With our good friends Pete and Ruth. Pete and Ruth recently moved back to Dublin from Seattle.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Monday, May 30, 2005
Surrounded By Guinness in Ireland
Our weekend started out with a good English fry up of eggs/bacon/black pudding(congealed pigs blood). Another walk into central Dublin, Temple Bar area and a trip to the Kilmainham Gaol. This jail has so many important ties to Irish history, including the most recent executions of 14 of the leaders of the revolution back in 1916. Others in the jail have since become important political figures and even prime minister. An interesting East Cell that was featured in some movies including "In the Name of the Father".
From the gaol, we walked over to possibly the most important landmark in Dublin - the Guinness Brewery. Deciding not to take the tour, but skip over it to the 7th floor Gravity Bar. A top floor room with a 360 deg panoramic view over the whole city. Needless to say, there were a couple of pints to be had here and it sure does taste better from the source!! Yummy!!!
Sunday we went hiking in the pretty Wicklow Mountains - just south of Dublin. We did about 2000 ft of ascent which, and as we are not in hiking shape, turned out to be rather difficult over interesting open terrain. Our ascent up to the summit of Lugduff was over peat bog interspersed with huge clumps of heather! Somewhat typical of the hiking terrain in Ireland, as well as parts of the British Isles for that matter!! At the start of the trail, there was some old ruins of Glendalough, a place first inhabited by a preist named Kevin in 700AD. He was a recluse but when word of his lifestyle spread, everyone wanted to join him in this scenic area of cliffs and two lakes. Sort of took away from his idea of being a hermit!! Nowadays, there are ruins of a monastery, house, round storage tower, and a cemetery with some very old celtic cross headstones.
Today we went to see the Book of Kells housed at Trinity College. It was written in 800 AD - the four Gospels from the Bible written in Latin decorated with wonderful elaborate illustrations and lettering by a few creative and artistic monks on an island in Scotland. The Book eventually ended up in Ireland when the monks fled from the Vikings years later. We withstood swarms of schoolkids and tourists to catch a glimpse of the "open page of the day". The book is still in fantastic shape. Other artifacts in the long library room included the oldest Irish Harp in existence. Symbolic again as it is the model for the Guinness symbol - oh yeah, it is also on the Irish coins!
We then we headed to Howth, a small fishing village on the coast just north of Dublin. After dodging a couple of rainstorms with stops in a couple of pubs for.....what else, a Guinness, we finally made the hike around the cliffs and a good view of the lighthouse at the end. A trip to buy some salmon off the docks for Wednesday's dinner and home for a rest before an early trip to Galway tomorrow!
M + M
From the gaol, we walked over to possibly the most important landmark in Dublin - the Guinness Brewery. Deciding not to take the tour, but skip over it to the 7th floor Gravity Bar. A top floor room with a 360 deg panoramic view over the whole city. Needless to say, there were a couple of pints to be had here and it sure does taste better from the source!! Yummy!!!
Sunday we went hiking in the pretty Wicklow Mountains - just south of Dublin. We did about 2000 ft of ascent which, and as we are not in hiking shape, turned out to be rather difficult over interesting open terrain. Our ascent up to the summit of Lugduff was over peat bog interspersed with huge clumps of heather! Somewhat typical of the hiking terrain in Ireland, as well as parts of the British Isles for that matter!! At the start of the trail, there was some old ruins of Glendalough, a place first inhabited by a preist named Kevin in 700AD. He was a recluse but when word of his lifestyle spread, everyone wanted to join him in this scenic area of cliffs and two lakes. Sort of took away from his idea of being a hermit!! Nowadays, there are ruins of a monastery, house, round storage tower, and a cemetery with some very old celtic cross headstones.
Today we went to see the Book of Kells housed at Trinity College. It was written in 800 AD - the four Gospels from the Bible written in Latin decorated with wonderful elaborate illustrations and lettering by a few creative and artistic monks on an island in Scotland. The Book eventually ended up in Ireland when the monks fled from the Vikings years later. We withstood swarms of schoolkids and tourists to catch a glimpse of the "open page of the day". The book is still in fantastic shape. Other artifacts in the long library room included the oldest Irish Harp in existence. Symbolic again as it is the model for the Guinness symbol - oh yeah, it is also on the Irish coins!
We then we headed to Howth, a small fishing village on the coast just north of Dublin. After dodging a couple of rainstorms with stops in a couple of pubs for.....what else, a Guinness, we finally made the hike around the cliffs and a good view of the lighthouse at the end. A trip to buy some salmon off the docks for Wednesday's dinner and home for a rest before an early trip to Galway tomorrow!
M + M
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Martin arrives in Dublin, Ireland
After a 29 hour day from door (Vancouver) to door (Dublin), we arrived at our destination. Finally, after 3 months apart, Michelle met me at the Manchester airport and it was fantastic to see her. First thing you do when you are on holiday...... go for a Japanese Encephalitis injection at the travel clinic!! After a rushed lunch and a fast 31 minute flight, we were in Dublin and finally enjoyed some rest. First order of business.... then to the pub for a Guinness.
Staying with Michelle's good friends, Pete and Ruth, in a swanky area of town. Pete toured us around Trinity College, University of Dublin where he works as a lecturer. Next week, he will take us to see the Book Of Kells.
Staying with Michelle's good friends, Pete and Ruth, in a swanky area of town. Pete toured us around Trinity College, University of Dublin where he works as a lecturer. Next week, he will take us to see the Book Of Kells.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Lake Como, Italy
In late May, I flew to Lake Como in Northern Italy with my Mum, my sister Jaqueline and her friend Toni. Here we attempted to make some final plans for Jacqueline's wedding hopefully to take place in August.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Mush in England
After the first few weeks seeing family and local friends, time started to fly by and my days and weekends started booking up. I caught up with old friends scattered around the country. It was great to see everyone and catch up. My travels took me to Manchester to see old lab mates.
Mush in England
England was and is still the same - nice old pubs, indian curries, fish and chips, and green countryside. So, initially, I stayed with my sister, Jacqueline and her fiance, Mark, who kindly put me up (and put up with me) at their place - Denmark house in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire in Central England.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Mush in England
After leaving Portland with friends who drove me to Seattle, I made my way up to Vancouver BC and had a nice relaxing time with my old University friend, Nadia. I headed on to England from there, and initially it was quite a shock to be back - trying to make a life again, especially for a relatively short time.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Kelowna
Spending my final days in Kelowna getting insurances, vaccinations, doing banking changes, etc. All the fun stuff. Looking forward to getting on that plane on May 25th to Manchester!
Friday, May 20, 2005
Crater Lake, Oregon
Crater Lake.
Snow camping on Thanksgiving Weekend, Nov 2004. We snowshoed in and overnighted on the crater rim. Absolutely amazing, but a little chilly though.
Painted Hills in the John Day Fossil Beds - Oregon
Painted Hills.
Trip to John Day Fossil Beds in Central Oregon - Nov 2004. Camping with our good friend Bernie!
South Sister Climb - Oregon
On South Sister Peak.
July 4th weekend, 2004 we climbed to the peak of South Sister and experience quite a view. From Mt Rainier in Washington, to Mt Shasta in Califonia.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Stub on Sahara dunes
Sunrise in the Sahara Desert, Morocco! Notice the tree at the base for size reference!
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