Grenada

is a swirl of confident, laidback locals, dredded art students and dazed tourists. There are baskets of spices on the twisty Arab calles that smell of incense, mint and grilled meat with tiny tearooms behind hotcolored curtains where you can laze on cushions and smoke the pipe.

Icepeaked mountains tower around a white city that swelters in its plazas and is cool and cavelike in green hedged gardens with fountains spilling everywhere. The mosaics in the Alhambra are old and jewellike... they found a way to make lace out of stone and paint it with colored glass. I feel a joie de vivre here, unexpected in the deathplace of Lorca and so many others, a musical history and the ghosts of horses on tricky cobblestones that ran with blood.

...Shannon

caving

White clay road spinning under bike wheels, olive trees blurring by, steep green drops on either side. Steep cobbles on the road down to the cave sanctuary, hand carved ... lo mas arabe... where they worshipped water.

Loading our bikes on the bus, taking a risk...the last bus...in 10 minutes, not knowing if the train will bring us back or how far are the caves. Hiking up a long, dusty mountain road, 2/3 miles, hot sun, roosters, dogs. Getting a ride with some Finns the last quarter mile.

Seeing caves! Little bats hanging upside down, dripping calcite columns colored copper green, rust red and pure white, cathedral ceilings of mother rock and stalagmites like cabbages, aliens and organ pipes you can play with your fist. Drawings 30,000 years old of horses, goats, fish, moon clandars and flying shamen. We are %inside% the mountain! One kilometer in through narrow twisty stairs and sunken lakes, inside the earth where its cool and dark and smoked by ancient fires. We have lanterns and awe.

The train takes us back. We return the bikes with seconds to spare. We eat vegetarian food and walk back to camp under stars that, yes, twinkle, and dance with rainbow colors.

...Shannon

camping

There is something so spectacular about arriving at a campground in the dark, shivering, grumpily putting up a tent, crashing hard, and waking up to see where we are * a golden paradise of spring trees high in the mountains. Everything slopes bright and clean and tranquil, and here we are paying 12 euros a night instead of 70 in town, with a mountain village and national parque to explore. The campgrounds are exquisite, with fancy bathrooms and cafeterias, not that many people, and a symphony of nearby birds and distant churchbells.

We walked into the delightful ancient town along a road lined with poppies, lilacs and wild figs. Olives too. Had still/warm pan au chocolat at a bakery and saw the incredible gorge and crazy town of Ronda that clings there and hangs its laundry over the edge.

//Shannon

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Oh... (Shannon]

Jon needs to change countries.

off topic (Jonathan)

The Manzanita (Spoken in the voice of John Wayne)

Bein´out in this country I get to feelin´ like sayin´ the word manzanita. Manzanita, gives a man pause to think about what he has in his life, and the small simple pleasures of a gallon of manzanita by his side. Yes sir, nothing like manzanita to get the old heart pumpin´. Out here in the arroyo, y´know, samplin the simple pleasures of life, manzanita is a necessity, a kind of life force that ya just can´t do without. Manzanita, cool sweet manzanita, like a waterfall only more drier like. A dry pokey little waterfall with all kind o´needles stickin´ out of it. I was trudgin up the A456 t´other day with my compadre and it got all hot and dry and I said to myself "What does a man have to do around here to get hisself a tankard of that manzanita?" Then I said it right out loud. "We won´t last ´til sundown without some life givin´ manzanita." Maybe I was overstatin´ it a bit but you know how I get about my manzanita...

Jonathan

Secret Words `[Shannon]

for financial survival in Spain, you have to say *media racione*. The you get a normal plate for 3-4 €uros instead of more fod than you´ve ever seen in your life for 9-12 €.

The other secret is kind of obvious, but not always easy to do: You have to take a siesta when they do, or everything will be cerrado, and you will be ¡frustrado!

Cadiz to Ronda (Jonathan)

We took a travel day out of Santa Maria near Cadiz (spain for all those less geographically inclined like mio) and ended up staying in Cadis getting off at the wrong stop, on the outskirts of town. Decide to stay in Cadiz for night and go to a hostel called Quo Qadiz, nice little hippy throwback pad. Garbonzo soup for dinner there only 2 euros (3 bucks) and free music, some Raja squeezebox live. Up early for coffe and toast with marmalide and catch the 11 am for Tarifa at the southwestern tip of spain, little windsurfer mecca, beautiful town with good food (squid). We stood on a point looking at the hills of Africa dudes and dudettes...beautiful mist skirted african mountains against an azure spanish sky. Really want to go. Seeing an entire continent separated by such a small strait is exciting, makes me feel like the world just has so much in it! The strait of gibraltar is beautuful today. The skies lighten towards the dark continent--blue blue to an almost white horizon. The rock of Gibraltar is about 2 miles to my left as the crow flies, big jagged head of limestone with a green cape of pines leading south. We are in Algeceras during this scene, just after the bus ride from Tarifa, which was incredible, sit on the right side of the bus.! One rises on the northeast side of Tarifa past hills with hundreds of wind turbines all stopped because of a rare day without wind. The air is clear and you feel like you are sailing over the hills on the twisty road to Algiceras. Best 1.59 € we have spent yet!!
Ronda is a 3000 feet or so (Steve, thanks for the neat watch, I use all the functions all the time, especially altitude). Gets cold at night, down to 40 or so last night but most comfy night in the tent yet. More later, this place is really pretty and it is so cool being near to Africa...
Jonathan

HOLA [Shan]

Where we left off in Sevilla we were trying to get Flicker to post our new Spain pics as their own group, by date of posting, and not back with Ireland so yáll don´t have to scroll down. Will keep trying. Flckr is also stupid at letting us rotate photos that are sideways, and takes 10 years to upload. Don´t you hate it when bloggers complain about the tech, zzzzz.

We´ve been camping on the playa near Cadiz and now in the mountains near Ronda. We went to Tarifa just to see Africa, and were not disappointed: its mountains sleep tantalizingly close across the Mediterranean, ringed in mist. Andalucia is beautiful, dramatic and seductive as a field of poppies. I found that my father´s spirit is with me whenever I lie on the beach. We dozed all morning in a plaza where a guy played deep classical Spanish guitar, then had some langorous tapas and lemonade. It works.

Lee Ranaldo [Shan]

says, in this Seville arts magazine, "It´s easy to see clearly while traveling because so many of the mundane aspects of day-to-day living fall away and leave you free to contemplate larger issues -- such as where one fits in the world, where ´home´is, what values are important, etc."

While this is true, the values part, I find that traveling makes the mundane aspects bigger, into an adventure every day, because we have to figure out where we are, how it´s done here and how to say it in another language. This excites me, and it´s tiring, and I look forward to being somewhere for awhile. The country is of course easier than cities, and we will be camping soon. No matter where I am, if it´s different than what I´m used to, I can´t help asking: What is family? Where is home? How can people get along better? And the neverending: How do things work?

Recovery [Shan]

I got major sick in Barcelona; thought it was food poisoning,then it happened again 2 days later in Seville, ugh. Jon was felled yesterday, now vertical. Must be some awful bug. Besides sucking, what el encuentro mal accomplished was the big slow down. There was so much to see and do in Barcelona, it was not possible to do it all. I realized I was still "working." Now I´m retired. Total drift. Floating around soaking it all in, no agenda.

Seville is slower than Barna, undemanding, with spiral streets medievaling around with orange and almond blossoms breezes. It´s warm and when they dig a subway tunnel, they run into Roman ruins. In contrast with Ireland, people are yelling at each other and wearing loud, revealing clothing, so it reminds me of home. The art scene in Barna is way ahead of New York, totally free and energized, while in Seville, they are just discovering the 80s: Spoken Word, graffiti and hip hop. Lydia Lunch is on all these posters, which cracks me up.

More Ireland Pics

We discovered the only way to read captions or write comments is to click on the photos themselves, then you get options, and a better view. Posting photos from Barcelona and Seville next...

Flamenco *Jonathan*

We are in Sevilla in the south of Spain after a 12 hour train trip from Barcelona the city of anarchists (reading some George Orwell about Spain(. Last night we are in the most amazing celebration of culture I have ever seen, flamenco feria on the river in seville, just absolutely insanely colorful and cultural. Children dancing in the street, singing and clapping and remembering how their ancestors did it!! Really stunning, took lots of pics with movement and color, will post as soon as possible. ole
Jonny

More Bests

Best Peat Fire: In Errigal, made with a "wee bag of coal" the gas station guy sold us. The bag was so wee we couldn´t lift it.

Best cup of tea: Made by a guy with half a hand in a convenience store in Arnglass who also let Jon into his own house to use the bathroom.

Best Fish n Chips: In Dublin, wrapped in butcher paper and eaten on the street. Cod Bless You.

OOps they just turned out the lights.

--Shannon

a different world *Shannon*

We´re in Barcelona, and suddenly there´s sun! And real coffee. Don´t get me wrong, I loved Ireland. There´s something about realizing how easy it is to move among people who are by nature unconfrontational, and what it must take to push them to another level, historically. Not that anyone discussed politics with us. The hostess at the Dublin B&B kept repeating: "We won´t talk about the war!" Ah, but which one?

Older people told us stories, like the lacemaker on Inis Mor, whose husband carves stone. We were biking around the island on a super windy day, looking at ceremonial sites and monk´s stone beehive houses from the 5th century. She said don´t believe the tour guides who tell you the forts were built by the Romans. It was the Celts, who wore horns on their heads and fought off the Vikings. The women were warriors too. Yet that monk´s hut was the most peaceful place I´ve ever been in my life. I could have stayed there and watched the grass blow for ages. Inis Mor is seductive that way.

Best Castle: Auginaure. Okay, it was the only one we saw, but it was unexpectedly erotic. It was built in the 1500s by the fighting O´Flahertys. It has a river moat, deep and brown water flowing around crenelated stone walls Inside is a wonderfully bumpy lawn with trees and handsome rock outcroppings. The tower itself in 6 stories high of smooth grey stone with slit windows. Inside narrow whitewashed stairways wind up and lead to secret rooms and three great rooms with marble fireplaces. All these wide windowseats led to tiny openings where you could shoot someone or hurl at them through a murder hole. We wanted to put our mango in every shot but we had forgotten the camera and eaten the mango.

nueva entrada (jonathan)

Barcelona. This place is absolutely completely. We are just walking around weeping and saying to each other the we will never return to the united states, ever ever, in between mouthfuls of tender squid and perfect coffee. This afternoon was a sea of people along the Rambla Catalunya, stylish Spanish walking in the afternoon sun, laughing and singing, having coffee and wine and beer, making plans for the weekend, the huge tram running over the immense marina and former olympic stadium, 800 year old churches and still being built Biotech extravaganzas of architecture. Worship changes. unbelieveable. And there is a beach on the Mediterranean that we were sitting on today, getting a sunburn. sorry about that! Not really!!! heh heh. As we just about come to the 2 week mark of our 26 week journey we have been in the nordic expanse of Ireland and been snowed, hailed, sunned and rained upon and have loved every stinking minute of it. Now I am beginning to realize the trip is going to take us to places outside of my schema of the world, places that make it all worthwhile if you ever get to see them. I have a sense of Holland and northern Europe, as well as Hungary, but southern Europe, where I am, is something totally different, something alive and happy! I have been in Spain for 24 hours and my heart is looking for its spanish cousins...
Jonathan

some pics as a test, see some of Ireland

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36395902@N00/9091115/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36395902@N00/9091761/?#comment2423001
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36395902@N00/9091760/

All Pictures at this present point in time now

Falls Road

Very emotional morning in the Falls Road area of Belfast, sort of ground zero for the troubles, lots of artwork and signs of struggle. seems the downtrodden of the world--Catalonians, Native Americans, African Americans--all put in their two cents worth and show solidarity. They also want a soapbox, an intermittent megaphone powered by violence. The people in the area are nice, we saw two funerals (it is tuesday...) had some tea and bought a couple of pears (fruits and veggies are rare). Took many pictures of the murals mostly touting the need for all to join the Sinn Fein (Ogra sinn fein) and disband the RUC. It was really intense walking by bombed out buildings, fenced off sidewalks and posters of people who have been killed, martyrs in a war between religious politics. I could really feel the angst, the Berlin-like stoniness of belfast. And the beautiful hills gleaming gloam in the distance, past the row houses wiff da chimbleys. The weather was good for walking, cold and windy with occasional sun to warm the backs of our legs. We are off to Giants Causeway today, ending in Donegal at the Errigal Hostel there...gonna be pretty if rainy, pretty if not. catch you later
Jonathan

ouch

Dublin is much softer than Belfast, the proving ground for British domination...you know you have conquered a country (or a people, more important because countries are political, people are personal) when you get the self same folk to say stuff like "we will never surrender". Who are you surrendering to? yer !@*&%$ing neighbor? Anyway, it is incredibly beautiful, the country is perfectly green and it is not busy at all, no screaming cars on the road with us, we are blissfully alone when out in the wild. Stopped at a beach today and literally saw every species of algae on the planet in like five minutes. Took pictures of it all, Shannon held it up for me, such a trooper. We are at the Linen House tonight in Bel Fierste city, home of the River Lagan (I saw the danger, yet I walked, along the ancient way, and I said "let grief be a falling leaf, at the dawning of the day.) getting fat eating potatoes and toffee.
Jonathan

GO ANALOG!

As Deb would say, with a notebook and pen; been doing that till now. I MISS Deb. I also would like to call my mom and Lisa, but we haven't been able to find a sim card that fits the phone yet.

It's Sunday in Dublin. There are birds with long blue tails Jon calls linnets. He's not sure if that's the name, but it sounds good, sounds Irish.

Yesterday was full of sun and riverwalking and climbing high things to get a view. The Jameson's Chimney view of Dublin isn't very exciting. Flat and gray and jumbly, ringed by fog, with bits of the Liffey slow and gray green. James Joyce's tower in Sandy Cove is fantastic with spreading views of the sea and people jumping in in freezing water at all times of year, oh the austerity. Even skinny little girls which is why someone spraypainted out the 'Gents Only' sign and added another: 'Wear Togs.' Yes I said Yes I will Yes.

The news is about Polish immigrants taking any jobs, and about not taking feminism for granted. And of course, the Pope is dead.

As for us, today we have the foolishness to rent a car. We're driving to Belfast.

LIKE A CIGARETTE BETWEEN THE LIPS OF SLEEP

I'm smoked.

I've taken 3 pictures and thought about how my father shot personalities expressing themselves, and of course, forms, composition and light. While I see form and color expressing itself as personality, and that's what makes me take a photo. I hope I'm not terribly bossy while being bossed around by these things.

All the signs are also in Gaelic.

Shannon, APRIL 2

WHAT WAY ARE YOU? by Shan

We are in Dublin. What way are you? is what the Irish guy on the PBS video 'The Celts' kept asking, and giving the answers he had received, such as: 'No longer vertical.' He had been talking to, older rural people.
The best response was: 'Stumbling between the immensities.'
'What imensities?'
'Birth and death.'

We were listening to the video while packing in New York. There's a photo of this which we'll ty to link when we find a photo cd. Somehow we ended up sitting in a green garden at a B&B on Drumcondra Street. Speaking only for myself, I got here by following Bethany's advice: 'Be spazzy.' That is the best advice, I think, and best expresses What way am I.

yummy scrummy

lovely breakfasts in dublin, went down to the coast where Joyce found his inspiration for the betginning of Ulysses and Portrait of the Artist. Dublin is way connected and sweet, very mod. Expensivo too...and the Euro trades violently with our weak currency. We are frugal though and have a good deal at the b and b, now mounting a wine colored car to tour this beautiful place where my DNA is from.,..the stars call me at night and the sun bathes my colorless skin in the day, very temperate. Sorry bout the pope
\jon

dirty Dublin town

We made it, ensconced in fine linens at the Tinode House we napped after a soggy arrival at Dublon Airport. Just had the best fish and chips ever ever and eating little chocolate thingies. Loving each other and life...she just called me a creampuff...yeah, I AM. Love to all and stop all the wars.
jon