A Guinness Each Day

[braumeister]

I am also enjoying your posts about your trip and the beautiful pictures. Thanks for taking us along on your trip.

I have wanted to go to Ireland for many years. Hopefully, I will get to go someday.

Same here. Since my ancestry on my mother's side is 100% from Ireland, it has long been on my bucket list. Finally decided to do it and we spent nearly a month there in 2019. Couldn't have enjoyed it more unless we had spent a second month! Definitely want to go back.

 

[Souschef]

+1

A travel thread without photos is like, what, je ne sais quoi.

I was thinking a steak without pepper and garlic, but it is worse than that so can't think offhand of a comparison.

Here you go

 

[target2019]

Day 12 - Dublin Castle, Dinner and Family

Even more for Day 12! From Guiness Storehouse we took a carriage to Dublin Castle to meet #1 son. The carriage was idea of #1 daugjter, and was a special moment we four shared.

We only had an hour to tour the castle, as it was late in the day. Saw the room where Michael Collins was taken, wounded, just before he was executed. There was also an exhibit "The Objects of Love" in the next room. I'l leave a link here to describe that exhibit. Wish I had more time to explore that one. https://www.dublincastle.ie/the-objects-of-love-exhibition/

The rooms throughout Dublin Castle were opulent and give you a good idea of how the British Colonists lived and ruled in that city. A typical room is shown below.

In the next photo you can see us leaving the castle, towing shopping bags of Jameson whisky and mementos.

We went to the Galway Pub, played Chenga, and ate light snacks. From there it was a short walk to Three Storey restaurant for one of the best meals of the trip. It was the goodby meal for daughter and husband, so a little sad. Also, it was our last evening in Ireland. But there is more of the trip to come.

 

[target2019]

I am also enjoying your posts about your trip and the beautiful pictures. Thanks for taking us along on your trip.

I have wanted to go to Ireland for many years. Hopefully, I will get to go someday.

Same here. Since my ancestry on my mother's side is 100% from Ireland, it has long been on my bucket list. Finally decided to do it and we spent nearly a month there in 2019. Couldn't have enjoyed it more unless we had spent a second month! Definitely want to go back.

What makes trips memorable for me is that we exchange family ideas over time, and go to spots we are discovering for a reason. Tours are necessary to some extent, but we've always gone with the feeling of wanderlust, and try to avoid the tourist spots and crowds.

Even a month is not enough for an Ireland trip, but some have constraints and can't wander until the feeling is satisfied.

My personal goal is to make it through the lands of ancestors (German, Irish, Scots, Ukrainian). First two trips were successful, and I'm hopeful I can make it to the next two destinations.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

But what really disappointed me was all the local yobbos in the pub. I was sitting at the bar, right next to where the wait staff entered their orders. I'd guess maybe 1/3 of the orders were Guinness. At least half were ... ugh ... Coors Light. They should turn in their Irish licenses.

Back in 2001, USS Enterprise pulled in to England for a visit. A bunch of us aviators met up with some of the Brits at a bar near Portsmouth, and they were all drinking Budweiser and Bud Light.

 

[target2019]

Day 13 - Dublin to Berlin DE

The family had breakfast together at the hotel. Most of us were beginning to stress because of the upcoming flights and airline warnings about this and that. My investment CEO manged to get a comp on the breakfast (about 80 Euros).

Daughter and husband went West, and we flew East on Ryanair (decent airline). The flight was a couple of hours at most, and I began to feel better about stretching things for another ten days. Son got us a cab and we went very quickly to his flat, in a neigborhood close to Templehofer Field. The mix is Middle East with a growing number of other immigrants. We were very comfortable walking through the neighborhood.

Mother and son went to the evening protest for Ukraine near one of the sites of the Berlin Festival of Lights. https://festival-of-lights.de/en/ for more on that. I was very tired and could not make the excursion.

When they got back we watched LBJ on the projection screen in his work space. Of course we did not see the end...nodding off in anticipation of the next vacation day.

 

[target2019]

Day 14 - Berlin

It tooks us until early afternoon to get up and ready for a bright day in Berlin. The flat is very comfortable, completely upgraded from the property our son purchased a year ago. When we were here last year, everything was exposed. We could see hot water lines in the floor, electrical runs, and the renovation plans tacked on an easel in the space. What an improvement! On the 5th floor there is plenty of light streaming through dormer windows at the back and conventional ones in the front.

We bought coffee to go at "It’s a long story" and walked through Anita-Berber-Park. The grass was very long and green. Bicycles and travellers shared the wide gravel paths. It was quite beautiful.

Mild winds crossed Templehofer Field, and the sky was deep blue. The air was clear, and roller-bladers, bicyclists, and pedestrians maneuvered carefully on the paved areas.

We spent 30-60 minutes walking through the vegetable and wildflower chaos in the community garden - Gemeinschaftsgarten Allmende-Kontor. It was special.

On the way back to the flat we walked through the graveyard at Bulgarische Orthodoxe Kirchengemeinde. Back on the main path of Anita-Berber we found a meme that fit those moments.

 

[target2019]

Day 15 - Berlin - The Cleanup Patrol

A good day to clean left-over construction dust from the doors installation and other last-minute renovation work. A guest was coming the next day to take over the flat for a week or so. Son would use her flat in Amsterdam after we went back to U.S. Clever!

Even had time to run two loads of wash in an all-in-one washer/dryer contraption. Grabbed a nice breakfast at the corner cafe when there was a break in the action...and went for a long walk up Hermanstrasse. On the way back we shopped at Edeka for snacks.

 

[target2019]

Day 16 - Berlin to Hamburg on ICE

We are for sure running short on time, with less than a week left together in Europe.

I had time to place a couple of trades before the crashing market would open.

With luggage in tow, we headed for the ICE train to Hamburg. After the 2-hour train ride we walked to the Henri Hotel. Dinner was at A Varina, for Portugese cuisine.

After dinner we walked up steps along the water to a point where we could see across a few canals, and spotted the Elb Philharmonie (https://www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/). We had already booked three tickets for the next evening. There would be several bridges to cross in Hamburg...

 

[target2019]

Day 17 - Hamburg in the Daylight

Hamburg is a perfect city for tourists. The ins and out of the Elbe waterways that finger out throughout the waterfront areas can keep one busy for days exploring the warehouse buildings and new construction. And the city is very busy improving facilities while highlighting the past.

The Elb Philharmonie is a very large building with concert halls at the bottom, and topped with a Westin Hotel. Words can't describle the above-street boardwalk approaches and bridges that lead you there.

We travelled north to a long stretch of parks that circle the western and northern city. Sculptures and lakes included at no charge. We paused at Dammtorpark, Planten un Blomen, and sat for 15 minutes.

On the return to our hotel we passed through the central shopping part, and found umbrellas in the sky.

 

[target2019]

Day 17 - Hamburg in the Evening

We met up with son and walked to a pub on Deichstraße, a charming old street. I found my Guiness, a rather small glass, not even a half pint. We had soup and bread.

At Elb Philharmonie we saw a trio perform a range of music that covered several hundred years.

After the performance we decided to walk back to the Henri Hotel, and found time for one last drink before bedtime - A Dithmarscher Dunkel, a dark lager from Munich, and it was quite tasty.

 

[Ronstar]

^nice pics! Looks like a fun trip!

 

[target2019]

Day 18 - Hamburg to Amsterdam

After packing, we had a few hours to spare before our 2:45PM train. After a vegan breakfast, we walked to the St. Nicholas Memorial, which is building structure not destroyed in the fire storm of July 1943. You can see the tower that remains, and the newer bells installed. Within the church perimeter, there is a modern sculpture (The Ordon) with surrounding walls. This is a memorial to the victims of the Sandbostel concentration camp (https://www.frankfallaarchive.org/prisons/stalag-xb-sandbostel/).

And then we went to the train station for the last significant leg of our three weeks. The trip to Amsterdam was almost 6 hours, with one change in Duisburg. This train, as were all others, was very comfortable, and we nibbled our snacks purchased at Edeka before we left.

The Amsterdam train station is a monster, with thousands of bicycles tethered outside on the streets. How do you find yours? An Uber driver told us there were more bikes in Amsterdam than people in The Netherlands! It was kinda seamy there when we got outside, so stay close. The driver took us to V Lofts, a tremendous apartment on floor 1 at the corner of Weteringschangs and Westeinde. Lots of trollies pass by that intersection as they go to bed for the early hours of the next day.

 

[target2019]

^nice pics! Looks like a fun trip!

Each trip is better than the one before!

I pretty much just take out my phone and snap. Many times can't see the screen clearly. Being in the way of a zillion bikes and pedestrians was interesting. We had sun maybe half of the days, so many pictures look flat and needed a boost or two from g-photos.

It's almost time for a new phone, so the future pictures will be better than Pixel 3. Of course I will be older, etc. We'll see what the next trip holds for us.

It is good to hear from you. Take care.

 

[target2019]

Day 19 - Amsterdam

A cloudy grey day with light mist, but our hearts were warm. Breakfast was near one of the local markets, enjoying apple pie and cake, omelette, and yogurt. When we left there was enough room for a shared Stroopwafel.

We walked for several hours through the parks at Hortus Botanicus, Wertheimpark, and Amsterdam Oosterpark. We viewed water fountains and Autumn flowers. There was a tree that had two faces, we imagined.

The sculpture is the National Slavery Monument. About 4pm we walked back to the comfort of our hotel.

In the evening we had excellent meals at Café Restaurant De Ysbreeker. You can see my hamburger and empty beer glass (not stout). That hamburger was the first red meat I had on the trip, and turned out to be most delicious, like a steak that required less chewing.

The walk back to our loft took us over a canal, and we could see house boats in the water. We continued over the Van Gendtbrug, where there are nice views north and south on the Amstel River.

 

[target2019]

Day 20 - Amsterdam

This was a marathon day, in more ways than one. Outside our loft the street was blocked off very early, and we had no access to the market. We watched the runners stream by, and it was clear there'd be no crossing that street for a long while. After breakie we split from son, and headed to the Rijksmuseum. Surprise on us again, as that was blocked, and no crossing the path was possible. So we reversed direction and walked through the theatre district. Pictured is the International Theater Amsterdam.

We walked at least a kilometer to The Anne Frank Monument and grabbed a picture. Next stop was the Rembrandt House Museum, with its many floors and exhibits, including etchings and prints from his time. There were no original artifacts, but very interesting to look at the 4 or 5 floors of rooms with many examples of his studios and rooms worked by students.

We walked to the Portugese Museum in the Jewish Quarter. We were constrained by a dinner appointment and needed to return to the loft. On the way we went down a street with plants and found items arranged on both sides of the sidewalk. And just beyond that we looked at the new brass markers embedded with the sidewalk bricks, and read the names of Holocaust victims who lived in these houses.

In the evening we rejoined #1 Son and rode in a taxi to Noorderlicht Café. We met a family of three who are friends with our son. Their stories about careers and growing up in France and the Netherlands were very interesting. Their busy young boy kept us entertained as we ate nachos and other finger foods for a couple of hours. We left at 11 or so, and the entire group was tired and happy.

 

[target2019]

Day 21 - Amsterdam - Last Night

We rose early and put on our tourist gear. The big day of a bus tour - Zaanse Schans with Cheese Tasting & Clog Factory. The bus left from the northern part of the city and arrived at the windmills in about 30 minutes.

We saw wooden shoes made by two machines guided by an operator. Then we went to a cheese-making show, and tasted many types of cheeses in the shop. We bought chocolate and cheese for son and gf...

There was time to stroll past the windmills and take photos. We climbed up ladders inside to examine the working gears and mill stones.

That night we walked 1.5 km to the Canvas Restaurant, from which we could see the city in all directions from above. Son and gf came for our last night together. I played a questions game with gf, and was impressed with her knowledge on each subject. She presented my wife with chocolate, a colorful khustka (Ukrainian head scarve) and a rushnyk (traditional table runner or maybe something to walk on at an important event). That may lead to another trip, I think.

 

[target2019]

Day 22 - Amsterdam to Dublin to Home

On day 22 we lived in airports - AMS, DUB and PHL. Not our best day, but it went smoothly and we were early enough to miss the long queques mentioned in emails and texts received for a few days.

It started with an Uber to AMS, and ended with a drive home courtesy of S-I-L. What a help she has been.

There was a 5-hour layover in DUB.

The total number of travel miles was over 8,900 by Car, Train, Walking and Air.

Longest day on foot was 7.9 miles in Hamburg.

Going through my notes of each day has been very enjoyable. Now it's time to think of our next trip!