29
Dec
2009
Dublin to Derry
Ah, finally a few minutes with an actual computer instead of just scratching off a few notes on my iPhone! That and a power point (outlet) by my bed so that I can charge tonight is pure heaven!
Wow, my standards for a fun time are declining!
This is my third day in Ireland (more or less – the past two have been in Northern Ireland). I flew out of Columbus, Georgia, for the first time in years. It was slightly more expensive than Atlanta but more than balanced by not having to leave my car there for a month. I left with tons of time and actually made an earlier flight out of Columbus to Atlanta. Didn’t get me to Ireland any faster, but I like having longer layovers so I don’ t have to ponder whether or not I or my bag will miss the flight.
I kept falling asleep in the airport while trying to read a Steinbeck book my uncle recommended some months ago. No offense to the book, I was just up late. It’s actually been an engaging read, just need some alone time to return to it. I figured I would be knocked out for the flight. Oh no, all the way until the plane lifted off, I was dozing off, but the moment we were in the air, wide awake!
I managed maybe three hours sleep on the way over, about average for me. Ah well. I arrived into Dublin a half hour ahead of time and immigration was a breeze. Having reclaimed my bag, I began hunting for the pick up spot for the hostel I was staying in (run by the same company who is doing the tour). I thought I had found it, but I either missed the bus or I was at the wrong spot. I finally gave up and found a regular city bus. Farewell $12 but as tired as I was, priceless.
Found the hostel well enough. On the fence whether or not I’ll return to it when getting back to Dublin. My room was fine, but it’s divided into a couple of buildings and some of them in the next building reported cold showers – my mortal enemy. Anyway, all was well with my room. I am getting ahead of myself though, when I got in, it was too early to check in, but I could store my bags and made a run for what I could see. It was a clear but beautiful day. I wandered down O’Connell street a ways and checked out some of the shopping malls along the way. Oh, and of course, I had breakfast at the most predictable place on earth. It has golden arches and it was right in front of me. I apologize!
I then wandered down and found the River Liffey and then Trinity College. I literally happened upon a walking tour that was about to start. I’m not sure of the exact connection with Trinity, but I know the tour guide was a Trinity grad. It was a historical tour and covered a good chunk of the south side of Dublin and the gamut of Irish History.
By the end of the tour, I had some small grasp of the geography of the city center. I wandered back to the hostel and checked in and put my bags away properly. I went back out and saw a little more of the city. There’s a Forbidden Planet (comic shop chain – I’ve been to one in London and Edinburgh). Tons of awesome toys and such and I got nothing! I was looking for a couple of CDs I’d planned on buying here. I found them finally at an HMV on Grafton Street and they cost so much in Euros that it’s cheaper for me to buy them import through Amazon, go figure!
By this point, I was drawing my last bit of energy. I was just exhausted from the lack of sleep on the plane and the time change. And did you notice what was missing from this picture, lunch and dinner. That golden arches meal was the only one of the day. I think I was running on adrenaline. But Dublin was a very cool city and I look forward to seeing more of it when I’m back.
The next morning began the tour. This is by far and away the largest tour I’ve ever been on. I think the largest Haggis tour I was on may have had 18 people. This sucker has 58! Wow, I would have probably taken it anyway, but had I known the size, I would have had a second thought or two, no doubt. There’s no way for a group this size to really get to know each other. There are a few more Americans, but I’ve yet to figure out which ones they were! I just know I wasn’t the only one to raise my hand when we were going through ye olde where is everyone from drill at the beginning. Probably 80 or 90 percent of the group are Aussie, followed by Kiwi and an assortment of others.
We made a couple of stops on the way out, including a large park where Pope John Paul II preached soon after he became Pope. There’s a massive cross there. It was quite picturesque on the frosty hill in subdued light. I hope for good results from those photos.
We moved on from there to the Guinness museum deal. I think the most fascinating part of it to me was the advertising floor. Watching the ads across the decades and checking out the different memorabilia was incredible. I felt brainwashed when I left the room. ”Guinness is good for you!”
After that, we left Dublin in the rear view mirror and headed for Drogheda. It was a cool little village. Our main stop there was a cathedral that holds the head of Saint Oliver Plunkett. For someone who was martyred in 1681 by being hung, drawn and quartered, and then decapitated, he was in reasonable condition… brrr… Afterwards lunch… in a little cafe I found. I wanted a wrap… it was chicken, mayo, and corn?!?! Interesting! It wasn’t half bad. I think I was just happy to finish with my little strawberry desert.
We finished up the evening in Belfast. We took the famous black Taxi tours… It was really depressing. They have “peace” walls that separate the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. From everything we heard from different people, it’s not just religion, it’s also politics – loyalists to the UK versus people who want to be part of free Ireland. It’s so complicated. I’m sure books have been written on the subject many times over, but it was so depressing. There are more peace walls since the troubles more or less ended several years ago. They are just becoming more and more divided by the sounds of it. I didn’t get a happy vibe from Belfast even walking down the streets there. It was a dour place.
This morning we drove up to Derry, another town in Northern Ireland. The countryside until we hit the coast was covered in snow and ice! It was very beautiful… more on my later feelings shortly… We took a stop to see the view of Scotland! The next stop was supposed to be this little rope bridge deal that goes to an island. Used to be for fisherman but has become a tourist stop. I was already iffy on walking out on the thing, the snow and ice sold me on not. Little did I know, the road down to it and the bridge are closed! Perfect!
So, next stop the Giant’s Causeway! Beautiful spot. A geological formation that has a pretty wild story about an Irish giant building a bridge to Scotland because he wanted to fight a battle with a giant there. The Scots giant turned out to be massive, but the Irish giant’s wife dressed her hubby as a baby and told the Scots Giant this was their kid. He was freaked and tore the bridge up escaping! At any rate, a beautiful sight! Windy as all get out and was happy to get a sandwich after before reboarding the bus.
Next stop, Derry! Derry is somewhat like Belfast, very divided, lots of fighting. Here the river mostly divides the Protestant loyalists from the Catholic Republicans. There’s a little hold out of Protestants on this side of the river where we’re staying. We walked by their part of town on the walking tour this afternoon, it’s quite a fortified little compound. So sad…
The walking tour… the ice.. oh my… There’s ice everywhere, the tops of the medieval walls, whole sidewalks… I have never slipped and slid so much in my life. At first it was fun, by the end, I think I may have had enough ice for the moment. I’d love to see some actual snow falling before this trip is over, but I’d rather not deal with the rest of it. My wishes are not looking good!
Tomorrow we head for Galway. I know we see some of the coast on the way. Galway is a place I’m interested in seeing more of, so we’ll see tomorrow whether I want to use my extra time here to go back. I like Derry (despite the troubles, it feels.. I don’t know, human), but I don’t see myself back in Northern Ireland soon.
29
Aug
2009
Newquay Surfer Prints
Newquay is a an awesome little coastal town in Cornwall. There has been human activity here since prehistoric times and a fishing village as far back as medieval times. It’s lovely location and accessible sandy beaches have made it a tourist destination in Britain for more than a century now. In more recent times, it’s become a favorite of surfers. The official population of Newquay is around 22,000 people, but in the summer it can grow to more than 100,000! Even during my visit in September, on a decent afternoon, the water was crowded with surfers.
Moment In The Sun
My first exposure to surfing was on a drive up Highway 1 in California several years ago. I spent hours watching surfers paddling out, getting up on their boards and trying to get that perfect balance that allows them to ride the waves back to shore. It’s really incredible and although I’m not sure you’d ever find me trying it, I definitely understand the zen of it now. There wasn’t any great wave action while I was there, but there was awesome light and plenty of surfers. I really enjoyed catching them going out and contemplating the waves.
Surfing Zen
Another view of the beach at Newquay – with only the little bit of ocean visible, you can see how crowded the water is even in the shoulder season. Two of the surfers are contemplating the sea before them. The light that afternoon was really special as you can tell. The sky is a mix of blue and even a hint of pink from the sun low in the sky. But the wet beach has become exceptionally reflective of the whole scene. Would love to go here again when the waves were really up!
For more prints from the UK, please check out my Britain gallery!
10
Jul
2009
Puuc Hills – Uxmal & Kabah Prints
If you’re ever planning a trip into the Yucatan to see ruins, you should really try to get into the Puuc Hills. From Mérida, Uxmal and Kabah are an easy day trip, but there are more Puuc Hill ruins to see to the extent I wish I had more time when I visited to travel a bit further afield. None-the-less, the ruins I did see were excellent. The ruins in this area of the country have the distinction of having a style of Maya architecture named for them. They are also different from their low land counterparts in not being built over Cenotes (sink hole access points to the underground rivers of the Yucatan). Instead, the Maya built large cisterns in these cities to capture rain water for the dry months. If the theory that droughts were largely responsible for the end of the Maya way of life, these people were probably the first to suffer.
Uxmal, the first place I visited is still touristed but not nearly so heavily as Chichen Itza. People were living at Uxmal around 500 AD. It flourished for sometime as the main city in the region, but it’s star dropped after the fall of Chichen Itza. By the time the Spanish arrived, Uxmal was already largely abandoned.
Uxmal - The Nuns Quadrangle
This is part of a large complex of buildings adjacent to the main pyramid at Uxmal. The first Spaniards to study this location thought that it looked like a nuns convent, hence the name. It’s believed that these buildings may have been a school for princes. This was the last building of the quadrangle, note the masks on the corner, these are masks of Chac Mool, the rain god, and are on each corner of this building. Also note the elaborated decorations. This is typical of the Puuc style. The prominence of Chac Mool highlights the importance of rain to the people living here.
Palacio del Gobernador - Uxmal, Mexico
This is another of the buildings at Uxmal, said to be one of the best examples of the Puuc style. Built in the 9th an 10th centuries, it was probably an administration building for the region. As with other Maya buildings, it is aligned with the heavens, the main door lines up with the planet Venus.
Inheritance of the Maya
The site of Kabah is yet less touristed and there’s been far less reconstruction here. There was a city here as early as the 3rd century which reached it’s height around the 8th. By the 11th century, the site was abandoned. This palace appears to have had 30 or more rooms and is remarkably intact considering how long it’s been since it was inhabited.
Uxmal is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Kabah is not listed, but should be on the list of anyone who appreciates the ruins of our past cultures.
More photo prints from both sites are available at my Mexico Prints.
3
Jul
2009
Downtown Americus Georgia
These are actually more from the archives despite being close to Americus for over a month now. A photo walk there is still on the agenda. But I had a couple of photos of downtown buildings that I was already happy with.
Americus was founded in 1832 and for decades was just a small town where the Sumter county courthouse was located. After the arrival of the railroad, the city became a cotton distribution center and one of the top 10 largest cities in the state and the “Metropolis of Southwest Georgia.” It was in this atmosphere that a large hotel, the Windsor opened in Americus in June of 1892. This mammoth nod to the Victorian era managed to remain active into the 1970’s when it finally sputtered into silence. By the 1980’s, Americus was set to revive the Windsor, which reopened as a tourist destination a second time in 1990.
Historic Windsor Hotel in Americus, Georgia
Another quick image from Amerius, more lovely victorian brickwork and charm, this building was empty the last time I noticed it. I’ll have to check in again soon and see if something has opened here, but I really like the red brick work against those skies. There’s something reassuring and solid about the architecture that appeals to me and I hope some of you as well!
Old Facades - Americus, Georgia
13
Jun
2009
Rome Prints
As I’ve continued my trek through the archives (bless the down time), I’ve posted some more prints from Rome. If you want to see them all, check out my Italy Photo Prints.
Some Highlights:
The Pantheon - Rome, Italy
Before I went to Rome, it seemed like I had seen a dozen documentaries on ancient Rome that included information on the Pantheon, the ancient temple to all the Roman gods. This is actually the second Pantheon, built in AD 126. It’s amazing to stand before a building built nearly 2 millennia ago, a building which is still in use today no less! It was given to the Pope in AD 609 and has since then remained a Roman Catholic church, Santa Maria dei Martiri. It’s the fact it was converted into a church for the new religion that enabled it’s survival. Most of the other buildings of antiquity were abandoned and fell into ruin. The interior retains it’s original mammoth concrete dome roof and the niches for the pagan gods (minus the original statues). In addition it has become an honored burial place for noted Italians such as the painter, Raphael.
Piazza della Rotonda - Rome, Italy
This print is a view of the Piazza directly in front of the Pantehon (as viewed from the Pantheon portico). Rome is a collection of these piazza’s – outdoor plazas where the Italians and the tourists vacationing there eat, drink, shop, and socialize. This particular piazza is arguably the most central one in the Centro Storico (or historic district). This is where ancient Rome lay and although the buildings today are not 2,000 years old like the Pantheon, they clearly exude that old european feel complete with mediteranean colors. The recent rains also highlight the sampietrini, the traditional basalt cobbles that have been used in Rome since the 16th century. The sampietrini mimic the ancient cobbles of Rome but are smaller than their predecessors.
Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano - Rome, Italy
Finally, a street level view of the center of the Roman Catholic church, the Holy See, Saint Peter’s Basilica. Although often called a cathedral, this is technically incorrect since Cathedrals are the seat of a Bishop, as the church of the Pope, this is a papal basilica. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century AD, but the present day church was built in the 16th and 17th centuries. At the time of this visit, it was between Christmas and the Epiphany, a festive period in Italy. You’ll note in the photo that the piazza is decorated for the season. The moody skies in this photo make this a strong black and white photo.
