Magical Thursday in Ayrshire

It would be hard to match the tour of Glasgow, but the Roddies managed to do it with the tour of Ayrshire.

We began with a drive around Troon and a compulsory stop for me, to take a few photos of the Royal Troon golf course clubhouse. One goal on this trip was to visit the pro shop to possibly purchase a wee souvenir. Indeed I did visit, and indeed I did make a purchase, and indeed the price was far from "wee". But I am now the proud owner and (given the weather,) a perpetual wearer, of a cosy navy blue vest with the Royal Troon insignia. I've hardly had it off since then as the weather has been, to be kind, suitable for adding an extra layer of warmth. And then we were off again.

Clubhouse at Royal Troon

We entered here the next day

Arguably the most famous name associated with Ayrshire is Robert Burns. I can claim no connection. However, Dorothy is a volunteer with the National Trust at the Robert Burns Memorial and Museum. She, of course, knows all of the other volunteers there and we had a few chats as we toured. On arrival, we made for the cafe to sample the coffee. During our pit stop, it began to rain - as promised in the forecast. However, as we put cups down on saucers in preparation for touring the grounds, the rain stopped and the sun came out again. 

The Burns' memorial has been recently restored. It's quite magnificent and has a great deal of symbolism incorporated in the design. Having had inside connections during the restoration, Dorothy was able to climb the scaffolding and see for herself the minute detail of the original carvers. From the ground, nobody will ever see the fine carving on the tops of the pillars. There are a lot of Masonic symbols also. Water had done a lot of damage over the years and restoration took about 18 months. The local granite is nicely showcased in the finished work. We climbed to the viewing platform and had some lovely views of the surrounding countryside.

From the memorial, we wandered through the gardens to Brig' O Doon - a small steeply arched stone bridge over the Doon river. There is no connection to the movie. 



From there it was on to the old graveyard in Alloway, the name of the village. Right at the entrance is the grave of William Burns, father of Robert. Not far away are a few very old headstones that instead of words carved on the face, have representations of the person's life. The vertical hourglass means a natural death, a horizontal version means the occupant of the grave met an untimely end.

A visit to the Burns' cottage was not possible as it is closed while the roof is re-thatched. With the recent terribly cold and wet weather it is a painstakingly slow task, but we were able to watch the thatcher at work for a while. 



Then it was off on another little drive to the grounds of Culzean Castle. (pronounced culleen). Wowser what a beauty. The grounds seem endless and there are lots of areas to explore. The castle itself was closed so no tour was possible. Below the castle are caves connected to the building above by an interior staircase. These caves, with access also to the sea, proved to be the feature that made "rum-running" possible and undoubtedly built, or helped to build, the fortune of the Kennedy family who owned the estate. 

Culzen Castle

On the castle grounds

While on the grounds we met a friend of Robert's who happens to be a member at Royal Troon. I was introduced as a golfer and this lovely chap invited us to join him for coffee at the golf club the next day. What a wonderful coincidence, being at the right place at the right time. Oh yes, we accepted the invitation.

After our various tours, we stopped at a small cafe in Alloway for a bowl of soup and another view of the Burns cottage.

From there we headed back to Troon for a bit of a respite from walking and the rain began again. It was impossibly amazing that whenever we were sightseeing on foot, the rain stopped and the sun shone.

We caught sight of Ailsa Craig a couple of times along the way and had a good view of Arran Island. It is said that if you can see Arran, it's going to rain. If you can't see it, it's already raining. In my experience that is absolutely true.

That evening we picked up some freshly caught and cooked "on the spot" fish and chips at the Wee Hurrie at Troon Harbour. I chose the sea bass and it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It was the perfect ending of another wonderful day in Scotland.

Glasgow the beautiful

This morning Dorothy and I boarded the train at Barassi Station near their home, met her sister and friends on the train, and had a lovely, warm, trouble-free ride into Glasgow's Central Station. I mention "warm" because that didn't figure highly into much of the rest of the day.

We had the full gamut of weather today. It was mostly bright and sunny, after an early-morning greeting of hail lashing against my window. Along with the sun was a very fresh (read 'cold') breeze. There were some scattered showers and in fact a bit of hail as we approached Kelvingrove Gallery, but thankfully it was short-lived.

So to back up, we began our exploration of Merchant City.(https://peoplemakeglasgow.com/neighbourhoods/city-centre/merchant-city)

The architecture is wondrous to behold. No column has been left unadorned, no window top left without a garland or gargoyle, no view in any direction without another reason to look up and admire. Old factories have been re-purposed into offices, flats, businesses. Many had sadly been demolished but so many still remain.

Exterior of Prince's Square - a shopping centre

The Duke of Wellington with his traffic cone hat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_statue_of_the_Duke_of_Wellington,_Glasgow

There is a saying that you must look up in Glasgow. Indeed! If you don't, you'll miss a lot. Inside and outside the buildings. On the inside you'll find ornate ceilings and mouldings, cupolas of glass, and many stained glass windows. Chandeliers and plaster decorations abound. More eye candy. 

Inside City Hall

We did such wonderful things as lunching at https://www.mackintoshatthewillow.com/   where we enjoyed quiche and salad along with warm beverages. 

Browsing at https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/chocolate-shops/glasgow-buchanan-st.html  where we had no choice but to sample the chocolate caramel miniature bunnies, um, twice. Well we made a return visit and had to repeat the sampling. On the second visit we enjoyed scrumptious hot chocolate as we were quite chilled and had to warm up. I was also forced, by cravings, to purchase some of the delights. With luck, some will make it home at the end of the trip.

We declined to have the extra whipped chocolate

We took the subway (known as the Clockwork Orange) to the West end and wandered around the beautiful campus of Glasgow University. The buildings have a lovely similarity yet original adornments. Every building, green space and the cloisters caught my attention. It was hard to know where to let the eyes rest. 

We managed to see a city view from the Lighthouse, arriving 5 minutes before closing. The kind gentleman allowed us to take the elevator for a very fast view. Here are some of the chimneys of central Glasgow.

Returning to Barassi/Troon on the 6 pm train, we again enjoyed 40 minutes of warmth, only to be startled back to reality when we de-trained for the short walk back home. A few minutes later we drove to Highgrove for a lovely dinner.

Subsequently Dorothy and I learned, all because I asked her to send my one of her photos, that Whatsapp doesn't care what new SIM card you have. If the app was installed with a SIM, which is later swapped out for another (so I have a local phone in Ireland), you still use the original phone number for this app. Figuring that out only took the better part of an hour but we prevailed. Well, that and a missing 0, kept us cross-eyed and determined, and in the end we accomplished our purpose.

I'm now cross-eyed with fatigue, my legs are saying "it's so far over to the bed. It's almost a 5 foot walk" but I shall force them into a tiny bit more service before calling it a day. A fantastic day.

Near City Hall

the "Glasgow walkers" before fatigue set in

Bonnie Scotland

The day and evening in Dublin were fine and the weather was "the usual". That means rain, sun and wind - sometimes one at a time and sometimes all together. It was chilly or fine, depending on the time. It was different every half hour.

I got the phone sorted out. My SIM hadn't been topped up for so long that the number was not seemingly available but when I gently asked if they would look to see if it had been given out again, the clerk obliged. It was available and I'm back in business with the same Irish phone number. 

It was a short bus ride to the shopping centre where the Vodaphone store was located. I'd thought of walking but there's a difference between a short bus ride and a very long walk. 

Back at the hotel I relaxed and read and at dinner time went to the Crowne Plaza next door for a meal. It was outstanding - Onion and Cider Soup followed by a grilled salmon fillet with aubergine puree, lentils, some pretty (unfamiliar flowery) greens and a couple of teeny tiny zucchini buttons. Delicious. Oh yes, and the glass of sauvignon blanc was more than acceptable too.

I slept well - in two stages, broken up by reading the rest of my book and seem to have overcome any jet lag.

The small suitcase was repacked for the few days in Scotland and everything else was crammed into the other one which is now in the "left luggage" room at the Holiday Inn to be collected on my return. 

The experience of using Ryanair was quite satisfactory, other than having to walk out to the plane and up the stairs carrying my little suitcase before wrestling it up and into the overhead bin. I had booked my seat and thus avoided the "non-priority" line of first-on first-seated. The only one unhappy was a toddler whose mode of communication was screeching. He just liked the sound it made. Personally, I did not care for that sound. He liked it so much he did it while waiting in the terminal and while in the air. His mother didn't even look frazzled.

Upon arrival in Glasgow, we didn't even go through any sort of customs or immigration despite Ireland being still in the EU and Scotland, as part of the UK, had recently Brexited. Dorothy and Robert were waiting and soon whisked me off to Troon.

Dorothy and I went for a short walk down to the sea - a few hundred yards away from their home. The recent heavy rains have the streams running very high and the footpath is partly underwater, so we halted our progress. It's still chilly now but quite bearable.

Today we girls are off to Glasgow where Dorothy is going to give me as grand a tour as we can manage in a day. I got a bit of an introduction last night and am looking forward to it. The morning started with rain lashing the window but the skies have cleared and the sun is out - at least for now. Robert is bowling. In accommodation of the climate, their lawn bowling is done indoors in winter. How nice is that!

We'll take the train into the city, the local station being between here and the sea. That will complete the trifecta of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles".

more on the morrow

Landed in Dublin

Greetings followers and anyone happening by.

The flight from Ottawa to Toronto turned out to be uneventful but for a few minutes I wasn't sure. As we approached Pearson airport the pilot lowered the landing gear - at least that's what it sounded like and I've heard my share of "wheels on the way down" over the years. 

And then he retracted it and tried again. This was repeated another couple of times. I wonder was he teasing us, now somewhat fearful back in steerage? I kind of lost track of whether he was lowering or raising it. No announcement was made to the huddled masses.

In any event, it was a bit of a bumpy landing but after braking and following the taxiways for 15 minutes, we did arrive unscathed at the gate.

Making the connection was not a big deal. The signage has either improved, or my ability to read the markers has. Following the signs to section E for international flights was easy. It was only a 20 minute walk - and there I was trotting along without a fitbit to encourage me.

We were duly assigned Gate E78 and there the passengers assembled. There was a delay in the departure because of cargo-loading issues apparently, but despite taking off 30 minutes late, we arrived about 30 minutes early. Must have been a great tailwind as I didn't hear the engines screaming.

With a little bit of "better living through chemistry" I did manage a few hours of sleep. God bless sleep masks and ear plugs. There was a dinner served about an hour after takeoff but I declined. The horrendously expensive, tiny little egg salad sandwich I enjoyed in the terminal, was still enough given the lack of moving around. I must admit dinner did look and smell pretty good - in fact it was the wafting fumes that woke me up from sleep installment #1.

Breakfast was served shortly before landing. It was more or less a plastic-wrapped slice of banana bread tossed in my direction, followed by a tiny little cup of not-too-bad coffee. And thus ended the last sleep installment.

Clearing customs and immigration was speedy and it wasn't a long wait for the bag to come rolling along on the carousel, with the handles strategically placed as far from my reach as possible. But I wrangled it off.

Then there was the short trot to "Area 16"!!! That is the corral for hotel shuttle buses. By the time I asked the attendant what colour bus I should be looking for, it rolled in. The driver took one look at this old lady and picked up the two bags and stowed them for me. He leaped into action on arrival at the hotel, taking them off again. Another gentleman offered to roll them into the hotel for me but by then I felt in control again and simply thanked him for the offer. 

There was a short line-up to check in and I followed a Chinese couple wearing masks. Um .. should I have been worried? I didn't ask where they had come from as the LHR (London, Heathrow) on the bag tag might have been their departure point. Anyway, once at the desk the jolly soul was very helpful and I was more than a little delighted to be able to move right into my room even though it was still early.

Now that I've checked the wifi and issued this update, I shall drain my acceptable cup of instant coffee, provided as a do-it-yourself project in the room. 

The room is quite nice and modern and the bathroom looks wonderful with a large walk-in shower. I shall walk in soon.

The rain is to stop by noon and then I'll venture out to update my SIM card and once again feel totally connected. It's about a 20 minute walk, or a 2 Euro bus ride, or 8 Euro taxi ride. I'm planning on the walk.

Until there's more to add ...

I'm out of here and off to Ireland again

Hello there - I'm on the road again. Well, I will be soon.

This time I am going first to Dublin for a few hours,  hopping over to Scotland for a few days, and then back on Ryanair to Dublin. From there I'll head south to Byrne territory and take up residence for a month at minmoremews.com . I expect to stay in The Store. Check it out as one of my homes away from home.

Of course, I'll be out and about on the roads. This time I'll be at the wheel of a little Red Yaris with manual transmission. Consider this official warning of my upcoming jaunts around Leinster. You might wish to avoid my adventures and if you meet me, please be aware of directions to wherever it is I'm trying to go. My genetic predisposition for getting lost has probably spread across the south of Ireland by now - sorry. But I do meet lots of lovely people as I travel about and ask for help.

There's so much I have to jam into this visit so I should not be dealing with boredom at any point. It's more likely I'll be looking for more hours in the day.

The posts on this blog will be quite regular once I get going, although I can't promise they will always be entertaining and feature beautiful photos. But I'll try.

And if you've followed me before you may notice that I've changed the background picture to the Cliffs of Moher - keeping with my Irish roots and current destination.

Ann

Finally we have wifi

The following post was written offline. Between our busy schedule and lack of wifi, the following post was written earlier today. The previous few were also just written. 

Catching up

Some general musings to start with. 

Sheep - whose numbers are about three times larger than the human population of Iceland. They can be seen pretty much everywhere but rarely seem to stay in large groups. It’s most common, in my limited sheep-seeking experience, to see more than a few at a time. They come in a few colours. Of course, they are predominantly white, but we’ve also seen a good share of black sheep, some brown, grey and some even a kind of motley combination of the above colours.

Their wool is not so much curly and long and shaggy. All appear to be suitably fat but perhaps under that long coat, they could be quite svelte. Lamb is the most common meat and features in many meals. We’ve enjoyed lamb soup a few times and to my palate there must be only once recipe. And it always turns out well. It’s not highly seasoned but suits my taste buds.

The wool can be quite soft or sometimes ‘stiffer’. Alas, I still cannot tolerate wearing wool unless it’s lined with something. Usually that is the sort of fleece used in jackets or hoodies. I may buy a skein or two before heading home and will then figure out what to knit. Backwards? Yes, but I’ve never claimed to do anything the usual way.

Horses - Icelandic horses are a pure breed now. They are all descended from a few different breeds brought here generations ago. They are very sturdy, with longish manes, and strong legs that are somewhat shorter than horses in North America. To insure that the breed remains pure, if an Icelandic horse leaves the island it cannot return. Racing is popular. I understand that galloping down mountainsides is also a “thing”. So sure-footed are these animals that the rider can go almost anywhere - up or down - safely.

A unique feature of Icelandic horses is their 5th gait. They learn it from each other I believe. It’s quite remarkable to see someone astride one and not bounce up and down. The ride is quite smooth I’m told. I saw a rider galloping? down a lane and she/he seemed to barely move in the saddle. The ship offered an excursion on horseback but it’s not for me. I wanted to be able to walk the next day.

Puffins are constantly in the conversation but they have left for warmer climes - about a week before our cruise began. There may be a few in a rescue sanctuary but the wild ones have left. You can see tons of pictures and souvenirs with their image.

A short while ago off the side of the ship along the southern coast, we could see the “blows” from several whales. But there was no breaching. They were merely teasing us. A few morning whaling excursions from Husavik saw nothing but a few sea birds and maybe one porpoise. The afternoon sailing did see a couple. We spotted some blows in a fjord en route to Dynjandi waterfall but again - they must be saving their strength for breaching when we’re out of site. Or perhaps they were just shy. Once again we are on the cusp of their departure for their southern breeding ground so not many remain.

We’ve encountered a few occasions of rough seas. Two nights the swells were about 1.5 to 2 metres. It got somewhat more exciting last night as the waves increased to 3 metres. Moving about the ship was an excursion in itself. We could all have earned the nickname “Lurch”. I chewed a couple of ginger tablets just in case, but motion sickness is not something that I’ve ever experienced. 

Because of the turbulent conditions we are very late getting to our last port in the Westman Islands, on the southwest coast. For a while after sunrise we could see the beautiful cliffs along the southern coast. However, they were just distant enough that photos would have been disappointing. It was nice to simply enjoy the view and tuck it into the memory bank. There were glimpses of sun. We’ve been told that it is likely not to rain on Heimsay where we will dock around noon.

The population of Iceland is 350,000. About two thirds of the people live in Reykjavik, about 18,000 in Akureyri and several hundred in various communities, with yet others being even smaller. 

Icelanders love their coffee and they like it strong. YAY! Susan has had some difficulty finding decaf, but on the s although it is instant.

Lunch will be our next activity. Seems like eating is our constant activity, even though we have excursions and walks most days. Each community visited is just a little different from the others.

The staff on board is terrific. They give talks, lead excursions, and last night they entertained us at a “Crew Show”. Not all exhibited their talents but there were singers and dancers - from Germany, Iceland, he Philippines, Mauritius and South Africa. At the time of the performances, the ship was encountering the high seas so extra kudos for maintaining their balance. 

We were served a “chocolate surprise” which I figured would be some kind of cake. Well - let me tell you it was THE most extraordinary “death by chocolate” buffet that I’ve ever enjoyed. Sacher torte, Black Forest cake, profiteroles, macaroons, meringues, After Eight cake, and many others. I didn’t try them all of course. The pastry chef on board was responsible for all of it. Yummy to the max.

Our stay in the Westman Islands will be short due to the late arrival and we will just do a walkabout in the town. I will catch up on the missed ports later.

Just back from a walk in town. This town was devasted by a volcanic eruption in 1973. By a fortunate spell of bad weather the fishing boats from here were all in the harbour and the airport was open. Despite the devastating eruption, all of the inhabitants but one were evacuated on the fishing boats. Some older or ill people were flown out. The only casualty was a man who had succumbed to the gases and smoke.

The town has built a volcano museum, the main feature of which is the entire house of one family. It remained buried for 40 years and when it was dug out, many items were identified. Nothing was salvageable. It was left as is and the museum was built over and around it. Fascinating. The story is recounted by an audioguide as you move around.

It was sunny as we left the ship and walked into town in search of the museum. Then it rained and we got soaked en route. When we emerged, it was sunny once again.

Now we are aboard for the final evening. Tomorrow we disembark after breakfast. There are a few hours to spend in Reykjavik before heading to the airport. The ship has made the arrangements for storing our luggage and we can get the airport transfer at the dock. It's a 5 minute walk into the centre of town.

So - this is the last entry for a while. Should the packing go very smoothly (I haven't bought much so space is not an issue) I will try to add photos to the recent posts.

Thank you for following this journey. It has been amazing. Iceland is a wonderland. We of course have a rosy view of their weather as it was not at all typical - which is cloudy and wet. We've had little rain in the grand scheme of things. Tomorrow we wish for fair winds and smooth flight. Adieu.

Djupivogur

No more fjords protecting the harbours. The dock in Djupivogur was almost on the eastern coast and barely sheltered. When we left the ship for our excursions, we had to bring along our Zodiac life jackets in case the ship had to move away from the dock because of wind or sea conditions. Luckily the vests were stowed beneath the buses and we didn't have to keep them in our laps.

This was our first day of rain - and rain it did. All day. Heavily. We kept hoping the weather would change if we waited a few minutes but that never happened.

Everyone dressed in their best rain gear and over the course of the day we found it inadequate. A couple of people did remain dry all over. My jacket was fine - proved its guarantee was valid. The rain pants - nope! They were the ones I used for golf. However, when it starts to rain I usually stop playing so they had never really been tested. They failed the test. A shopping trip will be in order when I get home.

The destination du jour was the Glacier Lagoon, where small icebergs which had broken off the glacier, floated around in the lagoon which is now about 30 square kilometres and growing, as the glacier recedes. To see the icebergs close up, we boarded amphibious truck-boats. No roofs. Seats were soaked wooden benches. They did attempt to squee-gee them before we sat down. The effort was futile. The rain continued to bucket down. 

It was however, a wonderful experience. A zodiac follows each duck boat - I suppose in case someone decides to test the water as a swimming hole. It's about 2C and supports life for mere minutes after exposure. We all remained aboard our tour vehicle. Once off the land we could stand up and look around.

There was on spot which is a favourite swimming place for seals, who quite liked the chilly water. A flotilla of tourists in bright red kayaks brightened the grey landscape.

The icebergs themselves were multi-hued white-blue and black. The black is volcanic ash. They all eventually drift down the river from the lagoon and out to sea where they break up. Some of the pieces are later carried onto the black volcanic sand beach by the incoming current. This is diamond beach where the sparkling chunks of ice resemble diamonds. At least they do when it's sunny - which it was NOT. The rain never let up.

Lunch was delicious lamb soup (vegetable option provided) and some very tasty bread which seemed in short supply. Then it was back on board "the bus of death" for the return trip.

We had the same driver but he drove much too fast for conditions - rain, turns and hills. We left the road surface twice but he didn't slow down. The comment form would not have given him any compliments - terror on the part of passengers doesn't lead to good reviews.

Safely back at the dock we saw the ship still at the dock so we could board via the gangplank and didn't have to tender in the zodiacs. The Zodiac vests are once again stowed in the cabins.