During my last visit to Ireland, I went to celebrate my birthday in the pubs of Dublin, to listen to music and revel in pub-grub. Unfortunately, my mother chose to bring me into the world in February – not the best time to visit northern Europe. But what the hay, the weather was no different that in the Pacific Northwest. Just button up and put a rain coat on. Actually, there was a hidden benefit – no crowds. No crowds, off season, cheap rates and I’ve come to the realization that off season is the best time to travel. So on the 5th anniversary of my last trip, time to go again. This time, however, Susan decided to see for herself and see if I’d really lost it.
Yep it was cold and a little wet, but if one dresses for it, its not bad. Dublin is a great city for wondering and walking. Our hotel was just off O’Connell Street five or six blocks from the River Liffey. We walked to Trinity College, stopping through the Temple Bar for refreshments, the National Museum, the Jameson Distillery and of course, the Brazen Head. The Brazen Head was of most interest as I’d spent many happy hours enjoying the music there five years previous and the band was still there! We also took a side trip by train to see friends in Cork.
The primary interest in the trip, was Scotland. We’d enjoy the series Outlander so much that we wanted to see Scotland first hand. To go from Ireland to Scotland, one can either fly or use a combination of train, ferry, but and train. The later much more interesting but required an overnight stay in Belfast.
When traveling to a new city, a ride on a Hop on Hop off is highly recommended. Not only does one get to see the highlights, but they can get off for a closer look then get back on the bus. It was perfect for our short visit to Belfast as we’d taken the train from Dublin and were taking the ferry early the next morning. The bus had a tour guide that spent the entire trip describing the Troubles (the three-decade conflict between nationalists (mainly self-identified as Irish or Roman Catholic) and unionists (mainly self-identified as British or Protestant). The guide took no position but was was brief, specific and managed to cover a great deal of history in a very short time. It was excellent. This travel journal is about travel, not politics but in this case it is warranted.
The Irish won independence from the United Kingdom in 1921 however the northern most six counties voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom. With in that region (Northern Ireland), Unionists held the majority (60%) and the nationalists (40%). The conflict began during a campaign by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association to end discrimination against the Catholic/nationalist minority by the Protestant/unionist government and police force. Regardless of ones leanings, one should draw their own conclusions after watching the BBS special “The Troubles; A Secret History” Episode 1-7.
We rather enjoy traveling to a central point and using it as a base to explore the surrounds. For Edinburgh we used a home/exchange to select a flat in the Comely Bank between the Royal Botanic Garden and Edinburgh Castle. It was in an old building but with all the modern conveniences (except an elevator to our 4th floor flat).
Edinburgh is also a major tourist city. Edinburgh Castle, a major tourist attraction is surrounded by shopping areas specializing in woolen goods.
But there’s much more than the tourists spots. Familiar big city vegetable stands, the roast pig in the window of a sandwich shop. And then there’s the scotch. We went to the Scotch Whisky Experience to learn about distilleries of Scotland and by region. They also had an amazing selection of scotch across a broad spectrum of prices.
Edinburgh is an old, very old city yet the old buildings are in remarkably great condition. Great areas to walk. Yes it was February and a bit cold but occasionally the sun poked its way through the clouds and wasn’t half bad. Just a short walk from our flat was an open air market and a river walk through the residential district. 15 minutes further was the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens which had no idea it was winter.
The visit to Ireland & Scotland stemmed from intrigue generated by the series Outlander. The early episodes were full of castles, kilts and Scottish lore not to mention the most intense romantic and adventurous story ever. There were several tours covering many of the sites covered in the production,
The various sites included in the filming of the series were outside and west of Edinburgh.
