Switching Countries

A 5:30 wake-up alarm yesterday heralded a long day; hence no blog was done. We checked out of our hotel in Galway and drove to Shannon Airport for the flight to Scotland. On the way we stopped at Dromoland, a castle cum hotel, an Irish Heritage site that they have worked to keep authentic. This was on Beth’s scouting agenda for the trip and this hotel is sure to be a tour group pleaser.

The flight to Edinburgh was not long. After we collected our luggage, we got a taxi to take us to the apartment that Jon had reserved in the Knight Hotel. We expected a suite of rooms, but were surprised to find it was outfitted with a full kitchen including pots, pans, dishes and a washer-dryer. 

The first impression of Edinburgh is the Castle that rises majestically over the city. This site, like most all castles, was originally a fortified position. Archaeologists have found artifacts of people living atop this high hill as long ago as 900 BC. Today the Castle is a big draw for tourists the world over. Kings and queens have lived here and their children born here. 

The second impression is that all the building stone in Edinburgh is beige or brown whereas in Ireland all the stone was gray. The streets are wider here, some still cobblestoned. And where Dublin was relatively flat; there is nothing flat about Edinburgh. You are usually either walking up or walking down. Even Beth found the hills a challenge on her morning run today.

Yesterday we hunted down the Genealogy Society and learned they had nothing there that would be helpful to me since we already had names and dates going back to 1770. We were referred to the Archives at the People’s Center. We continued on, had lunch at a restaurant familiar to Jon and Beth, Wagamama, a Japanese vegetarian place. In a Scotch Whiskey store, we got a history narrative and personal consultation from a very knowledgable salesman. Jon enjoyed that visit and the tasting that accompanied it before he made his purchase selection. Then we found a grocery store, bought supplies and prepared supper at the apartment. We all went to bed earlier than usual.

This morning over breakfast we did a lot of conferring on what to do today. First order of business was to go to the Archives, not only for what records they might have, but also to get some clue of where to find the “land of the ancestors”, Ardclach Parish, village of Lynmore. We were warned ahead of time that we would have to register to enter the Archives. Jon and I both got reading passes with picture ID on them. It did take us almost as long to get the registration done as it did to look at the one Ardclach Parish minutes book that they had for the 1700s.

We were hoping to find something in the church minutes reporting that the Dowglas family had departed for America. But we found nothing that would shed any light on that or on the two Alexander Dowglases, one from Dunorn and the other from Branchor. It was amusing to read in the parish records about church members who had strayed from the straight and narrow and received punishment of one variety or another, as “they needed more strength in their repentance.”

We ate lunch at another vegetarian restaurant. Scotland has more vegetarian restaurants than Jon and Beth usually find when they travel, they tell me. In particular, I enjoy the wonderful soups that they have. They use leeks for flavor and I always like that flavoring.

We walked up to the Castle, stayed for the Changing of the Guard, but did not pay the hefty price to go inside. Instead we walked down the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral, where John Knox once preached. Inside I was nearly overcome with the beauty of the windows and the arches and the wondrously tall organ pipes rising high to the vaulted ceiling. For me, this was today’s high point..

By then the light rain of the morning had turned in a misty drizzle, giving rise to the kind of view you see in photos of “misty Scotland”. So we headed back to the dry and warm apartment about mid afternoon, to nap, to blog, to drink hot tea. I am enjoying the wonderfully warm merino wool sweater Jon bought me in Galway. Perfect for the weather here. Scotland’s current temperature is considerably cooler that those we had in Ireland but it is supposed to warm up over the next few days. We, as well as the street vendors and the buskers and the bagpipers, will be happy for that.

Time Out!

Yesterday we got a late start as Jon had to have a tooth looked at. It had been aggravating him since Saturday and he was managing the problem with aspirin. He got in to see the dentist shortly after 10, got a Rx for antibiotic, and some strong antiseptic mouthwash; he will need a filling when he gets home but will not lose the tooth; he was relieved. 

We stopped for lunch in Adare where they had advertised two thatched-roof cottages. Unfortunately the cottages burned last year, but not the mention in the guide books, of course. We had lunch at the Blue Door and found the small post office, so I got my post cards sent off. They gave me both stamps and Priority Mail stickers. I am sure I will get home before the post cards are delivered, but as Jon said, that's the fun of it.

Dunratty Castle was fun too. Stone spiral staircases, embellished with metal railings on both side to facilitate movement and prevent falls. A great hall, maybe 50 feet with long tables. Jon measured one, a single plank, nearly 3 inches thick and 35 ft. long. Huge fireplaces, lots of huge antlers on the wall. Really old authentic-looking tapestries. A few bedchambers set up with massive furniture; a heavy large wooden chest with metal edging on all corners and edges. On the top level we stepped out onto what was probably the sentry watch. Narrow windows so high up that looking down almost gave me vertigo. A great view of the surrounding countryside, though; they could see whoever was coming miles off. 

I was impressed with the huge tapestries on the walls in this castle. They did not look like reproductions, but I could not fathom how they could have survived so many years. Probably they had been restored. Tours of the castle were stopped at 4 pm daily so they could prepare for the nightly Medieval Dinner. I am sure they served it in the Great Hall; the benches were cushioned there. Guides were dressed in period-style garb. This castle got a definite “yes” for Beth’s Ireland Tour. 

On the WWW coast again, we visited the Cliffs of Mohers, pronounced Moo-ers. Another photographers’ wonder: water and sky and great cliffs dropping 600 feet to where the ocean carves away at the base.

Lots of rolling countryside as we traveled north towards Galway, more farm land; only a few sheep but lots of dairy cows and beef cattle. At Connors Pass, a pull-off provided a great view. There was a path to climb even higher up the hill and we started up but the path was stony and uneven and very steep so I stopped and sent Jon and Beth the rest of the way to the top. I stood to one side of the path and did 360 degree rotations to see the view on all sides, great vast valleys ringed by rugged hills and the blue of the ocean in the distance. On the way back down, I was grateful for Jon’s strong hand holding me steady and helping me climb over large stones. His strong hand or arm has been ever available when the going gets tough.

We stayed last night in Galway at the Ardilaun Hotel. My stomach had not been happy since  yesterday and my energy level was much lower than usual this morning, so I opted for a rest day. Jon and Beth went out to traverse yet another peninsula. I slept, showered, washed my hair, relaxed with cups of tea, readily available using a hot-pot in my room and I am feeling much better. Jon emailed a short time ago that they were coming back into Galway; did I want to go shopping; Beth is doing some last minute shopping. Last chance in Ireland; we fly to Edinborough tomorrow. I emailed back: Yes, I’m up, refreshed and ready to go; so he will pick me up. 

Here’s another of Patrick’s kerryman jokes: The Kerry Councilman asks people which side of the river gets more traffic. When the answers come back, the north side, he said, “Good. Then that’s the side we’ll put the bridge on”. Love the Irish humor.

Stay Safe - Eat Cake

Yesterday we walked the main streets in Killarney. There were the usual clothing stores and souvenir places, barber shop, SPAR (the Irish equivalent of 7-Eleven) and one other place that caught my eye, not for the first time - “Paddy Power/ Bookmaker/ Bet Here.” 

Early this morning, while Beth was on her morning run, Jon and I walked to the nearby park and walked the trails there. We saw red deer, common in this area, fun to see in the distance, but as Patrick remarked, not a happy sight for the golf course groundskeepers. Many other walkers were in the park along with some trail riders from the Riding Stable just up the street from our B and B. Also in the park was a family who had rented a horse and carriage and the father was driving the horse, to the delight of his children. 

Today we drove the Dingle peninsula, the next one north of the Ring of Kerry. I had assumed it would be quite similar but there were differences. The mountains were more significant, lots of windy roads going up, up, up, with many places to stop and see the view. There were “U-shaped” valleys, sculpted out when glaciers had pushed their way through the existing water courses, leaving behind long, broad valleys. And those valleys are home to many, many sheep. Whereas yesterday we saw small groups of sheep, today we saw flocks of 20 to 60 in pasture after pasture, and the far hillside’s checkerboard of fields all sported numerous white dots. 

There were bicyclists on the roads we traveled but Patrick says there are many, many more in the summer. In the town of Dingle, we were looking for a place for lunch and saw a sign that said Pie. Jon and Beth had been teasing me because I wanted pie the day before but had no room for it at the end of the meal. “Here’s your chance to have pie.” It was a small restaurant on the upper floor over a Sea Glass jewelry store. There were about four tables outside on the deck and eight tables inside. It turned out the name of the restaurant was Pie. More good marketing, Beth reminds us. But they did have pie and it was a neat place to eat. We did move inside when it threatened to rain and they were happy to help us move. Then it didn’t rain anyway. We have had two nice days in a row now with very little rain, just a few sprinkles from a cloud passing overhead. 

When it was time for dessert, they had a selection of eight desserts in the case and Jon and I did each have pie. For a small restaurant, they were really good about adding that little extra touch to the plates they served, nice crisp lettuce on the dinner plates, a little clotted cream topped by a fresh berry with the pie. They had a great selection of teas and the teapots were all shaped like houses, heavy to handle but they kept the water hot. A sign on the wall at the Pie said “Skinny People Are Easy to Kidnap/ Stay Safe - Eat Cake”. I liked Dingle, a small harbor town, with many tall-masted sailboats moored there.

Beck at our B and B about 5:30, we all hit the bed for naps. I slept much longer than I intended, a couple hours, but we had done some climbing on our hikes today, so I guess my body earned it. Tonight we sat in a small sitting room upstairs at the B and B and ate our supper snack, then watched a TV segment on my computer. Tomorrow we leave Killarney. We will miss Patrick’s good humor.

The Wild And Windy West

Oh, by the way, we did have a wonderful “sit-down” dinner at an Italian restaurant in Kilkenny, and another in Blarney so perhaps the cafeteria style is more prevalent in the big city.

I was wrong in my last post about not doing as much driving. Today’s itinerary was to traverse the peninsula on the Wild Atlantic West coast called the Ring of Kerry. The circuit was 110 miles by the book. We must have gone further, for, in addition to the lovely landscapes of the peninsula, we got hooked by the “Ten Minute Walk to the Most Spectacular View in County Kerry.” Once parked, we discovered our ten minute walk was going to cost us 4 euros a piece! As Beth commented, it's all about the marketing.

The walk was more than ten minutes, most of it uphill, but the view of the cliffs where the Atlantic crashes into the island was magnificent. We went all the way to the topmost viewing station, with Jon and Beth linking their arms with mine to help me move forward and upward against a very stiff wind. The signs pointing the way to the coast just show wavy lines, like 3 Ws linked. I say it should be called the Wild Windy West. Once up there we had to admit that all the level concrete and fencing that had been done to provide a safe viewing station made the price appropriate. The cliffs were scoured out by the ocean and the drop to the water was a couple hundred feet. I was intrigued by the lovely wild flowers that clung to the sides of the hills, even some growing from what seemed could only be rock. It was the high point of today’s trip, though we saw many lovely valleys and many old stone houses with the roofs gone, but the stone walls and chimneys still standing. The Irish certainly know how to build with stone.

I had not seen a single wooden fence post until we were headed west today.. All the “fences” were rock walls, or dirt berms on top of which hedges grew. Looking out across the valleys, one saw land divided into 5, 10 and 15 acre fields, separated by what looked like walls or hedgerows only. Today, sometimes I saw fence posts inserted into rock walls and also into the shrubby berm. to add wire fencing. I thought these fences were added for the benefit of cattle, since the rock walls probably worked for sheep, but today, in some places, I realized the higher fences were for People!

I enjoyed watching the sheep with their lambs. I saw several herds of cows, Brown Swiss, Holsteins, Guernseys and a few mixed herds.  And today we saw black faced sheep for the first time. Lots of sheep, perfect for the rolling, rocky pasture land.

Coming back into Killarney, we saw the Jaunting Cars. They are two wheeling carts, drawn by ponies, the local version of the horse and carriages of NYC or Cincinnati.

Our B & B host is a friendly Irishman, Patrick. At breakfast, he brought Beth some extra yogurt because he had seen her returning from her run this morning and thought she should have the extra calories. I miss my morning oatmeal. I am surprised they do not serve it here. I have yet to have it in Ireland. We get cereal, dry oats or muesli combinations, toast, coffee and orange juice here at the B&B. Then we have a choice of eggs, various sausages, beans, fruit, yogurt, or cheese. Patrick does all the serving. We can hear his wife in the kitchen with at least one helper, but we have not met her. The B&B has another party of 4 guests, besides us, right now.

Patrick’s “kerryman” joke: (a kerryman is a local person) The kerryman says to his partner upon reading the obituaries in the newspaper, “I don’t understand why all the people die in alphabetical order.” Then Patrick gave us a whole book of kerryman jokes to read. Every Irishman has a joke or a story, it seems. 

The Blarney Stone - To Kiss or Not

After breakfast we did a quick walk around Kilkenny, We walked the Medieval Mile as it is named, culminating with a visit to St. Canice’s Close. Of the original monastery built there in the 6th century, only the bell tower remains. Originally it was meant to ring out the hours for the monks. Over the years, fighting between the Protestant and Catholic churches often targeted the monastery on the hill overlooking the river Nore. Cromwell even had a crack at it. The “Close” was a compound which surrounded the monastery and the homes of the canons and church officials. The earliest records show large gardens within its walls.

All that remains of the original monastery is the bell tower, but 800 years ago the ruins of the first monastery was cleared and a grand Gothic Church was built adjacent to the bell tower. Only small sections of the wall of the Close remain. The church yard has some large grave plots, probably of those who had the means to gain permission to be buried there. Jon and Beth decided to climb to the top of the bell tower. I declined and stayed on the ground reading the history of the place and waved to them when they reached the top, a good bit over 100 ft. tall, and built in 1111 A.D.

About noon we met Marianne who joined us for the trip to Killarney. Marianne had a good mapping device on her phone so she was able to help Beth navigate. They sat in back and I sat up front with Jon - in the left seat. It seemed so strange to be sitting there; I felt like I should have a steering wheel in my hands.  But the view out the front was a nice change from yesterday.

We stopped at several castles. Beth is “scoping out” venues for her upcoming Ireland tour. The first castle, the Rock of Cashel, was impressive in its height. There was not much to see inside; some old tools in glass cases, a large stone St. Patrick’s cross, various shields carved in a rock frieze and a room set up to show a typical medieval kitchen. But the immense size of the castle and the great interior arches were imposing. They are reconstructing parts of it and the plans show something like six floors from bottom to top, all in stone of course.

It had started raining about the time we left Kilkenny that morning and before long we were “socked in” as we traveled towards the Wild Atlantic West, as the west coast of Ireland is called. It rained most of the rest of the day, finally tapering off in late afternoon. So it was raining when we got to Blarney Castle, home of the Blarney Stone. World statesmen, and legends of the silver screen have joined other pilgrims who have journeyed to kiss the Blarney Stone, believed to bestow the gift of eloquence. 

It turns out that the Blarney Stone is at the very top of the Keep. With encouragement from my companions I thought I might try it, but after tackling only a few feet of the stone staircase, I declined. Kissing the Blarney Stone is not on my Bucket List. Instead I retreated and outside found a nice wooden walkway beside banks of flowers, small waterfalls, huge boulders, through ahaped arches of small trees, over bridges across streams, a very nice walk indeed and I finished my walk about the time the rest of my party returned triumphant from kissing the Blarney Stone. (Did you know one has to bend backwards over nothing but air in order to kiss the stone?)

We ate our main meal for the day in Blarney, then proceeded on, getting into Killarney with just enough daylight to drop Marianne off at her hostel and find our own B & B before dark. We told our host we were “in for the night”. It has been another long day. 

One of today’s impressions is of driving for miles through so many trees and shrubs on either roadside, it was almost like going through a green tunnel. The trees didn’t arch overhead like sometimes maples or oaks or elms would but they were so tall and willowy looking you got that tunnel or maze effect. One saw only green walls.

We will be staying here in Killarney for a couple days, so we will not be spending so much time driving and will have more time for exploring. Stay tuned.

To Kilkenny We Will Go

We left Dublin yesterday for Kilkenny. Jon drove the rented car, mastering the left-hand driving exceptionally well. Beth was navigator. So I got to enjoy the scenery. For the first hour we zigged and zagged our way out of Dublin into the outskirts and then finally into the countryside. I enjoyed seeing the first private homes along the route, light or pastel in color, with neatly clipped hedges, small immaculate lawns and steeply sloped roofs.

We stopped at Powerscourt Gardens and took the walk through the park-like grounds scattered with statues, an old stone tower with cannon, a Japanese style pagoda set near a little creek and many rhododendron bushes in various bright colors. I remarked several times that at every turn there was a new delightful vista of lawn and flowers. The stone reception building had the look of an old manor house though I do not know its history; it had a restaurant and several shops. We bought a few snacks and continued on our way. We had a long drive.

I was not aware of our assent until the wayside flowers disappeared and we were crossing Wicklow Mountain. It was definitely NOT green there! The landscape was all browns and grays, with low growing scrubby bushes and clumps of long gray grasses, subsisting on thin rocky soil. There was no habitation for miles, except one pick-up truck parked on the side of the road and, barely visible, about a quarter mile away, a small shack or lean-to. Suddenly, we were surprised to meet a huge tour bus: Jon pulled over and stopped the car, so the bus could get by on the narrow, barely two-lane, road.

When the twisty, sometimes bumpy, road began to descend, the ubiquitous wild shrub that grows along the roadsides, hedgerows and hillsides reappeared, covered with masses of flowers the color of goldenrod. As we came to the valley floor, we saw sheep, not much past lambing time, with lots of little ones lying near their mothers. Now the landscape was green again, all shades of green.

At the Gardens we had sunshine but one thing was certain, the sky was always changing. It did not rain, however, until our next stop at Glendalough. Jon needed a rest after all the difficult mountain driving so Beth and I visited the local craft shop to let him take a short nap in the car. We brought back coffee and continued on. The rain was short, went from sprinkles, to drizzle to short downpour and subsided.

Now we saw dairy cows in pastures, small farms, rural homes, and all those green colors, so many that when I spied a bright yellow field, I speculated on what it must be. We decided it must be mustard though we have not checked that out with the local people yet. Not far from Kilkenny we turned onto a major highway so driving was much easier for Jon.

In Kilkenny Jon and Beth were surprised by a friend who was also traveling in Ireland, having been working here on an organic farm, and Marianne will join us as we continue to Killarnny next.

She's in Ireland!

I have "dusted off" my old blog again. I am traveling and it is not always easy to get internet access. When I do have access to the internet, the blog allows me to report on my activities so more friends can keep up with me. My son, Jonathan, helped me iron out the snags in order to breathe new life into this old blog. 

Currently I am in Dublin, Ireland, with Jon and Beth. We've been here three days. The bus ride from the airport did not take long. After checking into the hotel, we did the Hop On- Hop Off bus tour, but mostly we walk. Tonight, in deference to my tired knee, we took a taxi to a very nice vegetarian restaurant for Jon's birthday dinner. The taxi driver inquired if we were Irish, admitted he certainly was and went on to entertain us with his remarks, especially commiserating with us about "Trumpie" and what kind of president he would make. He dropped us off at the restaurant, chuckling at his wit.

So far, most restaurants are a kind of cafeteria style. For lunch today, we stopped in at a department store and after shopping, we decided to have lunch in their restaurant on the second floor. With my tray in hand I watched the ladies ahead of me, then the wait-person behind the salad bar said "how many salads do you want?" Well, I had in mind only one but there were about eight large bowls of various salads in front of me and, having watched the women before me select servings from several, I said three. Then I had to choose the ones I wanted. I figured out that the number of salad servings one wanted determined the size and shape of the plate the salads were served on, for the benefit of the cashier.

Tonight's restaurant was similar, though this one, Cornucopia, had better signage, so it was easier to make our selections.  It was one of the best meals we've had here so far. Jon and Beth are dedicated vegetarians and that is no problem for me. I love all vegetables. I had a "mash pie" which was mashed potatoes with fennel and mushrooms and nicely flavored and browned from the oven, and two "salads" this time, one was greens with a garlic and oil dressing, the other was a beet salad, also very tasty, flavored well. We had left-overs to bring home. We wandered our way back to the hotel through the pub district near the college and stopped in to listen to some music and have a drink, watching a good soccer game on TV, getting back to the hotel about 8:30 and it was still light out.

The weather has been cool but it has only rained a little, just this morning. The sun comes out from the clouds for at least part of the day which is nice.

Tomorrow we will get a rented car and travel out of the big city. It will be nice to see the countryside.