DUBLIN

Last weekend we left the sunny shores of Scotland and the UK and headed west to the land of Leprechauns, Craic and Guinness. Destination - Dublin!

Leaving Glasgow Friday evening we hoped to have our first Irish pints with our friends from France, Devon and Yoann, by 11:30. Unfortunately, due to a delayed flight and the queue at immigration, we didn't get to our hotel until after midnight. However, the lack of beer that night was perhaps a good thing as it left us feeling fresh and energised for the 2 big days ahead..

So it was early Saturday morning when we began exploring the city. This is Lower O'Connell Street, looking north from the river to the 120m Spire of Dublin..

Our first stop was Trinity College, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I and part of the oldest university in Ireland, the University of Dublin. This is the courtyard leading to The Old Library, a spectacular building which includes the amazing Long Room. At approxoimately 65 metres long and home to 200,000 of the library's oldest books it's an impressive sight. The Old Library is also home to the Book of Kells, the 1000 year old, lavishly decorated copy (in Latin) of the 4 gospels (no photos allowed though!)..

After visiting the Old Library we took a short detour south to stroll through one of Dublin's largest parks, St. Stephen's Green..

We then headed to Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty Library (thanks for the tip mum!). This is the atrium and cafe inside the foyer. Another amazing sight this library houses the collection of Chester Beatty himself, an American mining magnate who was a keen collector of books, manuscripts, art and artifacts. It is an incredible collection and definitely a 'must see' when in Dublin (but no photos allowed inside)..

The view from the roof of the library looking down on the Dubh Linn Gardens. In the background is part of Dublin Castle - the Record Tower and the Chapel Royal. The tower is the only remaining part of the original, medieval castle dating from c.1228..

Next to the library entrance is this striking building - The Coach House. Built in the 1830's it was originally used to house the coach and horses of the Lord Lieutenant but today it's used as a conference and events centre..

From the castle we started walking west to find a cafe for lunch. On the way we passed Dublin's oldest building (we think?) - Christ Church Cathedral, founded c.1020!..

After lunch we continued heading west until we came to this lesser known attraction - The Guinness Storehouse and Brewery! This is the view as you begin your tour - looking up through the 'giant pint'..

Water, they use a lot of water here every day..

Group shot! Devon, Yoann, Evan and Carly, underneath the freshwater 'tube'..

Midway through the tour, at the roasting display..

Thumbs up to that! Yoann - thirsty..

The freshest Guinness we'll ever have!..

As we enjoyed our pints the sun set outside, leaving us with this nightime view of Dublin from the 6th floor of the brewery. Looking back to the Spire (left) and St Patrick's Cathedral (middle)..

Almost forgot to get a pic of the famous St. James gate!..

Feelin' the love! What do you expect? He is French after all..

From the brewery we headed back to the city centre for dinner, passing St. Augustine & St. John's Church on the way..

The Temple Bar early on a Saturday night. We stopped here for dinner, and a pint or two, before visiting a couple more pubs just to round out the night - good Craic!..

Feeling (surprisingly?) good the next morning we were up early to say goodbye to Devon and Yoann who were leaving earlier, having arrived in Dublin Friday morning. This is the River Liffey..

The Ha'Penny Bridge - built in 1816 it is the oldest pedestrian bridge in Dublin and was built to replace an aging ferry fleet. Originally called the Wellington Bridge (after the Duke of Wellington) its official name today is The Liffey Bridge, but it's commonly known as the Ha'Penny because of the half pence toll originally paid to cross it..

After our walk we jumped on a train and headed 20 minutes north to the small coastal town of Malahide - first stop, the Malahide Castle. Set on 260 acres this was the home of the Talbot family for 791 years (!) after Richard Talbot was granted the land in 1185..The best preserved castle we have seen, it houses original period furniture as well as an amazing portrait gallery, and the self-guided audio tour is brilliant too. Unfortunately though - no photography is allowed inside!..

From the castle we walked back into town for lunch and then headed down to the beach. This is the Malahide Marina..

Malahide Beach. Probably the coldest we have ever been at a beach anywhere! The wind that was whipping in from the NE, over the Irish Sea, was the precursor to the front that brought so much snow to the UK and Ireland, shutting down transport links and schools! Still, we weren't the only idiots to be braving it!..

Back in Dublin we happened to see the Top Link Steam Train - on its way from Belfast to Cork during one of its special weekend runs (Carly wasn't overly impressed)..

From the station we headed to the Jameson Distillery, as Evan had been introduced to this fine drink the previous night (thanks Yo!). We were going to join a tour but instead settled into some comfy, leather armchairs for a quiet afternoon drink. Carly had an Irish Coffee whilst Evan enjoyed a Hot Whiskey with lemon and cloves. A perfect escape from ridiculously cold weather!..

JJ's Bar - a perfect place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon..

The obligatory 'we were here' shot. The bench on the left is made from one of the very first Jameson's aging barrells..

After the distillery we headed out to dinner, then jumped on a bus back to the airport and flew home to Glasgow. Just in time too, as the weather deteriorated rapidly on Sunday night, bringing widespread snow to Ireland and the UK - but more about that next post!

EDINBURGH, LOCH NESS & HOGMANAY

Our latest adventure took us to the Scottish capital just after Christmas, then north into the Highlands to visit Inverness and Loch Ness, then down the centre of Scotland through Fort Augustus, Fort William and back to Glasgow - arriving home just in time to celebrate a Scottish NYE (Hogmanay). For this trip we were joined by a couple of Frenchies from Rennes - with Jacques and Karine flying into Glasgow on Boxing Day to visit us and grapple with the Scottish accent! Unfortunately we began our trip a little under the weather thanks to the Flu but we fought on and enjoyed another great adventure, exploring this frigid part of the world!..

Our first view of Edinburgh Castle, from Princes Street..

Looking east along the Royal Mile (High Street) in the Old Town..

Arthurs Seat as seen from the castle forecourt..

This post has a record number of photos of the 2 of us so brace yourselves! On the castle ramparts..

The view north from the ramparts - looking over Waverley Gardens to the New Town, with the Firth of Forth in the background..

Crown Square near the highest point of the castle. This is the Great Hall, built around 1500 for James IV and used as a meeting place for Scottish Parliament until 1639. To the right is the entrance to the Royal Palace, where the Honours Of Scotland (The Scottish Crown Jewels) are now kept - no photos allowed! Dating from tha late 15th and early 16th Centuries they are the oldest crown jewels in the British Isles..

Nightime, well actually early afternoon (!) view of the New Town from the castle's walls..

The castle entrance/forecourt..

The western end of the Royal Mile at Castlehill - High Street was dubbed the Royal Mile as it was the route between the castle and the royal palace, approximately 1 mile to the east..

The next day under grey skies we visited the eastern end of the Royal Mile, where Holyrood Palace stands. This is the official Scottish residence of Queen Elizabeth II and apparently she still spends time here at the beginning of each summer..

Holyrood Abbey, adjacent to the palace, was built by King David in 1126 but has been in ruin since the roof collapsed in the 18th Century..

The entrance to the palace..

After visiting the palace we walked the length of the Royal Mile to visit a couple of museums. Firstly we went to the National Museum of Scotland to the south of the Royal Mile - which afforded this view of the castle, then we went to an even better museum..

The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre! After a crash course in scotch whisky production and tasting techniques we spent a little bit of time in the bar..

The Christmas carnival on Market Street, in front of the Museum on the Mound (The Royal Bank of Scotland museum) as seen from Waverley Gardens..

After spending a couple of days in Edinburgh it was time to jump in the car and explore some of the country. Heading north from Edinburgh (through Perth!) we headed towards Inverness via the Cairngorms region. This is a roadside stop somewhere along the way..

Cairngorms National Park..

We arrived at Inverness around lunchtime and after a quick lunch of (authentic and excellent) Breton Crepes headed up to the 18th Century castle to check out the views..

Inverness is located on the banks of the River Ness, which flows from Loch Ness into the Moray Firth - this is the view north from the castle..

Looking to the south we were treated to an awesome sunset view..

Photo of us #2! We didn't know it at the time but the temperature when we were at the castle was around -5..

Just south of the city centre are the Ness Islands, a group of small islands interconnected by walking bridges..

Ness Island view of Inverness Cathedral..

The air temperature was a lot colder than the water - hence the mist..

Next day we headed south again to the shores of Loch Ness! This is our first view, just out of Inverness..

Photo of us #3! Cruising on Loch Ness..

The countryside around the northern end of Loch Ness is stunning..

From our departure point at Clansman harbour we headed south to have a look at Urquhart Castle - it's somewhere in that mist..

The castle..

Circling around to get a better look at the ruins..

Another spectacular site..

A photo of Jacques taking a photo..

The colours were brilliant..

After our cruise we visited one of the Loch Ness (Nessie) discovery centres/gift shops (you have to!) then we headed back to Urquhart Castle to have a closer look..

Photo of us #4! In front of the 5 storey Grant Tower..

Radiocarbon dating has placed the age of some of the ruins at approximately 1500 years, indicating there has been some sort of fortified settlement on Strone Point since around 460-660AD. It's not known exactly when the castle itself was built, although the first indications are of a castle being here in the 13th Century..

Northern view from the base of Grant Tower..

The sun slipping away again - at 2:30pm!..

Monster! It's easy to understand why people think they see something. Most of the reported Nessie sightings have actually come from this area..

Grant Tower standing tall against an impressive backdrop..

From Urquhart Castle we continued heading south, stopping here at Fort Augustus to check out 5 of the 29 (manmade) lochs that make up the Caledonian Canal..

The Lord of the Glens navigating the last loch as it heads north into Loch Ness. It takes each boat about 1 hour to squeeze through all 5 of the lochs and the complete trip, which starts at Corpach near Fort William (west coast) and ends at Inverness (east coast), covers about 100kms - 35 of which are on manmade waters..

Opening the swing bridge to allow access to Loch Ness..

After spending the night at Fort William we began our journey back to Glasgow to celebrate NYE. We did make a couple of stops on the way though - boats on the still shore of Loch Leven..

Loch Leven mirror, near Glen Coe..

We passed through Glen Coe, one of the spots we went to a few weeks back which were covered in snow - but surprisingly it had all gone! It was still cold though. This is Bidean Nam Bian (1150m) rising above the valley..

We made it back to Glasgow in time for Karine to do some shopping (women..) then we had a tapas dinner and joined the Hogmanay party in George Square..

Evan, Jacques, Karine & Carly - George Square Hogmanay Party, Glasgow..

Of course it wouldn't be a Scottish celebration without their national anthem would it!? The Proclaimers always seem to get a gig..



There was some good music too - local lad Paolo Nutini entertaining the crowd just before midnight..

And so ended our Christmas/NYE trip. Jacques and Karine flew home early the next day, we slept for 2 days, then we started planning our next trip! Although we haven't got that far yet - stay tuned..
Happy New Year everyone!..