epilogue

Epilogue

return to 2019 UK trip index

The following comments were posted months after the trip, in 2020.

I. Dublin, Ireland

We admittedly had only a few hours to tour the City, which, as stated in the trip intro, seemed gray & dreary. I didn't take any photos, unusual for me. Somehow the city of my ancestors did not seem appealing.

Highlights from the double-decker bus were the bridges over River Liffey, some old ships parked there, and, Trinity College, where the classic old buildings look crammed-in by urban office buildings, all four stories high, lending a sameness look in all directions.

The most popular tourist destination is the Guinness factory, an industrial fortress that occupies a few City blocks.

I've heard that 'Guinness does not travel well', meaning that visitors to Dublin should try it at the source, to find out just how good it can be, but we didn't go there.

The photos below of Dublin are from the web.

	Dublin at night		the O'Connell bridge		huge trees at Trinity College
		Guinness factory		1910 photo

I feel certain my impression of Dublin would get revised upwards if ever given a chance to stay for a few days. The City is better suited to exploring on foot, than from a two-story bus. Finally, night life at Pubs with Irish music is the main reason to visit.

Try a few Pubs and hear some Jigs & Reels and take a walk across River Liffey, on a few different bridges, is the idea.

II. Overall trip reflections

I think the four of us encountered many new & interesting places on this trip, and saw a lot of great scenery. We also soaked up a certain amount of English & Scottish history and pre-history.

Our friends R & L were upbeat each day, ready to go out & explore, and we had a lot of good experiences, as I had expected.

III. Planning the trip

In August 2018 my wife and I proposed to R & L that we go to the UK a year later in fall 2019, and they immediately accepted. Having been to the UK before, I asked if I could plan the trip, the core idea being a one-week stay in England's Lake District & the rest of the trip intended to be a general intro to UK history. An added ingredient had to do with visiting the homes of well-known authors or poets. I got thumbs up & proceeded.

Trip planning for me became an enjoyable research project, 2018 being my initial year in retirement. The two guidebooks I used, and a few online hiking-related resources, helped to quickly reduce & refine the destinations.

By October '18 we had an agreed upon daily itinerary, which enabled me to book our overnight stays. Our flights were posted & booked in early December. My overall impression is that agreeing on a detailed daily itinerary ahead of time is a good idea.

IV. The advantages of dining out early in the UK

We met for lunch a month before the trip & agreed that we should try have an early dinner, like at 4 or 5 pm, every night of the trip, and we succeeded.

Restaurants in the UK are guaranteed to be uncrowded at that time, yet cooks & staff are there, and they need something to do. The natural outcome is that you get great service, and four of us were all served at the same time. Every dinner out was like that.

Supposedly the dining crowd in the UK shows up at 7 pm & later....well, good for them !

An early dinner puts you back at the B&B with time to cool your heels, take a bath, write in a journal, call home, read a book or look at maps & etc. On this visit we did no pub crawls & tended to be at our lodgings & asleep by 10 or 11 pm. We really did have breakfast at around 8 am for most of the trip or maybe a little later in Keswick.

V. Final trip thoughts

I wish to express my thanks to Rich for doing the majority of driving on this lengthy road trip, and, to Linda B. because she brought exceptional online navigational skills to bear, contributing in a huge way to the success of our 16 day road trip !

Sources of information - see bibliography page

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