By: Teresa Chilton, Senior Travel Consultant
...It wasn’t all fields and sheep, though. We got to see all those famous landmarks along the way. We went to Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge, then on to Plymouth to see the Mayflower steps where the Pilgrim Fathers departed from. We went to Penzance to view St. Michael’s Mount, then on to St. Ives, a lovely little seaside village. I had never seen boats just sitting on the mud before. Talk about low tide!! It had an interesting beauty to it. We stopped at a farm house along the way for cream tea, which quickly became one of my favorite treats. On our way to Bath we visited the abbey ruins of Glastonbury and site of King Arthur’s tomb. This is also where they had sort of a living museum, with locals dressed up in period costumes and giving talks and presentations. I went to the bread-making presentation and got pulled from the back row to participate in making bread, which included picking the small rocks out of the flour. It was fun and gave my tour mates something to talk about for days, having watched me completely miss the dough when the mistress told me to “give it more air” (toss it up in the air). We laughed later and I explained that she told me to toss it, not to catch it (a little cooking humor).
We visited Bath and the Roman Baths. They gave us headsets to listen to at our own pace as we meandered through the ruins. For me and a few others, this quickly became claustrophobic with the narrow staircases and multitudes of people. For the short time I was down there I could see lots of museum type exhibits. Thankfully, there was an elevator to get us out quickly, although the guard was shocked at our untimely exit during the middle of the tour. Many of the others in our group did enjoy the history talks on their headsets and the exhibits. Our visit to Cardiff included a visit to Cardiff Castle and for some of us, a climb to the top of the watchman’s tower. From there we could see the very modern city around us, including a new sports arena. Frequently the excursion option in Cardiff includes a medieval banquet dinner at Cardiff Castle. Unfortunately, the castle was rented out for a wedding the evening we arrived. Instead, we went to a local restaurant for a traditional Welch dinner while a harpist played beautiful traditional music.
We continued on, taking the ferry into Ireland from Pembroke to Rosslare. The journey took a few hours, but they had a movie theater, several dining options and plenty of places to sit and visit. The tour originally scheduled a visit to the Waterford Crystal Showroom, however the factory is closed down and the Waterford Glass Showroom is now selling their products made in other countries, not Ireland. Anyway, our tour guide took us to Cobh instead, which was a treat for me. Cobh, originally Queenstown, was the last port of call of the Titanic, where most of the survivors, as well as the dead, from the Lusitania. Many Irish emigrants departed from Cobh on the “coffin ships” heading to North America. Many did not survive the trip. There is a statue at the Heritage Center of Annie Moore and her brothers, the first ever emigrants to be processed through the newly opened Ellis Island in Jan. 1892. It says a similar statue can be found on Ellis Island.
On our way to Kenmare we also stopped at the famous Blarney Castle, with enough time to explore the area and for many of us to obtain the “gift of eloquence” (aka: gift of gab). Not an easy feat that was. The spiral staircase going up had very narrow steps with a rope rail to hang onto to help pull us up as we climbed. The view from the top of the castle was stunning, and worth the climb for me. To kiss the Blarney Stone required us to lie on our back and hold onto secured poles to shift ourselves over a hole and under a ledge to kiss the stone. They have a spotter to hold onto you so you don’t accidently slip and fall down the hole, also giving instructions on what stone to kiss (it was not obvious) and a photographer to capture the moment for you. The spiral staircase going down was a bit easier with wider steps and an iron rail to hold onto.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was in Killarney where many of us took the optional Jaunty Car excursion through Killarney National Park, including a brief photo stop at Ross Castle at the edge of the lake. It was not the 2-seater I had expected from the Quiet Man movie. Instead it was more like a horse-drawn wagon modified to seat up to eight people in back and up to two people on the front seat with the driver. Still, it was a crisp morning, the scenery was beautiful and we saw a variety of animals in the meadows and trotting across the pathways in front of us.
The ever popular Ring of Kerry was a fun day as well. I could see this as a local’s vacation getaway, with many outdoor activities available in the region. On our way to Galway we stopped off in Adare, Limerick and spent several hours at the Cliffs of Moher. Somewhere along the way that day we stopped at the Quiet Man Bridge where John Wayne sat admiring the valley and river in the beginning of the movie. Naturally we all had to have our pictures taken with his view in the movie as our background. The contrasts of a pretty village, the quiet countryside and the dramatic cliffs were such a delight. We even encountered a heard of sheep being moved from one field to another across and down the road we were traveling on, just like we’ve seen in movies.
On our way to Sligo we stopped off at Kylemore Abbey. I had been told it was a school for girls, but the gardens and the chapel are the real draw here. After crossing into Northern Ireland we had a local guide take us on a tour of Derry/Londonderry, which was a real eye-opener. The city still has two names to this day. You can tell a person’s loyalty or religion by whether they call the city Derry or Londonderry. This city is such a contrast with paintings all over the city depicting the turmoil of the past and the hope of the future.
Contact a Trafalgar Tours Specialist at 800-300-4567!
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