Weeks 10 & 11

Fall break—what a concept!  Kathy Steffen and I travelled through Scotland and Ireland, seeing sites, meeting people, and soaking up the history and culture while we talked and talked.  As they used to say in the small town newspapers, “a good time was had by all.”  Below are a few of the highlights of our time together:

Scottish Highlands

Loch Ness delighted us with still waters, fall colors, and morning mist.  Plus Urquhart Castle--that's ur-curt (I remember the pronunciation because it makes me think of my brother, Curt).

Loch Lochy lulled us on a sunny day and a roadside food truck, “Burger Queen,” provided the picnic. While we nibbled and watched the sailboat across the way, some kayakers paddled up from the other direction.

Glasgow offered up a west end area with lively night life and yummy tapas; the walking tour (thanks to the Rick Steves guidebook) gave us many views of art.

The Glasgow Museum of Modern Art, note the "hat" on the statue of Wellington

The tearooms designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh

Chairs by Mactintosh

The Glasgow School of Art, also by Mactintosh, reflected in the window of the 

modern addition to the school (look for me there, too, in the blue jacket)

The Kelvingrove Museum in the background, ride-share bikes in the foreground 

(I couldn't resist that pink)

Southern Ireland                                                                           

On our way from Dublin heading west to Galway, we stopped to admire the lakes and rivers, fields and streams.  Galway regularly gets voted the best city in Ireland, and it would get my vote, too.  With a pleasant bayside walking area and quaint pedestrian shopping street, it is easy to see why.  As we wandered, we heard someone call Kathy’s name, and there was a woman she’d gone to college with, also enjoying the best city in Ireland.  Small world!

I’ve seen many pictures of the Cliffs of Moher but had not comprehended the scale of them—700 feet from the top to the water and stretching for 5 miles.  That’s some serious cliffs!

The last night on our tour, we stayed in Killarney.  Our tour group had been enjoying each other's company on the bus, but this night brought us together with folks from Chile, China, and Germany.  We found dinner at the Granery, ice cream at Murphy’s, and music at the Grand.  The traditional music (the folks sitting around the table in the corner) got us all there, but the rock band kept the younger ones there until late. 

If you go to Ireland, you should know these words:  craic (pronounced the same as crack) but meaning “good” or “news.”  Someone might say, “this ice cream is craic,” or they might ask you, “what’s the craic?”  Another phrase to know is pog mo thoin, which means ‘kiss my ___.”  I wouldn’t mention it here except that we loved the punny t-shirt at Murphy’s Ice Cream Shop:

Edinburgh Area

We explored museum houses in Edinburgh, ranging from the 1550s in Mary King’s Close to the 1800s in the Georgian House.  Quite a study in contrasts!  We also visited the Writers’ Museum, which features the three best-known writers from Scotland: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.  It’s housed in a tall building (Lady Stair's House) just off the Royal Mile and has fascinating displays and knowledgeable guides.  Nothing like two English teachers to enjoy a literary place such as this.

Kathy got a chance to walk around Dalkeith and the grounds at the house.  We also went to the nearby town of Roslin to see the Rosslyn Chapel.  No photography is allowed in the chapel, but these details from the outside should give you an idea of how incredible the carvings on the interior are.

Now Kathy has gone back to Minnesota, and we begin the last of our modules here at Dalkeith House.  Students are returning with stories of their own travels.  Let’s hope they saved a little energy for studying : )

One last picture from Edinburgh--creative use of a telephone booth: