VoM2: Irish Wolf Hound

On our way north along the west coast yesterday, we stopped at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. The castle didn’t do much for me — perhaps when you’ve seen a hundred castles you’ve seen them all? — but I did get to meet a proper Irish Wolf Hound. Yes, indeed, they are very tall and quite large overall. I can’t say he was particularly outgoing, but what can you ask of a dog who has to put up with tourists all day?

On a separate note, the woman on the right — dressed in “traditional” garb — was our guide in the castle. Her name is Anya, and she is from… Germany! This offers an example of something I’ve noticed here in Ireland: The majority of working people I’ve met — including those in what you might expect to be “Irish” jobs (like being a guide at a historical/cultural center!) — are actually not Irish. My unscientific tally tracks them as being mainly from the Baltics and the Balkans, with a few western Europeans mixed in. I’m still not at all clear about what’s going on with the economy here, but if the mixed-nationalities of the workers I’ve met — plus the astonishing array of languages I’ve heard on the street — are any indication, Ireland is in the middle of a robust cultural homogenization. If I come up with any hypotheses I’ll let you know… Stay tuned!

VoM2: Ireland Tour South And West

So far, my tour is going pretty well. It’s actually kind of fun to have somebody else handle all the logistics for a few days. I’m especially enjoying the fact that there are no plans in the evenings, so I can easily have my alone time.

We left Dublin yesterday on a 7am train (Ugh!) and pulled into Cork before 10am. We transferred to a bus which took us on a quick tour of the city (nothing great) then to the castle at Blarney (famous, yes, but also nothing great). From there we went to Cobh for a very interesting visit in the heritage center’s exhibits about the famine and emigration (both really, really big deals!) and the Titanic (which made it’s last stop there). Two more little trains got us to Killarney, a nice town to spend a nice evening.

This morning, we loaded onto a bus at the reasonable hour of 10am and drove around the “Ring of Kerry.” The driver was very informative, and didn’t try to be “funny” (if you know what I mean), so the day was nice. I can’t say I was particularly struck by the scenery, but that may be from the combination of the less-than-perfect haziness and the fact that I’ve so recently had such stunning views in Wales and Cornwall.

Nevertheless, what little I’ve experienced of non-Dublin Ireland so far is quite pleasant. The tour continues tomorrow… Stay tuned!

VoM2: Temple Bar, Dublin

I continued my theme of “Dublin tourist” yesterday with a thorough walk around much of the city that’s not covered in the guided tours. You get out of “the zone” pretty quickly and into areas that seem to be mostly residential and small offices. One building looks pretty much like the rest, as do the many, many pubs that are ubiquitous. Dublin is a compact city and very walkable, with some nice parks and green spaces spread about. If you stick to “the zone”, though, you’ll pretty much see what you want to.

I finished up the evening by spending some time in “Temple Bar” which, despite the implication of its name, is an area of the city and not just a bar. It’s the nightlife focus of Dublin, densely packed with restaurants, clubs, theaters and, of course, bars. Although there were a few old-folks like me scattered about, the clientele was mostly young people of many nationalities, parading around for each other as they are generally wont to do. There’s music everywhere, some of it good.

Overall, I like Dublin. I give it strong marks for its history, broad international flavor, compactness and ease of getting around, plus, of course, “saints” Guinness and Jameson. Take off a few points for general drabness of architecture, food, etc. and there you have it. It’s an easy and rewarding place to visit, especially if you’ve not been spoiled by many of the world’s truly great cities.

Think I’m done being a “tourist”?… Just wait, there’s more! Early in the morning I’m headed to the train station to join a week-long tour of the west and a bit of Northern Ireland. While I’m in the mode, I decided to continue letting somebody else handle all the logistics for a change. It ought to be an interesting experience for me, eh? Check the map and stay tuned!

VoM2: Dublin, Ireland

I think it’s fair to say that I’m normally in “traveler” mode: I go where I go, see what I see, work things out on my own and fend for myself. Since my time in Ireland is short, I’ve decided to give being a “tourist” a try.

For each the past three days in Dublin, I’ve taken a “guided walking tour” around the city: a “historical” walk that was excellent and gave me my first good sense of the history of both this city in particular and the country in general; a “city highlights” walk that was superficial but okay; and a “literary walk” that would almost certainly have been more interesting if I had a clue about any of the famous writers who lived here!

I’ve also spent two days on the “hop-on/hop-off” tourist bus, seeing the sights and at least briefly checking out museums, cathedrals, parks, historical monuments, the Guinness brewery and the jail. Dublin is a very interesting city and I’ve enjoyed my time here so far. I can’t say I’ve found great food yet, but there’s plenty of good alcohol readily available.

I haven’t taken many photos, mostly because Dublin doesn’t strike me as very photogenic. It’s pretty compact, so it’s hard to get good perspective on buildings that are right in front of you. It’s also not very colorful, so there haven’t been many sweeping vistas or city panoramas that have caught my eye. Also, I have to admit, there’s only so far I’m willing to go as far as looking like a tourist!

I’ll keep my eye out for better pictures to share with you. I’ll also try to synthesize some observations that are rattling around unformed in my brain. Stay tuned!

VoM2: Northwest Wales

Over the last few days I’ve worked my way north through Wales, first across lush rolling farmland, then through austere mountain woodlands. This is an insanely beautiful country and I’m very glad I’ve finally spent some time here. I’m sure I’ll be back!

Mixed in with the landscape photos are two highlights: a closed road sign that sprang up out of nowhere and required a lengthy detour that was so gorgeous I was delighted to take it; and, the steam train I rode to near the top of Snowden which I then walked down. A very different view of a complex landscape!

I’ve had extremely good luck with the weather and hope it holds for my ferry to Ireland in the morning… Stay tuned!

VoM2: On The Beach

A couple of friends having a grand time on the beach… It was hard to tell which of them was having more fun!

VoM2: Marloes, Wales

“Ardderchog!”* … The southwest coast of Wales near Marloes!

(*Welsh for “Amazing!” or “Delightful!” or something like that… So I’ve been told!)

VoM2: St. Davids, Wales

I drove west from Groes-Faen on Monday, mostly through fog and light rain, out to a tiny city on the southwest peninsula of Wales called St. Davids. Yesterday’s weather was a nasty combination of cold, wind and rain, so I spent the day inside doing chores and catching up with myself.

The sun returned this morning, so I hit the Pembrokeshire Coast Path for a nice long walk. The terrain around here is just the kind of rugged coast that I like so much and never seem to get enough of.

As usual, I enjoyed making a few friends along the way; mostly horses and dogs with the occasional human thrown in for good form.

In St. Davids itself, I took a quick stroll around the cathedral and the ruins of the bishop’s palace, yet another fantastic example of how much power and wealth the church once had. I’m going to stay in the area for another day tomorrow before heading north on Friday. Stay tuned!

VoM2: Up A Hill, Down A Mountain

There’s a movie called “The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain” and the story behind it is that an English cartographer told the residents of a Welsh village their local “mountain” was only a “hill” because it was a few feet short of the required height. The offended community changed that by adding an earthen “bump” on its top to make the necessary elevation.

It’s a lovely little mountain and “The Welsh” and I enjoyed a nice walk up to the windy top!

VoM2: Weekend With My Welsh Family

Last Wednesday, after our wonderful “mini-break” in Cornwall, Betty and I said our good-byes and headed our separate ways. My route took me northeast through Bristol then west across the river into Wales for a semi-surprise visit with my Welsh family in Groes-Faen, near Cardiff.

I say semi-surprise because I had been conspiring with the girls — Jess, Billie and Poppy — for several weeks to make my visit a surprise for their parents, Jan and Rhian. After some frantic texting to time my arrival at just the right moment, I met the girls outside their house and they led me in. They’d done a perfect job of keeping it a surprise, and were rewarded with a few moments of complete shock on the faces of their parents, followed by a riotous time for us all of jumping up and down, hugging all around and some very high-energy, high-volume enthusiasm. It was a very sweet experience for me, and I thank them for helping to make it so. Even sweeter — as only great friends can sometimes do — it took us just a few minutes to settle in and pick up where we left off from the last time we were together four years ago.

To try to put this in a little perspective, here is a photo of me with the girls when I met them on a ship down in Antarctica.

Here is a photo we took today, clear proof that while some things definitely change, some things don’t.

Our time together over the past few days has been simply wonderful for me. Among the highlights was attending two performances of a Peter Pan musical play that the girls were in, for which I presenting them with Tinkerbell-themed chocolates and tiaras.

We also visited the St. Fagan’s Welsh Heritage Museum — a fantastic outdoor historic village — and couldn’t resist taking an old-fashioned family photo together. (Jan and I let the girls select our outfits, as if we might have had any choice in the matter!)

We also “went up a hill but came down a mountain” which I’ll post something about later!

Even beyond all the fun activities together, though, it has been most special for me to be included in family meals, to hear all the latest about what’s going on in their lives and to refresh a set of very special friendships. I’m already looking forward to our next time together! Thank you Welsh!