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London: Shakespeare’s Globe, Borough Market, The Rake and More (Day 4)

Posted in London, Photography, Travel, Travels, tagged Beer, Borough Market, Globe Theater, London, Photography, The Rake, Travel, UK on Thursday, 27 March, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Last summer, I attended The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe theater. The all-women cast did an excellent job, but the storyline is not my favorite of the Shakespeare plays. I would love to see Much Ado About Nothing but it’s not playing until April 2014. In any case, I was thrilled to see a play with fantastic actors at the iconic Globe theater.

Shakespeare’s Globe is a fabulous building with an interesting history. It’s located a few hundred yards from its original site. The building itself is as true to the original as they could surmise since there was next to nothing left of the original. The rebuilding of the Globe came about through the efforts of the American actor and director Sam Wanamaker. He founded the Shakespeare’s Globe Trust which reconstructed the theater. The foundation is also responsible for the education center and permanent exhibition. Thanks to Sam Wanamaker, there’s a beautiful and historic theater in a fabulous location (Bankside) in London.

Globe Theater and the Millennium bridge
Audience at the Globe Theater
Even if you don’t get a chance to see a play there, go for a tour.

Borough Market is about a 5-minute walk from the Globe Theater. Borough Market has become so popular and hectic at peak times (weekends/lunch). But if you go early, it’ll be less of a crush. It’s recommended in all the travel guidebooks and there’s a reason for that ~ it’s a fantastic market.

Variety of Mushrooms

Bright colorful peppers for sale

Fish at the Market

Cheesemonger

Gorgeous flowers for sale year-round

Flowers in the Market

Coffee Lover’s Favorite place in the market

The Market Porter pub always looked so inviting when I went by it but then one day a group of us decided to go in and the stench of urine was overwhelming. We just looked at each other and walked out. I was so disappointed. I still love the look of it from the outside.

The Rake Pub is a pub I’ve walked past many, many times and every time I would read the extensive beer selection on the sign outside. I seem to always say “next time” but we ended up leaving London before I made good on next time. The Rake is known as the smallest pub in London and, because it’s in busy Borough Market, I won’t be going on a Friday or Saturday night when it will be bustling with way too many people. Best to check it out in the afternoon while sitting outdoors watching the market-goers go by. They have 130 beers available ~ the Flying Dog K9 Cruiser looks like the one for me.

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London: British Museum and Royal Albert Hall

Posted in London, Photography, Travel, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged British Museum, La Formagerie, London, Photography, Rosetta Stone, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Travel, UK on Thursday, 20 March, 2014| 4 Comments »

In planning my trip to London, Day Three has to start with a visit to one of my favorite breakfast places in Marylebone, La Formagerie.

Located at 2-6 Moxon Street (W1), it has an extensive, glass-enclosed cheese room. For those non-cheese aficionados, the staff always seemed happy to help with my selections ~ I would tell them what kind of event/other food & wine/number of people and they made excellent recommendations. La Formagerie also serves lunch and dinner (excellent wine list). It’ll be a great way to start our second day. If you decide to go when you’re in London, click here for more details.

I’m planning to re-visit several museums and attend a play/concert during our stay. Logan didn’t get a chance to see the British Museum which she reminds me frequently ~ it just so happened she was unavailable every time I went. I’m happy to return if just to look at the Rosetta Stone ~ which is near the entrance and the most visited object in the museum. Languages fascinate me and the Rosetta Stone was instrumental in deciphering of hieroglyphs. Think of it as the Google translate of the early 1800s.

And there’s so much more to see…

“No-Body with drinking glass and with a pipe” These are figurines from 1680-1700 from the publication “No-Body and Some-Body”

Hindu Goddess Gajalakshmi

Entrance to the museum is free so you can go in, see the Rosetta Stone, roam around at your leisure. It would take weeks to see everything so my advice is to check out the museum map and pick a section that interests you. When we go I’m going to take the “Around The World in 90 Minutes” tour. The guides are so informative.

For the afternoon, we’ll wander over to Knightsbridge which has lots of restaurants, parks, and shopping. At night, I’m hoping to attend an event at the Royal Albert Hall. Last year, I was blown away by the 9th annual Symphonic Rock concert we attended at the Royal Albert Hall. The orchestra started with “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve which was spectacular and the rest of the concert got better and better. I remember looking around at intermission in awe that I was actually at the famous Albert Hall ~ it must be so surreal for the musicians who get to PERFORM there. The Symphonic Rock is scheduled for May 2014 so we’ll miss it and I’m waiting for the “what’s on” calendar to update for the end of July. I have no doubt whatever we go to will be entertaining.

The audience at the Royal Albert Hall

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London: “So, What Didn’t You Like?”

Posted in London, Photography, Travel, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged London, Marylebone, Photography, Travel, UK, Vacation, Wallace Collection on Monday, 17 March, 2014| 11 Comments »

When people find out we were lucky enough to spend a year in London, they usually ask “how did you like it?” My answer is always “We loved it and still miss living there.” The follow-up question is usually “So, what didn’t you like about it?” That’s easy ~ doing the laundry. That may sound trivial (and it is) but doing laundry in a washer/dryer combo machine that doesn’t vent is frustrating. Clothes wouldn’t dry for days. Yesterday, while attending a cocktail party, a woman asked me the usual question “how did you like living in London?” but she got a shocked look when I said how much we loved living there and she followed up with “What exactly did you like about it?” Hmmmmm….let’s see…”EVERYTHING”

It got me thinking about our upcoming trip back to the UK in July. We’ll only have a week in London and a week in Scotland. There are so many places we want to re-visit. As much as I like to travel by the seat of my pants, I know we’ll regret not going back to see our favorite places and restaurants. A prioritized to-do list is necessary.

DAY TWO:

Since we’ll be staying in our neighborhood, Marylebone, we’ll want to visit our old haunts. It’ll be easy to spend the whole day in Marylebone. It’s such a vibrant and beautiful part of London.

Marylebone High Street ~ so many restaurants and shops all leading to either Regents Park or to Oxford Street

Best book store EVER ~ Daunt Books. Loved their author visits (wine served)

The beautiful and Gothic St James Catholic Church ~ our “home” church while in London

…and it’s even more stunning at night

The Wallace Collection is my favorite museum in London. It’s so cozy and intimate. I can imagine what it must have been like to be invited over as a friend of the owners to see the marvelous collection back in the mid to late 1800s. I visited so many times when we lived there (it was only a few blocks from our flat) and every time I left, I was already figuring out when I could get back to see more of the collection.

Lots of alleyways in Marylebone (and all around London). I love walking through them especially at night.

Local pub just off the High Street

I knew two people who attended the Royal Academy of Music and I walked by it nearly everyday but never went to a concert there. Hopefully we can see a performance there.

…and hopefully the directional signs on the road will help keep me from getting run over by aggressive cab drivers.

A walk up to Primrose Hill in Regents Park to see the great views of London and of course to people-watch. Lots of buff athletes or the occasional one with his pants too low. I was photo-bombed.

Would love to spend a few hours walking around Regents Park

The pressing question is: Do we go back to our favorite restaurants or do we try new ones? Hopefully we can do both. One we’ll go back to is on Marylebone High Street close to Daunt Books ~ Topkapi. YUM! Lots of vegetarian options, meat eaters were happy and it has a lovely wine selection.

Day two will have us venturing out of Marylebone…

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Wimbledon 2013: My Golden Ticket to Centre Court

Posted in London, Photography, Travel, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged Andy Murray, Fernando Verdasco, London, Photography, Tennis, Travel, UK, Wimbledon 2013 on Friday, 5 July, 2013| 14 Comments »

I can get you tickets to any tournament in the world EXCEPT Wimbledon” Nick Bollettieri, Tennis Coach

The above quote was made during a conversation I had with Nick Bollettieri in the early 1990s. It made an impression on me because Wimbledon has been on my list of things to do for years but his comment made it more of a challenge and I knew if I ever had the opportunity, I would have to jump at it.

Everyone in my family liked to play tennis so I started when I was young. I think my Dad had visions of the next Chris Evert but that wasn’t meant to be. I’m thankful he got me out on the court though because to this day it’s my favorite form of exercise. Just need to play more often.

As a child, I remember watching the big tournaments on TV with my mom and dad so actually going to Wimbledon has been on my “must do” list for years. One of the first things I did when I moved to London was enter the lottery for tickets to Wimbledon. Sadly, no response from them. BUT we were lucky enough to get tickets through a friend for the Men’s Quarter finals on Centre Court! And, yes I’m bruised from pinching myself to make sure it’s real!

My Golden Ticket. I know how Charlie felt going into the Chocolate Factory! Instead of Candy ~ I got to see fabulous tennis.

View from our seats ~ my big fear was getting caught on camera blowing my nose or something like that.

Literally, less than four minutes into the 1st match Del Potro was down with a knee problem. He rallied to come back and win. I was cheering for Ferrer,the Spanish player.

The second match of the day was Fernando Verdasco against Andy Murray. Verdasco is an incredible tennis player (One of his serves was calculated at 139 mph) and he gave Andy a run for it by winning the first two sets. Andy Murray is lucky the crowd was so encouraging and cheering for him because I don’t think he would have won otherwise ~ he seemed to feed off of the crowd. Hopefully he’ll go on to win his first Wimbledon trophy this weekend and be the first Brit to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. It’s going to be party-time in the UK come Sunday if he wins!

I only took photos during the warm up session. Someone took a photo at eye level right when Andy Murray was serving a crucial point and the flash went off. Oh, my ~ if looks could kill.

Of course there was media everywhere!

The grounds at Wimbledon are beautiful:

Wimbledon is definitely going down as a top highlight of our time here in London! Now on to the rest of our must do list…only a few weeks to go before we move back to the states.

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France: Day Trip ~ Paris and Palace of Versailles

Posted in Day Trip from London, France, Paris, Photography, Travel, Travels, tagged Day Trip, Eiffel Tower, Eurostar, France, London, Paris, Photography, Tour Groups, Train, Travel, Vacation on Friday, 24 May, 2013| 14 Comments »

With both John and Logan on their own travel adventures, a friend and I decided to catch the Eurostar train to Paris and Versailles for a day trip. Paris is a little over two hours from London so it makes for an easy to get there day trip. I visited Paris once before in 2004 and enjoyed seeing the familiar sights again. We decided to go with a fully escorted tour thinking it would save us the trouble of having to deal with purchasing tickets for Eiffel Tower and Versailles nor deal with transportation. In hindsight, I’m not sure it was worth it since we got stuck in severe traffic jams several times throughout the day (train and metro would have been so much quicker) which cut-in to the time we had to enjoy Paris. Ah, well…live and learn.

The Eurostar left London at 7:00am and we were in Paris at 10:15am. France is one hour ahead. It was my first time on the Eurostar and I was impressed. It was clean, on time and there was a decent selection of food/drinks.

Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower:

Looking up the Eiffel Tower, Paris

Inside the Eiffel Tower, Paris

The Eiffel Tower was built by French engineer Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World’s Fair (Exposition Universelle ). It was built to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution as well as demonstrate France’s technological advances in the Industrial Age. The construction took 2 years, 2 months and 5 days and the result is a very impressive technical and architectural achievement. Although the panoramic views from the 2nd floor are wonderful, I also love looking up into the inside of the tower from the ground level. Originally the Tower was built to last only 20 years but when the first radio transmissions were sent from the top of the tower, it became a permanent structure. Even for the people who opposed keeping it (many considered it an eyesore), the practical uses of the Tower outweighed the insult to the Frenchmen’s sense of aesthetics. Good thing for Paris since each year, almost seven million visitors make the trek to the Eiffel Tower.

View of the Seine River, Paris, France

View from 2nd Floor of the Eiffel Tower

View of the gardens from the Eiffel Tower

Another view from the second floor of the Eiffel tower

Statue dedicated to Gustave Eiffel, Paris

On my last visit to Paris, I was able to see the tower lit up at night but it stays light too late into the evening for us to see it this time.

A few sights from around Paris:

Statue in Paris

Paris, France

Balcony Smoke Break, Paris France

3,300 year old Obelisk of Luxor, Place du Concorde

Music Academy in Paris

Arc de Triomphe

Champs Elysee, Paris, France

After touring the Eiffel Tower and a quick bite to eat, it was time to journey to the Palace of Versailles but more about that in the next post…

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London: Gorilla Circus “Flying Trapeze School”

Posted in London, Photography, Travel, United Kingdom, tagged Adventure, Flying Trapeze, Gorilla Circus, London, Photography, Regents Park, Travel, UK on Saturday, 18 May, 2013| 3 Comments »

Guest Blogger: Logan, 15 years old

We are frequent visitors to Regent’s Park, many times as a short cut to a friend’s flat in St Johns Woods. A couple of weeks ago, we came across Gorilla Circus ~ Flying Trapeze School. They are located at the corner of Outer Circle Rd and Avenue Rd on the north side of the Regents Park. The closest tube station is St Johns Wood (Jubilee Line).

We stopped to watch the school for a moment but ended up staying longer since we were all mesmerized by the wanna-be acrobats swinging through the air. I could tell John and Logan were tempted. Me, not so much ~ I have limited upper body strength. Logan made arrangements for a class which took place yesterday. She agreed to be a guest blogger and here’s her story:

After seeing the Flying Trapeze School, I was interested in going but hadn’t looked into it any further. Coincidentally, my friend said she went to the school and loved it. She asked if I wanted to go with her and she made the arrangements for a class which was yesterday. The maximum number of students is 10 and we had 9 in our class. They told us we would have a warm-up, practice on the lower bar and then we would go on the flying trapeze.

First, we did basic warm up which included jumping jacks, stretching side to side, running in place and a few balance exercises. Then everyone went over to the lower bar, they explained we would hold the bar, bring our legs up, hook our legs onto the bar and reach back. There were two people helping everyone up on the lower bar so don’t be intimidated if you feel you wouldn’t be able to lift yourself onto the bar.

The instructors worked with you on your level of expertise so if you are more experienced, they offer more difficult “tricks.” Having never been on a trapeze, I was at the beginner level with the majority of the class. After my turn on the lower bar, they hooked a safety belt around my waist and we walked towards the ladder. It was very fast paced and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do it but most of the people were worried too so it was reassuring. A few people wore jeans which I think made it more difficult. It’s better to wear tights/leggings.

We were briefed as to what would happen on the flying trapeze along with commands that would be called out. A person from the class was chosen to be an example and the instructors called out the commands which were:

Ready: bend your knees
HUP!: Gently jump from the platform with your arms extended straight out (locked arms)
Tuck: put your legs onto the bar
Release: drop your hands and reach out

After the lower bar practice, we waited for our turn. I was nervous but concentrating on watching the other people so I could learn from them. Climbing the ladder turned out to be the scariest part of the whole thing but you’re hooked to a rope just in case. Once at the top, there’s a platform assistant who hooks you into the safety ropes and he holds onto the back of your belt so you don’t fall off the platform while reaching for the bar. The bar is heavy so reaching out to grab it is difficult because it felt like it was going to pull me right off the platform. Thankfully, the platform assistant was strong enough to hold me back. I followed the commands and “hupped” ~ I’m very happy they don’t say jump because that sounds more terrifying to me. “Hup!” seemed much less scary.

Grabbing onto the bar

Ready To Fly

HUP!

Time to get those knees hooked!

Hands Off, Arms locked and reaching

Success….

Flying Trapeze

It was thrilling and I’m happy I did it. I want to go again. It’s an interesting work-out but the instructors are all very nice and supportive. There were all different age levels in our group. The minimum age is 8 years old but no maximum age. If you don’t “get it” on your first try, there’s usually time for another attempt. I think my parents would enjoy it so I’m hoping to go again with them.

I have to admit, watching my 15-year-old be brave enough to do the Flying Trapeze has at least peaked my interest in wanting to try it. Since it seems very safe and the instructors didn’t “shame” anyone who missed the “hand off”, I might go just for the fun of flying on the bar. If you’re interested, click here for all the pertinent details and let me know how you like it.

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Madrid Wrap-Up

Posted in Madrid, Photography, Spain, Travel, tagged Madrid, Photography, Spain, Travel on Saturday, 4 May, 2013| 7 Comments »

Nobody goes to bed in Madrid till they have killed the night!” – Ernest Hemingway

We didn’t “kill the night” but did our best to see as much as we could during our way too short visit to the wonderful city of Madrid!

Traveling has always been an obsession with me. The first “vacation” I planned on my own was at the age of 13 when I saved every babysitting dollar I made to pay for a flight to Disney World to visit family friends on my own. It took me a little over a year to save enough money for the trip and I had to wear the embarrassing “unaccompanied minor” sticker on my shirt but I made it. Fast forward many years and there’s always plans for a trip simmering away and Madrid has been on the travel list for a long time. So grateful I finally got a chance to experience it for myself.

After all those years of waiting to visit Spain’s capital, my top five favorites (in no particular order) are:

1) Madrid Marathon: well-organized and great atmosphere for both the runners and the spectators. A few degrees warmer would have been nice…

2) Chance to Practice my remedial Spanish: I love being able to practice my Spanish with locals ~ especially those patient enough to endure the butchering of their language. The look in my daughter’s eyes when she sees me speaking Spanish is one of such respect ~ I can tell it gives her confidence to converse too. We both want to get much better at speaking Spanish so we’re looking into another trip to Spain so we can take Spanish immersion classes.

3) El Parque del Buen Retiro: my previous post said it all. This is a fabulous place to take a picnic, in-line skates and spend the day!

4) Museo del Prado: The Prado which is listed as one of the oldest and best art museum in the world. I have to agree. Even though we were limited on time, we carved out a few hours to enjoy a stroll though some of the galleries to view beautiful and thought-provoking paintings. I used a Spanish audio guide so my understanding of some of the paintings might be suspect. Photography is not allowed. Backpacks must go through a security screening and left at the cloakroom. For more information, click here.

5) All the beautiful Plazas in Central Madrid: Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Plaza de Santa Ana are my particular favorites. Would have loved to sit out at a café but the chilly weather prohibited any outdoor seating.

Recap in photos:

Iglesia de San Jerónimo , across from The Prado, Madrid

Wedding in the beautiful Iglesia de San Jerónimo

Palacio de Comunicaciones (Currently City Hall Offices) at Plaza de Cibeles

Fernando Arch Fernando VII, Madrid

Dark clouds over Madrid

Fernando Arch Fernando VII, Madrid

Cherub Fountain in Madrid

Plaza Mayor, Madrid

Another Beautiful statue in Madrid

Cellar seating at Botin Restaurant, Madrid ~ considered the oldest restaurant in the world

No Dogs Allowed ~ except this fuzz-ball (on left)

Murals in Madrid

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Madrid: Saturday in Parque del Buen Retiro

Posted in Madrid, Photography, Spain, Travel, Travels, tagged exercise in the park, In-line skating, Madrid, Marble Statues, Park in Madrid, Parque del Buen Retiro, Photography, Spain, The Fallen Angel, Travel, Vacation on Tuesday, 30 April, 2013| 3 Comments »

It was a short walk from our hotel (Vincci Soma) to Parque del Buen Retiro, and as soon as I walked in, I realized I was going to want more then a mere weekend in Madrid. I could have stayed in the park for the entire day ~ it’s big, beautiful with lovely gardens, marble statues/monuments, acres of greenery, manmade lakes and an abundance of locals doing various exercises.

The Park was originally laid out by Felipe IV in the 1600s for the use of the Royals and close family/friends but the park was opened to the public in 1868. Throughout the following years, statues and buildings have been added with the most recent being the “Bosque de Recuerdo” (memorial forest) which is a memorial for the 191 victims of the 11 March 2004 train bombings.

Exercise for your legs, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Whole lot of exercising going on in this part of the park, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

In-line Skaters of all ages were everywhere in the Park ~ lots of lessons, too.

True Love: a girl and her Iphone

Big Bubble, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Spanish Guitar music in Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

It’s a great place for the Madrileños to enjoy a pleasant walk, a vigorous workout or just to sit and watch the world go by.

El Ángel Caído (Fallen Angel), Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

At the base of El Ángel Caído

El Ángel Caído (Fallen Angel), Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

The park has many beautiful marble statues including El Ángel Caído (The Fallen Angel ~ Satan) by Ricardo Bellver. He is said to have been inspired by a passage from Paradise Lost (John Milton). The gargoyles around the base of the statues creeped me out more than the statue itself. From my research, it looks to be the only public statue of Lucifer and supposedly it sits at 666m above sea level.

Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Columns near the Alfonzo XXII statue, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Dolphins, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Statue in Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Statue, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Fountain in Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Alfonzo XXII Statue, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Cuba Monument, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Besides the lovely statues, there are several beautiful buildings including Palacio de Cristal which was built in 1887 as a winter garden but is now being used for temporary exhibitions of modern artwork. If you look closely at the photo below, those color discs are the artwork currently on display.

Palacio de Cristal ~ the color discs hanging from the ceiling are part of the Modern Art Exhibit

Inside the Palacio de Cristal ~ dics on the floor are part of the modern art exhibition

Logan in the Palacio de Cristal, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Park Vendor outside Palacio de Cristal, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

Our time in Parque del Buen Retiro was wonderful and I definitely would have stayed longer but after a few hours it was time to head over to Museo del Prado to see the Goyas. The Museum is a short walk just outside of the park…

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London: Marathon 2013

Posted in Madrid, Spain, Travel, tagged London, London Marathon, Madrid, Photography, Priscah Jeptoo, Running, Steel Band, Travel, UK, Wheelchair Marathon on Tuesday, 23 April, 2013| 5 Comments »

Along Pall Mall, London Marathon 2013

This past Sunday was a perfect day for the 33rd London Marathon. John wasn’t selected to run this year so we went out to cheer on the 34,631 runners. We took the bus to Trafalgar Square then walked down Pall Mall to the finish line. Prince Harry gave out the medals and attracts quite a crowd on his own, let alone all the runners and spectators, so we decided the 25 mile marker was a better viewing spot then the finish line.

Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya ~ Women’s Elite Winner of the London Marathon 2013

Effortlessly Gliding at the 25 mile mark of the London Marathon

Wheelchair Participants in the London Marathon 2013

London sure knows how to cheer on these wonderful athletes ~ especially in the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy. No doubt Madrid’s Rock ‘n Roll Marathon next week will be just as exciting and John will be running in that one.

Loved the Steel Band playing for the Jolly Man Runner

St James Park, A Restful Spot during the Marathon

Photographer Policeman at the London Marathon

Big Ben

Cheering the Runner of the London Marathon 2013

Cheering a Runner of the London Marathon 2013

Looking Over Her Shoulder, London Marathon 2013

Along the London Marathon Route

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Ireland: My First Kiss…

Posted in Ireland, Photography, Travel, Travels, tagged Blarney Castle, Blarney Stone, County Cork, Ireland, Kiss, Photography, Poison Garden, Travel, Vacation on Saturday, 13 April, 2013| 10 Comments »

…with the Blarney Stone.

I was about seven years old the first time I ever heard of Blarney Castle and the tradition of kissing the “Blarney Stone” in order to get the Gift of Gab. My dad told me the story in great detail and I was fascinated. The legend of kissing the Blarney Stone was described in a book by Francis Grouse in 1785 so it’s nice to know the long standing tradition continues. I could certainly use all the help I can with ‘clever and charming’ speaking as opposed to my current ~~snarky~~ sarcastic propensities so let’s hope the kiss works for me.

Me, Kissing the Blarney Stone ~ have to admit it was awkward but not as bad as I thought it would be. Thank Goodness for the safety bars…

‘Tis there’s the stone that whoever kisses

He never misses to grow eloquent;

‘Tis he may clamber to a lady’s chamber,

Or become a member of Parliament.

“A noble spouter he’ll sure turn out, or

An out and outer to be let alone;

Don’t try to hinder him, or to bewilder him,

For he is a pilgrim from the Blarney stone.”

By Francis Sylvester Mahony

Blarney Castle, County Cork, Ireland

The Blarney Stone is a block of Bluestone which was built into the castle wall in 1446. Besides kissing the stone, the castle and surrounding grounds are beautiful so if you are traveling with anyone who doesn’t want to kiss the stone (fear of heights, etc), they will still find the area beautiful. It’s a perfect place for a picnic. Give yourself a few hours to enjoy the gardens.

Looking out from Blarney Castle

Inside Blarney Castle

Stream flowing through the grounds of Blarney Castle

Narrow Staircase going up at the Blarney Castle

Window at Blarney Castle

Stone Archway, Blarney Castle grounds, County Cork, Ireland

Winding Staircase at Blarney Castle

Poison Garden ~ with some serious poisons. Take heed ~ don’t touch.

JP going in for the Kiss of the Blarney Store

Blarney Castle is only 8km (5 miles) from the town of Cork and can get VERY busy during the summer season. A staff member told us the wait to kiss the stone in the summer can be over 2.5 hours. We arrived at the Castle soon after it opened and didn’t wait at all to pucker up for a “smooch.” If you decide to go click here for additional information.

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Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

London: Shakespeare’s Globe, Borough Market, The Rake and More (Day 4)

London: British Museum and Royal Albert Hall

London: “So, What Didn’t You Like?”

Wimbledon 2013: My Golden Ticket to Centre Court

France: Day Trip ~ Paris and Palace of Versailles

London: Gorilla Circus “Flying Trapeze School”

Madrid Wrap-Up

Madrid: Saturday in Parque del Buen Retiro

London: Marathon 2013

Ireland: My First Kiss…

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