Halifax Retro

We are now in southern France and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find places with both an electrical outlet and internet (not to mention having time to use them). The monastery we stayed in was a special place, especially notable because they also ran a farm on top of their four daily church ceremonies. One father in particular, father Bryan, was in charge of running the farm, with the help of many helpers whom stayed at the monastery as well. They had chickens, which were used for eggs; cows for milk, sheep for…well, from what we gathered the sheep were are rare breed there just for fun. They send off young cattle when the stock becomes too plentiful and are given subsidies on certain operating costs for providing a quota of milk. All animals are free range.

The fact a 65+ monk could operate a farm in this fashion gives us hope in being able to operate our own someday. Not only does he do this, but also tends to the many garden around the property. I spent several hours speaking to this kind old man one day and he advised me that almost all the flowers and plants in the garden had biblical references, another aspect of his daily chores which would absorb ample amounts of time. Also, there was quite a vegetable garden he tended to that included lettuce, cabbage, carrots, fennel, olives, and numerous others.

If there was anything thus far that has inspired us on our mission to open a farm of our own someday, it was watching (and occasionally helping out with) the daily operations of this place. The meals we were served all incorporated this natural way of living. We were ecstatic when we found out the veggies included in out dinner were freshly picked earlier that morning, further reinforcing the fact that this way of life was something we wanted to immerse ourself in later on in life.

On top of all that, the enlightenment attained at this fantasy land will never be forgotten by either of us, as the generosity experienced at this place is something I’ve never known to exist back home. Staying there is done on donation basis, so if you don’t have the money to cover their expenses (approx. 65 euro’s a night) of having you as their guest, they don’t hand you a bill and demand you pay. Instead there is a donation box in the guest house which you can secretly provide them with whatever you have…you don’t even have to attend the ceremonies in the church.

It is an incredible display of human oneness, which I will never forget. Going from there to the streets of Cork and even Paris was almost disappointing, (haha I know, poor us, eh?) and I will spend the rest of my life attempting to figure out a way to go back there (or live there, which I already planted the seeds of question with several of th monks.

Our sincerest apologies for not posting in so long, time goes by fast. We just finished staying in a monastery in Ireland, about 1KM from the small town of Murroe outside of Limerick. I can safely tell you that it was the most beautiful place I have ever been, and the energy there is unlike any I’ve ever experienced. Before getting to that in my next post, let me just take a minute to explain what happened up until then.

Our last week and a half in Halifax was great. I in particular had very little to do and spent the time camping and spending time with those who are now already greatly missed. We caught a plane at the Halifax airport on the 11^th of this month, grabbing a quick Murphy’s Irish Stout at the bar before taking off (Jackie can now safely say she is disgusted by dark beer). This didn’t bother me, however, as I quickly gulped hers down as well. The plane we took first stopped in Toronto, where Jackie got the first veggie burger I have ever seen that had actual veggies in it. It was incredible, “best veggie burger I’ve ever had,” she exclaimed, a pea falling from the bun onto her plate. The real reason I bring this up is because the waitress at this place made a statement that stuck with us: “in North America, you work until you eat, in Europe, you work ‘to’ eat.”

We arrived in Germany after about a 6 and a half hour journey over the Atlantic ocean. Beer was free so I slept fairly well for the last 2 hours after watching “Paul Blart Mall Cop” (maybe rental worthy if you’re into Kevin James comedy). We then hopped onto a little plane to Dublin, plunging into a fairytale of green pasture. We had earlier made a statement wondering how long it would take us to see a castle – then saw one during our descent to the runway.

Despite Jackie’s bags being picked up by someone else (we eventually got them back), our first day was one of the most fun thus far. We tried out “couchsurfing” for the first time and were somewhat intimidated at first, however, it proved to exceed any expectations we had. Not only were we given a couch, each, by our hosts, but also a key, internet access and the offered usage of anything in the house. Amazing people. Not only that, but they took us to 2 different bars, showing us a splendid time and, best of all, found game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals on their laptop for us (which was hooked up to a giant projector) so we could watch while they went to bed (it started around 2 in the morning Dublin time and ended around 5AM). I tried to convince them to stay up and watch it with us but people here are mostly into Rugby and Football. They had all been to Canada before, though, and had already experienced first hand the Canuck love for the sport. Sorry if I woke you guys up with the cheering. Good final.

What we especially loved about our hosts is that they were into sustainability. One of them, Joe, was a vegetarian and filled us in on Irish politics, which apparently includes the Green party currently being in power (go figure). While European politics were a bit difficult for us to understand (presumably because they aren’t a complete farce like the fiasco we call politics back home) from what we understood there are several high up ministers in the Irish Parliament that are from the Green Party and whom wield a great deal of influence. They are currently trying to make radical changes to environmental practices in the area.

There are several main differences in the area of sustainability which I have noticed so far. One problem the Irish are dealing with, however stereotypical this may sound, is that the legality of drinking in the street causes massive amounts of cans and bottles to be left around the city. While there seems to be around the same amount of garbage cans in the cities as in the West, it seems that there are simply not enough garbage cans to handle all the refuse alone, let alone the recyclable refuse as well. In the West, if you leave a can in the street it will surely be picked up by someone within a day, because our recycling program (bottle deposits) allow people to trade them in for money. There seems to be no such thing here, as even tax is already built into the price of everything.

That’s not to say there isn’t a recycling program, as there are “recycling depots” around the cities, however, with no bottle collectors and so many people drinking beer in the streets, there is a definite litter problem.

Another thing we have noticed is that even in fast food restaurants, organic meat and veggies is advertised frequently. “Free range eggs” signs can be seen in many windows, and organic veggies were even available at a local Subway. I feel like the fast food chains are given the ability to regulate their own practices over here, as prices for the same thing often varies as well from store to store. Maybe they can do that back home as well, and just choose not to, but in either case, you have much more options for organic meals here, without the always hefty price tag. Cattle are also mostly free range here, to the point where they rarely even advertise it. The quality of beef available in the United States is deemed unsafe and illegal for import in most of Europe.

After leaving Dublin, we took the train to Limerick and spent the night there. There is a mid-evil portion of this city that was more amazing than anything we saw in Dublin. We explored a castle originally built in the 13^th century, the site of countess Irish battles and hardship defending against the English (who ruled or tried to rule Ireland in one way or another for 700 years). We then took the bus here, a monastery built within a castle built by my Barrington ancestors hundreds of years ago. My link to this place predated that of anyone who lives there, which I found truly nostalgic. It is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen, without question, which brings me to now, having just left. Hopefully now that we have filled you in, we will be able to post more frequently, however, limited internet access + limited time = limited ability to do so. Miss you guys.