Denver to Boston, Boston to Dublin. Almost a year of talk, talk, talk – Marathon #100 here at last.
Long travel day…but not like New Zealand long. All ‘bout perspective. Met up with Stephen in Boston so had a travel mate for a leg (‘though in reality, slept the entire 2nd flight). Early 5am touchdown. Ireland’s morning, my 11pm. Ugh. Gonna be rough Day One. Taxi’d downtown THEN best luck ever – super early check-in at The Conrad. Room available. FAAAANNNNTASTIC!
11am sleeps, quick shower, sit-down breakfast off St Stephen’s Green. GREAT holiday start!
Walked 5 streets to find pedestrian-friendly Grafton. The Plan? City sightseeing. Specifically, thinking double-decker tour bus. Did that in Auckland, good way to get acclimated. But first, an Irish haircut. New town, new country. Why not? Located a trendy spot on Grafton. Waited my turn, greeted by possibly the oldest coiffeur in Dublin. Been working at this SAME location since 1964. 9-to-noon/3 times a week; wife’s in a nursing home. Other than that – no idea, [I’m] horrible with accents. Just smiled & nodded. It’s only hair – luckily I packed a cap 🙂
Hop On-Hop Off, bought a 2-day bus ticket. Trinity College, National Art Gallery, Phoenix Park, Glasnevin Cemetery. I’m sure I passed all these stops. Reviewing my pics: old churches & beer.
Appears I was completely fascinated with the art of brewing (‘though I don’t booze beer these days). And when not focused on fermentation, I snapped pics – tens & tens of pics – of Catholic cathedrals (nope, not Catholic either). An unlikely combination, both found in abundance in Ireland’s capital. Not making excuses. HUGE FAN of both history & science.
Gothic cathedrals founded centuries ago, end of the Roman Empire. Hops, natural spring water from County Wicklow. Churches & beer. Aside from the science of making beer, spent an hour+ viewing old-era advertising. ‘Whistling Oyster’, a bicycling fish & Guinness’ lovely day Toucan. A lifetime past, I worked in New York media. But never ever, a bicycling fish. LOL>
St Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, the Dublinia. Finished the day walking Dublin Castle. Bus-abandoned somewhere near the river Liffey, service stopped at 6pm – who knew? 3-mile walk thru city neighborhoods & 2 seedy back-alleys (alive with drunks & shouting police). Picked up the pace, made no direct eye contact…a Google-map death wish. Yikes!
Tomorrow, Sis is arriving from St. Louis. Let the games begin ❤
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- marathon #100 weekend
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- my posh Irish digs
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- pedestrian-strolling on Grafton
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- sit-down breakfast & an Irish haircut
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- Ireland = GUINNESS
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- 6-story brew tour
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- water, hops & fermentation
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- isn’t the drinking rule, never before NOON?
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- fave part of tour: Guinness’ ADVERTISING history
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- bicycling fish & a whistling oyster
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- penthouse view of Dublin & an Irish dark
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- St Audoen’s Church
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- yep, THAT St. Patrick (as in St. Patrick’s Day)
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- the Dublinia
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- elder of the capital’s two medieval cathedrals (founded 1030 AD)
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- Dublin Castle
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- the River Liffey
Bicycling Fish & a Whistling Oyster (Guinness Storehouse)
Yesterday in the high Sierras, today on scenic Lake Tahoe.
Sunrise woke in South Lake Tahoe, circled the lake northward – day’s first stop: Emerald Bay. Mix of tall redwood & pine – HUGE evergreen – line California’s largest freshwater lake. Bay tinted green (emerald green) where it hugs shore.
$10 to the Park Ranger. Successfully secured parking (kinda a big deal in California). Stared long/hard at the Lake horizon, before starting the short steep hike DOWN to Vikingsholm on tourist-heavy Tahoe – HIKE day ❤
Vikingsholm…this magnificent “castle” is a unique blend of nature’s spectacular beauty and man’s architectural ingenuity.
The Vikingsholm foundation was laid in 1928, but the building was constructed in 1929 by 200 workers. Vikingsholm was built by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. Before starting construction, Mrs. Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the construction of the house. Some parts of the structure contain no nails or spikes, as a result of old-fashioned construction methods. Most of the building was made from materials found at Lake Tahoe.
Mrs. Knight is best known for building Vikingsholm, but she and her husband Harry, a businessman were primary backers of Charles Lindbergh’s non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927.
Followed the steep one-mile path DOWN DOWN DOWN to Vikingsholm.
White granite canyons, HUGE forest’d trees. Snagged 2 enormous pine cone for my Colorado mantel.
Interesting well-preserved residence, Vikingsholm, but didn’t purchased a ticket to tour inside. I trail-hiked DOWN to see California redwood, to enjoy the all-consuming scent of pine. Not disappointed, WOW!
Dipped both hands into Lake Tahoe before trekking back UP. UP UP to Hwy 89, the local northbound highway I’d travel lake-circumference. Tahoma, Tahoe City, then lunch. 3 more hours to play ‘til my return flight home from Reno.
89 North to Truckee, diverted left on Squaw Valley Road.
Squaw Valley, California – site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Gotta/hafta/must STOP, right? Team USA won first-ever hockey GOLD; Americans [David Jenkins & Carol Heiss] topped both figure skating podiums.
The Games’ spirit, the OLYMPIC FLAME stays lit 24/7, 365 days/year. Pretty neat. I was here.
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- Emerald Bay State Park
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- Hwy 89 North to Truckee
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- marathon’d near snowline yesterday, BEAUTIFUL August landscape!
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- California’s largest freshwater lake
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- ’emerald’ green Emerald Bay
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- steep yet MUCH shorter than yesterday’s 30.5-mile trek
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- HUGE evergreen
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- HIKE ❤
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- California REDWOOD
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- Vikingsholm (Scandinavian architecture, circa 1929)
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- 1960 Winter Olympics
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- flame burns 24/7
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- HOME, sweet Colorado HOME 🙂
Dropped Ash & Tom at DIA, their next stop: Reykjavik, Iceland. [after work] returned to pick up Marty, my first (& only) grandpup. Year-half living with Ro, knew this 2-week reunion would be appreciated by both. BROs reunited!
Spoiled? Well…maybe a little. Pup-Peroni snacks, hot dogs, fried eggs each morning. Eggs are good for their coat, right? 🙂
Short work week, family & friends now gone, weekend plans? A June SNOW hike…of course. Travelled north to Brainard Lake, short 45 minutes away. Generally roads open Memorial Day weekend. No such luck this year.
Originally had hoped to hike Lake Isabelle. 2 mile jaunt to Brainard, beautiful sunshiny skies. Lotta hikers. Brainard still half-frozen. Kicked back & people watched. BIG smiles from BOTH pups. Ro loves the snow, Marty loves to hike.
Circled ‘round Brainard. Met by a wall of snow. No Isabelle in today’s hike forecast.
Home returned via Nederland. In-town cell reception, received another batch of texts from Iceland. Wouldn’t trade our Colorado snow hike…but this particular weekend, think I got aced by Daughter. Volcanic hot springs, Icelandic ponies, oceanside boulder hike, spelunking & whale watching – that doesn’t include a 2-day jet set to London. Well done Ash. Nothing left undone.
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- BROs reunited!
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- Brainard still half-frozen, surrounded by snow
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- yes, dogs do SMILE 🙂
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- HIGH rushing water
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- roads still closed, weekend after Memorial Day
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- no Isabelle in today’s forecast
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- well-rested on Papa’s bed
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- world travelers HOME
Ash & Tom’s Icelandic Adventure
