Ultra Ulster

Thursday -

After another late night chatting when Louise got in we decided to sleep in before heading to Belfast. We grabbed some tea and fruit and hit the road around noon with the goal of meeting up with Allison for lunch. Louise and Allison decided we couldn’t leave the country without having a proper Ulster Fry - aka heart attack on a plate. Allison planned to cook it up for us and had it ready when we arrived at her home. The meal consists of sausages (the size of a bratwurst), a fried egg, vegetable roll (think sausage patty, the “vegetable” is a bit of parsley or sage and onion in with the pork), fried soda bread, fried potato bread (which is mashed potatoes and flour made into a flat cake like thing), and bacon (their bacon is more like canadian bacon or a slice of ham). All of this is fried up in the grease from the meat and some butter and served on a plate with HP sauce on the side. HP is served with almost every meal, sort of the UKs answer to ketchup- it taste a bit like bbq or worcestershire sauce. OMG . . .we were soooo full after that. I wasn’t sure we could walk, but as this was our last day to sight see, we soldiered on!

The plan was to take us to the Ulster Folk Park, a park that has acquired several historical buildings from Northern Ireland and has them set up sort of like a town. You can walk through the businesses, homes and churches and get a feel for the ways folks lived in different eras. It was another sunny afternoon and we had a good time seeing all the antiques and buildings ranging from tiny dwellings without indoor plumbing to thatched homes to fancy shops.

After we had seen all there was to see, we headed back to Allison and Frank’s where we were joined by their daughter Natasha. Allison insisted on feeding us more before we left- we were still full from lunch but couldn’t resist her delicious lasagna. The meal was fun and we enjoyed laughing with our new friends over dinner.

At long last, we bade them farewell and Louise took us to the airport. It was hard to say good-bye since we don’t know when we will be able to see her again. Dear friends are a true gift, but it sure is hard living so far apart!!!

After a few more hugs, we had to catch our flight which went without a hitch. We were greeted on the other end by Linda who graciously offered to host us again, even tho it meant a late night at the airport and a ride back early the next morning. We are so grateful to have been hosted so kindly by so many friends old and new. It has made leaving for home bittersweet. We have a lot for which to be grateful!

Sunshine & the Sea

Wednesday -

After another late night visiting, we slept a bit later today but were again greeted by the sunshine. So it was off to tour Old Bushmill's Distillery and see more of the coast! Our first stop was the distillery - where we learned it doesn't hurt to know the local rector . .. someone in Louise's church works at the distillery, so we got complimentary passes for the tour! Bushmill's is the oldest whiskey distillery in the world, so we couldn't leave without a visit. We have found it really interesting to learn more about how this spirit is made, and had fun seeing the workings of such a large distillery. The free taste at the end was good, but it was hard for us to finish at such an early hour! But we tried them all before heading out to the coast and St. Grobbin’s, the smallest church in Ireland.

Unfortunately the door was locked, but we peeked in the window to see a small room, about the size of a large dining room table. Inside were a Bible, a small communion table and a guestbook. After peeking into the church we wandered up the road a bit to gaze at the view over the sea. We ran into a couple of walkers who recommended we stop just up the way at another little community where a cafe served snacks and tea. Since we were heading that way toward our next stop we decided to take their advice. The cafe was jam packed with folks out enjoying the sunshine, so we asked a couple dining outside at a large table if we might join them. We enjoyed tea, scones with jam and rhubarb tart (all homemade) while chatting with this couple who were enjoying a little seaside holiday. It turned out they knew some folks that Louise knew in their hometown and we had a nice visit while enjoying our snacks.

It was hard to convince ourselves to get back into the car, so we wandered along the coast a bit more before heading further up the coast to the Carrick-A-Rede bridge. This little island has been a spot for fishermen for years, and there is a narrow rope bridge connecting it to the mainland. While it used to be a bit more rustic, it is now a steel rope and for four pounds you can hike down and walk across it to the little island. Louise has been having some knee trouble, so she opted to sit in the sunshine writing letters while we hiked in to be tourists! It was a lovely path with gorgeous views of the sea, the cliffs nearby and the hills with little creeks and springs running into the sea. We made our way across the perfectly stable (though swinging) bridge to the island. It is amazing how loud the waves are when you are standing in the middle of the bridge. More info on the bridge can be found here: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-carrickarede . We enjoyed the views on the island and on the walk back - all of us agreed we could just sit by the sea and listen to the waves all day long!

But we wanted to tour the churches where Louise serves - so back we went to Kilrea and Aghadowey to see St. Patrick’s and St. Guaire’s. They are both lovely churches altho the untrained eye might have a harder time finding St. Guaire’s. That is because Aghadowey is not a town, but a townland. So while there are some businesses (the local golf club and pub for example) and three churches (presby, Church of Ireland and Catholic) there is no actual town, just an area comprised mainly of farms.

We closed out the evening with ice cream down town and dinner at the local pub with the sexton, Iris. The ice cream was yummy (and comes with a cadbury chocolate bar!). Plus the Brown Trout had all sorts of good food. In fact we had not one, not two, but three kinds of potatoes on our table before the evening was done including “champ” which is mashed taters with scallions and lots of butter! There have been some potatoes at almost every meal in Ireland - they really like their spuds! Our faves so far have been the chips (read: fries) with sweet chili sauce and sour cream - mmmm!

Unfortunately, Louise got a call while we were out that one of her parishioners had passed away, so we had to make a quick exit. She dropped us at her house where we tidied up our stuff and began to pack while she made a pastoral call. We can hardly believe our vacation is nearing a close, but there is one more full day tomorrow!

Walls

Tuesday 9/8

This morning dawned a bit more gray than Monday. We had decided to get a bit of an early start so that we could catch the ferry to Donegal and then drive over to see Derry/Londonderry (more about the name in a bit). After grabbing breakfast we piled in the car and headed to Donegal - a county which is actually the northernmost in all of Ireland, but which is part of the Republic rather than the UK. At the turn off for the ferry there was a sign saying the ferry wasn’t running - not a huge surprise given the wind and dark skies. So we decided to go to Derry/Londonderry first. This is a town that was one of the most affected during The Troubles. The name has evolved over the years and at present is officially Londonderry, however those who hope for a united republic of Ireland/Roman Catholics would typically call it Derry and those who are happy as members of the UK/Protestants would typically call it Londonderry. So it all depends on who you are speaking with - the name they use for the town is a political statement.

The city is also the only one in Ireland that has its old city walls, which have played a part in several key moments of its history up to the recent past. There are many more murals, flags and other indicators of who lives where here. Parts of the city have signs in English AND Irish others it is only English; parts of the city have curbs painted red, white and blue others yellow and green; there is graffitti demanding justice on both sides of town; the police stations look like military outposts but there are also statues and murals celebrating peace. It is a city heavy with memories that are not yet in the past.

After driving us around a bit, Louise dropped us off to walk around while she took care of some church business at the diocesan office. We wandered around, looking at some of the sights, including the Church of Ireland Cathedral where we learned that the wife of a former bishop had penned many hymns with which we were familiar. She wrote “Once in Royal David’s City” and “All Things Bright and Beautiful” among others - so it was interesting to see where she worshipped. We also happened upon a little alley filled with artists where we got to see and visit with some folks painting Greek Orthodox icons and a young potter before we heard from Louise that she was done with her meeting.

We met back up with her for lunch at a great cafe where we all dined royally on homemade soups and fantastic sandwiches. After lunch we drove on to Donegal and through the countryside of the Republic. Because there hasn’t been tension there, it was quite a different feel. There were Catholic and Protestant churches, but not all the painting of colors, hanging of flags, etc. There were police stations, but they looked “normal” rather than like fortified military outposts. There were many more signs in Irish and we would have needed Euros to shop rather than pounds sterling - but other than that it looked much like what we had seen earlier in our drive through the countryside to Kilrea.

We finished our day up with a visit to the Belfast Castle and some fish and chips in the city, as we had to drop Whitney off at home for work the next day. We were sorry to say goodbye, but grateful for the chance to have spent time together laughing and telling stories.

The day was full. I’m not sure we can really understand all that has happened in this land to create divides that go so deep. The incongruity of it all is striking. The land all looks the same, except that it is so very different depending on which side of the border you are on; the town that has know so much violence, hatred and bloodshed is the same place where a group can gather to paint and pray as they create icons, the same place that inspired the words,

“All things bright and beautiful

All creatures great and small

All things wise and wonderful

the Lord God made them all.”

What will it take for the people on each side of the wall to see in one another a creature made by God? It makes me wonder about the walls we all build that create an “us” and a “them”.

Giant's Causeway

Monday, September 7th

We were greeted Monday morning with sunshine, so after breakfast we decided to take advantage of the weather and go see the Giant’s Causeway. We loaded into Louise’s car - a navy blue convertable Saab that she has dreamed of having for years - put the top down, pulled our hair back and hit the open road. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed it to the fullest seeing the countryside and the coast under a big blue sky feeling glamorous as we rode along with the wind in our hair. Louise was a great tourguide pointing out towns and landmarks as we drove along. It wasn’t long before we were at the causeway and ready to explore. We were particularly excited because the week prior at Iona we had the chance to take a boat trip to the Island of Staffa which is the location of the other end of this amazing formation of basalt rock columns that extend across the sea from Scotland to Ireland.

Folks used to believe that the giants had built this bridge to connect the two lands, hence the name of the site. Louise said some of her other visitors have said they don’t understand what is so cool about a bunch of rocks, but we were excited! We walked down to the formations and looked around quite a bit - Whitney and Kirsten went out further than Jen and Louise, even seeing some tide pools before having to hurry back up to keep from getting splashed as the tide came in! Eventually Jen and Louise headed up to the cafe for a cuppa tea and hot chocolate (which is served with a Cadbury flake candy bar - uh, why don’t we do that?) while Whitney and Kirsten spent some more time climbing around on this big playground of rock pillars. After playing on the causeway and getting fortified by some tea and yummy scones we decided to drive around a bit more along the coast on our way home. What a lovely drive!

Once home Louise made us some veggie fajitas before heading out to the vestry meeting. We were all so content from the day that we just curled up on the sofas with mugs of tea and chatted till she got back - 2 hours later! Eventually we turned in grateful for the sunshine, the beauty of the place, and good friends with whom to share it all!

Social Sunday

Sunday, September 6th (Happy Birthday Garrett!!!)

We went to church this morning at Fitzroy Presbyterian in Belfast where Whitney is serving as a special mission worker and parish associate. It was a bit different from our presbyterian churches at home in some interesting ways. The NIV we have learned is the Bible translation of choice for so many churches here it is called by some the “Northern Ireland Version”. Also one still has to fill out and turn in a communion token to receive the sacrament. We thought this custom had gone by the wayside. For those who haven’t heard of it, there used to be metal tokens given to you by the elder in the church who was charged with care of your family. If there was reason to believe you had sinned, and should not receive communion, you were denied the token and in some cases made to sit in a chair of penance until you were deemed to be truly sorry and ready to right your ways. It reminds me a bit of a time out chair mixed with the public shaming so popular with our puritan ancestors! The tokens here were paper and we had to write our name and address as well as the name of your elder if you were a member of the congregation. They were collected with the offering before communion was served. It was unclear to me what would happen if you didn’t turn one in, maybe it is just a case of an old tradition whose meaning is lost, but which carries on anyway - something the church too often does!

Another difference, which we thought was interesting, is that the tea and coffee after church was served right in the sanctuary. They don’t have a big meeting space that is close to it, so rather than make folks wind their way through the church, they bring the refreshments right in to them. We were offered fair trade coffee or tea along with a variety of biscuits (cookies). It was nice how this practice turned the sanctuary into a place of fellowship with groups of people enjoying a cuppa while chatting with their neighbors.

After all of that, we went back to Whitney’s house. She really likes to cook and can do some cool things in a little kitchen. The first night she had made us bubble and squeek - an English dish of bacon, cabbage, onion and carrot topped with mashed potatoes - mmmm! Today we had a yummy chicken spaghetti for lunch. We were joined by her housemate, Johnny. He is a musician and had been busy with two gigs the day before. It was interesting to chat with him and we all enjoyed the warm and yummy food that took the chill off the cool rainy day.

Our bellies full we decided we didn’t feel like much more than a day around the house getting packed and taking naps. Altho Whitney also made a banoffee pie to take to our dinner party. This is a yummy dessert that consists of a graham cracker-ish crust (they use digestive biscuits instead), bananas, a toffee layer, whipped cream and a bit of chocolate on top. SO rich and SO good!

After a lazy afternoon, Louise and her friend Ian came to collect us. The plan was for all of us to head to Allison’s house for dinner and then on to Louise’s home in Kilrea for the next few days. Louise’s car doesn’t have a trunk (excuse me, “boot”) large enough for all of our bags so her friend graciously came to be our driver for the evening. Next stop the Montgomery household. Allison and her husband Frank have been friend’s with Louise since they were all about 19 years old. They also live in Belfast and have three children ranging in age from 12 - 22. When we got to their house we discovered that Allison had made a real feast! We had a chicken stroganoff dish, steak with peppers, carrots, cauliflower and two kinds of potatoes. This was followed by Whitney’s banoffee pie, a dessert called Eton Mess which is berries, cream and meringues, AND profiteroles and chocolate. And all of that was followed by a cheese course with about 7 kinds of cheese and a variety of crackers. We laughed and talked and ate and learned about one another - us answering their questions about American healthcare and just how far apart Martha’s Vineyard and Yellowstone are, them helping us to understand a bit more some of the layers of feeling about the conflicts they have experienced. We had a grand time and didn’t even realize how late it was till someone looked at a watch and pointed out it was after 1am!! Since our hosts had to get to work the next morning we bade them farewell, loaded up the car headed to Kilrea.

Louise got us all settled into the extra rooms at the lovely rectory and we pretty much crashed, agreeing that we wouldn’t emerge till at least 9 or 10 the next day! What a full day of good food and great conversation!

Destination: Belfast

Quite early Saturday morning we tiptoed around getting ready so as not to wake the others when we went downstairs to meet the 6am cab ride we had scheduled to the airport. Sally got up to bid us farewell and we were off for the next leg of our trip to Northern Ireland. We caught a flight on Easy Jet from Glasgow to Belfast, it was so short they barely had a chance to offer anyone a drink. Once there we gathered our bags and headed out. The original plan was for the mom of Jen’s friend Louise to pick us up and take us to our friend Whitney’s house in Belfast, because Whitney doesn’t have a car and Louise was scheduled to do a wedding on Saturday (she is a priest in the Church of Ireland). However, we did not see her at the airport after looking at the inside and outside meeting spots. Just as Jennifer was having to confess to ignorance about Louise’s mom’s name (after all, they only met once 10 years ago!) there was Louise herself coming down the sidewalk! She was with her good friend Allison who would be our driver. So after a quick hug, Louise headed off to preside at the wedding and Allison was driving us into the city. All went well and soon we were at Whitney’s home.

After quick introductions all around and confirmation that we would all meet up Sunday night for dinner at her house Allison headed off. Whitney welcomed us with a pot of tea and some cinnamon soda bread (mmmmm . . .) as well as giving us a tour of her cosy home. We decided that since the sun was out we should make the most of the day and see a bit of the city. So, fortified with a little caffeine we made our way to the St. George’s market.

The market happens every Saturday and is a mix of food goods (ready made to bulk spices to coffee to free range lamb), crafts, antiques and live music all held in an indoor hall. This is a weekly haunt for Whit, so we were happy to get to tag-a-long. We had fun wandering around, tasting local cheeses, bread, sweets and pate’ among other things. We also found exactly what we had been looking for as a souvenir. Everywhere we have been here folks use cute little spoons to stir their tea and we had thought it would be fun to have a set of teaspoons to use at home. In one of the antique stalls there were several from different eras, made of different materials all in little cases. We found a set that are sort of art deco and are silver plate (cuz while we think they’d be fun to use, we aren’t so keen on polishing them!). They even came with a matching set of little tongs for sugar cubes - we were excited. Plus these were way cuter and about the same price as plain jane ones from the department store. Our shopping mission completed, we decided to get some provisions before exploring more of the city. Whitney recommended the blueberry scones, hazelnut lattes and a breakfast “bap”. The Belfast Bap is a roll, kind of a pillowy soft one about the size of a big hamburger bun that is used for sandwiches. For breakfast they were available filled with eggs and bacon or sausage.

We decided to share a bap and a scone between the three of us and found a place to sit on the ground and listen to the live music while we munched.

Our bellies full we used our bus day pass to look all around downtown - where there is a ferris wheel right next to city hall - and rode up to see some of the murals and walls that are ever present reminders of the fragility of the peace which exists here now. There are many neighborhoods which are still flying the flags which were hung in July for the marching season here when protestant loyalists and catholic republicans are most visible. While natives just know which areas are which any time of the year, it is even more obvious for tourists like us right now because either the union jack or the flag of the republic of ireland are flying up and down the streets depending on the neighborhoods loyalties. One can still see bullet holes in buildings, murals that stand in tribute to those who died on both sides of the conflict and police stations which still have high walls with barbed wire, more like a prison, to protect those who serve in the police force.

It was sobering for us to see how real the divisions still are, although things are much better than they have been in terms of violence. There are still sometimes what are called, “flare ups”, but nothing like the widespread conflict that existed during “the troubles”. While the problems are deep seeded and complex, it is sad to realize that a big part of what defines them is the sectarian nature of the conflict. It can’t be boiled down to one simple problem, but the reality remains that at least in part lots of peoples’ lives have been altered, damaged or ended too soon because two groups of Christians don’t trust one another. Love one another, not as easy as it sounds.

Room at the Inn

Friday 9/4 - Leaving Iona

After a full week on the Isle of Iona, we were up early Friday to grab breakfast, worship and walk to the jetty for the first leg of the trip out. This was the only night we did not have a place scheduled for our lodging. When we mentioned that we were going to spend a free afternoon following up with inquiries we had made about places to stay in Glasgow, Sally, the Iona Community member serving as host for the week at the Abbey insisted that we stay with her. So, armed with directions to her home and the welcome news that she was also hosting a lovely couple from London whom Jen had gotten to know we ferried to Mull, took the bus ride again across this lovely island and grabbed the ferry to the mainland of Scotland. Once there we had about an hour to kill in Oban - the seafood capital of Scotland. We had a yummy smoked fish lunch before boarding the train for Glasgow. Sally’s home was easy to find, once Jennifer was able to get off the train - the door didn’t want to open all the way and had her foot trapped in it before the conductor came to her rescue! But all was well. We found on arrival that the group had decided to eat in and Tim and Bennie (the couple from London, a retired English prof and a therapist) had headed out to see some sights and pick up provisions. We inquired about what else might be needed and were assured that all was under control. So we, too, set out to see a bit of the West End before dinner.

Not wanting to be the only ones who hadn’t contripbuted to dinner, we decided to look for a dessert. This quest was made more challenging because Jen knew that Bennie couldn’t eat wheat or dairy . . . try finding a dessert in this land of toffee, butter and cream with those restrictions! We had a great time looking around but had just about given up on the dessert quest having picked up some chocolate penguin biscuits (a lot like Tim Tams from Australia - yum!) to share along with sympathy when we found a possible spot. There was a cute cafe on the corner with a deli for take home next door. So we checked it out. There were really yummy looking fruits, sandwiches, salads and a whole dessert counter. Kirsten spotted one that had a sign proudly declaring it wheat and dairy free - success! We got enough of the orange polenta cake to share with all and were able to return with a dessert that all could enjoy.

The evening was quite enjoyable and spent sharing stories and laughing as we learned a bit more about one another. We had come on the trip knowing in advance we would spend several nights with old friends, it was quite a surprise and really a delight to spend one with new friends as well!