Last week, I visited Dublin for the first time. I’ve never been to Ireland, period, so I was glad to start in one big city that had so much to do, that we still had things we didn’t see or do even after staying there for a week. We ate a lot of brown bread and drank a lot of whiskey. We heard a lot of seagulls and walked along a lot of cobblestone streets. It was a wonderful trip.
One thing I found appropriate was the proximity of our hotel to the Dublin Writers Museum. The museum is a bit small — two floors — but a must-see for any literary travelers. The museum has letters, first editions, audio recordings, photos, and more from some of Ireland’s most famous writers, including James Joyce and Samuel Beckett.
My favorite display was the case devoted to Bram Stoker. The case housed a first edition of Dracula, along with other old copies. The museum came with an audio guide, and the entry for Stoker included a reading of the “Children of the Night” passage. I grinned from ear to ear as the narrator spoke. I’m due to give Dracula a reread.
My only critique is that the museum was focused almost entirely on men. Some women were featured, but not many. I understand the earlier years will have more men than women, but I also believe more women could’ve been found to be showcased. The museum certainly has room.
The museum is taking a step to rectify this by putting together a special exhibit on women writers. A nice step, though I do hope they’ll reconsider the current name of the exhibit: “Ireland’s Other Writers.” Come on.
Really?
There was plenty of non-literary fun to be had as well. My husband and I visited many pubs. My favorite was The Ha’Penny Bridge Inn near the River Liffey. The patrons were friendly, the drinks were great, and the walls were filled with poetry.
One of my favorite poems.
We also took a day trip to Northern Ireland. The tour was focused on Game of Thrones filming locations, including the Dark Hedges and Ballintoy Harbor. We also visited Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s a wonder to behold. It’s filled with rock walls, stepping stones, marshy shores, and hills to climb. Give it a visit if you find yourself in Ireland or Northern Ireland for sure.
The Dark Hedges
Giant’s Causeway
Ballintoy Harbor
Cushenden Caves, where Melisandre gave birth to the smoke monster in “Game of Thrones.”
I’ve been back for almost a week, and I still miss waking up to the sound of seagulls. I hope to return sooner rather than later.
I returned from my vacation yesterday. I’m ready to get back to the grind, but I still find myself thinking of all the places we visited in Halifax and Prince Edward Island. The views were beautiful in both sun and rain. I loved the red sand beaches, green cliffs, lighthouses, and wildflower fields (yes, I’ll post pictures).
I also had a small adventure that reminded me of a credo I oft repeat, and will do so here: back up your files. Even if you’re not a writer, back them up, and back them up in multiple places. If you write in a journal, make photo copies. If you type your stories, save them to various firmware, and also the cloud if you can. Back them up every which way, because you never know when one of the pieces holding your stories could be lost.
I emphasize this point because my somewhat tedious back-up practice was the only thing that kept me from melting into panic my first day in Halifax. I rode a taxi from the airport to our hotel, and realized fifteen minutes after the taxi left that I’d left my messenger bag in the cab. It held my iPhone charger, two books, and a cross-stitched bookmark I’d made a few years ago. It also held my laptop, which has all of my stories and associated files.
I’d kept my taxi receipt (I also recommend keeping receipts whenever possible, even if it’s just for a few days), but none of the numbers on the paper were a phone number. We called the airport, but they didn’t recognize the cab company name, and had trouble locating the car I’d been in. As the hours ticked by, and one day became the next, I resigned myself to the fact that my laptop was lost. My laptop was lost, but my files weren’t — because I’d backed everything up before I left.
So, I repeat — back up your files. Save them to firmware. Save them to the cloud. Email them to yourself, or even a trusted friend. But back them up. It takes five minutes, and saves you a lot of heartache when one source of your files disappears.
I am happy to report that my messenger bag’s Nova Scotia adventure has a happy ending. Once I got in touch with the ground transportation manager at Halifax Airport, she volunteered to check the security cameras; and within fifteen minutes, she found my taxi driver. The driver had found the bag and kept it safe, thinking I’d call him — he didn’t realize that I didn’t have his phone number. So, he brought it back to the airport, and I picked it up on my way home yesterday between my connecting flight from Halifax to Montreal.
Everyone at the airport was very kind, even when I spoke to them with the intense panic I get when I’m trying to solve something (it’s a polite panic, but it’s intense all the same). They also remembered me when I called, even if I hadn’t spoken to that person previously. “Oh, are you the woman who left her bag in the taxi?” “Oh, you’re the woman who lost the Bob Marley bag!” (Another tip — travel with a unique bag that makes you readily identified by airport officials)
Both the airport officials and the hotel concierge were exceedingly kind. I only found the number of the relevant airport official because a wonderful concierge at the Prince George Hotel did an intense round of searches for the right number to call, even when the first few tries came up short. His manager remarked that he had the wrong profession — he should’ve been a detective. He went out of his way to help me, the airport officials went out of their way to help me find the bag, and the taxi driver — whose name I wish I had, so I could thank him — was nice enough to keep my bag safe for the two days he had it before the airport official located the taxi. When I got my bag back, everything was fine. I had my files, I had my books and bookmark and laptop, and I had a sense of happiness knowing there were many people who wanted to help one tourist find her lost bag.
As happy as the ending is, it’s also a lucky one. So, one last time: back up your files!
As promised above, here are some pictures from the trip. I highly recommend visiting both Halifax and Prince Edward Island. Take a drive to see the lighthouses, spend some time on the wharf, walk barefoot on the red sand beaches, and take a moment to pause and look at the fields and cliffs.
Harbor view in CharlottetownLighthouse in the woods at Port-la-Joye – Fort Amherst.Lighthouse at Victoria-by-the-SeaRed cliffs and the sea at East Point, PEIRainy window view from Panmure Island Lighthouse.One of many red sand beaches in Prince Edward IslandNew London Lighthouse, just off the red sand beach.Beautiful field near Green Gables (yes, that Green Gables) in CavendishThe Lake of Shining WatersField view of grass, trees, and wildflowers; outside of our cottage in KinkoraHarbor view at sunset in HalifaxView of Halifax from Dartmouth
August has been a little quieter on the blog. As I’ve worked at my day job, worked on my next writing projects, and worked on preparing The Crow’s Gift and Other Tales for publication, I’ve had a little less time for blog updates. I anticipate a return to my normal twice-weekly schedule in the coming weeks.
I wanted to drop in with a quick hello, and a quicker progress report. My novella is still moving along. It’s moving very slowly, and I think it’s because it’s more serious than most of what I write. I always feel like I’m taking a deep dive when I write it, and hitting Save is like resurfacing and taking a big gulp of air. I can only write like that for so long a stretch.
On the lighter side, I have started working on Suds, which I first mentioned when I attended the Craft Brewers Conference back in March. It took me awhile to get going on it, as I was having trouble connecting to the characters and getting into their story the way I’d connected to the characters in Please Give. I’m still not quite there, but I find myself wanting to write, and subsequently learn, more about Kim and Laurel, and how their brewery road trip will go.
It’s fitting, as I myself am about to go on a trip. I’ll be in Halifax and Price Edward Island for the next few days. I’ve never been, and look forward to spending time on the water, drinking some Canadian craft beer, and spending time with my friends. If you have any recommendations for things to do there, please leave them in the comments!
Sonora Taylor 