Saturday, July 6 – Isle of Man

Today was forecast to be raining and only about 12 degrees for our planned excursion to the Isle of Man which included a lengthy walk along some country roads, and the coastal pathway. So we were a little apprehensive about whether 3 layers of clothing was going to be enough. It turned out to be a lovely day, although fresh and windy, but with no rain and mostly sunshine. We took our various layers off and put them back on probably 5 times.

Some day I’m going to take a vacation that doesn’t require another vacation upon my return. Today we walked 7.84 km or 12,490 steps. But it was a very lovely 7.84 km full on interesting facts and stories about fairies and Vikings thanks to our outstanding guides, Jack and Tim.

The Isle of Man is located in the Irish Sea, equidistant from England and Ireland and its strategic location made it important in world trade routes and it helped the allies in the Second World War. It is approximately 33 miles long and 12 – 13 miles across. Its GDP is 6.5 million pounds.

We started our tour of the self governing dependancy of England this morning in the capital and largest town on the Isle of Man, Douglas where the ship was docked for the day. The Isle of Man is owned by King Charles, and he allows the residents of the island nation to live there free from taxes, although the citizens do pay taxes to the government of the island and the island in turn pays England for protection given they have no military.

There are two things the island is know for: the annual Tourist Trophy (TT) motorcycle race and as the place from where Manx cats originated. One of the excursions was a motor tricycle ride around the actual route the race takes, but stupidly we missed out booking it before it was sold out. They, of course, do the track at normal speeds whereas the speeds of the TT racers average 136 mph, and that’s with slowing down to on all the twists and turns of the roads. There is also a shorter race called the Manx Grand Prix for which they are starting to set up the viewing stands and bumpers along the course.

Manx cats are very obviously different from other cats in that they have no tail, or if they have one, it’s just a stub of a tail. They believe this was caused by a really strong mutant dominant gene that has been able to withstand generations of births.

Economically, the island is interesting, and despite the fact that we all visited them today, their tourism industry only makes up 1% of their economy. The island has very favourable tax laws for offshore wealthy investors and it has become an offshore financial centre contributing to 11% of their GDP. On line betting is huge here making up 16% of the economy and 11% is from insurance. The island has a history as a tax haven as there is no corporate tax, no inheritance tax and no capital gains tax. (Think I could move my cottage to the Isle of Man from Ontario?) They have a 22% personal tax rate compared to the rate of 20% in the UK.

As with many parts of the world in this area, the Vikings broadened their empire on to this island with their pillaging and waring, and there are Viking ruins on the island that have been carbon dated to 800- 1000. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

A group of 12 of us left the town of Douglas on a small coach, headed for the town of Castletown where our historical walking tour would begin. We were in the able hands of guides Jack and Tim, who were full of tidbits of information, and a large dose of legend and myths. Just after we left Douglas Jack told us he needed our help because there is a belief that there are Fairies living under a bridge we were about to cross and if we didn’t acknowledge the Fairies we may feel their wrath with back luck. So everyone on the bus cooperated with a loud “good morning, Fairies” and we had only good luck the rest of the day.

We arrived in Castletown in no time and had a bathroom break before heading out. As the name would imply, we there is a castle in the town which we didn’t have time to see which has been in use for various purposed for over 6500 years.

We were driven to the start of a country road, just off a highway, where we started our hike. It was a beautiful bucolic walk, with a history lesson thrown in.

In the Balladoole Historic Monument Site, we saw the remains of an early Christian chapel called a Keeill, from the 10th – 11th century. The missionaries of the time had a belief that instead of building big churches for the people to come to, that they should take the religion to the people. And these small Keeills were built all over the countryside.

Further along were graves dating back the 9th century where a Viking ship had been uncovered along with the bones of a warrior and his wife and animals. It was the custom of wives to be buried with their husbands, whether they were alive or dead at the time! It was believed that this would have been an important person because the ship and the bodies would have had to be hauled up the hill to the top of this hill to be buried.

On route to the Coastal walkway we trooped through a farm yard and past a quarry. The limestone from this quarry is out of sink with the rest of the area as it’s black from the volcanic rock all around. Rock from this quarry was used on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

We continued along a road down to the Irish Sea where we joined the coastal walk and followed it all the way back to the town of Castletown. We came upon some ruins of stone buildings in a group across the farm land that were used as training locations for the RAF when radar was first introduced. They were used during WWII to spot planes on route to England as an early warning system. There was also a Ham Radio Station along the coast that the guides didn’t know much about, but was of course of interest to me.

The coastal path ended back in Castletown where we visited the town square which was bustling with a huge big screen tv showing Wimbledon tennis. We stopped for some ice cream before heading back to the bus and then back to the ship. I managed to get some pictures of the Castle but didn’t get a chance to go inside.

We barely got back in time for Char to enjoy some Scandinavian Glogg that they were offering as the special drink today. She said it was almost as good as what her family makes.

We enjoyed a presentation on how to use your iPhone camera to the best advantage and another by a History Professor on the history of the Isle of Man, and our next two stops. So great to get such good information. Then it was time for dinner at the Spanish tapas specialty restaurant with my favourite churro and chocolate dessert. We’re exhausted already but a nap this afternoon helped.

Fun facts:

⁃ The Beegees were born on Island of Man before moving to Australia.

⁃ They derive 6% of their electricity from burning rubbish (killing two birds with one stone).

⁃ There is a tram that runs from Douglas north and another one south that some of our fellow passengers went on today.

⁃ They use Manx pounds in the same denominations as the English pounds but it cannot be used as currency in any of the other countries of the UK. (Although British pounds can be used in Manx)

⁃ It is unsure where the name of the Isle of Man comes from but could have been from the legendary Manannan Mac Lir who protected the island against invaders by providing mist/fog to keep it from view.

⁃ The symbol of the Isle of Man is that of three legs joined in the middle. The motto of the Manx people is that no matter what is thrown at them, they’ll always land on their feet.

Friday, July 5 – Dun Laoghaire.

I can’t get pics to load tonight from our cabin so I’ll add them tomorrow from up in the lounge on the top deck where the wifi will hopefully be better.

Today’s the day! We left our very comfortable hotel in a nice part of Dublin, by taxi at noon today to head to the Carlisle Pier Cruise Ship Terminal in the ocean side town of Dun Laoghaire. We travelled through some really nice neighbourhoods on our way south down the coast from downtown.

It’s always a bit nerve racking on the way to the ship’s port. Will the ship be there, won’t it? Will we find the right pier or will the taxi driver find the right spot, etc? You know, travel drama stuff. Well today all went well. We came around the corner towards the terminal area and there she was, the very beautiful Star Legend. The taxi driver let us off outside the gates and he could have come into the terminal to drop us off, but it was good to dust off our legs for the first time today and walk the 250 ft to the registration tent.

We were a bit early so after dropping our bags at the check in tent, we went for a walk through the seaside town of Dun Laogharie. There were some really nice shops laid out along a main drag which felt very touristy and a small shopping mall with a grocery shop for the locals.

Then it was time to head back to the ship and get aboard. Check-in was done and we were off to check out our room. The room is beautiful as you may have seen on my previous blogs. The Star Legend is almost identical to the Star Pride which I’ve been on a couple of times so it was like coming home. One small snag, the beds hadn’t been pulled apart, and love her as I do, there was no way I was going to sleep with my sister. We were initially told the beds couldn’t be split in this room however, in the end our room steward came to the rescue and found a way to make it happen and all is well.

We toured the ship, had lunch, attended a couple of talks on the excursions available and on the port of the Isle of Man where we’ll be tomorrow and then went up on deck to say goodbye to Ireland, until next time. The Windstar fleet has a sail away protocol where they unfurl the ships flag (or the sails in the case of the sailing ships) to the very stirring music of Vangelis’ Conquest of Paradise as the ship pulls away from the dock or mooring. Gives me a lump in my throat every time.

There was just barely enough time to head to our cabin to change for a lovely dinner in the main dining room. We spoke with a lovely couple from NYC at the next table during dinner which is typical of a Windstar cruise. Very friendly cruisers.

So, not a lot to talk about today. So I’ll sign off and report on our first day at sea tomorrow!

Thursday, July 4th – Dublin

Before starting with an update on our day 2 in Dublin, let me back up a bit. After I signed off last night, Charlene and I walked over to our hotel’s name sake, Iveagh Gardens. The public gardens were really pleasant, if not well kept with several beds of different coloured roses. We even spent some time walking around the maze of boxwoods.

Then we were off to dinner and at the recommendation of our Bell Captain, we headed through a couple of alleyways to the closest pub for dinner. We were a little leery of the “live music” on the second floor that was offered to us because the first level was full, but it turned out to a really pleasant singer, guitar player with a wide ranging repertoire of Irish Ballads, and old favourites including Cohen’s Hallelujah. The fish and chips were great and hit the spot. A really pleasant experience.

Today was our only full day in Dublin, and after a bit of a sleep-in and late breakfast we headed out to jump on a Hop On, Hop Off bus to get an overview of Dublin. We actually Hopped on and stayed for almost two laps around the route to absorb more of the things to see and the commentary. It didn’t cover a large geographic area and we had walked much of it yesterday but so much history. I’ll try and pick the most interesting things we heard about, but there is so much more to this wonderful city.

Yesterday you saw pictures of Christchurch Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We learned a little more about them today and actually toured St. Patrick’s. Both cathedrals were built of wood in the 1000s by the Vikings, then in stone in the 1100’s, and renovated extensively in the late 1800s.

St. Patrick’s is the oldest and largest of the many churches and cathedrals in Dublin and it is rich in history. The audio tour of the cathedral was really well done and interesting. It’s a beautiful and active place with lots of the history explained and educational opportunities even for school children. The Guinness Family (yes, the beer one) spent something like $22 million in the late 1800s to renovate and restore St. Patricks.

As I mentioned yesterday, Jonathon Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels was the Dean of the Cathedral and he apparently gave long sermons, sometimes as long as 6 hours. He was obsessed with people who fell asleep in church and rumour has it that he had wheels installed on the pulpit and if he saw anyone asleep he would have the pulpit wheeled to within striking distance when he would use a stick to prod them awake.

Our HOHO bus took us outside of the core of the city a little today to an area called “Liberties”, where historically there were textile and alcohol factories. The name comes from the fact that this area was outside the walls of the city and therefore were not required to pay taxes.

One of the highlights of the tour for most tourists is the Guinness distillery set nearby the River Liffey for ease of transportation in the early days. We didn’t stop as neither of us are big beer drinkers but one can’t help but be impressed with the huge site. The apparent secret to its success are that hops are roasted at a high temperature (232 degrees) causing the dark red colour of the beer. They brew 3 million pints a day and ship to over 150 countries around the world. (The 3 countries that consume the most Guinness are UK, Nigeria and Ireland.) The facility includes a bar in a building overlooking the complex where one can learn how to properly pour a Guinness, including receiving a diploma to prove one’s competency.

The River Liffey (river of life in Irish), divides the city into North and South and there are 20 bridge crossings, many of them pedestrian only. We are staying on the south side but we crossed over to the north side on our HOHO bus today. The most popular stop on the north side is Phoenix Park where the Dublin Zoo is located along with lots of open parkland and the prominent Wellington Monument. The monument was built to commemorate the victories of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, over Napoleon at Waterloo and the only Prime Minister of United Kingdom to be born in Ireland.

Also on the North Side is the Spire of Dublin, or Millennial Spire completed not in the millennial but in 2003, (bet there is a story there!) which is 335 ft high.

Its nicknames are “Stiletto in the ghetto” and “Rod to God” according to our tour guide.

An imposing O’Connell Statue sits on the north side of the river on O’Connell Street in honour of Daniel O’Connell, who is largely responsible for the 1829 Act of Catholic Emancipation giving freedom to Catholics to vote, own horses and such.

We got off the HOHO at a spot where we could easily walk home and found a really nice place to eat a very late lunch. We then walked back along Grafton Street and even stopped in a couple of shops. One was a Marks and Spencers that I wish we still had in Canada. Another, the Brown Thomas Department Store where I’m sure the gentleman standing outside in the hat and tails scowled as we went past him to enter the store. Every luxury brand you’ve heard of was available. The prices were through the roof. Blue jeans for 315 Euros and a rack of thin, wrinkled solid coloured t-shirts were 250 Euros each. Definitely out of my league.

Fun Facts: (the reader is reminded that much of this and my account from today is taken from accounts by tour guides and here-say and is to be taken with some grains of salt and suspicion).

⁃ The Irish language is the official language of Ireland and it appears first on any formal signage, but is only spoken by approximately 85,000 of the 5 million population, primarily on the west coast of the island.

⁃ English is spoken by most Dubliners, however, I have to say Charlene and I have walked away from a conversation saying, “I have no idea what they were saying” more than once.

⁃ Ireland was the first state to legalize same sex marriage through a public referendum in 2015 when 63% of the 61% of the population who turned out voted in favour of allowing it.

⁃ Just off Dame street in South Dublin is a statue of Molly Malone, who in stories is represented as a fish hawker by day and a lady of the night by night and has many nicknames none of which I can now remember. She was possibly a historical figure and definitely a legendary figure. The famous Irish song by the Dubliners, “Cockles and Mussels” was apparently written about the legend. It has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin.

⁃ We have heard 4 different versions of why the Temple Bar area is called the Temple Bar area:

1. it is an area where lots of lawyers ply their trade;

2. it is where there is a sand bar in the nearby River Liffey;

3. it’s named after the famous Temple family bar;

4. it’s named after the Irish word for walkway which is barre.

⁃ The heart of Dublin was original surrounded by a stone wall (now 900 years old), some small parts of which can be seen standing around the city.

⁃ Handel’s Messiah was first performed in Dublin in 1742.

⁃ Christchurch Cathedral has 19 bells and has become a place to hangout on New Year’s Eve to wait for them to ring in the new year.

⁃ 2 million people left Ireland during the potato famine in 1840s.

⁃ the average temperature in Ireland year round is 62 degrees, with 3 inches of rain monthly, one of the most rainy countries in Europe (there is a reason it’s so green)

⁃ since its independence in 1922 when the Irish police were established they have not worn guns.

⁃ the movie Educating Rita (1982) was filmed on the Trinity College campus

⁃ Oliver Cromwell is reported to have bedded down his horses in the nave of St. Patrick’s church in the mid 1600s during his conquest of Ireland to show his disrespect for the Anglican religion.

Wednesday, July 3rd – Dublin

After weeks of planning and anticipation (possibly the best part of travel) and some angst over the Westjet strike, Charlene and I met at Gate 58 at Montreal airport to start our Gaelic Exploring together. I had only come from Ottawa, a 30 minute flight that took almost 1.5 hours, but Charlene had been on the go all day. From Comox to Vancouver, and then on to Montreal. Our flight to Dublin was an hour late leaving due to the delay in the aircraft being available, but otherwise the flight was uneventful. The best kind of flights. I don’t know how many times we each said how glad we were that we changed her flight from Westjet to Air Canada over the past few days.

After a bit of rest, a cuppa tea and a clean up, we headed out to explore. We put on 12,488 steps, in all, and covered a good chunk of the interesting areas of Grafton Street, the Liffey River, and Temple Bar area. There was a sprinkling of rain early on in our walk but eventually the sun came out and it was lovely and warm with mostly blue sky. Not something I’d expected from what I’d heard or the forecast.

Our hotel is just a 10 minute walk from the heart of Dublin, just south of 22 acre St. Stephen’s Green Park. St. Stephen’s Green Park is Dublin’s oldest park which can be traced back to medieval times when it was used for grazing live stock. In 1635 the city assembly passed an ordinance that the space be left green and still today it provides a real oasis in a busy city centre for its human inhabitants as well as its wildlife.

Fusiliers Arch at the north west entrance to the Park was built to commemorate Irishmen who died fighting for the British in the Boer War in South Africa. It later became a focal point for other struggles that the Irish had, this time against the British in the 1916 Easter Uprising. There is so much history in this city, and along our tour, that I’m not even going to try and cover it.

Next we headed north toward the river and along one of the main shopping areas, Grafton Street. Grafton Street was pedestrianized in 1983 and it and the surrounding streets were bustling with locals, tourists and what seemed like a large number of young people/students. There were familiar named shops from home and others that are unique here such as department store Brown Thomas. Colour was everywhere.

We felt the need for a bit of tea, and maybe a scone and found the perfect place to find both in a cozy, library-type environment. Turns out it was also a tiny theatre and we were sitting on what can become the stage.

We wandered down a small side street off Grafton and found the really lovely St. Teresa’s Carmelite Church. It was build in 1792 and was full of multicoloured marble but felt restful, warm and inviting, not cold like marble might make it feel. It took up a full block in the middle of the busy shopping area.

Next it was on to the Temple Bar area, where of course the famous Temple Bar is located but also hundreds of other establishments providing sustenance and fun. However, I was surprised to read that since 2001 consumption of alcohol is down almost 20 percent in Ireland and thousands of pubs have closed in the last 10 years. Even Guinness launched a non-alcoholic beer in 2018.

The sun was full out while we walked along the Liffey River and over one pedestrian bridge and back on another. The Ha’ Penny Bridge which is pictured here was built in 1816 and got its name for the sum that people paid to cross the bridge rather than take the ferry. The Quays on either side are dotted with restaurants and bars and even mid-afternoon were hopping.

We walked further west past the city hall and on to Christ Church Cathedral before turning to head back to the hotel. The front of the church is shrouded and under construction so we didn’t get a good look at it. We did peek into the Dublinia, a museum taking visitors back to medieval times of the Vikings. I don’t know a lot at all about the Viking history in Ireland and we were hoping to take a walking tour to hear about it, but it’s either sold out or they’re not offering it til mid-July. I’ll have to do some reading.

The imposing St. Patrick’s Cathedral and gardens was our next stop. The attached garden is really pretty and there is a wall of commemorative plaques to the Dublin-born and world renown writers along the end of the garden. Among those recognized is Jonathon Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels) who was dean of the cathedral for some time and is buried in the church as well as Oscar Wilde, and Nobel Prize winners George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney.

Our walk wandered back to the hotel where we crashed. Trying to stay awake until a reasonable time tonight is going to be difficult. We’re debating dinner at the hotel dining room or an Irish Pub. Might leave the pub until we have more energy tomorrow.

Why have I become a Gaelic Explorer, you ask? Some time ago, I spit in a tube and sent it away to one of the companies that analyzes your DNA and determines from where in the world you come. (People have been asking that for ages.) I knew that some of my family came to Nova Scotia from Scotland but I had no idea how much of my DNA originated there. Pretty concentrated in this region! So I decided I ought to step foot in the land of my ancestors at least once in my life. And although I’m loath to leave my cottage in the summer, from what I’d read and heard about Scotland and Ireland, it seemed like it was a sacrifice that would make sense.

I started looking for tours of the region and was considering a small group land tour but then I saw that Windstar, my favourite small cruise ship company, had a special on their ‘Gaelic Explorer” so I jumped at it. And I was surprised and delighted when one of my sisters, Charlene, who obviously shares my DNA, decided to jump with me.

The cruise starts July 5th from Dublin, Ireland and ends in Edinburgh on the 12th. We’ll spend a couple of nights in Dublin to explore and catch up on the missed night’s sleep and 3 nights in Edinburgh to explore and complete one of my bucket list experiences.

This trip has already provided a bit of an adventure with Westjet possibly going on strike in the next couple of days and us scheduled to depart Ottawa and Comox on July 2nd. I was booked to fly on Air Canada, but Charlene was flying Westjet. So instead of sitting on the edge of our seats for the next few days, I changed the flights last night and Charlene is now flying Air Canada. The added bonus is that she will meet up with me in Montreal for the flight to Dublin.

I know you’re anticipating a detailed blog, based on previous experience, but I may disappoint you. I haven’t had a chance to do advance research and there is so much history and culture in this region that it’s a little overwhelming. I promise to at least post some pictures along the way.

So let the Gaelic exploring begin…..