I drove to Tupelo to be able to start the Natchez Trace the next morning. I bought some non refrigerated food and snacks as there is not much in the way. Then I found out that this is the birthplace of Elvis! I stopped to take a picture of the hardware store his mother worked at and where she bought him his first guitar.
The town square has a statue of Elvis and there are guitar signs all over.
One of Elvis’s favorite places to eat is Johnnie’s. His favorite was the Doughburger. In the 30’s they had to ration meat and they added flour and spices in order to stretch the meat to feed the family. Delicious and cheap. A cheeseburger and coleslaw was 4.89.
His birthplace is close by. Of course it was closed but, that happens.
At the diner I asked about the murals that are supposed to be somewhere in town and they suggested I park on the main street and walk as the. Murals are on the sides of building off of the main street. A good way to stretch my legs.
And the one thing I learned about travel so far in Mississippi is that the people her are the nicest! I spent the night in Cracker Barrel parking lot and the next more ing had one of their amazing breakfasts before setting out.
Welcome to RV life. A cracked windshield but an awesome insurance company that sets up the appointment. Lots of options in Alabama and Florida. Fixed quickly.
I was headed to Big Lagoon State Park in Florida when I heard from Patty Grayson and was going to be close to her. I decided to drive a little further and meet her for lunch. We walked Navarre beach and chatted a bunch. It was good to talk to her.
Big Lagoon State Park
I stopped in Mobile to try to find the azalea trail but construction made the parking difficult and I decided to just head to Tupelo to be able to start the Natchez Trace Parkway. I did get some pictures of azaleas in bloom.
First stop is Montgomery and Selma. I was interested in civil rights and voting rights. I toured the Alabama courthouse.
I also visited Old Alabama Town. Nice original types of houses.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was amazing and humbling. They hung metal pieces with names of people who had been lynched in counties throughout the nation. Visually effective and somber.
Charles Freeman House.
I also walked the Edmund Pettus bridge. That was very emotional as well in following the footsteps of those for voting and equal rights.
I spent three nights at the Historic Blakeley State Park. Peaceful, wonderful, lots of hiking, and met some new friends!
I drove through Magnolia Springs. Pretty little town.
I also hiked through the dune trails of Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge.
I really was not sure of what I wanted to do after the Europe vacation. I was missing community, missing family, and feeling guilty. As I had a dog sitting commitment and my daughter’s graduation. I decided this might be the time to try driving across states I have not been to. I had been following can life and minivan camping and decided that a Toyota Sienna minivan was the way to start.
I landed in Pittsburgh and literally the next day bought a 22 hybrid. I love it. It does not have all of the bells and whistles which is fine with me. I loved how it drives and was happy to have it. I got it ready in a week and drove to the pet sitting after a huge snowstorm. I spent the first night sleeping in it when it was 14 degrees out. A heated blanket, a battery pack, and lots of blankets was helpful.
During the pet sit I outfitted it with more things , window covers, portable toilet, etc. I also planned out where things will be stored. I also enjoyed the cuddly pup. Pippa was so much fun and loveable.
It was wonderful to spend weeks in Peachtree, Georgia. I always love seeing Candy and David and their new family member Pippa made it especially enjoyable.
From Cork, I went to Galway. At this point, I wasn’t completely excited. For the first time in my travels I was sick and it was taking awhile to get over. Just a bad cold but enough to make me go to bed early and feel pretty crappy in the afternoon.
But on to Galway I went. It rained almost ethe while time and the kind of rain that comes in sideways and gets you completely soaked even if you have a long raincoat. But it was beautiful, especially with countryside. And Irish people are one of the most friendly around.
Plaque to the soldiers of the Spanish Armada in Fort Hill graveyard. The Spanish ship wrecked off the coast of Ireland in 1588. It had failed to invade England. When the survivors washed ashore, they were captured by the English authorities and executed when no good or riches were with them. Irish citizens buried them in the cemetery. The plaque reads: May their souls be at God’s right hand.
At the end of the Long Walk near the Claddagh where fisherman used to bring in their catch.
Looking at the Claddagh across the river Corrib. It is the fastest flowing river in Europe.
The Spanish arch.
Statue of Oscar Wilde.
Remnant of a wall where a father hung his own son for breaking a law. it seems that this story has been told in different places at different times… The wall was actually moved a few times.
One day I decided to walk to salt hill with some chance of rain. Of course there was a lot. It is the west coast of Ireland.
I learned that the old city wall really mains intact and they built a mall around it. I am standing on the second story of the mall.
Constructed in 1867 for the Henry’s, they had a castle like mansion, a greenhouse warmed from the heat from the house and water that even grew bananas. They were beloved by the people in the community.
His wife Margaret died unexpectedly while in Africa with the family. Before returning with her remains, a Gothic chapel with mausoleum was constructed. It contains marble columns from all 4 parts of Ireland.
After passing through another family’s hands, it was acquired by Irish Benedictine monks who were displaced during WWI. Now there is still a monastery and a girl’s school.
A copy of the Book of Kells, amazing artistry.
Cong Abbey was built in 1120. It was a major religious center in the area. The town gained international attention with John Wayne’s film “The Quiet Man”.
This is the monks fishing house which had a slit in the floor for fishing, a fireplace, and even a bell connected to the abbey to alert there will be fish for dinner!
Congs woods
The Quiet Man with John Wayne has made this a popular tourist spot.
Sights of the countryside on the way to our destinations.
From Galway I took a tour to Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. On the way there, we stopped at Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara. Built in the 16th century, it consists of a tall rectangular keep, defensive walls, and corner turrets. Its design is mostly for local power and defense.
It fell into disrepair and was revitalized in the early 20th century. Folklore gives many stories of ghostly banquets being held there. Other folklore tells of King Guaire the Generous that lived before the castle was ever constructed. He would give to everyone who asked and also ruled judiciously. His son was convicted of a serious crime and he still ruled he be beheaded even if it was his son.
Inside the walls of the castle.
We then drove through the Burren. 330 million years ago when Ireland was near the equator there were many marine organisms that formed limestone seabeds over time. During tectonic uplift, the beds were lifted and cooled at the surface, cracking in areas. Grikes are the deep vertical fissures and clints are the flat limestone blocks. Water mixing with carbon dioxide creates a weak acid which dissolved some of the limestone . The karst formations created underground streams and caves, deep fissures, etc. 2 million years ago the glaciers moved across the area removing the top layer soil, bringing some soil into the cracks and debris like rocks. The limestone was exposed. Plants grew in the cracks, and the area looks like a lunar landscape. Arctic alpine plants coexist beside Mediterranean plants. Grazing animals in winter help to stop shrubs from growing.
The Poulnabrone Dolman are 5000 year old burial structures. It is a burial monument. This one held the remains of 33 individuals with artifacts like jewelry. The well preserved bones give a good idea of what their life was like.
On the way to Doolin village, we saw this castle. Leamaneh castle was first built in 1480 for defense. It was added to in 1648 to create more of a manor house. “Red Mary” was the lady of the house, rode horses like a man. And even had people hung from the top of her house. When her beloved husband died, she had to marry another for protection from people taking over the house. It is said she killed at least one of her husbands that way. She was a powerful landholder in a very turbulent time in Ireland.
In Doolin Village we stopped at pub for lunch. I had seafood chowder at McGanns.
A parish house that has fallen into disarray over the centuries.
Thatched roof house.
The Cliffs of Moher are sandstone and shale cliffs that are eroded by waves and landslides.
Cork has much of the same history as Cobh and was a frequent target in the Irish rebellion as it was often aligned with the British crown.
The Huguenot burial ground created in 1733 and preserved by the city to honor the French Protestants and their contributions.
The National monument celebrates those who fought and died in Irish rebellions for Irish Independence.
The Elizabeth fort was named after Queen Elizabeth I and built in 1601. it was reinforced by Oliver Cromwell after attacks by Irish citizens. It is a star shaped fortification and was used as a military barracks, convict depot for women (some of which were reported to Tasmania), and police station.
The heads on poles there is a nice touch…
The English market was pretty cool.You could sample some of the things being sold and watch people shopping of buying food to eat.
Of course, I had to try the Murphy’s ice cream that was recommended. I tried the espresso martini (on top before I had started eating it) and Brown bread underneath. the brown br ad was toasted so it was crunchy in the ice cream.
The university of Cork is also beautiful and has a free art gallery. On the first floor is natural history of Ireland. The other floors were displays of a local sculptor.
Blarney castle dates back to the 1200’s as a residence and fortification. The current structure was built in 1446 and later added more stories. The blarney stone is said to give the person who kisses it the gift of the gab or more eloquent speaking.
The murder hole was a way for defenders to drop objects like arrows, boiling substances, heavy rocks on invaders entering the castle. It was a defensive point if the entrance had just been breached.
The Blarney stone is above the top window at the bottom of the hole.
The blarney house was built in the 1870’s by those that acquired the castle and surroundings.
The Blarney gardens.
The seven sisters are prehistoric stones that are 3000 years old. There are several stories connected to it. One is that there were seven sisters that conducted rituals and were turned to stone. The one the castle tells is that a king had daughters and sons and these druid stones that had been there representing his offspring. In a battle, the two sons were killed and the king had two of them pushed over to honor his fallen sons.
The Ring of Kerry is a circular driving route that is 179 km around the Iveragh peninsula. It weaves through many different landscapes and seaside towns. There are some awesome mountains and valleys carved out from glacial activity with filling of some of these areas to form inlets and bays. I took a bus tour from Cork.
Killarney National Park we used a horse drawn carriage as it was raining at the time.
Red deer.
Japanese Sika deer were brought to Killarney for hunting and for a new breed in the park.
In Killorglin, a wild male goat is captured in the mountains and held on a raised platform to reign over the the Puck Fair that is held in August. This festival is one of the oldest in Europe and has been occurring since the 4th century.
The Kerry Big Village is a little place that has ancient remnants from old Ireland (18th/19th century). It reconstructed the ways people lived and what they did to survive. There are remnants of old houses, and many antiques and (my highlight) the Irish wolfhounds they let run around with us.
Charlie Chaplin sculpture. He lived here for some time and some of his relatives are still here in Waterville.
Monument era dyed to explorers and travelers. It is a large sundial.
Traveling through Beenarourke.
Sneem. Unfortunately a lot of places are closed for the winter but the beauty of the off season is there are not a lot of people!
Sculptures created for a best town competition.
Pictures while stopping along the ring of Kerry.
The Torc waterfall. I love how everyone r where we went the moss covered the rocks and trees making it very fairy-like.
I took a day trip to Cobh, who after Queen Victoria visited and loved so much, renamed it to Queenstown in 1849. Later, the town changed the name back in 1923. Cork harbour, which is located there, is one of the largest and safest natural harbours in the world. It is a naturally deep harbour so large ships can enter. The Vikings used it in the 9th century as well as the Normans later. From the 17th century, it was a strategic port for the British empire. Fortifications where created in the barrier islands. One of them was Spike Island, which coincidentally is where the Titanic was moored and passengers where refried from the harbour to the ship. This cut down on sailing time later (bur perhaps that might have changed the course of events.) In the 20th century it was no longer a military port and is known for tourism and transport.
The harbour was a major port of emigration for people headed to America, especially after the great famine. The first person processed at Ellis Island left from this port. Her name was Annie Moore.
Queenstown was the last port of call for the RMS Titanic in 1912.
I booked a tour at the Titanic Experience. When you enter you are given a card with the name of a person who was on the Titanic. You learn whether the person traveled 1st, 2nd, or 3rd class, and in the end whether the person loved or died in the sinking.
Spoiler alert: my person survived but even with hard times in the new world, died in 1968.
We were able to see the difference in the types of accomodations and what people would be taking the Titanic and whether they were emigrating or going on business.
The dock and in the distance where the Titanic was anchored waiting for ferried passengers.
3rd class accomodations and meeting/eating room.
2nd class accomodations. 1st class would be a suite that included a bathroom and veranda.
The sinking of the Titanic was outlined by the minute and included the actions of the owners of the White Star line and the crew.
The museum at the end had facts about the boats, icebergs, the effects of hypothermia, and stories from people aboard and those that eventually could dive and find the wreckage.
This is the information about my person and then what happened to her after she reached America.
I walked around the town. Very quiet as most of the places where closed.
The Titanic Memorial Garden.
Memorial of the owner of the White Star line who jumped into a lifeboat ahead of the women and children. He was fired and even his wife left him.
Deck of cards houses.
St. Colman’s cathedral.
The Lusitania memorial which sunk off the coast in the first world war.
Views from around town.
On the way back, pure Irish weather happened. Cold, rainy….. Made some food at the hostel and warmed up!
