The legendary comedian Charlie Chaplin and his family visited Waterville in 1959. They continued to return for over a decade, and the local community embraced this connection. In 2011, with permission from the Chaplin estate, they launched the Charlie Chaplin Comedy Film Festival.
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10 March 2024
Ring of Kerry and Waterville Ireland
The legendary comedian Charlie Chaplin and his family visited Waterville in 1959. They continued to return for over a decade, and the local community embraced this connection. In 2011, with permission from the Chaplin estate, they launched the Charlie Chaplin Comedy Film Festival.
Blarney Castle Ireland
Origins and Construction:The castle’s origins date back to before 1200, when a timber house stood on the site. However, no evidence remains of this early structure.
Around 1210, the timber house was replaced by a stone fortification.
The current keep, which stands today, was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty in 1446.
According to folklore, kissing the Blarney Stone bestows the gift of flattery and eloquence upon the kisser.
Tourists visiting the castle can hang upside-down over a sheer drop to reach the stone and receive this special gift.
Ownership and Restoration:Over the centuries, Blarney Castle changed hands several times.
In the early 18th century, it was purchased by Sir James Jeffreys, the governor of Cork City.
The Jefferyes family later built Blarney House, a large mansion near the 15th-century keep. The current mansion, built in a Scottish baronial style, overlooks a nearby lake.
Current State:Blarney Castle is now a partial ruin, but some accessible rooms and battlements remain.
Visitors can explore the castle’s history, climb its towers, and, of course, kiss the famous Blarney Stone.
26 September 2022
Cruising the United Kingdom
Island Princess near Guernsey 2022 |
We cruised around the United Kingdom in July and August 2022.
In this post, I provide highlighted links to the cruise ports. At the bottom of the page are comments on the overall experience including the Island Princess cruise.
Our Pre-cruise plan
We've learned from experience with flight and cruise delays to arrive before a cruise so we arrived at London's Heathrow on 26 July. I planned to head to Southampton by coach but we needed a test for Covid to board the ship so we went to the walk in clinic at Paddington station via the Heathrow Express. Here we got some British pounds for the trip. We were early so I took our group round the corner to see the Little Venice Canal.
We then went to Waterloo station for the direct train service to Southampton Central.
Then we headed to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight by ferry. I had booked us into the Prince of Wales hotel across the road from Osborne House, which my wife considered the highlight of our trip. I renewed our English Heritage cards here because they were unable to enter a US address when I called from the US. Visitor passes are available outside the UK, but I preferred the annual membership plan, which I used again in the Spring of 2023. Once purchased, we entered most places at no additional cost.
Osborne House |
After Wednesday's visit to Osborne House, we visited the restored Carisbrooke Castle via bus from the hotel. At the end of the day, we crossed back to Southampton for an evening at the Holiday Inn near the cruise port.
The 14-day Cruise
Friday.
We walked to the cruise terminal from the hotel and boarded the ship at the early time slot. The roller bags were fine on the pavement. We arrived at the same time as our friends who came by taxi.
Saturday. Guernsey
We used local busses to tour the small and picturesque Channel Island of Guernsey. We paid for things with a credit card. The Guernsey pound is based on the UK pound but is not used elsewhere in the UK and Guernsey is not part of the UK.
Guernsey |
Sunday. Cork, Ireland
I wandered about Cork, Ireland (not part of the UK) whilst my wife and her friends shopped. We had some Euros from previous trips but it is easy to find cash points (ATMs).
Blarney shopping by Cork |
Monday. Holyhead, Wales.
My wife and I headed to the fabulous medieval Conwy Castle by train from the Holyhead port. The return train was very late, which caused some anxiety for those of us taking the DIY approach to excursions.
Conwy Castle, Wales |
Tuesday. Belfast, Northern Ireland.
We've been here before. I recommend the Titanic Museum and coastal sites if you are new to the area.
Wednesday. Greenock / Glasgow.
It was a rainy day. I took the train to Glasgow and spent most of the day at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. My wife and her friends shopped locally.
Thursday - A Day at Sea
Friday. Lerwick Shetland.
We used the local bus to visit the ancient settlements at Jarlshof then wandered about Lerwick before boarding the shuttle service to our cruise ship anchored offshore. Suggestion: Read or watch the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves.
Saturday. Orkney
We enjoyed our visit to the Orkney Main Island. This time we took a Princess excursion to see several sites on the west side including the Ring of Brodgar.
Sunday. Invergordon / Inverness
We docked at Invergordon and went by coach to Dunrobin Castle. We skipped Inverness, which we had visited before but we do recommend a visit to this picturesque town and would have included a visit if there were enough time.
Dunrobin Castle |
Monday. Edinburgh, Scotland.
I booked us into the Royal Yacht Britannia for a 9.45 am visit. We shared a taxi and arrived when they opened. Britannia is a large yacht so we spent a couple of hours following the audio-guided plan. The women in our group wanted to have tea on board so that was our lunch stop.
Next, we walked across the street to the Holiday Inn and ordered a taxi to Edinburgh Castle. I had booked mid-afternoon tickets, which were selling out quickly; however, we arrived early and were able to walk in with no queue. We had free entry with our English Heritage pass. We purchased the audio guide, which was well worth it.
At the end of the day, we took the train to the cruise port, which was South Queensferry and boarded a water shuttle back to the cruise ship.
Edinburgh Castle 2022 |
Tuesday. A second day at sea.
Wednesday. Dover.
We walked to Dover Castle and spent most of the day there. It's a fabulous castle with great views above the white cliffs, centuries of British and European history, and an amazing network of underground tunnels vital to the island's safety in World War II.
Dover Castle view 2022 |
Thursday. Portland, Weymouth
Portland and Weymouth. We took the free local shuttle bus to Weymouth.
Weymouth, Dorset, UK |
D-Day Museum |
On the way back to port, I stopped at Portland Castle and the nearby D-Day Museum.
Friday. Southampton.
The cruise ended and we had to be out of our rooms early. We walked off without using luggage service. There was no hassle with passport control.
Post-Cruise London
We reversed our earlier journey by taking the train to Waterloo Station in London where I booked a small air conditioned apartment hotel near Paddington station. After stowing luggage, I led our group to Westminster for photos and an experience along Queens Walk.
Saturday. My wife and I visited family whilst our guests had a full day London tour on an air conditioned coach. They were happy with the tour and I certainly think it best for first time visitors.
Sunday. My wife and I visited more family whilst our guests occupied themselves in London.
Monday. Our guests wanted to visit the famous Harrods store in Knightsbridge and the impressive Westminster Abbey so I led our small group to the luxurious halls at Harrods then to our timed entry tickets at the Abbey. We ended the day at the Liberty store where my wife bought some fabric (my wife and her friends are quilters).
Westminster Abbey 2022 |
Harrod's Food Hall 2022 |
Tuesday. We took our return train to Heathrow and arrived in the US with our first port of entry at Charlotte, NC.
Notes
If it weren't for the covid-19 testing, I would have gone direct to Southampton by coach from Heathrow. The testing at Paddington Station was an easy walk-in clinic though I did book in advance.
The English Heritage passes are a great value if you are a do-it-yourself traveller like us.
There are advantage to the Princess Cruise sponsored tours in low worry about getting back on board on time and enjoying some interesting commentary on your journey. The choice of a cruise sponsored tour or a local DIY approach is a matter of choice and budget. I do recommend the cruise tours on days when, or at locations where, there is limited public transportation such as a Sunday or national holiday near a small rural town.
Also, there were transportation strikes in the UK so I had to check the latest information to avoid messed up plans. I only had to do one work-around but it's good to think about strikes and transportation delays when planning tours.
Air transportation delays and missing luggage are reasons we arrive one or more days early before package tours and cruises.
Heathrow
The entry into the UK is smooth for UK and US visitors. We scanned our passports and had no hassles.
When I'm by myself, I use the London underground (tube) or busses to save money for London locations. But with a group, the Heathrow Express and a taxi may be best. Heading to Southampton by National Coach Service was direct from Heathrow in 2022.
In London, you tap your credit card or use your phone to pay for tickets on the underground or busses. Passes are also available for various time frames.
Planning travel
I've found Google Maps work fine for selecting the best option to get from one place to another by bus or train throughout the UK.
I save money on UK trains with a digital railcard good for discounts throughout the UK.
Phone Service
My wife and I have Google Fi and change from the budget plan to Unlimited plan when traveling outside the US. We change back to the low cost plan when we return. The Google Fi plan is flexible. There is a small charge for phone calls. I called our grandchildren and paid $1.00 for a 10 minute call before we lost signal on the cruise ship.
Island Princess Cruise
We chose the cruise based on the itinerary. We were pleased with the the ports of call and would recommend the itinerary to others.
We generally like Princess cruises. The staff are friendly and the food is good to very good.
I was disappointed that the cruise did not feature UK food and entertainment for the full cruise.
We do not like the "Formal Nights"-- for us, the extra clothes are a waste of precious space in our luggage so, we don't attend the slow and fancy dining on those nights. Unfortunately, we did not have another option for the itinerary.
As noted above, there are options to taking the Princess shore excursions. The best reason to purchase a Princess tour is the peace of mind but they are expensive compared to DIY alternatives.
We found the stateroom smaller than expected with a very small shower but it was fine for the two weeks.
If you are new to cruising, do note that it does not always work out to stop at every planned port. We were fortunate to enjoy the full planned itinerary. It doesn't always happen--usually due to weather conditions.
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19 July 2019
St Columba's Church Drumcliffe Ireland
St Columba's Church, Drumcliff, Ireland / Geoff Sutton 2019 |
Inside St Columba's Church |
Church location: Drumcliffe Parish Church Drumcliffe Sligo Republic of Ireland
The grave of W. B. Yeats (1865-1939) is in the Drumcliffe Cemetery. He died in France. His remains were brought back in 1948. His great-grandfather was a rector in Drumcliffe.
There's also a Celtic High cross in the cemetery.
Not far from the cross, is an Irish Round Tower. They were originally bell towers and are found near churches and monasteries in Ireland and Scotland.
Signage at this church stop.
St Columba's Church Sign |
Drumcliffe Monastery |
Round Tower Sign, Drumcliffe |
13 July 2019
St Patrick and Down Cathedral Northern Ireland
Down Cathedral, Northern Ireland/ Geoff Sutton 2019 |
Down Cathedral, Northern Ireland / Geoff Sutton 2019 |
You can see Celtic Crosses in the front and in the back of the Cathedral.
Cathedral website: http://downcathedral.org/
Visitor Centre Admission: The fees for the St Patrick Centre are on the website
https://www.saintpatrickcentre.com/
Shops: There is a store in the Cathedral and in the Visitor's Centre.
Toilets: Available in the Visitor's Centre.
Food: There are places to eat near the Visitor's Centre.
If you visit the British Isles and Ireland, you may find this book interesting.
Please check out my website www.suttong.com
and see my books on AMAZON or GOOGLE
STORE
Also,
consider connecting with me on FACEBOOK Geoff W. Sutton
TWITTER @Geoff.W.Sutton