Saturday Oct 31 – A beautiful rainbow heralded a clear day and though the wind was brisk and the air cool, we were spared rain after an early morning drench. Our day was intended to be devoted to Ken's search for the roots of his ancestors but it turned out that all of the historical places and local museums were closed, so our day was devoted to touring some cemeteries and a memorial to the "great famine". We spent our Halloween at the Pontoon Bridge Hotel just outside of Castlebar. It is a lovely old hotel on the water and provided a great evening of Irish music and entertainment. We have not been taking advantage of the entertainment in the pubs. We are off to bed too early. But Halloween was a special evening and our choice of where to spend it was a good one.
Sunday Nov 1 was another rainy day so we happened upon a Radisson in Sligo that had early availability and spent the day relaxing in the hotel. We had a problem with the electrical for my computer – the inverters that I brought with me have worked everywhere but would not work in the electrical plugs at the hotel. Ken checked the plug in at reception and they wouldn't work there either. The clerk was not very sympathetic. So – we went out to seek a proper inverter only to find that there were none in town. I was not a happy camper but when we came back to the hotel and talked to another clerk who provided us with a connector that did the job. Unfortunately, incompetence seems relevant wherever one goes. The first clerk was not "tuned" into customer problems – real or imagined.
Monday – Another day of heavy rain that intimidates our sight seeing urge. We arrived in Londonderry late afternoon, content to call it a day. Ken checked the "tourist" brochures and was interested in attending a "famine" museum and preserved community out in the sticks. I was negative on the drive in the rain so we appeased our sightseeing urge to a drive around the city but decided to postpone a tour of the inner city until morning in hopes of a respite from the rain.
Tuesday morning we trekked downtown and took the city walking tour of the "walled city" for some enlightenment in Belfast history. Another brave couple from Israel joined us in our walled city tour in a rain that went from a "mist" to a downright downpour. After our walking tour and "showers", we drove outside of town for a tour of the marine museum and then drove approximately 20 miles in a hard rain to the "famine" museum which was supposed to open at 5PM. We should have phoned first – but we didn't so we deserved to brave the weather and make a long drive only to learn that the museum and its various offerings was closed for remodeling. Duh! The drive back to town on a dark night in a drenching rain was not an experience that we would repeat but as usual, Ken came through and delivered us safely back to our hotel.
Wednesday, we left Londonderry (or Derry as the locals refer to it) for our final two nights in Belfast to wrap up our visit to Ireland. The sun shined most of the day and the drive was perfectly beautiful, providing us with our first real day of sunshine in which to relish the true awesome beauty of Ireland. Heretofore, I have believed that New Zealand was truly the most beautiful countryside that we have visited. Ireland is certainly a close second and perhaps, if the weather had been more cooperative, it would have been first. Even in the rain (and it rained every day – 5 out of 13 all day) but the rain did not deter our enthusiasm for the unique natural beauty of the countryside. We were depressed with the open anxiety of the people and their reaction to reduced tourism that has accompanied the current economic downturn. Some areas seem less affected than others but Northern Ireland seemed in our opinion, more affected in a negative way. One of the headlines reflected upon the closing of some 1600 pubs in Ireland over the past two years. Apparently the Irish pub is undergoing the same irrelevance as the local bar in our country. Make of that what you will.
As we approached Belfast, our beautiful day began to darken and by the time we checked into our hotel, the wind blew and the rain fell. Another subdued evening for the Burns' who are less than enthusiastic about "trekking around in the rain". The next morning, Thursday, we braved the elements, walked to the nearest bus stop and made our way into downtown center of Belfast. We saw the city via bus and, after lunch, did a bus tour that was very interesting and perhaps, enlightening if only we could have understood the fast talking young man who conducted the tour. We were given some background into the many varied elements of life in Belfast. We were able to discern that the Titanic was built in the shipyards there. The shipyards (an enormous property complex) are no longer in use. The area is under major redevelopment with apartments, a college and the elements of a new life for the city is under construction. Unemployment in Ireland is a major problem. Young people are leaving and we were given to understand that Australia is the "destination of choice". Sadly, our world is changing and people everywhere are trying to grasp and deal with the reality of hard times.
Our visit to Ireland concluded with Belfast. Friday morning we boarded the ferry for Stranraer and our visit in Scotland. Our first stop will be in Glasgow and then on to the Scottish Highlands. It has been a great trip thus far. Admittedly, we have had periods of wishing for some California sunshine, wider roads and warmer weather but in truth, it hasn't been bad at all. Ken has done a super job of maneuvering the roads. The roundabouts have been a difficult adjustment. Listening to the gypsy, shifting down, watching for oncoming traffic, signaling and trying to confirm that the gypsy is right by reading the signs all while in heavy traffic is a bit challenging especially for old people who aren't used to driving to the left handed custom of English lore.
Ken and Pat Burns from the road and/or the sea
