AIN'T TECHNOLOGY GRAND!
I’m writing this on the plane from London’s Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare. No, I’m not transmitting it, but I am able to write it and capture my thoughts WHILE I’M STILL AWAKE AND ABLE TO THINK.
This morning- Thursday- began at 3:30am Scotland time (9:30 Wed night Texas time) with our wake up call. Bags were out in the hall by 4:30 and we went down to the lobby for our continental breakfast of muffin, sweet roll, apple and sandwich to be eaten w/ tea or coffee. (And yes, I’m getting used to the too strong tea that sits in the pot a really long time before it is served—but these folks don’t believe in lemon in tea)
We loaded the bus at 5 for the hour drive to Glasgow. It was raining, but we were hoping to bring some rain back to Texas with us. Looks like Bwd has had some in the past day or so.
Glasgow airport wasn't hard to navigate—we all got settled in and had about an hour flight to Heathrow. What a MAZE as I mentioned before—up an escalator and then moving sidewalks and then the tram and then twisting and turning and going thru security, again, etc.
We all got on our plane for the LONG leg of this trip, we've settled in and have had a meal- and not a bad meal at that. I think we’ll have another before we disembark.
About noon (before our meal) the head stewardess (they probably aren’t called that anymore, but you know who I mean) came on with the announcement that we should move our watches BACK 6 hours to 6 am---did I mention the never-ending day? I didn’t feel like 6 am, but I’m not sure what it did feel like. As I write this my watch is set to Texas time and it is 11:30 am, but I think my body feels like 8pm because we got up so early. This will all sort out in the next day or two, just be patient, if I fall asleep in church. We’re expected to arrive in Chicago at 3:15 and then will go on to DFW. We hope to be in Bwd by midnight.
I finally finished my book I was reading (IRELAND) and it is really worthwhile. Not too sure about the accuracy of all the information, but it is intriguing.
We have filled out our customs forms and will need to "schlep" our bags to customs when we get into O’Hare, then re check them on to DFW.
This trek through O'Hare was difficult for some in our group- we again, went up, went thru security, changed terminals, re-checked baggag and we thought we were in a time crunch--not realizing that our flight has been delayed. No need to hurry, we found out later.
The rain was so strong in the Chicago part of the world, that the plane we needed to get from Chicago to DFW was over an hour late arriving at O’Hare. This made us about 2 hours late lifting off and that much later getting home to Bwd. Folks on the trip had been in touch via cell phone w/ family in Bwd and were very concerned about the high winds and serious storms that had been here for the past day or so.
We were relieved to see that everything seemed to be relatively normal on re-entering Brownwood.
Home and in bed by 3 am. —Thus ends a 30 hour day. And a really good trip. Many thanks to Citizens National Bank and Edda for sponsoring this excursion. It was good to get to know all the Bwd area folks--Shirley, Barbara, Coyce, Connie, Susan, Sue, Harold, Ann, Nancy, Sandra, Kay, Ruth, Mariann, Sharon, Elicia, Phyllis, Carol
Friday, April 11, 2008
Ten and a half days of Sunshine
The sun has been our friend and constant companion.
We have had wonderful touring weather (even the snow was “cool” and only lasted a few hours--- but in our group picture, it looks like we are a bunch of Eskimos) We could not have wished for better weather over all, even tho' at times it was windy and cool, we did not have the usual Ireland/Scotland overcast days complete with rain and drizzle.
As we begin our final day of touring (not counting tomorrow ---on the airplane forever), people are talking about missing their families and pets. They are talking about what they are getting for gifts for friends and folks back home and they are also talking about the differences in the hotel accommodations. We’ve all rather gotten used to sleeping under a duvet without a top sheet. We did have “American” bedding at one place, but I’d have to go back in my notes to look it up. No matter. Sometimes the shower knobs and levers need to be figured out BEFORE the water is turned on for the bath or shower. I think we’ve all enjoyed the really huge towels at some hotels as well as the timed electric towel warmers. We’ve grown accustomed to keeping a 20 pence coin at all times for use in the pay toilets. Some of our rooms in the hotels have been quite small, not as large as we are used to at the Holiday Inn or Best Western. In one place, N and I had a really interesting room with a full sized bed and two twin beds along with TWO (2) bathrooms. One was a “normal” bathroom area and the other was set up for handicapped assistance. And then there was the room with the “second floor bathroom”. These are unique establishments, not “cookie-cutter” hotels of American chains.
On our last day, we stopped on the way to a sheep dog demonstration for a picture stop. The water in Loch Awe was so still; it seemed to be a mirror. The pictures we took won’t do it justice. It had rained the night before and the ground was squishy. John, our driver, cautioned us “No muck in the coach”. He meant mud and since it was his job to keep the bus clean, we were careful
Collette Tours is having a photo contest and we have been encouraged to submit pictures from this tour, since it is a relatively new itinerary. (Northern Ireland has just become “available” in the past few years) We have loads of really good pictures, but few of them have the Collette symbol in the picture.
We stopped at the Woolen Mills where the sheep dog demonstration was and it was a bit disappointing. We had seen a sheep dog demo in New Zealand on a farm and it was fascinating. This one consisted of a (hard to understand) Scotsman talking to us about sheep, wool and his dogs. His wife talked about spinning the wool to thread to be woven into cloth. We saw his dogs and then it was over. No real "demonstration".
It was at this stop that I bought my favorite “souvenir”. A lovely blue wool cape. Those of you, who know me well, know of my affinity for capes. We bought some gifts there and then later went to see Hamish a huge Highland Cow—pronounced for those who’d like to say it with a Scottish accent -- ( HEEL-and COO)
Aberfoyle was next for lunch. N had an Angus burger and I had steak pie. Not quite what I expected, but really good. There was a large puff pastry sitting on top of some beef and gravy—and of course “chips” and mashed parsnips. That is not a bun, it is pastry.
We’ve been given a list of movies about Ireland to continue our “tour “ when we get home, a list of music (one of which I plan to find on Amazon and purchase) and a list of books and authors about Ireland and Scotland. This is a nice addition to the trip. I don’t remember having any of this sort of information before on any of our other trips. Oh, our “yellow cheat sheet” was also a welcome addition. Loreen boiled the entire itinerary down onto half a sheet of paper that we could keep in a pocket to refer to during the 13 days and to refer to later as a reminder what we did and on which day. Thanks, L
We heard lots more about William Wallace and Robert the Bruce on our way to Stirling Castle. –One of the best castles I have visited- wish we had had more time there.
Nick was thrilled to see several SmartCars with “Stirling Castle“ stenciled on the side. I think that made his trip better.
We drove to our last hotel— in Falkirk—and prepared for supper. We tried the wireless availability and tho’ a little weak and really SLOW, I was able to download two days of postings. I tried to add a picture, but it was SO SLOW that the computer went to sleep before one was loaded. I’ll do that when we get home.---So don’t think if you are reading the “gray and white” version of this, I am finished.. I do plan to add pictures.
The farewell dinner was nice. A veritable frenzy of picture taking. Almost embarrassing. Loreen and John joined us for the first time and we said “farewell”.
The dessert was especially memorable—called cronicha (I probably spelled it wrong, I think it had more letters in the word)—it is a mixture of whipped cream with fresh berries folded in and frozen. It is served like a scoop of ice cream between two shortbread cookies. Nice and light and sweet and YUMMY!
TOMORROW—THE LONGEST DAY!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Island Hopping
Island Hopping- Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Lots of big and small ferries in our future today. We leave Oban on an hour ferry ride for the Isle of Mull, drive down the island for about an hour and get on a much smaller ferry for about 15 min. to get to the Isle of Iona.
I’m not sure why it bothers me, but when our tour manager, Laureen, gives us all sorts of information -some aren’t listening. About 10-20 minutes later these “non-listeners” begin asking the folks behind or ahead of them the same info she just gave us. Grrr! pay attention!
An interesting note, locals come to Oban (pop about 8,000) to get groceries. They bring rolling suitcases to take their groceries back home in. Maybe I’ll take a suitcase to Brookshire’s next time I go.
Another interesting note, “Lambing” season is around Easter. Now I guess someone shows the Mama sheep a calendar and tells them, Easter is really early this year, dear. We saw lots and lots of really little lambs.
Iona means “yew tree”. The town is really tinyl and the Abby and nunnery are quite interesting. Very cold and windy, even tho’ the sun was shining most of the day.
We had a special tour of the Abbey, learned the history of the place—it is thought that the Book of Kells (which we saw in Dublin) was begun here.
I am reading a novel entitled IRELAND that is full of tales of Ireland and one of them “explains” why the Book of Kells was written. It is a fascinating book which has as its “frame” an old traveling storyteller and the young boy that he impressed at the age of 9. The author is Frank Delaney—I haven’t finished it yet, but I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Irish tales.
After Iona, we went back to Mull, drove back the entire length of the island and visited Duarte Castle. We had 3 levels of castle to see, with dining rooms, kitchen (no electricity) and bedrooms complete with ladies gowns from various centuries.
This is the Castle of the MacLean Clan and we were given the impression that some of the MacLean folks live in the parts that we did not see.
The road from one end of the Isle of Mull to the other is, for the most part, a ONE LANE ROAD that twists and turns. When two vehicles meet one must pull over and let the other proceed. This road showcased our driver, John’s skill and driving abilities.
On the way back we had a “sheep delay”. The bus had to completely stop as a flock of sheep leisurely crossed the road on “sheep time”. That means whenever they got cotton pickin’ ready to go. Since we didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry at that time, no big deal. Also on the way back, we saw a MOBILE DENTAL CLINIC (Good Samaritan folks- take note— This is an idea to consider —like a bookmobile—Go to the folks, don’t make them come to you).
Sometimes talking to the other members of the tour is as interesting as seeing the sights. We have a young lady from Seattle on our trip who asked us to explain Meals on Wheels, ( two of us from Bwd deliver for our churches and we were comparing notes about our routes). We also told her about making jam, jelly, pear honey and chow chow. She has been using her phone over here and she is w/ AT&T just as we are. We were told that our service wouldn’t work here. It’s just as well, we communicate just as well this way and it’s a little less expensive.
Other Non Texans are Ron, Shirlee, David, and Nancy—a family from California, Marilyn from Florida, Brandie from the Seattle area, and Pat and Shawn from Connecticut. It has been a pleasure to meet these folks and I hope we can stay in touch. Of course, the Texans didn’t all know each other when the trip began, and we all come from different backgrounds and experiences, but our Texan-ness is a common link.
Not sure how internet access will be at our LAST stop tomorrow in Falkirk. We'll add more tomorrow or when we return.
Loch Lomond and ice cream
Oban- Tuesday
Rum raisin Ice cream is STRONG. This begins at the end of the day with supper. We continue to have 3 choices of “starter”, entrée, and “sweet”. The vegetable broth was thick, filling and very good tasting. The roasted chicken w/ gravy was just right with it’s roasted carrots and potatoes, but the rum raisin ice cream did not just have rum “flavoring”, it had real rum and not just a little.
We’re in Oban tonight, on the west coast of Scotland getting ready to “island hop” tomorrow. We’ll go to the Isle of Mull and the “mysterious” Isle of Iona. I have really been looking forward to tomorrow.
We cruised Loch Lomond (how is it spelled? – you know the song?) today and did lots of traveling on the bus.
After arriving in the 128 year old hotel, which told us free wireless internet was available.—we tried to get online to download the latest chapter in the Ireland/Scotland saga, but couldn’t. They gave us the password, we sat just feet from the server in the lobby, but it just wouldn’t talk to our little laptop. We were told about a pub down the street w/ free wireless internet and it worked just fine. We’ll be here another night, so we’ll probably do the same thing tomorrow.
If any of you out there want to go online to check your Scottish ancestory you can check- ancestralscotland.com
Several in our group are interested in this site.
During our trip today we also traveled along Loch Awe (pronounced Aww!)
Last night we veered from Scotish food when we ate “supper” at our 10th Hard Rock Café spanning about 20+ years of traveling. We were craving salad and onion rings and that’s what we had, served by a neat Polish young lady, who tried to convince us that Pepsi was the same as Coke. She couldn’t understand how anyone could tell the difference. I said that this is our 10th Hard Rock Café---our others have been in Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, Las Vegas, San Antonio, San Francisco, CanCun, Mexico, London, Copenhagen and now Edinborough. What! No Hard Rock Café in Brownwood?
The Rum raisin ice cream is making me sleepy, so-------------
Rum raisin Ice cream is STRONG. This begins at the end of the day with supper. We continue to have 3 choices of “starter”, entrée, and “sweet”. The vegetable broth was thick, filling and very good tasting. The roasted chicken w/ gravy was just right with it’s roasted carrots and potatoes, but the rum raisin ice cream did not just have rum “flavoring”, it had real rum and not just a little.
We’re in Oban tonight, on the west coast of Scotland getting ready to “island hop” tomorrow. We’ll go to the Isle of Mull and the “mysterious” Isle of Iona. I have really been looking forward to tomorrow.
We cruised Loch Lomond (how is it spelled? – you know the song?) today and did lots of traveling on the bus.
After arriving in the 128 year old hotel, which told us free wireless internet was available.—we tried to get online to download the latest chapter in the Ireland/Scotland saga, but couldn’t. They gave us the password, we sat just feet from the server in the lobby, but it just wouldn’t talk to our little laptop. We were told about a pub down the street w/ free wireless internet and it worked just fine. We’ll be here another night, so we’ll probably do the same thing tomorrow.
If any of you out there want to go online to check your Scottish ancestory you can check- ancestralscotland.com
Several in our group are interested in this site.
During our trip today we also traveled along Loch Awe (pronounced Aww!)
Last night we veered from Scotish food when we ate “supper” at our 10th Hard Rock Café spanning about 20+ years of traveling. We were craving salad and onion rings and that’s what we had, served by a neat Polish young lady, who tried to convince us that Pepsi was the same as Coke. She couldn’t understand how anyone could tell the difference. I said that this is our 10th Hard Rock Café---our others have been in Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, Las Vegas, San Antonio, San Francisco, CanCun, Mexico, London, Copenhagen and now Edinborough. What! No Hard Rock Café in Brownwood?
The Rum raisin ice cream is making me sleepy, so-------------
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Let it SNOW!
It’s snowing this morning- and I don’t mean a flurry—It was COMING DOWN! Our city tour of Edinborough this morning will cover “old town”, new town, Edinborough Castle and Holyrood Palace. We got our bearings a bit and headed to the Palace. On each of these trips, Collette arranges for a photographer to take the group picture. OUTSIDE. By the time we arranged ourselves for the picture, the snow had ceased for a time, but it was still really cold and wet.
We heard all about Robert Louis Stephenson, who lived here and wrote “A Child’s Garden of Verses” which was read to me as I grew up and he also wrote Treasure Island. We saw his house and were told about his sickly childhood. We were told that he lived for a while in San Francisco and then Borneo.
Edinborough is known for 4 “B”’s—Banking, Brewing, Baking and lately Bio-technology (this is where Dolly the sheep was cloned, having been named after Dolly Parton)
Several stories were told about the frugality of Scots people. One of these was that copper wire was invented by two Scotsmen fighting over a penny.
We heard about Alexander Graham Bell, who lived here as a child and young man, and who moved to Canada and then the U.S. where he invented the telephone.
We heard about the midwifery (obstetrical) doctor who first used chloroform. The prominent churchmen told him that using it was against the Biblical proclaimation that women should bear children in pain and hardship. However after Queen Victoria experienced the effects of chloroform with the birth of her 8th child, she declared it wonderful and the churchmen were quiet on the subject ever after.
I also heard the tour guide tell us that Presbyterians (back several centuries ago) did not approve of theatre and dance. Oops! I guess the Bwd Presbyterians don't agree with that.
We heard about St. Giles, the “Mother Church of Presbyterianism” --didn’t know we had one of those.
We saw the Elephant House—the pub where J. K. Rowling began writing the Harry Potter books. She wrote there to stay warm because she couldn’t afford to heat her flat.
We toured the Palace and the Castle and were not able to take pictures inside either place. We do have some postcards, which are probably better representations that we could have taken.
The castle was COLD, but there was considerable walking to keep us warm.
As we were leaving Edinborough castle we came across a young man dressed as William Wallace (or better yet, as Mel Gibson in Braveheart) To raise money for leukemia research and care, he was posing for pictures in full battle regalia . There was a crush of tourists around him and we declined to join the crush, so we got pictures from afar. And his resemblance to Gibson is remarkable. I hope he collects lots of money for his cause.
After the tour we were “on our own” for the rest of the day. We changed dollars into pounds in the Marks and Spencer’s department store. (It is Sunday and banks are closed)
We found an internet café and checked mail.
N. had put the blog I wrote last night on a flash drive and we were able to transfer it to the blog site without too much trouble. But no pictures yet. That will happen when we have some time and wireless internet in our rooms. Which may not be til we’re home---not sure what the rest of the trip will bring.
On checking e-mail—Nick found out that his cousin Anne Grimes died this morning and will be buried in Shamrock, Tx. on Tuesday. I am sorry that we will not be able to attend Anne’s services.
We ate lunch in a place called THE FILLING STATION- a good selection of food to chose from—and our waiter was a charming your man from Poland. He thought we might be from Ireland. He really must have a poor ear for accents. Interesting items on the menu include: a choice of potatoes, house fries, mash, jacket. (I am guessing that jacket is a baked or boiled potato, but that is just a guess)
The burgers included tomato chili relish on the side (is that salsa?)
I haven’t told you about our hotel room. The bathroom is up a flight of 6 stairs. Treacherous in the dark.
We’re at that part of the hotel that is built on a hill and that portion happens to be higher. We had trouble with the sink stopper (it wouldn’t lift up) and we called maintenance. The man looked at it, declared it not fixable right not and offered us another room on the same floor. We declined- we have unpacked too much stuff—we’ll just DEAL.
Right now N is in the bathroom clanking on the sink, trying to get it working. He shouldn’t be, but he is—It does no good to tell him to CHILL and leave it alone. Doesn’t work.
Of course, I should not be surprised--, N. repaired the sink. I apologize,-- his persistence pays of, usually.
So long from Edinborough.
We heard all about Robert Louis Stephenson, who lived here and wrote “A Child’s Garden of Verses” which was read to me as I grew up and he also wrote Treasure Island. We saw his house and were told about his sickly childhood. We were told that he lived for a while in San Francisco and then Borneo.
Edinborough is known for 4 “B”’s—Banking, Brewing, Baking and lately Bio-technology (this is where Dolly the sheep was cloned, having been named after Dolly Parton)
Several stories were told about the frugality of Scots people. One of these was that copper wire was invented by two Scotsmen fighting over a penny.
We heard about Alexander Graham Bell, who lived here as a child and young man, and who moved to Canada and then the U.S. where he invented the telephone.
We heard about the midwifery (obstetrical) doctor who first used chloroform. The prominent churchmen told him that using it was against the Biblical proclaimation that women should bear children in pain and hardship. However after Queen Victoria experienced the effects of chloroform with the birth of her 8th child, she declared it wonderful and the churchmen were quiet on the subject ever after.
I also heard the tour guide tell us that Presbyterians (back several centuries ago) did not approve of theatre and dance. Oops! I guess the Bwd Presbyterians don't agree with that.
We heard about St. Giles, the “Mother Church of Presbyterianism” --didn’t know we had one of those.
We saw the Elephant House—the pub where J. K. Rowling began writing the Harry Potter books. She wrote there to stay warm because she couldn’t afford to heat her flat.
We toured the Palace and the Castle and were not able to take pictures inside either place. We do have some postcards, which are probably better representations that we could have taken.
The castle was COLD, but there was considerable walking to keep us warm.
As we were leaving Edinborough castle we came across a young man dressed as William Wallace (or better yet, as Mel Gibson in Braveheart) To raise money for leukemia research and care, he was posing for pictures in full battle regalia . There was a crush of tourists around him and we declined to join the crush, so we got pictures from afar. And his resemblance to Gibson is remarkable. I hope he collects lots of money for his cause.
After the tour we were “on our own” for the rest of the day. We changed dollars into pounds in the Marks and Spencer’s department store. (It is Sunday and banks are closed)
We found an internet café and checked mail.
N. had put the blog I wrote last night on a flash drive and we were able to transfer it to the blog site without too much trouble. But no pictures yet. That will happen when we have some time and wireless internet in our rooms. Which may not be til we’re home---not sure what the rest of the trip will bring.
On checking e-mail—Nick found out that his cousin Anne Grimes died this morning and will be buried in Shamrock, Tx. on Tuesday. I am sorry that we will not be able to attend Anne’s services.
We ate lunch in a place called THE FILLING STATION- a good selection of food to chose from—and our waiter was a charming your man from Poland. He thought we might be from Ireland. He really must have a poor ear for accents. Interesting items on the menu include: a choice of potatoes, house fries, mash, jacket. (I am guessing that jacket is a baked or boiled potato, but that is just a guess)
The burgers included tomato chili relish on the side (is that salsa?)
I haven’t told you about our hotel room. The bathroom is up a flight of 6 stairs. Treacherous in the dark.
We’re at that part of the hotel that is built on a hill and that portion happens to be higher. We had trouble with the sink stopper (it wouldn’t lift up) and we called maintenance. The man looked at it, declared it not fixable right not and offered us another room on the same floor. We declined- we have unpacked too much stuff—we’ll just DEAL.
Right now N is in the bathroom clanking on the sink, trying to get it working. He shouldn’t be, but he is—It does no good to tell him to CHILL and leave it alone. Doesn’t work.
Of course, I should not be surprised--, N. repaired the sink. I apologize,-- his persistence pays of, usually.
So long from Edinborough.
To Scotland
This is being published from an internet cafe in Edinborough without pictures for now. They will be added later, so if you're reading the pictureless version, please come back in a day or two to get the full color version---
We were given more info concerning the reputation of the Europa Hotel in Belfast. It was the most bombed hotel in Europe because that is where the world’s media and politicians stayed and bombing that particular place got the world media’s notice. The Opera house next door also was peripherally involved w/ the bombings.
Last year the LAST British soldier left Belfast and the Guard towers came down. For them this is a huge event.
There is “serious” barbed wire around the top of the fence around the Royal Hospital still.
Before leaving Belfast, we visited CULTURLANN—a politically neural organization whose purpose is to foster cultural education of all children of Belfast. They teach CEILI (pronounced kay-lee—which means Irish dance) and also the Irish language (Gaelic) An old Presbyterian church building houses an Irish language radio station, the foundation school (sort of like a community center) and various other organizations. It includes a café and gift shop. Collette tours is one of the sponsors of this foundation and before the trip we were invited to bring art supplies for the children (colored pencils, coloring books, crayons, etc). We put our donations in a large plastic bag which the tour manager gave to the director of the “school”. Collette’s sponsorship is so new that we were the first group to tour the facility. We “learned” to do Irish dances (at least we tried—and it was fun) I wish there had been more light in the "dance" area, so pictures would have been better.
and we watched the children play and interact with puppets- all in Gaelic.
We saw the radio station control room and heard some of the Gaelic broadcast. The school began in 1991 with 9 students and now has 600.
We took the high speed Ferry to Strenmaer, Scotland. An amazing vessel—really huge, with all sorts of seating- for eating, for watching out windows, even some where folks lie down and nap.
The ferry had a Burger King, and also had “traditional” food. With my traditional food I was offered “mashy peas”—which looked a lot like guacamole from a distance. The bus was on the lower deck and we went up 2 flights of stairs to get to the observation areas. If a person was really bored, he could spend the 1 hr and 45 min playing slot machines, which on the map were called BANDITS.
Rather appropriate! There were shops and even a nail salon on the ferry
The name of the ship is the STENA VOYAGER.
I was lamenting in the previous posting that I was having trouble finding what I wanted for gifts when I went shopping---I found EXACTLY what I’d been looking for in the shop in the ferry.
At the signal we all made our way back down to the bus and we were in to Scotland. No passport checks, or any sort of immigration.
The flag of Scotland is the flag of St. Andrews—a blue flag with a white cross.
As in Ireland most of the front yards of the houses have daffodils blooming and they are blooming in all the medians of the highway—very pretty.
In Scotland it is the law that we must wear seatbelts on the bus. We spent about 4 hours driving along the coast. Very rugged in places During this entire trip from Dublin, Ireland through to Glasgow, Scotland (where we end the tour) we will have traveled about 950 miles by bus and ferry.
We began driving into a higher elevation and snow began to fall about 4 pm. It flurried off and on until we reached Edinborough.
Tomorrow we will hear a great deal more about William Wallace (Braveheart) and Edward I--- Longshanks
My camera’s battery died, so it is now charging. I’ll probably need to get a new rechargeable battery when we get home.
We ate at a Spanish tapas restaurant tonite. We had about 10-12 appetizers, which ranged from Calamari, to eggplant, to meatballs and tiny chicken wings, to (of course,) potatoes. The serving dishes were placed on the tables and we helped ourselves. An interesting meal, which finished with chocolate chip ice cream.
It was a long day—and when we finally got to the room (about 8pm) we discovered that this hotel does not have wireless internet. I’ll try to download this later. Good night.
We were given more info concerning the reputation of the Europa Hotel in Belfast. It was the most bombed hotel in Europe because that is where the world’s media and politicians stayed and bombing that particular place got the world media’s notice. The Opera house next door also was peripherally involved w/ the bombings.
Last year the LAST British soldier left Belfast and the Guard towers came down. For them this is a huge event.
There is “serious” barbed wire around the top of the fence around the Royal Hospital still.
Before leaving Belfast, we visited CULTURLANN—a politically neural organization whose purpose is to foster cultural education of all children of Belfast. They teach CEILI (pronounced kay-lee—which means Irish dance) and also the Irish language (Gaelic) An old Presbyterian church building houses an Irish language radio station, the foundation school (sort of like a community center) and various other organizations. It includes a café and gift shop. Collette tours is one of the sponsors of this foundation and before the trip we were invited to bring art supplies for the children (colored pencils, coloring books, crayons, etc). We put our donations in a large plastic bag which the tour manager gave to the director of the “school”. Collette’s sponsorship is so new that we were the first group to tour the facility. We “learned” to do Irish dances (at least we tried—and it was fun) I wish there had been more light in the "dance" area, so pictures would have been better.
and we watched the children play and interact with puppets- all in Gaelic.
We saw the radio station control room and heard some of the Gaelic broadcast. The school began in 1991 with 9 students and now has 600.
We took the high speed Ferry to Strenmaer, Scotland. An amazing vessel—really huge, with all sorts of seating- for eating, for watching out windows, even some where folks lie down and nap.
The ferry had a Burger King, and also had “traditional” food. With my traditional food I was offered “mashy peas”—which looked a lot like guacamole from a distance. The bus was on the lower deck and we went up 2 flights of stairs to get to the observation areas. If a person was really bored, he could spend the 1 hr and 45 min playing slot machines, which on the map were called BANDITS.
Rather appropriate! There were shops and even a nail salon on the ferry
The name of the ship is the STENA VOYAGER.
I was lamenting in the previous posting that I was having trouble finding what I wanted for gifts when I went shopping---I found EXACTLY what I’d been looking for in the shop in the ferry.
At the signal we all made our way back down to the bus and we were in to Scotland. No passport checks, or any sort of immigration.
The flag of Scotland is the flag of St. Andrews—a blue flag with a white cross.
As in Ireland most of the front yards of the houses have daffodils blooming and they are blooming in all the medians of the highway—very pretty.
In Scotland it is the law that we must wear seatbelts on the bus. We spent about 4 hours driving along the coast. Very rugged in places During this entire trip from Dublin, Ireland through to Glasgow, Scotland (where we end the tour) we will have traveled about 950 miles by bus and ferry.
We began driving into a higher elevation and snow began to fall about 4 pm. It flurried off and on until we reached Edinborough.
Tomorrow we will hear a great deal more about William Wallace (Braveheart) and Edward I--- Longshanks
My camera’s battery died, so it is now charging. I’ll probably need to get a new rechargeable battery when we get home.
We ate at a Spanish tapas restaurant tonite. We had about 10-12 appetizers, which ranged from Calamari, to eggplant, to meatballs and tiny chicken wings, to (of course,) potatoes. The serving dishes were placed on the tables and we helped ourselves. An interesting meal, which finished with chocolate chip ice cream.
It was a long day—and when we finally got to the room (about 8pm) we discovered that this hotel does not have wireless internet. I’ll try to download this later. Good night.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Irishisms
I've been collecting quaint traffic signs and phrases and I'll begin this posting with them.
We've seen 2 or 3 road signs showing an "older" couple walking and the words on the sign are ELDERLY CROSSING.
Then there was DANGER, LORRIES TURNING and ROAD LIABLE TO SUBSIDE, DIVERSION means detour, FREE RECOVERY means free towing, then there is CAR PARK which means parking lot and CONCEALED ENTRANCE, not sure if we have an equivalent in American English. ZEBRA CROSSING- is pedestrian crossing. I think because of the black and white stripes on the road. We've heard " We'll have a wee quick look" and "nip in here"
Nick has been looking and looking and we still have seen only 2 or 3 SmartCars. Not sure why--with the prices for petrol the way they are.
We visited the Giant's Causeway (in the rain) .
It is an area of specially formed rocks which would lend credence to the legend of giants building a bridge between two areas and then knocking it down. The area is a UNESCO site---not sure exactly what that means, except that they get special funding to keep it up.
We've seen hills which are faerie mounds--where the wee folk live and a cave where mermaids live. Lots of ghost stories as well.
Bushmill's Distillery---- not my favorite place to visit, but I do understand why we made the tour. This is the oldest distillery in the world and they are 400 years old this year. The gentleman guiding the tour was not much of a speaker and his "patter" was pretty boring. Think about the smell of souring grain----Phew, it smelled awful. We couldn't take pictures on the tour, but could in the waiting area. At the end of the tour, we each could get a "free" drink of one of the 4 least aged varieties. YES, I tried it. A hot toddy with hot water and honey added to the whiskey and it was NASTY--probably not as bad tasting as Guinness, but close.
I did some shopping at the Bushmill's store. UPC choir, remember last year you "got" to taste whale meat?-- well this year you get to taste something from the Bushmills store.
I've been having some shopping problems. I see something I kind of like (for me) but I think, I'll look the next time we stop and it'll be cheaper. Wrong--either it is higher, or they don't have what I wanted at all.
Belfast is really an international city, just driving down the street, we saw Starbucks, KFC, McDonalds, Disney store, the Gap, Subway and Pizza Hut. Near our hotel (the Europa- more about that later) is a giant ferris wheel- It is lit up tonite and I tried to get a picture. It is at least 5-6 stories high and our tour guide today told us 15 minutes on it is 6 pounds.
I mentioned before we left that the Europa Hotel is the most bombed hotel in Europe/the world (depends on which book you read). N and I read this information in about 3 different places. We mentioned it to our dinner companions tonite and they had also read and heard that statement. It is a lovely hotel, seems to be under construction inside. I'm guessing that some of that bombing was during WWII when it was a major Nazi target because of ship building and airplane building and the port.
The hotel has an interesting shower in which the water comes out of the ceiling, not the wall. Haven't tried it yet, but it may be like being in a rain storm. I'll let you know. And there is no shower curtain.
The Europa hotel has a "magazine" which is an advertisement for who has stayed there (Clintons/ international celebrities) . In the center of the magazine is a two page spread of their "rubber duckies". There was one on our bathtub in a litle plastic wrapper. No explanation just a rubber duckie. The magazine showed pictures of this same toy in different places all over the world. the suggestion is that a person take his duck with him when he leaves and photograph it when he reaches an interesting destination. For teachers out there like Flat Stanley. I have plans for my rubber ducky to be photographed in interesting places. Hope I don't lose the e-address.
Belfast is known for inventors of the Kelvin scale, for the cardiac defibrilator and also for being the place where the Titanic was built.
The people here say--"It was okay when it left Belfast".
C.S. Lewis lived in Belfast as did Van Morrison and several other "famous folks" that I never heard of. It was the linen capital of the world in the 1800's and when prohibition came to America, 75% of Irish Distilleries went broke. There may be a lesson there someplace.
The famous theatre here is named the Lyric Theatre. Lian Niessom (spelling?) started here and is a huge supporter.
We drove by a University which was build by Queen Victoria so that Catholics and Presbyterians would have a college to attend. They were not permitted in the existing university.
I also saw a Presbyterian Cathedral---never thought of Presbyterians having Cathedrals. Live and learn.
We heard more about THE TROUBLE (in the '60's) and hunger strikes and political problems which hopefully are a thing of the past. More murals covering entire buildings.
That's all for this evening. Tomorrow we're ferrying to Scotland- and I'll be writing from Glasgow
We've seen 2 or 3 road signs showing an "older" couple walking and the words on the sign are ELDERLY CROSSING.
Then there was DANGER, LORRIES TURNING and ROAD LIABLE TO SUBSIDE, DIVERSION means detour, FREE RECOVERY means free towing, then there is CAR PARK which means parking lot and CONCEALED ENTRANCE, not sure if we have an equivalent in American English. ZEBRA CROSSING- is pedestrian crossing. I think because of the black and white stripes on the road. We've heard " We'll have a wee quick look" and "nip in here"
Nick has been looking and looking and we still have seen only 2 or 3 SmartCars. Not sure why--with the prices for petrol the way they are.
We visited the Giant's Causeway (in the rain) .
It is an area of specially formed rocks which would lend credence to the legend of giants building a bridge between two areas and then knocking it down. The area is a UNESCO site---not sure exactly what that means, except that they get special funding to keep it up.
We've seen hills which are faerie mounds--where the wee folk live and a cave where mermaids live. Lots of ghost stories as well.
Bushmill's Distillery---- not my favorite place to visit, but I do understand why we made the tour. This is the oldest distillery in the world and they are 400 years old this year. The gentleman guiding the tour was not much of a speaker and his "patter" was pretty boring. Think about the smell of souring grain----Phew, it smelled awful. We couldn't take pictures on the tour, but could in the waiting area. At the end of the tour, we each could get a "free" drink of one of the 4 least aged varieties. YES, I tried it. A hot toddy with hot water and honey added to the whiskey and it was NASTY--probably not as bad tasting as Guinness, but close.
I did some shopping at the Bushmill's store. UPC choir, remember last year you "got" to taste whale meat?-- well this year you get to taste something from the Bushmills store.
I've been having some shopping problems. I see something I kind of like (for me) but I think, I'll look the next time we stop and it'll be cheaper. Wrong--either it is higher, or they don't have what I wanted at all.
Belfast is really an international city, just driving down the street, we saw Starbucks, KFC, McDonalds, Disney store, the Gap, Subway and Pizza Hut. Near our hotel (the Europa- more about that later) is a giant ferris wheel- It is lit up tonite and I tried to get a picture. It is at least 5-6 stories high and our tour guide today told us 15 minutes on it is 6 pounds.
I mentioned before we left that the Europa Hotel is the most bombed hotel in Europe/the world (depends on which book you read). N and I read this information in about 3 different places. We mentioned it to our dinner companions tonite and they had also read and heard that statement. It is a lovely hotel, seems to be under construction inside. I'm guessing that some of that bombing was during WWII when it was a major Nazi target because of ship building and airplane building and the port.
The hotel has an interesting shower in which the water comes out of the ceiling, not the wall. Haven't tried it yet, but it may be like being in a rain storm. I'll let you know. And there is no shower curtain.
The Europa hotel has a "magazine" which is an advertisement for who has stayed there (Clintons/ international celebrities) . In the center of the magazine is a two page spread of their "rubber duckies". There was one on our bathtub in a litle plastic wrapper. No explanation just a rubber duckie. The magazine showed pictures of this same toy in different places all over the world. the suggestion is that a person take his duck with him when he leaves and photograph it when he reaches an interesting destination. For teachers out there like Flat Stanley. I have plans for my rubber ducky to be photographed in interesting places. Hope I don't lose the e-address.
Belfast is known for inventors of the Kelvin scale, for the cardiac defibrilator and also for being the place where the Titanic was built.
The people here say--"It was okay when it left Belfast".
C.S. Lewis lived in Belfast as did Van Morrison and several other "famous folks" that I never heard of. It was the linen capital of the world in the 1800's and when prohibition came to America, 75% of Irish Distilleries went broke. There may be a lesson there someplace.
The famous theatre here is named the Lyric Theatre. Lian Niessom (spelling?) started here and is a huge supporter.
We drove by a University which was build by Queen Victoria so that Catholics and Presbyterians would have a college to attend. They were not permitted in the existing university.
I also saw a Presbyterian Cathedral---never thought of Presbyterians having Cathedrals. Live and learn.
We heard more about THE TROUBLE (in the '60's) and hunger strikes and political problems which hopefully are a thing of the past. More murals covering entire buildings.
That's all for this evening. Tomorrow we're ferrying to Scotland- and I'll be writing from Glasgow
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Walking thru Derry with Ronan McNamara
Our Tour manager, Laureen, is in the lower right hand corner of this picture of a street in Derry.
I feel obliged to answer the question that titled yesterday's posting. Is it Derry or Londonderry? and the answer is YES
To some (Catholics/nationalists) it is Derry. To others (protestants/Unionists) the town is Londonderry. The town is both. Some signs list one name and others list the other. Sign posts in some neighborhoods have the LONDON part spray painted over. This is one minor sign of the "TROUBLE" as they call the problems here. Altho' the city has had a history of violence, one of the major historical incidents happened in the 1600 between William of Orange and James II ( I think that is the right James-- this would be a good time for you to look it up).
I have a picture of an old (1600 vintage) Presbyterian church which is no longer "inhabited" because it's congregation dwindled out and also because it is so close to the wall. If you look in the picture of the church, you will see a bombed out wall to the extreme left of the picture.
To back up a bit, our city walking tour was led by a very charismatic young man who calls himsself a "Ch-Irishman"--he is of Irish and Chinese parentage and is working with the schools on desegregation (between the two religious/ socio-economic groups)
He talked a gread deal about the beginning of the TROUBLE, about the problems in the early 1900's and about the civil rights struggles in the '60's. As he was talking a group of about 8 policemen and women came by. He told us that the fact that we are able to visit northern Ireland is because the police have kept the peace. And he also told us that the fact that we will come here speaks volumes for the peace process. He mentioned that this police force has been attacked more than almost any in this part of the world.
We drove in the bus by BOGSIDE an area of Derry that is covered with huge murals depicting heroes and martyrs of the cause. I got several really sharp pictures. The guide mentioned a novel by Leon Uris titled Bogside that tells all about the situation in the 60's.
After we finished the Derry walking tour, we headed for the banks to change dollars into British pounds. The American dollar took another dip this morning, so when I gave the lady $300, she gave me 146.66 pounds-- which means that each pound is worth more than $2. When N and N and I went to England in the '80's the story was the opposite. We gave them $100 and received over 200 British pounds. Different time, different situation. I guess turn-about is fair play. The tour manager told us that all coins w/ a harp on them the are Irish Euros and are virtually worthless to us since we left the Republic of Ireland. We can donate them to Unicef on the way home, or to the tour company's charity foundation, but they can't be redeemed for pounds or $'s.
We drove past an Irish Walmart called ASDA.
Some interesting phrases you might not know are
Give way- which means Yield
Cyclists dismount- bike rack
Dual Carriageway- 2-way road
Many of their road signs say "Thank you for driving carefully" on the back. The left side driving still un-nerves me when we're going around a "round-about" (traffic circle). That would be really hard to get used to. I keep thinking that we're about to hit someone.
We went to the Ulster American Folk Park which described the immigration of Irish to America. We saw the way Ireland was when the people left, we saw a "coffin ship" so called because 1/3 of the people beginning the trip didn't make it to their destination. and we saw depictions of the cities that most of the Irish immigrants came to in the 1700 and 1800's. Took quite a bit of time to go thru it all, but it was very interesting.
People in native dress were there to talk to you about what you were seeing.
We returned to Derry about 3:45 and have the rest of the day to ourselves. N and I ambled around an open air market. We sampled a pork sandwich--meat cut from a pig on a spit right there at the booth.
We went to POUND WORLD--yep, an Irish dollar store. We bought some candy and went looking for a place for N to get "fish and chips". We stopped in a local pub and he had his fish & chips and I had "cottage pie", which is a kind of hanburger goulash mixture in a "pie shell" of mashed potatoes. And yes, I also had Chips which are french fries and large green peas. I don't think they have any concept of "enough" potatoes.
We ambled a little more and came back to the hotel so I could write. After I finish this, N will download 2 days worth of pictures and we need to charge my camera- it totally went dry this afternoon.
I'm reading a novel entitled IRELAND by Frank Delandy, which is about a traveling storyteller who stops at a town to ply his trade and the book is his collection of historical stories of Ireland. Haven't gotten too far into it, yet, but should be finished in a day or two.
I'll stop now, so he can get about his doin'---------Later.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Is it Derry or Londonderry?
Wed from Bonduran to Derry
First stop after leaving the lovely golf and surfung resort of Bonduran was Donegal. We took a short toilet stop and had time to look around the town square/diamond a bit. It was drizzly, but not too cold. We took in the "corner store" which sold everything from pots and pans, to pocket knives, to plastic flowers --an ecclectic mixture. We bought some Cadbury products and N had been missing his pocket knife, so he got a really nice one for 2 Euro.
On loading the bus, we were given general information:
Sheep have colored dots on their wool to indicate their health, gender, and mate-ability.
In 1995, divorce became legal in ireland
The road signs are in English and Irish (Gaelic)
Claddah (not sure I'm spelling it right) Rings are used as wedding rings in Ireland, they have 3 symbols on them. The heart, two clasped hands and a crown. Depending on which way they are placed on the finger (heart out, or heart in) dentoes the person's availability for marriage.
The flag we have been seeing with a blue background and a circle of gold stars is the flag of the EU- European Union
We saw some Peat Bogs--the Peat is cut and burned as fuel to heat homes in the rural areas. Has been outlawed in cities because of the smoke and smell. It is made of decomposed vegitation that was compressed by the ice age forces and became really hard.
The peat bogs are being depleated and are a non-renewable fuel source- untill another Ice Age comes along. The Peat is cut and dried for a long time (when cut it is really wet) and then burned. N. and I saw something we thought was peat for sale in Dublin. It was really hard and in logs like "fire starters". Maybe it was a man-made sort of peat substitute. Not sure.
We tried some of our Cadbury that we bought in Donegal--CHOMP is a small bar of chocolate covered caramel. Strange name--we expected something crunchy. Later in the day we tried FLAKE and it is well named. Bite into it and flakes of chocolate cover your shirt. - really flakey
Glenveigh National Park is next on our agenda. A really massive area of unspoiled land with native vegitation (gorse) and
animals. We had lunch at the tea room there first and then at 2:00 toured the castle on the grounds. Food pretty good and quite reasonable--we both ate for about 13 Euro - and it had been costing us twice that when we'd eaten on our own before. On top of the reasonable cost, the vegetable soup was EXCELLENT. I'd love to have the recipe for it. There were lots of yummy desserts, but we passed. I'm trying to stick to one dessert a day, so far so good.
The castle was interesting, but on the inside, not very "castle-like". More like an elegant old home. The outside looked like a castle from the middle ages, but this one had been updated and inhabited in the past 50 years. The castle does have a Texas connection--the Adair family that lived in it had a ranch in Texas (the J A Ranch) Some features of the castle's interior are a "weighing chair" where the guests may weigh themselves before and after their visit. It had a heated swimming pool that is not kept heated for tours.
The entire "house" was furnished in deer motif with statuary, pictures, fabrics, and wood carving. Some folks had trouble understanding the castle guide as she was telling us about the house. She did talk fast and her accent was thick.
The ride from the bus parking to the castle and back was interesting. The bus driver liked to talk and altho' I wasn't in front, he seemed to be entertaining the folks in front. He also wanted to find our tour guide a husband.
During the day, we stopped for a break at a Triona Design and our tour manager had arranged a weaving demonstration for us to see. The whole point of this stop was a bathroom break, tea and scones break and shopping. I will admit the fabric was soft and lovely. Not at all what I expect from "hand-made " wool. There were coats, suits, sweaters, scarves and all sorts of silk items.
The gentleman doing the weaving was fascinating--he had a rhythm that was musical. N got some video of him doing his thing. The items for sale were tempting until we remember where we live- central Texas rarely is cold enough for long enough to justify wearing wool. Some folks bought. I got a brochure so I could check out the company online to perhaps buy fabric later- which I could have done them, but I didn't want to haul it around.
Entering Northern Ireland was uneventful. We had to keep our eyes peeled to even know when it happened. Laureen, our tour manager, told us that less than 7 years ago that crossing could have taken 3 hours, with armed guards in evidence, etc.
Everything seems to be under construction here. Roads, buildings, construction everywhere. We'll need to change our Euros for British pounds here.
We got settled in the room with a lovely view of the Guildhall clock tower and tried to get online. N got a "deal" with the internet company online to save us considerable pounds by signing up for a 30 day pass. We won't be here nearly that long, but it will save us having to buy a very expensive 24 hour card at the desk each time we check into a new hotel. REALLY SMART.
The supper tonite was one of the best meals we've had. We continue to have 3 choices of "starters", entree, and dessert. This one was outstanding. Everyone especially liked the roasted potatoes w/ rosemary.
Welcome to Northern Ireland.
First stop after leaving the lovely golf and surfung resort of Bonduran was Donegal. We took a short toilet stop and had time to look around the town square/diamond a bit. It was drizzly, but not too cold. We took in the "corner store" which sold everything from pots and pans, to pocket knives, to plastic flowers --an ecclectic mixture. We bought some Cadbury products and N had been missing his pocket knife, so he got a really nice one for 2 Euro.
On loading the bus, we were given general information:
Sheep have colored dots on their wool to indicate their health, gender, and mate-ability.
In 1995, divorce became legal in ireland
The road signs are in English and Irish (Gaelic)
Claddah (not sure I'm spelling it right) Rings are used as wedding rings in Ireland, they have 3 symbols on them. The heart, two clasped hands and a crown. Depending on which way they are placed on the finger (heart out, or heart in) dentoes the person's availability for marriage.
The flag we have been seeing with a blue background and a circle of gold stars is the flag of the EU- European Union
We saw some Peat Bogs--the Peat is cut and burned as fuel to heat homes in the rural areas. Has been outlawed in cities because of the smoke and smell. It is made of decomposed vegitation that was compressed by the ice age forces and became really hard.
The peat bogs are being depleated and are a non-renewable fuel source- untill another Ice Age comes along. The Peat is cut and dried for a long time (when cut it is really wet) and then burned. N. and I saw something we thought was peat for sale in Dublin. It was really hard and in logs like "fire starters". Maybe it was a man-made sort of peat substitute. Not sure.
We tried some of our Cadbury that we bought in Donegal--CHOMP is a small bar of chocolate covered caramel. Strange name--we expected something crunchy. Later in the day we tried FLAKE and it is well named. Bite into it and flakes of chocolate cover your shirt. - really flakey
Glenveigh National Park is next on our agenda. A really massive area of unspoiled land with native vegitation (gorse) and
animals. We had lunch at the tea room there first and then at 2:00 toured the castle on the grounds. Food pretty good and quite reasonable--we both ate for about 13 Euro - and it had been costing us twice that when we'd eaten on our own before. On top of the reasonable cost, the vegetable soup was EXCELLENT. I'd love to have the recipe for it. There were lots of yummy desserts, but we passed. I'm trying to stick to one dessert a day, so far so good.
The castle was interesting, but on the inside, not very "castle-like". More like an elegant old home. The outside looked like a castle from the middle ages, but this one had been updated and inhabited in the past 50 years. The castle does have a Texas connection--the Adair family that lived in it had a ranch in Texas (the J A Ranch) Some features of the castle's interior are a "weighing chair" where the guests may weigh themselves before and after their visit. It had a heated swimming pool that is not kept heated for tours.
The entire "house" was furnished in deer motif with statuary, pictures, fabrics, and wood carving. Some folks had trouble understanding the castle guide as she was telling us about the house. She did talk fast and her accent was thick.
The ride from the bus parking to the castle and back was interesting. The bus driver liked to talk and altho' I wasn't in front, he seemed to be entertaining the folks in front. He also wanted to find our tour guide a husband.
During the day, we stopped for a break at a Triona Design and our tour manager had arranged a weaving demonstration for us to see. The whole point of this stop was a bathroom break, tea and scones break and shopping. I will admit the fabric was soft and lovely. Not at all what I expect from "hand-made " wool. There were coats, suits, sweaters, scarves and all sorts of silk items.
The gentleman doing the weaving was fascinating--he had a rhythm that was musical. N got some video of him doing his thing. The items for sale were tempting until we remember where we live- central Texas rarely is cold enough for long enough to justify wearing wool. Some folks bought. I got a brochure so I could check out the company online to perhaps buy fabric later- which I could have done them, but I didn't want to haul it around.
Entering Northern Ireland was uneventful. We had to keep our eyes peeled to even know when it happened. Laureen, our tour manager, told us that less than 7 years ago that crossing could have taken 3 hours, with armed guards in evidence, etc.
Everything seems to be under construction here. Roads, buildings, construction everywhere. We'll need to change our Euros for British pounds here.
We got settled in the room with a lovely view of the Guildhall clock tower and tried to get online. N got a "deal" with the internet company online to save us considerable pounds by signing up for a 30 day pass. We won't be here nearly that long, but it will save us having to buy a very expensive 24 hour card at the desk each time we check into a new hotel. REALLY SMART.
The supper tonite was one of the best meals we've had. We continue to have 3 choices of "starters", entree, and dessert. This one was outstanding. Everyone especially liked the roasted potatoes w/ rosemary.
Welcome to Northern Ireland.
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