carrying.

I had read about this law before I came and ordered a few Baggus for myself and Peter. A baggu is a ripstop nylon shopping bag that folds up into a little pouch. You can stow them in a purse or backpack and then whip it out when you need to go shopping. So useful! I don't know why I didn't invest in these earlier. I will certainly be using them all the time when I return to Wisconsin. I love the baggu because it's designed by a small-business designer, ethically made by workers who are well paid, environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and comes in cute colors. If you are curious and want to look into them (I think they make great gifts, I plan to give some for Christmas) go here.

Ireland is also constantly reminding people about their carbon footprint. There are posters everywhere - save energy, use a drying rack! Reduce gas emissions, take the bus! I like it - they're keeping Ireland green. Although I read last week in the Irish Times that Ireland is warming 10 times faster than the rest of the world. Ten times faster! I wonder why that is...perhaps it's the rapid increase in their population since the 1960s.

The Theatre Count - First Edition

2007-09-12T23:18:00.000+01:00

The purpose of my time in Dublin is to become more aware of theatre, and part of doing that is seeing as many shows as possible. So I will keep track of all of the shows that I see for any who are interested and want to read more about them. This is what I have seen so far:

The Taming of the Shrew, Public Shakespeare Company, St. Stephen's Green
-A commedia dell'arte style production. Basic street theatre, not a very professional production, but entertaining nonetheless.

Bones, Calypso Theatre Company, Samuel Beckett Theatre

Kicking a Dead Horse, Sam Shepard, The Abbey Theatre
Review of Kicking a Dead Horse from Variety
(The review really says it all for this one.)

There will be more shows next week! I will be seeing James Cromwell (my family will know him well as Farmer Hoggett in Babe and Mr. Austen in Becoming Jane) in the show Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Irish Essentials

2007-09-12T17:03:00.000+01:00

Hello family and friends! This blog will be the one-stop-shop to satisfy your curiosity about what I'm doing during my semester abroad. I have been in Ireland since September 4, and the first week has had its ups and downs. I am beginning to adjust to the amenities and my housemates, and am thoroughly enjoying myself. Later I will include a picture of my home so that you can all see where I'm living and what it is like.

Today's topic: my favorite Irish things, so far:
1. Dark Chocolate Kit Kats. These are simply amazing. I've always been partial to Kit Kats, and dark chocolate enhances this to be simply the best candy bar. Ever.

2. Salt and Vinegar chips. They offer a baked version at the grocery store as well, in portion controlled bags. A very tasty snack.

3. Digestives. These are a biscuit (cracker) very similar to graham crackers. Crumbly and just a bit sweet. A chocolate coated version is also available, but goes less well with tea. Unfortunately, I did a bit of research on the history of digestives, and they don't actually aid digestion at all. This had not stopped me from eating them. Also, one large package costs 0.37, so they are a frugal addition to my diet.

4. Friendly people. Almost anyone will give you directions, and a woman approached me while I was in line at the theatre and gave me a free ticket for the show. I'm really hoping that happens again so that I don't spend all of my money on theatre tickets.

5. Traditional Irish suppers. I had superbly delicious Irish stew. It was served in a little crock and topped with a biscuit (an actual biscuit this time - not a cracker. The Irish & British refer to crackers as biscuits). The stew itself was beef, vegetables, and mushrooms slowly cooked in red wine and Guinness. It was served with mashed potatoes. Also, Irish brown bread is a soft quick soda bread that is frequently served at meals, and it's very tasty.

The Irish things I don't like:
1. Blood pudding. Ick ick ick ick ick.

2. Bad plumbing.

3. Teeny tiny washing machines and dryers that don't really dry much.

4. Rats.

More later! I hope that everyone is well.

Note: The picture above is of Christ Church Cathedral.