The Dingle Dangle Tango

 

After a bit of difficulty sorting out how to operate the showers, (plumbing s always a challenge overseas) we were all cleaned up and ready to roll when Trudy picked us up this morning.  In planning the trip, we decided to bring the crew out to the Dingle peninsula  and take the Wild Atlantic route rather than the more common Ring of Kerry.  The Dingle peninsula is less crowded and really provides more of a feel for the “real” Ireland.  

This part of Ireland has been featured in many movies including Ryan’s Daughter, Far & Away (where Tom Cruise completely butchered the Irish accent) and Star Wars.  Star Wars fans travel here to check out the stone “bee hives” and Skellig Island.  

This time of year it is two way traffic on the road which in places is barely wide enough for one car.  Having an expert local driver really adds an entertaining dimension and takes all the stress out of it as we’re just along for the ride.  In a few spots obvious tourist drivers did not understand the protocols on when to give way.  It was great listening to Trudy discuss the bad drivers with the driver of one of the large buses. The conversation really highlights the Irish craic- dry wit, sense of humor.

Trudy: Did you pass those two in the camper?

           Bus Driver:  Oh yes.  Ignorant as piss they are.  They’re just eejits.  You know there have to be two eejits born every day so if one of them dies you still have one.

One of Trudy’s friends is a multi-generational sheep farmer whose farm is perched on the edge of the Dingle peninsula.  The farmer makes certain to tell everyone not to put their fingers in the lambs mouth, not to hold them in the rear and to make certain to wash your hands with soap and water after handling them.  You would think those instructions wouldn’t be necessary but then again based on the some of the driving we saw I think he’s learned to spell things out.  You can pick up the baby lambs, help feed them and also checkout the stone beehives.  Ida was definitely very leery about getting in the pen with the lambs until she spotted a small black one that looked a lot like her old dog Oscar.  Feeding time is crazy and the little ones all fight to get at the bottle.  

The weather was perfect for a bit of a hike thru the sheep’s grazing area to the top of a hill where the views to Skellig and the coasts were spectacular.  Dodging the sheep’s manure was a bit challenging but we were grateful that the locals had installed “stairs” which made getting over the stone walls much easier. You wouldn’t think you’d need big warning signs about not falling over the cliff but clearly there are enough eejits to warrant the signage.

After the narrow roads, sheep action and hiking, Trudy thought maybe a stop for a pint would be in order. Kruger’s Bar is the western most pub in Ireland.  We stopped in and had to try the Dingle gin mojito and check out the memorabilia.  JFK is still the man to talk about here.  There were also a lot of pictures from Tom Cruise’s time here when filming Far & Away though the majority of those pictures didn’t feature Tom or Nicole.  Most were from all the locals who were extras in the film.

We wrapped up the afternoon with a stop at John Long’s Pub for lunch and more Dingle gin.  Then walked around Dingle town center to check out the shops and pick up a few needed supplies before heading back to the house for a much needed nap.  

Trudy is coming back to pick us up about 6:45 and will drop us off in town for the night’s activity.  Wisely she heads to her own accommodation and recommends having the bartender arrange for transport when the pubs close. Paula has planned the evening pub crawl to get some singing in: The Dingle Inn (also for Irish dancing here), Geaney’s,  Foxy John’s, Dick Mack’s, O’Sullivan’s and likely a few others. We’re hooking up with friends from KC, Sheri McDonough King and her husband Rob for a final Irish coffee before heading back to the cottage.

 

The Drive To The West

Ida & I have both had prior experience driving in Ireland and opted to take the route of hiring a driver for this trip which was a brilliant decision.  Our driver, Trudy, picked us up at our Dublin Hotel in a VW people mover with plenty of room for us & the luggage.  In addition to her driving skills, Trudy is a genealogist, tour guide and has connections for arranging everything.

She mapped out our drive from Dublin  with stops at the Rock of Cashel, a jaunty cart tour in Killarney of the National Park, the beach in Inch and ending with our stay at a 100+ year old self farm cottage just outside of Dingle.  The farm house is heated by two fireplaces that burn wood, coal and peat.  Fortunately for me, Ida and the Mississippi crowd are well versed in the art of building and maintaining a fire.

Knowing it was going to be a long day in the car, Ida and Trudy also arranged to have Caroline, a private chef, handle the dinner.  From the start with a Dingle gin tasting & cheese board the meal was a five star event.  All locally sourced and freshly prepared the multi-course meal included seafood chowder with brown bread, a trio of salads (potato salad, quinoa, and heritage beets salad), main course of rack of spring lamb, broccoli purée, and a trio of potatoes (mashed, mashed sweet potatoes and roasted potatoes and carrots). It all wrapped up with Kerry apple cake and brownies topped with fresh whipped cream.  In addition to her extraordinary cooking/pastry skills, Caroline also entertained us with traditional Irish songs and a tin flute. It was the perfect introduction to the west of Ireland.

The Bad Sisters Wrap Up Dublin & Head To The West

Sunday weather was a bit dodgy with intermittent rain and the crew was a bit under the weather after the Saturday night pub crawl so a later lie in was required.  We had a scheduled entrance for the Book of Kells at 1 which meant enough time for breakfast at Bewley’s Oriental Cafe and a stroll down Grafton Street to Trinity College. The Covid sign in the loo made me wonder if hand washing was not required pre-Covid.

Founded in 1592, Trinity College is Ireland’s oldest university one of the most places in Dublin.  The Book of Kells is housed there. The Book Of Kells is an illustrated manuscript of the 4 gospels dating back to the 800s. Written by monks in Latin and painstakingly illustrated in brilliant pigments, a new page of the manuscript is displayed each day.  There has been a lot more technology added to the tour since my first visit in the ‘90s.  The  Long Room (library) is an amazing space which normally houses over 200,000 books.  The library is currently undergoing a major restoration project so the majority of the books have been removed and are contained in over 30,000 containers.  The archiving task alone is remarkable. Also on display in the Long Room is one of the only remaining original Proclamations (the Irish Declaration of Independence) from the Easter Rising in 1916 and Brian Boru’s harp, Ireland’s oldest surviving harp.

Leaving Trinity College, we headed across the River Liffey to the Famine Sculptures.  The sculptures were commissioned in 1997 to honor the more than 1 million who died and the over 1,000,000 who emigrated, many to the United States. The sculptures are located on Customs House Quay in the Dockland’s area marking the spot where many of the Famine ships set sail.  The Irish Potato Famine occurred in the mid-1800’s when the potato crops were destroyed by the blight and British policy including evictions, exportation of other food crops and refusal to provide any aid.  The effects of the famine permanently changed Ireland.  

The clouds started to look ominous and it was clearly going to start raining, so Ida led the crew on a forced march down the River Liffey to the pedestrian Ha’Penny bridge knowing it was the fastest route to the pub zone.  We loaded in to the Ha’Pebby Bridge Pub just in time.  We waited out the rain with a few  Irish Coffees and what Ida refers to as a full housewife pour of wine. 

As we headed back through the Temple bar area, we noticed the Whiskey Reserve Bar was not crowded.  We had attempted entry on Saturday night but were unsuccessful so it seemed like a positive sign that there was a large open table.  The collection of Irish and Scotch whiskeys is impressive and the bartenders know how to make fabulous concoctions with them.  However, their ability to make a vodka martini was more of a challenge.

The Proper Pint

 

After all the chaos at Heathrow, Ida broke her consecutive wordle streak after 375 days.  Bummer so the new streak starts today but at least she solved it in 2 goes.  We can see the hills surrounding Dublin from our hotel which is just off St. Stephen’s Green.  The hotel key card very thoughtfully has a small map on back.  That in combination with Apple’s Find my Friends feature should help keep the group intact or at least make it easier to track down anyone who gets lost. I’ve left Ed on my list as that way I can be sure he’s always there.

The group was a bit slow to start but everyone slept well.  Ida had mapped out a tight walking tour schedule starting at The Castle, then Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, The Guinness Storehouse (tour, Guinness Academy, dinner) and ending with a pub crawl.  We kicked off the morning at a local grocer/deli Fallon & Byrne for a bit of late breakfast.

The Castle was the seat of British power in Ireland for over 700 years.  The current structure dates back to the 1700s and has been used for inaugurations, housing foreign visitors (JFK) and entertaining. The collection of  paintings includes George III who we gave a good drubbing to in 1776.  A statue of Michael Collins and pictures of those executed after the Easter Uprising are on display.  Ida found a photo of the Irish President who visited her when she was on the trading floor at the Chicago Merc.

Christ Church Cathedral is over 1,000 years old making it one of the oldest buildings in Dublin.  The Medieval Crypt runs under the entire length of the building and is the largest in Ireland. At one point there were 4 taverns located there which caused a lot of problems when services were being held in the upstairs church. 

Jonathon Swift was a preacher at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and known for sermons that ran 4 hours or longer.  He had a specially constructed movable pulpit which allowed him to seek out anyone sleeping during his sermon and rouse them up. The well where St. Patrick baptized the first Irish Catholics is located just outside the cathedral.

The Guinness Storehouse tour was a great way to learn about the national drink of Ireland. The Irish Dancers on floor 3 were amazing. After the self guided tour, we went to the Guinness Academy where we were instructed on the proper process for pulling a pint. We then headed upstairs for another pint at The Gravity Bar which is a circular glass enclosed space at the top of the factory.  The views of the mountains and Dublin skyline are amazing.

The Pub Crawl started at Ireland’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head.  We started there as this same group had previously been escorted out of New York’s oldest bar, McSorley’s.  As it was a big bank holiday weekend, there were a lot of groups in town celebrating birthdays and hen/stag parties (aka bachelorette/bachelor).  We joined in the singing competitions and the hen parties. One group was toting around a blowup doll of the groom. Another group was a joint hen/stag with a cowboy theme including boots, hats and leather Johnny Cash jackets.  Fortunately for us, the Irish are a lot more lax on behaviors and we were not escorted out of any. We managed to keep the entire group together for all the pub stops and the return walk to the hotel.  All in all it was a perfect full day to kick off the tour.

Left England Without A Sound - Fáilte abhaile - Slainte

 

Woke up Friday to full sun and lovely weather because of course we were leaving. Headed to Heathrow for an early flight to Dublin. Uber driver arrived early and there was no traffic.  All signs pointed to an easy travel day.  Heathrow is truly a world of its own.  It’s one of the largest, busiest airports in the world and it’s always a bit of a madhouse. It’s bank holiday weekend in England so the airport was even more crazy than normal with vacationers headed out.

We had elected the upgrade option from British Airways which included Fast Track thru security, access to BA lounge and first board group so we expected smooth sailing.  The fast track line appeared fairly short then it all fell apart.  You’re just supposed to scan your boarding pass, get your picture take and then the gate opens.  Ida sailed thru but I flunked.  The same thing happened to many others. Then I had to get into a line where there was a person who clearly hadn’t been adequately trained.   They finally got a supervisor over to help.  It appears that the camera in my case (and for many others) was pointed in wrong direction and taking the wrong picture.  If your picture doesn't match you can’t get on the plane. 

After finally getting thru the fast lane, we were queued up for the quick pass thru the carryon luggage screening.  I ended up getting pulled out for wanding and one of my bags got pulled for searching.  Ida made it thru without wanding but one of her bags got tagged too.  The entire process took over an hour to navigate so it’s a good thing we elected to go early.  We headed to the lounge and after a bit of an issue with Ida’s boarding pass finally got in so that we could hang until the gate information for our flight was posted.  The gate areas are always congested so the gate info isn’t posted until about 50-60 minutes before departure.  We opted not to have the marmaite or beans on our toast.  Things improved from this point and our flight loaded up and took off for Dublin on time.

We arrived in Dublin to 50 degrees and rain as expected.  Clearing immigration in ireland is always smooth and if you have an Irish name on your passport, you’re greeted with “Welcome, home.” Our Uber driver was very entertaining and I’m pretty sure at least half of his stories and information were true. We hooked up with all the Mississippi ladies at the hotel. They had just flown in from the states this morning.  Ida knew the only way to power thru jet lag was to have a bit of a pub crawl, then dinner.  We started with a pub, The Hairy Lemon, next to hotel then wandered into Temple Bar area for a full immersion.  Ida’s brilliant idea for dinner reservations at the Old Mill paid off as we didn’t have to worry about queuing up somewhere.  We wrapped up with after dinner drinks at the hotel and hopefully the whole crew gets a full night’s sleep.

Nothing To Grouse About - Good Day Sunshine & Nieces

Closed out the evening with Mel at the Builders Arm.  The Builders Arm was the pub closest to Beau & Harry’s school when they lived over here the second time.  After sending Mel on his way with minimal information on how to navigate back to his hotel, we hit the hotel piano bar.  We had tried it our first night but it had already closed which turned out to be a good thing.  The piano man was excellent and happy to play a few of Ed’s favorite Freddy Mercury/Queen songs. 

Woke up a little worse for wear but no more rain and the sun even made an appearance.  Opted not to indulge in the pistachio croissant especially as all the seats were occupied so take away was required.  Wandered around Covent Garden area prior to hooking up with the nieces.  1.50 pound fare to use the loo and Ida missed the arrows for Ladies so she ended up in the Gents side. Found Taylor Swift custom sneakers but no mention of Kelce.  I figure I can get Sarah to paint me a pair when I get back in Chiefs colors with Taylor on the left foot and Travis on the right foot.

Hooked up with the nieces, Allison & Lisa, at Rules to celebrate Lisa’s engagement and get filled in on wedding details.  Wedding is here on New Year’s Eve.  Rules is the oldest restaurant in London dating back to 1798.  It is very old school British with very traditional British food.  Grouse season isn’t until later this summer which was just fine with me. The Guinness is served in silver tankards so we toasted Ed in style as well.  Allison had informed them we were celebrating an engagement  so Lisa had a nice surprise at the end of the meal.

Really could have used more time in London but we packed it all in anyway.  Setting the alarm for early departure to Heathrow tomorrow.  Mostly repacked and ready.  The Mississippi crowd is heading to Dublin thru Atlanta.  Looking forward to hooking up and kicking off the next stage of the adventure. Have the Uber scheduled as we elected not to try to haul the luggage thru the street and the Tube.  Slainte!

Rainy Days In London Town

 

The United flight did finally leave O’Hare at 11:30 after further delays reloading and then unloading luggage of people who had elected not to take the flight.  Landed at Heathrow at 12:30, about 4 hours late.  Having only carryon makes things so much easier and then the electronic lanes for passport clearing were super efficient.

Because we were originally expecting Sue to be with us we have a very large room at the Royal Gardens hotel.  The hierarchy for doormen and bellhops etc. is fun.  The ups with the hats are clearly the seniors.  Of course it was raining when we landed and rain continued all day.  The umbrellas provided at the front door make it very easy to stay dry.  Hit the bank to get a little cash.  While the ATM itself was easy, when I asked the teller to change the 20 pound note, things got difficult.  Unless you have an account with that bank they won’t change your money.  Ida had to do some banking at Barkleys so we walked over there only to find out all the Barkleys close at 3pm.  Banking is always a challenge but banking in London is even more of a pain.

Still raining when we went out this morning for coffee and breakfast food.  Never see this selection of sandwiches, pastries and baked goods back home.  There are so many options here and everything is tasty.  It’s a good thing we don’t have all this back home or I’d be in major trouble.  

Walked up to Harrods and then to Sloan Square area.  Scoping out potential clothing for the New Year’s Eve wedding back here this winter.  The Chelsea Flower Show opened this week and the all the shops around Sloan Square have embraced the theme.  It does make walking difficult as so many people are stopping to take pics and pose with the displays. 

Hooked up with Mel and his son Dan at Churchill Arms to toast Ed’s memory.  Ed & Mel worked together for many years at Generali and we always had fantastic times.  His son Dan visited KC, NY and many parts of America during all that time.  Ed’s retirement tour took us thru Guernsey and our YouTube videos from that trip generated a lot of commentary.  Dan’s now much taller than his dad and an A&E doctor in London.  We were so happy he and Mel could join us today to raise a few pints in Ed’s honor.  We’re planning another hook up in December when we’re back here for the big wedding event.  

It’s still drizzling as we head back to the hotel tonight.  Hoping for a break in the weather tomorrow when we hook up with the nieces for lunch at Rules. The oldest restaurant in London.  It’s very old school British so we’re just hoping not to be escorted out.

Hopping The Pond - Second Leg

 

Going to be a long travel day with a lot of lolly gagging so we thought at least getting a walk in early was a good idea. Lincoln Park is always a good walking area and at 67 the weather was perfect. Also the double brood locusts have only just started to emerge south of here so it was still a pleasant walk.  Pretty sure the bulldozers will be out shoveling them all up soon.  My new trail shoes are working great so they’ll be fully broken in by the time I head to Colorado for hiking in late June assuming they don’t get too much Guinness spilled on them during this trip.

Loaded up on lots of e-books for the trip including some bad tabloid style writing about the Royal family.  Our close sources in London confirm William’s been playing around with Kate so the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. We’re staying in Ida’s old stomping grounds near Kensington Palace where she used to see Charles, Diana and the boys all the time. 

Just as we got in the taxi to start to O’Hare them rain started.  Hopefully it’s not a sign of the what to expect for the next 2 weeks.  Hopping a United Flight tonight for Heathrow.  Thanks to Ed, traveling United Polaris Business rather than in steerage.  It’s a much more civilized way than my first trip in 1976 on Icelandic air thru Reykjavik.  My luggage is improvement from the backpack too but I’m still good with getting everything in a carryon.  The Polaris Lounge is a a very posh lounge for the pre-flight relaxation, beverages and snacks.  Pimms, Guinness, The Prisoner all good. Ida says we’ll sleep better this way. 

Boarding in about 20 minutes.  Cheers.

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Back To The Friendly Confines - First Leg

It's been a long time since I've done much traveling or any blogging. This is my first major trip since Ed's passing. I started the blog when Ed retired from Generali in 2009 to chronicle our final trip to the head office in Trieste and Guernsey. It was a fun way to share our travel stories with friends and family. I decided to pick it up again for this trip for the same reason. 

 Now I'm headed to London and Ireland. Thanks to my family, the folks are being well cared for by Jane then Terry & Sue. First stop is Chicago to hook up with Ida then we'll jump the pond to head to London. Plans include hooking up with our Generali friends to raise a pint or two to Ed. We will also be visiting with other London friends and a couple of nieces. After a very short few days, we will be hooking up with the Mississippi crew in Dublin. 

 It's always good to be back in my home town. As usual, traffic was awful especially as for some unknown reason Lake Shore Drive was closed. I didn't need the gps to know the right answer was avoiding the Dan Ryan and we just worked our way up State and then cut over to LaSalle to our destination at Dearborn & Division. The condo staff all miss George & Alice and send them hugs. Enjoyed happy hour with the Parkers on the rooftop. Nothing beats Chicago when the weather cooperates. The conditions in January are a bit more challenging than May.

Returned to the friendly confines (aka Chicago's largest bar) thanks to Marc coming up with free tickets. Good seeing some of Marc & Marcie's crew. He had seats in the Catalina Club so he kept up a steady stream of junk food, inluding Garrett's popcorn. Located just under the press box, The Catalina Club is named after one of the Cubs earliest spring training venues - Catalina Island. With attendance at 39,000+ and perfect weather it was jammed. Because Ida works there we were able to enjoy all the short cuts to hit the best loos, best bars & hook up with Clark for a photo op. Unfortunately, the Pirates beat the Cubs and we blamed it on Ida's wearing her W shirt. 

 Headed to O'Hare for the jump across the pond. Flying United Polaris gives us access to the new Polaris lounge in Terminal C. Based on the reviews, it's a great way to relax before the flight.