Kristin's Travel Journal

Photos by Malcolm

June 8, 2004

Starting Up the Trip!

After shopping for travel size toiletries, new shoes, all the right camera equipment, etc., came the packing. Once again, Malcolm amazed me with his ability to pack the same day of the flight.

The car arrived at 3:45pm to take us to O'Hare airport in Chicago. I was quite restless during the wait to board the plane, so I bought a book of crossword puzzles to entertain me. Malcolm got a sudden hunger pain and got some food.

They started the boarding call surprisingly early — 40 minutes before take-off time. So, we ran to a last minute pit stop and were back in plenty of time. Currently (6:25pm), we are in our seats, belts on, awaiting the scheduled 6:30pm take-off. We are thrilled with our seats just six rows behind business class and at the back of a section. No one behind us to put their knees in our backs! And, we can lean our seats back with no guilty feelings. Malcolm has the window seat, and I have the aisle. 6:29pm — Yea! We have individual TV's with remote controls that are TV remote, game controller, phone, light, and service controls all in one. So far, this small town girl likes this international stuff! We'll see what I think in a few hours when I'm still in this seat...

June 9, 2004

Good Morning — London Time, Anyway!

It is 1:40am in the U.S., but 7:40am in London. That means rise and shine for us though we only had cat naps on the plane. We had some breakfast and should be starting our descent soon into Heathrow Airport. I feel somewhat refreshed after little to no sleep — maybe it is the adrenaline rush.

The flight was easily tolerated. I was disappointed to find out that my remote control was broken so I had to use the touch screen controls on the TV, but I survived. Also, the reason no one is behind us is because that is one of the lavatories. We ended up with many people behind us and also beside us waiting in line to pee. Not to mention the loud annoying flush after each visit to the baño.

We watched a decent movie called Miracle about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team. Shoes were off most of the ride as we attempted to get comfortable enough to sleep. Malcolm was so eager to start the photography that he was shooting pictures of clouds and storm cells out the window.

It has been neat to watch the progression of the flight on a map on our TV's also giving info on air temp — up to -20 degrees F now from -39 degrees F, travel time and distance remaining, local time vs. Chicago time vs. London time, and altitude — mostly about 39,000 feet. Malcolm just explained to me that we are flying at that altitude to be in the jet stream flying at 600mph.

According to the pilot, we just started our descent and should arrive at the gate in about 30 minutes at 8:40am London time.

Well, we made it. Passports are stamped so, it's official. I am writing this at about 10pm London time and we are going to bed after an exhausting day of travel and tourism. We met Mike and Julie at the baggage claim at the terminal. We got some pounds (currency) from the ATM machine then decided to try taking the Tube/Underground to the hotel. The ride was long and hot after dragging our luggage around the airport. After getting off the Tube, we went the wrong way looking for the hotel and ended up walking an extra long time with all of our luggage. One wheel on Mike's big suitcase broke so he was struggling to carry it.

We finally made it to the hotel — Dolphin Square and John was there waiting for us. He had some difficulty checking in. Malcolm and I had no problem, but Mike did. After a little time and money spent on the Internet for confirmation number, Dolphin Square called Hotels.com and discovered Mike was listed under Michael Julie not Michael Wangsness. Anyway, the rooms were not ready, so we checked our luggage and got on our way. We ate lunch at a pub then visited/toured Westminster Abbey. This is a very old church dedicated in 1065 with tombs of many British royalty. We also viewed the Parliament from the outside including Big Ben. Very impressive building! We kept walking, crossed the river, and decided to check on tickets for "The London Eye." We were able to get tickets and board right away. This is an impressive machine/ride that allows a birds eye view of London.

All was good, we held up pretty well on very little sleep. My shoulders hurt from carrying a backpack of books that we didn't check and Malcolm had the camera bag. Thank goodness John offered to carry the backpack a little for relief. We all felt disgusting so we went to the hotel to officially check in, all took showers and met up again for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Plans have been made for tomorrow and we meet the gang at 8am for more touring.

10:15pm Goodnight... I know we will sleep like logs.

June 10, 2004

More Historical Deaths

I am writing this at 12:15am actually 6/11/04 but since most of the events occurred on 6/10, I dated it 6/10/04. Malcolm, John, and I just returned to the hotel from a pub near Leicester Square. We closed it down! Most pubs here have last call for alcohol at 11pm and you have to be out at 11:20pm. Clubs stay open later until 2, 3, or 4am according to the girl we spoke with at the pub. Julie and Mike were not with us as they came back to the hotel early ~ 9pm to rest. Julie's foot is swollen and her shoes were rubbing after our long day of walking.

We all met ~8:30am in the lobby to head to the Tower of London. We took the Underground which was pretty busy that close to rush hour. We got to the Tower and it rained while we were in line for tickets but stopped by the time we were inside the gate. We decided to take the guided tour led by a Yeoman Warden (Beefeater). He was quite humorous and very informative. The Tower was used for holding prisoners and also private executions. Most executions were public and took place across from the Tower at Tower Hill. Apparently, there were also some murders in the Tower — one of two young boys in the Bloody Tower who disappeared and remains were found 191 years later under a staircase. We went up inside this tower and also White Tower where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned for many years. Thomas Moore and Peter ad Vincula were both executed here, then later cannonized by the Catholic Church as Saints. We also saw Traitor's Gate and Wakefield Tower. The Crown Jewels were very impressive — several huge diamonds, one over 350 carats. We visited the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula on the guided tour. The guide made a specific statement about the tiny step leading in that is haunted by men and likes to trip ladies, but that he would be there to catch any who trip — Guess who tripped... me! I did not fall, but I was very embarrassed.

Next, we took plenty of pictures of the Tower Bridge and walked toward the British Museum in search of lunch. We ate at a deli type place, then viewed St. Paul's Cathedral from the outside. We decided not to pay to go inside, plus there was a long line. Much of the outside was covered for cleaning/restoration.

The Bristish Museum is where we spent the next 4 hours. It was amazing and enormous! Not to mention free! Of course, we gave the suggested donation — actually more because Malcolm thought it said £5 but it was £3 or $5. The exchange rate is about $2 / £1. I don't even know where to begin with talking about the museum. Hightlights... the Rosetta Stone, a piece of the beard of the Sphinx, a 3,000 year old body with skin preserved by a peat bog, and many mummies. I was very taken with the 3,000 year old "Lindow Man" on which you could still see skin and hair on head and mustache. And, also with the mummies until I really though about it. I, then got a little overwhelmed and felt sorry for the poor dead people on display. I mean, that could be us in 3,000 years, you never know. So many amazing things at this museum. Malcolm got to very gently hold a piece of 3,000 year old pottery.

By this time we were really wearing down. Lunch had worn off so it was time to look for a place for dinner. This was more of a challenge than we thought as few places had seating for 5 available at this busy time of ~7pm. We finally found a place to rest, refuel, and regroup over dinner. Then it was off again to Trafalgar Square, Admiralty Arch and The Mall, then to Picadilly Circus (known as the Times Square of London). These places provided many photo ops for the three guys. We looked like quite the tourists with five of us with three cameras going off at any decent scene. It definitely will be a well documented trip.

This was about the time Mike and Julie split off to head back to the hotel. The search began for a pub with an outside table for three. Needless to say I am exhausted again. It is now 1:10am and time for sleep. We have to do this all over again tomorrow (really today)!

June 11, 2004

Meeting the McDonalds

Another late night – it is 1:30am. And, plan is for another early start at 8am so we can travel to Gatwick Airport to pick up the rental car.

We started the day by going to Buckingham Palace. We were a bit disappointed to discover that there was no entry. The State rooms do not open until after July 31^st. Still an impressive sight — the guards, a huge statue. We then walked through Green Park and on towards Harrods. Coming out of the park we went through Wellington Arch and saw horse crossing and bicycle crossing signs with the pedestrian "walk" signs. We walked through Harrods — a part of it anyway — and decided not to buy any £60 umbrellas, etc. We continued on to the Natural History and Science Museums. Amazing buildings, but we did not go inside. We saw many embassies along the way to the Albert Memorial across from Royal Albert Hall. The memorial is an enormous statue with colors and mosaics. After a rest on the steps we headed to the Underground station.

We went to the Globe Theater after a lunch break. On the walk to the Globe, we crossed Millenium Bridge. After much debate and my encouraging, we decided to see the 2pm play "Much Ado About Nothing." It was very well done and just amazing to see a Shakepeare play in Shakespeare's theater. And, no, it was not all men in the cast. The thatched roof was impressive. We paid a bit more for seats — £25 each vs. £5 for groundling tickets, which would have meant standing for ~2 1/2 hours. Our seats were in a great location and luckily there was no one in front of — or behind us, so we could spread out. It was a beautiful day for an outdoor play! Nice sunshine most of the day, but the wind made it cool — jackets on and off all day.

After the play, Mike and Julie went on their own and Malcolm, John, and I took a train from Waterloo Station to Ascot to meet the McDonalds. It was about a 40 minute ride and I could not stay awake. When we arrived Alan picked us up at the station and drove us past Malcolm's old house. They recently moved from next door Malcolm's old house to a different house. We went there and picked up Jenny and chatted a while. Then off to dinner — reservations at 8pm and a trip past Malcolm's old school on the way. We went to an absolutely amazing Italian restaurant. Jenny and Alan know the owners, cook, waiters, etc., including the father of one of the owners who is 75 years old and works there for free. He just loves the people. We did not choose from a menu but rather the chef did a special appetizer sampler for us — all the specials — mushrooms, smoked salmon, peppers, aubergines (eggplant), three kinds of ham, asparagus, chicken with ricotta and wrapped in bacon, shrimp, and octopus. Yes, octopus and we all tried it — not bad, very chewy. I was surprised that Malcolm tried it. The next course came with swordfish, steak, veal, tuna, sole, and chicken — all of the restaurant's specials, all in one meal! We passed food around and tasted a bit of everything — Wonderful, Amazing, Outrageous, Beautiful, Gorgeous, etc.! Between five of us, we drank three bottles of wine. Malcolm, John, and I even managed to get down dessert. The meal and the service were awesome. The conversation was also wonderul — very nice people and a good source of England info. They also had many questions about the U.S. though they have been there. Many great stories about Malcolm as a child coming over to their house every chance he could to play with Nicky and Neil. Nick is in Spain today, and Neil had plans so we didn't get to see them. Alan had many good stories about Geraldine and Sean also. A great evening.

They dropped us off at the train station and we caught the last train back to London. We then did the London cab experience to get back to the hotel.

Not much more than four hours before the alarm! 2:20am now — Goodnight!

June 12, 2004

Learning to Drive

This morning we checked out of the Dolphin Square Hotel at ~ 8:30am then took our luggage via Underground to Victoria Station where we took the Gatwick Express to Gatwick Airport. This is where we picked up the rental car. It is a small mini van. The guys folded up the back seats and managed to get all of the luggage in. John drove, Malcolm sat in front as the navigator, and Mike was in the back between Julie and me. John felt fairly comfortable at the wheel. He says it helps when you are on the other side of the car to remember to drive on the other side of the road. The scenery was amazing through Bath. We stopped at Stonehenge along the way and did the audio tour — quite amazing that it is 5,000 years old.

I seem to be going backwards in writing this tonight. We first went to Windsor Castle and spent many hours there. It was absolutely amazing and huge! Most of it was not open to the public as the Queen will arrive this weekend. Monday is the Order of the Garter and the Queen is always in Windsor at that time. Apparently it is based on the Queen's birthday and said to have started when King Edward III was dancing with the Countess of Salisbury in 1348. Her garter fell to the floor and he picked it up saying "Shame on him who thinks this evil."

We were allowed into Queen Mary's Doll House — an exquisite doll house castle and collection of miniatures. There was a display of two large dolls with clothes for many occasions, just as the Queen would wear. We also got into a gallery containing sketches by Leonardo Da Vinci, a copy of a book of Shakespeare's plays that belonged to Charles I who had made notes in the margins of the table of contents. We missed the changing of the guards, but saw some guards marching around the grounds.

Anyway, then on to Stonehenge — a 5,000 year old monument. They are unsure of the exact purpose but possibly religious, probably related to the position of the sun, possibly used as a calendar, and possibly for human sacrifice. There are also mounds around the area which are graves.

We drove to and through Bath and decided to have dinner there. We plan to go back tomorrow to see the sights. Then, we went on to Bristol to check into the hotel. We walked around town which was bustling with people dressed to party at the clubs. Many spike heels and miniskirts. We found some old churches to photograph. One was gutted in World War II by a bomb and the main tower is leaning and has been since construction.

We all agreed to call it an early night and to sleep in — meeting at 9:30am for breakfast vs. the usual 8am already fed. This is also a nice hotel. The room is somewhat smaller, but breakfast is included as well as a bottle of wine, a bottle of sparkling water, and a fruit basket in the room.

We both called our moms tonight to check in.

VERY SLEEPY — Goodnight!

June 13, 2004

A Good Night's Sleep

Last night was very nice to get several hours of sleep. This morning, we all met for breakfast at 8:30am. We ate a large buffet breakfast as it was included in our room charge.

We checked out of the hotel, loaded up, and were off back towards Bath. We went into the Roman Baths — hot springs bubbling, a great bath complex built in the 1^st century AD. There was an audio guide, similar to the one at Stonehenge, to tell you what you were seeing along the way. When we exited, there was a person dressed up with face and hands painted to look like a statue. She was amazing — mostly still, but also moving in reaction to the passers by. She moved in a mechanical way, shook some people's hands. When Malcolm and I walked up, I dropped a handful of coins into the box and she acted startled and afraid at the sound. Very impressive to see and watch.

Then we were in the car again and off to Warwick Castle. A medieval fortress containing wax figures as it was bought by the company that runs Madame Tussaud's. We saw the Great Hall and State Rooms, Royal Weekend Party, and lots of armor and weapons. We climbed over 500 steps up into a few towers and back down again. These were small spiral staircases only lit by the sunlight through the windows. We also went down into the dungeon to see torture devices that were actually used on real people — the rack, stocks, pulley, and an iron suit people were hung alive in from the ceiling. There was a pit called an oubliette (meaning "forgotten" in French) — a tiny pit covered by a grate. We also went up the mound — the oldest area of the castle.

After this, we attempted to find a place to eat dinner as we skipped lunch, but nothing was open. It was almost a ghost town on a Sunday night at 5:15pm. Many restaurants were going to open at 6:30 or 7pm. So, we had a snack in the car and traveled on to Startford Upon Avon. There, we walked around to see Shakespeare's birthplace and the Royal Shakespeare Theater. Then we found something to eat and drove to Chipping Norton (Malcolm's 1^st driving experience in England). We are spending tonight at a hotel in Chipping Norton. It is much less modern than the other hotels we have been in, but nice. Small and quaint. The town is pretty small. We walked to a pub and watched the last part of the "football" (soccer) match between England and France. England lost 2 to 1. We then walked around the town and came back to relax and sleep. And, of course, document the day!

The walking now seems like nothing. We did a crazy amount of walking in London. Now we are still walking quite a bit with long car rides between walks.

June 14, 2004

Hedge Maze

I am writing this at 12:45am June 16 making up for last night when I didn't write. Here is the stuff from yesterday June 14. We drove to Blenheim Palace and entered the gardens and park only. We did not pay extra to go inside the palace. We started in a butterfly house, surrounded by a rose garden. It was beautiful with many types of plants and flowers. Hundreds of butterflies were free to fly about. There were also three turtles and a pond of Koi fish. We walked along to the main attraction — for us anyway — the 2nd largest hedge maze in the world! We went in and all around. The sign said it would take around 25 minutes to complete, but I think we are smart because we weren't in there quite that long. Of course, there were five of us working together. We played around at the park with mazes and games that you walk on, large checker and chess boards, and putting greens. We wandered around the palace grounds and gardens. Beautiful! It is a 2000 acre piece of land.

Then, we went to Oxford University. The most memorable part of that was seeing the great dining hall at Christ Church College where Harry Potter was filmed. And, it is still used by students and faculty as a dining hall. There was a gorgeous church where an orchestra was practicing.

I cannot remember the name of the town we stayed in that night even though Malcolm just told me 15 minutes ago before falling asleep. That is how tired we are. I had a few cat naps in the car, but still am exhausted.

June 15, 2004

Ireland Bound

Now on to the events of today — a very long day. Speaking of long days, the weather has been perfect and we have tons of daylight. We were up at 4am this morning to prepare for our 7:15am flight from Standsted Airport in England to Cork Airport in Ireland. It was light at 4:30am and did not get dark until about 10pm tonight. It was an early morning after a night of poker and wine in our room the night before. I forgot to mention this earlier, but Malcolm, John, and I finished off 1 1/2 bottles of Merlot that we had saved from one of the hotels where a bottle of wine was included in our room. You know, we had to get rid of it before flying to Ireland! We played poker (Mike and Julie too) using "objects" to bet with - sugar, creamer, coffee packets, tea bags, cups, saucers, spoons, coins, etc. Pretty much any small item in the room. It was a lot of fun. John taught us some game with dropping your cards and told me I had to record all the rules here...but, no way can I even think about doing that right now.

Anyway, this morning we met at 5am, drove to the airport, returned the rental car, and flew to Ireland. The flight was fine, a little late taking off. At Standstead, we were surprised to see and smell the cigarette smoke in the air. They had "smoking areas," but they were just marked areas throughout the airport. There were no walls or dividers to block the smoke from filling the rest of the area. This made us extra happy to be going to a newly no-smoking-in-public-places Ireland.

At Cork Airport we got another rental car and made our way to Maurice's store. He took us all out for breakfast, and we had a nice visit with him. This is Malcolm's uncle, Gerry's brother, who I had never met, and Malcolm had not seen for about 20 years.

We then continued on to Dingle. We had a late lunch and looked around at many shops. We proceeded along a route going around the Dingle Peninsula. We made many stops along the way for breathtaking scenery. We visited a prehistoric fort - Dunbeg, "the beehives" - small farming stone houses, a stone church - Gallarus Oratory, a crucifix, etc. Almost anywhere we could stop, we did. Forgive me if names are wrong, but I am doing this from memory as my guidebook and notes are downstairs.

We ate a nice dinner at the Oyster Tavern where Malcolm's grandmother (Gerry's mom) used to play piano. This was in The Spa so we drove up the road to see Malcolm's grandparents' old house where his mom grew up. We finally got to Mararet and Ryle's at about 11pm. Gerry and Sean were waiting for us on the video conference. We got to see Merry and Pippen (our parakeets) and chatted with Gerry and Sean while Ryle took John, Mike, and Julie to Harry's house where they are staying the next two nights. Malcolm and I are staying with Margaret and Ryle. It is interesting to see their house. I'm still amazed that we know people here in Ireland. Maurice reminded me so much of Gerry in his eyes, face, and mannerisms.

It really has been an excellent vacation. Of course, there have been a few little things. The pollen count is very high, so we have all been sneezing. John is pretty congested, but still gung ho. I have a strange rash that itches and stings. It is only on my hands and neck but is very annoying. Sun poisoning is my best guess at the point. And, of course, my nose is bright red from the sun. There have also been a few outtakes - Julie and I have comments and usually a good laugh about every bathroom we visit. From trouble getting toilets to flush, to narrow stalls to strange locks to wicker laundry baskets use as trash cans. Malcolm got a little too close to a big red bus in England when he was driving and knocked the passenger side mirror out of the casing. Thanks to break-away mirrors, everything just popped back into place and the red paint came off the case. Today at lunch - it still makes me laugh - Mike's whole plate of fish and chips slid forward dumping his greasy meal in his lap. He came out of it with no grease stains and could sill eat his food as nothing touched the ground.

Ugh, it is time to sleep. It is 1:45am and we are getting up between 7:30 and 8am.

June 16, 2004

The Ring of Kerry

This morning, we got up, had our showers, and had a nice breakfast with Margaret and Ryle. Mike, John, and Julie came to meet us at Margaret's. We loaded up and were on the road again - the very narrow roads to do the Ring of Kerry.

The first stop was Ross Castle - a beautiful grounds near water with boats. We did not take the tour as we were somewhat pressed for time and as Margaret says, "If you've see one castle, you've seen them all. The Ring is about 110 miles and we knew we had to be back for dinner reservations at 8pm. We stopped and spent some time in Sneem which has brightly colored buildings. We ate lunch - very good toasted sandwiches and lemon meringue pie at a coffee shop. And, we did quite a bit of shopping at several shops for souvenirs. All I bought was a shot glass for a friend at work who collects them, and a Christmas ornament for us - an Irish dancer. I have wanted many things, but can't make myself pay full price. Malcolm reminded me these are souvenir shops and we are tourists so there aren't going to be a lot of clearance items.

The rest of the Ring was beautiful and we stopped a few times for pictures. But, we kept pressing on as #1 we were tired and #2 we actually had a deadline for once.

We got back to Margaret's around 4:30 or 5pm. Mike, Julie, and John went to Harry's to shower, change clothes, etc. Malcolm and I took a short nap, changed clothes, etc. We all met up again and went to the Tralee Golf Club for dinner. We arrived early so the guys walked out to a castle at the golf club that has a tower 25-30 feet tall. They climbed up steps as far as they could, but eventually steps were broken and the top of the tower missing. It was built in the 12th century. The ladies stayed behind as it was very cold and blustery. The wind came up suddenly with the clouds and we had a rain shower just after the guys got back inside.

We had a very nice dinner then dessert at Margaret's with tea, of course. During dinner, Malcolm made the comment, "I must be in Ireland because I have four kinds of potatoes on my plate - chips, roasted, boiled, and baked." We all sat around the family room and talked/visited until about 11:30pm. Mike, Julie, and John left for Harry's, I did dishes, Malcolm video conferenced with his dad, then we all got ready for bed.

I really wish we had thought to get a picture of all of us tonight as we were dressed somewhat nicely and all together - but we didn't think of it. Goodnight again at 12:30am with the alarm set for 6:10am.

June 17, 2004

Waterford Crystal

We left Tralee from Margaret and Ryle's house about 8:45am this morning. Back in the car for a road trip across the island of Ireland. Our destination was County Wicklow and specifically Tinakilly Country House and Restaurant in Rathnew.

Our first main stop was at the Rock of Cashel...a cathedral built upon a rocky hill. The Cross of St. Patrick is there - the original in the museum area and a replica in the original place outside. Much of it is not in tact, worn down. Several graves, many with the Celtic cross as headstones. The building itself is actually built in the shape of a cross. We stopped for lunch at a small place near Cashel and then were on to Waterford. Julie and I convinced the men to go to the crystal factory.

We took a guided tour of the factory which was amazing - and a nice change from the many castles, churches, etc. It was amazing to see and learn the process of making the crystal. Each piece is handmade - designed by artists, formed/shaped/mouthblown by people, marked with a grid guideline by machines, and cut by master cutters. There is wedge cutting and flat cutting. The cutters have extensive training and a 7-year apprenticeship. Employees are paid per piece that passes inspection at their level. The engravers are not paid that way as their projects may take more than a week to complete. Both cutting and engraving are intricate processes. All cutters know every design and can do any piece. They do all of them from memory. One slip or cut too deep and the piece is ruined or broken. All pieces that do not pass inspection, and unused parts of pieces are recycled by melting down again. We observed a pitcher being made and handle put on the pitcher. We had nice close up views of each step in the process. The engravers draw freehand. Some pieces they design themselves are produced as Limited Edition and only so many are made. These also contain a signature of the engraver. Each piece contains the Waterford stamp - Waterford with a seahorse. The seahorse logo comes from the Waterford coat of arms which contains a seahorse and a lion.

I thought all of this was fascinating. We saw a huge display of pieces including: many sports trophy replicas, a replica of the ball dropped at Times Square in New York for the Millennium, Cinderella's coach with horses, a bodhran drum, a postal box, a grandfather clock, Coke and Pepsi bottles, and many more! Then, of course, we had to shop. Mike and Julie got a bowl with their names and wedding date engraved on the rim as a 5th anniversary reminder. Malcolm and I got a shamrock engraved with 2004 and some other items. Because we spent more than 200 euros we got free shipping. So, the pieces should arrive in 2-6 weeks. I did not want to travel with all of that glass! I love the shamrock - the engraving is free but I have no idea what it will look like as they did not ask about size or location of the 2004 engraving. I pray it will be subtle. I can't imagine they would deface such fine craftsmanship with a large 2004. We will see.

After the tour, we went on to Wicklow and checked into the Tinakilly House. Gorgeous place both inside and outside. Nice gardens and paths. Wonderful service - they even turned down our beds and drew the drapes while we were out to dinner. We ate at a place that was a nice bar with good food and a good TV for watching the soccer game - Croatia vs. France. We returned to the hotel, walked around the gardens/grounds, wandered around inside for a while, then sat in the bar. Mike and Julie went up to their room while John, Malcolm, and I ordered Guinness. They had pints and I had a glass - my first Guinness. I have tasted Malcolm's several times in the past, but never had my own. It was not bad, and I am in Ireland - I had to have a Guinness! Tomorrow we hope to visit the brewery.

Goodnight at 1:52am.

June 18, 2004

Day In Dublin

I am actually writing this on 6/19/04 starting at 2:30pm(Ireland time). We just boarded the plane for the journey home. All the following events are from 6/18/04.

The day started with breakfast at Tinakilly after good showers - high shower head with good water pressure and only a 1-inch step into the shower stall. All other showers have been combined with a bathtub. The tubs have high sides and are built up so it makes it difficult to step into and out of the shower.

After loading up the van we drove about 1 1/2 hours to Waterside Hotel in Donebate near Dublin. We checked in and went to our room to discover it had not been cleaned. I went to the desk and we exchanged keys for a clean room a few doors down. We hurried to the train station for a 12:08 train to Dublin. We got there at 12:05 then realized John had misread the schedule and the next train would arrive in 31 minutes. The commuter train is known as DART and we rode from Donebate to Connelly station in Dublin. The weather has been perfect until this day. It was rainy on and off and also quite chilly. We walked to Trinity College specifically to see the Book of Kells - the four gospels written in Latin by monks in the 9th Century. The lettering is amazing and very meticulous. Letters starting paragraphs, etc. are very ornate with colorful detailed pictures of animals, peacocks, lions, etc. drawn within the letters. There are displays set up to read the history, see the inks/colors used, and enlarged pictures/reproductions of folios, etc. We viewed four books within a glass case each open to a 2-page spread. Two books were two of the volumes of the Book of Kells. The other two were not the Book of Kells, but also very old books written by monks in the same intricate way. Pretty amazing to see something so old and beautiful and to think about all of the work that went into it. I never figured out exactly why they began this project, but I read that it was used for ornamental use, not every day. We did a little shopping in the gift shop and bought a pop out map to help us get around in Dublin. While at Trinity, we walked around campus. It was graduation day for some students so we saw people in caps and gowns. We viewed Christ Church from the outside but could not get in as there was a prayer service going on.

We walked across town to the Guinness Brewery and Storehouse. There are tours of the storehouse, but we were too late and the guide books seemed to tell us it's not worth the fee. Of course, we could still get into the shop, but didn't buy anything. Lunch was quite interesting. We ate at a pub and everything was "the usual" until Malcolm decided to go to the bathroom, which was in a separate section of the pub. He came back and said he could not get to the bathroom because "there is a man with a penis hat on and a crowd of people around him in front of the bathroom doors." Just before, we had heard a yell/cheer and now we knew why. We decided it must be a bachelor party, but strange as it was 1:30 in the afternoon. A little while later, we were finished eating and waiting for the bill so I decided to try the bathroom before we moved on. I stood up and we heard another cheer so we knew that was not a good sign. Julie followed me and sure enough, there was a crowd in front of the bathroom doors near the bar. I attempted to go around the crowd to the right and came upon a guy lying on the floor almost naked. He was wearing the penis hat, but also a plastic underwear type garment that was a fake butt and large penis. He was doing sit-ups and the crowd was cheering him on. I back tracked and decided to make my way through the crowd. By this time I had lost Julie. I proceeded with "excuse me's" and one of the guys said to me "Is that your boyfriend on the floor?" I gave him a sarcastic "Yeah" and moved on to the final destination - the toilet - as they say in Ireland and England. When I came out, Penis Man - as we referred to him - was standing up again. His shirt was on, but the fake butt/penis remained and no pants. I was able to dodge the crowd and return to my own fully clothed sober group. I let the others know the coast was clearer if they needed the toilet.

It was pizza for dinner as we all wanted something that did not come with chips: AKA French fries. After dinner, Mike and Julie went back on the DART to the hotel to walk along the beach and apparently there were people riding horses on the beach - my lifelong dream - and they saw a beautiful rainbow. We purchased several souvenirs so they were kind enough to take some things back to the hotel for us. Malcolm, John, and I stayed in Dublin to visit one last Irish pub. We went to one place that was very full with standing room only and lots of soccer fans. We decided to move on. We found a somewhat less crowded place where we had a spot at the bar and could see the soccer match on the big screen TV. This match was Sweden vs. Italy. It was funny because it seemed as if many people had no interest in the game - Italy scored and 2 girls seemed glad about that. Then, Sweden scored and there was a huge cheer throughout the pub. The final score was 1 to 1 (which allowed Sweden to advance in the tournament, but not Italy). This was my second glass of Guiness in Ireland. When we finished our drinks, we left that pub and were hoping to find some live Irish music. The closest we got were the people playing on the street. It was only about 30 minutes until we had to catch the last train from Dublin to Donebate. Not really enough time for another pub, so we walked through the city again taking more pictures. We got to the train station about five minutes before the last train and headed back. We sat with a guy from Ireland who chatted with us a bit . He translated a sign for us that was in Irish — a picture of President Bush that said "There is no welcome for Bush here." It was painted on a building and John and Malcolm took pictures of it. John showed the guy the picture on his camera to get the translation. Apparently, Bush is going to Ireland soon and the Irish are not pleased with the war. Many of the troops, have been coming through Shannon airport. Security is very tight in preparation for Bush's arrival.

We met another Irish person outside the train station while waiting for Mike and Julie to pick us up. This one was quite interesting. We had some trouble understanding her Irish accent which was slurred by her drunkeness. She had been at Smyth Bar across the road and was heading back — we still aren't sure what she was doing in the road and across the road. She was attracted to us as Malcolm had his big fancy camera out with the huge telephoto lens and attached to the monopod. She was impressed with the camera and wanted to learn about it. She asked Malcolm if he worked for the papers. Then, she proceeded to take the camera and wanted to take a picture of John, Malcolm and I. We posed, but were all nervous as she was somewhat wobbly and stumbling. She was shocked to see that we were all so close up in the telephoto lens. She tried, but never actually got a picture of us. Malcolm retrieved the camera, and then she posed between John and I for a picture taken by Malcolm. She introduced herself several times with a handshake saying, "I'm Linda from Dublin." She wanted us to come over to the pub, but we knew Mike and Julie would be there any minute to pick us up. I'm sure we would have met all her friends and had an interesting experience.

We went back to the hotel and John, Malcolm, and I went to the bar there for another drink. There was some kind of party going on in the room next to the bar — possibly a wedding reception — with people dressed up in interesting clothing. The bar had live Irish music, just what we were looking for. We played some card games including Go Fish and some that we just made up rules as we went along. We ended the evening with 3-person air-hockey using coasters on our table. Eventually we retired to our rooms to rest up for a long day of international travel.

That was a long entry. It is amazing how much more detail is included when I am awake in the middle of the day than when I am eager to go to bed.

It is now 5:15pm on June 19, 2004.

June 19, 2004

Homeward Bound

It is 5:15pm Ireland time, so 11:15am Chicago time. This is a continuation of the entry from yesterday, containing events of today.

The plan was to meet at 9:30am for breakfast at the hotel — included in the room charge. Malcolm and I were the first ones ready for a change, and I was pretty proud of us until I realized that Mike had already cleaned out the rental car and inspected it. There was a fairly deep scratch on the passenger side door that looked like someone keyed the car.

I ordered a full Irish breakfast for my last breakfast in Ireland. I did taste the black pudding and white pudding — just a taste. Malcolm got the yolk of my fried egg for dipping his toast. Then time to load up, snatch a few last pictures, and head to the airport. We returned the car — they didn't say anything about the scratch. We got to the airport and said our goodbyes to John who had a 1:15 flight. Our flight was at 2:45 so we had plenty of time to grab some lunch, do some shopping, etc. We ate our sandwiches just outside the gate and heard them calling for USAirways flight to Philadelphia to board — John's flight. We went through the customs desk and saw John as he was boarding. Poor guy didn't get lunch as he was in lines the whole time. He had to have his bag searched which slowed him down.

I think our flight took off on time. I wasn't really paying attention. Mike and Julie are sitting right in front of us on this Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to O'Hare in Chicago. They have a 2 hour 15 minute layover where they actually have to get their baggage, go through customs again, and recheck luggage. Then they will fly on to Atlanta.

So far, the flight has been uneventful, which is a good thing. We are currently watching 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

The flight continued to be uneventful. I tried to sleep but that didn't work. We pestered Mike, but not nearly as much as we said we would. The landing was a little rough, but we made it — back home in Chicago! While waiting for our luggage there was a security person with a beagle. She was having the dog sniff everyone's bags for, what I assumed was drugs. The dog was sniffing excitedly at the bag of a lady next to us. Security asked if she had food in her bag and the lady pulled out the sandwiches that were served on the plane. Security took the sandwiches and also two apples that the lady had with her. It turned out the dog was sniffing for food — not allowed to be brought into the U.S. due to risk of mad cow disease and other food borne illnesses.

We said our goodbyes to Mike and Julie, then called for our car to take us on the final leg of our trip. After calling our families to let them know we were back in the country safe and sound, it was time to relax and try to get our systems adjusted to central time.

Here ends the journal documenting the details of our trip to England and Ireland — my first time there and Malcolm's first trip back since living in England almost 20 years ago. We had an awesome time thanks to our friends and travel partners Mike, Julie and John; Margaret, Ryle and Harry for their hospitality; Gerry and Sean for all of the travel tips, maps, etc. and keeping the birds; Maurice for treating us to breakfast; and Jenny and Alan for treating us to dinner.

Hope you all enjoy the pictures edited down from the original 2500!