A Trip to Ireland and Scotland

Autumn scenes in Ireland

 When I stated that I was taking a break in my last blog post a few weeks ago I said I was going to "take time to watch the leaves fall." What I did not mention then was that I was going to experience autumn in Ireland and Scotland!  My husband and I and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law took a two-week Cosmos bus tour called "Highlights of Ireland and Scotland," at the end of October.  We all had a wonderful time and met the nicest people. I've been fortunate to have visited Ireland many times in the past. One of my sister-in-laws was born and raised in County Cork and my husband and I have met her family over the years on trips to Ireland. plus my husband had a few business trips in Belfast Northern Ireland. If interested you can read the total of 37 posts I wrote about those visits under this blog tag: Ireland.  This was the first time I visited Scotland, however, and I was very excited to finally see it!

"In Dublin's fair city

Where the girls are so pretty

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone

As she wheeled her wheelbarrow

Through streets broad and narrow

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

Alive, alive, oh

Alive, alive, oh

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh"

We arrived a day earlier than our scheduled tour and had a fun day walking around Dublin and taking the "Hop On and Hop Off" bus.  A landmark we were excited to see was the statue of Molly Malone. My husband and I were confused that she was no longer located on Grafton Street, where we had seen her in the past, but she had to be moved to a new location when Dublin installed a light rail system on Grafton. Dublin was certainly busier and had more commuters than we last saw years ago. She is a very modern bustling city!  I guess it is pretty evident looking at the statue what part of Molly is considered "good luck" to rub!  "Molly Malone" (also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City") is a popular song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become its unofficial anthem.

Another Dublin icon is the Guinness Brewery! 

The day we arrived in Dublin the aftereffects of Storm Babet were still being felt as it rained heavily almost all day. I braved sitting on the top of the Hop On Hop Off bus wearing a rain poncho to take photos. You can see the gloomy rainy skies in my photos. Sadly, areas in County Cork and the east coast of Scotland suffered flooding from the storm.

Views of the famous Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin.

Dublin's Phoenix Park was aglow in autumn beauty! 

 The home of the President of Ireland is located in Phonix Park. The house was built in 1751, and it is nicknamed "The Irish White House" due to its resemblance to the US White House in Washington DC.

We also visited Dublin Castle

"Constructed in the early thirteenth century on the site of a Viking settlement, Dublin Castle served for centuries as the headquarters of English, and later British, administration in Ireland. In 1922, following Ireland’s independence, Dublin Castle was handed over to the new Irish government. It is now a major government complex and a key tourist attraction."

St Patrick's Cathedral

"Built on the site where Saint Patrick baptized Christian converts nearly over 1500 years ago, this holy site has been a place of spiritual encounter for countless generations."

Random photos of Dublin. 

We enjoyed exploring the city again over two days!

As a tour excursion on our last day in Dublin, we attended the Taylor Irish Cabaret. It consisted of a three-course dinner, a drink, and an Irish Coffee, with a wonderful musical and dance production afterward.  If you'd like to see the Irish dancers you can see them on a reel on my Mille Fiori Facebook page at this link. To hear a song by Rob Vicker--an Irish tenor, and hear traditional music click on this reel link.  Make sure to turn on the sound with the speaker in the upper right corner of each reel.

We have many stops ahead on our tour of Ireland and Scotland and I'd love to show you some highlights in my upcoming posts. Please join me again to see them.

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