Oops! May 30. Out of order! Posting in Dingle didn't take!

Thursday, another beautiful day--sunny, blue sky and mild. We had our last Irish breakfast at Ard Na Laoi B$B--cereal, juice, poached egg, Irish bacon, bangers, white sausage pattie, baked tomato, toast and brown bread with tea and coffee. We did a quick walk to St. Colman's Cathedral to see the Rosé window and the inside of this French gothic edifice. 

Back at the B&B, we packed up and said our farewell to host Michael Shea.  Our next destination was Muckross House just outside Killarney. This 18th century  Manor lies on the edge of the Killarney National Park and is still fully furnished. Many of the tables are Killarney inlaid wood. The Kitchen and bell system (34 of them, each with a different tone so the service people knew which room was ringing) were very interesting. There are 25 bedrooms and 75 fireplaces but it was probably still cold and damp inside. We  took a side trip to Torc Falls, just inside the National Park. Peter can't resist waterfalls!!

Then on to Tralee where we had been invited to tea by Liz  and John Barry, Kathleen's aunt and uncle. Tea was wine and Irish 

Whiskey with goodies!  We chatted about pur mutual families, looked at new and old photos and talked about the Irish economy (still not very good).  This was such a pleasant interlude that also afforded us another opportunity to see how the Irish live. 

Our last stop for the day was Dingle where we had a reservation in a local B&B, The Last Cottage.  The Dingle peninsula is rugged and green with more farms and animals. We found The Last Cottage without much trouble and met Margaret Holderied, our hostess. She is an unpretentious woman who adores Elvis. She showed us our modest room, right next to the bathroom which didn't make any difference that night because we were the only guests!  We got settled and ordered breakfast from an extensive menu and she even asked what time we wanted to eat!  

We took a long walk around Dingle Town and decided to eat at Murphy's Pub at the bar. The bar special was a toastie (toasted sandwich ) with chicken and corn soup (all of the soup we've ordered has been puréed and delicious) and chips (French fries) for E7.90. We chatted with folks at the bar and felt like Drew and Masa. The walk back to the B&B was cool, breezy and misty; a thick fog had rolled in.    We went right to bed mostly because there wasn't room to do anything else!!

May 31 Our last day in Ireland

Last night when we went to bed, we weren't sure about driving around Slea Head Loop; the forecast didn't look hopeful. But..  the day dawned cloudy but no fog!  Margaret had breakfast ready at 8; I had granola, yogurt and fresh fruit; Peter had eggs Benedict prepared to perfection!  Chatted extensively with Margaret who has traveled to the US many times. Graceland and Las Vegas are her favorites!  She loves traveling in America because it's so much cheaper there (our cab driver in Dublin said the same thing!)

We left the Last Cottage at 9:15 for our drive around 3 star Slea Head Loop. The drive is 30 miles long on the western most point of this green, rugged and untouched peninsula. We followed Rick Steves self-guided tour of the Dingel Peninsula Loop and it was amazing!  

We saw a thatched cottage that was 150 years old and it showed the simple lifestyles of the area in the 19th century.  All along the drive we saw bleak and godforsaken land. Rocks were cleared and piled into fences that delineated the tilled fields. A village that we passed had a school from 1914 and its two teachers still teach 18 students grades one through six.  We passed fields way up high that have been untouched since 1845 when the potato blight struck. You can still see the faint vertical ridges  of the potato beds. In the town of village of  Ferriter we came across what looked like an early Christian cross in front of the school house. It's actually a prop from the movie Ryan's daughter!

Near the end of the loop we found the Gallorus Oratory, an early Christian church built about 1300 years ago.  It is shaped like an upturned boat and is made of finely fitted drystone walls. Inside, the oratory is quite small and has just one small window to bring in light.  Peter had to duck to enter the small oratory!

What is truly amazing is that the population of Dingel Peninsula used to be 40,000. It has been reduced, mainly due to the potato famine, to 10,000 inhabitants and 500,00 sheep!

What a glorious, natural phenomenon! It is a wonder to the eyes; the green in contrast to the water in contrast to the hundreds of years old stone takes your breath away!

We arrived back in Dingle at 11:15 and immediately started for our next destination which was Adare, a small city just outside of Limerick.  We went to Adare on the recommendation of Liz and John. Their son had been married a year ago in this town. They recommended a restaurant called The Good Room and we arrived there at 2:15 PM for lunch outside in the garden. After lunch we visited the Adare Manor, a fabulous looking manor house.

From Adare we proceeded directly to the Dublin airport. Because this was a bank holiday weekend and because it was 5:30  in the afternoon, we experienced Dublin rush-hour on a Friday at 5:30!

At the airport we returned our car and proceeded to the terminal to check in for our flight next day to Paris. 

As we have throughout our stay in Ireland,  today we encountered four more people who went out of their way to be helpful.  The first was the attendant at the Aer Lingus counter. She recommended highly that we repack our two bags  so that we could check the heavier bag right then and there and the other would be light enough to carry on. Not only did this save us 40 bucks but she also promised us we would be very happy the next day because it would mean going through security would be much easier. They expect the airport to be extremely crowded because of the bank holiday. The second was a young man who not only helped us find where to meet our hotel shuttle, but actually walked us there! The third was the shuttle bus driver who was extremely friendly, told us about his family and advised us on taking the shuttle the next morning to the airport. The final helpful person today was the concierge at the hotel. He told us where to eat, how to meet the shuttle in the morning and also to call him if we had any questions. Irish people are friendly, outgoing and extremely solicitous!

We stayed at the Metro Hotel Dublin Airport, a no-frills, modern business hotel.  It was exactly what we needed:  a clean, decent sized room with all of the amenities that were needed. Plus, it was our cheapest overnight stay in Ireland! We had a light supper and our last pint of Guinness before retiring. Hopefully we will sleep well although our wake up call is 3:30 AM!

Travel teaser:  in Ireland what is a "jaunting car?"

May 29 Cobh and Cousins

After a very decent night's sleep, we awoke to sunny skies. I beat Peter out of bed and went for a walk the other way on the promenade.  Much to my surprise a huge ocean liner had just docked. It was the MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) Magnificat, a luxury liner. It was the first time ever this line had docked in Cobh!  The tour buses were lined up to take the passengers sightseeing. Amazing sight!

After a good, brisk walk, Peter and I had a delicious hot Irish breakfast in the B&B dining room. From there we walked to the Heritage Center and toured "The Queenstown Experience," a multi-visual overview of the plight of the poor Irish emigrating after the potato blight and the horrid conditions they endured on board. The exhibit also described the penal ships taking Irish convicts to Australia. The sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania were also treated in detail. To me the most bone-chilling aspect of the exhibits were the sounds associated with these events. The statue of young Annie Moore and her two brothers is prominent outside the exhibit hall. Annie was the first immigrant to enter Ellis Island. 

Then we hustled to the front of the Commodore Hotel, just down from our B&B for a walking tour of Cobh led by Brian Martin. He gave us some unexpected insights into the Titanic tragedy (Cobh was its last port before hitting the iceberg) and Cobh's maritime history.   Cobh vies for the title of the second largest natural harbor on the world. Also, the ships were not in the business for passengers;  they were in it for the mail contracts! 

We returned to our room for a quick shower before heading out for the highlight of the day--meeting my Sheehan cousins!  We met Joan Sheehan Condim at the Fota Hotel in Carrigtohill, not far from Cobh. She is a pretty and charming woman and the three of us hit it off immediately!  Joan drove and our first outing was the graveyard where we found the gravestone for Michael Sheehan, my great great grandfather and the brother of Joan's great grandfather, David.  We then drove up into the hilly farmland where Michael and David grew up. Lo and behold, the overgrown ruins of the farmhouse were there!  But we had to climb the fence to see it!  No sooner were we contemplating the place than the new owner of the land appeared!  "Can I help you?" he asked. When Joan explained who we were he exclaimed, "You knew  Katie Sheehan?"  And Joan did!!  Unbelievable!  He, John Bourk, and his wife Nuala had bought the land from the estate and were raising animals--cows, sheep, hens and geese. His wife invited us into her house and told us about "their little piece of heaven."  Joan even contracted with them for her Christmas goose!  

But we were going to be late for the festivities!  So we hustled to Midleton to another cousin's, Joan Sheehan, for a drink, a little Irish whiskey!  Then on to her sister's, Anne Sheehan, where we had Proseco before a grand luncheon. We talked, laughed, told stories, looked at photos and got to know each other. What a fabulous time!  We exchanged addresses and hope to all get together again!  A definite highlight of the trip to Ireland. 

By the time we retrieved our car to drive back to Cobh, the sun was setting and we were ready for bed!!

Road trip Dublin to Cobh

The day dawned sunny and cool but nice. Up early and off to Starbucks, morning coffee and wi-fi!  We checked out of Hotel Grafton Capitol at 10 after 2 nights of "okay " sleep. I think our bodies are still on EDT!! 

 We splurged and took a cab to the Hertz car rental where we picked up our Ford Focus 1.6 L diesel

4 door hatchback.  Very comfortable but steering on the right, driving on the left!  Peter was undaunted and between the two of us, me guiding and Peter driving, we managed to get a day of driving all kinds of Irish roads behind us!

We left Hertz at 10:30 with some clouds, some sun and some small showers. The day continued just like that!  Our first destination was the Rock of Cashel, the ruins of a 12th century  ecclesiastical community. Very impressive with a cathedral, chapel, round tower and graveyard (still used today) set on top of a high rock overlooking the Plains of Tipperary.

Our European GPS, bought on e-Bay, turned out not to have the new Irish M routes (M for motorway) but we had 2 road maps so.....no problem!!!  We drove through verdant farm land with a few fields of yellow (rape) and yellow wild-flowering bushes (grouse). Saw plenty of cattle, some horses and some sheep. The further west we drove, the more the land started to become hilly. 

We arrived in Cashel and immediately had lunch at Granny's kitchen, a petite violet colored lunch establishment. We had 2toasted specials-ham, cheese, tomato and onion on toasted bread. Tasty!!

The tour of the rock was very interesting,  lots of history I didn't know. Culminating the tour was a video presentation depicting much of the story of the Rock from St. Patrick to the Irish kings to the Cistercian monks. 

By 3:15 we were back on the road, heading toward Cobh via Youghal. The landscape became hillier but still full of farming communities. We were on some very rural but prosperous roads where the farms were interspersed with prosperous residential areas. Youghal, where my cousin lives, is a historic walled port at the water level and, up the hills, a newer residential area. Again, on the way to Cobh, we saw residential areas and farms with more  cattle and  sheep. 

We arrived in Cobh about 7pm, checked into the Ard Na Laoi B&B. Very nice room, one of 5, with hot breakfast each morning. 

Peter compared Cobh to Cefalu in Sicily with the impressive gothic cathedral high above the water and the rooftops.  We walked along the water on the promenade, had a chat with a couple of 17 year old boys and ended up at Trade Winds restaurant, recommended by our host Michael Shea. Again the food was very good-salmon and Gaelic burger with Irish whiskey sauce and a pint each!! After a walk, back to the B&B for what we hope will be a great night's sleep before meeting my Irish cousins tomorrow.

Dublin May 26-27

The flight to Dublin was in a BAE 146 that carries 100 passengers.  First time in a long time we boarded a plane using outside stairs. The weather was still beautiful for the flight across the Irish Sea. After landing we boarded a local bus to the center of Dublin.

Chatted along the route with a very personable young Irish couple. He had spent 3 months working in Boston, loves Boston sports teams and would like to go back sometime. He is from Galway, she from Limerick.....pretty Irish, eh?
They were shocked when we told them about our 12,000 mile roadtrip across the US.....to go that distamce in Ireland, they would have to make the drive  between Galway and Dublin 100 times!!!

After deboarding the bus at O'Connell St., we started schlepping our stuff to the Grafton Capitol Hotel on Lower Stephens.  Luckily we found it, checked in and finally found a bed....for two nights!    It was 7PM Irish time!  We were exhausted but exhilarated!

Not too exhausted to go to bed immediately!  We went across the street to The Hairy Lemon for a pint of Guinness and some pub food. I ordered fish and chips and Peter resisted the pasta on the menu
and had bangers and mash. The Hairy Lemon is a classic, noisy, crowded, friendly pub!  Just what we needed before retiring for the night. First time in a bed in 32 hours!  We slept long and well!  Peter thought it was the best sleep he'd had in many years.

Monday morning was a little frustrating. I tried to blog from the hotel but the wi-fi was spotty. So we found the nearest Starbucks (Yay, Starbucks!), finally started the blog successfully and had coffee.

By this time it was noon so we quickly found a tour bus and spent the afternoon visiting the sites of Dublin and orienting ourselves to the city.  Like many other cities, Dublin is split by a river, the Liffey.

We "hopped off" the your bus twice. Our first stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral which is 800 years old and is the largest in Ireland. The Wisconsin Lutheran Choir was in concert on the altar. I was surprised that it is an Anglican Church but St. Patrick DID bring CHRISTIANITY to Ireland!

Our second "hop off" was at the Kilmainham Gaol.  First we had lunch in the very busy Tea Room.  We ate delicious vegetarian quiche served with a salad and then had a guided tour of the jail.  The tour was fascinating; the plight of the Irish seeking freedom is daunting. We are now committed to reading more of Irish history and its heroes!

We ended our bus tour on the north side of the Liffey at Ha'penny bridge. After crossing the bridge to South Dublin, we strolled through Temple Bar over to Trinity College. There were throngs of people on the streets, many Dubliners waiting for a bus home.  It started to rain just as we got to Bewley's so we stopped for a cup of tea to wait for the rain to stop.

Peter was still having trouble with his cell phone so we stopped just off Grafton St. so he could call Verizon on my phone. After a half hour, they finally connected him to Verizon Global. No cost for the call! While he was doing Verizon business, I strolled down a side street only to discover Sheehan's Pub....one of my Irish ancestral names!  And, to boot, it was on Chatham St.  The stars must have been aligned!  We weren't far from our hotel. So, after a short rest at the Grafton Capital, we went back to Sheehan's for dinner.  We each had a pint of Guinness, I had Irish stew, Peter had "tomahto" soup and beef and Guinness pie and I bought a Sheehan' s T-shirt.  After dinner, we walked again through Temple Bar before heading back to the hotel and bed.

Travel teaser #1:  When traveling on London trains, What does "Mind the gap" mean?


Sent from my iPhone

Here we go again! We think we have figured out the blogging issues so I'll get started!

We left Harwich on Saturday the 25th just before two, in the sunshine, to drive Barnstable to catch the bus to Logan. Good sign! When we arrived in Barnstable sun was shining!

We had no trouble on the bus, Logan or on our Delta Air France flight to London. Our flight left at 6:25 PM, we were offered snack, dinner and breakfast just before the flight landed at 6:25. When was the last time any of us had an opportunity for food on a plane? Landing at Heathrow was a breeze. Got through customs, got our bags and found the shuttle to Heathrow connect very easily.

The Heathrow Connect got us to Paddington station in record time, 27 minutes, as opposed to 15 minutes on the Heathrow express! But we saved some money! On leaving Paddington station, we found a Starbucks! Connie was in ecstasy! What a great start for our trip in London!  And the weather was perfect:  60+ degrees, blue sky and SUN!!

We walked from Starbucks to the Marble Arch near Hyde Park and hopped on a tour bus. The tour lasted two and half hours and took us to the regular sites and some other different sites. We saw the house where Queen Elizabeth was born and also the boutique where she buys her underwear. We passed, of course, the American Embassy. This building in London is the only American Embassy situated on land not owned by the USA.  The embassy is also heavily guarded. We saw guards outside carrying rifles!  We passed by Her Majesty's Theater where Phantom of the Opera has been playing since 1987.  Since it's been 36 years since we visited London, we had forgotten the fantastic architecture of the buildings and also the large number of stone and marble arches.  The London Eye amazed us! It is a giant Ferris wheel and takes 30 minutes to make the total circuit. Our guide said it was London's answer the Eiffel Tower!  One of our last sites was St. Pauls Cathedral at noon. We were serenaded by bells, bells, bells! Awesome!

By this time, we were thinking about getting to our next flight at London city Airport. So we got into a cab at the Marble Arch  and drove back to Paddington station. We did make a stop at McDonald's where Peter had to try a UK double cheeseburger. Not quite up to par!

Now the day got a little more complicated! At Paddington station we were told to take the Circle Line to Tower Hill to the DLR London city Airport. Wasn't quite that easy! Four trains later we were finally at London City Airport for our flight to Dublin.


Sent from my iPhone

Monday May 27 Dublin 11AM / Harwich 6 AM

We are at a Starbucks in downtown Dublin.  We are having trouble with Wi-Fi connections and copy and paste functions. We are alive! And functioning very well! Will get back to the blog as soon as we  figure it all out!