Giant's Causeway and Game of Thrones Territory - Aug 22

Hostel Windows

So more on the hostel.  I really like it. Global Village, is relatively new. The atmosphere is like a family.   You even get breakfast, which I have found to be unusual (ok, just continental, none of which I eat, but it's something).

So I asked for a room with 6 females when I booked online.  I got settled in my room, and noticed 2 of the beds were occupied, but never saw anyone.  The beds were unusual in that they were basically a wooden cubbyhole with an opening at one end.  I especially liked the shelf with an outlet by the pillow.  So I change my clothes got into bed last night.  I wake up a little later to hear a few male voices. I peek out and ask what they are doing here, only to find out it is a mixed room. Which means it could be males or females. At this point I decide what to heck and go back to sleep.

The next morning I wake up and find that I slept with 5 men. So, before leaving I talk to the night employee, and he apologizes profusely and offered to switch me to a female room. I tell him it this point I don't really care, it was just as easy to stay but it's up to him. After checking the schedule, he says he needs to move me to female room. So tonight I'm sleeping with 5 women.

I have to say in all my years of staying in hostels, this is the first time something like this has happened…

Anyway, I took a Giants Causeway tour that hikes part of the trip. So, rather than taking the bus the whole way, I skip the Bushmill distillery and a castle, and get dropped off part way, to walk with a guide the 5 miles to the Causeway. I will then meet up with the bus to go home from there.

It was a beautiful drive to the Causeway (we took the scenic route; on the way home will take the faster interior route).  The shore was covered with black and white stone. The black stones are basalt (ancient volcanic rock) and the white ones limestone.

First we stopped at Carrickfergus Castle.  Built in the late 12th century, it was the start of the campaign for Scotland to take over Ireland 150 years later. Although they won the battle here, the lost the war 3 years later.  Under British rule, the castle was attacked by many (Scotland, Ireland, France, and even America) up until WW2.

We passed through many cute coastal towns. As with the rest of Ireland, we saw several sheep and cows, although these were really hanging on the side of a steep hill. One of the towns, Carnlough has an inn built by Winston Churchill's great-grandmother.  He was a frequent visitor throughout his life.  It was also was the home to Paddy, a homing pigeon who was awarded a medal for bravery to animals during WW2.  He delivered a coded message on the Allies advancement in record breaking time (France->England, less than 5 hours).  A children's book was written about his journey.

Scotland off in distance

Along the way we passed several areas of interest:

• A promontory, where Ireland is closest to Scotland - only 12 miles. (Can you see the little bit of Scotland on the right).
• A small pond, which according to our driver will be absorbed into the rocks and disappear by tomorrow.
• Some areas where game of thrones is filmed, but since I've never seen I it, I wasn't sure what area.
• Ballycastle, where the first commercial radio transmission by Marconi occurred.

Carrick-a-Rede Ropebridge

Finally we reached the 300 year old Carrick-a-Rede ropebridge.  The walk to the bridge is beautiful. The other side is nice, and I did get some great pictures, but honestly you could do everything except cross the bridge to the small island for free.  Since I'm not likely to make it back here, it was worth the $7.50. But I could see skipping it with the family and just enjoying the walk.

View from Carrick-a-Rede Ropebridge

Across from us was Rathlyn Island…. Behind the island is Scotland.  Rathlyn island is another site for The Game of Thrones.

I little ways down the road, the bus stopped and I got out to make my trek.  They claim it is 5 miles, but I swear it is more. Although maybe that's because of all the ups and downs.  Actually, I think it is because they don't include the Giant's causeway site, which must be at least another 2 miles.

Ridges show layers of lava over time

Along the walk, you can see the layers in the side of the cliff. The rock is formed from lava bubbling up between platelets.  Some layers represent 1000 years.  In any case, the rock is igneous, but one of the layers has decomposed faster than the others due to plant life and climate conditions.  It was igneous, but has become sedentary rock. It's also the prettiest (red).

There was a geocache box with a book I got to sign.  Pretty cool.

There is a legend in the area about Finn McCool. Some giants came over, so to intimidate them, his wife has him get in bed and she swallowed him like he w was a baby.  So when the giants came to the door, she invited them in and told them they could wait for her husband by her sleeping soon. They saw how big the baby was and figured he must be a giant, and left him alone.  Of course there are all kinds of rock formations named after Finn, his boots, his grandma, etc.

Path to Giant Causeway

Steps down to Giants Causeway

WW2 Bunker

Cliffs - Notice tiny people on top

Giant's Causeway

According to my S Health, I walked over 12 miles today, and hit a new record over 25,000 steps!

Tomorrow, back to London and then home, so this is my last entry.  Thanks for traveling with me!

Belfast - Aug 21

Northern Ireland from above

Flew in to Belfast. Meet a family from Vancouver on the plane. They made some recommendations on what to do when I visit in Oct. There was also a family with three young girls that kept all of us entertained.

Hostel - 4th window down

Got to my hostel, Global Village.  I really liked it.  Then I went off to St George's Market. It is a covered market with lunch (freshly made paella, paninis, indian, and more) to live music (at least on Sunday when I visited), crafts, antiques, fresh food (meat, fruit, veggies, cheeses, etc.), and more. My mom would have stayed there for hours.

St George's Market

The market has an interesting history. It was one of many markets set up near the center of Belfast. During the early part of WW2, those who lived nearby were able to eat fresh food, even when the rest of the UK was hungry and standing in lines.

After German bombing on Easter Tuesday, 1941, the market was used as a mortuary for the 255 of the 700 people killed.

City Hall

After the market I stopped by the harbor for a while, then headed off to the city hall. It has a nice park in front with, again, a big screen TV for the Olympics. They sure take their Olympics very seriously here!

Also on the ground was a 100 year memorial to the Somme battle where so many Belfast soldiers fought and died.  They had a couple dozen panels with pictures of Somme today and commentary about the people and happenings in the same area during the war. It was heartbreaking.

St Anne's Cathedral and Tower of Hope

I caught a hop on hop off bus. Since it was the last bus of the day, I used it to get a brief overview of the city and a ride home in the mist that turned to rain.  It gave me an overview of the city.  I just wish I had been able to get off at some of the stops along the way and explore more.

Republican mural on building wall

There was a lot of conversation about "The Troubles", as they call the time when the Irish Republicans and Separatists were fighting.  (I swear there was a sci-fi show that talked about "the troubles", and every time the guide said it it made me think it's a sci-fi movie).  In one part of the city many of the walls are filled with murals - one area for the republic, another for the Separatists.

I wish I had had at least another day here.  There is so much to do in the city.  The Ulster museum came highly recommended and was not far from my hostel.  I also skipped the Titanic exhibit, which people at the hostel raved about, but honestly I am feeling a little Titanic'ed out.

So my hostel.  I really like it, but i had an interesting experience….

Final day of Tour (Belfast Next) - Aug 20

Severn River, Ironbridge, Englad

We left Wales this morning, as headed back to England.  We crossed the Severn River, which separates England from Wales. It is the largest river in Britain.  It's a tidal estuary; there is a place on it where you can surf a portion of the river.

By the way, the river is pronounced "Seven". English also have some interesting pronunciations.  Sometimes they randomly do letters, like the "r" in Severn, other times i am convinced they just make up a pronunciation.  For, Leominster is pronounced "Leminster", Leichester "Lester", and  Worcestershire is "Wooster".

We passed by a country field, and in the middle of it there is part of a wall from a Roman structure.  England takes great care to preserve whatever ruins they find from the past. Unfortunately, this was the "badlands" of Roman empire because it's how far north it was. So because of this, plus time, there are not many remains left.

Ironbridge

 We stopped at Ironbridge, a city named, aptly, for the 100 foot Ironbridge that spans the Severn River. The Bridge was built by Abraham Darby. Who was a pioneer of the cast iron process (which is why they call this the "cradle of the industrial revolution"). He sold the processing rights to the English Navy, making him "quite rich".

He wanted a bridge across the river to connect factories. The bridges of the time were not lasting, so he built the first wraught iron bridge. People could not believe that he was making the whole bridge out of iron. But 237 years later, is still holding up.

Anne Hathaway House

Our last stop before returning to London was Stratford-Upon-Avon. We stopped briefly for a picture of Anne Hathaway's house (Shakespeare's wife, not the actress). After 3 kids, he moved to London to work, leaving his family behind.

While in London, he got work behind the scenes at the theater. Eventually, he gets an opportunity to act (which is what he was best known for during most of his life).

He eventually starts writing plays believing there is money to be made.  he started with the popular historical plays of the time and does quite well. So he branched out to the comedies.

His success in London allowed him to buy his father a coat of arms and his own family the biggest house in Stratford (which we now call Anne Hathaway's house).

As our guide, Pieter says, like Leonardo di Caprio, he wanted an Oscar. And like Leonardo he needs to change his style of writing and get a gritty play. So he writes …

Around 50 years old, he retires to Stratford upon Avon with his wife. Two years later he dies.

Shakespeare redefined the English language, inventing 600 words that would not exist in the English language is not for him.  (Eg. Academy, blushing, hint, mimic, tranquil, puking, etc.)

Shakespeare Birth House

We stopped in the city of Stratford, where Judith and I went to the house in which he was born and raised.













Some Trivia about Shakespeare:

Birth room window - signed by visitors in 1800s,
Including Tennyson (inset=closeup)

• His dad was a glovemaker (tanning his own hides), illegal wool dealer, moneylender, and town bailout (like mayor today) - ambitious!
• Tudor England had   laws r that.  defined how you could eat. As middle class, his family could eat 2 courses for the main meal.
• He had 7 siblings, 4 of which died in childhood
• His wife was 9 years older than him
• His brother, Edmund, joined him as an actor in London
• His son Hamnet, who died at 11, was likely the inspiration for the name "Hamlet"
• He had 3 children and 4 grandchildren, but then his family line stopped. (so, no, you're not a descendant)
• Shakespeare birth house was leased out as an inn after his father's death for almost 250 years

Theater with new friends

After checking into the hotel, I went to dinner and the theater. A few of us saw "Kinky Boots" (others went to Beautiful.  The musical was good, although I thought a few of the songs tried to hard to make a point. But it was a good musical. 

Kinky Boots Set

Wales Redux - Aug 19

Building with longest city name on it

After a 3 hour ferry ride, we got off at the Island of angelsey.  On the island, we drove through Llanfairpwllgwyngyllg-ogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. This is the longest one-word named city in the world.  The name means "St Mary's Church in a hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of Saint Tysilio near the red cave". (Not much better, is it). The locals call it Llanfairpwll (pronounced thlan vire puth).  The town was named this as a tourist attraction - it worked!

Snowdonia Mountains, Wales

We drove past a 300 year old suspension bridge, then through the Snowdonia mountains - highest in Wales.  The view was beautiful. Because it rained most of the day, i was not able to get any good pictures. (Although I did sneak to the other side of the bus for a quick pic, which wasn’t  nearly up to seeing it in person, but will do.) We also passed the "ugliest house". It seems that after a couple marries, they immediately go and build a house. If they can finish it before the night, they get to keep the land. So it's out together rather hurriedly. I didn't think it was ugly are all. (Of course, I didn't see the inside.).

Before we left Wales, we stopped at a couple of small towns which were pretty.

Hotel in Welsh city

Welsh city

OK, so one of the things that drives me crazy in the British isles is that they wall or hedge off there properties. I don't mind when it's a short wall - it looks cute. And from high up, the land looks cool - like a patchwork quilt with the stone fences or shrubs dividing sections. I get wanting to keep animals separate (iie. Cows vs sheep) or contain them on your property.

But the annoying thing is that as you drive down roads, the view tends to be pretty boring since the roads are largely lined with these talling shrubbery.  It's like, "there a bush. Oh, there's another bush,, oh there…was a castle, before the bush got in the way.".

We ended the evening with a barge ride in the Llangollen Canal.  It's really a portion of an early 19th century canal. It goes through both Wales and England. We passed several "house barges" - some permanent homes, other vacation homes.

Llangollen Canal

Llangollen Canal

Dublin: Guinness Makes It Worth It - Aug 18

Inset door painted to look fancy

Drove into Dublin this morning.  Our guide took us on an hour tour of the city. It was a dizzying drive. We had no idea where we were, our guide talked very fast. Basically, we were completely overwhelmed. The goal was to find one or two things that interested you, and then go back to visit. We did stop at a couple places and took 5 minutes for pictures, saving us having to make the trip back. We stopped on a street with Georgian buildings all alike except the doors - the only exterior changes owners are allowed to make.

I was not a fan of Dublin.  It is very neutral in colors - all brick,  tans, greys,  etc.  The only color seems to be from the doors in some of the streets. (Pix)

Buffalo head????

There are almost no trees except except a couple of small parks, but ton of statutes.  Everybody who's anybody has a statue somewhere.  There's even a statue of a buffalo head.

We went for a walk in the afternoon.  Actually, our intent was to take the hop on hop off bus.  But after waiting over 20 minutes,  we gave up and started walking toward the next stop.

Helping a sailor out

About 10-15 minutes into the walk, the bus passed us and we just missed catching them at the next stop.  So we just kept walking.  Unfortunately there was nothing interesting in the area. We headed back in the direction of the hotel. When we got to the river that runs along the front of the hotel, we turned away and kept walking. There was a statue of a fisherman,  then several docking hooks.  The one looked like buffalo horns, thus my roommate questioning why they have a statue of a Buffalo head.

Sean O'Casey pedestrian bridge
Tilted building: Convention Centre

Samuel Beckett Bridge - shape of harp

Memorial to Great Famine, aka Potato Famine

We stopped next door to our hotel for Judith to get a souvenir, and found an "Epic Ireland", a hands-on history of the people of Ireland. It looked so interesting, but unfortunately, we didn't have enough time left. Wish we had seen it from the beginning.

The evening excursion and dinner was at the Guinness factory. We were shown how gives was made, taught how to pull (we don't do it right in the states), had a sample, and dinner. The guide recommended asking for a short of black currant in the guinness. We had the sample in the Gravity Bar, the highest building in Dublin.  I like Guinness, but the current sweetened it a little and was really good.  After we went to dinner and i had Guinness stew. I loved it. Have to get there recipe. The bad cards with the recipe there, but i didn't know about it until after we left.

Btw, talked to someone else who visited Dublin for several days, and she likes so much she was returning, so my attitude may be due to limited time in city.

Ring of Kerry - Aug 17

Turf Cutter's Dwelling, Kerry Bog Village

Headed off for the ring of Kerry, which is a circular drive through County Kerry.

We started off at a Peat bog village from the 18th/19th century.  For more than 1000 years, they have used peat for fuel and insulation. They used peat because of a lack of trees and a surplus of bogs.  At one time they had the 2nd highest volume of bogs in the world (Finland had the highest).  They still have a significant amount of bogs remaining.

There were 5 houses in the village - it reminded me of the Lake County History Center's poineer village only bigger (we'll get there yet).  All had thatched roofs. In fact, the thatcher had the best house in the village.  The poor laborer's house was the smallest, had dirt floor (instead of flagstones), and the smallest windows. (You were taxes in the size of your windows - they believed it a luxury to have more light. Which is why half doors were common.)

They also had some Irish wolfhounds, which are the tallest dogs in the world. They were known as royal dogs, for ruling chiefs and kings only.  They have a sweet disposition and great hunting ability (seems contradictive to me).

 Then we headed off to the ring of Kerry, a road that circles around the Iveragh Peninsula.  The view along it is magnificent. We stopped at a coffee shop along the way and I took a walk and got some beautiful pictures. We passed through the Dingle Peninsula, from where we could see Ireland most westerly point. Ryan's Daughter was filled at a beach we saw on the penisula.

Staigue Stone Fort

We passed the Staigue stone fort, built ca. 300 AD. It doesn't look like much, but it is considered an engineering fete for many reasons, such as it was built without using mortar.

Thatched Roof House

Next we went to Adare in county Limerick.  Judith and I had fish & chips at a pub downtown, and then went exploring. Adare is known for its thatched roofs, which I have to say are very well done. I like the way they carve out around the window

 Spent the night in Ennis.  Most people went out to a Irish dance thing. But I had heard there was an Irish festival downtown, so Susan and I went downtown. We heard lots of great music, even a kids group on the sidewalk. Turns out it was an annual festival that goes to a different city each year. This year just happened to be Ennis.

Children musicians at Irish Fest

The best part was on the way home. On the way there a had an a couple of ladies1 dresses in period costume coming out of a building. There were lots of other and the dress ranged from causal to black tie. It didn't make any sense. The ladies reminded me of the Baldwin sisters from the Walton's based on there dress.  Later on the way

After the reinactment, @ the anniversary memorial

home, we ran into the two ladies again.

This year is the 100 year anniversary of the Irish Rebellion (Irish fight for independence). Sir Roger Casement was executed for his part in the effort. What we had seen earlier was the letting out of a reinactment of his trial, complete with "solicitor" garb. The ladies then proceeded to tell us all about the trial and show off the globe which was an anniversary memorial.

I walked a new high number of steps - 21,500!

Is it Blarney or Baloney? - Aug 16

Today we explored Cork county.  We drove through the city of Cork and worked our way to Blarney.

Boy playing Irish bagpipes

Blarney Castle

Just outside the Blarney castle, there was a young boy playing the Irish bagpipes. I didn't even know the Irish had their own bagpipes. There are two bags (or bellows) and a fife-like piece that you finger (called a chanter). It's not a wind instrument. The music of made by squeezing the bags with your arm.

Me kissing Blarney Stone

I climbed the steep, circular stairs to the top of the Blarney Castle to kiss the "Stone of Eloquence" (what they call the Blarney stone). Therefore, I will become more eloquent. Or get herpes, one or the other.
Our guide took great pleasure in informing us after we got back on the bus that the stone was used by the castle guards as the toilet (not sure if it's true, since it seems to have believed to hold powers for many years). But i join the ranks of Winston Churchill and many others who kissed the stone.

Jaunting car tour

After Blarney, we drove to Killarney, where we took a jaunting car tour (horse drawn carriage) through town and out to the Killarney National Park.  The park is the oldest national park in Ireland, starting in 1932 when the original 11k access was donated to the state.  it has since been expanded to 25k acres.   We saw a herd of red deer (the only native here in Ireland) on our way to Ross Castle which also sits in the park.
We spent a while at Ross castle, a 15th century Castle on Lough Leane.

Red deer

On our return ride, the driver told us we were coming up to their version of the white House (just a white House with a sign on the typical rock walk). As we passed the floor garden, he informed us theirs is "occupied by the bushes".
After a quick look at the st Mary's Church, which has beautiful stone work.







Then off to the hotel.  Before dinner, we went to a pub in the middle of nowhere, where a couple of locals came to lead us in a sing aloneg shared some stories, and generally entertained us.