I walk to and from work.

Solicitor doors just down the street from the studio.

This will be filled with photos of that.

Alright, it is serious blogging time; there is a lot to catch up on! I almost feel overwhelmed. Where shall I start? It'll be difficult to go about this in a linear fashion, so why don't I just start talking about things as I think of them?

A not in use church.

First of all, I'd like to give a shout-out to Herbal Essences, because their line of volumizing and shine-inducing shampoo and conditioners are amazing. My hair doesn't feel thick, per say, but it certainly feels less limp and pathetic. I felt that that was important to put here because I bought the shampoo and conditioner upon my arrival. I haven't used Herbal Essences in a while, but I don't remember them being this good. Is it special in Ireland, or have they changed their formula? I'll have to investigate once I'm back home.

The door of the not in use church.

The weather has taken a turn for the wet and dreary. Normally I'm not bothered, but walking to and from work has changed my tune. It is far too damp out there. Not to mention cold. No, let's mention cold. It is so cold here. I mean, March is a stupid month for weather anyway, but this is excessive. I didn't bring any shoes other than converse because I... hm. OK so I'm not sure why. Regardless, that was a mistake. I should have brought a pair of winter/snow boots. I own two pairs, so I'm feeling a tad foolish at the current. I'm interested in keeping all of my toes, so I stopped into Dunnes on the way home today to look for some inexpensive boots. Why is it that shoes are either dirt cheap and of shoddy construction, or off the charts expensive and practical? And by practical I mean they're not going to fall apart. There are plenty of impractical shoes that are well built. There are also plenty of impractical shoes that are pretty much made of paper and scotch tape. I've derailed myself a bit. I have a goal of obtaining my shoes that will keep my toes on my feet. Moving on.

Gate along the front of a church.

I started working at the studio on the 1st and I am happy to report that it's going very well. Peter is very nice and fun to work with, as are his two main employees. I shall call them... Aurora and Philip, haha! Philip is from England and Aurora is from Germany. There's quite the diverse environment in there! It's very fun. I've had a chance to work with everyone now and I'm liking it a lot. It's a bit laid back even though there's a lot of work to be done. I can definitely tell when someone is feeling a touch stressed, but things have (so far) remained calm.

Excellent vine skeleton along the wall of an apartment building.

Something particularly special about what I'm doing over in the studio is presenting new ideas for their existing systems. Workflow and digital asset management, to be specific. Peter really liked the few things that I said when we met last summer, and my first day in he took me to a late breakfast to discuss some of my ideas in more detail. So far I have had plenty of opportunities to share my thoughts and opinions, and we're all working together to implement them to see if I can have a positive impact on the studio. It's truly a unique experience and I am extremely fortunate to be here doing this.

This is about halfway to the city centre from the studio. I haven't gone in yet, but I plan on it.

Excellently blue building next to the comic store.

Just as an aside, I keep playing with my hair because it feels so nice. I've been keeping it completely pulled back with a clip the past few days because it has been so freaking windy, and since it's down before bed I'm having a hayday with it!

Just a bend in the road. I wonder why that Wired Gaming place closed down?

Anywho.

Back side of the Roisin Dubh and some of the Corrib River. 

The studio is in Salthill and fairly close to the Prom. It takes me about 20 minutes to walk to work, so I'm getting a nice little round of cardio erryday. Although, that get counteracted by how much tea I've been drinking at the studio. I'm not accustomed to it, and I don't really like the flavor unless I have 3 teaspoons of sugar. That's a lot. Most people do one or half of one or something. If I have more than one cup a day then damn, that's too much sugar. And that's not even touching on the fact that every surface is covered in chocolate biscuits! I know I don't have to eat them, but if they're there and I'm allowed then I am going to eat them! The candy here is horrible, but the chocolate is amazing. I've missed it and I have to be careful. So far I've only had hot chocolate from Butler's once, and that's saying something. I've managed to show restraint in that area. Also, I haven't had mashed potatoes for lunch everyday; another incredible feat of willpower. If I can stay away from the mountains of chocolate then I'll be golden. Oh, and if I contain Coke consumption to only when I'm having whiskey.

Owen works at the Daybreak and his brother-in-law owns Health & Fitness next door!

So, a bit more about work. Peter does a wide variety of photography. He's one of the top wedding photographers in Ireland and just about everyone in Galway knows who he is or is at least familiar with his name. He does family photos, modeling/portrait photography, commercial, architecture and also small editorial type stuff. He covers a lot of the Debs photos for the schools too. He has a modest studio in the center of town with a cozy and open atmosphere. I really enjoy being in there. Thus far I've been doing all administrative and design work. On the 18th there are two shoots that he wants me to help with; one is an engagement shoot and another is a family portrait with five kids. Yeesh.

Harvest was where I went with my friends last summer every time we bought some drink. They're all closed now :(

My largest concern happened to come up on Monday, I think it was. Peter asked Philip to setup the lights in the studio for a shoot that was coming in later in the evening. Philip asked me if I'd ever setup a studio before and I was all, "Psh, yeah. Are you kidding me?". Actually I modestly replied, "Yes I have, but it never hurts to have a refresher. I don't know what brand of strobe you use; they're probably all similar but please show me." 8-B So I went into the studio space with him, he hands me a light meter.... and I just stared at it. My mind was an absolute blank. Talk about embarrassing! He goes, "What the hell are you doing?" and I laughed and shrugged and went, "I know this looks bad, it's just been a while and I'm having a lapse at the moment!"He directed me and once I was finished I handed him the light meter and walked back to my desk in shame.

Rickety and closed off bridge. It goes from a car and foot bridge to that weird stand-alone building.

You're not allowed to walk on it. Obviously.

Today he asked me again if I had any portrait photography experience. I hesitated for a second, knowing that everyone here is notorious for their jokery, before asking, "...are you being serious?" and he said yes, then went on to explain that he meant studio portrait photography. I waited another second before saying, "I know that what happened in the studio the other day showed to the contrary, but I promise you that I'm very well versed in studio photography. It has been almost a year since I've done it, so the knowledge isn't at the front of my mind. I promise that up until that point I spent two years in the studio! I just need a refresher!" he laughed and seemed to believe me >.> I'd love to get in there and prove to myself that I still know what I'm doing!

This place is near Massimo's and the Roisin Dubh. Shockingly good fries. The burgers aren't very good.

As for business away from work? I spend a lot of time at home. I like my house and my room except for the fact that it's cold. I was thrilled when I noticed a space heater in my room. There's no heat to speak of in the house. I believe it runs on gas and, well, the gas tank is empty! We just wear shoes and long sleeves and keep bundled up at night. I'm greatly looking forward to nicer weather.  Aside from the house being cold, it's very nice. Everything works as it should and I think I've finally figured out the washer and dryer. It's furnished but there are a few things to be desired in the kitchen. A wooden spoon, cookie sheet and spatula are just a few items I can think of. Sharp knives, there's another one. Good thing I can 'survive' off of peanut butter & jelly and Frosted Flakes! Just kidding, I've been eating pasta too.

It's nice inside there. I've been with Owen and Ger a few times.

My housemates are very nice. We'll call them... Allen and Titus. Allen is a law student and Titus is training to be a hotel manager. Allen's girlfriend... Tyra... is around a lot and she's just lovely. They seem like great company and it's a shame that I haven't made time to socialize with them yet. I will though! I definitely will. The house runs very smoothly, everyone is quite considerate. Somehow we haven't run into any issues with the bathroom, which is amazing. No one is ever in there when I need to get in, and as far as I know I haven't prevented anyone from being somewhere on time by hogging up the shower. Everyone does their dishes, every time, and we even put away one another's clean dishes that are drying.  I don't have the hang of the garbage schedule yet, but I have sorted the trash/recycle/compost and put them in their relevant bins, so that's good.

The upper portion of some shop fronts in the Latin Quarter.

Earlier this week I tried my hand at real cooking. Andrew gave me a few suggestions on what to buy and make, then he talked me through cooking over video chat. I ran into a few problems. Namely the fact that I don't know how to cook. There are basic aspects that elude me. Mistakes were made. Frustration was present. Cheese was melted. Chicken was ever so slightly burned. In the end I had some damn delicious homemade macaroni and cheese, pan seared chicken and some vegetables. In case you aren't paying attention, that means that I prepared raw meat all by myself. I had my hands all up ins that boneless skinless chicken fillet. It was gross, by the way.

This is a great little grocer. It looks so authentic and old-school from the outside. I'd like to make time to go in and look around.

This has become a bit excessive so I think I'm going to wrap it up. I've hardly touched on what has happened since I arrived and I'm hoping to get into a regular posting groove again. St. Patrick's Day is next week. This'll be interesting.

And finally the studio! I have to cross the street twice to get to it. It's confusing because the cars go all over the damn place at this intersection.

I'll end this with a few 'creative' photos. Good? Bad? I'm not sure yet. I like them though, and I certainly had fun creating them.

-MJ

Ireland Day 75 - Around Connemara

Today saw more exploration adventures!

I mentioned recently that I hadn't been out and about lately. I've been sticking around town and tending to my current routine, not having many chances to do anymore touring. Funds are tight and I'm not interested in doing tours by myself. These aspects do tend to restrict my options!

Tra Sáilín, a small beach past Spiddal. 

However, knowing that I'll be back before too long makes me feel less sad about missing out on popular places. There will be time! :)

After spending some time with Miriam she asked me if I'd had a chance to see Connemara yet. I told her that I had not but that I wanted to, just didn't want to do a tour alone.

So, she ever so kindly offered to take me today! And we had a very nice time.

We explored down a random road and met this nice fellow here.

One thing that I miss out on while being part of a tour? Stopping wherever I want. Miriam was awesome; she stopped wherever I asked her to and even pulled off on a few places that she knew of that she thought I'd enjoy.

Since she was in no hurry I was allowed to take my time photographing one thing over and over again and stopping randomly in the middle of a conversation.

Joy!!

For the most part we had very fair weather. The first half of our excursion was almost too warm. There was mist hanging over the ocean and it was beautiful. On our way back down to Galway clouds and fog started to settle over the landscape, obscuring the views rather heavily.

Another random stop shortly past Maam Cross. I wanted that valley in the background and this is where the sheep ran from me!

A few times we passed some pretty spectacular views but the lighting was just so bad that I didn't bother to have her stop. It wouldn't have hurt for me to snap a few shots, but I knew I'd be disappointed with the results so meh.

I got a lot of shots that I'm very happy with! My only let down is my lack of sheep photos D: I badly wanted to get some cute sheep pictures! At one point we pulled over near some sheep grazing behind a fence and they freakin' ran like crazy when I got out of the car :( :( Even after standing still for a while to prove I was harmless they still wouldn't come back.

Kylemore Abbey.

Next time! Grrr.

But speaking of sheep, I was rather surprised when we turned a bend in the road and there were two sheep moseying nonchalantly down the center line!

"Sheep!" I exclaimed. Miriam laughed and said that they're everywhere.

"But who do they belong to?" I asked. She said most likely some farmer nearby.

"What if something happens to them?" I was so amused and curious. She explained that cars are used to sheep wandering the roads so they rarely get hit, and there aren't many predators in the area. On top of all that the farmers generally have so many sheep that they probably don't even notice if one or two go missing.

Fascinating!

Early Autumn leaves resting at the top of a small waterfall at Connemara National Park.

She decided to take the route that the tour buses take, therefore ensuring plenty of beautiful sights for my camera and myself. We went up past Maam Cross and around to Kylemore Abbey. We walked around outside of the Abbey but didn't pay to go in. I'll leave that for another time.

After that we rode out toward Clifden and then stopped at Connemara National Park. It was mostly just trails but I saw some dogs swimming in a pond and that was cute. We stopped in Clifden because she was thirsty and she bought me a Loop de Loop, which was a lemon/lime partially chocolate covered popsicle. It was good too!

We stopped at Joyce's for some groceries and then I made dinner. To my great dismay (and pain) my sciatic nerve in my left side decided to freak the EFF OUT and I can barely walk right now. I have been stretching as much as I can and now I'm just laying down. I wanted to do the dishes but standing is friggin'... just no. So I hobbled upstairs and collapsed into bed. I do NOT know what's going on but it had better be finished when I wake up tomorrow.

I forget what this flower is called. I like it.

I'm sleepy. Today was fun.

-MJ

Ireland Day 67 -

My camera was with me today and I didn't take any pictures. That's not a big surprise though.

I've been thinking about my lack of photographs lately. I haven't gone anywhere new. Galway is so amazing and I can easily continue to take a lot of photos. I want to show new things though. I wouldn't have to go very far to find them, it's more a matter of time and money. Now that I have friends here I'd rather spend time with them than go off for a full day alone on a bus with people I don't know. Maybe that's wrong of me to feel, and maybe I'll get over it! But the company is so enjoyable, right now I can't see me choosing more isolation over company. When I'm here for a full year I'll do more tours. Or maybe I'll get a car and drive myself. There are just so many options!

As it is, though, I have been in a routine for a little while now. That initial 'photograph everything' wild hair has calmed significantly. Everything is still so so beautiful and interesting here. It has become part of my life though. So it melds seamlessly around me as I walk off the bus and up Shop Street. I know enough side streets to duck around traffic and faster routes if there are cars in the way. I know where my favorite shops are and which buildings still fascinate me. I have a favorite place to go when I have free time and I know when to hustle to the Latin Quarter because the light is beautiful, there are a few ways to go and some of them I like better than others.

Seeing these things everyday has brought about patience when I'm waiting for the perfect moment to snap the shutter. It makes me happy to be able to say that some of my (self professed) most successful shots are from stopping and waiting with the camera pressed to my eye, maybe in the rain or in the chilled wind of the setting sun. The familiarity has not become mundane, but comfortable. And when the feeling strikes I can take advantage of knowing where things are.

And there's still so much to see and know and do in this area. I have hardly a thimbleful.

Don't stop now.

-MJ

Paris Day 4 - Leaving

It would be nice to have a more... enthusiastic title than that, but that's pretty much what today was all about. It might be a good idea to spend some more time in Paris with familiar company before writing the city off completely, as of now I'm not too keen on it though. The South of France seems more like my type of place, really. Someday I'll go there and find out.

Once I met nice people in the hostel my trip improved immensely. I wasn't able to really enjoy the city on my own though. Paris' fault, or my own inexperience as a traveler? More experimentation is needed. I wasn't really "feeling" it when I was alone, that's the bottom line. Today I exchanged pleasant good-byes with my new world friends and then took a walk around the neighborhood with my video camera. I didn't take it out at all during the Amelie thing, which is unfortunate. I walked to the Cafe des deux Moulins to make up for it. I didn't take very many photos today either, I was mostly concentrating on getting to the airport. I tell you, it was more difficult getting back.

I got lost more than once in the city, and the train stations and the airport itself. I was so happy when I found an information center and someone that could tell me where to go that I almost cried with relief. Initially I didn't plan on leaving for the airport so soon, but as things usually go with my life (and I'm not complaining here), the phrase "Things happen for a reason" kept blaring in my head as I got lost, confused and frustrated at every turn. I would have been in full tilt panic mode if I had left at my planned time.

As a result of leaving early I was able to relax in the airport and read, and that was nice. Neither of my return flights were full. The Dublin to Galway connection had maybe 20 people on the plane, possibly less. It was weird! I've never been on such an empty flight.

Pretty! I think so, anyway.

I stood smiling and blinking into the sun while I waited for a taxi outside of the Galway airport. My driver was really nice and talkative and I engaged in the conversation hungrily, far happier than I should have been to be with an English speaker. Not being able to read the signs or talk to strangers for help while I was lost earlier in the day had a really weird effect on me. I feel better now though.

I used the public computer at the hostel because my laptop was dead and this greeted me. It made me laugh and I wanted to share.

Today has been largely uneventful other than my travels back to Ireland. I'm really happy to be back! I am doing laundry and I should make something to eat soon. Tomorrow I hop back into the studio and routine will return to me.

My train ride as seen by my brain.

Can you believe that tomorrow is September 1st? I should have a Harry Potter party after work.

--------------------

9:20 am: hostel: this guy kind of looks like Keanu Reeves, only not stupid.

11:27 am: train station: finally met a Parisian who was utterly displeased that I was speaking English. Her face actually fell and she said, "Oh... hello"

11:41 am: Gare du Nord: Eff this station, seriously. I am ready to get out of here. (throes of being lost)

11:56 am: RER B train: the guy next to me has Totoro keychains on his bag.

12:46 pm: CDG airport: brain has shut off to prevent further stress and can't do simple things now

6:19 pm: airplane to Galway: after the intense stress of CDG the Dublin airport was pleasantly familiar

7:15 pm: outside Galway airport: I feel so good right now.

**EDIT**

I just realized I forgot to post the picture of my World friends.

There it is!

Joe (LA), Michael (England), Elise (Seattle), Michelle (Zimbabwe), Tawanda (Zimbabwe) and Leigh (Australia).

-MJ

Paris Day 1 - WTF

I don't even know where to start.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but so far I'm not really enjoying myself. Perhaps I just got off on the wrong foot and the next three days will be better? I don't want to be negative and I don't want to complain and Im' having a difficult time with that right now. Maybe I'm just underwhelmed. I had high expectations and they are not being met. People here honk a lot. I should have saved up my "I'm going to get hit by a car" thoughts that I've been using in Ireland for France. I believe I'm in imminent danger here, for realz.

I am loving the buildings and the cobbled streets. The decorations and definite "old city" vibe are both enjoyable for me. More than that I want to be having a nice time. I was all excited while waiting in the Dublin airport and then again when we finally started to land (not like the flight was long, but still the excitement had really set in at that point).

Just a morning Guinness. Not mine though.

Today has seen copious amounts of notes and thoughts being jotted onto my iPod. There was some sensory overload happening a few times.

My first order of business once landing was to figure out how best to get to my hostel. I had a rather embarrassing exchange with the woman at the Information booth and she finally suggested that I go to the Tourist Information booth instead. I think that was for the best. Once I awkwardly said, "Uh, hi" to the nice woman after she gave me a very polite string of words en Francais, she switched to English and was very helpful. Turns out the video game museum that I based this weekend excursion on is closed right now because the building it is in is having some construction done on it. I am more in comic disbelief than anger or sadness. I mean yes, I am bummed, but I don't want to be upset about it... so I'm not. Will power!

So I decided that today would be relaxing and getting familiar with the streets around my hostel so I don't get lost, then tomorrow I'll do my Amelie adventure and maybe shop? and then Monday I'll be doing one of those hop on hop off tours that drives around and around to all of the big tourist spots like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Tuesday will be another epic adventure to get to the airport. I say another epic adventure because I had quite the experience getting settled in today and I will explain why.

Let's start at the beginning.

I woke up at 4 am and hit the snooze button four times before waking up at 5 am and deciding I didn't want to deal with bathing. It's worth noting that I went to bed at 2 am. Yes,  2ish hours of sleep before a day of traveling. I'm not upset about it nor do I regret it and I will not be complaining about being tired! I packed the night before and then was in town with friends and it was very nice. There was also partial nudity (not on my part, nor any other female's). That's a story for another day though, I'm talking about Paris here.

So, 5 am, all packed and ready to go. My flight from the Galway airport was at 7:45. I didn't know what to expect so I went with normal airport protocol: get there early. I called a taxi and I was picked up at 5:30 am. We arrived at the airport at 5:45 am. The check in desks did not open until 6:45 am. Woof. Also? Tiniest airport ever. Dave said it was a glorified barn and he wasn't kidding. I sat nodding off while sitting up and listening to my iPod. Once I was checked in and had my boarding pass I wasn't entirely sure where to go, then I realized there was only one place to go. One big room with two doors leading to the tarmac: Gate 1 Gate 2. xD I was very amused. Even though taking the bus to Dublin and flying from Dublin to Paris (as opposed to flying from Galway to Dublin then to Paris which is what I did) would have been cheaper, I'm pretty happy about my decision because I got to look at all of Ireland as we flew from one coast to the other. Just gorgeous.

Commence confused shuffling at the Dublin airport. That place is wacky! I had to leave and then go back in to get my second boarding pass. The woman in front of me for the security screening had a stroller with her and she asked me if I would get her bag from the under carriage because she's pregnant and isn't supposed to lift things. In my attempt to dislodge the heavy and bulky luggage I almost flipped over the stroller, complete with baby in it. So that was cool.

I just remembered I need to find a place that sells shampoo and stuff, hopefully in travel sizes. I don't have any so I couldn't bring any and I didn't think to buy any beforehand. Hmm. Better get this finished so I can go look for supplies before it gets too late.

Outside the door to my room at the hostel.

Anyway, I snoozed a bit near a window and intermittently watched people drink Guinness at 9 am before boarding my plane. Just like with my flight from Galway, my flight in Dublin had me walking on the tarmac to get to the plane. Very strange! The flight went well enough, some very serious turbulence patches and I had the special privilege of sitting directly under the wing so I got to watch it change through the flight. Scary and neat at the same time. When we landed everyone clapped. I was confused? Still not sure what that was about. Possibly because of the turbulence, but I've had worse so who knows.

So yes, I wander through the airport trying to find the information desk and once I have my information, my train ticket, my hop on hop off bus ticket and a map of the city, I head to the Paris train. That went well enough except I felt a little worried the whole ride because I wasn't sure how to make the doors open. The train stopped at every stop, regardless of there being people present, but the doors didn't open unless someone was there. Ground sensors? Door sensors? How do the doors know!? I kept looking around the car that I was in, hoping to catch someone getting off at a stop so I could see if they had to do anything to get the door open. To my immense relief I was able to watch someone and that's when I noticed there's a button on the door. It's fairy inconspicuous if you ask me, and it doesn't say PUSH. So, you know.

I was full on assaulted on many sensory levels once I left the train confines and went above ground. Why does so much of the street smell like pee? And why is everyone honking so much? There is no where the car in front of you can go. Don't get me wrong, traffic was an absolute gridlocked mess. I wouldn't be happy either. It was insanity though! Also, I'm pretty sure I walked in/rolled through a shiny new puddle of piss. There were a few guys standing around nearby it and maybe one of them was just too lazy to find a toilet. I'm guessing it was piss because when I passed over it I was hit with very strong... smells.

After finding the Sacre-Coeur on my own I felt very confident that I could find my hostel. I knew that one of the big pulls for it was its spectacularly close proximity to the Sacre-Coeur. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for my butt and legs because wow do these shape-ups work) I went around and around, up and down streets, back and forth reading signs and consulting my map trying desperately to find my hostel. I need a better map. The one I have (that the tourist information booth gave me!) doesn't show all of the street signs. Every time I came to a new cross section and tried to find the name of the street on the map it wasn't there, it just wasn't there. I started to wonder if I had completely mixed up where I was staying with perhaps a hostel that I had looked at but didn't actually book. But then I remembered that I gave the address to the tourist lady and she gave me the map and marked things. I persevered and finally found my hostel. RELIEF. My bunk mates are from Dublin. Funny, right? They weren't in when I arrived but after I returned from wandering the streets they were both there. They leave tomorrow morning so that does not do me much good. Maybe some new people will show up tomorrow afternoon and I will make some friends. I hear that's what hostels are for.

OK, everyone here has a moped thing. It's crazy. I've never seen so many before. I took some pictures I will show you.

Oh, and I passed cafe after cafe while wandering lost through the streets dragging my suitcase and listening to my stomach whine. Once I was ready to jump on some French cuisine I found that I was inexplicably surrounded by NOTHING BUT FABRIC STORES! Today has been so strange.

You know what's a really awesome and beautiful song? Crack the Shutters by Snow Patrol.

/tangent

I am sad to report that I ended up eating a freaking McDonalds. Although that was an experience in and of itself. People in France speak French. Shocking, I know. Not all French people speak English. This particular American does not speak French. I can read it a tiny bit and recognize a fair amount of nouns but that it is. So there was some pantomiming and charades happening when I made my order. Then she told me my amount and I handed her money and I knew it would be enough to cover it but I had no idea what she said. Numbers were difficult while learning French in high school.

After my very not good tasting meal I decided I was ready to explore a bit. I went to the Sacre-Coeur to take some photos. It's an amazing building with such grand stairs sprawling in front of it. Add to that the fact that it's in Amelie and it had a definite draw for my camera and me. Lots of pictures, which was nice. The weather was good too. Sunny and bright. Too bad I forgot my sunglasses! I had a guy practically accost me attempting to get my attention and get me to buy some string for braiding. He was reaching out to grab me and stop me. I don't know how many times I said "No" before I swung at him to get him to back off. That was a little weird. The street vendor types are very aggressive here.

I'm sitting in the lobby area of my hostel. There's free wifi but it only works in here, which is a bit of a bummer. That's for the best though, I'd feel like a jerk for keeping up my bunk mates with my computer screen and typing noises, but I know I'd do it anyway >.>

------------------

5:34 am: taxi: are you kidding me? the driver just told me I could have slept another hour!

5:53 am: Galway airport: yeah he wasn't kidding. My flight isn't until 7:45 and I can't even check in yet. Boo.

7:14 am: Galway airport: I have been informed that the toilet is not working on the Dublin plane. This made me laugh. All in all a very odd experience so far.

This airport has two gates. The security screening felt pretty informal. I didn't have to take off my shoes. I forgot to remove my laptop from my bag (they didn't notice, or they didn't care). My ticket doesn't have a gate number on it. I have a 50-50 chance of getting on the correct plane! haha

7:41 am: plane: Gate 1, tiny plane! Walked on the tarmac to get to it.

9:16 am: Dublin airport: much more airport-y. I didn't see very much of it on my arrival so this is interesting. Food!

9:25 am: Dublin airport: the blueberry muffins look spectacular but I bought a sandwich. More sustenance.

9:34 am: Dublin airport: Holy shit I am actually on my way to Paris. I have wanted to visit France since I was about 8 years old.

11:53 am: airplane: another plane boarded via the tarmac. What's the deal? Also, no boarding order just a free for all! P.S. I was forced to check my roll aboard at the gate >:O

I know I'm on a plane to Paris and therefore this shouldn't be that interesting, but all the same this is the first time I've been fully surrounded by people that are not speaking English. So I am fascinated and startled.

12:40 pm: airplane: I believe I am looking at England/Scotland riht now.

2:36 pm: airplane: penis crop circle in France, no joke.

3:38 pm: train: will you believe that the video game museum is closed because work is being done on La Defense building? The reason I came to Paris! Also everyone is speaking to me in French and I reply with "I'm sorry?" or "Hi" an then they speak English and I feel like a silly foreigner.

4:04 pm: hostel: I am finally here and sadly not in great spirits. I'll see what I can do.

4:34 pm: walking: the hostel I'm staying at is positively surrounded by fabric stores.

I am so hungry I almost fell over in my room. I have been circling the block trying to find a cafe and all I am seeing is fabric and clothing stores. Then I saw a McDonalds. I'm not happy about it but I need to eat something and this is the first food place I've seen.

A white flower. Because some people really like white flowers.

-MJ

Ireland Day 12 - The Prom

Not the fancy dance, but a long walkway along the coast. It was fabulous! Ok, so it would have been better if the sun were out then and not now (thanks Ireland) but I still had a great time. It was overcast/sunny and windy as hell and then it started to mist. By the time I arrived at the Claddach I had to put my camera away. As I stood with a mediocre hot chocolate waiting for the bus, the clouds ran away and the sunshine burst out. I frowned and grumbled as I walked onto the crowded bus. It's kind of a toss up with sunny day photos anyway. Blue skies are beautiful, but I had some interesting cloud formations over the ocean. Which is better? It really depends on what you're going for. I'd like to take a bus trip tomorrow to one of my many desired locations, and since those are full of landscapes it'd be great to have sun and fluffy clouds. I wish someone could come with me, I want to be in some of the photos at all of these beautiful locations :\

Back to my walk though.

Good thing I was shown directions, I would have been lost and confused! But as it were, I went to the Joyces and turned left onto Kingston, then right onto Knocknacarra Rd, then left onto what I can only assume is Salthill. I could see the ocean and The Prom but couldn't figure out how to get to it. I ended up wandering through a traveling RV park and some tennis courts before finally popping out onto a cement walkway.

It felt really good to be on the ocean again. The smell was fantastic, I really took in the moment. Then proceeded to take about a zillion photos. While meandering I was appreciative of having no agenda, just the goal of making it to the city centre eventually.

Something happened to set me back about half an hour though, something good! As I'm strolling past a bench that overlooks the Atlantic, an older man is on his phone. He hangs up as I'm walking by:

Man: Hello.

Me: Hello.

Man: How are you?

Me: Good, thank you. And you?

Man: Good! Where are you from?

Me: Washington State!

And then I walked over to him and sat down. He was very nice and we had a pleasant conversation about Ireland, traveling, photography, the weather, college and doing things that are important to us as individuals. It was really a fantastic little experience. And also.... I got my first portrait! YAY!

We were overlooking The Burren in county Clare and he insisted I had to visit it while I was here. He grew up around there and apparently did a lot of rock climbing in his younger days. He explained that it's a stark comparison to Galway because all of the hills are limestone. There are lots of little villages settled throughout all the rocky slopes and dips and he insists it's one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I'll believe him and go, because he has been all over the world.

Mr Martin McDonagh of Ireland has done a lot of traveling in his day! He lived in the States for 17 years, visiting Ireland about once every 9 months. He went to the University of Minnesota and also studied for a year in Amsterdam. He's been from Pennsylvania to Florida to California. He rode a bus from Paris to Nepal and lived in South Africa for two years. He just finished writing memoirs about growing up in The Burren and is currently having a friend give it a read. I hope to find it in stores someday.

I finally asked him for a photo after explaining all of the projects I hoped to accomplish while here and talked in length about my love of portrait photography. He was extremely obliging and I'm happy with how the photos turned out. The lighting was fantastic, diffused across his face with a turbulent sky behind him. I'm all a flutter remembering how I stared at the light falling around his nose and cheek, bursting to ask him if I could take his photo.

Eventually he had to go, and seeing as we were headed in the same direction, we walked and talked until he arrived at his car. We shook hands, I finally remembered to tell him my name, and then off he went, out of my life but not my heart or mind!

The rest of my walk on The Prom was enjoyable, but there were no other social interactions. I walked to the end of this weird.. cement.. pier, low to the ground.... thing with rocks at the end of it. The wind was rough at the end of it and the sea spray was speckling my camera and me. I attempted a few interesting shots before finally turning back to the shore. It was a great relief when I finally turned a bend and realized I was looking at the Spanish Arch. The walk was nice but I was ready to go back home and start talking about it!

While waiting for the bus to arrive I grabbed a hot chocolate (€2.50 and wasn't that great. The Irish don't put enough chocolate in!) then watched in irritation as the clouds went away and the sun came out (I know I said that at the start of this but I'm still bothered, obviously). The bus was pretty crowded and I ended up sitting next to a mother and her daughter who was maybe 3 1/2 or 4. A little ways into the ride I realize the girl is asking her mother why I'm sitting with them. "There's no where else to sit" the girl says "There's a seat there!" and the mom says "But someone else needs that seat, you can keep sitting with me". Man, leave it to little kids to be so candid that they make me feel like a jerk!

So now here I am, listening to Lady GaGa, window open (it's overcast now which makes me feel better) and blogging about what a good day it has been so far. I'm waiting for Catherine and Maisa to get here, Catherine got a tattoo today and I'm excited to see it! Perhaps I'll get a tattoo while I'm here, I've been wanting another one and this seems like the perfect time! :3 I wonder what's for dinner? I took a ridiculous amount of photos today, it's going to be VERY HARD to decide which 9 or less I post today, it'll be even harder to decide my 365 submission X| What a great problem to have!

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10:22 am: home: What is this? Decent weather? Finally!

11:31 am: home: I don't like having to turn on the hot water before I get in the shower, it requires too much planning :P (The hot water here has an on/off switch, I have to turn it on half an hour before I get in so the hot water heater can warm up to temperature)

12:43 pm: home: Another late start. I'm going for a walk today, aaaaaaaaaaaall alone.

1:51 pm: walking: On my merry way to Salthill! It's windy!

2:02 pm: walking: Just saw a dead little kitty on the side of the walkway, I was about two feet from it. It about stopped my heart it scared me so badly. It also made me very sad.

2:10 pm: walking: Helloooooooooo Atlantic ocean!

3:08 pm: The Prom: Just finished a conversation with a lovely older man. I also got my first portrait!!

3:22 pm: The Prom: The wind just threw sand in my eye!

4:06 pm: Shop Street: A pub is playing Bob Dylan. I'm pretty sure this song is on the CD Steve gave to me while I was still at school. Thanks again Steve!

4:11 pm: Bus Stop: Made it from Knocknacarra to the City Centre past Salthill! I feel so accomplished. Time to catch the bus home.

4:17 pm: Bus Stop: It rained the entire second half of my walk and now the sun is out as I wait for the bus. What gives, Ireland?

**EDIT**

9:48 pm: walking: This is the first time I've been out sans camera. I'm outside for a walk, but don't worry it's light out still!

-MJ