You know you're back in England

It had been a wonderful few days in Ireland but we had to return for Amy's work and Rachel had to go back to Edinburgh. It was great to visit with our Irish family and see Dad's childhood home.
We came home to the rain! Seeing we were travelling light we thought we might have a quick look around the iconic Harrod's shop- big mistake! Firstly they wouldn't let us in with our small travel bags and we had to check them in for £3 per bag and £1 for your coat! That's $9 just for holding on to your bag for an hour- and you don't get it back! Next we looked around at the price inflated things- kittens for £1,ooo EACH- that's $3,000 for an ordinary looking cat!! The final straw was when we decided to have a Coke and a shared plate of wedges- a glass of Coke was £3.75 ($10 each)and the tasteless nachoes were £10 ($30). I know food prices here are high but that was WAY over the top for my tastes!
On the way out they had this rather tacky and somewhat old tribute to Princess Diana's last fling. Sad really.

County Donegal

For a Sunday treat Karen had a day off work to take us into Southern Ireland to see the sweeping coastline and isolated villages. This is a panorama of the inlet at Letterkenny.
Mini-Dylan from Wales was brought along for the ride to pose with Karen.
We stopped for a photo opp at Ramelton-Ráth Mealtáin. I fell in love with the old storehouses next to the river Lennon. We are in Southern Ireland now- no passports needed but road signs are in Gaelic & English and miles turn to kilometres and the chocolate tastes creamier!
This is the view up river!
Next stop was Portsalon with windswept views across the water.
This is what a lot of Ireland looks like with small green paddocks with stone or hedge fences- very pretty.
Portsalon beach reminded me of home- it must be great in summer- two surfers were enjoying the big waves rolling in from the Atlantic- the water must have been freezing.

Next stop was Fanad lighthouse standing tall on the headland just begging its photo to be taken.
We came across a whole herd of gorgeous little Shetland like ponies and stopped to feed them long grass from the roadside.After a great day out off home we went for a beautiful homecooked Irish lamb roast and a peat fire in the hearth.

A great day out and a great way to finish the evening.

The Giant's Causeway, Country Antrim

After a great evening with the Love family we were greeted on Saturday morning by the return of Rachel from Edinburgh. This is the view from Rachel's bedroom window.
Elvin planned to take us to County Antrim on the eastern coast of rugged Ireland to see the Giant's Causeway. He entertained us the whole way with witty and funny storytelling- a real art and joy to listen to with an Irish accent.
We looked out to the Atlantic- huge, dark and fierce.
The Port Rush village along the way was beautiful. Elvin made me laugh when we went for a walk and he showed me the diving board that he used to dive from that wasn't there any more that had been taken away by the Health and Safety people.
We stopped to see the Scaries- not sure if written correctly.
Then on to The Giant's Causeway itself- so windy on the walk there that we had to link arms to stop being blown over.
A kind lady offered to take our photos as we braced against the wind.
These magnificent structures grow tall from the sea in stacks that look like they were placed there by people long ago.
Amy bundles up to keep warm.

On the way home we stopped for a quick photo opp at the Dunluce abandoned castle on the edge of the cliff.

If You Should Go Across The Sea to Ireland

You might wonder why this blog post starts off with a photo of a cuddly hottie warmer but as Amy and I arrived Karen had thought of everything. Karen is my grandmother's sister's grand-daughter who still lives in Londonderry where Dad was born. We used to be penpals way back when we were kids but lost touch as we grew up only to be re-kindled through contact with Karen's daughter Rachel a few summers ago in New Zealand.
Diana, Karen's sister picked us up on Friday morning and took us on a tour of Londonderry starting at 29 Violet Street, Waterside, where Dad was born. It was a bit tearful for me as I stood with Amy in this place that held so many memories for Dad. The place was empty and had been vandalised with a broken window at the back but it was still good to be there with No30 Violet St where Aunt Margaret was still well kept and lived in.
We thought of how the street must have been when Dad was a boy. It was good to be there.
Next stop was the Glendermott cemetery where Dad's mother was buried. Stupidly I left my iPod back at Karen's so didn't have the photo that Dad had taken of the exact spot but we did find plot 889 but the photo looked a little different when compared- never mind- the thought was there and we were definitely close.
Diana picked up Simon early from school and we met with Patrick for lunch at Badgers, a little Irish pub. It was great to meet the boys- they were great.
Next we walked the walls of Derry- a must do if visiting. It was great to see the sites and relive some of the history of the siege of Derry. This is the St Columb's Cathedral built in 1628-1632 and where Elvin, Karen's husband sings in the choir every Sunday.
From the wall we looked down on Bogside Derry, the site of the Bloody Sunday Massacre- beautiful in its own gritty way.
Bernadette Devlin helped stir the Catholic IRA to arms.While across the Foyle River the loyalists made their own murals.
The walls were scattered with cannons from the dark days.
This photo is a bit burnt out but I like it all the same.
This is the Guild Hall with the big cannon- Roaring Meg. After the walk around the wall Amy and I had a good look around the Londonderry Museum and Diana took us home for a cuppa and a chat.