Resetuj wyszukiwanie
Dewit Family TravelsDewit Family Travels
SatelitaEdytuj trasę
📍 Irlandia Północna Czytaj więcej Duncan, Canada
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    2
    Dzień 15

    Belfast - Day 2

    24 czerwca, Irlandia Północna ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today we started our planned walking tour at the Glasgow City Chambers to book a guided tour for the afternoon. From there we slowly worked our way past several points of interest en route to the Titanic Belfast Museum where we had entry passes for 12 o’clock.
    The museum was fantastic. Located beside the Titanic Slipways, the Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices and Hamilton Graving Dock – the exact place where Titanic was designed, built and launched, Titanic Belfast tells the story of Titanic from her conception, through her construction and launch, to her maiden voyage and subsequent place in history. Everything from the exterior design of the building, which resembles the hull of large ship, to the way you are guided through the various exhibits is amazing.
    How such a huge, complex piece of engineering could be built in the early 1900’s is beyond me. No computers to generate the thousands of blueprints with the design specifications or the templates needed to cut and form the hull pieces. The assemble process for the hull involved no welding. It was all assembled using millions of rivets being tossed in the air between workers from a forge to someone else who would hammer the rivet through precisely aligned holes, while white hot.
    On leaving the museum we ate a late lunch and headed back to the Glasgow City Chambers, which is located overlooking George Square. We missed the guided tour, but nonetheless were still able to enjoy going through the lower floor of the building, which houses a collection of historical exhibits, on our own. This building has for over a century been the headquarters of successive city councils serving the City of Belfast and is one of the city’s most prestigious buildings.     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    2
    Dzień 14

    Belfast - Day 1

    23 czerwca, Irlandia Północna ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Got up extra early to catch an 8:30 am flight from Glasgow to our next destination, Belfast. It was easy to get to the Glasgow airport. Just a 15 minute walk to the bus terminal and then a direct AirPort Express to the airport. On arrival in Belfast we caught a bus from the airport to the city centre. We had all our luggage with us and several hours before we could check in so we found a “Bounce” drop off office close by and left our luggage there.
    Over the next several hours we did what we like to do when we arrive in a new location: we walked around. It’s always enjoyable taking in the new sights. We walked through the shopping district, along a pedestrian mall, past the iconic Belfast City Hall, the leaning, Albert’s clock tower, White’s pub (dates back to 1642) and went to George’s Market to look at the many vendors and the interesting things they were selling. We also grabbed a lunch there.
    After lunch we continued to explore the city on foot, eventually making our way back to the Bounce office and then to our accommodations, which were not far away. Once rested we decided to go to a grocer and get some food for dinner. Unfortunately, on the way out, we couldn’t seem to get the door to lock. In the process of trying to do so we broke the key and the broken part was now stuck in the lock with only a teeny bit protruding.
    I called the owner who said he’d come down with a spare key, but didn’t have tools to get the broken piece out. While he was trying to locate tools I tired in vain to remove the broken key with tweezers, Then, I saw a neighbour down the street and asked if he might have a pair of pliers I could borrow. He did have and I was able to pull the broken key piece out of the lock. I called the owner back to let him know and he arrived soon after with a replacement key. He showed me that there was nothing wrong with the key or lock on the door. All I had to do was hold up the handle on the door while turning the key in order to lock it. I suggested that he might want to put that instruction in the welcome booklet as most North American travellers would not know to do this!     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    22
    Dzień 13

    Glasgow

    22 czerwca, Irlandia Północna ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Yesterday we spent the day touring Stirling. Today we did the same in Glasgow. The plan was to walk to the Merchant’s Square Market as a first destination but it was closed so we walked on to see the Barras Market instead. It’s like a huge garage sale in a covered building with hundreds of stalls selling all sorts of goods. From there we walked on to Glasgow Green which is a large park located alongside the River Clyde. The park has a beautiful fountain, Doulton Fountain which is considered the most impressive monument in Glasgow. It is also the largest remaining terracotta fountain in the world. The park also contains Nelson’s Monument which is an obelisk that stands 44 m high!
    Next stop was the Kelvingrove Museum which is both a museum and an art gallery. It is the most popular free to enter attraction in Scotland. We arrived there in time to eat a packed lunch on the benches outside, take a look at a few natural history exhibits and then sit down and enjoy a 30 minute recital on a large church, pipe organ located in the main entrance area of the museum. It was amazing to hear the organist play Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and a number of other songs. Following the concert we spent another hour roaming through the vast collection of art, Egyptian artifacts, as well as arms and armour dating back to the Middle Ages.
    High on my list of must do’s for Glasgow was the Riverside Museum, also known as the Glasgow Museum of Transport. It was not a long walk to get there from the Kelvingrove Museum and the pedestrian path to get there is well marked. Again, entry was free, as is the case for all museums in Scotland. Once inside it was very enjoyable seeing the historical collection of motorcycles, cars, … trains, bicycles. The highlight, however, was the large, tall ship, located outside on the Clyde river. We were able to get right inside and see the crew cabins, the engine room, captain’s quarters and all other areas of the ship. You could get a real feel for what it might have been like living and working on such a ship as it navigated the world’s oceans.     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    21
    Dzień 11–14

    Stirling

    20 czerwca, Szkocja ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Yesterday we took the train from Fort William, where we had stayed for two nights, to Glasgow. We arrived just in time to walk 1.1 km and check-in to our next accommodation. After a short rest we did a walking tour of George Square and the downtown area as far as the riverbank. Glasgow city centre is another pedestrian friendly area with a large vehicle-free promenade. Right now considerable work is being done on putting down new paving stones so there is a lot of fencing in place so it wasn’t quite as pleasant as it will be once the work is completed.
    Today we took a day trip by train to Stirling, about 30 mins away. We wanted to tour Scotland’s oldest, intact castle as well as walk the historic city’s streets. We made our way up to the castle, positioned on a hill overlooking the city, by following along a paved path which hugged the original city wall. The castle visit was much enjoyed. The palace rooms where the king and queen slept, met with visitors and spent much of their time have all been restored to their original splendour. Other areas such as the Great Hall, once the largest, non-ecclesiastical building in the country, have also been restored and are accessible for viewing.
    After touring the castle, we walked to, and toured the historic, City Jail, which replaced the notorious Tolbooth jail. It was a guided tour which turned out to be a lot of fun as Emma was selected to participate in a bit of role playing as a former inmate.
    By now it was late afternoon so we walked back down to the train station to catch the train back to Glasgow.     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    22
    Dzień 9–11

    Fort William

    18 czerwca, Szkocja ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    It’s once again time to hit the road. We’ve really enjoyed our stay in Fort Williams. It’s a very pedestrian friendly city with a vehicle free Main Street running through the downtown. Lots of restaurants and shops to explore. It also great for outdoor enthusiasts with Ben Nevis nearby offering hiking and biking with a ski lift to take you to the alpine area if you like.
    Yesterday, we opted to tour the valley between Fort William and Spean Bridge by bicycle. We picked up our bikes from Off Beat at 10 am and reached Spean Bridge at around noon where we found a picnic table, rested and ate lunch. That leg of the trip was flat and easy. The next leg, which followed along the slopes of Ben Nevis was much more challenging. Much of the way we were on fairly rough logging roads with a number of reasonably challenging hill climbs. It took us about 3 hours to complete that leg and arrive back at the bike shop.
    We then walked back to our hotel to relax and watch a bit of EuroCup soccer before heading to The Tavern for dinner. I thought I’d try nachos. Bad idea. All I got were chips, a bit of cheese and salsa. Laura and Emma got better value with a soup and a pasta dish.     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    Dzień 7–9

    Isle of Skye

    16 czerwca, Szkocja ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    After a full day of train and bus travel yesterday, going from Inverness to the Isle of Skye, today we went on a full day, guided minibus tour of Skye. The photos will speak for themselves, but in a nutshell, it was an amazing tour! The stops were all very scenic and we had a knowledgeable, Scottish guide who gave us lots of history and interesting facts as he took us from site to site.
    We were very lucky to have gotten on this tour. I tried booking it on line months ago, but there was only one spot available. I emailed the company and got a quick response from Bill (who turned out to be our tour guide today) who magically made two more spots available! There were no other touring companies with spots available and our only other option would have been to rent a car. Well that would have been a nightmare! Most of the roads we were on today were single lane, narrow and winding. All along the routes were very, very short sections that were slightly wider to allow two vehicles traveling in opposite directions to pass each other. They were all identified with a little sign, “Passing Place”. Our driver was constantly scanning the road ahead to see if he needed to use an upcoming passing place to allow oncoming traffic to pass. On more than one occasion we would be caught in between, and one or the other drivers would have to back up to the nearest passing place. Fine, if you’re not having to drive!
    The touring, day trip started at 9:15. Our first stop, after we left our home base of Portree, were the Fairy Pools. Here we hiked along a trail and saw a series of small waterfalls in a grassy meadow setting at the foot of a towering mountain. From there we drove to Neist Point and hiked along another trail to get a number of amazing views of the ocean and surrounding landscape. Soon after, it was time for lunch so we stopped at a cafe on the route. Our touring group of 16 were seated at a number of small tables. We got to know Kevin and Nancy, a couple from Virginia. After lunch, the tour continued with photo stops at Quiraing, Old Man of Storr, Cuillin Mountains, Kilt Rock as well as time to walk through Fairy Glen.
    Back in Portree we stopped in at our accommodation to drop off some things and headed straight to the church around the corner. Not to attend a service, but to eat dinner! It’s a church that’s been turned into a restaurant. Quite a cool setting. And we were able to watch a bit more EuroCup Soccer on their big TV screen while waiting for the food to be served. I had a big plate of fish and chips. Emma had a burger and Laura had scampi.
    We ended the day watching France beat Austria in EuroCup soccer back in our room.     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    1
    Dzień 5–7

    Inverness

    14 czerwca, Szkocja ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Yesterday was a travel day. Our first of four train trips in Scotland. We went from our first stop, Edinburgh, to Inverness. About a three hour ride through the Scottish highlands. It was a comfortable ride with the three of us seated at a table.
    On arrival in Inverness we walked the short distance to our next home. It too is an AirBnB and, although its in a very old and somewhat run down building, our accommodation is very nice. Roomy, full kitchen and appears to be recently, beautifully renovated.
    After unloading our luggage and a short rest, we decided to tour the city centre on foot and pickup some food for dinner. We swung by the tourist information centre, got some helpful ideas on what to see, and picked up a map. Unfortunately, Inverness. Castle is a no go as its under renovation and closed to the public. We did tour an interesting historical museum before heading to the grocery store to pick up some food for dinner.
    It was the start of the European Cup soccer competition, and Scotland was scheduled to play the host country, Germany, in a few hours. We thought we might go back downtown to watch it with the fans in a pub, but decided instead to watch it on the TV in our room. Probably the better idea as Scotland played poorly and got whacked 5-1.
    We started off our one full day in Inverness with coffees and breakfast in town. It cost us $40 for three scones, a muffin and two coffees. Don’t know that we’ll do that again anytime soon.
    Following the meal we walked to the bus stop nearby and caught the bus to Culloden where we visited the historic battlefield and museum. We decided to sign up for a guided tour of the battlefield. It was a beautiful day weather wise and having the guide explain the story of the famous battle that occurred there in 1746 made for a very enjoyable experience. Following the tour we explored the museum on our own.
    After arriving back in Inverness we picked up food for lunch and dinner and walked home to eat lunch before heading out to explore some more of the sights in Inverness. Emma decided to go for a run. Laura and I headed down to the Ness River and walked along both sides following a pedestrian pathway. We met up later with Emma in the city centre and visited an historic church, a bookstore inside what once a church, the oldest home in Inverness and followed along a few streets we hadn’t yet seen.
    We ended the day back in our accommodation where we made dinner and then relaxed, watching shows on our devices afterwards.     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    2
    Dzień 4–7

    Edinburgh - Day 2

    13 czerwca, Szkocja ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Another big walk about today. Close to 25K steps! What better way to see a city with so much of interest to see though, eh? Our plan for today had been to walk up the castle and tour inside. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones with that in mind. So, admission tickets were sold out for the day and we couldn’t get in! Everyone had bought them online beforehand. Now you not only have to book accommodations and transportation beforehand, you need to do that for popular tourist attractions as well, it seems.
    Sometimes things happen for a reason that isn’t always immediately apparent. After finding out that we couldn’t tour the castle, we walked back down the hill and came across the National Art Gallery. It is free of charge so we decided to check it out. Turns out that the museum contains a very large collection of paintings and art including from the likes of Rembrandt and Matisse. It was more than you could possibly appreciate in one visit, but it was enjoyable to take in a sampling for a few hours.
    From the museum we walked back to our place of stay for lunch and a rest before continuing the walk about. Our next destination was Dean’s Village, a picturesque area of town with a small river where there were once several mills for grinding grain to supply the city’s bakeries. We followed a path along the river all the way to our next destination, The Royal Botanical Gardens. That was also very enjoyable. There are several areas, organized into themes such as Chinese Medicinal garden, Rock Garden, Woodlands Garden … each with a huge collection of plant species, many we had never before seen.
    We had by now covered a lot of area and it was time to pick up some food and head back to our room to make dinner. I had a tasty East Indian curried chicken with rice meal. Laura and Emma had pasta.     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    1
    Dzień 3

    Edinburgh - Day 1

    12 czerwca, Szkocja ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Did a whole lot of touring Edinburgh on foot today. Over 25,000 steps worth, in fact! The day started with me going across the street to Cafe Nero to pickup coffees for Laura and I to have in our room. Rather pricey. Might want to start looking at brewing our own though whenever we have a coffee maker in our kitchen. We’re already doing our own breakfast and lunches by picking up groceries in the local store. And last night, we even made a nice pasta with salad for dinner using our kitchen.
    We started the day’s touring by heading to the Royal Mile. So amazing to see all the historic buildings that have stood for twice as long as Canada has even been a country! Went inside the Giles and marvelled at the beautiful stained glass windows and massive pipe organ!
    Also, ventured inside a free history museum which focussed on the history of life for those who have lived in Edinburgh. So much that we have in our homes today that we all just take for granted never existed for many, years ago. No running water. No toilets or sewage treatment. No electricity. No heat. No A/C. Tiny rooms for entire families.
    Our tour de foot continued with a hike up Arthur’s Seat to get a great view of the city and surrounding landscape. It’s actually an ancient volcano turned into favourite hiking destination for locals and tourists. Lots of people. Looked liked a scene of hikers going up Everest except that there is not a single trail up. It’s quite wide open with many, well worn routes to the top. The panoramic view from the top made the effort well worthwhile!
    We took a slightly different route back to our room for lunch. Emma went via a route to a camera store so she could get her camera cleaned. Laura and I followed along a popular jogging and cycling route back to the Royal Mile and then to our room. Felt good to take a break and have some food to fuel up for the afternoon where we did a little more touring the sights and a bit of shopping. Laura’s suitcase fell apart on arrival yesterday so we needed to find a replacement!     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie
  • Dewit Family TravelsScotland & Ireland 2024
    1
    Dzień 3

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    12 czerwca, Szkocja ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    And so, another overseas adventure has begun for Laura and I! Day 1 was a long, travel day beginning at 2:30 pm when I left Duncan to pick Laura up from work and drive down to Victoria to meet up with Marc and drive out to the Victoria airport. We had a bit of stress on the Malahat when we came to a sudden standstill just south of the Shawnigan Lake exit and saw traffic backed up for as far as the eye could see! There had been a vehicle accident, but luckily, it was just being cleared as we arrived, and soon traffic was flowing, albeit very slowly for quite a distance.
    The flight to Vancouver and then the connecting flight to London both left on time and we had seats together despite not having paid for seat selections when booking. We were also able to check in our carry-ons for free, which was nice. On arrival at Heathrow in London we made our way on foot and train to terminal 5 where we found a Cafe Costa and stopped for lattes. Emma arrived at Heathrow from Newquay, on the English coast, soon after, and we headed to section A9, where we arranged to meet, just inside the security zone for departures.
    It was great seeing her again! Emma had been traveling through Europe with her friend, Emma for 6 weeks. The “M&M’s” visited England, The Netherlands, France, Poland, Italy, Austria, Spain and Portugal together and now, Emma, would travel to Scotland and Ireland with us for the next three weeks before heading off on her own for an additional month of travel.
    We had to wait a few hours at Heathrow, but soon we were on our way to the final destination for the day, Edinburgh. Once there we made our way to the bus stop and caught the bus to town where we got off just a few hundred meters from our AirBNB accommodation. We were a little concerned on arrival when we couldn’t find the lock box with the key to get inside, but soon realized that the room was on Atholl Lane not Atholl Crescent!
    Shortly after dropping off our luggage in the room we walked a short distance to a local pub where we had dinner. Laura had a vegan chili, I had the meat version, and Emma had Mac ‘n Cheese. I also quenched my thirst with both an Ossian beer (a local beer with citrus added) and a Scottish lager. The pub was packed as it was open mic night. We left shortly after that started at 9 pm.     Czytaj więcej

    Zobacz tłumaczenie

Dołącz do nas:

FindPenguins dla iOSFindPenguins dla systemu Android