Blogs from Ireland, Europe

Forgot to mention on the last Blog, after the Jameson Whiskey tour we had dinner at the Brazen Head, reputed to be the oldest pub in Dublin, established in 1198. It was a cavernous place so probably had a few expansions over the past 1100 years. Undoubtedly there were few parallels to the original other than a few guys sitting at the bar; although the patrons of 1198 would be surprised with their 2024 peer group who were mainly looking at their phones as opposed to chatting with each other. We ordered Irish stew which was good but cost $30.00CDN per bowl!! Couldn’t find the inflation rate from 1192-2024 so unable to calculate what the stew would cost when the pub first opened. The third day in Dublin was warm and sunny which made the trip ... read more

Winterwatch is back on the BBC. I've been doing a mini-winterwatch in my garden over the last few days. Practising with the camera. All the photos were taken from my kitchen, either at the back door or through the window for the more cautious crows, except the long-tailed tit, which was in the front garden. By the time I got the camera they had moved onto my neighbours garden. With the recent sub-zero temperatures and snowfalls, the smaller birds were happy for me to stand at the back door and snap them. I don't actually keep a list, but I have seen an impressive range of species, including those flying over, from my house.... read more

Today begins a new journey for me. I have retired, and now plan to travel on my own dime and time. I like to memorialize my travel adventures and miss TravBuddy where I used to post about my adventures. I am hoping this site will allow me to express myself as I did back then. My short term travel goals are to visit my mother in Merida, Mexico this coming Jan. And have started planning for a trip to Ireland in Nov 24. The Ireland adventure will be my 5th trip, traveling with a group of crazy and fun fans of a band called the Young Dubliners. These trips are usually set up as bus trips with the group spread out in 3 or so tour buses. This trip I am looking to forgo the tour ... read more

Today was a moving day to Galway, so bags out at 7:30, then breakfast, then on and gone by 8:30. On the way to Galway we stopped for a comfort stop (restrooms, snacks, and drinks). The place we stopped was just in front of Bunratty Castle. It’s a place Marsha, Shealyn, and I visited on our trip to Ireland! What a coincidence! We also drove by a golf course. Now I’m not a golfer but this was the toughest looking golf course I’ve ever seen. Look at the pictures. I’m not sure a golf cart would go across that land. Our first goal was The Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs are absolutely breathtaking!! They rise above the ocean 702 feet and you can climb up the left side or right. We opted to take the golf ... read more

Today we were up early as it was a moving day. We were leaving Dublin for County Cork and the surrounding area and we had to have our suitcases outside our door by 7:30 AM. One thing nice about this company is they porter your luggage, as long as you have it where it supposed to be at the appropriate time. We couldn’t be late or we’d have to drag our luggage downstairs onto the bus by ourselves! We again have a breakfast buffet, and we’re to be on and out by 8:30 AM Today it was chilly. Plus it was raining. It wasn’t just a drizzle, but it wasn’t a hard rain…. Yet! Well I don’t mind riding the bus in the rain, but it makes it hard to take decent pictures! It was a ... read more