Ireland - Day 3

Another day, another giant Irish breakfast. We would need every calorie today, as we had big plans to see quite a few sights on day 3.

We took a taxi to Trinity College where the main attraction is the Book of Kells - ancient copies of the four gospels. It is also a working univeristy (opened by Queen Elizabeth I in the 1500's), but we had a hard time imagining how students could concentrate with the masses of tourists. We stood in a substantial queue but eventually made it in. The flyers and posters show clear, bright pages with vivid colours and we were unprepared for what should have been obvious, that a 1200 year old book is most likely to be a little faded. The number of tourists was also a little off-putting - it was hard to really see everything and take the time that the display deserved.

We also enjoyed the old library. Old, dark wood panelling and barrel vaulted ceiling, all walls covered by ancient books. A exhibition of books and letters related to the life and time of Napoleon was also quite interesting. The gift shop seemed to be of most interest to everyone, though.

Our next stop was just down the street from the College. A statue of Molly Malone at the head of Grafton Street. She's the subject of an Irish pub song - she's the one selling "cockles and mussels, alive, alive-oh". Locally the statue is referred to as the "Tart with a Cart". Looking at the picture, it seems apt.

Leprechaun count: 1.

I think I know what the problem was with finding these sprites before - I was looking for something that topped out at maybe 2 or three feet. Apparently the leprechauns have been working out and hitting the steroids, because they're now well over 6 feet tall. I guess it helps keep the pot o' gold safe.

Dublin Castle was next. It was an interesting hodge-podge of historical buildings and exhibits. There was a barrel tower and some oddly painted side buildings, a grand hall, a nice garden and the Chester Beatty Library. The latter is worth mentioning because of its exhibit of rare and ancient books. It was an amazing combination of Chinese, European, Persian, Mughal and Islamic books. The detail in the illustrations was awe-inspiring. We would definitely recommend this slightly out of the way location.

After a lunch that included a nice sherry trifle for Ethna, we went into Christ Church Cathedral. It was beautifully laid out with gorgeous floors - a first for us and our major church tours. Usually the walls, ceilings and windows receive most of the attention. Here the floors were just as amazing. A choir was also practising, which helped set the mood. The crypt was also open for tours, filled with relics and treasures. We would recommend this church over the slightly more famous St. Patrick's.

St. Patrick's was a little disappointing. Still beautiful and quite grand, and with Jonathan Swift buried just inside the doorway, it was a little less impressive than Christ Church. But how can you go to Dublin without seeing St. Pat's.

We circled back to Grafton Street to do some shopping. It was a nice mixture of high end and regular shoppes. Fiona bought me a traditional Claddagh ring. We somehow made it past the Hermes store with our wallets intact.

We found an evening mass at small downtown church, after which we stumbled upon a fantastic little restaurant called the Mermaid Cafe. The staff were fabulous and friendly and the food was some of the best we have had on this trip. Fiona's pork chop was especially good. It is not often that I get jealous of someone else's order, but I have to admit I was a little green ...

After supper we re-traced Ethna's old route to work, going first through Temple Bar and across the Ha'penny Bridge (toll used to be a ha'penny). We walked along the Liffey to Bachelor's Row. Unfortunately the building she used to work in was being renovated, so it was covered up with a tarp.

We walked a little further to O'Connell Street, where statues of the Irish Patriots who took part in the Easter Rebellion are located. We stopped in front of the Post Office, where they made their stand and marveled at the Spire, a 300 foot spike in the place where Admiral Nelson's column used to be (blown up by the IRA in '66). A little further down towards the docks we came upon the Custom's House and a series of statues to commemorate all those who left Ireland during the Potato Famine.

By the time we got back to our hotel it was quite late. Our plans for a quick drink in the bar were scuttled by the vast numbers of hurley fans which seem to have invaded our hotel. Everyone is pretty jazzed for Limerick v Tipperary on Sunday. I've seen some hurley on TV the last few days and I now wish I had tickets. It looks like an exciting game that would be well worth watching.

Back to Scotland in the morning!

Ireland - Day 2

Day 2 consisted mostly of a trip down memory lane. After a full Irish breakfast - resembling the full English breakfast and full Scottish breakfast - we got in the rental car and went out to Lucan Village, just outside Dublin.

A quick word on the car. We received an Opel Vectra, which we see all the time in Aberdeen as a Vauxhall Vectra. A decently comfortable car with plenty of seating and a massive boot, it took some time to get used to. I think I have it worked out now and I can get on with the job of trying to figure out what is actually going on with the roads. They have lanes that just disappear and oddly positioned lights. The roads, at least in Dublin, are wider than in Scotland and what we saw of London, so I still have to recommend Ireland as a place to "learn" how to drive on the other side of the road.

Lucan was a cute little village and very picturesque. It brought forth a stream of memories from Ethna, who had last been "home" 10 years ago. She still remembered the Wren's Nest and the church, the old, dark lane they used to have to walk down, with the hollow tree where they used to stash their raincoats and the field where she was chased by a cow.

We parked at St. Catherine's Park and took a woodland walk down a nice path, at the end of which are the ruins of the house her father built. There was no trace of the older family home she remembered on the adjoining plot, and the roof was now missing from newer house. The walls were still up, though, and we could wander through what was once a nice, fairly spacious family home. The old fireplace still had some of the original tile on it. We spoke to a Park Ranger who told us he had seen plans regarding the house that would have it rebuilt and transformed into Ranger's quarters. That would be cool.

We took a brief walk through the woods beside the river Liffey and then drove through Leixlip (the original home of Guinness). We had a pub lunch back in Lucan (chicken curry with chips and rice for me, a roast beef dinner for Fiona and soup for Ethna - all superb!). After a trip to see the old church Ethna used to attend, we said goodbye to Lucan.

We decided to take in Dublin's most popular tourist spot next - the Guinness Brewery. While none of us was a particular fan of Guinness, we all would highly recommend the brewery tour. They obviously spent a lot of time setting up the old brewhouse and it is a real treat - so much so that it justifies the 15 pound entry fee. While the first few of the 7 floors are not too different from any brewery/distillery tour, the tasting lounge and the top floor panoramic view are worth the price of admission alone. Fiona and I both had a taster and found it better than any Guinness we had tried before. Still not raving about it, but definitely drinkable.

We spent the evening with an old and dear friend of Ethna's, Ann. We last saw Ann 7 years ago at our wedding, so it was a nice reunion. We went down to Howth Head, a section of land jutting out into the see. The harbor, ringed by restaurants and with a few resident seals, was quite charming. The houses rising on the hills behind would represent quite tolerable places to live, I imagine. Perhaps the slowdown that has a hefty grip on Dublin could bring the prices down to almost affordable?

We had a seafood dinner. The lobster was fabulous - I hadn't had such a good one in quite some time.

No leprechauns on day 2 either. I imagine with the banking problems they taken to guarding their pots o' gold with renewed vigour ...

Ireland Day 1

Number of leprechauns: 0

I can get used to days like this - work half a day, drop the dog off at the kennel and hop a flight to Dublin.

The whole Ryanair thing worked out OK. The lineup was tolerable, although I'm not a big fan of the free for all for seats. I'd prefer to take my time getting to a seat that I know is mine. The seats were a little cramped and the bright yellow they use to decorate everything kind of gets to you after a while. We did have a good chuckle at the safety card which insisted that you remove your false teeth before exiting on the emergency slide. Is this a veiled attempt to prevent cannibalism should the plane have to ditch on a remote desert island?

We carefully negotiated through our standard one screw-up per vacation - we forgot to check the time of our car reservation, which had been cancelled for several hours before we arrived. The kind lady at Europcar fixed it all and we were soon rolling to our hotel - the Croke Park. Situated conveniently across from (guess where?) Croke Park, it is one of the better hotels we've ever stayed in. And at one of the better prices too.

The Croke Park stadium is across the street. It's quiet now, but should be rocking on Sunday for Tipperary vs Limerick. I'm not making that up. Tipperary vs Limerick. Playing hurley. It could not get more Irish without moving into leprechaun water polo in a pool of Guinness.

We're looking forward to going into Lucan tomorrow, where Ethna grew up. Should be fun. She's been quickly reverting back into her old Irish ways. The accent is growing stronger and the colloquialisms are returning: "full of beans", "he has the sun shining out of his arse", "go suck a lemon" and "pog mo hone". (Of these only a couple would be uttered by the proper lady that is my mother-in-law, the others I just find amusing...)

Interesting note: I'm typing away while watching the PGA Championship. By some strange coincidence, the last three major golf championships have all happened during our tour of European capitals: US Open - Paris, British Open - London and now PGA - Dublin. I think the Masters happened while we were on the Isle of Skye, but that hardly counts as a major European capital. I guess it has helped as I haven't been able to see the guys I picked to win it all fail to make the cut.

Stephen Murray - Golfing Genius

Fiona and I went to the driving range last night and the hard work put in by my instructor seems to be paying off. I haven't hit so many golf balls that straight in ... I was about to say "quite some time", but I think it is more like "ever". He almost had a fit trying to get me to change my bad habits, but some of it has soaked in. Now I just have to try and translate it into better scores on the course.

We've been having a great time with Fiona's mom. We drove out into the Cairngorms on Sunday. We did the Burn o' Vat walk, which is always impressive. Fiona and Ethna have given themselves over to knitting. Sweaters and blankets are being generated at a ferocious rate.

We're all excited about a trip to Dublin that starts tomorrow afternoon. It will be interesting to see Ethna's old stomping grounds, try some pub food and enjoy some Irish culture. It will also be our first trip with Ryanair. We're a little worried. The concept of bare minimum prices and an added fee for everything - ie. a fee to pay online, when you are only allowed to pay online. If the trip is anything less than truly convenient, we'll probably be avoiding it in the future.

The Ladies of Crathes Castle

Another beautiful day in Aberdeen and surroundings. Some took advantage by enjoying a spectacular day in the climate controlled confines of a dreary office. Others wandered in a castle garden ...

Fiona and Ethna went to Crathes Castle. We had been there before, during the Christmas season when it is all decked out in true Victorian style. The castle gardens then were dead and gone and we made a note that we had to go back sometime. This time the gardens were in their full glory. Personal favorites were the fountains and topiaries, the butterflies, hollowed out yews and Ethna's well favoured geraniums.

The castle was enjoyable too. The Green Lady room did not reveal its resident ghost, but the nursery and the muse room were impressive.

A trip to the local garden centre was also called for, as all the recent rain had wreaked havoc on our garden pots. The soil had liquefied and all the plants had died. New plants were bought and there is now some gardening to be done.

I had another golf lesson today. Some of the advice is starting to sink in. I have high hopes that the next time I golf with Ryan, Mr. Munro won't be commenting on my "quasimodo" golfing style. It's an admirable goal that I set for myself: reduce the mocking to a tolerable level. I still don't know how I would handle someone making fart noises during my backswing ...

Mom

Ethna picked a beautiful day to fly into Aberdeen. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and a light breeze made everything pleasant. We picked her up in late afternoon and proceeded home for a nice BBQ with some homemade burgers and a fantastic cole slaw that Fiona "just whipped up".

Casey was very happy to see her. I think she remembered all the good times she had in San Antonio.

A short beach walk with an ice cream finished up the evening. No definite plans yet for the rest of the week or the weekend, but it should be fun.

British Cuisine - part 2

Fiona surprised me tonight with another stab at British cuisine - chicken and leek pie. It ... was ... fabulous! I put it up there with my top comfort foods - Fiona's lasagna and my mother's pea soup.

I like these additions to our collective kitchen repertoires. The food here is not fancy or complicated, but it suits the climate and makes you feel good. The days have been kind of rainy the last two weeks, so a nice warm pie definitely hits the spot.

Another trip to the beach with Casey tonight - although the tide was high and there wasn't much beach to run on.

Bangers, Mash and Jelly

Just a quick note as an exciting day on the Tour is wrapping up on TV.

Fiona's been practicing her British cooking and came up aces with sausage and mash the other day. Perfect mash. Great sausage. And a perfect onion gravy. I think we'll be seeing that more often on the weekly menu.

We went to the beach tonight to take Casey for a walk. The tide was very low and the beach was enormous. It was also littered with some of the biggest jellyfish I have ever seen. There was also a large assortment of trawlers and tugs anchored just outside the harbour. There must have been more than a dozen. Wonder what was going on ...

London - Day 3

No fire alarms on this day, so we were a little late in getting day 3 underway. No problem, though, we had worked our way through most of the big touristy things and had settled on a quiet day of shopping and Hyde Park. I think the full English breakfast had a hand in slowing me down ...

We took a quick tube ride down to Kensington/Chelsea and set our sights on the Harrods, the tourist trap disguised as a venerable department store institution. This part of London had us thinking that a move into the city wouldn't be too bad, until we saw the prices of some of the flats. What we thought were incredibly pricey monthly rents were, on closer inspection, weekly rents. Nice place though, with green areas, shops, museums (the Victoria and Albert Museum will be on our list for a future visit) and open boulevards.

Harrods was a temple of excess, with floor upon floor of high end and luxury goods that nobody really needs but most people want. We made it through relatively unscathed with only some new sunglasses and a few cigars, and a long conversation justifying our actual need for those items.

After Harrods we ducked into Hyde Park, which was relatively busy. The long ponds were full of boats and ducks, and people were spread out all over the grassy fields taking in the sunshine. It's a nice place to walk around, but we found St. James' Park in front of Buckingham Palace more scenic.

After a quick stop at the hotel we made our way back into the West End for some dinner. This time we were more prepared and had a good local guide. Our friends in Aberdeen had introduced us to Darren, who kindly offered to show us a good place before our show that evening. As he expertly guided us through the maze of West End London, we received the kind of tips that only locals can give: don't eat at any restaurant with the words "bella" or "steakhouse" in them, etc ... He took us to a great Irish bar called Waxy O'Connor's. The inside of this pub was interestingly decorated with a large tree, lots of carved wood and gnomes hiding in the corners. It was pretty authentic, serving only Irish beverages and with real Irish bartenders. We had a really good time - many thanks to Darren!

Our last show of the weekend was Fiona's old favorite - Les Miserables. Unfortunately, of the three shows we saw this weekend, it was the most disappointing. The theatre, Queen's, was small and warm. We felt it was undersized for the production. The show was good, but it felt a little mechanical, lacking in soul. We kind of had the feeling that maybe after 24 years, it was starting to show its age. Even with all this, we still had a good time.

We had another chatty cab driver on the way back to the hotel. We continue to be impressed with the London cabs. Efficient and plentiful, and relatively cheap to boot. It also represented one of the few service industries in London still worked by Englishmen. Without a word of a lie, our entire hotel was staffed by Eastern Europeans. Eating establishments and most stores were similarly staffed. Plenty of complaints about immigrants in the paper and on radio, but, just like in Houston, the entire society seems to be built on the work these immigrants are doing.

London - Day 2

We had a little trouble getting up in the morning, the bed in our hotel was probably the most comfortable we had been in since we gave up our new mattress in the move to Aberdeen. The hotel was kind enough to help us out, though, with a fire alarm at 6:42 am. Apparently some knucklehead had been smoking in a non-smoking room. The alarm would go off, scaring the bejeesus out of us, and just as you got around to going out the door it would stop. 30 seconds later it would go again. They eventually got it sorted.

We had a pretty nice start to the day weather-wise. Blue sky with a few clouds on the horizon. We crossed the street from our hotel and were at the Tower of London, which we found to be one of the most fascinating historical places we have been to on our recent travels. The place was huge, and under different circumstances I think we could have spent the entire day wandering around. We latched onto a tour given by one of the Yeoman Warders that actually live in the Tower. These are the "Beefeaters" that everyone is most likely familiar with from the gin bottle. The tour was fun and interesting - a reflection of the genial guide (ours was Colin and he liked to complain about his wife). We saw the many different sections of the Tower, drank in the history full of intrigue, conspiracy, politics and murder. My favorite place was the Beauchamp Tower (pronounced Beachem for some reason) where old prisoners had left elaborate graffiti on the walls. Fiona particularly enjoyed the Tudor apartments and the memorial on Tower Green. The Crown Jewels made an impression as well, although perhaps not as much as certain aspects of Henry VIII's armour!

We managed to avoid the worst of the rain while we were inside the White Tower, and made it back to our hotel in good order. We changed into our theatre clothes and hopped a tube for the West End. We made a quick stop in Trafalgar Square to see Canada House (the Canadian Embassy in London) and the various goings on. One of the cooler things is the "4th Plinth". It turns out that they have four large plinths in the square, three of which have statues of various generals and monarchs and the fourth of which is, and has been, empty. They've decided to give up the fourth plinth to ordinary people for 1 hour at a time, 24 hours a day. So you can sign up, and if chosen, stand up on the plinth and do whatever it is you want to do. When we were passing through a beekeeper had taken up residence and was showing the crowd how to handle an unwanted hive of bees. Pretty cool idea.

After a quick dinner we made our way to the Dominion Theatre, where we had tickets for "We Will Rock You" - a musical based on the music from Queen. We had a great time, keeping it classy with a couple of plastic cups of champagne, waving our glowstick and doing our best to encourage those around us to sing along as loud as we did. It was really the only disappointing part of the evening - that the crowd didn't really get into it until the very end when "We Will Rock You" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" were played. We had a great time, though, and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that enjoys Queen.

Saw the Queen on day 1, saw a Queen musical on day 2, what does day 3 have in store ...