Posts

Dingwall, Scotland

Dingwall – Scotland

Hi Folks,

In the Highlands of Scotland you may still hear the echo of Sir William Wallace’s voice: “… they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… our freedom! Or maybe it was Sir Wallace’s squire Mel Gibson who used those inspiring words. It’s difficult to remember all the details precisely after over 700 years. Sir Wallace and Mr. Gibson spent many of their holidays in Dingwall which is even today one of Scotland’s main attractions – plenty to do and a lot to see, if it is not raining. Sir Wallace was appointed as the Guardian of Scotland but later hanged, drawn and quartered. A quarter may have been buried in Dingwall, although very little evidence is available to support this theory.

About two hundred years before the time of Sir Wallace, Macbeth – King of Scotland – was born in Dingwall. Later on a certain historian William Shakespeare made Macbeth famous in his research with a working-title The Tragedy of Macbeth. I understood from Shakespeare’s report the tragedy having been that Macbeth was slain and beheaded. I heard a rumor from some quite trustworthy looking fella in the Mallard, the most prominent tavern of Dingwall, that Macbeth’s head may have also been buried in there.

Dingwall – what a history, what a place!

– Gart

Bray Head - Ireland

Bray Head – Ireland

Hi Folks!

I sang, “As I was goin’ over the Cork and Kerry mountains. I saw Captain Farrell and his money he was countin’.., ” when I hiked over the Wicklow Mountains along the Cliff Walk from Bray to Greystone (Bray Head). And suddenly I tumbled over the Europe’s First geocache (GC43; 53d 11.478′ N, 6d 04.818′ W). I just couldn’t believe my luck. I mean what are the chances, One in a Million. So, I continued my hike to Greystone singing, “… Musha ring dumb a do dumb a da. Whack for my daddy-o. There’s whiskey in the jar-o”. And I ended up in The Happy Pear, a fine health food restaurant held by David and Stephen Flynn. They had gotten everything right in The Happy Pear. They even served Eye Candy for the ladies – much like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in Twins (1988), but on a whole different level.

-Gart

Trinity College Library Dublin

Trinity College Library – Dublin

Hi Folks,

When I was studying in Trinity College Dublin, the Old Library’s (Trinity College Library) main chamber called the Long Room did not look the same. I believe it was in the 1860’s when Long Room’s roof was raised. I am not completely against the change but I preferred the lower roof. The Long Room was cosier back then. And it was definitely a more quiet place for studying. There are not many libraries that attract people as much as the Trinity College Library does. The archive includes a few books that I consider my favorites but are hard to find elsewhere. I highly recommend the fiction novel Book of Kells. Be sure to place a hold on the Book of Kells in good time. There is only one copy and it’s quite popular.

-Gart