Nov

Amazing Places on Earth: The Burren

by Joyce McGreevy on November 13, 2018

The Burren is a geological wonder in Ireland, one of the most amazing places on Earth. (Image © iStock/Eugene Remizov)

The Burren reflects Ireland’s extraordinary geological heritage.
© iStock/Eugene_Remizov

Where Rocks Grow Wild

Torn between touring the Mediterranean and exploring the Arctic? See a bit of both, and experience Ireland’s natural beauty into the bargain! You can if you visit the Burren, where nature’s opposites create one of the most amazing places on earth.

Comprising less than 1% of Ireland’s national land cover, the Burren is a world of its own, quilted across northwest County Clare and southeast County Galway. More than 75% of Ireland’s native plant species flourish here, yet the Burren is 3,700 acres of glaciated rock.

A limestone valley near Fanore, Ireland shows why the Burren is a geological wonder in Ireland, one of the most amazing places on Earth. (Image © Darach Glennon darachphotography)

Like a protective shoulder, the Burren surrounds the community of Fanore.
© Darach Glennon/Darachphotography

A Place of Stone

The Burren is a geopark, a UNESCO-designated area of geological importance. The name Burren comes from the Gaelic word Boireann, meaning “a place of stone.” In contrast to the rich flora that grows in grikes, or cracks in the stone, vast areas of the Burren are dramatically lunar.

In 1651 surveyor Edmund Ludlow, no fan of classic rock, derided the Burren as “a country where there is not water enough to drown a man, nor wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury him.”

About 300 years later a visiting bicyclist (English poet laureate John Betjeman) described the “Stony seaboard, far and foreign,/ Stony hills poured over space, Stony outcrop of the Burren,/ Stones in every fertile place.”

Oh, but those stones aren’t just in the fertile place—they are part of its fertility.

A hiker contemplates the limestone pavement and Atlantic Ocean view from the Burren, a geological wonder in Ireland, one of the most amazing places on Earth. (Image © Ciana Campbell)

The natural limestone pavement is one of the rarest land forms in the world.
© Ciana Campbell

A Planet Revealed

The story of this geological wonder began 360 million years ago when Ireland was submerged under a tropical sea. As the waters receded, limestone sediment created a mind-blowing sculpture garden.

The karst landscape is a raw and stunning reminder that we live on a planet. Here, Earth’s bedrock is exposed and continually reshaped by rainwater.

Stone fences in Inis Mór, reminds us that 10,000 years ago the Aran Islands were part of the Burren, a geological wonder in Ireland and one of the most amazing places on Earth. (Image © Julie Cason)

Twenty miles away, the Aran Islands split from the Burren when sea levels rose
after the Ice Age. Above: Inis Mór.
© Julie Cason

A Place of Contradiction

In some areas, massive boulders known as erratics look as if they’ve been scattered by mythic giants. In other areas, flowers blanket thin, stony soil and emerge from stones like water from a fountain.

And not scraggly flowers, but the lush blooms you’d usually associate with tropical forests and Mediterranean gardens—orchids. Yes, Ireland has 28 species of native orchids, and 24 of them are found in the geopark of the Burren.

The Early-Purple orchid (orchis mascula) graces the the Burren, a geological wonder in Ireland and one of the most amazing places on Earth. (Image © iStock/ClaireORorke)

In spring, the Early-Purple orchid (orchis mascula) is the
first bloom to grace the Burren.
© iStock/ClaireORorke

A Place of Wonders

Here you’ll find flowers that, logically, shouldn’t co-exist: the Spring Gentian and the Mountain Avens. The intensely blue Spring Gentian has literal roots in the Balkans and parts of Asia. By contrast, the Mountain Avens is sub-arctic, a climber of Alpine slopes. Yet here in the Burren, they mingle.

Blue Gentian and Mountain Avens thrive in the Burren, a geological wonder in Ireland and one of the most amazing places on Earth. (Image in the public domain)

Mediterranean and Arctic-Alpine flowers thrive in the Burren’s nutrient-poor soil.

You’ll also find calcifuge—”lime-hating” species of plants—flourishing beside calcicole, lime-loving species. If ever there was a United Nations of flowers, the Burren is it.

Why such diversity? Cows. No, really.

Winterage Is Coming

Since the Neolithic era, farmers here have “walked the cattle” in a traditional practice known as Winterage. As winter nears, livestock are herded into the uplands. There they remove thick grass and weed species. This allows sunlight to reach the flora that lie dormant down below, safe from the trampling hooves.

And, oh what light. Sunlight here is famously high and dense, reflected by the sea and the limestone rocks. One might expect land exposed to the Atlantic to be bitter cold, but along comes another contradiction—the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.

As a result, Burren flowers don’t merely bloom, they burst forth from petra fertilis—the “fertile rock.”

Oh, I see: In the Burren, even the stones are alive.

With over 2,000 stone monuments, the Burren is one of Europe’s richest
archaeological landscapes. Above: Poulnabrone dolmen, a Megalithic tomb.
© Eoghan McGreevy-Stafford

In Sunlight and in Shadow

The Burren’s beauty shines just as bright at night. So says longtime Burren resident Ciana Campbell. “My love affair with the Burren began as we drove through it on a moonlit night in the late ’90s. The moonlight was reflected off the limestone pavement creating the most beautiful vista.”

At the time Campbell was a television and radio broadcaster for RTÉ in Dublin. “That experience confirmed my desire to move to County Clare and that became a reality a year later.”

A Mindful Place

Over the years, the Burren has become known as a “learning landscape,” a place to seek new perspective. In the words of the late Irish philosopher John O’Donohue, the Burren puts you in a “mindful mode of stillness, solitude, and silence, where you can truly receive time.”

In a must-hear 2008 interview with Krista Tippett, host of “On Being,” O’Donohue spoke of growing up in the Burren, which looked as if it had been “laid down by some wild surrealistic kind of deity.”

“Being a child and coming out into that,” recalled O’Donohue,”was like a huge wild invitation to extend your imagination. And it’s right on the edge of the ocean . . . so there’s an ancient conversation between the ocean and the stone going on. I think that was one of the recognitions of the Celtic imagination: that landscape wasn’t just matter, but that it was actually alive.”

A window-like opening in a stone wall offers new perspective in the Burren, a geological wonder in Ireland and one of the most amazing places on Earth. (Image in the public domain)

The Burren’s ancient stones offer a new perspective on nature’s beauty.

A Fragile Place

This raises another contradiction. As rugged as the Burren appears, it is remarkably fragile. A recent unfortunate trend among visitors to geoparks like this has been to build and post photos of stone towers. While this may feel like a gesture of homage, ecologically it is a serious act of damage.

So if you go, practice the richest contradiction of all, the Burren Code: First, leave no trace that you’ve been to a geological wonder, one of the most amazing places on Earth. Then, allow the Burren to become part of your inner landscape. To paraphrase my friend Ciana, it will create the most beautiful vista.

Thanks to all who contributed to this post, including Ciana Campbell, Julie Cason, Eoghan-McGreevy Stafford, and Darach Glennon.
Glennon’s photography of the West of Ireland is widely known and loved. Follow Darachphotography here and here.
Learn more about the Burren here and here.

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Joyce McGreevy 2 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Ireland/Nature Discovery

Oct

Travel Tip: Savvy Travelers Hire Tour Guides

by Joyce McGreevy on October 23, 2018

A tour guide with travelers in Athens, Greece provides the cultural context that elevates travel into a life-changing experience. Image © Joyce McGreevy

In Athens, tour guide Constantin Kalafakakos decodes an array
of native herbs and their traditional uses.
© Joyce McGreevy

It’s All About Cultural Context

Who needs a tour guide? Today 48-59% of U.S., European, and Asian smartphone users research and plan their entire trip to a new destination using only a mobile device. “I get all the travel tips I need online for free” is standard operating procedure.

Trouble is, the top research sites comprise brief impressions by first-time, short-term visitors—folks who arrived a few weeks before you.

So, who needs a tour guide? Travelers who value cultural context, accuracy, and certified training. Today’s tour guide typically has a degree in a specialized field, ranging from culinary or visual arts and history to environmental science.

A hand tracing a route on a map suggests how local guides provide cultural context and elevates travel into a life-changing experience. Image © Keven A. Seaver

You know where you’re going; a great local guide knows why it matters.
© Keven A. Seaver

Oh, I see: A private local tour guide can make the world of difference.

Beyond the Scenic

In Bruges, Belgium, tour guides Filip Bil and Annemieke Demuynck gave me insights into language, economic history, culinary traditions, and artistic innovation—all conveyed with humor and depth. They revealed a city that has vastly more to offer than pretty backdrops for selfies.

They also shared insights only locals know: What time a popular (read “overcrowded”) footbridge turns back into an oasis of contemplation. Why the history of Bruges’ canals and lace-making are far more dramatic than their charm suggests. How to pay less for mussels than the average visitor does—for mussels that aren’t merely average.

At a neighborhood gem I’d never have found on my own, local guides Filip Bil and
Annemieke Demuynck swap travel stories with my family.
© Joyce McGreevy

“As a person who actually lives there,” says Demuynck, “you have the opportunity to show what is really important and interesting. [Guides] can make it personal, showing you their favorite places that locals visit. Those are mostly far away from the tourist traps.”

By contrast, when we deprive ourselves of opportunities to learn from knowledgeable local guides, we’re left with the “glance-and-go” effect: We see places, but we don’t see into them.

“I Don’t Want to Seem Like a Tourist.”

One misconception about hiring tour guides is that it reduces one’s credibility as an “authentic” traveler. Tell that to travel experts like Rick Steves or National Geographic Explorers, who all depend on local guides.

Another reason travelers hesitate: Low expectations. They imagine trudging through towns en masse, herded by someone with a big flag. Or they’ve encountered a cynical operator: The bargain that wasn’t. The “cheesy” commentary. The “tour” designed to propel them toward the gift shop.

Julie Cason offers an important clarification. A former publisher and intrepid traveler, Cason has photographed all 50 states and many points abroad, from St. Petersburg to Sao Paolo and Samarkand to Salzburg.

“A personally hired guide,” says Cason, “is distinctly different than the guide one gets with [for example,] a commercial bus tour, where the guide gives canned commentary and makes bad jokes. On a trip of a lifetime—one that is not likely to be repeated—it’s invaluable to have a personal guide at least occasionally to show and tell about the most relevant aspects of what you’ve come to see.”

A travel book with portrait of Jeffrey, a safari guide at Notten’s Bush Camp, South Africa pays tribute to the way local guides provide cultural context. Image ©Julie Cason

In a commemorative travel book, Cason paid tribute to the
important work of local guides.
© Julie Cason

Life-Changing Experiences

In 2010, Cason, her wife, and three friends, including photographer Keven A. Seaver, traveled through southern Africa. The five women made a point of hiring local tour guides, rangers for safaris and cultural guides for other sites. They wanted to make the most of their time, stay safe, and gain insight into each country’s history and cultures.

“Everyone—books, people, websites—warned us away from touring Joberg,” recalls Cason. Have I mentioned that she is an avid scholar of history and a dedicated advocate for human rights? And that the sprawling Soweto township of Johannesburg was once home to human rights heroes President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu?

“We felt as if we needed a guide, since we thought it important to visit the capital city.”

There they met historian and tour guide Robin Binckes. As a Boer who had come of age during Apartheid, he quickly become committed to ending it. Binckes guided Cason’s group through the apartheid sites in Johannesburg.

A portrait of South African historian and renowned local guide Robin Binckes suggests how hiring a private tour guide provides cultural context to a travel experience. Image © Keven A. Seaver

“[Meeting] Binckes was the highlight of my trip,” says Keven Seaver, who
documented the Soweto and Alexandra townships in her book Streets of Hope.
© Keven A. Seaver

“We not only got first-hand stories,” Cason recalls, “but also well-researched historical background as we visited the incredible Supreme Court building, the Apartheid Museum—still one of the best museums I’ve been to anywhere in the world—and the township of Soweto, including meeting children who attended Robin’s own preschool.”

A portrait of Ntando Mbatha, formerly a prisoner at Robben Island, now a tour guide there, signifies how hiring a local guide provides cultural context to travelers in South Africa. Image © Keven A. Seaver

Like many local guides at Robben Island, Ntando Mbatha had
formerly been a prisoner there with Nelson Mandela.
© Keven A. Seaver

“Experiencing a township with a local who knows, and is loved by, so many residents was something that we’d never have experienced on our own.” Eight years later, says Cason, “We still talk about the personal and moving stories he told us.”

“Shouldn’t We Wait Until the Kids Grow Up?”

No! Josephine was 7, her brother Adji was 10 when they, their mother, Honor Teoudoussia, and 21 other relatives traveled to the Okavango Delta of Botswana.

“Unlike most rivers, it doesn’t reach the sea,” says Teoudoussia. “It spills into the sands of the Kalahari Basin and creates an incredible mosaic of channels, islands, lagoons, and forests that are full of inter-related animal and plant life.”

Two children fascinated by the Okavago Delta, Botswana, suggest why the cultural context that local guides provide elevates travel into a life-changing experience. Image © Honor Teoudoussia

Emma Ward and her cousin Adji Teoudoussia were fascinated by the
the world’s largest inland delta.
© Honor Teoudoussia

As experts on this complex ecosystem, the guides were also attuned to the way children learn. Josephine and Adji’s favorite guide was Tumeletso Setlabosha, better known as Water. His mother had reportedly given birth to him in a lagoon.

For kids, the opportunities to explore a vast outdoor classroom proved riveting. Water shared spellbinding lessons, many from his childhood or about animals they saw. These were no Disney tales.

Like the story of two antelope who fought so fiercely their horns locked. One fell prey to a lion, while the “survivor” succumbed to the stress of dragging around the remains of a rival. If that isn’t the most memorable argument for working with, instead of against, one another, I don’t know what is.

Animals in the complex ecosystem of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, remind the photographer why the cultural context that local guides provide elevates travel into a life-changing experience. Image © Honor Teoudoussia

“The delta is complex and intricate,” says Teoudoussia. “Every animal, insect, grass blade,
and dust swirl has its own story, and the Botswana bush camp guides know them all.”
© Honor Teoudoussia

Working with, and teaching about, the ecosystem has made Water one of the most respected guides in Botswana. Years later, Teoudoussia who is a National Geographic Learning executive, saw Water in a National Geographic documentary about efforts to save the delta. It did not surprise her to learn that he had managed logistics and navigation for the expedition.

A portrait of happy children and local guide Tumeletso Setlabosha, also known as Water, shows that visiting Okavago Delta, Botswana, is a life-changing experience at any age. Image © Honor Teoudoussia

Josephine (back left), Adji (right), and cousins loved attending “safari school”
with Tumeletso “Water” Setlabosha (center).
© Honor Teoudoussia

Says Josephine, “Guides know a lot of stuff because they’ve been doing it a long time. You meet this new person, someone you will remember.” Adji agrees. “You get information you would [otherwise] never have known.”

“Isn’t Hiring a Personal Tour Guide Expensive?”

Yes and no. Some organizations make it possible to spend a few hours to all day with a licensed guide starting at $35-$100 per person. These guides may have other careers but are passionate about local culture.

Other organizations charge significantly more, as the scope and challenges ramp up, particularly when the local guide is an internationally recognized expert. But “expensive”? A better question might be: Which will contribute more to your travel experience, upgrading your hotel room, or gaining insights you’ll always remember?

Travel Tip: Costs vary, but certification and training are essential criteria.

Local tour guides Annemieke Demuynck and Filip Bil provide cultural context that turns travel to Bruges, Belgium into a life-changing experience. Image © Joyce McGreevy

“At home with Annemieke and Filip.” With local guides, you’re not among strangers,
but neighbors and new friends.
© Joyce McGreevy

“You Get to Meet Inspiring People”

When I ask Demuynck what is one of the best things about conducting tours, her response applies equally to guide and traveler: “You get a very interesting view of the world and different cultures. It broadens your view . . . and you get to meet very inspiring people. You only have a short time together, but sometimes you end up being friends at the end of the tour . . . and that is really great.”

Next time you travel, remember: Souvenirs end up at thrift stores. Fancy hotels wreak havoc on your credit. But the cultural context you gain by meeting local tour guides can change your whole life for the better.

Heartfelt thanks to our contributors: award-winning, internationally acclaimed photographer /author Keven A. Seaver; global citizen Julie Cason; the Teoudoussia family; Filip Bil and Annemieke Demuynck. In the interests of full disclosure, Cason and Teoudoussia are my former colleagues. Click the links to learn more.

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

Joyce McGreevy 4 Comments

Art of Travel/Cultural Encounters/Worldwide Sites

Sep

Wild and Woolly Wordplay

by Joyce McGreevy on September 24, 2018

A red panda in Wellington, New Zealand reminds the writer that animal idioms continues to influence everyday language. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Red pandas, like this one at the Wellington Zoo, New Zealand, have influenced human language.
© Joyce McGreevy

Animal Idioms Around the World

Animal idioms have burrowed into everyday wordplay since Moses was a pup. It doesn’t take a fisheye lens to get the picture. Animal words prowl the planet.

You don’t have to be a bookworm or wear a deerstalker hat to ferret out examples. A simple mouse click ponies up swarms of animal buzzwords.

Fledgling Phrases

Animal idioms are cross-cultural and nest in every language. Some are as timeless as a phoenix rising from the ashes. Others are newly hatched.

A quail in California reminds the writer that animal names and animal idioms influence everyday language. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Bird idioms abound, so don’t quail. Have a lark and let wordplay take flight!
(Carmel, California)
© Joyce McGreevy

Consider the Red Panda Effect

People who experience this condition see things that aren’t there or misidentify what they do see. The term goes back to 1978 when a red panda escaped from a German zoo. People reported hundreds of sightings—long after the red panda had been found.

Seems our brains construct what we expect to see. Hence, the Red Panda Effect. Proving that’s what red all over isn’t always black and white.

Giraffe Language

Quick—what sound does a giraffe make? I don’t know either, but Giraffe Language is changing the way humans speak across cultures.

In French, peigner la giraffe (“combing the giraffe”) is to do a
pointless task. But that’s a horse of a different color.
© Joyce McGreevy

Giraffes have the biggest hearts of any land animal, a fact that inspired psychologist Marshall Rosenberg. As the founder of the Center for Nonviolent Communication, Rosenberg explored two genres of interpersonal communication:

Giraffe Language, the language of requests, respect, and compassion, and
Jackal Language, the language of demands, insults, and self-interest.

I hope we’ll consider that the next time we tweet or retweet.

A giraffe and an antelope in Wellington, New Zealand remind the writer that animal names, idioms, and terms, such as Giraffe Language, influence everyday language. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

We needn’t be birds of a feather to flock together, or animals of the same stripe to bond.
(Wellington, New Zealand)
© Joyce McGreevy

Weasel Words

Weasel words are all about evasion. They allow the user to avoid giving clear answers, so one might think this term reflects weasels’ ability to navigate tight spaces. In fact, weasel words come from an unproven belief that weasels can suck the insides out of an egg without affecting the shell.

Otters in Wellington, New Zealand remind one that animal idioms, animal names, and animal traits inspire everyday language, including wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Classic examples of weasel word language include:

“Research shows” (without citing data)
“This product is 30% better” (compared to what?)
“somewhat” or “in most respects” (kinda-sorta-maybe, or maybe not)

A meerkat in Wellington, New Zealand reminds the writer that animal names inspire everyday wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Busy as a Lizard?

Animal traits are often used to describe humans. Accordingly, someone can be as proud as a peacock, slippery as an eel, hungry as a horse, stubborn as a mule, graceful as a gazelle, and drunk as a skunk—though rarely all at once.

Some animal comparisons are less clear. In Australia, the equivalent of being “busy as a bee” is to work “flat out like a lizard drinking.” Huh?

It has to do with how rapidly lizards dart their tongues when drinking water. Oh, I see: Animal idioms can really take you down a rabbit hole.

A lizard in a pet parade in Bend, Oregon reminds one that animal idioms, names, and traits inspire everyday wordplay. (Image © Carolyn McGreevy)

And what of “lounge lizard”? It describes a sleazy character who hangs out in bars looking for—well, not love, exactly. That expression seems unfair to real lizards, who are often adorable.

A lizard in Wellington, New Zealand reminds one that animal idioms, animal names, and animal traits inspire everyday language, including wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Polar (Bear) Opposites?

Other animal idioms are contradictory. “To be an ostrich” is to stick your head in the sand, ignoring what’s going on around you. But ostriches are quick to stick their necks out.

Two ostriches in Wellington, New Zealand remind one that animal idioms, animal names, and animal traits inspire everyday language, including wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Ostriches and an antelope in Wellington, New Zealand remind one that animal idioms, animal names, and animal traits inspire everyday language, including wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

How did the ostrich idiom begin? Pliny the Elder, an ancient Roman philosopher, believed incorrectly that ostriches hide their heads in bushes. Pliny the Younger would have corrected him but I guess the cat got his tongue.

Then there’s the expression, “to have a monkey on your back.” It means to be addicted or encumbered with a problem. But it could just as easily have meant to protect someone more vulnerable than you.

A mother and baby chimp in Wellington, New Zealand remind one that animal idioms, animal names, and animal traits inspire everyday language, including wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Monkeying Around

Speaking of monkeys, some cultures have had more fun than a barrel of ’em when it comes to animal idioms. Take the English expression “The cat is out of the bag.” In Dutch it becomes “Now the monkey comes out of the sleeve.”

Likewise, someone who doesn’t want to get involved in another’s issues might invoke this American colloquialism: “My dog ain’t in that fight.” In Poland, this idiom translates into, “Not my circus, not my monkey.”

Hay, Herd These?

Cows get a leg up in international animal idioms:

In the Netherlands, if you “pull an old cow out of the ditch,” you’re rehashing an old grievance.
In Sweden, “There is no cow on the ice,” means “No need to worry.”
In China, “to play piano for a cow” is like throwing pearls before swine. It means your audience can’t appreciate or understand you.

Cows in Lehinch, Co. Clare, Ireland remind one that animal idioms, animal names, and animal traits inspire everyday language, including wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Animal Quackers

Many animal idioms have cross-cultural cousins:

In English, we try to get all our ducks in a row. In Portugal, “paying the duck” means taking the blame for something you didn’t do.
In English, someone who fakes being nice to hide ulterior motives is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” In Japanese, such a sneaky person “wears a cat on one’s head.”
The Indonesian equivalent is, “There’s a shrimp behind the rock!” Clearly, Indonesian shrimp are no mere prawns in the shell game.
By contrast, “to slide in on a shrimp sandwich” is how Swedes describe someone born to privilege—those lucky ducks who inherit “the goose that laid the golden egg.”

Linguistic Animal Planet

One could rabbit on till the cows come home about cross-cultural animal idioms. But I don’t want to be like a dog with a bone, so I guess I should clam up.

A lion in Wellington, New Zealand reminds one that animal idioms, animal names, and animal traits inspire everyday language, including wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

In France, you might “have a cat in your throat.” In New Zealand, this lion
suggests things could go the other way.
© Joyce McGreevy

Just remember: Somewhere in Buffalo, NY someone may be getting into a Bronco and listening to Drake or the Arctic Monkeys. A clothes horse in Chihuahua, Mexico could be swanning about on the dance floor. Someone sailing the horse latitudes might have raided a piggy bank to fly the coop to the Canary Islands.

Ewe never know.

Me, I’m going to squirrel away a few more animal idioms, then make a beeline for a catnap. After all this animal talk, I’m a little hoarse.

A Cooper’s hawk in Carmel, California reminds one that animal idioms, animal names, and animal traits inspire everyday language, including wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

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

Joyce McGreevy 1 Comment

Nature Discovery/Proverbs & Sayings/Worldwide Sites

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