Introduction: trade sunglasses and sunblock for rain jacket and umbrella, when may I see the sun. Exit Schengen area after 90-days, considered travel to United Kingdom or the Balkans, both different but wonderful. Ultimately, influenced by desire to travel overseas back to United States on board the ocean liner, Queen Mary 2. Previous travel to England, but first time to Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland.
Duration of travel is dictated by Queen Mary sailing date to the United States, scheduled for the last week of October. Eight weeks in United Kingdom and Ireland seemed like enough time, but in hindsight, connecting the dots with public transportation, it now feels rushed and hurried.
Grab a Guinness, a finger of Irish whiskey or single malt Scotch, or a gin and tonic; queue up Sinéad O’Connor, U2, or Enya in the background, and read on.
MON 01 Sep: early morning, dark sky, but, at least it is not raining. Board Manchester (England) bound train, and change at Shrewsbury, board Holyhead (Wales) bound train, and disembark at Conwy.
Clouds hang low in the sky, and sheep dot the countryside, as the land is less suitable for agriculture. Wales looks and feels poor, indeed, it is the poorest country inside the United Kingdom, GDP per capita less than $40,000 consistent with Mississippi, which has the lowest GDP per capita in the United States. Five-hour journey is mostly depressing, as if, listened to Pink Floyd for too long.
Tuesday, glorious sunshine surrenders to cloudy skies, but the weather is temperate and dry, and good enough. Walk along the beach, the wet sand is cold underfoot; in addition to various grasses, sand dunes also host rosehips and blackberries. Mid-morning, hike Conwy’s city walls, and appreciate the charm of this historic market town, and the beauty of its lush, rolling green landscape.
WED 03 Sep: brief, thirty-minute train, down the valley to Betws-y-Coed, gateway to Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), Wales largest national park. Weather is moist, and hike to Fairy Glen, until the precipitation dampens any remaining enthusiasm. Funny thing about an umbrella, light rain, do not really need one, and heavy rain, mostly useless.
In two days, ferry from Wales to Ireland, member of the European Union. Briefly seized by panic, as I did not contemplate Schengen days for Ireland, and would exceed the 90-day visa limit. Google search Ireland passport control, and recognize that while Ireland is part of the EU, Ireland opted out of the Schengen area. Instead, United Kingdom and Ireland are part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), which allows free travel for British and Irish citizens; near-miss, crisis averted.
Two EU countries are outside the Schengen area: Ireland and Cyprus; four Schengen area countries are outside the EU: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Thursday, shite weather, but hike anyway, to Pont-y-Pair Bridge, blue trail to old Miners Bridge. Land is lush and green, low-hanging fog; challenge is to not slip on wet rocks or step in sheep shite. Travel to Betws-y-Coed might be best as a day trip, otherwise, hostage to captive tourist pricing, example, $9 USD double espresso, stupid money.
FRI 05 Sep: more than ready to depart, but morning train cancelled; Betws-y-Coed is a train stop, there is no train station, simply a single track rail; next train in three hours.
Find bus traveling north to Bangor, bus driver allows me to board with my train ticket, to connect with the onward train to Holyhead. Dramatic landscape; barren, rock face mountain peak. At lower elevations, the landscape is bright, emerald green, as if, the hills are carpeted in Astro turf, dotted with small puffs of white; little-lazy-lambs.
Migraine, I am vertical but pain is not improving, which means that pain will only worsen. I can function, but not for much longer. Exit the bus in Bangor, find Boots Pharmacy; pharmacist issues two sumatriptan tablets after I sign a release form.
Cafe at Bangor train platform will not provide a cup of water to take sumitriptan, so I fill my water bottle in the bathroom, and hope that the water is potable, if not, I can worry about gastroenteritis later. Reach Holyhead an hour later, and the pain is considerably improved. There is not much to see or do, and check into AirBnB.
SAT 06 Sep: lose count how many times I traveled Stena Line this summer, if only I earned “frequent ferry” kilometers. Stena Estrid is moored alongside Irish Ferries vessel, appropriately named, James Joyce. Three-hour ferry to Dublin, free from incident, if not boring; passport stamped into the Republic of Ireland. Dublin Port is mostly industrial, coach bus to city center; if only I could find me lucky charms.
Ireland has a divided history, with the Protestant (minority) in the north having rights, and Catholic (majority) in the south, having few, if any rights. Ireland gained its independence following War of Independence (1919-1921) and Civil War (1922-1923); became a republic, and exited the British Commonwealth in 1949.
Explore Dublin, it is quite charming, and visit the National Gallery. Often struggle with the works of the European masters; contemporary portrait gallery is notable, along with Stella in a Flowered Hat (1907), by Kees van Dongen; appreciated Portrait of a Lady (1911) at the National Gallery in Copenhagen, his painting, Corn Poppy (1919), was one of my favorites at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
Auspicious day, sun and blue skies, first time in two weeks, since Paris. Meet friends, Carol and Marylee, following Antarctica expedition. Carol and I were early risers on the boat, would often sit quietly, cup of coffee, and watch the sun (there was no sunrise).
Visit Johnnie Fox Pub for lunch, since 1798, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland, and also one of the highest pubs in the country, in Glencullen township, nestled in the Dublin Mountains. After lunch, take the dogs for a walk in nearby Ballawley Park.
TUE 09 Sep: walk to Dublin Heuston train station, it is early, sky is dark. Pass Guinness plant, too early for beer. Train connection is tight, so take an earlier train than ticketed. Open seating, train is half-open. Conductor gives a stern lecture, I nod solemnly, play stupid tourist; request permission or ask for forgiveness.
Change trains at Mallow, close to the Kerrygold Butter production plant in Cork County, and arrive before mid-day at Killarney and Killarney National Park. Drop off backpack at hostel; hike river walk trail and copper mine trail to Ross Castle.
Wednesday, shite weather; wind is howling mad, blowing white caps across Lower Lake. Wind is so strong, it blows the rain sideways, over the tree tops, strangely, able to hike without getting wet, visit historic Muckross Abbey.
Thursday, drive 200-kilometer Ring of Kerry, clockwise, ocean to driver’s left; do not get stuck behind tour buses, which drive counter-clockwise. In hindsight, this would have been easier as a tour; local car hire, Budget, under-handed business tactics.
Mixed weather, some sun, some rain, some rainbows. Narrow roads, sometimes, single lane; dense foliage limits visibility at times; never got past third gear. Mostly underwhelming, at least compared to Pacific Coast Highway, Mexico to Canada.
SAT 13 Sep: train reservation to Galway via Dublin, but it was not to be. Traveled thirty minutes north, before an empty train ahead broke down, with no means of locomotion. Nearly two hours, no update from crew, disembarked the train.
Two lovely ladies (age 35-40) got into their car; I asked if they could drop me off at the next town, Mallow, anywhere near the bus stop. Full car, and I squeezed into a child’s booster seat, it was better than $50 USD taxi or ten-mile walk. En route, purchased onward bus ticket. Exited the car, and thanked them for their kindness; travel karma. Four tedious hours to Galway, better than getting stranded.
Sunday, in Ireland long enough to ignore the weather forecast; it is more of a suggestion than anything else. Half-day trip to Cliffs of Moher, or, if a fan of The Princess Bride (1987), the Cliffs of Insanity. No rain, but windy, with 60-mph gusts.
Three-hour round trip from Galway, it is interesting to see how locals live and go about their day. Often see orange, white, green flag of the Republic of Ireland, and flying alongside, the Palestinian flag; European Union consistently stands with Gaza.
MON 15 Sep: three-hour bus north to Sligo; it is not a tourist destination, but an opportunity to see an un-varnished Ireland, often referred to as the emerald of Europe. Moisture picked up by the jet stream, deposits rain once it reaches the shores of Ireland, yielding a lush, green landscape.
Tuesday, last day in Ireland; will miss Irish brown bread with gobs of butter and pungent orange marmalade. Break from wind and rain, barely recognize the sun. Visit Oxfam second-hand store, purchase hooded sweatshirt for my cold bones.
Visit Sligo Abbey and the Niland Art Collection. The later displays paintings of John Butler Yeats (father) and Jack Butler Yeats (son). There is a statue of William Butler (WB) Yeats (brother) in the town center; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature (1923).
WED 17 Sep: stop at Sligo, not because it is a tourist destination, but to break-up the eight hour bus journey between Galway (Ireland) and Derry (Northern Ireland).
Through-bus arrives one-hour late due to a traffic accident en route; grateful that the bus is not cancelled, and en route, grateful that the bus does not break down.
Thursday, walk the city’s historic walls, and learn about Northern Ireland’s “troubles” where discrimination against Catholic (minority) by Protestant (majority) led to three decades of fighting, beginning in 1968. Irish paramilitary forces often used guerilla tactics against UK forces; 3,500 people were killed, mostly civilians.
U2 song lyrics, Sunday Bloody Sunday, from its 1983 album, War, focus on the 1972 incident where British troops shot and killed 14 un-armed civilian protesters. Fighting in the region ceased following the Good Friday Agreement. Northern Ireland Act of 1998, provides a path for a united Ireland following a Northern Ireland majority vote.
FRI 19 Sep: bus to Bushmills via Coleraine, hike Giants Causeway; visitor center costs $25 USD, but hiking trails are free. Interlocking, volcanic basalt columns are similar to California’s Devils Postpile National Monument in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Surprised that it is not raining; return hike to Bushmills follows the narrow gauge train tracks and Bushfoot Beach, swimming not allowed due to strong rip currents. There is little to do in the village, Belfast day trip at best; decide to depart in the morning.
SAT 20 Sep: wait for the local bus to Coleraine bus station; local pulls up and offers a ride. Maybe he is curious about Americans, but, he is more curious to discuss politics. It is a brief ride, fifteen minutes; try to be polite, because sometimes, I am unable to understand his accent. Two-hour express bus to Belfast, weather is dry, but not warm, degrees of latitude consistent with Newfoundland and Labrador Canada, daytime temps 50-60 degrees (10-15 Celsius). Walk to hostel, visit the bustling St George’s Market, featuring coffee, breakfast, baked goods, and other sundries.
Sunday, attend Black Mountain Zen Centre for morning meditation, I know the abbot from San Francisco Zen Center; semi-dark room, scent of incense, and chanting. My mind darts from thought to thought, – monkey mind – as if a tempest in a teacup. Recall sitting meditation once, tears streamed down my face; when the bell rang, to signal walking meditation, I thought that everyone in the room would notice, but, everyone’s gaze was averted, and directed solemnly and silently towards the floor.
Monday, explore maritime mile and the Titanic quarter, and sight the Samson and Goliath gantry cranes; RMS Titanic was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, 1909-1911, before its fateful voyage in 1912 claiming nearly 1,500 lives; humbling lesson in hubris. Some argue that the Titanic could have remained afloat if it hit the iceberg head on.
Tuesday, return to Zen Center, meditate in pre-dawn darkness; I mistake the forms, mistake the bows, and forget a sutra, is life not one continuous mistake. There was a time in my life, full decade, when I desperately wanted to become a Zen monk, but never gave myself permission to quit my career. It is possible, that I would have remained a tormented soul, no closer to equanimity, no closer to enlightenment.
Hostel is across the street from Crescent Church; church bells ring out on a temperate afternoon; there is a wedding celebration, family and friends exude joy and throw flower petals on an ebullient bridge and groom. Later, people slowly disperse, and the flower petals drift away in the breeze, by sunset, just a fleeting memory.
WED 24 Sep: early morning, local bus to Stena Line ferry terminal, final ferry for this five-month journey. Purchase bus ticket with Citylink Scotland, which is less expensive than a stand-alone ferry ticket; includes ferry to Cairnryan, and onward bus to Glasgow Scotland. Glorious morning sun surrender to gray clouds.
Thursday, hostel is located along the charming Kelvingrove Park, with views to University of Glasgow. Day is one of glorious sunshine, spirits are lifted, and visit the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Museum focuses on Scottish painters, but also the Dutch Masters and French painters. Signature painting is the controversial, Christ of Saint John of the Cross, by Spanish, surrealist painter, Salvadore Dali (1951).
SAT 27 Sep: Glasgow does not require three days, however, allowed travel buffer in case the ferry was cancelled. Three-hour train north to Oban; train car is filled with tourists, hikers, and cyclists; it is a mostly scenic ride, and did not disappoint; barren, treeless slopes, carpeted with dense red and green scrub. Rain moves in, and the day turns damp and cold. One guest, older Scottish gentleman, drones on, well beyond the limit of polite conversation. Perhaps he is lonely, and deserves compassion.
Sunday, rain clears overnight, day is greeted with sunshine. Hostel sits on Oban Bay, and watch the ferries and sailboats come to life; hike to McCaig Tower and Battery Hill.
MON 29 Sep: flat light, colder, 45-degrees (7c); need to wear (toe) socks; morning bus north to Fort William, another scenic journey, trees begin to turn bronze and copper.
Last Friday, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, delivered fiery comments at the United Nations General Assembly, but not before many delegates walked out in protest. Some Scottish residents fly the St. Andrews Cross, alongside the flag of Palestine, with signs that read, “boycott Israel.” Was the world always antisemitic. Really. All 200 sovereign nations. All 8-billion people. I would like to believe that the world has great compassion for Israelis, but great disdain for the heavy-handed tactics and rhetoric of the ultra-right Likud (party). Is this why I travel the world.
Tuesday, detour to local hospital, short walk from the hostel. Sore left foot; might be peroneal tendonitis, previous (overuse) condition. However, I may be in denial; might be fifth metatarsal stress fracture, or Jones fracture at the base of the metatarsal. Nurse orders x-ray, and reports that there is no sign of fracture, encouraging, but, stress fractures do not always appear on imaging. She does not recommend a boot, just RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation); services provided without charge.
Return to hostel, and pick-up trail head for Cow Hill Circuit, which provides views of Ben Nevis, at 1300-meters, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom.
Cost: cumulative travel costs, during past 125-days.
Lodging: $5,251 total | $42 day
Transport: $2,968 total | $24 day (plane | train | bus | ferry | taxi)
Food: $296 total | $2 day
Other: $5,142 total | $41 day (FX | ATM | visa | tourism | RV & motorbike)
– – Svalbard cruise ($4,400 | eight-day expedition)
Total: $13,657 total | $109 day | $39,900 annualized
– – Cash burn: $80 | < $1 day (when credit card not accepted)
Conclusion: interesting to see how US headlines are interpreted overseas. Is the country as divided as extremists lead us to believe; one political activist suggests that MAGA is about winning, not about uniting. Red states, blue states, divided states, United States. During this journey, travelers ask my nationality, how should I reply:
– United States of Anarchy
– United States of Autocracy
– United States of Authoritarianism
Some people ask, for how long will I travel, reply, until it kills me. Seriously, I am probably not trying hard enough. To Live too safely contaminates all that I touch.
A person might believe that I am joking, but I am not, I am terrible at funny. I never wish for a plane crash, as my intention is to not harm other sentient beings. But accidents happen, innocent lives lost, like the Lisbon Portugal funicular collapse (03 Sep 2025).
I exist, but there exists no valid reason for my existence, said me, or was it Camus.
garthmonroe 