25.6.07
La chica enferma: diviertese?
I´m sick in Spain. I love the country and I love speaking Spanish here but I just want to sleep and get better. I wonder if it would be possible to delay my trip, to continue it later. I´m just not having that much fun, being too tired to go out all the time. I know that I should go to Granada because we just bought tickets; maybe there are flights available from Barcelona back to the states. We´ll see.
20.6.07
Europe Trip 2: London!
Update on Dublin: random people, czech. Cider, philosophy and religion, cocaine and E, irish jazz, check check. That made for a great last night, though missing trains and mass confusion made the next day a bit of a wash. Also: it's good to have British money when you get to Britain so you can eat.
And now... London has been quite exciting, if not loads of fun. Our hostel is out in the boonies but we've been doing as much as we can in the daytime. Met some people yesterday after we figured out the kitchen/movie lounge area was a good place to do that; but a few hours later, there was a stabbing which significantly brought down the levels of fun. No worries - I'm OK, but I'm worried for the mental health of young people (everyone, really) who end up out of their parents' houses and with big problems and no support network. Scary.
BUT, today was my b-day and we saw lots of cool stuff. By midday I had seen remnants of the dead sea scrolls, heard Seamus Heaney read his own poems, and saw the stamps that are a big part of American history: those of the Stamp Act of 1765. By tea-time I had traipsed all over Westminster to get the *real* story behind the uproarious religious herecies in Dan Brown's book, including:
-spotting knight's effigies in the knights' templar church that was consecreted by the patriarch of Jerusalem
-hearing the story of the origin of the Jolly Roger and the 1st traffic lights ever (that also exploded and injured the policeman who changed the color manually)
.. and was then seated for high tea at Kensington Palace. Tonight, I saw Avenue Q in Leicester square, which was great! Yesterday was a great design exhibit on the politics of modern design and the Tower of London.
And now... London has been quite exciting, if not loads of fun. Our hostel is out in the boonies but we've been doing as much as we can in the daytime. Met some people yesterday after we figured out the kitchen/movie lounge area was a good place to do that; but a few hours later, there was a stabbing which significantly brought down the levels of fun. No worries - I'm OK, but I'm worried for the mental health of young people (everyone, really) who end up out of their parents' houses and with big problems and no support network. Scary.
BUT, today was my b-day and we saw lots of cool stuff. By midday I had seen remnants of the dead sea scrolls, heard Seamus Heaney read his own poems, and saw the stamps that are a big part of American history: those of the Stamp Act of 1765. By tea-time I had traipsed all over Westminster to get the *real* story behind the uproarious religious herecies in Dan Brown's book, including:
-spotting knight's effigies in the knights' templar church that was consecreted by the patriarch of Jerusalem
-hearing the story of the origin of the Jolly Roger and the 1st traffic lights ever (that also exploded and injured the policeman who changed the color manually)
.. and was then seated for high tea at Kensington Palace. Tonight, I saw Avenue Q in Leicester square, which was great! Yesterday was a great design exhibit on the politics of modern design and the Tower of London.
16.6.07
Europe Trip, Entry 1: Dublin
I'm currently finishing up my 3rd day in Dublin, and it's finally NOT raining! You probably have no idea how huge this is. Dublin is a great, walkable, busy city full of independent shops and many native people with a very matter-of-fact way of being. They have absolutely no bones about writing biting opinions columns in the paper, and I have to say kudos to them for it.
Today I saw two acts of the world championship street performers; both were superb, and both were somewhat secretive about their identities (not unlike the way I've been about my American identity in a crowd; who wants to be that group they make fun of with the Iraq jokes? please). Last night was Int'l night at the Int'l bar (though the only non-Irish was a host from Perth, who was hilarious; will post his website after getting back) in Temple Bar. If you're ever in Dublin.. Temple Bar is a fun place to be. Can't say I've gotten to intimate with the people though, which is a shame -- these ones actually speak my language!
I think traveling with Alberto has a lot to do with *THAT* though. I function a lot better on my own when I don't feel like I need to ask permission to do every little thing. He also has this bit where he doesn't voice his opinion and is perfectly content to do exactly what I'm doing that really bugs me. I start to feel a bit like my ideas are carrying what we're doing and that'd be ok if it were just me, but with two people it begins to feel like a bit of baggage.
Nomatter though-- London is bound to be cool. It's London! Dublin is beginning to feel like a smallish town though, a little like Venice, and maybe my options in my current situation and getting a bit exhausted. It's kind of fun to be able to recognize neighborhoods I've been through a few times, though.
There was a great exhibit at the National Museum of Archeology on bog people - Ireland was once full of bogs! It's a great place to stash a dead body, that's for sure - and while you're at it, you might as well throw in his valuable possessions to hide the evidence. The Irish take on their past is refreshing. There's a bit of nostalgia of course, but why deny a little brutality and pagan practices when they're just facts of life?
Caitlin
Saturday, 19:36
Today I saw two acts of the world championship street performers; both were superb, and both were somewhat secretive about their identities (not unlike the way I've been about my American identity in a crowd; who wants to be that group they make fun of with the Iraq jokes? please). Last night was Int'l night at the Int'l bar (though the only non-Irish was a host from Perth, who was hilarious; will post his website after getting back) in Temple Bar. If you're ever in Dublin.. Temple Bar is a fun place to be. Can't say I've gotten to intimate with the people though, which is a shame -- these ones actually speak my language!
I think traveling with Alberto has a lot to do with *THAT* though. I function a lot better on my own when I don't feel like I need to ask permission to do every little thing. He also has this bit where he doesn't voice his opinion and is perfectly content to do exactly what I'm doing that really bugs me. I start to feel a bit like my ideas are carrying what we're doing and that'd be ok if it were just me, but with two people it begins to feel like a bit of baggage.
Nomatter though-- London is bound to be cool. It's London! Dublin is beginning to feel like a smallish town though, a little like Venice, and maybe my options in my current situation and getting a bit exhausted. It's kind of fun to be able to recognize neighborhoods I've been through a few times, though.
There was a great exhibit at the National Museum of Archeology on bog people - Ireland was once full of bogs! It's a great place to stash a dead body, that's for sure - and while you're at it, you might as well throw in his valuable possessions to hide the evidence. The Irish take on their past is refreshing. There's a bit of nostalgia of course, but why deny a little brutality and pagan practices when they're just facts of life?
Caitlin
Saturday, 19:36
10.6.07
More Baltimore
Since getting back from my first wedding* last weekend, I've been spending a lot of time in Baltimore, my home-city! It's the closest metropolitan-type area around, and was a big part of my childhood and high school years. Now that I can go out, my relationship to it is a bit different - in short, I'm loving it! Here's what I checked out this week...
The Golden West Café in Hampden. What a laid-back, eclectic, awesome diner. I can't say I've ever received a deal on wine (on Wine Wednesday, of course!) and had it be appropriate in such a place before going there. It was the perfect location for catching up with a camp-loving friend I haven't seen in ages. It's also cool to be old enough to know people living in nifty places like Baltimore's center of all things Hon..
I also hit up the Honfest, scoping out some B-more kitsch in the same quirky 'hood. There were hons abounding with freshly-fixed up beehives, leopard print stretch pants, and neon cat's eye glasses - the throwbacks didnt end at the pink flamingoes, thats for sure. They also had garage sales on the Ave, charm city-specific food, and cover bands playing Cash and Evil Ways (while I was there, anyway). And dancing!
Earlier in the week was a Volunteer Central info session-cum-café chat at Xando/Cosí in Charles Village. That's another excellent neighborhood, supported by the hard-working folk at JHU and home to excellent haunts like The Book Thing , many ethnic restaurants, and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among others.
Speaking of museums, I checked out a Walters Art Museum lunch'n'learn with my dear old mum. A materials science graduate lectured and was surprisingly science-y for an art event. Some of the pieces presented in the lecture on Thai pigments were really beautiful and ornate - I'd love to see more. Afterward, my mom and I wandered around the museum, picking up a half-price Patricia Wells cookbook on bistro cooking, which turned out to be a great buy. One of her (many) potatoes au gratin recipes made a delicious addition to dinner tonight. The Walters also has a quilting exhibit coming soon that I hope I'm around to see, as well as related workshops. I'm hoping my Mom will be motivated enough to go to some of them, as she was making noises about wanting to try quilting. I'm not holding my breath, though -- she did the same for knitting and all that came out of that was a scarf that's holed up in a closet somewhere. Oh well, more knitting needles for me.
I made it to a dance party and sushi but just missed seeing Paris, je t'aime at the Charles Theatre. Oh well, you can't win them all...
By way of a recommendation, if you'll be in the area in July (when I'll be off in Europe!) be sure to check out Artscape, which will be going down around Mt. Vernon. That's always a good time.
* Well, I've been to weddings before. I played the music for that of my cousins in CA a few years back. But now - my friends are starting to get married! This is huge.. and a little overwhelming / crazy. But way fun, too.
The Golden West Café in Hampden. What a laid-back, eclectic, awesome diner. I can't say I've ever received a deal on wine (on Wine Wednesday, of course!) and had it be appropriate in such a place before going there. It was the perfect location for catching up with a camp-loving friend I haven't seen in ages. It's also cool to be old enough to know people living in nifty places like Baltimore's center of all things Hon..
I also hit up the Honfest, scoping out some B-more kitsch in the same quirky 'hood. There were hons abounding with freshly-fixed up beehives, leopard print stretch pants, and neon cat's eye glasses - the throwbacks didnt end at the pink flamingoes, thats for sure. They also had garage sales on the Ave, charm city-specific food, and cover bands playing Cash and Evil Ways (while I was there, anyway). And dancing!
Earlier in the week was a Volunteer Central info session-cum-café chat at Xando/Cosí in Charles Village. That's another excellent neighborhood, supported by the hard-working folk at JHU and home to excellent haunts like The Book Thing , many ethnic restaurants, and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among others.
Speaking of museums, I checked out a Walters Art Museum lunch'n'learn with my dear old mum. A materials science graduate lectured and was surprisingly science-y for an art event. Some of the pieces presented in the lecture on Thai pigments were really beautiful and ornate - I'd love to see more. Afterward, my mom and I wandered around the museum, picking up a half-price Patricia Wells cookbook on bistro cooking, which turned out to be a great buy. One of her (many) potatoes au gratin recipes made a delicious addition to dinner tonight. The Walters also has a quilting exhibit coming soon that I hope I'm around to see, as well as related workshops. I'm hoping my Mom will be motivated enough to go to some of them, as she was making noises about wanting to try quilting. I'm not holding my breath, though -- she did the same for knitting and all that came out of that was a scarf that's holed up in a closet somewhere. Oh well, more knitting needles for me.
I made it to a dance party and sushi but just missed seeing Paris, je t'aime at the Charles Theatre. Oh well, you can't win them all...
By way of a recommendation, if you'll be in the area in July (when I'll be off in Europe!) be sure to check out Artscape, which will be going down around Mt. Vernon. That's always a good time.
* Well, I've been to weddings before. I played the music for that of my cousins in CA a few years back. But now - my friends are starting to get married! This is huge.. and a little overwhelming / crazy. But way fun, too.
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