5/13/22 Excited and Getting ready

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Today encompassed many hours on a bus to get to Stonehenge and the Salisbury Cathedral that was built in the 1200s and is enormous and where there is a copy of one of the original versions of the Magna Carta.  This is a fact that I was unaware of until today, and also I will share later a translation of it.  The original  was in a form of English Latin.  We were not allowed to take a photo of the document.  Totally understandable.

Once again traffic around London is a nightmare and slow.  Our bus this morning which was supposed to get here at 7:30 was 45 minutes late.  Total bus time time close to 6 hours, but a fun time anyway

Lots of stones here.  Quite large.  We were not allowed to get close to them or touch them as there was a roped off area, but we could walk all along a path all around them.  I had downloaded a tour to listen to from the English Heritage organization which was great.   

I learned that this are and stones came her about 5000 years ago  from 200 miles away in Wales.  REPEAT: 5000 years.  WOWZA!  They were moved a number times since then and were put together before there were any metal tools.  How?  No one really knows.

Here in the foreground the stone is called the heelstone.  The arrow points along the line of the solstices which Stonehenge is known for

Another angle of the heelstone and the henge 

For lack of a better term, the back side  (it is circular so there is not really a back here) is less sparsely populated and no one knows why this appears like this.  Were there more stones, or was this intentional.  Many mysteries.   I learend that this was built well before the Druids ruled and they had little to do with it, and most of the stores about them are myths.  Hmmm!

If you thought that I missed my selfie here you are mistaken.  I did take a number of them but I like this view where I got low to the ground with the henge as my backdrop.

I never thought that I would get to see this, so it did not really make it on to my bucket list.  Well, until today when it both went on the list, and got checked off fit.  LOL.  Sometimes things just work out that way.   I am blessed for sure.

WELL, SPEAKING OF BLESSINGS, A GOOD FOLLOW WAS THE SALISBURY CATHEDRAL WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD FROM STONEHENGE.  

Another place I knew zero about until today.  It is physically enormous, and was built in the early 1200s.  Another HOW question I find hard to contemplate  It is gorgeous , inside and out..

It is cavernous inside with many nooks and crannies and many entombments of people who were important in the church's history.  Not really my thing.  There were many tour guides inside who were very friendly and provided great information on so many topics.  One is that the church foundation is very close to the height of the water table but yet has been there for 800 years OK.

More new facts. I have always heard about the Magna Carta, but if I ever knew any details abut it they have been long forgotten.  Kings and Barrons at odds, and war as real stories, each trying to protect their own interests, and so on and so on, ultimately became the core of English law and also American law.   A good day of learning.

The group of nobles who were pissed off at King John createdt his document, and there were supposedly as many as 80 copies distributed.  There are 4 known copies left, with one here at the Cathedral.    

I found it interesting to see this Modern English translation of the Main Carta.  If interested , note the bolded highlighted section, which the guides indicated were the source for the American Bill of Rights.   

A great day of touring and yes, I am still blessed to be able to do this. 

June 10:  The Plan!  Get on a train at Kings Cross Station in London and travel about 400 miles to Waverly Station in Edinburgh, Scotland in 4-1/2 hours.  Yup, that's the ticket, and we got there in 3 minutes less than the plan.  That was the good news.

Based on this trip's bus arrival history, the bus to take us to the hotel was not there waiting and it took about a 1/2 hour to arrive, and the.... another 1 -1/2 hours to go about 2 miles to the hotel   A bit insane in my book, but we did get  there.   I am told the train can actually travel at 125 mph.  WOWZA!

The group went together for a lovely dinner at the Scotland National Portrait Gallery restaurant and had a wonderful meal of

   Phantissie Squash Soup

   Scottish free range Scottish chicken           breast, hermitage potatoes, with a mustard cream sauce

   Vanilla cheesecake with seasonal berries

All good to the last bite.

June 11 was  full day of tours.  We were out by 8:30,on the bus with a guide to show us all the highlights of Edinburgh.  I am not exactly sure if I absorbed any of them, as I spent he nigh up at 2 Am -4-30 listening to a radio broadcast of the Celtic - Warrior game, and gave up sleep for a disappointing outcome to me. Yup, I was a bit wasted for the entire day.

Wendrove around with a guide pointing out site for a while and the guide left us to go up into the Castle that is built on huge slab .  My eyes and ears were just barely open.

Honestly, after seeing Windsor Castle a few days ago, which was glorious,this left something a bit lacking to me, and as you can see by its location required a lot of walking up steep walks.  Yes, we heard some history but also, I was not able to take it in.    

We The Castle was the start of what iw called The Royal Mile, which was to me the center of touristy shopping.  I walked it and did not buy anything but most of my tour mates had a good time with Knic-Knacks and a few with samples of Scott.

Back on the bus a little after noon for a ride out of the city into incredibly beautiful countryside to visit the amazing home of Sir Walter Scott, . It is named Abbotsford.

Again, my knowledge of Sir Walter Scot is not much more than his name, but we had an incredible guide when we arrived and I learned so much about hi, and the estate he built.   There is too much to describe here, but this part of the day was the top event of the day and made the travels well worth it.  You should check tis guy out, more than just watching a movie of Ivanhoe! 

Scot was a man who quite literally had a major impact on the world of his time and even after he died.  The Scots never him, but I think that we Americans are clueless to his accomplishments.

Scott was an avid collector of books and history and weapons and oh so much. More than I can repeat here

On the left of the mantel is the skull of William the Bruce, Braveheart.  On the right the skull of a poor soldier.  Scott always tried to balance everything.

Books of all kinds everywhere Many origianl editions from his times.

Walls everywhere were filled with weapons  Each had a story.

A shiny suit of armor from a 6'6" tall knight, with an enormous ceremonial sword.  This was not the only one.

We finished the afternoon with a short ride to see the ruins of Melrose Abbey.  I took a quick peak as it was now rainy and cold.   As I headed back to thesis, I found a store for a delux hot chocolate with Marshmellows, cream and caramel sauce.  Sorry no pics of that.  Another great day traveling and touring the world.

Tomorrow another big travel day to Liverpool and a guide tour of The Beatles history.

Another long day of traveling...again and again.   .. I have had the realization that a 'HIGHL;IGHTS' tour such qs this one is going to cover many miles.  SO BE IT!

Going to be 4 hours on a bus a to holyhead with a stop along th4e way.  Wales has a town  with  with the longest name.,After this stop we wiere on another 4 hour ride on the ferry to Dublin.

TRY TO SAY THE NAME OF THE TOWN, IF YOU CAN.   

O THE PHONETICS WILLBE SHOWN NEXT ON ANOTHER SHOT.

As usual it required a selfie to confirm i was there  LOL  

Now, say it slowly, and you may be able to gert it.

I am not sure what the locals call it, but i just opted for the last 3 syllables. go go goch

We made it to Dublin after another long day of travel and within walking distance of the hotel was a nice pub the entire group went to for dinner   On to the tours the next day.

not quite jumped as everyone was tir4ed) The morning was filled with an official tour of Dublin.  We jumped on the bus (well, not quite jumped, more like dragged ourselves on the bus as we were all tired) and met with a guide who took us all around the city highlights.  The big stop was St. Patricks Cathedral.

Yup, another Cathedral on the tour.   Grand high ceilings arches, nooks and crannies with tombs of various ar one time important people - or so it says.  

for me, I was enamored by the gorgeous flooring throughout the Cathdral

One of the nooks and crannies showed the Reconciliation Door.  What a great story, I hope you can read above.

If you can't, it seems there is a phrase in common usage here that when you take a big risk, you "Chance an Arm."  The story is of warring clans where one wanted piece and cut a hole inhis door adn stuck his hand through it, not knowing if would be accepted or chopped off.  The other shook his hand, but he was the first to Chance an Arm.  Risky business back then, eh?

We were on our own in the afternoon and I planned to go to the tour at the Guiness Storeroom and see their beer making process and visit the Gravity Bar

I endied up walking abut 7 miles through Dublin to get there and back but found it inter4esting

The selfie view from the Gravity Bar with its 360 view of Dublin

The evening plan was an optional excursion for  an Irish dinner adn show .

Back on the bus for a 40 minute ride to a famous pub/hotel that has been around since 1640.  Bus loads of groups arrived, There were at least 8 long tables seating 20 each where a fab dinner was served.  I had traditional Irish stew which was great.  A moussy apple desert was melt in your mouth .  Then the show began.  It had the traditional Irish dancers  a great singign group and a singer from Celtic Women.

Not only did they perform on the stage but they also performed all around the room.  this group actually hqd as a lead, the guy who played Jean Valjean in the London 25th anniversary edition of Les MIs.  Of course he was great as the Irish troubadour and so interactive with the audience.

Just before the show began it turned out that our long table was made of 3 independent tables adn they cleared off one of them.  We did not kjnow why, but we sure learned  inthemiddle of the show...

..as one of the dancer popped on the table and did his hot stepping right in our laps

Many of thought thathis show was one of the top highlights of th4 tour.   Pretty sure I was in that group too.

This has so very literally been our home for the days we have been in Ireland. Our driver frank was by far the most amazing driver I have been with and made us all feelo safe and secure on our 608 hours a day driving mostly 2 lane roads throughut the emerald Isle.  And Emerald it certainly is.  The green is everywhere, and no picture can do it justice.   

But here is one pic that is , shall we say quite green!

On the 17th we travelled the Ring of Kerry, and went through the Killarney National Park and had the most fun on jaunt, i.e horse drawn ride  The driver was a stitch! but an expert in the area and the flowers and thetrees.

A happy group we were....

We stopped in Killarney for some ice cream and some quick shopping

On the road back we learned that Charlei Chaplin loved Kerry and often visited and lived there.  We found a statue in his honor  So, here is the required selfie,

We finished the day bucket thehotel after many hours of driving.  Standard for this part of the tour.

SO far the weather has been awesome on the tour, but not so for the final morning.

The Last Day on the Road 

 It is Friday and really the first soupy fog and rainy day of this Highlight tour of the England, Scotland, and Ireland.   We were a group of 32 peeps, from across the States of a wide range of ages. There were couples, some families and a few solo travelers like me.  Our tour director was with us and we had a different bus driver in each country, Most of us shared a cold for different durations and the bus had a constant sound of fleghmy coughing most days.  I was as guilty as many of my tour mates of not wearing a mask on the many hours on busses.  It is our last day on the road. 

The last day was taking us to the Cliffs of Moher, where it was poring rain when we arrived.  Some of the group went out and the rain let up and said is wonderful  I was burnt and stayed inthe bus.. and then another 4 hours to the hotel at the airport in Dublin and a big wonderful group dinner before we all get early starts to the planes in the morning.

The last day was taking us to the Cliffs of Moher, where it was poring rain when we arrived.  Some of the group went out and the rain let up and said is wonderful  I was burnt and stayed inthe bus.. and then another 4 hours to the hotel at the airport in Dublin and a big wonderful group dinner before we all get early starts to the planes in the morning.

Expectations  

I had no idea what to expect on this trip.  I did not make many plans but I did know some of the places we would be seeing, as you have read above, and a few that were on my bucket list, and some that were added along the way.   I didn’t know how wonderful they were and so glad I got to see them.  I had underestimated all the traveling on busses, ferries and trains that would be done, and like many aboard, spent time with eye closed or my iTunes keeping me company.  

Now, on the last day, I realized I could spend some time on the bus writing about the journey of my body and my feelings along the way.  From the day arriving in London, I was warned of a single day London Tube strike and did not expect a 3-hour ride across London to get to the hotel. I was beat, and in a neighborhood where the easiest food I could get was a McDonalds nearby as I was too tired to explore.  

My feelings were fighting from the low of being tired, feeling lost, alone, and the high of now being in London.  Each day and each journey had a mix of emotions from the tiredness of the traveling buoyed up by the adventure of seeing so many sites.  I was aware that on some days the lows seem to win but now, at the end I can clearly say the highs won by a large margin and the travel was just what was necessary to be on a Highlights tour. 

 Yes, It was worth it all.  

 In the middle of the tour, I was not sure I could do another like it again, but now at the end, I am not quite as sure.   I am surprising myself! 

A great guide, great people and great fun.  Worth it all!