Final Four: Europa League

With our Around the World ticket coming to its final London leg, we left SE Asia to arrive in London and then took the train up to Perth, Scotland for 10 days of visiting friends and an opportunity to sort our remaining itinerary. The ability to settle into a bit of a routine and have familiarity has been important for us during our planning stages. To think that one can plan an entire year away in advance is delusional (not to put too fine a point on it). It seems like folly to over plan travel for this length of time and certainly, while there may be have been some missed opportunities, planning as we go has worked best for us. Travelling as a family requires that close attention be paid to the ebb and flow of what can aptly be termed “travel energy.” Our children, having just finished some fairly significant culturally different experiences and having been travelling for over 9 months, were starting to show a desire for home.

While in Scotland, we also enjoyed exploring some areas we had not been to prior – the west coast and specifically a visit to the town and surrounding area of Lochgilphead was a highlight. While staying with our new friends, the Doull’s, we were treated to a trip back in history from the crowning of Scottish Kings, the Knight’s Templar, and historical conflicts between landowners and villagers in the late 1800s. Scotland never ceases to amaze and having been in the country for lengthy periods, it has become a favourite and familiar place for our family.

Lovely central Scotland in the spring

Exploring Knights Templar graves near Lochgilphead

Arichonan settlement – sad history around burning out villages in order to take over the land

Given the desire of the boys, the fact that both Kelly and I have new and exciting jobs to return to in the fall and knowing that those jobs would take a chunk out of summer, we decided that we would return one month earlier than originally planned. It is interesting how one’s perspective changes as people plan for months, even years in advance, two to three months of travel in Europe. It took us a week of percolating through possible itineraries, comparing costs for airfares and lodging etc, to create a plan for our remaining 7 weeks.

After what can only be described as bouncing itineraries and activities around and coming up with endless possibilities, a general plan emerged. We selected our “Final Four: southern Germany, the Austrian Alps, Slovenia, and Italy. Ending in Rome, we are returning to London before our final leg back to Canada. Initially, we had hoped to have a stay in Greece and Croatia as well, but after reviewing prices and travel times, these two countries will have to wait. Our commitment to ensuring that we didn’t become embroiled in the desire to “see” as much as possible now that the end was near, was in the forefront. Contrary to what some might think, this experience has not resulted in less future travel plans. Similar to the adage, “the more you know, the more you realize you have to learn,” the same could be said for travel and exploration of countries. We now have many more plans for future travel in the years to come!

Of Birthplaces and Brecon Beacons

Kelly’s grandfather, Alfred James Hale (known as Jim Hale), was born and raised in the small Welsh town of Pontypridd. After a quick tour (again too short), of the National Museum in the Welsh capital of Cardiff, we drove to what appears now to be more of a suburb of Cardiff, Pontypridd. Driving into the town, I wondered aloud what would cause a person to leave as it is a beautiful area and Wales itself is unbelievable with its varied landscape striking in every way. Pontypridd was a mining town back in the 1900s and career choice in the 1930s was limited. Life expectancy for miners wasn’t great and Jim was looking for new opportunities which he certainly found as he toured Canada from the top of a railway car not once, not twice, but three times in search of work before settling in the West. Although we weren’t sure of his exact address, it was great to tour the town.

Kelly above the townsite of Pontypridd

Once again, we were in a position of not being set up for accommodation this particular night. Yes – we like to live on the edge, or possibly, we find planning with no internet and old-fashioned books to be quite challenging. We drove the Brecon Beacons National Park, a beautiful vista-filled place. Once again, after more than one wrong turn, we found a Bed and Breakfast that could house all 5 of us and we enjoyed staying in a family room that had a loft bed. Brecon is a quiet little town catering it would appear mostly to backpackers, walkers, and cyclists. We enjoyed walking along the River Usk in the evening as evidenced by the photos below.

The boys enjoying the bridge in Brecon

The river Usk running through Brecon

Wanderings

We have spent the last 3 days touring through Southwestern England and Wales. Since leaving Leigh-on-Sea where we spent a second day in London (toured Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St. James Park, Hyde Park, and Piccadilly Circus), we made a short stop in the sea side town of Brighton. This town was an interesting mix of who I might characterize as wild and free young couples and happy travellers along with more wealthy families looking for entertainment and beautiful scenery. Seeing as our time was limited, we decided to split and Kelly and Ethan wandered the pier and seaside, while Bailey, Anderson, and I toured King George IV’s “Grand Palace.” The palace was built in the early 1800’s and has been restored. As we have been touring many castle ruins, it was a nice change to gaze at the incredible opulence of the building. King George IV had a taste for the fantastic and everything eastern. From great dragons holding chandeliers in their mouths, to a dining table I could never imagine sitting at, even Anderson couldn’t put down his audio tour guide. He particularly enjoyed the piece about the King being so portly, he couldn’t ride a horse – this brought out a gigantic chuckle and a few wry smiles from those around us.

The Grande Palace – King George IV loved everything Eastern

Brighton is a place I would be curious to return to though I don’t know if it suits us to be there during the full summer rush. We continued on to arrive at Stonehenge which, due to the motorways surrounding it, doesn’t have quite the effect one might expect from the glorious pictures Kelly took. It was spectacular to see, but I have read quite a few commentaries on the poor planning of government in not protecting the site.

Stonehenge

This was a day which was truly unplanned – we thought we would head for Bath and pulled into this historic city at around 8:00 pm…without accommodations or wireless. Some might politely describe that as being brave; I would suggest another word. Regardless, we were blessed to find Aquae Sulis, a lovely B and B that was straight out of John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers. The staff were so friendly and accommodating and the English breakfast the next morning was lovely. Kelly and I immediately felt like Bath was a city we would want more time in and the morning walk/wander we did confirmed this. Of course, we went down to the Roman Baths and toured the square, we also went into Bath Abbey which has a history going back to 757 AD when monks of St. Peter were granted land by the King. In fact, it was also the abbey where the first effective king of all England (King Edgar) was crowned. The building itself has been rebuilt numerous times due to conquests, fires, and further religious conflict.

Hours could be spent in this most beautiful and inspiring building. The stained glass windows, monuments to past patrons (many women) of the church, and architecture all swirl around to create a sense of reverence and quiet. Until of course, a 10 and 7 year old decide they’ve had enough… I would have loved to sit for much longer and pray and reflect. We have been given many gifts!

Stained glass at Bath Abbey

Pulteney Bridge across the River Avon – Kelly takes AMAZING photos!

 

England Travels

I have some incredible photos to post from our travels to Tantallon Castle and St. Abb’s head in Scotland; however, we are currently staying with lovely new friends we met through our friend, Daryll Plantinga. Lizzy and Mike live in Leigh-On-Sea (right on the Thames estuary) and Mike commutes into London where he walks past the Tower of London each day! It’s sometimes difficult for us mortal tourists to imagine people actually living daily life around the sites millions travel to see. We have so appreciated them allowing our family to crash in possibly the largest tent ever in their back garden. For those who know me and my history of tenting, you will appreciate when I share that I have had two full nights sleep!

To more exciting things – yesterday was a full day in London with the family. We had already determined that we would be looking at spending two full days if not more in the city which solved some of the potential to feel rushed.

Taking the train right into downton London from Leigh-On-Sea, we wandered by the tower of London and then toured the Tower Bridge which is far more scenic than the more famously named London Bridge. The displays contained within the higher walkways outline the history of bridges from around the world and highlight many of the spectacular creations world wide. It would be intriguing to set travel plans according to bridges.

Following this, Kelly and the boys spent time exploring every inch of the HMS Belfast, a destroyer which saw action in World War II. All three were enthralled with the ship and it’s gigantic guns. Bailey and I wandered into a variety of shops in the area and discovered Borough Market – a place heaving with people, sounds, smells, and stories. The food vendors, speciality jellies, cheeses, wines, and Kelly’s favourite – cheese and potatoes were a joy to tour and consider which tasty treats to try. I managed to find the juciest, 3 cm blackberries for £1 and immediately devoured them! When the boys joined us, we continued to wander through the entire area and eventually made our way along the Thames to the London Eye. The entire south shore is a great place to walk along as you pass many museums, the Globe, theaters, and buskers. When we got to the Eye, Ethan despaired that we would never make it through the line up and it took some cajoling, but we were soon in line for tickets and convinced him it would be worth it.

First of all – it was worth it! Secondly, the line was daunting to be sure, but in all actuality, we were only in line for 15 minutes total which given the que, was fantastic! The sights of London from above were breathtaking and helped us further plan our day for tomorrow! We will be off to explore the Parliment Buildings, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Natural History Museum. A full day to be sure. Bailey is keen to see London at night and so we will be staying a bit later tomorrow to fulfill that hope.

Dublin

You’ll notice the never ending theme of “we thought we would do this, but then…” For instance, we thought we would drive to a suburb of Dublin, park and take the train in as many have commented on the challenges of driving and parking in downtown Dublin. However, without wifi access to do some research, we found ourselves taking some time consuming detours to find a train station. When we got to the one we wanted, the train had just left and another one wasn’t to come for another hour. Our kids were great sports and we took the potentially fatal attitude of “how bad can it really be?” and drove into Dublin. I’m happy to report that driving and parking in downtown Dublin is absolutely not an issue (most likely because Kelly is an exceptional driver and I have figured out our handy dandy sat-nav). 

We promptly wandered off to St. Stephen’s Green for some photo-ops and Kelly and the boys remained there to play some football (soccer). A boy (Louis) noticed Ethan and his football, and promptly asked Ethan if they could play. The boys enjoyed themselves immensely and I don’t know that the significance of where they were playing will quite soak into until they recall this trip later. 

Ethan and Louis using Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide first possession.

The obligatory family photo.

Bailey and I, free of the male contingent, promptly wandered off to Grafton Street, home of countless shops, buskers, and rich people watching opportunities. Dublin is significantly different than Belfast in its more international feel. We wandered through Trinity College which is a campus I would love to spend more time in – I was impressed when I came as a university student in 1998, and was enthralled now as well. Both Bailey and I have been working our way through historical fiction set in the areas we are traveling and enjoyed walking through the areas referenced in our books. 

The drive returning to Portaferry was much faster than our morning trek due to both less traffic, and fewer detours. We were able to enjoy a stunning sunset as we waited for our 5 minute ferry ride across the lough to our loft. A great day!

 

Northern Ireland

So much time has passed since my last post – wifi access has been incredibly limited making it difficult to upload photos and text. We are back in Scotland and staying at our new holiday rental which is a rebuilt fish counting house overlooking the River Tay just five minutes outside of the city of Perth. Rivers in this area are much more interesting as they are all tidal making for changing shorelines-a new experience for us Canadians.

Following our departure from Rose Cottage in Greyabbey, we made our way down the shores of Strangford Lough to Portaferry. We fell in love the this entire area as you can drive 5 minutes east and be on the white sandy beaches of the Atlantic or take a few steps to the west and be at the rockier shores of the lough. In four days we packed in a fair amount of travel and had to pare down our list as while the actual calculated distances were not overmuch, the travel time on roads that do not resemble the QEII is significant.

View from our loft window

I was so excited to be on the road towards the Giant’s Causeway as this had been a favourite of mine when I had first been to Northern Ireland 15 years prior. The Causeway Coastal Route was stunning and as you can see, our slower speed was rewarded with great views, and incredible stops. As we neared the Causeway itself, I was taken aback by the sheer numbers of tour busses, vehicles, and people swarming the new visitor’s centre. None of it existed during my first visit – in fact, it had been a rather solitary experience where a gravel parking lot was available and one wandered down quiet paths covered in reddish gravel to the spectacular sites. Now; however, guides, listening devices, and asphalt was everywhere. Kelly and I both found ourselves having to do some self-talk as the sheer number of people surrounding us was almost enough to make us want to turn around. I recognize that we are in fact the same as all of them and are “tourists” as much as I would like to think otherwise. When you step back, it’s ridiculous to think that we should feel in any way entitled to view these sights without the crush of a crowd even though it may be preferable.

Ethan and Anderson loved hopping from rock to rock

Giant’s Causeway

Once down the path and further along the incredible rock formations, we were all able to  soak in the beauty around us. (insert link?) There are wonderful hikes up to the cliffs surrounding the area and we picked one that also included 165 stairs (Anderson counted each one). Bailey has a particular fascination with cliffs and very much enjoyed her trek up to the top. By this time it was pouring rain making everything more dramatic and not a complaint was heard as the rain beat down.

View from the cliffs

Plans Change

We were blessed to attend Shorestreet Presbyterian in Donaghadee where our friend Sonya Anderson was speaking. It was excellent to reconnect and share stories over a coffee. I do believe the kids were pleased as they were able to sample some quality ice cream before lunch as the ice cream parlour was the place with excellent coffee. Although we were going to go the Giant’s Causeway today, as a family we determined that we really wanted to enjoy our cottage and the amazing beaches around it.

After a full day in County Down and an afternoon planning session with Kelly, we have decided to change our plans in Ireland and base out of this area as opposed to moving about from place to place. One of the things we had identified as being important to our family is not feeling as though we have to “see” everything. Given that we only have one week in Ireland (not nearly enough), we had to take some items off the table to ensure we can actually enjoy what we do see. I think it’s important to avoid being a frantic consumer of sights as it can really undermine the underlying purpose of travel and in fact dilute one’s experiences. All that to say, this evening has resulted in  attempting to book lodging last minute and thankfully, were able to secure the last available apartment in a converted church (no pun intended) in the town of Portaferry. All people we have met have been so friendly, most helpful, and truly a joy. If you’re thinking of Ireland – don’t think twice – make it happen.

Countryside in County Down

Initial Days

I’m attempting my post again as my entire post disappeared! Argh. Nonetheless, as my husband just alluded to “we must be diligent” and so here I am rewriting with slightly less colourful descriptions and details. This may in fact be of some benefit in the long run (I think with a wry voice in my head).

We flew Air Transat which was wonderful to travel with and we were thankful for the additional seats available on which to spread out – all of us were definitely showing the signs of wear from the past number of days booking last minute items, sorting out finances and generally unsure of how our great plan would work out. Of course no sleep was to be had on the 8 hour flight and our weariness was starting to show as we waited in customs for Bailey to arrive on her flight from Toronto. Kelly booked our rental through AMA which ended up saving us $500 from any of the other quotes Kelly was able to research on the internet. We are driving a lovely Mitsubishi Outlander which has a ton of space for our family of 5. What it doesn’t have is much space for other vehicles on rather narrow roads. This of course has provided us with some interesting navigation opportunities.

We spent our first three days with our close friend Daryll Plantinga at his house in Leetown located in central Scotland. After righting our brains with some much needed sleep, we took off to our favourite castle in Scotland, Dunnottar Castle. The combination of architecture, seascape, and history makes for an incredible experience and one we all love. I will let the photos do the talking on this one:

The family at Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle

On Day 3 we travelled to another favourite town of ours, St. Andrew’s. While Daryll and Kelly went to sort out a mobile phone for us to use while in the UK, the kids and I went down to the beautiful white sandy beaches. Ethan and Anderson were mesmerized by the waves and due to the lovely warmth of the North Sea, had a fabulous time getting thoroughly soaked. Bailey and I chuckled as a rather heavy rainstorm passed over us which brought the boys running out of the water worried about “getting wet.” Let’s think about that one for a bit – off they went, back into the sea for some more fun.

Today has been more of a travel day as we left Scotland at 6:30 this morning to head down the west coast and catch the Stena Line ferry over to Belfast. Upon arrival, we promptly headed to Greyabbey, the location of our “Rose Cottage.” I can’t say enough about using HomeAway and Air BnB as sites to book lodgings. Our cottage makes me feel as though I’ve been placed in a page out of “The Secret Garden” or one of my personal favourite authors, Maeve Binchy’s books.  Everyone has enjoyed exploring each room and noticing the details from the clawfoot tub, to the old fashioned locks on the doors (we have really BIG keys). Tomorrow, it’s off to Giant’s Causeway – an amazing place which I can’t wait to post photos of. Speaking of photos – Kelly has been exclaiming over the Nikon 1J3 camera he purchased from London Drugs – it has certainly met our needs for photography thus far. That’s all for now – I don’t think I can handle it if I have to rewrite this post again!