Cape Town

Colin Johnson, who is looking after us for the next 3 days in Cape Town picked us up at the airport and delivered us to the Victoria and Alfred Hotel http://www.newmarkhotels.com/newmark/vahotel/

View from our room at the Victoria and Alfred Hotel

London to Cape Town

After packing our bags we met Alan and Merrie Hunt for brunch at a great French restaurant just up the road. Alan and Merrie then took Caitlin, and her not insignificant luggage, headed for West Dulwich while Debra Isabella and Ken, and their not insignificant luggage,  headed for BA059 leaving Heathrow at 7:20pm for Cape Town.

Spitalfields Markets and "The Railway Children"

We rendezvoued with the Langtons at Aldgate East tube station and wandered around Spitalfields Markets http://www.visitspitalfields.com/

Molly Alice and Isabella near Spitalfield Market

We all then headed to the old Eurostar terminal at Waterloo station to see a production of "The Railway Children", the highlight being when a real steam train comes onto the "stage" After the show we caught the tube back to South Kensington and had "tapas" in a great Spanish restaurant before saying "farewell"  and many thanks for great times shared true friendships forged.

Portobello Road

Cailtin went to Kensington High Street for some retail therapy while Debra Isabella and Ken wandered around the back streets of Pimlico. We all met up at Notting Hill tube station and took in the sights and sounds of the markets along Portobello Road. Back on the tube at Ladbroke Grove and home to Chelsea Cloisters for a dinner of butter chicken, dahl and naan from the local Indian.

The Guardship

Mairi picked up Isabella so she could have some time with Alice and Molly at The Guardship. We went over later in the day and did some final packing of the tea chests which will be dispatched when Caitlin does her final packing in late November. Back to the Cloisters on the tube.

Borough Markets - shopping - the Wallace Collection

BIG BOWL of seafood curry!!

We headed for Tower Bridge tube station and wandered around Borough Market, http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/ picking up some yummy snacks. We then had some scrumptious seafood at "Fish" before Caitlin and Isabella hit Primark on Oxford Street and Debra and Ken visited the Wallace Collection http://www.wallacecollection.org/

Natural History Museum & Fenton House in Hampstead

Caitlin went off to Soho to catch up with some book shops and coffee bars. Isabella met Mairi, Alice and Molly at the Natural History Museum http://www.nhm.ac.uk/  and Debra and Ken went to see Fenton House, a national trust property in Hampstead. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-fentonhouse Indoor activities were the order of the day as the weather was a little "inclement" No photos sorry!!

London Eye and London Dungeon

Isabella and Ken did the London Eye and London Dungeon - a big day out.

 

On top of The Eye

Isabella loves the Tube

Bella helping with some "London snaps"

On Westminster Bridge

Dublin to Chelsea Cloisters

Caitlin visited the National Gallery of Ireland on Merrion Square http://www.visitdublin.com/seeanddo/museumsandgalleries/Detail.aspx?id=249&mid=856 while Debra Isabella and Ken got some retail therapy on Grafton Street. http://www.dublintourist.com/virtual_dublin/city_centre/grafton_street.shtml

On Sloane Avenue outside Chelsea Cloisters

We then drove to the airport for our afternoon flight back to Heathrow. We had ordered a MPV to transport us ( and our considerable luggage) and had some "logistical problems" when a ordinary sedan car arrived to collect us!! After settling in at The Cloisters we headed straight to the Cadogan Arms on the Kings Road for Monday night Trivia

Debra and Caitlin heading for the Cadogan Arms

Galway to Dublin

We had a yummy lunch at O'Grady's on the Pier with our friend Trish before driving back to Dublin and checking in at our old haunt - The Albany

Lisdoonvarna to Galway

We checked out of the Burren Caslte Hotel and Ken was moved to play a tune on Isabellas tin whistle and perform an Irish jig simultaneously. This guy has serious "talent".

We drove thorugh some beautiful country and seaside adjoining the Burren National Park which has remarkable limestone outcrops which appear like steps on the mountains. We stopped for a seafood lunch at the Pier Head Hotel in Kinvarra

 before driving in to Galway where we experienced some serious rain for the first time on our travels. We had coffee at Cafe Renzo before driving on to our B&B at Tuar Beg about 15k's west of Galway on the Conemarra Coast.

Killarney to Lisdoonvarna

We drove north again, crossing the Shannon Estuary by car ferry before heading to the Cliffs of Moher - the photos do not do justice to the wild coastal cliffs.

Killarney - The Ring of Kerry

We spent the day driving around the Ring of Kerry http://www.ringofkerrytourism.com/map-of-kerry.html a picturesque route taking in the National Park, Gap of Dunloe and Killorglen, where we met King Puck.

We stopped at the pub in a little village of for lunch. We then drove on through Sneem and back to Killarney.

Kinsale to Killarney

After checking out at Friars Lodge we headed north west to Killarney. We arrived mid afternoon and checked in at the Fairview Hotel for 2 nights. As the weather was fine we strolled around town, grabbed a bite at Milano and then went "jaunting" through the National Park.

During our 90 minute "jaunt" we stopped at Ross Castle. Our driver wanted Isabella to be rugged up against the wind

Waterford to Kinsale

After checking out at Butlerstown Castle we headed into Waterford where Debra and Isabella took the tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory. http://www.waterfordvisitorcentre.com/Home

Isabella assisting!!

Ken and Caitlin retired to the pub to catch up on some admin! After the tour we hit the road towards Kinsale about 2 hours away. We arrived and found our way to "Fishy Fishy" which had been recommended and we tucked into some excellent local seafood. We then checked in at Friars Lodge Guesthouse and went for a stroll along the for the night.dock where Isabella made a new friend!

Dublin to Waterford

After breakfast at the Albany, Isabella and Debra went shopping then on a tour of Dublin Castle and visited the Chester Beatty Library http://www.cbl.ie/ Caitlin and Ken walked to the Australian Embassy as this would be the only chance for Caitlin to vote, before joining a 3 hour walking tour of Dublin. We all met up back at the Albany and hit the road for Waterford. Two hours later we arrived at The Coachhouse at Butlerstown Castle. http://www.butlerstowncastle.com/ We looked in vain for a local pub and settled on chinese take away consume Td back at the Coachhouse. No photos today - sorry!! The weather, which has been perfect is starting to look a bit dodgy

Dublin

We had coffee at The Bald Barista and then walked to St Patricks Cathedral.

We then walked to Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty Library where Isabella was taken with this sculpture!

We then strolled around the grounds of  Trinity College.

 

 We then headed to The Mermaid for lunch and then walked to the National Museum where Debra and Isabella checked out the decorative arts section including country and period furniture, ceramics, silver and period clothing. After some retail therapy on Grafton Street we relaxed at the Albany before heading out for dinner at the Winding Stairs. A pleasant stroll back to the Albany in warm summer sunshine finished a perfect day.

St Andrews to Dublin

After an excellent breakfast at Cambo Estate we drove into St Andrews for our morning coffee before visiting the Old Course. .

We then drove back to Edinburgh and visited Jupiter Artland http://www.jupiterartland.org/the_works/the_artists/charles_jencks/ which was only 10 minutes from the airport. We caught the 3:10 pm, 40 minute flight to Dublin where we picked up a nice VW Passat and drove to the Albany Guesthouse. We walked down Grafton Street, full of tourists and had an early dinner at Gruel - quirky restaurant a bit like no names in Sydney

Oban to St Andrews via Easdale Island

This morning, after coffee we drove a few minutes out of Oban to the ruins of Dunollie Castle which is associated with the McDougals.http://www.darkisle.com/d/dunollie/dunollie.html

We then drove to Siel Island and caught the ferry to Easdale Island where our ancestors worked as slate miners. We had a yummy lunch of crab & lobster at The Puffer on a beautiful summer day.

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We visited the museum on Easdale seeing the McDougal name prominent.We saw this sign post and decided that 41ft to the Pub suited us!

We then walked down to the ferry wharf do find that the ferryman was "having lunch and would be back later!" When he did return he told us that because the tide was low he wouldn't be able to take us back for another hour and a half. As we were planning to drive to Perth to visit Isabellas friend Mhairi we pleaded with him and he agreed to drop us off on the rocks rather than the jetty which was not accessible.

Tide out at the ferry wharf

We finally left Easdale around 3pm and enjoyed a spectacular drive across Scotland to St Andrews where we checked into Cambo House and then met up with Mhairi and Catriona for dinner.

McDougal in Scotland

St McKessog churchyard at Luss

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Inverary on the shore of Loch Fyne

The village where our ancestors lived on Loch Lomond

This morning, after coffee we headed for Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond, passing through Bonhill where our ancestors departed for Australia. At Luss we visited  St McKessog Church and found a stone placed by Isabella & Caitlins great great great great great grandfather, Ronald McDougal, commemorating the death of a young child. We were lucky to borrow some paper and crayon from Heather and Garry from Canada and made a rubbing of the stone. We also visited nearby Aldochlay where the McDougals lived before driving on to Lochgoilhead where Duncan McDougal - I & C's gggggrandfather - married Mary Campbell. It was one of their daughters, Janet McDougal who came to Australia about 1850. We then had late lunch at The Geoge Hotel in Inverary before driving on to the west coast and Oban, checking in at Corriemar House, overlooking Oban  We were sitting in the lounge at Corriemar House when who should walk in but Heather and Garry who we had met at Luss!! We all strolled into the village for dinner

The inscription which we copied reads:

"Erected here by Ronald McDougal and John McDougal of Aultochlay in memory of their children in the year 1817"

Glasgow

After a yummy breakfast in our lovely room at 15Glasgow, we walked to Tea Coffee and Chocolate for our regular. We then walked to the Kelvingrove Gallery where we the Glasgow Boys exhibition http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/Pages/home.aspx and heard the organ played. We then walked back to 15Glasgow, collected our car and drove to Fratelli Sarti for an italian lunch.http://www.sarti.co.uk/restaurants/renfield-street-glasgow.aspx  We then drove to the Burrell Collection http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrell_Collection where we saw an amazing variety of art all collected by one man during the 19th century.