Ireland!

On the 27th of May we crossed the Irish Sea from Cairnryan, Scotland to Belfast, Northern Ireland, a smooth two hour voyage.  No icebergs.  We then visited the Titanic Museum, located right by the shipyards where the Titanic was built.

I'm King of the World!

On to Dublin, the Irish capital and pilgrimage center for beer lovers all the world over.  The Guinness Storehouse is like Disney for Beer.

Among the many statues along O'Connell Street , the main drag of downtown Dublin, is this one honoring Father Mathews the Temperance Priest.

A close look reveals that the fingers of Fr Mathew's upraised right hand have been broken off -- by boozy vandals, so the story goes, who over the years repeatedly attempted to stuff a flagon of drink into the statue's hand.  Cheers!

The River Liffey

A colorful hostel along the river

This one is called Callagh Man, found in 1821

Shannon and I had a full day to explore Dublin.  We visited the National Gallery, Trinity University, and the Irish National Museum, where among other amazing sights we saw four of the specimens called bog bodies .

Then it was off again, sightseeing along the Cliffs of Moher.

Windy

Lean in and hold on to your hat

My darling Shannon crossing the Shannon River, near the town of Shannon, before dinner at Shannon Castle, the Bunratty.  And our hotel in Killarney was on Shannon Street.

The Dingle Peninsula, a popular route to circumnavigate

A curiosity spotted on a rainy Ring of Kerry

And then next day the sun came out for us to visit the Blarney Castle.

My photogenic sweet ginger

We stopped in Waterford to see the famous crystal being made

And then we crossed the Irish Sea again, a four hour trip this time, from Wexton to Fishguard, Wales.

Edinburgh Onward

The Ross Fountain in beautiful Princes Street Gardens

 

View from Salisbury Crags, Holyrood Park

The way up.  The yellow is gorse, a very stickery shrub.

More Princes St Gardens

Delightful place, Edinburgh.  After two days we moved on north toward Inverness and Skye.

St Andrews, the birthplace of golf

The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral.  After golf was invented, I guess no one went there on a Sunday any more....?  Just kidding.

Inverness Castle in the early evening

Site of the Battle of Culloden, last full scale battle on British soil

Eilan Donan Castle

Village of Portree, Isle of Skye

The Old Man of Storr, the vertical stone in the distance

The Broadford Hotel

Legend says that Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to Skye after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden, and, despite a huge reward offered for his capture, he was given refuge on this very site by Captain John MacKinnon.  As an expression of his gratitude, Bonnie Prince Charlie gave MacKinnon the secret recipe for the potent elixir that had been devised especially for the Prince during his exile in France.  We know this drink today as Drambuie .

Sailing Loch Lomond

Next -- on to Ireland

Scotland - Edinburgh

I don't know why Edinburgh seems to be my favorite spot that we visited in the UK, unless it has to do with my family connection to the border clan Johnstones, reivers and rustlers of long ago.

Piper at Gretna Green, just across the border from England

Haggis there in the center, not near as bad as I anticipated

Our Insight Tours Group at Edinburgh Castle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemo_me_impune_lacessit

Inside Edinburgh Castle with the Forth of Firth in the background

Looking down on the city.  The red stone building is our hotel, the Waldorf-Astoria

View to the north

St Margaret's Chapel, from 1130, oldest existing structure in Edinburgh, having been spared by Robert the Bruce when he destroyed the rest of the castle in 1314

St Margaret

William Wallace

Windows added in the 20th century inside the chapel.

The castle was a hoot, and then we moved on just steps away to lunch at The Witchery.  Shannon looks a little bewitched by the surroundings.

But me, I'm just tickled pink to find on the wine list Dead Arm shiraz from the D'Arenberg winery, McLaren Vale, Australia.

Wicked awesome stuff!