Anyway, just backtracking a few hours....we started our long drive from Aberdeen to Holyhead (about 8hrs in total) last night (Thurs) at 6pm. The kids were very excited to be sleeping in the car again and got themselves sorted out fairly quickly.
It was dark by about 7pm so the rest of our drive provided nothing to look at except the glaring headlights of oncoming trucks, cars and vans and flashing, warning lights advising road works ahead (presumably the work was all underground as Mase said he saw very few people actually working).
Matt just piped up to say that there are lots of speed cameras along the motorways and he and Sam were always warning Mase they were approaching one. One thing that's quite nifty is the speed signs as you enter small towns on the motorway - they give you warning to reduce speed and then as you approach flash your speed in bright lights - definitely ensures you slow down!
Mase stopped driving around midnight - we'd crossed the border into England and we had a few hours sleep in a hotel room...We were up and on the road before 7am...groan from me
We passed through the green, mountainous country of Wales - saw a large castle on the side of a hill - but didn't get the camera out in time. Took lots of photos of scenery as we passed through. We had our first introduction to signs in Welsh - it seems to work 2 letters in Welsh to one in English!!
We arrived in Holyhead about 10am and went for a bit of a drive around the city - narrow, windy streets, houses all double storey and built close to the road...We went for a walk up the side of a mountain (but only part way as we had to be at the ferry by 11am). The whole pathway was lined with blackberries which we enjoyed eating as we went - some very sweet - some very tart. Sam was good at collecting the plumpest berries and I was the usual recipient - delicious.
On the ferry we saw our first Irishmen with 'coke' - which Mase informed me was actually Guinness - so I'm getting an education in many new things!
Well I'm resuming this blog on Tuesday, 29 September and we're on the ferry returning from Ireland (Eire) to Holyhead, Wales. It's been a busy time, packed with activity and loads of information to take in and digest...
Our trip after leaving the ferry and driving into Dublin to find our hotel was frustrating and lengthy. Just about all their mainroads are undergoing major roadworks - resulting in road closures, part road closures and slow traffic. Our SatNav didn't seem to know about all the new roads and certainly not the roadworks and we circled almost the entire city before trying to venture across the middle of the city - which was a nightmare of turns and holdups! However this meant we 'saw' Dublin city (probably not in the best light - but enough to know we didn't need to see anymore).
Finally we arrived at our hotel in Bray which is about 20km south of Dublin. The kids were eager to try out the pool and so we went down to the reception area to be informed that you had to have a swimming cap - the children were horrified - but nevertheless we purchased a cap (3 euros/cap) for each of them (I had my own). Mase used the steam room and spa while we all swam for a while.
Then we wandered down to the 'beach' (10 min walk from hotel) - we took heaps of photos there. It was beautiful in a different way to Perth's beaches.
The sea was a lovely blue, the beach was just smooth stones (like river stones so I guess these were sea stones) - quite a different feel to sand but at least you don't have sand thru everything after a day at the beach - definitely a bonus - but sunbaking would not be quite so easy. The coastline to the south of us was interrupted by a large hill with steep cliff edges - again we took quite a few photos with this in the background. The next afternoon we managed to squeeze in a quick detour to one of the vantage points on the hill but didn't have time to actually walk to the top.
We had a 'pub' dinner - which is relatively homemade in style and quite reasonably priced for a family. Mase tried Guinness - I watched as he took his first sip and I got the feeling he was surprised. Anyway I decided to have a sip and it was absolutely disgusting - a mixture of what I imagine nicotine and water mixed together would taste like. Mase killed himself laughing at my horrified reaction and so did the children. I can't believe that people actually enjoy drinking such revolting stuff. Anyway I told him he was crazy to drink the rest if he didn't like it but ... men....they have to do the macho thing and finish the hard stuff!
Saturday we ventured back into Dublin to the tourist office (totally missing the sign right outside our hotel that pointed across the road to the local tourist office)....we basically wasted our entire Sat morning in traffic but did see the Dublin Castle and Gardens -not something I'd say anyone should feel obliged to visit but at least we did something in the morning. The name Dublin is made up of two words Dubh Linn meaning 'dark pool'. I'm not quite sure what significance there is to the meaning.
In the afternoon we went on a self drive tour thru the Wicklow area - this incorporated some mountains, Powerscourt Gardens, Glendalough and an introduction to the narrow, windy, blackberry-lined country roads of Ireland (I'll explain more about this later).
At this point I confess to being stumped about what we began our drive with...so much has happened over the last few days that I can't remember which is which. I don't have the photos handy to refer back to...so I'll go on my memory.
To get to the various locations we had to take main roads (but they're not like our main roads). These are one and three quarter car wide l
anes on windy, narrow roads lined with berries/shrubs etc and often blind corners. The speed limit was 100km. Mase had a wonderful time - he loved the technical challenge and wound his way in and out much to the children's delight. However I have to say that my heart was in my mouth many times and I'd be pleading with him to slow down. Intellectually I knew he was driving well and that he was comfortable that he was driving safely but being in the front beside him and not being in control myself was really horrible. I mean I get a bit worried in Perth sometimes but here it was one hundred times worse (at this point I need to reassure you that Mase was not doing 100km/hr and that he wasn't being crazy on the roads - so don't panic Mums!!!). The kids of course egged Mase on and got huge satisfaction from my terror. Needless to say Mase got us safely to each destination (by God's grace). I think these roads have been the cause of the first grey hairs I've discovered on my head! I've pulled them out for the moment and will re-examine my head after every hair raising adventure :)
We drove thru the Powerscourt Gardens - including some greenhouse gardens - which we couldn't see from the car and we decided not to pay to view. However the drive through the property wa
s worth it - again lots of photography at this point - nice view of mountains and green forests.
Next we went to the Powerscourt Waterfall (different location) - it costs to view their waterfalls (at least this one) and it provoked lots of discussion with the children about why and who got the money etc.. anyway, it was really worth it. The entry was thru a tree lined drive in the valley of two large mountains and as we approached you couldn't help be impressed with the lush greenery (I know I said that about Wales but this was even moreso) which is a testament to the fact that Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle of (UK or Europe or world? - I can't remember and Mase is sl
eeping now before he drives the next 8 hour stint back to Aberdeen - so I can't ask him).
In all of this you can't help but think of the beauty of creation - the genius of our God in designing such diversity of beauty and I feel very privileged to be able to see some of His work. We walked to the waterfall and jumped around on the rocks beneath and took plenty of photos, drank the water and then decided to explore the mountain on our own.... With the kids leading the way we followed a gravel track, then a bracken/bush track, then an even less marked track - the children had great fun deciding which way to go and we had a lovely time all by ourselves in the 'forest'. Finally the track we were on led into really muddy ground (the water was literally dripping down the side of the mountain onto our track and made it impassable for us in our light sneakers). We decided to turn back and went a slightly different way which in the last 20m before arriving at the waterfall site took us thru a very muddy watery section where Jo and I got soaked thru to our socks in muddy water - very unpleasant feel
ing. We washed off and cleaned up at the river and then headed back to the carpark.
We tried out the fantastic kids playground at the spot - there was one for toddlers to 6yrs and one for 6-14yr olds. They had some great equipment - the best of which was a spinner which really tested our strength and balance. Before Mase realised how it worked he gave the kids an enormous spin on it- they were struggling to hang on and both Sam/Matt got off pretty quickly. However Jo loved it and she and Mase then had go on their own - which was when Mase discovered how the thing worked. Basically the centrifugal force increased according to body weight/size. Anyway, Jo eventually went off to other equipment and Mase had a go on his own...finally (for the first time in my life) I had Mason begging for mercy - not quite on his knees but close enough! We were in fits of laughter. Mase had a few turns and ended up with bruises from holding on. Just for the record - I did have a couple of turns but felt too nauseous after it (and dizzy).
Anyway we left this beautiful waterfall and drove on to Glendalough (Glenn da loch) - to the Heritage Centre which we didn't enter but just went on one of the many walk trails that leave from that location. We took a 45 minute walk thru the forest on a pathway which took us past a small chapel built in (can't remember how long ago - hundreds of yrs earlier - but it's among the photos) with a cemetery and tower. Continuing on from the lower lake to the upper lake in the area where again we took some lovely photos of the scene - lake in foreground with green forest in background with small wh
ite house in distance - stunning! Children had fun skimming rocks and playing by the water.
Then we started the drive back to Bray (ending up with a quick stop at the mountain with the clifflined coast near our hotel on the beach front. It was a lovely vantage point to view the town of Bray and coastline.
That takes us to Sunday morning - time to pack up and leave the hotel. We left about 10am and again our satnav failed to lead us to the Dublin Ecclesial Flat and so Mase (just as well he's got a good nose) finally got us there. We were met by a UK couple - John and Christine Busford (retired) who, along with many others visit the Dublin Ecclesia for fortnightly, monthly or longer visits, to provide support to the three sisters who live there. Mary & Therese and another sister named Tatiana (we didn't meet her). There's also a sister just over the Northern Ireland border but she has not been able to make meetings at this stage - it would be a big drive for her.
They were a lovely couple and we enjoyed chatting with them before the other sisters arrived. Only two were able to make it that day - Therese and Mary (they are blood sisters as well as sisters in Christ). Mase had been asked to exhort and he spoke about faith - what it is, why we need it and how to grow it. It was a very cosy meeting with just the six of us (the children sat quietly behind our sofa in the only available space left) in the loungeroom. We sang hymns (sitting down) and with only 5 voices it was a little difficult when some of the notes were high d and e - after a few verses I decided to sing alto or nothing at all at those
notes! Despite our singing the fellowship with the bre and sisters was very encouraging.
After the memorial we had a really interesting discussion about Ireland and it's involvement in the EU etc. Just to give some background to this - upon entering Dublin we couldn't help noticing the political/party posters that hang on every street post, every traffic signal and every bridge - campaigning for the Irish people to vote yes and others to vote no in the upcoming (2 Oct) vote on whether Ireland should ratify the EU Lisbon Treaty. It is obviously provoking huge discussion in Ireland.
The sisters who live in Dublin were able to fill us in with why it was so important a vote. Basically Ireland is the only country which hasn't voted in favour of the treaty. They have noted once already but the vote came up with a no vote. So this is the second vote they are taking (as the EU won't take no for an answer as they need all nations in favour of the treaty) - now that's democracy for you isn't it?
We got onto the countries that make up the EU and the strength of the Catholic religion in those countries and the possible impact that could have on future EU decisions. Very interesting..
I also learnt a little more geography - Northern Ireland is still part of the UK, but Ireland (south part) is an independent Republic. Northern Ireland as part of the UK still uses pounds and miles, whereas Ireland uses euros and kilometres...
Anyway Mary and Therese weren't staying at the Dublin Mission Flat for lunch so they left and that meant it was only John, Christine and our family for the afternoon.
We had a really nice afternoon - John and Christine were like doting grandparents on the children and they were hugely spoilt in true grandparent fashion....Jo was particularly pleased when Christine said she would ignore what I said and give the kids extra icecream and third helpings of dessert. As we left Jo told me she'd like them to be her parents because they were so nice - way to her heart is thru her stomach that's obvious!
We left about 3pm and began our drive to Galway (directly west across the country) - taking 3hrs if you take the right roads, which we didn't and took a bit longer. The inland of Ireland is very green, has bogs and very flat.
Arrived in Galway about 7pm. Monday morning Mase had a meeting (which was the reason for our visit to Ireland), so the children and I walked to the city centre (about 45min walk) and found the tourist bureau and looked up what we could do for the afternoon. As we walked along the road we saw Cameron's Post Office and took a photo just for the record. We also found the Galway Museum was nearby and walked there but found it was shut for the day to complete 'essential maintenance' - bit disappointing as the info we'd found about it recommended it as a great spot for the children to visit. So we walked back to the hotel and the kids swam while we wa
ited for Mase to return.
In the afternoon we drove along the shores of Galway Bay. Quite different scenery to Wicklow area near Bray, Dublin. Here it was rugged mountains, rocky coastline and green pastures. The kids were desperate to climb a mountain - they knew it would only take about 10 minutes!! So we stopped along a safer section of the narrow coast road and hopped out into the strong, cold wind.
We climbed down the hill as close as we could to the Bay and took photos of the hill we we
re to climb (314m high). It was rocky and barren as most of the mountains were in the area.
Then we began our climb - Sam up in front and very eager. This photo is the start of our climb. When we reached what looks like the top in this photo we discovered there was another section to climb, and another. 10 mins into our climb Matt said his legs were too tired and like jelly and could we stop, Jo was finding it tough too...but we continued on and 15 mins later arrived at one of the smaller peaks of the hill (Mase reckons about 200m+ up) and stopped. Sam was first to the top and was having a wonderful time looking around at the view of the Bay and exploring the rocks and walls. At various vantage points along the way people have built cairns (a pile of rocks). It's a symbol of your achievement in climbing that high.
The other interesting thing is that along the mountain ranges there were walls made from the top of the mountain to the bottom marking people's property (see photo of Mase with kids). The walls are made with the rocks that abound in the area and are piled on top of each other without cement yet are very strong and have obviously survived for many, many years. The effort and time taken to build these boundaries is hard to imagine but someone sometime must have done it. (This type of wall is also common in Scotland). Below is the view from the peak we reached across Galway Bay towards the ocean.
The other exciting thing we did on Monday was book into a Medieval Banquet at Donguaire Castle in Kinvara (about 20kms out of Galway). We had really wanted to go to a Traditional Irish Entertainment Evening - with dancing, singing and opportunity to join in but it wasn't available that night...so we went with the medieval banquet. Below is Donguaire Castle.
The Banquet began at 5.30pm - we arrived and joined about 30 other people (most from US - the couple we found ourselves beside were from Australia).
We entered the castle and were met by a lady dressed in medieval style dress who handed us each a stone goblet of meade (a traditional wine, produced from an ancient Irish recipe of pure honey, fruit of the vine and natural herbs). The children were given a very sweet fruity cordial. This was to toast the Lord of the Castle for his generosity. I was a bit nervous about drinking the meade as I hadn't eaten anything except an apple since breakfast....but Mase assured me I'd be fine :) so I trusted him.
In this entry hall where we drank the meade they had a harpist playing (also in medieval dress) traditional Irish songs and songs about the local area of Kinvara.
The Butler then directed us to the banquet hall - long wooden tables in a candlelit room which couldn't have seated more than the 30 people present. The castle has been restored to it's former condition (originally built in 1500 something).
The meal was served on stone crockery typical of the times. First course was smoked salmon and salad. During this course the harpist and Lady of the castle requested the children (no others were there) to sing a song...they were too scared initially but at her suggestion they ended up singing twinkle twinkle little star with her accompanying them. With all of a mother's bias I was proud of them for actually doing it but must admit that the boys don't have particularly tuneful voices. Anyway the audience comprised mainly of grandparent aged people all applauded and cheered at the end.
During the banquet we were entertained with poems and songs relating to the history of the Kinvara district. The children would have found this rather boring after a while but they also acted out some of the songs and poems as they went.
The male singer (who had just finished a music degree) also performed the butler's duties and steward and waiter duties. The lady of the castle was the second singer, who also waited on us all. So apart from the kitchen staff, there were three people hosting the evening and entertaining us all and they did a great job.
Second course was potato and leek soup served in bowls and to the kids delight - no spoons - so they had to drink from the bowl. Funnily enough Matt still tried to eat the soup with his fork and I thought he'd take full advantage of the opportunity. The soup was delicious. Also served with this was soda bread - a heavy, brown bread - which I liked.
Next was chicken with mushroom sauce, potatoes and vegies - simple but traditional fare of medieval times.
Over the main course the 'butler' explained the tradition of the claddaugh ring - a ring with a heart in the centre, held by two hands either side topped with a crown. This ring was traditionally handed from mother to daughter and was often used for betrothal. However there is an important thing to note - the heart should face towards the wearer's heart if they are 'spoken for' (betrothed) and if they are 'fancy free' it should face outwards.
At each banquet the hosts choose someone to present the ring to as a reminder of the tradition and I was chosen to receive it because I was the mother of the children who sang so beautifully!! The ring is too small for me so in keeping with the claddaugh ring traditions mother has passed it on to daughter...
Dessert was apple pie and cream and then we were invited to remove to the lower entrance hall for tea/coffee.. At this point we decided to head back to Galway as it was getting late.
On Tuesday morning we were up early and began the 3hr drive back to Dublin to catch the ferry.
We stopped at an old town about 1/2 hr drive from Galway called Athenry - it has the most well preserved medieval buildings in the area dating back too many years to remember! You can still see the castle, church, castle gate and much of the outer castle walls. There is a Heritage Centre there which we wanted to visit as the children would be able to dress up in medieval clothing, try archery, watch a film about the times etc and see some of the armour used...but we arrived at 9am and it didn't open until 10am, so we waited until then. The gates opened at 9.50am and we went in only to be told that actually they weren't opening until 11am due to lack of volunteers - we couldn't wait that long, so we headed on our way to Dublin. Here's a photo of the church.
Really that's all there is to tell except that Mase drove the 8hrs back to Aberdeen - on the strength of some chocolate, coke (ugh!) and coffee. Actually one thing more - at about 10.30pm that night as we were nearing Edinburgh we decided to take a 'short cut' to avoid Glasgow - well the road was narrow, windy and not great surface, there was rain, fog and signs saying sheep might be crossing! Mase admitted that was the most difficult driving he's ever done and thank God we are safely home to tell the story. At times we could hardly see more than 5 metres in front of us. However this section of the drive was only for about 1/2 hr before we returned to the motorway, arriving home about 12.30pm.
Kids all slept well and now we're back into the routine of schoolwork (with short breaks to load the washing machine and dryer).
No matter what I've written, words can't describe the experiences we've had and the beauty of the country we've seen...hope you get some idea of what we did.
Love all of us
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