Glendalough, in the Wicklow Mountains, where St. Kevin set up house in the 6th century. Beautiful valley with ancient religious sites. I guess I like taking pictures of graveyards. My Goth side is showing.....

A sunset over Ballinskelligs Monastery ruins.

One of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen. Grey rock, green earth, pink sky, blue water. It was exquisite.

Queen of the Castle

OK, so it's a fixer-upper. Some nice curtains, and um, a roof, good as new in no time.

This is Ballycarberry Castle ruins, in County Kerry. It's on private property and obviously being used as a sheep or cattle shed, but there was enough of it left for climbing around on. Great views over a small bay and beach, with ring forts and mountains in the distance. It was destroyed by Cromwell. He pretty much destroyed everything in Ireland, it seems.

Russell was worried that the old ruins we were seeing everywhere would fall down upon his head. I teased him that he was not special enough for that to happen...why would the castle choose him to fall upon, right now, after hundreds, some cases thousands, of years of existence? (Why not fall on the sheep that keep crapping on it instead?) I figure, if you are special enough to win the lottery, or get hit by lightning, then maybe the universe revolves around you in such a way that you will be killed in freak castle-collapsing-on-tourist accidents. Otherwise, I would think that God had other, less "news of the wierd" ways for you to die.

Or is that just me thinking that?

This is a dolmen (ancient burial site) in the Burren, an odd and wild place in the west of Ireland. It's called Poulnabrone Dolmen, and is very well known and very old. We went there on a very cold and wet day, so did not stay long, but it is a fascinating site.

The thing that interested me most, actually, was the ground. To quote from the Burren website I linked to above: It is composed of limestone pavements, which are eroded in a distinctive pattern known as karren. This pavement is crisscrossed by cracks known as grykes and underneath the pavement there are huge caves and rivers that suddenly flood when it rains. What it looked like to me was as if giant blobs of heated rock had been thrown upon the ground by some sky god and left to cool where they splatted, which made this really wierd landscape of shapes broken up by bits of earth and sod. We had to pick our way carefully across it, as it was a bit slippery and treacherous and you could easily fall into the cracks. The rocks were rounded and melty looking, though. It was nifty.

The Burren had been heavily populated thousands of years ago, but too many years of over-planting and grazing eroded the thin topsoil and left the rocks exposed. Interesting, isn't it, that damage to the landscape done thousands of years ago still remains and is revered as a heritage site? I wonder what they will think of us in 5000 years......

The ubiquitous Irish rainbow, this time over mid town Cahirciveen, Ireland. I did not find the pot of gold, but I sort of think the rainbow itself is reward enough. This one was particularly bright and glowing.

I will be posting random photos from the trip over the next few days...to keep you interested and coming back!

In other news, I am going to London for a few days on November 5th. Colleen is moving from there November 10, embarking on a round the world trip starting in China. This will be my last chance to hang out with her before she goes. I'm bummed she's going, it has been fun having her so near! I'll be back the 9th.

The next week I will be doing a small jewelry sale, so I guess I better get into my "studio" (ok, so it's the sofa in front of the TV) and make some stuff so I have something to show!

Hill of Slane, Mystical Place

The Hill of Slane. Ireland.
The sun was shining through the rain when I took this photo. The Hill of Tara is in the distance. The tree is a monkey puzzle tree. To my back were the ruins of an old church/monastery. This is the legendary place where St. Patrick lit the fire of Christianity that supplanted the pagan religions of old.
Photo by Me

Travel Advice for Ireland

Here are a few words of advice for you, if ever you get to Ireland in October.

Never eat eggs before your boat trip to Skellig Michael. It's a rough trip and you will revisit them. (More about that in a later posting. No pictures, I am afraid, I was too sick to move. Ever seen "The Perfect Storm"? Uh huh, yeah. )

The coldest interior space on Earth is an Irish bathroom. You will see your breathe when you come out of the shower. Irish people are very hardy.

The coldest single documented surface on record is an Irish toilet seat. Girls, one word of advice: hover.

Always stay at a B&B above a bar, and do your damndest to stay at one that is family owned and has a nun in the family.

Hike the Gap of Dunloe. Do it twice if you have the energy. Prepare for every kind of weather...rain, sun, heat, wind, cold and sheep.

Whenever you see a sign to a place that's called "The Hill of...", just go there. Climb that hill and make the most of it. The Hill of Slane and the Hill of Tara will always be in my head as two of the most magical places that exist.

We saw the Hill of Tara just before my flight back to Oslo, it was less than an hour away from the airport. It was incredibly windy, winds were about 40mph or so. It was so windy that you could lean into it and it would hold you up. Backwards or forwards! I hollered and screamed and "woohoo'ed" and played bird because it was so wild and exhilarating. 360 degree views, feels like you are on top of the world, you climb up and over and down the remnants of the hill fort and BAM there is the view. There is a small church on the hill, just down beneath the top, with trees and a small graveyard, and the wind just roared thru the trees, blowing the leaves perpendicular. Such a sound, such power and uplift and song. That, coupled with the history of the place and the views, well, you can see why it is a holy place, why thousands of years of ceremony and myth are attached to the place.

Wow.

To have that perfect Irish experience, wild, pagan, windswept and awe inspiring, and then be at the airport in less than an hour, well, that's sort of the crux of Ireland. Wilder than any place you've ever been, but civilization (if that's a good thing or not, you decide) is always a step away.

So, my last bit of advice when traveling in Ireland:

Put your schedule aside, let the travel take you where it may, don't be in a hurry, and let serendipity be your guide.

Go ahead, climb that hill!

short post

Ireland Rocks.

That is all for now.....but daaaamn I love this place.

Between Neolithic ruins, pre-Christian burial sites, 6th century monastic ruins, fens, bracken, Macgillicuddy's Reeks and happy yummy beer, I think I have landed in (a slightly cold but manageably so) heaven.

Guinnessly yours,
Karla

pilrimage.....

A pilgrimage to the Guinness factory will happen today. I am in the midst of preparations as I write this, practicing pint hoisting, the raising of the glass to the lips and the slurping of the foam. It's all about precision, training and having the proper mix of awe and respect to the brew.

Yes, I am about to check off Number 45 on Karla's List of LifeLong Goals*. Let no one say I do not succeed at what I want to achieve!

Oh, in case you did not know, I am in Ireland. This place RULES! The people are so friendly and they will literally break into song at the drop of a hat (or in my case, the shift of a gear, as it was the bus driver who did the singing!).

I will hoist a pint to the four winds at c@ 5pm Ireland time, which is about what, 11 am Texas time? Sniff and ye shall smell the brew!!!! My benediction upon thee, brethren!

Ex-Officio, on Sabbatical,
Brother Galore of the Monks of Ann Arbor

*List to be posted on a future blog.

Of course I would not....

....tell you to type naughty phrases into this "text to speech conversion demo".

That would not be at all polite.

Really.

Though I do like the fact that the male voice is called "Charles". That's my brother's name. Teehee!

Wow.

I just paid $32.00 for five gallons of gas.

Yes, I got less than half a tank for $32.00.

Those of you complaining about gas being at almost $2.00 a gallon, excuse me if I do not weep for you...

*&^%!!!!!!!!

It's Official.

I am not a hipster.

You are not a hipster, either.

The Ultimate Big Head Picture.

What don't I love about this picture? The camel herder took it, he has a future as a photographer. (Of course he demanded baksheesh after snapping some shots, pretty much saying we would not go any further until I did, but hell, if I'd known he was this good I woulda given him more!) I love the way the camel and I kind of share a similar smile, kind of bemused and tolerant.....her name, by the way, is Lulu.

London, July '04.

Welcome to my humble abode.....dinner's at 7.

Back in Norway

So here I am, back in Norway. Can't say I am totally thrilled to be here, but it was nice to get back and see Rich and sleep in my own bed again. Rich was happy with the goodies I brought back after having pounced on my luggage pretty much the second I brought it in the house. I was so tired when I got into Oslo that if I stopped moving I fell asleep, so I crashed around 7pm last night and was up this morning at 9.

The flights both to the US and back were bang on time, and Continental has plenty of legroom, so that was all fine. Anyone coming to Oslo, do yourself a favor and do the flight that goes from Houston thru Amsterdam to Oslo....flights 46 and 47 I think. It's a good flight schedule, not too early in the morning, which I freaking hate, new planes, and no hassles with customs when you get into the US.

And I am very happy to report that we surprised the ever-loving SHIT out of my mom when Kit and I showed up on her birthday. (I can write about it now, but the reason I went to the US was a surprise for my Mom's "hmm-hmm" birthday (a lady never tells her age, and a daughter who values her life never tells her mom's age)). Dad, Kit and I planned it, and I flew into Houston on the 14th, then Kit and I drove 12 hours to Missouri on the 15th, where we walked in and just watched Mom's jaw drop to the floor. It was classic, and so worth all the travelling we did. She was completely clueless, and so thrilled. Kit's best friend Duy was there as well, with his girlfriend Vicki.

The next day Duy made his famous fajitas for the birthday celebration, and we had to force Mom not to cook or clean or fuss in any way. I gave her a little gift almost every hour, and she just beamed. Surprising how nice it was to spoil Mom for a change, and to actually have her allow us to do it! Dad did good keeping quiet on this surprise, though he said it was the hardest thing he ever did not to blab. Dad is not much of a secret-keeping kinda guy, whatever he thinks is right there on his face or getting told to everyone around, so he had a really hard time shuttin' up.

Anyhoo...

I have LOTS more Egypt and other pictures to post. I will tackle that maybe tomorrow, including some classic big head shots, and other goodies. Today, however, I am vegging.

I miss y'all!!!!!

Been wondering why....

....you have all seen me stuffing myself with Mexican food and good ol' Austin food?

Read this article. This is Norwegian food. Arg.

I go back on Thursday. Two more days to gorge......

Karla

Reason # 2567 why I love Austin...

....conversation participated in at Silly's Bar, the new neighborhood bar at the corner of Mancock and Durnet streets. (Note, names have been changed to protect the innocent. Or whatever.)

At the table sat Late, Meff, Darla and Farla.

Late: So what are you guys doing Sunday?

Farla: Me and a friend are going to visit some taxidermy shops. She doesn't know where any are. Do you know any good ones?

Meff: Cool! What did she kill?

Darla: (spits beer out her nose while laughing) Gug!!

Late, Meff, and Farla stare at Darla, like, "What's so funny?"

Only in Austin do you have conversations like this. I love it.

Home Sweet Home

I am in Austin right now, and can I tell you how FREAKING GREAT it is to be back home?

In case you are taking it for granted, living here, let me remind you:

Austin is the Best Damn Town in the World.

A few reasons why:
I got up this morning and and went and got my coffee, which there are three different coffeehouses within walking distance of the house. ( God I love our house. I just think it is perfect. And Marla has kept it up so well, it just looks phenomenal.)

Then I went to the gas station, once again near the house, where the nicest guy checked the oil on the funky old VW I have borrowed from my brother. I scheduled a massage for tomorrow morning for me and Jennifer. (I haven't seen her in 7 months, I am actually a bit nervous about seeing her, why is that? It's not like she's not one of my dearest soulmate friends, or that we will even come close to having a lack of things to talk about. I think I am just nervous that I have lost my conversational and "relating" skills. So much has happened since we last saw each other!) After that I did some shopping, went to Central Market, noodled around a bookstore, and bought the perfect pair of jeans at the Gap. (When did their stuff start fitting so well?) Shopping nirvana, people! Shopping nirvana. The Gap has finally made room for asses in their pants. Glory hallelujah!

Then I had my slacker time at the Flight Path coffee house, where I just sat grinning maniacally as I was so DAMN happy to be there. Just sitting there, reading the paper, Austin people surrounding me, as I munched on my bagel and looked at the art and the folks in the place. God it was heavenly.

Now I am at the library where I finally managed to get onto a computer after a 45 minute wait, though the time was well spent reading trashy magazines and listening to the old guy sitting next to me who kept farting and trying to pretend like it was his seat squeaking. (Yeah, right, buddy, that shifting to the left you kept doing totally gave you away.) I knew what he was up to....

All this travel I have been doing has definitely made some changes in me. I have to admit, I no longer give a flying fuck what people think of me. I used to worry about looking right, or fitting in, or belonging to the right crowd. None of that matters anymore. Now I am just happy to be, and to see, and to enjoy the small things and spend time with the folks I enjoy spending time with. Life is too short to waste it worrying about anything other than getting the most out of your time on this earth.

But I am glad my butt looks good in the jeans I just bought!

Some photos from our trip to Egypt.

Following are some selected and representative images from our trip (was it just last week?) to Egypt. All these were taken by Rich, on his digital camera. I will get mine developed when I get time and money, and will then post some more. In the meantime, enjoy prease!

Me in a ray of desert sunlight at the Temple of Horus in Edfu.

I quickly learned that wearing a hat is a necessity not only to keep you cool but also to ward off the relentless sun (I managed to avoid burning my nose by using spf 40 sunscreen religiously and using the hat, hat hair be damned), and wearing anything other than sand or dirt colors is an exercise in excessive laundry, as everything gets dusty in minutes. Also, long sleeves are somehow cooler than none, and long baggy clothes are WAY more comfortable than anything in the least bit confining.
Hence, you will mostly see me wearing the same outfit (and not, GASP, my usual black) of flax colored CP Shades linen. I knew buying all that CP Shades stuff was a good investment!

The Temple of Horus at Edfu ended up being my favorite site visited on the trip. It had been buried in sand for aeons, and only rediscovered around the Napolenic era, and so it is beautifully preserved. It is huge, but not as huge and overwhelming as Karnak. There is a lot of color left on the walls and there are lots of dark, secret passages to explore. I could really envisage it as it was built. It is tremendous.

Me looking dubiously and slightly fearfully at the camel. "You want I should get on THAT?"

Camels are all legs, by the way. They look small on the ground, but when you get on them, your ass is above the heads of the folks walking next to you. It's a very wierd perspective, being so tall and riding on what basically amounts to a thin padding of blanket placed over the BONIEST damn creature in the UNIVERSE.

Which leads me to my next comment:

Riding camels is SO NOT comfortable. No only are they bony, but there is nothing holding you on it, no stirrups or anything, just the muscles of your inner thighs. You know that song "Walk Like an Egyptian"? Yeah, I walked like an Egyptian for about two days after this one hour camel ride. We all compared notes on our cases of camel's ass on the boat afterwards. Lots of people walking funny after that trip! Mine was made exponentially more uncomfortable by the fact that I had a fairly lobster-like case of sunburn on, yep, my ass.

Small bikini + Egyptian sun = Lobster Butt. Lobster Butt + Camel Ride = OUCH.

Me on the camel.

That's not a smile on my face, that's a grimace. Note the same level of my ass and the "driver's" head.

Camels might look kind of cute, but trust me, they ain't. They smell, they fart, they spit and they make noises that are very reminiscent of an angry Chewbacca with a smoker's cough. Even with all that, I totally enjoyed the experience and would do it again. However, I would wear padded shorts. And close toed shoes...camel shit is not a good paving material.

The temple at Karnak, Luxor, Egypt.

The scale of the temples in Egypt is unbelievable. See how tiny the people are? It is IMMENSE. This picture was taken in the hypostyle hall....over 130 of these columns held up the massive roof. The striped bit, center middle, was a window built to let in some light. That window is about 20 feet tall!

Me in the hypostyle hall at Karnak. Are we getting a sense of the scale here?

Me in front of one of the smaller statues at Abu Simbel. We were within 25 miles of the Sudanese border.

Rich on a hill over looking Abu Simbel, south of the Aswan Dam.
The perspective is deceptive as those statues are over 50 feet tall and are way behind him...... the hill he is on also blocks the 5 1/2 million people milling about below.
To get to Abu Simbel from Aswan, where our boat was moored, required us getting a wake up call at 2:30 AM to enable us to join the bus convoy at 4AM. Tourist buses must travel in convoy on the freeways of Egypt for security reasons. So, at 4AM we made our way across the Sahara to Abu Simbel. There were 50 busses in the convoy, we all landed at once at dawn (around 7-ish.). It was a veritable horde of tourists. It did kind of take away some of the majesty and reverie of the sunrise on Lake Nasser to compete with 5000 tourists all intent on getting the same picture at the same time. Sometimes I felt as if I had never left Europe, merely brought all the other tourists with me to somewhere hot and sandy.
Still, though, pushy Italians and sunburned Nordic types notwithstanding, the temples we saw are all so big, so grandly scaled, that it really does not matter how many people you wedge in there, they all manage to fit. And if you are lucky, you CAN get that picture that gives the illusion of solitary grandeur and individualistic exploration.

View down a market street in Luxor. The driver of our caleche was hitting us up for "baksheesh" the whole time. Baksheesh, or tips, is the grease of every wheel in Egypt. EVERYONE asks you for it, whether they did you a service or not. They always use the excuse of having four children and some sort of family trouble to make you feel sorry for them and give them more. The strange thing is, once you give them baksheesh, they don't seem very happy or satisfied, but commence asking for more. I quit giving it except for extraordinary service rendered. They rarely say thank you when you do give it, just seem disappointed.

My favorite baksheesh-giving-opportunity has got to be the the ubiquitous bathroom man. Public toilet managers in Egypt apparently think that toilet paper is worth more than actual money-paper. When you walk up to the toilet door, the bathroom man gives you a meagre 3-5 sheets of toilet paper with a flourish, then shows you into an odiferous stall that does not flush and that glows with the green noxious vapors of thousands of previous patrons, all affected with King Tut's Revenge stomach aches. After you gingerly hover over god only knows what and exit the stall, Toilet Man then uses a bucket of water to flush as the levers on the toilets NEVER work. For this you get to tip him, after washing your hands with water from a bottle next to what I think is generally referred to as a sink, but I think "bucket" would be a better term. We carried handy wipes every where we went, and eventually started carrying a roll of TP too.

Cruise boats in front of the temple to the crocodile god Sobek at Kom Ombo, sunset.

We toured this temple at night. I also bought a traditional Bedouin woman's costume here. I bargained so long and hard for it that I got back to the boat late and they almost left me!

Nile Sunset 

I'm baaaa-aacck!

We're back from Egypt.

It was incredible. Simply, mind numbingly, unbelievably in-fucking-credible.

Rich will download his pictures from his camera onto my computer tonight ( I hope) and I will post some tomorrow.

I took about 8-9 rolls myself, will have them developed in the next month (travel plans prevent me from doing it now.)

It was really hot there, I mean REALLY hot, and I was dreading coming back to cold weather here. Luckily, it is gorgeous here in Norway, for which I am thankful. I really enjoyed being in hot weather again.

I also never expected the Nile would be as beautiful as it actually is. I thought the water would be brown...it's not, it's green or blue, depending on the sun and the light. Wow.

I will write more when I get some pictures to post, but in the meantime, here is a fairly entertaining article in Aftenposten. I love the way they write about censorship here. This article itself would be censored like nobody's business in the US.....