How I spent My Summer Holidays

Its been a busy, fun summer.....which is my excuse for failing to keep up on the blog. But I'm back now and I am going to share some of the highlights.

In June I took a trip to Ireland with my sister Sonia a.ka.a Tone. We had a great trip but my digital pictures do not do it justice. Nonetheless here are a few highlights.

We spent the first 5 days in Dublin. Dublin is crazy with people and activity and has an old and new feeling to it..

This is me braving the rain outside a pub in the Temple Bar area.....a pedestrian area of cobblestone streets lined with shops and pubs...South of the River Liffey.

......of course we didn't just stand outside the bar. We went in for a drink and a taste of Irish music. The old geezer with the beard is actually from the USA but from the accent I'm guessing he's been in Ireland a while.
We took a commuter train to a seaside community just outside of Dublin. It was called Howth...rhyming with "both" when pronounced properly. It reminded me a little of St. Pierre.

We also took a bus tour through the Wicklow mountains. Very beautiful. We couldn't resist the photo op.
Of course afternoon tea (okay its latte!) ...we are daughters of Daisy and nieces of Sophie after all.

A picture of a peat bog, taken from the bus window. You could actully see where the farmer had cut a set of stairs in the bog.

We also visited many of the famous Landmarks of Dublin including Trinity College, Christchuch Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral. Of all the beautiful things there were to take a picture of, what do I have to share? a picture of a mummified Cat and Mouse supposedly found in the bellows of the pipeorgan in Christchurch......ewwwwww

How touristy is this....Molly Malone ( also known as the "Tart with the Cart". Molly is the one with the ample bust......

From Dublin we went by train to Waterford.

Of course we had to visit the Waterford Crystal factory.

and we took a bus to a seaside community called Dunmore East ...a fishing and recreational village with lots of thatched roof cottages.

The next leg of our adventure was Cork. This is a view of the River Lee which runs through the city. The buildings were interesting, the river was yucky.

This building was right behind our hotel. Its part of a butter factory. A "Firkin" is a butter barrel and this building stored the butter barrels. I roared when I saw the name because it reminded me of the word "ferkin" which my mother used all the time. Ferkin menas rooting aound, like a hen ferks around the ground for seed. I looked ticked off but I wasn't. this building is now converted to a dancwe studio and theatre.

While in Cork we did a bus tour of the city which also took us out to Blarney Castle, very pretty despite being so touristy. this picture was taken from inside the castle, just before I had a panic attact and had to find the next exit out without going to the top! Castle stairways are very narrow!!!!!! and claustophobic. so I didn't get to kiss the Blarney stone. some would say it wasn't necessary anyway.

Me enjoying a Smithwick's ( smiddicks) at a very modern restaurant called Luigi Mallones!!!

Our trip finished in Limerick. By the time we got there the weather had turned rainy again. We were getting a bit tired and we had read so much about street gang violence in Limerick that we were getting a little skitty. However, we spent a full day doing a beautiful bus tour that took us across the Burrens ( reminded me of Bonnavist Bay!!!)

This is an ancient burrial site. This was called a portal tomb.

We also visited the Cliffs of Moher. Lots of tourists there. It poured rain but it was quite breathtaking.



Ireland is very beautiful. I would love to go back and do a walking tour.