October 7, 2012

A WARM AUTUMN AFTERNOON IN PARIS

In the Tuilleries

The day was gorgeous. The chestnut trees had just begun to turn. The air had a hint of fall but was not at all cold. I had planned to visit a few museums, but when I realized it was probably one of the most fabulous days I'd experience here, I nixed that idea, and decided to go for a stroll wherever my feet wanted to go, so that is how I spent the afternoon, mindless and dreamy.

Place de la Concorde

 

I walked to the local bus to catch the train (as our nearby bus to the metro does not operate on Sundays) and transferred to the gold metro line for two stops, exiting at Invalides.  I had passed it so many times and wanted to know more about it.  The Musee de L'Armee is both a museum and a monument, and the place looked pretty interesting, but when the information agent told me one should allow three hours for a visit to make it worth the admission fee, I decided to leave that for a rainy day.  I'm not that interested in wars, swords and guns, and Napoleon's tomb will still be there next time. It looks pretty amazing from the brochure; Napoleon's remains were returned in 1840 to France and a tomb erected under the Dome of l'hotel Invalides.  I did take time to walk through the main courtyard, where 60 French classical bronze cannons, 200 years of the French artillery, are displayed for visitors to delve more into this aspect of French history.

Les Invalides

under Pont Alexandre III

Winston Churchill: We will never give up

After visiting the American Church, I crossed to the Left Bank on Pont Alexandre III, which never ceases to amaze me  (I studied the details underneath the bridge this time). I had not yet walked through the Place de la Concorde, so started my longer walk there, winding my way to the Tuilleries, my mind's destination, although I didn't know it yet. Imagine my surprise when I came upon my favorite restaurant so far, Le Renard--what a coincidence!  It was busy at 4:00 as everyone was outside enjoying the day. My waiter found a little table for me that was perfect and where I could watch everything going on in the park while enjoying lunch. Beginning to enjoy my salade and le vin, I was joined by a determined wasp (I think he wanted the pineapple dressing).  I'm still recuperating from the one that stung me in Ballymoney, so I became just as determined and finally got rid of him.  You may enjoy the pics of the cafe and of my lunch, which was La Salade Brasilliene-

 

 I made lunch last as long as possible before continuing my walk toward Notre Dame, as I planned to take the train from St. Michel-N.D. station (this area has been the beginning of many of my walks on both the Left and Right Banks). Ending at the back of the Louvre, I proceeded to walk along the river to the Pont des Artes, which I love with all of the padlocks of various lovers with names included (I wonder how many are still together).   And I was in luck, as the little man at the stand with the citron sorbet was there; I could not disappoint him, could I?

The walk by the Seine was absolutely scrumptious (like the citron sorbet) and my train came just as I arrived at the RER stop. That was the end of the transportation luck, as when I arrived at my local station, I had just missed the bus. What's another mile and a half? The whole day was a great walk and I enjoyed every minute.

behind the Louvre

October 3, 2012

ENJOY THE RAINBOWS!

ALL THE PICTURES ARE NOW IN THE BLOG FOR THE IRELAND TRIP

I have to admit it wasn't my photography skills but I am happy with the photos

 

 I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I DID ALL OF THAT!
I will be caught up quite soon I hope as there will be 2 1/2 more weeks of adventures to post
Will spend my birthday at Versailles

Enjoy all the rainbows!

September 26, 2012

LAST DAY IN IRELAND

Today I would spend part of the day at PRONI, the Public Records Office for Northern Ireland.

But ... as we finished breakfast, I decided to call the phone number from Friar's Bush. I spoke to a receptionist and told her of my interest and she subsequently forwarded my call to someone on the Belfast City Council.  I told that person that I was a writer from Colorado and would only be in town that day and that I was curious about the cemetery and its history. I was surprised when she asked if I could meet someone there at 3:00. Wow!

I spent the morning at PRONI. The building is very tight and secure and I had to produce my passport and put all of my stuff except my notebook and pencil in a locked locker, even my jacket. Proceeding to the second floor records room, it was a little audacious. PRONI contains many church records (some of which are online) but the official births, deaths, etc. record is in another building in Belfast.  My problem is in going back to the mid and late 1700's is that many records were lost or destroyed (why hang onto them, right?); also, many citizens could not write and thus signed their name with an x.

I started by search through the manual listing all of the Presbyterian churches in Ireland for which there are records.  I had the names of Rev. Martin's parishes (leader of the 5 ships) and also some additional nearby parishes, so I started with that. After you find what you are looking for in the book, you go to a computer and put in a search for that record (a names search for James Kirk did some names but I don't think it was the right area). The record has a title and you then fill out a paper requesting access to that record.  I asked for the record for Kilraughts  (which was one of the parishes), knowing that the records only began about 1811, but hoping to find a trace of the fourth brother. I then had to go to another room where I was given a table # where I had to sit and then went to the desk where I was handed a very old fragile book with information written in for this church in old handwriting (very small) - additionally, there was a packet with photocopies of the same records.  This was very difficult; finally, the assistant brought me a magnifying glass. I spent a lot of time on this and found nothing productive, and back to the reading room again, where I looked at some other records on microfilm.

The day had actually turned nice and very sunny. After lunch at the PRONI cafeteria, I took a city bus to the city centre in order to make my way back to the University area. In a conversation with a young woman on the bus, she told me that she was walking to the University and would be happy to walk with  me. Katrina (don't you love her name?) and I had a lovely walk and the day had turned quite warm.

I arrived at the cemetery at exactly 3 p.m. where another couple and an employee of the City Council were waiting.   We had a fabulous tour. Friar's Bush is Belfast's oldest Christian burial ground (Catholic). It derives its name from the old hawthorn tree (the trysting thorn) in the center of the site, where Catholics, to escape detection, gathered in secret to celebrate mass.

The story goes that the priest would row up the Lagan River to a fording point and enter the property from the rear. Folklore tells that he was killed by the militia from the front of the property as he finished mass. 

In penal times, as peasants tell,
A friar came with book and bell,
To chant his mass each Sabbath morn
Beneath Strath-mills' trysting thorn.

The oldest grave known dates back to 1717, that of Thomas Gibson. However,beside the hawthorn tree is a circular stone (not a grave marker) with three crudely cut crosses and a hollow near the top. This stone may have been used by friars celebrating mass, and many researchers believe it may date to be 1500's or before.

Archaelogy students from the University are currently using carbon dating to determine if in fact this area is the site of an ancient burial ground possibly as old as the site in Newgrange. It may be some time before their findings are published.

Our leader pointed out the most notable graves, and we learned about many famous people buried here. Beginning in 1845, potato crops began to fail and as a result of blight, half a million people were evicted from their homes. All over Ireland crowds of starving mobs were attacking food stores. Huge quantities of food were exported from Ireland to England; ship after ship laden with wheat, oats, cattle, pigs, eggs and butter sailed away from a country on the verge of starvation. The Irish were told to solve their own food problems.

In 1847 it got worse. An outbreak of Typhus ravaged the area, and in Belfast, which was overcrowded from rural areas coming in to find work, 8,000 people died. The wagons went through Belfast daily and scooped the dead from the streets, piling them in a heap in the rear of the cemetery to be cremated. One and one half million emigrated to America.

Our last stop was to see the plaque dedicated to the large mound containing the remains of 800 souls who succumbed to cholera and typhus. Most of these souls were cremated in the far corner of the graveyard and their ashes buried. This area is known as Plaguey Hill (some reports indicate that in fact 3,000 are buried in this small area).   It was a bit disconcerting to be walking among these "souls" but I learned a lot and have four pages of typed notes given to me by our guide.

Ownership of the cemetery was handed over to the Belfast City Council after being in the ownership of the Catholic Church for 173 years.

Now back to my temporary ATC home to pack for the return to France. Culture shock again?

September 25, 2012

EXPLORING BELFAST

This morning it was still pouring; I truly don't think I have ever seen so much rain within a two week time period anywhere. Fortunately, there was no flooding. My hostess, Honor Baird, gave me a lift mid-morning to the new Titanic Building and I enjoyed the self-guided tour very much and learned a lot about how the ship was built and what happened from the moment the idea for a grand liner was conceived until she finally, on 14 April, 1912, pointed her face straight down and plunged to the ocean floor where she has remained now for 100 years.

Harlan and Wolff, shipbuilders, received the contract to build what was to be the  largest, safest and most luxury 5 star hotel for the White Star Line with Bruce Ismay as President. The expectation was that the Titanic would usher in a new era of luxury liners. Designed by Thomas Andrews, work began on the queen long before - part of our tour was to take a ride in a car through a simulated shipbuilding yard. Each rivet had to be done by hand. Workers were on the job from 6:30 am until 6:00 pm and were required to bring their own food. Average wage was one pound per week, but the top wage could be as much as two pounds.

She was launched on May 31, 1911, with a huge crowd cheering amid a brass band. Her future did indeed look bright. Consequently, the ship began to take on a personality and it took almost one more year for her to be fitted for passengers and ready to sail. Finally, in April of the following year she left Belfast on April 2, picking up passengers in Cherbourg and Southampton. On April 10 she sailed away, destined for New York, with Captain Edward J. Smith at the helm. A first class ticket was $4,350, second class $1,750 and third class $30. At the end of the exhibit were posters of various films about the disaster, and the costumes worn by Leonardo diCaprio and Kate Winslett in the latest blockbuster.

On April 14 the iceberg was sighted (the lookouts had no binoculars) and  it was deemed unnecessary to call for help, since it did not constitute a threat. The crew were informed that there would not be any problem. J. Bruce Ismay, as  a  passenger observing but not part of the crew,  has been highly criticized for his apparent urging Captain Smith not to slow down and to proceed full steam ahead.

When all became apparent that there was indeed a huge problem, Captain Smith radioed for help to ships in the area, but it was too late. The 20 lifeboats on the ship were launched and women and children ordered into them. It is rumored that some of the way to the boats were blocked for third class passengers, mostly immigrants, who comprised the bulk of the number of persons aboard. Many lifeboats left only half full as some of the passengers refused to go, not realizing the urgency of the situation. You can imagine the confusion that reigned.. J. Bruce Ismay apparently saved himself, and at the inquisition later stated that there was no one behind him ready to go, but other reports state that he pushed and shoved his way onto one of the boats.

Two hours and forty minutes after the iceberg rammed a hole in her side, down she went. Of the 2,20l aboard, 711 were rescued by the Carpathia. Probably the most famous survivor was Molly Brown, of "unsinkable" fame, who helped many of the women and children. Famous persons not surviving included millionaires John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim. Amazingly, 14 years prior, a man named Morgan Robertson authored a fiction piece about a large similar unsinkable ship named the "Titan," which sank after hitting an iceberg. Was that a coincidence? You decide.

Captain Smith was a hero and went down with the ship.
The eight band members played "Nearer My God to Thee", continuing even as she thrust herself downward and continuing until she was out of sight (the song they were playing has been disputed over the years, but the fact remains that they were also the unsung heroes). Those in the lifeboats reported watching the lights go out one by one.
Harlan and Wolff are still in business building ships in Belfast.
Bruce Ismay was not prosecuted and worked in the industry for four more years before retiring to the country.

The search for the Titanic created a lot of interest in the past, until 1985 when Robert Ballard and his crew discovered the wreck and did a lot of photographic work identifying various object in and near the ship's hull. It was determined to not attempt to disturb the wreckage, and hence not to disturb the souls long departed into their final resting place in their deep chamber. Amazingly, many objects made of bronze and brass seemed as if one were observing them recently, not 100 years later. Many of the artifacts lying at the bottom of the ocean could have been dropped there a year or two ago.

 I found a fantastic website where you can read the whole story and more and I suggest browsing it if you have any interest in reading the story further: www.titanicstory.com

You cannot come away from this exhibit without feeling as if you were waiting in New York for a loved one to arrive; confusion abounded, and at first it was reported that all had survived.  The icebergs are melting now, and as they do so, and with modern technology, this probably would never happen again. But, what will happen if all of the icebergs melt? Yes, this is the question we ponder 100 years after the "queen of the deep" ended her short life in the icy waters of the Atlantic.

 In the afternoon I took the Hop On, Hop Off bus for a tour around the city and saw many things I would have been unable to see on my own individually. Driving through the part of the city where "The Troubles" occurred for thirty years (until the Good Friday agreement of 1998), the Peace Wall, the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods, the violence that occurred--it was a bit unsettling  Peace has now come to Northern Ireland after 14 years, but many who lost loved ones are finding it hard to forgive and forget. Many interesting murals were along the route and I was able to get photos of some of the most interesting.    

My hostess, Honor, met me at Queens University, and showed me around; we visited the chambers of the administration upstairs and also the fantastic brand new library with its special reading room dedicated to C.S. Lewis. We got a bite to eat at a cafe across the street and she dropped me back at her house before attending her evening meeting. The news reports that 3 inches of rain total are expected before it comes to a halt. I wish there were a way to send some of it to our West and Midwest. 

While waiting at the University for Honor, I discovered nearby a very old graveyard, Friar's Bush. The entrance is an arched gothic gate lodge, built about1820.  I noted a phone number and that interested persons may telephone the Belfast City Council for more information. The place looked really interesting.

September 25, 2012

 S.O.S.  SEND BOAT

September 24, 2012

GOODBYE BALLYMONEY, HELLO BELFAST

It rains every Monday in Northern Ireland; what I mean to say is that it Pours Cats and Dogs. Of course this was the day that I was to come to Belfast.  I survived!  The bus brought me to the City Centre in an hour and a half trip, and my ATC hostess, Honor Baird, picked me up to take me to her home on the outskirts of the city.

I had a wonderful time both at the Conference and at the home of Mattie McAllister. I cannot begin to write all that we did and all that I learned. I will need to do a separate blog for the Family history itself. I need to do a lot more research but today just before leaving Ballymoney I received a number of clues which I will need to follow up on, hopefully while I am still here. My notebooks and suitcase are filled with little pieces of paper, which I am trying to put all together in one place. Mattie was a fabulous hostess and we had a lot of fun together with another woman who stayed at her lovely house, Janice from Florida.

 
Our last night there we all went out to dinner in Port Rush, a seaside Holiday town. Note pics of Mattie's fish pie, before and after.

 

Yesterday I went to a service at the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney and just by chance was seated by a woman who gave me a number of clues. If I can find the records of the church where the Kirks attended back in the mid 1700's, I can start looking for any records that may exist. In those days, many could not read and write, so signed documents with an X.

Now, getting the suitcases ready to go to Belfast (on the bus).  I realized that one month from yesterday I will be leaving to go home to Colorado.  But first ...   Belfast, Paris, and Normandy/Brittany.  I have never done so much in a short time in my entire life.  I hope to come back if the Conference is held again in two years but I must ask God to send the rain where it is needed more

Evelyn Robinson, mayor of Ballymoney; Keith Beattie, town hall manager and Janice McKay, conference attendee

Sarah Kirk, harpist

Here are some pics from the Conference:

 

 

 

ARRIVAL IN BELFAST

Honor made tea for me after we got my suitcase in and helped me research what I want to do the next two days. Tomorrow I prebooked to go on the hop on, hop off bus, to get an overview of Belfast. I want to see the murals from The Troubles and to spend at least a half day at the Titanic Building, recently opened and six stories high. You can see the last footprint made by a person before the ship sailed 100 years ago this year. The building opened to commemorate this anniversary. I enjoyed the traveling exhibit that was in Denver a number of years ago and hope to learn as much as possible.  I'm glad the bus is not an Open Tour as it is to rain all the days I am to be here. It is also raining in Paris but the day I go home it is to be cloudy.

Honor made us a meat pie and green beans for dinner; it was very nice and now I am going to relax some before the big day tomorrow.

September 18, 2012

IN BALLYMONEY (Mathew left here to go to America)

A rainy, blustery, rainy day which began in the night and continued all morning. What a day! Liz's friend, Fern, gave me a ride to Ballymena, where I was able (through blustery and blowing rain) to find the bus to Ballymoney, which was only a five minute wait. The drive took about 40 minutes and wound mostly along farmland. Upon arrival in Ballymoney at the bus stop, I stopped in a shop and used their phone to call the hostess at my B&B, Mattie McAllister, who came to town to give me a lift to her house, which is about a 10 minute walk from the town center, and we arrived back at her house mid-morning.

Mattie made me some great organic porridge with honey, tea and toast. I am stressed out from coffee and decided then and there to give it up totally for awhile. It will take a few days. In the afternoon, I rested awhile and checked email, after which I decided to take a walk to the town as the sun had come out and it had briefly stopped raining. With umbrella in hand and my rain jacket and scarf, off I went. I didn't get very far when  a gale force wind and rain attacked me and blew my umbrella inside out; it also blew my little map I was carrying to another planet. Small hailstones were raining down at me. The Gods must have been angry.

Back at Mattie's, I took off all the wet clothes and rested for awhile, and tried to get my conference notes together. She graciously invited me to share her dinner of shepherd's pie, potato cakes and my favorite, root vegetables (I am totally addicted to parsnips and back at the hostel we had carrot and coriander soup, so I now love anything with root vegetables.) Later in the evening, Janice from Florida arrived, and will also attend the conference. I totally jinxed the shower and the TV in my room as the shower would not turn off and the TV screen faded into oblivion. Mattie spent a long time trying to figure out the TV but she finally decided she might call someone in the morning; however, she was able to get the shower turned off. I had been cold all day on this very raw day and she put an electric blanket on my bed, which was absolutely yummy to crawl into and read for a few minutes. I can't believe I am in a place I have thought one day I might come for about twelve years. Tomorrow the research and networking with other genaeologists will begin.

I wonder if it rained so much when Mathew and his family lived here. Maybe the people here invented the umbrella.

Ballymoney means "Time of the Moss" or "Time of the Strawberry"