life at the phoenix

After the ridiculous events in Dublin (things that would only happen to me), I train-rode my way down to southwesten Ireland to begin my three-week stay at the Phoenix Restaurant and B&B. It's located just past a town called Castlemaine, located at the 'gateway to the Dingle Peninsula'. I arrived by bus in Castlemaine after spending three long, odd hours in the town of Tralee, where I had some bread (surprise!) and went to the internet cafe. I had written Lorna, the owner, the night before, saying I'd be arriving "tomorrow" which she misinterpreted as Friday, the 19th, which was the day after I got there. I wrote her in Tralee explaining that I was already in Kerry, and that I'd be in Castlemaine around 6:30pm, in about two hours. She evidently didn't get the email, as I arrived in Castlemaine to very windy, chilly weather as it was getting dark, and no sign of Lorna for at least 30 minutes. I went into the (only) pub and asked around, managed to get a phone number and change for the pay phone to call up the Phoenix. Small towns are really helpful that way. Lorna answered and sounded quite surprised to hear I was there already, but assured someone would be coming for me soon. I hung out in the pub (whose bartender looked about 16) and had a tea, while the men surrounding me worked through their 4th or 5th Guinness.

Finally, a mid-40s looking guy with curly hair came through the door, and came to greet me. This was Billy, Lorna's husband, and co-proprietor of the Phoenix. After a short ten minutes ride, we arrived at the house, greeted by a little Jack Russell puppy named Ellie (who I'm now in love with). The house is absolutely beautiful. Two story, all wooden post and beam style, with an industrial kitchen and restaurant built on. The house is surrounded by an expansive and beautiful garden with trees, flowers, and plants, as well as pottery and trinkets, statues, etc.

I'm sharing 'the chalet', or the guest house, with another girl named Mirjam from Germany. She's really sweet and easygoing, and happily caught me up to the way of life at the Phoenix. The guest house has the same warm, wooden feel, with a kitchen and a lofted bedroom with the most interestingly designed staircase - i will have to post a pic of it. Here, our tasks are plenty but undemanding, and we make our own schedule and work when we please, as long as we complete 5 hours a day with one day off per week. Thursday is cooking day, and Friday and Saturday are market days, when Lorna brings tons of food to sell at the farmer's markets in the nearest towns, Milltown and Dingle. On Friday and Saturday mornings we clean the kitchen, and each afternoon, we do work around the property, like clearing the garden, moving "earth" or rocks, tilling the soil, planting herbs, etc. depending on what needs to be done.

Lorna and Billy are very laid-back, artsy and well-read. Billy listens to the radio religiously each morning (Ireland's NPR I'm guessing) and so far has made a point to share with me what he's heard each day. There's a very colorful, homey, artistic feel to this place, it's comfortable and welcoming. There is a young spirit to it. It reminds me a little bit of family friends Jan & Jeff's old place in Burnet.

Today it's beautiful outside, sunny and about 55 degrees, after a long night of rain last night it is well-deserved. Lorna is a dance teacher in the local towns, and she's heading up a salsa dancing event at a pub in Killarney tonight, DJ included. Mirjam and I are planning to attend. I kind of can't wait to check out the crowd...Latin dance in a rural Irish town has to provide some aspect of humor.

This morning I went running along the narrow main road where the Phoenix sits. Despite almost being run over by a few speeding cars, I took in the scenery, which was beautiful. The area is surrounded by mountains that actually resemble extremely large hills, and there is what looks like a huge lake or river on the other side, met with more mountains. There are sheep and cows all along the road, in people's front yards, or scattered over the expanse of hilly countryside. They're so close I could touch them! (I'm so American.) It feels very rural.

The restaurant is awesome, it serves all organic vegetarian food, with some fish thrown in. The house staples are hummus and olives, lentil dahl (which I've been gorging on, it's amazing), salads, soups, and a kind of quinoa casserole baked with sun-dried tomatoes. Lorna really knows how to delight the veg palate. She has two sons, Kim and Kyle, who are 15 and 17 and live upstairs, while her other four-odd children are grown and live elsewhere. They are very kind, funny, and well-mannered. Lorna makes sure to feed them all the meat they want, as long as its local. (No shortage of that from what I saw today). There are two cats, Coyote and Bibs, who sleep together in a yin-yang formation in a basket at night. It's basically the cutest thing I've ever seen. There are two greenhouses on the property which house all the greens and herbs, like arugula (which they call rocket here), dandelion & mustard greens, basil, parsley, fennel, and chives. Yesterday I made a salad entirely out of these ingredients.

This is already an amazing learning opportunity for me. The lovely house and lifestyle Billy and Lorna have created here is much like what I'd like to have someday. There's a lot of richness here- it is very genuine and rewarding, it seems, and it still allows them some freedom and variability in their day-to-day experience. And kitties and puppies don't hurt.

Pictures to come, I promise. Thanks for reading this, those of you who are, it's so fulfilling to know you guys are interested. Lots of love from Southern Ireland.