Showing posts with label Ruby Tuesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ruby Tuesday. Show all posts

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Waterford, Ireland


 In my last blog post about our recent trip to Ireland and Scotland, which we began in Dublin --see that post here--after visiting Kilkenny we drove further south in Ireland to the city of  Waterford.  Waterford, located in the province of Munster,  is situated at the head of Waterford Harbor. It is the oldest and the fifth most populous city in the Republic of Ireland.   

My husband and I visited Waterford for the second time. Our first visit was about 15 years ago when we were on a tour. During that visit, I bought a few beautiful pieces of Waterford crystal, which we have enjoyed using over the years.



Waterford was founded by Vikings in 914 A.D. and parts of its ancient walled core remain.  Throughout the city, there were many interesting and fun displays profiling its Viking beginning 



Thomas Francis Meagher was born on 3 August 1823 in Waterford and a statue of him on horseback stands on the mall. He was one of Waterford’s and Ireland’s most famous nationalist leaders, and he also has an American connection. Meagher protested and fought vehemently for Irish Independence from British Rule and during the battle for independence he designed and introduced the green, white, and gold tricolor flag which later became the national flag of Ireland still used today. 
Meagher was arrested and convicted by the British authorities on charges of sedition and was subsequently sentenced to death. This sentence was later changed and Meagher was instead exiled to Tasmania in Australia, then known as Van Diemen’s Land. In 1852 Meagher escaped to America where he studied journalism and law and later joined the U.S. Army where he gained the rank of Brigadier General and led the Irish Brigade during the American Civil War. Before his death by drowning accident in 1897, Meagher had served as Governor of Montana. A similar statue of him stands in front of the Montana State Capital in Helena. 




 We had a few hours of free time to explore the city on foot.



I enjoyed seeing the architecture and walking along the riverfront.




There were many beautiful murals painted all around Waterford!

They are part of the Waterford Wall Project, where in 2022, over 30 national and international artists created large-scale mural artworks around Waterford City and the surrounding areas. The Festival consisted of 10 days of live art, music, workshops, guided tours, and much more. You can see some more photos of the murals on this link.



We stopped at the new  House of Waterford Crystal Visitor Center. 

Waterford is known for its former glassmaking industry, including at the Waterford Crystal factory, with decorative glass being manufactured in the city from 1783 until early 2009 when the factory sadly closed following the receivership of Waterford Wedgwood. The Waterford Crystal visitor center was opened in the city's Viking Quarter in 2010 under new ownership by Fiskers. Visitors can take a tour to see the glassmaking and cutting process, although most of the crystal is now made outside of Ireland. The 12,000-square-foot retail store inside the center has the largest collection of Waterford in the world, and pieces are available for sale. I admired many pieces but did not purchase anything on this trip as I have entered a more minimalistic stage of life.
 



We walked by Christ Church Cathedral--a Church of Ireland/Anglican Episcopalian church that has been a place of Christian worship for over 1,000 years. The first church on the site was built in the 11th century. In 1170 it was the venue for the marriage of Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke also known as "Strongbow", and Aoife Ní Diarmait. Strongbow was the first Norman conqueror of Waterford and Dublin. Aoife was an Irish Princess, the daughter of King Dermot MacMurrough. The marriage built a political bond between the Irish Gaelic and the Anglo-Normans. The chairs/sculptures by Eithne Ring and Liam Lavery were installed in Bishop’s Palace Garden in 2014 located next to the cathedral.




Please double-click on the photo above to enlarge it.

Information about Strongbow and Aoife is given in this informational display nearby.



I was surprised to see flowers still blooming in late October and a very unusual tree!




A close-up of the tree...

it had its eyes on us! 

<Smile>




As our tour bus drove away from Waterford we saw beautiful rolling green hills and fluffy white clouds in the sky. 

I'll be blogging about our next tour stops at the thatched-roof cottages of Dunmore East, Tramore, and Blarney, Ireland in the future. 

I can't believe that Christmas is only a month away--a busy time ahead!

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Sunday, November 12, 2023

Kilkenny, Ireland


 
After leaving Dublin, Ireland --see my last post--our Ireland/Scotland tour headed southeast to Kilkenny, (Irish: Cill Chainnigh). It is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland, and is located in the provenance of Leinster.   We stopped at Kilkenny Castle, built in 1260 to control a fording point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. The castle was a symbol of Norman occupation, and in its original 13th-century condition, with its four large circular towers, it would have formed an important element to the town's defenses.



The castle grounds entrance with the Ormonde Coat of Arms on the top




Kilkenny Castle was remodeled and restored and set in the 1830’s with a Victorian flair. In 1967, Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde, sold the castle for £50 to the Castle Restoration Committee for the people of Kilkenny. The castle and grounds are now managed by the Office of Public Works.  There is an admission fee to tour inside the castle but the gardens and parkland are open to the public.

My husband and I toured the castle on a prior visit to Ireland so we decided to stroll in the gardens and in town during our visit, while my sister and brother in-laws went inside.



The details in the castle statuary were interesting to see.






The castle is surrounded by beautiful fifty-one acres (21 hectares) of parkland and gardens.





I really enjoyed walking in the gardens and still seeing some flowers blooming in late October and some fall foliage.




A sweet little robin and a wise old crow greeted us in the gardens.



When I saw this lake filled with swans I thought about the Irish Folktale, "Children of Lir" in which a jealous stepmother used a spell to turn her four stepchildren into swans and doomed them to spend 900 years swimming in three different bodies of water in Ireland for 300 years each, until the spell would be broken.

 

Kilkenny is built on both banks of the River Nore.  
It reflected many colorful autumnal trees along its banks.




Kilkenny City Walls protected the medieval town of Kilkenny. The town was surrounded by walls with regular towers and gates. Remnants of the Town Walls survive such as Talbot Tower (1207), which is also known as Talbot's Bastion or Castle.



My husband and I strolled into town hoping to visit St Canice's Cathedral, which is also known as Kilkenny Cathedral. The present building dates from the 13th century and is the second-longest cathedral in Ireland. Unfortunately, we realized the walk was longer than the time we had to be back on our tour bus to leave for Waterford. We had glimpses of the cathedral in the distance as we walked around.

As you can see in the photo collage above, located beside the cathedral stands a 100 ft 9th-century round tower. St. Canice's tower is an excellent example of a well-preserved early Christian (9th century) Round Tower. Accessible only by a steep set of internal ladders, it may once have been both a watchtower and a refuge, and the summit gives a good view of Kilkenny and the countryside around. The hill on which the cathedral stands is believed to be the center of the first major settlement at Kilkenny.



There was a lot to see and do in town but we only had a limited time. The building on the middle right of the collage above had a Smithwick's Brewery Tour.  Smithwick’s Ale has been brewed in Ireland since 1710.

I smiled when I saw the cow and sheep vases in a shop window. They are two animals seen frequently all over Ireland!


Our next stop on the tour was the City of Waterford--it will be in my next blog post.
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Monday, November 6, 2023

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."



"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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Sunday, October 8, 2023

Durango and Silverton Railroad a Travel Adventure in Colorado!


 

Do you love taking a historic and scenic train ride?  Colorado has many, and my husband and I have made a point of taking a ride on them all. I have twelve train rides featured on my blog under the label Colorado Railroads, beginning with this post and continuing back to the first one we took ten years ago.  Each train ride offers wonderful views and experiences.  We typically enjoy these train rides during the fall season when the stunning colors of the Colorado aspen trees enhance the beauty of each journey. and the Durango Silverton Narrow Gage Railroad was no exception!  This time of the year is also around our anniversary and we celebrated number 49 this year!




We began our journey by driving from our area of the Colorado Front Range to Durango, Colorado which is located in South West Colorado in the San Juan Mountian region.  There is so much to see and do in Durango but our time was limited on this trip so we were there primarily to take the round-trip train ride that we scheduled ahead of time. The train fills up quickly this time of year so it is best to make advance reservations. We chose the 9-hour roundtrip journey (includes a 2-hour Silverton layover), but there are other shorter options if desired, and special train rides such as the upcoming Holiday Polar Express train ride that begins in November and ends at the end of December.




My husband and I reserved our seats on the open-air Gondola Car as we enjoyed seeing the sights from all sides of the train and having the flexibility to move around the car.   The Gondola Car had an outward-facing bench on both sides as assigned seats but there was a lot of flexibility to take photos and I took hundreds!  I made these photo collages to make sharing them much easier. to see more detail each collage can be clicked on and it will enlarge. As the Durango Silverton Train left Durango we passed, businesses, homes, farms, and ranches as well as the Durango Hot Springs area.





As the train rose higher and higher up into the San Juan Mountains we saw beautiful vistas and autumn color.  The train follows the Animas River route and crosses over and around the river five times during its journey.  You can watch a video short I took of the train climbing up into the mountains on this YouTube link or on my Mille Fiori Facebook page at this link.




The scenery was breathtaking!





The colorful fall foliage, the vast San Juan Mountain vistas, and the icy blue/green Animas River views were stunning!




At one point the train stopped at a mountain resort and some backpackers disembarked to hike. we also saw a man zip by on a zip line-- see the last photo in the lower right in the collage above.  If you'd like to see a short video reel of more of the train ride on my Mille Fiori Facebook link Click Here--make sure to turn on the sound on the video to hear the sound of the steam train and the train whistle at the end of the video--it is very iconic and a bit romantic to me.





The terminus of the train ride is the historic gold mining town of Silverton. which is nestled in the San Juan Mountains at an elevation of 9,3018 feet (2,840.1264 meters)



During our round-trip train ride, we had a two-hour layover in Silverton where we enjoyed a nice lunch and took a walk around town to visit the shops.




Silverton Mountain is a thrilling year-round destination for skiing enthusiasts. The mountain boasts of over 400 inches (1016 centimeters) of hefty snowfall during winter, leaving the trails ungroomed. The current advertising campaign aptly describes the experience as "all thrills and no frills." However, the recent acquisition of the Silverton Mountain area by Aspen Travel Adventure Company may lead to changes beyond the current offerings.



Our train ride back to Durango was equally scenic.




We ended the day with a delicious dinner in the Diamond Belle Saloon at the historic Strater Hotel in Durango, where the diners were serenaded by a wonderful Ragtime Paino Player during dinner.  It was a wonderful way to begin our 49th anniversary! 

The next day we took a drive on the famous "Million Dollar Highway," US 550. from Durango to Ouray, Colorado. Photos will be in my next post, where you will see how it may have gotten its nickname.


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Sunday, October 1, 2023

Autumn Quotes




Happy October!

A beautiful autumn has arrived in the higher elevations of Colorado!

"Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves. We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!"

~ Humbert Wolfe



My husband and I love to take scenic drives this time of the year.  We packed in many miles and saw many sights last week on our travels. One highlight was taking a ride on the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Durango, Colorado. This is a historic train that travels up into the San Juan Mountains to the old mining town of Silverton. More about this train ride in my next blog post.


Here are a few of my favorite Autumn quotes to go along with some of the beautiful scenery that we saw...


"October is the treasure of the year."

~ Paul Laurence Dunbar





"The heart of Autumn must have broken here, and poured its treasure upon the leaves." 

~ Charlotte Bates




"October is the opal month of the year. It is the month of glory, of ripeness. 
It is the picture month"

~ Henry Ward Beecher




"As long as Autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas, and color enough to paint the beautiful things I see."

~ Vincent van Gogh





"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face."

~ John Donne



"October is a hallelujah! reverberating in my body year-round." 

~ John Nichols




"The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
At the summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
speaks to me,
The faintness of the stars,
the trail of fire,
and the life that never goes away
they speak to me. 
And my heart soars!"

~Chef Dan George





"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves change."

~ Elizabeth Lawrence




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