Finsbury Park
London


Originally a woodland area, Finsbury park was born as the woods were gradually cut back during London's boom in the 19th century.

I arrived in Heathrow in the early afternoon, and my friend Jenny had already invited me to a birthday party in Finsbury Park. A quick tube ride brought me to entrance of the park. I wandered in, still a little dizzy from the whirlwind of airports and undergrounds.

The wide expanse of green in idyllic weather, laughing, kids on skateboards smoking by the tennis courts speaking unintelligibly, kites, kids, laughing. Like Valium.

My gait relaxed and I kicked on my pink shades. Not really knowing where this party was in such a large park, I wandered around for a little while and found myself naturally gravitating to the sound of a drum circle.

From Finsbury Park, 26 April 2008

Listen:

Typically, everyone in a drum circle wants to be a soloist and it sounds like garbage. I won't say this circle defied the trend completely, but their groove made me happy enough to sit in an empty seat behind a djembe and rock out with 'em. I love dropping ostinato in drum circles, perhaps because no one else does. I think it helps bring the whole thing together. In the pic above, you can see the empty seat, the djembe, and the rest. Listen to the audio, too -- that was taken right before I sat down.

These kids joined in, too.

After some more wandering, I met up with my two friends from Cornell, Jenny and Jackie. We headed over to their friend's birthday party for some delicious cake and beer and laughing and kazoos. Beautiful first afternoon in London.

Amelie, the birthday girl, is pictured here in the pink shades.

Click here for more pics.



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National Gallery of Ireland

On the walk back from St. Stephen's Green, I stopped by the National Gallery of Ireland. Its collection features, but is not limited to, Irish art from 17th-century onwards. I don't remember seeing any 21st century pieces; I think I'll get my fill when I visit the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

A featured exhibit in the Gallery is the Jack Yeats Museum. Starting as a commercial illustrator, Jack Yeats moved more and more to an Expressionist style in his later years. You can see the contrast in these examples of his earlier and later works.

In this recording, you'll faintly hear two American women discuss and read the description for "An Island Funeral."

St. Stephen's Green

Fusilier's arch, with a memorial to Jeramiah O'Donovan Rossa in the foreground.

At the end of Grafton Street sits Fusilier's arch, entrance to St. Stephen's Green. There's a very pleasant duck pond close to this corner of the Green with park benches alongside. Good for people-watching and duck-feeding. Click here for more pictures of the Green.

People-watching by the pond.
Listen to the birds and happy passers-by:

Grafton Street, Dublin

A view of St. Anne's Church from Grafton St.

Visiting a recommended vegetarian restaurant led me through Grafton Street Saturday afternoon. Dublin's center for window-shopping, it reminded me of other major shopping areas in other cities, like Ithaca Commons (only bigger) or Orchard Road (only much, much smaller). I'm happy to say that, unlike Orchard Road, Grafton Street didn't feel conjested with American franchise chains. You will hear plenty of American accents, though.

The mix of American, Irish, and several other accents is accompanied by the sound of street musicians. Here's a clip of one such act:

Click here for more Grafton Street pictures.