Arrival in London was smooth. We were met by my great uncle Les, who lives in a flat just east of London, and right off of the “tube” or subway line. Les was kind enough to invite us to stay with him while we were here. I had met Les on a few occasions prior to this trip, but we had never spent any amount of time together, so I think none of us knew exactly what to expect. Right from the start, though we knew we would get along just fine. After dropping our things off at the flat, we went out for lunch and then stopped by 3 of his favorite pubs for a pint.

For Thursday, Les had purchased transit passes for us so we headed into the city to take in the sights. We started at the Tower of London and then took the tube into the middle of things to see the National Gallery, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. Following that, we had lunch in Chinatown, walked down to Admiralty Arch, and then walked the mile or two from the Arch to Buckingham Palace. While on this walk a police escorted motorcade passed us, so we waved in case it was the Queen. Then we walked back to Leicester Square and caught the tube into Harrods. As we headed back to the flat dragging, Les (who claims to be 79 years young) was still running circles around us!

We had dinner last night at an Italian restaurant called Luigis that is right around the corner. Les had heard about it, but had never been, and it turned out to be one of the best meals we have had on our entire trip. Italian food in Ilford, Essex, UK! Try it if you are ever in the neighborhood.

Friday we bought another transit pass and headed in to the British Museum, which is impressive, and the Tate Modern, which was a mix of bizarre and very cool. Maybe I don’t have the eye for it, but some modern art looks like the work of pre-school children, while some of it was truly amazing.

Les has been a wonderful chauffer, host and tour guide. At the same time, we have really enjoyed getting to know him better. We hope to come back and visit him soon, and see more of England, and will invite him to explore North Carolina when he comes our way.

We have used all the space we were allowed for pictures now. Pretty good timing since, sadly we have to fly home tomorrow. We have had a wonderful time in each place we visited. Thanks for following along back home. See ya’ll soon!

The Merry Fiddlers

Aaron, Meg and Les

Tower Bridge

Night 1

We took the subway from the airport. It took us about 2 hours total travel time from the time we landed and walked through customs until we checked in to the hotel. We saw several shady characters giving our eye to our luggage, so we gave them evil, knowing eyes back, and held on tightly. We arrived and got settled in an hour or so before dark. Took a walk up the Seine a few blocks, and around to get the lay of the land. We stopped in at a corner cafe for dinner. Unfortunately it was too cold to eat out on the sidewalk, but we had a good meal, and they spoke enough English for us to complete the transaction. It really is true that with a few basic words of French, you can draw them into a conversation in English without them acting like they hate you.

Monday in Paris

Monday morning we got up and got ready to see Paris. The hotel concierge told us about the Museum pass which allows access to 60 or so museums in the area, and allows holders to skip the long ticket lines. He also told us that the shortest lines to buy the pass would be at the French Army museum –Invalades. So we went to the French Army museum-where Napoleons tomb is, got our pass, visited a little with Napoleon and then headed off to the Louvre. The Louvre is massive, and you cannot see the whole thing in a few hours, or a few days, or a few weeks. We spent most of our time in the Italian and French paintings and some sculpture. We also saw some African pieces. Once we had had enough, we headed to the Conciergerie- an old jail where Marie Antoinette was held before she was tried and put to death. From there we walked on down to Notre Dame and walked through this amazing Cathedral. We then took the subway back to the hotel to clean up and get ready for dinner. We booked a dinner cruise on the Seine for this evening. The hotel concierge told us multiple times “no jeans and no tennis shoes” I guess Americans do have a bit of a reputation.

Dinner was quite an experience. This is a great way to see the city- on the river after dark with everything illuminated. (thanks for the advice, Lucia!)

Tuesday in Paris-

Tuesday was dedicated to the Musee d’ Orsay. We got up (a little late, as quite a bit of wine was included with the dinner cruise) and headed to Musee d’ Orsay with its spectacular collections. We really enjoyed it and spent quite a long time exploring here. I think we were exhausted from all the walking we had done in Paris, so after a nice dinner out we headed back to the room and called it a night early in order to get up and catch our early flight out on Wednesday.

In between the walking and museums, we ate quite a bit of cheese, and had some wonderful wines. We worked on our French a little bit. We really enjoyed our time in Paris, and would like to come back and see and do more.

Tower view from our room

Monet

Notre Dame

Orsay

As I mentioned in Left-driving, Saturday was a fantastic day so I really enjoyed being out on the road. We thought about taking in Waterford or some of the other historical sites on our way to Cork, but decided to just head straight there in order to explore that city. Along the way, a section of the road reminded me of the 80’s video game Out Run where you drive a Ferrari on road racing course. This was a narrow section of road enclosed by hedges on either side. Really had fun. Might have been thinking video game, and driving the miniToyota a little hard for my left driving skill level, but no scratches. I then remembered that when you wreck in that section of the video game, your car rolls over in fields of sheep, so I slowed down. That seemed possible.

We are really glad we drove straight to Cork, as we really enjoyed walking around in Cork. Upon arriving and settling in we walked down to the Market in the city center. This is where the farmers and butchers bring their wares to sell, and you can find any kind of meat, fish, bird, fresh fruits and vegetables. There is a wine shop inside. It would be a dream to have a place like that to pick your organic, locally grown meats and vegetables, pick up a bottle of wine and head home to prepare a meal.

It is also a very photogenic city as you can see below.

The Fernroyd House was also a fine place to stay. One half of the operation was out of town, and we were left with Tony, the man of the house. He seemed a bit nervous about keeping us happy and more nervous about the breakfast duties, but he did a fantastic job. This was our only Full Irish Breakfast in Ireland, and it was delicious. Still not exactly sure what the black pudding and white pudding were, but the black was tastier by far.

Downtown Cork

Cork Market

Cork Fish

We arrived in Kilkenny around 4:30 on Thursday and checked in. Our hosts at the Butler Court-Yvonne and John  as well as Frisky were wonderful, and recommended places for us to dine and pubs for later in the evening. After some walking around the city center, we both had Irish Stew by the fire at the Kyteler’s Inn, a pub established in 1324. We then headed to Andrew Ryan’s Pub for a traditional Irish music session that must have been the place to be on a Thursday night, because it was packed. Arriving a few minutes before the music started we had front row seats.  The music was amazing, and we had a great time.  Dad would have really enjoyed the banjo. Meg wants me to learn to play the Uilleann Pipes

Friday we got a little bit of a slow start, but hit the historic must-see sights of Kilkenny including the impressive Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice’s Cathedral-begun in 1202 and the round tower built in 849(unfortunately closed for restoration, so we were not able to climb it), the Black Abbey founded in 1225 and Rothe House the house of John Rothe, a local merchant built between 1594-1610. We wandered the streets of this quaint town a little bit more, took in the Kilkenny Design Center and then headed to Ristorante Rinuccini, apparently THE  place to eat in town.

We did not realize until after dinner that three of the places travel show host/writer Rick Steves mentions in Kilkenny are Kyteler’s Inn, Rinuccini’s and the Butler Court, but it is understandable. They are all special places that I would recommend to anyone coming to this part of the world.

St. Canices Cathedral

Meg and our host

Downtown Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle

On a trip like this I go from one anxiety that I have created and magnified to another. This really doesn’t dampen the enjoyment of the other experiences, it is just the way it is. So as we stand at the Hertz counter in the middle of Dublin (bad traffic previously mentioned), my stomach is churning. But, it is driving after all, it can’t be that bad.

I’ve heard about the narrow roads, potholes, and how sometimes the Irish like to pass, going 3-wide where there is only safely room for 1.

Still, it is driving a car and it can’t be that bad…

So I ease myself into the drivers seat and out into the road on a rainy Irish morning and , oh my, I am driving on the right-hand side of a tiny car, on the left-hand side of the road. THIS IS INSANE!!!!

The car is a Toyota Avensis. It is about 16 upgrade levels from the tiny standard car that makes a golf cart look like a luxury ride, but still roughly half the size of my Accord.

This Avensis must be reserved for American renters. There were 27 dings on the pre-inspection paperwork and the left side-view mirror was hanging out by its wiring (Kent Spillman has been here!)

We also thought it was a good idea to get the Neverlost navigation system, since we did not know exactly hot to get out of Dublin, or on to Kilkenny.

The first time the Neverlost voice said “In 800 meteres take the 2nd exit of the roundabout”, my stomach tightened, and palms grew sweaty. Yield to the right and go. My turn. Look right, don’t hesitate and get run over…2nd exit. Done!

We survived and realized that the 2nd exit means to go straight on the road you are on. The next time the voice said “Take the 2nd exit of the roundabout” I sad “Go straight, I can do that”

And so my confidence grew. These roads are not as bad as advertised. You get used to hugging the center line, since you don’t really know where the left side of the car is.

When we arrived in Kilkenny, our hostess Yvonne was kind enought to parallel park us for our stay at Butler Court.

Yesterday we drove from Kilkenny to Cork under mostly gorgeous sunny skies and had a great day.

And so this morning we returned the car to the Cork airport without scratch, scrape or ding number 28!

After an uneventful flight to Dublin, we checked into the Conrad on St. Steven’s Green. Even on the bus ride from the airport (8 miles in 45 minutes) it becomes apparent that Dublin is a very large and fast paced city with the traffic you would expect to accompany such a city. This proved problematic for us as we only had one night to see it all. I saw a sign on the side of a city bus that read “You can walk there faster” and for the most part that is true. We did get on a tour bus to see some of the sights including St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and to get to the Guinness Storehouse which is a little ways away from most other sites near the hotel. The brewery tour is well done. Even though the best part is the ending, we paused to have lunch in on of the restaurants that looks out over the city and serves Guinness bread that is delicious. Then it was on to the end of the tour-The pint of Guinness in the Gravity Bar at the top of the storehouse where you have a near 360 degree view of Dublin.

Since Aaron was feeling a little under the weather, we decided to call it an early night with dinner at the hotel pub. Unfortunate since it was the 14^th and St. Valentine’s bones lie just a few blocks from where we were staying.

We woke up the next morning and headed out to Trinity College to look at the Book of Kells in the library at Trinity College. As we left Trinity in the rain, we turned around and saw a rainbow over campus (picture attached). We went to the Hertz rent a car to search for the pot of gold.

Evening in Dublin

Guinness overlooking Dublin

Trinity College

 Here are a few more Scotland pictures.  We have now taken way too many to post so for now you only get a sample!

Queens View

Loch Tay

Highland waterfall

Hike to Castle Campbell

Holyrood Abbey ruins

Edinburgh at dusk

Monday in Edinburgh—Haggis part II

Monday morning started at the Edinburgh Literary Museum celebrating the life and works of celebrated author/poets Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. They haven’t added the J.K. Rowling wing yet, but they are proud of her.

The museum was alright. I don’t think anyone should put it on your ‘must see’ list, unless you feel the need to see a lock of Robbie Burns hair or a china cup that was reported to belong to one of Scotts neighbors, and that there is a chance he may have used.

After the museum we jumped on one of the touristy hop on hop off buses that take you to the major sites and have a live guide giving a tour the whole way. After 2 days in town this gave us a chance to see what we had missed. We ended up hopping off at HolyroodHouse and touring it and the ruins of Holyrood Abbey. The palace is where the royal family comes on vacation for a few weeks in July. It is beautiful and very richly decorated as you might imagine. The ruins of the Abbey were a high point of the touring today. It is powerful to stand amongst the history there. (The Royal family must have felt this way, too since the palace is attached to the Abbey ruins)

At this point, we hopped back on the bus and finished the tour which ended just off Princes Street in New Town. Princes Street and the surrounding areas are the shopping district here (other than the tourist trap shopping near the castle), and we spent a couple of hours walking there and exploring the surrounding area.

Two pub stops and it was off to a fabulous dinner at Howie’s, Modern Scottish Cuisine, where Aaron had haggis spring rolls and lamb in a rosemary reduction and Meg had crayfish salad for starters and then for the main dish salmon fish and chips. This place was fantastic.

Tuesday in the Highlands

Highland Whisky, Waterfalls and Woodlands Tour.

Check the tour description since there is just too much to write about. That is close to what we did. Off the tour path we hiked to Castle Campbell near Dollar. Pictures will be better than words to describe the varying terrain and places of interest we saw today, and we took a LOT of pictures.

Our kilted bus driver provided many interesting facts and stories along with probably 50 songs somehow relevant to every place we passed.

One last note, we were told that there is 1.5 sheep for every man, woman and child living in Scotland, and I am pretty sure we saw most of them today. Also saw a few Highland Cattle- Aaron’s personal favorite.

We saw some awe inspiring scenery and it was a nice change to get outside the city and see what else Scotland has to offer. Tomorrow we are off to Dublin after Aaron gets in one last serving of haggis, oh and Meg has one more dram of whisky!

After a 3 hour delay in leaving Charlotte, and a small delay in London we finally made it to Edinburgh. Upon arrival we learned there was a big rugby match in town on Saturday. Kick off??? was taking place just as our shuttle bus brought us into town. Scotland vs. Wales. This is a BIG deal here! Scotland dominated the Welsh team 21-9, but that didn’t dampen the visiting fans spirits. They could be heard singing right outside our hotel window until about 5 AM Sunday.  Apparently the Welsh LOVE to sing.

Saturday night we went out to a pub called Greyfriar Bobbys for dinner and our first taste of Scottish spirits. After dinner we tried to head back to the Hotel to call it an early evening. We got lost along the way and walked an extra few miles in the cold rain. Now we know our way around pretty well, and the Edinburgh Castle is spectacular at night. The evening ended at the hotel bar with a couple of single malts.

Sunday we walked the Royal Mile. After learning about weaving and kilt-making we toured the castle and saw the crown jewels of Scotland. Walked down the street to St. Giles Cathedral (John Knox’s church) and wandered around inside for quite a while. This is a beautiful church with a very interesting history including being the birthplace of the Presbyterian church. John Knox is buried in the parking lot in space number 23. We didn’t get a good look at the marker because there was a van parked on top of him.

We made a loop around the city and saw the National Gallery of Scotland, including a special exhibition of works by Goya. After a quick pint, we went back to St. Giles for their weekly series of special music. Last nights performer was soprano Rebecca Ramsey. It was definitely a highlight to hear an amazing voice with piano and organ accompaniment in such a large cathedral.

In honor of the MacInnes/MacGregor (Megs people) we had dinner at The Royal MacGregor, which included haggis fritters. Delicious little buggers! Then we headed out on the town to White Hart pub to enjoy some live music. I went to the bar to order drinks, and by the time I got to our table Meg had made friends with a group of Welshmen (from Carmarthen), a few Irishmen and a Scotsman or two. We drank and sang the night away with our new friends. We now have offers of golf lessons in the London area, recommendations on where to go in Dublin, and an offer of a place to stay when we are in Cork later this week and we hardly paid for any of the drinks!

The song that got the crowd going the most turned out to be “Country Roads” by John Denver. I had no idea he was so big over here, but they all knew the words better than the only 2 Americans in the pub! During the musicians break we also broke into “American Pie” by Don McLean, which they also knew better than we did.

We are now off to explore some more. Our 2 day tour was cancelled, so this is another day to explore Edinburgh. Tomorrow we have booked a one day Whisky tour.

Until next time…

Edinburgh Castle as seen from our hotel room

Meg at the castle

St Giles Interior

Standing Guard