On any given Sunday in Hyde Park – London you can listen to the passionate. It is known as Speakers’ Corner where you can assert your opinion with impunity as long as you are standing 6 inches above the ground.
The vim and vigor as well as audience participation make for hardy conversations and debate.
A Unesco World Heritage city on the banks of the River Avon and site of the coronation of Edgar, the first king of England in 973 A.D. – home to Jane Austen.
It was occupied by the Romans since 23 A.D. who enjoyed 300,000 daily gallons of 120 degree water flowing from the ground.
Dublin: Grimmy, real, a wee bit dirty, exciting, lively, historic, stunning architecture, beautiful, Guinness, Temple Bar, River Liffy, pubs and more pubs, captivating!
We visited a young friend of ours who is getting his masters at the University of Dublin and is playing basketball with a local pro team. With him we went to Parliament and had lunch with Eamon O’Cuiv (a member and grandson to the first president equivalent of Ireland).
We day tripped to the town of Ballinasloe to look for records about my great grandfather who was born there in 1875 and lived until he immigrated to America in 1911. Ballinasloe is famous for being the home of the oldest fair in Europe – the horse fair which we missed this year by one week.
Stopped by Guinness which started in 1759 at St. James Gate Brewery where it continues today. We’re now Guinness pros!
London after dinner, sleep and breakfast on a flight from San Francisco we dropped a big bag of clothes at our hotel and hopped a train to the Lake District – spending the first night in Kendal and then Bowness On Windermere.
The train ride was rich with rolling bright green lush hills dotted by woolly white sheep and hearty cows – all framed by miles upon miles of stone walls. It was as if Monet painted our views.
A cold cloudy day was the perfect backdrop for a boat ride to the town of Ambleside famous for being the home of Beatrix Potter – this year her 150th birthday.