2004 Europe
Monday, October 25, 2004
Europe 2004 - Ennis, Ireland to London
Diana with the 3.5 oz. Can of Cola on the Virgin Train
June 23 – We got up early this morning to catch the train to Dublin for the ferry. We didn’t see anyone from our group as they all had to leave very early for Shannon Airport. GW is coming here on Saturday and the security has been heightened. People are being advised to arrive 5 hours before their flights to give time for the normal security measures and the additional road controls in effect. That means that the bus to the airport left the hotel at 5:30AM. We didn’t get up until 6AM so they were all gone before we were moving around.
After a very light breakfast, the hotel restaurant does not open until 7:30AM we got a taxi to the train station and were on the road, or rails to be more accurate. We are taking a commuter train to Limerick Junction where we will transfer to the more comfortable train to Dublin. We arrived a Dublin on time, about 1PM and took a taxi to the Irish Ferry terminal. Unfortunately the weather has been bad with very high winds and the ferry we were to take to Holyhead was cancelled. It was supposed to leave at 5:30PM. The next sailing was not until 9:45PM. I found out that the other ferry service to Holyhead, Stenna, has a boat leaving at 4:05PM but the terminal was about 10 miles away. It was only 2:30 so I figured we could make it and called for a taxi. I called 8 different taxi firms and no one would send a cab. I guess the word of my tipping generosity has not made it to Dublin. I was beginning to think we were doomed to sit in the Irish Ferry terminal for 7 hours when Diana ran in saying she had flagged down a cab at the front of the terminal. We hustled our bag out and jumped in. It was now 3PM and we had to check in at the Stenna line by 3:30PM. The cabby raced across town, pausing only at red lights and had us there by 3:25, just in time to check in and board the ship.
I expected the ride over to be very rough; since that was the reason the Irish Ferry had been cancelled. It was not. The boat moved a little but nothing violent and not really much roll. We arrived in Holyhead earlier than expected because the left on the earlier ferry and went to the Boathouse Hotel to check in. The Boathouse is rustic place we stayed in on the way over. This time we got a bigger room and that was nice, but it was still the same small double bed as the last room. Diana takes up a lot of space in a bed and I was left clinging to the edge like rock climber on a negative pitch face. I do like sleeping on the edge of the bed, seems to be cooler that way. I’m warm most of the time anyway. I couldn’t get the heat to work and it was only 64 degrees in the room so I went down to check on the problem. They said it was on a timer and would come on at 7:30PM. As it was 7:15 I figured it would be ok in a few minutes. At 7:45 it was still not on so I went down to the desk to check on it. There are no phones in the rooms, did I mention that the place is rustic? When I got there someone remembered that they had had a power outage the day before and that the timer clock might not be properly set. Sure enough when they reset the clock the heat came on. That made Diana happy. Thus endeth another exciting day of travel.
June 24 – Didn’t have to get up too early today, 7AM. We had breakfast at the hotel, took a taxi to the train station and boarded our Virgin train to Euston Station, London. They are serving a light breakfast on the train, cereal, toast, fruit and drinks. That’s it, it’s official, I am current again. As I am typing we are on our way to London. It’s somewhat ironic that while it was spring, the weather was sunny and warm unless we were at high altitudes. Ever since June 21, summer, it has been cold, windy and rainy and today is no exception so far. In addition to breakfast they come around offering snacks and refreshments every now and then. The biscuits (cookies to us) are good as are the other munchies. The only odd thing is the size of the soft drinks. They come in 3.5-ounce cans (above)! That’s not a huge glass (below) in fact it’s a small side water tumbler, it’s just that the can of cola is tiny. If you remember when Coca Cola came in the small 7.5-ounce pony bottles, this can holds less than half of that amount. They’ll give you as many as you’d like so I’m not sure of the economic benefits to Virgin of processing so many small cans. It would take 4 of these things to make a regular can of Coke.
Live update…. The train we were on got as far as Rugby, two hours from London and broke down. Fortunately we were in Rugby station and another train to London was arriving on the other side of the station. We got our baggage and sprinted across the platform just in time to continue our journey south. This new train originated in Chester and is much more modern rolling stock than the Holyhead train. In fact it seems quite new. It is certainly quieter and smoother than the last train. There are a lot of men in suits and ties on this train and most are reading the newspaper with the bored look of commuters. Seems very strange, as this is 1:35 in the afternoon. They all look quite professional and their suits have a Seville Row look to them; very posh, if you know what I mean. Sorry, the Brits are starting to rub off on me. The bottom line is that we are once again making good progress toward our goal.
The new train got us to London just a little later than the original one would have and we caught a taxi to our hotel, the Royal Garden - Kensington. It is definitely a nice hotel. The room is two level with the bedroom first, then a raised sitting area with love seat and chair (below). The TV is in between the two and swivels to be viewed from either place. Most importantly the air conditioning works great. We went across the street to a small Italian restaurant for dinner. I couldn’t pass up the bangers and mash, excellent. After that it was to bed.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - QM2 Transatlantic Crossing
Cunard's Queen Mary 2
June 25 – Well this is the big day; we’re headed for the Queen Mary 2 (above). Our breakfast is included in the room and is a full English breakfast, eggs, ham, Cumberland sausages, tomato, sautéed mushrooms, beans, and toast as well as a big buffet with fruit, yogurt, cereal, breads, cheese, meats, way more food than anyone could even sample.
Culinary Note: Both England and Ireland are proud to list certain breakfasts on their menus as “English” or “Irish” breakfasts. Of course, neither will ever list the other and that’s for two reasons. One, while they get along very well, they have a little bit of a love-hate relationship and it would be a breach of that concept to have an English breakfast on an Irish menu and vice versa. The second reason is probably the main one however, THEY ARE EXACTLY THE SAME BREAKFAST. If you discount the pint of Guinness that the Irish usually have with each meal there is no difference between the two and I love them both.
After breakfast we went downstairs to check out and wait for the transfer to Southampton. We left the hotel at 1:15PM and arrived at the pier at 3:40. We checked in and waited until about 4:30 to actually board the ship. This process was a little disappointing. Every other time we’ve boarded a ship we were greeted by staff onboard and one of the stewards took us to our cabin. Here, on the biggest cruise ship afloat, you just walk on board and there you are, left totally on your own, no one to ask for directions to your room much less to take you there. Fortunately I had studied the floor plan of the ship so I knew where the room was and how to get there, but a lot of people were just wondering around clueless with their carry-on luggage. Holland America would never let that happen. They want your first impression of a ship to be a happy, pleasant feeling. Not one of confusion and frustration. When we sailed on the QE2 they escorted you to your room also. I’m not sure what the deal is but my first impression is not good. I expect better from Cunard.
On the plus side the food at dinner was good, the dancers and singers in the show were excellent and I had no trouble connecting to the wireless network. My account with Cox is totally functional on this network so I may not use AOL to send reports anymore. However there is a chance I might because AOL compresses the attachments and that will make them faster to send and receive. The wireless network has to go through a satellite connection so it’s not all that fast. I’ll have to test it. We gain an hour almost every day as we cruise back across the Atlantic, 5 25-hour days with only one 24-hour day on Tuesday. Yikes, I could get used to that. See you in the morning.
June 26 – I got up at about 6AM and got laundry ready to go. The Self-service laundries don’t open until 7:30 but I stood outside the door starting at 7AM. We have built up a lot of laundry during the Irish tour and I wanted to be sure I got it all in. After I got the wash started I went up to breakfast. One of the four buffets was serving English breakfast. I only took eggs, mushrooms, Cumberland sausage and toast. I’ll never quite catch on to the beans at breakfast bit and I have to watch my tomato consumption. I think the acid gets to me.
This ship is BIG. I guess it would have to be; it’s the largest passenger liner afloat. It has four separate breakfast and lunch buffets and of course you can also eat in the dining room. Today the four buffets were Italian, Oriental, general (regular buffet style food) and sandwich. I don’t know if they will be the same every day. I ate at the Oriental but if you want to stand in 4 different lines you can get food from any or all of them. They are located in the four corners of a very large space. The space is broken up by partitions and seating areas so it can’t all be seen from any one place but they are not that far apart.
Whatever shortcomings the ship may have in the organizational sense, the staff, the décor and the entertainment are first rate. In general, the décor has a ‘Machine Age’ or ‘Art Deco/Nouveau’ look, recalling the grand age of cruising. It has just enough of a contemporary look to keep it from seeming campy. There is sculpture everywhere. Bathing beauties run in the surf outside the Deck 12 indoor pool (below) and a tapestry by Barbara Broekman showing the QM2 with the New York skyline as a backdrop and turn of the century bridge rigging in the foreground hangs on the forward bulkhead of the dining room (below). It’s entirely hand woven from a blend of Trevira CS and wool and measures almost 14 feet wide by 21 feet high. Two teams of 4 weavers each labored two shifts a day for nine months to complete it.
The Main Hall is lined by four relief sculptures representing the continents that the QM2 will likely sail to, North America (below), Africa, Europe and South America. Each has a little bit of subtle humor. In the North American mural you can find Homer Simpson watching TV included in the design features between the base of the Statue of Liberty and the Space Shuttle blasting off. You have to look a little to find it, but it’s there.
This theme is carried through in the Atrium of the Grand Lobby. The Queen Mary 2’s Atrium rises from Deck 2 to the Kings Court (buffet style restaurant) on Deck 7 a distance of about 70 feet. At the top of the Atrium, on the forward bulkhead, is a bronze relief by John McKenna. The bronze itself measures 21.5 feet wide by 23 feet wide and is about 40 feet above the Grand Lobby (below). It depicts the QM2 surrounded by the same continents as those depicted in the Main Hall, Europe, Africa and North and South America. There’s a clock in the upper left hand corner, right in the middle of Greenland.
But the biggest surprise is the lecturers. They are truly outstanding. They are Dr. Robert Lanbourne, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Institute of Physics, he teaches at Oxford University, he’s lecturing on astronomy; Jean Firstenberg, Director and CEO of the American Film Institute, she’s lecturing on the best 100 films of the first 100 years of American film and other film related topics; Phil Schaap, Curator of Jazz at the Lincoln Center and Professor at Princeton, holder of 8 Grammys, he’s lecturing on the history and enjoyment of jazz and Dr. John Simpson, Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford and editor of the Concise Oxford Dictionary Of Proverbs and The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang, he’s lecturing on the OED history, function and future. Contrary to what you might assume, he’s a very funny guy! I attended lectures by all four today and they were all interesting, informative and experts in their fields. I’ll probably attend the lectures of each one every day although I’m not sure about the astronomy. His presentation, while very well done, was pretty basic stuff. Tomorrow is discovering the sun and the planets and I’ve got those covered pretty well.
Formal evening tonight and my tux just got here from the cleaners so I’d better start getting ready. The dinner was very good. It looks like Diana and I have a table for 6 to ourselves. There are plenty of empty seats around so I don’t think the ship is near full. That’s fine with me. Diana and I can easily amuse ourselves so we really don’t need another couple at the table with us. Our waiter, Martin, from Poland, is always in formal wear (below) we get most nights off.
The show this evening was called “Rock @ the Opera”. They performed numbers from classic opera and modern opera; ‘La donna e mobile’ from Rigoletto to ‘Pinball Wizard’ from Tommy, and they were all well done both in song and dance. One of the men has a very strong voice, suited well to opera.
There are 12 dancers, 6 men and 6 women, plus four singers, again two of each. The dancers are very good, on average better than on Holland America, but they are not asked to sing at all. On HAL the two main dancers are as good as or better than these but the rest of the dancers on HAL have to sing also. As a group, the singers may be stronger here than HAL, but they are not asked to dance at all and even the main singers on HAL have to participate in the dance numbers. Again, the main singers on HAL compare well with the best of these. The main differences are that there are 50% more cast members on the QM2 and the stage is the most elaborate on any cruise ship. I don’t know which I prefer but I’m sure I’ll have an opinion by NY.
Another successful day at sea. The weather is not too bad, no sun but the sea is only moderate.
June 27 – Up early again. The lecturers I listed yesterday are all provided through an arrangement with Oxford University. Oxford recruits and organizes the speakers. They are doing a great job. Again today the presentations are first-rate. I like Firstenberg and Simpson the best but that may only be because their topics, American movies and the OED, are things I care about and find interesting. Tomorrow Carrie Fisher is going to speak before a showing of ‘Star Wars’ in the main showroom. She did the same thing for ‘Postcards from the Edge’ yesterday but I didn’t go. I refuse to see any movie with Shirley MacLane in it.
Today there was a special presentation by Terrance Hughes. He’s a director/producer of TV in Britain and the US and has won awards in both countries. He started out with the BBC and after being very successful there moved to the US and was also successful there. He produced and directed ‘The Golden Girls’ and ‘Third Rock from the Sun’ as well as several TV specials. His topic today was British TV Comedy. He had worked with almost everyone from Monty Python as writers and actors. He had some clips of shows and anecdotes to tell. It was very entertaining. One show from the BBC called ‘The Two Ronnies’ was hilarious. I wish it had made it to the States. Very language oriented humor in the clips he showed us. Might not do well in the colonies.
The entertainer this evening was violinist Doug Cameron. He played in various styles from Celtic to Country Western and was very good. Several of his songs features solos by members of the orchestra. They were excellent as well. The orchestra on the ship is large and excellent. It has a brass section, something Holland America has abandoned. It is greatly missed by the patrons and the performers, I suspect. The sound without brass is weak and empty. Trumpets and trombones fill the music out and support from below and give it power that can’t be duplicated by a keyboard. Dress was formal again tonight. Last time it will be required this trip.
June 28 – Today will only have 24 hours and I’m bummed. This is the only day on the crossing that we don’t set the clocks back an hour. I’ll just have to tough it out I guess.
Terry Hughes talked about directing and producing the Monty Python reunion concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Apparently when they agreed to get together for the 3-day event they wanted Hughes to be involved or they wouldn’t do it. He had a CD of the performance and he played clips in between telling stories about the Pythons and their history. It was a ripping good time.
The other lecturers were good as well. Firstenberg talked about recent graduates from the AFI Film Institute. She says it’s the Julliard of motion picture studies and I think she’s correct. It’s amazing the number of great films that the grads have produced. I discovered that I have seen 98 out of the 100 best films of the first 100 years. I’m only missing ‘Modern Times’ by Charlie Chaplin and ‘The Best Days of Our Lives’. The latter sounds familiar but I can’t think of who is in it or what the plot was. Next time I can do some research I’ll check it out. I may have seen it and don’t remember. I know I have not seen ‘Modern Times.’ I’ll have to finish the list ASAP.
Schaap talked about Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker and John ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie and the advent of Bebop. He says that these two guys together single-handedly changed the sound of jazz forever. He played clips of them from the early days when they played backup for pop singers and then their later stuff so we could see how the style of their small solos on the pop songs grew into a whole new sound for jazz.
Simpson talked about how a definition is crafted and the standards and process for getting a new on into the OED. They are very careful about new words and like to give them time to settle down for a few years before inclusion.
June 29 – Another day at sea and while it started out pretty foggy and dark, it cleared up nicely and we actually had sun and mild temps in the afternoon.
Once again the lecturers were very good. They held a little reception for those of us who had filled out evaluation forms for the presentations. They sent letters to our rooms inviting us to come and have a drink with the speakers. It was fun. Jean Firstenberg was there and I asked if AFI was going to try to bring the best 100 films series to Orange County. She said that she would be glad to if a venue could be found to show them. They are doing the series in Maryland and in Los Angeles and each showing is a sell out so the economic incentive is there for the theater operators but, according to her, Edwards has never been interested in showing them. I told her I would check into the situation and see if a venue couldn’t be found. I’m not sure what I’ve gotten into but I will try to scope things out when I get home. Maybe the Family Theater in Woodbridge would give up a screen now and then. This could turn out to be fun.
I’ve gotten myself ready for NYC. We’re renting a car to drive to PA and visit relatives. The ship will transfer us to Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. That’s where we will catch the Amtrak home on July 6th. I’ve rented the car for the PA trip very close to there so that is a good place to return the car to and catch the train. I’m hoping to leave at least two of our suitcases at a baggage check in the station for the PA trip. It will be a pain to deal with them for the whole time.
This is another 25-hour day and I’m loving it. We get another one tomorrow, then it’s the Big Apple. This will probably be the last report. I’m pretty sure that our PA travels will be even more boring than these last few days on the ship.
See y’all later.
June 30 – Ugh, the worst part of cruising, the final day onboard. You still have a whole day but you’re dreading the disembarkation procedures so much you can’t enjoy it. I did attend the jazz lecture, but the OED and the AFI people didn’t have one so I was bummed about that. I did go around the ship taking video and pictures (below). Diana posed with a painting of the two Queens, QM2 (r) and QE2 (l) arriving in New York. You can see the Statue of Liberty between the two ships. She also posed with the North America relief in the Main Hall standing next to the Statue of Liberty. It’s difficult to see but Homer Simpson and his TV are in the relief. He’s in the fire from the space shuttle blast off, just below the right half of the satellite dish.
In the library I discovered an elevator that goes between deck 6 and deck 11 on the outside of the ship. It literally hangs over the side. That was a great ride but too short so I rode it up and down a few times. It starts out on deck 6 where they have a promenade all around the outside deck. It doesn’t go all the way to the bow or the stern and it takes 3 laps to equal a mile.
There’s a young man on board who is bicycling from Norway, a city named A, to somewhere in Nebraska where there’s a city named B. He rode across Europe and then across England and is not headed to NY where he will ride to Detroit and then cross into Canada, coming back into the US and heading to Nebraska. Anyway today, in honor of his final day on the QM2 he’s running a marathon around the deck, a little over 78 laps. I saw him running when I was out at 9AM shooting some ship video. When Diana and I sat down to lunch at about 12:30 in the King’s Court at a window that allows you to see the promenade, there he was still running. That’s when curiosity got the best of me and I asked about him and got the scoop on his trip. He’s apparently raising money for a charity for sick children in the UK. Way to go!
It just dawned on me that I ate almost every lunch in the oriental area of the King’s Court. The food was good but they hold back on the spices to keep the average person happy, not enough ginger or chilies. They have very few chocolate deserts on the QM2. Several dinners there was not a chocolate desert on the menu and often at lunch, although there are three desert areas in the King’s Court, there would not be a chocolate desert or maybe only one. Their chocolate cake is very dry and not flavorful. They try to save it by having a very good icing but the texture of the cake is all wrong. The best desert I had all week was light chocolate mousse in a dark chocolate cup. That was excellent.
I spent the rest of the day lounging around. Amazingly Diana and I had our large suitcases packed and in the hall for pick up before dinner at 6PM. That was great because it left us free to enjoy dinner and the show without worrying about getting that job done. Tomorrow will be another hectic travel day. Off the ship in NYC, pick up rental car, somehow get all our luggage into said car and then drive out of NYC to Allentown. Could be easy, could be hard, you never know.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Diana in Room 6214 with Our Shipboard Gifts, Champagne & a $500 Shipboard Credit
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Barbara Broekman Tapestry, Britiania Dining Room
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Diana with the Statue of Liberty in the North American Sculpture
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - Back in the USA and Tour Wrap-Up
Diana with Two Queens - QM2 on the right and QE2 on the left
July 1 – Up and at ‘em early this AM. We’re supposed to get off the ship at 8:45. At 7AM we were in a huge line to see immigration. Now you have to remember that this ship is over 300 yards long. We went down the C staircase, that’s about three quarters of the way back from the bow. When we got to deck 2 we found ourselves in a big crowd, on one side headed aft, on the other side headed forward. This was the line for immigration. The end of the line was at the atrium, which is about one third of the way back from the bow. If you consider that the room where the immigration officers were located is the most forward room on the ship and the line went from there all the way aft to C staircase and then back again to the atrium, the line was actually longer than the ship. Yikes. One reason not to like big ships for sure.
We eventually worked our way up to the front and had our passports stamped by a very bored looking immigration officer. We are not over our customs limit so we don’t have to see Custom’s smiling faces so it’s off to breakfast.
Here’s where the day started to go really wrong. After breakfast you have to vacate your room by 8:30. Not really a problem if you’re getting off the ship at 8:45. So we went down and retrieved our hand luggage from the room and reported to our designated location for disembarkation. When we got to the upper level of the show room it was packed. With all the luggage and people it was impossible to get in so we figured we’d just wait outside until our number was called. Well, to make a long story short, 9:45 rolls around, 10:45 rolls around and we’re still standing there. Finally at about 11AM our number is called so we go into the terminal, claim our luggage, grab a longshoreman and head for the exit.
Once we were out of the terminal we asked for directions to the Penn Station bus and are told it is further down the line. On arriving there we find some passengers in a conversation with the driver and overhear that he doesn’t think he’s going to Penn Station. Someone who appeared to be coordinating the busses assures us that he is, but she doesn’t talk to him directly. Finally I tell her that I’m convinced that he’s going and she seems to be convinced he’s going, but it appears that the driver is still unsure. With this provocation she finally goes over to talk to the driver. A lengthy discussion ensues during which he is finally convinced that he has been hired to go to Penn Station. Ah, New Yorkers, what a treat!!
After all this he informs us that he can’t take all of us and there’s another bus further down the line that also goes to Penn Station. Since I still wasn’t convinced that he’d actually go to Penn Station, this was sweet music to my ears. Unfortunately our longshoreman was long gone and we have more luggage than we can deal with on our own in one trip. Finally we drag all the LUGgage down to the next bus and it is loaded without much hassle. I begin to relax. One corollary to Murphy’s famous, ‘If something can go wrong, it will go wrong.’ law is; ‘If you carefully examine any situation and nothing seems to be going wrong, you’ve overlooked something.’ Well, I should have remembered that before relaxing.
Thus, the relaxation was a little premature on my part. It seems that this bus is going to the Port Authority Building first, Grand Central Station second and finally Penn Station. The Port Authority is very close by and although afternoon traffic is terrible in NYC we arrive without too much trouble. Problem is the driver doesn’t know where to drop the people off. (I’m beginning to get suspicious and a lot less relaxed.) Finally he pulls under the terminal and drops them off in the middle of nowhere. He pulls a bunch of luggage out from under the bus and asks the lady if they have all their luggage and she says yes. (I’m observing this closely out my window because I don’t trust the driver much anymore.) What he really should have asked is if all the luggage he got out was hers because the answer to that was NO! As he begins to pull away, the lady starts waving and shouting, he’s going to ignore her but we all call his attention to her and he stops and opens the door. She says there are two suitcases on the sidewalk that are not, in fact, hers. Whereupon the couple in front of me says, ‘Those are ours!!!’ The driver puts them back under the bus and off we go, next stop Grand Central.
Now the traffic is really bad so the going is very slow. Grand Central Station is a landmark in NYC. It’s a machine age structure built during the height of train travel and it’s gorgeous inside. The driver goes right past it. One of the passengers in the very front seat has a map that he gives the driver and with the passenger’s help we drive way out of our way to get back to the station. (Now my confidence I the driver is completely shaken and I am anything but relaxed.) Finally he gets back to the station and drops off the people going there.
Now we’re on the way to Penn Station. Apparently this is the one thing in NYC he actually knows how to find. Traffic is worse and it takes forever but we do finally get there. I should have mentioned that there are police everywhere, way more than usual. He drops us off on 31st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues. Our car rental agency is on 34th St. between the same two avenues so we have 4 blocks to walk with more luggage than we can handle in one trip. Diana looks around at all the police cars and all the police persons in the area and tells me she feels safe enough there for me to take some of the luggage and walk to get the car and come back for her and the luggage. I don’t like the idea much but I don’t see a better solution so off I go.
Renting the car is the first thing that has gone entirely right this AM other than breakfast. Now the trick is getting back to Diana. This would be normally be easy, but the rental car lady has informed me that the entire city is on heightened alert because of the July 4th holiday coming up. She says they might not let a private car on the street where the bus dropped us off. Great news!! I set out on the journey of Don Quixote looking for my windmill, the only thing I’m missing is Sancho Panza and she’s waiting for me on 31st St. I head north on 8th Avenue because that’s the only way you can go, looking for a place to turn east. The first street is one-way the wrong direction, the traffic controller at the next street, a stern looking black woman, will not let me turn east and so of course the next street is one-way the wrong way too. At 36th Street I turn east while the traffic director is busy scolding a truck driver for blocking part of the intersection and head for 7th Avenue to turn south. This is no problem as there is no traffic director there. Well almost no problem.
Side Note: For those of you who’ve never driven in NYC and may someday, here’s some valuable information. Trucks, taxis, busses, bicyclists, rollerbladers and pedestrians all treat private cars with no respect whatsoever. You will sit, locked in place forever if you are not very aggressive. To be aggressive is not to be overly pushy or reckless. It’s a subtle thing that, coupled with a quick accelerator foot and finesse on the brakes, combines to get you where you’re going. Fortunately, having grown up in eastern PA I have a lot of experience with NY drivers. Here’s one basic secret that will help you a lot. Use your peripheral vision to look at almost everything. They all watch you closely and if they see you look at them you’re dead because they know you’ll stop or give way to avoid a collision. So you look straight ahead, they think you don’t see them, and not being completely stupid, they don’t challenge you for the space. Works miracles! Listen to Yoda, Luke. Use the force! Remember, I’m a sixth degree black belt in city driving. As you will recall, I’m the guy who rents cars in large cities like Rome and London just to mix it up with the locals. I love it as long as I’m not looking for street signs on streets that change names every 3 blocks and are poorly marked, like Rome.
Several Taxis were vying for the same space, but using a rollerblader in a basketball pick move I beat them all to it. Now I’m headed south on 7th Ave. and looking for 31st Street. When I get back police cars have surround the entire Penn Station. There were lots there when I left and there are 10 times more now. When I got to 31st there was a mobile command center set up on the corner. As I turned west on 31st I waived to the cop on the corner and he waived back. Phew, I thought I was going to have trouble there. In the area where I left Diana there are about 20 police cars with one empty space next to them so I pulled in there. While I walked back to where Diana was waiting I spoke to every cop I passed. They were all friendly and seemed fairly happy. I think most of them were on overtime because of the alert.
We loaded the luggage and were off through the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River and across New Jersey to Allentown, Pa., my birthplace. We checked into the hotel, had dinner at the Waffle House and called it a day. Have I mentioned that I ‘Love NY’! It’s the challenge of the place that I appreciate.
Traveler’s Note: This has been a tremendously enjoyable trip and I have all ready mentioned the contribution that Joe Calwell and his European Experience tour made to that. But Grace Easley of Cruise Specialists, Inc. in Seattle made a much larger overall contribution to this trip. She took care of all the details of the Holland America Line cruises and the Cunard trip home. She also booked the Trafalgar tour of Ireland. We have been cruising for 23 years and have been with Grace for the last 10 years during which we have done over 80% of our cruising. She is knowledgeable, efficient and very thorough. ‘Why would you have a travel agent in Seattle when you live in Southern California?’, you ask. Service and Price is the answer. Grace can be contacted at the following url: http://www.csiseattle.com/index.htm. She and the rest of Janet Lanterman’s staff at CSI will exceed your travel expectations.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - The Pennsylvania Connection
Colonial Fieldstone House
July 2 – Today is Friday and after a breakfast of ham and cheese omelet with a side of scrapple we started calling relatives. Darrell, no answer, Dustin, got Betty Ann and they’re tied up the whole weekend, Bobby, he’s involved with Rose’s surprise birthday party and has relatives of hers coming in from out of town. Fred, he’s sick and can’t have visitors. Aunt Irma, my mom’s youngest sister, is home and ready to see us so we headed over to see her. On the way we did some shopping and visited my old grade school, my old house on Crestline Ave, the Laible farm and my cousin Richard and his wife Violet. His father, my Uncle Warren is still alive and will be 97 this week. He lived in his own home until just a year or so ago. Now he’s in a retirement home and is not very well. It’s odd that out of the nine children in my mother’s family only the oldest, Warren, the youngest, Irma and my Aunt Mildred are still alive. Mildred is the middle child. So the book ends and the average are still with us.
We stopped my by Great-grandfather George Moyer’s house on Emmaus Ave (above). It’s a Colonial era fieldstone house which means it was built by the farmer with stone he collected while clearing his land for cultivation. This accounts for the variety of colors in the stone you see in the house on the left. There are some structures in his yard that I have always fascinated me. They are sculptures and small buildings constructed from mortar and small river rocks. There are several houses, a church (which can be seen between the two bushes in the lower right of the picture above and the picture below) a moon with a star suspended from it and a large heart. During the depression an itinerant artist came through the area and George paid him to build these structures to allow him to earn some cash. Apparently the artist knew a good thing when he saw it because he made several visits building one of the structures each trip. They have been standing in the yard since the early 1930s with very little care. As a youngster I used to love to play around them.
We got to Irma’s and after visiting for a while we convinced her to go out to dinner with us at the Bethlehem Diner. It was a lot of fun and she had crab cakes which she loves. Then we went back to her home and played Flinch and Racko until Diana was turning into a pumpkin and we headed back to our hotel.
July 3 – Got up this morning and went back to the Bethlehem Diner for more scrapple, this time with SOS, which for the non-military among you is creamed chipped beef on toast (actually made with hamburger by most military kitchens, which, by some perversity of nature, is actually better than the version made with the much more expensive chipped beef). If you want to know what the anagram SOS stands for in the culinary milieu, find a veteran and ask. Any veteran from Vietnam or before will know exactly what it stands for, he may not tell you, but he will know. After breakfast we went back to the hotel with the intention of calling our folks using my cell phone because there are no long distance charges on the weekend. I was just getting ready to call when I had to go to the bathroom. Sorry if this is all too graphic for some of you. I had just flushed the toilet and was getting my phone out to check the battery charge when it slipped out of my hand like a bar of wet soap and flew up, over and directly into the swirling toilet. I was so stunned that I was frozen for a moment and that was all it took for the phone to take one lap of the toilet bowl and go directly down the drain. I immediately went to the desk to ask the maintenance man to come see if he could get it out.
When I arrived back at the room the phone had floated part way up and the antenna was sticking a little out of the drain so I reached in and pulled the phone out. It was completely shorted out and dead for sure. Diana insisted that I dry it out with her hair dryer but I knew it was no use. I went through the motions anyway and sure enough it was dead. In fact the LCD screen inside the phone looked a little like an aquarium with water bubbles on the face.
We wanted to do some laundry so I dropped Diana off at the Laundromat and went down to the Verizon store. After some negotiation I wound up with an updated phone at a good price. They couldn’t recover the phone book from the drowned phone so I’ll have to enter all those numbers again. Oh well, what else have I got to do for three days on the train.
Just when I got back to the Laundromat I heard this weird ringing. After a moment or two I realized that it was my new phone. It was Darrell asking if we could come visit as they would be home all day. That’s exactly what we did. Visiting with Darrell and Connie after spending yesterday with Aunt Irma makes me wonder if I shouldn’t have returned to Pennsylvania after leaving the Air Force. Back in 1972 when I graduated from California State University, Long Beach, the problem was jobs. Eastern Pennsylvania was in the early stages of a two-decade long period of decline. All the major employers (ex. Bethlehem Steel and Mack Truck) were shrinking rapidly or moving out of state. Stable employment was very hard to find, especially for those just entering the job market. Since I found a good job in California it was just too easy to stay there. I often wonder how things would have worked out if I had gone back.
Historical Note: Most of you don’t know that Darrell and I are ‘double cousins’. That is, his mother was my mother’s sister and his father was my father’s brother. Darrell and I are cousins on both sides of the family. He has always been my favorite cousin and I really enjoy spending time with him. We grew up next door neighbors, both of our fathers left home before we were 6, both of our mothers worked for pennies in a garment industry sweat shop to support us and when my mom died while I was in high school I lived with Irma and Darrell until I graduated. In short, I have a special affection for both of them that I have probably not adequately expressed to either; a shortcoming and oversight that I must correct as soon as possible. Writing this has made that very clear to me.
We went to Hellertown to have steak sandwiches at Matey’s. They were great! Philly’s Best, a chain of steak shops in SoCal has allowed me to satisfy my yen for steak sandwiches in California. Something I couldn’t do for the first 20 years I lived there. They’ve invited us back over tomorrow for dinner and fireworks.
July 4 – Up early and to breakfast, scrapple with ham and cheese again. Then over to pick up Irma for church. Central Assembly of God is the successor church to the Gospel Tabernacle that I attended as a child on 4th street in Bethlehem. It’s a good church with nice people but the emphasis on feeling instead of growing puts me off a bit. I do enjoy the services when I go there though. After church we went home to change and call our parents for the first time in 3 months. Everyone seemed to be doing pretty well but as they are all over 80 some issues do arise from time to time.
We went back to Irma’s; picked her up and headed for Darrell’s to visit. We had lunch and then played some games and headed over to Bethlehem to see the Sand Island fireworks. They were very nice and lasted about 20 minutes. We had a good view point on top of a hill over behind the Bethlehem Steel headquarters. After that we headed to ‘The Cup’, an ice cream parlor that has been in Bethlehem for over 70 years, for some après fireworks treats. (Now that I’ve been to Europe, I’ve got to sprinkle my writing with foreign words.) Then it was back to Irma’s to take her home and off to our hotel.
July 5 – Up and to breakfast at about 10AM then to the local shopping center to see if I can find some razor parts I need for my electric. No luck. Then over to Darrell’s to visit for the day. This is great!! Matt and Anna, their eldest son and daughter-in-law came by to show us the plans Matt has made for the house they want to build. Matt is a landscape architect by training and has designed and drawn the plans for a beautiful home. He had a licensed architect go over them to make sure he wouldn’t have any problems with the authorities. It’s a nice design and is very big. He’s going to act as his own general contractor and has already put the plans out for bids and calculated the approximate cost of construction. They are having a meeting with a mortgage specialist today to arrange financing for construction. My Cousin Freddy and Jean came by and Uncle Bobby, Darrell’s dad, too. All in all it was a good day of visiting.
Now we are packing for the train ride home. Yikes, what a pain. Diana acquires pictorial guide books of the places and things we visit. They are always printed on slick paper that is very heavy. I’m sure we have at least 50 pounds of books in the suitcases. I’ve tried several times to get her to let me ship some of them home but she won’t do it. I’m glad she buys them because they are a wonderful reference and reminder of all the things we’ve seen. I just wish there was some way to get them home besides carrying them in our luggage.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - New York City, Part Two
Diana and the Southwest Chief
July 6 – Today we drive back to NYC to catch the train to Fullerton. We’re up at 8AM to get to breakfast because I want to be on the road by 9:30. Breakfast was at the Bethlehem Diner and my last serving of scrapple for the foreseeable future. Then it’s east on 22, south on 33 and east on 78 right into the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River and on to Manhattan Island just about in the middle of Soho. Then north on 9A through Greenwich Village and Chelsea to 34th St. where I have to drop off the car. Diana wanted me to let her off on 31st at the same place I picked her up when we left the city so I did. I returned the car and on the way back to 31st I got a Redcap to help us with all the luggage.
This is where I got the bad news of the day (BNOTD). As he loaded the suitcases onto the cart he said, ‘Amtrak is going to make you take some stuff out of these bags because they have a new 50 pound limit.’ This came as a surprise to me. They have always let you have 75 pounds in a suitcase; you just had to pay $10 extra if the bag was over 50 pounds. I was hoping that he was wrong but he was not. When we got to the baggage check the man told us to put each suitcase on the scale and because each was over 50 pounds we had to open them up and remove some items. They sell you shipping boxes for $2 each to put the items in and as we only needed two boxes we didn’t have to pay any freight because we are allowed to check 3 items each and we only had 3 suitcases and the 2 boxes.
Under the old rules I would have had to pay them $30 because the suitcases were over 50 pounds. Under the new rules I had to give them $4 for the two boxes and nothing for shipping. If the boxes cost them $1 each, they made $2 under the new system, so it’s a net loss to them of $28. I guess it’s a concession to political correctness. The new rules allow them to hire weaker (read female) baggage handlers. (Sorry if that’s hard to take, but it’s true.) I can tell you that Diana was not happy with the situation. She spent a lot of time last night repacking the suitcases just right. Then today she has to open them up and repack them on the fly in the middle of Penn Station. Ouch!!
The Lakeshore Limited left on time and the trip to Chicago was uneventful. It only takes about 18 hours. The rolling stock was in good shape and we spent a comfortable night on the train.
July 7 – We arrived in Chicago at about 10AM and the Southwest Chief doesn’t leave until 2:55PM so we have a few hours to kill. We went and had lunch and then settled in the Metropolitan Lounge to listen to an audio book. This is when we got the BNOTD. Our train is having technical problems and will not leave on time. In fact, we left Chicago 3 hours late! Not an auspicious start for the last leg of our journey. The car we’re in is the oldest type of Superliner but seems to be in good shape mechanically. The air conditioning is functional, and that’s a good thing.
The night passed pretty quickly as I was tired and slept well.
July 8 – We spend the entire day on the train today. I wake up early and Diana sleeps in. This is not usually a problem on the ship or in a hotel as I can amuse myself with other activities. Here on the train, however, it’s a real challenge. I really don’t like the lounge car but there’s no place else to go. I found that I could take my part of the bed apart and set the seats up. This allows me to look out the window and play solitaire. Since that’s what I usually do when I’m on the train alone it’s a very satisfactory arrangement. I do like to eat breakfast early. On the ship I can eat early and then sit with Diana as she eats later. But the limited seating in the train’s diner will not accommodate that plan so I wait for Diana to go to breakfast. That works out well, as I do like us to have breakfast together.
The rest of the day is spent reading, listening to talking books, playing cards and looking out the window. The time passes so much faster when we are traveling together. We made up some time overnight and are now about two and a quarter hours behind schedule. Unfortunately it’s the western most half of the trip that usually causes the delays. Often we make it to New Mexico still on time and then arrive into Fullerton 3-6 hours late.
We made it to Lamy, NM still running about two hours late and then we got the BNOTD. The train’s whistle was broken. I know you are laughing at this point but I must tell you that that’s a serious problem for a train. If you can’t sound your whistle at RR crossings, the train must stop; the fireman must get down from the engine and escort the train across the road by walking in front of the engine and watching for traffic, sort of like a school crossing guard. (This is a fairly funny picture in itself.) There are hundreds of crossings between Lamy and LA. It would take forever. The good news is that we have three engines; the bad news is that the engineer can only sound the whistle on the one in front. So…we sit in the train, with the engine disconnected (this means there is no power, therefore no air conditioning and it’s at least 98 degrees in the high NM desert) for almost an hour while they drive the engine gang to a place in the track where they can switch the second engine with the first because the whistle on the second engine works fine but there’s no way to sound it from the cab of the first engine. We couldn’t get out of the train where we were stopped as there were tracks on both sides and the safety rules prohibit discharge of passengers under those circumstances.
Once the engines are switched and reconnected to the cars, power is restored. Of course, the cars have gotten so heated that the poor air conditioner can’t make a dent in the heat for hours but at least we’re moving again but now three and a half hours late.
July 9 – Up early again as we are due into Fullerton at 6:44AM and there’s no way to know how much time we will make up over night, often much more time is lost. Good news, we did not loose much more time and are scheduled to arrive in FUL near 11AM and that gives us plenty of time to eat breakfast. Yippie!! Breakfast on the train is the best meal, lunch is not bad and dinner is variable. We did arrive at 11AM and all our luggage, including the two boxes we packed on the fly in Penn Station arrived also. After a short, uneventful taxi ride we arrived at the starting point for our adventure, our home in Irvine. Glad to have gone, but glad to be home, thankful for a safe and wonderful trip.
To see some additional pictures from the trip click this link: http://r-d-europe-pic1.blogspot.com/
© 2004 Rod Longenberger
Friday, October 15, 2004
Europe 2004 - From London to Ennis, Ireland
Virgin Train, London to Holyhead
June 12 – Today is a traveling day. We’re up early to go to the Paris Nord train station to catch the Eurostar train through the Chunnel under the English Channel to go to London. This train can travel at 160 mph and only makes one stop, in northern France, before arriving in London in 3 hours and 15 minutes. The check in procedure is a lot like at the airport. All your bags are screened. Unfortunately, they do not have checked baggage so we have to wheel our 3 large and 3 small suitcases through the terminal. I got a baggage cart and most of the fit on that. First you go through the check in procedure with the train. Then 20 feet later you go through French immigration. Then 20 feet later you go through British immigration. The French were very business-like and stamped our passports for the first time this entire trip. The British officer saw Diana’s Canadian flag pin and said, ‘Ah, Canadian passports!’ Of course, Diana’s passport is USA so she had to explain how the Canadian assumption gets her better prices in those situations where you bargain for tourist items. He thought that was hilarious and stamped us into the UK.
The train ride was very fast and very smooth. They served lunch and it was very good for vehicle food. The trip under the channel took only about 20 minutes and it seemed much shorter. Hard to believe that you can cross the English Channel underwater.
When we arrived in London the first thing I had to do was hit an ATM. The UK is not on the Euro so I needed some Pounds Sterling. Then we caught a taxi to the Royal Garden Kensington Hotel to drop off the two large suitcases we don’t need for the Irish bus tour. We got a very nice cab driver who agreed to wait at the hotel during the bag transfer and then take us to Euston Station for the train to Holyhead, Wales where we catch the Irish Ferry to Dublin. The concierge at the hotel had purchased the British and Irish train tickets for me as you can’t buy them more than 45 days in advance and we left the US long before they were available. He had the British tickets there for me to pick up and we were off to the station.
The train to Holyhead (avobe) is not a fancy train like the Eurostar but the cars were in good shape and it ran on time. The rail operator on that line is Virgin, Inc., the same people who own Virgin Airlines and Virgin Records. So we were riding on a Virgin train (below). The Welsh have a preoccupation with dragons as is evidenced by the train station sign below. Again, a smooth trip getting us into Holyhead about 10:30PM. Just after sunset in this area. We stayed overnight in the Boathouse Hotel. To say it was rustic is to understate the case but we got there late and left early so it didn’t matter.
June 13 – Up early again to catch the Jonathan Swift, the Irish fast ferry from Holyhead to Dublin. We boarded after going through Irish immigration and we were on our way. Ireland is in the EU so we’re back on the Euro as soon as we get on the ship. The trip across to Dublin is only about 2 and a half hours, just barely enough time to get settled.
When we arrived in Dublin there were people everywhere. The cabby told us that there was a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert last night and everyone is still here. Plus, it’s the celebration of Bloom day. It seems that James Joyce ‘Ulysses’ main character, Leopold Bloom made his journey around Dublin 100 years ago on the 16th of this month and they decided to celebrate that today. When we arrived at Hueston station, not to be confused with Euston Station in London, there were crowds of people there waiting for the train to Cork. This is the train we are on as well. Fortunately we had reserved seats because the train is packed. In fact, the conductor authorized us to have a refund on the upgrade to reserved because the train was overcrowded and we didn’t get the meal we should have had. The train is rather poorly maintained. The air conditioning wasn’t working and, with the crowd in the car, it was very hot. In Limerick Junction we transferred from the Cork train to a local commuter type train to go to Ennis. That train was almost empty, had good equipment and was cool.
We arrived in Ennis exhausted and checked into the hotel to rest up. We at dinner at the hotel and I could not believe the quantity of food they served us. The main course was not overwhelming but it was big and the side dishes were huge. I got a large serving plate piled high with fries and Diana got a large plate with ice cream scoops of mashed potatoes, a pile of carrots and about half a head of broccoli. After dinner we just rested in the room for the evening.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Diana on the Virgin Train - London to Holyhead
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - Ennis, Ireland
O'Connell St., Ennis Ireland
June 14 – Today we are waiting for the rest of our Trafalgar tour of Ireland to arrive. We have built up so much laundry that we need to find a place to get it done. The hotel will do it but one pair of trousers will cost 6 Euro. That’s about $8 and we have a LOT of laundry. I found a place called the White Knight in the phone book listed as a Launderette. I called them and it is not a self-service place like the US but a man there will do the laundry for 6 Euro a washer full. We took a taxi over, delivered our things to him, and went on a walking tour of Ennis. It’s a nice downtown. The streets are narrow but they’ve made them all one way so that’s not a problem. This is just in the old downtown area. O’Connell Street (the main street in town) leads to a small central plaza with a column and statue of Daniel O’Connell (below) where I sat while Diana shopped.
Historical Note: You will hear and see a lot about Daniel O’Connell in Ireland. The main street in Dublin is also O’Connell Street. Statues commemorating him abound. Daniel was born in 1775 and was adopted by a wealthy Catholic Uncle. He was educated on mainland Europe and eventually became a prominent lawyer. He opposed violent revolution and favored achieving Irish independence by legal means. He was eventually elected to parliament but because he would not take an anti-Catholic oath was denied his seat in Westminster. The next year the government finally conceded Catholic emancipation and he became a prominent figure in the government and a tireless worker for repeal of the anti-Catholic laws. He is largely viewed as the George Washington of Ireland.
Pretty soon a man, Paddy believe it or not, sat down with me and we started talking about Ireland, Ennis, the US and all sorts of things. The Irish are nothing if not friendly. Soon we were joined by 3 young schoolgirls, 15-16. They’re having exams now and these particular girls didn’t have an exam today. So Paddy tells them that I’m a cousin of GW and they actually believed him. I tried to deny it but that just made them believe it more. Apparently later this month ‘The Pres’ is visiting Ireland and Paddy’s story was that I was an advance man checking on places that could be made secure enough for GW to visit. That sealed it. No matter how I tried to get the truth across, the girls became more and more convinced that I was GWs cousin. They had their picture taken with me and people were shaking my hand. GW is not as unpopular over here as the media would have us believe.
A little later two women in their 30s came and sat by the column. They were talking and didn’t seem to be having a problem until, suddenly; one woman started screaming at the other. Apparently the other woman has accused her daughter of ‘strolling the catwalk’. This is apparently Irish slang for being a hooker. They were yelling at each other. One accusing, the other denying. Finally they got up to leave and I started to breathe a little easier. Just that quickly, on the sidewalk right in front of me, the mother takes a swing at the other woman and the donnybrook began. There were slaps, punches, hair pulling, pushing and general bad language all over the place. Soon the daughter in question, looked about 17, came back and tried to break the women up. No luck. These were no lightweights and they each had a pretty good grip on the other’s hair. Finally a truce was called. The mother lost a big hunk of her hair and the other woman had a bloody nose. They walked off and order was restored. Paddy tells me they’re ‘traveling people’. That’s the Irish polite way of referring to Gypsies.
When Diana came back I tried to tell her all this and she wouldn’t believe me so I let it drop. We walked back to the laundry and after paying 18 Euro, the cost to launder three pairs of pants at the hotel, for the entire batch we walked to the corner to catch a cab back to the hotel. After we settled in the cab the driver asked if we were enjoying ourselves and I said that the weather was sure good and so was the entertainment in the main square. And he says, ‘Oh, you mean the dustup between the two women?’ I thought Diana was going to choke. The cab driver already knew about it and it had only happened about 30 minutes before. Turns out he was waiting in his cab at a cabstand just down the street and saw the whole thing. When we got back to the hotel an armored car was there picking up the deposit. As we passed the guard in the hall he asked if we were having a good day and Diana said, ‘Yes we are and my husband saw some free entertainment on the square. To which he says, ‘The catfight earlier today?’ I couldn’t believe it. He knew about it too. Wow, this is a smaller town than I thought.
In the middle of the afternoon our guide, Liam, offered us the use of Billy, our coach commander, and the coach for a trip into Ennis for some sightseeing. Since Diana and I are well rested we joined a few other very sturdy new arrivals for a ride into town.
The square was not as busy as during my first trip. Not a single person was sitting on the statue. I think it is late enough in the day that it’s respectable to be seen in a pub. Speaking of pubs, there are plenty here in this little town. About every 5th business is a pub. I guess the local populace likes to dine out! From the square I could hear some a cappella traditional Irish singing. I wondered down a small street and found two boys, about age 12, sitting on an electrical service box (below) singing two-part close harmony. They were very good and I have some video of them singing.
After returning to the hotel we met the rest of our tour and had dinner together in the hotel. There are several Pennsylvanians, some Floridians, Californians, Australians, South Carolinians, Washingtonians, New Yorkers and assorted others. Seems like a friendly group. Three sisters are traveling together, a couple with their two daughters and assorted couples and singles. It turns out that the sisters were also on the square when the fight broke out and saw it too. Small world.
After dinner it was to bed. We want to be ready for the tour tomorrow.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
O'Halleran's Pub and Hal Pino's Restaurant - Ennis
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - Ennis to Killarney
Bunratty Castle
June 15 – Today we are up early to travel to Killarney. On the way we will stop a Bunratty Castle, The Irish Folk Park, Adare and finally Killarney where we stay two nights.
Bunratty Castle (above) is a well preserved medieval castle that until recently was still used partly as a residence. The Irish Folk Park next door recently acquired it and tours are given as part of the entry to the park. The guide gave us a presentation in the entry hall and the great hall, where the local lord used to conduct business. Then we were free to climb any of the 4 corner towers and go through the rest of the castle on our own. They did provide a floor plan to help you find your way. I climbed 3 of the towers and that was enough for me. The stairwells are very narrow and have a steep, tight, clockwise spiral. Made them easier to defend as the person in the higher position can use his right hand easily whereas the person coming up the stairs is blocked on the right side by the center of the stairs. Just going up them unarmed and unopposed is a messy proposition. Coming down, on the other hand, was much more natural to the body. I would hate to fight my way up one of those with a sword, even if I was left-handed. The guy on the top has too much advantage.
The castle was built in the early 1400's by the McNamara family and is the 5th structure to be built on this site. The first was a Viking fortified settlement founded in 970, followed in 1270 by a Norman Castle, the first stone structure on the site. Admiral Penn, father of William Penn (my hero the founder of Pennsylvania), resided here for a short time in the 1700s.
The folk park is an interesting place. It’s a little like Williamsburg, VA. They have assembled a group of old Irish structures and made a little community of them. Those next to the castle are the oldest. Traditional farmers house (below), weavers, blacksmiths’ buildings, all very much livable today. Each had a peat fire burning on the hearth. Peat has a distinctive smell that, while not unpleasant, could get on your nerves after a while because everything smells like peat. It doesn’t really burn, it sort of smolders like charcoal, but much more smoke.
At the opposite end of the park from the castle they have assembled a seventeenth century village. Homes, stores (below), a school, a church and two mills are grouped around a main street. The church and mills are a little way from the village, perhaps a few hundred yards. It was very well maintained and gave you a feel for a small town of the time. Just outside town was a small farm where crops were actually planted in the fields. A woman was in the field working. It reminded me of my grandmother’s farm in PA, only this one was much smaller. One confusing thing I saw looked like a beehive shaped house set up on 7 2 foot high, mushroom shaped stone pillars, six in a circle and one in the middle (below). I couldn’t find an entrance of any kind. Apparently the Irish in the seventeenth century made very elaborate haystacks, with a sort of thatched roof to keep them dry. An employee of the park confirmed my guess. I’ll include a picture. It looks like a home to me, there’s just no way inside because it’s not hollow.
Next it was on to Limerick where we saw King John’s Castle and a church with many very ornately carved burial crypts. One of the headstones in the graveyard was a very nicely executed Celtic cross (below). Many of the headstones are in this form, but this one was the best I’ve seen.
Then it was on to the seaside town of Adare for lunch. Adare has many thatched roof homes (below) that are still in use. They are becoming rare because of insurance costs and the fact that so few people can thatch a room that it’s getting very expensive. The Dutch windmill owner outside Amsterdam told us that it cost him 50,000 Euro to have his windmill thatched last year. That’s about $60,000. Apparently it’s the same in Ireland.
After lunch we headed to Killarney and checked into our hotel. Yea!! It has air conditioning!!!
Meteorological Note: The locals tell me this is the best spring and early summer anyone can remember. Enough rain to keep things green but no big storms and warm temps. Everyone is telling us how lucky we are and I believe them.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
19th Century Irish Street & General Store
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - Ring of Kerry
Ross Castle, Killarney
June 16 – Today we drive the famous Ring of Kerry. It’s a circular drive around the peninsula that goes through some spectacular country. The weather in this area is notoriously stormy and everyone I’ve talked to about the Ring says they saw it in the clouds and rain.
The day is starting out very clear and sunny so the outlook is good. Our first stop is Ross Castle (above). It’s on the shore of one of the Killarney Lakes and is complete with a wall and corner towers. Many castles in this area are just what would usually be referred to as the keep of a castle with no surrounding wall or towers. This one is more what we think of as a castle. It was started in the 1500s and expanded until the 1800s. The part we see today is mostly the original structure from the 1500s, keep, wall and towers.
Our next stop was an overlook point for the Killarney Lakes (below). It’s gorgeous!! Everything is so green. They say there are 40 shades of green in Ireland and I believe it. After that we stopped for photos overlooking Dingle Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. And then we had a lunch stop in Waterville (below). Diana and I ate in a little fish and chips shop. It was delicious. The town is small and right on Ballenskelling Bay, very picturesque. In the town center is a statue of Charlie Chaplin as the ‘Little Tramp’. Apparently he and his family used to visit here every year in the summer. Two of his daughters still own homes in the area. Geraldine’s house is right in town on the bay side of the main street.
After lunch we continued our drive around the Ring of Kerry. The scenery was outstanding (below). The mountains, streams, lakes, seaside cliffs and the ocean created panorama after panorama until your senses were overwhelmed. And the weather held up, cloudy at times with a few sprinkles, but mostly sunny. Unfortunately, the sun produced a haze that made it hard to get a good pic of the vistas.
Fashion Note: I don’t believe any girl over here over 10 and under 50 has any slacks and blouses that meet in the middle. Low-rise pants are definitely the order of the day. Even their sweats are hip huggers. Maybe it’s that way in the states too, but I just don’t notice it.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - Cork, Blarney and Waterford
Macroom Castle - Cork, Ireland
June 17 – Today we are traveling to Waterford, of crystal fame. We’re going to tour the factory and get a presentation on the history of the firm.
Our first stop, however, was at Macroom Castle (above) in Cork, the ancestral home of William Penn the original founder of the Pennsylvania Colony where I was born. It was built in the 13th century. The strategic position of Macroom has led to many battles and conflicts in the area and the castle buildings were frequently destroyed by fire. In 1650 there was a major battle between Cromwell's forces led by Lord Borghill and those loyal to King Charles under the command of Bishop MacEgan. The forces of Cromwell were victorious, resulting in the Bishop being captured and hanged. Macroom Castle was given to Admiral Sir William Penn, father of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania in 1656. The last owner was Olive White who married Arthur Guinness of Dublin. the world famous brewers of Guinness’ Stout.
After that we visited Blarney and its famous castle (below). Who could resist climbing the keep to hang over the edge and kiss the Blarney Stone? As if I don’t talk enough already. Diana and I tramped up the narrow, winding stairs and gave the stone a right proper smooching (below). It was fun. I remember watching a documentary about Ireland on TV when I was in grade school. At that time you just climbed the castle keep and leaned over the wall to kiss the stone. Times have sure changed. You still climb the keep but now when you arrive at the top you find a photographer and an assistant that holds on to you while you lie on your back and lean over backward to kiss the stone. I’m sure safety and insurance underwriting considerations have resulted in the assistant and a new profit point has brought the photographer. Nevertheless, it’s still a hoot!
The Waterford Glass factory was fascinating. I have seen custom glass blowers, including a tour of the Corning Glass Works in New York. But there they did the demonstration in the custom glass area so we were watching people make one of a kind pieces. At Waterford we toured the production facility and got to watch the people who blow the stemware we use on our tables. Of course the basic steps are the same, but here, once they get a hollow glass blob at the end of the pipe, they lower it into a hydraulically operated mold for the final shaping. It was fascinating to see the oval shaped blob of glass get clamped into the mold while the artist blows it up to the proper shape. Then he has to keep it spinning until it cools enough to open the mold and have the glass retain its shape. They work so quickly it’s amazing that they don’t incinerate each other with molten glass.
Diana exercised wonderful sales resistance and we escaped from the showroom with our Visas intact.
That evening we had a walking tour of Waterford with a local guide. He was great! Very knowledgeable and also very funny. He told us the story of how the English got a hold on Ireland in a very creative way, using people on the tour as characters in his story. The crux of the story is that two Irish kings were feuding and one fled to England only to return with an English Knight, Richard fitz Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Leinster (aka Strongbow), to attack his rival. After winning the victory for his Irish king employer, Strongbow married the Irish Princess, Eve MacMurchada, and thus gave the English a foothold in Ireland. The kingdom he acquired held about 60% of the country and after some time the English claimed the whole country for themselves and we know what a problem that has been.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
Europe 2004 - Kilkenny, Irish National Stud & Dublin
Kilkenny Castle
June 18 – Today we are headed to Dublin with a stop at the Irish National Stud. First stop Kilkenny. The town is fairly small but it does have a castle (above), cathedral, some medieval buildings and a sandwich shop called, ‘Blaa, Blaa, Blaa’. Could have been a shop on the Seinfeld show. The castle is quite large and well preserved. There were busses of school children visiting today. I walked down the main street past the Medieval Merchant’s house, the old town courthouse and jail and lots of interesting architecture to get to Saint Candice’s Cathedral. It started out as a priory and then became a monastery. It has the typical round tower (below) that the Irish monasteries used as defensive fortifications. If attacked, they all went inside and as they went up the stories they pulled the ladders up behind them. This particular tower was twice as tall at the cathedral building. Very impressive. Not many of my fellow travelers walked all the way to the Cathedral. I don’t think it was really that far but the topography of the city did not allow you to see it until you were only a few yards away and we were not staying in town that long. If you wanted to visit the Cathedral you pretty much had to pass up anything else to get there and back.
Next stop, the Irish Stud. This is a government funded farm for the procreation of horses. They don’t own the horses they just provide the grounds and facilitate the matchmaking. They have a worldwide reputation for their expertise in this area and have been very successful. They contract with the owners of the studs to keep the best available stallions on the premises. Then owners of mares who want them ‘covered’ (that’s the euphemism they use here for horse sex) contact them to arrange a meeting. The fees for this run form 1,500 Euro for an unproven stallion that was successful in his own right, to 65,000 Euro for a stallion that has a track record of siring champion horses. It takes three employees to consummate the agreement. One holds the mare, one holds the stallion and one videotapes the entire process. After all the owners have to have some assurance that they got the stud they paid for. If the process is not successful, the fee is not due. They don’t want to waste time, so to insure that the mare is in season they put her in with a miniature stallion. If she shows interest in him they know she’s ready and they take her to the real one. I can’t imagine what’s running through the mind of the poor miniature. All those women but no dates. Someone asked the guide about that and she told us that they keep a supply of miniature mares on hand for him. There was a miniature mare and 9-day old colt (below) in one of the paddocks. Very cute!! The stables for the stallions (below) look nicer than some of the hotels we’ve been in and we’ve been in very nice hotels. In fact, from a distance I thought they might be a motel unit that the INS (no not immigration, Irish National Stud) operated.
Gustatory Note: The best lunch I’ve had so far on the Irish tour was here at the Irish National Stud. I had chicken curry in the INS cafeteria and it was great. They served it over rice that had been made with peas. The perfect extra touch.
We arrived into Dublin in time to rest up a bit and then have dinner.
(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
St. Candice's Cathedral, Kilkenny
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(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger
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