Well, it's about 9:30 local time, and Zach and I have a couple of hours to kill in the Belfast airport.
This is always the toughest entry to write. How do you sum up experiences like this? People are looking for nice tidy bookends. I don't really have any. But as expensive a trip as this proved to be, I can say unequivocally that it was worth it. I got to get away from what passes for my normal life these days for just a little while. I got to go to the wedding of a good friend. I got to spend some time with a family I really love from church. I got to travel with someone whom I got to know when he was in the youth group, and has since turned out to be a good friend. I got to go to a part of the world I'd always hoped to, and finally did.
The last several times I've kept journals or blogs of trips, I've generally ended up with a section called "Embers"... snippets, anecdotes, sometimes even just impressions that don't really fit in any other entry. I think I'll do that again. Some may mean something to you, others may mean something only to me; but then I guess that constitutes fodder for conversation. :) Thanks for reading. I hope you've enjoyed this blog, and the pictures.
Pax Domini,
Tedd
Embers
Driving on the left. Took some getting used to. Especially seeing cars coming at you from the right!
No dirt in Ireland to speak of. Just green as far as the eye can see.
Seeing your breath in the morning in June.
Gorse bushes... worth avoiding.
Jumping a fence... "Look, dear... commoners!"
Cows and sheep. Lots of cows and sheep.
Did I mention green?
Ubiquitous bagpipe music in Scotland.
Jack and Zach. A kid, and a kid at heart.
"That's brilliant!"
Pubs. A quiet drink with a friend.
Glasgow University. Stately. Ancient.
Edinburgh skyline.
Walter Scott monument... trot to get there in time... Ben: "I hate you... (gasp)... I hate you... (wheeze)..." Lots and lots of steps. Ben: "I hate you... (gasp)... I hate you... (wheeze)... hey, it's cool up here!"
Lots and lots of walking... and loving it.
Cobblestone streets... everywhere
David Livingstone... John Knox... giants of the faith with roots in Edinburgh
Hating the alarm clock on the last day.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.
Goodbye, Ireland.
(And for good measure, one more link to the photos here.)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Leaving London
Well, Zach and I managed to get up in time to grab a light breakfast at the hotel, get to the King's Cross Tube station, figure out the line we needed to be on, and make it to the Baker Street station in enough time to walk to the Gloucester Place stop for the easyBus transport to Stansted Airport to hop a plane back to Belfast to be picked up by our hero/hosts Martin & Lucy, to go back to Doagh for the evening, and back to Belfast in the morning to head for home.
Catch all that?
Me either. It's too early in the morning.
London was a good couple of days; very expensive, but although it's impossible to see everything in two days, we did see everything we set out to see, minus Madame Toussade's wax museum. We had time last night but I think we're both developing a bit of sticker shock with London prices. I worry that I've gotten used to thinking in pounds, but my bank is still thinking in dollars... which means every pound we spend pulls $1.45+ out of our accounts! But I guess it's not every day we get to Western Europe.
Hard to believe we're going home tomorrow. Can't say I'm particularly looking forward to it. This has been a great respite.
Catch all that?
Me either. It's too early in the morning.
London was a good couple of days; very expensive, but although it's impossible to see everything in two days, we did see everything we set out to see, minus Madame Toussade's wax museum. We had time last night but I think we're both developing a bit of sticker shock with London prices. I worry that I've gotten used to thinking in pounds, but my bank is still thinking in dollars... which means every pound we spend pulls $1.45+ out of our accounts! But I guess it's not every day we get to Western Europe.
Hard to believe we're going home tomorrow. Can't say I'm particularly looking forward to it. This has been a great respite.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Pictures uploaded!
The pics are finally uploaded! And it only took three tries. lol We're headed back to the hotel to get some sleep before heading back to Belfast tommorrow, so I'll have to caption later. If you're in a hurry, the link is here.
London redux
Blister on little toe + almost 600 steps to top of St. Paul's, not to mention several miles' walking to get here and there... bad combination! But what a view! Good last day in London. Headed back to Belfast tomorrow, headed back home on Saturday. Dang it.
Falling behind
I'm reaching that point in the trip where so much is happening it's getting really hard to keep up with this. But I'll do my best. Sorry if this is a really long post; I don't know when I'll have a chance to sit down at this again.
Edinburgh.
Unbelievable city! Not only a ton of history, but a ton of Christian history wrapped up in here as well. John Knox... David Livingstone... George Whitfield... Eric Liddell... all had a presence here at one time or another.
We took a tour through the Queen's Palace, on the opposite side of town from Edinburgh Castle; and though I'm not much for monarchy and the elevated status it puts on normal humans, I must admit I am impressed by a lot of the history, traditions, and protocols surrounding it.
There is a monument to Sir Walter Scott in Edinburgh that is not only enormous, but amazingly ornate. And the best part? Stairs to get to the top. Ben was taking my name in vain the whole way up because there were 287 steps, but I think he enjoyed it, too. :) But wow... what steps. Spiral stairs all the way up because it saves space, but near the top, I have several friends I'm not sure could have physically fit through... my shoulders were brushing up against either wall near the top. It was a bit of a squeeze for Zach and Ben. But the view at the top was well worth it.
Okay, catch-up on the "Ack!" post. I planned to find a hotel the night before, but we got busy, I figured I'd take care of it in the morning. All is well, finally, but I had a little trouble finding a hotel in London. And this after we had the train there and the plane back already scheduled and paid for. Apparently hotels in certain areas of town (namely, where we were going to be) fill up pretty quickly, and pretty far in advance. We found one that I'm not quite sure is worth what it costs, but it's a place to stay, it's only for a couple of nights, and it's easy to get to.
Oh! And getting to Stirling to hop our train to London. The original plan was that the Coxes were going to stay in Stirling Tuesday night, so we got a train out of Stirling at midnight so we could spend more time with them (also cheaper). Turns out they couldn't because everything was booked! So we tooled around Edinburgh again on Tuesday, supposing that buses ran as often from Edinburgh to Stirling as they do from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
They don't.
I got to the bus station to check on times about 10 minutes after the last bus left. Fortunately, a city bus of sorts still ran, and was able to get us to Stirling (albeit with an hour's more travel with all the stops) in plenty of time for the train.
My first real aggravation on the trip was the train ride from Stirling to London. I very specifically looked for a sleeper train; not for a berth, but for the seats that fold down into a bed, and by all accounts, that's what I was getting. Nope. Regular seats, and not crazy comfortable at that. So I got a 7-hour train ride in the middle of the night that I should have been sleeping, sitting up. Can't do it. I probably saw London the first day on an hour or so of sleep.
London
London is an absolute zoo... but it's fascinating! I didn't realize how old it is... established in 43 AD (I believe) by the Romans, London proper is only one square mile... the rest is actually the city of Westminster; the entire monstrous city is referred to as London. I guess that's like people saying they're "going to Phoenix" to refer to anywhere in the Valley sometimes.
We've done a LOT of walking. A mile, mile and a half walk is no big deal here. With the possible exception of when we're carrying our luggage, I really don't mind. I don't get to walk much in Phoenix! But even in one day we've seen quite a lot. Took a boat tour down the Thames, got a lot of the obligatory shots... Big Ben, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, and so on. Zach really wanted to see the Churchill War Rooms. I probably wouldn't have picked it as a destination if I was by myself, but it was a really good call on his part... amazing. Almost information overload, but amazing. It always gives me pause to see how close Hitler really came to winning that war.
We have a two-day London Pass... ridiculously expensive, but then everything in London is; and this pass will allow us to save some money on the stuff we want to see. One of the things we're planning on today is to go to St. Paul's Cathedral—somewhere I've always wanted to see anyway, but apparently there are stairs up to the very top where you can look out on the city! Just under 600 steps. Eat your heart out, Ben. :) If you don't see any more posts, it's because the stairs killed me.
Double decker buses. You know, I always thought they were more a novelty than anything... a nice little representation of London that don't actually feature in daily life, like igloos in Alaska. Turns out I was wrong. They're everywhere. Obviously a good public transit system if so many people use it that they have to stack the buses!
Man, these folks have a brutal history. The tour through the Tower of London was quite instructive. I'm sure it's an exaggeration (at least I hope), but it seems like in the Middle Ages, they couldn't get through a day without torturing or executing somebody. And boy, were they ever creative.
But there were some neat spots, too. The Tower of London also contains the Crown Jewels, as well as the regalia and history behind who wore what. So it wasn't all torture and death (Henry VIII notwithstanding).
That should do it for now. So far I haven't had any luck uploading pictures; I've got a spotty connection that Picasa is really having trouble with, but I'll give it another shot before we leave here.
Edinburgh.
Unbelievable city! Not only a ton of history, but a ton of Christian history wrapped up in here as well. John Knox... David Livingstone... George Whitfield... Eric Liddell... all had a presence here at one time or another.
We took a tour through the Queen's Palace, on the opposite side of town from Edinburgh Castle; and though I'm not much for monarchy and the elevated status it puts on normal humans, I must admit I am impressed by a lot of the history, traditions, and protocols surrounding it.
There is a monument to Sir Walter Scott in Edinburgh that is not only enormous, but amazingly ornate. And the best part? Stairs to get to the top. Ben was taking my name in vain the whole way up because there were 287 steps, but I think he enjoyed it, too. :) But wow... what steps. Spiral stairs all the way up because it saves space, but near the top, I have several friends I'm not sure could have physically fit through... my shoulders were brushing up against either wall near the top. It was a bit of a squeeze for Zach and Ben. But the view at the top was well worth it.
Okay, catch-up on the "Ack!" post. I planned to find a hotel the night before, but we got busy, I figured I'd take care of it in the morning. All is well, finally, but I had a little trouble finding a hotel in London. And this after we had the train there and the plane back already scheduled and paid for. Apparently hotels in certain areas of town (namely, where we were going to be) fill up pretty quickly, and pretty far in advance. We found one that I'm not quite sure is worth what it costs, but it's a place to stay, it's only for a couple of nights, and it's easy to get to.
Oh! And getting to Stirling to hop our train to London. The original plan was that the Coxes were going to stay in Stirling Tuesday night, so we got a train out of Stirling at midnight so we could spend more time with them (also cheaper). Turns out they couldn't because everything was booked! So we tooled around Edinburgh again on Tuesday, supposing that buses ran as often from Edinburgh to Stirling as they do from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
They don't.
I got to the bus station to check on times about 10 minutes after the last bus left. Fortunately, a city bus of sorts still ran, and was able to get us to Stirling (albeit with an hour's more travel with all the stops) in plenty of time for the train.
My first real aggravation on the trip was the train ride from Stirling to London. I very specifically looked for a sleeper train; not for a berth, but for the seats that fold down into a bed, and by all accounts, that's what I was getting. Nope. Regular seats, and not crazy comfortable at that. So I got a 7-hour train ride in the middle of the night that I should have been sleeping, sitting up. Can't do it. I probably saw London the first day on an hour or so of sleep.
London
London is an absolute zoo... but it's fascinating! I didn't realize how old it is... established in 43 AD (I believe) by the Romans, London proper is only one square mile... the rest is actually the city of Westminster; the entire monstrous city is referred to as London. I guess that's like people saying they're "going to Phoenix" to refer to anywhere in the Valley sometimes.
We've done a LOT of walking. A mile, mile and a half walk is no big deal here. With the possible exception of when we're carrying our luggage, I really don't mind. I don't get to walk much in Phoenix! But even in one day we've seen quite a lot. Took a boat tour down the Thames, got a lot of the obligatory shots... Big Ben, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, and so on. Zach really wanted to see the Churchill War Rooms. I probably wouldn't have picked it as a destination if I was by myself, but it was a really good call on his part... amazing. Almost information overload, but amazing. It always gives me pause to see how close Hitler really came to winning that war.
We have a two-day London Pass... ridiculously expensive, but then everything in London is; and this pass will allow us to save some money on the stuff we want to see. One of the things we're planning on today is to go to St. Paul's Cathedral—somewhere I've always wanted to see anyway, but apparently there are stairs up to the very top where you can look out on the city! Just under 600 steps. Eat your heart out, Ben. :) If you don't see any more posts, it's because the stairs killed me.
Double decker buses. You know, I always thought they were more a novelty than anything... a nice little representation of London that don't actually feature in daily life, like igloos in Alaska. Turns out I was wrong. They're everywhere. Obviously a good public transit system if so many people use it that they have to stack the buses!
Man, these folks have a brutal history. The tour through the Tower of London was quite instructive. I'm sure it's an exaggeration (at least I hope), but it seems like in the Middle Ages, they couldn't get through a day without torturing or executing somebody. And boy, were they ever creative.
But there were some neat spots, too. The Tower of London also contains the Crown Jewels, as well as the regalia and history behind who wore what. So it wasn't all torture and death (Henry VIII notwithstanding).
That should do it for now. So far I haven't had any luck uploading pictures; I've got a spotty connection that Picasa is really having trouble with, but I'll give it another shot before we leave here.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Monday, June 07, 2010
Edinburgh
First, the buses. Can you believe most of the buses we've been on have free wi-fi? That is so cool. My next order of business is to get a netbook that has a less stinky battery.
We arrived in Edinburgh this afternoon, and I think it's one of the most amazing places we've seen yet. There are more spires and ancient-looking buildings on the cityscape than I can remember seeing anywhere (including Prague). The streets are beautiful, and there are shops galore. It's apparently quite the tourist destination.
My favorite part so far... the fact that this is where David Livingstone was from. I knew there was something significant about Edinburgh (well, I'm sure there's a lot), and that was probably a big one. Wasn't Eric Liddell from here, too?
I need to get myself in bed so this one is going to be short. We're going to tour around a bit tomorrow, and head to Stirling to see the William Wallace monument. Then Zach and I finally say goodbye to the Coxes and head our own way via train to London tomorrow night. We'll stay there two days and hop a plane back to Belfast to head back to the States on Saturday. We've packed an awful lot in, but I have an idea Saturday is still going to really sneak up on us.
We arrived in Edinburgh this afternoon, and I think it's one of the most amazing places we've seen yet. There are more spires and ancient-looking buildings on the cityscape than I can remember seeing anywhere (including Prague). The streets are beautiful, and there are shops galore. It's apparently quite the tourist destination.
My favorite part so far... the fact that this is where David Livingstone was from. I knew there was something significant about Edinburgh (well, I'm sure there's a lot), and that was probably a big one. Wasn't Eric Liddell from here, too?
I need to get myself in bed so this one is going to be short. We're going to tour around a bit tomorrow, and head to Stirling to see the William Wallace monument. Then Zach and I finally say goodbye to the Coxes and head our own way via train to London tomorrow night. We'll stay there two days and hop a plane back to Belfast to head back to the States on Saturday. We've packed an awful lot in, but I have an idea Saturday is still going to really sneak up on us.
Old!
Everything in Glasgow is unbelievably old. We went by the University of Glasgow. Established in 1451, some 40 years before Columbus headed out for America (or India, in his mind...). The Glasgow Cathedral honors Saint Mungo, who died in 612 A.D. The hotel we stayed in was built 300 years ago, according to the man at the front desk. That explains the no elevator. So, yeah... everything is old! Just FYI.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Glasgow
Well, we are in Glasgow. Currently in McDonald's, which has free wi-fi. No Wi-Fi at the hotel. You want authentic? We got yer authentic. Zach and I are on the fourth floor... and there is no elevator. The transit is a spiral staircase in a tower of sorts... very cool-looking, but not exactly ideal for lugging a bunch of luggage. :)
Glasgow is beautiful. A little on the dirty side as far as the streets, some people seem quite content to be slobs... but the buildings are amazing. And amazingly old. I can't wait to get more pictures tomorrow.
I'm about out of battery, so this will have to do for now. The unfortunate noteworthy thing today is Zach lost his wallet. Hopefully it'll turn up on the tour bus tomorrow, but I guess we'll see. Fortunately he still has his passport.
More touring of Glasgow tomorrow, and heading to Edinburgh in the afternoon. Then it's time to figure out how to get to London most easily from there! I do prefer having a plan, but I guess this is a worthwhile experience too... flexibility and innovation. :)
More pictures coming later, but it's difficult to do much uploading with the connections here.
(P.S. added later: ZACH GOT HIS WALLET BACK! Apparently it fell out of his back pocket on the bus. We were the last tour of the day, and the driver found it and turned it in.)
Glasgow is beautiful. A little on the dirty side as far as the streets, some people seem quite content to be slobs... but the buildings are amazing. And amazingly old. I can't wait to get more pictures tomorrow.
I'm about out of battery, so this will have to do for now. The unfortunate noteworthy thing today is Zach lost his wallet. Hopefully it'll turn up on the tour bus tomorrow, but I guess we'll see. Fortunately he still has his passport.
More touring of Glasgow tomorrow, and heading to Edinburgh in the afternoon. Then it's time to figure out how to get to London most easily from there! I do prefer having a plan, but I guess this is a worthwhile experience too... flexibility and innovation. :)
More pictures coming later, but it's difficult to do much uploading with the connections here.
(P.S. added later: ZACH GOT HIS WALLET BACK! Apparently it fell out of his back pocket on the bus. We were the last tour of the day, and the driver found it and turned it in.)
The ferry
This is worth noting... whereas the very few ferries I've been on in the States are rather utilitarian, this one is not unlike a small cruise ship. Even a free movie theater, miniature casino, and a couple of dining rooms. And it's included in our 25-pound fare from Belfast, Ireland to Glasgow, Scotland! What a deal.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Just some ruminations
It's early Saturday morning, and we're on the ferry on the way to Glasgow. We have a three hour tour (with hopefully no uncharted islands in the vicinity) until we get there, so I have a little time to write. Nice that there's free satellite-based Wi-Fi on board!
Tour bus
Zach and I actually managed to get on the top in the back of a double-decker bus... prime spot because it's uncovered, hard to get because everybody else likes it too. While we were stopped at an intersection, something landed on the floor! It took a minute to figure out what happened, but apparently some little brat on the third floor had chucked a water balloon onto the bus. He peeked out the window to observe his handiwork (the balloon didn't break), which of course got the attention of everyone on the top of the bus. One guy whom the balloon landed close to actually found it and lobbed it back. He almost made it through the window! Unfortunately, it hit the top and fell to the ground. I wish he'd made it.
Churches
I knew churches were in bad decline in Europe, and Ireland is certainly no exception; what I found particularly interesting—and particularly unfortunate—was how many churches had been converted into stores. Logical use of now-unused space, I suppose, but it still seems wrong.
Guinness
We went to the Guinness Museum in Dublin, which is a logical stop in Dublin! At the end of the tour was a complimentary pint... or so they call it; I would call it a fair portion of the 14-euro entrance to the place. As fascinating as the process is, as rich the history of the brewery, I still don't like the stuff.
Martin & Lucy
Zach and I will get to spend one more evening with Martin & Lucy Hull just before we head back to the States. I'm glad. They have been wonderful hosts. Everyone we've met from Matt's church has been wonderful, but I can't imagine anyone I'd rather stay with.
Their kids are interesting... I generally get along great with the kids of people I stay with, but Stewart and Jack have been pretty much content to completely ignore me all week. I guess next to a big kid at heart like Zach, I'm positively vestigial by comparison! :) But it's all good. It's fun to watch Zach and Jack roar around the house with imaginations going full-tilt.
Next stop... Glasgow. I hope these scribblings have been worthwhile (or at least interesting) to read, and the photos fun to see.
Tour bus
Zach and I actually managed to get on the top in the back of a double-decker bus... prime spot because it's uncovered, hard to get because everybody else likes it too. While we were stopped at an intersection, something landed on the floor! It took a minute to figure out what happened, but apparently some little brat on the third floor had chucked a water balloon onto the bus. He peeked out the window to observe his handiwork (the balloon didn't break), which of course got the attention of everyone on the top of the bus. One guy whom the balloon landed close to actually found it and lobbed it back. He almost made it through the window! Unfortunately, it hit the top and fell to the ground. I wish he'd made it.
Churches
I knew churches were in bad decline in Europe, and Ireland is certainly no exception; what I found particularly interesting—and particularly unfortunate—was how many churches had been converted into stores. Logical use of now-unused space, I suppose, but it still seems wrong.
Guinness
We went to the Guinness Museum in Dublin, which is a logical stop in Dublin! At the end of the tour was a complimentary pint... or so they call it; I would call it a fair portion of the 14-euro entrance to the place. As fascinating as the process is, as rich the history of the brewery, I still don't like the stuff.
Martin & Lucy
Zach and I will get to spend one more evening with Martin & Lucy Hull just before we head back to the States. I'm glad. They have been wonderful hosts. Everyone we've met from Matt's church has been wonderful, but I can't imagine anyone I'd rather stay with.
Their kids are interesting... I generally get along great with the kids of people I stay with, but Stewart and Jack have been pretty much content to completely ignore me all week. I guess next to a big kid at heart like Zach, I'm positively vestigial by comparison! :) But it's all good. It's fun to watch Zach and Jack roar around the house with imaginations going full-tilt.
Next stop... Glasgow. I hope these scribblings have been worthwhile (or at least interesting) to read, and the photos fun to see.
Dublin
Took a day trip with Zach to Dublin today. This is going to be a REALLY short entry because we're getting up REALLY early tomorrow! Highlights:
Then a bus trip back. You can tell a lot of people use public transit here, because the buses are actually quite comfortable!
That's it for now... now it's packing and trying to get to bed at a less-insane hour (a reasonable hour went bye-bye a long time ago).
Tomorrow... off to Scotland. Woohoo!
- Christ Church Cathedral. Got there in time for noon Peace Prayers; no music, unfortunately, but it was a nice stop.
- St. Patrick's Cathedral. Impossibly old. I believe the first church on that site was in 420 A.D. if I'm remembering correctly.
- Guinness Storehouse. At 14 euros a little pricey for a tour, but pretty interesting nonetheless. Amazing how long it's been in business (1790?) and how much goes into the process. I still don't like the stuff, but it was an interesting tour.
Then a bus trip back. You can tell a lot of people use public transit here, because the buses are actually quite comfortable!
That's it for now... now it's packing and trying to get to bed at a less-insane hour (a reasonable hour went bye-bye a long time ago).
Tomorrow... off to Scotland. Woohoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
