Reflections

Some trips defy planning and end up as more an adventure than expected. That was this trip. Of course, we did get to most of the planned places, but discovered more surprises just stopping along the way to explore, or even getting lost.

Now that I'm home, I've been thinking back and wanted to reflect on some of those unexpected adventures and observations from the past 4 weeks.

When you arrive in a town a little earlier than expected and call your B&B to see if it's alright to check in early and they say, “Well, get on over here, I'll put the water to boil for a cuppa.” You know you've chosen the right place to stay. Thank you Margaret Deane at Novarra House in Mullingar.

When your B&B hosts are like friends and know that you are running late and won't have time to go out for dinner before you go to an evening event so they have a casserole waiting when you get back from the Aran Islands, you know they will be friends for a long time. Thank you Philip and Maura at Rosin Dubh in Spiddal.

When your B&B hosts give you a history lesson on the Inishowen Penninsula, loan you their coveted Ordinance Map of the area, and even share how to get to their “local” for great atmosphere and dinner, you know the drive up the hill past the sheep and cows was well worth it. Thank you Irwin and Olga at the Inishowen Lodge in Moville.

When your hostess takes the time to share the history of her B&B, and family, and then teaches you how to cook some tried and true Irish foods, you will always do your best to replicate. Thanks to Rita Meade at Berry Lodge at Spanish Point.

When your hostess shares the book of photographs she's published for a class she was taking, and then shares her mother's bread recipe with you, it's not something you get everyday. Thank you Majella in Rostrevor on Carlingford Lough.

When your hosts explain how he cooked his morning eggs so perfectly you know he's been formally trained. Thank you Barry at MariaVille in Cork.

These were the stand out B&Bs. There were others who were friendly and helpful, but these were a category of their own.

If you ever find yourself at the Clontarf Castle Hotel just outside of Dublin, Eric, the concierge, will take good care of you. We felt as if we were the only guests he had to deal with. He even offered me the use of the computer at his desk when the one supplied in the room was having problems.

We were referred to the Mourne Seafood House in Dundrum and saw a sign for Dundrum Castle across the street. Far be it from us to pass up a chance to see a castle. It was not on our map. So after a delicious lunch, we headed up the narrow road and found an amazing ruin that was part of a park at the top of a hill. A great place to take kids and have them play castle for a day, picnic on the grounds and just enjoy the view from the hilltop. Things like this made for exceptional adventures.

We were invited to join the “Clifden Gang” for drinks after our lunch in the town. I think they had already had a few too many. They were much to young for us! LOL Do have to say, not bad looking though!

Many thanks to our taxi driver in Derry for an amazing ride around town. Much more than we could have gotten from the bus tour we missed. The whole 24 hours in Derry was a highlight.

And to our friend and tour guide in Wexford, Michael, who was still apologizing for the weather, a note of thanks for another memorable evening and day. We will always be his LA groupies! :)

While traveling from O'Hare to Midway yesterday one large thing we noticed were the billboards. There are few, small and low to the ground ones in Ireland. At least they don't clutter the amazing views. So many cars on such huge streets, going so very fast.

Beware the portions of food they serve you in Ireland. I get the feeling they think we don't eat enough. By the time we left, I was barely eating half of what was served. Forget trying to eat a 3 course meal. An appetizer is the size of most meals here. While there were a couple of forgettable meals, for the most part, Irish food has come a long way. Locally sourced and cooked with care. Delicious.

It was a wonderful vacation. I'm exhausted, but very happy and can't wait to go back. No more touring. I'm done with that pretty much. Just a nice little cottage by the sea shore to enjoy the weather. It's going to be difficult to chose one location for that cottage. Galway, Antrim, Inishowen, Wexford, Kinsale. All great places to stay for more than a few days. :)

Last Days

Tuesday, July 19^th

From 31,000 feet up. :)

This is a bit of a bittersweet day. It's time to go home. The last 4 days have flown by, having a great time with Walter and Ardis who were able to fly in from London. It was great seeing them again. It's been a good year and a half since the last time. I do hope to catch up with them when they get back to the states in December.

Not sure where I stopped off the last time as good Internet access has been a continuing problem this trip. As I've said before, I usually write these blogs in the evening and if the B&B, or hotel doesn't have decent connections, I'm limited to just checking emails and a short post on Facebook, if that.

Not sure if I mentioned we took a drive through the Mountains of Mourne. Always a great drive, especially on a sunny day, which we had. Along some of the Antrim Coast, and up to Carrickfergus. Belfast was a quick run through as we always seemed to be sidetracked by little off the beaten path castles and ruins. But that's what makes the trip all the more interesting.

We arrived in Clontarf, just to the north side of Dublin about 5:00 on Friday. We had plans to get to Howth and Howth Head that day, but as I've said before time got away from us. We found an unmarked court tomb just past a “view point” that we thought was just off the road. Turns out it was about 20 minutes up a steep narrow hill (of course, what great view in Ireland isn't up a steep narrow road?). I mistakenly missed the turn off for the view point and decided to find a decent point to turn around on this road. Not much further was a small pull out and Ballymacdermot's Court Tomb. It was signposted at the tomb, but no where else. Truly an amazing sight. They obviously picked this spot for the view also, at the other side of the hill we had climbed. Just beautiful. After a return to Berwyn “view” and looks over Dundalk, we headed back to the motorway and off again, until we saw the signpost for Monastiere Boice.

I've been to this site before, but it has one of the most incredible high crosses in Ireland. The carvings in the stone are so deep that they have lasted all these years and are still pretty clear. The round tower at the site is 110 feet tall, the highest round tower still standing, I was told, except it has lost it's top. At least 15-20 of the bottom of it is now buried underground as the first opening that should be that high off the ground is only about 6 feet up. There are stairs to walk up and look in.

We did a little of our now famous, “getting lost and seeing more of the country” before we made it back to the motorway. And on to Clontarf.

Early on in the planning of the trip we though it might be nice to treat ourselves to something special our last night out on the road. We booked the Clontarf Castle Hotel. The concierge, Eric, was spectacular with all his help and humor. He could not do enough for us. Yes, this was a nice, treat, but as in all nice things, the special “Internet on the flat screen TV” would not work for me. I'm staring to feel it might be me! Eric did offer his computer at his desk for me to use, but I just didn't feel it would be right to sit and visit on Facebook at his desk.

The Knight's Bar and interior of the hotel were done in a stately motif and the dinner that came with our room and bottle of wine followed suit. I wish we could have spent more time there. Breakfast the next morning topped it all off.

On Friday we had to turn in the car, but not until the afternoon, so we decided to catch up on having missed Howth Harbour and Howth Head. Unfortunately the cloud layer was not very cooperative when we arrived at Howth Head. We were able to look across to Dublin, Ireland's Eye and Dublin Harbour for about 2 minutes when the clouds rolled over the entire scene, including where we were standing. We headed down the hill to Howth Harbour below the clouds and took pictures and walked along the harbour for a bit. Then off to Thrifty/Dollar to return the car and make our way to City Center.

We were all settled at the Mercantile and took a walk to the tourist office waiting for Ardis and Walter. When they arrived we headed out for some lunch downstairs at the Mercantile lunch carvery. I guess if you get there early the choices are better and the meat is not all dried out. Not one of our great meals.

We walked around some but thanks to Eric at the Clontarf, he had recommenced a musical show in Howth that night at the Abbey Tavern. So we piled in a taxi and off we went. The show was good, more local than Trad on the Prom, but still good. By the time we got back we all were tired from the travel, so planned a full day with a bus tour out to Powerscourt on Saturday. I do have to say that these one day bus trips are a great way to go when in Dublin. Saturday was Powerscourt, Bray, Dun Laoghaire, and Glendalough, along with a few more sites pointed out as we traveled. The weather started out just overcast, but by the time we got to Glendalough, it was pouring. Typical Irish summer weather. By the time we got to the Wicklow pass it was clear, but very windy and cold. We had a great tour guide full of information.

Sunday was the hop on hop off tour of Dublin. Again the day was overcast, and did rain some, but for the most part, it was fine. I've noticed that they have extended the passes for this tour to 2 days. I was so glad to see that, even thoughtwe only had the one day. There just is no way to see even most of the sites on the tour in one day. We did get to Trinity College, Merrion Park, Dublin Castle, Guinness Warehouse, and Kilmainham Gaol. It did take a good hour to ride the tour around once so we could make some decisions for the day. I think the most time was spend at the Guinness Warehouse and Kilmainham Gaol. The but let us off near the end of the day right in front of the Arlington Hotel, so we took the opportunity to have a drink and book the dinner and music show for that night.

With everything I had heard about this show, I was a little disappointed. Trad on the Prom was a very professionally put together show. This was more like 3 musicians taking requests from the audience to make up their set list, then 5 dances doing mostly hard shoe for a bit. The speakers were not very good and the bus crowd that they brought it talked through the entire performance, even while they were eating dinner. I much preferred the Abbey Tavern to the Arlington Hotel.

We walked back to our hotel over the Ha' Penny Bridge and through Temple Bar. Ardis and Walter would be leaving early the next morning, so we said our goodbyes, and headed off to bed.

Monday Rita and I headed off on another bus tour to New Grange. This also went to Monastiere Boice again, but we didn't mind. With my knees bothering me a bit I stayed back at the visitor center at New Grange as I've been there before. Rita headed off to the megalithic tomb and as Ireland is, it started to rain. In between showers and breaks she was able to spend some time enjoying the site with the others who braved the weather. Our tour guide, Collin, had a lot to share about the Dublin area as we left town and headed out for the day and was great about pointing out sites along the way that we might not have known about. He did share that most of the barley fields we saw were almost ready to harvest and the lot of it would be going to Guinness for brewing. Almost all the barley grown in the fields around Dublin is used for that.

So that brings me to our very early day today and our trip home. I'll post this as soon as I have some Internet, and follow up with ending comments when I get back on a regular sleep schedule!

Getting down to one Week

So it's been a few days again since I've blogged. We had an amazing visit to Clonmacnoise, the monastery site for St.Kieran. The high crosses there are some of the most incredible in all of Ireland. And the site itself is just so calming and serene, even with all the tour buses arriving. We left the monastery and headed to both the Tullamore and Kilbeggan distilleries to check out their wares. As usual our day ran much later than we planned and dinner was somewhere around 9:00.

We've been staying at a wonderful B&B called Novara House in Mullingar. Margaret is a very friendly host and I couldn't think of a better place to stay.

From Mullingar we headed to Dundalk for the pony races. I should have been as lucky as the gentleman sitting next to me. The best I could do was break even. I should be happy for that. After the races we headed for Rostrevor on Carlinford Lough. Loved going to sleep and waking up to see the blue waters of the lough outside out windows. Majella was another great host and shared her recipe for the warm bread she served in the morning.

Today was a beautiful driving day. We headed into the Mountains of Mourne for more amazing scenery. Lots of stops for pictures. After that we headed from Kilkeel toward Belfast with a stop at Dundrum. We decided to follow a sign that said "Dundrum Castle". We had heard nothing about it before and were treated with the ruins of a 12th century castle that is the centerpiece of a picnic and park area at the top of a hill overlooking Dundrum Bay. What a treat.

Lots of stress driving through Belfast to get to Carrickfergus. The castle here is very restored and not as old as many we have seen. We settled into out room for the the night and I'm finishing this up with a few comments on some of the food we have had here in Ireland.

Ireland has definitely moved beyond the meat and potatoes country that many think it is. You can still find lots of potatoes on plates, but the main courses can be very sophisticated at times. Our favorite meals have been the fresh mussels when they are cooked just right. Grilled salmon, hake, and plaice are also excellent choices other than fish and chips. If you ever order bangers and mash plan to share it with a friend. The Irish seem to think they have to feed us giant portions at each meal. At this point of the trip we are only ordering starter as our dinners as they are more than enough to have. There are only a few miscues on the food we've had. As I am able to download pictures, I will share some of the delicious meals we've had around the island.

One last comment tonight. I am always very aware of the fact that when I am traveling in Northern Ireland that I have a car with a license from the Republic. While we've had no problems, it's just something that I am aware of. I try very hard not to make any other drivers upset with my driving style. A little tough driving through Belfast at rush hour today, but I did survive!

Heading south to Malahide and Howth Head tomorrow for our last day our with the car. Then on to Dublin for the weekend. Looking forward to that and meeting friends from London who will be joining us. :)

Last week is here!

Finally Internet Again

It's been 3 days since I've had any Internet to where I can do some posting. Hard to believe that there are still a few small towns out here where there is no Internet available, or the signal is so very bad that I can't do any posting. Just a sign that when I get back I must get my iPhone!

The last few days have been full of surprises and great craic! The Inishowen 100 was beyond amazing. Do have to say that the windy roads were not always my cup of tea, but we did survive. Getting out to Malin Head and to the top of the hill at Bamba's Crown was a real highlight. The most northerly place in Ireland, Bamba is a metaphorical name for Ireland. Bamba was one of the mythical queens of Ireland. Looking out to the expanse of the ocean you could actually see the curve of the earth. We were stopping every couple of miles to take pictures, one more incredible than the previous.

We were so far behind in the day we actually had to eliminate some of the 100 miles of the drive, but loved every minute of what we did see.

With Friday morning arriving we were taking the long way to Derry for the day starting with a visit to the Ardboe Cross along Lough Neagh. I was determined to make a visit to Swatragh and the Rafter's Pub as the town is the basis for the story I am writing and the pub is referenced in the story. We met Brandon and talked to him about the story and the pub. Have to say they make a mean brie and Irish bacon panini. :)

On to Derry and a taxi tour of the city. Michael our taxi driver was the best. He took us across the river to the highest point in Derry to look back at the city, stopped at all the murals for some great pictures opportunities, and shared tons of history about the city. We finished up our day attending the From the Heart 3 concert at the Millenium Forum. I've know about this concert from it's first go round and have always wanted to go. This year we ended up planning part of our touring around being at the show.

Just over 4 years ago, Eamon Johnson committed suicide. His mother, Bebe, wanted to do something in his honor that would help those in need of services to help prevent suicide. The suicide rate in Ireland appears to be higher than most other countries, and much of it is evidently related to the economic downturn, as explained by the Mayor of Derry that night. To that end Bebe asked Mickey Coleman to write a song to support the effort. Miss You More Then Words Can Say is a striking heartfelt song that says it all.

Bebe Johnson is an amazing woman herself. She put together such a variety of talent for the night, including Francis Black, Ben Kelly, Damian McGinty, Plunkett McGartland, and many more. I was hoping that Mickey Coleman would be there to sing his song, but for the second visit he's not around when I am in Ireland to see him. After the show the performers were in the lobby to meet with those attending. After communicating with Plunkett several times on Face Book, we finally had the chance to meet. He looked at me and said, "I know you!" I do have to say I was surprised at that. Always nice to meet face to face. He is an amazing piano and fiddle talent. I would love to hear more of his work.

We also saw Damian and he was surprised to see me. A friend had posted to him on Twitter that I would be there as I'm on vacation, and he said hi and asked how our trip was going. The world keeps getting smaller. I do want to say, he was brilliant on stage that night. Obviously comfortable in front of his home crowd, and having a great time. Jesse's Girl, Mac The Knife, Falling Slowly, Home, another Buble song, and Mickey's Miss You Morn than Words Can Say.
Beautifully done!

So here we were in Derry after this amazing 4 hours show. At intermission I went down to Bebe to thank her for all she has done and just to say hello. She asked where we were staying, and I told her I had an hour drive back to our B&B. She told me I should not be doing that and that she had a room in the hotel around the corner that was not being used, that she would have to pay for anyway, and insisted we should stay there for the night. We accepted as I knew that drive back on the dark Irish roads would be tough. Little did we know at the time that this was not just any room, but a suite! The artist she had booked the room for was not staying the night. I had just met Bebe, and she was so very gracious to offer us this room. I cannot thank her enough for the amazing show she has put together, and her generosity.

So with no tooth brushes, and minimum luggage to change clothes in the car, we started out the next morning on the Causeway Coastal Drive. Beautiful beaches, Bushmills, the Giant's Causeway, and a peek at the Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge. The day was beautiful and sunny until the evening, but by then we were tucked snuggly into out B&B for the night.

This morning we started out early for Mullingar to get to the Cathedral for the 11:00 Mass. It was a road full of "bends" as the signs are marked here in Ireland, and with everyone heading to Mullingar for the Agri festival it was not as quick as we had hoped. A little late for Mass, but we made it. The cathedral is beautiful, both inside and out. The rest of the day was a day to relax and catch up on some email and rest up. I needed a day where I was not driving as much as I had been for the last couple of days. The driving is not difficult, just needs a lot of concentration, and that is exhausting after several long driving days.

So for tonight and tomorrow we are in Mullingar. Tomorrow we hope to get out to Clon Macnoise to see some of the high crosses, and to a couple of whiskey distilleries. Just can't get to enough of those! Maybe a stop at Belvedere House just outside of town for a bit also.

So that catches you up for now. Always some new adventure around the corner. :)

Sunny Mornings and Other Thoughts

Good Morning...At least it is here. After a very rainy afternoon traveling here, we've arrived in Inishowen. The sun is out and it looks to be a grand day. Our B&B is at the top of a hill overlooking Lough Foyle. Last night we could see the lights of Derry as it got dark. Today will be the Inishowen 100 - sounds like a car race, but is just the distance of the circular drive around the peninsula. Hope to get some great photos.

Just a few comments here. The Irish road signs leave a lot to be desired. Either there are too many different directions, or they are really lacking. It's difficult to explain this, but suffice to say, it has lead to many reversals in direction as we drive along. Funny thing is most of our Irish hosts have told us the same thing. When they give us directions, often they will say, "Now there's no sign, but...". And when we are used to looking at a street on a map, and it being a street, here, it could be a dirt road, or an alley. I'm not complaining, just commenting. It's lead to to fun situations as we travel.

Round abouts are the most fun. I love the challenge of merging into crazy traffic and driving in a circle to make sure I've positioned myself so I can exit at the correct area. I did cut one driver off as I needed to get over when I was stuck in the center of the circle. Otherwise, I love them when they are well marked and not too crazy.

And lastly, there is the speed limit on the roads. A kilometer is less than a mile, so this is very disconcerting when the speed limit says 100 km/h. It psychologically seems so fast, and yet it's only around 62 mph. And I have to say, I've seen narrow windy roads marked at 80 km/h. Even dirt roads marked the same. I can say that I've been keeping up with the Irish drivers. If I'm wanting to look around a little more, I just pull over so they can pass. Then there are the big trucks and tourist buses. That can really be a challenge on some of the roads. I'm not sure I really like seeing all the little paint details on the side of a bus as we pass each other!

Just a few comments for this morning. I'm off to shower and have some breakfast, before the day gets away. :)

Onward to Yeats Country

After a good night's sleep we headed off to take the ferry to the Aran Islands for the day. Once again our getting lost adventures landed us right where we needed to be at the last minute. We ended up having to take a smaller ferry to Inish Mean before getting to Inish Mor, the largest island where Dun Angus is located. Rita did the climb and I ended up visiting with a friend of Philip's who used to live in Dublin and now lives on the island. She does lectures all over about Ancient Irish Spirituality and was just fascinating to talk to.

Later that night after we returned we went to an Irish performance called Trad on the Prom at the Salthill Hotel. Lots of Irish dancing by some very talented dancers. Great trad music added to it for a wonderful end to the evening.

The next morning we headed around the Connemara Loop, or at least as much as we could cover. A stop at the Connemara marble store for some purchases, the Kylemore Abbey, and around the Twelve Bens mountains. At the end of the day we arrived in Westport for a great dinner at The Helm. Wish we had had time to go to Matt Malloy's Pub. It's owned by one of the Chieftans.

Today we left Westport in the morning and headed to the Sligo area. Actually we're in a small town called Grange in the view of Ben Bulben. This mountain and it's stories never cease to amaze me. We'll take the drive through the Ben Bulben loop tomorrow before leaving this area as today was busy with some horseback riding on the beach. Now for those of you who know me, you can stop laughing! I did actually ride an Irish Cob. They are huge, and wide, and with my short legs, it was a real challenge. I'll share with you tomorrow if I can actually get out of bed! LOL

Tomorrow we head to Inishowen via Belleek and another round fort in Burt.

I do want to write a bit about the whole road sign, driving experience we are having, but Rita and I are sharing the computer, so it's her time to catch up now. I also want to get some pictures posted on FB while the computer connection is relatively good.

BTW, it stormed today. At least 4 times. No more than half an hour each time! But this evening is clean and beautiful. Hope tomorrow is the same.

Spanish Point

Here I am again, fighting for a decent network connection. While most of the B&B's advertise that they have WiFi, the fact is that unless you are directly connected, the wireless is mostly less than necessary. Last night, here is Westport, Rita was working away on answering emails and was kicked off and could not get back on. We're lucky if we can get one bar of reception.

We leave our computer time until late at night, or early in the morning – as it is now – since during the day we are traveling, or sightseeing. We don't want to spend precious touring time on the computer. Besides we all know how fast time goes when you are busy on the computer.

Now I am catching up on what's been going on the last few days. As I stopped last time we arrived in Spanish Point, Miltown Malbay, for a 2 day stay at Berry Lodge. We were just a bit off the main road but could still look out our upstairs windows and see the ocean. More than once as we passed by, we stopped at the beach to watch the surfers and swimmers. The weather was beautiful.

The reason we chose the Berry Lodge was because besides being a very nice B&B, the owner, Rita, also runs a cooking school there and we were scheduled to take a cooking class with her. We had to rearrange schedules as she had just found out that the electricity would be turned off the first day we were there – isn't that just the way it always is?- so we changed plans and took off for the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren for the day. On the way we found some great ruins of an old church and graveyard to explore. There are plenty of old ruins from old stone homes that were just left at the famine times, but we found this 15^th century church ruin very interesting as it was overlooking Liscanoor Bay and partially covered with ivy growth. I will upload some pictures as soon as we have a better signal. I've been to both the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren before, but the beauty of it all and the starkness of the Burren still amazes me. One minute you are in this lush green country and the next it's like you have transported to another world. And yet all this starkness is truly beautiful also.

We also made a stop at the Ailwee Caves. Not as impressive as I had imagined, but it was interesting walking 300 plus feet under the Burren and seeing a few stalactites and stalagmites along with some underground waterfalls. At the entrance to the road for the caves there is a farmhouse cheese shop with the best cheese. We stopped to taste and purchase some cheese before we left.

The next morning was a leisurely one as we sat by the window watching across the yard to the field beyond with the donkeys and cows. Rita Meade, the Berry Lodge owner, has trained her staff to prepare some amazing breakfasts as we strayed from the Irish breakfast and tried some porridge with honey and cream that was so thick you could almost spread it. Fresh fruit compotes before, and we were some happy travelers.

At 11:00 we started our Irish cooking class. What fun! We made a salmon and leek quiche, date nut loaf, brown bread, and scones. As we mixed and measured and talked about how to perfect these dishes Rita told us how she had been a home economics teacher for many years before opening the B&B and cooking school. After all was done and cooled – at least for the breads – we sat down the enjoy the results of our labors. YUM!! Can't wait to try the quiche and scones at home. I'll wait until the weather cools down for the date nut bread and brown bread.

After that the rest of the day was mostly driving with a few stops here and there to get to Spiddal. We did stop in Ballyvaghan to see where they had taken the famous sign post down. Unfortunately while we were in the Tea Shop for a smoothie and a cookie, some one who doesn't know how to judge how close they are to parked cars sideswiped us on the passenger side taking out the passenger side view mirror and scraping the car from the back door to the tire area. I did call Thrifty and they were more concerned about if we were injured than how the car was damaged. All is well and we are just missing that side view mirror for the rest of the trip.

On to Galway, the Salthill Prom, and to Spiddal we went. Traffic was a mess when we got to Galway City and all along the coast road at the Salthill Prom. It finally thinned out around Barna and we arrived at Rosin Dubh, Philip and Maura's, safe and sound. We had a great visit with them since I've met them before and finally got sorted out and off to dinner at Padraicin's on the water.

I'll close for now as I still have to post a blog for the last 4 days since our arrival in Spiddal.