Goodbye Ireland, Hello Caribbean!!

It felt so good to be back home after being gone for ten days to Ireland.  There really is "No Place Like Texas"!  I know, I'm biased.  I always look forward to going places I've not been before, seeing new things, meeting new people;  this just makes coming home so much sweeter!  After being gone for almost seven months last year while thru-hiking the A.T., I have come to appreciate home even more!  There is nothing quite like the feeling I have when I wake up and look out our back windows  across the hay meadow, and see a gorgeous sunrise like this, here at home.

However, I sure wish I did not have the allergy issues I'm plagued with!  Before I went to Ireland, I felt like I was getting a sinus infection, although the change in climate across the Atlantic banished it.  As soon as I got home, the high pollen count got to me immediately.  Oh well, it could be so much worse, so I'll count my many blessings and shut up about it!

Once again, my bags are packed!  Tom & I are so excited to be going on a 7-day Caribbean Cruise.  We plan to drive to Baton Rouge, La. as soon as he can sneak out from work today, then board the ship in New Orleans in the morning.  The best part about this vacation is that Tom's brother, Tim and his wife Kathy will be driving from Georgia to meet us in Baton Rouge today and go on this cruise with us!  Such fun to have them along on our vacation!  The four of us cruised together back in 2004, and had such a great time, so we are really looking forward to seeing them again and embarking on yet another adventure together!

The day we get home from our cruise, one of my hiker friends, "Smiley", will be passing thru Edgewood on his way back home to Mississippi, and is planning to stop in to see us!  I haven't seen him since somewhere in Maine last year, since he finished his hike before I did.  He is an R.N. and has been working at a pediatric clinic in Arizona.  Can't wait to see him and reminisce and see what he's been doing since his hike.  I'll bet he looks a little different from when I last saw him!  His Mom FedExed him a full, home cooked meal to Mountain Meadows Lodge in Vermont last year.  By the time I got there, all that was left was some delicious pound cake and some cookies, which he generously shared with me.  The other hikers there had helped him polish off all the rest of his Mom's home-cooked goodness!

I would love to meet his Mom!  She is a good cook!  Yummee pound cake!

That's "Smiley", third from the left, in the turquoise shorts!  We were a scruffy bunch, seasoned hikers!

I don't feel like I am much different, however the hikers I've connected with in the year since I finished my hike definitely look different than they did on the Trail!  Maybe their perception of me is that I look different also? 

While we are on the cruise, I will surely remember where I was one year ago!  This coming Thursday, October 4th is the one year anniversary of the final day of my hike!

My dear sweet friend, "Pigeon" and me on top of the final mountain on the A.T.!  What great memories I will carry with me for a lifetime!

Don't forget that life is an ongoing adventure!

Thursday, September 20th

Today is technically the last day of our tour of Ireland, since tomorrow will be spent traveling home.  Norma and I had a little excitement in our room this morning.  Norma's electrical converter blew up!  Her electric rollers were plugged  in the outlet, and were warmed up, so Norma was curling her hair.  Just as she was about done, we heard a loud pop, and the converter started to smoke!  She immediately unplugged it!  What a smell--burned wiring!  I guess it is a good thing it is our last day here and not the first!

I guess I must have been a little tired at the end of the day yesterday, when I wrote in my journal.  I completely left out about our stop at the Rock of Cashel, after we left the Blarney Castle!  The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years, prior to the Norman invasion.  In 1101, the King of Munster donated his fortress to the church.  The picturesque complex is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and Medieval architecture to be found anywhere in Europe.  The Majority of the buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th Century.

It is currently being extensively restored to it's previous splendor.

Today we will be given a tour of Kilkenney Castle, which has been through many years of careful, painstaking restoration to how it was centuries ago.  We will not be allowed to take any photos once we are inside, however the grounds around Kilkenney Castle are beautiful, situated right along side the river.

While we were waiting for time to go on the Castle Tour, Norma and I decided to board a small tourist train for a  tour of the city.

Part of the fun of going on this city tour was seeing some of fellow guests from our tour while they were strolling about town!

That's Bob Brackeen, the NBC Today Show Host!  Cool sunglasses, Bob!





There's Julene Pike (waving to us) and her daughter Kristina (looking at her IPad)!
They live in Souix Falls, S.Dak.



Here are some photos of the outside and grounds of the Kilkenny Castle.  Noel said "ABC".  Another bloody castle!

 

Ireland has "Tidy Town" competition each year, and this year Kilkenny has won it once again!

  This evening we are back to where we began this tour: the Dunboyne Castle Hotel, for our farewell dinner with all the folks we have had the pleasure of being with on the Ireland tour.

Here is an interesting tree in front of the Dunboyne Castle Hotel.

Wow!  Tomorrow morning we must have our luggage outside our door by 5:30 a.m.; go to breakfast; leave the hotel at 6:30 a.m. for the transfer back to the Dublin airport, for our long flight to Chicago, with a couple of hours layover before the final leg of our journey back home!

Wednesday September 19th

Early start to our day today!  Norma's travel alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m., we must have our luggage outside our hotel room's door by 7:00 a.m., go to breakfast, then depart the hotel at 8:00 a.m.  Our breakfast meal each day is included with the tour; our dinner meal is included in all but two evenings (when we are at a hotel for two consecutive nights, the second night's dinner is "on our own").  Except for the day we stopped at the "Thatch Cottage" (for stew/shepherd's pie), our lunch each day is on our own.  Norma and I usually just have a snack from our "stash" (in our daypacks) for our lunch each day.

I slept like a rock last night for 10 hours!  I feel bad that Norma did not. The beds are firmer at this hotel (what I'm used to at home) and Norma woke up with a backache, and took naproxen sodium for her pain.  Therefore she napped a lot on the bus ride this morning.  I feel really bad that I sleep so good, no matter where, when Norma does not.  I feel bad that I wake her up earlier in the morning than she would like, because I am such an early riser and she sleeps so lightly, if she hears me move about in our room, she is awakened.

Sorry, Norma!  BooBoo made me take this photo!
We sat at the very back of the bus today, so we had plenty of room to spread out, what with 5 seats straight across the back.  I liked it!  Great for snapping photos out the side windows or out the very large back window.

 Yes, we went through this tunnel!  The driver had to go slowly, right in the middle of the road, to clear the top of our bus!  Wild!

You are correct!  This Inn was located at one of the many roundabouts we passed today!

Most homes we passed had nice landscaping.  Ireland gets rain and sunshine every day so I guess it's not hard to get plants and flowers to grow profusely.

Heavy sky!

 

We visited the Blarney Castle today, where we climbed the circular stairways all the way to the top, so we could kiss the Blarney Stone.

 

 

Now this is nothing at all like I have had it pictured in my mind all my life!  I always thought that the Blarney Stone was a fairly large hunk of rock situated on a hillside, that we would be required to hike up to it to kiss it.  Well, it is nothing at all like that!  It is quite small and it is encased in the wall of the Blarney Castle!  At the top of the Castle!  Also, once you've climbed all the circular stairways to the top of the Castle, you are required to lay down on your back, grab hold of the upright bars (that have been installed to assist you), then arch your upper body backward and downward, to facilitate the actual act of "kissing the Blarney Stone" (which is quite like all the surrounding stones).  Of course, the Irish have not failed to capitalize on this opportunity, with all these tourists!  As one Irishman holds onto you (as you are arching your body over backwards over the edge of the wall), another Irishman snaps your official photo, while you are kissing the stone!  You're right, after you walk down to the ground floor of the Castle, you pass right in front of the souvenir shop where you can purchase said photo.  They got me, I purchased my photos!  Hey, it's a once in a lifetime moment!

 

BooBoo met two new friends today!  The first was "Big Red", who is a red plastic Mickey Mouse, who we met while in the line at the top of the Castle while waiting our turn to kiss the Blarney Stone.  Then as we were walking around the picturesque Castle grounds, we came upon another Tour Group and the guy who was their Tour Guide had a bear hanging on his daypack named "Teddy"!  He and I stood side by side while another tourist snapped a photo of BooBoo and Teddy.  What fun BooBoo is having in Ireland!

 

 

 

 

Don't drop BooBoo!  She's just trying to kiss the Blarney Stone!

 

As were walking along the winding creek that runs through the Castle grounds, Norma found a place to put her feet in some "Irish water" for a minute!  The creek was crystal clear and very cool.  Here she is on a footbridge, after she got her feet wet.

 

 

As we were traveling the roads today, Noel talked to us about the history of Ireland's struggles over the years, from his humble Irishman's viewpoint.  He said that President Bill Clinton was a crucial figure in negotiating a workable peace between the Republic of Ireland (in the South) and Northern Ireland.  President Clinton talked to the Irish people and sent Senator Mitchell over to Ireland to assist in the talks, and President Clinton told them that he would be available 24/7 by phone to help if needed.  Also, England's Tony Blair was instrumental in this peace process.  I was fascinated by Noel's account of the struggles of his fellow countrymen over the years.  Ireland's current unemployment is at 24% of its population.  Gas averages about $1.69 (euros) per litre; the average yearly income for factory entry level workers is approximately $20,000 (euros).  Ireland is a part of the European Union, so if one country in the Union is struggling, all the others are affected by this.

 

The Irish term for rioting or mayhem is "tuggery"; a pig farm is called a "piggery"; there are more sheep in Ireland than people.

 

After we left the Blarney Castle, we traveled around the northern edge of the city of Cork, which is a sister city to San Francisco.

 

Steeplechase originated in Ireland also!  In the 1700's, two ministers challenged each other to a horse race, from one's church to the other's church, over the hills and thru the valleys near Cork; so steeple to steeple became Steeplechase!

 

Tonight, we are at the luxurious Lyrath Estate Hotel, which is located outside the city of Kilkenney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of our hotels on this tour have exceeded my expectations!  So luxurious!  Oh my goodness, I could get spoiled to this kind of accommodations!  Our room even has a doorbell!

 

This has been such a great experience in Ireland!  I feel blessed and very fortunate for the opportunity to travel here with my sister, Norma.  However, I am ready to go home!

Tuesday September 18th

We enjoyed a later start to our day today-10:30 A.M. departure from the hotel!  We will be traveling the "Ring of Kerry" today, 100 miles of beautiful mountains and coastline.  We have a relief driver today, Bart, for Noel's day off.  Noel is still on the bus with us to narrate/guide today, however he cannot drive due to transportation regulations.  (We think Noel's driving is much smoother than Bart's!)

Our entire group met in the lobby of the hotel this morning for a group photo.  There is a beautiful, ornate grand staircase there that our Tour Guide, Carol, posed all of us on for the photo.  She will send each of us a copy following our tour.

Following the photo taking, Norma raced out to the bus to secure us the front seat for a scenic ride of the Ring of Kerry.  We all switch seats in the Motorcoach each day and since we had not sat up front yet, we were excited!  Sitting up front did give us a great view of both sides of the road and also straight ahead, although it was not ideal for taking photos.  Many of my photos today have either the bus's side mirrors or the driver's head showing in the photo!  Also, it was misting rain so the windshield wipers were also an issue!

I am astounded that these tour buses are actually allowed to travel the roads on the Ring of Kerry!  You notice I said "roads", not "highways"!  They are very narrow, very twisting, very mountainous roads, with one-lane bridges at times, and never ever even a hint of a shoulder at the edge of the road, only thick hedgerows or rock walls!  All tourists and tour buses are asked to travel the Ring of Kerry in a counter-clockwise direction, because in most places the road is barely wide enough for two small cars to meet one another, let alone a 52-seat Motorcoach!  Crazy driving!  But spectacular scenery, simply breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, and the mountains rising up out of the sea, with long sweeping valleys filled with a patchwork of lush farmland and quaint houses in between.

Me, Norma and Lou overlooking Dingle Bay.

About halfway through our day, we stop at the "Thatch Cottage" where we are served our choice of  shepherd's pie or stew.  I chose stew, but I only carefully picked out each morsel of potato or carrot to eat, because my palate just could not tolerate the taste of lamb meat or the juice from it!  (Lucky for me I always carry some snacks in my daypack!)  The rhubarb pie for dessert was quite good though.  Whole wheat brown bread seems to be a staple with Irish meals.

Following our lunch stop, we continued on to enjoy awesome views along the Ring of Kerry drive.  There aren't many speed limit signs in Ireland, but we just passed one: 100km per hr.!  Right past this sign, stenciled onto the road surface: Severe Bends Ahead!  Of course, no one could possibly go 100km per hour on any of the roads we have traveled today!  I think our top speed has been 45km per hour.  Remember, we are sitting right up front and can see the speedometer on the driver's dashboard!  We can also see the fright on the driver's face in the cars that we occasionally meet, when they round a bend in the road and are facing our large Motorcoach!  Sometimes they will completely stop or back up, inching over as far as they possibly can to let us squeeze by them.  I cannot imagine having to drive on these roads!  It must take nerves of steel!

No matter what towns we pass through, we continually see healthy and fit looking people-no obesity at all!  It makes me realize what a "nation of excess" we are in America.  Not only with our nation of obesity, but also with our thirst for larger homes and larger vehicles.  We don't see any of that in Ireland; those on our tour who have traveled in other countries over here, say that holds true throughout Europe.  It is no wonder that sometimes, we as a nation, are viewed negatively by some folks in other parts of the world.

5:00 P.M.
We arrive back to the Killarney Plaza Hotel for a second night.   Dinner this evening is "on our own", so since Norma and I are very tired and also not really hungry, we walk down the street from our hotel to the Dealz Store (resembles a Dollar General), purchase some snacks to take back to our room for an "early to bed" night.

I am able to connect with Tom by phone, and Norma tries calling our Mom (no answer), but does connect with Carla (her daughter).  It is good to hear voices from home!

8:00 P.M.
I cannot hold my eyes open to read another page in my book, so I'm off to sleep!

Monday September 17th

We crossed the River Shannon, which is the longest river in Ireland, this morning while touring the city of Limerick.  We are continually amazed at all the very old buildings here in Ireland, many of them dating back to the 1100's or even earlier! 

What!!??  Texas has come to Limerick, Ireland!

We will have a shorter "on the bus" day today!  Our first stop is in the village of Adare, at the Heritage Center, where (for a fee) they will print the ancestry info of your family's name.  Norma purchased one from our Mom's maiden name, to give to our Mom when we get home. 

Once again, we saw many old walls and buildings today.  It's amazing how well they must have been built, to still be standing today.  In the village of Adare, there is a row of quaint thatched cottages with tiny front yards filled with beautiful flower gardens.  There are many beautiful flowers throughout Ireland!

It is raining lightly today.  Noel told us that the Irish call it a "soft day".  He said if we would go for a walk in this rain, turn our faces upward into this soft rain, it is very good for the facial skin!  Of course, he continues to relate many stories of Ireland, and today he even sang a little Irish song for us.  He has a very nice voice!

We arrived in Killarney by the middle of the day and checked into our room at the 4-Star Killarney Plaza Hotel.  The view from the window in our room overlooks a busy roundabout with shops and restaurants all around.  The horse-drawn "jaunting carts" are lined up right across the street from us.  The jaunting cart ride is to be our afternoon excursion.

3:00 P.M.
We walk across the street and board one of the jaunting carts.  There are seven of us in our cart plus our driver, Dan.  He takes us down the street to the entrance to Killarney National Park, where there are miles of nice paved paths that are wide enough for our horse-drawn cart.  We are taken on a very picturesque loop within the Park around Killarney Lake, which is the largest lake in Ireland.  It had been raining before we boarded the cart, however the sun came out just as we climbed aboard and it was such a pretty ride through the countryside in the National Park.  Following our cart ride, we had a little "free time" before we board our Motorcoach to be taken to Kate Kearney's Cottage, to enjoy a traditional Irish night which consists of dinner, folk music, and costumed dancers.  Good food and good music!  I tried something new to me again tonight: propheteroles!  Round, cream filled, deep fried pastries, piled into a large stemmed glass with chocolate syrup drizzled over them and topped with more cream!  Yummee!!

10:00 P.M.
Back at the hotel to our room!  Very tired!  Ready for bed and a good night's sleep!  I had a vey pleasant surprise!  My Sweetie, Tom, called me from the States!  I had called him earlier, but we had such a terrible connection then and I'm still unable to access my email!

Sunday Sept. 16th

9:00 A.M
We are served breakfast each morning at each Hotel restaurant where we are staying.  Sometimes it is buffet-style and other times we can order off the menu.  We left the Radisson BLU Hotel this morning, after staying here for two nights.

 

Today, we are passing through the ruggedly beautiful Burren area. on winding, narrow roads with hairpin "S" curves, that for me is unbelieveable that our motorcoach can even navigate!  Noel is a very good driver!

We visit the Cliffs of Moher.  What incredible, natural beauty!  700 feet high cliffs plunge straight down to the surf of the Atlantic Ocean!   Leaving the Visitor Center, Norma and I walked up and down the paths on both sides of the Cliffs, and snapped many photos.  It was spitting a little rain, however the sun came out while we were walking!

We went back to the Visitor Center and watched a short virtual video, which gave us a flying bird's eye view of the Cliffs and on below the water's surface!  Pretty cool! 

We looked for souvenirs and  afterward we enjoyed a whipped ice cream cone, before boarding the motorcoach for the picturesque drive to Bunratty Castle and Heritage Park, where we are to experience a Medieval Banquet in the Castle.

We had a fun surprise during our Medieval dinner, when one of Tour guests, Bubba Hayes (from Athens, Tx.), proposed to his friend, Anna Richardson, all as a part of the evening's entertainment, right up on the stage with a couple of hundred dinner guests looking on!  Anna was so happily overwhelmed by the sudden proposal, she cried tears of happiness the rest of the evening!

 The happy couple:  Bubba and Anna!

I guess love is in the air in Ireland, because there is another budding romance in our little group!  Stanley and Jeanne went to school together, knew each other, married other people and lived happy lives for nearly forty years, before each lost their respective spouse, about three years ago.  Well, about three months ago, a mutual friend of theirs reconnected them.  However, Jeanne and her sister, Bonnie, had booked this trip to Ireland awhile back.  But when Bonnie saw how happy her sister was to meet up with Stanley again after all those years, she asked Stanley if he would like to accompany the sisters to Ireland;  of course, Stanley immediately booked himself on this Tour.  They look so happy together, sharing the beauty of Ireland together, and reconnecting with each other!

Here isthe happy couple: Stanley and Jeanne!

 

Norma and I neither one cared too much for the Medieval play-acting at the Bunratty Castle, but the food was plentiful and delicious!  The young violin player was so incredibly talented and was playing a very old violin that had a lovely tone!  Eating our vegetables with our fingers was quite an experience!  (Sort of reminded me of all the "eating with my fingers" I did while on my A.T. Hike last year!)  We enjoyed the gardens in the Bunratty Heritage Park while we were waiting for our Medieval Banquet.

 

 

As we were exiting the Buratty Castle following our Medieval feast, we were serenaded by this Irishman on the bagpipes!

Ireland has a lot of quaint customs!  Earlier today, as we passed through the small village of Lisdoonvarna, Noel explained that it was a "Matchmaker Town" for 30 days in September each year, when Irish singles can pay 60 Euros  to place their name and personal information at the Lisdoonvarna Town Hall in the hopes of finding a spouse!  They take this quite seriously!  So the town of Lisdoonvarna is decked out with flags and banners everywhere encouraging this tradition!

We pass thru many fascinating villages each day, and Noel narrates a little background info on each one.  There are so many interesting town names such as: Knockalough, Ballynacally, Labasheeda, Knocknagashel, Bealaclugga!  I have difficulty even pronouncing most of the village names on my map as I follow our route each day.

Today we were in view of Ireland's highest mountain chain: the Macgillycuddy's Reek!

9:30 P.M.
Tonight we are at the Savoy Hotel in downtown Limerick.  Most of our hotels are right downtown.  The Savoy Hotel is a 5-Star Hotel and we are on the top floor which is the Executive level.  Oh my goodness, what luxury!  The most plush of everything in our spacious room!  Oh my!  I know we will probably sleep good tonight, after our long day of adventure in Ireland!