Written : Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
Kitchen Table, La Donaira, El Gastor, Cadiz, Spain

I sit down to finally get something on my blog, and come up BLANK. It's been almost two months since I posted, even though (ironically) my last one was about blogging more often! ;-) In my defence(?), the next day I headed to Ninch Farm for a month, where there was very limited Internet.

Since last time, TONS of things have happened. I have so much to write...and now that I'm here -  writer's block!! :-(


Written : Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
The Tipi, La Donaira, El Gastor, Cadiz, Spain

I got the urge to write as I'm getting ready for bed. Decided to give the candles another try, now that I have two. There are two 'lanterns' just inside the door that are really only good for hitting your head on as you duck inside the very low opening! But with their covers propped up out of the way, the candles give sufficient light to move around and find things - no need to hold the flashlight in my mouth as I dig for PJs ;-) Getting set for bed, I enjoyed the way the light played over the canvas walls of the tipi.

So I am writing this by flickering candlelight (in my journal - will type it out for my blog later) in my tipi high in the mountains of Andalusia (La Serrania de Ronda - looking out at Sierra de Grazalema) in southern Spain. The moon is almost full - illuminating the creamy cone against a clear night sky.

It is still quite chilly at night (and damp from this afternoon's rain), so I have two hot water bottles warming the foot of my bed :-) But it is well worth it, as the hills are exploding with flowers and the landscape is a rich green I didn´t expect to find in this part of Europe!

Writing by candlelight in a Tipi...but also enjoying Lori Line on my iPod. I haven´t weaned myself from all modern conveniences ;-) From here I just follow a little path down the hill and find a hot shower...a little farther is the kitchen/dining/common room with electricity and WiFi :)
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There is a very interesting mix of people on and around the farm. So far, I've interacted with people from : Holland, Australia, Austria, Switzerland, Argentina, England, America, Portugal, Spain, (WWOOFers from : Sweden, Belgium, France & Latvia) and, of course, lots of local Andalu - some of whom informed me that they really aren't Spanish, but much more closely related to Morocco.

The activities here at La Donaira (translated to me as 'The Wind Mistress') are just as diverse : they use neighbour's sheep and cattle to help manage pastureland, are starting to train and use mules and draft horses to pull carts/buggies, have riding and breeding horses, as well as a stable of horses being trained for dressage competition (including a Grand Prix competitor, if that means anything to anyone?). The majority of the horses here are Lusitanos - from Portugal, but decended from the local Andalucian breed).

Most projects are in fairly early stages of development, including the "Casita" (kind of an mini eco-tourist hotel thingy??) and a more extensive poultry operation (500 chickens arriving soon, I think). What they already have down (really down) already is their grapes and olives! They produce a couple different wines at La Donaira - organic and no sulfites. I've been able to try the Petit Verdot - Cabernet Franc, a very nice red! And the Olive Oil!! (rolling my eyes) It's fit for a king...literally! This last year's olive oil was deemed the best in Spain (and won awards at international compititions) and will be the olive oil used by Spain´s  royal court for the coming year. Pretty cool!!

So, like I said, lots of neat things have been happening since I last wrote, and maybe I'll feel like filling in details in coming blogs, but for now I'll recap :

I spent the rest of March on Ninch Farm in County Meath, Ireland. It was a 20 minute walk over the fields to the village of Laytown, right on the beach (of the Irish Sea)! Had some great experiences, good work, and awesome company! Met some really cool people (not the least of whom were my hosts and the two other WWOOFers - a young French couple). Caught a couple of traditional music sessions at the local Pub, and less formal ones on the farm :-) Toured Bru Na Boinne (Newgrange) and walked on the beach. Built wood fires on the back patio most nights and played with Boots and Missy (great rat-hunting dogs!).



Learned how to whitewash and was as amused by the farm ducks as I was annoyed by the geese! Discovered Irish cider and learned how to make fresh chips (fries) from the resident professional chef :) And so much more!

April 4th I said a sniffly goodbye to Ireland (I'll be back in June!) and flew to Paris.

Wandered and explored on my own, but also met up with some friends and had a great time. Have plans to return this summer for some hardcore sightseeing (Versailles, the Louvre, etc). Had the privilege of a special meeting in both Paris and Nantes! My next farm (April 9th) was Belle Etoile, just outside Plesse in NW France. Had two very nice weeks there - worked a lot in the greenhouses and enjoyed brushing and petting the horses who were trying to shed their winter coats. Loved the fresh salads and veggies every day, throwing sticks for Elsa and practicing my French. Got to try some new cheeses (yay!) and yummy (not sour) sourdough bread. Rediscovered Kir and tried Petit Ponch - potent! Was invited to a get together at the village - Irish Dancing - very fun! Must try to find a Fest Noz while we are in Bretagne in June!

The morning I left France, it started raining (again :-) as I got to the bus stop (a sign at the side of the road, a 15 minute walk from the farm). It wasn't ideal, but I got to watch a rainbow form...and then another over it! It seemed like a positive omen and my heart felt lighter about the journey ahead :-)

Maybe I should stop there for now, as it's after midnight. Will write more soon, really! As always I love to hear back from you!

Posting note : Sorry it took me so long to get this posted! There was a delay so I could get pictures in as well (big THANKS to mi amiga Elske for letting me use her laptop). As a bonus, here's a sunset picture taken from the stables (Thanks to Tamara for letting me use it! :-)



Re-Naming 'Ali's Blog'

Setting up my Blog, the program asked me to give a 'Blog Title'... huh? Having very little experience reading blogs, much less writing one, I hadn't realized I would have to name it. And, being me, I couldn't just come up with something on the spot (oh, no, I'm not that clever or quick!). Plus, I wanted my blog to have a unique name, something that speaks to me and tells the reader the essence of what is on the blog. That's a lot to ask from a title, I know! But it can be done - Lori, my blog mentor, calls hers 'Brown Eyes in Ireland' - and it's a perfect title for the blog! So, overwhelmed by the task at hand and the dilemma of the perfect blog name, I simply put 'Ali's Blog' for the title, wincing at the inanity of it, and promised myself that inspiration would strike soon :)

It was more than a month later that the idea came to me (evidently my inner muse was on holiday :)  I was on my first WWOOF farm, in Co. Wicklow, walking with the dogs on a muddy farm path and enjoying glimpses of the valley through breaks in the trees. The track was at turns muddy & a bit overgrown; the light was soft and dappled, despite the trees still being leaf-less. This picturesque setting brought the last lines of Robert Frost's 'The Road Not Taken' (a favorite of mine) floating into my thoughts: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I? I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." And so the light bulb came on and my blog had the perfect name : 'The Road Less Traveled'. That is how I think of this journey I am on (both literally and figuratively). Sure, I will see a lot of the touristy parts of Europe (I have already visited the Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey, St. Patrick's Cathdral, etc here in Ireland), but I also want to experience the cool places/things that most people miss in their travels (attending an Augustinian Mass at a random cathedral in Dublin, exploring the ruins at Rinn Duin on a quiet Sunday afternoon, or just enjoying time with a lovely Irish family - some of my recent adventures on the Road Less Traveled :)

I started this blog to chronicle my travels in Europe and despite having had many very cool adventures so far, my poor blog only has two posts! My conclusion : I'm over-thinking this blog thing just a bit. (Those who know me well are going 'Now THERE'S a big surprise!! ;) So I've decided to use my blog as an informal journal of sorts, to share thoughts and experiences as they happen and not worry about pictures (those take the most time) and more formal posts. I don't know if anyone will read it, but I think it will be a fun way for me to look back on my adventures! Some posts might be real short - just a quick thought or experience. Whereas others, well, let's just say I won't promise any length limits ;) I'll still post lots of pictures on FaceBook for you to enjoy - so send me a request* if we aren't 'friends' yet :)

For those of you that read my blog, and put up with my, at times I'm sure annoying, verbosity, you have my thanks! I love to hear from you - whether in the comments, by email, or on FaceBook. Being so far from home, for so long, I'm finding myself more connected (digitally) than ever before - needing to feel close to my family and friends back 'home' (wherever that is :). There are many days that I breathe in the sweet, fresh, European air and think "I'm on the adventure of a lifetime!! I'm so lucky!" And an occasional day that I have a little sniff and think "I miss my mommy!!" (or Poppi, or brother, or just my whole family! :) But when I am feeling homesick, just thinking of my loved ones helps so much, because everyone has given me so much love and support, so much encouragement to follow my dreams to Europe. So to all of you (and you know who you are!) I send many thanks and big hugs for believing in this for me <3

Ok - enough sappiness for this post :) I will sign off for now, but look for me again real soon!

- Alison

* To any unknown readers : even though this blog is currently open for public viewing, it is intended for and addressed to family, friends and friends of friends. I generally only 'friend' people I know; this is to protect not only myself, but my other friends on FaceBook as well. So please do not be offended if I do not accept your request. Thank You :)

Exploring Galway

Today, Lori (with whom I'm staying here in Ireland) and I went into Galway for a bit of shopping and some exploring. We wandered downtown, browsed some of the big sales and walked down by the water. As we were walking along the narrow, cobbled(?) streets, it finally started to sink in that I am finally back in Europe and not visiting a new state in the USA. I LOVE that feeling, though it's difficult to describe - the people, the sights, sounds and smells, even the air, all have a different texture to them, with a deep awe woven in that I am walking on the same streets so many have walked before. Galway started as a fort in the 12th Century and grew to be a major trading port. Christopher Columbus visited Galway in 1477, on his way to Iceland. Anyhoo - Galway has a great Wikipedia page for more history & stuff for any other info-geeks (like me ;)

Not much else to report, so I'll just share some pictures from the day, which is why y'all are here, right?

...okay! Just spent the last hour+ fighting with my photo editor, trying to make a fun collage of related photos for you. Well, it's just not happening tonight! So here are a few, I will continue the battle tomorrow and see what I can come up with :)

Funny story - we were playing 'tourist', taking pictures, etc and two (I'm assuming) local gentleman came up and offered to take our picture under the arch. While doing so the one went into this schpeil (sp?) about how Christopher Columbus walked under these very arches shortly before he discovered our land. Hmm...but check out the date built on the sign 1584 - almost a century after old Chris 'discovered' the New World. So I did a quick fact check. CC did in fact visit Galway (1477) as it was a major port for France & Spain. Likely he walked that pathway (by the docks along the river, just before Galway Bay)  - just not under those arches ;) Well, they were lovely gentleman, anyway, and 

we got our pictures - together - under one of the famed Spanish Arches :)

Randomly, off one of the main foot-streets, we came across this cute bike and turned into the alley to see what was what.

There wasn't much to speak of, but it was a fun little blvd with a few surprises that I enjoyed...




 These old wooden signs were all along a seafood place on Kirwan's Lane...I'm wondering if maybe they are old boat name-plates? Either way, I thought they were pretty cool!

 Along the River Corrib ...

A forgotten vessel, waiting for the tide to come in.

 All along the river, there were boats tied up that were sitting on dry land (low tide?). They were all in pretty rough shape but made for some great pictures! And yes, that is real sun, I didn't even have to photoshop it in!! We've had some really beautiful days this last week :)

 Lori and I both noticed (and photographed) this boat with the Claddagh on it. I told here that this boat could be a metaphor for my love life - in rough shape and shipwrecked... OR maybe I'm just waiting for the tide to come in (I like that one better! ;)



ANYWAY...the last thing I wanted to comment on is the (usually) seamless fusion between the old (even ancient) and the new that I've seen in Ireland (and around Europe). It's not always easy (like buses on narrow, cobblestone streets that were made for horses) but it's interesting to observe.

For example, Lori & I were eating lunch in the lower level of a small mall and I walked out a doorway into this!

The wooden tables you see are just outside the cafe - excuse me, Croissanterie, where we ate lunch :)

I didn't see any indicators of how old the wall was, or what was on the other side, but it was just so random and intriguing - to me - how they'd built right up to this wall, tiled the steps and threw a roof over it.

Also - I found these two restaurants humorously paradoxical - residing withing a block or two of each other. The very traditional Irish Tea Shop and then a bizarre mesh of foods that reflects the area's multi-cultural population.

Anything they don't serve?

We took a peek into the tea shop. Such a beautiful little place, but a bit frilly for my taste. They were set up for lunch, but it looked like they were expecting the queen to stop by for tea. The little cakes looked divine, of course!

Well, I guess I had more to say than I thought. Once I get going, it all just kinda spills out! :)  I'll work on getting some pictures of where I'm staying and the family I'm staying with (3 adorable kids!) for my upcoming blogs.

Hope you've enjoyed this little trip to Galway - come back and join me again soon on my travels!

First Post

Well, here goes nothing! I am entering the big bad world of blogging...and I have absolutely NO CLUE what I'm doing! So bear with me, mes amis, while I fumble my way through. Hopefully the journey (literally for me, figuratively for you) will be entertaining and painless :)

This first post comes to you from the Emerald Isle (Oranmore, Galway to be exact) and it is quite surreal to finally be in Ireland after reading & hearing about it for so long! Things I'm enjoying so far : time with my friends here, the green countryside, biscuits (cookies), the accent!, trying to pronounce Irish Gaelic - I'm hopeless, soda bread (hard to explain, but super yum!), and the 'soft' weather.

That should do it for my maiden voyage, but I will try to have pictures for y'all next time :)

Ciao!
-Ali