SCOTLAND - Belfast to Glasgow & Day 2 Gasgow

SCOTLAND - BELFAST TO GLASGOW 

Up early today for the drive from Draperstown to Belfast, George Best Airport. Feelings are mixed as we prepare to leave Johnny's home town. Mum (Helen) is up early to say goodbye & it is sad saying bye for now. The best part is we know we will see her later this year when she comes to OZ.

We arrive at the airport in plenty of time, much to my relief there was very little traffic, check-in & then coffee. The flight was uneventful & before I can get over take-off we are landing. Glasgow is grey & chilly so no change in the weather.

Sometimes you get more than you expect from a place & it can be a pleasant surprise. The drive to the hotel revealed a large industrial city just as Johnny remembered it when he visited aged 15.

Bedroom Menzies hotel

Arriving in our Motel the Menzies we were pleasantly surprised to find we were allocated a lovely big room for our 2 night stay & we were very close to the centre of town.

Not sure your mean't to sit there!

Upon checking in we decided to walk into the nearby city centre for lunch & a look around. As we approached the train station we literally turned the corner & the city exploded before us.

  

A city explodes as you walk through the railway tunnel

The lovely red sandstone buildings

We found the pedestrian part of town & headed in looking for a suitable place to eat. Throngs of people were in the mall, buskers were everywhere & a piper was bellowing pipes on every corner. It was crowded I felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of people out in town on a Saturday afternoon. Jostling & knocking into each other was the order of the day.

Cute pipers I loved them Johnny was not so sure

More like Vikings that played pipes & drums

Continuing on through town we were amazed & quite taken by the sheer movement & excitement around us. It was such a contrast to the peace & tranquillity that we had been experiencing for the last two weeks. 

A statue till the birds land & do what birds do

We found some lovely little markets tucked into the bottom of a car park around a corner & down steps, if it wasn't for the girl in the middle of the mall holding a sandwich board saying handmade market with an arrow pointing us there, we would have walked straight past. Anyway one daughter will benefit from that sign I found the cutest thing shhh! I cannot share she reads this when not studying.

Art was everywhere

This art was a good example of what is painted on many of the buildings most I could not get a photo of as there were too many people but this was on the edge of town.

We found a great little cafe & since have found it is a franchise & everywhere so we head there when we see it for a simple lunch & coffee. I cannot tell you the name I cannot spell it haha.

This evening we eat in & enjoy a lovely bottle of wine, too tired after lot's of walking to do much else.

Glasgow is a happening place!

DAY 2 - Glasgow

A relaxing morning & before we had blinked it was time to meet our tour group for a city orientation. We had actually by now grown to love the open top tour buses so were excited to see the things we could not walk too & hear all the history. I will let the pictures tell the story.

The armadillo & the stadium being built for the olympics

Close up of the Armadillo

Parked in the marina the only remaining sea going steamship in the world

Close up of the new Olympic Stadium under construction

Glasgow University 

Kelvingrove Art Gallery

We were on time for the afternoon organ recital you can just make out the organist

A wonderful grand hall to admire while you listen to the organ music

An old sports car Johnny loved it

Guess which ballerina 

The cards of the time read them close they really were putting down women despite them getting the vote

An unusual part for an art gallery full of stuffed dead animals

More dead animals there was even a kangaroo

Johnny has always wished he was Elvis - almost has the pose just needs a few more pounds

The parliament building

Glasgow Square in front of parliment

A lovely fountain representing commonwealth countries

Glasgow City Tour finished

Our tour guide Pauline,has turned out to be very entertaining and relates lots of funny stories.  

One in particular that I remember is about a female journalist who asked Sean Connery 

"Sean what is worn under the kilt?

Connery replies 

Í can assure you that nothing is worn under the kilt! it is all in PERFECT working order 

This had the entire coach in fits

We like the group, & it is warm & friendly with a few characters thrown in - time will tell.

Time to freshen up! That's code for 5 minutes to go to the toilet brush your hair & re-appear in the bar. Never ones to knock back a drink we found ourselves one of the first couples there for a welcome drink. Soon we are joined by a lovely couple of ladies Linn & Val from British Columbia. Conversation flowed easy there is something about Canadians & Australians we are alike in many of the ways we think.

Draperstown

WHEN TIME STANDS STILL

In many ways my visit back to my hometown was a bit sad.  It was like time had stood still in many ways as the town had not progressed in 17 years.  Actually in many ways it has regressed with boarded up buildings and many of the old places of character that I remembered growing up here now closed up.  What used to be a thriving town is now a deserted shamble of its former self.  Even market day on Friday was a poor reflection of the current state of the local economy.  The sheep sales on the patch of green on the Fair Hill at the top of the town used to be alive with sheep pens and throngs of people crowding around the auctioneer as the sheep were auctioned outdoors.  Cattle sales were horded into the tiny shambles area behind Regan’s butchers where my younger brother Michael used to gather the calves and pen them into the auctioneer ring when he was just 13. 

All gone now, no sales on the fair hill which now just resembles a vacant patch of overgrown weeds with the cattle sales now relocated out of town along with the many farmers and visitors taking with it the  trade that the town badly needed to survive


I took Sharon to the top of Sleive Gallion which is the local mountain where you can view the entire parish of Ballinascreen.  We traversed the small narrow roads and I pointed out the little turf banks where people used to cut the peat many years ago.  We visited my old school and drove all around my old haunts from a previous life

Ballinascreen

Glenshane Pass

The Sperrins

Cousins niece and nephews

Regans butchers

St Patriicks Street Draperstown

The Market Bar

Mum has a birthday coming up and we will not be there to celebrate with her.  I took her for a hair appointment and Sharon slipped off and organised some presents for her and we presented with a small cake in her tiny kitchen.  She was thrilled and we had some great moments when she later produced some old photo albums and we relived some of our childhood years growing up in Draperstown

Early BirthdayCake

Out for dinner

On our last night we took mum to Regan’s Bar to meet up with my old mate Tony Budjowi and his wife Anne.  It was interesting to see how people age over the years.  Another childhood neighbour Mary McGeehan turned up as well.  I have to admit that Tony has weathered much better than I. 

On the way home from the pub Sharon got a marvellous photo of Mum & I with the moon hanging low over our Little home in the background

It was sad to leave the next morning.  Mum got up to bid farewell and we hugged and left making our way to George Best airport in Belfast.  The third leg of our journey was about to begin in Scotland 

Giant's Causeway & Derry City

Giant’s Causeway & Derry

1st May.

THE GIANTS CAUSWAY ON THE ANTRIM COAST

The beautiful sunny day turned around 8am.We set off early hoping to miss the early rush hour traffic and had made good time.  By the time we hit Coleraine heavy cloud had formed and it started to drizzle rain. We took the turn for Bushmills town and as we entered the Giant’s Causeway carpark some idiot was getting out of his car in shorts, it was blowing a gale.  Welcome to Northern Ireland in the early spring.  A brisk walk and five minutes later we were in the world famous Giants Causeway

Giants Causeway

Giants Causeway

I had been here many times in my early years and it never ceased to amaze me that each time I can remember my visits here it was always cold and windy.  Funny shaped windblown hexagon stones stretch out as far as the eye can see.  We posed for photos for as long as we could bear and rather than walk right around the headland decided we had enough and made our way back to the carpark for hot tea and some tourist advice on the Antrim coast.

Giants Causeway

Giants Causeway

Giants Causeway

“Stay with me Johnny” Sharon squealed over my shoulder then followed immediately by “Quick quick, move, move" as she kicked at my heels suddenly realizing how high the bridge was.  ‘Don’t look down’ I sighed as I moved forward.  We were 100 ft up and the breakers were crashing away below us.  The wind was howling now and I sung out “Hold on tight “as we slowly made our way across the swinging bridge. 

I only found out Sharon has a fear of heights on our lead up to our preparation for our walk in New Zealand’s Milford Track several years before so I knew that Carrick-a-Rede Bridge suspension bridge was going to be a challenge.  Neither of us was prepared for the howling wind which made our crossing quite exhilarating.  (The look on Sharon’s face is priceless)

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

The bridge was originally used by fishermen to access the wild coast area where the fish is abundant.  Apparently at one time it was just a hand rope and the wiry fishermen used to cross with their daily catch.

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

Bushmill's has the oldest distillery in the world and we stopped for lunch and to visit the shop. 

Bushmill's

Bushmill's

Bushmill's

It is easy to immerse yourself in the scenic splendor all around you here.  From Bushmills we went around the beautiful Antrim coast past Dunluice Castle, through Portrush and then along the Strand in Portstewart on our way to the historic city of Derry

Antrim Coast

Antrim Coast

Dunluice Castle

THE WALLED CITY

1500 years of history and culture are enclosed within Irelands only walled city.  During my early years in Ireland I had never been on the walls of Derry and was determined to include this as part of our trip.  Sharon and I engaged a guide to provide a running commentary on our 45min walk along the walls which is in remarkable condition considering how old it is. 

The Wall's of Derry

From the commanding position on the walls you can view all the famous areas in the city.  Built around 1618 the walls are 1.5 Kim long and up to 8m high.  In some areas they are over 9m wide.  Originally there were 4 gates in the walls two of which had drawbridges.  We were able to see many of the emotional Mural’s painted on the buildings below depicting images from both sides of the conflicts that happened here.  

A young girl shot dead on Bloody Sunday

Walls of Derry

Walls of Derry

Walls of derry

From Derry we drove through Feeney, and back over the sperrins to Draperstown.  I got some fantastic photos of the sun setting behind us in the Sperrin Mountains on the way home