Mar

Ireland for the Virtual Traveler

by Joyce McGreevy on March 30, 2020

Two Irish terriers by the sea and virtual visitors from across the miles help a writer in Ireland stay connected during a time of necessary social distancing and self-isolation. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Dog days at the edge of Ireland.
© Joyce McGreevy

Staying Connected Across the Miles

It’s springtime, the sun has come out of hiding, and I want you to come visit. Oh, I know—these days, you can only be a virtual visitor. But now, more than ever, we need to stay connected across the miles.

Take a moment to imagine: Put on your favorite old sweater, the one with a hole in the elbow. Lace up your mud-spattered walking shoes. Pack only your five senses.

Oh, for good measure, toss in your sense of delight. Because we’re off to explore one of Ireland’s most beautiful places. Along the way, I’ve a story to tell you.

To reach Ballyshane, drive south, passing smaller and smaller towns, until you come to a certain crossroads. Yes, that one. Now, thread along ever-narrowing roads, knowing the coast of East County Cork awaits you.

A pond in Ballyshane, County Cork, Ireland is accessible to all virtual travelers as technology helps people stay connected across the miles during a time of necessary social distancing and self-isolation. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

A place for reflection at Ballyshane.
© Joyce McGreevy

Have the hedgerows begun thrumming with birds? Then you’re nearly there. Watch for breaks in the wild shrubbery that glimmer with hints of the sea. At last, you see old stone gates, the color of ripening apricots.

Down the long drive you go. You’re here.

You’re actually only 30 minutes from a city. But Ballyshane is a world all its own.

Which reminds me, I promised you a story.

I was already in isolation when it happened. Not that anyone called it “self-isolating” Back Then. I’d simply returned to Ireland, a place that’s long felt like home, to house-sit for a man who was traveling.

Given the remote location, it meant “social distancing.” Not that anyone called it that Back Then.

Walks with an Irish terrier in the woods and the company of virtual visitors from across the miles help a traveler self-isolating in Ireland stay connected during a time of necessary social distancing. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

A walk feels liberating now.
© Joyce McGreevy

But who could be lonely? I had the companionship of two Irish terriers, and the land, with its 1800s country house, was companionable in its beauty. Beyond the main house were secluded cottages, among the most popular on Airbnb. Yet I’d been generously granted one all to myself.

A cottage in Ballyshane, County Cork, Ireland welcomes virtual visitors as people stay connected across the miles during a time of social distancing, self-isolation, and virtual travel. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Stone cottage, soft sky.
© Joyce McGreevy

In between the homeowner’s travels, there were elegant yet informal gatherings. Touched to be invited, I met new friends. Because this is Ireland, some of the new friends knew some of my old friends. Even if they hadn’t, I’d never have felt lonely. Because in Ireland, conversation is something one savors along with its now-celebrated cuisine.

Rain clouds over Ballyshane, County Cork, Ireland, foreshadow a time when social distancing and self-isolation will become the norm, and virtual travelers will go online to stay connected across the miles. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Storm clouds gather over Ireland.
© Joyce McGreevy

Then it happened.

The “wave” made its way across Europe, and life in Ireland changed utterly. When even the churches closed down, the gravity of the situation sank in.

Suddenly, people around the world were hurrying home or sheltering in place. Word went out: Wherever you happen to be, stay there. Stay safe, don’t travel.

That year, I’d been all over the map. Three months in Italy. Rambles around world cities. Long days in airports, nights in airport hotels. When Earth’s globe suddenly stopped spinning, the roulette wheel of my continuous travels could have landed me anywhere.

To my gratitude, I woke up in Ballyshane.

Come, I’ll show you around.

A garden in Ballyshane, County Cork, Ireland welcomes all virtual visitors, as loved ones become virtual travelers to stay connected across the miles during a time of social distancing and self-isolation. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Gardening feels hopeful now.
© Joyce McGreevy

Here are the gardens: raised beds of rosemary, rhubarb, cardoon, and other organic edibles. The courtyard garden filled with terracotta pots of flowering bulbs. The formal outdoor corridors of box hedge and stone sculpture. The tapestries of tender grasses, daffodils, and bluebells spread under the groves of wind-sculpted trees.

Here come Molly and Rosie, the Irish terriers.

Two Irish terriers in Ballyshane, County Cork, Ireland help a writer stay grounded during a time of self-isolation, just as virtual visits help friends and family stay connected across the miles despite social distancing. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

“Good morning, good morning, sweet girls!”
© Joyce McGreevy

They’ve come to take us for a walk. We’ll rove across land that fans out along the coast, then clamber down tufted hillsides where the butter-bright gorse frames the silvery canvas of the sea.

Nature’s varied flora help people self-isolating in Ireland stay grounded, and offer virtual travelers a way to stay connected across the miles, during a time of worldwide social distancing. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Nature’s quilt at Ballyshane, Ireland.
© Joyce McGreevy

We can trot along to the rocky seashore, the girls’ paws picking up the pace the closer we get to the briny scent. Or move stealthily across a field of tall grass, our least step alerting the little birds who forage there. We can watch as they rise in sudden, fluttery clouds.

Speaking of birds, come see the chickens.

Chickens to be fed, fresh eggs to wash, and sharing one’s daily routine with virtual visitors from across the miles helps a traveler self-isolating in Ireland stay grounded during a time of worldwide social distancing. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy).

“Hello, ladies. Any eggs this morning?”
© Joyce McGreevy

Ah, there’s my favorite. If you’re feeling down, her bandy-legged gait will make you grin—she seems to wear feathery bloomers and pedal a penny-farthing bicycle.

All day long, there’s satisfying work to do. At evening, it’s quiet. Time to settle in by the fireplace, to log on, contact friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues around the world.

Daffodils at sunset in Ballyshane, County Cork, Ireland, suggest how images shared online are helping virtual visitors stay connected across the miles through virtual travel despite worldwide self-isolation and social distancing. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

No filter needed: Sunsets at Ballyshane, Ireland.
© Joyce McGreevy

We’re globally, socially distant but imaginatively gathering close together. We talk, laugh, listen, share worries and encouragement. Each virtual visit is an “Oh, I see” moment: In a time of separation and uncertainty, words weave us back together.

It’s late. One more look at the stars, then we’ll say goodnight. But please visit me here in Ireland any time. We are all virtual travelers now, and I’ll visit you, too—in California and Italy; Boston and Istanbul; Seattle and Seoul; New Orleans; New Zealand; wherever you are.

Starlight above an Irish cottage with a satellite dish evokes the way nature and technology support virtual travel, allowing virtual visitors to stay connected across the miles during a time of social distancing and self-isolation. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Starlight & satellite: Nature and technology keep us connected.
© Joyce McGreevy

Between us, we’ll piece together the patchwork of our perforated days. Between us, we’ll remake the quilt of our shared human experience, the stories that make us whole. Because now, more than ever, we need to stay connected across the miles.

A coastal view from Ballyshane, County Cork, Ireland offers perspective to virtual visitors as people rely on virtual travel to stay connected across the miles during a time of global social distancing and self-isolation. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Taking the long view at Ballyshane, Ireland.
© Joyce McGreevy

Take a virtual tour of the cottages at Ballyshane here and here.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 14 Comments

Art of Travel/Ireland/Nature Discovery

Feb

A Walk on the Winter Side

by Joyce McGreevy on February 4, 2020

An intrepid traveler on a beach in East Sussex, England is proof of the power of wanderlust over the forces of winter’s chill. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Winter at an English beach is definitely “chill.”
© Joyce McGreevy

Winter Wanderlust in East Sussex

Rows of wooden beach huts are locked up tight, their colors vibrant as summer memories. Gray waves lunge at the Seven Sisters, chalk cliffs along England’s South Coast. January winds drive sand in fitful circles around deserted picnic tables.

Traditional English beach huts on a deserts beach in East Sussex reminds a traveler with winter wanderlust that summer will return. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Before beach huts were introduced in the 1900s, changing for a swim was done in a
bathing machine that, for modesty’s sake, was towed out to sea.
© Joyce McGreevy

But here we come in our oilskin jackets, woolen scarves flapping gamely in the wind. We are the winter travelers, hardy wanderers who love to travel out of season. This year, winter wanderlust leads some of us to East Sussex.

The Seven Sisters chalk clods on England’s South Coast inspire wanderlust, attracting tourists even in winter. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Do the Seven Sisters cliffs look familiar? They stood in for the White Cliffs of Dover
in the movie “Atonement.”
© Joyce McGreevy

Call us daft if you want, but we don’t mind. After all, we can’t hear you through our sensible “tea-cozy” hats.

Overwintering, underpaying

There are distinct advantages to traveling in winter. Affordability for one. Some of my favorite sojourns have coincided with cold, rainy seasons. Despite the Einstein Effect on my hair, it never dampens my spirits. With steep discounts on accommodation, I happily pack an umbrella.

Rainy English weather and a lush green garden in East Sussex remind a traveler that winter travel has its rewards. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

England’s rainy days yield green winter dividends.
© Joyce McGreevy

My holiday base is a red brick bungalow with a sweeping view of the English Channel. To the east is Seaford, whose quiet, polite atmosphere belies a tumultuous history. Centuries ago, when it wasn’t being attacked by French pirates, the town had a reputation for looting—and causing—shipwrecks. It also tended to burn down with alarming frequency.

A churchyard in Seaford, East Sussex evokes the contrast between the tranquility of the setting and the turbulence of the local history. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Things eventually quieted down in once rowdy Seaford.
© Joyce McGreevy

Fortunately for crown and country, not to mention life and limb, the River Ouse silted up. This rendered Seaford worthless as a port but great at producing remarkable people.

The doctor who first diagnosed dyslexia lived in Seaford. So did three of England’s prime ministers, a NASA astronaut, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, the logo designer for Johnny Walker Black, and a Who’s Who of famous actors.

Exploring East Sussex

You don’t need a car to meander along England’s South Coast. Even small towns boast frequent daily rail services.

A train in East Sussex, one of many, makes it easy to follow your winter wanderlust and travel between the historic towns of England’s South Coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The train to Newhaven will drop off passengers for the ferry to Dieppe, France.
© Joyce McGreevy

Train stations here have been hard at work since 1840, when the railway connected England’s capital to the south coast. Soon, a steady supply of Londoners streamed—or rather, steamed into seaside resorts.

Follow your winter wanderlust to the train station in Rye, East Sussex, which dates back to the mid-1800s when the British railway connected London to England’s South Coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

When railways arrived in Sussex, they provided an alternative to waterways.
© Joyce McGreevy

Brighton is the most famous, a bohemian boomtown that attracted Regency high society and working-class day-trippers. It’s also set the scene for a long list of movies.

Brighton Palace Pier in winter has an eerie magic that inspires wanderlust to travel to East Sussex, England in the off season. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At historic Brighton Palace Pier, a winter storm comes out to play.
© Joyce McGreevy

Farther east, Hastings may look familiar to fans of the British television series “Foyle’s War,” a detective drama set during World War II.

Here in 1066, William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings, radically altering Britain’s history by wresting it from Scandinavian influence. As William’s Norman courtiers smuggled new French words into the Anglo-Saxon language, the resulting mix became modern English.

Hastings, East Sussex, a key location for the British television series “Foyle’s War” and England’s steepest funicular railway are inspire travelers with wanderlust, even in winter.

For a scenic shortcut in 1066 Country, make haste to Hasting’s funicular railway.
Photos by Pixabay and Pxhere

A Pocketful of Rye

Don’t overlook the smaller towns. One of the most captivating is Rye. For centuries, it prospered as a royal port—and a popular haunt of smugglers. Over time, the sea receded by two miles, and Rye became less lively, much to its benefit.

The lyrics of Rudyard Kipling’s “A Smuggler’s Song” on a wall in East Sussex reflect the turbulent history of England’s South Coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Poet Rudyard Kipling, a man of Sussex, collected local lore.
© Joyce McGreevy

Today, Rye deals chiefly in visitors, who come for the sheer pleasure of wandering its beautifully preserved streets.

Mermaid Street in winter means fewer tourists in the picturesque town of Rye, which inspires a traveler whose wanderlust has led her to visit the historic towns of East Sussex, England. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Some buildings in Rye are so old that they were renovated in the 1400s.
© Joyce McGreevy

To experience Rye in January is to discover the best reason for winter travel: no crowds. You can explore the twitterns, scenic alleyways that link the labyrinthine streets, without walking a gauntlet of kidney-crushing elbows. You can linger in idyllic settings without crashing anyone’s photo opp.

In Rye, a twittern, or scenic alleyway offers tranquility to a traveler with wanderlust for a winter holiday in East Sussex, England. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The twitterns of Rye set an Anglophile traveler’s heart a-twitter.
© Joyce McGreevy

Rye is so small you can’t get lost, except in reverie. Stroll the cobbles of Mermaid Street and you may feel as if you’ve stepped into a literary novel.

You have.

In the 1920s, author and former mayor E.F. Benson used a barely disguised version of Rye as the setting of Mapp and Lucia, his popular series of humorous novels. In brief, it’s an epic battle of brilliant wits and wealthy twits. Two public television adaptations were also filmed in Rye.

Even before Benson’s tenancy, Lamb House was home to another famous novelist, Henry James. In 1898, the author was on a quest for a “charming, cheap old” refuge when he spotted a painting of the place and fell in love with it. During 19 years there he wrote many of his greatest novels.

A view of the rooftops of Rye, a picturesque English town in East Sussex, England, is ample reward for a traveler with wanderlust for a winter vacation in England. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

“Old, square, red-roofed, well assured of the place it took up in the world, “
wrote Henry James of his home in Rye.
© Joyce McGreevy

Winter Pleasures

Summer in East Sussex buzzes with entertainment, like the world-famous famous Glyndebourne opera festival and Eastbourne’s Magnificent Motor Rally.

A replica of the 1902 halter skelter on a winter’s day evokes wanderlust for summer excursions to the Brighton Palace Pier on England’s South Coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Since 1902, revelers have raced to the top of the helter skelter
—in summer, that is.
© Joyce McGreevy

But the quieter pleasures of winter have a richness all their own. Brisk walks make a virtue of visiting pubs with open fires and friendly locals. Old bookshops, eccentric museums, and ancient churches become places to linger, for true fascination cannot be rushed.

Oh, I see: The slower pace of winter can deepen one’s sense of place.

A tiny bookshop in Rye, a picturesque town in East Sussex, inspires wanderlust for winter travel to England. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Ideal for one or two customers at a time, Rye’s Tiny Book Store accommodates countless fictional characters.
© Joyce McGreevy

And so, I settle in one rainy evening with a cup of tea and a copy of Mapp and Lucia. On the page, it’s summer in Rye, a terribly hot June morning, and the eglantine is in full flower.

Thanks to winter wanderlust, I can picture it all so clearly.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 4 Comments

Adventure Travel/Art of Travel/England/Literary World

Jan

A Barking Good Time in Carmel-by-the-Sea

by Meredith Mullins on January 27, 2020

Too cool . . . in Carmel-by-the-Sea
© Meredith Mullins

The Art of Travel in Dog-Friendly Cities

Are you yearning for a spirited run on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world? Are you dreaming of a shopping spree for something sparkly, or a couture halter or tie. Are you thirsty for a round of martinis at Happy Hour, as you relax on a fire-pitted, flower-filled patio?

Running free on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world
© Meredith Mullins

Most humans would treasure such a “to do” list. But this particular agenda caters to the canine vision of paradise. (In fact, muttinis are served during Yappy Hour, to be precise.)

Not Muttini Hour, but Piper enjoys quiet conversation with his friend Catherine.
The Papillon breed can sit at attention, as if on a royal cushion, and is elegant in table etiquette
(that is, only gobbles food if invited).
© Meredith Mullins

This is life in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California—one of the most dog-friendly cities in the world.

One of the dog friendliest cities in the world
© Meredith Mullins

There’s No Place Like Home

Full disclosure. This is the home base for OIC Moments. Although we’re an international publication, and the writers are always roaming the globe, our headquarters are in Carmel, where “village” life takes priority.

Carmel-by-the-Sea: Paradise . . . for humans and dogs.

There’s no place like home. Click your heels three times and you’ll find yourself in Carmel paradise. A city with no neon signs, no fast food, no street addresses, no parking meters, no streetlights, no national chain coffee shops, and a permit needed to wear high heels on the streets (for the health and safety of the women walking the uneven pavements that have been distorted by tree roots).

Dogs don’t need fast food, street addresses, or streetlights.
© Meredith Mullins

And if dogs click their paws three times, they will find themselves in Dog Heaven on Earth.

Everything is Pawsible

On any given stroll through Carmel, you’ll notice quite a few wagging tails—dog after dog after dog. All sizes. All breeds. All happy.

There are dog water bowls in front of shops, dog treats at the local bakeries, shops dedicated to every possible pet desire, a water fountain just for dogs in the Carmel Plaza (The Fountain of Woof), biodegradable mitts at the ready, and a range of restaurants and hotels that welcome dogs as guests with their humans.

Dogs are even welcome at some of the spas, and can hop up on the massage table to be with their human (or to get a massage themselves).

In the Beginning . . .

The dog legacy started long ago, but many people give credit to animal lovers Dennis LeVett, film star Doris Day, and Doris’ son Terry. Doris and Dennis became the co-owners of the Cypress Inn (on Lincoln Street) in the 1980s and made sure that four-legged friends would be welcome.

Since then, the hotel has been named “pet friendliest hotel” by many publications.

Its amenities include treat bowls throughout the hotel, an outdoor dog-sized shower for rinsing off after a romp at the beach, dog blankets and water bowls in the rooms, and some rooms with balconies so a lucky dog can keep an eye on the passing parade in the street below.

The Cypress Inn also has a terrace restaurant and fireside living room that welcome dogs, and, of course, dog cuisine on the restaurant menu, like beef patties and grilled chicken.

The hotel staff keep dog profiles on file, so they can welcome back these four-legged guests by name—especially important since they have so many return visitors.

As Operations Manager Khamis Haji says, “They’d rather you remember their dog’s name than their own. If you think you’ve seen someone love their dog, you haven’t seen anything yet. The people who come to Cypress Inn would do anything for their pets.”

It’s especially fun to come during special events, like Poodle Day. Dogs spend hours at salons getting groomed and pampered. They then search for an outfit to outdo even the most stunning couture. It’s a dog version of Oscar night.

Life Can Be Ruff, But Not in Carmel

The city of Carmel has added to the Cypress Inn culture by making dogs an equal opportunity group. The city map is filled with tiny dog icons, indicating dog-friendly places.

Dogs can go not only into designated restaurants and hotels, but they are allowed in most shops. They no longer have to wait patiently outside.

There are also several boutiques dedicated exclusively to all things pet. You can find haute dog couture, rhinestone collars, designer water bowls, and cocktail toys such as a stuffed Arfsolut Vodka bottle or a Johnnie Dogwalker Ruff Label Old Scottie Whiskey.

And when their humans get hungry, they can peruse the local dog menus for delicacies, such as the Hot Diggity Dog (an all-beef kosher hot dog) and the Quarter Hounder (a quarter pound hamburger patty) found at one of the dog-friendly restaurants (Forge in the Forest).

For the true sense of freedom, dogs are allowed off leash on Carmel Beach and at Mission Trails Park, as long as they’re under voice command and get along well with their peers.

All of these special privileges and accoutrements confirm Carmel’s international reputation as one of the most amazing dog-friendly cities on Earth.

Best Friends

“I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.”—Doris Day

The “Oh, I see” moments in dog-friendly Carmel-by-the Sea are many. But, for me, the positive energy that dogs bring to the world is undeniably life-changing.

They love unconditionally. They are curious about life. They are forever loyal. They look forward to meeting other beings. They are genuine and honest. And they bring out the best in their humans.

What better way to change the world.

Thank you to the City of Carmel and the following dog-friendly Carmel businesses: Cypress Inn, The Dog House, Diggidy Dog, Forge in the Forest, The Animal Friends Rescue Project (Pacific Grove). Visit here for more information on Poodle Day.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

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