Hiking in Northern Ireland

  In late April 2018 daughter Susan and I traveled to Northern Ireland to do some self-guided long-distance hiking along the Antrim Coast and Devil's Causeway.  This region of coastline is considered to be one of the most dramatic in all of Europe.  Our itinerary was arranged by Macs Adventure, a company I have used in the past.  They booked us into B & B accommodations during our 6-day hike and arranged for a luggage transport service to transport our large backpacks from one place to the next, so that all we needed to carry with us was a small backpack.
  We flew from Madison, WI to Chicago, and from there to Dublin.  At the Dublin airport we got a bus to Belfast.  Once in Belfast we got another bus to Ballymena, where we spent 2 hours before we got another bus to Cushendall, our final destination and where we began our hike.  We spent the next day exploring beautiful Glenariff Forest Park, then finally hiked back to Cushendall.  Glenariff was a lovely place, with forests and many trails, the most dramatic of which was the Waterfalls Trail.  We walked down an elaborate wooden walkway through a valley following the Glenariff River, encountering one waterfall after another.  The following day we hiked to the coastal town of Ballycastle, and the next day we took the ferry from Ballycastle to Rathlin Island, where we hiked to the lighthouse at the West End of the island.  There we saw large offshore rocks and rugged coastal cliffs festooned with many thousands of sea birds -- guillemots, terns, gulls, razorbills, and the bird that draws many tourists to the area -- puffins. The following day we hiked from Ballycastle to Ballintoy.  Before arriving in Ballintoy we walked across the popular Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. On the next day we hiked from Ballintoy along the Causeway Coast Way to the Giant's Causeway.  On this day we saw some dramatic coastal scenery and rock formations. On the final day of  our walk, we hiked from the Devil's Causeway to the lovely coastal town of Portstewart.  Except for one day of fierce winds and cold temperatures, the weather was wonderful and we only got rained on twice during short showers.
  Leaving our B & B in Portstewart we took a bus to Coleraine, and from there got on a train to Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland.  Once there we put away our British pounds and started using Euros.  We walked from the bus station to our lodging for 4 nights, the Gresham Hotel on O'Connell Street.  We traveled to Limerick to tour King John's Castle, then continued to Ireland's west coast to see the famous Cliffs of Moher.  We took the hop-on hop-off bus to explore Dublin, we saw a performance at the famous Abbey Theater, and had a tour of Butler's Chocolate Factory, where we got to decorate our own chocolate elephant.  In Dublin I had an opportunity to visit with my second cousin Linda Hawkins and her husband Mike, who accompanied us to the chocolate factory and to Kealy's for a pub lunch afterward, and Susan and I were able to rendezvous with Sister Majella, who joined us for tea at the Gresham.  I taught with Sr. Majella at St. Theresa's College in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1965-66, and it was nice to be able to see her again after so many years.
  Below are some photo's showing some of what we did and saw during our 73 mile hike along the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland, and our time in Dublin and the Irish Republic.

Beautiful Glenariff Forest Park

Waterfalls Trail at Glenariff Forest Park

Ess-na-Larach waterfall at Glenariff

Stream we passed on the way to Ballycastle

We followed the Moyle Way for much of our hike

The spectacular seabird-covered rocks and cliffs on Rathlin Island

West end of Rathlin Island

Approaching Carrick-a-Rede

Hiking over wet rocks cliffside on the way to wee hamlet of Portbradden

Ruins of Dunseverick Castle

Our brief encounter with rain along the Causeway Coast

Dramatic cliffs and rock formations at the Devil's Causeway

The dramatic Antrim Coast

Dunluce Castle

Portstewart, where we finished our 73 mile hike

Ireland's Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Sister Majella joins Susan and I for tea and scones at the Gresham Hotel, Dublin

Hiking in Catalonia

In October 2017 daughter Susan and I went on a self-guided walking tour in Catalonia in NE Spain.  The hotel bookings were arranged by Mac's Adventure, a company I have used for 4 other self-guided hiking trips, all in England.  The local arrangements, including route instructions and baggage transfers, were done by a local company Catalan Adventures.  Both companies did an excellent job, and everything went off without a hitch.  After leaving Madison, WI we flew to Charlotte, then to Madrid, and then on to Barcelona.  At the Barcelona airport we took the airport train to the main train station in Barcelona and from there took a train north to Figueres Vilafant, where we were met by the Catalan Adventures van.  We were then transferred to the village of Sant Pere de Pescador, the start point for our hike.  During our 9 day walking holiday we stayed in 5 lovely Catalan villages, each with its own distinctive character.  We hiked from L'Escala to Sant Pere de Pescador along the beautiful Bay of Roses, stopping for two hours on the way to explore the ruins of two ancient cities -- one Greek and one Roman -- at Empuries.  On the following day we hiked from Sant Pere de Pescador to Castillo d'Empuries, which took us through a nature reserve.  Then we hiked from Roses to the beautiful village of Cadaques; during this longest and most scenic of our hikes, over 13 miles, we were following the coastline along the Mediterranean, visiting one secluded cove after another.  Another day we hiked from the lighthouse at the Cap de Crues, the Western-most area in Spain where the Pyranees Mountains meet the Mediterranean, back to Cadaques, stopping to visit the studio/home of Salvadore Dali at Port Ligat.  Another day we hiked from Cadaque to El Port De La Selva, one of the most important fishing ports in Catalonia.  After a rest day there, we then hiked over the mountain to the village of Palau Saverdera, first climbing to the mountain ridge to see ruins of the Castle of Sant Salvador, then spending two hours exploring the impressive monastery of Sant Pere de Roses, before descending the mountain to Palau Saverdera.  On our last day we were transferred to the train station to get a train back to Barcelona where we spent several hours, and hiked 5 miles, exploring parts of the city, especially looking at three of the architectural wonders designed by the Catalonian architect, Antoni Gaudi: Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, and his unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, the most visited monument in all of Spain.  It was a wonderful trip.  Perfect weather (70's F everyday) and no rain.  Lovely Catalan villages, first-rate hotel accomodations, gorgeous coastal scenery, the turquoise blue of the Mediterranean Sea, nature reserves and natural areas.

Bay of Roses

Ruins of the Greek city at Empuries

Lovely mosaic tile floor that was in a room of the largest villa of the Roman city at Empuries

Land snail and golden lichen 

Coast Trail from Roses to Cadaques

Coast Trail

The beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean and secluded coves along the Coast Trail

Approaching Cadaques

Cadaques

Cadaques street scene

Cadaques, my favorite of the 5 villages we stayed in.

The egg in the garden at the home/studio of Salvadore Dali

Leaving Cadaques at dawn as we began our 11 mile hike to El Port De La Selva

El Port De La Selva

Atop the mountain at the ruins of Sant Salvadore Castle

Susan and I with the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes in the background

Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes

Palau Saverdera street scent

Casa Mila in Barcelona, one of Gaudi's most famous creations

Sagrada Familia by Gaudi, his unfinished masterpiece in Barcelona

A visit to New York City

  In March 2017 I visited New York City for a week.  I left Cedar Rapids on a Delta flight to Atlanta and then got a plane from Atlanta to JFK airport (I know, a ridiculous and circuitous routing, but that was a much cheaper fare than any of the more direct flights; air fares often make no sense!).  At JFK I took the Air Train to Jamaica Station ($5) where I purchased a Metro Card good for a week of travel on any of NYC's subways or buses ($31).  Then I got on the E subway into Manhattan.  The E train eventually heads South to the 9/11 Memorial, so at 7th Avenue I transferred to the D train which went to Columbus Circle.  I got off at Columbus Circle and then walked several blocks to the Watson Hotel on West 57th where I had booked a room with a king-sized bed for the week.
  I had a great time during my week in NYC, even though the weather was quite cold at times.  NYC is a vibrant and energizing place, full of interesting places to visit and exciting things to do.  I was only a short walk from Lincoln Center, and on four evenings I attended performances at the Metropolitan Opera (Dvorak's "Rusalka", Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet", Verdi's "La Traviata" and Mozart's "Idomeneo").  I was also able to hear two free concerts at two different churches, St. Paul's Chapel and St. Paul's Church, both of which sponsor free public concerts.  I became quite proficient negotiating the many different subways lines in the city and spent every daylight hour sightseeing, managing to see nearly every sight I hoped to see.  I went as far North as Uptown to Grant's Tomb, the largest mausoleum in the U.S., and to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, America's largest cathedral.  I spent much of a day exploring lovely Central Park.  I walked to Cleopatra's Needle, an obelisk gifted to NYC in 1881.  The obelisk was one of two that once stood in front of the Temple of the Sun in ancient Egypt, erected in 1425 by Pharaoh Thutmose III.  I walked around Washington Square and Greenwich Village in Midtown Manhattan.  I visited two old and historic churches, St. Paul's Chapel and Trinity Church, the burial place of Alexander Hamilton.  I spent a day in Battery Park in Downtown Manhattan, where I was able to see the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, and was able to visit a most interesting museum, the American Museum of Native Americans (one of the city's free attractions).  I explored, by subway, bus, and on foot, as much of NYC as I could, from Uptown to Downtown, from the East Side to the West Side.
  Especially moving was the 9/11 Memorial and the South Pool and the North Pool, where the South Tower and the North Tower of the World Trade Center once stood.
  I also took the opportunity one day to go to Pennsylvania Station and take a train on the Long Island RR out to Long Island where I was able to visit my brother Roger and his wife JoAnn, and to see my nephew Jeffrey, all of whom I hadn't seen for many years.
  Here are just a few of the many photo's which I took during my visit.

Grant's Tomb

Westside Market

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Central Park

Central Park

Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park

Cleopatra's Needle in Central Park

Belvedere Castle in Central Park

9/11 Memorial -- Museum and surrounding buildings

South Pool at the 9/11 Memorial

Trinity Church

Bryant Park

Times Square

Battery Park

Rockerfeller Plaza