home and away

from away...


from home...

my favorite

I have found my favorite place in Dublin: The Temple Bar Food Market in Dublin 2. I've been three times now, and each time (though perhaps less novel) I always leave feeling full... not just a full stomach either! I get these feelings in all sorts of food markets, whether in Dublin, LA, San Fran, NYC, or Bennington VT... it's just nice and comforting. And the smells can be intoxicating!

Today I bought:
2 avocados
ginger
maracuya (passion fruit)
garlic/basil hummus
a soft cheese who's name I can't remember (a strong camembert)
goat cheese
a brown baguette
banana bread
cherry tomatoes

and...
crepe with smoked salmon, creme freche, scallions and pepper.

how beautiful.

see it here.

reluctant

some of you may know of habit of looking up apartments and cars on Cragislist.com. It's an awfully strange pasttime and probably a waste of time but it gives me a thrill/comforting feeling unlike anything else. Every day I imagine another possible place I could live at some point in the future. I think about funny things like what I would put on my walls, where I would find placemats, and what I would serve company.

I have this very strong image in my mind of who I want to be. It consists of a home, warm and inviting. a cat on a blanket. a pot of herb tea, something baking in the oven, music playing, a plate of cheese and crackers, a shelf of plants near a window... I have pictures of barbeques, cajun music, gardening, Saturday mornings, late nights with tea and my cat... it's ridiculous really. People (my parents) tell me that it will come soon enough, don't rush it, you're young enjoy not being tied down... that's all sensible and nice... but... I still want my own home.

Top 5 songs that make me think of this fantastical place (right now at least):
1. "Shelter from the Storm" Bob Dylan
2. "Chelsea Morning" Joni Mitchell
3. "Rusting Gate" Kelly Joe Phelps
4. "Telling Stories" Greg Brown
5. "Charlie" Peter Mulvey

there are several runners-up. I simply hope that when I can finally acheive this dream, it won't let me down for some other dream further ahead.

The most reluctant traveler. That's me.

belfast

Today we took a day trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Only a 2.5 hour drive, but a world a way. It looks just like any other city, I suppose, but physically there were striking differences. When I was in London, things looked so different but in Belfast, we were in the UK but it felt like Ireland, just the occasional Union Jack.

We took a tour of the murals, painted around the city. Each side (republican/nationalist and unionist/loyalist) had murals painted, portraying some fairly startling things. Some of them were memorialising people who died during the height of the conflict, Bobby Sands and the Hunger Strikers. Other's were quite political, most of those we found on the Unionist side of town. In this area, as we stood on the sidewalk taking photos (looking blatantly like tourists), people drove by shouting "Get the F*** out!" and raising the fist of Ulster. In both Unionist and Nationalist areas, you could see enclaves of the opposing party, with high walls around a handful of homes; you'd think it was a military base.

We also took a tour of the Parliament (which is presently suspended) and heard from members of both Sinn Fein (nationalist) and the Democratic Unionist Party (unionist). It was incredible to see for ourselves how the two parties are so fierce. Different allegations arose, all sorts of bad mouthing I guess you could call it.

In my courses I've learned quite a bit more about the Northern Ireland conflict. Previously, all I knew was a bit about the IRA, Bloody Sunday, Hunger Strikers, and an overview of the politics. Seeing it for myself (and still in such a minor way) really made an impression on me.

There's so much to say on the subject, but to be honest, I'm exhausted from the day. It's really a horrible situation though. I wonder if in my lifetime, it will be resolved... and how? Partition? Who knows... I apologize for the vague-ness. You need to go there for yourself.