Ireland: I left London by train at about 8:00am headed for Holyhead in Wales. Holyhead is little more than a community to support the ferry and train transportation that comes and goes at the port there. The train station is right next to the ferry port so the walk from the train to the ferry is only about 2 minutes and completely enclosed. I was supposed to go via Stena Line Ferries (http://www7.stenaline.co.uk/servlet/se.ementor.econgero.servlet.presentation.Main?data.node.id=1&data.language.id=2)
but they have had some major bad luck... one of the engines on their fastcat blew just before coming into port in the morning and they had to keep it and the big ferry in port for repair work to be done. I don't know the reason but I'm guessing that they need all the engineering crew from both vessels working to remove the damaged engine, repair it (or replace it) and install the fixed/new engine. So I had to take an Irish Ferries boat (http://www.irishferries.com/), the Swift - named for Jonathan Swift, which meant I stood on que for over an hour hoping to get onto the fast cat ferry. Luckily, I got on the fast cat (Swift) whereas some people (some of whom were que-jumpers) got stuck on the cruise ferry which takes 3 1/2 hours to cross while the Swift takes 1 hr 25 minutes.
When the ferry arrived in Dublin (http://www.visitdublin.com/) we were bused into the city centre to the bus terminal. It was about 6:00pm when we arrived. The train trip through the English and Welsh country side was wonderful. The scenery here is nothing short of fabulous. Everywhere you look are lush green rolling hills, fertile farmland and healthy looking crops. Sheep, cattle, cows and horses are everywhere. England has very little untouched land left. Even the forested areas are usually occupied or owned by someone who has built on or cultivated it somehow. The ferry ride was lacking in scenery but mainly due to the rain, mist and fog.
In Dublin my first priority because of the late hour was to find a hotel. I walked across the Liffy to the south side of town as I was warned that the northside is a little "rough". Found a nice hotel in Temple Bar (http://www.irishtourism.com/dublin-hotels/dublin-hotels-templebar2.htm) but it was pricey and Temple Bar is the party centre of Dublin. Loud, noisey drunks stagger about the narrow lanes and cobbled street 7 nights a week. After settling into the hotel I went for supper at a place called The Elephant & Castle. It was mediocre and non-relaxing. Nothing at all like The Elephant & Castle in Ottawa.
So, the next day, having been woken by loud drunks singing slurred versions of old Irish classics off key, I decided to move hotels the next day. I took a place on Stephen's Green Street South, Staunton's on the Green (http://www.irishtourism.com/dublin-hotels/dublin-hotels-south5.htm). It is a Georgian townhouse overlooking Stephen's Green, the largest and most beautifully lush park in Dublin. I was much happier there with my view of the park and the much quieter nights. Again, it was a bit pricey but then everything in Dublin is. I found the restaurants prices to be twice what I'd expect in Ottawa. Dublin is a large city but has very few tall buildings. I was told there are hieght restrictions in many parts of the city. That was a general trend in most of the Scandinavian cities and throughout Ireland.
I really enjoyed Dublin. The tourist info centre is located in an old church (St. Andrews) in the middle of town. There are several pedestrianised (an Irish word?) streets in the major shopping districts. Trinity College is a large campus oozing historical atmosphere located right in downtown Dublin. I visited several museums, took a couple of bus tours and enjoyed several excellent meals. One place I ate is a multi-level food emporium called Bewley's which has been in the same location since the 1840s. Grafton Street (http://www.softguides.com/dublin/shopping/) is a famous shopping district that has spread onto several small side streets.
At Trinity College I walked through the grounds to the Old Library (http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:1kABoglIGFoJ:www.visitdublin.com/historic/detail.asp%3FID%3D1358+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8) building. This building houses the Book of Kells (http://www.tcd.ie/Library/Visitors/kells.htm). This 9th century illuminated manuscript was fascinating to see. There is also an excellent exhibition about the manuscript and its making showing details of the actual methods used.
The Old Library itself is wonderful. They have display cases with ancient books and manuscripts dating from the 4th to 19th centuries on view. The building itself is fascinating historically and the library is still a working library. If you are doing research that brings you to the need to refer to these old tomes you can arrange to view them.
That evening after supper I boarded the Ghost Bus Tour (http://www.visitdublin.com/directory/detail.asp?ID=345). It was a fun evening of riding around town getting all the "scary" ghost stories and visiting haunted places such as "The 40 Steps" of Christ Church Cathedral and a couple of graveyards. The next day after a long, deep sleep, I took the hop-on-hop-off bus tour of Dublin. After doing the full tour I rode the bus to the Irish Museum of Decorative Arts and History (http://www.museum.ie/) where I spent the rest of the day. I loved this museum.
The desk clerk suggested Kitty Kaboodle's for supper and it was an excellent choice. A small, cozy little restaurant with more atmosphere than any tourist could hope for. The food was great, the service fast and efficient and the staff friendly.
The next day was a true whirlwind tour of Historic sites: Christ Church Cathedral and crypt (http://www.cccdub.ie/); St. Patrick's Cathedral (http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/); Marsh's Library (Dublin's first public library still preserved in its original state) (http://www.marshlibrary.ie/); Dublin Castle and Powder Tower ruins (http://www.dublincastle.ie/home_no_fla.html); back to the Tourist Office (http://www.visitdublin.com/); Nassau Street shopping (http://www.softguides.com/dublin/shopping/); Museum of History and Culture (http://www.dublintourist.com/Info.cgi/natio002.shtml). A very busy day that I ended with a lovely Indian meal at Saffron's 2000 Restaurant.
The next day I did a load of laundry which was essential if I was to continue wearing clean clothes. Then a taxi to Heuston Rail Station to get the train to Cork. In Cork I had quite a time finding the Tourist Info office which is quite far from both the Train and Bus Stations. Once there I booked into Sheila's Budget Accommodation Centre (a hostel). A young fellow was in the info office also booking a room at the hostel so we walked to it together. Once settled in I walked down the road a few blocks to find a restaurant that looked interesting and found "A Taste of Thailand" where I ate supper. Sheila's also has Internet access so when I returned I spent a little time doing e-mail and blog updates. As the evening progressed the drunken partiers in the kitchen area began getting louder and louder until I could barely hear myself think. The computers are right next to the kitchen area so I had to quit the blog updating before I got dragged into the childish throng. Drunken 20 year old German girls sound vacuous and slutty.
In the morning I got an early bus to Skibbereen. I was going to vsit Caroline there but she is still in Sydney, Australia. She did suggest that I contact and visit her parents though and so I called her Mom before leaving Cork to settle a good time for a visit. Eileen was so sweet, she came to get me from the bus stop because where they live is on a farm outside the town. During the ride to the house she invited me to stay overnight and I accepted. I felt I was going to like this woman and her family so did not hesitate for a moment. My instinct was right.
Eileen and David showed me all over County Cork, or at least the south west of it. They took me to lunch/tea at a couple of lovely family restaurants, I joined them for church on Sunday, they took me to meet all the kids and their families in the area (one son is in Germany), we visited castles, churches and saw some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. We went to Mizen Head Peninsula (http://www.cork-guide.ie/mizen.htm), the most southwest point of Ireland and to the legendary Loch Lein (sp?). But the best part of the tours, and there were many great things that I enjoyed, was the visit to Castle Kilcoe.
Castle Kilcoe has been lovingly restored and renovated for modern use but with a strong desire to keep it feeling like an authentic medieval castle. It is not huge but it is big enough. The owner has filled it with a most outstanding collection of antique furniture and antiquities. Even though the bathrooms have all the modern conveniences the "feel" is still very authentic. Not an easy accomplishment. The kitchen is similar but with the best of stainless steel appliances and modern kitchen utensils. The great room is filled with warm touches such as the 2 gigantic sofas that seem to swallow one whole. There are coverlets, rugs, tapestries and other warming comforts. Candle sticks of grand proportions and ancient looking chandeliers and lighting fixtures are everywhere. The electrical system is all new as is the plumbing.
The bedrooms are the most authentic feeling of the rooms because many of the beds are built using the original historic methods. The bedrooms are small and cozy with the exception of the master suite which is purched on the top floor of the castle and has a huge soaker tub in it. This suite has a high vaulted ceiling with rafters of timber. There is a 'widow's walk' all around its exterior with fabulous panoramic views of the peninsulas of the southwest corner of Ireland.
The castle tower is 110 feet high with a private, hidden jacuzzi on top.
The castle was nothing more than a tumble down ruin when it was purchased but the owner has spent a lot of time, effort and money on it over the past 4 or 5 years. The work is far from complete and workers are on site every day trying to complete the project this year. Fingers crossed.
I ended up staying at Caroline's parents' house for a second night. I left there on Monday morning to take the bus to Cork. I stayed over in Cork for the night in Monday at Sheila's again. This time there was a room with private ensuite for just one euro more. I was on the first of 3 trains from Cork to Rosslare early in the morning and got the ferry from Rosslare to Fishguard, Wales about 6:30pm. Once in Fishguard I had to hire a taxi to get me to Havenfordwest where there is a train station. I got a room there for the night and was on the first morning train at 6:40am towards Salisbury. It took 3 trains to get there but the connections were 10 minute connections making it go pretty fast. I got to Salisbury about 12:45 and took the Stonehenge tour bus from the Rail Station.
More about Stonehenge later. I have been at this all afternoon and want to take a break now.
I am back in Ottawa and have rented a room in the Byward Market, my old neighbourhood and the place that still feels most like home to me. If anyone wants to contact me by phone, the cellphone number is 613-797-4068.
Posted by gailene at June 22, 2003 12:07 PM