London, Scotland, Ireland, and Paris 2022

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July 16

Today is the day that we meet the people with whom we will be spending the next two weeks. We will travel by bus around Ireland and Scotland and will part ways once we end this tour in Edinburgh.

Breakfast was at 8 am. It was a buffet breakfast complete with components of an English breakfast along with many extras such as pancakes, fried potatoes, mushrooms, and a variety of breads. Once finished, we had time to return to our rooms before boarding the bus for a trip around Dublin. I always laugh at the word Dublin…..it’s because of the many jokes Terry Wilson tells. I won’t share it here in print, but you can ask him and I’m sure he will tell you. Top of the list today……find a shirt that says Dublin on it!!

At 9:40 we boarded our bus and met our driver and tour guide. There are 29 people in our group, which is a nice, manageable size. Our bus is extremely nice. It’s a Mercedes’ and looks practically new. It’s the first tour bus I’ve been on with seat belts, cup holders, and USB ports (typically there’s outlets). I think we will be comfortable.

Our tour guide has a great personality, makes hikes, and is quite knowledgeable. He has a great delivery. Our bus driver already was applauded for his ability to navigate around narrow streets and turns in a big tour bus (it’s a 51 seater)

We drove around Dublin and learned so many things. Our first stop was at St Patrick’s Cathedral. It was founded in 1191 as a Roman Catholic Cathedral. It is currently the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland. The cathedral is world famous for its choir, established in 1432, which still performs daily during school term.

Johnathon Swift (Gulliver’s Travels) was the Dean of St Pats Carhedral. He suffered from what he thought was dementia. Ninety years after his death his body was exhumed and examined by Sir William Wilde, a prominent physician in the city, and also Oscar Wilde’s father. Sir William discovered that Swift had a loose bone in his inner ear, and that this ‘Ménière’s disease’ was at the root of many of Swift’s problems.

Johnathon Swift left over 7,000 pounds sterling to found a hospital for “fools and the mad”. This started Ireland’s first mental hospital, which is still In existence today.

We had a little free time to get off the bus and visit the grounds if St Patrick’s Cathedral. Since it was Saturday, there was a very long line and I didn’t have time to go inside. There was a lovely park around the cathedral. Many people were relaxing in the park or playing with their dogs. I got the cutest picture of a puppy catching a red ball. Look at the pics!

We got back in the bus and drive past the first maternity hospital in Ireland. Built in 1894 it is still in operation today and is the largest maternity hospital in Ireland.

We learned that many people and businesses are letting the natural wildflowers grow instead of mowing the grass. This allows a good area of natural flowers to help the honey bees pollinate. I took a couple pictures In Front of Trinity College where they did just that in front my of the statues near the main gate.

We also drive past the National Gallery of Ireland which houses the painting The Taking of Christ. There were 12 copies in existence but it was found that the one in Dublin was the original. It is insured for 60 million Euros!!

The National Gallery was funded with half the profits of the books and plays of George Bernard Shaw, which would include his successful play Pygmalion and the musical adaptation “My Fair Lady”. It is the largest bequest ever given to the Gallery. George Bernard Shaw said it was one of the places he spent much time and got his greatest education.

Finally we headed for an area where the bus could park and we would have free time to eat, shop, and visit the sites. Shealyn and Marsha shopped. I walked to the Handel Hotel which was built adjacent to the site where Handel’s Messiah was first performed. There was a plaque outside commemorating that event! It was so exciting to be standing where the first performance of such a remarkable work was performed. Handel wrote The Messiah in 24 days. It’s text is right from the James Bible and The Book if Common Prayer. It is a most amazing work!

I also went to Trinity College to see The Book of Kells, which is housed there in the library. Sadly the tickets were sold out for the day since it was late afternoon. I should have gone there first. I did talk the attendant into letting me in the bookstore so I could buy a book with information about The Book of Kells. The book is a manuscript, in Latin, containing the first four Gospels of the New Testament complete with ornamental text, tables,and illustrations. It is Ireland’s most significant treasure.

Once we got together again, We ate at a cute cafe and boarded the bus for a return to the hotel.

Our group met again at 6:00 pm to go to a pub for dinner, drinks, and entertainment. It was about a half hour rude ti Taylor’s Pub which is housed in the largest and highest thatched roof hut in all of Europe. Dinner was delicious! Entertainment was incredible. One young dancer was only 17 and just won a National championship. One of the singers was Rob Vickers who starred (for two years) as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables in London’s West End. He was awesome!

We are finally on our way back to the hotel where we will crash. Tomorrow morning we pack and leave for Kilkenny, Waterford and Tramore.

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