Month / October 2012

by shannonchance

Train-ing for Westport

Headed west and enjoying all the train has to offer.  (This photo also marks my discovery of the panorama feature on my iPhone.)

Arriving at Heuston Station this morning. I arrived by tram. Others by foot, bike, car, and bus. Dublin is full of double deckers!

Few Americans have ever ridden a train.  That’s so unfortunate.  But it’s because, by the time we pay the costs to purchase, maintain, and insure an automobile (and pay taxes to build and repair roads), there’s not much left for train tickets.

And in the States, one must have an auto to get by. That’s true in almost every place.  Except New York City (although my sister feels the need to have one even there).

That’s a shame because train travel is amazing!  So comfortable and convenient….

I awoke early this morning to catch my 7:30 AM train to Westport.  I’m making the trek, as so many people from all around Ireland do, to see the holistic (and mercury-free) dentist there.  She scheduled me so that I can take the train from Dublin and back in the same day.  So, I’m traveling coast-to-coast again — headed back to County Mayo for the day. Hoping to find a comprehensive solution to my dental problem.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying beautiful views, reading, and the use of free wi-fi, on-board restrooms, and snack cart service offered by Irish Rail. You can’t get any of these from a car!  Yes, you can see there’s a view from the car, but you have to watch the road….

It’s so simple: I retrieved my pre-booked ticket from the machine…

…then waited for the board to show what platform to go to…

..and then found my reserved seat, to enjoy the ride.  And what a ride! Watching history fly past… I’m so in awe of the majesty of this land.

by shannonchance

Through the Oculus (Rome Church 1)

The Pantheon by night.

I have a favorite set of churches in Rome that I like to visit in succession. They are close to each other and seeing them together in on day provides a nice little chronology of changes that happened in architecture over the past 200 years.

In the coming days, I’ll tell you a little about each of these four churches:

1) The Pantheon

2) Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

3) Il Gesu

4) San Ignazio

Today, I’m showing you the first. It’s my all-time favorite building, the Pantheon. It was built 1900 years ago and the technology it includes is simply amazing.  The walls are 6 meters thick at the base and the dome spans 142 feet.

Looking up into the coffers (hollowed out squares) and oculus (opening) in the dome.

Can you see the blind arches in the wall behind the columns? This is a hollowed out space, where the wall isn’t as think and they need to carry a lot of weight with a thinner wall.

The Romans used blind arches (arches without windows below) to help carry the weight down to the ground in places where they wanted to make the walls thinner than 6 feet.  They coffered (or hollowed out) areas in the ceiling help reduce the weight of the roof.

The oculus (opening) at the tip was never closed over… it’s open to the sky even today.  There are holes in the floor to drain rain water that falls thorough it.

The Pantheon has been operated as a religious facility continuously for nearly 2000 years.  The Romans used it as a one-stop shop to worship many different (pan) gods (theon) but it’s been operating as a Catholic church since, I guess, about the time Constantine legalized Christianity.

Blind arches seen from the outside of the building — these would have been covered by marble in Roman times.

At that time, Istanbul was renamed Constantinople, in honor of him.  (The Hagia Sofia is located I that city.  I posted pictures of a baptism being held in its smaller sibling, the Agia Sophia, that I took during my visit to Thessaloniki.)

People’s aesthetic tastes changed over time, and you can see a clear example in the band at the base of the dome.  Most of what’s there today is from a renovation done during the Renaissance, but along the way the owners of the Pantheon (i.e., the Roman Catholic church) replaced part of the band to show what woudl have been there in Roman times.

Can you see a difference?  Which part is Renaissance?  Which is Roman?

Band showing Renaissance and Roman detailing.

Drawing that shows the thickness of the wall.

Looking up from the entry vestibule, you can see and “feel” the thickness of the wall

by shannonchance

It’s Just Like Riding a Bike… You Never Forget

Getting ready to put the dublinbikes membership card to use.

Mom needed me to run an errand, and I took it as an opportunity to learn something new. I grabbed my new dublinbikes membership card, donned my helmet and reflective vest, and headed to the bike rack.

I took a detour through King’s Law building and its park… all because I couldn’t cross the busy intersection by bike.

It all looked harmless enough, but was it?  NOOOOOOO!

Riding on the opposite side of the street — over cobblestones — and zigzagging through the maze of one-way streets that do not flow together with any logic that I can ascertain….

Well, it was very, very difficult getting just six blocks.

And, believe it or not, Dubliners in cars do not yield to pedestrians.  They do so a little — just a little — for bicyclists.  Pretty hard to believe, I know, but that’s my experience.  Pedestrians waiting at crosswalks, don’t elicit empathy, slowing, or stopping.

Today, I took a number of detours in places I couldn’t cross due to heavy flow of traffic. Fortunately, I made it the six blocks alive.  I returned my bike to the dublinbikes stand.

Bike safely returned and locked in place.

In the end, my right hand was dirty from clutching the handle and switching gears.  I made Mom’s purchase, picked up some dairy at the grocery and veggies at the produce stands, and walked the six block back home… nice and safe, on foot!

Must have gripped the handle too hard going over those cobblestones on Henrietta Lane!

by shannonchance

Sláinte (to our health)!

Having access to clean, pure water is something of concern to many of my friends back home, so I decided this was worth a post.  I found a great  water purifying system and wanted to let you know about it.
The “EVA Advanced Water Filtration System” is available in much of the world (but I think not yet the USA).  I’ve attached a photo of 7-liter, 9-step version of the filer that I purchased for 179 Euro.
A product manual is available on line and it explains exactly which contaminants the system was able to remove (in laboratory tests).  It’s quite impressive.
I’ve had my EVA filter for three weeks and am quite pleased with its performance. My only concern is with the release valve/faucet, which is entirely plastic (and not aesthetically pleasing to me, either).  I plan to replace it with a more durable one at some point in the future.

EVA Advanced Water Filtration System.

by shannonchance

A Parting Glimpse of Greece

Timber cross-bracing supports a central dome.

Here’s one last, spectacular Byzantine church.  I was lucky to find it in my last moments in Thessaloniki.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is located just beside the old city wall, in the northwestern quadrant of the city.

Exterior brick work.

Here’s the name of the church.

A unique system for venting candle smoke to the outside.

Beautiful frescos.

Lighting system.

by shannonchance

Traveling Bunny

Bunny at dinner in Dublin.

Do you have something unique you do to remember your travel experiences?  A bit of home you bring along to help you remember who you are?  Some way you “frame” what you’re seeing that helps you understand and interpret what’s going on around you?

My unique take involves capturing photos of “urban reflections.”  I enjoy having this storehouse of images to look back on.  In future years, I’ll be able to reminisce about the places I’ve been and fun I’ve had.

And, I’ll be able to see how things have changed over time in the cities I have loved!

My current house guests, Mary and Tim, have their own way of framing their travels.  They bring thier “Bunny” with them everywhere they go.

Since they are accomplished travelers, they have pictures of Bunny in famous sites all around the world!

Here, Bunny nibbled a plump Irish carrot — while we dined on quiche and steamed veggies!

by shannonchance

Home Sweet Home

The living/dining/working area of my apartment in Dublin.

My “integrated” kitchen — the cabinet fronts hide the dishwasher, combined washer/dryer, refrigerator, and freezer.

Your guest bedroom.

Dave and Shannon’s room.

Dinner with Mom (right) and her neighbors from Pennsylvania, Mary and Tim. They arrived today for a two-week visit. And, then Tim and Mary hosted dinner at my place tonight! What great house guests!

by shannonchance

From Theory to Practice

The class I taught this past summer at The College of William and Mary is being featured by the university’s public relations department for helping students move ideas into action and spurring environmental change.  Check it out at:

http://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2012/students-sustainable-dining-proposals-put-into-action-at-boehly-123.php

One of our many field trips in the summer “Educational Planning for Environmental Sustainability” class at William and Mary.  This one, to the campus herb gardens, was coordinated by student Justine Okerson and led by W&M’s current Sustainability Fellow, Patrick Foley.  The cafeterias at W&M get all the herbs they use from these gardens.

by shannonchance

Making the Cut with Ryanair

Ryanair luggage size check. This lucky lady made the cut. She can take her bag on… with no additional charge. (The friar in line behind her didn’t.)

Ryanair has very strict carry-on policies….

…and after I paid, using my iPad at the airport to check my “oversized” bag, I made the cut, too! This is all I brought onboard for the second leg of my flight.

This is the size bag you’re allowed to carry on.

It’s all sort of like waiting for the bus… no reserved seats. You just get on and pick a place you like.

There were some raised voices regarding the friar’s bag. He and the gate agents were still arguing, even as he and his rolled toward the plane… but they did eventually let him slide by with an extra inch of baggage dimension.
Finally, we could all travel in peace.  Happily, a rainbow followed us most of the way to Greece.

Yow pay for all extras… but that’s no so bad, because you get to pick exactly what you want to pay for… and to eat. You order out of a magazine. The ham and cheese croissant and green tea cost me 4.50 Euro.

It wasn’t exactly “flying the friendly skies,” but I’m glad to have had the chance to fly with Ryanair.