Saturday, May 31, 2003

 

Well, back in Madrid again... after a great visit to Seville, and giving up on the idea of getting in to see the Alcazar in Granada (I should have booked weeks in advance, apparently). All trains seem to go through Madrid, and faced with the choice of going 16 hours to Lisbon (and costing more than 90 euros), or spending only 15 euros and taking the night train to San Sebastian (in Spain, on the Mediterranean near the French border), I opted for the latter. My train leaves in a couple of hours, but they have a nice internet shop right in the train station, so here I am. I think I could use a couple of days of sun, beaches and not much to do, after the nearly non-stop schedule I have been on. I need some down time in a nice place.

I am paling around with Candace, a lovely Canadian girl I met in Seville, and that makes things easier too... someone to watch my back (and my pack), someone to share the hotel room, someone to weigh in on the decision-making process, and someone with which to have long conversations (in English!).

I think I may head to Italy from there, as my travel time feels as though it is growing shorter (which it is).

Also, Hi to Anna from Brisbane, my other wonderful Seville friend... And to my Korean friend, Iīm sorry I couldnīt meet you for the train to Granada... I hope you went and had a great time, please write me!

posted by Liz 11:47 AM
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Wednesday, May 28, 2003

 

Sorry to take so long to check in... Iīve been in Madrid for three days (great museums, unhappy people), spent a night in Toledo (wonderful cathedral, great town for El Greco fans, tangled and hilly medieval streets). Now Iīm in Cordoba for the day, and on my way to Seville to spend the night, if I can find a place there. I hope to hop to Granada from there, and then on to Lisbon in Portugal.

Spain has really been a challenge for me, going deeper and deeper into the unknown, trusting in my intuition and whatever wisdom I possess. Again and again the real blessings are the people I meet along the way (you know who you are!) and the conversations we share. I canīt do you all justice in the short time I have here now, but please accept my thanks to you for all the ways, big and small, that you have shown me friendship.

posted by Liz 2:23 AM
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Thursday, May 22, 2003

 

Sheīs got a ticket to ride... the night train to Madrid, tonight. Should be an interesting time, big fiesta in progress there -- just hope I can manage to find a place to sleep (no luck so far on that front). Itīs my last day in Barcelona, and Iīm sorry to give up my perch near the never-boring Ramblas. The sights, the food, the culture, itīs all been great... but (like many places) itīs the people Iīve met here that make this vagabond lifestyle so compelling. The lessons Iīm learning about living in the moment, using my intuition, saying "yes" to the unexpected... these things will serve me well the rest of my life. Leaving my comfort zone challenges me on so many levels, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

And the horizon beckons, a new shining city lies ahead, waiting for me to explore its side streets and discover its secrets.

posted by Liz 2:02 AM
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Tuesday, May 20, 2003

 

Hola from Spain! Iīm speaking to you from Barcelona, city of great art, fascinating people, delicious food, industrious pick-pockets, and cheap internet! I arrived here three days ago, after falling in love with the city of Paris, and absorbing the sights and culture of Versailles, Chartre, Avignon and Arles.

I have experienced delightful good fortune in this city...first in finding a place to sleep, then in meeting wonderful people to pal around with, like Kristine, a young German doctor of Neurophysiology. We met the first morning, and discovered it was a special day and many of the museums were free, so we took great advantage, seeing both the Picasso museum and Gaudiīs apartment. We also discovered a restaurant for lunch with food that was creative and delicious, with delightful ambiance, attentive service and very reasonable prices.

That night we were finishing our take away falafels (also delicious) in the hostel common room and met a great guy from Kansas...Tim asked me if I wanted to go to Montserrat, and even though I knew almost nothing about it, I knew immediately I had to go. So the next morning we were off to Montserrat, an incredible mountain-top monastery, a pilgrimage sight complete with splendid cathedral, fine art museum, and gorgeous hiking among fantastic rock formations. I must have encountered at least 20 different types of wildflowers growing along the path, and the panoramic views down the valley inspired much breathless exclamation.

Today is still an open book...do I go to the cathedral here in Barcelona...Gaudiīs park Guell...the Dali museum? Or just walk the Ramblas, window shopping, enjoying the scene and avoiding the thieves? Itīs all good.

posted by Liz 3:46 AM
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Saturday, May 10, 2003

 

I am in a French internet cafe; it is very difficult to type because the keyboard is not the same as an English one::: the Q key is where the A should be; and the A W Z M and even the period are not where they normally are. I have to use the shift key to get a period; and if you have not guessed by now; the semicolon is where the comma used to be; and the colon is where I would expect a period:

I am here waiting for my photos to transfer from the camera memory to a CD for mailing home, and thought I would tell you about my interesting morning...

I was walking along Rue Lecourbe this morning when a man rode up next to me on a bicycle. He asked me, What country are you from...he said, you have an interesting physionomie: your clothes, they are young, your body is young, but your face is the face of a woman. I am a photographer; if you are in Paris for a long time, I would like to photograph you.

I told him I was in Paris for only a short time, and he said, That is too bad, because I write in my studio in the morning, in the afternoon I attend exhibitions; but you have such an interesting physionomie; erotic, not pornogrgraphic...do you like silk or satin?

I am not interested in having those kinds of pictures taken, I told him... I do not think my mother would like it.

I understand, you are not interested... and with that, he pushed off down the street on his bicycle.

posted by Liz 10:56 AM
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Thursday, May 08, 2003

 

Bonjour from Paris! No time to do it justice (internet is EXPENSIVE here!) but wanted to let you all know that I am alive and very well, indeed! I will write more when it costs less...

posted by Liz 1:47 PM
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Sunday, May 04, 2003

 

Hello friends and fellow travelers, from armchair to extreme...it's my last night in Dublin, and I'm sorry to go. I treasure the friendships forged over cornflakes at the Four Courts Hostel, bumpy bog roads in the Shamrocker tour bus, and pints of Guinness at the Palace Pub. The experiences I have had here run the gamut...in no particular order, here's a few highlights:

-- Watching a man risk his own life to save a dog drowning in the Liffey River in downtown Dublin.

-- Touching the hand of a 600 year-old mummified Crusader in the crypt of St. Michan's Church (Bram Stoker's mother is buried there, too).

-- The press gathering outside the offices of Sinn Fein in downtown Belfast, waiting for Jerry Adams to make his latest statement regarding the peace talks in Northern Ireland.

-- Lying on my stomach on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher, the sea crashing far, far below.

-- Singing songs with the locals in Tom's House Pub in the tiny village of Kilcar.

-- Learning of the first cases of SARS in Dublin.

-- Tasting black and white pudding, Guinness, Irish stew, soda bread, and Irish whiskey.

-- Playing Celtic Football on Coumeenole beach.

-- Reenacting the Battle of the Boyne with stuffed animals as ammunition.

-- Walking backwards with my eyes closed up the slippery, damp, and uneven Wishing Steps at Blarney Castle (and yes, I kissed the stone!).

-- Catching fish (and throwing them back) from a boat beneath the towering cliffs of Slieve League (the highest cliffs in Western Europe) as the sun sets through magnificent clouds.

-- Sitting in the dark in a megalithic passage grave (older than the pyramids in Egypt) as Dave plays his bodhran, and tracing the mysterious ancient carvings with my fingers.

-- Meeting the coolest dog in Ireland, protector of the Kilclooney Dolmen, a 5000 year old stone structure.

-- Marveling at the Viking artifacts in Dublin's National Museum, as well as the Japanese, Islamic and Medieval prints, books and manuscripts in the Chester Beatty Library.

-- Walking the dim passageways of Kilmainham Gaol, as a passionate local guide provides insight into Ireland's long struggle for independence.

-- Traveling through Ireland's rapidly disappearing boglands, and imagining the treasures and mysteries still preserved there.

There are so many more memories (and hundreds of photos) which I am looking forward to sharing with you in much detail at a later date -- but the time has come to move on finally, and make the big jump to the continent at last. Tomorrow I look forward to a 14-hour ferry ride to Cherbourg, France, and then a train journey to the heart of Paris.

Stay with me, keep up, don't lag behind, and get out your French phrase books...it's bound to be an interesting journey.

posted by Liz 11:47 AM
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