JellyfishKing Travel

Day 4 – to Aviemore

The road up the western edge of the Cairngorms National Park from Pitlochry was spectacular.

Some of the journey was along the A9. Stopping for a rest Jane needed to relieve herself and because there wasn’t much shelter, dropped her pants in full view on the motorists speeding by. We’re wating to see if there’s any dash can footage on YouTube.

Before reaching Aviemore there were quite a few sights to see, we took the funicular train at the Cairngorms Mountain Railway to the lookout station. Unfortunately, the visibility was poor, and we couldn’t witness those promised views. We had lunch in the cafe and waited hopefully for the scotch mist to clear. It didn’t improve and we made our way back down the mountain.

Nearby was Loch Morlich, a beautiful small Loch. We stopped for some photos. In the photo below you can see the mountain railway in hill in the background and the blanket of mist preventing us from seeing the view back towards the Loch.

Also nearby was a Reindeer Park. The visitor’s centre offered two “tour options”. One was the “Hill Trip” that took you out in the forest to find and interact with a wild Reindeer herd. This looked inviting but the only available slot for that day didn’t fit in with our schedule. We opted for the second tour: the “Paddocks”. This was a bit of a disappointment as there was only one paddock with about five deer sleeping. It looked a bit sad. Keith and Lynn booked themselves for the Hill Trip for the next day. Alison, Vic, Jane and I had other plans for the next day, so we had to make do with just seeing the sad Reindeers.

We pushed on to Loch An Eilein, another small Loch with a nice 5km walk around its perimeter. Jane donned her new hiking shoes, and we walked around the Loch the beautiful forest. Hiking machines Keith, Lynn and Vic set a mean pace, while Alison, Jane and I lagged behind, taking in the natural beauty of the forest. (yeah ok – slow).

We reached our accommodation before their 6pm deadline and checked in. The Cairngorm Guest House was a nice B&B on the main road in Aviemore. It was nice, but not a patch on the Poplars in Pitlochry.

We were told to book dinner, as restaurants get very busy in the town. Keith managed to get us into the Cairngorms Hotel. It was a short walk down the main road. It was a nice dinner, and we were served by an Aussie waitress.

Day 5 –  Aviemore

Alison is a mega-fan of the TV series Outlander. The series is centred around the Battle of Culloden, a famous battle in 1746 between the English Government and the Jacobite army. The Clans were outnumbered but fought bravely and were overwhelmed by a better equipped opponent. Visiting the site was on Alison’s “must-do” list.

The battlefield was about one hour’s drive north of Aviemore. This provided a nice day’s itinerary for Alison, Vic, Jane and I, exploring around Inverness. Keith and Lynn went on their Reindeer tour.

The Culloden Battlefield has a visitor’s centre and offers guided tours of the site. We opted to roam the fields ourselves. There was plenty of information along the trails that outlined the bloody events. It was a great experience to see that famous part of Scottish history.

Nearby were some “Druid Stones”, the Clava Cairns. There are three cairns (pile of rocks) dating back to the bronze age (circa 2000 BC). Jane and Alison wanted to touch the stones and hopefully travel back in time to reverse the result of Culloden. Seeing as we’re not wearing kilts now, I guess it didn’t work.

Time for lunch. We made our way into the “Capital of the Scottish Highlands“, Inverness. Inverness is a large town and as usual, it was difficult to find parking. We found a restaurant on the outskirts of town for lunch. Street parking was available along the River Ness. The Uile-bheist Restaurant looked promising but was disappointing. The service was slow and the beef brisket baguette was ruined by a sweet barbeque sauce.

We drove through the town and down the west side of Loch Ness to visit Urquhart Castle. Visiting the world-famous Loch Ness was a bucket list item for me. The views driving down to the castle were spectacular. The first glimpse of Urquhart Castle was also an awesome sight.

Urquhart Castle is one of those picture-perfect tourism shots you see that immediately identifies Scotland. It’s a 15th century medieval fortress beautifully situated on the banks of Loch Ness. It’s largely in ruin but there’s enough intact to imagine what the site would have looked like in its heyday. We spent a couple of hours exploring the site and when the rain came, we decided to make our way back.

Travelling all the way in the highlands I was keeping an eye out for Highland Cows (or more correctly pronounced “Coos”). We saw plenty of regular coos, but none of the famous long horned woolly variety. Alison and Vic had spotted a sign on the way into Urquhart Castle for a place (Drumbuie Farm) that offered a coo-meet-and-greet. This might be our only chance to see a Highland Coo so we checked it out. For £5 (10 AUD) they gave you a cup of carrots and bread to feed the hairy beasts over the fence. It sounded like a kid’s activity, but it was actually a pretty cool experience. The Coos were greedy but gentle – and they appeared to have a genuine personality.

We returned to Aviemore and reunited with Keith and Lynn. They raved about the Reindeer experience and showed us their photos and videos. It did look amazing.

Yesterday we booked the Winking Owl for our dinner tonight. There were a number of dining options on offer. We decided to have pizzas in the pub. Pizzas were supplied by a van in the carpark – El Diego Pizzeria, and the pub allowed you to bring them inside. The pizza, beers and company were perfect to round out a wonderful day.

We’re off to Fort Willian tomorrow.

Day 1 – Edinburgh

The flight from Belfast was only 35 minutes breaking my shortest plane ride record set only one week ago with Cardiff to Dublin. We arrived to a wet and cold Edinburgh mid-afternoon.

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and the place I was born (1963).

We were talked into taking the Airport bus by our cousins. We’d have to alight at Haymarket Station and walk to our hotel. Arriving at Haymarket the weather was not conducive to carrying three suitcases and a backpack. It was cold and raining. The walk was only 10 minutes but felt longer.

We arrived to find my cousins, Keith, and Alison and their partners Lynn and Vic waiting for us in the hotel rooftop bar. The six of us planned a week travelling around the Scottish Highlands. On return to Edinburgh in a week’s time, we will be spreading some of the ashes of our parents over their birthplace.

It was fun to catch up with the cousins and share our adventures leading up to this point. Keith and Lynn have been in Poland and Alison and Vic recently arrived from a gruelling flight from Perth via Singapore and London – still suffering from jetlag. Our group name is “Will Trade Cousins for Whisky“. Lynn had badges made up for us all to proudly wear.

We walked up the road and has dinner at Maki & Ramen.

Our hotel was the Moxy Edinburgh. It was quite nice, but we were only staying here one night, using it as a launch pad to our self drive tour.

Day 2 – To Pitlochry

We met back up at breakfast and planned the day. We all had to pick up our hire cars, leave the hotel and drive to Pitlochry with a few planned stops along the way.

Budget car rentals was withing waking distance from the hotel. I suspected that I wouldn’t be able to drive seeing as I didn’t have my licence card. I’d lost it – or had it stolen in London the previous week. Sure enough they wouldn’t allow me to drive and once again Jane would shoulder all the driving duties. They had to cancel my booking and sign Jane up. The young attendant struggled with this and took over an hour to organise the car. We ended up with a Volkswagen Polo. It was a late model and had Android Auto, which was a big help.

First stop was the Forth Bridges. I have vague memories of crossing the Forth Road bridge when I was young – maybe over 55 years ago. The most famous is the UNESCO heritage listed Forth (rail) Bridge, then the Forth Road Bridge and since I was a boy they’ve added a third: the Queensferry Crossing. We didn’t need to cross the bridge; I just wanted some photos. Parking was at a premium, so I quickly shot out the car and snapped a few photos.

Next was a short drive to the Kelpies. These are massive horse head sculptures designed my Andy Scott in 2013. They certainly are impressive. We met back up with the cousins and had our first picture all together.

Another short drive was Stirling Castle. Parking here also proved challenging as the main carpark was closed for repair. We managed to squeeze into a spot on the road running behind the castle. The castle was huge and fully intact. Perched on a hill top it had magnificent views over the town of Stirling and the countryside. We spent a couple of hours exploring the rooms and displays. It was quite different to the castles we visited in Ireland. We bought a “Explorer Pass” will will give us access to other historic sites around Scotland.

On the way to Pitlochry we pass through the town of Perth. As we’re all living in the city of Perth, Western Australia we decided to stop and visit the place it was named after. It is a beautiful town with the River Tay running through the centre. We stopped briefly and took some photos. We intended to grab some lunch, but we were behind schedule and we needed to get to Pitlochry.

We arrived at the Poplars Guest House B&B in and checked in. What a magnificent place this was. Nancy, our host and the most cheerful person in the world, greeted as and got us settled in. Our room was on the top floor with stunning views. We also had a second bedroom so we could comfortably store all our luggage. There was nothing to fault with this place. everything as immaculate.

Pitlochry itself is a very beautiful town. Its surrounded by mountains and is the gateway to the Cairngorms National Park. We knew we were going to enjoy this place.

Dinner tonight was going to be special. We were going to meet another cousin, Gillian, whom I (and Alison) haven’t seen for over 55 years. Keith hadn’t seen her for about 40 years. Gillian, her husband Scott and dog Nala live in Edinburgh, but coincidently they just happened to be in Pitlochry for an arts festival. We met at the restaurant Port na Craig. It was a great night catching up. Gillian and Scott invited us back to their caravan to continue the reminiscing. Alison and Vic, still suffering jetlag retired early back to the Poplars. We met Nala also, and as we’re missing our dogs from home, it was nice to get some poochy-love. The drinks and stories flowed freely until we had to stumble our way back to the accommodation. I still don’t know how we made it back.

It was really fantastic to see Gillian again. I hope we can catch-up again soon – this time in the Southern Hemisphere!

Day 3 –  Pitlochry and Cairngorms

We have the whole day based in Pitlochry to explore the Cairngorms.

First stop was the Queens View lookout. It has sweeping views over Loch Tummel. It’s (maybe) called the Queens view because Queen Victoria visited there in 1866. It’s also the starting point for many forest trails. Keith, Lynn, Alison and Vic ventured down to the Loch and Keith immersed his face in the Scottish water to kiss the fairies. Jane didn’t have the right footwear for the steep gravelly trail, so her and I declined that hike. It was clear that she needed to buy some hiking shoes.

Nearby was Blair Athol Castle. Blair castle is really more of a house than a castle – bit a very big house at that. It has over 40 rooms all beautifully restored with thousands of artefacts, weapons, costumes and furniture. It takes a while to visit every room, but was fascinating to see the displays. The piper outside was the highlight though.

We stopped at Bruer for a quick lunch and then walked to the Falls of Bruer. Jane and I only went so far as the lower falls, while the rest carried on to the upper falls. Again we blamed lack of good footwear.

Back to Pitlochry we found an outdoor-wear shop and bought some hiking boots for Jane. Now we won’t have any excuse to bail on the walks. We joined the rest of the team at the Old Mill Inn for dinner. That rounded out a wonderful day.

Tomorrow, we traverse the western edge on the Cairngorms to Aviemore.

Day 1 – Over the border

Galway to Derry/Londonderry was the longest drive of the trip so far. There was a couple of things to see along the way. Mostly the journey was along motorways and highways, which Jane was thankful for.

First stop was pretty town of Donegal. Donegal Castle sits right in the middle of the town, We had lunch at The Olde Castle Seafood Bar, before touring the castle. We joined in a tour of the castle and learned its interesting history. We also walked around the town and bought some souvenirs and this was probably the last opportunity in (The Republic of) Ireland.

Situated just before the Northern Ireland border is the Grianán of Aileach. This the remnant of a fort built on a 250m hill. Perfectly circular it commands breathtaking views of Ireland to the west and Northern Ireland to the east.

We slipped over the border into Northern Ireland without any fuss. We were expecting at least a “Welcome” sign. When I checked Google maps we’d already left Ireland. We arrived in Derry and found our accommodation for the night. The Lawrence is a small boutique hotel elegantly decorated. Each room id themes on a famous Irish Writer. Our room the Joseph Mary Plunket suite was beautiful. The hotel host explained a little about Mr Plunket and even sang us a verse of the famous Irish ballad “Grace“, dedicated to Plunket’s sweetheart. I’ve never had that happen in a hotel before.

We took some time to walk along the river front. We saw the famous Derry Girls mural. We had dinner at the Old Docks Bar and Grill before retiring for the night.

Day 2 – Causeway Coastal Drive

The Causeway Coastal Route from Derry to Belfast is said to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Our first stop was Duluce Castle. This was my favourite castle of the trip so far. Mainly for the location. Perched right on a cliff’s edge its magnificent views over the rugged coast line. The stone walls of the castle, the blue sky and green grass contrasted and complimented each other wonderfully. It was like a scene from a fantasy movie.

The next planned stop was the Giants Causeway, but we were running late for our appointment to cross the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede. We had already booked online for this a few months ago. Jane readily agreed to it then .. but now after seeing the coastline she was thinking again. The bridge is a 15 minute walk from the carpark and there was a small queue to cross it. The wind wasn’t strong but Jane decided to stay and take photos and videos. I crossed it – it wasn’t scary at all. The bridge didn’t sway, but it did bounce a fair bit. It was an unique experience.

After lunch at a pub in the town of Bushmills – the place they make Bushmills Irish Whiskey, be backtracked to The Giants Causeway. This is a unique coastal landform that resembles stepping stones for giants. We didn’t have the time nor the energy for the full tour, so we took the cliff top walk and enjoyed the scenery from afar.

It was getting late so we pushed on into Belfast. Belfast is a small city and capital of Northern Ireland.

We checked into the Europa Hotel and returned to the car to find a parking space, while we got settled in. We had to return the hire car that afternoon. We had to return the car with a full tank of fuel and we knew there was a petrol station close to the Sixt Airport depot. When we tried to fill up it would not accept any of credit cards – and there was no attendant. We had to return the car 3/4 full – and yes, of course, they slugged us with a charge.

We caught the Airport Express bus back to the city and rewarded ourselves with a few drinks in two of the pubs around our hotel. Jane spotted a Filipino restaurant, Rayles Diners, so we had some Sisig for dinner.

Day 3 – Belfast tours

We had the whole next day in Belfast. We had booked the Titanic Experience tour. The experience is situated in the actual location the Titanic was built. The self guided tour starts with the ship’s conception right through to the sinking and finding the wreckage, It was fascinating and very well done.

Since we arrived in Ireland Jane was bugging me to go to the Game of Thrones Studio Tour. I hadn’t allowed for this in the trip plan, so I have been telling her to arrange it for the past week. With only half a day left in Belfast, she booked it and all of a sudden we were on the bus to the studios. The tour is in the actual studio that about 75% of the Game of Thrones was filmed. It was pretty good with lots of props and scenes. The highlight for me was the Iron Throne.

On our return to Belfast, we found almost no restaurants with a free table for two for dinner. We eventually found someone that would take us in, The Shed Grill and Seafood. We shared a seafood risotto. It was nice.

Day 4 – Flying to Scotland

We woke fairly late and I went across the road to get Starbucks coffee for breakfast. I also picked up a Belfast Starbucks mug for my collection. We took the Airport express bus to the airport and caught our easyJet flight to Edinburgh.

Day 1 – Leaving Dublin

After the dramas of getting the hire car and waiting for our laundry, we were on our way to Kilkenny. Jane was driving all the way, with me as navigator. Roughly 200km with a few stops on the way

First stop was Powerscourt Estate and Gardens. These stunning gardens was voted 3rd best garden in the world and have featured in over 50 TV shows and movies, notably “Wednesday” and the “Count of Monte Cristo”.

We entered the Wicklow Mountains National Park. This was one of the things we were looking forward to since seeing the movie “PS I Love You“. The road was narrow and winding. Passing other vehicles was a challenge – one that Jane quickly mastered. Highlights were Lough Tay, also referred to as Guinness Lake and the bridge featured in the movie along Sally Gap. The scenery was beautiful – worth the tough drive.

Th next stop was the Glendalough Cathedral. This ancient Monastic “City” is one of the oldest in Ireland dating back to the 10th century. Most of the buildings are in ruin, but the 12th century chapel still stands. A short walk brings to the picturesque “Upper” lake.

We arrived in Kilkenny around 6pm and checked into our accommodation at The Orchard House. The room was nice and the staff very friendly. Jane was exhausted from the driving so we decided to have a drink and dinner at their Bar/Restaurant. I had a Kilkenny of course! The food was good and there was a guy singing cover songs that had the crowd singing along.

Day 2 – Travelling to Cork

Seeing we’re staying close to Kilkenny, we thought we’d better check out the town.

Kilkenny castle sits right in the middle of the village and is impressive in size. We didn’t have enough time to go inside, but we had tea and scones in the gardens.

Close to Kilkenny and on the route to Cork were two attractions, Kell’s Priory and Jerpoint Abbey. We headed out for Kell’s Priory, but the road was closed. The other way in was a huge detour, so we decided to head to Jerpoint Abbey. The Abbey is a 12th century Cistercian chapel, in quite good condition.

The next stop was a another castle. The majestic Rock of Cashel sitting high above the town of Cashel. Home to the Kings of Munster in the 4th century the castle had many owners throughout its history. It was in very good condition and had great views over the town of town and farmlands.

Another castle along the way was Cahir Castle. It was very pretty on the outside, but quite small and bland in the inside. After coming from the Rock of Cashel, this one seem a little boring – perhaps we were getting “castle-burnout”.

We arrived at our accommodation outside Cork quite late. Lucy’s Loft was deep inside farmland and a little difficult to find. The host said the key would be in the lock-box and we can let ourselves in. When we arrived the key was in the door and it was open. Inside the bed wasn’t made and the towels were used. It appears the room had not been cleaned. We contacted the host and he immediately apologised and offered his other property, 9 Acre to us. We agreed and went there right away.

It was a shipping container converted into bedroom and bathroom. It was nice enough, but we were unable to lock the door and the wifi wasn’t working. Again we contacted the host. He suggested a few remedies, but nothing helped. Disappointed, we decided to go into town and get something to eat. We got chicken curry and prawn chow mein from the local Chinese takeaway, the Great Wall Chinese and brough it back to the container. While still eating, the host contacted us again and said Lucy’s Loft was now ready and we could move back there if we wanted. As we didn’t feel safe in the unlockable container, we immediately moved back.

After all that, we had a comfortable night – with wifi!

Tomorrow we’re off to Kilarney.

Day 1 – Dangerous Curves Ahead

We left Lucy’s Loft about mid morning. We’re on our way to Killarney today and then Galway tomorrow.

We were staying outside Cork and quite close to Cohb (pronounced Cove). I’d seen this town many times in social media and it looked a very pretty seaside village. It is also known for the last place The Titanic visited on it’s ill-fated maiden journey across the Atlantic. In those days it was called Queenstown. We found a parking place and walked along the sea front in the drizzling rain. It was very pretty indeed.

We drove on to one of the most famous places in Ireland, the Blarney Castle. Of course, there you have the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone and receive the “Gift of the Gab”. I joked to Jane that she already has that gift and she might want to skip the kissing part. She agreed – not to mention all the germs that would be involved. Nevertheless we entered the castle and climbed the narrow ancient stone staircase with all the other nutters. We both said we’re just going for a look. The climb was long, steep – and slow because we were in a queue. When it came to our turn – we did it! After all that effort, it seemed a waste not to indulge. Also everyone else did it! Ridiculous really.

The castle and the surrounding gardens were stunning. An Irish piper was playing at the foot of the castle. He even played Waltzing Matilda!

Next stop was another castle: Macroom Castle in the town of Macroom. This wasn’t a castle as such. Just the gatehouse remains. We stopped and stretched our legs and bought some snacks for the road.

St Finbarr’s Oratory in was the next stop. What a beautiful place this is. A small chapel sits in a little island in Gougane Barra Lake. It was so serene and magical. We spent a while walking around taking pictures. We stopped into Cronin’s Bar and Cafe for a toasted sandwich and a pint.

Next stop was Ladies View on the famous Ring of Kerry trail. It was only 16km – but what a drive that was! Steep widing road with barely enough width for one car. We drove slow and carefully – it seemed to take hours. Thankfully we never met any cars coming the other way. The views were stunning, but it was hard to enjoy it with so much concentration on the road. We made it! Great work from Jane driving the whole way.

Finally the road widened and we could breathe again. We arrived at the Ladies View. There were multiple places to stop and get great photos of the lakes and mountains. Truly a beautiful area. And, no, there were no ladies to view.

We arrived late at our accommodation in Killorglin, just outside Kilarney. The host of Mountain Widok met us and showed us to our room. A great improvement on the last accommodation drama. The room and bathroom were clean and decorated beautifully.

We ventured into town and had a very nice pizza at Kingstone Boutique Pub for dinner. We returned to the room and crashed, exhausted from our most full-on day so far.

Day 2 – The Cliffs

We slept in and left later than we planned. Our first stop was the town of Adare, but heavy road works leading into the town put us off and we decide to push on to Newcastle West. We stopped there for lunch at the Sultana Cafe.

Next stop was Bunratty Castle. This castle is one of the most complete castles in Ireland and is situated in a “Folk Park”. It includes farmhouses, mills, a chapel, gardens and a manor house. I entered the castle and explored the various rooms. Jane still had PTSD from the stairs in Blarney Castle and stayed outside. The grounds were nice to wander around.

The next stop is also a very famous attraction in Ireland: The Cliffs of Moher. These 120m cliffs offer stunning views over the Atlantic Ocean. There is a massive carpark and a walk up to the cliffs. It was a nice day and very busy with tourists. There were trails along the cliffs that gave different perspectives. The views were indeed gorgeous.

We got lucky with the weather and has clear views early on. Later the rain came which signaled time to move on.

We arrived at our accommodation in Kinvara, just outside Galway. Our accommodation was Kinvara Guest Suite, a room and ensuite attached to the host’s house. The place was very nice – neat and clean. We arrived early enough to do some laundry at a road-side laundromat. After the chores were done, we had dinner at Pier Head. We chatted to the Filipino manager who had lived in Kinvara for over 26 years. Kinvara seems like a million miles from the Philippines.

Tomorrow we leave the Republic of Ireland and into Northern Ireland.

Day 1 – Flight

The flight to Dublin was very short 45 mins. We arrived on our Ryan Air flight and had to split up going through immigration. Travelling on my British passport I was afforded the luxury of a cursory wave through, while “dodgy foreigner” Jane had to line up for a proper inspection. I swear it took longer for her to get through immigration than the flight took itself.

We finally met back up and collected our luggage. We caught a taxi to our accommodation, Carraig Townhouse south of the city in Blackrock. We arrived at the place 1.30am, too late for a normal check-in. I had already arranged for the keys to be in a lock-box at the front door. Finding the front door was a challenge. The kind taxi driver helped us and we eventually found the tiny entrance. We retrieved our keys and found our room on the first floor, which meant us lugging our cases up a creaky staircase. We collapsed in bed exhausted.

The room was tiny and claustrophobic. It had similar feels to the London Tower Hotel – but not as hot.

Day 2 – Guinness!

We woke late the next day. We had tickets for the 11am session at the Guinness Storehouse. This was one of my must-do activities in Dublin (or the whole trip) so it was a priority to get there on time. We caught the Dart train from Blackrock into the city. We grabbed a quick bite and waited for the no 73 bus to St James. I asked the driver does this bus stop at “St Steevens” stop and he didn’t seem to know the stop, despite Mr Google saying it does exist. Anyway the bus definitely stopped in St James – close enough! The driver was sick of all the questions, and waved us on for a free ride. Sure enough we over-shot the stop and had a 10 minute walk back to the Storehouse. We made it in plenty of time.

The Guinness Storehouse didn’t let us down. What a wonderful place. 6 levels of exhibitions and experiences. I had booked the extra Stoutie Experience, where they “print” your face on foam on the top of a pint of Guinness. Magic! This was Jane’s first pint of Guinness. She should have been in training for this. She couldn’t finish her’s, so I stepped in and saved the day. The self guided tour concluded with a free pint at the Gravity bar on the top floor. Jane took the soft drink option – Weak! I had another Guinness topping off a fantastic day – oh it’s only 1pm. I guess we better see if Dublin has any other attractions.

We caught a horse buggy ride to Dublin Castle. We should had researched that ahead of time, because it was closed for renovation. With so much drinking, we decided we should have some food, so we stopped at the Bull and Castle pun for lunch. We shared an excellent seafood chowder.

We walked into the city to see the famous Temple Bar. We walked though the crowded noisy pub just to see what all the fuss was about. We we glad to make it through the other side.

We pushed on further to visit the Trinity College grounds on the University of Dublin. It was cool, but didn’t really standout to me. There was no Jollibee in Dublin, so we walked back to the Train station and caught the Dart back to Blackrock.

After resting in the hotel, we walked across the road for dinner at San Sab., a small Thai restaurant. We shared a delicious Panang Curry.

Day 3 – Do you have a licence?

We are leaving Dublin and embarking on a self drive tour around Ireland and Northern Ireland, ending in Belfast.

I have been worrying since I lost my wallet and driver’s licence in London, that the hire car company, Sixt would not be happy letting me drive one of their cars. Sure enough they weren’t. They would not allow me to drive the car without a physical licence. That means Jane will be driving the entire route! That was very annoying. But to Jane’s credit she realised the predicament and agreed to bravely shoulder the task.

Jane drove back to Blackrock, checked-out and loaded up our bags in the car. The car is a Dacia Duster, a brand neither of us had heard of. It drove well, although there was an annoying grating sound in the rear.

We found a laundromat nearby and had a coffee and toastie while waiting for the fresh clothes.

Soon we were on our way to Kilkenny.

Day 1

We happily checked out of the Tower Hotel and caught an uber to Paddington Train Station. We are catching the train to Cardiff, the capital and largest city in Wales. We arrived a little early and took some photos with the Paddington Bear statue. The train was 10 minutes late and not crowded. We also booked first class so it was a pleasant journey.

Arriving in Cardiff we felt a sense of relief. After the crowded hectic pace of London, it was nice to breathe again.

We caught a taxi to our St David’s hotel at the bay. The hotel was beautiful – again such a contrast to the hot box of London’s Tower Hotel. The room was spacious with a sitting area and balcony with a stunning view over the quay. It was a little windy, but the air was refreshing. Again a welcome change from London.

After settling in we walked down to Mermaid Quay and Roald Dhal Plass. Mermaid Quay is pretty and has an array of pubs and restaurants over looking the docks. Roald Dhal Plass is named after the Cardiff born author and has carnival type entertainment mainly for kids.

We had an early dinner at the Botanist restaurant, as we can secured last minute tickets to see Jersey Boys at the Millennium Centre. Sarah suggested it to us and at £24 (48 AUD) a ticket we couldn’t pass it up.

The show was fantastic. Luke Baker, who played Frankie Valli was superb. Oh, what a night!

We returned to the hotel and drunk our “anniversary” gift from the Tower Hotel Champagne and potato crisps.

Day 2

Breakfast was included in St David’s. It was basic but nice.

Aaron’s mum, Sarah picked us up from the hotel and drove us to Bute Park. Part of the reason to visit Cardiff was to meet Bianca’s boyfriend’s parents, Sarah and Paul. Sarah walked us though the park which ended at Cardiff Castle. She left us there to explore the castle and the city. We are having dinner together with Paul later in the evening.

We explored the castle in between rain showers. Its very impressive to have a castle like this right in the middle of the city. It makes you realise how young our home town of Perth really is.

Jane had done her research again and found Cardiff has a Jollibee. So we had to have lunch there. After lunch we wandered around St David’s Shopping Centre. I found a Starbucks and bought a cup for my collection. “Caerdydd” – the only Starbucks “You are here” series I’ve seen with a non-English name. We made our way to the indoor markets to find the famous Welsh Cakes, recommended my Sarah. We had to queue – seems like they really are famous. We bought a few and sat in the mall and enjoyed one.

Out feet were starting to hurt again so we had a drink at Rum and Fizz waiting to meet Sarah and Paul.

When they arrived we had another drink, before heading across the road to Pasture for dinner. We continued the drinking swapping embarrassing stories about Bianca and Aaron. I’m sure their ears were burning. The food was delicious and we had lots of laughs. Despite our protests, Sarah and Paul picked up the bill. We can now see from where Aaron gets his generosity. Despite all the beer and wine, we decided there still more embarrassing things to say about Bianca and Aaron, so we move on to Blue Bell for post dinner drinks. We parted ways quite late and quite tipsy. What a great night! Sarah and Paul were lovely and we hit it off immediately. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon, perhaps in Perth later in the year. Looking forward to it!

Day 3

Today, we’re flying to Dublin – but not until late night (10.45pm). We had a 2pm checkout so we slept in. After the heavy drinking the night before the sleep-in was welcome.

Sarah suggest a trip to Penarth Pier and have lunch at the seaside. We caught an uber to Penarth. It was raining quite hard to we sheltered in Sid’s restaurant and shared a haddock and chips. The rain did ease and we walked up the pier and took some phots

We caught an uber back to Mermaid Quay and had a pint at the Dock pub. We were just killing time before we had to got to the airport. We walked back to to the hotel to collected our bags and caught an uber to Cardiff Airport for our Ryan Air flight to Dublin.

We were too early and had wait an hour for the check-in to open. I had bought extra baggage for the flight but I was worried because I knew small domestic carriers can be narky with big heavy bags. Check-in went smoothly. When it was time to board however, they looked at Jane’s carry-on bag and said they’d have to measure it. “Uh-oh” I thought, “here we go”. Sure enough it was too big and there “would be a charge”. Steam was coming out of Jane’s ears. One of her pet peeves is airline officials. This was a bag we’d used as carry-on in countless flights in the past. Nevertheless we paid the £75 (150 AUD) boarded the plane. The flight was only 45 minutes, possibly the shortest flight I’ve ever had.

In Dublin, Jane had to join the foreigner’s line at immigration, while I breezed through the EU/UK line. I waited for about 30 mins for Jane to get through. By this time it was nearing 1am. We we’re tired and frustrated. We caught a taxi to the accommodation, Carraig Townhouse, which was in Blackrock about 30 minutes from the airport. It took us a while to find the tiny entrance to the hotel and we had to lug our cases up a flight of stairs. We collapsed in the room exhausted.