L.A. to New York, Iceland to Spain, and Back Again

Vacation is over. In many ways it was exhausting, as active holidays often are, but I think I ultimately succeeded in unwinding.  I came back home eager and ready to finish designing our house project, instead of trying to avoid it, and that's saying something!

We were gone for two weeks, with our first mini-stop in New York City.  Instead of spending our nine hour layover sitting in the airport, we decided to head into the city and squeeze in some extra sightseeing. We ate at Mario Batali's restaurant, Del Posto, in Manhattan and absolutely fell in love with the Chelsea area.

There are few cities I've visited that I felt like I could live in,  (Dublin.  That's probably it.) and I honestly wasn't prepared to like NYC (I thought I'd be claustrophobic and on edge. I'm used to spread-out-California.) so it surprised me.  I loved the style, the literature, the music, the pace, the people.  I want to go back!

After that brief excursion, our first main stop was Iceland.  We've long been intrigued by Iceland (the music scene, the remoteness) and finally decided to go. We aren't big hikers or backpackers, so we were rather oddball tourists there...when we travel we really love to see the architecture and history, and experience the people, food, and culture.  Iceland offered plenty of those things, so we didn't feel like we were missing out by not being super outdoorsy.

We inadvertently visited during summer solstice, so it never really got dark the entire time we were there.  The sun officially set around midnight and rose around 3am, but the sky never actually gets past dusk.  The landscape is so interesting in Iceland—very volcanic with moss and some wildflowers, but very few trees outside the city.

Apart from Reykjavik, we visited the Blue Lagoon: geothermal hot springs with natural salinity and silica clay that give the water its signature color.  The weather was actually quite temperate, considering how far north the island is.  All the people we met were friendly, and the food was good (though there were a surprising number of hot dog and hamburger joints).  They love skateboarding, and I was thrilled that we happened across a small competition on one of the days we were there...I missed my kiddos.

The Blue Lagoon.

Midnight sunset in Reykjavik.

The Laundromat Cafe...that's my kind of decorating!

Art in Barcelona.  :)

After Iceland, we traveled to warmer climates.  We spent a few days in Barcelona, and then met up with my brother-in-law in Ibiza and Mallorca. I sprained my ankle in Barcelona, so we didn't get to do as much exploring as we wanted to, but it all ended up working out.  We became soccer converts (that's a big deal for us non-sports people) and watched many a World Cup match in one of the local cafes. We also went to the Picasso Museum strolled through the Gothic Quarter.

The islands were beautiful...especially seeing them from the water.  I'm not a big boat person, but  Ibiza wouldn't have been nearly as wonderful if only seen by land.  It was worth the rocking and rolling, the perpetual equilibrium distortion, and the challenge of getting on and off a boat with a sprained ankle.  We didn't go to any clubs, though that seems to be what Ibiza is known for (thank goodness because that really isn't my scene) but had plenty of good people watching.

Seeing the progress on our house when we arrived back home was another treat.  The walls have been insulated, and the finish work is progressing.  It's starting to come together!  I can't wait for the day when my time can be used for reading and writing instead of house design and decisions.

I did get some good reading time in while I was away, but that'll have to wait for the next post.  For now, happy summer and happy reading.

Cedar siding in the master bedroom.  So pretty!

Coachella 2011

Coachella is a music festival, and has nothing to do whatsoever with books...apart from the fact that it is what kept me from reading, writing, and blogging this last weekend.  It is a music festival that tens of thousands of people attend.  Not only was it crowded, but it was ridiculously hot.  It's by Palm Springs, so I suppose it is fairly normal to be hot, but nature exercised its sense of humor last weekend and temperatures spiked solely for the three days we were there.  Which means that there were tens of thousands of sweaty people there.  Sound fun yet?

I got to see some favorites: Mumford and Sons, The Swell Season, and Freelance Whales, find some new favorites: Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, and !!!, as well as listen to many others that are popular right now.  Really there are too many to mention...we managed to see around 40 bands in the 3 days, and I decided that music festivals are best left to the extroverts of the world.  On the bright side, it inspired me to write 3 poems. :)

At the end of the 3 days, Nature apologized for the horrid
heat by rewarding everyone with a spectacular sunset.

As far as books go, I've read some great ones recently that I'm eager to write reviews for.  I'm not sure how much blogging I'll get done before Easter, but I'm crossing my fingers.

I usually keep my language geekishness to myself somewhat, because I'd hate for people to feel like I was making fun of them, but seeing this sign repeatedly (at the vacation rental we stayed at during the festival) finally did me in and I posted it on Facebook.  Something so simple as misspelling "handle" really shouldn't be so entertaining, right? But I just can't help thinking about what poor Handel would think about it.

I hope you all had a great weekend (at much cooler temperatures than the festival's high-90s F) with plenty of reading opportunities.  Enjoy what bits of spring you can find this week!

Sunday Salon: Coming Home with New Books

Before I left on my vacation (which was simply fabulous, by the way) I posted about the never-ending dilemma of packing books.  Of course, I packed way too many books...especially considering the fact that I bought more while I was there.  Oh well, better safe than sorry, right?  I finished 4 books, but I must have brought twice that many.

I love buying books while on holiday--they make wonderful souvenirs.  While in Dublin, I purchased 3 books at the Temple Bar Book Market.  The next 2 I purchased at a lovely little shop in Clifden, and our last stop was at a shop in Dingle.


1. An Ideal Husband, Oscar Wilde
I didn't even realize that Oscar Wilde was an Irish author until I went to the Dublin Writer's Museum.  The Importance of Being Earnest really sold me on his wit and imagination, so I thought Ireland was a better place than many to acquire my next sampling of his work.

2. McCarthy's Bar, Peter McCarthy
Okay, to be honest, I never would have bought this book of my own volition.  But the bartender at the hotel where we were staying in Dublin had really good taste in whiskey, and he was reading this book.  Sometimes I'm a really easy sell.  The fun anecdotes will provide happy-Irish-thoughts when I'm really wishing I was back there.

3. Sweet Liberty: Travels in Irish America, Joseph O'Connor
Well, I like Joseph O'Connor (loved Star of the Sea) and the Irish, and America.  That's about all there was to this choice.  This may be one of those books that sits on my shelf for quite a while...but oh well.  It's a "someday" read.


4. Ghost Light, Joseph O'Connor
This was only released in the US on 2/1/2011, but it has been out in Ireland long enough to be in paperback.  When I found out that Dublin had chosen this book for their One City, One Book, I decided I'd join them.  They are reading this in April, so I can get cracking at any time!

5. The Secret Scripture, Sebastian Barry
Recommended by the bookseller in Clifden, this book is about a woman who has lived much of her life in an insane asylum in Roscommon, and whose psychiatrist is wondering if she ever should have been there at all.  It was a great read--I'll be reviewing it soon!

6. No Country For Old Men, Cormac McCarthy

Decidedly un-Irish in setting, but my husband keeps asking me if I've read it, so it seemed a good time to pick it up!  I thought The Road was so vivid and unsettling, I was amazed at McCarthy's talent and am eager to try another of his novels, unsettling though it may be.

7. The Passage, Justin Cronin

This was my husband's purchase actually, but I'm counting it anyhow.  He rarely has time to read, much less explore new authors, so seeing him dive into this huge book was a rare treat for me!  He's finished it already--what a guy. :)

Now...I am definitely not in need of more books.  My TBR shelf weighs on me enough already.  But if it is a matter of bringing home goofy knick-knack souvenirs or books, you have to know which I'll be choosing.  It's hard to resist, especially when I don't get the chance to buy from small booksellers very often.  Most of my new books come from Amazon, B&N, or used from my local book shop.  But a small bookseller featuring newly published books?  Just not so common around here.  I wish it were!  Do you have small booksellers around you? Wish you did?

Northern Ireland & Connaught

I considered not putting more Ireland pictures here, since they aren't necessarily bookish and I'll be putting a bunch up on my family blog anyhow, but I want to share them with all of you too, so here they are.

Belfast City Hall

After being in Dublin for 4 days, we rented a car and drove up to Belfast.  I was really curious to experience any difference there might be between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but in the words of our cab driver, "It's all just Ireland."  Meant in a good way, of course.  There aren't even any border markers.  The main difference seemed to be that they use Pounds Sterling instead of Euros, although the atmosphere did seem a bit heavier.  The highlight of our trip into Northern Ireland was driving the Causeway Coast.

Panorama of the Causeway Coastline

Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge

Giant's Causeway

I loved driving along the coast and seeing a peak of Scotland, where some dear friends live: so close, yet so far.  After our two days in Northern Ireland, we drove towards the Connaught area.  I loved the landscape here.  It wasn't, perhaps, quite as dramatic as some of the coastlines, but it made my heart sing.  

Connemara--way more impressive in real life!

Remnants of peasant farming still visible in Connemara.
Hard to imagine the amount of people this area once held.

Also the Connemara/Mayo County area.

Sunset on Lough Corrib, Cong

It's still difficult for me to grasp just how incredibly lovely this country is.  So many times we just had to stop and soak it in.  It was literally breathtaking.

Dublin: A Literary City

I'm not usually a fan of big cities. The noise, the sirens, and the traffic can all grate on my nerves and make me a little claustrophobic (which is, perhaps, why living in L.A. county doesn't drive me whacked--it's so spread out that I can pretend that we aren't all piled on top of each other).  However, it is nice to visit a city with some history and character--something L.A. doesn't really provide.

I really didn't know what to expect from Dublin.  All I knew was that James Joyce couldn't wait to get away from it (and they seem to love him anyhow) and that it isn't a favorite of Em's.  As our taxi took us from the airport to our hotel, all I could think of were the disparaging remarks in Dubliners.  
Now I must say that being there the week of Saint Patrick's Day probably didn't provide the most reliable image of the city.  It was completely packed, and not necessarily with Irish people.  So the city was alive, but just with visitors...we found ourselves wondering where the Irish people were!  I did end up liking the city, though.  What I really enjoyed was the enjoyment of the arts.  Everywhere I turned I saw signs of music, art, and literature, which is far more than I can say for what I see in my neck of the woods.

James Joyce's Cafe...yummy cappuccino on a cold day.

Davy Byrnes was apparently a fixture in
Joyce's Ulysses??

Temple Bar Book Market on Saturdays.

Not only were there book stores and the Writer's Museum, but there are literary tours and monuments.  I even saw a group of kids on a Literary Treasure Hunt. There were people reading all over the place, poets selling their works on the street corners, and even books stashed behind desks and bars in case work was light. (And the Irish Film Institute was showing Norwegian Wood, which I was unfortunately unable to make time for.)  These may be normal where you are from, but it was a rare treat for me.  Buses in L.A. do not advertise the latest news in literary fiction.

L.A. ads are all TV/movie/fashion/beauty centered.

On the left is the Dublin Writer's Museum.

The Paddy's Day Parade in Dublin was another feature of our visit there.  It surpassed anything we'd imagined.  The creativity and imagination in the costumes and other creations was astounding.  Plus bagpipes.  I love bagpipes.

So lifelike it was almost creepy.  I was captivated
but luckily remembered to take a picture.

Eyeballs and doggie-bone-hats.  Not really sure why.

We arrived in Dublin Tuesday night, and left midday on Saturday (St. Paddy's Day was on Thursday) and found it to be a nice amount of time there.  We did tons of walking and sight-seeing, and were ready for the next leg of our journey: Northern Ireland.  Will post pictures tomorrow. :)