Yesterday we left Victoria by bus and ferry to Vancouver International for our flight to the UK. I must say that taking the Wilson Transport to YVR certainly is convenient. They handle you luggage til arrival at the airport even though we had to change busses at Tsawwassen….. and we didn’t have to find our way there (things have changed so much) or park the vehicle.

Once in Gatwick (July 20), it was just a lazy day resting up…. Tonight we will sleep. Tomorrow we will take the train into London, meeting up with a gal I met on the cruise I took from Bangkok to Sydney, Australia, November/December 2025. I am looking forward to reconnecting with her as well as seeing the sights of London.

We took the train into London (July 21/26) thinking we would meet her at London Bridge but…. oops! Wrong train……ended up being close to an hour late.

$87 for the 2 of us to take the train all day and return.

Things are soooooh expensive. (I’ve probably said that before). For example…. we had just plain Americano coffee this morning ….6 British pounds ($11.26 CAD).

$161 CAD for dinner and breaky in the following morning for 2, yesterday.

We wandered down to where we caught the Uber boat for a ride on the Thames….. to Westminster.

We got off at Big Ben and the parliament buildings. From there we wandered that area.

Hi all you followers.

For those that have just recently decided they would like to follow me on my travels, there are a couple of things I would like to mention to help you view the blogs.

When you get your email telling you of a blog, you can read it on the email but if you want to be able to see the pictures in a larger format, click on “gailstraveladventures”. That will take you to the website. Once there, click on one of the pictures. All subsequent pictures will be enlarged although you will have you do that each time you get another posting.

I have said it before, I am not a professional and so make mistakes, misspell, miss words, yadda, yadda. I just want to share my travel experiences. I don’t just write about the places I/we go but have pictures as well as provide some info I glean from guides.

I hope you enjoy.

Enniskillen is 2 only streets with many different churches because so many immigrants have come from different parts of the world. It is built on island surrounded by lakes. A canal goes far inland, is a great attraction to tourists. 

On to Sligo, the home of WB Yeats…. He was not an academic …. On the spectrum-dyslexic ….more of a romanic. What inspired him… lakes, chasing women. Not a great father. 

Guide brought up the fact of sexual abuse by the Catholic priests. Coverup by hierarchy that eventually made payouts that paid for education, hospitals, etc. All the priest weren’t all bad. They did a lot of good deeds too. 

Nobel prize winners Yeats, Shaw, all were Protestant 

Shamus Heaney poet… Catholic. He translated Greek classics into English.  

Just past Bundorun there is big surf on the North Atlantic. Surfing has begun to be very popular. Lord Mountbatten… the Queen’s uncle…. Retired here but was murdered here in 1979 by IRA…. an innocent man according to our guide. They blew up him on his boat…. Fishing was his everyday pastime. 

Sligo is a college town 

2.14 Euro/ litre for diesel here…ouch!

River Shannon cruises  make Carrick-on-Shannon an attractive place to come. 

Home tomorrow but going to try to find Irish music on our last night with the majority of our travelling buddies.

We went to the amazing Ulster American Folk Park. In 1976, the park opened. 

The Ulster Irish were Presbyterian Scots &  English Anglicans. In the 18-19th centuries, the Mellons and many other went to America. After the 17-18 million that went overseas, only half that number were left (8million). Some had been the rich, went to built factories there and got richer. Some not so much but went for a better life.

For the most part, all are original building, wagons, etc … transported from their original locations.

It costs 70,000 pounds (almost 130,000CAD to repair a thatched roof. Climate change is causing the roofs to deteriorate faster than it use to (more rainy, etc). Roofs have to be replaced about every 2 years. They are attack birds, mice and bugs even though they keep the house warm. Romantic idea to have a house with thatched roof but you cannot get insurance. 

Cromwell came to Ireland in 1650. He was a cruel leader. 

We passed back into the republic to euros & kilometres shortly before going to lunch in Donegal at McCafferty’s. 

There is a castle here that we didn’t go through….again soaking wet. 

There are 200+/- golf courses in Ireland.

Enniskillen is our next stop … on an island surrounded by lakes. It seems they have always had religious tolerance. 

Game of Thrones…Kings Road…160 beech trees intertwined planted 250 years ago. 

4% unemployment but government jobs and new hotels built because the old ones had been bombed out. St. Mary’s school in Protestant area have windows boarded up still .. indicates it’s still on going. 

The Exchange is best restaurant in Derry. 

The Clintons come regularly partly because he had a big part of peace process …. Is held in high regard in Ireland. 

The British are taxed 5000 euro per person incl children, to subsidize Northern Ireland…. Apparently public is not happy…. No kidding!

Bushmills’ biggest employer was the whiskey distillery but they are Calvinist Protestant and wouldn’t allow drinking.

Giants Causeway are Hexagonal basalt stones left from when volcanoes . Only place out of 3 places in the world…. India, Israel and here where this occurred …. These are the only ones that stand upright. 20 miles from Scotland 

When we started this visit it was almost totally clear and sunny but by the time we went back to the bus it was pouring rain and blowing up a storm….OMG!

Stopped in Bushmills for lunch after the Causeway. 

Derry guild hall … where Clinton was cheered on because he helped with the peace process.

Derry was invaded 600s… the people were educated in Latin so records were well kept.

Walk of Derry:-

Protestant buildings were burned down. Rebuilt in the Georgian settle. 

Working poor are ones that start the conflicts because they are poor. 

Originally only 4 gates into the city but now are now 6. “Bogside Girls” a movie on Netflix is funny. 

Voting….Only one vote per house not the number of people. The Catholics were under-represented because there more Catholics in each house. 

Yesterday we were told there weren’t many Catholics on the police because if political reasons but also if Catholics had joined police they could have been shot by IRA.

Derry had the walls that were up to 8 metres high and measured almost 1 mile round constructed between 1613 and 1618.

Our whole bus of travellers (15) with the exception of the driver Helen and guide David, are Canadians. 

We are supposed to wear seatbelt while on the bus. 

In Dublin there are tax incentives to build the area up (including the hotel we stayed in) because the area had been so rundown… a previous industrial area. Heroin had been a problem then cocaine then…

Northern Ireland is pro-British & Protestant. Genocide in NI killed all the Catholics and replaced with British and Protestants but kept some Irish to do the work. 

Northern Ireland has best linen industry had supplied much of the world. 

90% of the population have received 3rd level free education, are now earning 30,000 euro a year (….being replaced by AI in jobs) where as plumbers that are 10% of the population are making 100,000 euros. 

1920s war of independence. 

First stop is Malahide Castle-built in 1066 by the Normans that invaded the country ….  sits on 200 acres of land. The Talbots are the people that owned and lived in it. King Henry 2 gave it to lord Talbot. It is 4 floors. The bottom is where they kept the animals.

The first “room” was very dark … was where they originally lived. The rest as you can see are much brighter.

1690 the Talbots changed from catholic to Protestant in order to keep castle. But…. they still secretly had the priest come. If someone from the government at the time came, the priest would slip out the secret door. (In picture). In 18th century they were very wealthy …travelled lots & bought things back like the marble from Italy that surrounded the fireplace.

Brother and sister created gardens … died without heirs. Sister, after brother died, gave it all up after she had to pay inheritance tax was 50% of value of property. She left in 1976 to Tasmania. 

Back in the day,19 year old girls became old maid. … must always have chaperone. Marriage was arranged ..children’s room  upstairs with nanny. Kids left for boarding school from 8years 

Bathing was bad for you… so they used lotion and hung perfume from neck (women) and belt(men) to try to cover up the smell. When they actually bathed, all used the same bath water (maybe cuz the maids had to carry all the water up and down the stairs). The name of toilet became called “the throne” cuz Queen Victoria got the first toilet. 

There are 600 million population in European Union. Less the 50m that left when Britain left. There are 37 countries in it ..,,, all have to agree to pass legislation. Every nation thinks they are superior but Germany is financially superior with over 50% of the wealth. Germany poured money into roads in Ireland so that people would buy German cars. The corp taxes in Ireland are low (1%) so many in Germany and USA moved company headquarters here. Per capital income 2nd after Luxembourg at 69-70,000/year. 90% of mobile phones are made in Ireland, the rest in China. ???? 3-4% unemployment. Polish is 2nd language spoken after English cuz Ireland, England and Sweden were only countrys to offer employment to the Poles (after they joined the EU). 

The flowering trees and all the bulbs are blooming much the same as at home in Victoria. Temperature is higher today….. about 14-15C… grey with not much rain. 

The border during the 70-80s lots of smuggling. Up til 1992 there was a border between north and south. Some Catholics came to Ireland to drink (they couldn’t in the north). One time they thought they would burn the customs station… thinking they wanted to free the north. There was still tension til 1997. To this day there still a small splinter of breakaway group. 

It used to be that Catholic and Protestant were not allowed to marry. 20% people in NI are unable to work because of PTST from the tension during the “Troubles”. 

Harlem & Wolf company was the German company that built Titanic. Most police, government social housing were British Protestant in NI. Now in Northern Ireland and imperial measurements, British pounds, etc 

Garbage along road. Dairy is main farming & beef -all is slaughtered before 2-2.5 year old so tender…. so our guide says

In Belfast….Aiden-is our guide for a tour and commentary on the city.

Shipyards formerly had 39,000 employees… now just does minor repairs to ships

Gas is close to 2 euro/litre & in some cases 2.10 euros per litre. 

The Titanic Museum is the same height as the original cost 100 M to build …. In 2000. White star line that built titanic … only one left. 

Northern Ireland was established in 1921 – kept in UK. Unionist and nationalists (republicans) fought from 1972… 1989-called the “The Troubles”. Then the peace agreement called the “Good Friday Agreement. Now parliament has both contingents Nothing gets done unless both sides agree “so nothing gets done”. 

In 1930’s-airplanes were built here…. Sea planes to begin and war planes. Bombardier owned the plane plant for a time …. then Spirit …then Boeing….has 7000 employees. 

Parliament building is 365 feet long 1.5 kms (1 mile) long -prince charles avenue. 

Harland & Wolf shipyard. 

Linen, Ship building, ropes, whiskey and …. During Industrial Revolution

Samuel Beckett instructor at the college called kids the “Cream of the crop”….creamy and thick (stupid). He didn’t keep his job very long.

In the 1700s a lot of Ulster Presbyterians went to “blue grass states” in US. 

Populations is 1.9 million in northern Ireland. 

We cross over Lagan River 

Walls 6 feet thick to protect the law courts from IRA bombs

Hibernia is name of Ireland bestowed by Romans 

Queens university 300 buildings 

Ulster flag …red hand. Knee capping -punishment for bad deeds -shot through back of knees. 

They had 30 years of “the Troubles” with killings, car bombs. The Europa hotel bombed 33 times.  

“Falls Road”… Peace Gate that is covered with graffiti and painting and lots of signatures. It was erected in 1998 in support.,, was decided to keep the wall for 20 years but the 2 sides are still divided and so it stays. On one side they want to leave N.I. and have Irish passports, are Catholics, Nationalist, support Palestinians, then the Unionist on other side of the street support Israelis, are  Protestants and support the British. They were also called Loyalists. 

“Shankill Road” there is a poster of Ulster military Group. In one bar they ask if you are carrying a gun and if you say no then he gives you one. 

After the peace agreement they had to change the name of the police. The Nationalists wouldn’t joint “Royal Ulster Police” so they changed the name & then they no longer required one to pledge allegiance to the crown. Now it is a 50-50 sign-up. 

“No Ordinary Heist” is a new movie about the “troubles”

Places to go tonight:-Crown liquor saloon, Robinson’s & Fibber McGees for music & 5 Points

We didn’t do much of anything other than walk over to & go into the “World of Illusion”. It was way overpriced. The only thing that was “crazy-fun“ was trying to walk through the tunnel. Sorry no picture to share partly cuz they show my grandson.

The old building in this city are really quite amazing.

Today doesn’t look as promising weather-wise, as yesterday …. On our way back to Dublin.  

Cahir Castle-1172 AD, has 3 courtyards.  The proper name for the castle (I am not even going to try to say it) means …“old stone fort of the fishery”. 800 plus yrs old is from medieval times. 

The river with fishing weirs was the 1st line of defence, then the wall on the outside & long bows that shot out of the openings on the walls. It was erected from sold limestone rock and is atop limestone rock & surrounded by the river

Butler family owned it from 1375 for loyalty to King Edward 3rd until 1961 for almost 600 years until In 1964, the last Bulter died with no heirs. As a result it was passed onto the government.  The eagle represents power and protection of the castle and people by the butler family. 

The town was built in the 17 century

The courtyard was added in 16th century. 

Holes in wall were where the beams were used for the living space above and the floor for the animals below (which helped to keep the people warm). At one spot pointed out to us, that there was the Michicolation— murder hole…. Where if the invaders made it through the rest of the defences, had boiling fat poured over them to slow them down.  Ouch!!!

Central part, through the arch, in 16th century had 50 people living and working…. helpers. 

Round tower was the prison tower. In 1599, a cannonball is stuck in wall when the British lead by the Earl of Essex attacked the castle…. It was the only really successful attack. The family were allowed to back in but after 2 other attacks, one in 1650 when Oliver Cromwell attacked they surrendered and they never moved back in . 

The family toilet is in the tower where the cannonball is stuck.  

The walls are 6-8 feet thick. 

Banquet hall has a heated floor now. It has saved the mortar and walls from mould and decomposion. It has great acoustics and it used for performances even today. 

Roof is made of sold oak with the struts built like a Viking ship

It is the finest medieval castle in the country 

Next, Kilkenny is largest walled city in Ireland. Kilkenny Castle was built in 1397 but although some of our group went in, we did not take the tour. The castle was also owned by the Butlers. 

It a beautiful sunny day. Yesterday was pretty good too. Maybe “whoever has the rosary beads at the back of the bus is working their magic”…. lol!

In this area they can’t get enough people to work in the hotels…. It is jumping off place to see other places in the area. 

Going for a ride on the horse carts is good thing to do in Killarney. Price doubles on a rainy day…amazing!!!

Largest container cranes in world made here in Killarney for German company, Liebherr. The village built the airport and hotel have the owners bring the factory here.  When those cranes are transported to Cork to be shipped,they close the highways at night because the roads are too narrow. 

The  mountain range Magillecully Reach….

Killogrin ……. Stopped at the 18-19th century Kerry Bog Village and Red Fox Inn…. had an Irish coffee at 9:30 in the morning… yummy!

They are putting in bike trails using the old rail beds all around the “Ring of Kerry”. Sounds familiar???? 

Daniel O’Connell- politician that abolish of slavery across British Empire, etc 

In the 6th century … Brendan, the Navigator discovered Americas 1000 years before Columbus.  Father Hugh O’Flaherty, the Scarlet pimpernel of the Vatican, saved about 4000 allied soldiers and Jews people during the war- got pension for life from France. The three of them were all from the village of 1300 people ….  Garranearagh, Ireland. 

Cable to America and Europe is protected by the navies of Britain, America and Russians 150 miles off the coast from here  in Waterville….. lovely.

Skellig Islands…monks brought Christianity to the world from those islands  

Scarriff Inn for lunch

The country is cutting down all the spruce for native trees. At one time it was thought the spruce were a good thing.