London, Day One

Karen and I said goodbye to Dena on Monday morning and boarded RyanAir for our short flight to the Luton Airport.  We managed the shuttle, a train ride to Kings Cross and then the underground to Southgate Station, just blocks away from The Oaks Guest House, our B&B for the next four days.

We were delighted to find this lovely place, in a quiet neighborhood, close to Southgate College.  

We stopped at a little grocery store to buy some fruit, veggies and wine.  It was tempting to take a nap, but we headed back to Southgate Station for our trip to Kensington Palace.  

We took opportunities to try lots of different kinds of food - the first one a Falafel, a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is a traditional Arab food, usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa.  We stopped at a small shop, actually encouraged inside by the employee, who told us he was from Israel.  He filled the pita with all kinds of veggies and sauces - a little like a subway sandwich shop.  He pretty much guaranteed we would love it and we did!

We made our way to Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, stopping to admire the statue of Queen Victoria.

We toured the palace and learned a lot about the Royal Families who lived here since the 1600's.  Karen bought a book about the six wives of Henry VIII.  She couldn't believe any subjects would continue to honor a man who had six wives and beheaded two of them!

                                                      

Karen and I took time for tea at the Orangery - a lovely afternoon respite!  I loved the china tea cups.

We walked a bit through the palace gardens and noticed more spring flowers.  

We walked back to the underground via Hyde Park and were fascinated by these ducks who stood on one leg.

We got to bed early because we had to get up early for our tour out to Stonehenge on Tuesday.  We were so happy to open the window, appreciate the fresh air, and wake up to birds singing!

Ireland - Day 5, Sunday

We began our last day in Ireland by attending Mass at St. Teresa's Carmelite Church, just a few blocks from our hotel.

Emotions overcame me as I knelt while listening to traditional Catholic Church music that filled this lovely old church.  I immediately had a sense of belonging! We lingered awhile after Mass for candle lighting and some pictures.  I lit three candles for the intentions of my 4th day sisters, my children and extended family, and for healing of a co-worker's mother.

This church is filled with statutes and altars that honor Mary and various other saints.  I love the feeling in an old church - I know our modern ones have all sorts of liturgical reasons for design and materials, but the old ones have the history of thousands of people on their knees asking for God's mercy and blessings on their loved ones.

We spent the rest of the day walking the streets of Dublin, stopping at St. Patrick's Cathedral, no longer a Catholic Church, but lovely nevertheless, and with a nice park attached to the site.

Kathleen, Bridget, and Anthony, quickly informed us of many historical details as we walked the streets.  We saw many churches, most of them originally Catholic, but once the British took over, they became protestant churches.  I heard the pain in their voices as they talked about the oppression the Irish people suffered at the hands of the British.














Someone told us it was only a 10 minute walk to the Guinness Storehouse and Brewery, but apparently only for young, fast walkers.  We were ready for a little Guinness when we finally arrived.

Karen was fascinated by the history of brewing on this 50 acre site, specifically the terms of the lease.  Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease in 1759 for 45 pounds annually.  The brewery employed as many as 5,000 people at one time, but now with efficient processes in place, only 850 people produce 3 million pints every day!

It's in the water!

We learned about the perfect-two pour method!  

Just one of the views from the Gravity Bar, which has views of the entire city.

Now we were hungry and found this great cafe on Grafton Street!  The most wonderful salads and tomato basil soup ever....

After lunch we enjoyed walking through St. Stephen's Green Park, a wonderful respite from the traffic, shopping, and tourists on Grafton Street.

Swans!!!

I always have to take pictures of the flowers - lots of primroses, hyacinths and tulips!

On to our last dinner in Dublin, a typical pub with great Irish food and music.  We intended to go out to Johnnie Fox's, but realized we were tired and all had to get to the airport at 6 AM, so we settled for a pub close to our hotel.  We said good-bye to Bridget, who shared so much with us in just 24 hours.  She worked for 35 years in Pakistan and there learned that all people are God's beloved children, the Taliban, the Muslims and Hindus.  I appreciated her stories about praying with all faiths, the Catholic Morning Offering.  "There are radical people in all countries and organizations, but for the most part, we are just people and need to remember that God loves us all."  She mentioned that she was never afraid while serving as a missionary sister.  I'm sure God blessed her and her work - what a joy to share a little of her life in the past two days!

Ireland, Day Four - Giant's Causeway

Dena said, "I promised you our days would be jam packed."  So on this Saturday we had to get up early again, get on a train, and then a tour bus out to Northern Ireland - Belfast, Bushmills, and eventually the Giant Causeway.

Kathleen prepared us for the "Line of Demarcation" when we got to Northern Ireland because we would see the Union Jack flying.  She seemed disappointed that our tour through Belfast did not include the murals depicting the challenges as the Catholics and Protestants fought for years in Northern Ireland.  We drove quickly past the shipyards where the Titantic museum now stands and we just caught a glimpse of the memorial that resembles the size of the historic ship.

We ate our dinner at Old Bushmills cafeteria.  I enjoyed my Guinness pie and orange cheesecake!  Yummy.  Had to buy samples of this famous whiskey for Dale, Don, and me!  One of the travelers on our bus told the tour guide, "it tasted terrible."

The Giant's Causeway, renowned for its polygonal columns of layered basalt, is the only World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland. Resulting from a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago, this is the focal point of a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has attracted visitors for centuries. It harbours a wealth of local and natural history.

The formation of the Giant's Causeway was due to intense volcanic activity. Lava welling up through fissures in the chalk bed formed a "lava plateau". Three periods of volcanic activity gave rise to the Lower, Middle and Upper Basalts, and it's the Middle Basalt rock which forms the famous amphitheatres of hexagonal columns in the Causeway.

The Giant’s Causeway is steeped in myth and legend. Some say it was carved from the coast by the mighty giant, Finn McCool who left behind an ancient home full of folklore. Look out for clues of the existence of the mighty giant, Finn McCool – including Giant’s Boot, The Wishing Chair, The Camel, Giant’s Granny and The Organ. On a clear day, you might even catch a glimpse of Finn’s Scottish opponent, Benandonner’s homeland of Scotland.

Sea birds can be seen off the coast around the Causeway, with species such as fulmar, petrel, cormorant, shag, redshank guillemot and razorbill being frequently observed. Rare and unusual plant species including sea spleenwort, hare's foot trefoil, vernal squill, sea fescue and frog orchid can be found on the cliffs and nearby rock formations.

Amazing rock shapes

Basalt columns - much like those along the Palouse River

I think these are wild primroses!

Karen and I walked all around this beautiful sight while Kathleen and Dena headed to the gift shop to rest and have some tea.  We got our best exercise of the trip while being awed by the gorgeous views!  I think we slept most of the way home on the bus, arriving back at the hotel at 10:30 PM, but happy we could sleep in tomorrow.