Wandering Rocks.

I find myself repeatedly amazed by Irish hospitality. I tend to find myself amazed in general by outstanding, unnecessary kindness--perhaps growing up near DC and sticking to city life, I am used to indifference and standoffishness on the part of locals. And I too know that tourists are annoying. After just one time of being told by a tourist that I'm wrong, the Smithsonian is one building and where the hell is it, I am a little reluctant to perhaps immediately engage with obvious tourists looking for monuments or large underwhelming diamonds. Yet today, on a looong exhausting tour, we were invited into the home of Irish farmers on the west coast as part of our tour to Galway. Apparently, we chose a family run tour and one cousin picked us up in Dublin, put us on a bus, and we were dropped off for a tour of the Burren on the family farm. The Burren itself is amazing--rock mountains as far as the eye can see in the Irish countryside. Another cousin took us through his backyard and into the mountains, telling us about history of the area and about the farming lifestyle in general, before leading us back down to his house to play with his family dogs, teach us some strange cricket-like game (maybe actually cricket) and sell us homemade pie and ice cream. It's a family affair--dad, cousins, brothers . . . I don't see that ever happening where I'm from. Not because I dislike my family, but I just don't really see any family being hospitable and welcoming to a group of random people EVERY DAY. That's a lot of trust and sincerity I don't think I possess.

As far as the rest of the day goes, we also went to the Cliffs of Moher. Since these are our free days, I feel like we're actually touristing. And the Cliffs of Moher were quite a sight to drive cross country for . . . tall, serene, and the weather was just perfect. Some views, no matter how many other people are there, just can't be ruined.

Hades.

Our four day weekend just began. It's a nice break to have, since our last few days have been jam-packed. One can forget that you're in a foreign country having an amazing time when the days are filled with activities--not that I haven't enjoyed the activities, but it is nice to be able to do some things on your own. Perhaps because I spent four months in Germany I expect foreign to also be associated with another language. When we're sitting around in large groups of Americans eating, I feel almost as if we could be at home. I'm so used to having to struggle through another language when in another country that being understood and being able to ask for directions without nervously struggling with verb order and pronunciation is a pleasant change of pace. Much less stressful, but also less rewarding in that aspect. Hopefully, being able to experience more parts of the country during these few days off will make me feel more like I'm somewhere new.

Tuesday, we went out to Sandycove on the train to see the James Joyce Tower, famous for being the location of the first chapter in Ulysses. More than being a cool literary location, and a tower, the town and the beach itself was amazing. No sand and no warmth, but a beautiful beach nonetheless and a view to die for. What I found even more fascinating was the group of elderly Irish locals going for their daily swim in the freezing cold ocean, which apparently they do every day, winter and summer. After heckling us for letting down our country by not jumping in and us walking off, I couldn't help but be a little jealous. What a life they lead, and I imagine it keeps them young. After leaving the tower, we went on a historical walking tour around Dublin which is much more up my alley anyway. Our tour guide was pretty awesome and we talked a lot about the Irish Independence movement which I still feel uneducated about and need to learn more. I have such an appreciation for historical tours where we can talk about the history of a city in the buildings that these moments occurred--we stood next to the spot where the first casualty of the 1916 Easter Uprising was killed, which my morbid little mind thoroughly enjoyed.

The past few days have been strictly literary. Ulysses walks through the city, discussions, a Yeats exhibit at the National Library, and even a literary pub crawl. Since we are here in order to read Ulysses in an even more enlightened light, it is fun to see how much of Dublin is so proud of its literary past. It's also surprising how much these tours can enlighten parts of the book I had never thought about . . . it also makes me dedicate more of my energy to the middle section of Ulysses, which is quite difficult.

Tomorrow morning, I get out of the city for a few days . . . one day in Wicklow, and another in Galway, so I get to see the Irish countryside. As much as I am indifferent to the movie P.S. I Love You, I am still holding out for a hot Irish musician to fall in love . . .

Proteus.

I have a strange feeling that I have both been here forever and also just got here. Dublin so far is incredibly easy to navigate and feels like a small town more than a giant cosmopolitan city. The first day we were here--which at this point feels like weeks ago as well as yesterday--our group went to eat at an Italian restaurant and spent the evening dealing with lack of sleep in our hostel. Our group is split into two rooms, one with 4 people and one with 9 people. I am, unfortunately or fortunately, in the room with 9 people. We have our own bathroom and a
kitchenette in the bedroom as well as a living area space we've been using as a classroom for discussion. All in all, it is quite the luxury hostel suite--though I am worried about 9 girls sharing a bathroom, most of us with long hair.

Our second day we spent walking around the city, starting at the James Joyce Center in northern Dublin. This museum was centered around James Joyce and had a number of videos and computers with information as well as a mock-up bedroom he would have composed his masterpieces in. Apparently he and I are both incredibly cluttered and live in

very small spaces--though I am no master of the english language. It amazes me that a man of such genius can write the masterpieces he has on the Irish culture from a tiny, cluttered bedroom in Switzerland. After the museum we walked around the city a bit, taking in Temple Bar and the fun pup culture of the city. The city itself has amazing music culture, with musicians playing in bars or on the street everywhere. You can hear anything from traditional Celtic pipes to John Lennon covers or Pink Floyd. Strange and entertaining.

Today, the head of the James Joyce Museum, which is at the Martello tower in which Stephen Dedalus lived in the first episode, led us on a tour of the Wandering Rocks episode. We walked through Temple Bar and part of downtown, past the castle, and he read aloud to us a number of scenes from this episode. Personally, I am just starting this chapter and hope that after seeing these places in real life it will help put a picture in my head. While as someone who has studied modern literature I appreciate the stylistic liberties Joyce employs, but it sure does make it hard to get through the novel. Every few pages I turn back, trying gain my bearings on a picture in my head or a few plot points. But actually seeing the buildings is so interesting. Many of the buildings have changed but have the same look to them and the neighborhoods are still pretty similar to what they were in Joyce's time.

Tomorrow, we head to the Tower and the beach. Pretty exciting, though I have a feeling it will not be warm. :-)

Continuation.

Tomorrow, I am off to Dublin to continue my exploitation of the study abroad concept to travel the world. While different from my first experience--I spent last fall in Berlin--I am equally as excited to get to play in a new city. :-)

This trip is much more focused. Since it's one class instead of a whole semester's worth, we are already limited in that way, but our class is called "James Joyce's Dublin." It is limited to the novel Ulysses, which is nothing less than a modernist masterpiece, and we will be walking around Dublin as Stephen Dedalus and Leo Bloom do in the novel. The focus is on the novel, which I'm sure could take a whole summer of discussion to get through everything if not more, and also on the city itself. What a way to explore a city, especially for an english major--focusing on the city and its past, both actual and literary.

Even though this is a new trip and a new blog, the link to my first blog is germanforasemester.blogspot.com. Can't make a new journey without looking at where you've been.