We have finally really caught up with the wet weather and there is lots of water around- literally as we have also just travelled through the Lakes District. Very picturesque despite heavy rain -unfortunately not good for photo taking! Experienced the M6 at all speeds too on our way to the Oxford area where we spent the night in an old Elizabethan House – now a pub/lodge built in 1560.
Glens, Lochs, and Castles
Great variety of scenery and history over the last 2 days. Have had 2 contrasting days of weather too yesterday brilliant sun and today solid rain most of the time.
From Inverness it was down through the Great Glens and lots of Lochs all formed along a faultline. The fascinating Caledonian Canal running the length of the Glens links 5 Lochs to allow launches and leisure boats through using a number of swing bridges – the road bridge rotates to the side to open up the waterway. The most well known Loch in this group is Loch Ness running for some 24 miles – we travelled it’s length – no Nessie in sight!! Rather a brooding loch so one can see how the “rumours” might come about. However beautiful lush trees covered with moss, and bushes line the sides of the Loch roads before the hills rise steeply away.
In the Scottish Highlands
A quiet start to the day and left Edinburgh to the strains of the bagpipes downtown – saw a few men wandering about in their kilts too. The buildings in Edinburgh central city are of course all old stone – weathered and coloured and intensely clustered along the streets – a real maze to drive round.
We headed north over the Forth Bridge, past Loch Leven where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned before making a dramatic escape. There are castles and ruins everywhere in Scotland – some of the castles are beautiful! and all are very different in style and settings. Bypassed the good looking Scone Palace, then after lunch in Perth stopped at the delightful towns of Birnum and Dunkeld – Big Tree Country. Dunkeld has a beautiful old cathedral – part still in use and part in ruins – the grounds are stunning, huge trees and beautiful lawns running down to the River Tay. Loved it.
Edinburgh
A bit of a travel and transition today as we left Ireland for a couple of days in Scotland.
Has been really great to spend time with Matt and Kat and sad to say goodbye again, however we are all moving on with the next part of our journeys. Not sure when/where we will all meet up next but it’s exciting to ponder that! An exciting day today for Kat too as she started her new job in Dublin.
The Ireland road trip
Day 1 (23rd June) Leaving Dublin for Galway felt a bit like home with rural scenes that would not be out of place on the Southern motorway to Hamilton. Very green and pastoral. Then some very narrow country lanes – vegetation 1-2m high right alongside the road- wild roses, ivy and other stuff, to find Clonmacnoise – relics of monastery founded in 6th century by St. Ciaran on the banks of the Shannon River. Beautiful yet stark ruins which tell the story of a successful community plundered many times by invaders over the centuries. Fine stone High Crosses still survive. It was absolutely freezing cold here with biting wind blowing up from the river. A very yummy lunch in Ballinasloe before heading to Galway. The rural villages are characterised by narrowish streets with 2 story buildings either side of the road – each often painted a variety of bold and/or pastel colours and with bright window boxes – pink petunais are a favourite! Galway, originally a walled medieval city, was bustling and showing signs of lots of development and growth. Picturesque drive along the seafront and round Galway Bay. Lots of ruins along the way everywhere – old castles, monuments and stone buildings and pretty little fishing villages like Kinvarra. Weather had improved greatly by now as we headed over the Burren – stunning and expansive rock and hill country – to Doolin and a B&B for the night.
Ireland back and beyond…….
We’ve been a bit quiet on the internet over the last few days as Matt & Kat and Gill and I have hired a car and headed out for a quick explore of the West and South of Ireland. The first day took us to Galway and overnight in Doolin, then to the cliffs of Moher and on via Dingle Peninsula, through Killarney to overnight in Ken Mare. Today we have driven around the Ring of Kerry and now down to Kinsale, on the coast a bit south of Cork. Have seen every sort of weather rain, sun, hail, howling gales and a lot reasonable in between, some great scenery, and roads varying from great motorways to little rutted lanes. Getting this uploaded from a pub in Kinsale before we have dinner. More details and photos in due course.
It’s a little wet!
Right now it is pouring with rain but we are safely back at Matt and Kat’s and about to cook dinner with the help of Mark’s and Spencer’s fancy pre-prepared meals – very impressive and easy. Matt and Kat are out partying tonight – a Google function.
Kat’s learning-through-experience and sage advice “always take an umbrella” proved wise and timely for us today as we wandered about and managed to keep dry!
Dublin
We made it even if our bags were 9 1/2 hours behind!
It’s great to catch up with Matt and Kat and to be staying at their new place right in the heart of Dublin’s financial district. Kat showed me round some of the important area (shopping precinct) yesterday afternoon and then we all had a lovely dinner out at a nearby restaurant
Today we enjoyed a Hop on – Hop off tour of Dublin and sheltered from the rain at the Guinness Storehouse! Interesting tour of the old St James Brewery, an internal steel structure, which has now become a museum as technology has marched on and the old building was no longer suitable or able to keep up with production required – 400 million litres per day – half of which is drunk here! The top of the building provides a great 360 degree view of the city – noticeably no skyscapers! Also provided is a pint of the best! We enjoyed lunch here also and some very nice dark Guinness bread.
Strauss and Mozart in Wien
The highlight of our second day in Wien was an evening concert featuring music written by two of the famous musicians for whom the city is known. Was most enjoyable and included some opera and ballet as well – in an old theatre salon under glittering chandeliers so quite impressive.
We spent the morning watching the Lippenser horses at exercise – they are the white horses trained for about 4 years at Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Unfortunately the exercises are not the real show thing – we weren’t there at the right time for that but it was interesting to watch the stepping manoevres, prancing and training of the horses to stand on 2 legs – also all to Strauss and Mozart.
Vienna
Great flight (I like Austrian Airlines) and tranfers and a nice hotel in the centre of the city. Good internet connection near-by as well so chance to catch-up! Enjoying iced coffee at 10.30pm to cool off.
A bus tour this afternoon gave us a good idea of the layout of Vienna – a lovely city, big contrast between the old city encircled by the Ringstrasse and the new, a more relaxed atmosphere here but it’s pumping tonight and we have been entertained in our room by a very good band over on the rooftop on the Albertine Museum.