Chapter 20

FIVE COUNTRIES IN THREE WEEKS

In April 2014, I booked myself on a tour that was titled `5 countries in 8 days’ which sounds a bit extreme but I had always wanted to see The Book of Kells which is in Trinity College in Dublin and also Edinburgh Castle and this tour had two days in each of those cities, plus I could visit Madeline and her family in Wales, so it seemed tailor-made for me and I booked it.

On the flight from Melbourne to Singapore, the plane left late so it arrived late in Singapore and I had 20 minutes to get from Gate A1 to B7 which as anyone who has flown through Singapore would know is a long way. I had to run all the way and thought I might have a heart attack but recovered after a couple of glasses of water. From Singapore to London, I had an empty seat next to mine so although I couldn't stretch out, I was able to fold myself up into a sort of Z shape and lie down, what a blessing, so I did get some sleep which just made a huge difference. That trip is 14 hours long, so sitting up the whole way would have been a killer.

When I reached my hotel in London, I found that there was a tour of the Tower of London (on the right) leaving the hotel at 1 o’clock which just gave me time to check in and have a shower. I’d never been to the Tower so found it really interesting, saw the 13 animal statues and the Beefeaters, the guards on parade who are given a different word each day for security reasons and the armour exhibition and the crown jewels which are very well displayed in glass cases with a moving walkway in front so that the traffic flows.

After miles of walking and lots of stairs, the idea of bed was starting to seem very attractive so when we got back to the hotel I walked across the road to Marks and Spencers and bought my dinner which consisted of a cup of porridge with fruit in it (just pour boiling water on it, delicious), a container of fresh pineapple, and a roll with cheese. All for 5 pounds and with a cup of herbal tea and the BBC news, a delicious feast.

I crashed into bed at 7 pm with the sun still pouring through the window on me and slept well until the early hours. Breakfast was at 6.30 and by then my case needed to be outside the door ready for collection. No problem for me but might be for some. I had asked for a wake-up call for 5.30 just in case but I didn't need it. We set out on our Globus tour that morning, a brandnew coach, this was its very first tour, beautiful 60-seater and not full as there were only about 30 on the tour and very comfortable seats. First to Stonehenge (left), all different since I last visited it about 10 years previously, they have put up a fence so that you can no longer touch the stones as they found that people were chipping little bits off them. They have also built a beautiful new interpretation centre which is about 3 km from the stones but they take you there in a shuttle bus. I walked round the stones, lots of boards explaining everything and I chose to walk back which took about half an hour. It was a lovely sunny day but a cold wind and I was glad of coffee when I got back. The country just looked so beautiful, very green and the trees just leafing out and daffodils growing wild in the woods.

Then on to Bath which is such a lovely city, we went on a tour of the Baths first and there again it's all different since I had been there before as they have uncovered a lot more of the Roman stuff and it's all really well displayed. I then walked up to the Circus and the Crescent (left), all those beautiful Georgian terraces, then down to the river and across the bridge to the other part of town. It was then on to the Hilton in Newport in Wales, a beautiful hotel and dinner was provided and I had salmon which was almost as good as Tasmanian salmon.

We left Newport at 8.15 the next morning and drove straight to Cardiff which took about 20 minutes, did a circuit of the city, round the civic buildings and the university and ended at the Castle which is right in town for our booked tour which started at 9.15. We were warned before we started that anyone with mobility problems might like to forego the tour as there were a lot of steps and a couple of people did that and just went to the interpretive centre and had a coffee. Sure enough, a lot of steps including 50 up to the roof, a spiral stone staircase in very dim light and there we had the first and only casualty of the tour. A woman from California, only I would say in her fifties, missed her footing on a step, let out a scream of pain and could go no further. A couple of large guides quickly arrived and carried her to the first aid centre where it was decided that she had not broken anything but had probably torn ligaments which is in some ways worse than a break. They put ice packs on it and took her back to the bus in a wheelchair.

It was a 4 hour ferry trip from Pembroke in Wales to Rosslare in the Irish Republic. We didn’t reach Waterford until about 8 that night after a long and interesting day getting to know my fellow travellers. The bus population was about 50% American, 20% Canadian, 10% Australian and the rest Europeans. As far as age goes, a vast range from high school students travelling with parents to a woman who was in her eighties travelling with her daughter in law and two grand-daughters. She started the tour in a wheelchair because she had broken her foot 4 weeks ago but she then graduated to a walking stick. Other than her I would have been the oldest by about 20 years but there were only 2 other people travelling alone, one of whom was Miriam, that morning's casualty and a youngish woman from Adelaide.

Before we got on the ferry (left), because that is a border crossing the bus was stopped and 6 suitcases were randomly selected and taken out from the bus hold and the owners were called outside by the customs department. One was my little blue suitcase so out I got, had to stand behind a line until I was called and then had to stand by while the case was opened and searched by a woman officer, then had to empty my pockets and unzip my jacket for a body search where she felt me all over, looking for what I don't know. Apparently, I passed and as I got back in the bus all the rest of the group who had been watching through the windows besieged me with questions such as How on earth do you manage with that tiny suitcase? They were still all talking about it when we were eating lunch as they all have huge cases and lots of fancy clothes! We also had to change our money to euros as the British pound is not legal currency in the Republic of Ireland – definitely a different country!

We spent that night at a very comfortable hotel in Waterford and next morning we walked (as it was only a block away) to the Waterford Crystal factory for a tour of the factory. They showed us a video of the process first and then took us in to see the real thing (right). I've seen glass blowing before (the animal man in Salamanca) but not big things and these were rose bowls, large vases etc. fascinating to watch them shape them and get them completely symmetrical by very gently pressing a pad on the side to reshape them. Then they are cooled very gradually in a kiln, even then the guide told us, they can shatter but no waste as they just add all the chips to the next boil up. Next comes the drawing of the design on the article and then the hand cutting with a diamond wheel, then it's dipped in acid for just one minute to dissolve any roughness and a last polish and then the sparkle just knocks your eye out. Mind you I don't know who would buy all that stuff as crystal has rather gone out of fashion but it really is beautiful. They make a lot of sporting trophies and they always make a spare in case of breakage in sending. I don't know what happens when the spare gets smashed!

A few of us did a fast walk round the lovely little city of Waterford then it was on to the bus and en route to Dublin. But we stopped in Avoca for lunch and a tour of the weaving mill there which is the oldest in Ireland. It brought back my old days working in occupational therapy in Canada for a year and all those warps that I helped to put on; they have two hand looms there but just for demonstration use because most of the weaving is done on machine looms which we also saw. They turn out an enormous amount of stuff, much of it for export but they also have a shop on the premises where they sell a lot of rugs, scarves, articles of clothing such as overcoats all made from their own fabric, I was sorely tempted as their colours and designs were glorious but why would I want another rug? It certainly wouldn't fit in the little blue suitcase!

Off we went again for Dublin and it was near 5 when we reached the hotel. We stayed at the Spenser Hotel in Dublin. It was a brand new hotel in a new and trendy area something like Southbank in Melbourne because it's built right along the River Liffey and comprises hotels, theatres, offices and apartments. We were just one block from the striking Beckett Bridge which is in the shape of an Irish harp. There was on optional excursion that night to an Irish meal with music and most people went but I didn't, I went for a very long walk along the river instead (right), crossed the bridge and bought a pot of noodles and a big fruit salad and I know I felt a lot better than some of the others next morning when we were going on a city sights tour and then to Trinity College to see The Book of Kells which I had wanted to see for years and that was part of the reason for coming on this tour.

Next morning only a few people came down to breakfast and some even missed the morning's activities due to headaches. That night the outing was to the Guinness storehouse for dinner etc but once again I chose not to go and spent €9 on a very tasty meal of sushi, carrot sticks with hummus and a box of fresh pineapple. The one optional extra that I had decided to go to was the Scottish dinner in Edinburgh the next night because I had always wanted to taste haggis and I do like the bagpipes. That day was an absolute delight. I got up about 6 and went for a long walk along the river which was right across the road from the hotel. There was a very cold wind and occasional showers of rain but fine for walking and I wore my woolly hat. Back to the hotel about 7.30 which was when the dining room opened for breakfast. Breakfast every day was included in the tour so I always made the most of it and then I only needed coffee and something small like a bread roll for lunch. There was always a really good range of cereals and fruit and yogurt and of course plenty of good coffee. Then there was the continental range of cold cuts, cheese etc or the Western range of cooked stuff, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, black and white puddings which I did try one day but was not really impressed. It was very easy to fill up in the morning and then not need much later in the day!

The bus collected us at 9.30 and we were driven all around the city. Our guide for the whole tour was a woman of about 60 who had been a tour guide for 31 years and she was excellent with a real mastery of the history and geography of every area we visited but because she was born in, and still lives in, Dublin, she is passionate about this city and no wonder. The centre of the city is all Georgian with beautiful parks and lots of statues.

We ended up at Trinity College (right) which is famous for the 1200-year old Book of Kells which is named after Kells Abbey where it is believed it was made. There was a very long queue waiting to get in but because we were on a tour we went straight in, one of the advantages of being on a tour. Before you actually go in to see the book, there is an excellent display that explains the making of the dyes, the vellum on which it's written and there are big representations of the pages with the various parts of the illuminations explained so that when you see the actual book you can pick out the butterflies, mice, peacocks etc in the very complicated illustrations, there’s one of them on the left.

I also went up into the Old Library where there is a great Brian Boru exhibition of huge modern art posters in vivid colours depicting his life and death. One of my daughters had told me that I must not miss the Museum so that was the next port of call to see the amazing gold jewellery, dated from between 2200 BC and 500 BC, some collars of gold beaten flat almost paper thin, some very fine twisted gold cords, beautiful amber necklaces, bracelets and necklaces and gold balls. But the other standout was the bog bodies, there are 5 of them and have all been dug out of peat bogs where they have been preserved since the Stone Age. Each one is in a glass case with an explanatory board nearby. The amazing thing is that by analysing their nails and hair and in some cases even their stomach contents they could tell what their diet was for the last few months and even for their last meal! Above is Croghan Man, by carbon dating the scientists found that he died between 362BC and 175BC but he’s been well preserved by the peat.

I also went to the Natural History Museum and the art gallery and browsed round the city and through the beautiful park called Stephen's Square, then back across the River Liffey which divides the city in half. Next morning, we left Dublin at 8am and drove north to Belfast where we did a city tour and then had time for a walk. It was Sunday so nothing much was open which didn't matter a bit to me but sad for the shoppers, some of whom were already filling an extra bag with their purchases. I had laughed the previous morning as our luggage was being loaded and a very nice American lady told me that they are always going to remember me and my little blue bag and try to be more like me. I felt like saying `Well the first thing you need to do is stop shopping’ as they are one of the couples with an extra bag just for purchases!

On then to the ferry port, another car ferry somewhat smaller than the southern one and only a bit over 2 hours to Scotland and a good smooth crossing but it started to rain almost as soon as we landed and continued all the way to Edinburgh. An amazing thing about both Ireland and Scotland is the way gorse has taken over the countryside, it was absolutely everywhere and looked to be a real problem. The other thing though was the masses of daffodils growing wild absolutely everywhere, in the fields, along the verges and of course in everyone's garden.

That night we went out for the Scottish dinner and we were met at the restaurant by a piper, I enjoyed that and I did get a chance to taste haggis which I though pleasant but unremarkable – a couple of people at my table didn’t eat theirs and passed it over to me which was welcome as the servings were very small, barely more than a mouthful.
Next morning, we had to be on the bus by 8 for a tour of the city. We picked up a local guide for this, a splendid local man in his kilt with a real passion for his home city of Edinburgh which is really two towns, the old original medieval town and the new Georgian town which is all streets, squares and crescents of glorious Georgian terraces very reminiscent of Bath.

The bus wove its way round a rabbit warren of streets while Richard our guide pointed out all the interesting spots like the house where Robert Louis Stevenson was born, the cafe where J K Rowling wrote Harry Potter, Conan Doyle's birthplace etc interspersed with 'If you look to the left at the next corner, you'll see the Castle at the end of that street' and all threaded through with Scottish history. After a very good orientation of the city, the bus dropped us near the entrance to the Castle which sits high above the city on an enormous lump of granite and completely dominates the skyline while giving amazing views of all the surrounding countryside and the sea. Richard led us all the way to the top of the castle, up many steps but a magnificent view when we got there (right), where we went through the buildings, all of which are open to the public and one of which has an excellent illustrated history of the Scottish monarchy and the Crown Jewels.

I got into a very interesting discussion with Richard about the upcoming vote for the independence of Scotland, I think it was on the 18th of October. He knew that financially it would perhaps not be advantageous for Scotland but 'My heart tells me to vote YES!' he said. As we know the final verdict turned out to be NO so Richard would have been disappointed. We then had free time so some of us walked down The Royal Mile while others caught the bus, we wandered the streets of the city, had lunch at Browns, went to Charlotte Square where No. 7 is owned by the National Trust and has been furnished and decorated with original paintings of the period as close as possible to the style of the first owner of the house, John Lamont.

After a bit more exploring, we caught a bus to the hotel where we were staying which was about 3 miles out of the CBD but well served by the public transport system. The rest of the group went on a tour of the royal yacht and then had dinner out but as I have little interest in the Royals, I chose to miss that and went for a walk to buy something to eat locally. Off to York the next day for one night and then back to London for the last night.

We had an early start from Edinburgh that morning as we were going all the way to York. We had a few stops along the way, first at the old abbey at Jedburgh, now chiefly in ruins and Mary Queen of Scots lived there. As usual Hilary our guide was regaling us with history all the way and I learned more about history in a week than I did in 11 years at school. The next stop was at a section of Hadrian's wall that amazingly is still standing, then at a service station for a quick lunch and then on to York which is a beautiful old medieval city still surrounded by the original walls (it reminded me very much of Old Quebec City although much older of course) and dominated by the magnificent York Minster (right) which was built in 1080, a huge cathedral with supposedly the finest collection of stained glass windows in the UK. The church is surrounded by quaint little narrow winding streets including The Shambles (Flesh ambles!) which used to be the street of the butchers. We walked for miles and eventually met back at the bus which transported us to our hotel which is the Novotel. We just had time to clean up and change and then they served us dinner which was a very generous buffet. I had dinner with a woman from Adelaide whose husband has Parkinson's and he didn't come down to dinner because he was just exhausted from the day's activities and was lying down. I walked back to town after dinner and when I came back to the hotel, they were both sitting in the lobby. I stopped to ask Gerry how he was feeling and his wife said that they were just waiting for a taxi to take them to the hospital. Not fun getting sick when you are away from home!

We were really lucky with the weather most days except for some very cold winds but of course that’s typical for April. We left York at 7.45 am for Stratford-on-Avon where we visited Anne Hathaway’s cottage and Shakespeare’s house which has been furnished true to the period, then it was on to London where I had another night before catching the train for Wales where I was going to stay with my daughter Madeline who was teaching at the University of Aberystwyth. I caught a train to Birmingham then changed for Aberystwyth where I was met by the family for a joyful reunion. I stayed with them for 3 days over Easter in the beautiful old farm house (right) where they are living. The house is in the woods and the ground was just carpeted with bluebells.

Then we all went off to Cornwall, none of us had ever been to Cornwall before and it was wonderful, we stayed in a very quaint house in Polperro and explored Tintagel Castle, St Ives and Land’s End. Tintagel Castle is on the wild north coast of Cornwall and supposedly King Arthur lived there. No proof of that of course but a nice romantic story. There's not much castle left but it is perched way up on a most dramatic piece of rocky headland with about a million steps up to and it was pouring all the time we were there. We all got sodden but had great fun. That’s Tintagel Castle on the left, quite a climb in the pouring rain! We also visited St Ives (right) and were amazed to see this sandy beach, so unusual in the UK and a lot of people surfing – mind you they were all wearing wet suits!

I spent my last few days in London doing all the lovely touristy things. Madeline and I were lucky enough to get tickets for the musical Wicked the night we arrived which was a great treat. Next day we set out for a long walk in Hyde Park, what a beautiful place right in the middle of the city. We walked along by the Serpentine, saw Princess Di's fountain, then as we walked along by Rotten Row about a dozen of the Queen's soldiers came trotting along on their lovely dark brown mounts (right), being trained by a rather disagreeable sergeant major type who yelled at them for being either too close together or too far apart using some fairly colourful swear words. They repeated the same manoeuvre over and over until they got it right while we stood by the fence getting a great free show.

We had morning tea/early lunch in a delightful Lebanese cafe then off on a coach tour to Windsor Castle which we had booked because we have always wanted to see the Queen’s Dollhouse, there we are in front of the Castle (right). We had an hour to wait for our tour so we went to a library to read the papers but I got waylaid by the book sale in the foyer. Talk about book addicts the world over! I got talking to a man who said he was trying to resist, he lives in South London and said his bookshelves are so full he's stacking the books on the floor now. Then I talked to a woman who was on her way home from India, had a huge suitcase with her, said she could hardly lift it because she had bought a lot of fabric in India but she was still buying books. I managed to resist but at Windsor Castle I bought a little replica, hand written and illustrated, of one of the tiny books in the dollhouse library.

Having drizzled most of the morning it rained seriously in the afternoon but that did not spoil our enjoyment, it took about an hour to get to the castle and we made first for the Queen's dollhouse as that was the main reason for our trip. It far exceeded our expectations being larger and even more detailed than we had imagined. There were hardly any people there so we were able to go round it twice examining every tiny detail. On the right is the Strong Room with exquisitely detailed replicas of the Crown Jewels, all complete with real jewels, and there’s the Dining Room on the left.

When the Princesses were young the French Government gave them each a doll about two feet tall, each with a full wardrobe of clothes designed and made by French designers and including articles like ermine capes, embroidered leather gloves, little shoes to match every outfit and clothes suitable for every occasion. These are all well displayed in a glass case and again very few people around so we could look as long as we liked. Shortly after that a large Chinese group came through but they seemed not as interested as we were and were quickly gone.

We then went through the State Apartments which were interesting too, very grand and full of important and very valuable treasures but as far as I was concerned not with quite the impact of either the dollhouse or the French dolls. Back to London and by this time it had stopped raining so we walked to our destination which was an excellent Italian restaurant in the same street as our hotel, where we had a lovely meal.

Next day was our last day but we didn’t wasted it, we packed up and checked out and were then off to the magnificent Victoria and Albert Museum (right) and the museum of Natural History, then it was back to collect our suitcases and off to the train to Heathrow, from where Maddie caught her train back to Aberustwyth and I waited for my plane which was not until 10pm but I amused myself as usual in airports by checking out the book shops and reserving the things I want at the library.

It was a busy time but so enjoyable, I saw so many interesting things and the tour allowed me to do my own thing whenever I wanted to, with just enough structure but not too much. My secret for easy travel has never varied, it is to take very little luggage. If you don’t have something that you find you desperately need, go and buy it – and then that can be a souvenir of your trip! I only ever take my little blue carry-on suitcase no matter where I am going or what season. Here I am on Paddington Station about to catch the train back to Heathrow from Wales, and eventually back to Tasmania after a wonderful three weeks.