Lookout World - I've joined the bloggers!

I've been inspired! I've enjoyed looking over other peoples' blogs and catching up on their news. That combined with many requests from home for MORE pictures from Ballinspittle, Ireland has made me think this might be just the ticket!

I've been in Ireland for just a little over a month now, and I am loving it here. It's hard to even know where to start! I suppose the beginning is as good of a place as any, even though for some of you, this is old news. The trip here went seamlessly. I flew out of Seattle around 6:30 pm on Wednesday, May 23rd. It was a 9 hour flight to London Heathrow. For me, the sun never set that day! Somewhere on the east coast, we hit dusk, but then it got lighter instead of continuing to fade away. I arrived in London around 3:30 am my time, about 11:30 am London time. I thought that I would be absolutley exhausted and was dreading having to go through security and customs groggy and weary. But I slept for about 3 hours on the plane, and it is amazing what the presence of light can do to one's internal clock! London security...I was worried about that, since after 9-11 security really tightened up. But I think it was more lax than Seattle...the line was long, my backpack was heavy, and the airport was sticky hot, but I really can't complain, because I breezed through the checkpoint and then customs with no problems.

1st impressions of Europe based on London-Heathrow alone: the bathrooms are TINY (and I couldn't figure out how to flush the toilet.)

1st impressions of Europe after going through customs in Cork (which again, was a breeze!), picking up my luggage (which I didn't even have to wait for!) and then boarding a random bus to get to the city bus terminal, where Nigel and Cormac picked me up: the bus driver kept calling me "pet" and "darlin'", which I kind of enjoyed! The cars were tiny...not a big SUV to be seen. Since then, I have discovered what American's would consider smaller SUV's. The Nissan Pathfinder is about as big as it gets. And big pickup trucks, not one to behold. The roads are SO narrow...combined with driving on the "wrong" side of the road, I was fairly confident we were definitely going to hit something or someone! Due to a bad accident in a place referred to only as "the tunnel", traffic crept along. The two other passengers and the bus driver kept shaking their heads, saying they had never seen anything quite like this before. (I could have told them 1-5 through Portland looked like that all of the time, but I didn't!) I later found out that "the tunnel" actually crosses under the sea, and it is THE major way to get through Cork. I didn't actually mind moving slowly...less likely to hit something that way, and I was able to see a bit of the city. Actually, I got to see a bit more of the city than I bargained for: because of the traffic, the bus driver was running late, and decided he actually didn't want to finish the rest of his route. So...he "suggested" that he could let me out at the end of a street, which was only a "bit" from the the bus station, and he would point me in the right direction. So off I set, one big suitcase, a smaller carry-on and a backpack in tow! I wish now I had taken the time to take pictures...I think I was right in down town Cork! Narrow streets, a river, bright colorful buildings and the sun was even shining. I have been promised, however, that Rebecca (Crane) and I can spend a day in Cork together once she arrives. It actually wasn't quite as straight forward to get to the bus station as the bus driver told me, so I had to ask several people. Once there I called Olwyn, who by that point in time was starting to panic that maybe I had run into trouble at customs. Then I called my mom, since I knew she and my father were on pins and needles a bit, wondering if I'd made it okay. Nigel and Cormac found me at the bus station, and I experienced for the 1st time Nigel's driving. He likes to tease me about American freeways and open roads...that they are a death trap waiting to happen. However, at least we are going 70 miles an hour on reasonably straight, flat roads. The roads here are neither staight nor flat and they have no shoulder. There is absolutely no where to go if something happens, and they still drive 50 or 60 miles an hour on them!

That very night after arriving, Nigel and Olwyn showed me around Ballinspittle, Ireland. I still love that name! It didn't take very long to see the village...all block and a half of it! It boasts a post office, a school, a grocery store, a meat shop and a hair dresser. It makes a nice walk from Olwyn and Nigel's though...I can see myself walking to the post office a lot!

About a 10 minute walk from here is Robert and Opal Shorten's house, Nigel's parents. I don't know exactly how old the house is, but it has been in Opal's family for a very long time. We gathered there my 1st Sunday morning here. The Lusitania was torpedoed and sank just 10 miles of the coast here on May 7th, 1915. 1,198 people died and it resulted in the U.S. involvement in WWI. I bring this up now because Opal's family could hear the cries of the people aboard as the ship sank, and could hear them singing hymns and prayers.

Later in the day my 1st Sunday here, we went for a drive. (Nigel and Olwyn do that a lot...apparently that is how they spent their time while they were dating too!) I got my first real look at the Atlantic Ocean, and it is absolutely beautiful. I love the ocean to begin with, but I think this might be the prettiest I've ever seen. It was a sunny day, and so the water looked a deep blue. With the green hills surrounding it, the contrast was gorgeous. The waves are so much higher than what I've seen at the Pacific Ocean. And the coast line...all combined for a beautiful place I'd love to explore more! The kids were asleep in their carseats, so we didn't stop at as many places I'd like to eventually get to see, but I did get some great (or brilliant, as they say here!) pics at the Old Head of Kinsale Golf Resort. It isn't open to the public, which is really a shame, but you can see the old lighthouse there, which was finished in 1853 and cost 10,420 pounds to build. From the road, you can also catch glimpes of the De Courcey Castle, and have a great view of an English watchtower, built in 1804. At this same point, there is the Lusitania Memorial. The Lusitania was torpedoed 10 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in 1915.

The next few days were spent finding my feet Olwyn's daycare and Montesorri school. The weather was beautiful (but I had to laugh because Nigel and Olwyn kept complaining of the heat, and I was still wearing my jacket...I don't think it got any warmer than about 70 degrees F. Apparently, I can look forward to a summer with no tan this year!) I took the kids out in their stroller (buggy) several afternoons, and explored the area around the house. I found some beautiful views and took a ton of pics. It was a good way to get to know the kids, too - spending some time on our own together.

One of the places we have spent several afternoons is in the field directly behind Nigel and Olwyn's house, owned by Nigel's dad. Right now, the grass is very long, and as long as the cows aren't in, it's a wonderful place to play. (I might become a country girl yet...opening and closing gates to keep the cows where they are supposed to be! Then again, perhaps not...cows kind of scare me!) I must say, I always feel very Anne of Green Gableish, walking through the long grass, the wind blowing, and my denim skirt wrapping itself around my legs. I feel a bit like I've stepped back in time.

The weekend of June 1st to June 4th was spent in Wicklow, Ireland, which is about an hour southwest of Dublin. Olwyn's parents, Winston and Allison Laurie live there, as does her brother Brian and his wife Kiara, and her cousins Clinton and Linley. The landscape changes a bit there...there are more trees and they grow bigger than they do here in Ballinspittle. Reminds me a lot of home, actually, with all the hills and trees. We celebrated Cormac's 8th birthday, on Saturday, but he was sick with the flu, so it was pretty low key. On Monday, Allison, Olwyn and I went driving and I took some more pictures. I finally saw my 1st flock of sheep! They were being herded from one field to another, right down the road. Nigel and Olwyn think it is very funny that Americans think of sheep when they think of Ireland. (Nigel also likes to make fun of my accent...when he does it sounds like a dreadful sounding Texan accent.)

Wednesday, June 6th - I had my 1st afternoon off! Yah! Nigel came home for lunch (or dinner here) and took me back into Kinsale for the rest of the day. Kinsale is a HUGE tourist attraction. It is a quaint little town on the Kinsale Harbor and the Bandon River. On a sunshiney day, the place is a postcard picture of a foreign town. Nigel and Olwyn like to laugh at the tourists (yes, mostly Americans) who walk down the middle of the road taking pictures, ignoring the fact that there are cars making their way through town as well. Another great thing about Kinsale (and Ireland in general, really) is that any place is a parking place. In Kinsale, it is rare that one lane isn't taken up with parked vehicles. I got to visit on a warm day, so I walked from town along the Bandon River. There were plenty places to stop and take pictures, which I took full advantage of. Directly across the Bandon River, close to the bridge that crosses to take you back towards Ballinspittle, is the Ringrone Castle. It was built by Myles De Courcey in 1225! There isn't a lot of it left, but once upon a time it would have had a view of the Bandon River, the Atlantic Ocean and the harbor of Kinsale. After my walk and picture taking session, I headed back to town and hit the shops. A lot of them are very pricey, but fun to look at. I discovered an adorable little bookstore, which I'm sure is destined to become one of my favorite places in Kinsale. I had a latte, kid-free and peaceful. Another point of interest: flavored lattes/coffees are very rare here. I have asked in several places for a vanilla latte, and they honestly have no idea what I'm talking about! The couple of places I have found with flavors offer a selection of about three, and I still haven't found a coffee shop where you can actually taste the flavor. I miss Starbucks! I won't spend too much more space here describing Kinsale...I think the pictures will do a better job at that than I can.

That Wednesday evening, we were back at Robert and Opal Shorten's. I took part in my first formal tea. Formal tea is quite a sight to behold, at least at Robert and Opal Shortens! Cookies, cakes, sandwhiches with the crusts cut off, china cups and saucers...the whole works!

That brings us to almost the middle of June, and I am out of time! Will write more soon, for those of you willing to read all of this!

Lots of love to all! - Alissa