This'll be quick, but I just wanted to update you on how we're getting along. It's less than a week until we go home, and we're definitely getting excited! The British Isles are lovely, though, so we're glad to have a little more time to explore.
On Monday we visited the General Post Office in Dublin, which is where the Easter Rising was kicked off; the pillars are still pock-marked from bullets. From there we caught our train to Belfast, where we spent a few hours seeing the Botanic Gardens and the City Hall, before heading to Portstewart on the coast of Northern Ireland.
We're staying in a hostel that is less than a block off the sea. The coast is gorgeous and green and rocky, and we've enjoyed walking up and down the promenade. The people here are also super friendly, and you only have to look confused for a minute before someone comes up and offers help. Of course, we're lucky if we can understand them, as their accents are pretty thick, but it is nice to meet with such friendly people.
Today we saw the Giant's Causeway, which is a national park on the coast with bizarre hexagonal rock formations. It was brilliantly sunny and quite pretty. I love the sound of the waves and the fresh smell of the wind. This afternoon we had tea overlooking the ocean, which was delightful and helped us warm up, as the weather is quite chilly.
Tomorrow we're taking a ferry to Scotland, where we'll spend a few days before heading back to London for the rest of our trip...
I had a funny experience on the phone today: I called to make a reservation on the ferry, and halfway through the man asked for my zip code, which I promptly told him. He seemed confused and asked again for my zip code, which I gave him again. He still didn't seem to get it, so I told it to him again, making sure to let him know that I was from the US. He was super shocked that I was from the US, as he was sure from my English accent that I was from Britian. He seemed put out, and asked somewhat crankily if I wanted him to change my nationality to US. As I am from the US, I thought it would be good for him to change it. It was quite interesting, as I certainly do not and never have had a British accent. Ruth and I had a good laugh over it.
It's time to sign off! I'm looking forward to seeing many of you soon!
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
The Luck 'O the Irish
Speaking of the luck o' the Irish, Ruth and I had a lucky break with our travel plans. We had debated spending more time in the Cotswolds or other places in Western England, but we decided not, in favor of seeing Wales and Ireland and Scotland. The day after we left the Cotswolds, they were dumped on by some huge storms, and all travel in the area was shut down: train operations suspended and roads closed. Good thing we got out when we could, otherwise we would have been stranded! I guess there are worse places in the world to be stranded, but we're enjoying seeing the different areas of the British Isles.
Speaking of luck, we have been also lucky(?) in having some interesting B&B experiences. At our B&B in Wales, our good landlord like to talk, so we got an inside look at what life is like in small-town Wales. We heard all about his kids and things to do in the area and normal stuff like that, but then we ventured in to global warming and the French. Apparently, he's not too keen on the French, since he asserts that there are always wars going on between the British and the French. The current war that he told us about involved the French burning British sheep!
We otherwise had a lovely time in Wales: we rambled around an old castle (Conwy Castle), which we pretty much had to ourselves, and then toured the Bodnant Gardens, which are gorgeous. (As a side note, my camera has pretty much given up the ghost after all of the abuse it has taken this trip, so there probably won't be any more photo uploads until we get home.)
From Conwy, we trained to the port to take the ferry to Dublin, passing lots of sheepies and green fields, as well as the town/train station with the longest name ever: the lovely Welsh town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. This lengthy name apparently means "St. Mary's Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave."
Our crossing from Wales to Dublin was smooth, despite the 100s of young scouts that were on our boat and raising Cain. This morning we explored Dublin, walking around the town and seeing Trinity College and St. Stephen's Green and some nice Georgian-era architecture. For our thoroughly Irish experience we attended evensong at St. Patrick's Cathedral, sat in the Guinness pew (as in the beer), and listened to an organ play the "Tuba Tune," which is more commonly referred to as "Danny Boy!"
Tomorrow we head to Belfast for the day, and then to the Giant's Causeway on the Northern Coast of Ireland. Should be pretty! It's a little over a week before we come home, and we're excited to get back, since living out of a suitcase gets a little tiring, and we miss all you good folk. Hope you're doing well, and we'll try to keep you updated this last week!
Speaking of luck, we have been also lucky(?) in having some interesting B&B experiences. At our B&B in Wales, our good landlord like to talk, so we got an inside look at what life is like in small-town Wales. We heard all about his kids and things to do in the area and normal stuff like that, but then we ventured in to global warming and the French. Apparently, he's not too keen on the French, since he asserts that there are always wars going on between the British and the French. The current war that he told us about involved the French burning British sheep!
We otherwise had a lovely time in Wales: we rambled around an old castle (Conwy Castle), which we pretty much had to ourselves, and then toured the Bodnant Gardens, which are gorgeous. (As a side note, my camera has pretty much given up the ghost after all of the abuse it has taken this trip, so there probably won't be any more photo uploads until we get home.)
From Conwy, we trained to the port to take the ferry to Dublin, passing lots of sheepies and green fields, as well as the town/train station with the longest name ever: the lovely Welsh town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. This lengthy name apparently means "St. Mary's Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave."
Our crossing from Wales to Dublin was smooth, despite the 100s of young scouts that were on our boat and raising Cain. This morning we explored Dublin, walking around the town and seeing Trinity College and St. Stephen's Green and some nice Georgian-era architecture. For our thoroughly Irish experience we attended evensong at St. Patrick's Cathedral, sat in the Guinness pew (as in the beer), and listened to an organ play the "Tuba Tune," which is more commonly referred to as "Danny Boy!"
Tomorrow we head to Belfast for the day, and then to the Giant's Causeway on the Northern Coast of Ireland. Should be pretty! It's a little over a week before we come home, and we're excited to get back, since living out of a suitcase gets a little tiring, and we miss all you good folk. Hope you're doing well, and we'll try to keep you updated this last week!
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