trading stories

went to a friend's open house presenting several craftspeople...go mainly to be supportive and to look for christmas gifts (yes, a bit early in may)...also to visit with some friends...adding a little man-ness to the gathering...

visited with two other guys who also travel a lot...one has been to japan a few times...he was telling about keys he walked away with from a small hotel...discovered it at the next hotel stop and mailed it back...on returning home he received an e-mail, thanking him and saying hawaii people are beautiful and honest...i should have told him of a similar situation when i came home with with my key card from the hotel elysee...second time i had done it, but this time i decided to mail it back rather than wait for my return to london...

the other guy told about expensive underwear he left behind because he was forced to pack in a hurry...hotel forwarded it to him...i kept mine a little north of the mason-dixon by relating the ipod touch that my hotel in london kept for me after i dropped it under the bed...hotels can be fairly honest when given a chance...

another tale exchanged was about the bellhops in china...i was advised to use cheap luggage because the bellhops just throw luggage into the baggage hole of buses...i gave these guys some slack because of their uniform....a woolen suit very western in design with cap, long-sleeved jackets (anybody remember "call for philip morrise")...during a sweltering july in shanghai on the pudong side with these hops sweating through their uniform, they just threw our luggage into the bus's luggage well...who could blame them!!!

the last exchange is an experience some of us have gone through...ever try getting rid of old, grungy underwear when on a trip, especially in asia...well, don't do it in the hotel...the maids will place them back in the drawer or on top of your luggage...

one of the best of traveling....trading stories of encounters abroad...

more on my ireland trip

we're on day three, sunday june 13th, and our visit to glasnevin cemetery.  it was an easy bus ride to the cemetery on bus 40. We got off and crossed to the entry. The entry is dominated by the O’Connell Tower marking the family plot. We then headed to the left to see the Parnell Rock marking his grave. We continued to see Archbishop MaCabe’s sarcophagus and then on to the Jesuit community grave. Among those buried is Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889), an English poet, Roman Catholic convert, and Jesuit priest, whose 20th-century fame established him posthumously among the leading Victorian poets,

I returned to the main area of Glasnevin to find the graves of the Father of the Irish Republic Eamon De Valera and founder of Fine Gael/Civil Warrior Michael Collins. We also found the symbolic grave of the Manchester Martyrs who remain buried in England.

We left the cemetery and took bus 40A to the National Gallery district. Our first stop in the Gallery was the exhibit of Thomas Roberts, a first-rate 18^th-Century landscaper. I was impressed with his landscapes, reminding myself of that century when artists left the studio to work in nature. I also noticed his horses, the one painting capturing my attention was that of a donkey standing in contrast to horses standing in the enclosure.

I enjoyed the work of neoclassicist James Barry, the portrait gallery with Joshua Reynolds and his portraits of Oliver Goldsmith and Charles Coote, Thomas Gainsborough and his portrait of James Quinn (also famous for Cottage Girl), Thomas Pooley and his portraits of Sir Philip Perceval, Thomas Hickey and his portrait of Edmund Burke, Joseph Patrick Haverty and his portrait of Father Matthew (also known for his Limerick Piper), Francis Grant and his portrait of Edward Nugent Leeson, 6th Earl of Milltown, Nathaniel Hone and his portrait of Jonathan Swift of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Sean O’Sullivan and his portrait of Douglas Hyde, Maeve McCarthy and her portrait of Maeve Binchy, James Hanley and his portrait of Ron Delaney, Mark Shields and his very formal portrait of Mary Robinson (the UN High Commissioner). The portrait I really liked was Bono by Louis le Brocquy, very modern, very minimalist.

I passed Joshua Reynolds’s Omai, the portrait of a Polynesian prince, I had seen earlier at Tate in London on my way to the Jack Butler Yeats collection. I very much enjoyed the early Yeats before his works became too expressionistic. Some of the early works included The Priest, Double Jockey, Before the Start.
In trying to get together with the gang, I ran across a rehearsal by violinist Elizabeth Cooney and 8-string guitarist Redmond O’Toole for a concert later that afternoon. They were playing some J. S. Bach. We visited the gift shop for some postcards and then headed for the Merrion Square exit and for a park walk-about.

Now managed by Dublin City Council, it contains a statue of Oscar Wilde, whimsically nicknamed as the fag on the crag, who resided in No 1, Merrion Square from 1855 to 1876, many other sculptures and a collection of old Dublin lamp standards. Until about 50 years ago, the houses in the square were largely residential, but today most of them are used for office spaces.
we left the park and headed for Temple Bar and an early dinner at Oliver Sir John Gogarty. The pub was named after Oliver Joseph St John Gogarty (August 17, 1878 - September 22, 1957) who was an Irish physician and ear surgeon, poet and author, one of the most prominent Dublin wits. He was also a football player for Bohemian F.C. and an Olympic bronze medallist for literature. He is remembered as the inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce's novel Ulysses. We met Gogarty, well at least his bronze figure.

We headed for the less noisy restaurant and stayed away from the pub. I ordered corned beef and cabbage for my traditional Irish meal. Thank God I had also ordered a pint of Guinness porter for the meal itself was awful. The beef was tough, really tough. I think this search for authentic traditional food will end soon. There is an elfin image that watches over the restaurant.
We walked back to the hotel and went to St. Mary’s the pro-Cathedral for a photo op of the Murdered Mayors statue, aka the Dublin Martyrs, Mayor Francis Taylor and his grandmother-in-law Mayoress Margaret Ball.
we returned to the hotel to prepare for our trip across the island tomorrow.

teachers's travel habits on retirement + sharing a safari

over the past several weeks i have run into some retirees who have had to cancel trips due to the arab spring...one dropped out of a tour for egypt and its ancient wonders...i asked her if she didn't want to have a picture taken in tahrir square...after all the demonstrations were over with and some stability has returned...
another teacher who has been traveling to wonderful third world countries like mongolia and burma had to cancel a trip to libya...i told her she could get evacuated from benghazi if it got a bit tight...she just laughed that one off...
and the third one related her anti-pirate drills aboard a princess cruise line while they were in the indian ocean heading for the seychelles...
but then it all started years ago when a venerable biology teacher told me about her new guinea experience when her van driver stopped the van and told everyone this was a rest stop...she looked around for the toilets, asked the driver where they were, and he said, "women to the left, men to the right; and you better go because it will be a long ride before our next stop."
well, here is a summary of a safari trip the anti-pirate drills teacher recently took with her husband:
First 2 nights were at Chobe National Park's lodge - very nice accommodations (4-unit bungalows) with great food and service.  Took 4-wheel drive rides and boat ride to see elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, one lion, hedgehogs, impala, kudo, etc. and crocs, hippos in water.  Next 2 nights were at Camp Okavango on delta - accessible by prop plane, short trek through "jungle"/grassland.  Stayed in elevated tents (only 12 for 24 max. guests), with netted bed, tiled shower, porch, battery lanterns after generator off at 10p.m.  Had to be escorted from tents at night for dinner, since wildlife (inc. resident hippo) roaming though elephants kept out with electrical wiring at perimeters.  Took canoe and small boat trips on delta through marshland and 2.5-hour walking safaris through grass with 2 guides, no weapons (just had to be quiet and move fast when told - to stay downwind of elephants).   Saw enough impala at both sites to last a lifetime.  Botswana natives at both sites were very friendly, hospitable, knowledgeable.  Johannesburg definitely white/black contrast - we were only non-blacks walking around (e.g., on trek from Mandela Square back to our hotel - about 45 minutes), as whites are in own cars or taxis.  Blacks were even walking along freeway hillsides.  Zulu tour guide took us to Soweto,and homes of Mandela, Tutu, Winnie Mandela, etc.  Earlier shore excursions off ship had taken us to Zulu and Xhosa villages.  All in all, a great 4 weeks on ship - though Amazing Race from Narita to Singapore (to board ship) via Bangkok due to earthquake diversion to Yokota Air Force Base was our biggest adventure.  We got to ship with an hour to spare - since we had fortunately added 1.5-day stay in Singapore.  The young Singaporean and American businessmen we met up with at Narita's Delta Air desk were a godsend - with their computers and resourcefulness.  They were determined to get us on board the ship to celebrate our 39th anniversary.  We called ourselves the Magnificent Seven.

continuing ireland trip (june 2009)

well, on to day two in dublin...again strong memories with president obama's visit to dublin and trinity college...

We got up early for our Irish breakfast and our Hop On Hop Off ride. We caught the bus in front of our hotel. We passed Cathal Brugha Street which was named after a signatory of the 1918 Rising. It was originally Gregg Lane but was renamed during the reconstruction of O’Connell Street in the 1920s. We passed the General Post Office, the headquarters of the Rising of 1918, whose interior was destroyed by shelling of the British Army. As we passed the O’Connell monument, we were told that the four corners of the monument represented the 4 virtues of Patriotism, Fidelity, Courage and Eloquence. Our first hop off was the Guinness Brewery.

We passed many monuments we had walked by previously. We were told that the Millenium Spire, aka the Hinge on the Syringe, the Stiletto in the Ghetto, the Stiffy on the Liffey, the Skewer in the Sewer, Bertie’s Erection, has 11,000 holes with a time capsule to be opened in a 100 years. The capsule contains menus, stamps, coins, receipts, and the TV Times.

We continued across the Liffey and into the Trinity College area. The College, founded by Elizabeth I in 1592 on the site of an Augustinian monastery, is one of Ireland’s foremost seats of learning. Alumni include Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. Fronting the College are statues of Edmund Burke, the philosophical father of modern conservatism and supporter of the British Americans, and Oliver Goldsmith, author of The Vicar of Wakefield and She Stoops To Conquer.



the lease for Guinness



Tone's Grave, Trinity College

We were in an area of Georgian houses distinguished by the Roman entry with a formally decorated door and columns, 3-4 floors with the higher floors have smaller windows (glass was taxed). One door decorated black and white was designed for the arrival of Edward VII.
We passed the Bank of Ireland, now a private bank, which used to be the Irish Houses of Parliament until dissolved by the Act of Union in 1801. We also passed the Grand Canal, 82 miles in length connecting River Shannon with Dublin. We passed St. Ann’s church where Bram Stoker married Florence Balcombe whom he had “stolen” from Oscar Wilde and Dame Street with Dublin Castle and City Hall. The street was named after a nunnery called St Mary del Dame which was named because of a dam or mill pond at a nearby crossing point of the river Poddle. (I love taking notes on these hop on hop off rides; can't you tell!).
We then drove by Merrion Square and the National Gallery. We would return tomorrow for a visit to the Gallery which claims to be the largest collection of European paintings in Europe. I wonder if the Louvre heard of this claim.
We passed Christ Church Cathedral, the original cathedral of Hiberno-Norse Dublin, founded c. 1030 by King Sitriuc. Its bishops were for a time subject to Canterbury, but were incorporated into the Irish Church at the synod of Kells in 1152, when Dublin became an archbishopric. In the neighborhood is the National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland (Anglican) built first by Anglo-Norman Bishop, John Comyn, in 1192 on the site of a little wooden church dedicated to St. Patrick. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels and A Modest Proposal, is buried here.
We got off at Guinness Brewery for our tour after passing a series of red brick row houses. The building is of the Chicago Style of Architecture. After obtaining our tickets, we entered the brewery where we learned a little of the history of the person and company. Arthur Guinness was born in Celbridge, County Kildare in 1725. It seems that Arthur first learned the art of brewing from his father Richard, whose job as a land steward included brewing beer for workers on the estate of Dr. Arthur Price, later Archbishop of Cashel. In 1759, at the age of 34, Arthur Guinness signed a 9000-year lease for the St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin, at an annual rent of £45. The brewery was only 4 acres in size, disused, and had little brewing equipment. But in only 10 years, despite competition from imported English beers, Arthur began to export his beer to England. Arthur began by brewing ale, and in the 1770s started brewing 'porter', a new type of dark English beer. Arthur's porter was so successful that in 1799 he stopped brewing ale. Arthur married Olivia Whitmore, and had 21 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood. When he died, his son Arthur Guinness II took over the brewery. In all, 6 generations of the Guinness family were directly involved in the brewery management. Today Guinness is owned by Diageo plc (LSE: DGE, NYSE: DEO), the largest multinational beer, wine and spirits company in the world.
We walked through the introductory section of the tour with the water fall showing the purity of the water (I was so tempted to spit in that “pure” water). We inspected the barley and got to peek at the secret yeast formula in the “safe.” We watched batch 6966 start, then took a break in the coffee shop. We continued our walk around the brewery to the Gravity (360°) bar at the top. It was Espana Day so we were treated to a boisterous bunch of Barcelonans plus a rousing rendition of La Espana. Everyone was enjoying their Guinness from the tap. We however had Guinness from a bottle in the Brewery Bar with lunch of soup and a Smithfield ham sandwich served up by Lorraine and Godfrey. We also peeked into the "My Goodness My Gilroy" (the artistic designer of Guinness advertising) exhibit. While catching the lift down, we stopped at floor1. Since no one got off, I opened my big yap and wondered who was the American in the lift. Of course, his buddies looked directly at him, and the guilty one said he was not an American, but a Canadian, to which I replied, “Better work on those outs and abouts, eh.” I should have told him be proud to be an American, but I couldn’t resist the dig.
We returned to the bus stop to continue our On, Off. While waiting, we were the victims of a drive-by. Instead of bullets, the idiot used a water gun. Thank God, it was water and nothing else.
Once back on board, we passed Kilmainham Gaol, one of the biggest unoccupied gaols in Europe. Now empty of prisoners, it is filled with history. It has aptly been described as the ‘Irish Bastille’. When the Gaol was first built public hangings took place at the front of the Gaol. However, from the 1820s onward very few hangings, public or private, took place at Kilmainham. The last political prisoner to be released was Eamon de Valera.
We were told about Jonathan Swift who was the dean of St. Patrick’s Church, Jonathan Swift became very aware of the plight of the mentally ill. On October 19, 1745, Swift died and was laid out in public view for the people of Dublin to pay their last respects. He was buried in his own cathedral by Esther Johnson's side, in accordance with his wishes. The bulk of his fortune (twelve thousand pounds) was left to found a hospital for the mentally ill, originally known as St. Patrick’s Hospital for Imbeciles, which opened in 1757, and which still exists as a psychiatric hospital.
We passed The Wellington Monument (or more correctly the Wellington Testimonial), an obelisk located in Phoenix Park, situated at the southeast end of the Park, overlooking Kilmainham and the River Liffey. The structure is 62 meters (200 ft) tall, making it the largest obelisk in Europe. The Wellington Testimonial was built to commemorate the victories of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Wellington, a member of the Anglo-Irish upper class, also known as the 'Iron Duke', was born in Dublin. Originally planned to be located in Merrion Square, it was built in the Phoenix Park after opposition from the square's residents. The Testimonial was designed by the architect Sir Robert Smirke and the foundation stone was laid in 1817.
We drove the northside of the Liffey and returned to the starting point, to continue on to Trinity College, where we left the Hop On-Hop Off. we visited the Molly Malone statue for a photo op. It was quite the undertaking with the number of tourists, Americans mainly with their kids, trying to take pictures. If the American mothers only knew what the nicknames for Molly are, they may not have been too anxious to have their kids photoed. The sculptor endowed Molly with large breasts, and this is reflected in her eponymously titled song which is hollered by supporters of the Irish International Rugby Team at their matches. Rugby fans like their women, well, hearty and stacked according to these fans. She is variously known as ‘The Dolly with the Trolley,” “The Trollop with the Scallop,” “The Flirt in the Skirt,” and “The Tart with the Cart.”
we continued on to Trinity College and bought a tour from a law student. Our guide was a typical lawyer, being full of himself and not as humorous as he wished. We started the tour in Parliament Square under the shadow of the Campanille. Our guide started with the basic birth of the college and named amateur architect Theodore Jacobsen as the designer of the western facade. He told us that the College was built on monastery grounds, and the monastery’s name was All Hallows. Parliament Square was paid for by Parliament, thus the name. The square is bounded by the School of Music; Regent Hall with its four Corinthian columns; a chapel with services for Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, and Presbyterians; and a dining hall. The square is dominated by the campanille built in 1853. The campanille was fitted with bells obtained earlier in 1742. One bell is called Commons and rung regularly; the other bell Great and rung during exam time and for funerals and historically important events. The square also is home to two statues, William Leckey who wrote a five volume history of Ireland and George Salmon (September 25, 1819 - January 22, 1904), provost of Trinity College Dublin from 1888 until his death in 1904. His deep conservatism led him to strongly oppose women receiving degrees from the University. Supposedly he said that he would only allow women to enter Trinity over his dead body; and, when he heard that the first women were allowed to enter Trinity, he died of a heart attack. Supposedly, according to our witty guide. We entered Library Square bounded by the debating hall, more societies for philosophical and historical discussions. On the southern end was the Graduate Building and the Rubrix, the older graduate quarters where Goldsmith resided. The square is lined with Oregon maples.
We then walked to New Square whose main occupant is the Bishop George Berkeley Library. Named after Bishop George Berkeley (1687-1753), this building caused quite a stir when built inside Trinity's grounds next to Burgh's Library building, the modern in great contrast to the traditional. A sculpture by Arnoldo Pomodoro is situated in the square. It is called "The Death Star". There are many of these mysterious “Sphere-within-sphere” monuments scattered throughout the northern hemisphere. They revolve. Also the geology and engineering schools are located here as well as a series of residential halls.
We walked over to Library Square, housing a stabile by Calder and the old library where the Book of Kells is located. Two of the four gospels are on display at any one time. We entered the exhibit. It was a major disappointment for several reasons. The lighting was so poor to protect the delicate pages which were displayed next to each other so it took time to get to them as there were those who actually thought they could read the gospel verses. The best element of the display was the graphics explaining the process of illumination, the odd graphic placed to hide a mistake (I thought they scribed with divine inspiration; I guess not). But the highlight of the event was the Long Room of the Old Library. The stacks of books and the lighting created this golden hue which made me feel like I had entered the Holy of Holies. It was a classic library I’ve seen so many times in films like the Indiana Jones series. The books were arranged by size (I guess the interior designer got a hold of the decorating). The room was used to exhibit a collection of mystery writers like Agatha Christie. Her first publication, a short story with Tommy and Tuppence, The Clergyman’s Daughter, was on display as were other works by such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I saw a poster about a Colonel so I looked at this kid and said, “Well, I know it was done in the Library by the Colonel. I wonder what was the weapon?” His mother looked at him and said, “Don’t you remember that Clue game we played?” Ah, the lights that came on.
We did the obligatory shop visit and I bought a couple of illuminated gifts like bookmarks and key chains. We walked back to the hotel, my back not that bad – YET.
We passed many statues in the College area. First, we walked by Tone’s Grave, a wonderfully whimsical fountain fronting Trinity College (a favorite). We passed the nearby statue of Thomas Daibhis. He was a revolutionary Irish writer who was the chief organizer and poet of the Young Ireland movement. Another statue in the Trinity College area was that honoring poet-historian Henry Crattan. We also passed a statue of Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) who was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer.
We got to the hotel for a short rest and then was off again. Our first stop was O’Lanigan’s Trough where I had vegetable soup with gluten wheat bread (maybe they’ll serve Love’s wheat bread next time?). We had tickets for the Abbey Theatre’s production of Tom Murphy’s The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrants, a redo of The Golovlyov Family, by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin. The play was reminiscent of a soap opera, of a Dickensian novel; however, the play had to be chopped up from the Russian novel so much is left as offstage actions. The set was very utilitarian, scene changes made in seconds. Good acting made the evening enjoyable.
We returned to the hotel and passed the Spire. Unfortunately, the 11,000 holes were not illuminated.

a benefit of traveling

one of the benefits of travel is relating news items to travels i've made...in recent news, queen elizabeth ii visited dublin and laid a wreath at the garden of remembrance...our hotel, cassidy's, was in the same block as the garden and i remember walking up to take pictures...there was an interesting collection of people; however, the garden was looking a little shabby (maybe so was dublin with its gray skies)..i guess they spruced it up for the visit...here's a web connection to the queen's visit...http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/8519272/Queen-lays-wreath-in-Dublins-Garden-of-Remembrance.html.

in fact, here's a summary of the irish republic visit in the summer of 2009...i'll share getting there and day #1..
this was the summer of the free upgrades, all the way from hnl to lhr and back, four legs and four upgrades...
Leaving on June 10^th, we checked in quite easily and headed for gate 8 and an 8:40 pm departure for LAX. As I sat in the waiting area, I heard my name called and was told that I was upgraded to business class on the 767 2-cabin vessel. So my seat assignment changed from 10B to 1E although my seating companion didn’t change. I dubbed this flight the kiddies’s crusade, so many kids on board. We got a good meal for a late flight of chicken salad and brownies. I washed it down with two glasses of champagne. I didn’t watch any movie as I tried to get some sleep on this red-eye.
We landed early which added to our waiting time. With a seven hour layover, we decided to leave LAX and have breakfast in the city. we collected ourselves outside gate 77 and headed for Manhattan Beach for breakfast. We arrived at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Manhattan Beach for an al fresco brunch. I ordered a waffle with eggs and pork sausage,
We returned to gate 77 to catch our Boeing 777 overseas, flight UA 934, for our 12:59 pm departure for LHR. I was upgraded to business class, seat 12B. I dubbed our crew the granny crew, the average age of the flight attendants being somewhere between 70 and death. I think one of the passengers was Tony Gonzalez, mainly famous for being a tight end with Kansas City. At least, someone that big better be an NFL player.

The highlight of the upgrade was the dinner. I started with an antipasti platter of smoked salmon, Genoa salami, and vegetable crudite, a main course of braised short rib of beef with red-wine demi-glace roast, and a glass of port with coffee and an Eli’s caramel tiramisu. I washed this down with glasses of Iron Horse champagne. I spent most of the flight resting (it is very peaceful in business class contrasted with the “steerage” feel in economy, people in various stages of rest or desperate acts to keep busy for ten hours) or reading (Pipeline by Peter Schetcher) or watching The Reader.  We enjoyed a breakfast of Monterey Jack cheese omelette, turkey sausage and Black Forest ham, and a grilled tomato with tons of coffee.
It was now Friday the 12^th and we landed early about 20 minutes before our planned 7:30 am landing, meaning some circling over London, and docked at Terminal 1, gate 46 aka gate 146. A BA worker showed us what path to take if we were connecting or landing. We cleared a biometric security area where my picture was taken and a re-entry card was provided. I spent some time in the Star Alliance Lounge, recharging my mobile and enjoying a cup of coffee. I topped up my mobile at Dixon’s and then went looking for a nerd to give me a refresher course in my mobile. I found this kid at Zurich’s to help. He looked geek-y. After helping me turn on the mobile (did I say I needed a refresher), he showed me a few things i needed to know to make calls.
We waited until 1315 for our plane ride to Dublin. After clearing immigration and using our re-entry card to establish visual identity, we headed for gate 80 (aka 180) on BMI to Dublin, flight BD 127, an A319. We landed in Dublin (Dubh Linn, black pool) and cleared immigration, claimed our luggage, and caught a ride into the city.  We arrived at Cassidy’s and checked in, spending about a half hour to put our luggage away in room 123, clean up a little and start our tour of Dublin.
I left a little early and walked up to the Garden of Remembrance for a photo op. There was a black couple taking “model” shots around the memorial, two black guys talking on mobiles (to each other?), and an assortment of couples talking and eating. I met up with the gang and we started the walk down O’Connell Street and the many statues on the strip separating the two-way traffic. Before we started, I found out that the common name for the city in Modern Irish is Baile Átha Cliath (meaning "town of the hurdled ford"). It was first written as such in 1368 in the Annals of Ulster is a place-name referring to a fording point of the Liffey in the vicinity of Heuston Station. Áth Cliath
Our first statue was the Parnell Monument which was at the intersection of O’Connell and Parnell Streets. This is one of the assessment of Charles Stewart Parnell’s role in Home Rule. We then took to the medial strip in search of a series of pedestal statues. We passed Father Matthew’s statue. He’s the temperance dude. The next statue was Big Jim Larkin, the labor leader, known as Séamas Ó Lorcáin The final statue on the strip was that of Sir John Grey (July 13, 1815- April 9, 1875), an Irish physician, surgeon, newspaper proprietor, journalist and politician. We left O’Connell for Earl St. North in search of the Prick with the Stick, James Joyce’s statue. We found it and took pictures.
We completed our statue tour with a stop at O’Connell’s monument at the other end of O’Connell Street. O’Connell became my hero of the trip and I will spend a little more time on him when we visited his birthplace in Kerry. Suffice it to say, Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847) (Dónal Ó Conaill), known as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the nineteenth century. He campaigned for Catholic Emancipation - the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament, denied for over 100 years - and Repeal of the Union between Ireland and Great Britain.
We continued our walk crossing the Liffey River on the O’Connell Bridge. We passed a Viking memorial, recreating a Viking stanchion, in search of Temple Bar and Hard Rock Café. We found it and stopped for a well deserved rest. We had our first Guinness pint, washed down with an order of nachos made with a sweet chili sauce. It was a good thing I had seen a pint poured on several travel shows because I knew to wait until the pour was finished and allowed to settle.
After shopping at Hard Rock’s store, we continued our tour of the Temple Bar area, stopping at a souvenir shop where I purchased two key rings from a fellow I thought was local until I detected some accent (“Oh, no, monsieur, I am French”). I saw Farrington’s pub, and it reminded me of my teaching career.

We noticed all the Bloomsday banners flying, noting we would miss the celebrations by two days. We continued in search of Brazen Head pub. We passed a skeletal monument of a Viking ship fronting a large commercial building, City Hall, Christchurch. We passed the Handel house where The Messiah was written; “Hallelujah, Hallelujah.” We were also in search of St. Audoen’s gate, a medieval entry point to Dublin. We found the gate and the attached church where evening services were in progress.

We took our second break at Brazen Head for a second pint and potato skins. brazen head, showing off how old it is, had a fine collection of antiques. The crowd was building as it was Friday evening and the partying was starting. We left after an hour or two, leaving the locals to their party. We walked along the quay, passing the Four Courts, and crossed the Liffey via Ha’ Penny Bridge. Accepted as the symbol of Dublin, the Ha'penny Bridge (offically Wellington Bridge after the 'Iron Duke') was opened in 1816. We returned to the hotel, and my back began its three day protest. Wow! That’s a lot to digest; more later.

when not traveling

two thoughts:

1)  news has more meaning when you travel throughout the world...i wasn't surprised to read an article entitled "u.a.e. hires u.s.-led mercenaries"....having just returned from the gulf states and spending three nights in dubai, i understood why the crown prince of abu dhabi hired erik prince and reflex responses (formerly blackwater) to protect his emirate from protests and demonstrations...i don't see the emiratis as being tough enough to fight for their form of government...i see a society where the worker bees are from around the world, geeks with degrees who run the banks, the businesses, and the tech companies...these workers (i like to call them the coffeehouse culture) are here to make money in a fairly safe environment, and any hint of danger like violent protest will scatter them to corners of the world eager to take business away from u.a.e...i see a high percentage of immigrants from the philippines, from the indian subcontinent doing the grunt work, again here to make money to send home, possible sources of unrest as seen in oman, but for the time being, working under fairly good standards...and i see an elite living off the emirs, snapping their fingers in the airport, demanding immediate attention to their needs...so how do you assure stability to continue the lifestyle that the emiratis have become accustomed to...the emiratis are willing to pay for an army to keep the emirs in their "thrones" and d.c. seems willing to turn an eye to this...

2) a fun visit i like to make when i'm walking downtown is a visit to the coin and stamp shop and look at stamps and coins/currencies from countries around the world...i have been going to a christmas gathering for the last ten years hosted by some former students...five years ago they started giving door prizes starting with a letter from the alphabets, starting, of course, with a...so, being the teacher that i am, i bought a stamp from abyssinia (google that, winner of my door prize)...today i went in looking for a big bill from an african country (to be told it was zimbabwe)...in 1998, i took a cruise of the aegean sea...in istanbul, i used the atm machine...i didn't know the exchange rate so i hit an amount i hoped was minimal...after all, the exchange rate was like 500,000 turkish lira to the dollar or something obscene like that...i became an instant millionaire...later, when we were in the balkans (in 2008), where they suffered hyperinflation, i bought several bills that made me a billionaire...well, today i joined the rank of the super-rich...i bought me a hundred trillion dollar bill (i'm sorry...that's not usa dollars, but zimbabwe dollars)...and i hear with a smile and this bill you can buy a cup of coffee at starbucks...only don't order the venti...

yep, traveling adds another dimension to your readings, your walkabouts, and your televison watching...and i love the latter...

traveling with a disabled person

i will be heading for a trip to northern italy in june...my cousin on maui invited my mother to stay with her for those three weeks...so i decided to take my mother to maui to physically examine the home where my cousin lives...

we left our home on oahu fairly early to catch the 1010 to maui...we arrived early at hnl, and i parked in the structure as close as i could to the elevators...all the handicapped stalls were taken so we found a nice spot on the fourth floor of the structure...the humpback whale floor...sometimes i like the folksiness of our visitor industry...sometimes i don't...i think i like this one...

the elevator took us to the departure floor and i was able to get bulkhead seats for the trip to ogg...we got to the gate and waited...i'd rather be a little early rather than rush to get to the gate....sweaty is no way to travel...

a porter helped take my mother to the plane, taking the jetway backward as the slope was a bit steep...my mother entered the plane with the aid of her walker, but we had to check both at the gate as soon as we entered the plane, the aisle being too narrow for the walker...my mother used the headrests to walk to her seat...

it was a 37-minute flight with a passo-orange juice served (i wondered why there was a business class on a 37 minute flight?)...upon arrival i contacted my cousin that we had landed and then we waited for the rest of the passengers to deplane...that's a lot of waiting as 100+ disgorged (love that vomitous term) from the plane.

we were met at the gate by a porter who took us to curbside where after a brief cell phone dueling, my cousin found us and we were off...we picked up her husband at the county offices and then we headed for maui marketplace for lunch...i enjoyed a chili relleno and even walked over to a border's to buy two novels, $1.99 each...this is one of the border's going out of business...

we drove to makawao oh, wow, laulau)...their home on the side of haleakala is fairly new, about ten years old...my cousin and her husband are in the process of making her house more handicapped-accessible, adding railings to get up and down steps...they're going to make the shower more accessible for my mother...and add a few more railings...

we had a nice snack of guacamole and chips with beer for the men before heading off to the airport...we said our goodbyes and then headed for security, passing one of my favorite statues, the one of maui battling the sun...here's some info on the statue:

Shige Yamada – “Maui Releasing the Sun”, 1992 (Cast Bronze)
Shige Yamada was born in Wailuku, Maui in 1933. In this work of art depicting a moment of triumph, the stylized figure represents man while the sun symbolizes life and knowledge. The demigod Maui captures the sun at the summit of Haleakala. After receiving a promise from the sun to traverse the sky more slowly for the benefit of mankind, Maui releases his captive. This Polynesian myth may be interpreted as an attempt by man to exercise mastery over his destiny.

after duplicating the procedure in hnl, we returned to hnl after purchasing cookies for omiyage...boy, it's sure expensive at the airport...returning home, i bought dinner at byron's...food was ono...

final thought:  after this trip, my mother got a bit more confident about airplane travel...her first since her stroke...although a five hour flight to the west coast is a little more challenging than a 37-minute flight to maui...

my best trips

my best cruise was the holland america's norwegian cruise in june when the fjords were still navigable...the norwegian cruise is similar to the alaska cruise...two differences are the fjords are majestic and the cities are actually cities, more than a main street and a saloon...the land excursions included natural beauties and cities with historic and cultural significances...like the hospital where dr. hansen worked, where nazis hid their subs, the hometown of grieg...there was still snow (more like ice) on the ground, only ski-able during the summer months...more like ice skating on skis...

my best short trip was a four-day visit to hong kong...i started with a day stop in tokyo to visit my cousin's kid working in tokyo...highlights included the ippongi towers contemporary arts museum, a walkabout the business district, and a visit to the tsukiji fish market...that same day i headed for hong kong...in three days we visited stanley's market which is a shopper's delight, victoria peak where i ran into the samoan 7 team, the huge buddha statue on lantau island after which we spent a delightful afternoon at disneyland which is kinda tiny but with a great lion king show, and an evening at the sha tin race track.  we won almost all our bets, like four out of six, and still had won only a few dollars.  i realize why so many people get addicted to racing and lose their shirts...we decided the last night in hong kong to treat ourselves to a great dinner in kowloon (i had roasted duck a la francaise) with dessert at the peninsula..great end to a great trip...

as to our independent travels, my best single country visit was france and my best multiple countries visit was the baltic-scandinavian tour...we met in paris and took the tgv to montpelier where we picked up a car and drove through southern france up through the vineyards of st. emilion, then up to normandy and mont st. michel eastward to reims and champagne country with a side trip to luxembourg (can i have a luxembourger i asked at macdonald's)..we ended our stay in paris with visits to museums.  contrasting that was our multi-countries visit to the baltic and scandinavian areas, using various transportation modes including trains, buses, ferries, and a cruise ship...the highlights included a visit to hermitage, hill of the crosses, a three-star lunch in riga, and a shopping spree at marimekko....

my next blog will look at how my group plans for a trip...

what's in a name

watched an interview on msnbc about a waitperson suing the waldorf astoria and the hilton corp. over bias...he's of the islam faith and has the name muhammed...he was forced to wear a nametag with the name john on 9/12/2001 when waiting tables at the waldorf...he introduced himself as muhammed to his tables even though management didn't want the customers to know his name out of fear of fallout from the events of the day before...he was waiting a banquet and didn't have his nametag along with three other waiters...the banquet captain returned with nametags for all four...only his had the name edgar...this tale reminded me of my tour to china...we flew out of san francisco, landed in shanghai, and transferred to beijing, staying at the hilton...we came down for breakfast and i noticed our wait staff had names like melody, daniel...i later found out from our assistant tour guide that chinese decided on taking english sounding names as it would be easier for their non-chinese guests...i am familiar with asian names so i thought it peculiar...as part of our tour, we went to an herbal shop...i opted out of an "exam" and waited in the entry area...the assistant guide visited and asked me about some names he could use when he became a guide...he really liked the name tree...i agreed because i thought it was a fun name, making fun of the peculiar habit of giving people in the hospitality industry english names...i mentioned him that he may be a little short for the name because we had an nba star named tree rollins...he became more willing to take on the name tree when he found out that people had that name in the usa...chuckles all around...