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Published: July 27th 2011
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So it has been a few weeks since our last blog... but just take that as an indiction of how much we are enjoying the travels 😊
After leaving Liverpool we headed north to Scotland, in an anticlockwise loop of the country. From Gretna Green - where we did not partake of the traditional activities of the city 😊 - through to Edinburgh and St Andrews.
We then drove up the coast road to a little town called Huntly in the north east for a restful three nights. Of course, it was not an accident we had decided to stay for a little longer up there, being in the middle of both the castle trail and the whiskey trail it had the best of both worlds.
We were also able to visit the home town and resting place of Joel's great grandfather, near Glenlivet...
After exploring both the castles and the distilleries, and bonding with the locals on the roof top terrace of our guest house in the 11pm sunset we headed to the west coast to Oban to sample some of their seafood... we were not disappointed. All that was required was a Scottish fisherman in his shirt, tie and
braces finished off with bright yellow gumboots on the pier cooking the days catch fresh to order - and for a pittance. $10 for a plate of 7 of the biggest scallops you have ever seen, $1 per oyster, again huge... and the biggest bargain $4 for a big bowl of mussels cooked in tomato and white wine still steaming from the pot. And if you were lucky and he had cooked too many in a batch, he would wander through the tables offering them for free...
Of course we pretty much camped out at his stall for our two nights in Oban.
Once our time in Scotland had finished, we headed across to Ireland to spend 5 days with Stephanie's family (Dad's cousin, Ewa and Vincent and their son Stephan). It was so nice to be able to feel like the traveling had stopped for a while and stay in a house with family, and home cooked meals and sitting with the wine and whisky chatting through the night. We also were able to spend time with Ewa brother Adam and partner Kasia, extending the family group.
While we only stayed in and around Dublin, there was plenty to
see. The most memorable was the ancient burial sights of New grange and Knowth which were built over 5000 years ago aligned to the sunrise on the Winter Solstice as well as the Spring and Autumn equinoxes it was truly amazing. They took us inside the chambers and turned out the lights to play a replica of the sunrise on the Solstice. The chamber is only ever lit for 2 days either side of the Solstice - that is, when the sun actually shines and there is no cloud around on these 5 days, not an easy feat in Ireland! - and the rest of the year it would have been completely dark. They have also found no trace of fires ever having been lit in the chambers, so they really would have been always in complete darkness...
But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and in Ireland it ended with a very early start - a 4am wakeup call after going to bed at about 12:30... ouch! The ouch of course had nothing to do with the wine and whiskey, only the early start - of course.
So with about 3 hours sleep under our belt
we headed to Paris and straight to the train station to the little town of Bayuex for the next stage of our adventures.
Love to all
Steph and Joel
PS now that we will be sitting on trains regularly, perhaps we might be better with the travel blog up dates 😊
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Bill Carey
non-member comment
Review of y blogs
Ok you guts, after reviewing some of your older blogs, prior to us meeting in Sorrento, I can not believe you two did not gain 50lbs each. You are always with drink and globs of food in hand. Oh sure you walk a few steps and see a few pieces of art but then..... By now you are in DC or New York so have a good time and let us know the best time to arrive in Down Under and flop at your pad. Just kidding we will tent in the yard or nearby park. Bill