Wrapping up the trip

Originally written 10/13/11, but just now posting:

We got back a week ago, so I figured I'd do a concluding blog post to report on the trip back home since I haven't written since we left Glasgow.


We flew from Glasgow to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to Atlanta with a 3-hour layover in Amsterdam. With no direct flights from Glasgow or Belfast to Atlanta, we had to fly the "wrong" direction to get back home. So, it was a long travel day.


So, we started off our day at around 7 a.m. (local time, 2 a.m Atlanta time) and got to the Glasgow airport around 8 or 8:30, where it began to hail while we were dropping off the rental car. Our flight wasn't until 10:50 and there's not as much advanced arrival required when flying between European countries, but we weren't sure of how long it would take to get to the airport, the check-in process, the airport layout, etc., so we figured better safe than sorry. The rental car return took a bit because the family in front of us took forever, but everything else was quick and smooth.


The Amsterdam airport was phenomenal--lots of shopping options, a free mini-art museum, even a casino. We grabbed a bite to eat and milled about for a while. We had to check in at the gate an hour before boarding there, and it's an airport where you go through security again before being let into the glass-enclosed gate area, where you can't get out to go to the bathroom or anything without going through security again. As we waited at the gate for the hour before boarding, I noticed several guys in dark suits all with the same or similar lapel pin follow the pilots onto the airplane, and I thought, "Boy, they're serious about security here!" It turns out they were U.S. Secret Service detail and former President Jimmy Carter was on our flight. He came around and shook everyone's hand before we took off.


The flight back was long 9-10 hours in flight, but it passed rather quickly thanks to the personal TVs on the plane. KLM is great. There were tons of movies, TV shows, video games and such. I think I watched 4 movies on the way back. We landed around 8:30 p.m. (local time) in Atlanta, but by the time we got to the terminal, went through customs, walked to baggage claim after the airport "train" broke down, etc., it was after 10 p.m. And traffic to and around the airport was tough, so it took Scott's brother Tim a bit to get to us after we picked up our luggage. So, we were glad when we finally got home.

Almost our last day

We woke up this morning and after picking up coffee and scones headed to Edinburgh. We spent most of the day at Edinburgh Castle. The weather was very windy, but mainly sunny. It began to drizzle a bit just as we left. It was an easy drive to get there, but we had a bit of trouble getting out. After a few turns and turnarounds, we finally got on the highway.

We stopped along the way back to Glasgow to get a small bit of gas, but apparently not enough. We almost ran out of gas. All sorts of signals started going off in the car as we got really close to our hotel. Fortunately, the guy who manages the car park was very helpful in pointing us to a gas station. He gave great directions, then we filled up a bit more than we wanted to since we'd pre-paid for gas at the rental car company, but better safe than sorry.

We made dinner again at our "apartment"--gnocchi and salad. (Lunch was another great soup--Scotch broth this time.)

Tomorrow a.m., we head to the airport for a 10:50 a.m. flight to Amsterdam then home to Atlanta by the evening. It's going to be a long travel day. Something tells me we'll crash pretty hard the moment we get home.

Kintyre & Glasgow

Our flight from Belfast to Glasgow on Sunday was canceled due to mechanical problems, after we tried to take off a couple of times, so rather than departing at 10:30 a.m., our 30-minute flight left at 1:05 p.m. But at least they gave us meal/refreshment vouchers.

Once we got to Glasgow, we picked up our rental car and drove to our hotel in Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula. We drove along Loch Lomond (the largest lake in Great Britian) and through the Argyll Forest. Both were gorgeous. It was an incredibly beautiful drive! I don't think our pictures will do it justice. We passed our hotel because we were distracted by some sheep that had escaped their pen and were running down the road. Another great sheep photo opp! ;-)

The Stonefield Castle Hotel was very stunning as well, particularly as it seemed to pop up out of nowhere as we drove along a narrow drive. It overlooks Loch Fyne, and we took a stroll around the property Monday morning after breakfast and before heading on a drive further south on Kintyre. The drive along the coast was very pretty (on the west coast on the way down and on the east coast on the way back, with a stop at Westport Beach and in Campbeltown midway).

Campbeltown was once home to more than 30 whisky distilleries and once proclaimed itself the whisky capital of the world, but the industry has died down. No, we didn't do any whisky tasting here. In fact, we haven't yet tasted any Scotch/Scottish whisky and likely won't before we leave. All tasted out, I suppose.

Anyway, the trip south was very smooth and while I thought the roads were a bit narrow, they were pristine compared to the trip back north which was on a one-way road that had passing spots periodically along the way. At least it was daytime.

We stopped in Inveraray on the way back to Glasgow today. I bought a couple of wool scarves in the woolen mills there.

We had a bit of an obstacle driving through the one-way streets of Glasgow today, but found our hotel without much trouble. The place we are staying (Glasgow Lofts) is different than a typical hotel. It's more like an upscale Residence Inn in the U.S. It's a modern-design apartment with two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, dining area, living room. In fact, it probably is the size of my former apartment, and it has a great view of Glasgow.

We're near a pedestrian shopping district, which has tons and tons of shops including a number of clothing stores popular in the U.S. (Gap, Diesel, Abercrombie, Urban Outfitters, etc.) and others that we've seen in our time in Ireland and the U.K. Good thing our suitcases were pretty much full from the get-go or I could have spent the day shopping. It was a chilly, drizzly day, so what better to do than shop, right?!? But, I resisted. We picked up some food for dinner tonight and tomorrow--simple pasta, sauce and salad. We about over eating out. We'll still grab coffee, tea and a scone in the coffee shop within our building and lunch out, but dinner in will be nice.

We're likely heading to Edinburgh tomorrow. We feel as if we've seen much of Glasgow already. Despite historic buildings, one city seems much like another after a while. It's only about an hour drive to Edinburgh, and while we've been driving quite a bit the past several days, we think it's worth a hop to the other side of Scotland while we're here.

It will be nice to have a few days at home before having to return to work.

Driving around Northern Ireland

Today was a driving day--just checking out the scenery in Northern Ireland for the most part, except for a snafu with our hotel reservations in Glasgow the final two nights. Fortunately, we got that sorted out and got booked in a different hotel. What a fun start to the day learning that news. Fortunately, we had internet and cell phone to help get it worked out while we ventured around the country.

Once again, I'm tired after a long day of driving, so here are a few highlights:

Went back to Dunluce Castle. It wasn't raining but was rather chilly. We took a number of photos there. The castle is built right on the edge of the cliff, so you have to wonder how many people fell off the edge over time.

Then, we drove along the coast and ventured to a spot were tall trees come together over the road. I spotted it on Google maps using the photo overlay. Some call it the Dark Hedges; I don't know if that's an official name. We got a couple of photos, but didn't travel all the way through as a wedding party was getting their pictures taken there. We didn't want to disturb that, of course.

We took a mid-day break in Ballymoney and ate at a small pub called Molly's. A cup of soup sure hit the spot. It's a very cute town.

Then, back in the car we went--driving through the Antrim Hills, past Slemish Mountain, then along the coast from Glenarm to Larne before heading to our hotel in Templepatrick, which I booked thinking it would be near the airport, but then we ended up flying out of the Belfast City Airport instead of Belfast International and couldn't change the reservation. So, we have a 10 mile drive to the airport in the morning. Fortunately, it's Sunday so there shouldn't be much traffic as we cross through Belfast (or at least the northern end of Belfast). Hopefully, I didn't just jinx us by typing that thought.

That's about it.

Tomorrow, we fly to Glasgow then drive to the Scotland countryside where we'll stay for a couple of days.

It finally rained in Ireland

5 days into our trip, and we finally saw rain today. In fact, it rained all day, often heavily.

We started the day with breakfast in the hotel restaurant. It sure was hard to get out of bed this morning. The room is so cozy, and I'm fighting a cold. I guess yesterday's exhaustion was a little more than exhaustion. By the time I went to bed last night, I was completely stuffed up and sneezing, and my ears were burning. Of course, Scott made me take my temperature at least 4 times to confirm I didn't have a fever. I didn't. I'm feeling a bit better today thanks to Mucinex.

After breakfast, we went to Giant's Causeway and hiked around a bit. The formations are incredible. There's plenty of folklore to go with the strange shapes rising from the ground, but geologists have noted that it's the result of a volcanic eruption from the 4th millenium BC. These polygonal columns of layered basalt are the only World Heritage Site in Ireland.

After exploring Giant's Causeway for a couple of hours, we headed toward Dunluce Castle, but went the wrong way. We stumbled upon the small ruins of Dunseverick Castle instead. And just across the road, I finally got a prized picture of a sheep. :-) I can't post it until we get home though. We can only upload Scott's photos while on the trip.

We then turned around and headed to Dunluce Castle, but when we got there it was pouring rain. We stopped in at Wee Cottage for coffee, tea, soup and a cake to bide our time while the rain died down, but the rain never died down. We didn't want to pay to tour the castle ruins in the rain, so we took a couple of quick photos and vowed to return tomorrow morning if it was less rainy.

Instead, we spent the rainy day inside at Old Bushmill's Distillery, another whiskey making facility. The tour was much different than the one at Jameson because it's an operating distillery. At the conclusion of the tour, we got the obligatory tasting. Scott opted for a Black Bush; I took a special whiskey made for the company's 400 year anniversary that crystalized the barley by heating it to a higher temperature than usual (I believe it was the Bushmills 1608). Boy, was it strong! I preferred the Jameson, but then again mine was mixed with cranberry juice there.

We walked around the very small town a bit and just rested until it was time for dinner tonight. This time, we made it down to the restaurant for a nice meal.

Tomorrow, we explore the countryside a bit more and stay in a hotel nearer the airport in preparation for our flight to Scotland on Sunday.

From Dublin to Bushmills

Today, I'm exhausted. Poor me, right?!? All this international travel has worn me out. Yeah, I know you feel sorry for me. Nonetheless, I'm exhausted, so forgive any ramblings below that don't make sense.

After a hearty breakfast, we headed back to the Dublin airport to pick up our rental car. There were some rental car places in town, but the ones at the airport seemed to be more accustomed to picking up in one location and dropping off in another, especially since we are leaving the car in a different country. Just let me say, I hate the rental car process. It's never simple, and it's so tough to tell what you really need and what they're trying to upsell you on just to make extra money. A fee for this, a fee for that. But, once that was over and done with, we were on our way from Dublin, Ireland to Bushmills, Northern Ireland (UK).

Scott had driven on the "wrong" side of the road on the "wrong" side of the car when we were in New Zealand, so it was relatively easy for him to pick up again. We got an automatic because shifting gears with the "wrong" hand was just one too many elements to add to our navigation. I'm sure he could have done it, but why bother when you don't have to. There are a lot of roundabouts here. Practically every intersection on our route was a roundabout. They're easy once you get used to them, but at first going the "wrong" way and yielding to the right can mess with your head.

Anyway, we could have made it here in under 3 hours if we'd taken the quickest route via highway for more of the trip, but we wanted to explore the countryside a bit and try to find a church that was just off the road we were taken where some of my distant relatives were married, buried, etc. Dilworth, Cross, Hazelton (and various related spellings). It's St. Andrew's Church (Church of Ireland) near the town of Moy in a small community called Killyman. We actually found it rather easily and fortunately just after a wedding had concluded. There were a few folks there packing up lingering decorations and the bridesmaid bouquets. I thought it was rather odd to have a wedding ceremony in the middle of the day on a Thursday, but I don't know the customs here.

So, the route we took (which would have been approx. 3 hours without any stops) became a 5 or 6 hour journey after we stopped for lunch, got cash at an ATM (the currency changed when we crossed the country line), took a detour to the church, took some photos, etc. It was a pleasurable trip, but now I'm exhausted. Not to mention the past 3 days of walking in Dublin. I think we tallied almost 15 miles.

As expected, we saw lots of sheep (and cows) once we got into the country. I don't have any photos yet, but I'm sure we'll manage a couple in the next few days...although I never managed to take a stellar photo of any sheep while in New Zealand.

We're staying at Bushmills Inn for the next couple of nights. It's a very nice hotel with structures (the old coach house and stables) dating back to 1608. Our room is very large yet homey, there are cozy reading nooks down the halls, a fine dining restaurant downstairs and plenty of amenities--including the room service that I'm so glad to have tonight otherwise it might be a feast of gummie bears and Dr. Pepper because I don't have enough energy to make it out to even the most low-key restaurant tonight. You may notice the American flag flying over the restaurant in the photograph to the right. I asked the receptionist why that was and she said they rotate it out and try to fly the flag of the home country of the guest that flew the farthest. Not sure if that's us or not as there's at least one other American couple here as we heard their voices in the lobby after their round of golf.

So, with that tidbit, we're off to look at the room service menu. :-)

Dublin Day 3

This morning I visited my company's office in Dublin. It was an easy walk across St. Stephen's Green to get that. What a nice commute that would be each day! It was interesting to learn a bit about the office, the similarities with my office in Atlanta, the differences, etc.

I got back to the hotel mid-day, and we headed out to lunch. As I noted earlier, vacations revolve around food. After lunch, we continued our walk to the Old Jameson Distillery. We took a tour where we learned about the whiskey making process then enjoyed a sample. Scott had his neat (i.e. plain, no ice). I had a Jameson and cranberry juice. We bought a few souvenirs, then started our trek back to the hotel. (Tomorrow, we head to Bushmills; pretty soon, you'll think we're lushes.)

We did a bit more window shopping and took a number of photos of cute alleyways with flower-lined balconies, including those in the Temple Bar area. Then stopped in at a coffeehouse for coffee and cake before getting back to the hotel.

As I'm typing this, it doesn't seem that we've done much today. Yet, it was a full 7-hour excursion. Again, tons of walking...but we gotta work off our meals somehow.

Tomorrow, we leave Dublin for Northern Ireland. We're renting a car and will surely explore lots of country backroads along the way.

Dublin Day 2

It was a very warm day in Dublin--approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit according to an outdoor temperature sign we saw...and I'd believe it. It was considerably warmer than yesterday and almost too warm for my thin longsleeve shirt, especially to be walking as much as we were. The sun was out as well, and it was a very pretty day.

We started with breakfast in our hotel, then a nap before venturing out to the Guinness Storehouse. Along the way, we saw several historic sights, including Christ Church Cathedral (founded in 1030 and located in the heart of medieval Dublin). We also stopped at Dublin Castle, founded in 1204.

But most of our day was spent at the Guinness Storehouse--touring the old storehouse (the fermentation plant for the brewery from 1904 to 1988), learning about the brewing process, eating lunch, sampling the beer, etc. There were great views of the city from the Gravity bar at the top of the building (7th floor).

All total, we walked about 5 miles, so we're back at the hotel room resting for a bit before heading out to dinner. Funny, how on vacation it seems that it's always time to eat.

More tomorrow...

Day 1 in Dublin

We arrived in Dublin around 10 a.m. local time today and took a taxi to our hotel--Stauntons on the Green. It was constructed in 1750 and was originally the terrace of 3 Georgian houses. The room wasn't yet ready for our check in when we arrived, so we left to walk around a bit.

The hotel is immediately across from St. Stephen's Green, a 22-acre public park. So, we strolled through the park, then walked along Grafton Street, a popular shopping area to do a little window shopping and pick up a couple of items we forgot at the drug store. We ate a late breakfast just before noon (our 2nd breakfast since we ate on the plane as well). We had a breakfast sandwich--sausage, bacon, and fried egg between two thin slices of white bread. Healthy! ;-) Yea, right. At least we walked some of it off.

The weather is a bit chilly when the sun isn't out, but I'm generally okay wearing a long sleeve shirt and hoodie. I did have to put on a scarf when we sat down to eat because it was a bit breezy in the outdoor area we were sitting, and it's naturally warmer when you're out walking. The sun would peak through every now and then when we were sitting in the park watching the ducks and other birds. The park was rather crowded when we walked back through on the way to the hotel around 1:30 p.m. Lots of families, tourists and nearby office workers enjoying their lunch outdoors.

We took a nap when we got back to the room because we didn't get much sleep on the plane and what we did get was a bit uncomfortable. With free internet at the hotel, we were able to check in on e-mail, Facebook, etc. and provide this brief update on our blog. Now, time to start thinking about what we'll do for dinner and where we'll explore tomorrow.

Global phone is set up...missing my Droid X already (sorry Blackberry). We depart in approximately 8 hours.

Test

The next voyage begins in

The next voyage begins in T minus 2 days! Ireland and Scotland here we come.

Thinking about vacation

I'm on my way back from a whirlwind business trip from San Francisco--short notice and a quick turnaround. Boy, do I wish I could have stayed through the weekend. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Perhaps if all goes well, I'll be back soon with more advanced notice to clear my calendar for some fun.

So, as I return to Atlanta, I'm thinking about this year's fall vacation. We've pretty much determined that we'll visit Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland in late September/early October. I've narrowed down the locations and think we can fit it in nicely in a 10-day trip with a few extra vacation days at home to prepare and recover. I certainly want to make sure I get my packing done right. For this short trip to San Francisco, I forgot so many things, but I survived...with the help of my colleagues and a nearby Walgreens to take care of the basics. I know I was rushed to get out of town, but not that rushed. Just juggling too much at one time I guess.

As we get more details about our trip locked in, we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I've got a brief beach visit on the books for a girls' weekend in Panama City, Florida in May. Can't wait! The beauty of having friends who live in pretty places.

For now, I'll look for things to distract myself for the remainder of this flight. Another hour and a half to 2 hours to go. Thank goodness for inflight internet.
Dana

Where to this year?

We're getting the itch for our next trip. Time to start researching! We don't have our hearts set on any particular location yet, so we're beginning our online exploration with 3 countries:

• Ireland
• Germany
• Scandanavia (okay, not a country but you know what I mean)

Hopefully that will narrow it down a bit, but who knows, we might come across somewhere else that sparks our interest. We'll probably aim for our typical fall timeframe, but depending upon which destination we choose and its temperature and high/low seasons...and our work schedules...we might vary it up a bit and try June.

Look for updates along the way.