Kerr Girls Go To Ireland

So as I was saying, my sisters arrived in Scotland the day that my parents left. They spent a week in Scotland, before I met them in Ireland on May 6. I arrived on the 5th (Saturday) and scoped out where our hostel was, and a few things around the city. They arrived on Sunday morning-- we were supposed to meet at the hostel, but I thought that I would meet them at the bus stop so that they would know where the hostel was, only I guess we must have crossed each other, because there flight was early, and so they ended up at the hostel wondering where I was, while I was at the bus stop wondering where they were. But we eventually found each other, and our Irish adventures began.

We started with lunch, before heading to Dublin Castle, which is not really a castle, but more the site of where a castle should be. It didn't take long, the highlight being that we saw an all-flute band, which included a bass-flute, which was the instrument that I have always wanted to play, though this was the first time I had seen one in real life. After the castle, we were left wondering what we would do next, when walking down the street we came across a free walking tour of Dublin. It ended up being almost 4 hours long, so it was a good way to spend our afternoon. After the tour we went for supper, got some groceries, and headed back to our hostel, where we played some cards until bed.

Monday morning was the start of our tour around Ireland. We were on a 7 day tour with Shamrocker, going throughout Ireland.

After meeting up with our tour group, the first thing we did was head to the Rock of Cashel, a castle outside of Dublin. Next up was the famous Blarney Castle- were we got to kiss the Blarney stone! This was not quite what I was expecting-- the stone is built into an outcropping on the castle, and so you have to lie on your back and lean way out past the edge of the castle floor to kiss the stone way out on the ledge. It was a bit of a rush, but I am apparently now blessed with the gift of the gab. Though I'm not sure. After kissing the stone we went for a walk around the gardens of the castle, including one garden called the "poison garden" where every plant in it was poisonous! We also found an amazing tree that we spent a long time climbing, and some beautiful forest, including a bit of a cliff that Vicki fell down, ruining her only pair of jeans. We told people however that she was attacked by a leprechaun, as that was a more Irish story.  We spent the night in Killarney, where we went to see "Pa the Story teller" who was a very entertaining traditional Irish story teller.

Jennifer, Vicki, and Me at Blarney Castle, just after kissing the stone!

The next day we headed to the Dingle Peninsula, which included a scenic drive along the coast. We stopped at Coumeennole beach, and were able to walk down to the ocean- Vicki took a bit of a wade in the ocean, but Jennifer and I were too cold (and in my case, to lazy to take off my shoes) Apparently walking on this beach without shoes means that you leave part of your soul in Ireland. Though it may have been a play on words with soul/sole. 

Wednesday we spent travelling through the Burren, a very desolate area of Ireland, covered in rocks just sticking out of the ground. We saw some traditional huts that monks would have lived in at one time, as well as an ancient burial chamber. This was a very interesting area of Ireland, and one I would not have expected to find in Ireland- it is not at all what you think of when you think of Ireland! That afternoon we headed to the Cliffs of Moher, or the Cliffs of Insanity. They were breathtaking, and beautiful- though it was quite cold and windy making the walk up to them a bit less-fun than otherwise. Luckly, none of us were blown off the edge. We then headed to some more cliffs in the Burren, where all you could see around you were more and more rocks. 

Me in the Burren

The day after this we headed out to Ennis Moore, and island off the coast, near Galway. We were planning on "hiring some cycles" and biking around the island for the day, but due to the rain and wind that day, we decided to take a bus tour instead-- and we think we made the right choice. Our tour guide was a local farmer, who also drove a bus. Looking around the island it looked like 1/2 the vehicles on the island were tour busses! Our driver showed us around the island, and told us many stories that only someone who lived on the island would know. Some of my favorite tidbits were:

• the island is only 3 miles at the widest point, by 5 miles but there are 7000 miles of stone fences on the island. Our driver told us that these walls divided property as well as giving them somewhere to put all the rocks.
• the fences did not have gates- rather when it was time to move animals, a part of the wall was just taken down, then put back up again once the animals were in. 
• The goats had to be tied to one another, as it "took them longer" to learn how to jump over the stone fences when tied together. Sheep could not be tied together as they were "too fluffy" and so they had their front leg and their back leg tied together so they couldn't jump over. 
• the thatch on the houses on the island had to be re-done every 2 years. Where we live in Suffolk, thatch only needs to be done every 50 years or so.
• There were 7 (?) little villages on the island, despite it's small size. These villages were often only 6 or 7 houses. 
• In order to collect water for the animals, troughs were built with a large sloping piece of rock beside them, that would catch the rain water and pour it into the trough.
• Most farmers only had about 7 or 8 cows.
• Each farmer had a number of fields spread throughout the island, not all next to each other, as each farm had some bad land and some good land.
• Seaweed was used as fertilizer, laid out on the ground around Christmas, so that the salt from the seaweed would wash away before anything was planted.

There were many more as well. This was one of my favorite days on the island. There were many sights to see as well, including an ancient stone building with amazing views, and a seal sanctuary. 

The cliffs of Ennis Moore

The next day we headed into Connemara and another scenic drive. This particular drive was listed by National Geographic as one of the best scenic drives in the world. That night we went on a scenic boat ride to a little island that once had a church on it.

Giants Causeway

Saturday we headed into Derry in Northern Ireland. We took a walking tour of the city, and learned about the history of the troubles in Derry, including bloody Sunday. We also learned about the meaning behind many of the murals painted in the city. This day we also went to two very scenic locations- the Giants Causeway and the Carrik-a-reke bridge. The giants causeway is an area on the shores of Ireland where a volcano erupted and the lava hardened into hexagonal spires all fitting into one another. It is a very bizarre look, and hard to believe that the stone formed naturally this way. The carrik-a-reke bridge was a bridge once used by fishermen to get to an island off the shore. It once was only one rope to walk on, and one rope to hold on to, while holding your fish on your back. Now there are some wood planks and hand rails, though it is still not the sturdiest of bridges- and over water not as deep as you might like if you are about to fall off a bridge. The island was very beautiful, but there were such long lines to get on and off the island, that it took some of the fun out of it. That night we headed into Belfast.

Carrik-a-reke Bridge

In the morning we took a Black Cab tour of Belfast- the tour took us throughout Belfast, both the Catholic  and Protestant parts. The most interesting part for me was that there is still a very sturdy wall between the Catholic and Protestant parts.  The gates in the wall close at night an on weekends, and those living on either sides of the wall have cages around their back doors, and windows made of plastic in case of bombs. I didn't realize that Belfast still had systems like this, and it was a bit of a shock. 

Me, Jennifer, Vicki

After our Black Cab tour we had some free time in Belfast, so we went to the Botanical gardens with some of our tour mates. Our bus then started its journey back into Dublin, making one last stop at a graveyard with the largest Celtic cross in Ireland. Once back in Dublin we had supper at the "gourmet burger company" which made me an absolutely amazing burger. Seriously, so good. 

Monday morning we made our way back into England. We all took a flight from Dublin to London, where I said goodbye to Jennifer and Vicki as they headed into London for the last week of their trip, while I headed back to Suffolk. 

And now, I am once again caught up on my blogging! Or almost-- I spent the past weekend at a quilting retreat in London, but I will likely put that up on my quilting blog, so be sure to take a look at it there-- kathleengkerr.wordpress.com. 

Later days!

Kathleen

Kerr's Go to Scotland

I'm a bit behind on my blogging it would seem. Rocky has not been impressed. Apparently, if he can keep up, so can I. Sigh. Anyways.

After our weekend in London with my parents and Granny at the beginning of April, they went off on a grand tour of Britain, before arriving in Suffolk on April 19 (see, I'm behind). Karin picked them up from the train, and brought them to Quilters Haven. I showed them around the shop, before heading back to Bromeswell. We spent the next few days exploring Suffolk, including a road trip with Bean to some interesting places near by-- and some exceptionally good fish and chips. We also did some planning for the Sewing Centre, Rocky and my new job starting in August.

Mom, Granny and I near my house in Bromeswell

On Sunday, after 3 days in Suffolk, Mom, Dad, Granny and I took a flight to Glasgow where my dad's dad's cousins daughter Gill (to clear up-- my dad and Gill have the same great grandparents, and we were taken to her house in Barrhead, where we would spend the next week.

Monday we took the first of many day trips. Gill took us to the station where we took a train to Dundee. Jessie, Gill's mom and my Papa Kerr's cousin, picked us up there and we took the scenic route back to Barrhead. First we stopped in Monifieth, where we visited Frank, another cousin of Jessie and my Grandpa's. Then we headed to Friocheim (pronounced Freek-um) and the Border Farm were Peter Kerr, my Great Grandpa was born in 1903, and where he went to school. We were able to take a look around the farm a bit, thanks to Jessie talking to the people who live there now. We then had lunch (more fish and chips) before a quick stop in Forfar, where Jessie lives now. We then went to Neil's, who is the son of Jessie's sister, near Methvren. He gave us a delightful tour of his farm, before we headed back to Gills.

Jessie, Dad and I in front of the house at Border Farm, where Peter Kerr was born.

Tuesday we had a bit of a "lie in" as they say here, while Gill went to work for the morning. She had the afternoon off, and we headed up to the Robert Burns Cottage and Culzean Castle. Unfortunately Culzean castle was closed when we got there, but we still were able to walk around the grounds, which were absolutely stunning. We even managed to find a beach! Dad and I went for a wade in the very very very cold water! After this we had dinner at the Turnberry Golf Course, a reasonably famous golf course, and completely and absolutely gorgeous view. We could see the ocean, a light house, and the beautiful golf course out the window from where we were sitting! We got home very late that night, as we tried to stop for ice-cream, but the ice-cream place was closed and we got a flat tire on the way there!

Dad and I swoop in for an attack on Mom

The next day we headed into the highlands, where we had a very quick stop at Loch Lomond (where I spotted some very very young ducks who couldn't even swim yet- the small waves just pushed them back on shore!) before heading to Inveraray jail and Inveraray castle. The castle was particularly interesting as it is still inhabited, and is almost a museum to the people who currently live there-- their wedding dress, photos of his elephant polo championship (yes, elephant polo), and a variety of other photo's and mementoes. We stopped for lunch at the Loch Fyne Oyster Company for some seafood before heading back to Gills.

Thursday our first stop was the New Lanark Woollen Mill, a mill that in it's time was very progressive, and is now a very interesting (and beautiful) tourist attraction and museum. The mill is in a valley near a spectacular waterfall- though probably it was more spectacular when 90% of the water wasn't being diverted around it to create water power. We then headed to Roslyn Chapel, the chapel where the final scenes of the Da Vinci Code took place. Inside it is spectacularly carved, with thousands of different sculptures in the walls and throughout the chapel.

Dad, Me, Gill, Jessie, and Granny in front of Gill's house.

Friday was our last full day in Glasgow, and Gill had to go back to work, so Mom, Dad, Granny and I headed to the Kelingrove art museum, which was a surprisingly interesting combination of art gallery and museum. We learned a lot about Scottish history there.

Saturday we all had to head in our separate directions. Mom, Dad and Granny got on their train to Manchester for their flight home at 10:10, and just moments after they got on their train, my train home was cancelled! Luckily Gillian and Jessie were still at the train station, and we were able to figure out how to get me home.

Luckily I didn't have to go to long without seeing my family members- the day my parents left Scotland, my sisters arrived! I wouldn't see them for  a week-- but the story of that will be soon (like, really soon. As soon as I can type it.) So later days! (or, later today!)

Kathleen.

Our Trip with Dad to Scotland

Hello Everyone,

I wrote last about two weeks ago. Since then Dad's been off to the west coast of England in Chester and also visited Wales. After he got back from his week long adventure he still had a week left in the United Kingdom, so we decided to go to Scotland for a few days. We started our journey right after Kathleen and I got home from work last Friday. We caught the train from Melton into Ipswich and then onto London. Once arriving in London we took the overnight train into Edinburgh.

Once in Edinburgh we had about a hour for breakfast before catching our tour bus for a two day trip around Scotland. When we got on the bus we met our tour guide, Richard. He turned out to be one of the best tour guides I've ever had showing a lot of knowledge and pride for his country. Once we were out of the city we headed into the Stirling District where our first stop was Doune Castle, where scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail were filmed. After walking around the castle and visiting the gift shop we headed on our way. We then picked up food at the town of Callander (I had haggis pie) and then had a picnic lunch near a stream surrounded by mountains. After lunch Kathleen, Dad, and I walked in the stream a bit before getting back on the bus. Our next stop was Glencoe, where we had a photo stop at the mountains called the Three Sisters. We then continued on to Fort William where we stopped at Inverlochy Castle where Richard showed us how to fold wool fabric into a kilt. We then toured the grounds and did some climbing on the walls of the castle. Upon leaving the castle we headed toward Loch Ness. On our way there we had a short stop at the Commando Memorial, which is dedicated to the British Commando Forces of World War II. When we arrived at Fort Augustus, a village at the south west end of Loch Ness, we walked down by the Loch, put our feet in the water, and had our picture taken by the Loch Ness sign. We then had ice cream before jumping back on the bus. We then drove around the south end of the loch before driving up the east side to where we were staying in Inverness. Richard dropped us off at our B&B where we dropped off our bags and then went for supper. After supper we went back to the B&B and then called it a day.

The next morning we had breakfast before Richard picked us up to continue the tour. After picking everyone else up from their B&B's we headed out of Inverness. Our first stop of the day was Glen Affric where we took a hike by the glen and through the nearby forest. After the hike, with its beautiful views, we got back on the bus and headed back towards Loch Ness where we had a short stop to take pictures of Urquhart Castle. When we were done taking a few pictures of the castle we stopped for a picnic lunch before continuing on our way. We then passed back through Fort Augustus and then stopped at a stream where people were swimming and cliff jumping. On our way back to Edinburgh Richard told us the story behind the story of Braveheart and the history of what the movie is based on. He also drove by a few whiskey distilleries and told us some of the history of Scottish whiskey. When we got back to Edinburgh Dad had a picture taken with Richard and then we said our goodbyes. We then walked to our hostel, checked in, and then went for supper at the Filling Station Restaurant. Both Dad and I had Haggis Bites for an appetizer and then Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties (haggis, turnips, and mashed potatoes) for our meal. It was delicious! We then went back to our hostel for the night after another great day.

When we left the hostel the next day we went for a traditional Scottish breakfast and then went up to Edinburgh Castle. I took a picture of Dad with the statues of the Defender of Scotland: William Wallace and the King of Scots: Robert the Bruce. We then headed down the Royal Mile and walked through the different stores and shops. Next we went back to the hostel, picked up our bags, and caught the train back to Melton. Dad stayed with us for the night and the next morning we had breakfast and took the train to London. After lunch at Heathrow Airport I said my goodbyes to Dad before he caught his flight back home. The month of May was amazing having my Dad and Oma here.

Till next time,
Rocky