Winter, 1907. You live in Clifden in western Ireland, and your favorite way to spend the rare clear-skied evening (after a hard day of farming or herding or shopkeeping) is to walk up the hill to the monument. The sunsets are gorgeous over the Atlantic ocean, and as dusk falls you can look south toContinue reading “From Newfoundland to Ireland with Marconi”
Category Archives: Notes from Abroad
Mercury in the Bath
August, 2017: the sun is shining on the edge of North America, but the foghorn still cries its warning to the clouded sea. Two paired blasts per 60 seconds; a signature to identify location by sound. In the dark, you need to know which horn you’ve heard. This is Cape Race lighthouse, which holds oneContinue reading “Mercury in the Bath”
“Do Not Become Casual with Stressing Procedure”
February, 2021: Crouched between bushes at the top of a steep hill, listening and watching for activity. First sighting from inside the perimeter: a huge hare, bounding between stacks of scattered concrete beams, beams left like a child’s building blocks to gradually erode and gather moss and become part of the Irish landscape. Alone, then.Continue reading ““Do Not Become Casual with Stressing Procedure””
Sherbet and Socialism: Architecture in Kyiv
September, 2018: Kyiv! This was one of my favorite cities, in large part due to the architecture. I described it upon arrival as “rainbow sherbet with floofy bits” and I stand by that assessment, at least for many of the buildings.
The Life of Wonderful People: Place Names and Food in Ukraine
September, 2018: I love the names of things in post-Soviet places, and Kyiv is an absolute treasure trove. I’m sure it’s partly translations, but it can’t be just that…. Not when I went out for cheesecake and cocktails at Life of Wonderful People (pictured here: the Eruca Smash, with gin, lime, sugar syrup, arugula leaves,Continue reading “The Life of Wonderful People: Place Names and Food in Ukraine”
Milan: Skulls, Bones, and Masks
31 July, 2018: We spent the last few days of our Italian adventure in Milan, enjoying the architecture, art, and cocktails. We had a lovely apartment, in easy walking distance to everything, and although we were sad to leave the mountains, it was fun to be back in a city with lots and lots toContinue reading “Milan: Skulls, Bones, and Masks”
Rainbow Lakes and Sparkling Springs
28 July, 2018: We left the dairy cottage and drove through the mountains past some lovely examples of Bavarian architecture, on our way to return the rental car and spend the last few days of the trip in Milan. We made two stops along the way — one at San Pellegrino (which, spoiler alert, turned outContinue reading “Rainbow Lakes and Sparkling Springs”
Hiking in the Dolomites, part 5: Lago di Sorapis
27 July, 2018: Before we left the Dolomites, we had one more chance to do a proper hike, and we didn’t want to miss it. We chose Lago di Sorapis; a lake rumored to be quite pretty at the top of a ~5.5k trail. I knew no more than that, and hadn’t looked at anyContinue reading “Hiking in the Dolomites, part 5: Lago di Sorapis”
Shastified, Continued 