Far & Away

At last, the Emerald Isle.  It is as green and as beautiful as I imagined. 

Ireland is Baaaatiful.

My first Irish experience was in Waterford.  I took a 4-hour ferry over from Wales and then a short bus trip to Waterford.  The bus ride included a sing-along to some famous Irish songs:  Danny Boy, It's a Long Way to Tipperary, and Molly Malone.  It was a fun experience.  If I had known I would hear Molly Malone 15 times in 2 days, my attitude towards Irish folk songs may have been a bit different.

Ferry from Wales to Ireland.  It had 9 levels and 4 pubs.

Waterford is famous for their crystal factory.  Crystal is different from glass in that a red lead powder is added.  The lead increases the brilliance and shine, and makes the product heavier which allows Master Carvers to etch designs into the crystal. 

I toured the factory and saw the Master Carvers blowing glass, polishing, cooling and finally etching the crystal by hand.  Watching them control their cuts on a rounded or oval surface is amazing to see.  All the Master Carvers study for 8 years, and they were all very helpful and stopped working to show us their technique and to answer our questions.

Glass blowing.

Using a mould to shape the glass.  All moulds are wooden and are hand carved on site.

Polishing.

Etching a wine glass using a diamond tip cutting stone.

Famous Waterford pattern in progress.  Black felt lines are guides for the carvers.

Some Master Carvers study for an additional 4 years to become Master Engravers.  The engraving work is beyond what I thought was possible.  One artist designed and completed a horse and carriage scene for the Royal Wedding.  The Waterford Crystal claim to fame includes Superbowl Trophies, Golf Trophies, and a special piece of work for Justin Timberlake.

Trophy for the Ryder Cup - Golf.

When I entered the factory, we saw the shop where the initial moulds are made.  A mould labeled "Justin Timberlake" caught my eye right away.  Someone will need to have extreme talent to carve Justin's "Chia Pet" hair into crystal, that's for sure!!

Hand-made wooden mould.

Admit it, as a kid you wanted one!

Admit it, there is a similarity!

At the end of the tour I was shown that the JustinTimberlake piece was a grand piano, not a replica of the Chia Hair.  I found it funny that I was extremely sad about not seeing  JT in crystal.

Justin Timberlake's piano.

 

Our next stop on our way to Dublin was Kilkenny.  It was here that I watched the Royal Wedding.  Kilkenny is a cute town with secret back lanes hiding behind their streets.  These lanes are filled with shops, pubs and cafes.  Kilkenny is quaint, delicate and relaxing.

Enjoying the Royal Wedding with a pint.

Kate is beautiful - love the dress.  Could the TV have been any smaller?!?

Following Kilkenny, I had the good fortune of visiting Kildare and the Irish National Stud.  This is where the best thoroughbred horses in the U.K. are bred.  It was an interesting tour, the guide talked about sex the entire time!

Caroline, our tour guide at the Irish National Stud where the Queen will visit in early May.

The grounds at the I.N.S. are immaculate, and there are huge paddocks and grazing lands for all the horses.  They keep cattle in the paddocks with the horses, which I thought was odd.  I was told that the cattle bring a calming effect to the high strung thoroughbreds.  The cattle also help to cut-down on horse related diseases.  Nature amazes me!

The main attraction at the I.N.S. is a horse named Invincible Spirit.  This horse won many races, and so have his offspring.  As a result, this horse allows the I.N.S. to charge $125,000 for Invincible Spirit to impregnate a mare.  Talk about a high performance horse!  He is insured for $96 Million.  He has a rough life and has to do the deed every 3 hours, 7 days a week.  In case you feel bad for Invincible Spirit, he does get a 4 week holiday in the winter.

Who you really need to feel bad for is Tommy The Teaser.   Tommy is the horse that has the ill fated job of warming up the mares.  Tommy is put in a paddock with a mare, and if she sticks around, bats her eyelashes, and shows signs of interest, Tommy's job is done.  Poor Tommy is cruelly yanked from the paddock and the high price stallion is brought in to complete the transaction.  Poor Tommy: destined for a life with jewels a delicate shade of blue. 

At least Tommy the Teaser gets a nice paddock.  I wonder if it has a cold shower?

Although it will be tough to top learning about Tommy the Teaser, Justin Timerlake's crystal piano, and a Royal Wedding, Dublin is my next stop and I am excited to explore all that Dublin has to offer.

Hot Tub Time Machine

In Bath, England there is a set of man-made stone pools (baths), fed by hot springs, that date back to the Roman times (40 A.D.)  These baths are where the Romans would enjoy the healing powers of the waters.  The water is green and very turbid and can reach up to 49 degrees C.  You can drink the water, if you can get over the rotten egg smell!

Ancient Roman Bath found 4 meters below ground.

Bath is a beautiful city with a lush, manicured park along the Avon river decorated with the Pulteney Bridge. 

River Avon in Bath, England.

Pulteney Bridge - it has shops built onto the bridge.

All the buildings in Bath are the same color and design.  There are rows and rows of sandstone houses in the valley and up the hills.  A section called "The Crescent" puts a slight curve on the view.  Photos don't do it justice - it looks like the perfect town.

Typical street in Bath.  Some of the row-houses are missing windows due to a window tax that was implemented.

The Crescent.

I also stopped in at Stonehenge on my way to Bath.  Stonehenge looks exactly like the photographs and I hate to admit it, but it was not a "wow" experience for me.  Our tour group had the discussion on if the stones were placed by man or aliens - since nobody knows for sure.  My vote is with the humans.

Stonehenge is not as big as you think.

"Hello...Aliens?"

We lunched in Salisbury, England at the Ox Row Inn.  I was looking forward to having a Salisbury Steak in Salisbury.  However, nobody in the area knew what I was talking about.  What!?!  No Salisbury Steak in Salisbury???  I settled for a tuna melt and a pint of Carling. 

Pub in Salisbury, England.  Alas...no steak...

Salisbury is known not for steak, but for a cathedral with the tallest spire in England.  It is a cute, quaint town.

The only steak I could find in Salisbury.

Notting Hill

I was pretty sure I lost my watch at the Bristol Train Station.  I went into the Lost Property office to see if anyone had turned it in.  Greg figured this was a waste of time, it is a 20 year old girly pink and green Timex ironman watch not worth much.  But it is my greatest travel buddy that wakes me up so I don't miss my tours, and allows me to countdown how much time remains in a flight.  So I persevered. 

As I walked into the  Lost Property office I could hear a watch alarm going off...and my heart started to beat faster.  I remember setting my alarm watch for 12:40pm on the train yesterday.  And it was...somewhere close to 12:40 (of course I didn't know what time it was since I didn't have my beloved watch).  The time was approximately correct, the beeps of the alarm sounded like my familiar beeps - it had to be.  I felt in my heart my worthless little watch was in that very office.  As I stood at the back of the line-up I yelled to everyone who could hear (much to their delight):  "Yesterday I lost my watch, and now I can hear it!!  I know it's here!!".  This was the start of my lucky day.   Can you believe they made me fill out 4 forms and PAY $3 to get my own watch back?

We hopped the train to London, on which I slept most of the way.  We arrived in the super busy London Paddington train station in the middle of the afternoon on a bank holiday (Easter Monday).  It was a zoo.  I didn't have a map, and figured we would be adventurous and take The Underground to find our hotel.  We asked the guy at the ticket window which subway takes us to Edgware St.  He said "Whoy don't yew just wahlk theya?". 

In a city as big as London, the road to  our hotel was conveniently a few blocks from the train station.  Lucky!  The trick was when we arrived at Edgware Street - in which direction do we walk to find our hotel?  Keep in mind we are wheeling our suitcases, sporting our backpacks down busy sidewalks without a map.  We walk around for one block only to turn around and look up - our hotel was right there!  Lucky Lucky!



Getting stabbed by St. George (& Dragon) by the hotel.  Not so lucky.

 London!  I can't believe I am here.  The first thing I did was walk through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace.  I saw the guards that don't laugh or smile or talk - BORING!  I wonder what they are like when they get home?  They are probably hyper, funny guys - kind of like a clean shaven, short hair, English version of Kramer. 

The famous balcony at Buckingham Palace.  This was the smallest croud we saw here.

At least this guy gets a gun.

 

I was on The Mall during all the prep for the Royal Wedding.  It was so special to watch the wedding and say "I was just there - in that very spot!"  Seeing the news coverage of the area and all the barricades, scaffolding and bleachers made visiting this week a unique experience.   

Beautiful flowers and press boxes outside Buckingham Palace.

Bleachers for those willing to brave the elements.

Any possible view of Westminster Abbey is being set-up for TV crews, like the corner of this building rooftop.

We saw Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street (famous shopping district).  One of the neatest stores was the National Geographic store.  They sell clothing, books, posters, maps, trekking gear.  The store also had an exhibit of photographs of water from around the world.

View into the cafe at the National Geographic store.

Piccadilly Circus.

Regent Street shopping district.

We took a bus through Notting Hill.  When the "Notting Hill" movie came out - there was a rush of people looking for the famous bookstore with a blue door.  As a result - all the shop owners in Notting Hill white washed their doors.  To keep the tourists happy - there is one bookstore with a blue door in Notting Hill, too bad it has nothing to do with the movie!

Don't be fooled!

  

Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square are where the theatre district is.  There are advertisements, stores and theatres along many of the streets.  It had a great vibe, and it was thrilling to drink it all in.  We found a booth with discount theatre tickets.  We picked up 2 tickets for "Les Miserables", which we both had not seen. 

Les Mis at the Queen's Theatre.

I love how Les Mis sells out every night in London - and yet came twice to Calgary for a total of approximately 14 days.  That tells you how big London is!  The actors sang their hearts out.    After the show we had a pint of beer in St. James pub.  We rode the tube from Piccadilly Circus back to our hotel.  I will never forget how it felt to be in all these famous places. 

In the Underground Station about to ride the tube.

"OK Will & Kate, we can still be friends even though you forgot to mail my invitation to the wedding."

The Secret Garden

We left Liverpool and took four trains to Bristol Temple Meads on the Portsmouth Harbour.  It was a sunny day and we had great views of the lush green rolling fields, cows, sheep and the occasional goat. 

Our journey took us to Backwell, a small town outside Bristol where my distant cousin lives.  Shirley is my maternal Gramma's first cousin, and we have never met before.    Greg and I took a taxi from Bristol to Backwell.  The taxi driver dropped us on the side of the road even though we couldn't find Shirley's house.   The houses on West Town Road went from 35 to 39 and Shirley live at 37A.  Thankfully we finally found a lane and walked along it behind the houses on the street - and sure enough there are 2 houses tucked in behind, one of them being Shirley's. 

"Hello?  Does anyone know where Shirley lives?"

There it is!  Shirley's home in Backwell, England

A beautiful stone house on a paved drive welcomed us.  Shirley's garden is amazing and it was in full bloom with wisteria, clematis, azaleas, daffodils and many other blooms that I can't name.  We saw beech trees, cedars, and birches.  There were crows, doves, and many small birds. 

Azaleas in bloom.

Shirley McKiernan and I among the wisteria vines.

It was fun stopping in on family that I've never met before.  We enjoyed tea on the patio in the garden and got to know one another.   At one point in our conversation, Shirley said:   "Oh look, the blue tits are out".   And of course I said:  "Pardon me?!?"   She replied "You know, blue tits, or maybe they are bearded tits".   My jaw dropped as I conjured up images of an old granny next door a la "Something About Mary".   Shirley rescued me from my disturbing images by explaining a tit is a bird, not a mammary!

A blue tit. ( Photo courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.org/).

After a good laugh over the tits, we looked at pictures and a fabulous family tree that Shirley has put together.  She has captured 7 generations of family from England, Wales, Scotland, South Africa, Australia and Canada.

After dinner we went for a scenic drive from Backwell to the Cheddar Gorge.  The roads are very narrow and tree lined.  The cottages, farms, flowers and trees made the drive very memorable. It was fun tackling the windy roads. 

Flower and tree lined road near Backwell in Somerset.

The hills to the East of Backwell are called the Mendips - this is the name of John Lennon's childhood home so we are thrilled to know what the name means. 

The Mendip Hills in the distance.

We drove the Mendips to Cheddar - you guessed it - this is where Cheddar cheese originated!  

Cute pub in Cheddar - notice the excitement for the royal wedding.

The gorge reminded me of Radium, and there were many climbers practicing on the rock face.  It was really pretty to see on a warm evening. 

Cheddar Gorge.

Shirley, our navigator and tour guide.

Upon returning to the house, additional family stopped by to meet their Canadian cousin.  All in all, it was really special. 

Jim, James, Sharon, Phillipa, Calla (not related), Hannah and Emma.  New cousins, new friends.

We had  a great night chatting about family, history, the Royal Navy and England as we shared yummy chocolate Easter eggs.

Magical Mystery Tour

The city of Liverpool has amazing history - the docks were the home to some of the world's largest ships, including the Titanic.  Liverpool - the home of The Beatles and the Superlambanana. 

The Beatles - Famous!

The Superlambanana - Not-so-Famous!

The Superlambanana is a sculpture that can be found in many places around the city.  It is the new symbol of Liverpool and was designed by a Japanese artist in 1998.  The statue is meant to  "warn of the dangers of genetically modified food, whilst being appropriate to the city of Liverpool due to the port's rich history in the trade of lambs and the import of bananas".  It even has a fan-club (www.superlambanana.com) of which many Scousers are members (a Scouser is a local Liverpoodlian, named after a stew - their favorite food).

Liverpool's skyline is known for the 2 main cathedrals.  The Anglican cathedral is the largest in Europe and the 2 bells inside weigh a total of 32 tonnes.  Imagine hoisting those into the bell tower!  The architect of the museum also designed the famous red British telephone booths.

Anglican Cathedral.

The Catholic cathedral was built in 1976.  It certainly looks unique and modern.  Some locals refer to it as "Paddy's Wigwam". 

Catholic Cathedral.

The circular section is not, in fact, representing a space ship, but the crown of thorns.  The circular structure is the largest continuous display of stained glass.  All that glass prevented the installation of church bells in the glass tower (for reasons I am sure you can figure out!). 

The four bells are outside of the church and are referred to as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  The bells are also affectionately named by some as John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Catholic cathedral church bells.  What naming convention do YOU believe in?

Speaking of the Fab4 - the reason I added Liverpool to my itinerary is to see the birthplace of the Beatles.  I cannot tell you how excited I was to see where it all started.  The homes where they lived housed the creation of songs we all sing and know - this was very special.

This pub is on the street where Ringo Starr grew up - it was referenced in his song Sentimental Journey.

Our tour guide (Paul) - in front of George Harrison's house.

Zanner & Greg infront of John Lennon's home called Mendips. 
The blue plaque on the home indicated it is a National Trust historical site.

Paul's bedroom is the top right.  Imagine all the screaming girls who would gather outside this window!

We saw the original Penny Lane and the entrance to Strawberry Fields.

Strawberry Fields Forever.  Being here brought me to tears.

The Beatles first gig was played in the Cavern Club.  This club is in the basement (about 4 fights of downward stairs!) and felt like a cave with low ceilings made of stone. 

I can't believe I am here!!!

Greg holding up the ceiling in the Cavern Club.

The Cavern Club walls and ceiling were covered in graffiti and notes of love for the Beatles.  There was a cover band playing the favorites and the club was full of energy and had a fun vibe.  It made me want to Twist & Shout!