2009 British Isles – 2
Dear Family and Friends,
This is part 2 of 2 of our taste of the British Isles. Picking up where we left off, we made it to Enniskillen, Northern Ireland with one slight diversion. We took a cab to the bus station, but he delivered us to the wrong bus station. We had only minutes before the bus was scheduled to leave. Luckily the correct bus station was just around the corner. We did find a lace museum and helped the local economy with a few purchases. The lace they make is incredible. They had entire lace wedding gowns. We can only imagine the hours/days each one must have taken.
Next stop was Belfast and lamb (not mutton) for supper. We hit the main sights of Belfast to include the newly renovated city hall, Queen’s University and Saint Ann’s Cathedral. We took a “black cab” tour of one of the DMZ zones in the city. He took us to see both sides of the walls dividing the city. A great deal of pent-up passion is still on both sides of the current cease fire. One small spark could set it off again. Stand-by for the news headlines.
Next we took a ferry to Stranraer, Scotland and a train to Glasgow. We wound up staying at the bag-piper museum. The walls were thick so we did not loose any sleep from the practicing pipers. We had an interesting walk through a huge necropolis (cemetery) and got a feeling for life and death in the very old city. Unfortunately the cemetery is in sad condition.
Next stop was Stirling and a visit to the Stirling Castle. While walking back to our lodging we got to see and hear a piper escort a newlywed couple to their hotel. It is a little different seeing a groom in a skirt (kilt).
After a train ride to Pitlochry we checked out the smallest distillery in Scotland. It was a nice walk (3 miles round trip) through the woods with some beautiful scenery and a nice sample at the end. During supper we got lucky and heard about the Enchanted Forest. With the aid of a travel acquaintance, we got last minute tickets and enjoyed a walk in the woods at night complete with lights, lasers, and mist. They have 20,000 visitors to this event every year as part of their fall celebrations.
Next was Inverness. (Home of Nessy, the Lochness monster.) With the camera at the ready we took a boat ride and tour of another castle on the loch. Unfortunately Nessy didn’t come out and play. Oh well, maybe next time. As you can imagine, Nessy is a big attraction for something that you can’t see.
Our next stop was the Isle of Skye (not to be confused with Skype). The big attraction there beside the scenery was a small cross stitch shop. Again we helped the local economy. The train ride from Inverness to Skye is supposedly one of the most beautiful in the world. Now we don’t know that we would go that far, but the fall colors on the trees, rolling hills, livestock, and rivers were wonderful. It was certainly better than some of the scenery we saw in Russia last year.
Another beautiful train ride took us to Fort William. The B&B we stayed in had been a rectory and home to the choir boys for the local church. Talk about a house with character!
Edinburgh was next with a “must see” trip to the castle, Saint Giles church, Holyrood Palace, and Roslin Chapel of The Da Vinci Code novel. Edinburgh is another city with much more to see than the time allotted.
Back in England again we stopped at Carlisle and guess what, another cathedral with an extensive vault in the basement. The plan was to see Hadrian’s Wall but missed the bus. (Something for next time.) Do you get the idea we may need to go back?
Windermire in the Lake District was interesting and the boat ride and steam train were fun. They held the train while several of us got ice cream cones. Nourishment is important. The following day we spent on a tour of the Lake District. Another “must see” thing to do in England. We had a terrific guide named Steve. He talked nonstop the entire trip. He was a wealth of information. His dog went with us and got out whenever we did but did not add much commentary..
York was our next stop. The old walls of the city do have an impact on vehicle traffic. We did not rent a car but did find our way to Spofforth and the remains of the Spofforth/Spofford Castle. Kind of cool for those of us with the Spofford surname. If you would like to see pictures of the castle, go to www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/spofforth/spofforth.php. The castle also has a female ghost that appears from time to time. We had supper in a 500+ year old pub to finish the day. It is supposedly haunted. Of course most of York is haunted. All you have to do is take one of the ghost tours. You are guaranteed to see ghosts. The York Minister (the largest Gothic church in England) and The National Railway Museum make York a stop for those of you without a Spofford surname.
Ely was next by train. We had a little trouble getting a room for the night but the local tourist office saved the day. Ely has another large cathedral and we attended a Church of England service there. Close by was a home of Oliver Cromwell that was an interesting stop. We attended the Guy Fawkes Day bonfire and fireworks later in the evening with most of the town. What a wonderful display. This just happened to be Halloween with a nearly full moon. Things don’t get much better. (Well we could have seen a ghost.)
From Ely we took a cab to the Mildenhall Royal Air Force Base. We expected to wait a couple of days for a space-a flight but got lucky. We were on a plane to McGuire AFB in a couple of hours. After the eight hour flight we got lucky again with a six hour flight to McChord AFB (where the car was parked). What we planned to take 7 days was accomplished in 24 hours. Sometimes the magic happens. We spent the night at Ft. Lewis and a nine hour drive home to Boise the next day.
We thought that we knew how to speak English but as it turns out we have learned some new English words and/or new meanings. Here is a sample:
Slide = ramp
Param = baby stroller/buggy
Toastie = fried sandwich
Black pudding = a dark sausage with a high content of blood, esp. one made with diced pork fat, pork blood, chopped onion, etc., usually stuffed in casings and cooked by broiling, frying, or boiling.
Sort-it later = discuss or deal with it later
Croquette = a small ball of meat
Tarn = a small pool of water
Close = an alley
Tatties = mashed potatoes with a little nutmeg
Chips = French fries
Neeps = mashed turnips with a little ginger
Quid = Sterling Pound
Miggies = very small pesky bugs
Tappit Hen = beer mug
Cleg = horse fly
Tattoo = an outdoor military pageant or display
To Let = to rent
Dogs fouling = dogs leaving a poop deposit
Sale rail = a sales rack for clothes
Taxi rank = line of waiting taxis
Mind the gap = watch your step when exiting a train
Courgettes = zucchini
Crisps = potato chips
Bangars and mash = sausage links on mashed potatoes with gravy
Driving on the left = is “right”
Besides a short work trip to Chile, we are planning a trip to Brazil next spring. (Time to learn Portuguese? Well probably not.)
Enjoy,
Rob and Connie…
Spoffords Travel 