Satterfield Photography

March 12 - Thornton Heath ~

The plan for today is to finish up the grocery shopping, find a solution, if one can be found, as to why I can't text from my UK phone to the US.  After spending about an hour searching I found I would have to pay for an International plan in order to do so.  Maybe I'll just stay in touch via email instead!!  

I worked at the table on my computer, when I was startled as a beautiful white persian cat jumped up onto the window sill outside and began his/her morning grooming session.  After a blink or two at me, down he/she went.  Shortly after, a black & white cat raised up to have a quick peek, but only stayed a few seconds.  Then it was time for a fast shower and off to finish the grocery shopping, hoping that the store will be a little less crowded.  No such luck!  And, I was surprised to hear raised voices everywhere - the store manager speaking very loudly to an employee, a customer in line venting her frustration at the length of time being taken to get through the line, a couple of teenagers having a disagreement of some sort.  So much for the stoic British!  Also, I purposely picked the UK as my first overseas trip because, "everyone speaks English" but I have not heard so many other languages as I have in the first 24 hours here!  I'm not sure, but I suspect East Asian, Middle Eastern, Indian, and others!  In the US, we call ourselves the Melting Pot, but I think perhaps Great Britain gives us a run for the money, at least in London and Thornton Heath.

Time to test my bus skills.  I was looking for a Thrift Store several blocks away, so I figured out which bus, going which direction, and where to get on to get from here to there. It took a couple of tries to find the right bus stop, but I finally did, missed the stop on the other end, but got off at the next one.  Then I walked to where the shop was supposed to be and found a thrift store, but it was closed.  So I walked a bit the other direction in case I missed what I was looking for.  Nothing.  And, the wind was picking up, itwais getting colder and  was getting hungry.  So, I figured out which bus I need to get back to Cotford Road and here I am.  Tomorrow, I'm doing a test run from Thornton Heath in to London because that's what I need to do for my tour on Monday to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle!

March 13 - Thornton Heath ~

I have to be at the Victoria Park Plaza by 5:30 am tomorrow, so today I am doing a dry run to figure out how to make that happen.  They won't wait for stragglers! 

So, I open up the TFL (Travel for London) app showing bus, tube, and train times and how to get from one place to another.  Looks fairly simple - I have a 6 minute walk to the bus stop, ride it to the end of the line in Brixton and take the Victoria Line tube from Brixton to the Victoria station.  Works pretty good, but tomorrow I have to start at 4:00am so I need to make sure I have my bearings.  I wander around a bit trying to find out how to get to the Victoria Park Plaza from the station, that was a bit more interesting since there is a lot of construction going on, a lot of the building fronts are covered by scaffolding and plastic.  But, I find it and decide to take a few photos before heading back to Thornton Heath.  On the way "home" another tube rider cautions that the tube may not be running that early.  I check when I get back and it starts at 5:00am so I should be good.  In any case, the #2 bus goes to Victoria station also, just in case.

I spent the rest of the day organizing my supplies for Monday, camera backpack, charging the batteries, a few snacks, warm clothes, etc.  After Stonehenge we go to Windsor Castle where Queen Elizabeth II is in residence at the moment.  I have admired her since I watched an historical episode about her early life.  As the daughter of a younger son, there was no thought for someday ruling England.  But then her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and her father became King George VI.  During WWII, she learned how to repair trucks while serving in the Auxillary Territorial Service.  Her birthday speech upon turning 21 included this declaration, “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service”.  Shortly after that, she married the love of her life, Prince Phillip.  At age 26, she became Queen Elizabeth II and is now the longest serving monarch in British history and the longest serving female monarch in the world.  I just like her because she loves horses and dogs and so do I.

March 14 - Thornton Heath ~

Today did not go exactly as planned!  I caught the N250 (yes, there really IS a Night Bus! They didn't make that up just for Harry Potter!) and got to Brixton station just before 5:00am.  And, the Underground (Tube) was closed!!  What the heck!  Maybe they're just late.  Nope, 5:00 comes and goes and they're still closed.  Then the #2 Bus shows up so off I go.  It will be close, but I should make it.  I did, just in time.  The group was already loaded on the bus and they were waiting until 5:30 to leave, got there just in time.  We made such good time that we stopped at a convenient stop, a combination of rest area with toilet facilities and fast food, coffe bar provider.  As we drove along we came to areas where fog was lying low, we were hoping that would continue at Stonehenge, it would make for some really interesting photos.  Unfortunately, that was not to be, nor was the sunrise shot I was hoping for, we arrived much too late for that, but it was fascinating nonetheless to walk among the giant stones.  This tour offers the opportunity to walk inside the circle of stones.  We are a small group and have an English Heritage guide along to provide information for us and watch over the archeological site at the same time.  There are many, many books about Stonehenge and, in fact there is a Spring Solstice celebration coming up this weekend that I opted to avoid.  I can't imagine sharing the time with 2,000 - 3,000 people.

When our time was over, we headed back to the bus and on to Windsor Castle, where we will be on our own.  I purchased a tour of Windsor Castle so I head there first, we have 3 hours so plenty of time for wandering in Windsor and maybe have some lunch before getting back on the bus.  I am sad that no photographs are allowed inside the castle, but I understand.  Same reason you aren't allowed to photograph inside the White House.  As I go through and see where areas are roped off, I can't help but remember the episode of Downton Abbey in which they decide to open the house for tours as a fund raiser.  Not only their surprise that people would pay to see their house, but also their surprise at how much they have taken for granted the things they see around them.  Four children, several grandchildren, even great-grandchildren call these rooms home.  I try to imagine what it must have been like for them to grow up here.  The Queen is in residence today, as evidenced by her standard flying above the castle rather than the British flag, and I wonder what she makes of all of us gawking at what she sees every day.  Our tour guide has told us that she much prefers to live at Windsor Castle and considers Buckingham Palace as "the office".  There are several school classes visiting today and I overhear a docent telling one of them that, no the Queen isn't there to show them around because she is busy taking care of the country, but that, as he leaves he should look up at the round tower and wave so she can see him and know that he enjoyed visiting her house.

March 15 - Thornton Heath ~

Today is the Big Bus Tour - Red Line version!  Since this is a Hop-on, Hop-off tour, I can get on anywhere, get off for however long I want, and then get back on.  There is a pre-recorded media disc with facts & figures about some of the spots we will be going past, filled in by music during the boring, waiting in traffic parts.  The Red tour passes Parliment, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc.  Sadly, Big Ben is being refurbished and restored so there is not even a chance to photograph well and Buckingham Palace doesn't offer a tour this time of year, so that will have to wait until the end of my UK trip when I am back in the London area for a few days before flying home.  The crowds were so bad that I decided to mostly stay on the bus and decide where I might want to come back another time.  Since I had a seat in the front of the double-decker bus, I had an excellent viewpoint and got some fairly decent shots through the window.  It is always an adventure riding public transportation, and this is no different as I am going in a new direction.  Got lost a couple of times and it doesn't help that my phone doesn't always seem to give me the best directions.  I did a lot of walking trying to find the "right" bus stop - it isn't enough to know which bus line, since they go in different directions, you also have to know the "letter" of the stop.  For instance, for the Thornton Heath 250 bus there is a D stop and a C stop - one for northbound and one for southbound.   At any rate, I enjoyed the ride, got a look at some places I had only seen before in movies, and got back home safely.  

I am overwhelmed by the sense of history!  So many buildings where so much has happened over so many, many years.  Windsor Castle is one of the oldest Norman fortifications in the country, dating back to the reign of William the Conqueror.  Buckingham Palace has achieved iconic status as the official London residence of the reigning British monarch, but it hasn’t always served in that role.  Indeed, for more than 300 years, from 1531 until 1837, the King of England’s official residence in the capital city was St. James’ Palace. Located about a quarter of a mile from Buckingham Palace, St. James’ still stands, and remains the home of several members of the royal family.  The Houses of Parliament have had royal association since the early 11th century when Canute the Great of Denmark ordered a palace be built for him on the swampy banks of the Thames. Until a fire claimed the palace in 1512, English royalty stayed put next to the grand Westminster Abbey. Royal Council met next door in Westminster Hall, which was also the site of the first meeting of Parliament in 1265, though Parliament looked very different from how we know it today. Even up until the 16th century, it was little more than the king meeting with his nobles to raise money for war or to settle land disputes.

March 16 - Thornton Heath ~

Rain is predicted for all day today, so I opted to stay in, get a little work done, and plan tomorrow's outing. My hopes for attending a St. Patrick's Day celebration in Trafalgar Square have been dashed, as it turns out that happened last Sunday....how weird is that!?  I guess I shouldn't complain, we Americans tend to turn every important day into a three-day weekend not matter where the "day" falls in the week.  Since I scrapped the idea of actually going to Ireland for the day, I'll have to think of something else.  I thought you might enjoy a few shotsopf my little home until next Friday when I leave for a week in Cornwall and then a week in Wales before flying on to Ireland!

March 17 - Thornton Heath ~

Today was planned for lots of walking, but I did not realize just how much walking I had let myself in for.  Luckily, I was wearing my most comfortable hiking boots  so it wasn't too bad.  I remembered that it was St. Patrick's Day and I forgot to bring anything green to wear.  However, I do have my CLEARAS t-shirt which has a blue and green water drop!  I did not see a single person dressed in green, nor any shirts saying "Kiss me, I'm Irish".  Go figure!!  

First stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum, home of some of the most interesting art I've seen so far.  The usual fun finding the right bus to get me close and then walking the rest of the way.  I'm getting pretty good at this!!  As usual, no photography allowed inside the museum and the Faberege exhibition was sold out so I didn't get to see all the beautiful eggs.  Ditto for the Beatrix Potter exhibit.  I did, however see many sculptures dating back several hundred years in the Sculpture Room.  Including masterpieces by Michelangelo, Bernini and Rodin, this collection is on loan and includes sculptures from the 4th century.  Their showcase exhibit at the moment seems to about Men's Fashions.  Didn't make it to that part of the museum, but I did walk through what must have been a "Women's Fashions from 1700s to Now".  Lots of beautiful clothing, and some not so much to my taste!

Then, off to the Wellington Arch, which our Stonehenge tour guide recommended if for nothing other than the view from the balcony on the 4th floor.  It is a war museum honoring the animals used during WWI.  Lots of drawings of horses that had fallen in battle.  Very sad and almost as disturbing as drawings of dead people.  Maybe even a bit more so, since the horses had absolutely no choice and no understanding of what was happening.  And, while the climb to the balcony wasn't bad, the view it offered was mostly of various cranes used in the construction efforts that seem to be everywhere.

Wandered around for a while in the park outside the Arch looking for a nice pub to have lunch.  Where are all the Irish Pubs I heard so much about in Old London Town?  Finally had to settle for what was available, Hard Rock Cafe no less!!  That's just wrong!  But it's 2:00 and I  was starving...

Westminster Abbey was all I anticipated it would be!  Awe-inspiring, huge, gorgeous stained glass windows, history oozing from the floor, walls, and ceiling.  Oh my!!  It is also not only a functioning church, it is a crypt church.  Lots of very important people are buried within the walls and floors.  And, miracle of miracles, photography is allowed as long as there is no flash and you don't take photos of parishoners.  Among those memorialized here is Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, although he is buried at Overstrand Church.  Anyone that has worked with me knows that one of my favorite quotes and one that has been posted on the wall of every office I've occupied for the last 20 years or so is this one  "With ordinary talent and extraordinary perserverance, all things are attainable." ~ by Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton.   Among the notables that are buried here are Henry III, Henry V, Elizabeth I, Mary I, and Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Steven Hawking.  Of course we all have seen it as the site of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.  It was pretty awe inspiring to stand and gaze at the walls that have seen so much history, some that impacted only Britain, but others that had an impact on the rest of the world as well.

I made it over to the Tower of London just in time to catch the last of the Yeoman Warder tours.  "The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London" to quote Wikipedia.  Our particular Warder had a wonderful sense of humor along with a lot of knowledge.  In order to apply for a position as a Yeoman Warder, the individual (yes, there are lady Warders!) must have served at least 22 years in the military, attained the rank of warrant officer, and been awarded the long service and good conduct medal.  He mentioned that the last bit was more difficult than the first two.  ^_^  He regaled us with stories of imprisonment, beheadings, torture, along with more  mundane things such as the Traitor's Gate that was actually used more often for bringing in supplies than for bringing in traitors that would be imprisoned within the walls.  The White Tower was built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s, painted white by Henry III in 1240, and expanded by Edward I with the addition of a defensive wall, more small towers, and an expanded moat.  The White Tower now serves as offices and residences for the Yeoman Warders and they're families, and there is even a pub for them.  Then there is the sad tale of the 2 children of Edward IV, who vanished while being held as prisoners in the Tower during the War of the Roses in 1483.  In 1674 two skeletons were unearthed at the Tower.  The bones were re-examined in 1933 and proved to be those of two boys aged about 12 and 10, exactly the same ages as the princes when they disappeared.  There is apparently a question before Parliment as to whether the bones should be exhumed and examined for DNA to match against Edward IV.  The Queen is said to disapprove of  the idea, for "what difference would it make today, let them not be disturbed further, but let them rest in peace".  I agree, not that anyone here cares about my opinion.   According to legend, if the ravens disappear from the White Tower, the tower and the monarchy will fall. The Legend of the Ravens may or may not be true, but the Warders keep 8 on hand just in case, they have their own Warder caretaker.

We were allowed to view the Crown Jewels, of course no photography allowed, you'll have to look online at photos (how did they get them? Special permission, I suppose), but WOW!!

March 18 - Thornton Heath ~

Today was a rest/work/shopping/planning day.  I need a few supplies and I'm still looking for a hat for sun protection, a curling iron,  and perhaps a bag to hold purchases.  After all, I have to get the remaining food, etc from Thornton Heath to Cornwall somehow.  I stock up on porridge oats, known to us Americans as oatmeal.  Cheap food and healthy too! No luck on the curling iron or bag.  I did find a thrift store, Traid, but the prices weren't all that cheap and they didn't have anything I was interested in.  Figured if I were going to pay 20 Pounds (about $27) for a sweatshirt, I might as well get a new one!  Besides I want a souvenier, not just one to keep me warm.  Looks like I'll have to book a tour to go to Dover.  I had hoped to do it on my own, but getting there from here is going to be rather complicated and time consuming using bus/tube/rail and will end up costing more than the tour would.  The added advantage is that I only have to figure out how to get to the tour leaving point from here.  Found some pretty places to photograph while waiting for the bus.  

March 19 - Thornton Heath ~

My initial thought was to go see St. Paul's Cathedral today along with Tower Bridge, that I missed the other day.  However, the bus/tube/train options aren't that good so I decided to try staying a bit closer to Thornton Heath.  Ah, ha!  There is, in fact a TK Maxx (not the TJ Maxx we know in the US, but I suspect a relationship!) not too far from the flat. (sounds very British, doesn't it, living in a flat...)  At any rate, sure enough, not only did I find most of what I was looking for, but true to form, I bought what was on sale - which means a blow dryer instead of a curling iron.  I think it will be ultimately more useful (and it was on sale for £10,or about $13.30!).  I hadn't intended to buy shoes here, but I did give them a look and lo and behold! I found a pair of blingy Skechers on sale for £12, and a hat with a brim for £4.  So my feet get a bit of rest from my hiking boots and my face gets some protection from the sun. And for less than £20 (which I thankfully have now been able to withdraw from my bank in Montana) I purchased all the items I was really looking for.  Yiippee!!  Now, time to get home and start planning my outing for tomorrow.  Still haven't found a place for fish and chips.  The Stonehenge tour guide did mention that finding "British" food was harder and harder with the influx of people from all over the world!  I can attest to that, a glance along the shops close to the bus stop show Thai, Chinese, Australian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, and Japanese.  Spent the rest of the getting this blog caught up to date and a little other work as well.

March 20 - Thornton Heath ~

Got to St. Paul's Cathedral after only a short hike from the tube station (this time on purpose as I wanted to take some time for photos this time through) only to find my way blocked - - What are the odds that on the one day I want to photograph the front, there would be a film in progress and street blocked off!!!  Yep, cars parked randomly in the middle of the street with no drivers in sight, pedestrians on both sides of the street directed down other pathways.  And, of course, no photography allowed!!!  So, I wandered around to the back where I was told I could find my way into the cathedral for the Evensong service due to start at 3:00.  I didn't stay for the entire service, but, oh my how wonderful a pipe organ sounds in these acoustics!  I felt a bit of an intruder since I am not a member of the Anglican Church, but, what a beautiful building to hold services in!!  How do they not remain in awe of their surroundings?!?!

March 21 - Thornton Heath ~

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace!!!  WOW!!!  As I was sort of roaming around on Victoria Circle, trying to figure out the best place for getting shots, I bumped into this wonderful local photographer that has made it his recent life's work to photograph the Changing of the Guard.  For all those like me that didn't know, the Queen's Guard duties are shared among several branches of service.  Today was apparently a big deal as it has been a very long time since the Royal Gibralter Regiment was the incoming "on-duty" guard.  From their Facebook page "After 10 years, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment have returned to London with a successful Guard Mount outside Buckingham Palace and St James' Palace. Crisp halts and sharp turns made this a Queen's Guard to remember. NEH.#Army #Guards #Infantry #soldier #barbarian".  My new photographer friend told me that would be why NBC news was there, because "the chaps in the white hats are on for today".  He pointed out for me several optimum watching spots from the Queen Victoria circle, so I just followed him around.  Unfortunately, he guessed wrong about the gate through which they would enter Buckingham Palace, but he was "spot on" about all the rest.  I was, of course, more interested in watching the exchange of horse guard, but I have to admit the whole thing was facinating!!  The entire process took over an hour as the guards were exchanged, both foot guard and horse guard.  In between, we were treated to a concert from the marching bands.  Both the incoming and the outgoing bands.  What an exciting experience!!  I had planned to visit the Churchill War Rooms today as well, however, they are closed today....maybe when I'm back in June.  Certainly, this was excitment enough for one day.  What a beautiful, complicated set of protocols.  I couldn't help but think that being a Palace Guard gives a whole new meaning the to the phrase, "Honey, I'm late for work!"  ^_^

March 22 - Thornton Heath ~

Having gained confidence in my ability to get around on the bus/tube/train system, I decided to be really brave and try a trip from Thornton Heath to Brighton.  A little sea air and some peace and quiet will be just what I need after all the hubbub surrounding getting to and from the Changing of the Guard.  I'm ready to be away from people for a while.  ^_^  So, Brighton it was for today.  Bought my ticket yesterday (I learned that I can't get from here to there and back again with my Oyster card) so I'm all ready to go.  I have to change trains in East Croydon as it is a different rail line that goes to Brighton.  I was expecting a quite little village on the coast, and what I got was London on the coast.  Brighton may have been THE place to go in 1813 when Jane Austen included it so charmingly in Pride and Prejudice and perhaps still is for those that haven't experienced a beach near Kapa'a.   I kept looking for a good, local fish & chips place but finally got so hungry I settled for McDonald's, of all places!!!  I had hopes of making the trip to the Devil's Dyke, a local landmark about 5 miles away, but, alas the busses don't run there during the week.  The ticketmaster suggested a bus trip along the coast to Seven Sisters as an alternative.  Great views of the white cliffs.  Perfect!  

Snag 1 - I got off the bus where I thought I was supposed to and did find some nice shots of the cliffs, but not quite what I was after.  However, I did bump into a nice gentleman who was throwing a tennis ball for his little dog, who walked after it but didn't pick it up.  When I inquired, the owner let me know that his little dog was mostly blind - so we shared stories about our 14 year-old dogs that were going blind.  Picked up another bus and rode it until I decided I had somehow missed my stop again.  Got off and started walking back to the bus stop.  By this time it was getting later in the afternoon and I had a long train ride home.  So, I decided to call it a day and head back to the train station.  While waiting at the bus stop, a tiny little old lady struggled up the hill with her walker.  I asked her which bus she was looking for and she said the one that would take her to visit her sister... She told me that she was 102 and offered to show me a photo of her parents, who were still alive.  I told her that would be great and then I asked her if she had run away from home and she admitted that she had.  About that time a nice young lady arrived and asked Margaret where she was going....  Sure enough, she had escaped from an assisted living and was reluctant to go back with the young lady.  We convinced her that the car that pulled up was her taxi to take her where she needed to be.  Sounded a lot like some of the residents I knew at Hover Community.  I arrived back at the train station in plenty of time for the train back to Thornton Heath.

Snag 2 - I could not make any sense of the train listings as none of them mentioned Thornton Heath.  So, I asked a nice ticket lady which platform I needed in order to get to Thornton Heath and she said, "Four, right behind you."  So, off I went and there was a train heading in my direction so I go on.  Just as they closed the doors, the automated message moved right from Brighton to Clapham Junction and then to London.  I enquired of a couple of train ticket checkers if the train stopped at Thornton Heath and was told I would need to get off at Clapham Junction and then ride back to Thornton Heath.  Thus, my 1 hour train ride turned into a 2 hour ride instead.  And, I thought I had this all figured out!!

So the day didn't turn out as expected, but I enjoyed most of it anyway.  Riding busses and trains gives you a lot of opportunity to see other people in their everyday enviroment.  And to bump into people you wouldn't usually meet in the ordinary plan for your day.

P.S.  There is no sand along the Brighton shore, it is all rocks and pebbles.  Is is really a "beach" if there's no sand?  

March 23 - Thornton Heath ~

Off to Dover today!  However, I almost missed my tour bus because they asked for people going to Leeds Castle and Canterbury Cathedral where my main focus was on the white cliffs of Dover.  We arrived at Leeds Castle, "The Loveliest Castle in the World", only to be told that the castle was closed because of renovations that were in progress and would not be open until noon.  Given that our tour (which had been scheduled days in advance) included our arrival at 10:00 and departure at 12:15, the tour guide was not pleased.  Somehow our scheduled arrival wasn't passed along to everyone, but we were ultimately allowed access and the poor workmen had to work around us.  The castle in Kent is in a beautiful setting surrounded by green woods and blue lakes.  The castle itself is now in the hands of a Trust set up by its last private owner so that it will be available for all to enjoy.  It has been re-purposed to include bed and breakfast facilities, a Boardroom that is available for business meetings, and soon to include overnight accommadations within the castle itself.  There has been a fortification of some sort on this spot since 1119 when Robert de Crevecoeur built the first castle. Through many changes, it has stood for over 900 years.  In 1978, it was the venue for a meeting between foreign ministers from Egypt, Israel, and the US in preparation for the Camp David Accords.

Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and has been since 597 when missionaries converted the king of Kent to Christianity.  The Cathedral community includes schools and an International Study Centre as well as being a functioning church.  Like Westminster Abbey, it is a crypt church and many notables are entombed here.  My interest in Canterbury began when I watched the 1964 movie, Becket, with Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton.  I confess, Peter O'Toole was the main draw, but I was also intrigued by the way the Church and the King were intertwined during those years in Britain.  Many other stories I've read set in that period brought home to me how difficult it would have been for the people of that time to be forced to change religion at the whim of a king.  It helped me to better understand why the American Founding Fathers wanted to be sure that the same thing didn't happen in their new Republic.  Freedom to choose their own religion was a chief reason for them to leave England to begin with.   It makes me very sad that lately some have twisted the protection in our Constitution to mean something very different - changing freedom OF religion to freedom FROM religion, which is very different.

Sadly, due to the delay at Leeds Castle and traffic construction delays, our time in Dover was cut very short.   There was not sufficient time for me to walk to a spot for the photographs I wanted to take of the cliffs.  And, indeed, many of the ones I took are so large, I cannot upload them at this time.  That said, they are pretty impressive, and I learned that there are tunnels underneath Dover Castle, which sits atop the cliffs, that were used during WWII as meeting places for the British Navy to keep tabs on what might or might not be coming across the Channel at them from France.  The tunnels had access points that looked out over the Channel.  Today was overcast, but we were told that on clear days, you can easily see the coast of France.  On this day, most of the conversation seemed to be around the layoff of 800 workers, without notice, by one of the largest ferry operators active on the Channel.  Thus, many goods are waiting on both sides of the channel for transport across, which, of course is hard on every business that can't get goods to sell and on every shopper looking for purchases that are no longer on the shelf.

March 24 - Thornton Heath ~

Today was laundry day, packing day, and 'getting ready to pick up a car and drive tomorrow' day.  That, getting ready to drive part is a bit daunting to say the least.  Hopefully other drivers will be able to avoid collisions with me as I try to navigate from the opposite side of the vehicle and the opposite side of the road.

First, I have to get to where the car is.  Since I am flying out of Heathrow when I turn the car in, I reserved a car near the airport where I can get a shuttle to the Terminal when I return.  That turned out to be problematic.  Uber has my account under my US phone number and won't let me use my UK phone number to connect.  My UK phone doesn't work with the Uber app as it is too old.  And, I find out that my UK phone doesn't make phone calls so I can't just call a cab.  What the heck!!  So, my next call attempt is to Lycamobile (using their secret 3 digit code for support, which worked), where I am assured that I should be able to call anywhere in the UK and the US as well with the plan I purchased. Take a breath and work on what you can control.  So laundry while I wait.  Meanwhile I can get some work done and do a bit more planning for the rest of the trip.

March 25 - from Thornton Heath to Withiel, Bodmin

Getting here was interesting to say the least!  First, could not get Uber to work at all!!  Not sure if it is confused by my having two phone numbers or what, but I was not able to log in at all.  I contacted my landlord and asked for suggestions, but she took so long that I finally went online and found one, paid for it with my credit card and then waited, since their first pickup time was 10:55am.  When 10:55 came and went, I could not find a phone number anywhere to call them back.  Fortunately by this time I'd heard back from Pauline and ended up calling one of her suggestions, they were there in 10 minutes and we were on the way.  Took 1 1/2 hours to get to the car rental place, but I did learn along the way that the "postcode" you see everywhere is for each individual house or business, thus, I was able to tell my phone that I wanted to go to the postcode for my destination and my app talked me right up to the door.  Awesome!!!  One hitch at the car rental place.  It took extra time because I didn't have a copy of my credit card insurance coverage for rental vehicles and I could not pick up my car without it or paying an extra 10 Pounds per day for their insurance coverage.  (I have now downloaded it an saved it as a pdf on my phone, for next time.)  As it is, they put a 2,500 Pound reserve on my card even though I paid for the car when I reserved it. Not a problem, just unexpected.

Next, driving on the left is weird, but the biggest issue for me was my orientation to the traffice on the highway.  I kept wanting to be further to the left of the vehicle in front of me, fortunately the Toyota I'm driving has lane reminders and it would beep at me frequently to let me know I was too far to the left and needed to move to the right.  When I stopped for petrol along the highway, a nice gentleman parked next to me helped me figure out which unleaded pump was the correct one for my car, which is a hybrid (oddly enough the 10 is the cheaper stuff and the 5 is the premium) and how to open the bloody tank door (like my Nissan, it's by the driver door, unlike the Nissan, it isn't marked well).  The roads are great once you figure out their signs, they're actually pretty logical, but not what we're used to.  Thank goodness for my phone guide (and for the fact that I was able to plug my phone in and have all that stuff on the car display) telling me to "take the 2nd exit at the roundabout to take the A303 toward Amesbury".  There are roundabouts just about every 10 miles on what we would consider a major highway.  So, it takes all of 5 hours to drive 250 miles, even when there is no construction, which there is.  The part I was really having trouble with was when I got down to only having 20 miles to go to my destination and it taking 2 hours to get there....until a note flashed up that said I could save 1 hour and 52 minutes by "doing whatever"  so I said OK, let's do "whatever".  And we did.  Thus I ended up on the typical country narrow lane with few "pullouts" for passing vehicles, including the giant tractor that I met headon!!!  All I could do was backup, slowly, until I got to a driveway where I could move out of his way.  He was very patient and polite!  Heard a bit of a scrape, but no damage to the car thank goodness!  One thing I did find, it is very easy to go tooooo fast!  The roads are very good, not terribly congested, although I had lots of company all the way (Friday afternoon, after all) and I looked down several times to find that I was going close to 90!!  Yikes!!!  My responses are not so good that I should go that fast.  So, I told my daughter that when she arrives, one of her jobs will be to make sure I don't go too fast!

March 26 - Withiel, Bodmin ~

After all the drama yesterday, all I wanted to do today was relax!  I spent the day getting organized and making decisions about what to do tomorrow.  Really like my new place, very quiet and comfortable.  

March 27 - Withiel, Bodmin

Tintagel Castle was today's agenda!  Driving has been a bit nerve wracking for me, I find I need total concentration and still panic a bit every time I meet another vehicle on the smaller roads.  I don't yet have the same confidence that most drivers here seem to have, but I get better every day.  Thus the 30 minute drive to Tintagel to see the ruins of the castle where King Arthur is reputed to have been conceived was daunting but doable.  As a fan of Mary Stewart's trilogy, I prefer to believe that Merlin's Crystal Cave is in Wales close to Maridunum (currently known as Carmarthen/Caerfyrddin), near the birthplace of Merlin himself, thus the Merlin's Cave on this site must be a mistake.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!  The mainland portion of Tintagel Castle was built as a fortress and was protected by a deep valley that attackers would have to cross.  It is reached by walking down a very steep road and then climbing several stairs up the other side of the valley.   The castle itself is on an island at high tide, even at low tide a short bridge is required and then a series of steep stairways are required to reach the top.  Recently a new footbridge was installed for greater access, but I have trouble crossing bridges so I decided to pass.  And the steps down to the beach were damaged by a recent storm and closed for safety reasons.  Thus, I found other opportunites in the area.  Upon successfully making the climb back up that steep road (with rest stops about every 10 minutes) I enjoyed the sign you see here and decided that they had a great idea!  I enjoyed wandering through Tintagel, made a few purchases, and had a traditional Cornish pastie for lunch.  Yummm!

March 28 - Withiel, Bodmin

I needed a break from driving so decided to walk down the road a bit and then discovered that, with only a short drive (down that narrow, twisty, blind curves road!) I could arrive at a jumping off point on the Camel Trail.  This is an 18-mile long, mostly paved, mostly level trail open to walkers, cyclists, and horse riders that runs along a disused railway line between Wenfordbridge, Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow. It provides views of the Camel River and the beautiful Cornish countryside.  What a treat!!  At first, I had the trail mostly to myself, but about 3:00 I was suddenly joined by numerous bike riders.  I wonder, do employees take a bike break instead of a coffee break in this area.  No worries thought, everyone was very polite, mostly quiet, and quite friendly.  Lots of smiles and "Hullos" along the way. 

March 29 - Withiel, Bodmin

Bodmin moor and Rough Tor are on the agenda for today.   I almost called it off because the weather forecast was for fog today, however, I decided that it might lend a particularly brooding aura to my photos so I pushed on.  I'm really glad I did. Thanks to my handy, dandy phone app I was able to navigate through several narrow, twisty, one lane roads, numerous roundabouts and even a traffic light or two to get to the Rough Tor car park.  ^_^   The sign at the car park says to "disperse crossing the moor" in order to reduce erosion.  First time I've ever been encouraged to NOT stay on the trail.  Once you are on the moor, it is easy to see why this is necessary, it is a very delicate eco-system and, because of the slope, it would be easy to soon have rivulets of rain water collecting and running down the same path, eroding the path and not watering the entire moor.  It is a fairly easy walk, especially if you are used to hiking in the Rockies.  There is an elevation gain, but it is so gradual that you don't really notice it, particularly if you are stopping every few minutes to take photographs.   This is an archeological site with Neolithic and Bronze Age remains of villages, huts, and a cairn near what might have been a village.  As you get closer, you can't help but wonder about the people that erected the stone walls and lived within their safety.  The Tor also is the second highest peak on Bodmin Moor and offers wonderful views of Cornwall.

March 30 - Withiel, Bodmin

Driving to southern Cornwall today to find Kynance Cove and St. Michael's Mount.  I've seen photos and both look like awesome places to shoot.  There is construction everywhere.  On the highways, on buildings, and on city streets.  On one of the major roadways this morning there were big signs posted everywhere warning drivers to ignore sat/nave and stay on A30 to go to Kynanace Cove as "local road systems are not suitable" for traffic.  I have noticed that sat/nav frequently reroutes me off of a main roadway only to route me back onto it a few miles down the road.  I'm not sure if I just missed a turning at a roundabout (which happens fairly frequently) or maybe my navigation just went with the flow.  At any rate I found Kynance Cove and it was well worth the drive.  Except it is a pay and display car park and I couldn't get any of the machines to take either my cash or my card.  I asked a local and was told that the pay stations were shut down during COVID and the phone app was required, however, there is no internet at this spot so no way to download the app.  She said they had the same problem, so just ignored paying.  I didn't see that I had much choice so I followed suit. I opted not to walk down to the beach as the photos I envisioned  would be looking down from the bluffs above.  I was entranced, the sun came out and provided just the right lighting for me.  I took my shots and then just enjoyed the view!

Then it was time to travel on to St. Michael's Mount, site of a medieval castle and village which is an island at high tide but includes a walking path accessible at low tide. I knew the castle would be closed until summer but was hopeful to time the tide and at least walk across for photos.  However, that wasn't the case and the clouds closed in so that even photos from the shore did not turn out well.  I did enjoy a nice lunch from a stand near the car park - my choices were limited so I opted for a "hot dog" and chips.  It was made with a summer sausage type meat, cream cheese (I think) and cabbage slices (I think) on a kiesol bun.  It was a bit unusual to have the fries on top of the hot dog and both drizzled with barbeque sauce. Whatever, I was hungry and it tasted pretty good.  Even though my photo shoot of St. Michael's Mount was a bust, I had a wonderful time wandering around Marazion.

March 31 - From Withiel, Bodmin to Llanidloes

Time to pack up and move from Cornwall to Wales to continue finding places related to Merlin and the Arthurian Trilogy by Mary Stewart.  My host in Llanidloes offers a caravan (travel trailer in the US) that has been permanently parked, I thought it would be fun to see how things are done on the "other side of the pond" and the location is central to several of the sites I want to visit.  I stopped for lunch at Caerleon, reputed to be the site, or at least of of them, of Camelot.  The remains of a Roman Legion barracks, and encampment have been turned into a museum boasting several artifacts of the Roman occupation.  There was not much mention of Camelot...

I had not realized that my driving route would include crossing the Severn Estuary on the Prince of Wales Bridge, opened 1996.  I thought crossing the Mississippi river was terrifying - it was only a harbinger of things to come!  That said, I arrived safely in Caerleon, went through the museum, took a fast peak (due to windy, freezing temps) at the Roman garden, and enjoyed a lunch of fish & chips at The Olde Bull Inn.  Then it was back on the road to Llanidloes.

An interesting drive, not only because of the changing weather - from partly sunny, to cloudy, to rain, to snow, to blizzard, back to partly cloudy, then cloudy, then snow - repeat!  I also found that drivers in Wales aren't quite as patient as their Cornwallian counterparts.  Frustration with slower drivers resulted in more overtaking under dubious conditions.  I have found that everyone is happier if I can find a nice layby to pull into and let cars go past me once there are 3 or 4 of them.  They continue at their breakneck pace and I continue at my leisurely one.

My caravan may not be pretty, but it is quite functional.  A bit chillier than my last abode, but that was a stone cottage after all!

April 2 - Llanidloes

I love how all of the signs are in both Welsh and English.  It makes it a trifle more difficult to follow them when driving - usually the Welsh is first so you can skip that and look at the English underneath, but not always.  There isn't a lot of time to read signs anyway so having it not be consistent can be a problem.  At least for me, I seem to be the only one needing street signs...  ^_^

Brecon Beacons National Park is a large area of land set aside much the way it is in America.  One difference is that, in this case at least, there are several small villages and towns that are within the park boundaries, but not bound by park rules.  And it may only be a result of the COVID pandemic that there are not nearly enough parking spaces for the people that want to enjoy the hikes and other attractions.  In a lot of places, the parking is done on the sidewalk next to the roadway and frequently, there are no available spaces at all.  Additionally, there are not many areas where the roadway is wide enough or has a parking area or even a layby (the British term for a small wide spot for parking alongside the road)  to get out and take photos of the beautiful countryside.

I found the walk I wanted to take to the Sgwd Gwladus waterfall.  I apparently misread some of the information regarding this waterfall as I expected to see smaller falls all along the trail.  While there were numerous, rapids and spots where the river flowed over rocks, the Sgwd Gwladus waterfall was the only waterfall I encountered.  It was a very enjoyable walk at any rate, notwithstanding the many people and dogs I encountered.  There was no option to sit and enjoy the sounds of the river, but that is perhaps for another time.  There are many other walks available for this park and I wish I had more time to explore them. 

Along the way to the park, I could see smoke from a grass fire and a bit further down the road was a burned over spot close to the road.  Thankfully, the fire was out by the time I returned.

April 3 - Llanidloes

Carmarthen!  Where Merlin was born and grew up and developed his power.  At least, according the the Mary Stewart novels that I love so much.  Today, of course, little remains of what Carmarthen would have looked like during Merlin's lifetime, but it was nice to visit anyway.  Until COVID, a B&B perched part way up what is known as Merlin's Hill offered a walk up their pathway to the Iron Age Hillfort where a view of Carmarthenshire awaited.  I didn't find a vantage point to take a photo of the hill and the B&B is closed.  I did take a walk on Merlin's Walk, a nice collection of shops along a cobblestone walkway near the hill and even had lunch at the Subway there.  ^_^  So much for ancient wizards.

Since I had a couple of driving options, I decided I would take a somewhat longer route to Carmarthen and stop in Devils Bridge to explore the Devil's Bridge Waterfall & Nature Trail.  Who would build three bridges one on top of the other?  The Welsh, apparently.  The original bridge (and the lowest) was built in medieval times, the second one in 1753 and upgraded twice, and the one currently used was built in 1901.  A story has grown up around the original bridge, hence the name.  Please see photo for the story.  ^_^

And, because I made a wrong turn leaving Devils Bridge, I found the Arch - erected to mark the Golden Jubilee of George III in 1810 by Thomas Johnes, owner of the nearby Hafod Estate.  It marks the point where the A4574 crosses the Cambrians to Rhayader and becomes the 'mountain road'.  There is a small car park and trailhead for 3 trails.

The route back to Llanidloes was the faster route so not much time for photos, however, I was finally presented with an opportunity to photograph the area with sunshine, so I found a convenient driveway and pulled into it.

April 4 and 5 - Llanidloes

Rain today and tomorrow so I will avail myself of the time to get some accounting work done.  Although I do have to drive down to the village to make a few phone call since I have no cell service here at the caravan.  Work went well, as did the phone calls.  And, I was able to finally capture a few photos of lambs at play.  Which came to an abrupt end when one of them became curious, trotted over to where I stood and promptly climbed through the gate and immediately forgot how to climb back.  A frantic few moments for me as I tried to gently encourage her out of the parking lot and back through the gate, she finally got there but did it the hard way, through the fence instead of the gate.  Made me wonder how often our Lord must look down on our struggles, taking the difficult path instead of the wide open easy gate He provides.

"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;"  ~ Exodus 19:5 (NIV)

April 6 - From Llanidloes, Wales to Ballincarroona, County Limerick, Ireland

What a long, long day!  Began with the drive from Wales to London at 5:30am in the rain.  Concerned about whether or not I should put more gas in the tank (I have to return the car with 1/4 tank and not sure how much I'll use getting to London) and whether or not I should wash the car (there is a L95 valet fee for dirty cars) and how I would do that anyway.  My host provided an excellent tip about a car wash right on the M4, my planned route.  However, since it was in the middle of the morning commute and my navigation app keeps me on the fastest route, I never made it all the way to the M4. I decided to trust that I would make it with the "petrol" I had and still have 1/4 tank left.  And I did!  And the car passed the clean test!  Yay!!!  Bad news, the shuttle to Heathrow only runs once an hour and I had just missed it...except it showed up about 5 minutes later, because it was running late.  So, I began the tedious process of checking in, dropping off bags (and paying the overweight penalty! ouch), and getting some lunch before take off.  The 1-hour flight was uneventful and had clouds for the only scenery.  Dublin airport is not nearly as large as Heathrow, but it took much longer to get through Customs and Immigration there than it did when I landed at Heathrow.  There were a very few people available to direct those of us that did not understand the signage.  But, we all managed to get through, I found my bag and headed for the rental car, where I was told that the liabilty coverage from my credit card company did not apply in Ireland and Northern Ireland and my only option to get a car was to purchase theirs.  After doubling the cost of the car, I picked up the car, where things got really interesting.  I had downloaded the Google Maps app as it recognized the EIR code for my Airbnb and the Apple app did not. Unfortunately, I found that my Google app did not provide voice directions (it still does not after 2 days of trying various solutions) thus in trying to read the directions and watch traffic at the same time, I circled the rental car parking lot twice and then ended up headed back to the airport.  I pulled over to regroup, decided that my Apple app would get me close enough (or at least out of Dublin!) so I turned it on and off I went.  Did I mention that it was raining in Dublin also?  Yes, and very windy to boot!!  And, soon I was in evening commute traffic trying to get to my destination before dark.  Once I knew I was close to the Airbnb, I switched to my Google app and found it, where I quickly unpacked and off to bed!

April 7 - Somewhere in County Limerick

As the heading suggests, there is a bit of mystery about where I really am.  According to the Airbnb listing, it is in Ballincarroona, the information notes at the house show the address as "Heaven Sent, Jamestown, Effin, County Limerick", and my phone's weather app thinks I'm in Kilmallock.  At any rate, now that I have marked this house as a location, I can again use my app for voice navigation; it is a little disconcerting to have it tell me to "turn left on Effin Road".    ^_^    And, the road sign doesn't say Effin Road, it says L1536.  Anyhow, I headed to Charleville about 10 minutes away and the closest town for groceries, etc.  The country side is a bit more open that Cornwall or Wales either one so it is a bit easier to see some of the surrounding countryside.  Fortunately I was able to find all that I needed in one place, except for a parking space, which seems to be always an issue.  Unlike most places so far, there is actually room to turn around in most parts of Ireland (so far anyway).  In Wales particularly, with so many one lane roads, if you miss your turn, you have to drive 10 miles on other one lane roads to get back on track.  You can't just back up and turn around.  And it seems to be the same in towns as well.  Unlike most parts of the US where there is usually a store with a big parking lot to pull into and retrace your route.  However, the people are mostly cheerful and helpful.  And I can almost always find an ancient building re-purposed for modern usefulness.  You don't have to look very hard to find history everywhere.  Note the church in the background of the photo of the Dairy Farmer fountain, more photos to come on another day - today there was a funeral in process.

April 8 - Effin 

Had several work items that needed attention, but the weather cleared a bit by the afternoon so I took the opportunity to drive a suggested loop through the Ballyhoura Mountains just south of the Airbnb.  It was a lovely drive and gave me a different perspective of Ireland.  Instead of green fields marked off by hedges, I found forested areas and even a "felling area" where trees were being harvested.  Several stacks of cut timber.  The loop also takes you through several small villages with interesting points to visit and information postings.  I found it interesting that, in Wales, the road signs were in English and also in Gaelic, but in Ireland they are in Irish Gaelic and then English, reversing the primary positions.   As you can see, life moves to a different rhythm in small towns, no matter what country they are in.  Although, I don't know if American dairy cows could be trained to walk up one road, turn a corner, and walk down another road as easily as these did.  The farmer simply stood at the corner to make sure everyone made the turn.  I didn't see the start or the end of the trail, but he appeared to be the only herder.  When the bus driver saw the situation, he turned off the engine and had a chat with the farmer.  I took the photos of the ruins I had stopped to see and left them still watching the cows go down the road.  The local shooting club outside of one village gives fair warning that if you park beyond the gate, your vehicle may be locked in.  Beautiful churches are found simply everywhere, this one attracted my attention with the red door!

April 9 - Effin

Annes Grove Gardens sounded like the perfect place to spend a rare sunny day.  "Anne’s Grove is an historic estate located near Castletownroche Co. Cork. It was the home of the Annesley family from the 1600s until 2015 when it was gifted to the Irish state and entered the care of the Office of Public Works.  The Office of Public Works has carried out extensive works to the house, outbuildings and gardens and it is planned to re-open the site to the public in 2022.  Richard Arthur Grove Annesley, inherited Anne’s Grove in 1892 and developed the landscape in the Robinsonian style in the early 1900s. He supported the plant-hunting expeditions led by Frank Kingdom-Ward to Tibet, Yunan Province, Burma and Bhutan and assembled an exotic collection of plants. Some of the spectacular flowering shrubs dating from this period include Cornus cousa, embothrium, eucryphia and hoheria."  This is description from their website, I can tell you that this is a place I could have stayed for days, just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful plantings and peaceful ambiance.  My tour began with a very informative conversation with Aileen and Mary, my guide.  Both ladies were happy to answer all my questions and offer suggestions of other places to visit, we spent quite a while together before my 1-hour tour began.  Since it was so early in the day, no one else arrived and I personal a personal tour.  Mary told me the names of so many flowers, trees, shrubs, and even birds that I cannot remember many of them.  The Awbeg River that flows through the property was actually routed into three separate flows near the house.  The original riverbed, one flow for a smaller stream to flow through the garden vistas and the last to be used for irrigating the pastures.

To learn more about the Robinsonian style landscape.

April 10 - Effin

As I write this, it is April 29th.  This is what happens when you have company on your trip, I picked up my daughter on April 10th and dropped her off at Edinburgh Airport on April 27th.

So, on April 10 I drove from Effin to Dublin (about 3 hours) and we began the tandem adventure from the airport.  I learned that just getting into and out of the airport can be a challenge, parking garages tend to fill up quickly and the exit isn't what I am used to.  As with many other daily tasks, the process is a bit different.  At Dublin airport, you pay for your parking at a kiosk in the lobby of the airport before you get to your car, then insert the paid parking card into the machine on the way out of the garage.  Getting out of Dublin proved to be a challenge as well.  One missed turn and you find yourself driving through town centre.  Every largish town has a town centre, where cars are parked on both sides of a narrow street full of tourist shops and pubs, making it a one lane road so taking turns with cars meeting you is the order of the day.  Driving is complicated by tourists simply changing sides of the street wherever and whenever they choose without a glance in either direction to watch for traffic.  Dublin is no exception, but their town centre is bigger than most!!  

From Dublin we drove through the Wicklough Mountains National Park to Glendalough.  The topography in the park is very different from what you generally think of as Ireland.  More trees and fewer green fields.  We passed a spot where several logs had been piled up ready for taking to the sawmill.  Glendalough is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin.  We spent a couple of hours just walking through the ruins of buildings and the various monuments and gravestones.  The cloudy weather added to the haunting, melancholy of the site.

Then it was back to Effin to get her settled in and plan the rest of the adventure.

April 11 - Effin

Kilkenny Castle is a wonderful tour, we spent several hours going through all the rooms.  There is so much to see and take in - it is largely a Victorian remodelling of the thirteenth century defensive Castle.  The Great Gallery is first and foremost a picture gallery, but in 1904 it was transformed into a banquet hall to accomodate entertaining King Edward VII.  The castle was originally built in the late 12th century in order to command the high ground on the River Nore.  It was purchased in the 14th century by James Butler and was the home of the Butler family until they abandoned it in the early 20th century.  It is now under the direction of the Office of Public Works.  There are wonderful views of the Town of Kilkenny from the windows of the upper rooms.

Had to pay a couple of tolls on today's trip and noticed a sign that mentioned that M50 tolls had to be paid within 24 hours to avoid penalties.  Made me think - - yep, I remembered driving on M50 coming from Dublin to Effin.  Thus, I went online to see if I had incurred any penalties or if the rental company pays the tolls on behalf of the renter and then adds it to the bill (this is how it is often handled in the US).  No, the rental company doesn't do that.  In fact, if they are forced to get involved in toll payments, an additional L60 administrative fee is added on, things the rental company should let you know but they don't.  No penalties, in fact, no toll fee showing at all, so I paid for one anyhow just in case.  It is almost impossible to navigate Dublin without incurring any tolls, especially if you are using a phone app for sat/nav.  Note to self - next time check the box that says to Avoid Tolls....

April 12 - Effin

Today’s agenda was the Torc Waterfall,  Muckross House, Killarney National Park and Ross Castle, the Gap of Dunloe and the Ladies View.  Sounds busy, but it included a couple of “find a place to park and take a few photographs”. And, the Gap of Dunloe was a matter of surviving on the twisty, narrow road that winds through rocks and streams of water with hardly any passing places and hope for a place to get some photographs.  We planned the route to make a big circle to save time and gas. 

The Torc waterfall is a fairly short hike along a stream and has a couple of viewpoints to choose from. Unfortunately, the rain that has been ever-present stayed with us the whole way and, in fact began to increase in volume before we got back to the car.  Nonetheless, the cloudy, foggy weather lent a haunting mood to the photos. However, both photographers were wet and cold; rain gear kept my upper body dry but did nothing for my feet and legs.  The self-storing rain jacket was one of my better finds, just wish it had pockets for keeping the camera dry as well.

Tonya had planned a jaunting car trip around Muckross House and grounds, but we decided that making that trip in the rain wasn’t going to provide quite the experience we had in mind so we passed it up in favor of spending more time inside the house and out of the rain.  A good decision it turned out since when we made our way back outside, the rain had let up and the rock garden was a great place to wander and find treasures to admire.  The formal garden was beautiful as well and the lawn and landscaping down to the lake was stunning.  We did enjoy roaming about and had a lovely conversation with a gentleman who brings his dog down each day to “get ‘e’s feet wet” next to the boat dock.  When asked about the Irish language, he told us that it is actually Gaelic; however, there is Irish Gaelic and then there is Scottish Gaelic and they are NOT the same. 

Killarney National Park has some unusual scenery, based upon what you would expect in Ireland.  A lot of it reminded me of the mountain areas of southern New Mexico where I have spent much of my life camping.  Sadly, like most National Parks I've encountered and unlike what we're used to in America, there are few places available to park and take photos.  The roads are usually busy and often very narrow so driving is the priority.  Occasionally I was able to stop in the middle of the road for Tonya to take photos out her window and she will have to share those.  

Ross Castle was a delight!  The ruin is safe enough to allow visitors to actually walk around, up and down, and take photos to their heart's content.  Americans, especially, seem to be taken by the castles.  We have log cabins  and stone houses in our heritage, where they have been preserved, but not a stone castle among them.  For me, at least, they represent an era of elegance and grace for the Lords and Ladies at least, albeit, living in those times has been much romanticized in books and films.  And, not something I long to recreate.  But, it is fun to gaze and wonder and fill in the gaps in your imagination with what might have happend to the people who actually did live through those times.

Ladies View is part of Killarney National Park, about 12 miles from Killarney on the N71 road as you go towards Kenmare. The view here is probably the best known of Killarney and is very popular. Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting visited here during the royal visit in 1861. They were so taken with the view that it was named after them. The photos posted on the Killarney NP website are much better than the ones I took, the sun is shining and they were mostly taken in the summer, not early spring so pretty greens instead of browns.

The Gap of Dunloe is a very narrow, twisty road through anarrow mountain pass in County Kerry, Ireland. It marks the boundary between the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks (you HAVE to love that name, especially if you are an I Love Lucy fan!) in the west and the Purple Mountains Group range to the east. After our trip I learned that, while meeting the oil truck certainly wasn’t fun, it could as well have been a jaunting car – read horse-drawn wagon –which would have been much more difficult. Apparently not all the jaunting car drivers believe they should have to share the road with modern vehicles, making the backing up and/or pulling around past each other a bit unpleasant.  In our case, I saw the oil truck coming down to meet us where I could pull into a passing place just before the hairpin turn and just wait there until he was able to get around us.  Sadly, the tourist in front of me did not see him at all.  The poor oil truck driver had to help both cars in front of us move to where he could come around them.  There is an art (which I don’t claim to have mastered, but have at least experienced) to meeting a much wider vehicle at a very narrow passing place. It involves a sort of dance where each driver “eases” past the other inches at a time…a bit harrowing to say the least.  Especially when the other vehicle is longer than yours.

April 13 - Effin

Another full schedule today.  Poulnabrone, a Neolithic site in The Burren, a karst.  From Encyclopedia Brittanica "karst,  terrain usually characterized by barren, rocky ground, caves, sinkholes, underground rivers, and the absence of surface streams and lakes. It results from the excavating effects of underground water on massive soluble limestone."  Definitely not what you picture when you think of the Emerald Isle.  Haunting place.  As we made our way back to the car, we stopped to chat with the security guard.  We noticed that some cars in Ireland have letters on the windshield and rear window.  L, R, etc.  I asked him what the letters were for and he said it was a way to identify the skillset of driver.  L indicates a Learner (just learning how to drive and not allowed on some Motorways), N is a novice and you remain a novice for 18 months before you can remove the N from your vehicle.  Not sure how they handle it if more than one driver uses the vehicle and they have different designations...

The Cliffs of Mohr was beautiful if still windy and chilly.  At least the sun finally came out for a bit and while it was not a great time of day for shooting we got some pretty good photos anyway.  And, then we spent a lot of time going through the various gift shops, found a few treasures!

Then it was time for our tour of Dungaire Castle, followed by Dinner at the Castle as a gift from Tonya.  We made arrangements upon entering the castle for our tour to make sure we would be able to come back after closing and before dinner to change into our dresses.  We were assured that there would be no problem and that there was a space where we could change.  There was a lot to see, the castle is very well-maintained and has several areas showing what it looked like during its glory days.  As promised, we were able to change after the tour, actually sharing the space with a couple of the performers.  We were entertained by our very own Court Jester and Court Songstress and Royal Harp Player.  Many songs, skits, and much useful information regarding the history of the castle.  Sadly, photography was not allowed as their costumes were gorgeous and they were highly entertaining.  The food wasn't bad either!!!  All in all a very memorable evening.

April 14 - Effin

Rock of Cashel.  "Set on a dramatic outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale, the Rock of Cashel, iconic in its historic significance, possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. Among the monuments to be found there is a round tower, a high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a fifteenth-century Tower House.  Originally the seat of the kings of Munster, according to legend St. Patrick himself came here to convert King Aenghus to Christianity. Brian Boru was crowned High King at Cashel in 978 and made it his capital."  Courtesy of Heritage Ireland

Hore Abbey.  "Hore was the only Cistercian monastery in Ireland where the cloister was positioned to the north of the abbey. It is thought that the site of the Rock of Cashel, close to the north of the abbey, may explain this departure from the usual arrangement. The ruins are now surrounded by fields of sheep and cattle and can be accessed by the public." Courtesy of megalithicireland.com.  We arrived to find a group of 11-12 year olds on a field trip break.  This is Easter Break in Ireland, which lasts for two weeks, culminating on Easter Monday, a Bank Holiday.  As usually happens, Tonya and I went different ways each looking for their own photographs.  I happened to mention to one of the adults in the group that some of the boys were getting rather rambunctious, climbing on the ruins and trying to push each other off the tower stairs.  He settled them down a bit and I went looking for Tonya.  She was surrounded by 8 or 9 of the girls all firing questions at her about America.  She introduced me and we both spent the next half hour or so fielding all kinds of questions as we were joined by some of the boys.  How long are you here for?  What are you seeing?  Where are you going next?  Do you have Targets?  Do you have Walmart?  What do you call a bathroom?  Can you say this?   The "can you say this" was mostly the boys trying to get us to say "pog mo thoin" which is an Irish Gaelic vulgarity meaning "kiss my ass".  A couple of the boys were more interested in politics than sports (yes, we have football, but it isn't the same as yours, and what you call football, we call soccer) and wanted to know what we thought of Trump and Biden and who did we vote for.  I answered that, in America, the vote was confidential and private.  We had a blast with them and hope that they felt the time was a positive and useful interaction.  I think we were probably the topic of conversation at several dinner tables that night. 

Cahir Castle. "Cahir Castle is one of Ireland’s largest and best-preserved castles. It stands proudly on a rocky island on the River Suir.  The castle was was built in the thirteenth century and served as the stronghold of the powerful Butler family. So effective was its design that it was believed to be impregnable, but it finally fell to the earl of Essex in 1599 when heavy artillery was used against it for the first time. During the Irish Confederate Wars it was besieged twice more."  Courtesy of Heritage Ireland.  This was quite a change from the experience at Hore Abbey.  For one thing, these are not really ruins, the castle has undergone extensive renovation, so much so that it has been the location for several films and TV shows, including Excaliber and The Tudors.  As you look at the photographs you can see why it was an excellent choice for filming.  For another, rather than being out in a field surrounded by sheep and cattle, Cahir is in the center of town, surrounded by a park, walking paths, and city traffic.  How fun it must be to take a stroll around the castle on your morning or evening walk.  

April 15 - Effin

Today started out much, much better than it finished.  Although, in hindsight, the finish did have some great moments.  As always, we had a full agenda!  Beehive huts, Anascaul, Lispole, the Dingle Peninsula, Dunquin, Ballyferriter.  And, as always, we stopped when we could to photograph cool stuff, hillsides full of gorse, pretty buildings, and clouds, clouds, clouds.  One thing you have to say about Ireland - if you like photographing clouds (and I do!) this is the place to be!  Along the way you can sometimes ignite curiousity in the local wildlife.  Calves, like children, are the same around the world.  Park next to their pasture and get out and they immediately come to investigate.

The Beehive Huts can be found scattered along the roads that traverse the Dingle Peninsula.  Both the R560 (the northernmost road) and the N86 (a slightly larger southern route) offer views of these medieval houses built by stonemasons.  They didn't use mortar, instead they stacked rings of stone one on top of another, positioning each layer slightly further inward until a snug, pointed roof was formed a cap.  This method of corbelling has been used for thousands of years in Ireland, thus dating the houses is very difficult.  Skellig Michael, a very small, very rugged island off the coast of Ireland in County Kerry is home to some remarkable houses and even a monastery.  It is an impossibly beautiful and amazing location, so much so that it was the location used to film Luke Skywalker's hideaway in the Star Wars sagas.   I would have loved to make the boat trip to visit and photograph; however, tours are very, very limited and no seats were available so it goes on the Next Time photo bucket list.