After a fairly awful night at the Hilton Meltropole Hotel where we finished our tour, I was awake very early because the room was so hot, and the airconditioning was on the blink. Also the curtains couldn’t be closed because they were also broken (the control mechanism) and the beds were awful ! So a lousy end to a great holiday.
Deb and I had decided to take off fairly early and go over to Waterloo to do our ride on the London Eye and the Thames Cruise that Claudine had given us as Christmas gifts. The weather was going to be sunny and warm, and we didn’t want to miss the chance of good photos.
So we had breakfast at 7.30am and then took our bags to be held in storage for the day, checked out at 9.00am. First stop was the post office to send off another package of souveniers – now that we have figured out the self-service system it was quite quick and easy to do.
Then we walked down to Paddington underground and caught the train to Oxford Circus and then changed to another line to take us to Waterloo station. We were there by 9.45am, and the Eye didn’t start until 10.00am so we went and got our tickets – these were fast track ones, and we were sent straight onto the Eye, ahead of all the people who had bought tickets on the day. We couldn’t believe our luck as there were only 7 of us in our pod, which made it easy to see and take photos.
As predicted the weather was fantastic – sunny, and bright – we had a wonderful view of everything, and the 30 minutes went very fast. We had been booked onto the 10.45am Thames cruise, and we went straight on board the boat, and were off for a great view of the buildings from water level. The commentary was great, and I used the camera to take short video clips, so not many photos to upload this time.
After the cruise, we went back to see what our photo was like that was taken by the company – we didn’t look too bad, so bought a couple of copies as souveniers.
We headed inside for a cup of tea and a break, at 11.45, then decided to walk along the Thames Path to the Globe Theatre, which we had seen on the cruise. The walk was supposed to take 20 minutes, but took us closer to 45 minutes as we stopped to take photos along the way.
We went into the theatre, and there was a tour starting at 1.00pm, so we went into the exhibition first, then joined the tour when the bell was rung.
We had been advised that rehearsals were taking place in the theatre, so there could be no photos, or talking while inside, but lucky for us, the performers decided to take a lunch break, so we were able to talk photos, as well as have our guide explain the history of the building.
We finished around 2.00pm, and as we had to get back to the hotel to collect the bags, and transfer to the YHA we walked over the Millenium Bridge to get to the underground station behind St Paul’s Cathedral. This gave us the opportunity to see this building, and take our photos – we didn’t go inside as we were really tired, so just caught the train to Edgeware station, collected our bags, and took a taxi to the Youth Hostel at Thameside. The taxi driver was really good, so I have booked him to take us to Paddington station next Tuesday morning when we have to take the train to Cornwall.
We settled into our room which isn’t the same one we were in before but is exactly the same size, and I was able to get a couple of loads of washing done before dinner.
After that it was sort out the photos, and write the blog before going to bed.
Tomorrow we are having a rest day as Deb is coming down with a cold, and she is feeling the effects of 17 days of being on the bus tour.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Thursday 30th April 2009
We both had a great sleep – so good we missed hearing the alarm clock, so we had a mad dash to shower and dress, and get the bags out before breakfast. However, we were ready in next to no time, and still made it down for breakfast and the bus on time.
We left Torquay at 8.00am heading for Stonehenge. It is a wet, grey, cold day – not a great prospect of the place we have been so looking forward to visiting – oh well, it will add to the mystique.
Ian gave us the potted version of how Stonehenge is believed to have been formed, and we arrive around 10.00am, there are only a couple of buses ahead of us which is good as it gives us the opportunity of taking photos without too many people in them.
The rain has turned into drizzle, but we throw on our coats and head off with out audio guide to explore these magical stones. I manage to take only 40 photos !!! in the 1½ hours we have here. I would have liked more time, but it was back on the bus as we head off to Salisbury.
This was a fairly long drive and most of us fell asleep on route – as has become the norm for this tour.
At Salisbury we had 1½ hours to explore either the Cathedral or the town as well as have lunch. Deb and I decide to explore the cathedral – it is massive. We had lunch in the restaurant there, then a quick look around inside the cathedral – we objected to the suggested “donation” of ₤5.00 per person, and went inside for 10 minutes without paying and had a very brief look around.
Back to the bus by 2.00pm, and then we headed off to London for our final hotel stay at the Hilton Metropole where we stayed on the first night. The drive in was quite tedious, and we were caught in the usual traffic jams. It took 2½ hours to drive the 72 miles we had to travel. On the way in one of the Aussie males gave a couple of very nice speaches of thanks to the driver Tom and our tour director Ian – which was applauded by us all.
Once at the hotel there was the usual rush to get the room keys. Deb and I have a similar room to the previous one we had here, only this time on the 9th floor.
We find out that there is a post office nearby, so take our packages of souvenier brochures and post cards off to be posted home, so we don’t have to carry them. They all weigh quite a lot, and take up too much room in the cases.
We go back to the hotel for a rest, before going out again – this time down the road to Paddington station – which is only about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. At the station we collect our prebooked tickets to and from Cornwall – we are off next Tuesday, and didn’t want to have any hastle on the day we have to travel, trying to figure out how to collect the tickets.
After collecting the tickets we walk back to the hotel, stopping at a small café for a light dinner – we have to try and eat a lot less again, as we have been “pigging out” the whole time we have been on the bus tour
Back at the hotel, we sort the bags, work out what we will do tomorrow – (go to the London Eye and do the River Cruise) because the weather is going to be fine and the temperature around 17°C – which will be quite warm after the cold weather we have had since leaving Scotland.
We left Torquay at 8.00am heading for Stonehenge. It is a wet, grey, cold day – not a great prospect of the place we have been so looking forward to visiting – oh well, it will add to the mystique.
Ian gave us the potted version of how Stonehenge is believed to have been formed, and we arrive around 10.00am, there are only a couple of buses ahead of us which is good as it gives us the opportunity of taking photos without too many people in them.
The rain has turned into drizzle, but we throw on our coats and head off with out audio guide to explore these magical stones. I manage to take only 40 photos !!! in the 1½ hours we have here. I would have liked more time, but it was back on the bus as we head off to Salisbury.
This was a fairly long drive and most of us fell asleep on route – as has become the norm for this tour.
At Salisbury we had 1½ hours to explore either the Cathedral or the town as well as have lunch. Deb and I decide to explore the cathedral – it is massive. We had lunch in the restaurant there, then a quick look around inside the cathedral – we objected to the suggested “donation” of ₤5.00 per person, and went inside for 10 minutes without paying and had a very brief look around.
Back to the bus by 2.00pm, and then we headed off to London for our final hotel stay at the Hilton Metropole where we stayed on the first night. The drive in was quite tedious, and we were caught in the usual traffic jams. It took 2½ hours to drive the 72 miles we had to travel. On the way in one of the Aussie males gave a couple of very nice speaches of thanks to the driver Tom and our tour director Ian – which was applauded by us all.
Once at the hotel there was the usual rush to get the room keys. Deb and I have a similar room to the previous one we had here, only this time on the 9th floor.
We find out that there is a post office nearby, so take our packages of souvenier brochures and post cards off to be posted home, so we don’t have to carry them. They all weigh quite a lot, and take up too much room in the cases.
We go back to the hotel for a rest, before going out again – this time down the road to Paddington station – which is only about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. At the station we collect our prebooked tickets to and from Cornwall – we are off next Tuesday, and didn’t want to have any hastle on the day we have to travel, trying to figure out how to collect the tickets.
After collecting the tickets we walk back to the hotel, stopping at a small café for a light dinner – we have to try and eat a lot less again, as we have been “pigging out” the whole time we have been on the bus tour
Back at the hotel, we sort the bags, work out what we will do tomorrow – (go to the London Eye and do the River Cruise) because the weather is going to be fine and the temperature around 17°C – which will be quite warm after the cold weather we have had since leaving Scotland.
Wednesday 29th April 2009
Up at the usual time. Breakfast is a little later 7.30am, Deb manages to phone home to wish her mother a happy birthday. We have had very little communication from family while away, other than via emails and this blog.
The bus leaves at 8.30 and we head off through Devon into the top of Cornwall. The drive through the countryside is quite pretty, although it is all starting to have a sameness about it. Green lush fields, or fields of yellow canola flowers, cows, sheep, lambs, the occasional horse, stonewalls and hedges. All quite beautiful, but looking very much the same as we travel along in the bus.
We cross the Tamar river and head in to Looe – our Cormwall excursion. Looe is a small fishing town, where we have a short stop of around an hour to explore. It doesn’t take us long to walk down through the village, have a look at the beaches, and eat an icecream, have a cup of tea, and head back to the bus. We saw a policeman wearing a proper “Bobbies” helmet – so I asked if he minded me taking his photo – and he was quite pleasant about it and while telling 2 drivers to put on their seat belts, allowed me to take a photo.
I picked up some cough medicine at a pharmacy, as this cold is developing into a chest infection, and more an more of the group are coming down with it.
Back on the bus we head off to visit Plymouth. Once again Deb and I find there is really very little to see here in the short time that we have – but we have lunch – fish and chips and then find an Edinburgh Woollen Mills shop having a sale, so we bought 4 pullovers for us.
After our shopping spree, we headed back to Torquay for our last night of the tour.
We joined the others for a drink in the bar before dinner, this time the service was much better, and we had a very enjoyable dinner and headed off to bed around 8.30pm. I washed a few undies so that they could dry on the heaters, and noticed that rain was building up over the bay.
The bus leaves at 8.30 and we head off through Devon into the top of Cornwall. The drive through the countryside is quite pretty, although it is all starting to have a sameness about it. Green lush fields, or fields of yellow canola flowers, cows, sheep, lambs, the occasional horse, stonewalls and hedges. All quite beautiful, but looking very much the same as we travel along in the bus.
We cross the Tamar river and head in to Looe – our Cormwall excursion. Looe is a small fishing town, where we have a short stop of around an hour to explore. It doesn’t take us long to walk down through the village, have a look at the beaches, and eat an icecream, have a cup of tea, and head back to the bus. We saw a policeman wearing a proper “Bobbies” helmet – so I asked if he minded me taking his photo – and he was quite pleasant about it and while telling 2 drivers to put on their seat belts, allowed me to take a photo.
I picked up some cough medicine at a pharmacy, as this cold is developing into a chest infection, and more an more of the group are coming down with it.
Back on the bus we head off to visit Plymouth. Once again Deb and I find there is really very little to see here in the short time that we have – but we have lunch – fish and chips and then find an Edinburgh Woollen Mills shop having a sale, so we bought 4 pullovers for us.
After our shopping spree, we headed back to Torquay for our last night of the tour.
We joined the others for a drink in the bar before dinner, this time the service was much better, and we had a very enjoyable dinner and headed off to bed around 8.30pm. I washed a few undies so that they could dry on the heaters, and noticed that rain was building up over the bay.
Tuesday 28th April 2009
We left Bristol at 8am after the usual morning rush to get the bags out and ourselves down to breakfast. We are off to Bath to see the Roman Baths. The drive is quite pleasant, and we soon arrive at the outskirts of the city. As we are a little early, we have time for some photographs of the buildings which constitute The Royal Crescent – we have a fairly sunny morning, so a good opportunity for photos. After the brief stop we are off to be set down right near the Roman Baths. We have arrived just before 9.00am, so will be the first group into them.
Soon we have our tickets, and our audio guide and off we go to explore. It is quite incredible to be walking around structures and seeing statues from these early days, and the Historical Trust in GB has done a marvellous job in preserving the building as well as making it visible to tourists.
We only have 2½ hours in Bath so after wandering through the museum areas, and listening to the audio guide as well as taking photos, Deb and I went off to see as much of the town as possible. Not a lot really, by the time we found somewhere for a cup of tea.
Back on the bus, we head off to drive through the Cheddar Gorge, this didn’t appear to be much as we started off, but it soon became obvious that it was much deeper than we had expected. We had a short stop for photos, but it had started to rain and blow very cold, so Deb and I stayed on the bus and took our photos through the windows. Ian had explained that the Gorge was the remains of a massive glacier from the ice age, and this was quite obvious to see.
Next we headed for Glastonbury where we were supposed to see the ruins of the Abbey where the early Kings were supposed to be crowned – i.e. King Arthur etc. The ruins had a ₤8.00 price for admission which Deb and I thought was exorbitant, given that we had less than an hour to see them. So we went into the tourist shop as usual – bought some postcards, and brochures on the subject, and then headed off down the street to find somewhere for lunch.
This is our major complaint about the bus tour – there is never enough time to see any of the places of interest – we stop too often, for too short a time – some of the stops have been of little or no interest to us many times. Oh well, you can’t please all of the people all of the time!!!
As it was getting cold and drizzling we opted for an indoor restaurant, but found we had quite a wait for our lunch – anyway it was quite tasty when it arrived – Cottage pie washed down with tea. Back on the bus again, we headed across Dartmoor – where we saw some of the wild ponies, then right on cue, we had frozen rain (sleet) hitting the bus, and the temperature dropped from 8°C to 4°C in the matter of minutes.
We arrived at Widecombe-in-the-Moor, but were only there long enough to take a few photos of the church, stop for a tea break, and but some postcards.
Back on board we headed for Torquay where we were to spend 2 nights – bliss, we don’t have to pack up again tonight.
The hotel at Torquay is quite old, Napoleon is supposed to have slept there – It has been refurbished, and we have been assigned a suite on the second floor. The best accommodation we have been assigned so far – and we have it for two nights.
We have a large bedroom with twin beds, overlooking the bay of Torquay, next to this is a large lounge room with another TV and tea making facilities, etc. There is a large bathroom, with both bath and shower !!!, and a separate toilet – so we are in heaven. The rooms are heated with steam heaters, so we will be able to wash and get it dry.
We go down to the restaurant for dinner, and find that this is the disappointment of the hotel – the staff can’t handle requests for changes to the menu, and once again – we are all herded into one area of the huge restaurant, away from the very few other guests.
The service is very poor, and Deb and I are the last served for each course, so it is quite late by the time we are able to leave and return to our room.
Soon we have our tickets, and our audio guide and off we go to explore. It is quite incredible to be walking around structures and seeing statues from these early days, and the Historical Trust in GB has done a marvellous job in preserving the building as well as making it visible to tourists.
We only have 2½ hours in Bath so after wandering through the museum areas, and listening to the audio guide as well as taking photos, Deb and I went off to see as much of the town as possible. Not a lot really, by the time we found somewhere for a cup of tea.
Back on the bus, we head off to drive through the Cheddar Gorge, this didn’t appear to be much as we started off, but it soon became obvious that it was much deeper than we had expected. We had a short stop for photos, but it had started to rain and blow very cold, so Deb and I stayed on the bus and took our photos through the windows. Ian had explained that the Gorge was the remains of a massive glacier from the ice age, and this was quite obvious to see.
Next we headed for Glastonbury where we were supposed to see the ruins of the Abbey where the early Kings were supposed to be crowned – i.e. King Arthur etc. The ruins had a ₤8.00 price for admission which Deb and I thought was exorbitant, given that we had less than an hour to see them. So we went into the tourist shop as usual – bought some postcards, and brochures on the subject, and then headed off down the street to find somewhere for lunch.
This is our major complaint about the bus tour – there is never enough time to see any of the places of interest – we stop too often, for too short a time – some of the stops have been of little or no interest to us many times. Oh well, you can’t please all of the people all of the time!!!
As it was getting cold and drizzling we opted for an indoor restaurant, but found we had quite a wait for our lunch – anyway it was quite tasty when it arrived – Cottage pie washed down with tea. Back on the bus again, we headed across Dartmoor – where we saw some of the wild ponies, then right on cue, we had frozen rain (sleet) hitting the bus, and the temperature dropped from 8°C to 4°C in the matter of minutes.
We arrived at Widecombe-in-the-Moor, but were only there long enough to take a few photos of the church, stop for a tea break, and but some postcards.
Back on board we headed for Torquay where we were to spend 2 nights – bliss, we don’t have to pack up again tonight.
The hotel at Torquay is quite old, Napoleon is supposed to have slept there – It has been refurbished, and we have been assigned a suite on the second floor. The best accommodation we have been assigned so far – and we have it for two nights.
We have a large bedroom with twin beds, overlooking the bay of Torquay, next to this is a large lounge room with another TV and tea making facilities, etc. There is a large bathroom, with both bath and shower !!!, and a separate toilet – so we are in heaven. The rooms are heated with steam heaters, so we will be able to wash and get it dry.
We go down to the restaurant for dinner, and find that this is the disappointment of the hotel – the staff can’t handle requests for changes to the menu, and once again – we are all herded into one area of the huge restaurant, away from the very few other guests.
The service is very poor, and Deb and I are the last served for each course, so it is quite late by the time we are able to leave and return to our room.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday 24th April 2009 to Monday 27th April 2009
Last night we went to the optional banquet at Bunratty Castle. This involved a bus ride to the castle, which was about 30 minutes away. When we got there, we had been advised that there was quite a few stairs via a spiral staircase up to the reception room where mead and bread were to be served. However, Deb and I (and a couple of other oldies) had been advised that we didn’t need to climb the stairs as they would let us go into the banquet room and have our drink there. This is what happened, and Deb and I discovered that Mead is really nice to drink.
The process of the banquet was explained, in that it replicated what was supposed to have happened in a medieval castle, and therefore we would be drinking our soup from a bowl without a spoon, and eating the rest of our meal with just a sharp knife – no forks or spoons, just fingers and a knife.
There were no photos allowed, which was a shame, as we would have liked to take some to remember the occasion, anyway, we really enjoyed the food – lovely vegetable broth with huge chunks of soda bread, followed by ham ribs which had a sauce on them, - they were also delicious, then a chicken dish with vegetables – no greens, just potatoes, parsnips, turnips and carrots – very tasty, this was followed by a desert which was not strictly medieval but delicious just the same. There was far too much food, and an awful lot was wasted. There was a light hearted play and singing by the cast who also doubled as the waiters and servers of food. There was plenty of wine and mead as well for everyone.
Afterwards, we returned to the coach to go back to the hotel and collapse for the night having eaten far too much.
Limerick and West Coast Excursion
Today – Friday we were off to do the above excursion, however, it was very wet and overcast as we started off, so Ian, our guide told us that he had decided to turn our day around, and start with the drive to the Connemara region, and visit the Connemara Marble Factory first so that we could do the Cliffs of Moher at the end of the day when it was hoped that the weather would have improved.
The marble factory was quite interesting, and we were told that the beautiful marble, like all other resources, is rapidly running out – so much so that they only use it for jewellry making and tourist items. We had the obligatory visit to the shop, and purchased a couple of mementoes, and then it was back on the bus to continue the tour.
For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon we travelled across the limestone plateau of the wind swept region called The Burren until we reached Galway. The Burren was quite beautiful, but difficult to photograph because of the weather.
At Galway, we stopped for lunch, then wandered around the town until it was time to return to the bus.
From Galway we travelled to the Clare coast to view the 668 foot Cliffs of Moher – we were fortunate, as the weather had cleared a bit, and had stopped raining, so we were able to take photos, and then inside the information centre to get out of the cold, have a cup of coffee, and then back to the bus to return to our hotel at Limerick. We had another optional excursion planned for the evening, so Deb and I had a rest before getting ready for the evening’s entertainment.
We joined the bus again at 6.30pm to travel once again to where the Bunratty Castle was, but this time went to the section called the Irish Folk Park, where we were able to take some photos of the thatched houses that made up the park.
We were taken inside where the entertainment and meal was to be served, and once again we supplied with a choice of Irish Cream or Mead – I tried the Irish Cream – Deb had the Mead again. I liked the Irish Cream !!
This time we were allowed to take photos, so I was video of the wonderful Irish dancing that the performers did, also some of the singing.
This time the food was presented in a more normal manner, and we had a choice of soups for starters, then either Irish stew, salmon or a vegetarian choice for mains, followed by apple pie or another desert, with tea and coffee.
Once again we had a great time, then returned to the hotel for a well earned sleep.
Saturday 25th April 2009
Day 12 Globus Tour
Today we woke to a wet and miserable day weatherwise – we were scheduled to travel to Adare, the Ring of Kerry and on to Tralee for the night. Unfortunately, we really didn’t get to see any of the beautiful scenery as it was far too wet and overcast.
As we tried to leave the hotel, we had a lobby full of cyclists and their support personnel filling the lobby and entrance, it was a bit chaotic, but we managed to get the bus out of the drive before the cyclists left.
We started off with a visit to the village of Adare with its thatched cottages, but it was not possible to take any photos due to the rain, then we headed off to do the 100 mile drive from Killorgin on Dingle Bay to Killarney. The drive was interesting but as mentioned before – not spectacular because of the weather.
The temperature didn’t go above 10°C all day. We stopped at a place called Macken for shopping again, bought some T-shirts and other souveniers, and we were given some Irish Coffee to warm us up. Very nice too !!
We had a “forced” stop for lunch at a place called Skellig View – talk about a rip off – Deb and I are finding it more obvious that the various stops are for the benefit of the place that we stop at – and are wondering what sought of “kickback” goes to the tour company.
We were barely able to see the lower lake of Killarney, and passed the ruins of an Abbey - McCross.
Somewhere along the way we passed a statue of a goat with a crown called King Puck, and Ian told us the story associated with the statue – very interesting. We also passed many peat bogs and could see where the peat had been cut out. Ian explained how peat is a living thing, and therefore requires water to live.
We stopped at Killarney for a short while and had afternoon tea there, then back on the bus to our overnight stay at Tralee. Because it was Anzac Day, and it didn’t appear that anyone was going to even recognise the fact, Deb took the microphone from Ian to remind the Australians and New Zealanders on board about Anzac Day, and then recited “The Ode”. Some Canadians who were there, gave Deb a lovely Canadian badge which they use for rememberance of the Wars, which was a nice gesture.
Sunday 26th April 2009
Day 13 Globus Tour
A later start this morning (8.30am) which is great as the early mornings are starting to take there toll on everyone.
The weather is still overcast, and light drizzle, but better than yesterday.
We start off to our first stop Blarney – with its castle and famous “Stone of Eloquence” – we have nearly 2½ hours here – and as Deb and I don’t plan on climbing the many stairs up into the castle or lying on the ground and bending over backwards to kiss the stone, we have a lot of time to fill in after our arrival at 9.45am.
We wandered around the village where there is very little to see, and being Sunday, not a lot open. The bus had dropped us off at the Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel, which is just another huge tourist shop.
After our walk, we go to the shops to have a look around, and see if there is anything there we want and can afford. The price of everything is really expensive, so we don’t buy much, then we head into the restaurant to have our lunch, as this stop was meant to cover lunch as well.
So we had soup, and a scone, and tea – as we weren’t really hungry, then headed to the bus for the next stop.
We pass through Cork, and don’t stop but continue on until we reach Waterford – our overnight stop.
Because the Waterford Factory has closed, Ian has organised a walking tour of Waterford with an Irish guide – Jack. Jack had the greatest sense of humour, and took us on an entertaining tour of the historical part of Waterford, and told us about its history from the early invasion by the Vikings, while pointing out places of interest. The tour took about an hour, then it was back to the hotel to get ready for our next excursion, which was an evening’s entertainment at an Irish pub with a couple of drinks, while being entertained by an Irish singer.
Deb decided that she didn’t feel up to any more bus riding, so chose not to go. I went along and was glad I had. We had a lovely tour of a place called Dunmore East which was a coastal town, with many 300 year old thatched houses to see. Unfortunately I didn’t take the camera, so missed the opportunity to take some great photos. We also saw a rookery where Kittyhawks were nesting – this is the only rookery where these birds nest so close to humans, and of course is closely protected.
The pub where we went was another of the 300 year old thatched buildings, and we were told the history of the pub which has been run by the same family since it was established.
I had some more Irish Cream to drink, and the entertainment was great. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
Back on the bus at 7.00pm, we returned to our hotel at Waterford, where Deb joined us for dinner.
We had originally been assigned a room with disabled facilities in the bathroom, which was great, but there was only a small double bed – not enough room for the 2 of us, so I asked the receptionist whether it was possible for us to have another duvet and some pillows sent up so I could sleep on the floor.
Well, they would have no one sleeping on the floor, so they opened the adjoining room to the one we were in, and gave us another room – this was fantastic, as we now each had a double bed, and also the shower was one that Deb could use, so we had a really comfortable night, and given that we had to be down for breakfast at 6.15am for a 7.00am start on the bus – this was most important.
Monday 27th April 2009
Day 14 Globus Tour
Well as mentioned above – an early start, as we were travelling to catch the ferry from Rosslare to Pembroke in Wales. So we managed to wake on time, and get down for another lovely breakfast after a good night sleep. The bus took around an hour to get us to the ferry and then we were driven on board, and I am taking the opportunity to catch up on this blog. Deb is having a lie down on a lounge while I do it. Apparantly we are crossing the St George’s Channel – the weather is fine, and the seas fairly smooth.
We had a rest on the trip over, not many chances for photographs but as we entered the port of Pembroke in Wales we sailed into a harbour, which was quite interesting.
We disembarked from the ship, and then set off for our tour through South Wales towards our stop for the night at Bristol. On the way we passed Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire. Most of the trip was down the motorway, but it was still quite pretty, and the weather was fine and sunny until just before we got to Bristol, when we had a very heavy downpour, but it has cleared away.
We arrived at our hotel at 4.45pm – The Mercure Holland House – we have a lovely room, with two King size beds, along with a shower – the facilities are described as for disabled but, the shower doesn’t have a seat – but we aren’t worrying – as it is a shower, and that’s all that matters.
I have the TV on at present, and the outbreak of “Swine Flu” is being covered very widely on Sky News and is causing some concern for the Americans and Canadians on our tour.
We have had a cold sweep through the bus, and of course I have caught it – but it is only a cold, so fingers crossed, that nothing worse develops.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, we go to Bath, Glastonbury and spend two nights at Torquay – with an excursion to Cornwall on Wednesday. Our final day of this tour is Thursday when we travel from Torquay via Stonehenge, Salisbury, etc. back to London. Depending on internet access – the next update will probably be when we get back to London.
The process of the banquet was explained, in that it replicated what was supposed to have happened in a medieval castle, and therefore we would be drinking our soup from a bowl without a spoon, and eating the rest of our meal with just a sharp knife – no forks or spoons, just fingers and a knife.
There were no photos allowed, which was a shame, as we would have liked to take some to remember the occasion, anyway, we really enjoyed the food – lovely vegetable broth with huge chunks of soda bread, followed by ham ribs which had a sauce on them, - they were also delicious, then a chicken dish with vegetables – no greens, just potatoes, parsnips, turnips and carrots – very tasty, this was followed by a desert which was not strictly medieval but delicious just the same. There was far too much food, and an awful lot was wasted. There was a light hearted play and singing by the cast who also doubled as the waiters and servers of food. There was plenty of wine and mead as well for everyone.
Afterwards, we returned to the coach to go back to the hotel and collapse for the night having eaten far too much.
Limerick and West Coast Excursion
Today – Friday we were off to do the above excursion, however, it was very wet and overcast as we started off, so Ian, our guide told us that he had decided to turn our day around, and start with the drive to the Connemara region, and visit the Connemara Marble Factory first so that we could do the Cliffs of Moher at the end of the day when it was hoped that the weather would have improved.
The marble factory was quite interesting, and we were told that the beautiful marble, like all other resources, is rapidly running out – so much so that they only use it for jewellry making and tourist items. We had the obligatory visit to the shop, and purchased a couple of mementoes, and then it was back on the bus to continue the tour.
For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon we travelled across the limestone plateau of the wind swept region called The Burren until we reached Galway. The Burren was quite beautiful, but difficult to photograph because of the weather.
At Galway, we stopped for lunch, then wandered around the town until it was time to return to the bus.
From Galway we travelled to the Clare coast to view the 668 foot Cliffs of Moher – we were fortunate, as the weather had cleared a bit, and had stopped raining, so we were able to take photos, and then inside the information centre to get out of the cold, have a cup of coffee, and then back to the bus to return to our hotel at Limerick. We had another optional excursion planned for the evening, so Deb and I had a rest before getting ready for the evening’s entertainment.
We joined the bus again at 6.30pm to travel once again to where the Bunratty Castle was, but this time went to the section called the Irish Folk Park, where we were able to take some photos of the thatched houses that made up the park.
We were taken inside where the entertainment and meal was to be served, and once again we supplied with a choice of Irish Cream or Mead – I tried the Irish Cream – Deb had the Mead again. I liked the Irish Cream !!
This time we were allowed to take photos, so I was video of the wonderful Irish dancing that the performers did, also some of the singing.
This time the food was presented in a more normal manner, and we had a choice of soups for starters, then either Irish stew, salmon or a vegetarian choice for mains, followed by apple pie or another desert, with tea and coffee.
Once again we had a great time, then returned to the hotel for a well earned sleep.
Saturday 25th April 2009
Day 12 Globus Tour
Today we woke to a wet and miserable day weatherwise – we were scheduled to travel to Adare, the Ring of Kerry and on to Tralee for the night. Unfortunately, we really didn’t get to see any of the beautiful scenery as it was far too wet and overcast.
As we tried to leave the hotel, we had a lobby full of cyclists and their support personnel filling the lobby and entrance, it was a bit chaotic, but we managed to get the bus out of the drive before the cyclists left.
We started off with a visit to the village of Adare with its thatched cottages, but it was not possible to take any photos due to the rain, then we headed off to do the 100 mile drive from Killorgin on Dingle Bay to Killarney. The drive was interesting but as mentioned before – not spectacular because of the weather.
The temperature didn’t go above 10°C all day. We stopped at a place called Macken for shopping again, bought some T-shirts and other souveniers, and we were given some Irish Coffee to warm us up. Very nice too !!
We had a “forced” stop for lunch at a place called Skellig View – talk about a rip off – Deb and I are finding it more obvious that the various stops are for the benefit of the place that we stop at – and are wondering what sought of “kickback” goes to the tour company.
We were barely able to see the lower lake of Killarney, and passed the ruins of an Abbey - McCross.
Somewhere along the way we passed a statue of a goat with a crown called King Puck, and Ian told us the story associated with the statue – very interesting. We also passed many peat bogs and could see where the peat had been cut out. Ian explained how peat is a living thing, and therefore requires water to live.
We stopped at Killarney for a short while and had afternoon tea there, then back on the bus to our overnight stay at Tralee. Because it was Anzac Day, and it didn’t appear that anyone was going to even recognise the fact, Deb took the microphone from Ian to remind the Australians and New Zealanders on board about Anzac Day, and then recited “The Ode”. Some Canadians who were there, gave Deb a lovely Canadian badge which they use for rememberance of the Wars, which was a nice gesture.
Sunday 26th April 2009
Day 13 Globus Tour
A later start this morning (8.30am) which is great as the early mornings are starting to take there toll on everyone.
The weather is still overcast, and light drizzle, but better than yesterday.
We start off to our first stop Blarney – with its castle and famous “Stone of Eloquence” – we have nearly 2½ hours here – and as Deb and I don’t plan on climbing the many stairs up into the castle or lying on the ground and bending over backwards to kiss the stone, we have a lot of time to fill in after our arrival at 9.45am.
We wandered around the village where there is very little to see, and being Sunday, not a lot open. The bus had dropped us off at the Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel, which is just another huge tourist shop.
After our walk, we go to the shops to have a look around, and see if there is anything there we want and can afford. The price of everything is really expensive, so we don’t buy much, then we head into the restaurant to have our lunch, as this stop was meant to cover lunch as well.
So we had soup, and a scone, and tea – as we weren’t really hungry, then headed to the bus for the next stop.
We pass through Cork, and don’t stop but continue on until we reach Waterford – our overnight stop.
Because the Waterford Factory has closed, Ian has organised a walking tour of Waterford with an Irish guide – Jack. Jack had the greatest sense of humour, and took us on an entertaining tour of the historical part of Waterford, and told us about its history from the early invasion by the Vikings, while pointing out places of interest. The tour took about an hour, then it was back to the hotel to get ready for our next excursion, which was an evening’s entertainment at an Irish pub with a couple of drinks, while being entertained by an Irish singer.
Deb decided that she didn’t feel up to any more bus riding, so chose not to go. I went along and was glad I had. We had a lovely tour of a place called Dunmore East which was a coastal town, with many 300 year old thatched houses to see. Unfortunately I didn’t take the camera, so missed the opportunity to take some great photos. We also saw a rookery where Kittyhawks were nesting – this is the only rookery where these birds nest so close to humans, and of course is closely protected.
The pub where we went was another of the 300 year old thatched buildings, and we were told the history of the pub which has been run by the same family since it was established.
I had some more Irish Cream to drink, and the entertainment was great. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
Back on the bus at 7.00pm, we returned to our hotel at Waterford, where Deb joined us for dinner.
We had originally been assigned a room with disabled facilities in the bathroom, which was great, but there was only a small double bed – not enough room for the 2 of us, so I asked the receptionist whether it was possible for us to have another duvet and some pillows sent up so I could sleep on the floor.
Well, they would have no one sleeping on the floor, so they opened the adjoining room to the one we were in, and gave us another room – this was fantastic, as we now each had a double bed, and also the shower was one that Deb could use, so we had a really comfortable night, and given that we had to be down for breakfast at 6.15am for a 7.00am start on the bus – this was most important.
Monday 27th April 2009
Day 14 Globus Tour
Well as mentioned above – an early start, as we were travelling to catch the ferry from Rosslare to Pembroke in Wales. So we managed to wake on time, and get down for another lovely breakfast after a good night sleep. The bus took around an hour to get us to the ferry and then we were driven on board, and I am taking the opportunity to catch up on this blog. Deb is having a lie down on a lounge while I do it. Apparantly we are crossing the St George’s Channel – the weather is fine, and the seas fairly smooth.
We had a rest on the trip over, not many chances for photographs but as we entered the port of Pembroke in Wales we sailed into a harbour, which was quite interesting.
We disembarked from the ship, and then set off for our tour through South Wales towards our stop for the night at Bristol. On the way we passed Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire. Most of the trip was down the motorway, but it was still quite pretty, and the weather was fine and sunny until just before we got to Bristol, when we had a very heavy downpour, but it has cleared away.
We arrived at our hotel at 4.45pm – The Mercure Holland House – we have a lovely room, with two King size beds, along with a shower – the facilities are described as for disabled but, the shower doesn’t have a seat – but we aren’t worrying – as it is a shower, and that’s all that matters.
I have the TV on at present, and the outbreak of “Swine Flu” is being covered very widely on Sky News and is causing some concern for the Americans and Canadians on our tour.
We have had a cold sweep through the bus, and of course I have caught it – but it is only a cold, so fingers crossed, that nothing worse develops.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, we go to Bath, Glastonbury and spend two nights at Torquay – with an excursion to Cornwall on Wednesday. Our final day of this tour is Thursday when we travel from Torquay via Stonehenge, Salisbury, etc. back to London. Depending on internet access – the next update will probably be when we get back to London.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Tuesday Wednesday & Thursday - 21-23rd April 2009
We had a good night in our hotel in Wales, and were up and off again by 8.30am. Today we are going to catch the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin and will be in Ireland tonight.
Ireland is a member of the European Union, and as such uses Euros for its currency. We had not realised this when organising our money, but we still have some Euros left from our cruise money. We had planned on keeping them for our trip to Lille at the end of the tour, but will probably have to buy some more before then.
The trip from our hotel which was just across the border from Chester, was across North Wales through the Snowdonia National Park, and the scenery was quite beautiful. We passed through little towns and villages, and over Llanberis Pass which was spectacular. We were able to stop for a photo shoot as we went through the pass.
We stopped at Caernarfon for a lunch break and a quick look at the castle there. Deb and I strolled around the outside and took photos, then grabbed a sandwich and a coffee before joining the bus again for the trip to Anglesey for a stop at the tongue twisting town of : Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
Here a Welsh lady came on board the bus to welcome us and say the name of the town, and we bought some souvenirs and had our passports stamped with the name of the town.
Then it was off to Holyhead to catch the ferry to Dublin. It was a sign of the times to see that we were the only tourist bus travelling on the ferry to Ireland. As well there were very few other travellers on the ship.
The trip across the Irish Sea took about 3½ hours, and was very smooth, but a bit boring. Ian had warned us to bring books to read, which we did. The cost of food and drink on board was exorbitant - €2.00 for a tiny 150ml can of diet coke.
When we arrived at Dublin, we re-boarded our bus and headed off to our hotel. We are staying 2 nights at the Royal Marine Hotel in a town outside of Dublin called Dun Laoghaire. It was about half an hour from the ferry terminal.
The hotel was quite modern, and we had been allotted a room supposedly suitable for a disabled person. It was room 533 so was on the 5th floor, and once again nearly at the end of a long corridor.
We went out for dinner as it wasn’t included when we stayed 2 nights in a hotel. We wandered up the road, and found a little Indian restaurant that had an early bird special of 2 courses for €14.95 per person.
Our waiter was from Nepal, and he said he wanted to migrate to Australia as he wanted to play cricket for Ricky Ponting – his hero. We really enjoyed the meal, and afterwards returned to the hotel for the night.
Because we were going to be there for 2 nights Deb decided to do our washing, and lucky she did. When she tried to use the shower hose to rinse the clothes, she found that it was impossible to control the temperature, and it was either freezing cold or scalding hot. We phoned the reception, and they sent up a housemaid, but she wasn’t able to help. By this stage we had practically flooded the whole bathroom as there was only a poorly designed drain hole for the water to drain from. The housemaid sent up the duty manager, but he couldn’t solve the problem – so we were moved to another room – by this time it was nearly 10.00pm. The room was directly below the one we had been in, and when we got there and checked the water found that it was just the same as the room above.
Deb and I decided that there wasn’t any point in complaining again, as they obviously weren’t able to do anything about it.
So we went to bed after a long and exhausting day.
Wednesday 22 April 2009
I decided to try the shower when I woke, and found that it was just as difficult to control the water temperature as the one in the previous room had been, so Deb and I had really short showers as it was too hard to shower safely.
After breakfast, it was back on the bus, and off for an orientation tour of Dublin. We had no idea of what Ireland would be like, and while Dublin was similar in some ways to Paris, it just didn’t quite make it in terms of sophistication and elegance. The weather was cold and grey which didn’t help.
After driving around the city we were taken to Trinity College (University) to see the 1,200 year old Book of Kells and the magnificent Old Library in the University. This was really interesting, and Deb really enjoyed it – especially the Long Room with the ancient books on high shelves. A lot of restoration work takes place there and we were able to see the workers vacuuming the books to get the years of dust from the edges of the books.
After that we had a quick lunch in the university
students’ cafeteria, and found it was quite reasonably priced as compared to elsewhere.
After lunch we were left to explore on our own, and Deb and I wandered around the old Medieval area of Dublin, and along the river front until it was time to rejoin the bus for the return trip to the hotel.
Back at the hotel we rested for a couple of hours, I tried to sort photos and write the blog up, while Deb had a rest. The we went out around 6.30pm to find dinner again. This time we went to a local pub which was a couple of blocks from the hotel and had a really lovely meal again. We have found that most places make really great soup, and we usually have the soup of the day, with something else like a pasta, or salad. After dinner it was back to the hotel to watch TV for a short while then off to sleep as we leave the hotel in the morning again.
Thursday 23rd April 2009
We had been advised to bring our raincoats today as the weather forecast had been for showers, they were correct. It was grey and wet when we set off on the bus after breakfast.
We were heading across the Curragh to the Irish National Horse Stud at Kildare. Because it was raining we didn’t have a great view of the countryside as we headed for Kildare.
I’m not sure why they include a visit to a horse stud, but I suppose there wasn’t a lot else for us to see. The rain stopped when we got to the stud, and we had a guide to tell us about the horses, and show us the foals – there were 2 which we only 2 weeks old, and they were cute. We got a full description about horse breeding, and how much it all costs – but not being terribly interested in horses or racing, I found it a little boring. They had a lovely Japanese garden to view as well as the horses, and of course the obligatory visit to the gift shop. Deb and I find it all a bit much being constantly channelled into places where you are expected to spend money. We have stopped buying at every place we go to, but there are some people on the tour who are still buying up – goodness knows how they are going to get all their stuff home.
After the horse stud, we were supposed to see the Rock of Cashel where St Patrick was supposed to have preached, but it was surrounded by scaffolding – so didn’t see it.
After another short stop for lunch at a little village, we continued on through Tipperary, and arrived at Limerick for our next stop. It was wet and cold when we arrived but the hotel is really first class, and we have a lovely room on the 5th floor – the bathroom is much better designed for disabled people – so it looks like showers will be possible here.
We were booked for the optional banquet at Bunratty Castle tonight, and after a quick rest in the room, had to be ready to leave at 5.00pm for the castle.
It was wet and cold when we left for the short drive to the castle.
We were taken up to the banquet room where we were given mugs of mead – really delicious – I had 3 mugs full during the evening.
There were about 140 people for the banquet which was along the lines of the sort of shows they in most places. A simulation of what it might have been like at a medieval feast.
We had a lovely vegetable soup in a bowl – which we had to drink without a spoon – but we had lots of damper like bread to eat with it. Then they brought out mountains of ribs (smoked pork) absolutely delicious – which we had to eat with a sharp knife and our fingers. Great fun and very messy. After that it was a chicken with potatoes and vegetables – once again no forks, just fingers and a knife to eat it with. They had way too much food – and it was amazing to see how much was wasted.
They also served a desert which was delicious – throughout the meal there was entertainment, and at the end, there was also more singing from the cast. There was a very talented violinist and a harpist accompanying the singing.
The show finished at around 8.30pm, and we returned to our bus to be ferried back to our hotel and bed (after writing up this blog). Deb is pretty tired and has fallen asleep as I write this.
Tomorrow we go off on our west coast of Ireland excursion which should be really exciting.
Ireland is a member of the European Union, and as such uses Euros for its currency. We had not realised this when organising our money, but we still have some Euros left from our cruise money. We had planned on keeping them for our trip to Lille at the end of the tour, but will probably have to buy some more before then.
The trip from our hotel which was just across the border from Chester, was across North Wales through the Snowdonia National Park, and the scenery was quite beautiful. We passed through little towns and villages, and over Llanberis Pass which was spectacular. We were able to stop for a photo shoot as we went through the pass.
We stopped at Caernarfon for a lunch break and a quick look at the castle there. Deb and I strolled around the outside and took photos, then grabbed a sandwich and a coffee before joining the bus again for the trip to Anglesey for a stop at the tongue twisting town of : Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
Here a Welsh lady came on board the bus to welcome us and say the name of the town, and we bought some souvenirs and had our passports stamped with the name of the town.
Then it was off to Holyhead to catch the ferry to Dublin. It was a sign of the times to see that we were the only tourist bus travelling on the ferry to Ireland. As well there were very few other travellers on the ship.
The trip across the Irish Sea took about 3½ hours, and was very smooth, but a bit boring. Ian had warned us to bring books to read, which we did. The cost of food and drink on board was exorbitant - €2.00 for a tiny 150ml can of diet coke.
When we arrived at Dublin, we re-boarded our bus and headed off to our hotel. We are staying 2 nights at the Royal Marine Hotel in a town outside of Dublin called Dun Laoghaire. It was about half an hour from the ferry terminal.
The hotel was quite modern, and we had been allotted a room supposedly suitable for a disabled person. It was room 533 so was on the 5th floor, and once again nearly at the end of a long corridor.
We went out for dinner as it wasn’t included when we stayed 2 nights in a hotel. We wandered up the road, and found a little Indian restaurant that had an early bird special of 2 courses for €14.95 per person.
Our waiter was from Nepal, and he said he wanted to migrate to Australia as he wanted to play cricket for Ricky Ponting – his hero. We really enjoyed the meal, and afterwards returned to the hotel for the night.
Because we were going to be there for 2 nights Deb decided to do our washing, and lucky she did. When she tried to use the shower hose to rinse the clothes, she found that it was impossible to control the temperature, and it was either freezing cold or scalding hot. We phoned the reception, and they sent up a housemaid, but she wasn’t able to help. By this stage we had practically flooded the whole bathroom as there was only a poorly designed drain hole for the water to drain from. The housemaid sent up the duty manager, but he couldn’t solve the problem – so we were moved to another room – by this time it was nearly 10.00pm. The room was directly below the one we had been in, and when we got there and checked the water found that it was just the same as the room above.
Deb and I decided that there wasn’t any point in complaining again, as they obviously weren’t able to do anything about it.
So we went to bed after a long and exhausting day.
Wednesday 22 April 2009
I decided to try the shower when I woke, and found that it was just as difficult to control the water temperature as the one in the previous room had been, so Deb and I had really short showers as it was too hard to shower safely.
After breakfast, it was back on the bus, and off for an orientation tour of Dublin. We had no idea of what Ireland would be like, and while Dublin was similar in some ways to Paris, it just didn’t quite make it in terms of sophistication and elegance. The weather was cold and grey which didn’t help.
After driving around the city we were taken to Trinity College (University) to see the 1,200 year old Book of Kells and the magnificent Old Library in the University. This was really interesting, and Deb really enjoyed it – especially the Long Room with the ancient books on high shelves. A lot of restoration work takes place there and we were able to see the workers vacuuming the books to get the years of dust from the edges of the books.
After that we had a quick lunch in the university
students’ cafeteria, and found it was quite reasonably priced as compared to elsewhere.
After lunch we were left to explore on our own, and Deb and I wandered around the old Medieval area of Dublin, and along the river front until it was time to rejoin the bus for the return trip to the hotel.
Back at the hotel we rested for a couple of hours, I tried to sort photos and write the blog up, while Deb had a rest. The we went out around 6.30pm to find dinner again. This time we went to a local pub which was a couple of blocks from the hotel and had a really lovely meal again. We have found that most places make really great soup, and we usually have the soup of the day, with something else like a pasta, or salad. After dinner it was back to the hotel to watch TV for a short while then off to sleep as we leave the hotel in the morning again.
Thursday 23rd April 2009
We had been advised to bring our raincoats today as the weather forecast had been for showers, they were correct. It was grey and wet when we set off on the bus after breakfast.
We were heading across the Curragh to the Irish National Horse Stud at Kildare. Because it was raining we didn’t have a great view of the countryside as we headed for Kildare.
I’m not sure why they include a visit to a horse stud, but I suppose there wasn’t a lot else for us to see. The rain stopped when we got to the stud, and we had a guide to tell us about the horses, and show us the foals – there were 2 which we only 2 weeks old, and they were cute. We got a full description about horse breeding, and how much it all costs – but not being terribly interested in horses or racing, I found it a little boring. They had a lovely Japanese garden to view as well as the horses, and of course the obligatory visit to the gift shop. Deb and I find it all a bit much being constantly channelled into places where you are expected to spend money. We have stopped buying at every place we go to, but there are some people on the tour who are still buying up – goodness knows how they are going to get all their stuff home.
After the horse stud, we were supposed to see the Rock of Cashel where St Patrick was supposed to have preached, but it was surrounded by scaffolding – so didn’t see it.
After another short stop for lunch at a little village, we continued on through Tipperary, and arrived at Limerick for our next stop. It was wet and cold when we arrived but the hotel is really first class, and we have a lovely room on the 5th floor – the bathroom is much better designed for disabled people – so it looks like showers will be possible here.
We were booked for the optional banquet at Bunratty Castle tonight, and after a quick rest in the room, had to be ready to leave at 5.00pm for the castle.
It was wet and cold when we left for the short drive to the castle.
We were taken up to the banquet room where we were given mugs of mead – really delicious – I had 3 mugs full during the evening.
There were about 140 people for the banquet which was along the lines of the sort of shows they in most places. A simulation of what it might have been like at a medieval feast.
We had a lovely vegetable soup in a bowl – which we had to drink without a spoon – but we had lots of damper like bread to eat with it. Then they brought out mountains of ribs (smoked pork) absolutely delicious – which we had to eat with a sharp knife and our fingers. Great fun and very messy. After that it was a chicken with potatoes and vegetables – once again no forks, just fingers and a knife to eat it with. They had way too much food – and it was amazing to see how much was wasted.
They also served a desert which was delicious – throughout the meal there was entertainment, and at the end, there was also more singing from the cast. There was a very talented violinist and a harpist accompanying the singing.
The show finished at around 8.30pm, and we returned to our bus to be ferried back to our hotel and bed (after writing up this blog). Deb is pretty tired and has fallen asleep as I write this.
Tomorrow we go off on our west coast of Ireland excursion which should be really exciting.
Monday 20th April 2009
This morning we were off again at 8.00am, leaving the Novotel Hotel in Glasgow to travel through the lowland hills. The weather was fine again, so we are lucky again with the sunshine. We first had a short tour of the outskirts, then onto the Motorway to travel to our next overnight stop in Wales.
As Ian said “We have breakfast in Scotland, lunch in England and dinner in Wales”.
Our first stop is just before the border at Gretna Green – which was the usual toilet break and a look around the tourist centre. It was interesting because a tourist coach full of Japanese tourists pulled in a few minutes after us, and there was a Scottish Piper waiting for them – he played “Scotland the Brave”, then they all posed with him for the obligatory photos, and then off they went – I must admit I also joined the mob and had my photo taken with him. We had morning tea there and then it was back on the bus as we headed for the Lake District.
The Lakes District is quite beautiful but not as beautiful as the highlands of Scotland. There are beautiful dry stone walls around all of the fields, and many sheep and new lambs to be seen in the area. We stopped for lunch at a place called Grasmere, and had time to visit the grave site of William Wordsworth.
Then it was back on the bus as we headed towards Chester. We continued to pass many fields with dry stone walls, lots of sheep, and quaint little villages.
When we reached Chester, Ian took us on a rapid walk through the town, pointing out places of interest for us to photograph, then we were left to our own devices for an hour or so to explore the town. Deb and I went to the post office to post home another parcel of souvenirs – this is to keep the suitcases at a reasonable weight. Then we went to explore the Roman Wall and other parts of the town.
We then returned to the bus to cross the border into Wales and on to our hotel to the night. We stayed at a very lovely hotel – St David’s in the Park which had a great indoor swimming pool with steam room and sauna and Jacuzzi – which we had pleasure in using before dinner.
As Ian said “We have breakfast in Scotland, lunch in England and dinner in Wales”.
Our first stop is just before the border at Gretna Green – which was the usual toilet break and a look around the tourist centre. It was interesting because a tourist coach full of Japanese tourists pulled in a few minutes after us, and there was a Scottish Piper waiting for them – he played “Scotland the Brave”, then they all posed with him for the obligatory photos, and then off they went – I must admit I also joined the mob and had my photo taken with him. We had morning tea there and then it was back on the bus as we headed for the Lake District.
The Lakes District is quite beautiful but not as beautiful as the highlands of Scotland. There are beautiful dry stone walls around all of the fields, and many sheep and new lambs to be seen in the area. We stopped for lunch at a place called Grasmere, and had time to visit the grave site of William Wordsworth.
Then it was back on the bus as we headed towards Chester. We continued to pass many fields with dry stone walls, lots of sheep, and quaint little villages.
When we reached Chester, Ian took us on a rapid walk through the town, pointing out places of interest for us to photograph, then we were left to our own devices for an hour or so to explore the town. Deb and I went to the post office to post home another parcel of souvenirs – this is to keep the suitcases at a reasonable weight. Then we went to explore the Roman Wall and other parts of the town.
We then returned to the bus to cross the border into Wales and on to our hotel to the night. We stayed at a very lovely hotel – St David’s in the Park which had a great indoor swimming pool with steam room and sauna and Jacuzzi – which we had pleasure in using before dinner.
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