Next time in Nice

Written by:  Amy in consultation with Colleen in their flat in Nice, France

July 24th

When you come to Nice next, might we recommend bringing:

• Your own floaty

They are very nice to have in the wonderful water on the beaches of Nice.  Bring one from home so you don't have to purchase one here.

• Sunscreen

They have sunscreen here, but if you don't speak French, it's anyone's guess what SPF you purchased.  It would also be good to know if the sunscreen is waterproof.  You'll be in and out of the ocean, so make sure you're covered.  It's sunny here, so be prepared!

• Really good sunglasses

Sunglasses are great for protecting your eyes from the sun.  They also help when your eyes are drawn to the myriad of mostly naked bodies--at least no one can definitively prove you've been looking if you're wearing your shades.  The first time you spy a topless sunbather, you will thank me.

• A handheld fan

Ours has gotten quite the workout this week. It's hot and muggy and moving that air around feels blissful.  Colleen and I love the heat and we like the fan.  Also comes in handy when your facial expression shows that you've been looking at the bodies around you.

• Good water shoes

There's rocks where we are used to having sand.  Water shoes help you get in and out of the water without looking like a stumbling drunk.

• A bikini

I don't care what you feel your body type is--bring a bikini.  Everybody here wears one, the skimpier the better.  If you're still thinking that you gotta do some more whatever (diet, botox, surgery) before you wear a bikini.  You're wrong.  Wear that bikini and be proud.  I can hear your internal dialogue!  LISTEN TO ME LINDA.  Wear the bikini.  Seriously.  And, take off your top to sunbathe.  

• Comfortable flip flops

The beaches are stone and those stones can get hot.  Plus, if you go with me then you will be walking around a lot.  So, comfortable flip flops are a must.

• Google Translate

While we have been mostly okay saying "Bonjour, Hello" to indicate our lack of French, the train kiosks are mostly in French and there's no one in the terminal to help.  So, get your Google Translate on.  Better yet, download it to your phone cause you might now have wifi or service whilst here.

• A good map

Whether it be Google Maps or an actual map (or both!) Nice is a strangely laid out city.  Getting around to the grocery store and other necessities and sites requires a map. 

• Willingness to relax

The pace is much slower here.  So, take a breath and decide that sitting by the beach is something you can do.  Let some of the worry away.  Let the sound of the rocks and the waves lull you into a semi meditative state.  This is foreign to me, so I had to bring a book.  But, I eventually found it.

• Us

We loved it here.  The French Riviera was really...well...nice!

Nice and Monaco July 20 - 25, 2019

Colleen needs to go to gaol.

Written by:  Amy with an assist from Colleen in Nice watching jeans dry on the line outside the flat

Colleen has a list.  A 10 page list of places she'd like to go here in Ireland.  I'm pumped to see where this list will take us.  We've already been to Carrickfergus Castle because of her list and it was awesome.  The next on her list is Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast.  So, off to the car to take the train into the city and see the sights!

We grabbed a bus from the train station and sat in the upper deck in the front.  Those tiny Belfast streets were no match for our bus driver who navigated cars, bikes, trees, pedestrians, scooters, lorries, and other buses with enviable ease.  We got off at his suggested stop and walked the block to the gaol.  Before you see the gaol, you see the old courthouse that is no longer in use and fallen into disrepair.  We learn later that it is supposed to be turned into a boutique hotel.  I hope they restore that grand building into something that preserves its stateliness.

Belfast and Gaol June 24th, 2019

The Gaol was built in 1843 and closed in 1996.  It has seen executions, but far less than US prisons.  The tour took us through the execution process including a surprise execution room adjacent to the cell the condemned would be kept in their last week on earth.  The original hanging rope and mechanism was still in the room.  It was really creepy and I wasn't very comfortable in the execution room.  Those executed were buried in an unmarked and unconsecrated grave somewhere on the grounds.  During renovations, the remains were discovered.

After 1996, the prison stood empty but in 2010 it was restored to its Victorian era specs.  This is unfortunate as they have stripped away any and all evidence of the very real political prisoners held there during the Troubles.  There are many a story these walls could tell about that part of recent history, but the choice was made to focus exclusively on the Victorian age.  We only heard a little about the Troubles from our tour guide.

After lunch at the cafe in the gaol, we set off it find Belfast Castle, but after an hour of walking and getting off at the wrong bus stop, Colleen and I decided to hop back to downtown and see some sights.  We hit a church, but it was pay to enter, so I just hummed, took photos of the cool flags and left.  Then on to the main part of downtown to the train station, then back to the hostel.

It's Sunday and we go to church!

Written by:  Amy in Nice listening to the people explore Old Town outside my windows

Going to church in Armagh Slideshow June 23, 2019

Armagh is the religious seat of both the catholic and the Church of Ireland (protestant) faiths for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  So, I knew that it was essential to experience both of these ceremonies on the same day.  This took a bit of planning.  But, I got our schedule of events down the night before.  We were going to go to the mass in the catholic cathedral at 11:00am then have lunch then go to evensong in the Church of Ireland (protestant) cathedral at 3:30pm. Evensong is performed by an all boys mixed aged choir and organ.  Not to be missed.  Colleen has never experienced either of these events, so I was super stoked to see them through her eyes.

We were a tiny bit late to mass at 11:00 because I was snapping photos as we approached this grand cathedral.  I couldn't help it, similar to Sacre Coeur in Paris, the approach to this building is magnificent and grand.  The steps, the statues, the cathedral itself are ornate in a way that lets you know you are but a supplicant.  This lateness brought us hurrying into the cathedral at 11:03 straight into an adult baptism.  This ceremony is performed at the entry to the cathedral so Colleen and I were super conspicuous opening the door, then quickly closing the door, then opening it again to slip to the side.  Thankfully, we were not the only ones late, but still, not how I wanted to  make our entrance.

Once the baptism was finished, Colleen and I took our seats.  We decided to go to the left of the cathedral thinking that we would be less noticeable there.  But, when I sat down, I was dismayed to find that I couldn't see the alter because of a GIANT pillar obstructing my view.  I motioned for Colleen to move and she pointed up at 1 of 15 televisions positioned around the cathedral.  This is a total first for me--TV in church?  Totally weird, but necessary due to the obstructions and length of the cathedral itself.  We missed none of the action.

The service begins in the usual way and I settle in to enjoy it--the choir is amazing, the organ is spot on, the soloist was exceptional.  I wasn't dialed into one of the priests because it was clear that this was something he'd done a million times before.  But, then the bishop got up to do the sermon and he totally got into the community aspect of church.  He called his parishioners to think about their community and the immigrant population as part of their community.  He discretely alluded to the treatment of immigrants in the US as and you totally understood that he felt called to help people regardless of the country code of their passport.  He called his people to action and admonished those with closed minds to open them in such a way that you couldn't excuse yourself from this issue.  He pointed out that ALL christians should be called to help their fellow humans--that this is directly from the bible and can not be ignored.  I know that immigration is usually seen as a political issue here in Ireland (and everywhere right now), but he humanized it and put it front and center to his message.

But, then when it was communion time, we got another surprise--there were 2 adult women who were receiving communion for the first time and being confirmed to the church.  3 services in one for Colleen who was a bit mystified--bonus round.  I can't remember if she'd ever seen a "regular" Sunday mass, but I absolutely know she's never seen a baptism and a confirmation.  I'd never seen how the ceremony differs for adults, so this was all new for me too.

Overall, a very good ceremony and I was glad that we were there to experience it all.

Leaving the cathedral, you notice immediately that at the top of the next hill is the protestant cathedral.  Both of these cathedrals are named after St. Patrick and they face each other.  The story is that St. Patrick came to this part of Ireland to spread christianity and on his way he saw a fawn.  Instead of allowing his followers to kill it, he picked it up and walked it to the spot where the catholic cathedral stands today.

After lunch, we made our way to evensong at the cathedral of St. Patrick Church of Ireland.  I have to admit that I've only been to a handful of protestant ceremonies.  I was really looking forward to this one as I love a good choir and organ combo.  We got to the cathedral in plenty of time--I'd learned my lesson that morning about being late--took out seats and watched.  The first thing you notice about the cathedral is that it is not ornate.  It is imposing, but stripped down to the most essential parts.  The service was focused more on the darker aspects of being human and moved to a lighter place in the end.  The choir was cute--off key, many time not understandable, but sang most of the service.  The organist was amazing.  He sang, played and kept herd on all the parts of the boys choir.  Interestingly, the message of the sermon was the same as the catholic one--community, refugees and immigrants.  After the service, I went up to offer my thanks to the organist and discovered the choir was missing 12 members who were out of town.  He really wanted me to come back to experience the whole choir.

The cathedral at the Church of Ireland has a progressive walled garden.  AMAZING!  I knew I needed to bring Kerry here.  Little did I know that the gardener I had seen the day before working on the garden was one of the officiants of the church.  I saw him in his garb and recognized him immediately.  I was to seem him tending to the church grounds throughout our stay in Armagh.

After that, Colleen had had enough and we headed the less than one block from the church to the hostel.

Carrickfergus Castle

Written by:  Amy sitting in her flat in Nice, France trying to decide how best to catch up the blog

Colleen and I jumped in the car and drove to Carrickfergus which was an hour away from Armagh in County Antrim overlooking what used to be called Carrickfergus Bay and is now called Belfast Lough.  Colleen only had 2 jump scares when I accidentally went through a turn circle without stopping and then went around a blind corner a little fast.  It may be that after those 2 incidents, she just accepted that she might not make it through this drive alive.  I can say that she was grateful to stop when we got there, lol.

A side note about driving here--it really doesn't bother me that the Irish drive on the right side of the car on the left side of the road.  Many of the cars here are manual transmission and run on diesel.  I know that this is quite the opposite in the US and people have asked if I experience issues.  Thankfully, I have ton of experience with manual transmissions and don't actually care what oil makes the car go.  Yes, you have to change gears with your left hand.  But, all the pedals are situated the same as any car I've ever been in.

So, what's my secret?  Well, as many of you know, I don't know my right from my left.  Seriously failed that part of Elementary/Primary School and other than some irritation when people try to give me driving directions using these terms, I don't really spend a lot of time lamenting this lack of knowledge.  Yes, before you ask, someone has tried to teach me MANY, MANY times (cough--Kerry, Dad).  I've done my best to learn this.  It doesn't stick and I no longer care.  I think this is one of the reasons I don't struggle much over here.  I know the driver goes in the middle of the road.  That's all the knowledge I need.  I do admit to being thoroughly frustrated when encountering lorries, tractors, bikes, and tour buses (all at the same time) on narrow roads.  Especially around blind corners.  This totally freaks me out and a couple of my family members here have had fatal car crashes with same. But, other than that, I'm good driving here.  I don't really notice the difference.  It's finally an occasion where one of my weaknesses might actually be a strength!

I have to say that Carrickfergus Castle was well worth the trip.  Seriously, what a castle!  For a full history, take the guided tour.  We were the only ones on the tour at that time because there was a parade to support differently abled adults going on while we were at the castle.  We saw the start of the parade and then couldn't resist the castle.  Our tour guide was phenomenal and really hooked Colleen into the structure, history and surroundings.  He really "got" her and engaged her the entire time.  Super awesome!

For those that want a brief history:

• Built by Norman John de Courcy in 1177 after he gained control of Ulster and later Hugh de Lacy after de Lacy gained control from de Courcy.
• Surrounded by the sea on a bluff and built to show the local Irish strength
• There are guns and there are cannons and even though they look a lot alike, a gun fires something shaped like a bullet and a cannon fires...cannons?  Still unclear about the distinction.
• Used militarily until 1928
• The US occupied the site for one of the World Wars
• Colleen wanted to go to this castle because it has evidence of being haunted

Instead of embedding photos to the blog, I'd like to try a slideshow instead:

Carrickfergus Castle Slideshow  June 22, 2019

Uncle Lee and Aunt LouAnne were so much in my thoughts during this tour--you guys would have LOVED this.  Seriously just loved it.  I can't wait to show both of you this castle when we all go to Ireland together.

All the Jobs I Can Never Have

Written by: Colleen in Edinburgh

So we’re just strolling around Dublin, right? Looking for a café or a castle, whichever comes first. And we’re walking past Dublin Castle (I think. It’s hard to keep track.) and I notice that the walls outside the castle have ben freshly painted, as in within the past few weeks freshly. My brain, being the abomination that it is, immediately puts out the thought, ‘Whose job is that? Who gets to do that for a living? Who gets to say, “Oh, no, mate, can’t go to the pub tonight, gotta finish PAINTING A CASTLE.”’.

There’s more.

Cathedral Tour Guide? BAM. That’s a job I can never have. Statue Cleaner? Never gonna happen. Working for the Queen? Get outta here! The impossibilities are endless!

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk!

That’s all.

-Colleen Cakebread

Summer 2019

Catching up in NI

Written by:  Amy sitting in a hostel in Portrush NI listening to the hostel staff loudly decompress in a mixture of French and English after their day.

It's interesting listening to others as they discuss their everyday lives.  For the women behind me, they work in the service industry in a very popular beach destination in Northern Ireland.  They switch effortlessly between French and English--natives in both tongues.  I also detect a Slavic word or two.  Such fluency is beyond my capabilities, so I listen in awe to their most mundane conversation about whose socks are being worn by whom right now.  Do these young women know that they are switching back and forth?  Do they know they possess the language skill so far above my own that I am humbled by their talk of what duties are to be finished before tomorrow morning.  They don't know this, but they are goddesses in my eyes.

But, you are probably wondering how I got to Portrush.  Didn't the story end with me and Colleen in Dublin enjoying that fair city?  We did enjoy.  But, we were only there for a short time.  We needed to pick up the car at the airport and head to Armagh.  And, that's just what we did. 

Airport rental agent:  Is a manual going to be okay?
Amy:  Yes.
Airport rental agent (speaking slower):  Do you know how to drive a car with gears?
Amy:  Yes, I know how to drive a manual transmission.
Airport rental agent (hesitates before he says):  So, you feel okay about a stick shift?
Amy (eye brow going up, but no change in tone):  Yes.  I am familiar with how to change gears in a stick shift.
Airport rental agent (leaning in):  Are you sure you are okay with a manual?  And a clutch, you know?
Amy (no change in tone or inflection on the outside):  Yes.  Thank you for your concern.  I know how to drive a manual transmission and how to use a clutch to change gears.
Airport rental agent (less formally):  This car is not an automatic, ya know?  
Amy:  Yes.  You've said that.  I'm okay with that.  
Airport rental agent:  If you're sure then.  Cheers.
Amy's internal dialogue:  Yes, you condescending twit, I know how to drive a manual transmission.  I grew up on a feckin farm.  On tractors.  With....gears!  And then transitioned to other motor vehicles...with gears.  And rode motorcycles...with gears.  And have owned cars for years...with gears.  And clutches.  Let me tell you about all the clutches in my life.  But, why bother telling you something I've already confirmed 4 times.  Nah, I'll just let you wonder now.

Renting a car here in Ireland is not a cheap thing.  You are suckered in by the fairly cheap daily rate offered on the popular car rental sites.  But, you are unaware that because Ireland is a left driving country, you must have the king's ransom of insurance.  

Ker found a great offer from Expedia that reduced the $28 a day insurance to roughly $15 per day.  But, I found out at the counter after waiting 45 minutes, that the insurance Ker and I had purchased covered the cost of a $35,000 car--not a €35,000 which would amount to a difference of around $2800 not covered.  This was a deal breaker for the rental car company and necessitated a 4 am call to Kerry to strategize the best way forward through this debacle.  This was more challenging due to the way we have to communicate--Skype.  Which didn't work.  I switched to FaceTime, but that was a little awkward for Ker as he was still in his sleepy time scenario.  Also, we had the added fun of sorting out the credit cards who all thought I was still in Oregon.  Even after I had put in my travel alerts.   But, we sorted it.  We bowed to the inevitable and took the outrageous insurance being foisted on us by the car rental company who shall not be named.  It only took 2.5 hours to sort.  But, then it was sorted and we were in the car, driving on the left side of the road on the left side of the car...with 6 gears and clutches.  Gasp!

Off we went onto the motorway headed north to Armagh.  It was like riding a bike.  It all comes rushing back.  The ride took 1.5 hours and I started recognizing familiar landmarks and towns and then we were there...Armagh.  It was familiar and not all at the same time.  We drove right to the Armagh Youth Hostel and settled in.  They took very good care of us during our 5 night stay there. It was stark and industrial, but the staff there was so great.  I've not been in a bunk bed in far longer than I'm going to admit.  But, Colleen chose the top bunk and I followed suit.  Plus, the bottom bunks looked a little coffin-like for me.

Bottom bunk needs space!

Our room in the hostel

This is our bathroom

After settling in, we got some dinner and bedded down for the night.

Dublin Version 1.0

20 June 2019

Written by:  Amy sitting in the common lounge space in Armagh City Youth Hostel while Colleen gets some alone time in the room.

We are only in Dublin one full day before we are headed up to Armagh.  We'll be back to Dublin several times this trip, so I'm not worried if we don't see everything in the next 2 days.  But, it's up and out for us.  Well, those of you that have lived with Colleen know that up and out is dependent on Colleen being in the same time zone as you are.  Tina has given her Tina's old time zone.  Such a great gift.  So, Colleen runs a little behind.   Which is sometimes very fine.  And sometimes--like when you need coffee and it's downstairs in the dining room along with your breakfast--it's not very fine.

BREAD!! My Precious.

But it is all worth it because coffee happened.  And so did bread and toast and Irish bacon and FOOD!  So great to sit and have it all there for you buffet style.  Yum!

Then we collected our things and walked towards Trinity College to the bank that's across the street.  No luck there, I'm afraid.  Going to have to do the money thing the hard way for a bit.

There's Geometry in there!

After the bank it was over to the tourist information center for some directions to Dublin Castle.  But, before we could go through the castle, we were distracted by a library--The Chester Beatty Library.  Adjacent to the castle, this library holds the collections of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty.  Entry is free so we popped in and had a look through some of the extremely cool stuffs on display there.  Beatty collected ancient sacred texts from many different religions.  On display were many different copies of the quran and the bible.   Beside them were collections of eastern asian religious texts, scrolls and items.  Very cool.  We love a good library!  You will all not be shocked to discover that my favorite part was a geometry text.  I really wanted to stay and have a real look at it, but there's so much to see.

St. Patrick's Cathedral. 

No ghost dog here.

After Chester, we headed on over to St. Patrick's Cathedral.  Colleen heard tell of a Captain who saved many lives that is buried there in the cemetery.  On his grave site some people claim to see the ghost of his dog who never left his side.  I was going to take Colleen through the cathedral, but you have to pay to get in.  You don't have to pay to traverse the cool maze in the courtyard, which was fun.

You shouldn't have to pay to get into a church.  I don't know why that strikes me the wrong way, but it does.  So, no, no, St. Patrick's Cathedral church for us.  Instead we walked around the block to find the Captain's grave and what do we see?  No, not a dog on his grave....another library.  The Marsh Library is the oldest open-to-the-public library in Dublin.  They had a Bram Stoker exhibition going on while we were there.

Marsh Library

To the couple from Phoenix in front of us in the Marsh Library--please, please, do not go into a library and ask if anyone has read the books in it.  It's such a tacky question.  And, it's really embarrassing to hear you ask it and even more uncomfortable to hear you rephrase the question when the 2 librarians assure you that people do read the texts.  It's a library!  Of course someone reads the books.  Sigh.

After the Marsh Library which was way cool, it was time for some coffee and lunch.  We went to a great cafe and had some really good food.  Win!

Then it was off to Christ Church.  We have been to Christ Church during the night that Dublin opened it's doors to everyone when we were living on the island.  But, this time, we took the guided tour which included the bell tower and the crypt.  Our tour guide was excellent--funny, pun-y, engaging and inclusive  We had a marvelous time, learned a ton and Colleen got to ring a bell in the bell tower. The weight of the bell was enough to pull her off her feet while she was pulling the rope.  The bell tower was so cool.  Did you know that the bells swing 360?  It's an amazing engineering feat.  Especially when you consider the largest bell is over 2 tons.

On top of Christ Church

Ringing the Bells over Dublin

Temple Bar and Colleen

I wanted Colleen to see the Temple Bar area, so we headed there in between the rain drops.  I have no idea why I thought she needed to see this area.  It's cool and all, but we're not drinkers.  None of us.  We waited in a cafe until the rain had past.  By then, Colleen had had enough of walking so we ambled on back to the hotel and had some down time.  We paused our down time just enough to grab a bit to eat at a poshy restaurant near the hotel.  They were very disappointed when we split an order of fish and chips.  No 1000 quid dinner for us, thank you. But, the lady and gents next door had enough alcohol and food to more than make up for us.



We were knackered after that so it was back to trying to fall asleep.

Awake despite the best intentions.

Date:  20 June 2019

Written by: Amy sitting up in bed at the Leeson Bridge Guesthouse

I’ve committed the cardinal sin of not being able to sleep.  And, I’ve done everything right to combat the eight hour time difference between Oregon and Ireland.  I'm convinced that there's an optimal algorithm that will lead to an easier adjustment. I followed it to a T.

First, I stayed up for the first flight—which was amazingly smooth, go American Airlines!  Next, I slept as much as one can on a plane for the 7.5-hour flight to Dublin.  There were some spots of turbulence and some screaming by a couple of toddlers.  But, again, surprisingly comfortable and smooth.  They fed us twice!  Once I landed, I kept busy all day when we were on the ground.  But, especially do not sleep until after 10 pm.  I did all of that!  But, I was up at midnight which would be 4pm Oregon time.  It’s now almost 2 am Irish time and I’ve given up on sleep for the moment and am thinking about how today felt even through the tired.

It happened when I stepped onto the pedestrian bridge that leads to the parking garage—it always does right at that moment in that spot.  It’s not when I see the immense green out the airplane window.  It’s not when I zoom pass the non-EU immigration (which never gets old).  It’s not even when I’m surrounded by the sound of Irish voices.  For me, it happens at that one specific pedestrian bridge.  I’m in Ireland.  I’m here and there’s a sense of rightness that I’m supposed to be here and that I’ve been here all along.  And, I’m smiling before I even know it.  I turn to Colleen and I know she recognizes this spot too.  While I know this feeling crashes over me, it’s nice that she gets sprinkled by it.

We are dragging our luggage out the terminal and right into the bus we need to take us to our lodging for 2 nights.  It was great.  No waiting.  Then it’s the realization that I’ve no nav until we get our SIM cards in the phones.  So, which direction should we take to quickly get to the guest house before Colleen--who hasn’t slept at all—realizes that I’m winging it?  We make it.  Mostly because we’re already on the correct street and I saw the sign for the lodging a few blocks before our stop.  Dumb luck or some helpful guardian angels working overtime.  And I’m grateful for it.

We were too early to get into our room but our luggage can stay. So, I dragged a very pale Colleen to the Tesco for SIM cards and the Bank of Ireland to straighten out our debit cards.  We had better luck with the SIM cards.  But, at least I know what happened with our bank cards and was helped by a very nice gentleman named Darren who would like me to come back in the morning when he works so he can see this dilemma through.  No bother.  I’ll head on over in the morning.  It’ll be grand.

Colleen is in there somewhere.

Then back to the room because if Colleen doesn’t get some sleep, she’s going to be ill.  She gets 2.5 hours and no more.  During that time, I’m setting up our phones.  But, then it’s wake up time for Colleen because I’m hungry.  So, through St. Stephen’s Green on our way to Dawson Street for some grub.  We ate at O’Neill’s because I was lured that way by the drum line. I love street performers!  And we popped into the pub to see the publican rocking out to the drums outside.  We shared a carvery meal because it comes with 6 sides!  6 scrumptious side dishes that filled both of us up.  Colleen had to decide between dessert at O’Neil’s or gelato.  Tough choice, but gelato won.  So, out we go into the….rain?

Drums!

I needed an umbrella then Colleen needed to go back to the restaurant because she forgot her purse.  No problem!  I’ll hang out in Boots picking up the toiletries we had to leave behind then we’ll meet up and do umbrella, gelato and walking home in the rain to Skype with Ker and Mom.

Which leads me to bed and leads me to right now.  2:30 am and time for another try at bed.  Good night!

Here's some of St. Stephen's Green and rush hour in Dublin:

Center of St. Stephen's Green

Getting into the park

Look at all those busy humans going home from work.