Friday 27 July 2007

At the hotel in Glasgow. I have a limited amount of time to check in before the Last Supper with the rest of the tour group, so I'll make this a bulleted list and try to hit all of the highlights, lowlights, and other lights:

• From Derry, we headed off to Belfast via the northern coast of Northern Ireland. This coast is arguably the most beautiful of all of Ireland. We stopped on the Giant's Causeway to hike the amazing hexagonally shaped rocks that dotted the shore. It really is something to be seen.
• Belfast was fantastic. We had a wonderful local tour guide named Rosemarie who took us on a 3-hour bus tour. She started off by noting that tourists generally don't visit four places starting with B: Baghdad, Beirut, Bosnia, and Belfast. Fortunately, that's all starting to change for the fourth one. I last visited Belfast about seven years ago, and even in that short amount of time the city has taken off with its booming housing and shopping industries. Pictures will follow once I get them posted.
• Ever ride a tour bus only to have the luggage doors fly open and suitcases fall out? It's really a sight to behold. Only slightly less dramatic is watching your Irish bus driver jog INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC to retrieve two lost bags. Extra tip money to Tony for putting souvenirs and clothes before himself.
• We're staying at the Radisson in downtown Glasgow. Apparently, this is a nice hotel because the Chelsea Football Club just checked in. I thought there was a fight outside until I noticed that people were cheering and taking pictures. I actually excused myself past several of them to get off the elevator. Sorry I didn't get any photos or autographs, but wouldn't it be better if I knew some of the players to begin with? Maybe I'll see a few in the bar in a few minutes...
• I'm coming home tomorrow! Wish me luck that all of my smelly clothes and Guinness souvenirs make it home too.
  

Final report to follow when I get home. Best wishes.

As Always,
Riley

Thursday 26 July 2007


Just finishing up a latte and a cheese & tomato "toasty" at a coffee shop in Derry, Northern Ireland. My family and I find ourselves back in the UK after crossing the border this morning from the Republic of Ireland. Border crossings between the UK and Ireland completely lack in fanfare or notice; in fact, while at Beleek Pottery this morning, my sister asked me, "Why are all the prices in pounds (the UK currency) if we're still in Ireland?" Turns out, we were literally JUST over the border. As in, the other side of a stream. Amazing.

Yesterday was an interesting day. We stopped in the village of Knock where an apparition of the Virgin Mary and Jesus had once taken place. My die-hard Catholic mother was particularly excited about this part of the trip, but the disappointment on her face was obvious when we arrived. While the shrine itself was very nice, the area was not very well kept and was flooded with tourists. The sheer tackiness of the shops nearby made it overall a not-so-fun time. Fortunately, we were only there for 45 minutes.

Even more fortunately, we took an optional excursion last night to visit a pub in a village outside of Sligo (for you literary buffs out there, County Sligo is where William Butler Yeats lived). Two gentlemen who called themselves the Bogtown Rats entertained us with some traditional and not-so-traditional Irish tunes. We also got two pints each of Guinness (Mom, Dad, and Bridget) or Bulmer's Cider (Deidre and I). We had a GREAT time singing along to a bunch of tunes that my mom had played incessantly on tapes while we were kids. I was particularly happy for my dad; traditional music and good "craic" in a pub was something he had been craving for most of the trip. We impressed the rest of our tour group (i.e., showed off) with our extensive knowledge of all songs Irish.

We took a walking tour of Derry this morning guided by a half-Chinese, half-Irish Buddhist named Ronan McNamara. I wish I was making this up. Ever see someone of Asian decent speak with an Irish accent? Surreal. He was quite knowledgeable about the city, being a professor of politics and history, and gave us a great tour of a city trying to overcome its reputation as home of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Gotta run. More to come later.

Off to Belfast,
Tara

Wednesday 25 July 2007

Checking in quickly from an Internet cafe/creperie (sp?) in the heart of Galway's shopping district. My family and I have been blessed with sunshine for the past two days which makes viewing the scenery of western Ireland all the more spectacular.

Our tour of the Ring of Kerry was great--so great, in fact, that our tour director noted that the weather was the best he's had "for the past two years." Sunshine allowed us to see surrounding peninsulas and little islands. I have a great photo of the place where we stopped for a coffee and scone; I'll definitely post it later.

Last night we stayed in Limerick. I usually skip this city when I travel to Ireland as there's not much to see and it's still trying to shake its reputation as a crime-ridden location. All that said, we still had an enjoyable time eating at an Italian restaurant (yes, we needed a break from the pub grub) and sleeping at the tallest hotel in Ireland (a 13-floor Clarion--not terribly impressive. Oh, well).

Today was the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Unfortunately (or fortunately for stupid people), tourists are no longer able to crawl out to the edge of the cliffs and look 700 feet down at the crashing waves and birds below. We did have an enjoyable time recreating Conan O'Brien's visit to O'Brien Tower at the top of the Cliffs. It involved lots and LOTS of wind and a fast-moving hat. I'll leave it at that.

As great as this trip has been, I think I'm about ready to go home. This trip has been a real test for me in traveling as I'm accustomed to (and prefer) solo travel. While there have been no all-out blow-out fights among the family, there's been plenty of passive-aggressiveness all around along with miscontrued statements and ideas (e.g., wanting to do something other than the rest of the family does not mean one doesn't LIKE the rest of the family). I think we'll hang in there, but any more than 13 days and the five of us would have to disband at some point in the middle of nowhere. Best not to scare the rest of our tourgoers and keep it cool for two more days.

Off to get a crepe and find the bus. Hope all of you are well!

As Always,
Riley

Monday 23 July 2007

Just a quick 'hello' from Killarney before my sisters and I cruise the downtown streets. I've made the discovery that the popularity of a particular site in Ireland for tourists is directly proportional to how many American tour buses and large groups of Spanish and/or Italian teenagers are present. This really isn't news; it's just becoming more obvious with the more places we visit.

Today was a great day. It started with a visit to the Irish National Stud in Kildare where we learned all about the birds and the bees when it comes to Irish racehorses. Our tour guide showed us a few of the stallions who are used for breeding, some of whom have, ahem, "covered" up to five mares in one day. It'll cost you €35,000 for this horse to knock up your female horse. If that's not some serious horse prositution, I don't know what is.

After the Stud (ha ha), it was off to Cashel to see the "Rock of Cashel" (an impressive and stately castle) and take a lunch break. As has become custom, my family and I cruised around the main square area and popped into a bakery for sandwiches and soup. We've occasionally hit a pub instead as "pub grub" is a great, inexpensive way to get a quick and hearty meal. My last pub grub included cheese and tomato toasties (i.e., grilled sandwiches) and potato & celery soup.

Following Cashel, we stopped off in Blarney to see the infamous castle and perhaps kiss the stone. Unfortunately, the line to kiss the stone was over 45 minutes long. as much as I love tradition, that really is a ridiculous amount of time to wait in line in a narrow castle hallway to kiss a part of a castle that a billion other people have puckered up on as well. Bridget and I also decided that, having already kissed the stone back in 2003, we didn't want to see what happens when someone kisses the stone twice. Maybe the gift of gab is reverted...or maybe it's doubled. For your sakes and ours, we took a pass.

After Blarney, we arrived in Killarney which is where we're crashing tonight. Tomorrow's agenda includes a brief trip through Killarney National Park and then the Ring of Kerry. As incredibly touristy as both of these places are, they are incredibly beautiful. The Park includes lovely lakes surrounded by green trees, and the Ring offers spectacular views of both mountains and the sea.

Now that we're in the west of Ireland, the weather is getting sunnier, the grass is looking greener, the cliffs are now present, and the mountains and hills are everywhere. This is what makes Ireland famous, among other things...and rightfully so.

On a closing note, I mentioned yesterday before I signed off that I probably would only have one or two Guinnesses while I'm here. Granted, I will still sample as much Bulmer's cider as I can, but I'll make it a point to get in some Guinness North Star Limited Brew as well. Think Guinness Draught but much, much smoother. DELICIOUS, and free in a sample glass while touring the Guinness Storehouse. Since it's a limited edition only to be found in Ireland, I'm going to rotate it into my sampling for the rest of the trip. If any of you make it to Dublin in your lifetime and you have any appreciation for Guinness or beermaking, GO TO THE STOREHOUSE. It's a seven-level interactive experience on stout-making, and the tour ends with a free pint of Guinness at the Gravity Bar--the seventh-floor bar with an almost-360-degree view of Dublin. Simply amazing.

Speaking of Guinness, I'm out.

Slainte,
Tara

Sunday 22 July 2007

One more thing: The local fascination with old American movies shown late at night on TV continues. Over the past week, I've seen GI Jane, Glitter, What's Love Got to Do With It, and The Craft. Glad I can get those off the Netflix queue now!

Sunday 22 July 2007

It's Day 2 in Dublin, Ireland, and so much for the nice weather! What started off as a seemingly partly sunny day quickly evolved into the gray drizzle to which I've grown too accustomed. Again, at least I'm prepared as opposed to the poor Southern folks on our tour who left 100-degree weather back in the States (they obviously aren't TOO torn up about it).

My initial plans to hit Newgrange today were indeed a bust as were the backup plans suggested by my concierge to visit Glendalough, an 800-year old tower in a beautiful valley surrounded by lakes (Glendalough literally means "Valley of the Two Lakes"). I made the most of it, however, and visited Malahide Castle just north of Dublin along with Howth, a coastal beach town. The castle itself was great in that so much history has been well preserved (the dining hall is actually still used today). Howth was also cute; it reminded me a lot of places like Birch Bay, Washington or White Rock, British Columbia: coastal towns with walkways facing the water and makeshift tidepools created from the low tide.

An interesting this to note of Ireland: With its economic success and booming industries, it's now become the most expensive country in the European Union...and it definitely shows. This trip to Dublin is my third, and I've noticed a lot of development both inside and outside of the city--all impressive. Grafton Street, a very popular shopping location, has boomed to include lots of nice stores and a few US chains as well. Our tour guide noted last night that some homes in Dublin city are now as expensive as homes in central London. That puts the starting price at several million Euro. The saddest part for me was wandering around last night for a place to eat and ending up in a condo-fied area just like what's happening in my home neighborhood of Capitol Hill. I'm all for economic progress, but I'll take my 1930's brick apartment anyday.

As nice as Dublin is (and it really is fun, don't get me wrong), I'm excited to get out into the rest of Ireland again. This is my parents' first trip here, and I'm hoping their experience here will be just as memorable as my own first excursion. (Mom has already mentioned to Dad that she wants to cruise to Alaska next year, so obviously the empty-nest travel bug has bitten them.)My dad is craving a pub with real live music, and my sister Bridget and I have already assured him that there will opportunities for this elsewhere besides Dublin (Bridget studied abroad in Galway for about five months back in 2004).

Other random items of note (some excerpted from an email to my friend Molly, currently traveling the European continent):

* There are 44 million sheep in Scotland...and less than 5 million people.
* There are almost as many non-Irish people in Ireland as there are natives.
* I ate haggis. It's like mushy, spicy meatloaf (at least, the one I tried was). It was actually better than the potatoes that came with it.
* I'm going to have a sick collection of travel-size British soaps and shampoos when I get home.
* My sister's 50% worldwide discount to Lush Cosmetics has involuntarily made this trip a sidetour of Lush Cosmetics stores in Great Britain and Ireland.
* The Starbucks stores here...look like the Starbucks stores at home. Big surprise. The sandwiches are a step up, though.
* Traditional tour groups don't really cater to those Americans who want to go out drinking past midnight (unless they can make it on 5 hours of sleep).
* The Irish wit is priceless. :)

The rain isn't really letting up outside, but I'm still off to get my Guinness on. It'll only be once or twice, though. I'm a cider drinker by nature when the Jack Daniels isn't available, and I can't get Bulmer's Cider back in the States. Yummy!

Slainte (cheers),
Tara

Saturday 21 July 2007

So much has happened since I've had a chance to blog that I'm not too keen to narrate all of it in one fell swoop. I'm going to try a bulleted list of "Good News/Bad News" instead and see if it'll hopefully spark some more comments and readers (thanks to those of you who are reading).

Good News: The exchange rate between US and UK currencies is really easy and quick to determine...
Bad News: Just double the UK price; that's what I'm paying in US dollars. Ouch.

Good News: They're trying to be more environmentally sound over here by providing more hand-dryers in the bathrooms.
Bad News: It sometimes takes more than one flush to dispose of a "#2" (family record so far: 12 flushes).

Good News: Hotels on a bus-tour are usually four- or five-star.
Bad News: A hotel's "charm" is sometimes defined by its lack/inclusion of items. For example, my parents didn't have a phone in their room in Glasgow.

Good News: Bus tours keep a schedule that provides you with as many photo ops and snack/food/bathroom breaks as possible.
Bad News: I'm waking up on my vacation 45 minutes earlier than the time I get up for work.

Good News: Duty-free booze!
Bad News: I'll have to go through security again in Newark on the way home and I'm not sure if the two fifths of Malibu are going to get through.

I think I've run out of topics for this list. How 'bout a quick summary of what I've seen so far?

* Edinburgh: One of my favorite cities ever visited...even if it did include a schmaltzy 2-hour singing/dancing/piping entertainment show.
* The Lakes District in Northern England: Beautiful area with mountains, lakes (go figure), touristy lakeside shops (think ice cream stands and boats), and windy roads. We did a regulatory round of "fish and chips" for lunch while here. Kate Kelly, you'll be happy to know that we saw at least four kinds of birds in large flocks.
* Northern Wales: We stayed here overnight then hit Snowdonia National Park. If any of you are outdoorsy people who like camping/hiking/climbing, YOU NEED TO GO HERE! An REI in this location would do gangbusters (though I'm fundamentally against it as it will put the local places out of business). I can't wait to show you the scenery in my photos; it's just breathtaking.
* Dun Laoghire, Ireland: We crossed the Irish Sea today from Wales and docked here. Fittingly enough, Ireland is the first instance that we've had solid amounts of sun for more than 30 minutes (more on that later). I am so, so happy to be back in this country for my third go-around. There are a few things on the tour that I have yet to experience while here (specifically, the Rock of Cashel and the Beleek Pottery Factory).

Other things to share and items of note:

* This summer is the worst in UK history in terms of weather. Two days ago, some cities in southern England and southern Wales twice as much rain in a day as they usually get for the month of July. In terms of our tour, we've lucked out as we've only had rainy days. No flooding, closed highways, or closed railways. I feel really bad for those people having to travel through London and even worse for the people whose homes were flooded.
* Those of you with whom I work may notice that I'll be drinking tea for awhile before switching back to Starbucks. I can't get enough of the stuff.
* The food here is ridiculously good. Last night's dinner: Smoked mackerel on toast with cilantro salsa, rack of beef with potatoes, green vegetables, beets, fresh brown bread, and pear white chocolate mousse for dessert.
* I went a lil' overboard with the shopping here. I'm now carrying 8 pairs of shoes in my luggage. Whoops.

Anyway, the scoop for tomorrow: My family will be doing a half-day city tour of Dublin followed by an afternoon on their own. As I've already seen the hightlights covered in the tour, I'm venturing out alone tomorrow (admittedly, solo day travel is my favorite way to go). My initial plan was to go to Newgrange, a famous site of ancient Celtic ruins, as well as the Valley of the Boyne where the Catholics got their asses handed to them by William of Orange and the Protestants (most history books put it otherwise). However, the hotel concierge just informed me that Newgrange tomorrow is a bust because it's Sunday...and the buses just won't get me there. Crap. Looks like alternate plans will have to be made. They will indefinitely include closing out my night at the Guinness Storehouse which I haven't seen since '99 (a major renovation has taken place since then). I'll keep you posted on my plans.

The remainder of this week will include the ROck of Cashel, Killarney, the Ring of Kerry, Limerick, the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Sligo, Knock, Beleek, Derry, the Giant's Causeway, and Belfast. I can't wait. :)

Signing off from the Motherland,
Tara

Thursday, 19 July 2007

Blogging to you today from an internet cafe in the middle of Edinburgh's "New Town" area. As much as I'd love to jump right in and tell you all about this fantastic city, I'll maintain some continuity and start from where I left off.

While at dinner with my family in Inverness, our tour director, Doug, came over to my table and inquired about the status on my lost luggage. I gave him the slip I was given at the airport along with a computer printout from that day stating that the bag had been received at the airport. There was now at least a 4-hour window minimum for the bag to make it from Glasgow to Inverness (go Google Map these two cities and you'll see what I mean). Doug took all of my info and went off to see if he could speed up the process a bit. Right around dessert, he comes back to the table looking a bit sad and says, "Well...your bag...is actually at the reception desk." A somewhat awkward moment of my mother and I hugging Doug promptly followed (those of you who know my mother--picture her hugging a late-40's balding British guy). So, I'm very happy to report that my suitcase is back at my side (or, in most cases, under the tour bus or exploded in my hotel room).

An early departure from Inverness the next morning took us through a much more desolate region of the Highlands than the loch area that we'd passed through prior. However, props to the tour company for starting off our morning with a 10 AM tour of the Glenlivet distillery. The actual distillery itself is surprisingly small and in a rather remote farmland area. The tour was great as we got to learn all about the distilling process (a repeat performance for me having toured the Bushmills distillery in Northern Ireland) and sample some "wee drams" at the end of the tour. We were given the option of trying three different labels--12-year, 15-year French Oak, and 18-year--with or without a bit of water. Being a Jack Daniels drinker, I was willing to at least sample them all. Verdict: While I appreciate them all, I enjoy not having my throat catch fire every time I drink and will stick to my wussy American bourbon. Once my sisters and I pulled my drunken father out of the duck pond outside (just kidding), I presented him with a small bottle of the French Oak and a Glenlivet hat as a belated birthday present. My mother asked if she could put some in her coffee instead and was promptly (but politely) turned down.

Speaking of whiskey, I should probably tell you one of the small highlights of this trip: our bus driver Tony. Tony comes from County Cork in Ireland. I've made it a point to listen to anything Tony has to say because he's usually "taking the piss" (i.e., making fun of people) and is almost always hilarious. Case in point: One of the other tour members asked if Tony had seen her lipstick that she'd left on the bus. He responded, "Sorry, it wasn't my shade!" My sisters and I have often caught him talking to himself, but it makes sense in my mind: If I had to drive around American tourists all day in the country of my enemies (Britain), I'd probably keep to myself as well.

Our next stop was Balmoral, the summer residence for the Queen. It was nice, but in all honesty, it was more of a nice lunch stop than anything spectacular. The only room open to the public is the ballroom, and the weather was too wet and rainy for any sort of garden tours. If any of you have seen The Queen, you're already pretty familiar with the location.

From Balmoral, we then headed out of the Highlands back into the Lowlands to Edinburgh. The drive through the Highlands was again lovely with sweeping mountain vistas and neat little river valleys. I didn't catch all of it as I (like most of the people on the bus) fell asleep, but I did manage to see a Scottish ski area. As in snow skiing. I never put those two together, either.

When we arrived in Edinburgh, I was already thoroughly impressed. The buildings are just spectacular. Our hotel is right in the thick of things in the New Town, an area of Georgian architecture that includes the birthplaces and/or residences of people such as Joseph Lister and Robert Louis Stevenson. Old Town includes places such as Holyrood Castle (the home of the Queen of Scotland) and Edinburgh Castle. We toured the castle today, and I feel confident in saying Braveheart will make a lot more sense having now learned all about Robert the Bruce.
Edinburgh itself was built in a volcanic area, and the castle itself looms over the city on a rocky volcanic plug. We got some great photos of it at night.

Crap. Time's about to run out and I haven't even gotten to the haggis! Best save that for another time. We leave Scotland tomorrow for northern England, so I'll touch base again soon. By the way, I left beautiful summer Seattle weather for Seattle winter weather: it's cloudy, wet, and 65 degrees. Glad I'm used to this. :)

As Always,
Riley