It's not a long way to Tipperary

Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland

  Cathedral door 

  "I heard its a long way to Tipperary?" and "Where be the Stone?" were questions Rick made a point to ask on this section of our trip. He did get serious answers and directions to both. We have just finished 121 days of wonderful travel and been through twenty airport security checkpoints and six immigration lines, with ten airline carriers in six different countries and hundreds of new experiences. This all adds up to a fantastic four months of travel and adventures.  We flew into Dublin from Edinburgh, Scotland, picked up our small rental car, and headed downtown.  A great young couple, Nat and Leah, were our couchsurfing hosts for the first two nights in Ireland.  Nat attends Trinity College, where he is getting a masters degree in ethnobotany, and Leah works in several health shoppes. They were a big help in getting our bearings and travel plans organized.  In Dublin, we enjoyed our experiences in the Temple Bar district with lively Irish music. We walked all over the city to tour the Dublin Castle, Christ Church cathedral, the Ha'penny bridge and much more. One highlight was Trinity College. Leah met Rick and I for lunch at at a vegetarian restaurant, and then we met up with Nat at the college campus. He took us to see the Book of Kells, and the "old library."  The Book of Kells is a manuscript of the four gospels from early Christianity, with elaborately decorated pages which are turned each day for display. The old library has a two hundred foot vaulted timber barreled roof, and is the most beautiful library I have ever seen. We appreciate Nat and Leah for taking time out of their school and work schedules to do some activities with us around Dublin.  From there, we headed west to the opposite coast and Galway.  On the way, we drove through the Burren, which are flat tablelands of limestone strata, rising in stages above the coast. It is a lunar landscape with barren terraces, little streams, underground rivers, caves, and swallow holes. The wildflowers grow in  cracks between the rocks; both barren and beautiful at the same time.

The Burren

Dolmen

One example of the rock walls that are everywhere

 We stopped at a dolmen(ancient tomb) and several  beautiful overlooks, as well as a farmers market in one of the villages.  In Galway, we enjoyed more Irish music in the pubs and had another great couchsurfing host.  Lydia is originally from Poland, but has made Ireland her new home. We had several hours of nice conversation getting to know each other, learning more about Poland and the places to see there. We enjoy so much our connections with the amazing people who open their homes and hearts,  making opportunities to learn and understand different cultures, and the events that magically bring us together. We briefly share our lives and interests, but the effect of these encounters last so much longer than the time spent together.  After Galway, we went to the town of Tralee via several small villages, including Bunratty, with its castle and folk village, and the medieval town of Limerick. We passed the Adare castle and church,  along with numerous other worn down bits of abbeys, castles and churches along the motorway. Upon arriving in Tralee, we were greeted by a loving family that are our new hosts.  Andrew, and their three children, were born in Ireland, while Sona is from Slovakia. These folks are the reason we travel the way we do. We were treated like part of the family from the moment we came through the door. We shared meals together, visited and talked about life, children, travel, games, politics and everything in-between.  Sona and I cooked together like sisters, with the kids running about the kitchen. We created new friendships that made it hard to leave. Later this year, they will be moving to Slovenia.  I hope our paths will cross again. From Tralee, we took day trips to the Dingle peninsula and the Ring of Kerry.  Both these areas have scenic roads that skirt the peninsulas, close to the coastline, with extraordinary scenic beauty. There are numerous stopping points that are unique and different from anything we have experienced.  We saw beehive huts, thatched houses, and classic examples of the rock fences that dot the countryside. Six kilometers off the coast, on the southern tip of the Ring of Kerry, lies the remains of the settlement of Skellig Michael. A monastic settlement for a thousand years, it is truly an inspired story of our quest for the divine. http://www.skelligexperience.com/skellig_michael.html  Strong winds prevented the boats from taking us there, but we will remember the devotion of those before us, who lived on that island. There was truly a lot of scenery and places to see before arriving in Cork.  We found a place to eat, and, for the first time in Ireland, paid for a night's lodging at beautiful B&B, where Rick was able to bargain a great rate from a fellow vegan.
We really have the luck of the Irish.

Skellig Michael 

Irish landscape

Gorgeous day on  Dingle Peninsula

More coastline

The Irish built a lot of rock fences everywhere

Typical thatched house

Beehive huts

Blarney Castle

Rick kissing the Blarney Stone

View from top of the Blarney Castle

Druid forest around Blarney Castle

Dunguaire Castle

Town of Dingle  (Dingle peninsula)

 We thought we might as well increase our "luck," so we headed toward the Blarney Castle.  The castle was not obvious when we entered the town, so Rick rolled down his window and asked a few of the locals, "Where be the stone?" and we were on our way.  Seeing the Blarney castle, and surrounding grounds, was a true gift. We hadn't planned on going there, but were glad we made the time. It ended up being one of the most beautiful castles and settings we saw in all of the UK and Ireland. The fairy-like surroundings along the river, the druid forest, rocks and caves with ferns and moss, were magical.  I could live out my days as a fairy, playing amongst the grounds of this castle. After several hours, we had to move on, and arrived at the Cahir castle for lunch. This is one of the largest castles we saw, featured in many films, including Braveheart. We then drove to the Rock of Cashel and the Hore Abbey. This is a majestic castle and church complex on a prominent hill, which overlooks the abbey and an expansive green valley. When we went to view the abbey, we were stopped by two guards, who asked to see our passports and recorded our visit, since the queen was coming the following week.  Apparently her ancestry was tied to the abbey, and this would be her first visit to the site. We were only a few miles from the town of Tipperary. And in one of the postcard shops, Rick jokingly asked if it was a long way to Tipperary.  The lady at the counter very sincerely, and seriously said, "Oh, no, it is only about 9 kilometers from here," and gave us the directions. We did not go to Tipperary, but Rick was very satisfied that we had been so close.

Cahir Castle

 Our next stop was Kilkenny. We walked the castle grounds, located on the banks of River Nore.  The town's older center has narrow winding streets, with terraces of Georgian houses. The surrounding area is a fertile agriculture plain, which supplies a busy market center. After dinner, we headed for a small village, in the countryside near Buncourty.  We stayed the night at the home of our host Mico.  Mico is originally from Oregon, later married and Irishman, and now calls this land her own. She creates organic tea blends as a home business, and sent tea for us to deliver to her mom who lives in Ashland. And so the connections continue. We took an early morning hike with Mico and her dogs, and then went north. This would be our last full day in Ireland, and we covered a lot of ground.

Hore Abbey below the Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel, above, as viewed from the abbey 

 On to the monastic settlement of Glendalough. Glendalough means the "glen of two lakes." This was also the hermitage of Saint Kevin, around the sixth century.  His piety and knowledge attracted many disciples, who founded a monastery between two lakes in this valley. The setttlement has miles of trails that loop around the lakes, amidst the caves were Saint Kevin meditated. We walked in his footsteps, experiencing the serenity that attracted others to this site.  Driving in this area also took us to the first Irish weaving mill, and incredible mountains and roads covered with trees, creating arches and green tunnels, for miles and miles. The homes and farms along this route were stunning. We then drove through the Wicklow mountains, a range of granite hills that extends forty miles just south of Dublin. This is a solitary region of hills flecked with brown and purple rocks, dark lakes and conical peaks. By  late afternoon we were back in Dublin, and parked again at Nat and Leah's house. We walked into the city for another great dinner at Cornucopia, an excellent vegetarian/vegan restuarant. We then headed for Gogaraty's Pub and more live music.  Later, when we felt like we had done just about everything we could during our stay, we walked back to Nat's and Leah's to connect with them and fill them in on our adventures.  At 4:00 am we were on our way to the airport, for the long journey home.  On our way we relived many of the amazing moments and highlights of our trip.  We are amazed at the amount of grace we were given, and how fortunate we were to be able to do a trip like this.  Rick and I managed to be around each other 24/7 for 121 days, and mostly enjoyed each others company. Despite all the crazy things going on in the world, we found new friends, places to eat and sleep, and learned so much.  Families everywhere are going through much of the same things we are in America, with a scarcity of jobs, high food and gas prices, the cost of quality education for their children, climate change, and figuring out how to live in a world that is shrinking so rapidly. We are all searching for love, in one way or another, and trying to feel at peace with ourselves. We find that we are all struggling souls trying to live a happy existence in a world that we think we know.  This is the end of our journey but I will create one more blog. Our 2011 adventures have not officially ended. We still have seven more months to go!
After returning to southern Oregon for a few days, we headed to Seattle, Washington, for the annual Folklife Festival http://www.nwfolklife.org/ that we attend each year over the Memorial Day weekend.  It is such a wonderful experience that I will share this with you as well. Until then, I hope you are enjoying the "NOW" moments of your life.   Sincerely, Julie and Rick

St. Kevin's in Glendalough

Green tunnel roads on the way to Glendalough

Street scene from the Bunratty Folk Park

Glendalough Valley

Spring in the UK

Our adventures continue in Great Britain, during the nicest spring weather the UK has every seen. Everyone warned us about the rain and dreary weather that can be experienced here, but that was not to be the case for us. We arrived  in London just before Easter weekend, which was also the week prior to the Royal Wedding. The warm, sunny weather has the Brits in a spin, and the excitement is mounting in the country that will have two long weekends in a row---one for Easter, and one for Will and Kate's big day. Moms were buying shorts for their tots, exposing their white, glaring skin which had never see this much sun, and for so many days in a row! News reporters were in line with us, getting through customs and immigration lines, ready to cover news of a far different nature than their recent assignments in Japan. The tabloids, shop windows, and the signs outside pubs are all  reminding us of the big day. Despite the millions that were descending on London for this auspicious occasion, we instead are headed north to our first destination outside Bedford, for a three day spiritual conference. Here, we met up with our Ashland friends, Rick and Carlotta, who would be joining us on our adventures for the next two weeks.

Rapeseed(canola) field

Roman Baths

 Figuring out the road directions and driving, was the task before the two Rick's. My Rick has had quite a bit of driving experience navigating on the "wrong" side of the road. By default he was the primary driver, while    the other Rick did a fabulous job as co-pilot, spending time each night studying the maps and preparing for the roundabouts and road changes. We were all enchanted with the scenery accross England. The grass was beyond green against the blue sky, with an intense yellow rapeseed growing in expansive fields on all sides of  us, with more yellow from gorse in full bloom and  a variety of trees either blossoming, or leafed out. The countryside and villages were spotlessly clean.  We saw houses, buildings, churches and castles dating back to the 16th century, and earlier in many places. It's thrilling to be in new countries and customs. The mind goes through fits and starts, inquiring about the hows and whys of different cultures, costumes and dress, cars and roadways --even how their version of the English language is spoken, while everything is a feast for the senses. 

up the stairs in the cathedral overlooking York

road signs were a bit different

Cathedral in York

Cafe where the first Harry Potter story was written < Ediburgh

Urquart Castle overlooking Loch Ness

The two Ricks at the Fairy Glen

Car and chauffer

Seeing Scottish tartans being made

Meditation spot at Findhorn

Part of Hadrian's Wall

We all had grand days in places like Avon, Bath, Avebury, York, and the small village of Cornbridge.  Stratford-on-Avon is the birthplace of Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway. We toured Anne Hathaway's house and the beautiful surrounding gardens. We spent a long, full day walking through Bath. The cathedral, the Roman baths, Jane Austen's home and soaking in the thermal waters were just a few of the days highlights. Our next stop was the village of Lacock, where we saw the abbey and the grounds that we discovered was another filming spot for the Harry Potter movies.  We then arrived at Avebury, which predates Stonehenge by two hundred years. It is an expansive area of standing stones that remain a mystery to this day, as to why and where the stones were placed.  From there to the town of York, an ancient walled city filled with one of England's most spectacular churches. We hiked the stairs to the get a bird's eye view from above the church spirals. We walked atop these city walls, peering down into well kept gardens, viewing the architecture of  many centuries.   Another highlight for us traveling together were our picnic lunches each day. We ate in grand parks, with majestic castles, abbeys, churches, or monuments for our lunchtime scenery. The enormity of these structures, which dot the countryside, restored, or in ruins, create a powerful place to stop and ponder what it would have be like to be living centuries ago. Our last evening in England was in the small village of Cornbridge, which positioned us to walk along Hadrian's wall.  Hadrian's wall was built by the Romans over 2000 years ago to keep the Scottish out. It was built across England and covered about seventy miles. The wall was 8 feet wide and 12 ft tall in most sections, constructed of rock and turf. The longest sections remaining are in the Cornbridge area, providing an expansive viewpoint over a vast area. We hiked along the wall and up the hill to get a sweeping view of this unique piece of history.

Lunch at Eilean Donan castle

From here, we headed north, crossing into Scotland. A bagpiper greeted us at the border, so we had the grand and exciting entrance into this country.  We decided to have a really long day of driving, so we could have the maximum time for the places we wanted to see most.  Our long day in the car was rewarded with many great stops along the way. One was Loch Ness and the Urquart Castle, which is on the waters edge of the Loch (lake). We did not see Nessie rise from the water, but know she is in there somewhere. We found that the Urquart castle is where one of Rick's great grandfathers(Alexander Forbes) died in 1301 defending his home against the English invaders. Our friend, Carlotta, is of the Mcleod clan, and it was fun traveling through Scotland learning the history of her ancestral roots and the many struggles and battles, such as the ones fought against the McDonald clan. We ended up eating our lunch that day with Scotland's most photographed monument, the Eilean Donan Castle, as our backdrop.  It was a breezy, but otherwise beautiful day to enjoy these powerful sites. We landed late that evening in the town of Forres. Here we stayed at a lovely B&B with terrific hosts. We arrived on the eve of the Royal Wedding, and watched some of the history of the royal family and all the activities around the UK. Our host said she would provide us a 'royal' vegan breakfast the next morning and we went happily off to bed. I arose at 6:00am to see the pre-wedding coverage. Once Kate walked down the aisle we headed off for the days activities. Rick and Carlotta droped us off at Findhorn, and took the car exploring the area. We had a fabulous day touring the grounds and meeting some of the residents of  this eco-community. Findhorn will soon celebrate it's 50th year as a progressive settlement for conscious and environmental living. They have developed the "Living Machine" which takes sewage from the community and turns it back into water that is cleaner than european drinking standards. They have creative and varied types of eco-structures and beautiful gardens, a health food store, and much more. It gave us a chance to learn more about this community first hand. I have had a fascination with Findhorn since I was about 15, and it was exciting to finally be there. I wish I could just whip up more places like this for people to live, as easily as I can create things in the kitchen.

The view of  Dunvegan castle from our cottage on the Isle of Skye

Our next destination was the Isle of Skye, where the Dunvegan Castle is located. This is the castle of the McLeod's, wherein lies much of the secrets to Carlotta's heritage.  We had a cottage located across the bay from the castle, which filled our view from the front window.  Here Carlotta and I made some lovely dinners together, had a chance to do our laundry, and relax a bit before the last legs of our long adventures. Here on the Isle, we took a boat ride to see the harp seals, and get a view of the castle from the water.  We spent three days exploring this area. Highlights were our hikes up to a magical promontory, the Fairy Glen, and a lovely white sand beach, as well as driving around the other two fingers of land that are a part of the isle.

Typical village scenes in England

Rick connecting with the locals in Lacock

After a  good time on the Isle of Skye, we headed inland, with some lovely stops along the way. We took the ferry across to Fort William, and worked our way to Glenfinnan Monument, another great picnic spot. For Harry Potter fans, this is where the scenes were filmed of the train traveling over the curved trestle, with the mountain scenery in the background. The Glencoe Valley provided some majestic sights that are unique, and unlike what we see anywhere here in the states. Our last destination in Scotland was Edinburgh. We found a really nice vegetarian restuarant for dinner, and walked around the city for a couple of hours in the evening to get acquainted, as we have only tomorrow here..

I finally made it to Findhorn

Our last day in Scotland was spent at the Edinburgh Castle and walking down the Royal Mile to the queen's palace. We went from one side of the town to the other, and to the monuments up the hill for a greater view of this wonderful city. We met Rick and Carlotta for dinner on our last night traveling together. This is where we head onwards, while our friends stay a few nights more before flying to Denmark. It's been really nice getting to know them better and creating some wonderful memories.  I am sure we will reminisce about the special moments on this part of our journey for years to come. Now, off to Ireland.....

Buongiorno !!

12 miles of Catacombs lie below this spring field along the Appian Way

top of St. Peter's looking getting the birds eye view

Nun in Assisi with full attire

·         Rome, Assisi, Lucca, Pisa, Cinque Terra, Pietra Ligure, Damanhur (Vidracco) and Sienna. Our two weeks in Italy were action packed and full, long days. We started in Rome.  All of a sudden I said, "WOW", I'm in Rome!  History and art becomes alive and your history lessons of the past become something of value, rather than just something from a book. In Rome, we went to the Vatican and climbed the hundreds of stairs to get to the top of St. Peter's Dome for a bird's eye view of the city. We walked across, around and through Rome until midnight. We took a bus out to the Appian Way to walk the ancient cobblestone road and to visit the extensive underground catacombs. In the evening, we worked our way back across Rome  to see the fountains lit, and the piazzas full of people and activity. The Trevi fountain was a highlight of our night stroll.  As beautiful as Rome is, we were anxious to get out of the big city and into the smaller villages and towns of Italy. Our next train ride was to Assisi. We were met by our couchsurfing hosts at the train station and enjoyed our connection with them. Staying with local people gives us a sense of what it is like to live full time in these amazing places. We were extremely lucky to be there on the Monday before Easter week, and had the walled city almost to ourselves. Assisi has a very special feel to it, and today still reflects the life of St. Francis. One feels as if they have gone through a time warp in the narrow cobbled streets with Franciscan monks, friars and the poor Clare nuns in full attire going about their daily tasks and activities. We especially enjoyed a hike that was just outside the walled city, high into the hills, to walk in the footsteps of St. Francis to the caves where he would meditate. You would either curse your way up this long, steep rocky hillside, or have to be a saint saying your prayers on the way up.  I can tell you, I was glad we hitched a ride back down to the walled city when we were done seeing the cave and tiny monastery on the hill. Stepping back into 15th century Assisi was truly a highlight of our time in Italy.  

·             Early the next morning, we were on the train again heading north to another walled city, Lucca. We couchsurfed our way through Italy and had wonderful hosts, but the one we had in Lucca was a gem. She made us the best vegan Italian meal we had. We also accompanied her and a Brazilian couchsurfer, Flavio, to Pisa in the evening to watch her friend, who is a popular blues singer, and her great band. Around 2:00 am, we saw the leaning tower of Pisa on our way back to Lucca. We did not have to fight the crowds at that time of the morning.  Rick and I did not drink at the pub, so Rick ended up driving us in Flavio’s Fiat sports car back to Lucca on the winding back roads, while I held my breath in the back seat.  He had way too much fun driving that sports car!  Actually, Rick did drink at the pub, though his was a non-alcoholic drink called ‘Io Guido’ meaning ‘I drive’.

It's 2:00 in the afternoon Where is everyone???

Hiking between villages in Cinque Terra

Overlooking  Final  Ligure 

One of the beautiful villages along Cinque Terra

·         Heading north, our next destination was the beautiful Mediterranean coastline, walking from village to village in the area known as Cinque Terra. These quaint villages are connected by sweet trails that the locals and tourists have travelled for centuries to get from one place to another. The scenery, and small family owned fruit orchards and gardens along the way, overlooking the sea, is breathtaking scenery.  We worked our way past Genoa to another coastal town, Pietra Ligure. In nearby Final Ligure, we discovered another ancient walled city with a long trail starting in the village and winding up into the mountains. We explored a deserted castle high on the hill, and followed a cobblestone road almost to the neighboring valley. 

clay pottery around Damanhur

outdoor temple where we went to full moon oracle

·         In Italy, many of the businesses close between 1 and 4pm for siesta time, so when you are in one of these villages they are like a ghost town.  All of a sudden, around 4:30, there are people everywhere in the piazzas (town centers or squares) sweeping outside their shops. There is a hustle and bustle that just appears. It is an odd phenomenon to witness, especially in the smaller villages. Again, we couchsurfed with a lovely couple who made our time in this area wonderful.  Our next train ride was a long six hour stint with a couple of transfers to different trains, which was not easy to figure out, but we managed it. We arrived in a town called Ivrea, which is about 20 miles away from the eco-community of Damanhur. We spent a couple of days being a part of this community.  Our first night, there was a folk dance which was a fun surprise, and allowed us to dance and observe the Damahurians as a group. The minute the music started everyone in the room was engaged in dancing. There were no wallflowers on this night. They are a fun-loving, happy bunch of people.  Rick and I enjoy dancing and were happy to participate. The community runs a very well supplied health food store, with a great selection, which was exciting for me to see this far north in Italy, in a rural area. We toured the art centers, the bookstore and the community as a whole. The big excitement at for us was visiting the underground spiritual temples. I highly recommend the virtual tour of the temples, which can be viewed online at http://www.damanhur.org/ They were carved by hand, underground, in the 1980’s, by the Damanhur community members.

art everywhere at Damanhur

folk dance at Damanhur

Damahurian artist at work

·       We happened to be at Damanhur during the full moon, and were invited to the Full Moon Oracle, which is a Druid type ceremony that hundreds of the community members participate in. There was drumming and dancing, and ancient rituals with fires and candles.  The setting was an outdoor temple, and the full moon was located center stage above us in the sky. It was quite the experience!  

overlooking Lucca ( a tree growing ontop of the clock tower)

street in Assisi

overlooking Assisi from the Wall of city

overlooking Lucca

Lucca rooftops

·         We walked around the community to view the sculptures, labyrinths and the art that permeates this eco- settlement. The Damahurians are truly progressive thinkers and doers, as well as a very loving, and accepting, international community. We were impressed, learned a lot, and feel grateful for our time there. We took the early morning bus with the high school students from the the community and surrounding towns back to Ivrea and the train station. By this time we were pretty tired, as we had stayed up way past our bedtime all through Italy. We took naps on the long train ride to Sienna. We only had the evening and a half a day to explore Sienna, so we pushed our way around the city. The weather was beautiful, and Sienna was larger and different than any of the cities we had been to previously. The piazzas were bustling with activity from locals and tourists. It is now Easter week, and many related church activities are in full swing. By nightfall, we are back in Rome for our last evening in this country. We covered a lot of territory, and feel we got a really good taste of Italy, the people and their culture. Our next experience will take us to England and beyond.