- Visiting the West Coast of Scotland
- This is it!!!
- On the road again
- Back Country – NZ
- NZ update – east coast
- Back Country – very different this time!
- Lake Taupo
- The Coromandel
- Mini-break
- More little adventures – NZ
- Getting out and about again!
- More holidays!!
- A new year of adventures
- The mountain cottage
- Ginny’s visit
- Another visit – Marni and Jodi
- More changes!
- First stop in Canada – Niagara Falls
- Quick visit – Toulouse and Venet les Bains
- Ffald-y-Brenen
- The Cotswolds
- Back in France again!!
- Barcelona
- A much more interesting path – crossing the Irish Sea!
- London to Loxton
- Enniscorthy – a quick visit
- County Donegal
- South Gippsland, Victoria
- Next port of call
- Victorian High Country
- Snowy River Country
- Reindeer Lodge – Tanjil Bren
- Hiccup to Blessing
- Have tent will travel!!
- Family and friends – hugs and kisses
- Road Trip to the West
- Very snail like!
We left our little Lisbon apartment and caught the bus from Rossio Square to the airport. We could have caught a plane to Dublin – a much more direct route back to our house sit in Northern Ireland – but decided on a much more interesting path. We were keen for another ferry ride – this time across the Irish Sea – so we caught a flight to Liverpool. We arrived to hail and heavy rain – a real welcome back to the UK! We jumped on a bus to our hotel – near the revamped dock area on the edge of the River Mersey, not far from the city centre. The weather eventually cleared enough for us to rug up and walk over to Albert Dock. Very dark for 4:15 pm and very cold. Had a quick visit to the Beatles Shop – no time to visit the Beatles Museum which is apparently excellent. Then checked out the River Mersey before retreating to a little pub called The Smugglers Cove. Met a lovely family visiting from Dublin. Nice to have a chat. Georgia and her mum had a couple of very flash cocktails – it was very interesting watching the barman mix them – bottles twirling in the air. We eventually left the warm, cozy pub; braved the cold; and walked back to the hotel. It was all a bit of a shock after the relatively warmer weather of Lisbon and south-west France.
The next morning we caught the ferry to Belfast. Had a yummy breakfast on board while we were waiting to sail. Our departure time was delayed a bit – it was Remembrance Day and we took part in the local ceremonies. We pulled out into the middle of the river with horn blowing, then stopped for a couple of minutes silence. We could see crowds of people standing on the docks of Liverpool in the distance. Very moving. The trip was uneventful – smooth sailing. We’d been warned it can get very rough on the Irish Sea, but fortunately hardly a wave in sight. We kept busy on board – saw a film in the little cinema, did stuff on our computers, ate lots, and went for walks on the deck. Time passed quickly. 8 hours later we arrived in Belfast – more rain. Chris was waiting for us in the car park, ready to drive us back to Mourne Park. So lovely to see him again.
Mourne Park is so different in autumn – so many colours, lots of leaves lying about. I’m back into the baking again – already starting to fill the freezer. Chris and Reg have slotted into their old outside routine – though they’re not cutting much grass at the moment – it’s too cold for it to grow. Rather they’re spending their time collecting fire wood and trying to clear the carpet of leaves – a seemingly impossible task. We’re also recovering from colds – lots of sniffling, coughing and sneezing. Reg had it before we arrived back, I got it from him, now Chris has joined in. At least we can offer each other deeply felt commiserations if nothing else!
Love as always
Di and Reg
PS Also nice to see Maurey again – the Mourne Park resident horse!
This entry was posted in Europe, House Sits, Mourne Park (2), Mourne Park, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Awww! Mourne Park looks fantastic with those autumn colours. Someone chose those trees well!
So very true xx