The British Isles, 1998

Today we were up early for our flight to London. We had prepared well and had our ambien prescription in hopes of getting some sleep to be ready to explore on arrival. Upon arrival at London's Heathrow we met our group and quickly boarded a bus for the hotel. Check-in always takes a while and we got to know some of our fellow travellers. Our time in London is short and we have a lot to see. Our agenda include the usual tourist sights of Big Ben, Buckingham palace, The Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London. We attended Shakespeare's As You Like It at the Globe Theater and saw Miss Saigon one evening. We capped off our London stay with a ride on The London Eye.
The next portion of our England tour included a visit to Stratford upon Avon. Here we visited Shakespeare's birthplace, Anne Hathaway's cottage, Nash House, and The Swan Theater. We visited Stonehenge, the ring of prehistoric standing stones whose construction began in 2600 BC. We visited Salisbury which is a cathedral city and we were able to enjoy visiting the Salisbury Cathedral. We traveled to many lovely little English cities but one of our favorites was Bath. Here we explored the quaint town and enjoyed our visit to the Roman Baths which are a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing. Constructed in 60-70 AD they are below modern street level. The water is heated by hot springs and we were told that the biggest issue of the day was the stealing of clothes while one bathed. We also enjoyed the walled city of York very much. In England we had some grand experiences visiting castles and estates. Two of our favorites were Hampton Court and The Chatsworth House. Both of these experiences we will not forget. Our favorite overnight was in Chelwood at the Huntstrete House. Here we enjoyed this 18th century Georgian manor house and the 71 acres of woodlands and gardens. We had a beautiful room with a sitting area, library, and a huge roaring fireplace. We were surprised when we noticed a book on the coffee table with this B&B listed as one of the top ten in The British Isles. We marveled at the beauty of the countryside as we traveled to Hadrian's Wall. We walked a lot in this area and ended our English adventure at a lovely pub near the wall for some hot and delicious pub grub. Click here to see England Pictures

Our trip to Scotland was just an enticement to come back. We arrived in Edinburgh and we were immediately enchanted. This city lives up to the claim of being the jewel in Scotland's crown. As we enter the city the skyline is dominated by the castle sitting atop the craggy core of an old volcano, gazing down at the town. This was our first stop and it provided the WOW factor in history, scenery, and architecture. During our stay in Edinburgh we visited the Royal Mile, had our share of haggis and tatties, and walked a lot of miles. We visited Holyrood and had a wonderful dinner complete with a Scottish cultural show. Hugh will never forget the show as a beautiful Scottish lass sang Happy Birthday to him! We had free time to enjoy some shopping and listen to the bagpipers who play on the street corners. On the day we left Edinburgh we crossed the mighty Forth road bridge on our way to St. Andrews. We visited the University here and also enjoyed a view of the famous golf course. We did a little shopping to commemorate our visit. Our next stop was Abbotsford House, the home of Sir Walter Scott in Melrose. This house was completed in 1824 sits on the banks of the River Tweed. It is as it was in Scotts time and gives you a feeling of history through art, armor and weapons, and the lovely furnishings. We enjoyed this very much. Our drive to Wales gave us a varied view of the Scottish countryside from fields of lavender to craggy dark peaks. The lack of trees was very interesting to us as was the midnight sun. Never fear Scotland, we will be back! Click here to see Scotland Pictures

Our trip through Wales was short but impressive. The area is filled with unique things to see such as the town with the world's longest name; made a picture of it on the side of the train station and some very impressive snow covered mountains. We had time to explore one of the many castles in Wales and we are glad that our guide chose the most impressive. Caernarfon Castle was built by King Edward I and is now a World Heritage site. This castle was begun in 1283 as a military stronghold as well as a seat of government and a palace. It sits at the mouth of the Seiont River and the views from the top are wonderful. We spent half a day just walking around the precipices and taking in the magnitude of this historic building. From here we drove through Snowdonia region on our way to Holyhead to get the ferry to Dublin. Click here to see Wales Pictures

We took the ferry to Dublin and soon we were at our hotel and ready to explore on foot. Hugh and I walked into the heart of town and found a great Irish pub with a harpist and we had dinner there and returned the next night for a pint and more music. While in the city we visited Trinity College and Library and saw the "Book of Kells". We visited St. Patricks Cathedral and the Guinness Storehouse. We Loved this lively city. While in Ireland we visited the Muckross Abbey and we took the "jaunting cars", horse drawn wagons to get there. We saw the Rock of Cashel where St. Patrick preached. We drove through County Kerry admiring the McGillicuddy Reeks, the highest mountains in Ireland. We joined the spectacular Ring of Kerry for a 100-mile panoramic drive around the island's southwestern tip. We spent the night in a hotel in the mountainous area and we hiked and enjoyed the fabulous views. We crossed the Kerry mountains as we made our way to County Cork and to Blarney Castle. We explored the castle and kissed the Blarney Stone. Who knew you had to lie on your back and lean out over a precipice while some one held you feet just to get the gift of gab? We stopped and shopped in Waterford; I had lots of breakables shipped--how smart was that. We took cart rides through the countryside and ended up in Shannon. Ireland is magical and there is so much more for us to see. /susan Click here to see Ireland Pictures