Home Sweet Home

Happy Sunday everyone!

Here we are, back home after a wonderful vacation. To think that three weeks ago we were on our way to Edinburgh. Wow, how quickly it all went. When we think back on our trip, it seems like a blur as we saw and did so much. I'm actually glad I wrote a few blogs along the way otherwise I would be hard-pressed to remember everything.

We flew back from Dublin on Friday and spent the night in Toronto. Saturday morning, we picked up Cooper & Spicy and drove back to Montreal. It was a nice drive and we made it home in record time. Needless to say, our pooches were ecstatic to see us. As for us, we were beyond excited! They looked wonderful, having been bathed and perfectly groomed by Darlah. They didn't loose a beat when they got home....around 3 pm, they gave me the look that says "it's time for our afternoon treat". They had a great time at Camp Talemaker and we thank the whole crew for taking such good care of them!

We are still dealing with the jet lag but it's not bad. I think by tomorrow we should be back to normal. Having said this, we are actually feeling a little tired from our trip.  We were on the go quite a bit, wanting to see so much so we didn't have a lot of down time. Not that we're complaining. We did what we set out to do and have no regrets. Scotland and Ireland were always on our bucket list and we are so happy to have been able to visit these two beautiful countries.

We still talk about the train experience in Scotland which was absolutely magical in every way. I plan on writing a blog soon about it as there is so much that I want to share about the entire journey on the Royal Scotsman.

So, life is almost back to normal for us. Today we emptied the suitcases and did a few loads of laundry. A few more tomorrow. I bought some groceries and figured out our meals for the next few days. It was nice to get a break from cooking for three weeks and I'm now looking forward to cooking again.

Our weather is nice, a bit cool but the sun is warm. We resumed our walks with Coop & Spicy. They enjoyed it. We noticed how the leaves have changed during our absence. Come to think of it, when we left it was Summer and now it's Fall!

This coming week will be quiet although I resume Fun Obedience with Cooper on Tuesday. Training will go on until May. We missed the first three classes but I am positive that we will catch up quickly. We truly look forward to it. Next week Spicy and I will resume our visits at the seniors home.  Other than that, Russell and I will take it easy for the rest of this week. We plan on taking another week off from the gym, just for good measure.

That's my blog for today. I leave you with a few photos that Russell downloaded this morning. I wish you all a wonderful week!

Russell and I in the hills of Wicklow...below us, the
ancestral cottage of the Guinness'.

A lovely home reflected in the lower lake of a Monastic
town in the Wicklow hills.

The Monastic Tower in the graveyard of the Wicklow
hills.

Some of the 200,000 plus books in the Long Room of
Trinity College.

A small portion of the perennial garden of the
Powerscourt Estate.

Spectacular landscaping at Powerscourt....stunning.

A 3D gate at the Powerscourt Estate....the details
were fantastic.

The Westbury in central Dublin, our home away from
home for 7 wonderful nights.

Spicy has resumed ownership of her chair on the back deck.

Cooper has taken up his usual post on the
back deck on guard for intruders like
squirrels...bunnies!

Just home and they are waiting for the 3 PM treat...talk about
not missing a beat.

Scotland/Ireland...it's a wrap!

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Here we are, our last day in Dublin before heading home tomorrow. It has been a whirlwind vacation, from Scotland to Ireland. We have seen so much in the past 18 days, our heads are spinning. Time for a little vacation!

The past few days in Dublin have been incredible. The weather was on our side each day each except Monday, the day we visited The Cliffs of Moher and Galway, on the Southwest coast of Ireland, about three hours from Dublin.  What an incredible place to visit and the Irish mist made it all much more mystical. It was a full day and our driver made it so informative and fun.

Tuesday, we explored Dublin in a more cultural way. We visited the amazing Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Beautiful and so much history! We then made our way to EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum...where Every Person Is Connected. Wow, so well done and again, so much history to take in. We were very impressed and touched at the same time. A must for anyone visiting Dublin.

Yesterday, we had a change of plans. We originally planned to visit Kilkenny but we decided to spend less time in a car and more time exploring the country side so our driver took us to the South coast of Dublin, through Dalkey Village and up to Powerscourt, recently voted the 3rd best gardens in the world by National Geographic. We drove through the scenic Wicklow Mountains to Glendalough and discovered a 1,000 year old monastery and National Park, where we took in a beautiful hike through the forest. It was truly a magical day, most of it spent outdoors while taking in the majestic beauty of the country side.

Today, our last day, we decided to just take it easy and wander aimlessly through Dublin. We spent some quiet time in St Stephen Greens, a lovely park close to our hotel, just watching the world go by while reminiscing about the past 18 days or so.

It's been an incredible vacation and we enjoyed every moment of it. This trip was in honour of Russell's upcoming 65th birthday (in February) ... a way for  him to go back to his Scottish and Irish roots. We go home with a wealth of memories, to be cherished always.

Tomorrow we fly to Toronto and Saturday morning we pick up Cooper and Spicy. Needless to say we look forward to seeing them. We're ready to go home.

I leave you with some photos of the past few days. I hope you enjoy them. Until next blog, have a great rest of the week!

The ivy is turning a brilliant red on most
buildings..stunning!

Trinity College, home to the Book of Kells.

The Cliffs of Moher...a magical place.

The Long Room at Trinity College...
over 200,000 books.

The Samuel Beckett bridge and the Jeanie Johnston on the
Dublin water front...a replica of a three masted
barque originally built in Quebec in 1847 
by the Scottish born shipbuilder John Munn.

Rolling hills of green pasture land.

The ancestral family home of the Guinness brewing
family in a valley, in the Wicklow mountains.

Hillside sheep..free to roam the Wicklow hillside.

Howth in the distance across a bay from Sandycove.

Sandycove...a lovely spot on the coast of the Irish Sea.

Powerscourt House and Gardens....stunning spot.

The perennial gardens at Powerscourt. 

The pet cemetery at Powerscourt..dogs, ponies and cows...
all pets have a place of honor.

A lovely brook on the grounds of
Glendalough in County Wicklow.

A deer taking a break in Glendalough.

Exploring Dublin

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Greetings from Dublin! Great city, crazy busy and lots to see! We arrived on Friday afternoon and we have been exploring ever since. Once again, the weather was on our side, sunny and quite warm. Cloudy with some rain for the next few days though. That's OK. This will be our first rain since the start of our vacation some 14 days ago. Who says it always rain in Scotland and Ireland! We've been fortunate so a few fleeting showers will not put a damper on the rest of our time in Ireland.

Although Dublin is a large city, it is quite easy to explore by foot. Yesterday morning, we walked to St. Stephen's Green, a beautiful city park. From there, we got on the Hop On Hop Off bus. We sat on the top deck and had wonderful views of the city. The bus tour was incredibly informative and our tour guide was totally hilarious, cracking jokes every minute or so.

Following the bus tour, we walked some more and crossed the Ha'Penny Bridge, a pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the River Liffey.

We eventually made our way to the infamous Temple Bar where Russell had his first Guinness. The place was packed with tourists and locals and live music was playing. Irish people always seem so happy and full of life. We could learn a thing or two from them I think.

We then walked to the Brazen Head, the oldest Pub in Ireland, built in 1198. Lunch was good, Irish, and the atmosphere was very nice. Just like I don't drink Whiskey, I don't drink beer (except Banks beer in Barbados) so I had a delicious Irish Cider, very refreshing and light.

After a late lunch, we slowly made our way back to our hotel. We got lost but eventually found our way, a few hours later!

There is so much that we want to see in just a few days. In an hour or so, we will be going to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour of the distillery. The building is seven story high, the tour takes about two hours, with a tasting in the end. It should be very interesting.

Tomorrow, we have our first of two guided tours outside the city. We will be leaving at 8 am and make our way to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway, on the West Coast. It will be a full day. Wedndesday, we will be going to Glendalough and Kilkenny, another full day. In between those days, we plan to visit areas in and around Dublin. Our list is long, not sure if we can do it all. We go home Friday.

Today is a particularly exciting day in Ireland....the Rugby World Cup 2019 game between Ireland and Scotland is going on as I write, in Yokohama. So far, Ireland is winning. Hmmm....not sure who we should cheer for.

I leave you with a few pics from Cork and Dublin. More when we get home. For good measure, I also include a photo of Cooper and Spicy taken by Darlah. We sure miss those little munchkins.

Have a great week. I will do another update before we head home.

Ha'Penny Bridge.

The Dublin Spire...120 meters.

The Temple Bar...!

Live music in the Temple Bar...wonderful.

...and the songs like Guinness kept flowing.

The oldest pub...the Brazen Head.

Deep in Killarney National Park near Torc waterfall.

In Killarney national Park above the lakes.

The small dock in Kenmare...lovely and tranquil.

Contemplating jumping in....nope, don't think so!

Beautiful Ireland

Friday, September 20, 2019

Greetings from Cork. This is our last morning in this gorgeous city. Off to Dublin in a few hours for the rest of our vacation.

We spent the past two days exploring the South West coast of Ireland. There is so much to see in so little time. On Wednesday morning, we had our first day tour. We left the Manor at 9:15 am and made our way to the Blarney Castle. First order of the day was to kiss the Blarney stone. It was fun going up the castle, climbing those steep and very narrow steps all the way to the top. Then came the ritual of kissing the stone. Russell had no issue doing it...me, I tried but bending my head backwards wasn't working for me. So, I kissed the stone the best way I could. It was fun and such a tourist thing to do but we did it. We got there early enough so there was no line up.

We then made our way to the charming town of Kinsale. Beautiful views of the fields and harbour. Our next stop was at the Jameson Midleton distillery, where we had the "Jameson Experience"....well, Russell had it, me not so much. It is now official, I do not like whiskey. A wine tasting would have been a different story. It was however a great experience for Russell and he got to taste many premium Jameson whiskeys. I got to taste the amazing distilled water. Oh so good!

As we were driving in and around Kinsale, our driver took us to a place that few people get to see, at least those on bus tours, The Kinsale 9/11 Garden of Remembrance. I took a photo of the story so that you can read all about it. Worth the read. Truly an emotional place to visit.

On Wednesday night, we had dinner at Elbow Lane, which only seats 24 people and doesn't take reservations. We had to wait one hour so we went across the street for a little cocktail. It was truly a fun evening and the restaurant was awesome.

Yesterday, we had our second tour, this time heading to Killarney and the Ring of Kerry.  A truly spectacular day, on all fronts. The weather couldn't have been better. We woke up to thick fog, which dissipated as we made our way towards the mountains. As we entered the Killarney National Park, the sky was blue and it was really hot. I have to say that the song "Christmas in Killarney" has a totally new meaning now. I can't wait to play it at Christmas!

The Killarney National Park is quite breathtaking and totally worth seeing.  Lots of places to walk, hike, a beautiful waterfall, a real gem of a park. We also visited Muckross House & Gardens as well as Ross Castle, all located within the National Park. We had a lovely pub lunch in downtown Killarney.

Russell was in his element, having so many opportunities to take photos. He hasn't had a chance to download them yet. I leave you with a few that I took just to give you a sense of the past two days.

That's my update for today. We're off to the train station soon. We should be in Dublin mid-afternoon, it's a two hour train ride. Bye for now!

Just a portion of the manicured grounds at
the Hayfield Manor...a spectacular hotel.

Russell kissing the Blarney stone...now he has the gift
of the gab for at least 7 years!

Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park.

The ducks sun bathing on a glorious day at Ross Castle.

 Kinsale 9/11 Garden of Remembrance.

Individual trees planted to remember each first responder
who perished.

Each tree is named in honour of the person.

A little putting in our room at the Hayfield
Manor.

A great day in Cork

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Here we are, in Cork. We arrived yesterday afternoon, after a wee short flight from Edinburgh. So happy to be here. Cork is a beautiful city and the weather is splendid! Couldn't be better, sunny and 21 celsius.

We are staying at the Hayfield Manor, a charming place with lovely accommodations and beautiful manicured grounds. Thanks to our friend Pat Murphy for the recommendation. I must say that after spending five days on a train, in somewhat closed quarters, albeit very comfortable, the Manor feels quite grandiose.

We spent the day walking and exploring the city. It is quite easy to get around and very walkable.  Around noon, we decided to get on the Hop On/Hop Off bus to see more of what Cork has to offer. Our first stop was in the quaint neighbourhood of Shandon with its landmark clock tower of St-Anne's Church. As any tourist normally does, I got to ring the bells of Shandon to the tune of "Frere Jacques". Kind of cool!

We walked along St-Patrick's Street, a main shopping drag. We also went through the English Market, which resembles the St-Lawrence Market in Toronto, amazing fresh produce, fish, meats, etc. Took a peak at the Winthrop Arcade, an interesting retail spot. We walked along the beautiful River Lee. Just a few of the places we saw today. We had a late lunch, sat outside watching the Irish world go by. Quite nice.

It's been a wonderful day and we are a bit tired...not so much from walking but from the sun. I'm afraid Russell bought his Irish pea cap a little too late this afternoon. He has a bit of a sunburn on his head. Not good.

We will spend the next two days visiting the country side of Cork. We have two private tours lined up to visit areas such as Blarney, Kinsale, Midleton, Killarney and the Ring of Kerry. Looking forward to it.

I leave you with just a few pics of today. More when we return to Canada. Also, I plan to write more about our train trip when we get home. There is so much I want to say about it but I need time to digest it all.

So long, until the next update!

A nice reflection

Hayfield Manor...a splendid place, elegant and refined!

St.Anne's Church....

...me ringing the St.Anne Church bells to a familiar tune!

Every city has one...the Cork wedge!

Last day in Sotland

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Good afternoon from Scotland! Today is our last full day on the train. We just got back from spending the afternoon in Dunfries and Galloway, in south west Scotland, visiting the beautiful Drumlanrig Castle and its stunning gardens.

Since we boarded the Belmond Royal Scotsman, we have been kept busy but it has also been very relaxing. On Thursday, we went to Glen Nevis and walked to the Steall Waterfall. A lovely, and sometime, treacherous hike. We then made our way to Oban where we spent an entire day and night. A quaint little sea town. We visited the Oban Distillery, very impressive. We also went to Isle of Mull and visited the Duart Castle. So much history to absorb.

Yesterday, we made our way to Weymiss Bay, a very small sea town. We then took the ferry to Isle of Bute and visited Mount Stuart, a 19th century country manor house with extensive gardens. Quite impressive!

Life on the train has been great. We have been sleeping really well. The food is superb, the accommodations are very comfortable and we have met some really nice people. Meeting folks from all over makes for some very interesting conversations. The weather has also been cooperating, quite a bit of sun and temperatures nearing 18 celsius.  All in all, a really wonderful experience. We would highly recommended it.

Friday night was our first of two formal dinners. My lovely hubby got to wear his kilt, showing off the Duncan tartan. I must say that when I saw Russell in his kilt, I felt very emotional. It was a proud moment for him to be able to wear his family colours. I was also proud to wear a sash with his tartan.

Tomorrow morning, the train will make its way back to Edinburgh. We will then catch a flight for Cork, Ireland...the second part of our vacation. Truly looking forward to it.

On a completely different topic, but an important one, we hear that Cooper & Spicy are also having a wonderful time. We have seen pics of them through Darlah's blog. They look happy, which makes us happy. We miss them though and talk about them every chance we get...and show some of the thousand photos that we have of them!

I leave you with a few photos taken in the past few days. Time to get ready for our last formal dinner aboard the Royal Scotsman. It promises to be a fun night with entertainment and Scottish dancing, aka Ceilidh. Have a great week everyone! My next blog will be from Cork, Ireland!

Entrance to the Wee Garden at Mount Stuart...impressive!

Mount Stuart is a stunningly beautiful home...it boasts many
amenities truly ahead of their time like an indoor heated
pool.

A canon on guard on the hill at Duart castle.

Oban distillery, a must see.

A 229 year old weeping beech tree in the
gardens at Drumlanrig castle. It is considered
to be the oldest specimen of its kind.

A pet cemetery in the garden at Drumlanrig.

Russell and I in our finest for a formal
dinner. The Duncan clan tartan proudly
displayed.

The attention to detail on the Royal Scotsman is outstanding!

Steall Waterfall was a great hike!