Mulchman's Blog

We wanted to do breakfast at some crepe place but it was closed when we went out to check it out so Amber made eggs and we ate more crumpets and such.  We also found a new bakery and got some pastries/bread products.

I’ve been trying chocolate doughnuts – or bread-y things covered in chocolate – but today’s was no thrill unfortunately.  (There were some in Kenmare, Ireland that were awesomely awesome.)

Anyway, we then had a really long ride this morning out to the Greenwich Observatory (actually had to take a bus part way there due to construction as they apparently choose to do this work exclusively on the weekend).  The Greenwich Observatory is where “time begins” or some other such arrogant statement due to it lying on the prime meridian => 51°28′38″N 0°00′00″E.  It was kind of cool but it started sprinkling and, while I have a jacket, I hate to get wet so that kind of ruined things for me.

We ventured back to the town of Greenwich and had lunch in an open-air market-y place.  I got an AWESOME brownie after 2 servings of chicken gyoza and some really spicey (I spell spicey with an ‘e’), but good, caribbean chicken curry.  We then hopped back on the tube after some walking around.

Then it was off to the pub for the last time.   I watched some rugby and drank some Guinness.

UK Guinness count: 15 – Total beer count: 15

Bacon and fried eggs in bacon grease for breakfast – yum!

We took the tube to the Tower of London which was absolutely packed with tourists just like us (except they didn’t speak English) – ugh.  We waded through crowds to see the Crown Jewels – several crowns, plates and scepter-y things – and some other castle-y type things.  There was a place called the White Tower in the middle that housed some armor and weapons and that was awesome; the rest of the Tower of London was just a tourist trap.

We ate at a Subway nearby and got some good UK related items at some tourist shops -> t-shirts, shot glasses, etc.

Next was the Tower Bridge which was pretty cool and really cheap (compared to other places + awful exchange rate for us)!  We got to walk across the top of the bridge and also see the [old] engine rooms.

After that I went on the HMS Belfast which was pretty cool while Kathy and Amber did something else.  The hallways and ceilings are much tighter/lower than other American ships and submarines I have been on and I found myself ducking constantly while walking through the hallways and having to take my backpack off to climb/descend stairwells.  It was still pretty cool.

We took the tube back and since I was playing Picross on my DS the time flew and we were on another line and finally back home before I knew it.

A couple beers and dinner later and it’s now time for bed!

UK Guinness count: 9 – Total beer count: 9

After another super packed tube ride and a small walk we were at St. Paul’s Cathedral. I was looking forward to the Whispering Gallery up in the dome where one can whisper something into the wall and another can hear it on the other side. We arrived right as the staircase to the whispering gallery was opening and I was the first one up. Amber and Kathy arrived a little later but by that time other people had shown up so I couldn’t truly whisper what I wanted to whisper as it was probably inappropriate for others to hear. We ended up whispering things like “hi” and “can you hear me?” and “yes but can you hear me?”.

There are 2 more levels above the 200-some steps to the Whispering Gallery and I checked them all out and got lots of pictures to make panoramas. There are 500-some steps in all to get to the top and even more if you count the descent. As for all the pictures I had taken? Well, when you’re up there snapping sets to turn into panoramas it’s all well and good but back at the apartment when going over all the pictures it’s hard to know what I was thinking earlier when taking all these random pictures and how I was envisioning them fitting together. I’ve decided that in between the pictures for panoramas I’ll take a picture of my hand or something to indicate a break in the series.

The Millennium Bridge is right near St. Paul’s Cathedral so we walked there next. The bridge is just a cool looking pedestrian bridge (and was also used in one of the Harry Potter movies). From the bridge you can see the Tower Bridge, part of the HMS Belfast and the back-side of the London Eye (as well as other bits of London, of course). We’re headed to Tower Bridge and the HMS Belfast on day 5.

We took the tube back a couple of stations and were at the British Museum – almost; we stopped for lunch at a cafe in a park. I got a slice of pizza and a huge doughnut with chocolate frosting. The pizza I got was quite good which makes it an exception; all the other pizza I’ve had over here and in Ireland is crap. You’d think that being so close to Italy – when compared to the US – would mean the pizza would be good but no it’s generally crap. This cafe pizza was awesome compared to other pizza around here. Amber got fish and chips and Kathy got some weird veggie rice-a-roni type thing (it wasn’t technically rice-a-roni but that’s what it looked and tasted like).

The British Museum is huge and has so many items that it’s overwhelming. Rick Steve’s says it’s the “greatest chronicle of civilization… anywhere” and I would agree. There is just so much stuff everywhere. The highlights for me were the Gayer-Anderson Cat and a mummified cat; I got my picture taken with both.

Before leaving the British Museum I was forced to have my picture taken looking like I was tired (you’ll see what I mean on Kathy’s blog) but I could have kept going another couple of hours!

It was back on the tube and back to the apartment. Amber and I got some groceries and then I went to the pub next door for the 3rd day in a row.

As I was walking into the pub and pulling out £3.10 for my first Guinness the bartender guy was already pulling a Guinness for me; now that’s some awesome service.

UK Guinness count: 6 – Total beer count: 6

Crumpets and tea started the day out for me!  The crumpets are so cheap here compared to the US and with just a little butter they’re delicious.

The morning was spent waiting in the cold and wind to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace; unfortunately it was quite boring and slow and everything – except the guys marching to and from the palace – happened behind gates and lots of people.  We were watching from a raised area that Rick Steves says to watch from and it was still boring and cold.

After waiting an hour for things to start and then another 30 minutes while they did whatever behind the gate we left and started walking toward Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.

On our way there I spotted two of the soldier dudes with the big black fluffy hats and red uniforms that are supposed to stand perfectly still and what not.  We went over and got pictures of them at a distance – the road to get to them was chained off – and just before we were about to continue on a group of 6 or so of the red uniformed big fluffy black hat guys came marching into view and we waited and took pictures as they marched passed.

We kept walking down the mall to the Admiral’s Arch and eventually Trafalgar square but before going into the National Gallery we ate lunch at a place called Garfunkel’s.

I got some turkey bacon avocado wrap, Kathy an omelet and Amber spaghetti carbonara; but we all got a warm place to sit after standing in the cold for so long.

The National Gallery was next and pretty interesting with all its paintings.  I saw some that I recognized from various mandatory art history classes taken during school so it was cool to see some of them in person.

After that we headed ‘home’, got some groceries, then I went to the pub next door.

UK Guinness count: 4 – Total beer count: 4

Woke up and had bacon!  It was technically rashers but it was still technically awesome.

We took the tube to the Westminster station and as soon as we emerged from underground there was Big Ben and the House of Parliament.  We walked around a little bit then went to Westminster Abbey which was incredible.  The level of detail in the walls and ceiling is amazing.

We did a trip around the London Eye – the giant ferris wheel – and then walked to the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum.  The Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum were where top British military people would meet during World War 2 bombing raids to discuss strategy.  It was never bombed itself.

Once back at the apartment we got some food and then I went and watched Snooker at a pub and had two Guinness.

UK Guinness count: 2 – Total beer count: 2

Day 15 was our last full day in Ireland. It started out with breakfast and then we headed into Malahide to catch the train to Dublin.

Once in Dublin we split up – Amber and I went to the Kilmainham Gaol (jail) and Kathy and Carol went to the National Museum. Amber and I got on the HOHO (hop on hop off) bus to get to the jail and once there quickly got to take a tour of the jail.

After that we took the bus again to the Temple Bar area where we got lunch and beer. We then started walking toward Grafton street and randomly ran into Kathy and Carol. We all then did a little more shopping before heading back to the train and taking it back to Malahide. Once back in Malahide we drove back to the B&B and started getting ready for the return trip tomorrow.

We all packed a bit, had random food we had been carrying around for days for dinner, then went to bed.

Ireland Guinness pint count: 29

Day 14 started like the rest with breakfast and us getting in the car and driving somewhere. We were headed back to the Republic of Ireland to return to the first B&B we stayed at and were very eager to get back to something familiar. Along the way all we had planned was stopping a Newgrange – a 5000 year old (older than the pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge in Britain) burial site/passage tomb/passage grave. I wasn’t quite sure what it was or what to expect.

The drive out of Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland was easy and went by fairly quickly – I was eager to get back to the high speeds (as they’re kilometers per hour) in the Republic and the awesome move-left-into-the-shoulder passing mechanism that I’ve come to love so much.

Newgrange is accessible by bus only so you have to go to the visitor center and get a specific tour time to access the site. Luckily, our tour time was about 15 minutes from when we arrived so we didn’t have to wait long. The bus ride to the site is quick and once there you have a guided tour of the site with a few minutes at the end to wander by yourself before having to catch the bus back. The entire trip is about an hour.

At the site they tell you a bit of history about the structure and what they think it was used for – it’s 5000 years old so no one really knows for sure what it is or how/when it was used – and then you get to go inside. It’s quite cramped and the 25 or so of us in the tour group barely fit. The passageway into the single dome shaped tomb area is quite small forcing just about everyone to duck and/or squeeze in between the rocks when passing through. Once inside they explain that only on certain days near the winter solstice does sunlight ever make it into the tomb. It is thought that on these days the ashes of those placed inside the tomb would go to the next dimension/world/whatever. The whole thing was quite incredible and somber.

After Newgrange we got lunch and headed to Malahide where the B&B was. Once there we got the same rooms we used before and had some tea and scones – the scones were awesome! A little bit later Amber and I went into town and I had a couple of beers and then we picked up pizza and brought it back for us all to eat. After that it was bed.

Ireland Guinness pint count: 28

Day 12 started out with breakfast at the crappy B&B and then we were out of there as soon as we could get out. We didn’t have much planned – it was mainly a driving day. We needed to get to Derry (northern Ireland) from Sligo and I wanted to stop at a dolmen.

We got to the dolmen area pretty easily but the dolmen itself wasn’t viewable from the road so after asking some locals at the “Dolmen Centre” place building thing they pointed out where we needed to walk. As soon as we got on the private land and trail that the dolmen was on, we were greeted by a black-ish dog that turned out to be our tour guide. He would eventually guide us right to the dolmen but only after we encountered some very deadly horses. The horses were blocking the trail but Amber got them to move. I thought that would be the end of the horses but sadly it wasn’t.

I got to the dolmen first, the Kilclooney Dolmen, and was taking pictures and everything was going fine until the horses flipped out and started charging at us. These horses were crazy and out for blood. Amber enjoyed it greatly as one of the horses pinned me up almost against the dolmen with its deadly feet ready to kick my direction. After some tricky maneuvering, and Amber telling me to just get down, I managed to escape and find my way back to the car but not after a second encounter with a different horse!

After barely escaping the second horses’ charging I was free of these maniacal vermin and could breathe easy once again. Once the others caught up to me (& for some reason they didn’t have any horse troubles) we went in the Dolmen Centre for bathrooms and a postcard. We were then back on our way to Derry.

On our way to Derry we stopped in Balleyfogey for lunch at some Nighthawks Cafe place and then were back on the road.

The drive from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland was quite uneventful and was really only noticed by the speed limit signs changing to MPH and the road names changing. I wanted tanks, troops, demilitarized zones, etc. but there was nothing – just crossing a bridge and noticing license plates changing.

After getting to the B&B in Derry we walked around a bit seeing some of the murals and the area where Bloody Sunday took place and eventually making our way up into the old walled city and walking on the wall for a bit and then going into the Guild Hall (which looks like a big church). It had some awesome stained glass windows – some of the best in Ireland allegedly.

After that we walked around some shopping areas and found a place the B&B guy had recommended for dinner – Badgers. The food was pretty good and I had two pints of Guinness and one Smithwicks Irish Ale. Amber actually liked the Smithwicks, too!

After that it was back to the B&B and time for bed.

Ireland Guinness pint count: 25

Day 11 started out with awesome french toast (for me) from the B&B before we headed off. We had a lot of driving to do so we left semi-early.

While still in county Galway we stopped at Aughnanure Castle which was pretty awesome. I really like the places that let you wander around on your own (at least at some point). There were lots of rooms in the castle and most seemed to be accessible.

After that we were on our way to find the Quiet Man Bridge (where John Wayne sat in a scene from the Quiet Man) and then some Sky Drive road near Clifden that the B&B lady had recommended. Sky Drive had some awesome views of the ocean for the first bit but the latter two thirds wasn’t that impressive. Continuing on we headed toward Kylemore Abbey.

We only took pictures at Kylemore Abbey as, according to Rick Steves, that’s the best part (and going in costs money). After Kylemore Abbey we had lunch in Westport at some Stuffed Sandwich Shop place and it was pretty good! Amber got a toastie and I got a panini – hers looked better.

After Westport we were on our way to Sligo and our B&B there but when we arrived the B&B lady said she had made some mistake and that our rooms were no longer available. I guess booking the rooms months in advance and then checking up on them a week in advance is stupid to do? Anyway, because of her mistake she had booked us at a nearby place which ultimately kind of sucked. Amber picked specific B&B’s based on internet reviews and recommendations so going off route on something like this, and with not being able to check it out online first, is quite a leap into the unknown. Luckily the second place was at least habitable, barely.

After getting to the second B&B we walked into downtown Sligo which was pretty sketchy itself and after finding no good places to eat at we got bread and cheese and walked back to the B&B. After eating bread & cheese I went off to a local pub and had two pints of Guinness while watching the news. After that it was bedtime.

Ireland Guinness pint count: 23

Day 10 started with french toast for breakfast (for me, at least) and it was awesome and then we were on the way. We were heading for the Cliffs of Moher and wanting to get there early before everyone showed up so we tried to leave semi-early.

On the way to the Cliffs of Moher we stopped at a random beach in Lahinch for some pictures and then were back on our way.

The Cliffs of Moher were fantastic and we spent a good deal of time there out in the wind. We got lots of pictures and then hit up the gift shop and were on our way again.

We stopped to eat leftover pizza at a turnout near some limestone hill thing in the Burren and then drove on to the B&B in Galway (which is a big city and the driving got a bit crazy).

Once we were settled in the B&B, and because it was still quite early, we took a bus into Galway City Centre and walked around for a bit. I got a pint of Guinness and we ate at Couch Potatas – a place with tons of various baked potato menu items (we were all tired of french fries so potatos in a different form were very welcomed). After dinner we caught the bus back to the B&B and called it a night.

Ireland Guinness pint count: 21