Fly Fishing Fruid and Talla, Scotland

Fly Fishing is not something I had ever wanted to do before. Yeah, I grew up in the country, and we had a lake that I used to fish out of - mostly cane pole and minnow, or lures that you cast and reel in. I can't say it was something I did all the time. Back then, actually touching the fish creeped me out. While I enjoyed rowing out in the boat and sitting under the sun and clouds of the Texas skies, the thought of actually catching something scared me to death. I confess, I may have done more floating around in the boat than actual fishing. So, I surprised myself when I ventured into Gamefish on Howe Street in Edinburgh. I don't even know why I went in, except that I was bored and seeking some adventure. The owner of the shop introduced me to Gordon Graham. 

Gordon and Mara

Gordon owns Scottish Salmon and Trout and takes folks out into the Scottish countryside for fly fishing excursions. (they can also be found on facebook) Gordon and Mara, his super cute dog, picked me up in the morning and we drove about an hour outside of Edinburgh to the Lochs of Fruid and Talla. Our first stop was Fruid. 

hiking into the sweet spot

No one was around but us, and few hundred sheep. The area around the Loch was gorgeous. The weather was cold and windy, and though the skies were threatening, no rain. Gordon parked the Range Rover and we got out all the gear. I was excited about wearing waders. 

waders and a really warm fleece (do you think they're too big?!)

Gordon said most ladies are excited about wearing waders, and he can't figure out why. I don't know why either, really, it's just cool. Kinda like wearing those coveralls that mechanics wear. Maybe it's just because you can get dirty and not worry about it. He let me borrow a fleece jacket too. Just a few days prior, this fleece was worn by Mick Hucknall aka Simply Red. Remember the album Picture Book, or A New Flame.. you know, you had him in your 80's album collection. Godon, Mara, and I made our way over to where there were "hundreds" of brown trout ready to jump onto our lines. We waded through little creeks and bogs and really muddy, gooky stuff. My waders were too big, so I kept tripping, and slipping. I was also not watching where I was going, distracted by the sheep and the beauty of it all, stepped into a mud pit and my right foot got stuck! I couldn't move it. I felt like a dinosaur in the tar pits. "Gordon!", I shouted through my laughter. He came to my rescue. We both had a good laugh, and continued on to the fishing spot. He showed me how to tie the fly on the line, then showed me the rhythm and timing of the cast. 10 and 2, slightly letting the line out, until you're ready for the final toss of the fly into the water. The final toss was where I would lose it. I would release too early, and my line would go all spaghetti like and land about 10 feet from me. It took a little while, but I finally go the hang of it. I had some really good casts, and some really bad ones. I didn't care, It was just fun to be in the middle of the water in my waders. The wind was really kicking up, and because of this, and the temperature dropping, the fish were not rising to the top for our flies. So, we broke for lunch, in hopes for a change in the weather.

Mara smiling at me hoping to get a bite of my sandwich

The weather did not let up, so Gordon decided we should go to Talla, another Loch not too far away. On our hike back, Gordon kept telling me to follow in his footsteps so that I didn't fall in any more holes. Well, I did follow his foot steps, but I still found another bog to fall into. Why he didn't, I can't tell you, but I did! Again, he had to rescue me, except this time he fell too! HAHA! There we were grabbing onto each other as we both fell on our asses into the muck. Thank goodness for the waders! No harm done, except to our pride. I was the first client he had ever had to got stuck in a bog. 

Loch of Talla

The Loch of Talla proved a bit more fruitful. I landed my first Brown Trout! I saw the fly go under the water, felt a tug on my line, I set the hook and reeled it in, channeling the vibes of my Simply Red jacket, with the song, "..I'll keep holdin' on.." going through my head. I knew I had a really big one! 

beautiful wee brown trout, i set you free to grow

Ok, not so big. But it was very exciting, none the less! We fished for a few more hours, landed 4 more fish, putting them all back. They were just so beautiful, I couldn't take them away from their home. Their tiny gills and mouths gasping for air. I had to put them back. The weather got colder, windier, and the rain came down in buckets. 

rain on the Loch

I put my rod away, and was just wading around in the water with Mara, while Gordon tried to land a big enough trout for dinner. Alas, the fish had gone away, so we decided to call it a day around 7pm. Gordon was an excellent guide and fly fishing instructor. Despite the shit weather, I had a great time and can see why folks like this type of fishing so much. I will go again someday, for sure. 

Dunlop, Scotland

On my way to Glasgow, I visited the town of Dunlop. Dunlop is the ancestral home of Mark Dunlop, Head Master of Leader of the Pack Boarding School for Dogs,(where my Lucy is currently learning lots of good things). Dunlop  is about twenty minutes from Glasgow. 

The weather was fine as I left Edinburgh, but as we got closer to my destination, dark and stormy clouds had descended upon us and big drops of rain were falling from the sky. I wasn't too worried about the rain. Scotland is known for its "passing showers", and I also had my NAU rain jacket, that has been the perfect traveling companion. (Thanks Peter!) I ascended the stairs from the rail way station, and realized I had no idea where the town was. I was really out in the middle of nowhere, and there wasn't a soul around to ask. This was one of those "lesser road" journeys, so I shrugged my shoulders, pulled up the hood of my jacket, and chose to turn left. I walked for about 5 minutes in the pissing rain, and was glad to see the tiny town unfold in front of me. 

wee town of Dunlop

The town was pretty quiet, only a few cars went by, staring, wondering who that was taking pictures of their town in the pouring rain. I ran into a small herd of teenage boys (there were three - but I bet that constitutes a herd here) and asked if there was a cafe or coffee shop where I could wait out the passing showers. The hooded one with the ultra cool hair cut, pointed out the Post Office. "Huh?!", I said, " the Post Office?" The ginger haired boy, toting a skateboard, said " That's all that's open right now. They're always drinking coffee in there".  "Ah, Thanks anyway - not quite what I'm looking for".  The clouds were starting to break up as I continued my walk down this one street, lovely little town.

nearing the end of the street

There was a lovely Church at the end of the road. 

passing sun break

The Church was the center of Dunlop. I'm guessing this is where all the action is here. Nothing but farm land, and a grave yard beyond the end of the street.

Aside from some sheep, and a gaggle of geese, there wasn't much else to see here. I walked back down the street to the train station and headed back to Glasgow. 

Dunlop Church Hall

I did notice this little gem on my way out. Thanks for Mark for directing me to this sweet little place. It was a wonderful diversion.

In search of Nessie

So, ya gotta go, right?! I mean, it's Scotland, and I've heard about the legend of the Loch Ness monster since I was a kid. 

Nessie!

The locals, mostly brush it off as a hoax - but I've seen those Discovery Channel shows. You know, the ones where they digitally re-enact the possibilities of how there could be an actual pre-historic animal living in the loch. If I remember the show correctly, somehow a colony of these animals were trapped underneath the lochs in a huge, grand canyon size, underwater valley during the ice age so they didn't die out. Over time, as things started to shift around, they were able to gain access to the loch, and twice a year when the salmon are running, they come around to grub. I may not be entirely right - but I think it goes something like that. Anyway, I had to go and see for myself. I booked a tour through some random place on the Royal Mile. The tour boasted castles, markers of battles of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, more castles, a whiskey tasting, and the beautiful Highland countryside. All while getting a history lesson from the tour guide, and the scoop on all those waring clans  you hear so much about. 


I met the bus at 8 a.m. at the Edinburgh Castle. Being there at 8 a.m. meant, I had to be out the door by 7 to walk through Stockbridge, and up the hill to the castle. I also wanted to be early so I could get a window seat. I haven't really been getting up before 10 or 11 these days - so it was a bit of a challenge. But, I did it - and I must say it was a lovely morning walk. Folks heading to work, and others, seemingly, to the tour bus, because it was packed! Not a single seat left. The 20 something year old guy sitting next to me (a student in London, from Mumbai originally) was separated from his friend and the two girls they came with. I say it that way, because that is how he explained it to me. He, in no way at all, wanted anyone to get the idea that he was "with" those girls. I got the feeling "those girls" didn't know that. Our bus driver started the tour by saying, in his Scottish accent, "...Ok guys, we have a very long drive in front of us, guys, and guys, I want to tell ya that I don't tolerate a lot of chit chat while I'm talking. Ok guys?!" Seriously, the word "guys" was used no less that 5 times in a sentence. I bet he was the kid that was always shouting, " Hey guys, wait for me. Guys? Hey Guys.." He also said that if we were late at any of the stops that he would leave us. (Jeeezze, dude, chill...) Now that we all felt sufficiently reprimanded for sins of other tours, we were to sit back and enjoy the tour. (Riiiiggght..) The guide was awful. He sped past most of the sights folks wanted to get pictures of with a wave of his hand.."and guys, to the left, guys, we have the field where William Wallace led his clan to victory, guys, in the battle of.." People quickly tried to grab pictures. He then proceeded to put on the worst 70's era Scottish pop music. The kids behind me, 2 American high school graduates, started talking non stop about their friends, and who 'did" who at the prom. 20 something, sitting next to me, would chat about how different the countryside was compared to Mumbai. He told me that he and his family had a farm at one time, but then moved into the city. He preferred the farm, so I think he really appreciated the Highlands.

really pretty. snow on the hill side.

"Ok guys, so, guys, in Scottish history guys, if we weren't warring with others, guys, we were warring with ourselves. This is the spot, guys, where the Mac Donal clan was effectively wiped out, guys. Sad, guys, but it was during the winter guys, and you see that snow up there guys? Well, guys most of the women and children hid up there in those hills, and well, guys, they froze to death. They froze to death, guys, whilst their men were down here in this field, guys bleedin' t' death". Then back to the Bay City Rollers, S-A-TUR-DAY NIGHT!

i guess it, at least, it's a pretty place to die

When we pulled up to the spot, there were many other tour busses and such. Hmmm...I couldn't help but wonder what those other tour guides said about this spot. There was also this bag piper. I don't know if he is there all day, or if he was on one of the other tour buses. I don't know what his deal was at all, or why he was there. He was there though, and really feeling what he was playing.

every time i would see one of these guys, i couldn't help but hear Mike Myers from I Married an Ax Murderer, "..we have a piper down - i repeat, we have a piper down"

Fearing the wrath of our bus driver, we took our 10 minutes to appreciate the beauty - then back on the bus towards Loch Ness. It was the longest drive ever. There was a lot of road work, so we would have to stop and wait, a lot. By this time the music had turned into traditional Scottish music, fiddles and accordions. Twenty something, next to me, was asleep - as was most of the bus. There are two lower lochs before you reach Loch Ness. They were gorgeous. Not many inhabitants, but some homes scattered here and there. I wonder where folks get their groceries. It was pretty bleak - miles and miles from one little town to another. 

the murky, black, mysterious waters of Loch Ness

"Ok, guys, here we are guys, at Loch Ness. Guys, if you are doing the castle and boat tour guys, you must get on the boat at half three. Guys, if you miss the boat, guys, you have no other way of getting back to the bus. So, guys, you must not miss the boat. Ok guys? Don't miss the boat. If you are only going on the boat, guys, you must be back at the bus, guys, by 4:15. That's 4:15 guys, don't miss it." 

get me to that boat...

...i have a monster to find!

So, the water was black and really calm. The only wakes were made by boats. It was a little creepy. The water is black, or dark brownish amber really, because of all the peat that is in the soil in these parts. It was gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it. Very reflective. The shoreline and the clouds looked like one continuous thing in some parts. It rained on us a little, then the sun would break. It was a really nice boat ride. I perched myself at the bow of the boat and kept my eyes peeled for any break in the water. Low and behold!! I saw something!

could it be nessie??

"Did you see that!", I said to the guy standing next to me. He stared at me blankly. I said it again, "Did YOU SEE that!" Blank stare. He then said (sort of), and signed with his hands, "I don't speak english". He may have been deaf, but he wasn't blind. Didn't he see it? I guess I was the only one. Starting to doubt myself, I zoomed my camera in more, and tried for a different angle.

Nessie and her baby ducklings

Well, there she is! Nessie the Mallard Duck, with all her wee baby ducklings trailing behind. Heh, heh - I didn't really think there was a monster, anyway (wink).

Back to the bus! 4:15! The bus driver stands up, lifting his pants up, "Guys, are we all... what?! Well, guys, we are not all here. I said for everyone to be here, guys, I don't know what to do, there are some folks that can't listen, guys." Shaking his head from side to side, "Well, guys, we will have to wait until we can find those two ladies, guys. The ones that were late earlier, during our lunch break guys. They are late again." There were these two ladies that didn't seem to care what schedule the bus was on. Truly, though, I don't think they understood a word the bus driver said. So, we waited until another boat could go pick them up from the castle. We waited, and waited. The bus driver was all kinds of mad by the time they got there. They had thrown off the schedule so badly that we couldn't stop at the whiskey distillery. Now I was mad! Damn it! I needed a shot of whiskey after this long ass bus ride to see a few ducks. (ok, I'm exaggerating - I wasn't really mad - but I wasn't looking forward to the 4 hour plus ride back without a little somethin' somethin' -  if ya know what I mean?) Anyway, after they boarded the bus, we hit the road. It was long (have I mentioned that?), I napped most of the way back, only waking once to hear that the music had now changed to Rod Stewart "Maggie I couldn't have tried, any moooore". We arrived in the city at 8:30 p.m. Everyone was tired, except "those girls"! They were ready to go out and see some music, and dance. 20 something looked at me and rolled his eyes, as one of those girls took his hand and led him down the Royal Mile. I had a nice walk home watching the sun start to set. Number 8 Colville Place never felt so good. 

Edinburgh Catch Up

I'm finally in a spot that will stay with me long enough (fingers crossed) to catch up on the last few days here in Edinburgh. Summary: St. Giles Cathedral. Edinburgh Castle. Royal Botanical Gardens. 


St. Giles Cathedral was originally built in the 14th century. 

statue is not St. Giles. according to the brochure, St. Giles looked like Dumbledore from the Harry Potter stories

Bits and pieces have been added and refurbished over the centuries including the organ, which was installed in 1992. The Cathedral is much like all the others with high "cathedral" ceilings and lots of stone, wood, and tile. Here is a picture of the ceiling. 

pretty cool, but kinda creepy too.

The stained glass windows were my favorite part. They were really stunning, mostly from 19th and 20th centuries.

graceful hands, intent looks

glass reflection on tile. lovely!

Edinburgh Castle is right in the heart of the city. I must say that while I like looking at old castles, most I've found are in the countryside, and it was really nice not having to take a long ass bus ride to look at this one.

hell yes! i walked up that hill

view of Edinburgh from the castle 

pretty

Our tour guide, who was an incredible source of Scottish history, was not a fan of the movie Brave Heart. Turns out "Mel" (Gibson) got just about everything wrong. "Brave Heart" was actually a term given to Robert the Bruce. William Wallace did great things for Scotland, but just not in the way Hollywood would have you believe. He also waxed on about how the "Wee Mel Gibson" couldn't have possibly handled a sword the way he did in the movie. The actual sword is about as tall as the "Wee Mel", and weighed about as much, as the wee man, as well. I don't think our guide cared very much Mr. Gibson. Random fact: The real William Wallace was 7 feet tall. 

The Royal Botanical Gardens are gorgeous! It was a sunny day, although intermittent with passing rain showers. And, thank goodness for the passing rain showers, because without them, the tour guide would not have taken us into the walter lily house.

 i bet this lily pad would've held up a small animal.

The hedges there huge! There was one hedge that was planted with a few different types of arborvitae so that the darker colors and lighters colors intermingled. At first I thought it was just the way the sun was shining, or the casting of shadows, but nope! it was planned that way. 

i love that they cut the entrance at an angle.

I got so many great ideas for my future garden. I took lots of pictures of plants I would like to plant, as well. This peony bush (yes a bush! about 6 feet wide and 8 feet tall, or so) was gorgeous! I wish I had seen the colors of this one before Dan did my tattoo. I will have him work it into another one someday.

Technology is not working in my favor today.

I've been a bit under the weather the past few days. Just missing home a bit, I think. Edinburgh is wonderful, and I've seen lots of great and wonderful things - I'm just feeling a little lonely, I guess. I'm really glad to have the cottage to hang out in, it feels like a home, even if it's not mine. 


At this point I was going to wax on about all the great things I had seen over the past few days and show you some of my favorite sights but due to technical difficulties with this internet thingy I got, it's a huge pain in the ass to download photos. It takes forever, and disconnects at whim. I have typed this post three times already. I'm going to have to call it a day. I hope I have better luck tomorrow.

Colville Cottage - Edinburgh

I was up early today in anticipation of my travel day to Edinburgh, Scotland. That, plus the foxes in Kirsten's back yard were going nuts about something. They scream just like people in pain, it's very unnerving. I guess foxes, in London, are the equivalent to raccoons in Portland, pests. Cute, though. Well, until they keep you up all night.


The train ride was uneventful and long. The scenery was nice and the seat comfy. I napped a little, listened to music, daydreamed. The train had wifi, but I preferred to look at the passing farmlands. The weather is still beautiful here, and everything is really green and pretty.


The train station is right in Edinburgh, so the taxi ride to the place I'm staying was cheap! We drove right though town and the driver pointed out some good places to eat, and explained the layout of the town a bit. 8 Colville Place is a cottage I rented for the next ten days.

front door 

It averages out at about the same as the B&B's or Hotels , except, I have a full kitchen, so I hope to save some money on meals. It's in a historic district, just down the hill from the city center in a neighborhood called Stockbridge. Rows of old colonial flats. Mine is super charming. I couldn't be happier.

there is a sweet little mud room as you enter 

kitchen! 

comfy bed that looks out onto a wee garden

view from the living room. my building looks the same as the one across the street

I unpacked my stuff, and headed into town to the grocery store. The cab driver had told me which way to go, but I got lost, so stopped to asked a family that was having a picnic by the river.  They pointed me in the right direction, and wished me well in my time visiting their fair city. The grocery stores here are really small, but have fresh fruit and veggies. The two I went into seemed to be run by folks from Pakistan. One guy was on the phone dropping the F bomb every other word to whom, I could only guess, was his boss. He was talking about how hard he worked for nothing, and how "what's his name" didn't do his job properly, and so on, and so on. He did all this while adding up my stuff, and telling me how much to pay. I wished him good luck on the way out. I walked back to the cottage with my groceries. Here are pictures of the path back to the cottage.

Stockbridge (i'm on the bridge)

river. you can walk the path to the left of the river to the cottage!

more great stone walls! just around the corner to Colville Place.

Colville Place. 

my sweet little garden. it needs a little tlc, though.

There are about six cul de sacs, including Colville, that back up to the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh. I noticed that neighbors are a bit thoughtful about this, and there are some very lovely gardens on these streets. I hope to sneak some photos for future plantings of my own. 

After putting away the groceries, I went for walk to the city center. Lovely walk, up hill, past a park that runs the length of the city (similar to Portland, by the way). The city is super clean and full of folks out on the streets, walking, riding bikes, and enjoying the sunshine. I passed some antique shops, several cute bistro type places, and some boutiques. The recession has hit the UK and Ireland pretty hard, just like everyone, I did see a hand full of for sale, or lease signs. I suppose they rely pretty heavily on tourism. I will give them my tourist dollar tomorrow as I ride the double decker bus tour. I find those a great way to get a complete lay out of the city, plus it's free transportation for 24 hours. 

I had dinner on Rose Street, at The Bad Ass pub. HA! I tried the local Amber Brew (another Portland similarity), it was good. I ordered Haggis for dinner. Ya know, when in Rome.. except it's Scotland. It was pretty good too. But, now that I have the traditional Scottish meal out of the way, I will plan on trying the Indian and Thai food restaurants that I pasted. I picked up the "weekly" at the pub, it's called "The Skinny"(cute). I checked out all the music that will be going on while I'm here. Low and behold! there was another Portland Oregon band on tour in the same European city I am in. Quasi will be playing here next week. I love how, just when I start to feel a little home sick, the universe plops a Portland band in my path. I haven't seen them since they went from a duo to a trio, so I will make a point to go to the show. I will catch some local music as well. The gal at the pub was totally in the know of the music scene here, and suggested come good local bands. So far, Edinburgh is right up my ally!

UK - Take Two

I'm back in London with Kirsten and family for a few days. It was so nice to be greeted with giggles and girly screams from Andrea and Isabelle, "LAWY,LAWY!". I tell ya, there isn't much in this world that feels as good as having tiny arms wrap themselves around your legs with a welcoming hug. It is really nice to be back here. I'm still not a huge fan of London, in general, but I do feel a bit more familiar with it , and the whole traveling thing, than I did when I was here at the beginning of my trip. The nights have been just cool enough to sleep with the window open, which makes for the perfect wake up call when the birds start their morning songs. Not that I get up that early, of course! 

As well as another visit with Kirsten and family, I came back here to collect the belongings I left behind while I was in Ireland. I realized, even though I packed as frugally as possible, I didn't need all that I had brought. I have also purchased a few things here and there, and they were adding to the weight I was carrying. So, I decided to send all the extra stuff back home in that big ass, wonderfully expanding, suit case that Maria let me borrow. I got myself a smaller bag, and put the stuff I really need for the rest of my travels in it. I say "really" but the truth is, I could still probably lighten that load a bit as well. I'm guessing I will be in for some rainy and cold weather in Scotland, so the sweaters and boots will have to stay with me for a bit longer. I took the suit case to Mailboxes Etc. in Croydon, they put it, as is, in a big box, and sent it back to Portland. I felt lighter and more mobile, immediately. I loved that suitcase, but it was time to move on.

I took the train into London, wondered around Portobello Street looking at shops, keeping in mind my smaller suitcase, of course, had a meal at a local pub, and killed some time until the nights entertainment. Portland Oregon's very own Foghorn Stringband was performing at Passing Clouds tonight! It was a bitch getting over to the venue on the series of tubes, trains, and busses, but I got there -  had a few pints at the corner pub, and went to the show. It was really, really good to see some familiar faces and hear some home town music. The UK crowd really liked them as well. The place filled up with young hipster types, and some folks around my age. There was dancing and laughing and a good time was had by all. I hope the band has some more CD's packed away, because they sold out that night! During their set, I got a shout out from the band as the person that had traveled the furthest away to see them. (sweet). The first set ended around 10. I had to book it out of there to make all my train, bus, and tube connections, so I said my good byes. (Thanks to the Foghorn-ers for all the hugs and kisses - could be they missed home too, I guess). I will look forward to seeing these folks again in Aberdeen Scotland, if travels permit. 

I will leave here tomorrow on the train bound for Edinburgh Scotland. I booked myself a self-catering apartment in the back yard of the botanical gardens there in the city for 10 days. I will take day trips around the countryside from there. I will be traveling on my own again, but Emma, the owner of the apartment has left lots of stuff for me to do and see - and I'm really looking forward to that. The only agenda item I have, other than the usual wondering around, is to get to Dunlop Scotland. It's the tiny town that Mark Dunlop (Lucy's trainer and current care taker) is from. I consider this one of those "lesser road" things - so, you know the rules - gotta go!

Girls Weekend - Chester, England

Kirsten, Katrina, and I have been friends for many years. We met each other in LA. We had a huge amount of fun together in our "formative" years. I can't begin to list all the music we saw. Katrina will never let me live down the Muffs show at Raji's when a lone stage diver flattened me to the ground (Lesson: Never take your eyes off stage divers), and Kirsten and I were permanent fixtures at Geraldine Fibbers shows. Good times indeed. Of course there were other adventures that didn't revolve around music, but for the most part, suffice to say, that we have been there for each other through many life changes over the years. Though our paths have put oceans between us, there is still a closeness and comfort that I feel when I am with these strong, smart, independent, wonderful women. I need them now, more than ever, as I heal in the happenings of the past few years. They remind me of who I was, who I am, and challenge me in my thinking of who I will become. I am forever grateful for their friendship.


As seen in previous blogs, both Katrina and Kirsten are mothers, wives, and very successful career women. It was not a small feat to take them away from their busy lives. I have really enjoyed my time spent with both families, and want to thank Breon, Javier and all the kids for letting me have some alone time with these ladies!


Chester was chosen as a good mid-point between Dublin and London. It's a town steeped in history (ok, so everything over here is steeped in history) and is surrounded by a Roman wall that you can walk around the perimeter of the city on.

the wall

Kat and I took the ferry, then a train from Dublin, checked into the hotel, and went for a quick walk around town while we waited for Kirsten to get there on the train from London. We met up at a really awful mexican food restaurant. For nachos, they actually used Doritos, can you believe it?! The drinks were good, though! We watched the scene at the bar/restaurant/sleezy disco for a little while, then headed down the street to a place that suited our taste a bit better. More good drinks!

stresses of life.. slowly going away 

After a good nights sleep at the hotel, a wonderful breakfast at the French bistro, we headed into Chester.

 lots of shops in this charming little city

the local Cathedral

rainbow, light post, seagull

canal and bridge along the roman wall

We walked along the Roman wall talking about stuff, as girls do. We had lunch on the patio at the Hickory Smoke House (very, very, English?), had a couple of glasses of wine, some good food, and people watched. The doorman at this place looked an awful lot like George Clooney. He would turn certain folks away, and let others in. I don't know that I ever figured out his criteria, but it was fun to guess who would make the cut as folks approached the patio entrance. We finished our walk around the Roman Wall, went back to the hotel, freshened up, then headed back out on the town for dinner. We had a really, really good time at dinner, closing the restaurant after a four hour, deeeelish meal. Our waiter was a study in mid twenty something, sort of cute in a goth - self destructive, I drank two bottles of rum last night, way. We had learned quite a bit about him by the end of the night, thanks to Kirsten. The next day we said our good byes at the train station, and I headed back to London with Kirsten. It was a great weekend, and I again, am finding myself feeling grateful. 

 conquering chester (the town - not the gladiator)

. 

Whelan's

I've had a really, really, wonderful time touring the coastal countryside of Ireland. Wandering pastures, beaches, and tiny towns on my own was a mind expanding experience, but I must admit I was getting a bit lonely. So, I made my way back to Dublin, back to the home of Katrina and family. It felt really good to be in Dublin again. It is so similar to Portland, to me, that it felt a bit like coming home. It was good to see the residents of the Corcoran household. Tiny hugs from Hanna and Liam were very welcoming. After dinner Kat and I had a nice long walk around the neighborhood and talked the stuff of life, as we do. 


The next day I headed into Dublin looking for lunch. Wound up at Sinnotts around 3ish. The pub was pretty cool. Pictures of famous writers hung on the walls. I sat underneath a photo of WB Yeats and ordered a burger. The pub was pretty empty except for a couple folks at the bar. I hung out there and read my book for a while, then walked over to Road Records, a cool little local, independently owned, record store. I had seen in the local paper that Mark Geary was to perform at Whelan's and I could purchase a ticket there. I discovered Mark when he came through Portland on tour with The Frames several years ago. Guy with guitar stuff. I liked it. Plus, Whelan's is one of those Dublin things you have to do. It's a very intimate place to see music, similar to Satyricon, back in the day. The sound is good, and the vibe is relaxed. All the tables and chairs were occupied when I got there, so I got a pint at the bar and settled myself in, standing against the wall by the sound booth. I was standing next to a guy, that, seriously, had about 4 pints to my 1 in the span of an hour. Mark played really well, and since this was going to be his last performance in Dublin for a long time (moving to NYC), he had invited some local musicians to join him. Some folks I hadn't heard of before got up and sang a few songs. Good voices, good songs. The set was just about over when Glen Hansard made his way up to the stage. The crowd ooh'ed and ahh'ed and even heckled him as he joined Mark for a few songs. He and Mark did one duet, then all the folks that had sang that night joined in for a last song. Mark thanked the musicians, thanked the crowd, then everyone hung out and chatted for a bit. I introduced myself to Glen. He asked me where I was form (because I had and accent. ha!) then we talked about how much he liked Portland and Stumptown coffee. We chatted about a lot of things, he is very genuine and charming. It's good when you meet one of your heros, and they exceed your expectations. There were several wonderful moments during our conversation that I can't really relate in words. His undivided attention, how expressive his eyes and face were, the touching of hands and shoulders, how I made him laugh. Folks starting interrupting us to say hello to him, so I made a graceful exit. I walked about 40 minutes, through Rathmines, in the rain, to Kat's house. Got home a little after midnight. I didn't have a rain coat or umbrella, and didn't care how wet or cold I was. It was a really cool evening.

Killarney (Cill Airne - in Irish)

Killarney was about resting up for me, and catching up on emails and stuff. My room has a comfy bed, internet access, and a nice big bath tub with lots of hot water! I put out the "Do not Disturb" sign and slept for 10 hours. Feeling rejuvenated, I got some food (Indian), got a taxi, and asked him to drop me off someplace for a nice hike outside of the city center. He took me to the Killarney National Park (the biggest in Ireland, so he told me - but I'm starting to notice that I hear that in almost every town about some particular land mark. Hmm). Gorgeous hillsides and lakes, lots of trails for wandering.

Muckross House is there, as well as a working farm, and Priory complete with ancient grave yards. 

i imagine monks in dark robes walking this hallway

i decided to take a picture of the not so pretty head stone. see the energy orb?! they appreciated it.

There was a doorway that led to one of those lesser roads I like to take.

arrow pointing to Heaven

sometimes you just gotta lay down under some trees to get a better perspective on things

I walked along the river for about a mile or so. The path ended at the main road into town. There was a horse and buggy hanging out there, so I asked for a ride. Donal O' Shea and Molly carried me by some waterfalls (sorry, Ireland, no comparison to what we have in Oregon!), then dropped me off close to the Race Track, where I tried my luck on the ponies.

place your bets!

I watched a couple of races to get the hang of things. I picked the favorite, Warcraft, in the third race to win. The betting thing can be very complicated. I only had a fiver, so I placed my bet and crossed my fingers. If my horse wins, I would make 16.25! Whoo hoo! cab ride back into town baby, no more walking for me! I made my way over to the viewing ring where you can get a look at the horses before the race. Warcraft is gorgeous, sure to win!

go warcraft!

warcrafts rider talking strategies with the owners, and trainer

I took my place by the fence, and the race started. It's an amazing thing to stand next to a herd of horses racing by you. You can feel the vibrations of the earth, the sound, and the way the air moves around you is cool! Warcraft was comfortably in the middle for most of the race.

 

As they made the final lap, folks started getting really excited, the announcer was calling which horse was where, "Warcraft is making his move.." Sadly, the move wasn't into first. 

Warcraft coming in second.

Oh, well, I guess it's not that far of a walk back into town. Poor Warcraft. I hope he/she didn't get in too much trouble. There will be other races. Buck up little camper.