Blogs from Cappoquin, County Waterford, Ireland, Europe

The following are some odd tidbits to wrap up my trip to Ireland: Things I learned in Ireland: I love being outdoors. I have been rained on in Ireland, snowed on in the Grand Canyon, had the sun shine in Alaska, survived a drought in Arizona, baked in the sun in Germany and it is all worth it because it put me closer to nature. If you are dressed right it is the best place to be. Ten to twelve days is a good length of time for a bicycling vacation. The saying "rules where meant to be broken" was written in Ireland. A year and a half ago a smoking ban was initiated in all pubs. When the pub has it's last call and closes the doors to new customers, everyone lights up. If you ... read more

A cold front from the East was replaced by a warm front from the West. The result was four days of hard rain. Last Thursday I had a blast cycling around in the rain taking pictures in the emotional mist that hung in the air. Wet, cold, and in pure photographic ecstasy. That was about the last of the fun I had with the rain. ---------------------------------------------------------- A truck is a lory A cigarette is a fag A restroom is a toilet and you get there by going to the loo You ring someone on the phone and call on them at their home The town is small and the streets smaller It makes it as easy to call as it is to ring I called on Mary the Pharmacist to pick up some medicine Being used ... read more

On two of the previous trips to Ireland I played the typical role of tourist: fly in; hire a car; trash it by driving on the wrong side of the road; take pictures of green fields, churches and old men in tweed; drink in a pub and rush back home exhausted. One reason to extend the time here is to have the time to discover Ireland for what she really is. Not to set a heavy structure built on my assumptions of what Ireland is, but rather let Ireland reveal herself. A consequence of this 'schedule' is the fear that comes with facing so much unstructured time. Just think about all the terrible things one can learn about oneself. I am learning. Learning to let each moments reveal it's own meaning. The fear comes in the ... read more

At the end of my first week in Cappoquin things are settling into a routine. In the morning, if I can get myself out of bed I go for a sunrise cycle ride and look for photo opportunities. Then it is back to the Guesthouse for a traditional Irish breakfast that would make your arteries stand on end. the day is a mix of house keeping, exploring, starting to meet people or visiting a nearby town. Then is is back at 6 pm for a dinner that could feed a small family - but there is only me. At night I have been developing my black and white negatives. My host have let me use an extra room for my mad scientist set up - I am having great fun in an old-world geeky kind of ... read more

Greetings from Cappoquin, Ireland. Situated on a right hand bend of the Blackwater River in County Waterford in the South East of Ireland. With a population of a little over 700 it can only be considered an Irish village. But don't think this is a sleepy little place were the dogs lounge in the middle of the road. There are a number of factories in town and plenty of jobs. The largest factory is Cappoquin Chickens. People are busy here. Now, make no mistake, most shops open around 10 am and close at 1 pm for lunch and again about 5 pm. This week is a big horse racing week so the pubs are full in the afternoon. And I did pass a dog lounging in the street today, but he was off to the side. ... read more