Ireland, Day three, rail tour to Cliffs of Moher via iPad

The best thing about today is Karen is with us. We are back on the Irish Rail Tour train, first stop is Limerick. The day is sunny and so are our dispositions. I enjoyed Bewley's coffee on the train, It comes in a little French Press. Karen noticed porridge on the menu and discovered it is really oatmeal! You can imagine our conversations, mostly related to food, allergies, and our health. Dena's goal is to run a marathon. Our food options here do not match our normal food choices.

These young people were going on a field trip, but happily obliged Dena's request to hold the WSU flag for a picture.

We first stopped at Bunratty Castle. We got to smell the beautiful aroma of traditional turf (peat) fire in a fireplace in a thatched cottage. Our guide showed us how the Big Irish families managed to sleep in such a small space, a bed settee, sort of Murphy bed for children. He said, "our neighbors all had big families, one had 18 children. For some reason there were only two in my family, and it's just something I'd never asked my mother, Bridget Mary, about, she would've knocked me in the head."

Throughout Ireland we saw gorgeous wool blankets and scarves.  I loved the colors and actually bought some cute socks made from organically grown sheep at this shop near Bunratty Castle.

We had lunch in Doolin, at Gus O'Connor's Pub and the most wonderful Bacon and cabbage dish with mash (mashed potatoes). Kathleen told me it is the real Irish meal, not the corned beef we eat in the U.S.

The Cliffs of Moher was our next stop.  

A famous attraction and lovely opportunities for lots of pictures

Back on the bus we go and get off for pictures at The Burren meaning "great rock",is a karst-landscape region or alvar in northwest County Clare, in Ireland. It is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. It's one of only six National Parks in Ireland.  People are committed via the Burren Code to protect this landscape and remove no rocks.  The pictures taken here are some of the best of the whole trip.  

This picture is of a "famine" cemetery.  History states that the Famine occurred because of a failure in the potato crop in Ireland.  The Irish were under British occupation at the time. Rich landlords controlled the country, though they were a small portion of the population.  Most of the population served as tenants to these landlords, and suffered from high rents and taxes.  Poverty ran deep in the tenant class, which used the potato as the main staple of its diet.  When the crop failed, panic set in.  The Irish sold what they had, including boats and fishing equipment to feed their suffering families.  One in three people died in the area surrounding Skibbereen.  Most concur that there was plenty of food in Ireland – plenty enough to feed the starving citizens.  But the food was exported for profit that was made by the British government and the Anglo Irish ruling class.  People died suddenly and there was no way to have a proper burial so stones from the little church were used as headstone or grave markers.  

Our day ended in Galway and we drove by a monument erected after our President John F. Kennedy visited Galway on June 29, 1963, just four months before he died.  

We only had about 90 minutes to dine, shop, or tour Galway and we were hungry so we tried to get into a well known pub called Taffe's, but it was packed with people so we ate instead at The Kings Head, received the royal treatment and had great food, but this is a better picture.  

Ireland via IPAD, Day one

Lovely room,  here at the Westin in Dublin.  Dena made sure we would feel like royalty.  It took me awhile to figure out how to get the lights on in this room.  One has to insert the keycard!!  Who knew?

I've closed the curtains, turned on the a/c cause it's so warm in here and have been trying to take a nap, only to be awakened by what sounds like a big party. My room overlooks an enclosed courtyard and I'm wondering if it might be a wedding celebration. I see men in kilts and a woman just lifted up the back of his kilt and everyone else is laughing. I happened to be on the elevator with a young man carrying a huge bouquet of flowers and he told me it was for the parents of the bride. "Most of the time, wedding celebrations are stressful for us, but this one is going well," he said. I'm tempted to get dressed and go down and see if I can crash the party. The food and fun make it tempting.

 Our Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour Guide - oh so handsome and with quite the accent!  I took the video just to hear his accent as he gave us directions and suggestions of things to see.

We are staying at the Westin, a historic hotel in downtown Dublin. We walked just one block go catch the Hop On, Hop Off bus tour of Dublin earlier today. It rained, otherwise would've been fun to be on the top deck, better to see the sights. Dublin is a big city - with lots of old buildings. Kathleen, Dena's friend, who lives here, quickly pointed out the building where the uprising against Great Britain, happened in 1916. We were amazed that this free country is not yet 100 years old.
Our trip began with some unusual travel stress, perhaps related to the alleged bombing by terrorists at the Boston Marathon on Monday. We noticed heighten security at the airport, having to show our passports as we boarded the plane in Seattle and JFK. Our flight on Delta was delayed because of mechanical issues, but we were at the airport 3 hours early, so were able to catch flight on Alaska to Seattle and from there a direct flight to JFK, rather than flying to SLC as originally scheduled. Dena and I felt quite smug, texted Karen who was on her way to catch a flight from Las Vegas. We worried a little because we only had an hour to make the connection to Dublin. We get to our gate at JFK and could not find Karen, which seemed odd because she was scheduled to arrive two hours prior. Long story short, American Airlines also had "computer" problems and she was not able to make the connecting flight. "There were long lines to rebook and the airlines felt no commitment to me since I made the reservation to get to JFK only...Dena made the reservation from JFK to Dublin." I'm so disappointed she'll miss our tour out the Ring of Kerry tomorrow. We have to be on the bus by 7 AM and she won't arrive until 9:15. I heard the disappointment in her VM, but she said, "I'm trying to make the best of it - maybe I can take a cab and spend the night with Julia." Oh, the joys of travel!!!

The Ha'penny Bridge ,officially the Liffey Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the River Liffey. Before the Ha'penny Bridge was built there were seven ferries, operated by a William Walsh, across the Liffey. The ferries were in a bad condition and Walsh was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge. Walsh chose the latter option and was granted the right to extract a ha'penny toll from anyone crossing it for 100 years. Initially the toll charge was based, not on the cost of construction, but to match the charges levied by the ferries it replaced. The toll was increased for a time to a Penny Ha'penny (one and a half pence), but was eventually dropped in 1919. While the toll was in operation, there were turnstiles at either end the bridge.
In 2001 the number of pedestrians using the bridge on a daily basis was 27,000 and, given these traffic levels, a structural survey indicated that renovation was required. The bridge was closed for repair and renovations during 2001 and was reopened in December 2001 sporting its original white colour.  We crossed this bridge on our way to our dinner at the Arlington Hotel.  

Love padlocks are a custom by which padlocks are affixed to a fence, gate, bridge or similar public fixture by sweethearts at an increasing number of locations in the world to symbolize their everlasting love.

Kathleen invited a cousin and her son to join Dena, Anthony and me for a three course dinner and traditional Irish music and Celtic dancing.

The video starts out a little fuzzy, but eventually comes into focus.  I think Irish Music presents a unique  glimpse of this great country.  The songs and dance tell a story!  I came away thinking we need more music in our country - traditional music that lets visitors "hear" our story.

R.I.P. Curt Berklund

The Berklunds were our neighbors in Cottonwood, arriving with a whole town of sawmill equipment and workers from Big Bay, Michigan, in 1952!  The six Berklund kids(Marian, David, Diane, Ruth, Jon, Becky) and the 10 Kopczynski's grew up together, often celebrating birthdays, eating ice cream, and sharing picnics in the backyard.  Adele Berkund and Alma Hutter became my Mom's best friends as she tried to have some sanity and adult conversation when Kopczynski family grew by one every 18 months!

 I think I was old enough to do a little babysitting for his family, but my younger siblings just had fun eating green apples with salt in the orchard or playing house in the old chicken coops.  Ah, those were the days when kids would make their own fun and felt safe running through the lumber piles or getting a 10 cent soda from the pop machine inside the sawmill!

I think these are the names of the kids in this picture - front row: Diane, David, Allan, Don, Connie.  Middle:  Nicki and Donna Mager, Karen held by Marilyn.  Back row:  Ruth, Joan, Marian, Queenie Robinson, Carole, and Nicki Kopczynski.  The Berklund house is in the background.  Once their new house was built, just down the street, Pete and Alma Hutter became our next door neighbors.

 Curt's grandchildren told stories about their grandpa and how he touched their lives.  Ruth and Wayne's daughter, talked about Grandpa's rules - wearing shoes to dinner, without hats, and being on time!  Family dinners became important events in the Berklund household.  Curt's namesake, Curtis John Berklund, Jon's son, talked about trapshooting with his grandpa and how he hopes to live up to his namesake and be successful by treating people with respect.  Curt's nephew, Dr. Hamel, named after his grandfather, William Berklund, spoke about the 4 "F's" in Curt's life, Family, Forte, Fortitude, and Faith.  I can't remember all the stories, but certainly saw evidence by watching the family greet others and openly sharing their faith at the funeral home. What I remember about Curt was his generosity to the people in Cottonwood.  David told a story about his grandfather, William Berklund, who always wanted to log Idaho white pine, having lunch in Cottonwood while searching for the perfect place in the northwest for a new sawmill.  One of the sisters from the Monastery of St. Gertrude overheard his conversation at the cafe and boldly approached him and said, "if you bring your sawmill to Cottonwood and provide jobs for the people of this community, we will sell you our white pine logs from the Cottonwood Butte."  I wondered if the sleepy community of Cottonwood welcomed this non-Catholic outsider or grumbled about the increased traffic, noise, and pollution his presence caused.  I asked Marge Lyda, 92, who was with her daughter, Joan, how the people of Cottonwood felt about the invasion of a whole community of workers and equipment from Michigan, and she responded,"well some people were a little jealous, I think, because the Berklunds were perceived as having great wealth, financially. Not us, we were one of the first to sell them our timber on Joseph Plains."  The Kopczynski family quickly learned about the Berklund generosity.  Grandma Berklund often paid Alma Hutter to prepare meals for our family of 10 when Mom was bedridden with rheumatic fever in 1958.  Curt's generosity continued as his foundation donated funds to St. Mary's Hospital and the Monastery of St. Gertrude long after he left the community.

Some of us were a part of their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in August, 2000, when my parents and sister, Carole,  were still alive.

Jon, Don, and David in 2000

Larry and his best friend, childhood pal, Jon!  Jon with Curtis John Berklund and Jon's daughter in the background.

Once again, we shared time and stories together and honored a true gentle man.  Rest in peace, dear Curt, and enjoy your crown of righteousness in the mansion Jesus prepared for you!

Drip System

I spend a lot of money on annual flowers.   I guess is it my obsession - some people spend money on lattes, or make-up, or jewelry, or shoes.  An elderly neighbor asked me recently how much I spend on the flowers in my yard.  I told her, "a lot."  I consider watering my annuals in pots part of my summer recreation and therapy.  There's just something special about sharing in God's creation and making the garden of my home a place of beauty.  I'm humbled when people walk by and tell me how much they enjoy all my flowers!  Truly it's God's gift that I just nurture along with a little water and fertilizer!

Having all these annual flowers made going on vacation a little troublesome for me.  I hired friends and neighbors the take good care of them and I paid them well over the past 10 years.  I guess I just figured it out - hiring someone to put in a drip system is about the same as paying someone to water the flowers in the summer time.  So, today, two young men are busy installing my new drip system!

They put up little flags in all the pots and then began digging up the old valves and installed another one!  Gratefully, I had one station left on my sprinkler system!

These little babies will no longer suffer from my neglect and I won't have to rely on my neighbors!