Safari So Good

“I took the road less traveled and that made all the difference.”

On Saturday, June 30, there was a Gay Pride parade planned for the area around our hotel. In order to avoid the crowds, we decided it would be a good day to ride the train from Dublin to Dalkey – a small town about 11 miles south of Dublin.  It was just KarenAnn, Kenzie, and I.  Lexi was going to the activities with her friends and Amanda had gone home.

A raspberry scone, raspberry jam, and whipped Devonshire cream with a little rainbow flag for Gay Pride Day!

After breakfast at our new favorite place, The Queen of Tarts, we walked to the Pearse Street Station and Kenzie figured out how to buy tickets.  As we were waiting for our train, I asked a young Irish Train Attendant if we were on the right train and he proceeded to assure us we were and then gave us lots of information about Dalkey and where to go while there.  After a short ride we arrived and walked to the Coliemore Harbour, where the locals were enjoying the unusually warm weather.

We then walked back into town and found the Dalkey Castle and learned there were interactive castle tours every half hour!  We had lunch at the Queen’s Bar and went back to the castle to go on the tour.

Dalkey Castle

Having lunch at the Queen’s Bar. We got one of the spots in the shade.

During our tour we learned where the following sayings come from:

One square meal a day — the working men used to be served their food on wooden plates that were square, so it was important to get at least one square meal a day.

Strike while the iron’s hot — when they performed surgery in those days, they had an iron tool that they would put in the fire until it was sizzling hot.  It would be used to cauterize the open wounds, for example when a limb was amputated.  It was important to “strike while the iron was hot” in order to stop the bleeding.

The red and white barber poles came from the strips of cloth used to catch blood when operating.  After they were used (which made them red and white), they were wound around wooden poles which were then placed outside the buildings where there were barberies (surgeon offices) and where the barbers could be found if one needed to be operated on.  (Not sure when barber came to mean someone who shaved men).

Beyond the pale – came to mean the area beyond the pale (a stake or pointed piece of wood or fence made from the stakes), so to be beyond the pale was to be outside the area accepted as ‘home’.  Pales were enforced in various European countries for political reasons, notably in Ireland.

What a cute little town. And there were dogs everywhere – lots of dog people here -made me miss my pups!

A re-enactment inside the castle.

KarenAnn and Kenzie at the top of the castle -where the soldiers would keep lookout.

A view of the church and graveyard from the top of the Castle.

This is where we ate lunch – next door to the Castle. We ate under that umbrella in the corner.

A view of the hillside from the top of the Castle.

Wandering about town.

THE TROUBLES   “You may kill the revolutionary, but never the revolution.”

We had to get up very early to walk to the Starbucks and catch our tour bus to Northern Ireland.  It was about a 20 minute walk and we had to be there at 7 am!!  

Before heading out I said goodbye to Amanda, who had to go back to Montana and her 3 year old, who was anxiously awaiting her return.

We arrived to the bus on time and headed to Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland.  Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, which means they use a different currency (the pound, like England) than the rest of Ireland (the euro).

It took a couple of hours and as we traveled through green hills our tour guide told some stories about the Troubles – the term used to describe the revolution that has occurred in Northern Ireland over the last 400+ years.  

We were also informed that today would be the hottest day in Northern Ireland EVER recorded!!  31 C (almost 88 degrees)!  Fortunately we did have air conditioning on the tour bus but (as an aside) NOT in the hotel.  It has been very hot at night.  We did get a rotating fan the second night of our stay and it has been on every night, all night since.

We were offered one of two tours in Belfast – the Titanic Museum (not the Titanic itself, of course, as that is at the bottom of the ocean) or the Black Taxi, which was a taxi ride to several key areas by a driver familiar with the conflict.  The four of us all opted for the Black Taxi and we were not sorry.  Our Driver was actually a political prisoner for 11 years.  He told us that in 2000 there were peace talks between Ireland and the UK and that then President Bill Clinton came over and helped negotiate a peace treaty that still holds today.  He said the Irish hold him in high regard for that.  There is concern that Brexit could jeopardize Peace in Northern Ireland.

This was one of the first buildings we came to once we got to Belfast.

We heard about the revolutionaries that died when they went on hunger strikes and about murders that were committed by both Catholic and Protestant paramilitary soldiers.

An interestingly shaped church.

While things are much calmer, there are still issues in Belfast.

Bobby Sands – born 9 March 1954, died 5 May 1981, was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze after being sentenced for firearms possession.  He was exactly, to the day, 2 years younger than me.

Our taxi — our driver (in blue) was a member of the IRA at one time and spent 11 years in prison.

A wall – separating the Catholic neighborhood from the Protestant one. Most think it should be taken down, but it’s hard to take walls down once you put them up.

A memorial to all those killed during the Troubles.

One of the more interesting murals of the many, many on the wall.

This song piece explains what the hunger strike was about. The IRA were political detainees until the Queen decided they should be treated like all prisoners.  That didn’t go over well.

A church near the memorial.

At the end of the taxi tour, our driver dropped us off at the Titanic Museum so we could meet up with our bus.  We had a few extra minutes to check out the gift shop and get some pictures.  Then, we all boarded the bus and headed off to Giant’s Causeway- a geological phenomenon.  Geologists say it was formed from the cooling and shrinking of successive lava flows over 60 million years ago.  But Giant’s Causeway is also steeped in myth and legend — carved from the coast by the mighty giant, Finn McCool, who left behind an ancient home full of folklore.  Local people believe that between the hexagons, the mythical features carved out in the rocks and the tumbling sea, there’s real magic!  

A geological wonder with over 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the Giant’s Causeway is the result of intense volcanic and geological activity.  

We didn’t go through the museum, just hung out in the gift shop and got some pizza from the cafe.

The girls listening to the audio guide we got as part of our Giant’s Causeway self-guided tour.

Aren’t these formations amazing? And isn’t Lexi cute?

This is one of my favorite pictures. Just thought the little daisies looked so cute growing around the rocks.

After departing Giant’s Causeway, we headed to our last stop — the rope bridge.  The four of us started down the very hilly path and after 1 hill and 1 very steep rock stairway (with another steeper one to go), I turned around and went back.  I knew I could make it down, but was pretty sure I wouldn’t make it back up!  But KarenAnn, Kenzie, and Lexi made it all the way and crossed the infamous rope bridge!  This area is also noted for having scenes from Game of Thrones filmed here.

This is the first part of the trail. See how far down it goes? Those are humans -not ants.

The rope bridge was down by the tip of that point to the left. A very long trail and you can’t see the steep rock stairs (2 sets) or the 3 hills that one had to go over to get there.

Opposite view. Games of Thrones was filmed around that area.

More ant-like humans on the trail to the rope bridge.

As we left Northern Ireland to go back to Dublin, we passed miles and miles of pasture filled with sheep, cows and occasionally horses.  It also became obvious why Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle.

Seven-arch limestone bridge across the River Nore in Kilkenny is included in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.

Irish countryside – so pretty!

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”

Amanda and KarenAnn had the brilliant idea to return the rental car early, since I had declared vehemently Wednesday evening when we returned from Waterford, “I’m never driving here again!”  Before doing that, we all went to our new favorite breakfast place, The Queen of Tarts, and had a lovely breakfast of coffee (no brewed coffee, only some type of espresso), fresh raspberry scones with jam and whipped cream, scrambled eggs, Honey Yogurt Pot, smoked salmon and brown toast, and fresh squeezed orange juice.  That is the whole list of what was ordered, not just one person’s breakfast!  We headed back to the hotel to discuss the return of the rental car.  After much discussion of who should go with me back to the airport (KarenAnn insisted I was not going alone) and how we should get back to the hotel (bus or taxi) it was decided we should ALL go (since I wanted to return via taxi, it wouldn’t cost any more for the whole group to go — well, except Lexi who was at her intern job again).

We piled into the Nissan and headed off.  Amanda navigated while I tried not to get another scratch on the car.  Everyone was anxious to see how they would react at the Thrifty counter when they saw the duct tape all over the fender and wheel well.  Kenzie was still determined that if all 4 of us insisted the car was that way when they gave it to us, they would have to believe us (notwithstanding the fact they took pictures before they gave us the car).

Anyway, being my Mother’s daughter, I just told the truth.  The Agent was very sweet, “Oh, no worries then – you got full coverage so you’re good to go!”  What a relief.  She heard us talking about a taxi and said she would call one for us.  We only waited about 5 minutes before a taxi drove up and the driver ushered us into the vehicle.  I took the front seat and thanked him and we all started chatting.  He was very Irish, young and very cute.  I was thinking he would be perfect for Kenzie, but then noticed the wedding ring on his finger.  Trying to be friendly, I pointed to the information card mounted on the dashboard that had his picture on it (just like the cabs in the states).  I pointed to the word under his picture “Tiomanai” Deimhnithe and said “How do you pronounce your name?”  He said, straight faced, “Leonard” – the girls in the back seat howled in laughter.  I, too, was laughing hysterically and pointed to the words Tiomanai Deimhnithe again and said, “I thought this was your name!”  It was only then that I realized his name was printed clearly above and slightly to the right of his picture — Leonard (and a last name which I now cannot recall).  He sweetly explained that Tiomanai Deimhnithe was ‘Certified Driver’ in Irish!  Of course, once he pointed that out to me, I saw that above his picture it said ‘Certified Driver’ and below his picture it said Tiomanai Deimhnithe (also certified driver)!  KarenAnn, Kenzie and Amanda were still laughing in the back seat as this exchange took place, with a few “oh my gods” and “oh, Nanny” thrown in by Amanda and Kenzie! The driver was laughing too by this time.  Once we all calmed down, he gave us suggestions on what else to see in Ireland and told his about his wife and little girl, even telling us how he proposed to his wife at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City.  (Too bad he was married – this guy would have been a real catch for Kenzie.)  He spoke with a very strong Irish brogue and we had to listen carefully to every word.  He also threw out a “Fech” every now and then which just sounded adorable coming from him.

He dropped us off at the hotel and I ask for his card in case we needed a taxi on Tuesday to get back to the airport.  We then headed off to explore more of the city and waited for our tour of the Guinness Factory, scheduled for 5 pm, so Lexi could come with us after she got off work.  After sightseeing and having lunch, we took a short rest and then walked to Guinness to meet Lexi at 4:45.

Guinness pictures!  Everyone loved the section on advertisements, wanting pictures with all the different characters used in Guinness ads over the years.  After learning all about how Guinness is made, we went to the very top to the Galaxy Bar to get our free pint of Guinness.

KarenAnn bought us all matching T-shirts for the trip!  They were so cute – green with “Girls Trip Ireland 2018” on the front and our names on the back.  Here we are in front of the St. James gate at Guinness in all our glory!  Note that the map of Ireland on the front of the shirt is missing Northern Ireland (something KarenAnn did not notice when reviewing the mark-up)!

“May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you’re going and the insight to know when you’re going too far.”                 Irish Proverb

Tuesday the 26th, Lexi had to work at the newspaper, so the four of us (Amanda, Kenzie, Karen Ann and I) piled into our beat up rental car and headed to Waterford.  I checked the rubber edging on the wheel well and, although loose, it seemed secure enough.  Didn’t want to be flying down the thoroughfare and have a chunk of car fly off and smack someone else’s car!

So off we went.  After a few stressful left turns and trying to figure out whether the red light or green arrow on the traffic lights were ours, we were almost out of city centre and onto the thoroughfare, when Amanda yelled, “Oh my God –  the rubber thingy is about to come off!”  I look out the left side view mirror and see a 3 foot chunk of 2 1/2” wide rubber edging flapping STRAIGHT OUT PERPENDICULAR to the car.  I yell, “I have to stop!” and pull over to the nearest open space to the left near some houses.  “We need some duct tape!”  Just then we realize there are 4 young Irish gentlemen doing some kind of construction on the house right next to us.  It’s like a gift from the Irish Gods!  I say, “Maybe they have duct tape?”  Karen Ann says, “Kenzie, get your pretty little self out there and ask them!”  Kenzie responds, “No!  I’m not getting out,”. Karen Ann then looks in the back and says, “Amanda- go ask them if they have duct tape!”  “Oh, no, I’m not doing it!”  So Karen Ann says, “Oh for Gods sake!” And reluctantly climbs out of the car and goes over to one of them and says, very sweetly, “Do you guys have any duct tape?”  They look at each other and at us sitting in the car and he says, “Duct tape?”  She explains that the rubber piece is coming off and flapping out from the side of the car (like 3 feet out – almost another car width for a typical Irish car.). He says, “Yeah, I might.” And proceeds to walk to a car about 3 cars away and comes back with — that’s right!  Feckin’ DUCT TAPE!!! AND, he actually came over to the car and duct taped the rubber thing back onto the car.  Amanda was hanging out and he was saying something about he might be taping the back door shut and she might have to crawl to the other side to get in and out.  We thanked him profusely and we could see his friends in the background pointing and laughing at us.  When he left, I had to get way over to get into the lane to the thoroughfare.  Karen Ann and Kenzie were saying “When the light changes, floor it, because you have to beat this guy next to us!”  Then, remembering that the car we rented is a hybrid and basically shuts off every time we stop, Kenzie yells, “Nanny, start the car!”  The light changes and I floor it only to go no where.  You can’t floor a hybrid – it needs a second to start up.  Fortunately, the gentleman in the car next to me waved me into the lane and we were back on the road to Waterford.  The whole experience was ridiculously hilarious and we all laughed so hard, we couldn’t breathe and we had tears in our eyes.

The rest of the trip to Waterford was pretty uneventful.  It was another long drive – about 2 hours.  We found the Waterford Crystal Factory and when we got in a tour was just beginning!  We joined the tour and learned all about the way Waterford Crystal is made.  Each piece is literally blown and cut and smoothed by individual artists.  It takes 8 years of apprenticeship to become a master artist.  There are no such things as seconds.  It a piece does not meet the high standards, it is destroyed and melted back down to start over again.  After the tour we went to the showroom and bought some crystal pieces and I got a beautiful necklace that I can’t wait to wear.

By now it was lunch time and we wanted something other than Pub food.  We were looking for a pizza place that we googled, but on the way there, Kenzie found another restaurant — Italian!  It was really cute and we had pizza and garlic pizza (basically like pizza sticks only round). It was so delicious!

We headed back to Dublin (another 2 hour drive), but we were so relieved to see that the excellent duct tape job that our Irish friend did for us held up for the entire trip, that there we’re no complaints.  We arrived in Dublin just as Lexi was getting off work, so we drove by and picked her up then drove her to her apartment.  I went up with her and met two of her roommates.  Her little bedroom and bathroom reminded me of a cruise cabin, but the common living area and kitchen were pretty good sized.  We all went to dinner at O’Niells Pub (except Amanda who was very tired because she hadn’t slept the night before) where the service was like a hof brau — you selected an entree (meatloaf, ribs, bangers, chicken, etc.) then added any side you wanted — such as three different kinds of potatoes including mash; carrots, cauliflower mash, gravy, and others.  It was delicious!  We were quite tired after another long day, so we headed back to our rooms for an early night.  Lexi headed off for a little more Pub crawling with her roommates — ah, to be young!

Duct Tape! The answer to every question!

Amanda holds a crystal football trophy at Waterford Crystal Factory.

KarenAnn, Kenzie and Amanda on the tour.

Every cut done free hand and by sight (they are NOT premarked)!

These specialized pieces are actually hand carved. The crystal in back, not the beauties in front!

After the factory and dinner, a stop for ice cream.

Views as we walk back to the hotel.

“A life making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.”     George Bernard Shaw

On Sunday, we started the day at a small pastry shop, having arisen early to head out to Galway (all the way across to the other side of the island).  Interestingly enough, very few places open early in the morning — even the coffee shops.  Most open at 10, with some open at 8 or 9.  We found one that opened at 7:30.  When we were eating our muffins and having our coffee, KarenAnn said, “When we’re done, we’re all taking pills!”  Amanda asked, “What kind of day trip is this?”  KarenAnn, pointing at Lexi – “she gets carsick”, points at Kenzie – “she gets headaches, and I just like to take pills”.  We all burst out laughing.  Once we gathered our wits about us, we headed to get the car, which was in the car park behind the hotel.  I had everyone meet me at the exit as I went to get the car.  I drove down to the exit and realized the garage exit door was closed (a big metal roll down door) AND there was an arm across the driveway.  There was no one in the kiosk, so I backed up into an empty spot and got out of the car.  I looked all around thinking there must be a pay station, but I could not see one.  The hotel entrance was way back up on the 4th floor so I didn’t want to have to go all the way back.  What the hell???  I finally noticed a sign and intercom that said, ‘if there is no one here, ring the intercom’.  I pushed the button and waited.  I could hear it ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing…so I went back to the car and got my phone.  I texted KarenAnn and asked her to ask the hotel how I was supposed to get out.  Before she responded, I heard someone answer the intercom.  I asked, “Where do I pay?”  She said at the exit.  “I am at the exit.  There’s no where to pay!”  She said, “It’s where you walked in.”  “I didn’t walk in, I’m driving out.”  “Yes, where you walk out. There are purple arrows”.  I was so exasperated, I just said, “Okay, I’ll figure it out!”  I walked toward the pedestrian exit and finally saw the pay station.  I paid my ticket and got back in the car and finally, after I inserted the ticket into the slot, the metal garage door raised up and the arm raised up and I exited.  All the girls were waiting for me and KarenAnn still had not received my text yet.  Oh well, off we headed toward Galway.  As we drove out of the city, KarenAnn said, “When will it look like Ireland?”  Amanda said, “This IS Ireland.”  KarenAnn – “I know, but it doesn’t look like Ireland.  You know, green pastures and rock fences.”  Lexi informed her it would look much more like Ireland when we got closer to Galway.  We continued on and eventually began to see some rock fences, thatched roofs, cows and sheep.  It was a long drive, fortunately most of the way we were on the thoroughfare which was separated by a barrier with two lanes going each direction.  It made driving on the left side of the road much easier.

After about 2 hours, we finally arrived in Galway and proceeded to Shop Street.  It was such a cute area – flags hung overhead on the streets.  We found a small bakery and had lunch.  It was really good.  We shopped for a little while and wandered the streets.  When we left, we headed to the Cliffs of Moher.  The roads were so narrow and winding — when the tour buses passed us, we all shut our eyes (yes, even me, the driver!)  It was over an hour of harrowing experiences.  We finally arrived, parked and walked a very long way to the actual cliffs.  So incredibly beautiful and worth it.

Under the Spanish Arch

Kenzie, KarenAnn & Lexi by the river in Galway

Shop Street

We had Lunch at this little bakery.

A “Morris” Flag! My brother-in-law’s name.

A mural on a building

The view from the top of the hill after a long winding drive.

The burren

Lexi poses on the rock wall.

KarenAnn and Kenzie taking a selfie.

I do a little posing myself.

Point at something! So we did.

The Cliffs of Moher

Opposite view.

The girls on the cliff.

Me with Amanda and Lexi

Amanda and Lexi sitting close to the edge!

Amanda a little too close…

It was a long day and as we drove back the sun  actually began to set.  The sun does not set until after 10pm!  We were all quite tired and dropped Lexi off at her apartment.  We then drove to the Hotel car park and as I started to go through the EXTREMELY narrow entrance, we heard a horrible screeching sound.  I cut the corner too sharp and the left side of the car, back fender area, hit the concrete post.  I was actually stuck for a minute, but backed up and was able to pull on through.  I guess I was a little too tired to make that very tricky turn!  We pulled into a tight spot (what the hell was with these spaces?  It was like I was in a miniature community!  A leprechaun village, maybe?) and viewed the damage.  There was a deep scrape along the left back side above the tire and the rubber molding had partially pulled away from the wheel well.  Thank Goodness I had opted for the full insurance coverage!  Too tired to worry about it, we all just headed to bed.

I wish I could say it looks worse than it was, but unfortunately quite the opposite.

“There’s nothing so bad that it couldn’t be worse.”  Irish Proverb

Amanda, my step-daughter, was due to join us for the first week of this trip.  She left Bozeman, Montana, around the same time we left California — but flying through New Jersey to Dublin.  We were in San Francisco when we heard from her that her flight from Jersey to Dublin was cancelled due to mechanical problems! The next available flight was the following day.  Since there was nothing we could do, we continued on our way.  Amanda, however, took advantage of bad luck and went into New York City to have pizza and check out Times Square.  Way to make lemonade out of lemons!  She finally arrived in Dublin Saturday morning and the four of us (Lexi was on a tour to a local farm with her internship buddies) toured the city on a Do Dublin hop on-hop off bus.  We stopped to have lunch at a pub (seriously, all the food is in the bars; well, at least MOST of the food) and happened upon a large group of young men having a bachelor party.  The groom-to-be was made to dress in a dinosaur costume, which was hilarious.  One of the group – Tom from Scotland – was quite taken with Kenzie and talked her into giving him her Facebook name.  He friended her before the day was out!

Look who finally showed up! Our Montana girl.

Lunch at Slattery’s Pub

A guy in a dinosaur costume!  You don’t see that every day.  

“May the strength of three be in your journey.”  Irish Toast

The three of us — Karen Ann, Kenzie and I — head out mid morning on Thursday, June 21st to the Sacramento airport for the first leg of our trip to Dublin.  We’re headed to San Francisco!  It’s a small plane and I am seated next to a friendly young man, Dakota from Idaho (of course, they’re all young when compared to someone in her 60’s) who chats with me for most of the trip.

Short flight from Sac to SF. That’s my new buddy, Dakota from Idaho.

Just a short 35 minutes and we arrive.  We have over an hour to get to the International Terminal and are headed there when we hear our names announced over the loud speakers!  In a panic we rush to the Aer Lingus gate only to learn they are simply trying to verify the number of passengers because they are filled and have people waiting for standby.

SF Airport – Aer Lingus

KarenAnn and Kenzie ready to go!  We boarded early.  

After a long line at Customs and a wait for the rental car, we headed to our Hotel.  Driving in Ireland is quite a challenge.  KarenAnn navigated while I drove.  I just kept saying out loud – stay on the left, stay on the left…not that hard in a line of cars, but the left turns are tricky.  It seems natural to head to the right side of the road, but thank goodness I managed to stay left!  Once we checked into the Jury’s Inn Christchurch, we headed out (walking) to see some of the sights and sounds of Dublin.

The view from our room – Christchurch – so pretty!

Lexi found us!

Lunch of fish and chips

Kenzie, KarenAnn and Lexi in front of a cute Irish Cafe.

The infamous Temple Bar!

Another view from our room. Amanda and I are in one room and KarenAnn and Kenzie are just down the hall.

I am not a beer drinker, but this cider beer is light and delicious!

This is a banofee tart – that’s banana and toffee and it was as good as it looks.

 “Your feet will take you where your heart is.”  An Irish Proverb

We’re going to Ireland!  By “we” I mean me, my Daughter-in-Law Karen Ann, my Granddaughter Kenzie and (for part of the trip) my Step Daughter, Amanda.  It’s the ultimate girls trip!  We are going to visit my other Granddaughter, Lexi, who is studying abroad this summer.  She’s doing an internship for 8 weeks, so we decided to join her for a few days.  Michael can’t go because he is too new with his job to take two weeks off.  Lexi’s Dad, Rob, also can’t go because he’s responsible for Cal Expo and June/July is county and state fair time — too many demands to leave right now.  That’s how we ended up with just the girls!

We’ll be staying at the Jury’s Inn Dublin Christchurch just about a half mile from the apartment where Lexi is staying, within walking distance!  We leave Thursday, June 21st and return Tuesday, July 3rd.

Stay tuned for stories and pictures and more blarney as I venture back once more to the land of my people.