NorthDownMuse

More pictures!

A few more shots from Sunday: Two of Torr Head (closest point to Scotland) and one from the seaside resort of Portrush. I was very surprised to see three classes of 8-10 students each learning to surf. I was told the water temperature was around 50. Burrr!

Roundabouts

The trip from my house in Chester Springs, Pa., to the YMCA was 3.5 miles, roughly the distance I travel here from Crawfordsburn to the Bangor Aurora Center. There the similarities end. There were 10 traffic lights between my house and the Y; there are no traffic lights between

Antrim Pt. 3

The photos don't capture the beautiful shades of green and blue and aquamarine in the ocean. It looked like the Carribean. As Paul sang: "My desire is always to be here, oh Mull of Kintyre." The quality of light changes so rapidly in Ireland that it

More Awesome Antrim

I didn't see a billboard all day. Heaven. I'm sorry I don't know how to rotate images. Here's another celebrated citizen, Johann of Cushendun, a victim of foot and mouth disease. A hidden cove in Cushendun. 4/7

Awesome Antrim

We spent Sunday driving north along the famous Antrim coast from Belfast to the holiday town of Portrush. We passed the foot of the Glens of Antrim and drove out to Torr Head, a mere 12 miles from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. The trip was uniformly gorgeous and

History as told by...

Saturday was busy because David is a typical Englishman with ants in his pants. Not happy unless touring about. All to my benefit, as I'd be a homebody if left to my devices. We started at the Ulster Folk Museum, which is a bit like Williamsburg, then Project

Breakfast of champions

Breakfast has become my favorite meal. Our granola is made in Biggleswade, England. Probably by elves or hobbits or something that lives in a tree. The milk is from an Ulster dairy. The yoghurt is from nearby Clandeboye Estate, which grazes Holsteins and Jerseys. And the best part: wheaten bread,

Long essay on class

One night last January, near 11 p.m., I went to the nearest grocery store in Chester Springs, an affluent exurb of Philadelphia. In the parking lot, a very old and battered car was running and it looked like someone inside was asleep. Unsure of whether I should check on

Pods by the sea

Belfast sits at the bottom of a deep V, which opens onto the Irish Sea, a mere 20 miles from Scotland. We live on the southern vector of that V, a stretch between Belfast and Bangor called the Gold Coast. If you've seen the coastal path photos, you&

Blackbird singing

Yesterday I did such a tough workout at the gym (Body Pump) that today I didn't go anywhere, other than take Maysie for a long walk. One of the things I enjoy about our walks is getting to know the birds here. The small English robin, very busy

Noirland

Last night we went to two local films that are part of the Belfast Film Festival: Onus and Noirland, both thrillers. When the lights came up after each film, you learn that the actors and directors are sitting among you. The murderer is two rows away and the corrupt policeman

Stormont

When David was here alone, he went to a lot of Meet Up events to connect with people. Today, we went on a Meet Up walk in the park surrounding Stormont, the N. Ireland parliament. Afterward, we went to a hotel for tea. The event brought home to me how

Donaghadee

Donaghadee, like Bangor, is a port town with a marina bordering the shopping district. Charmingly, both towns have a children's play park between the shops and the marina. I think in the U.S., such prime real estate would be reserved for an expensive restaurant, a high rise

In training

Friday evening I took the train from Helen's Bay to Belfast, following David's daily commute. We grabbed a quick dinner and then saw Hotel Budapest at The Odeon in Victoria Square mall. The commute reminded me of Switzerland in that the trains were clean and punctual,

Hurray for Holywood

I drove into Holywood today and met with the woman who rented David this townhouse, Luane, and Connor, an estate agent (=Realtor). Luane and I hit it off and went out for lunch before she sent me to see Connor. She worked as a stock broker in London in the

Rearview mirror

One week ago today the moving van arrived and packed up all my belongings. I fully expected, as my home of 15 years was emptied room by room, to be overcome by sentimentality. It never happened. I enjoyed making that house over into the home it became, however it was

Progress

I drove by myself today to Bangor and back. I joined a gym and went swimming. I parallel parked. I'm starting to learn the coins--20p is little, 10p is big, the one pound coin is small but thick, the two pound coin is large and thinner. My breakfast

Bowled over

Monday was my first full weekday here and I got a wonderful delivery courtesy of my former employer. A Simon Pearse glass bowl engraved with my name, years of service, and The Vanguard Group logo. What a wonderful way to remember the friends I made over 15 years of pulling

Queen of Queens

We took Maysie (aka Her Highness) to Queens University to tour the Botanic Gardens on Sunday. N.I. is a dog-friendly place. Also a kid-friendly place. Heck, it's just a friendly place. There was an ice cream truck at the Palm House conservatory, built in the late 1880s

Fluorescent forest

Our daily walk has been from the village down into and through Crawfordsburn glen, which opens onto the beach on Belfast Lough, a wide bay that opens onto the Irish Sea. The walk begins high on the walls of the glen with a view down to the stream tumbling along

Old Inn

We celebrated our first day in Northern Ireland with dinner at The Old Inn, a short walk from our townhouse in Crawfordsburn. The Inn dates to 1614, however the cuisine is thoroughly modern and refined. One of the things I enjoyed about my meal is not having to tip. Servers

Taking flight

We flew out of Newark on March 20, full of fear for the fate of Maysie, Isabelle and Marco, stowed in some netherworld between passengers and luggage. As we waited in the long security line, I found myself thinking of my great-grandparent forebears: the Caseys, Reillys, McGoverns and McLaughlins coming

Where it all began

I lived in Northern Ireland from the age of 12 to 18. That was when I learned that I would be a writer. I was surrounded by issues I didn't understand (these were largely Catholic/Protestant issues, but also boys) and I knew writing was the key I