Scottish Enlightenment

Ed  and I saw the city in style today taking the Hop On, Hop Off bus to visit many of the sights around Glasgow.  It is a large city with many of the points of interest several miles from our hotel. We were able to have the guided tour of the city and a ride to our first stop, the Glasgow Botanic Gardens.

Glasgow Botanic Garden is an Arboretum and public park.  It features several glasshouses, the most notable is Kibble Palace.  The gardens were created in 1817 and were intended to supply the University of Glasgow with botanic specimens.  In Kibble Palace the main plant group is the collection of Australian tree ferns, some of which have been there for 120 years.

There are also several marble statues in Kibble Palace.

Ed and I had a very lovely lunch in the newly open Tea Room.  It looks like it has been a tea room for several years, but it has only recently been opened.  It is the former Curator's home.  I enjoyed a spicy carrot soup with a cheese & onion sandwich, and Ed had the spicy tuna.  The sandwiches were accompanied with some very delicious vegetable crisps. 

http://www.glasgowbotanicgardens.com/the-gardens/view-a-virtual-tour/

The University of Glasgow is not far from the Botanic Gardens.  To get there we walked down Byres Road.  It called the heart and soul of western Glasgow.  There is something for everyone on this street.
.http://www.byres-road.co.uk/
Glasgow University was founded in 1415! It was a leading centre of the Scottish Enlightenment during the 18th century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Glasgow#History

A quick stroll through the main hall to the other side and we arrived at a view overlooking Glasgow downward toward Kelvingrove Park.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvingrove_Park

Our destination was Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. The building was constructed in 1888 with the proceeds of the Great Exhibition in Glasgow.  It houses several art collections, but what I had wanted to see was Salvador Dali's painting, Christ of Saint John on the Cross.

We returned to the city centre around 5pm and walking back to our room saw that the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (GOMA) was open until 8pm this evening.  All of the museums and art galleries are free in Glasgow, and I felt I couldn't pass up the chance to a free admission.  (I hope that is not saying something about my Scottish roots).

I

 

We found an Italian restaurant close to our hotel for dinner, then it was back to the room.  I was ready for a nice relaxing soak in the spacious bathtub.  Aaaaah.

Cork to Glasgow

We said ta ra to our lovely guest house in Cork, with it's delicious breakfasts.  They offer porridge with honey & cream as a starter to the meal.  You have your choice of omelets, the full Irish fry-up, crepes, omelets, cooked meats, as well as several vegetarian options.  The table is laid with freshly made toast, scones, brown bread and pastries accompanied with jam and marmalade.  If this isn't enough, there is also fruit salads, cold cereals, yogurt and fruit juices.

I chose my usual selection, porridge and Ed selected the vegetarian pancake, with a side order of Irish bacon.

I am also enjoying the tea service in our rooms in the UK.  Instead of a coffee maker in each room,  there is a proper kettle, tea pot & cup and saucer.  Very civilized.

Despite waking up with a cold, I was determined not to let it spoil the day.  We arrived at the airport and arrived at security.  I have been traveling for several years with the same containers of liquids and lotions (always enclosed in a plastic bag) and have never had a problem with going through security.  That is until today.  When asked if I had to open my case to show my cosmetics, the Agent happily confiscated all of my toiletries.
I have been left with a few small bottles of face cream but that is it.  Luckily I do have a small container of hair gel tucked away.  Why oh why didn't I put my priceless hair products in my suitcase.  Live and learn.  It did give Ed an idea for another limerick.

We departed Cork City by plane

Their security was really a pain

Despite all our notions, they took Debby's lotions

It's nicer to travel by train

It was a smooth flight to Glasgow, flying over Ireland, viewing the lovely patchwork shades of green.

We took the airport shuttle to the city centre and it was just a 10 minute walk to our hotel, the Fraser Suites.  Unlike the Edwardian & Victorian guest houses we stayed at in Ireland, this is a very modern, luxury accommodation (and for the same price we paid in Ireland).http://glasgow.frasershospitality.com/

After oohing & aahing about the spaciousness of the room and the deepness of the bathtub! we set off to see some of the cites of Glasgow.  Our first stop, the Medievel area where we visited Glasgow Cathedral also known as St Mungo's Cathedral,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Cathedral

From there we walked over the Bridge of Sighs to the Necropolis.

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6581http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6581

As we strolled amongst the headstones, I was hoping I might see the name Dunlop.  My grandfather immigrated to Canada from Glasgow in the early 1900's and my roots are in Scotland.  Dunlop is a fairly common name and these may or may not be my relatives, but I was happy to see their headstones.

This evening we had dinner at The Counting House.  I had pasta carbonara (penne pasta) and Ed had the Original Burger made with British beef, washed down with a glass of beer.

Typically our holidays involve many hours  sitting in a car, driving from place to place.  This holiday we are walking several kilometers a day where I am sure we are burning all of the liquid calories we are enjoying.
 On our way back to the hotel we came across a church that has now been turned into a theatre.  On the building was a plaque dedicated to our very own John A Macdonald, who was born in Glasgow.

Before going back to the room we stopped in at a market to pick up fruit and juice for the room.  We also treated ourselves to dessert.  I have found one of the best reasons for coming to Glasgow.

Bending over backwards

It was a beautiful day in County Cork today and perfect for taking a tour of Blarney Castle.  It is a 12 Euro cab ride from our guest house and our driver gave us a running commentary on the local area.  There were several bus tours at the castle today, but it would have been worse yesterday.  The cruise ship Independence, which carries 6000 passengers, was docked in Cobh (see yesterdays photo of pier) and there would have been several cruise passengers also touring the Castle.
Here is a link to a short clip giving you a glimpse of what we did today.

http://www.blarneycastle.ie/pages/kiss-the-blarney-stone

And even though I had planned not to kiss the blarney stone, I thought that I have come all of this way and will probably not be back again, so I too kissed the stone.  Now I have the gift of eloquence.

I am happy that I have my pilates training giving me the flexibility to bend over backwards and get back up.  I wonder if this is where the phrase "to bend over backwards" come from.

We had thought that we might spend the afternoon in Kinsale a little further south, but decided to spend the afternoon meandering around Cork.  We helped the local economy by purchasing 3 books.  Ed bought two books to add to his collection of books on the Second World War, The Amber Room and Savage Continent.   I bought The Bodhran Makers, a book by an Irish author, John B. Keane a moving and telling portrayal of a rural community in the '50s, a poverty-striken people who never lost their dignity.  The book has everything, humour, romance and tragedy.  Can't wait to get started.

Walking back to the guest house we stopped in at St Fin Barre's Cathedral.
The church was completed in 1870, but sits on the spot St. Fin Barre chose in A.D. 600 for his church and school.

We have had a grand time in Ireland.  For such a small country that there is so much to see.  We will have to return another time to see more.
Tomorrow it is on to Glasgow.  I have already been practicing my brogue.

21k to Start the Day

21 k to the finish line

Ed didn't run it in record time

Debby was waiting come rain or shine

Romance, romance, romance, romance

It’s Ed here with my report on today’s Cork Half-marathon. 

I can summarize my experience with this limerick I composed during the run.

“Ed went to Cork for a run,

It didn’t turn out to be fun,

The weather was hot, his running was not,

Now he’s just glad that it's done.”

The run didn't start until 11:00, and by then it was quite warm.  I stopped a few times for water and to cool down, resulting in a time of 2:05:11, my PW (personal worst).  At least I got a nice shirt, and I may still be the fastest Canadian in my age group.  I expect to have a much better run in Victoria in October.

As Ed ran around Cork, I did a 5k walk around the city streets of central Cork.  Most of the shops and attractions were closed as it was a Bank Holiday (and the Marathon).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_%28city%29 

I crossed the bridge over the quay to the Shandon area of Cork.

I visited the Butter Museum.  I hadn't realized the importance of the dairy industry to the Irish economy.  I am now butter informed.

 I then made my way back to the finish line to watch for Ed in his blue shirt and Canada red hat.  I had no trouble finding him among the runners and though he thought it was his PW, I thought that it was one of the better runs where I have come along as Athletic Support.
Ed celebrated his achievement with a Subway sandwich and a bag of cheese and onion crisps back at our room.
This afternoon after a brief rest, we took the train to Cobh.  Cobh was the main embarkation point for millions of Irish who immigrated in the 19th & 20th century.
This is what remains of the pier.  It is in a sad state of disrepair.

The main attraction in Cobh these days is the Titanic exhibit. Cobh was the final stop for the Titanic before setting off across the Atlantic.
On a sunny bank holiday in June, it was the place to be. 

The ride is only 24 minutes on the train and like the ferry to Salt Spring, you only pay to get there.  Back in Cork we went to Scoozi's for dinner.  Ed was in the mood for pizza and I ordered baked cod & chips with mushy peas.  This was my first, and last, taste of mushy peas.  Ed enjoyed a large glass of stout with his meal, I had a small glass of lager.

Good bye Dublin, hello Cork.

We had planned our departure time from Dublin so that we might attend Mass in an Irish Catholic Church.  After much searching we found that University Catholic Church was around the corner from Albany House across from St Stephen's Green. When we arrived we learned that the Mass was at 11am, just the time we had to get the taxi to the train station.  But the church was open so we went in for some quiet time before carrying on with our trip.  The choir was was practicing with the organist in the choir loft at the upper back of the church and the sound was like angels singing.  I stopped to light a candle on my way out and there was a statue of my favourite saint, St Anthony, complete with the words to his prayer, next to the votives. 

 We caught the train at noon and after a very pleasant 2 1/2 hour train journey we arrived in Cork.

Ed used his time to work on his new hobby, writing limericks.  On yesterday's coach tour, as we passed through Limerick, our driver asked the passengers to write a limerick.  Ed did write one, which the driver read out, but like most limericks, it is not fit for polite company.

We checked into Garnish House and then set off to find the Court House in central Cork where Ed was to pick up the race package for the Cork Half Marathon. 

On our Bucket List of things to do in Ireland was go to a pub playing traditional Irish music and attend Sunday Mass.  We thought that we might have to scratch those off our list.  But after being in Cork for less than an hour, we had managed to do both. Approaching city centre we could hear a Catholic Mass being conducted over loudspeakers.  Today was Corpus Christi and the main street had been closed and a temporary alter set up so that they could celebrate. 

Walking past Charlie's Pub we could hear traditional music being played inside.  We looked in an there was a circle of musicians having a session.  A few are missing from the photo, they kept

 popping out to have a fag between songs. (by the way, that is a glass of diet coke, not Murphy's Stout in the photo).
Our guest house is a 25 minute walk to the centre of town and kitty corner to University College Cork.  Fortunately for us most of the 15,000 students have left campus for the summer so hopefully it will not be too noisy.
Tonight we dined at the Indigo Brasserie where Ed was able to carbo load - pasta, bread and Murphy's Stout.  After dinner it was a walk around the grounds of the College.

Cliffs of Moher

We were happy to learn that we could visit the west coast of Ireland by taking a coach tour to see the Cliffs of Moher.  It was a 12 hour trip from start to finish.  The journey took us thorough several counties and we were able to see much of the countryside and small towns that we would have missed had we not taken this excursion.

Round trip is 600km and we crossed directly west to Galway Bay, south to the Cliffs of Moher along the Atlantic with views westward to the Aran Islands and with another  3000km beyond, Newfoundland. 
On the way we passed by Dunguaire Castle, built 1520, Corcomroe Abby, built in the l2th century and many stone ring forts.

.http://thinplacestour.com/2012/04/18/corcomroe-abbey-monastic-ruins-in-the-burren-6/
 We stopped for a lunch in Doolin, a town known as the traditional music capital of Ireland.  Unfortunately, music is not played for the lunch crowd. The food was excellent and the service was very efficient.  I am still savouring the delicious hearty dark brown bread served with my home-made vegetable soup.

 
The long drive was well worth a visit to the Cliffs of Moher

.http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/plan-your-visit/things-to-do/view-the-cliffs/
After a 90 minute visit to the Cliffs, it was back in the coach for the journey back to Dublin.  There were a couple of stops along the way to stretch, grab a coffee or use the bathroom, but for the most part our touring day was complete.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Tomorrow we are on our way to Cork.