Our plans, decisions, and adventures
Howth We took the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) train from the Connoly Train Station to Howth, a small fishing village on a peninsula about 26 minutes east of central Dublin. A walk down the pier, just around the corner from the train station, had us drooling over all of the fresh fish and seafood... Continue Reading →
It hadn't occurred to us that we could visit Northern Ireland while we were in Dublin. Without evaluating our options, and with heads filled with outdated media soundbites of violence and strife, I think we had unconsciously assumed that Ireland (south of the border), was the only part of the island that was legitimately open... Continue Reading →
Here in Ireland, I have had the pleasure of sampling a few Irish whiskeys and a number of Irish beers. On our Pub Culture Tour, we learned how the craft (small batch) beer market has grown in Ireland over the last couple of years following in the footsteps of Canada and the USA. However, Ireland... Continue Reading →
Dublin feels big, robust, substantial. Its population is not quite 1.3 million, almost identical to the city of Calgary, and twice the size of the city of Vancouver, the two cities I have tried on the most. Dublin's metro area is 1.8 million compared to Vancouver's, at 2.5 million, and Calgary's, at 1.4 million. Similar... Continue Reading →
Our time in Waterford is over. I was working a few hours most days to cover for a vacationing colleague. This, along with the furry beasts under our care, meant that we ventured no more than about an hour away from our home base. Since the home was comfortable and spacious (designed by one of... Continue Reading →
We are house- and pet-sitting in the oldest city in Ireland--Waterford. Our home for a short time is about 8km out of the center of town, and comes complete with 2 dogs, a cat, chickens, and ducks. Though it sounds like a busy household, it is actually very serene. We flew into Dublin from Scotland,... Continue Reading →
Our whirlwind tour of Scotland has come to an end after a week in Glasgow, where we enjoyed the luxury of our own private guide, Aileen. During our week, we enjoyed: A bus tour of the city Scottish country dancing classes A visit to Loch Lomond A couple of hikes (well, Ken and Aileen did,... Continue Reading →
On one of Coral's workdays, Aileen (see Scotland: Edinburgh), an avid rambler, offered to guide me on an adventurous walk. Her suggestion was a seven-mile route on the Clyde River to see the Clyde Falls near New Lanark. About 45 minutes from where we are staying, the footpath meanders through a spectacular Scottish canyon cut in... Continue Reading →
We weren’t really following The Whiskey Trail, but we did take some detours on our way from Aberdeen to Inverness so Ken could check out some of the many distilleries in the Speyside region. Since we much prefer to ramble on the smaller, side roads, it made for a very enjoyable day. Traveling in November,... Continue Reading →
We rented a car in Edinburgh, and took our time driving to Aberdeen (the quick route is less than 3 hours), taking coastal roads as much as possible. We poked into villages, but mostly just enjoyed the scenery. Buildings switched from the red brick and stone that we'd seen so much of to light shades... Continue Reading →
When we arrived in Edinburgh by train, the first thing we noticed when we peeked out the window while waiting to disembark was a Canadian flag. I could only see the hands holding up the flag, and assumed there were other Canadians on the train being met by a friendly Scot. But then Ken exclaimed,... Continue Reading →
Just left: South America and Antarctica
Now: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Up next: Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Life: Phase Next 