Read, Write, Ramble

 Today we farewelled both our wonderful friends from Yorkshire, and the vibrant city of Dublin.  While Mark and Julie went off to the fantastic Irish Emigration Museum we had visited yesterday, the rest of us took another walk in Phoenix Park, this time visiting the Tea Rooms for a coffee and cake before our midday checkout from the Ashling Hotel.  Back at the hotel we met up with Mark and Julie and said our fond farewells to David and Carolyn. We then walked the short distance across the Liffey to Heuston Station, where we grabbed some food for the train trip and waited expectantly to learn which platform our train to Cork would depart from.  We enjoyed a smooth 2.5 hour journey, watching the green countryside pass by and arrived into Cork at about 15:30. Unfortunately we had an unpleasant encounter with the taxi driver from the station. Not only did he spray the car with air freshener while we were in it, on arriving at the very expansive complex of buildings that ...

EPIC stands for Every Person Is Connected which is the theme of the Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin.  This was one of the places we visited today.  Mark and Julie had booked a tour to County Wicklow today and the rest of us had planned to have a quiet day in the city, beginning with a leisurely breakfast together.  Following breakfast in the hotel, Carolyn, David, Wallsy, and I set off for a walk to nearby Phoenix Park and the Wellington Monument. We didn’t see any of the famous Fallow Deer, but did find a little squirrel feasting on acorns.  After checking out the impressive and very tall Wellington Monument we caught the Hop on Hop off bus back up town to O’Connell Street and walked on a little further to the CHQ (Custom House Quay) building which houses the Irish Emigration Museum.  The museum deals with the diaspora of the Irish to many countries over the centuries for reasons which included famine, conflict, and economic migration. These and many other to...

 The sun was shining as Mark, Julie, Wallsy and I set out to forage for breakfast this morning. A nice little cafe in Dublin Heuston Railway Station provided exactly what we needed. Fuelled for the day, we returned to the hotel to meet up with Carolyn and David in the foyer, where we held protracted discussions about the plan for the day.  It was agreed that a Hop on Hop off bus tour would be a good way to start, but which company should we go with? Did we want the 24 or 48 hour ticket? Did we want to add a river cruise? Would we use the included night tour if we bought the 48 hour ticket? This, and many more questions kept us talking and debating the pros and cons for a good half an hour.  We finally decided on the Big Bus Tours option and set out for the bus stop near the hotel. On board, we enjoyed the live commentary of the young Irish driver. Unfortunately, before we had completed the full circuit, it was time for his break and we had to change buses and drivers. The...

The wind of yesterday had thankfully  died down this morning, so as we packed we tried to calculate how many layers of clothing we needed to wear. The answer was, not as many as we thought.  We were out the door before the appointed time of 8:15 and on the road to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, just down the road from Portballintrae. On arrival, the visitors centre was not yet open, so we drove down the road a short way to a good viewing point where we could clearly see the mainland, the Carrickarede island,  and the 100ft crevasse between the two, spanned by a mere rope bridge.  When we arrived back, we had a ten minute chat from one of the National Trust guides who filled us in on the history of the rope bridge and the salmon fishers, as well as the other landmarks, some of which were visible and others that were vague shapes in the morning sea mist.  Then we walked the kilometre out to the bridge, took some deep breaths and one by one, crossed over, trying not t...

We had been told The Gobbins was an experience ‘not to be missed’ while in Northern Island, so we had eagerly booked it before watching the YouTube video of someone being drenched by huge waves as they walked the apparently treacherous cliff path.  It was with some trepidation then, that we packed up and set off from our Belfast accommodation at the appointed time of 8:30 this morning, all rugged up against the anticipated wind, waterproof layers on to protect us from the waves, and drove 40 minutes along the stunning coast road. At the visitors centre we were given our safety briefing, had our hiking boots checked for ankle support, and donned helmets,  before 15 brave souls, plus guide, hopped aboard the shuttle bus which would take us to the trail head for the 3 mile cliff walk.  Photos were taken at the Gobbins Gate before we ducked through into the unknown and began our journey up steps, down steps, across a variety of bridges spanning cliffs, and through caves....