We woke up in Ireland and went to sleep in Scotland. And in the between... I found out yesterday that Games of Thrones Season 5 is currently shooting in Belfast at Titanic Studios. During its television reign,it has brought in 87 million pounds to the city. Our guide yesterday said her son was offered a speaking ...
Day 9 – British Isles: Dublin to Belfast
We left Dublin en route to Belfast in Northern Ireland. On the way, we stopped at Malahide Castle. The castle has been owned for nearly 800 years by the Talbot family. The end of the family property came recently when Rose couldn’t pay the inheritance tax after her brother died. It worked out because the ...
Day 8 – British Isles: Dublin
We are staying at the Hilton in Dublin. It’s on a canal. The canal locale seems popular with Dublin folk. People just sit on the lawn reading and/or carousing. Dublin is also a bike friendly town. They have designated bike paths. And the “bikes for hire” system is similar to mine in Chicago. Although biking ...
Day 7 – British Isles: Killarney, Adare, Limerick, Kildare, Dublin
We woke up in Killarney and went to bed in Dublin. On the road to Dublin, we stopped at a few places for sightseeing and shopping. Tourism is a biggie in this country. We exit and often enter every attraction through a gift shop. It’s good though. We need to help Ireland’s economy. We’ve seen ...
Day 6 – British Isles: The Ring of Kerry
We awoke in Killarney and went to bed in Killarney. It was lovely! Today was dedicated to the Ring of Kerry. It is a 134 miles of gorgeous in County Kerry. The road circles around and through mountainous landscape. Cliffs give way to the beauty of the sea or a hidden lake. It is just marveling! I ...
Day 5 – British Isles: Waterford, Blarney, Killarney
We woke up in Waterford. What is quickly becoming our routine is to receive two times from our guide. Typically, it is 7 and 8. 7 indicates the time my suitcase needs to be outside my room and simultaneously also the breakfast chime. 8 is the time for being on the bus. After following a ...
Day 4 – British Isles: Cardiff, Wales to Waterford, Ireland
We woke up in Wales. And went to bed in Ireland. In the between... The bus tour took off at 8:15am. Our one tourism stop in Wales was Cardiff. It’s home to the Cardiff Castle and the Millennium Stadium. The castle fortress is on one side of the town. And the sleek professional rugby arena is ...
Day 3 – British Isles: Hampton, Stonehenge, Bath to Wales
We awoke in England and went to sleep in Wales. Here’s what happened in between... We left London circa 8am. And headed to Hampton Court Palace. Hampton Court Palace was Henry VIII’s favorite castle. He acquired it in the divorce settlement from his first wife Katherine. It formerly was Cardinal Wolsey’s place. When Wolsey was unsuccessful ...
Day 2 – British Isles: St. Paul’s, Buckingham and London Tower
Daylight comes early in London. I awoke circa 3:20am and it was light out already. I coaxed myself to sleep for another hour but then I got up. I’m rooming with the sisters so I decided to sneak out and hit the gym. During my vacation, I’m trying to get in 20 minutes of sweaty ...
British Isles – Day 1: An Eye for London Bridges
Surprise, I’m in the British Isles. Well, the surprise really wasn’t about me. My sisters decided to crash the 14 day excursion to the British Isles. The surprise was for my parents, who were already booked on this trip with my dad’s sisters. The four original Walsh sisters would be traveling with the next generation four ...