The Fleeting Fingers of Irish Writers,

Make my Irish Eyes Smile

     

Oscar Wilde

                                 I step off a Dublin city bus, practically at the front door of a stately 18th century mansion at 18 Parnell Square. It is the home of the Dublin Writers Museum. Here is housed a presentation of Irish literary history and tradition through the books, portraits, letters, and memorabilia of about 300 years of Irish writers. I join the ranks of other English majors (this English major is 22% Irish per Ancestry.com) who have passed through this door. I can't wait to get inside.

William Butler Yeats

The guy here to the left, W.B. Yeats, in 1923, was the first Irishman to receive a Nobel Prize for Literature. He was a poet, dramatist, prose writer and heralded as one of the greatest English language poets of the 20th century. I call him "a writer's writer". He wrote everything, extremely prolific--fiction, non-fiction, plays, short stories, and a tremendous amount of poetry. Then in his spare time he was a co-founder of Ireland's National Theatre--The Abbey Theatre. He did it all. That's why I call him "a writer's writer".

George Bernard Shaw

During his life, Shaw wrote sixty plays, also novels, and essays. In 1925, he received the Nobel in Literature. In addition, some may not know that in 1938 he won an Academy Award for his work on Pygmalion, an adaptation of his play of the same name.

I have always been a Shaw fan and have seen productions of several of his plays: Major Barbara, John Bull's Other Island (this is the first play he wrote), Peace in Our Time, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Arms of the Man, Caesar and Cleopatra, The Philanderer. 

James Joyce

James Joyce was a novelist, short story writer, and a poet.

He is best known for Ulysses, which I have to admit, I've never read. He used a stream of consciousness technique with this work, a narrative attempting to cover many thoughts and feelings in the mind. I opted to read Dubliners, a collection of short stories, in which some of the characters actually appear in Ulysses. It was released in 1914, a work depicting Irish middle class life at  the peak of Irish nationalism. 

Frank McCourt

In 1930, Frank McCourt was born of Irish parents in Brooklyn. During the Depression, the family moved back to Ireland where they met even harder times. Here Frank stayed until he was 19, when he moved back to America. He served in the Korean War and attended college on his GI Bill majoring in English.He was both a teacher and writer, teaching in many schools in New York. 

He is well known for his 1996 memoir, Angela's Ashes, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. Angela was his mother. He went on to write a follow-up, ' Tis, and later Teacher Man, about his teaching life.




These are just highlights of the museum. It is important to note that there are two more 
Irish writers who are Nobel Laureates--Samuel Beckett in 1969 and Seamus Heaney in 1995.

This is also a good time for me to thank and recognize
my Guide through Ireland, the knowledgeable, vivacious, 
and never boring, Kate. She is also a student at the
University of Cork. I'm glad I had an opportunity to
meet and come to know her! I wish her the best in her 
pursuits at university.

                                                     

Silver Bullets Taking it to the Streets--This Time Main Street in Logan, Ohio!

The Urban Air Appalachian Adventure of 2018 got underway on April 26th when an expected 75 Airstreams began rolling into town setting up weekend residence along Main Street, Logan, Ohio, USA. This is the first time an Airstream Rally has been held in Logan.

It didn't take long for the Airstream community to not only find their respective places but also parallel park their campers up and down Main Street creating a pedestrian mall free of vehicle traffic. The proud owners generously opened  their Airstream doors to the good folks of Logan offering tours of their homes on wheels. Creativity abounds with their personal décor ranging from simple to whimsical. I particularly like the blue color scheme shared in the photo above.

Hello from some West Virginia neighbors!

No fear airing one's underwear!

A variation on the theme.

This is an older model that was completely restored by its owners. Really bright and shiny!

Like this one, too, with the flamingo theme, "Let's Flamingle", going on. Nice touch with floating chiffon panels!

                                                                                 

This is not All of Them!

                                                                     

  

Guess what! Airstreams are made in Ohio at Jackson Center where you can tour the factory.

And . . . Another big guess what! The Airstream community really loved Logan and will be returning next year! We look forward to their arrival!

                                                                       
                                     

  

Travel, Wine, Food--What I Know: Celebrity Hall of Fame, Hotel Nacional de CubaNoti...

Travel, Wine, Food--What I Know: Celebrity Hall of Fame, Hotel Nacional de CubaNoti...: Celebrity Hall of Fame, Hotel Nacional de Cuba Notice photo of Nat King Cole behind sculpture. A Cuban Cultural Collage of Dancer...

Celebrity Hall of Fame, Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Notice photo of Nat King Cole behind sculpture.

A Cuban Cultural Collage of Dancers, Musicians, and Artists

Dancing in Cuba isn't just about Mambo, Cha-Cha, and Conga lines. Although, I can say I took my turn on the dance floor with a Cha-Cha, partnering with a sure-footed, suave, Cuban musician. It's amazing what I can do after a couple of Mojitos and a visit to the Buena Vista Social Club.

Most impressive, however, was a visit to the colonial city of Camaguey, home of the Camaguey Ballet Company. This ballet school teaches and grooms carefully selected, dedicated students in the art of classical ballet, beginning at an early age. This school and company have been in place for several decades.

Entrance to Camaguey Ballet School

The Ballet Company has  performed in over forty countries. We arrived in time for an early morning warm-up class at the barre.

I recognized this ballerina from a YouTube video I viewed before my trip. She danced with partner, a pas de deux  from Coppelia, a comic ballet, which features the principal ballerina dancing with a flirtatious fan, historically one of the last romantic ballets. I also recognized that she was dancing in this studio in the video; and she did dance her heart out! Certainly a lovely, dedicated artist.

But, of course, the main tools of a ballet dancer are ballet slippers and toe shoes. Not something that is easily found in Cuba, if at all.  In addition, toe shoes only last through one performance. Every performance requires a new pair. In the U.S., a pair of toe shoes costs on average $90--take that times numerous performances over a period of years. This resourceful ballet company came up with a solution many years ago--have your own cobblers. Please take a look at the gentleman below. He has been making ballet slippers for over thirty years!

                          Music, Music, Music

Music permeates the island of Cuba--morning, noon, night, and any time in between. I was impressed when a stringed quartet played at a hotel breakfast buffet at 7:30 a.m. A musical venue can be created wherever. I was flattered when I was serenaded by a guitarist while sitting on a park bench in Old Havana. Okay, yes, that's how he makes his living! I didn't consider myself special, but, on the other hand, I had never been serenaded to. He sang to me, "I Love You for Sentimental Reasons" (an old tune from the forties, I think, maybe around WWII, and an American song.) But, of course, we'd never met and had no history, so what are those sentimental reasons that make you love me? I'm thinking this jokingly in my head as he croons. Doesn't matter. I fell for the romance of the situation. He had snagged another satisfied customer.

                                                                         

Going to? or Coming from? a Gig

                                                                       

Lunch with these young men in Cienfuegos, hearing lots of percussion, along with John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

Notice their CD in the basket on the small table.

                                                                       

                                                                     

Dinner music in Cienfuegos. These guys were really good! That's fellow traveler Jill to my right

along with Polly across the table dining at Paladar Casa Prado.

                                                                         

Above is a small orchestra in Cienfuegos that played for us. They were stunning, so talented. We were moved by their beautiful performance of Shenandoah with dedication to their American audience. It is such a beautiful piece of music, a favorite of mine. It was an honor to hear them play it. There was not a dry eye in the house when they finished. We learned from them that there isn't even a music store in Cuba, which makes it difficult if a string or reed needs to be replaced. Also, it's difficult to get a piano tuner. They seem to find ways; they are resourceful people. It's a shame that these talented, young people cannot easily access what they need to maintain their instruments. I try not to be political in my blog, but I do have to say, sixty years of embargo is far too long.

                         A Family of Potters

We visited the family owned Cassanova Pottery Studio in Camaguey. Two generations of the Cassanova family work at the studio, led by their father, with a son who is being groomed to assume leadership in years to come. This business has been in place for several years. Privately owned businesses aren't that common in Cuba, but more are opening, accommodating the influx of tourists, i.e. paladars (restaurants, sometimes in homes), bed and breakfasts/hostels. The beaches of Cuba are a popular winter destination for Canadian snowbirds and many Europeans.

                                                         

Papa Cassanova works his Magic.

His wheel spins by electricity.

And my tour friends Leia, Andrea, Dee, and Barbara watch.

                                                         

Son learned well from Papa.

He uses his foot to spin his wheel.

We Finish the Afternoon with, of course, a Song!

    Still Several Days of Travel Ahead!

                                                        

                                                                           

                            

             Finca Vigia--Papa Hemingway's Cuban Home

                                            

Hemingway's Study

In the village of San Francisco de Pala, about 10 to 15 miles from Havana, is a pink, limestone villa, Finca Vigia (Lookout Farm--including 15 acres), home to Ernest Hemingway when he lived in Cuba during the 1940s and 1950s. He grew to love Cuba and its people; as they did him. So much so, that they called him "Papa", expressing their warmth toward him. He, in turn, donated his 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature to Cuba. He experienced a great deal of privacy with his writing at Finca Vigia which he valued. Although apolitical, he was pleased that Fidel Castro brought down Batista in the Revolution. But Hemingway left Cuba shortly thereafter and returned to his home in the States, specifically Ketchum, Idaho in 1961. Just a few months after his return, it was in Ketchum that he took his life.

Finca Vigia eventually became a Cuban Government Museum. It sets on a hill, a lovely location, surrounded by gardens, patios, porches,  pergolas, and a swimming pool. This is the front door of the villa. Visitors are not allowed to enter the house; they must look through the windows and the French doors. Not all windows are open. But visitors are free to take photographs; however, I'm a challenged photographer, so I found it a bit difficult to take photographs through windows. 

                                                                                                         

This is the side entrance to the villa. At the top of the stairs, at the corner of the home, is the location of Papa's bedroom. He apparently did a lot of writing in his bedroom, mostly standing up at a typewriter. Notice the typewriter in the photo of his room below. On the right, on top of the bookcase.

                                                                           

It is said that the villa was in the order in which he left it at his departure. However, an unfinished manuscript, his last, A Moveable Feast, a memoir of his time in Paris as a young man, was found and published by members of his family as a restored edition. Hemingway's working papers, manuscripts, and other items are found at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston. I learned this when I visited the JFK Library a few years ago, but there are limitations on who can use the Hemingway collection-- those conducting academic research mostly. 

                                                                                    

Dining Room--I wonder if guests dined on the animals on the walls?

Living Room into Dining Room

Guest Room--Maybe Ava Gardner slept here?

Other side of guest room.

Goes without saying.

The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway's boat, Pilar

Next to the Pilar, the dog cemetery.

For those who are wondering, Hemingway lived in his Key West house in the 1930s. I have not visited it, but have seen numerous photos. It appears to be far more historically elegant and meticulously decorated. Very much a show place. The villa in Cuba appears far more comfortable, relaxing, and laid back. Maybe that's why Papa liked Cuba so much.

I still have more to share!

It is said that there were 4,000-6,000 books found in the home.

                                                       

Travel, Wine, Food--What I Know: Why CUBA, You Say . . . And I Say, Why Not? ...

Travel, Wine, Food--What I Know: Why CUBA, You Say . . . And I Say, Why Not?
      ...: Why CUBA, You Say . . . And I Say, Why Not?          Let's Begin with a Saturday Morning Stroll                  in Old Havana (correc...

Why CUBA, You Say . . . And I Say, Why Not?
         Let's Begin with a Saturday Morning Stroll                  in Old Havana (correction-La Habana)

                                        

Norm and I recently went to Cuba. We visited the colonial cities of Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and La Habana (Havana). Curiosity led us there; and we are happy to say we satisfied our curiosity.

We traveled with about twenty-two other visitors under the guidance of  Globus Travel, a long-time, world-wide, reputable tour company we had traveled with previously in Spain during 2000. Americans arranging travel from the U.S. to Cuba may find it a bit tedious. In addition to a passport, a visa is required. In the majority of situations an American traveler isn't traveling as a tourist, but as a participant in a "people-to-people educational exchange program and must participate in all activities of the program." I know. When I first read this requirement, I thought we would be held on a short leash. As it turned out, that wasn't the case at all!

The gentleman to the left is a local architect who is an expert on Old Havana. He guided us through the maize of what is Colonial Havana, which began here at the Plaza de la Cathedral. 

The site of the Cathedral of Havana, pictured below.


The Plaza is a busy place on a Saturday morning, including friendly photo vendors posing in authentic Cuban dress. See below and notice the serious cigar the gentleman is smoking.

             

Cathedral of Havana

                        

Photo Anyone?

     A Highlight of the Day . . . Grand Tour Around
                     Havana in This Beauty!!                               

A 1948 BUICK CONVERTIBLE WITH ORIGINAL ENGINE!

                                     

Norm Riding Shotgun. Me, Jill, and Polly in Back!

More to Come!

I'll Be Back Soon!