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.