And so it begins in Ireland.

Thursday 26 March 2009: Leaving day
Lex returned late the night before from Seattle and Emily and I went to pick him up at the airport in Baltimore... another in a series of short-sleep nights. Since Simeon had been visiting since I had finished the Ag Science Policy Internship, there had been a lot of running around, exploring DC, just being together with friends... So anyway, by the time I got to this day, there was just a little packing left to do and a few chores. Lex and Emily came home to take me to Dulles around 5:30pm – just in time for rush-hour traffic. It took us ages to get through DC – which was fine by me because it gave us those few more moments in parting. Coming and going is easier all the time, but parting is always so damned painful.

Friday 27 March: Arriving Day
The plane trip was brief – about 5.5 hours – and they kept the lights on and lots of activity around the cabin – I wasn't sleepy, found it hard to rest, and only got about an hour. I was stuck in the middle of the plane and could not see out the windows, so it was all a little disorienting to suddenly be in Dublin. Customs and bag claim was quite easy to pass through. I had not spoken with or seen (only exchanged occasional emails) my friend Mooney since we shared a few hours on a bus in New Zealand about 6 years ago and wondered how I expected to recognize him.... Well, luckily he was waiting for me and found me quickly enough (after only asking one other person if she were me) and we were off to explore. I was wide awake by this time and ready to run out into the world. It was about 8:30am local time – again, perfect for rush hour, so we had a chance to catch up while stalled in traffic. We took an alternate route South of Dublin and out towards Bray. I think. It is hard to recall all the place names now...

Mooney took me to 'the best bakery' around for a cup of coffee and a delicious apple strudel. It perked us up for a walk in a little valley outside the city where there had recently been a great controversy over a proposed road-widening and a pile of activists went to live in the trees for a year in protest. Eventually, they reached a compromise and the road was widened, but with supports to prevent erosion. It was a nice little trail...

From there, we went on to the sea. After a little walk through a holiday park and along the beach, I tucked into a side-of-the-road pub to use the loo where the local men who were gathered in the middle of the afternoon really stared a bit too silently at us. We decided to be on our way back to Dublin.

I left Mooney to rest and went out to wander Dublin a bit on my own. Spent some time watching other tourists in St. Stephen's Green (a charming little park in the city center... there are many gated parks like this around the city, all nicely maintained) and walked up and down a few of the main shopping avenues. Took delight in finding little reminders of home. Generally just wanted to see the scene. It feels like a teensy little place, with such low buildings and a quaint feel – but busy busy busy. I like it, anyway.

Mooney's lovely fiance, Winnie, joined us around 6:30pm and we three went out for dinner and then to the pub. (There are a slough of both just a short walk up the Ranelagh Road from their flat... Dublin is composed of a series of little villages all joined together by sprawl.) We went to “Cafe, Bar and Deli” and I had a delicious salad. At the pub: Winnie had spoken highly of the pear cider, which is apparently a popular drink, so we each had a bottle – and suddenly another showed up! I was quite finished after one, but now I was expected to have another – and they were huge bottles! I got through about half, and there was talk of a third round, but I was definitely done. Mooney and Winnie lamented my poor soul, and how hard I would have it in the countryside pubs if I didn't get my alcohol tolerance up now. Eventually they relented and took me home for a long night's sleep. I had my very own cozy air-mattress in the front room, and I only remember waking up the next day after the others... surprised?

Saturday, 28 March: The Christening
No, really, it is not some obscure reference. We were to be at the church by noon for the Christening of Mooney's niece, Abigail. We got up rather late in the morning and were in just a bit of a rush, but after a shower and a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, actually turned out to arrive early. The church was grand and the ceremony was small and informal and very sweet. The real party was a reception at the home of Mooney's brother and sister-in-law, who put on a wonderful spread for about 30 people, including various-aged children. I discovered that marshmallows are a local favorite. I also discovered that Gateau Diane is absolutely delicious!

It was late in the day by the time we left the party. We went out for a little walk around Dublin: along the canal where we found a bronze likeness of the poet Kavanagh, through another local park with some disturbing bronze sculptures I will not try to explain, into the city center and to Wagamama's for dinner. This Asian-fusion fast-healthy-food joint is apparently in the US as well, though I had never heard of it. (I loved it!) After, pub again, where I got away with just a wee half-pint of Guinness and we were off home to watch Slumdog Millionaire.

Sunday, 29 March: Hiking, Market, Exploring around Dublin
We got up early enough to be on our way in the morning to climb Sugarloaf Peak. Good views! And after working up our appetites, in to Avoca for scones and tea (yum!). It's a funny little spot, very cute, with a little shop and a sort of lunch-counter style restaurant, but with a homey, comfortable feel and very pretty landscaping. They put out a couple of nice cookbooks which I see in local bookshops all around and I will likely drag home with me by the end of this visit. It was busy, apparently popular with both tourists and the after-church Sunday crowd.

Then down to Dunleary for the Farmer's Market and a walk down the Pier. Just the things for a Sunday afternoon. I was also introduced to another local favorite: the “99”. It is a soft-serve ice cream cone with a Cadbury Flake stuck in. It cost 2 Euro. I still have not ascertained why it is called a “99”, but whatever. It was fun to have. (Although I really had been too well-fed at this point...)
At the market, I met Vince, who runs the California Bakery, or something like that. Born Irish but having lived in CA for many decades, he and his wife returned to bake fresh muffins and granola– not common here – among other delights. There were several ethnic food booths, including Lebanese, and one large produce seller. It was not all too different from a US farmer's market, especially like those on the East coast I have seen. A little less fine produce, but a good variety of tasty things.

From there we had a drive in the countryside and stopped along the road at a little German graveyard. There was a hostel nearby where Mooney had stayed as a scout, and there had been news that the owners of the property had been arrested for murder when a few bodies of solo travelers turned up... ah, the peaceful isolation of the countryside!

We returned home relatively early and had an evening in, complete with television.

Monday, 30 March: On a train to Ballina
I was overwhelmed by the generous hospitality of my hosts in Dublin, and I am looking forward to having them visit California to return the favor. If Irish hospitality were not famous, it certainly should be! Mooney got up extra early in the morning to deliver me to the train station where I got a ticket for 15 Euro – a good deal apparently, to Ballina.

On the train, I sat across from a lovely woman named Ann Murphy. It was fun to discover little coincidences together. She is Irish born but has lived in California for many years and is out to visit family around the country. She shared her lunch with me, since I had forgotten to bring along anything. We chatted the whole way to Manulla Junction where I changed to a smaller train to Ballina (Beal an Atha). The trains are very smooth and tidy and cute and far more pleasant than Amtrak, I must confess. And apparently with good special rates.

I was met at the station by Beryl, who I had come to WWOOF with, and the taxi driver Tommy O'Boyle. Beryl is from Berkeley and only maintains the farm here about ¾ of the year. She utilizes the taxi to get in and out of town – it is relatively inexpensive compared to maintaining a vehicle, and Tommy is a sweet fellow who knows everything and everyone, so it is easy to keep up on local news when you see him a few times a week.

We came out to get settled in and it was a lovely afternoon so I was ready to get into the earth. After meeting the two kitties and two donkeys and having a walking tour of the few acres and local paths, I spent a while chasing nettle runners out of the soil. The evening light was gorgeous and the company of birds and insects was very pleasant indeed.

We went into town to see if we could find some traditional music in one of the local pubs, but nothing was on, so we just came back. I think I must have done something wrong along the way because I woke in the middle of the night to lose my dinner... I was awfully sick to my stomach, but slept well into the next day after that little episode.

Tuesday, 31 March: A quiet day in the garden
Taking it easy with my stomach after the previous night. Rain in the morning so we started in the garden in the afternoon. Planted some root seeds and put potatoes in the ground. More nettle weeding. Met the neighbor, Eddie, who came round with the tractor to borrow a couple barrels of water for power-washing the house (they ran out – no, I don't understand it either). He stayed for tea and did not particularly like the spelt-fruit loaf that Beryl had gotten from one of the local producers for me. I like it, though :) In exchange for the water, I guess, he took care of a few projects around the place requiring a chain saw.

Wednesday, 01 April: The Refugee Garden
After a morning of transplanting daffodils to the front lane (they are in ridiculous abundance all over the island), Beryl and I headed into town for a little exploring and grocery shopping. We stopped in to a little health-food eatery for a smoothie and spent a while browsing the bookshop.

Beryl is the head gardener for the community garden serving a population of refugees from Burma from the Kuran ethnic group. It is located at the Bishop's quarter's of the boys' high school. She gardens there Wed and Fri afternoons, so I accompanied her to help today. There were about 6 others there, and I chatted mostly with Tishue and Jogay while weeding paths and doing bed prep. I was visited by on of the teensy little robins while I kneeled on the path, pulling weds. The cheeky thing tested me out and hoped around behind me and pecked at my shoe, then dashed off. It was a precious moment.

We had a couple relaxed hours back at home before Beryl's gospel choir rehearsal. I went to listen – it was a lively group of about 30 or more people, complete with a drum, keyboard and guitar. And solos! Impressive ones, in fact. After, we tried again a local pub for traditional music, but the musicians had no audience, because everyone was watching a soccer game tonight – Italy vs. Ireland. Guess it takes precedence here, sports. Back home and to get my blog ready to put online! But the internet was being tentative (argh!) and it would have to wait for the morrow.