Sept 29/23 Friday (second post)

 The post before this one I erroneously dated Sept 29, should have been Sept 28.  That’s what happens when you get behind.

So today we left for our last hike at 11am from Cloghane, walking towards Brandon.  The distance is approximately 8km, a short one.  The day is perfect hiking weather.  We start off on tarmac with the ocean to the right of us, Brandon Bay. The tide was way out. The guide book told us to stay on the road but we met a local who said oh go down to the beach, you will love it, it’s a grand day to relax down there.  We didn’t have a long distance to go so decided to take her advice.  On arrival at the beach we realized to go walking we would have to quite likely get our feet wet.  There is a reason all the Irish we see down by the water are wearing gum boots! We ask the First Lady and her dog to come if we can take “that” road up to the main road. She says no, you have to go back up “this” road.  Not the answer we wanted!   We wait till another local comes by (quite a few out with dogs) and ask if we can go up “here” to the road rather than backtracking the path she says, oh yes just straight up and when you get to a “t” turn right.  After a bit of a grassy path we were back on the tarmac.  We followed this until we saw a yellow sign with the hiker arrow which pointed us back toward the beach.   We were next confused as the signs were telling us to go through a locked  farm gate. Instead we continued on the road, came to another sign which said hikers could pass, just lock the gate, which we did.  We were now walking through a field full of sheep! Now normally on this trip when we come upon fields of sheep and we are on the opposite side of the fence, they scurry away if we get too close.  These sheep paid us no bother whatsoever.  They were fenced only on one side, the other “side” was the ocean.  We were soon out of the grass and on the sand again. It was a beautiful day, perfect walking temperature and we could see the town of Brandon in the distance.  

We walked along the beach, tide was out until we came to a narrow bridge that spanned a small river running into the ocean.  We crossed and we’re on the road approaching the town.  Soon we arrived at the pubs/restaurants we had been told were good and we sat at an outside table for coffees and ate our packed lunches……our last and favourite so far, chicken salad.   We asked the waiter if there would be music later on?  He said yes at about half nine; put don’t tell anybody, it’s a private party and they are paying for the  band.   As we were in many small towns/villages and it was the end of the season with fewer hikers the businesses were closing for the season and not paying musicians.  Of course in places like Dublin and Dingle this wasn’t the case.  So we went with the “flow” back up the road to find our guest house for the night, planning to come back later for a bite and some music. 

Our guest house is definitely a five star!  Unfortunately Joanie is not feeling well as she has now succumbed to the cold and elects to stay in and rest! After showering and getting into clean warm clothes 3 of us head back to Murphy’s Pub.  It is very busy…..basically packed and we wait to be seated. We order an appy to share, which was quite nice, and 3 bowls of seafood chowder……and share a dessert. 

We decide not to wait for the band and start for our guest house.  The landlady had given us reflective vests to wear over our coats for the walk home as the road is narrow and there are no street lights.  Joanie is feeling slightly better. 

We then do a little packing for our early departure tomorrow…..pickup at 8 for the drive to Kerry airport. We fly to London for 3 days of culture. Our hiking adventure for this year has ended. 

September 28/23

 We were at Cuas in the morning and were picked up and left at Ballyferriter where we were left the day before .  We walked along the beach to Balleydavid, weather was nice but the the rain started, HEAVY.  We popped into a pub which was open, but not for food.  We ordered hot drinks and took out our own packed lunches.  There were two other groups of hikers there also, shelter from the rain.  We finally left as the rain had let up a little. Our walk took us along the cliffs. The path was grassy and fairly wet. It is also only about 6 feet from the drop to the sea.  There are no guard rails.  This is why it is not recommended if the wind is at a high level.  Whereas yesterday the level of danger was orange (red being the highest) today there was no colour assigned to the day.  The grassy path (3km) was quite soggy and we were all experiencing wet feet!  The rest of the walk to Caus was on tarmac and pathways.  We were going back and forth to Caus as we decided it would be a better walk than going up the mountain.  It’s a bit confusing with all the back and forth so we get all the walking in! 

We arrived back at Caus where we ordered Guinness and met a couple who were from Timmons ontario. Our driver picked us up after our drink and took us to Cloghane where we had dinner.  This old hotel was our least favourite. The hotel/inn called O’Connors had been in the family for 150 years and it looked like it.  It was a nice drive there, we had to drive back to Dingle as it was the only way to get around the mountain.  We were sopping wet and none of these pubs seem to like turning on the radiators (we need to dry our clothes) or the fireplace., and likewise in our rooms. 

There was a rugby match on tv (Samoa vs Japan) Japan won. We chatted to a group of four who were traveling by car , they were from Sardia……we told them about baby Guinness and they were interested enough to try it for themselves.  We will make sure we enjoy them again before we leave Ireland. (baby Guinness is a small glass of Kahula with a topping of baileys.  It has to be poured just right so that the baileys sits on top…..looking like a miniature Guinness…..and delicious! 

It was time for bed as tomorrow we walk out from Cloghane. Our last day of walking and the weather shall be fine. 

Sept 27/ wednesday.

 Today our walk was cancelled due to storm Agnes….the first “named” storm of the season..our area of Ireland would be hit particularly badly, as would the UK.  The Washington post featured it.  When we woke the wind was bashing the hotel, and rain going sideways! 

We packed up our bags and went downstairs for breakfast.  After breakfast Sandy and Joanie ventured out 1/2 a block to the museum.  It was closed. 

A driver would pick up our bags and us at 3pm and take us to our next stop. To kill time we played a few games, solitaire, Farkle, and a game called Golf ( which has nothing to do with golf)

At noon we had a very good soup at our hotel (Ostan Ceann Sibeal) .  Another impossible to pronounce Irish name. 

A very jolly Irish man came to collect us.  He was difficult to understand as well, but we got the gist of it. We should have been hiking some cliffs today.  Due to the weather, it wouldn’t be safe. So instead of a 5 hour hike we had less than an hour in a taxi! 

Tonight we are Cuas in the guest house An BothAr.  It is a small guest house with a pub and they serve food……not every night, but they were tonight. Joanie chose the best meal….crab legs!  The rest of us chose med rare roast beef……yep it was nowhere near rare and tough to chew. 😓.   We enjoy our own company and there were not many in the place.  We eventually retired upstairs to a lounge, made tea and played a few rounds of Golf!  Look it up on line it is a fun game all you need is a deck of cards.  

I think all four of us had a FaceTime conversation with family back home.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring…..it will depend on the weather! 

Tuesday Sept 26/23 leaving Dunquinn.

 The forecast today was promising. There would be little to no rain and just a small amount of elevation.  Rain and elevation being the worst nightmare of a hiker. 

We had a nice breakfast, lots of coffee, orange juice, yogurt, fruit, salmon lox, and a cooked breakfast of our choice.  We packed up our bags and brought them downstairs ready for pickup.  We set out at 9:45. Our first stop, not too far down the road was at the ferry pier.  The ferries themselves were not running, weather was not conducive and more importantly they were now closed for the season.  It was a fairly steep climb down to the ocean level, and the wind was starting to blow. 

We continued on, following our yellow hiking signs and it started to sprinkle.  We arrived at the Blasket Centre and the heavens opened! The Blaskets are a group of islands just off the west coast of Ireland., A large island and a number of smaller uninhabited ones.  They became populated in the 16th century, entirely by Irish people, and the last inhabitants left in 1953. The population at it’s largest was less than 200. The government wanted the people to leave as emergency services, were virtually impossible particularly in the winter months.  Life was hard but the people enjoyed dancing and visiting with each other.  Many of the young people were leaving the island for America so the old folks who were left were finding it increasing difficult to cope with the harder work. 

The Blasket Center is preserving the story of early Irish life on a nearly uninhabited island. There were many story tellers on the island who have written books about their life there. There are a couple of films and photos of the residents, along with stories of their way of life.

We spent close to two hours there, and when the rain ended we started out again.  Our walk took us along similar paths to previous days .  We stopped into a pottery shop where Sandy bought us some yummy Irish chocolate they also had for sale.  Later in the day we stopped at a little artist gallery, where we enjoyed the art, but no purchases were made.  Soon we were at the ocean again, for the  2nd time today…on..our earlier stop we st3 our lunch on the sand.  Sandy and Joanie  decided  to take off their shoes and wade in the water. Cold but invigorating!  We had about 1 1/2 km left to our hotel CeannSibeal.  There are so many Irish names we cannot pronounce! 

After settling into our rooms we went out for a Guinness! Surprise! And at 7:30 we were downstairs  in our hotel for a delicious dinner! Finishing up by sharing two deserts, one of which was the classic sticky toffee pudding. Jan and I (muriel) elected to retire while the other two went to the bar across the street for a nightcap…..baby Guinness (delish) and a special gin drink! 

Sept 25/23 Dunquinn

 Today we had breakfast at 9:00 and were picked up at 10 am by our favourite driver, Ozzie.  He had delivered us for the beginning of our 2 day stay at the Dunquinn guest house.  He was taking us back to where we had finished walking yesterday which was on the sandy beach.  So todays walk we continue further along the beach.  It was a beautiful fresh morning with a strong wind blowing us all about. There were a few people about, walking dogs and swimming in the waves. 

We were to have good weather and lots of elevation today. The first part was on the road and we came upon the Fairy Fort where there was an imprint of an ancient structure that could be seen in the grass.  For the cost of admission we were given a small bowl of “food” to hand feed the goats, sheep, donkeys and a couple of llamas.  We were advised not to feed the pigs……who were gynormous! Back on the road we soon we’re following yellow markers which took us onto paths with high hedges with lots of flowering fuschia. The path was  ascending and a bit muddy given the torrential rain of the last couple of days. The path is narrow, so we walk one behind the other. Up up up and the sun was warm. We were walking towards Slea Head and had a view of the Blasket  islands far below us.  There were lots of sheep, ewes and rams and also goats who would run away when we came close.  While we were enjoying the views we had to keep our eye on the ground which was full of sheep dodo. . The hills are also quite rocky so foot placement was important! All the while the wind was gusty,,  we all agreed it was exhilarating.

Usually when we have been hiking on this trip we have not seen many other hikers.  Today we met a few, some appeared to be out for a walk with their dog.  We met a couple from Trail BC, who were walking with a couple of ladies from San Francisco.  Funnily they were also at the same guesthouse as us.

There are many stiles to climb over , some are made of wood, others are newer metal ones.  The fields are separated by stone walls, walls that have been standing for more than a 100 years. We have a guide book with good instructions….and there are signposts with the little yellow hiking man on them with an arrow pointing the way.

I think what best describes todays hike is elevation. We seemed to be going over mountains! We stopped to eat our packed lunches, sitting on big flat rocks., stripping of jackets and changing socks as the day warmed up.  We finally started a descent towards the water. Slea Head is a spectacular area that people come from all over the world to see.  The sea crashes into the towering cliffs. 

We arrived back at Dunquinn and hit the shower. We walked down the road to Kruegers Pub for dinner. The pub is the furthest west in all of Europe.  The pub was practically empty .  We ordered Guinness and all had fish and chips for dinner, and had a few games of Farkle before walking back to our guesthouse. Tomorrow we will leave at around 10 am .

Leaving the Dingle behind. Sunday sept 24/23

 We left our guesthouse at 9:40 in light rain and wind.  Today there would be quite a bit of walking on tarmac, temperature was about 14^ which is quite pleasant for walking.  The roads are quite narrow and the cars drive fast.  We walk single file and as close as possible to the grassy edge or hedges, yelling car if we hear one behind us or approaching. It seems to work as we are all still living! 

We trudged along with the sight of an occasional field if there was a farm gate entrance, otherwise the hedges were too high for us to see over.  There is quite a lot of wild fuchsias growing too.  Well, the wind was picking up and so was the rain.  Our guiding company who organized our tour has given us maps and printed directions for each day we hike. The instructions are quite detailed, for instance they tell us things like “ if you come to a part in the path with a blue rope across it, just duck under it” .  So you can believe it would be , should be, next to impossible to get lost.  Well, it is not and was not.  As I said the weather was worsening.  We turned from tarmac to a muddy upward path.  The water was running down the path in rivelets, rivelets of mud, we were also suspicious of the colour of the mud as it looked like the cows had been there at some time. We had gone possibly 4 km uphill when we decided that we had gone wrong somewhere, so back down the slippery path we went. …….flashback to earlier in the day while still on the tarmac, a fellow in a pickup truck stopped to tell us……don’t go down that road, stay up “there” on that one, it’s much faster to where you are going! But we were following our instructions! So yes, we made our way back to that road and carried on. By this time we were getting quite soaked, some of us more than others! We stayed on the road until we came in sight of the ocean and found the hiking signpost. We crossed the road to a path that led down to the beach.  There were cement steps that contained to a little while then we were making our way on the grassy rocky cliff edge for about 100 yds to the Sandy beach.  We walked in the sand for about 1 km to the pub, Paidi O’Shea’s, which was our pickup point of the day. 

We went inside the pub and ordered bowls of seafood chowder and Guinness, of course.  By this time we were all completely soaking wet and shivering! We took off as much of our clothing that was decent to remove.  After a little while the fireplace was lit and we stood around it trying to dry the clothes on our bodies.  I (Muriel) had a harder time, was probably wetter than the others due to my limited rain gear, Sandy decided I should make use of her silver emergency blanket. It did help a lot!  After our soup and Guinness we ordered Irish coffees to further advance the warming process. 

We then phoned our guide host and said we were ready for pickup. Places to stay on the hiking trail are not always conveniently located exactly the amount of km apart for hikers so they are transported to their accommodation for the night and then returned to the day before finish point to start again.  This usually involves a short taxi ride.  Our guest house today is in Vestry, there is one pub, so that is where we will have dinner.   

After switching  to dry clothes and stuffing our wet shoes with newspapers and then relaxing in our rooms we left to walk to the pub down the road for 7pm.  The rugby game was about to start between Wales and Australia……wales were the victors. We shared pizza and played a few games of Farkle…..and Guinness and wine. We walked back to our guesthouse on a very dark road, no street lights in the countryside, just a lighted cell ph to show us the way. 

It was a day we will ever forget, it’s very rare for us pilgrims to err on the path. Tomorrow is another day and the outlook is for better weather. 

Last day in Dingle Sept 24/23

 This morning we went downstairs for breakfast. As per usual we had ordered off the menu the night before. As well as our order there were freshly baked scones and homemade jam, fresh orange juice and delicious coffee. After breakfast Joanie and Sandy booked a tour of a nearby gin facility.  Jan and myself declined and had a leisurely time at the guesthouse. The house is called the Coastline and it is right across the street from the Atlantic ocean.. …….looking out we could see whitecaps and a pretty ferocious wind, along with it rain! 

Our hiking package includes a packed lunch each day, it always seems to be the same…..a ham and cheese sandwich, a bottle of water and a granola bar of some variety.  When Joanie and Sandy returned (after sampling several different gins, we prepared to head into town.  We thought we’d look into a few shops before finding a pub.  We heard there were some that might have music during the day.  

The shops were mainly of the tourist variety, well made Irish linens, sweaters, key chains, coasters, scarves as well as lots of books. Books for children, books for birders, books of Irish literary note. 

We went to O’Flaherty’s Pub for our first Guinness and played a game of farkle.  We popped into another pub and ran into our Dublin friends Michael and Jackie.  The tv’s were on in all the pubs for rugby World Cup.  Ireland was playing South Africa at 8pm…..this would definitely be interrupting the music scene.

We soon found ourselves at the Dingle again and two musicians were playing, a fiddle and a guitar.  It was now dinner time.  Our waiter was the famous dancer from the night before.  He says he doesn’t dance on Saturday as it’s his day off…..spent working in his fathers pub…..the Dingle.  There doesn’t appear to be much else to do except go to the pubs! The next one called An Droighead Beag……don’t ask how to pronounce it!  We watched the rugby game here…..Ireland won.  We stayed here till 11:15.  A new drink, for us, a baby Guinness…..served in a shot glass is a pour of kahalua with baileys.   Quite tasty. 

We walked home to our guesthouse….the last guests in for the night. Back to hiking in the morning. We hope to leave early as the weather will deteriorate as the day goes on. 

Friday Sept 22/23

 This morning we woke to rain! Jan and Muriel had not slept well…..hearing the rain pounding down all night we were concerned about the mud. We knew a lot of todays hike would take us through fields and it had been raining heavily for a few days.  

After breakfast a driver took us to the drop off point….where we had stopped yesterday. The weather was a cool 14^which is perfect for walking.  It rained briefly quite hard, we stopped to put on pack covers and rain gear.  The path was quite good to begin with, it was narrow and there was the occasional vehicle.  Soon we were on paths that crossed fields and were also used by cows and sheep.  Because of the heavy rain there had been, it was muddy,wet, soft, and littered with cow pies!  These cow pies looked like black rocks and we had to be careful not to step on them!  None of us were 100% successful! 

There were many stiles to climb up and over, little creeks to cross but the rain was short lived which helped with our disposition.  We stopped in one field to sit and eat our packed lunch. We had a great view of the patchwork of farms below and the Atlantic Ocean.  

We arrived in Dingle at about 3:30 and followed the instructions to our hotel……which is a guest house with 6 rooms.  Just time to shower and and walk back into the town for our dinner reservation.  The restaurant, named Land to Sea is a Michelin starred restaurant.  They offer a starter menu, your choice of two courses for $35 euros.  We each chose a starter and we all had steak.  We finished up by sharing two desserts. 

Next we walked a few doors down to The Dingle Pub.  We had heard it was good for music. …..as are most if not all in Dingle.  The Dingle had a couple of bands that played traditional Irish pub music, which often has the patrons singing along. Very lively and on this night packed!  It was advertised that the local boy who had won many world titles for dancing, would be there.  The Dingle pub is own by his father. We were told it would be 10pm before he would perform.  It was only 7:30 when we arrived so we were going on the slow, drinking Guinness! 

We were lucky to find seats…..and met a young couple from Poland, an older couple from Dublin, and a family of siblings from different parts of America.  They all made for interesting and entertaining conversation. Meanwhile the pub continued to fill up with more and more people.  By this time we were well into the mood of the place. The band turned over….one left, another set up and the singing went on.  Then the long awaited dancer arrived and set up his platform very near us.  He was unbelievably talented! 

We stayed for his performance which was about half an hour and then we wished all our new friends goodbye.  We walked home just after midnight.   We have a rest day in Dingle tomorrow and will undoubtedly find more music in pubs.

Leaving Dublin to start the hike Sept 20/23

 This morning we were taking the train to Tralee via Mallow.  Our train departed at 11am.  We had coffee and a bun in our hotel lobby.  Sandy and Joanie went off to a nearby pharmacy to find a brace to support her ankle.  Our cab to the station had been booked the night before. We soon discovered it had been booked and then actually cancelled……apparently they were too BUSY! We re-booked a cab.  The trip to the station was about 10-15 minutes.  Soon we were seated and enjoying the ride.  The route took us through the Irish countryside, sheep, cows and lush greenery.  It’s easy to see why it is referred to as the Emerald Isle. 

We were picked up by taxi courtesy of our tour company, for the half hour drive to our destination, the very small village of Annescaul.   We were staying at one of the local guest houses and after depositing our baggage we met up with our tour guide Peter at a local pub, where he treated us all a drink…..Guinness all around! 

Annescaul’s claim to fame is that it is the hometown of a young man by the name of Tom Crean.  Tom Crean was a participant with Major Ernest Shackleton on the expedition to the South Pole.  In this town there is a restaurant called South Pole Inn.  The story of the men and their expedition is well depicted on the walls of the restaurant.  

Since it is really the only restaurant in town we had our evening meal there.  We were disappointed to find there was no fish that day as the fish man didn’t come.! 

We retired soon after as the hike started the next morning. It rained heavily most of the night. 

September 21/23

We were up and downstairs for breakfast by 8:45.  Breakfast menu had been chosen the night before and packed lunch choice as well. 

There was a table of American ladies in the dining room and they regaled us with their stories of the mud they encountered….and fell in! Not something we wanted to hear.  

We started off in sunshine and good spirits. Our route was mainly ascending and quite a bit of tarmac. The scenery was easy on the eye, plenty of patchwork green field to look down on as we trudged up! The usual farm animals, cows, sheep and goats. 

Quite a few nice houses, some very old Croft cottages abandoned. There were lots of old stone walls, no mortar to hold them together., but most still standing the test of time.  The road we travelled was very narrow and we quickly got into single file when we heard traffic coming.

At about the halfway point we came down a little hill and could see the Atlantic Ocean the ruin of  Minard Castle., which is a huge structure looking out at the ocean. There was a field of daisies and a bench which would have been a perfect place to eat our lunch……already occupied by two ladies. We ended up sitting on damp grass leaning against a farm gate. 

Only a couple more kilometres we reached our end point of the day and called our host to pick us up. 

We are being transported back to Annescaul ….where we started our day as our accommodation is there for a second night.  We went to a local pub for a Guinness and a game of Farkle. 

Dinner afterwards was again at the South Pole Inn…..but the fish man had been so it was a better dinner! 

A short walk by the river ended our day.  Tomorrow we will be on the road again🎶🎶🎶 we will be at Dingle. 

 Tuesday sept 19 joanie decided to stay at the hotel and rest her ankle. On our way to meet our bus to Belfast yesterday she tripped on the uneven cobblestones and twisted her ankle, and unfortunately smashed her ph screen. 

Sandy Jan and me (muriel) figured out our walking route and made for the Immigration museum (EPIC) 

The day was warm and sunny.  The museum tells the story of the people who left Ireland in search of a better life. Conflicts, the potato famine, economic problems and religious persecution drove the Irish from their beloved homeland. Many did not survive to their new destinations and the stories of such immense hardships were very disturbing! The stories of why people left and the influence the Irish had throughout the world was told in 20 different rooms.In each room you could stamp your museum passport before moving through to the next. 

As you progressed in the rooms information about the various and numerous contributions Irish people made to the world were documented. Many well known. George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, Maureen O’Sullivan, Oscar Wilde. Twenty three American presidents claim Irish descent. Writers, inventors, . Movie stars.  There was even a room where you could put in your surname to see if you had Irish ancestry. 

We spent most of the day at the museum.  If you are ever in Dublin you shouldn’t miss both this museum and the Guinness brewery.  Highly recommend both! 

Our next stop was Sweney Pharmacy, which is not a pharmacy at all.  It was recommended, quite highly we thought, by our tour guide on the bus to Belfast.  It wasn’t far from the immigration museum.  We arrived and were quite surprised by how small it looked.  Inside seemed even  smaller! It was probably a space about 10x10 and crammed full of books. Books from floor to ceiling along with many paintings of James Joyce. His books  were also prominent along with George B. Shaw and other Irish poets and writers. The old man who ran the bookstore/pharmacy seem to be a perfect fit to run the place.  We didn’t want to stay too long, Sandy bought a book of short stories about Dublin. As we bid our farewell we were invited back for 7pm when there would be a ‘reading’. 

Back at Hotel Marlin we met up with Joanie who had searched out some restaurants for the evening. We made a reservation at Davey Byrnes, again not far from our hotel.  We had a cocktail called James Joyce Choice. James Joyce figures prominently in a lot of establishments! It was delicious.  I did note they also served Guinness ……but imagine most if not all places in Ireland do!  Dinner for joanie and I ( muriel) was a wagu burger, Jan had chicken, Sandy had lamb stew…..which wasn’t very good.  The waiter took her meal off our bill. Nice!  

We finished our night off with Gelato at an ice cream shop on our walk home. 

 Belfast sept 18/23

We were up at 5am for the bus at 6:45. Pickup was outside Starbucks where we bought coffee and breakfast pastries. The route was along the coast with snatches of the Atlantic Ocean, green fields of sheep and cows. We arrived in Belfast after 90 minutes. We stopped to buy food and snacks.  We were told No hot food as the odour may disturb other passengers. 

There was two choices we could choose from …..a visit to the titanic museum. The museum is in the shipyards. Belfast shipyards was the largest in the world, (surpassed now by China) a recently built building.  The second option was a Black Cab ride.  We chose the cab ride and “Brendan” our driver, was 60 years old he had first hand knowledge of the “troubles” of 1968-1998. He was living on the catholic side of town as a seven year old boy. 

Our ride took us through both the catholic side and the Protestant side. These two areas are separated by the peace wall.  The peace wall is locked each night at 7pm and opened again at 7am. During the 20 years of the “troubles” there were 3,600 killed and more than 30,000 wounded. There are many memorials, painted posters and words written on walls.  Arguably they are the most famous murals in the world. 

Along the wall that separates; some houses are so close to the wall that they have extra protection from missiles that can be thrown from the other side. 

At one of the walls we were invited to write a message with our name, alongside many US presidents, and famous people who had visited.  Our cabbie told us they paint over it every three months! Not sure if he was joking or not. 

It’s very sad that while there is a form of peace the two sides are still very separate today. 

Later in the afternoon we met up with our bus and the titanic group.  

Driving further north, to the top of Northern Ireland we visited the ruins of Dunluce Castle, very dramatic, rising high above the sea. The castle was used in filming Game of Thrones. 

. The Giant Causeway is a 5.5 mile loop near Bushmills, Antrim, a moderately challenging path . On the route there are some 40,000 basalt columns rising out of the sea, we walked the coastal path, it was muddy in places and rained and I hailed off and on. The basalt columns are a major sight to see. 

 At the restaurant at the causeway , called the Nook we had lunch …..seafood chowder.  There is also a visitor centre, hotel and restaurant.

We arrived back in Dublin at 8pm. We stopped at McNeils pub for dinner and some lively Irish music which we always enjoy. 

Pilgrims Four are in Dublin Ireland

 We arrived in Dublin on Sunday September 16 after a long westjet flight from Abbotsford/Vancouver bc. 

We are only in Dublin for 3 days after which we will take the train to start our coastal  hike ….The Dingle Way.

As we usually do, we like to maximize our time and see as much as possible.  We booked a tour of the Guinness museum for the afterNoon.  It is within a walkable distance from our hotel, so we were off.  Our booked viewing time was 4:15 but we thought we’d try and get in earlier. It was clear that a lot of other people had the idea to visit the brewery also. ……a lineup at the entrance told us! 

We showed the printout of our booking time, the young man handed us four tickets just like that! The tickets entitled us to a pint of Guinness..  to call this  building a museum is not overstating it! The whole process is explained with great graphics from the water source to the grain, to the barrels, and to the history of the Guinness family who still run the business today.  On the second to last floor the group of about 60 or so people were given a shot glass of Guinness and told how to “taste” it.  Next we go us to  The top floor which I think was number 7.  This floor is the Sky Bar and what a bar it is! Floor to ceiling windows all around the circular building with views in every direction of Dublin.  There were quite a few bartenders “pulling” pints.  We managed to find a table and four seats.  I’m addicted now…..at least while I am here.

We stayed about an hour in the bar and left to find a pub with music.  That’s not too hard anytime in Ireland.  We ordered Guinness all around and four orders of fish and chips.  A young fellow soon arrived with his guitar…..or it may have been a ukulele and he played some foot tapping finger slapping tunes.

A fun first night in Dublin. We called it a night as the next morning we are booked on a bus trip to Belfast. 

3 day bike trip Nov 11/19

We left our home in Carefree about 9:30 am.  It was already warm.  First stop was Starbucks which was really busy, but eventually we got our drinks and got back on the road.  The plan was to make our way to Yuma.
Jeff had plotted the journey keeping us off freeways as much as possible.  We went through Surprise Az, then on past Buckeye Az as well.  The countryside turned from desert scrub to agriculture.  Most of the time the fields looked various shades of green, and at 50 miles per hour it was impossible to tell what was growing.  Beside the road were man made canals, irrigation for the crops.  At one point we saw a small group of adults and a couple of little kids standing at the edge of a canal, they appeared to be fishing.....in the canal! Oh well, I thought, maybe the kids just wanted to go fishing and this was the nearest water?  Further on down the road we saw a large pipe that was gushing water into the canal......and two birds who were watching this water with interest!  We realized there was most likely fish in this canal......the river  suppling the water obviously was throwing up fish as well!
Soon the fields were full of cotton.  I had no idea cotton grew this far north in America.  I really wanted to stop and pick a ball of cotton!  There were acres and acres of it.
There is one thing that I particularly dislike on these little road trips is the lack of somewhere decent to eat!  We had been on this stretch of road before and had stopped at a little roadside bar called Desert Rose,  we were hungry and disappointed that it was closed.  It may have been closed for lack of business or because it was Veterans Day.  We had no choice but to push on.
Our next stop was Gila Bend, where we succumbed to Macdonalds!  I don't know how many years it has been since we dined at Chateau Ronnies.....too many to count.
A couple of hours later we were approaching Yuma.
My school friend Ruth and her husband Jim RV in a park just outside the city and were expecting us around 4pm.  We rolled in to sit in the shade drinking cold beer and snacking on nuts and popcorn .


After an hour or so we continued on into our Historic Coronado Hotel in Yuma.   Historic means old
and generally from a different era!  Not really up to our usual Best Western but it was decent and clean.  We settled in and Jeff went off to find some beer. .Ruth and Jim arrived just before 7 and we all drove in their truck to Da Boyz restaurant in the cute little downtown area.  There was an important football game on the tv in the restaurant and loud roars were sent up pretty regularly, Jeff and Jim .....most interested. Food, drinks and chatter was lots of fun, all of us having lots to talk about.  Ruth and Jim being very familiar with the surrounding area gave us lots of ideas on places to go.  We parted a little while later......and I should mention.....when they arrived at the Coronado Ruth gave me a gift.....a super shopping bag with a large colourful picture of Frida on the front.   She knew I was/am a fan of her art.
The next morning we headed out to the little town of Julian, which is at the end of a very twisty road that also went up to 4,000 ft elevation, quite a change from Yuma at 150 ft.  Julian is a cute small
tourist destination, famous for Apple growing and many businesses selling pies.   We spent an enjoyable time there then hit the road  towards a Borrego Springs.   Not quite sure where we would
spend the night, we passed through Braely and Westmoreland.......nothing looked remotely suitable! So we rolled into Borrego. .......we went out of town several miles to the Borrego Springs Resort and Spa.  Spa was closed but pools were open, and we were tired and not into driving at night in the desert.  It seemed the hotel was quite occupied but we got a nice room.  As we were a good few miles from town we decided to stay at the resort for dinner.......I made a reservation for 6:45.  After a bit of r and r at the pool we walked out for dinner.  There were two separate dining areas with a bar in between.  In the smaller area there were two, large tables filled with women....16 as it turned out.  In the large dining area, there wasn’t a soul! , except for us!   A bit odd to be there let me tell you! Anyway we made choices from the menu, only to find out they were out of this or didn’t have that! Finally we chose out of the limited things they did have.....disappointing.  One surprise was the glass of wine I ordered came filled to the very brim!

I’m sure I was asleep before 9 o’clock , all that fresh mountain air.  We heard the coyotes howling through the night.   Borrego Springs is one of a few places in the world that is a designated dark
community. This means they don’t have lights after dark so that the magnificent sky can be seen.  Of course no one could make the full moon disappear , but it was a beautiful sky.
This morning, we were making our way homeward. We decided after our experience last night at dinner, not to chance breakfast.
We drove into town, Jeff had found at least 3 coffee shops.  We went to all three and none had proper espresso machines, at each one we were directed to another......finally the 4th was just perfect, great coffee, fun owners and hot cinnamon buns fresh from the oven.
 .....blog is giving me trouble......so I’m signing off....ride home was basically uneventful, arrived at 5 pm and hit the hot tub......sore riding 3days, but fun.

Testing.....Pilgrims are hiking again

Hello Family and Friends,
In a very short time I will be winging to Scotland for a visit with some of my relatives.  I arrive on September 4th in the early evening.
On September 9th I will meet the other 3 pilgrims, Joanie #1, Sandy #2, Jan #4 (myself being #3) in Paris. After about 5 days in Paris we will fly to Porto Portugal ......and the hike will begin.
Stay tuned!
Muriel P3

Dumfermline.....last stop Scotland

This morning I took a taxi to the Queen street station in Glasgow for the trip to Dumfermline. I purchased my ticket and 10 minutes later was on my way to Haymarket where I changed trains, so far .....all well. It wouldn't be normal if there wasn’t a snag! I pressed the button on the platform to speak to an agent as the overhead electronic readout did not show a stop for Dumfermline Queen Margaret! I watched it run around three times to make sure I hadn’t missed it.  I decided to get on anyway.  While on the train I phoned Mike and Helen to tell them the above......ten minutes later the ticket checker comes by and I explain all of the above to him......right, this train DOES stop at Queen Margaret. It’s too late I think to call Mike and say I can get to Q Margaret. The train goes over the iconic red Firth of Forth bridge, .....my first that I can remember. You can see a little plot of houses below on the Fife side.
Back at the cousins I’m greeted very warmly by Helen.( she looks like me as well! ) after putting my stuff in my room we sit out in the garden ( more great Scottish weather) we chat like we’ve been friends for years. Mike disappears inside to make lunch, we ar3 called in to eat as it is actually too hot to sit outside. The lunch, sandwiches, warm sausage rolls, coffee and biscuits was delicious! More chatting and we leave for a car ride to Queensferry where Helenwas raised. It’s not far, just over the new Firth bridge. The old street of Queensferry runs along the shore of the river basically under the iconic Firth of Forth. It was very busy with foot traffic as it is a major tourist attraction, and it’s a sunny Sunday. We are joined by Craig (Helen and Mikes son) and his partner Allan. We walk the whole length of the riverfront and bump into cousin Allan’s daughter who is just leaving his place. We decide to ring him up and out he comes to sit and chat a wee bit ( he is not feeling great so we don’t stay long). I had had a good visit with him at the earlier cousin dinner. He is so like his dad, my uncle George, my dad’s brother.  I still have to pinch myself, relatives pop up everywhere! I have a hard time keeping them all straight.
We go to a pub one block up from the high street for supper. Back at Helen and Mikes we relax and continue yakking. Later on we have a bit to eat, a cup of tea and end the evening.
Amazing holiday !

Glasgow

This morning the tour group is dispersing and I am moving to another hotel. I have a full breakfast at the Radisson and leave my suitcase with the concierge while I do a little wander on one of Glasgow’s biggest shopping streets. I found it amusing they also have a dollar store, only they call it the pound store! I come back to the Radisson and sit awhile in the foyer and soon Claire from New Zealand comes in and sits down to chat. She is off on another tour and will be coming through Vancouver for a few days in early July and will look me up. Next in blows two of the guys from the tour....one is going home to Oregon and the other is off touring for an indefinite period.  We all say goodbye for the third time at least. I collect my suitcase and the concierge calls me a “hack” . I thought that was a New York term but I guess they use it here also.  I’m off to the Argyle Hotel to be near the Kelvingrove Art Museum for the exhibition I’m going to tonight.  I check in early as my room is ready, I make a cup of tea and unpack.  I decided  I would go over to the Museum and check out where exactly to go this evening.  The Art Gallery and Museum is in a magnificent old building and I go to information  to find out about tonight. Good thing I did, as it is outside in The tents and the museum will be closed.
I start my own tour and find a room dedicated to a group named The Glasgow Boys, I think possibly the last died in the 1940’s.  They were beautiful Painters  (20 in number ) and I will have to read up on them. There was also a group called the Glasgow Girls, although there were not as many of them and they were not as well known. I found another room with French impressionists, there were quite a few paintings I had not seen before of Monets, Van Gohs, Coret, Morriset.  I was about to leave when I spied a room with Scottish Painters, getting tired and wanting to go back to my hotel before returning for the evening I went to information to inquire is they had any John Petties. Indeed they did said the volunteer at the desk! She directed me back upstairs to my ancestors painting. I was able to take a photo this time.  I am thinking that each time I visit an art gallery in the UK I had best ask if they have any John Petties!
I walk back to my hotel which takes less than 5 minutes and have another cup of tea. I had planned to dress up for the event but due to the weather which was drizzley, I decided to stay in my jeans. When I arrived my name was NOT on the guest list! After a short discussion the fellow not allowing me in decided he would go speak to the Dancing Light Gallery who had sent me the invite....then he changed his mind and said ...oh go in. Geez! It was about 6:20 by now so I thought I’d better go first to where I expected Julie to be in case she didn’t stay for the duration. I helped myself to a glass of Champagne and I was off!  Julie wasn’t there yet but the Dancing Light girl seemed delighted to meet me. (We had conversed by email). After chatting with her for awhile I set off around the rows to check out the art. It was extremely crowded.  Time went on and Julie had not appeared, we were starting to get concerned as she had said she was on her way. To make a long story short she never arrived, she had gotten lost driving to Glasgow from her small town of Langholm. She was upset and frustrated and ended up going home. Dancing light girl felt very bad for me and a couple of other girls that had come especially to meet Julie, so she insisted of taking my photo in front of Julie’s large painting to show her I had been there. It was disappointing but on the bright side I discovered a lot of interesting art, spoke to several artists about their work and picked up quite a few artist cards.
I walked back to the Argyle in light rain........end of evening! Tomorrow I will be with my cousin Helen and her husband and will maybe see some other cousins. I will be taking the train from Glasgow to Waverley Station in Edinburgh then getting a second train to Dumfermline.
 Cherrio the noo!

Inverary , Loch Lomond and Glasgow

We were off towards Glasgow today with a stop at Inveraray. We left Craignure for our final ferry back to the mainland.  Inveraray is on the coast and there is a woollen mill there. I was meeting up with a dear friend and her partner. Jane and I met when Jeff and I were on a motorcycle trip in Texas. We were staying at a resort in Lajitas, Jane was as well. She was/is from South End on Sea, England. She was travelling alone which I thought was very brave! Now here I am .....sort of! Anyway Jane and Brian are in the area around Oban where she is currently teaching Scottish cooking to guests, while Brian takes them on cultural trips around the area, and KAYAK trips. We met up and caught up over a cuppa in a cafe, I think it was called The Scullery. An hour went by pretty quickly and I was the last one back to the bus! I hate to be last as you are acknowledged by a hearty clap by everyone as you make your way to your seat. The walk of shame, in good fun.
Our next stop is Doune Castle where much of Outlander was filmed, we spent an hour wandering about the castle, many rooms familiar from the series.
The scenery was so picturesque (Trossacks area) as we made our way I really thought it was the best yet. There were so many sheep in lush green rolling pastures, I decided to just enjoy them instead of taking more blurry photos! We came to Loch Lomond a large loch over 27 miles long.  Over  the stereo came The Bonnie Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, many were singing along. This ballad, loved the world over is most often sung at funerals as it is believed that if you are born in Scotland your soul will come back here.  My memory as I listened, was of my mum playing it on the piano and singing.  I often think of how she didn’t want to come to Canada in the beginning, but came to love it.   She still kept the house filled with her Scottish 78 lp’s. I got a big lump in my throat and my eyes were watering! We were getting off the bus! The driver, who was Scottish, knew right away and said a few sympathetic words.....my undoing! I’m not a pretty cryer, am I family?! I think also I knew my journey was coming to an end.
On our way again we stopped in a layby to take a photo of Stirling castle from the back. It sits high on a cliff and looks similar to Edinburgh castle.
We arrive at our hotel, the Radisson, a five star! Dinner with our fellow travelers, many fine people.
Breakfast tomorrow will be our final goodbyes.
I will be spending one more night in Glasgow, a hotel closer to the museum/art gallery  where I will attend a private showing of the works of Julie Dumbarton..
Then I travel back to Edinburgh for a final two days with family.

Isles of Mull and Iona ........May 9/2018

Today  was to be leisurely and relaxing while enjoying the best of the western isles.
I don’t think I have commented much on the excellent food we have experienced. Breakfast most often has everything you could imagine including the Scottish specialties of black pudding and haggis, porridge with a whiskey bottle along with the honey and maple syrup. I’ve indulged in the excellent porridge most days, minus the whiskey.
Our day started driving from Craignure to Fionnphort where we would catch the ferry to Iona. This is basically a drive from one end of southern Mull to the other all along the coast. A light rain was falling, nothing to be concerned about. Our guide Matthew, has a history major and a passion for geography (and twitching). We get his running commentary “all right troops, okay doky” and we learn more about the isle of Mull. Our driver a fine Scottish man named Mark, affectionally called “pinky” is a first class guy and an excellent driver manoeuvring his bus on narrow roads. We feel very fortunate to be in their care.
Tourism is the number one industry, also forestry, farming of sheep and cows (coos!) . We pass a large mussel farm in a loch where they harvest 10,000 lbs a week. These mussels are prized by chefs all over the world as the water in which they grow gives them a delectable flavour, sea water from the Atlantic diluted by melting snow. Birding or “twitching” which I have mentioned previously is big, 3 varieties of eagles nest here, including the massive white tailed eagle, introduced to Mull, they now have 75 pairs.
On Mull there are many lochs, 3 beside each other are the Bull, the Cow, and the Calf.  The tallest mountain on Mull is Ben Mor at 3,000 ft. When it blew 59 million years ago leaving a chain of volcanic sites throughout the Hebrides including Skye, St Kilda.
In comparison Iona is 3,000 million years old! Iona is a little island only 3 miles square. It used to be attached to North America, when the tectonic plates moved millions of years ago separating the land into modern day N. America and Europe and creating the Atlantic Ocean. The split occurred near Inverness in the west of Scotland.
Some well known celebrities have homes on Mull, Paul McCartney (he composed Mull of Kintyre here), Elton John, Phil Collins, AC/DC, John Lennon also stayed here many times and was well loved by the islanders, who created a memorial garden honouring him when he passed away.
The Isle of Mull has only primary school, for secondary education students travel to Oban.
We arrived in Fionnport for the 12 minute ferry ride to Iona where we will visit a nunnery and the Abbey.. the sea is wild, rain is blowing horizontal. I am minus one umbrella as the wind blew it to bits snapping even the metal frame! We were told the ferry would likely not be running later on if it didn’t clear.
So we were on the island but would we get off? Most of the group pushed their way through the wind and rain to the Abbey. It truly was worth the weather , solid brick inside and out . It is still in use by the island residents today. The nunnery is in complete ruin. We did see one highland cow. What we learned about these beasts that people love and visit Scotland to see. They are very intelligent contrary to some beliefs. They eat a diet of Heather which gives their meat a prized flavour low in cholesterol, they never need to see the vet.   Farmers are starting to breed them with black angus cows. They live outdoors 12 months a year. Cows and sheep are out in fields together as farmers found the coos defend the sheep against the fox. The bulls weigh up to 1500 lbs and have horns that can gore a fox. Coos are not called a herd but a fold.
The isle of Iona has been the preferred burial place for kings and  clan leaders; being that it was built on volcanic rock it was deemed very stable. During the highland clearances the English destroyed the headstones and tossed them in the sea. On a grassy mound buried are McBeth and McLeod, powerful clans. Iona is credited as being the birthplace of Christianity .
We made our way off the isle of Iona, the ferry bobbing like a child’s toy on a very rough sea. The docking on what was a sloped concrete boat launch was tricky taking quite a few tries to get in straight. Back in the tour bus we continued to our hotel. An optional visit to Duart Castle, the 13century home of the MacLean clan, one of the last surviving privately owned castles, the home of Clan Chief Sir lachlan Maclean.  
Dinner was at 7:30 and it was first class.
Tomorrow is our last day with a visit to Inverary on the way to Glasgow.
My blogging of my Scottish adventure will be coming to an end in a few days time, i have tried to make sure it is correct in English grammar and spelling.....where it is not,  I blame the computer for taking licence!
Cherrio. Xo

Isle of Skye, Glenfinnan, Isle of Mull ........May 8/18

Happy Birthday to our dear niece Jillian!
Today we were expecting some Scottish mist, which we got! It actually required an umbrella  this morning for a short while. Still on Skye we were visiting the Armadale Castle, gardens and museum. The grounds are in a woodland setting, with beautiful old stone bridges with burns running underneath, Azaleas,  birch, ferns, ponds, gravel pathways and graceful mossy trees. All in a very quiet setting. The castle itself is in a state of ruins and is dangerous to visit,  it must have been grand in its day. The estate was formerly the seat of the MacDonalds of Sleat. It is now run by a charitable trust dedicated to promoting the traditions and history of the Clan and Highlands and Islands. The gardens date in part to the 1790’s, many remarkable species are represented. The museum takes one through 1500 yrs of history and culture, in  over 7000 books.  There are of course not one but two gift shops, with top quality highland crafts. At every stop I have been impressed with the quality of the goods, they are made in Scotland not China or elsewhere.
Leaving Skye We boarded our ferry to take us across the Sound of Sleat to the isle of Mallaig.  On Mallaig we visit Glendinning with its viaduct as seen in the Harry Potter films. We  do see the steam train, although not when it was actually on the bridge.
 There is also a tall monument with a soldier statue at the top. One is permitted to climb the narrow stone stairs to the viewing platform if they do not suffer from vertigo. The site is maintained by a Canadian group associated with Glenfinnan.  Soon we have driven to the end of Mallaig and are boarding another ferry in Lochaline for the 15 minute trip  to the Isle of Mull!  The announcem3nt about safety regulations is made in Gaelic.  We disembark at Fishnish.  Once back on land we are again driving on roads so narrow the bus takes up the whole width, fortunately everyone seems  to operate the frequent passing places very well. The scenery is nothing short of breathtaking!!! You’d never find greener pastures anywhere, or whiter sheep! Braes that slope down to the sea. There are fishing boats at work, mussel farms and ferry boats.
There is a Gaelic university on Mull that does an exchange with the Gaelic university in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. The Mull university has 600 full time students. The highland language is experiencing renewed interest with it being taught in many highland island schools. Many road signs in the aisles are also in Gaelic.
Mull is known as the “twitcher” capital of the British Isles.....this means birding is huge! They have a few varieties of very large eagles, oyster catchers, hawks, buzzards and others.
We stop for a walkabout in the capital town of Tobermoray, a picturesque place on the sea, each building on the Main Street of town painted a bright primary colour. On the seafront there stands an old red pillar post box, with the royal insignia, one of 6 left in all of the British isles.  Everyone wandered about the shops and sat in the sun admiring the view, or enjoying  ice cream.
We arrived at our hotel about 6 pm and met in the dining room for 7 pm dinner.  There were 3 selections each , 3 starters, 3 mains, 3 desserts. The food was excellent!  After dinner tea and coffee is served in the lounge. We were treated to a concert from the Isle of Mull & Iona Pipe Band. Young pipers and drummers, The youngest piper a lad of 11.  I spoke to the acting pipe major at the finish of the piping. I said I was from Canada and that we had a very good pipe band, the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band who I knew had taken first place at the world Highland games in Glasgow some  years ago.  A friend of ours had a son in the band. Well, the pipe major knew all  about the Canadian band and proceeded to sing the praises and tell of the many awards this Canadian band had won. He called them by far the best in the world!
It was another great day. Our guide Matthew is promising heiland coos and lambs tomorrow!