Highlands, castles, and road trips! Oh my....

driving into the Highlands

SCOTLAND

Day 1 (Saturday): the long, the winding, and the beautiful (alternately titled: holy mother of road trips, are we there yet?)

Two words: STUN.ING. Not sure why no one said  much about Scotland, as it is THE most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Picked up rental car at Edinburgh airport. Started out gloomy, sky opened up as we started the drive, sun started shinning off lochs and  reflecting mountains, trees of varying fall colors, and more sheep. GORGEOUS. Tanya driving, can’t admire pretty scenery since she‘s driving all 5,000 miles (slight exaggeration. but only slight), Missy and I taking insane amounts of photos and video from car window. Almost dropped camera. Hand slightly frozen. Still admiring pretty scenery.
Also lots of cute signs for everything….sheep, red squirrels, deer, and old people (seriously. would have made that my face book profile photo if I had gotten one) Also have signs welcoming you into towns and thanking you for visiting, and to have a “safe journey” on your way out. (much unlike home, where nobody welcomes you to jack shit.)
Drive drive drive. Pull over for first break, can’t find what we’re looking for but find Huntingtower Castle, instead. Proceed to pay for self-guided tour and walk through castle wearing full length cloaks. Stand atop castle walls and pretend to be royalty. Just need minions to complete the picture. Awesome.

Crannog visitor centre

Drive drive drive. Find Aberfeldy Distillery. Pull in, as everyone hungry and hard to pass up whiskey distillery in Scotland. Buy scotch whiskey for boss and have fabulous lunch served by man wearing kilt. Second awesome event of the day.
Drive, drive drive. Take slightly wrong turn and find Crannog Visitor Center completely by mistake. Recreation of ice-age dwelling right on prettiest loch EVER. Missy and I take photos in nice, cold weather while Tanya takes guided tour of crannog museum. Wrong turn = WIN.
Drive, drive, drive. Pull over at scenic spot to take photos of Loch Tay and find bagpipper playing. Take great 2 minute video. Decide that Scotland LOVES us.
Drive, drive, drive. Stop to get snack and realize Missy lost her wallet somewhere along the way. FAIL. (eventually find out someone turns in wallet. WIN. However, passport now invalid and will need new one. FAST. Lose money.)  Decide can’t do anything at this point, as we are more than halfway to Braemore and NOT turning around to head back towards Edinburgh at 4 p.m. Will take care of passport issue with Consulate on Monday.
Drive, drive, drive. Poor Tanya slightly freaked out as she has to drive on the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road. Hit curb several times but doing great, considering nobody can figure out the fuckin roundabouts, and signs are somewhat confusing at first. Drive through Glencoe AMAZING. Fort William area pretty.  Get to Drumnadroicht only to discover road CLOSED, and will either have to wait or backtrack and take small back roads up to Inverness. Decide would rather not get lost in Highlands and die, and wait it out instead.  Pull right into parking lot of Glensmaron Arms Hotel as advised by cute Scottish traffic directing guy and proceed to have the BEST DINNER EVER (roasted goat cheese salad with honey and thyme dressing; beef and ale pie with mash and veggies; sticky toffee pudding with ice cream). Road opens up as soon as we pay check. Perfect timing.

Made the drive up Loch Ness towards Inverness as the sun was setting - pretty drive. Didn’t make it to Uruquart Castle or see Nessie - no time. Drive, drive, drive for hours and FINALLY get to Braemore at 9 p.m., approximately 11 hours after leaving Edinburgh (after getting slightly lost in the dark and having to call nice B&B owner lady. Twice.)  TIRED AS HELL. Tanya happy as shit we made it there in one piece and that she drove the entire way without incident. High-fives all around.
Meet Ed & Wendy (very nice, funny, perfect hosts), have short conversation, are shown around the B&B (which is a HUGE, beautiful manor house), take showers and pass out in nice, comfy beds with heated blankets. LOVE. Tomorrow Ed will show us around the property and the archaeological sites featured on the BBC!


Day 2: Braemore, Applecross, and the search for Eilean Donan Castle (alternately titled: old ass shit, unparalleled scenery, and sketchy maps)

scenic point - drive to Applecross

Wake up to made-to-order breakfast, including fresh fruit! Yay! NO fresh fruit in Ireland. Am happy. Tanya and I take lovely walk with Ed along the river bank towards the archaeology sites. Digby and Archie, Ed’s dogs, go with us, too. Proceed to take as many photos of cute big doggies as of the sites. Tanya on major high. Ed having fun telling stories. Also tells us about the English invading Scotland and chasing down and massacring the highlanders in what’s called the Battle of Culloden (one of the many reasons they hate the English.) Finish touring the site and head backs towards the manor house to start drive towards Eilean Donan.
Ed makes fun of my map. Gives me a “good” map and advises us to drive to Applecross for lunch. Take his advice, follow map, and drive through some of the most gorgeous scenery in the world. Insane amounts of photos taken again. Have nice lunch of fish and chips at little hotel/restaurant, enjoy the peace and scenery of Applecross, then start journey again. Hours later (and after taking a few wrongs turns, my bad), arrive at Eilean Donan Castle! Highlander! Excited! Reviewers not kidding when they said one of the most beautiful and photographed castles in the world. Breathtaking - sitting on its own islet at the point where three lochs meet with Isle of Skye off in the background. Take tour of the fully restored castle and ridiculous amounts of photos (not inside, not allowed). AM. HAPPY. Hear Queen’s lyrics in my head while walking around grounds….”here we are, born to be kings, we’re the princes of the universe…”. LOVE.

Eilean Donan castle

Leave and start (shorter) drive back to Braemore. Have dinner at scary B&B/lodge in the middle of nowhere. Hear Friday the 13th music in my head. Think the water is poisoned (in actuality it’s just really REALLY salty) but as is the only place for food that far up, with the exception of Ulapool even further north, have no choice. Eat dinner and finally make it back to Braemore at 8 p.m. Tired again, but had great day of sight-seeing. Not wanting to leave. Ever.


Day 3: The long ass drive back to Edinburgh city (alternately titled: 110 MORE miles? WTF, 
I have to pee…)

Pack up, have great breakfast, and say good-bye to Ed and Wendy. Kind of sad. Would have been thrilled to spend weeks in the Highlands with Braemore Square Country House as our base. Again - no time, and need to head back to the city.

Edinburgh castle fortress towering above the garden

Drive further north to Ulapool to get Missy’s new passport photo and fill tank with petrol. Take photos, buy cute little souvenirs, have yummy hot chocolate, and start the long journey back towards Edinburgh. Drive for hours then finally pull off highway to eat lunch and possibly visit Highlands museum. Lunch of chicken korma and naan is a win. No Highlands museum tho, as is farther drive. Take photos of war memorials and garden, then start heading towards Edinburgh again. After much ado about exactly WHICH lane gets us to Edinburgh Airport, finally make it back to rental car return! Take taxi to Old Waverly Hotel…thankful, as drive into and around city would have made all three of us cry. BUSY and confusing, with more buses than I’ve ever seen in my life. But city is full of old, gothic cathedrals and buildings with a castle fortress towering above it, so it makes up for the confusing, heart-stopping drive.

unusual light - Blair St. underground vaults

Have quick dinner at the hotel, and head to St. Giles Cathedral along the Royal Mile to start Mercat’s “Ghosts and Ghouls” haunted walking tour. Excited again!  Tour is fantastic. Have the funniest tour guide, the walk down streets and through closes informative, and Blair Street underground vaults fascinating…quiet and eerie. Got a few interesting photos and heard some creepy stories. Perfect setting. Meet up with Tanya after tour, as she won‘t go anywhere “haunted“, and head back to hotel for some much needed sleep. Have Bailey’s coffee first. Am still addicted. Not as good as in Ireland, but drink every bit, nonetheless. Tomorrow will be nice, relaxing day for seeing Edinburgh city.




Day 4: Edinburgh city and castle (alternately titled: I’m not leaving and you can’t make me…green card, anyone?)

Scott Monument

I LOVE THIS CITY. Old buildings, great architecture, sad but intriguing history…beautiful gardens and a HUGE castle towering above the city on a massive volcanic rock, only accessible by path up the Royal Mile.
Walk a short ways around the city on my own as Missy and Tanya head to the consulate to settle passport issues. Walk into the gardens below the castle, buy some cute souvenirs, and walk to the top of the Scot Monument to admire the breathtaking view. More photos of fairy-tale like setting ensues. Wish I had expensive, fancy camera, but doing pretty good with little Cannon cyber shot. Hard to take bad photos of something so beautiful, anyway. Wonderful music being played everywhere...in pubs and on street corners...love good music. Stop to listen whenever possible.

Meet up with Tanya and Missy and have lunch at cute restaurant along The Royal Mile. If we had known The Witchery served lunch, would have done that, instead. Crap.
After lunch Tanya and I take tour of the castle while Missy heads to the consulate to get new passport (takes two trips and numerous phone calls to finally settle). Tour worth every penny - stood at ramparts and admired the view (and big guns), walked up cobblestone street and took photos of St. Catherine’s church and the governor’s house. Went into the castle, took more photos, saw the crown jewels, and read the history of Mary, Queen of Scots. (no wonder everybody hates the English.)
Headed back to the hotel, meet up with Missy, relax for a bit then head out for Italian dinner during last night in Scotland. Wish we could have spent our entire vacation just in Scotland (except we really did like Ireland and our tour guide so really, we just need to be rich so we can keep coming back).

Edinburgh Castle

Tomorrow morning we pack up and head to London via rail. Had a great time and looking forward to seeing Stonehenge, but also tired and slightly weary at this point and wanting to go home, if for nothing else then to sleep well and not have to walk anywhere else. Thank God for cute, practical, awesome new boots.  Three more days and I’m home…

Ireland in 9 days

TOUR JOURNAL
Journey to Ireland, alternately titled, “what the hell was I thinking..."

Kahului, Maui => Los Angeles, California (5 hour flight + 3 hour layover) => Toronto, Canada (4.5 hours plus 2.5 hour layover) => London, England (7 hours + 4 hour layover and delay) => Dublin, Ireland (1 hour). 27 fuckin’ hours later, FINALLY IN IRELAND. Passport troubles IN MAUI, herded like cattle in Toronto, bags checked thru London, but people who OWN BAGS only checked through Toronto (Kahului airport sucks), and then delayed in London. Two nights and 1.5 days on various planes and in airports. Got about 3 hours of sleep total. Tired as hell. Passing out wherever possible. Vacation starting out great.

DAY 1: FLYING INTO DUBLIN, ORIENTATION TOUR

First impression: THAT’S IT?! It looks just like a big Molokai. Or upcountry Maui. And what’s up with the 40 shades of green, it’s the SAME green as back home. Surely it gets better once we see castles…

Cosmos bus orientation tour (driver:Mickey; guide: Henry)
Barely awake. Tanya and Missy passing out repeatedly. Bus going in circles, getting slightly dizzy, can’t keep up with what tour guide is saying, possibly because we JUST LANDED 2 hours ago. Bus is bouncy. People have pretty accents. Think we’ve been around the block 4 times now. Feel a headache coming on. Getting mad at Ireland and pretty accents. Keep passing out and hitting head on seat in front of me. Getting mad at the bus. Need about 12 hours of sleep…
Got off bus and went into Natural History Museum (after getting slightly lost first). Nobody happy, but Tanya on slight archaeological high from old, dead, stuffed stuff in Museum. Chris taking photos of non-existent birds. Am fascinated by big ass Irish deer. Definitely need sleep.
Hotel for night 1 in Ireland: Regency Hotel Dublin, which contains the SMALLEST LIFT (ELEVATOR) EVER. Meant for hobbits. Can fit two people in elevator at a time. Seriously. But dinner at hotel pub was awesome, so made up for the elevators…now having problems turning on hot water in showers…in smallest bathroom I’ve ever seen. Would be funny only too tired to laugh or take photos. FAIL.

DAY 2: COUNTY MEATH, SLIGO
Hotel in Sligo: Best Western. Actually pretty nice. Bigger bathrooms. Still having trouble with the shower, tho. Got 11 hours of sleep, despite Chris’ snoring. Feel much better. Had full Irish breakfast at hotel. (Irish breakfast = bacon, eggs, toast, white and black pudding (sausages), canned fruit, hot drinks, cold cereals, and sometimes oatmeal or porridge.) Don’t like the oat bread or “black pudding”, but everything else good. First stop on bus tour: Hill of Tara for photo ops and snacks/souvenirs. Had a good walk around hills (burial mounds). Tanya fascinated by hills. New boots are awesome. Love the little gift shops, bought cute Celtic design leather hair clip for myself. Everybody else gets postcards. This also begins our first days quest through Ireland in search of non-sodium water. (I think 6 grams is the least amount of sodium we could find per bottled water. 45 was the most. Seriously. Be aware of the salt water if you go...)
Second stop: photo ops of Trim Castle (can’t get to it, photos taken across the bridge). Third stop: Carrick-on-Shannon. Stopped at Cistercian abbey ruins for photos from across the street - site under construction (can’t get to that, either. wondering if we'll be able to get to anything) Still cool, tho.Walked around Sligo with Tanya for a bit. Didn’t see much. Was later told by other tour members that we didn’t walk far enough down the road to see/take guided tour of abbey. Damn it. Fail again. Dinner decent, loved the pudding dessert. Chris’ weird ass friend insisted on sitting with us. Lisa is hilarious. Everybody passed out early.

DAY 3: NORTHERN IRELAND (LONDONDERRY), DONEGAL
Got about 4 hours of sleep. Sweet. Headed to Northern Ireland to visit Belleek Pottery Museum. Beautiful building and surrounding area. Took photos. Didn’t buy pretty Irish pottery. Drive is nice. Photo stop at Grianan Ailliagh (old ass citadel) and view from top tier of stone fortress AMAZING.
Walking tour with Ronan in Londonderry both informative and hilarious. LOVED. Also got to witness march of the Orangemen (I think. Either that or the Apprentice Boys. It was hard to hear our tour guide sometimes, and I was only half paying attention…it’s that whole Protestant/Catholic turmoil that’s still going on, apparently. Strange and sad at the same time). Something which in the past would have been rather violent, was calm and uneventful. (Note: the very next day there was a bombing in Londonderry by the IRA right outside the Ulster National Bank. No one was hurt, but several business were damaged, including the bank. So much for peaceful)

Donegal was pretty cool, wish we had more time. Weather held up. Props to the Big Guy. Still don’t see the “40 shades of green”, but countryside is pretty, nonetheless. Never seen so many sheep in my life. Also lots of pretty, short Irish horses. Still no castle stop.Food at the Best Western okay. Lobby bathrooms scaled for wee folk. Getting tired of “full Irish breakfast” every day. Can only eat so much eggs and bacon. Starting to hate tomatoes, but loving tea with milk. Soda sucks here, but Guinness is AWESOME in Ireland. Hearing lots of traditional Irish music, heard 3 versions of “Danny Boy” on the bus. Pretty. Enjoying Henry’s commentary and jokes. And history lessons…when awake long enough to hear it. Group power nap ensues at hotel. CLASSIC.

NOTES (alternately titled: random crap I don’t understand about Ireland or Europe in general)

* Roundabouts
* Smallness of bathrooms
* Old American standards being played in hotel lobbys instead of Irish music
* Toilets and flushing
* Showers and TURNING IT ON
* Hobbit sized elevators
* Double yellow lines on the SIDE of the roads
* Parking ON the sidewalks
* Parking in ANY direction in stall
* Hot water and TURNING IT ON



DAY 4: KNOCK, GALWAY, ENNIS

Officially tired of full Irish breakfast. Had 3.5 hours of sleep. Awesome. Naps will be had on the bus by all. More sheep with colored dots. Figured out it’s because you can’t brand wool. And apparently the color of the dot on sheep is the color of the future sweater. Sweet. Passed thru Knock with stop for photo ops. Strange area for tour to stop, Tanya calling it “religious Disneyland”. Appropriate name for place with Virgin Mary postcards and prayer candle/holy water kiosks. Slightly disturbing. Did use fonts in square, tho. Felt bad about wasting holy water. Tanya crossed herself even tho she’s Protestant. Sprinkled some on flowers. Bus still bouncy. Tanya missing out on a lot of the countryside, as she falls asleep as soon as the bouncy bus starts moving. Missy taking inappropriate amounts of photos of sleeping Tanya. Nickname is now officially "Japanese tourist". Harsh. (but still slightly funny. Good thing Missy doesn't have a facebook account...)
Galway very pretty. Again, wish we had more time there instead of at Knock. Had shepherd’s pie for lunch. Not impressed. Neither was Tanya with her lamb stew. Will try again. Still don’t understand the Lilliputian toilets. Looking forward to The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher…


Cliffs of Moher pretty damn impressive. Wished we could have taken cool photos ON the limestone plateau (The Burren). A bit rushed today, but still good. Medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle pretty awesome. LOVED the fiddler and the harpist, glad to have been able to hear them play beautiful, traditional Irish music. Singers have gorgeous voices - tried not to cry when they sang Danny Boy. Finally understand the song. Very sad, but very beautiful when played and sang just right. Back to hotel…Auburn Lodge somewhat sketchy, but we’re only there for one night, so is okay. So tired again today almost mad. No pub again, need sleep.

 DAY 5: COUNTY CORK, KERRY, KILLARNEY, RING OF KERRY

9 hours of sleep later, am much better. Stopped in Adare, strolled through park, went to visitor centre and got cards with the “Kelly” name on them from the Heritage Center. Don’t know much about our family’s Irish heritage (not very good records kept back then), but know that was our Irish predecessors’ surname.

Stopped at Red Fox Inn for Bailey’s coffee….with real whipped cream. SO FRICKIN’ GOOD we want to stay. Perfect drink, as it’s raining outside. Tanya ran thru village to take pictures of Irish ponies and big doggie, anyway. Super windy. Umbrella useless at this point. Stayed inside and drank yummy Bailey’s coffee with Chris and Missy and bought little souvenirs instead.

Ring of Kerry drive would have been amazing if we could have seen it. Weather fail. Chris still has all 10 emergency ponchos on hand, since we’re not outside where he can use it. Weather typical for Ireland. Ring of Kerry drive disappointing, as we can’t see much of it due to fog and rain. Very few photo ops. Cleared up enough to see The Burren (limestone plateau, though - very cool looking) Tanya passed out again. More photo taking ensued. Still no poncho for Chris.Checked into hotel while Missy and Tanya visited Muckross House, which apparently is beautiful. Voice chatted with cousin Paul in Greece. Beating us in photo upload. Crap. Had pint of Guinness and French fries in hotel pub with Chris (pre-dinner snack), then dinner and bed. Tired AGAIN.

DAY 6: KILLARNEY, DINGLE PENNINSULA

Day 6 ROCKED. Slept good the night before, rained a bit in the morning on the ride, but the scenery around the Dingle Peninsula was gorgeous. Paid to have pancakes for breakfast instead of free traditional Irish breakfast at hotel. Worth every penny. Took jaunting car (horse draw cart) ride around part of Killarney town into park and Ross Castle while sitting next to cute Irish driver named Mark. View and ride were awesome. Driver even more so. Slightly wet and cold from rain, can’t feel face, don’t care…still sitting next to cute Irish driver with pretty Irish lilt. LOVE.Chris finally got to wear emergency poncho. Only took him 15 minutes to get it on. Still got wet. Hard to decide if win or fail.
Cute Irish driver also making comments about the Irish bamboo, which is the favorite food of the "elusive Irish Panda". You can't see him because he's green and blends right in. Did I say love? LOVE.

Ride around Dingle Peninsula pretty and very similar to the drive around Kahakuloa…just with powerful waves and dangerous beaches. Bought Irish pennywhistle….will drive friends crazy with it later.

Liam O’Connor show at Avenue Hotel pretty good. Musicians awesome. Note: Liam O'Connor (accordion, pennywhistle and piano player extraordinaire) holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the "fastest fingers in the world" - 11.2 notes per second on the accordion. Now THAT'S fast!
Also? Step dancers fascinating! (real Irish step dancing IN Ireland = HUGE WIN for De!) Cute male step-dancer also named Mark. Is official - love any Irish boy named Mark.

 DAY 7: BLARNEY, WATERFORD
Raining again. But at least weather held out for Blarney Castle and town visit. Got nice souvenirs, had BEST lunch at the Mills Restaurant for 9 euro. Blarney Castle very cool, took tons of photos, walked up to the top to see Blarney stone. DID NOT kiss stone. Eww. But saw someone else do it. Stairs and stairwell also hobbit sized. Murder hole = awesome defense. Had more Bailey’s coffee. Am addicted. No time to visit Druidic settlement ruins or witches’ stone on castle grounds, which would have been worth the journey itself. Sight-seeing fail. But castle win, so even score.
Waterford Crystal Factory not that impressive but certain pieces beautiful, like Cinderella’s coach for 40,000 euro. Not taking that one home. Would have preferred more time in Blarney, instead.

DAY 8: GLENLADOUGH, AVOCA, DUBLIN
Avoca Weaving Mill was pretty cool - so much work goes into making just one scarf! I now know why it costs what it does…beautiful stuff. The monastery ruins (St. Kevin) in Glenladough was nice - half standing churches and old graveyards plus a round tower, which apparently is only found in Ireland, with the exception of 3 or so in Scotland. Got lots of pictures of Celtic crosses, old stones and sheep. Drive into and around the “better” part of Dublin pretty. Jury’s Inn hotel perfect location for walking the city - right across the footbridge over the river. Small but nice. Not much doing today, but a good relaxing pace. Guinness Storehouse private tour and supper was wonderful. Guinness stew awesome. Nowhere else makes Guinness like its homeland of Ireland. Attempted to do Oktoberfest right next to the hotel with Chris. Not impressive. Cold as hell, too. Left early with Chris, who was too unimpressed and broke to stay…also too full to drink. Slightly mad at beer. Not affecting Lisa, Tanya and Missy who stayed to drink more.

DAY 9: DUBLIN ON OUR OWN
Saw Trinity College - the Book of Kells exhibit and the Long Room (library). Lots of old books and maps! (can't take pictures inside, of course). Worth the price of admission. Skipped Dublin Castle, but walked around the Famine Monument….sad but important to see. Did a quick geo cache trip with Chris to the monument to look up info I later realized I already HAD, as I took photos of the plaque he needed. whoops. Also realized we missed seeing the National Museum. crap.
Visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. BEAUTIFUL. Sitting on picturesque park grounds, people just sitting, reading, eating, enjoying the peace and quiet. Spent the 5.50 euro to tour inside the cathedral....just as beautiful inside. Took tons of photos of arches, mosaic floors, old flags, memorial plaques, and gorgeous stained glass windows, then said a prayer and left. Amazing place.
Loved the Irish music, entertainment, friendly people, and beautiful little towns like Killarney. Am not entirely sad to be leaving Ireland as a whole, but will sort of miss the big tour group, the funny driver (Mick), and Henry and his soothing, lovely Irish lilt as he told us about the history of the people and places we visited.

Looking forward to Scotland...

A Vacation Tale...There and Back Again

I’m baaaack. And thankfully so. Although I had a good time, got to see some fabulous places, and met and enjoyed the company of great people, I have never been happier in my life to just be HOME. To be in your own space, to sleep comfortably in your own bed, and to just be able to be STILL and do nothing is something most of us take for granted. But trust me - when you’ve been on the go non-stop for almost 3 weeks, sharing space and rushing everywhere, always pressed for time, you appreciate the simple life even more.

Missy asked me what I would rate this vacation on a scale of 1-10. I have to give it a solid 8. Maybe an 8.5.
The reason it’s not a 10? Because nothing’s perfect, not even this fabulous, expensive, 7,200 mile trip to Ireland and the United Kingdom. Now there were days and moments that were perfect, sure, but as a whole, it was much too rushed to say the same for the entire vacation. And even though I knew it was going to be hectic even before we started, experiencing it in real time is a whole new ball game. For me, I’ve never been on a vacation that was so time sensitive…where it really was hard to relax and just enjoy being somewhere because you were always worried about the time. I think in order to really enjoy something, you need to just let you mind wander, breathe, sit still, and just appreciate everything it is. When you’re constantly looking at your watch, you can’t do that. And for me, that took away from the overall experience.
Having said that, I got to see much of what I wanted, and I had a great time doing so with friends and family. Would I do it again? Not like that, not in that way, because it was too much for me. Three to four weeks in one place, maybe two would have been much better, as it would have given us a “home base”, rather than having to pack up and move every two days.
Would I visit those places again? I’d love to go back to Scotland. England I will not miss, so I’m glad I saw it once because I’ll probably never go back. As for Ireland - there are places in Ireland that I would love to visit and see again.

Like I said - there were days and moments that were perfect, like wandering around Stonehenge while listening to ancient myths about how it was formed…or climbing to the top of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh and just enjoying the spectacular view of the city….or having a Guinness (in its home city) with family and friends, old and new….or riding through the beautiful Irish countryside listening to Irish music wafting through the overhead speakers and the tour guide, in his lovely lilt, describing the history and people of the places we motored through as we made our way around Ireland. These  are the memories I will definitely keep close to heart, and  are what made it all worthwhile.
Now for the details…

IRELAND
Ireland is beautiful. It really is. It’s what people say it is - green and lush and full of friendly people and quaint little towns. But going in with big expectations is a mistake. Yes, there are places like the Dingle Peninsula and Killarney town that make you grab the camera in hopes of capturing it’s natural beauty. The music - traditional, heartbreaking but real Irish music - is worth having a listen, and it’s a joy to walk the little harbor villages and shops with its good natured people and lively atmosphere.
But going in expecting it to be the best place ever was my mistake - it’s VERY much like Maui, or Hawaii in general. It’s the same shades of green, and it’s the same sort of beautiful drive through much of the country. There are no castles every few miles and the ones we did see, were rather small, instead of the majestic ones I assumed we’d see at practically every turn. But again, that was my fault for going in with such high expectations, and does not take away from the natural beauty and charm that is Ireland. I very much enjoyed it and would like to visit a few places again some day.
The Irish Explorer Tour we did through Cosmos was quite an experience. Despite the rather rushed pace, we got to see tons of places, hear all about them from Henry, our wonderful tour guide, and experience a great deal of Ireland without worrying about how to get there. This is something I’d recommend. And if possible, try to get on a tour conducted by Henry Brennan - lovely, funny, and quintessentially middle-aged Irish gentleman. Much more enjoyable when you have a guide like that.
The Liam O’Connor show in Killarney was really good. Apparently he’s kind of a big deal up there, and even though it sounds cheesy that he plays the accordion, he’s wonderful at it. And the musicians that back him are incredible. Not to mention the step-dancing! I FINALLY got to see REAL IRISH STEP-DANCING IN IRELAND! You have no idea how big of a deal this is for me, as it’s probably the only thing I wanted to do in Ireland. I LOVE clogging, and for me, this was one of the highlights of Ireland, for sure. The jaunting car ride in Killarney town through the park to Ross Castle was beautiful (and so was the cute Irish driver ;-), and Killarney is somewhere I would definitely like to see again.
The Bunratty Castle medieval banquet was also FABULOUS, and I thoroughly enjoyed the music and singing…particularly when the female performers sang “Danny Boy”, accompanied by a harp and fiddle. I finally listened to the lyrics and thanks to Henry, now understand what the song is really about. It’s both heartbreaking and beautiful and trying to get through the performance without crying was difficult…it’s an absolute joy to watch and listen to something that brilliantly done in person. I wish I could do it all over again.
Overall, Ireland and the Irish Explorer Tour was a lovely experience and is something I would recommend, although I would have loved it much more with a few more days added in for a slightly slower pace.

SCOTLAND
Ahh…now Scotland is spectacular. Whether it’s the incomparable majestic and sheer natural beauty of the Highlands, the gorgeous gothic cathedrals and ornate spires, the immense, imposing presence of Edinburgh Castle towering above the city, or the breathtaking drive in-between, Scotland IS every bit of a joy as I had hoped and it is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen.  Despite the tiny rooms and elevators and the cold weather (even on a bright day), I loved every moment of being there.
The city requires at least a week to walk through and admire the little shops that sell everything from the obligatory cheesy tourist souvenirs to real medieval amour. If there’s one thing you need to do in Edinburgh - and I recommend this wholeheartedly - take one of the “haunted” walking tours offered by Mercat. Their guides are funny, the walk informative, and the underground vaults fascinating. Even if you don’t experience any of the “frights” or encounters others have claimed to, it really is a great experience…and for very little money is something worth doing.
Sightseeing and castle-finding require a few weeks in order to give yourself time to get there and back, as the drives are incredibly long.  But finding and exploring them, in particular Eilean Donan Castle, is worth the hours spent getting there. Coming around the corner and seeing something as majestic as a 600 year old castle towering above a tranquil loch on a peaceful day is absolutely breathtaking. And there is nothing like taking a tour of Edinburgh Castle, seeing the crown jewels, and experiencing every monumental and incredible aspect it has to offer.
But if I could recommend any one thing, it would be to stay in the Highlands…in particular, a charming and beautiful B&B called Braemore Country Square House. It’s way the hell up there - about 12 miles south of Ullapool - but it is worth the drive. The owners (Ed & Wendy) are as friendly and sweet as can be, the property itself is gorgeous and full of farm animals and archaeological sites that were featured on the BBC (Tanya was in heaven), and even though the place is a huge manor house, staying in the comfortable rooms catered to by such warn, friendly people reminds you of being home. If you ever go to Scotland, you must see the Highlands. And if you do go there, stay with Ed & Wendy at their B&B (there’s also self-catering apartments.) You won’t regret it.
I remember Holli saying that there are so many places to visit in this world, she hates going somewhere twice but if she were to visit somewhere again, it would be Scotland. I have to second that notion. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

ENGLAND
Ahh. London. For all the hype about it, I was rather unimpressed. I think if you go to London specifically to shop or for the theatre, it would be wonderful, as London really does have that big city, fast-paced, “live it up” feel to it. But as we didn’t have time for either shopping or the theater (which I would have loved, given another few days), it didn’t matter.  London itself, for me anyway, was just okay. The only part that I thought was actually beautiful was “Royal London”, where Buckingham Palace, Whitehall Palace, etc. are located, along with St. James Park.  Trafalgar Square was really nice, too. But other than that, it looks like any other city. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament were nice to look at, but they were about the only things that stuck out in that area. (they look better at night.) And Westminster Abbey, although beautiful, looks like every other beautiful, old cathedral in Europe. The London Eye, with its 440 ft. diameter is pretty impressive, though. We didn’t go on, but walking next to it really gives you perspective as to the grandness of it. Again - it looks better at night, as it’s completely lit up.
Outside London, however, there are some pretty towns and great scenery. For instance - the city of Bath. Coming into the city really is a spectacular view, and the town itself is full of old buildings, cute shops, and tons of amazing street musicians. Given the opportunity again, I would have just wandered around the town rather than paying to go into the Roman baths for a tour…I think I would have been much more fascinated with what was outside, rather than in.  Being at Stonehenge, however, WAS impressive and I had a great time taking tons of photos and listening to Arthurian myths and Celtic legends about how the structure was formed and why. It really is the perfect setting for story-telling. The British Museum was also something worth seeing and it is IMMENSE. We didn’t have time to walk the entire museum as that would have taken days, but we got to see the highlights, and that was good enough.
Overall, I’m glad I saw London…been there, done that….but I really have no desire to go back. It is what it is, and some things just aren’t for me. England is one of them, despite some of its fabulous offerings.

And after all that, it’s back to the grind. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be going back to work…I guess it helped that I slept pretty much all day Sunday. Nothing like a little 12 hour nap to make things better ;-)  Now I guess all that’s left is to plan the next trip. I’ll have to think twice about going to Europe again, though…perhaps 2 or 3 stops along the way would be best because doing the entire trip from Hawaii in one shot is insanely tiring. Or maybe it's just me. Either way, I'm getting too old for this...