Exploring the World as a Roving Retiree

It's so nice having clean clothes! Chandeliers and stained glass windows in the breakfast room in the hotel! Waiting in the light rain, I spoke to a woman (and her mute husband) from Astoria, OR, both former military folks. She marveled at me traveling alone.   I sat in the front of the bus since everyone else was going to Glasgow.  I had a bad experience with the older man sitting behind me, a bully Trump style, loudly calling me nasty. My sin? I had politely asked him to turn down his loud music (or something) on his phone. Okay, one swful Scot isn't a bad record in 4 weeks! I transferred buses in Lochgilphead and soon had as a seatmate a Canadian woman about my age who was visiting family in Tarbert. That town looked so cute! She travels a lot all over the world on her own but always takes a detour to Tarbert. But she no longer goes to America, not even as a transfer point in flights, not even when shopping will she buy American products. Yay, Trump, way to alienate th...

Today the hotel breakfast was late, 9am, so I went for a walk first. I found the public library and, in the same building, a public pool! It was a lovely morning and Campbeltown looked nice. Campbeltown War Memorial   It never hurts to spy a rainbow! And here's the noisy pub, The Feathers Inn, under my room, The Argyll Arms.  The hotel was once the Duke of Argyll’s Victorian hunting lodge. Breakfast came with packets of Nutella! Those are a welcome first on this trip. The ham is called bacon here in the U.K. Why? It is as puzzling as the washcloth question. And are canned or fresh mushrooms usually served? (My server this morning wasn't sure but thought fresh) Catherine told me fresh fruit is not very good in Ireland and so they mostly used frozen fruit. The walk to the lighthouse was quite long. There were only about 8 other people walking the causeway to the island. At one point I could hear a woman very clearly berating the man walking 10 ft ahead of her. She told him ...

Today was predicted to be 100% rain but Michael took me to Dark Hedges after making and serving breakfast (Ulster fry) to their guests, an older couple from CT). Catherine was working all day. It had been so long since he had been there that he didn't know there was a parking lot (£5), a gift shop, restaurant and a 10 minute walk to the road with the beech trees he used to drive down. We checked out the gift shop but the prices were high. £2.50 for a flimsy postcard!      Michael and me, their beautiful cupboards in background  We returned in the hard rain and Katie was finally up, watching Netflix.  Me and Katie, who is not only very talented (plays and teaches harp, piano and violin and is fluent in Gaelic) but is also a natural blonde! I'm rather dreading the boat ride this afternoon with this rain! With good reason...it was delayed 3 hours because of high winds but was still very rough. I took out a plastic bag just in case but didn't have to use it, though ...

Today, my last full day in Ireland, I had to move from the very nice en-suite room because a paying guest was coming to Tóla's old room with 2 small beds.  Then Michael drove me to Corrymeela Center for Truth and Reconciliation (begun before The Troubles but active during that time) in Ballycastle and I was the only one at the Croí (heart in Gaelic) chapel for a half hour, part silence, Quaker style with a pastor from Indiana who delivered some prayers. Or sermon? Mary's daughter works there but had the day off. https://www.corrymeela.org/about After that, I got a tour.  Catherine picked me up and we had lunch at the house. Then she took me to see Morlough Bay, quite close by. Beautiful! She used to go there to swim growing up. Fair Head Cross for Roger David Casement, Irish diplomat, activist, nationalist and poet (1864–1916), arrested and executed for high treason. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Casement?wprov=sfla1 Catherine took me on a tour of the land to show me whe...

Today was a day of visiting cousins , Catherine's uncles Hugh and aunt Mary, who are siblings of Don in Dublin, whose wife Genevieve died a year ago. Hugh and his wife, Bridget were cheery, but pretty incapacitated by age and disease, and seeing pictures of him as a young man, looking like Michael Caine, was sad. His wife had a caregiver come with a piece of equipment to help her up to use the bathroom.     Catherine's father and mother's wedding, Hugh on right Then Catherine got a very bad headache and even after taking paracetamol, while we were sitting at lunch at the Scenic Inn, she couldn't finish her soup and had to go lie down in her car.  Still, she was up for visiting her aunt Mary and her husband Willie. Mary knew exactly who I was even before she saw me (Catherine said, "I have a visitor from America" and Mary said "Is it Carla McLean?") and she was welcoming and had Catherine make me a hot toddy. No lemon but still nice!  That afternoon C...

A sunny morning and Catherine off to a long day of work but many things are closed Wednesdays,  including the credit union where Michael works, so he was home, just driving Tola to school. He made a  leek potato soup and we had a nice lunch.      Colorful sheep running away from me Then I went for a walk to the nearby Ballypatrick Forest. There were two cars by the locked gate, surrounded by barbed wire. I had a pleasant chat with a local man named Robert, a university psychology professor, about retirement and Trump. He seemed to know Catherine, at least to recognize her. No one I talk to on this trip understands how Drumpf could have been elected a SECOND time, and that'swhat Robert said, too. I got instructions from him and the few other people walking there but there wasn't a single sign and I must have gone the wrong way. I walked about a mile out of the way and had to backtrack. At least I had water but only M&Ms to eat. Total steps: 16,600. I had terr...

A nice morning, breakfast of Weetabix (bigger version of Shredded Wheat cereal) and eggs with Michael and Catherine, also a one word answer from Tola in school uniform. He makes and eats his own dinner separately so I may not see much more of the 16 year old. And then drama! as I saw 2 sheep in Michael and Catherine's patio where they shouldn't be. So I went out to open the gate for them but they ran in the other direction.  Not as smart (or trusting) as dogs, I guess (and opening the gate wouldn't have helped as there was another heavier gate before they could climb the hill to the field). A bit later I heard shouting and saw more sheep running in terror and then one fell or jumped down the 4 ft embankment into the patio and Marie's husband John was shouting at the dogs. The sheep lay there panting and she seemed hurt. He said she wasn't. I didn't like him when I met him 3 years ago at the mass for Marie & Catherine's mother and he came up and said some...

Bright and early I left at 7am for the boat to Ballycastle! A very rough ride, and I felt seasick which is unusual for me, but still, a beautiful trip.  And I'm in Ireland again! But not the Republic, still in the U.K. It's a tricky distinction. There were only 2 other passengers, two women, and the young woman slept almost the whole way. I couldn't believe it since it was such a rough ride! Catherine (my 2nd cousin) was at the ferry terminal to meet me. It was great to see her but everyone is at work or school so I feel at loose ends, and quite tired from a lack of sleep. I thought I'd be walking their dog Willow but she was put down after biting her nephew who was rough housing. Only one mistake and that's it? That makes me very sad as she was still pretty young. The cat Midnight is still here and comes inside a bit more now.  I'm in the room for their Airbnb until their guest arrives Friday afternoon.  Catherine's sister Marie and her husband train dogs t...

Today I left the Ibis after a quick breakfast and walked to the bus station.  I talked to a young woman from Michigan who is just starting school to get her MFA at Glasgow School of Arts. She was joining 20 other students to do a hike in the Loch Lomond area.  The bus was full until the GSA students got off. Then I was near two annoying hyper 12 (or maybe 13) year old boys with no parental supervision going all the way to Campbeltown,  of course. And like so many, they had to take 4 seats for their fun. But the scenery was gorgeous (except for some clear cut areas)! It doesn't hurt that it was a sunny day, still no rain by 3pm! Campbeltown is very quiet on a Sunday and only a couple of restaurants are open for lunch. After lunch, I walked and found the Linda McCartney statue and garden, but the gate was locked. Paul McCartney bought land on Kintyre but was an absentee landlord after Linda died from breast cancer in 1998 at the age of 56. The fine medieval carving, with Ce...