A long shower, and a hot meal cooking on the stove...

At Dublin castle.
Part of the Guiness Factory compound


Love from Dublin!!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig. I miss being on holiday already. I miss Europe and the magic of country Ireland, the splendor and excitement of London, and the just feel good - good time of Dublin. But, at the moment, I'm just so damned glad to be home!

After something like 36 hours of travel...we left Dublin by bus at 5:30p on Sunday. Arrived at Shannon airport around 10:30pm...camped out on benches until 5am...then hopped a plane back to Dublin!!! ACK! To catch another plane, 3 hours later to Chicago...then 3 hours after that...finally, back to Denver. B. and I swung for a cab. It was expensive, and worth it. We've been home for two hours now - we're mostly unpacked - have had hot showers, have the SECOND load of laundry going, dinner's cooking on the stove, and there's a fresh bottle of wine opened (after all, holidays not REALLY over until 10am tomorrow!) :)

Dublin was wonderful. On Saturday it rained. All day. But I had a terrific "traditional Irish meal" at The Celt, just around the corner from our hostel. Beef and Guiness stew with chips, followed by a Bailey's Bread Pudding. We attempted to catch Oscar Wilde's The Ideal Husband at the Abbey (also just around the corner from our hostel) but it was sold out (not such good luck with the theatre going this trip). As it turned out - we were pretty comatose from the meal anyway so we called it an early night. Which was fine, that being the last good sleep we'd get for the next two days.

Then, on Sunday - we did the double decker bus sight seeing tour of Dublin. I know they sound cheesy, and I've always been pretty disdainful of that sort of touristy thing. I've changed my tune now though. Especially if you've just got a day or two - it's such an amazing way to get to see all of the city and to hear just enough bits of the history to make you want to learn more. We did hop off at Kilmainhain Gaol (I'm sure I'm butchering the spelling, I'll look it up later) - a Victorian prison that was in use until 1924. The tour was fascinating, and I started to learn a lot more about the Irish political situation. Did you know that the Irish flag has the most beautiful meaning. The green stands for the Republicans, the Orange for the Royalists, and the white in between signifies peace between the two. I love it!

At any rate - the tours were great - and since we did the one in London we got cheap tickets for the one in Dublin, AND your ticket is good for 24 hours so you can also use the bus as your public transport a little bit. On both trips our tour guides were great, very informative - with great senses of humour and anecdotal knowledge. In Dublin he even sang Molly Malone for us. :)

Also - in Dublin - also, ridiculously cheesy in appearance but an altogether pleasing hostel experience was Paddy's Palace. It's right downtown on the North (I think) side of the River Liffey next to the bus station...very centrally located, cheap, with good amenities, and super friendly people. They absolutely saved us, particularly Daniel. Thanks Daniel! Ailish suggested that we bring hershey's chocolate and give it out, since they can't get it there. We did that and it was much appreciated and met with smiles.

In the next couple of days (weeks?) as B. processes pictures, I'll be posting some of his more artistic shots and probably reflecting more on the highlights...the things that are still percolating. But for the time being, we're home - I'm going to go fold some laundry...and talk to you all soon! Love and Miss you!! Thanks again for reading!

A few more pictues before sleeping the last night in Europe...

The Globe...after disovering they were sold out
Brian has lunch with his friend Charlie.

All photos in this blog are by either me or Brian. Most of the good ones...and the

ones of me (clearly) are by B.loved.

Whoops! HERE are some more pictures!

Some more pictures!

In Dublin fair city -

We're in Dublin now, for the last leg of the trip - until tomorrow night when we catch the late night bus to Shannon for our early morning flight back stateside. My, is it fine!

So yesterday - we took the Underground in the morning to catch the British rail from Euston Station. Tensions were running high as we were exhausted - physically, emotionally... Four hours on a train through England and Wales later - we'd reached our fancy ferry boat to carry us from Holyhead, Wales back to Dublin, Ireland. We slept a lot. Arrived in Dublin - called Rita's sister Elaine who had to work late - and decided to check in at the hostel which had so comfortably put us up earlier in the week. Paddy's Palace. The name is, of course, tragic - but the people are friendly, the bathrooms are big, the rates are cheap, and the rooms are PRIVATE! We made the decision then that rather than try to lug things around for the rest of the weekend that we'd stay here at the hostel - and suddenly - the weight lifted from all of us. We were so relieved to know that here we were - in the last leg of our trip, no longer having to plan for the next stage, having to lug our bags around to get to the next train...the bus station is around the corner! Perfection!

Now, with a new lightness in our hearts, we set off for the Cobblestone - a proper Irish bar with live sessions every night. Wow! Last night, at least ten musicians sat in a circle, playing the fiddle, the flute, the Irish whistle, the guitar, the bagpipes, the accordion...one man sang a ballad about the INA. A stunning night - and dinner from the grocery store across the street where I had yet another samosa! (They're so good!) I missed our good friends Kat and Jo so bad. They introduced me to this music, and they gave me a love for it.

Today we'll explore Dublin a little. We'll hopefully get to catch up with Elaine and meet the lovely Rita's sister! And enjoy these last precious moments of our trip. Every time I go away, it reminds me of how much there is to see, how many people there are to meet - I need more time - more time in the places that I've been, more time to explore new places.

Still, the time that we have is a blessing. Drink it up! Live it fully. And remember, every step of the way - stay true to yourself, trust the universe, and travel in peace!

(I'm feeling a little, overwhelmed? gregarious? ...like something grand needs to be said to commemorate this time)

Some photos :)

England Day 3...

Three days in England now...one traveling mostly...and two seeing everything it was possible to see in London in two days. We didn't catch the Globe show tonight...it was sold out. Par for the course for this trip, but as it turns out - everything that's gone wrong has turned out to be perfectly right. What a lesson there is in that.

The wine we drank at dinner last night was called "Outra Vida" - meaning "the other life" and it refers to the life that we make for ourselves outside of the toil and turmoil of everyday things...the life of relaxation and enjoying every moment. It was good too :)

Today we saw the changing of the guard. Pretty magnificent, all that pomp and circumstance. And the guard band during the changing played Goldfinger. The lovely English lady with her son who's just recently turned "proper teenager" told the boys that the band was "getting jiggy with it." Her proper teenaged son seemed mortified.

Then on to a second lunch at the Spar convenience store. The best lamb simosas I've ever imagined...and a hike to Covent gardens where I bought some handmade wooden flowers. Eliza Doolittle never had it so good!

We wandered a lot today - not necessarily 'accomplishing' so much, but lots of exploration and delightful finds. We RAN down southbank for about 30 minutes to catch the Globe production of Midsummer, but alas, it was sold out. I stood in queque for about 20 minutes to see about returns, but the 3 fellows from Cali standing in front of me got the last 3 groundling tickets. Bummer. Ah well, got a poster at the gift shop, and a flake (the best ice cream cone EVER) at the gates, and c'est la vie. We walked back down Southbank, enjoying the MANy sights this time and back to the hostel where there's a rousing barbeque going on.

New friends Jill (from Virginia) and Liz (from Australia) were hanging out, so we shared some wine and an Australian sing a along with them. Jill is a grad student in Russian at UVA who's traveling now after spending 3 months in Moscow and St. Petersburg and Jill is a writer from Australia who's traveling, probably chasing love, but she's getting over it...and writing a book on spirituality and women and who we are after we rid ourselves of the constraints of social, familial, cultural, etc. influences. Both fascinating women and it's been a pleasure to share a little chatter with them.

Tomorrow we leave the hostel at 7am... to catch our rail and sail (train then ferry) back to Dublin to explore and stay with Rita's sister, Elaine. After two beautiful days in England, I'm almost a little hesitant to return to the rain of Ireland (all my luggage is by now a little damp). Then I remember that it's Ireland...and exquisite...and my soul sings.

Only three more days really, until our return, and I kind of can't believe it. In some ways I'm anxious to get home...to the ease and the comfort of familiarity...and you own bathroom :) But I could stay here so much longer. And meeting folks at the hostel - so many people from so many places, who travel all over the world. I need to go to Spain and Australia...to explore Wales, and go to Scotland. In our room (8 beds), we have three Indonesia guys who are doing an internship in Germany and traveling sporatically during...one girl from Australia who's just been at summer camp in Boston and is now spending the next 3 months traveling Europe before returning home...and last night a wonderful IT girl from Wales who got conversations going about immigration laws and cultural perceptions.

Don't know if I'll get to blog much more...thanks for reading. But I promise many pictures to ensue in the coming weeks as we get home and get situated! Although...we're off and running as soon as we return. B. got cast in a film (he's the villian and gets to shave his head!) that begins filming four days after our return. The Isle of Capri - in appreciation of my new membership, has offered us a free room...AND...my dearest princess Aly is getting married in a few short weeks. The adventure continues. Talk to you soon!

Did I mention the lunar eclipse?

Did I? Full moon. Coastal Ireland. Just after a rain, clouds are parting. Lunar eclipse. Seriously? Seriously.

In London today - seriously ridiculous getting here, my mistakes, but ah well, it added to the adventure right? And as it turns out, had to rent a car in Wales, I drove 6 hours to London. I love Wales. Definitely on my list to get back to. The driving was fun...stressful, yes. But fun.

Today - 8:30am-11pm, walked, took a double decker bus, river boat tour - learned quite a bit, saw A LOT! did the coolest things...ate at the oldest pub in England (lovely), walked Tower Bridge (while it was going up!), go Paddington Bear and book for K.K. (a must!), took pictures with the Royal Guard (what an AWFUL job...felt cheesy doing it, but it had to be done...), saw the changing of the Royal Mount (their horses are huge and gorgeous), did you know that the London Hilton was supposed to be 5 stories higher, but from the 5th floor penthouse you could see into the Queen's bedroom (oops! Plans cancelled.), and that the Marble Arch used to be outside Buckingham Palace but Queen Victoria hated it so much that she had a carriage made that was too wide to get through it so they moved the arch (wow!)

At any rate...got to make plans to get back to Dublin on Friday. Globe tomorrow night for Midsummer (yay!)...

This hostel was supposed to have wifi. It doesn't. Bummer.

Cheers!

I should edit these things...

Just in case you're confused...

I wrote 'we'll be in Dublin tomorrow' and MEANT

We'll be in LONDON tomorrow!

:)

The Adventure Continues...

So much to tell...and I'm paying by the minute and trying to figure out how to get to London, so it will be brief. Kenny's show on Saturday was brilliant - the weather was even great, and the audience was doubled. People actually DID come both nights, and they're talking about it, and excited about what we did. It was completely gratifying.

We left Baltimore (sadly) this morning, drove to Cork and tried to find a ferry. Hysterical moment where I ran up to check the times and the ferry was closed. D'oh! Eventually, we went back to the original plan...dropped the car off at the airport, and got on a bus to Dublin. Tonight we arrived in Dublin, found a hostel for cheap nearby and are currently working on our plans to get to London in the morning. All these planes, trains, and automobiles (read...buses, traines, and ferrys) are VERY confusing. Still, I'm not concerned...we'll be in Dublin tomorrow - I did manage to book that hostel in advance. Sadly the dorms are separated by gender so I'll have to hang out in the girls dorm...but what can you do? Make more money, I suppose :)

It's truly an adventure and Dublin is BEAUTIFUL! We'll only be here for a few hours tonight, but back on Friday to hang with lovely Rita's sister Elaine and see some of Dublin properly!

I'll write more later once we have wifi in the London hostel! Cheers!

The land of song and story

It's Saturday, a little after noon - and all the boys are in rehearsal now...so I thought I'd pop up to Casey's Hotel and Pub to use their internet. £2 a half hour, but it's ridiculously faster than the internet connection at our house...so worth it to catch up for a moment. I tried yesterday to upload some pictures at the house, but the connection's too slow...so it may be upon our return before there are pics. Sorry about that :(

At any rate - the version of The Zoo Story that I directed went up last night. Crazy day. We had a really great rehearsal in the morning, except that about 5 pp from the end, it began raining. It rained, and rained, and rained...for the rest of the day. Finally, Kenny and I decided there was no way to perform in the open air ampitheatre, so we made the official call - the performance space would change to the courtyard at the cafe...there's a tarp that covers it (mostly) from the rain. B. and L. came up to check out the space at 6pm...they walked through some of the blocking, then went back to the house to get ready. By this time, it was a wild storm - gale winds blowing, torrential rain, the whole deal. The tarp keeps you mostly dry, but there's nothing to cut down the sounds (amplified by the plastic tarp) or the biting winds. PLUS, we''d never rehearsed in that space. With the storms, we had an intimate house of 9 people. And they LOVED IT! One group stayed for dinner afterwards and spent their entire meal discussing the play. They're coming back tonight to see the other version. Another pair of people stopped B. and L. after the performance and talked to them about it for a good 20 minutes. They loved it. And it was so gratifying to see a performance - with so many challenges built into the atmosphere, that was so well received and spurred so much discussion. I was exceptionally proud of both the actors. They adapted quite well to the space, and the noise...they connected beautifully with one another, and truly told the story.

A little strangely anticlimactic...my show is over. Wow. But it was good - and it reached people. It truly reached people. I'm excited to see how things go this evening. AND...from here on out, for another 8 days - we're on vacation!

We'll stick around in Baltimore until Monday morning (amongst much protest. Jo, one of the Perry sisters, has mounted a campaign to keep us here for the duration of the trip. It's tempting too...on Monday, here at Casey's they have a jam session with musicians from around the area. Jo pulls out her fiddle, Liz and Tessa will play and sing...and who knows what else. THEN, a midnight kayaking trip at Loch Hiyne...a lake that has phospherents (sp?) in it, making it glow at night...yeah, tempting) and then we'll head off to London. I hate to leave it here, but I have to admit, I'm excited for the Globe - we'll get to see AT LEAST a production of Midsummer there, and since I've been reading "The Story of England" I really want to explore The Tower and some of the more historical places that I skipped over the last time I was there. B's going to Stonehenge - WOW - ...THEN, back to Dublin for a couple of days in an Irish city. There are parts of this trip that are a little whirlwind, but I'm loving it.

Last night, after the performance, B., L., Kenny and I hung out with Jo and Tess (we're living at the house with Tess, she came here 11 years ago, planning to stay for the summer, and never left). First we ate at a.mazing dinner at the cafe, hung out, drank some wine, laughed...then up to Casey's pub for a rousing game of Switch. A card game - it's very complicated, but pretty raucous and terrific.

Oh, and the night before - to celebrate L''s birthday (as if dancing on a cliff in the middle of the night wasn't enough), we went to Skibereen to Paragon's pub. Live music (an Irish guy covering American bands) and a game of Cricket on the tv. B. and I were hungry and by the time we got there no one was serving food except for an Indian take out place. It turned out to be an amazing deal - £21 and we got great Chicken Tikka Masala, Naan, and a pizza for B. (they served Indian, Irish, and American food :). The best food deal so far I think...I'm tempted to go back there now!

Every minute is packed with amazing moments. I think that there's something especially magical in the air here. The food at Glebe Gardens is terrific. Jean Petty (mom) gets up at 5am to bake fresh Rosemary rolls with rosemary from the gardens. Last night we had a ravioli, the pasta was made fresh, and Jo had prepared the filling...ricotta, parmesan, mint, thyme...some other things, I don't remember...but all perfect. It's quite simple to imagine coming here for holiday and deciding never to leave.

OH! and the wishing tree...on Thursday, we went to Loch Hiyne, a lake with a forest around it. Kenny walked us all back through the forest where the trees stretch up so high and the like breaks through in quivering squares. It was magical. Then, you come upon this delightful little mark. The Wishing Tree. It's a small tree, with a root system that has created a small pool. And to it, people have attached...anything. Pieces of ribbon, a waterford crystal clock, lighters, rocks, beads, and coins of every nation in the pool. We left a Zoo Story/Pure High flyer and an American coin. I wished for two things.

So that covers the highlights. There's been a lot more tea, wonderful chocolate, some napping, more walking, listening, drinking it in, drinking it up...just basically, the most perfect time you could imagine. I'm off to enjoy some more of it!

It's All Happening!

We began the trip in a bar in the Denver airport at 11am, the three of us sharing a drink to kick off our trip to Ireland. The idea began over drinks one evening just over four months ago - and here we were! The show is beautiful, and our very own company is taking it to Ireland. Looking at the words, sitting at a computer in Ireland where I just discovered a few key differences, I still can't believe it!

At any rate, the flights were easy. Thirteen hours actually almost flew by. I found it entirely impossible to sleep, but all in all - never really felt the effects of over 24 hours without it. We flew from DIA to Chicago O'Hare...then from Chicago to Dublin...and finally, in a short little 45 minute flight (we barely had time to reach cruising altitude before beginning our descent) we arrived in Shannon, picked up our rental car and we were off! The car is delightfully small, but fit the three of us AND our luggage quite well. It gets amazing gas mileage (or would you say kilometerage?), and as it turns out, the whole "wrong side of the car" thing isn't too hard. Although shifting gears with your left hand just feels wrong and sitting in the front passenger seat is a terrifying experience! Brian drove, without incident - he really is the best driver I know.

We made it to Cork in great time, even stopping at some old castle ruins to take pictures with the cows ambling amongst them, and having a hearty lunch of Sizzling Sirloin Steak (real Irish beef...and it was SIZZLING!...we got some video of the steak!), french fries, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, and some sort of other vegetable that tasted like an incredibly bland yam at the Roundabout Inn in Mallow.

However, in what should have been an hour and 45 minute drive from Cork to Baltimore - we managed to get so lost, so many times...that it took us almost 5 more hours!! One lane roads (thanks for the advice Rita, they really WON''T get over!), tossing the map aside and using only my compass, and spending 45 minutes unable to leave the town of Dunmanway, driving in endless circles. But finally we made it - arriving in Baltimore and at Glebe Gardens around 7pm on Tuesday evening. If you're going to be wildly lost anyway, I'd recommend West Cork Ireland.

We met up with Kenny right away and first things first, walked down to the space where we'll be performing on Friday and Saturday nights. Stunning. The ampitheatre overlooks the water, and it's so green that it almost looks neon. Then - to the house where we're staying with Tessa and Laura - and back to Glebe Gardens for a barbeque and live music by John Spilirne, a local singer and comedian! It was the perfect welcome to Ireland! I went to bed around 11 that night - although the boys stayed up and went to Casey's, a local pub, for drinks.

Up the next morning at 8am for a trip into Skibereen (only a few miles away) for groceries, postage stamps, etc. Baltimore has one atm, a few b&b's, and about 6 pubs - that, and the most amazing scenery at ever turn that I've ever seen! We had breakfast at a little cafe - I could have stayed there all day, and the tea was divine. Then back to Baltimore for a walk to the beacon - at the top of a cliff, looking right now onto rocky crags below with the ocean beating against them. It was raining and the wind was blowing so hard. I told the boys that that place was my idea of heaven.

Then onto rehearsal - Kenny's version, a quick break for dinner, then mine. There are some things to compensate for - it's tough on their voices, being outside, with the wind blowing...and there's a wonderful dog, Woody, who belongs at the Glebe, and hangs out (usually in the space) at all performances. But after making a few adjustments, we were able to get in a terrifically productive few hours.

Then, while Kenny worked at the Cafe - we went down to the town center, right on the water...a row of 3 pubs and some outside seats to pass out flyers for the show this weekend. We've gotten some good press. Kenny put up posters all over Baltimore and Skibereen...the newspaper is running an ad starting today...and hopefully we'll have nice houses. Although, everyone here is dismayed - it's rained incessantly and they just don't have the tourists down here that they're used to. Baltimore is pretty much a town that makes its yearly income during the three month holiday season, so it really could be bad for them. At any rate, sat outside, shivering, sharing wine and whiskey with some new friends until around 11:30 when the pubs close. Then, Rohan, Kez's fiancee (the three Perry sisters who come home every summer to work at Glebe Gardens with their folks who own it are Jo, Tess, and Kez...then apparently, the Perry's have adopted a number of surrogate children as well who come in from all over the world for these three months to work at the cafe, tend the huge gardens, and facilitate the music and theatre concerts) mentioned to Brian that he was planning on going to the cove to shoot the moon later in the night, and asked if we'd like to join. Would we ever?!

So at 12:30 - Kenny, Laurence, Brian, Rohan, and I loaded up in our little car and drove to this tiny little cove with cliffs on either side and the tide lapping at our feet on a rocky shore. The moon was directly in front of us and straight up, with a direct path of light reaching from the horizon line to our feet. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. They took pictures and I just sat and drank it up. Stunning. I'm finding it difficult to believe that it was real actually. THEN, as the moon passed by that spot (do we ever realize how FAST the moon moves) - we drove to the other side of town, climbed back up the rocky cliffs to the beacon - and began experimenting with light up there. The photos they captured are unbelievable - some of them seeming almost supernatural...and I can't believe it really happened! It has also just turned into Laurence's birthday...what a way to welcome in your Jesus year! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURENCE! Also, it's mine and B''s 2 and a half year anniversary! :)

This morning we all slept later than we intended. The boys woke up and ran straight to rehearsal with Kenny. They'll rehearse for a few hours in the early part of the day...then we'll embark on a short little midday adventure...then back to rehearse with me this evening for a while more. The show goes up tomorrow evening - already, the time is passing too quickly!

I'll write more when I can. Just wanted to let everyone know that we're here, and it's marvelous! I'm off to go write a bit and have some tea! Cheers!