London and Ireland 2016

We arrived to spend a week in London, staying in a studio near the heart of it all in Knightsbridge. It was a great neighborhood to stay in and right near Harrods, which we included in several of our daily walkabouts.


One of our favorite stops in London is the British Museum. We visit here nearly every time we come to London. No matter how many times you've been here, you will always find something new. It is said its collection of historical events, places and figures span over 2 million years.

The well lit ceiling in its entry hall is like a piece of art in itself. And, in the entry hall, this statue of a horse and rider stands guard. It is in remarkable condition, and it seems to tower above the visitors of the museum.











We also dropped by Buckingham Palace. Alas, the gold trimmed gates with the royal coat of arms were closed when we visited so we were unable to have high tea with the Queen. Nonetheless, well worth a visit when we're in the area, to walk around the well maintained grounds and see how the other half live.







This time around, we also toured the Imperial War Museum for the first time since we visited here on our first trip to London with our boys many years ago. Rich in history with details on the holocaust, D-Day and the Battle of Britain, you are greeted at its entrance by several war airplanes. Aircraft revolutionized warfare in the 20th century. You can trace their humble beginnings from World War 1 and, after a visit, have a better overall understanding of the history of modern war and wartime experiences.



After a week in London, we headed to Ireland by way of a 3-1/2 hour train ride followed by a 4 hour ferry ride.

Ireland is a country more laid back than the hustle and bustle of London. Home to successive groups of settlers including the Celts, the Vikings, and the Normans, during our visit we would learn about its sometimes testy relationship with England.





When we arrived in Dublin we took a tour of the city. The city is filled with pubs where locals enjoy their pints of Guinness. We visited Trinity College which houses the Book of Kells.

From the 6th century, these four gospels, written in Latin, were thought to be for ceremonial use. Their colorful images leave quite an impression. Although we weren't able to take a picture of the Book of, we were able to take a picture of the Library where they are housed. About 200 feet long, the Library was built in the 1700s and houses 200,000 books which are organized by size, with the smallest ones on the top shelf. The library has many early publications including the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic.




From Dublin we headed to Waterford. Although we didn’t tour the iconic Waterford factory, known for making crystal for over 200 years, we did visit their showroom and marveled at their displays. The triangular shaped Celtic harp was one of the items gleaming in their show room. We didn't see a price tag, but expect it would be several thousand euros.

















Glass making today has become a bit of a lost art -- except in Waterford where there were a couple of different glass shops we visited including one that was started by former workers at Waterford. We had a good visit at this rival shop which also seemed to be doing very well for itself. Despite being near closing time, the shopkeeper was friendly and gave us a brief informal tour of his shop.







Waterford is Ireland's oldest city, founded by the Vikings in the 9th century. Taken over by the Norman invaders of the 12th century, the walls of this city have seen sieges, invasions, famine and economic highs and lows. Protected on three sides by water, only its west side required fortification. You can see the remains of the walled city still exist.







From Waterford we toured the Rock of Cashel. Much of the Church, thought to have been built in the late 12th century, is now in ruins. Visible for miles around, the Rock of Cashel, including its graveyard with the classic Celtic high crosses, provide a great view of the surrounding countryside.










We had a fleeting stop in Cork which is home to St. Fin Barre's Cathedral. A monastery was founded on this site by St. Fin Barre, the patron saint of Cork. Dating from the 7th century, the Cathedral has remained a site of worship for over fourteen centuries. We arrived near closing time for a fleeting tour of the stained glass windows, the oldest organ in Ireland and walked across the elaborate mosaic floor tiles. While the inside of the Cathedral is remarkable, the outside of this structure may be even more interesting as this gothic Cathedral has the unique distinction of having three spires.










Before leaving Cork, we toured its historic English Market. Markets were popular in many of the towns we visited in Ireland and are typical of the lifestyle of locals to shop here. The English Market has been on this site since the late 1700s. Despite widespread poverty in the 1850s, it was able to remain open throughout the country's famine. We had a snack here while we browsed the stalls filled with cheeses, produce, meats, baking and this selection of olives that seemed to go on for miles.








The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive along the southwest part of the country. The rugged coastline and scenic seaside villages were a good introduction of what we’d see during our visit to Ireland. This popular circuit includes scenic countryside, sandy beaches and islands dotting its coastline.










We visited the Loughcrew Passage Tombs. Situated on hilltops these tombs, dating back to 3000 BC, are shrouded in mystery. Although called tombs, they are territorial markers whose orientation towards the sun reinforce their ritualistic nature. The quirky thing about our visit to these burial mounds is that visitors are trusted with the key and can actually enter these passage tombs to see the symbolic carvings up close.






Ireland is known to have lots of gold. One of the most popular is known as the Broighter Hoard from the Iron Age of the 1st century BC. Besides the gold collars, bracelets and bowls we saw in the National Museum of Ireland, we saw this model boat complete with benches, oars and a paddle rudder. This particular collection of gold is considered one of the finest examples of Irish gold working.






At the monastic site of Monasterboice we saw Celtic high crosses from the 10th century. Little is known about the monastery. And, while history records the Vikings' occupation, few records remain to explain their presence. The imposing high crosses, approximately 23 feet in height, are decorated with panels from the old and new testaments including scenes from the lives of Moses, and the death and resurrection of Christ. These carvings helped teach scriptures to the locals who could not read. These high crosses are the best surviving examples of medieval Irish stonework and are proposed to become a UNESCO world heritage site.





The Cliffs of Moher rise hundreds of feet above the Atlantic Ocean. We were able to walk along the cliffs to take in some spectacular views. From our vantage point we could see how this landscape was shaped from the powerful forces of nature. We also saw puffin birds and learned large colonies of these birds call this home.





An unplanned detour on our trip was a drive along the coastline of the Dingle peninsula. While the town of Dingle itself is charming, the drive along the coastline is a local known secret shared with us by the innkeeper at our hotel. We learned that Star War movies have used this location for filming. We were able to roam around the area for a couple of hours and every vantage point was stunning.









En route to Giant’s Causeway we drove through what is referred to as the Dark Hedges. Part of the Preservation Trust, when the home was built at the end of this roadway in the 1700s, the family planted these beech trees along the entrance to the estate. This tranquil and spellbinding tunnel, with the intertwining trees, is enchanting.





One of our most entertaining stops in Ireland was walking along the rocks that make up the Giant’s Causeway. This massive area of interlocking rocks and columns, the result of a volcanic eruption, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the top natural wonders in the United Kingdom. The columns soar to 40 feet height in hexagonal shapes that stack together like interlocking lego blocks.







We then toured Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Known as the centre of Irish linen, tobacco processing, rope-making and shipbuilding industries it is in Belfast that the Titanic was built in the early 20th century. We toured the Titanic Museum which celebrates the engineering and innovation of the building of the Titanic.
As a visitor you experience first hand the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the Titanic as well as the City and people who built it. In May 1911, after two years of construction, the Titanic confidently set out from the Belfast docks on its maiden voyage. The museum tells the story of the building of the ship that put Belfast on the map and remembers those whose lives were lost in the tragedy.













Before winding up our trip to Ireland, we visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral. St. Patrick was built to honour Ireland's patron saint. Part of Ireland’s history for over 800 years, it is the largest Cathedral in the country. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels and Dean of this cathedral in the 1700s, is buried here.









We had intended to attend a service and then head off for a day of touring, however, we ended up spending a couple of hours taking in the sights of this grand Cathedral. We learned that the first performance of Handel's Messiah was performed here and we also learned that when the Cathedral was in need of repair, it was handed a lifeline when the Guinness family paid its restoration costs in the 1800s.






Ireland has a more relaxed pace than other places we have visited in Europe. Throughout our visit, every hillsides had herds of sheep and cattle grazing in lush pastures. Its rolling landscape takes visitors back in time. The Irish people are very friendly and gave us some great ideas on things we must see and do. All in all, a very enjoyable trip to the Emerald Isle!