Dublin and Steiner Grafitti
Cork itself seemed a bit of hole to me, though the university campus is very pretty and looked quite lively, so the next morning I caught the bus to Dublin (I'm coming mum!). I hadn't been able to get a Servas host but the consolation was meeting an American by the name of Miles in the hostel. He and his mate had just flown in from the US on the start of a European tour so their body clocks were a bit out and his mate suffered from insomnia. So he and I set out to explore Dublin together. We had dinner and then stumbled on Temple Bar which I later discovered has a reputation for being one of the best in Dublin. This could well be true, we certainly had a great night, with some great Irish music and a good atmosphere. The next day he came with me to check out ferry options to Liverpool, I was surprised to be told by a security guard that they don't take bikes. This had me really worried, how was I going to get back to England? Anyway I just decided I'd have to wing it and just turn up the next morning as office hours were now over. So I tried to put that out of my mind as I'd discovered the Dublin fringe festival was on and Miles was going to join me in checking out a show called Steiner Graffiti.
It was about the life of Rudolph Steiner who I knew of as the founder of Steiner Schools but who apparently also made significant contributions in a range fields including physics, philosophy and medicine? (hmmm my memory is sketchy on that point now). He was also a Clairvoyant and very spiritual man. Anyway, the show was put on a by Chris Carlson who been in theatre all his life acting and then directing and was looking for a new challenge. He'd also had a great passion for Steiner and his ideas throughout the course of his life and so decided to put on a one-man show telling the story of the life of Steiner through the story of his own life. It was the most abstract piece of theatre I've ever seen, parts of Chris having a conversational monologue with his audience, parts of highly abstract performance that just held together in some sort of narrative, parts that were more clearly narrated from the point of view of people such as Taxi drivers who met Steiner and one part where Chris came and sat in the audience in silence for a few minutes to see what would happen. And it was literally a few minutes and that is a long time in theatre! (I wanted to say something to say but couldn't think of anything worthy of being said.)
The performance closed in a very dramatic climax but without really ending or finishing if you know what I mean, the narrative was left open. I normally have an instinctive dislike for this, preferring loose ends to be tied up etc but this time, partly due to my time with Krzystof, I actually appreciated it. The show had not so much told a story, though it had done that in part, as conveyed an impression of what life and life's quest had been for Steiner and for Chris. I think the idea was that to think one could do anymore than that in an hour or so would be an injustice to Steiner. Anyway I was in a sort of awe, trying to process all I'd taken in and wanting heaps more as well so I was dead keen to take up the offer Chris had presented at the start of the show to meet with him in the bar afterwards (and the way I felt I assumed everyone in the audience would be wanting to do this also). Miles however did not feel the same way, the show had been too abstract for him which I can understand. He's a great guy, we have lots in common and got on really well but this was a very abstract show, and he sort of came along because he wasn't doing anything else. So he left and I went to meet Chris.
Many other audience members were in the bar also so I though it might be difficult to get a word in, but while we waited for Chris to emerge I got chatting with a guy named Dermot who had quite a different perspective on the show and was less satisfied than I. By the time Chris appeared (about half a drink) most of the audience had moved on so it was just Dermot and I. Such was the nature of the show and Chris' body language - hunched over his drink and a snack - that we were tentative in approaching him even given his earlier invitation - "Can we join you or do you want a few minutes?" I asked. But he was quite ready and welcoming so we had a great chat, sharing our different interpretations of the show. Chris was keen to make the point that it was not supposed to be about his interpretation but that it would mean something different but equally valid to us all. Chris mentioned to me a book Steiner had written called The Philosophy of Freedom, in which I believe Steiner analyses Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche and other significant western philosophers and in Chris' words "explains why they think the way they do" and then outlines how to achieve true freedom and control of ones thoughts away from distractions and impulses - 'the hardest' of three paths to enlightenment Steiner put forward. Anyway it sounds right up my alley and I've been searching for it ever since (Oxford, Glastonbury, Charing Cross Rd, London) but to no avail. I've been meaning to start a web list of books people could give me, for now though, this is well and truly at the top – anyone? So it was one of the best shows I've seen and we had a great chat with the whole cast! I left so full of energy I couldn't help dancing and singing down the street - in public! I just love these things one stumbles upon, that seem potentially life changing.
The next morning was an early and stressful one though trying to wing it onto a ferry that didn't take bikes. When I got there though I found out that the two cheap crossings I'd been looking at did not take passengers either which is why it made sense not to take bikes. So no problem, I'd just have to catch the more expensive but faster sailing at 1pm. This gave me the bonus of an extra morning in Dublin which I used to check out the Chester Beattie Gallery (a tip from a guy at the ferry terminal) which had a great exhibition on the history of the world's religions. Then I rode back to the ferry, sailed to Liverpool and on arriving at 5:30 decided to think about training straight up to Windermere that night rather than the following day. It would mean a 10pm arrival but I decided it would be a great surprise for mum, to arrive a day early. So I did, and it worked fine and was a great surprise to the whole family now gathered there except Dad who said earlier that night that I'd probably turn up that evening to surprise them. He knows me too well and I love him for it.
The rest of that story though is for another time, but my tales of Ireland would be incomplete without a note about Ireland's dogs. As a cyclist I'm always wary of animals in general and particularly dogs - they're almost as unpredictable as pedestrians. But Ireland's dogs came with a special warning, one that I hope these tales serve to reiterate. Ireland's dogs can be very territorial particularly when it comes to cyclists who they've been known to chase. I first read this in Lonely Planet's guide to cycling Britain (which includes Northern Ireland) and thought ´no way´ they can't be that bad. In Northern Ireland I actually didn't have any troubles but my first day across the border I nearly fell off my bike out of shock at a little dog that came out of nowhere and started snapping at my heals. Luckily I was going fast enough for him\her to be just unable to catch me. From then on I had several similar encounters and began to become used to it, although some would jump out of nowhere and get me by shock more than anything else. One incident that particularly scared me was when a larger dog (about sheep dog size) saw me coming from a long way off and ran out, barking, to meet me. I was going uphill and realised I couldn't just out run it. As it got closer I didn't know what to do, instinct took over and just barked back as it got to within two feet. That scared it and it backed off momentarily and then came back at me, I barked again, with less effect but just enough for me to get beyond its territory and it let me be. On my second last day I had two encounters. One involved about four sheep dogs that ran across four paddocks, chasing me for a couple of minutes, I was on the road 20-30meters away but they still chased me. Then finally I got one back. I was riding along the side of the road (as usual) and surprised the living daylights out of a dog that had been sitting about 1.5 meters from the road's edge concealed in a driveway. Neither of us saw\heard each other but he\she ran off whimpering, I just kept cycling thinking 'finally, 1 to me!' So other cyclists beware; but dogs beware as well, cyclists don't always loose!
It was about the life of Rudolph Steiner who I knew of as the founder of Steiner Schools but who apparently also made significant contributions in a range fields including physics, philosophy and medicine? (hmmm my memory is sketchy on that point now). He was also a Clairvoyant and very spiritual man. Anyway, the show was put on a by Chris Carlson who been in theatre all his life acting and then directing and was looking for a new challenge. He'd also had a great passion for Steiner and his ideas throughout the course of his life and so decided to put on a one-man show telling the story of the life of Steiner through the story of his own life. It was the most abstract piece of theatre I've ever seen, parts of Chris having a conversational monologue with his audience, parts of highly abstract performance that just held together in some sort of narrative, parts that were more clearly narrated from the point of view of people such as Taxi drivers who met Steiner and one part where Chris came and sat in the audience in silence for a few minutes to see what would happen. And it was literally a few minutes and that is a long time in theatre! (I wanted to say something to say but couldn't think of anything worthy of being said.)
The performance closed in a very dramatic climax but without really ending or finishing if you know what I mean, the narrative was left open. I normally have an instinctive dislike for this, preferring loose ends to be tied up etc but this time, partly due to my time with Krzystof, I actually appreciated it. The show had not so much told a story, though it had done that in part, as conveyed an impression of what life and life's quest had been for Steiner and for Chris. I think the idea was that to think one could do anymore than that in an hour or so would be an injustice to Steiner. Anyway I was in a sort of awe, trying to process all I'd taken in and wanting heaps more as well so I was dead keen to take up the offer Chris had presented at the start of the show to meet with him in the bar afterwards (and the way I felt I assumed everyone in the audience would be wanting to do this also). Miles however did not feel the same way, the show had been too abstract for him which I can understand. He's a great guy, we have lots in common and got on really well but this was a very abstract show, and he sort of came along because he wasn't doing anything else. So he left and I went to meet Chris.
Many other audience members were in the bar also so I though it might be difficult to get a word in, but while we waited for Chris to emerge I got chatting with a guy named Dermot who had quite a different perspective on the show and was less satisfied than I. By the time Chris appeared (about half a drink) most of the audience had moved on so it was just Dermot and I. Such was the nature of the show and Chris' body language - hunched over his drink and a snack - that we were tentative in approaching him even given his earlier invitation - "Can we join you or do you want a few minutes?" I asked. But he was quite ready and welcoming so we had a great chat, sharing our different interpretations of the show. Chris was keen to make the point that it was not supposed to be about his interpretation but that it would mean something different but equally valid to us all. Chris mentioned to me a book Steiner had written called The Philosophy of Freedom, in which I believe Steiner analyses Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche and other significant western philosophers and in Chris' words "explains why they think the way they do" and then outlines how to achieve true freedom and control of ones thoughts away from distractions and impulses - 'the hardest' of three paths to enlightenment Steiner put forward. Anyway it sounds right up my alley and I've been searching for it ever since (Oxford, Glastonbury, Charing Cross Rd, London) but to no avail. I've been meaning to start a web list of books people could give me, for now though, this is well and truly at the top – anyone? So it was one of the best shows I've seen and we had a great chat with the whole cast! I left so full of energy I couldn't help dancing and singing down the street - in public! I just love these things one stumbles upon, that seem potentially life changing.
The next morning was an early and stressful one though trying to wing it onto a ferry that didn't take bikes. When I got there though I found out that the two cheap crossings I'd been looking at did not take passengers either which is why it made sense not to take bikes. So no problem, I'd just have to catch the more expensive but faster sailing at 1pm. This gave me the bonus of an extra morning in Dublin which I used to check out the Chester Beattie Gallery (a tip from a guy at the ferry terminal) which had a great exhibition on the history of the world's religions. Then I rode back to the ferry, sailed to Liverpool and on arriving at 5:30 decided to think about training straight up to Windermere that night rather than the following day. It would mean a 10pm arrival but I decided it would be a great surprise for mum, to arrive a day early. So I did, and it worked fine and was a great surprise to the whole family now gathered there except Dad who said earlier that night that I'd probably turn up that evening to surprise them. He knows me too well and I love him for it.
The rest of that story though is for another time, but my tales of Ireland would be incomplete without a note about Ireland's dogs. As a cyclist I'm always wary of animals in general and particularly dogs - they're almost as unpredictable as pedestrians. But Ireland's dogs came with a special warning, one that I hope these tales serve to reiterate. Ireland's dogs can be very territorial particularly when it comes to cyclists who they've been known to chase. I first read this in Lonely Planet's guide to cycling Britain (which includes Northern Ireland) and thought ´no way´ they can't be that bad. In Northern Ireland I actually didn't have any troubles but my first day across the border I nearly fell off my bike out of shock at a little dog that came out of nowhere and started snapping at my heals. Luckily I was going fast enough for him\her to be just unable to catch me. From then on I had several similar encounters and began to become used to it, although some would jump out of nowhere and get me by shock more than anything else. One incident that particularly scared me was when a larger dog (about sheep dog size) saw me coming from a long way off and ran out, barking, to meet me. I was going uphill and realised I couldn't just out run it. As it got closer I didn't know what to do, instinct took over and just barked back as it got to within two feet. That scared it and it backed off momentarily and then came back at me, I barked again, with less effect but just enough for me to get beyond its territory and it let me be. On my second last day I had two encounters. One involved about four sheep dogs that ran across four paddocks, chasing me for a couple of minutes, I was on the road 20-30meters away but they still chased me. Then finally I got one back. I was riding along the side of the road (as usual) and surprised the living daylights out of a dog that had been sitting about 1.5 meters from the road's edge concealed in a driveway. Neither of us saw\heard each other but he\she ran off whimpering, I just kept cycling thinking 'finally, 1 to me!' So other cyclists beware; but dogs beware as well, cyclists don't always loose!
posted by James Tonson | 5:36 am
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