The Heat, Revisited

Funny thing about the heater––it seems to work after all. There were a couple of problems: a type of heating and wiring set-up I have never seen before and would never have figured out on my own, and a lack of instruction.

It turns out that our main heater is something called a 'storage' heater. There are actually two electric meters for the apartment: one for the heater and one for the rest of the flat. At night, the electric––and meter––for the heater activate. The heater then "stores" the electricity for the coming day. When you wake up, and you're cold, you turn on the storage heater and heat will come out of it. The problem was when I flipped the switch the indicator light would not come on, giving the appearance that there is no power (which, technically, there wasn't). It is a very strange system. I hope it's more efficient this way. Because if it is not then all it accomplishes is being wildly over-complicated.

Today was one of the few clear, sunny days we have had (there have been three so far), perfect weather for some exploration. On the menu for this afternoon was the city's north side. The north side is less vibrant, less economically successful than the south, but also, I think, more authentic. There aren't chic all-glass building housing GAPs, Top Shops, H&Ms, and the like. Cork's ethnic population is also concentrated on the north side: most of the areas Poles (as well as Africans and Turks, judging from the ethnic food stores) live here. But it's mostly Irish, modest, realistic.

Possibly the best part about the north side is the view:
What I could see from St. Patrick's hill had me reflecting on urban centers of the US. What we're used to seeing in an America city––at least on the East Coast––is a large urban center ringed by miles of suburbia, followed by miles of exurbs. Escape all of that and you might, eventually, reach some countryside (which will inevitably be pock-marked by a few more odd subdivisions). In the second photograph you can just make out the green hills of the country, only a couple of miles from the foreground's City Centre. There are indeed suburbs where Cork's wealthier residents seek refuge, but they're tiny compared to what we have come to expect.

I'm not trying to make a value judgment about Irish or European urbanization vs. American. It's just an interesting land-use observation. Ireland has not experienced anything like the boom-and-bust cycle of the States; the island's only bull market economy was 1990–2007. Before that there was only poverty and emigration. In short, the Irish haven't had the money to alter their land in quite the same way we have.

Compared to my visit eighteen months ago, and to the semester Katherine spent at University College Cork in 2006, the city is absolutely covered in graffiti (especially the north side (Photo credit to Katherine!)). There are definitely more young people with a lot of time on their hands these days. Minor vandalism such as this is the artwork of the times. The growing number of boarded up businesses decorate the stage and the rapidly multiplying number panhandlers serve as the actors. Katherine has even noticed the difference in what you see on the sidewalk: three years ago, the ground was seemingly littered with one- and two-cent coins. Not any more!

I don't mean to be so dreary. It is still a vibrant place, especially around 10 p.m. on a Saturday. Not too many spirits have been defeated, except for the ones in glass bottles.