Notes From a Spring of Travel

I’ve been busy this spring, but it hasn’t been work that’s kept me occupied. I took advantage of shoulder season prices for some weekends away, and more recently, went to visit family and friends in Canada.

Nice, France

In mid-March, I headed to a warm place: Nice, France. The day I arrived, rain poured down and clouds darkened the sunset. Standing on the windy, rainy pebble beach, looking at pastel buildings along the shoreline, I wondered if I’d left Brighton at all!

The next day’s brilliant sunlight made the Mediterranean Sea glow turquoise. Ah, there was the weather people go here for. I explored the Old Town’s rainbow buildings and cobblestones, the Cour Saleya flower market where I sampled local specialties (socca, a chickpea crepe, was my favourite), and climbed Castle Hill, exploring Parc de la Colline du Château with its ruins and views.

Another wonderful thing about Nice is how easy it is to take the train (a comfortable, convenient, double-decker train) back and forth to other parts of the French Riviera. So I went to Eze, a medieval village built on a cliff. The train took me to Nietzsche’s Path, which I climbed for an hour to reach the town. (Sadly, it didn’t offer any philosophical inspiration.) I also visited the gorgeous seaside town of Villefranche-sur-Mer and took a stroll around Monaco’s casino, gardens, and yacht-filled harbour.

Dublin, Ireland

My visit to Ireland began in Dublin with a stay in Clink i Lár hostel, a former jail. I was near many of the sights, including the Ha’Penny Bridge (named for its historic toll), Trinity College Dublin, where I saw the Book of Kells (an illuminated manuscript) and library, and the Temple Bar district, where I spent a fun night bar hopping and listening to live music in each venue.

I also ventured to Kildare County. Brigid has been a big inspiration for me, both the Celtic goddess and the saint who later shared her name. I visited St. Brigid’s Well in County Clare with its statue, St. Brigid’s Cathedral (former site of St. Brigid’s mixed-gender monastery and eternal flame) and Church in Kildare Town, and the smaller St. Brigid’s holy well in Kilcullen, along with a nearby fairy trail that featured folklore plaques and fairy houses.

Back in Dublin, I toured St. Patrick’s Cathedral, visited the Guinness Storehouse, and ate potato cakes.

Lake District, England

I spent Easter in the Lake District, contemplating a move that didn’t work out. I’m glad to have spent more time in this beautiful part of the world, though. I spent time in Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, and nearby Lancaster.

I’ve done a lot of the tourist things on previous visits, such as taking a cruise and seeing Wordsworth’s home and the Beatrix Potter museum. This time, I was visiting late enough in the season to see Beatrix Potter’s old Hill Top farmhouse and gardens, which took a ferry ride and a long climb. The writer was a real character, studying botany, writing in a secret code she invented, and farming and preserving much of the local landscape, including the Herdwick sheep breed.

P.E.I. and New Brunswick, Canada

Going from the UK to Canada, I left spring flowers for a bit of lingering snow.

First, my brother and I stayed with my mom on Prince Edward Island, where she was house- and dog-sitting. We stayed in a beautiful farmhouse with horses in the field and fit games of fetch in between our jobs. I caught up with old friends from my P.E.I. school days, some of whom I hadn’t seen in 20 years! Then I went with my mom to her home in New Brunswick, saw another old friend, visited beaches, sold books to a local libraries, and fed chickadees on a nature trail.

So, it’s been a busy time. Despite uncomfortable plane rides and jet lag, I find travel to be one of life’s most enlivening experiences. Every trip changes my perspective in some way. Now I’m back in my flat, and I’ve planted some pots of seeds from overseas. I look forward to seeing what grows.

It’s hard to believe that this time last year, I had recently launched a book (my poetry collection The Heart Decided to Move), was going back and forth from Boston to see my dad in the hospital, and was part of a team working frantically to bring Joan: the Musical onstage in the Brighton Fringe! It all feels a million miles away. I’m grateful that this year, I’ve been able to travel by choice, not circumstance.

For now, I’ve put away my suitcase and am focusing on the Climbing High speculative fiction anthology I’m editing. The public call for submissions has closed, and commissioned contributors have been sending in wonderful stories. It’s time for me to travel through words.