R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 70

Northern Ireland — Carrick-a-Rede

Our next stop was a rather unique one. Today’s article is on Carrick-a-Rede. And although it may not look like much from the picture above, take note thin structure connecting that small island to the coast. That is the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, which supplies access to the island of Carrickarede:

Two brave souls crossing Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge

Carrick-a-Rede was for us just a brief stop to our ultimate goal this tour, which you’ll see over the next two weeks beginning on Monday....

Northern Ireland — Carrickfergus

Our next port of call aboard Brilliance of the Seas was Belfast, which I’ve already covered from our previous visit just six days prior. So on this trip to Belfast, Ursula had us scheduled for yet another tour. Our first stop: Carrickfergus in County Antrim. So sit back as we take in the sights, beginning with King William III (a.k.a., William of Orange), and continuing on to Carrickfergus Castle:

Carrickfergus Castle

Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman castle built by Sir John de Courcy,...

WhiteKnightTwo

With Sir Richard Branson’s latest triumph earlier today, I thought it a good time to rerun this goldie oldie from 15 October 2014. The following article is my encounter with the Mothership used in today’s successful launch of Unity 22:

Something you don’t see every day — WhiteKnightTwo

On September 11 of this year we had a visitor come to El Paso International Airport.  What you see above is WhiteKnightTwo, the launch vehicle for Virgin Galactic’s suborbital tourist thrill ride SpaceShipTw...

Fun Photo Friday — Glendalough Favorites

And here are today’s Fun Photo Friday pic picks from Glendalough:

Ireland — Glendalough

Glendalough Monastic City

I will today show you yet another Irish wonder. This is Glendalough, the ruins of an entire Early Medieval monastic city dating back to the 6th century. Glendalough by the way means “Valley of Two Lakes”, and this monastic city does indeed sit just east of both the Glendalough Upper Lake and Glendalough Lower Lake.

Glendalough Upper Lake The hills above Glendalough Upper Lake

Let us wander around the monastic city and take in a few of the sights, beginning w...

Ireland — Sandycove to Wicklow Mountains

Our next Irish destination aboard Brilliance of the Seas was Dublin. We wasted little time boarding our next tour, which on this day took us first to Sandycove, a Dublin suburb. Here you’ll find James Joyce Tower and Museum. It was here that James Joyce spent six nights in 1904, and he would later using this setting for the opening of his 1922 novel Ulysses.

James Joyce Tower and Museum

Just a few minutes’ walk from this Martello fortification is Sandycove Beach, which offers a charmi...

Fun Photo Friday — Kilkenny and Waterford favorites

Ursula About to Go Medieval on Me in Waterford

Today’s picks of Waterford and Kilkenny favorites:

Ireland — Waterford

Time to start heading back to our ship, Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, but first our tour brings us to the town of Waterford. Let’s start with Reginald’s Tower, a 54-foot/16-meter stone tower most likely constructed in the mid- to late-13th century:

Reginald’s Tower, Waterford, Ireland

Around the corner from Reginald’s Tower, on Bailey’s New Street, stand the ruins of Greyfriars Abbey, also known as French Church (and sometimes called Blackfriars Abbey as if that wasn’t conf...

Ireland — Kilkenny Castle Interiors

Today we move inside Kilkenny Castle. I hope you enjoy the show, beginning with the State Dining Room:

State Dining Room, Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, Ireland

And I’ll bet you wish you had a Library such as this one:

But the most impressive room by far at Kilkenny Castle is the Picture Gallery Wing. This massive wing was constructed in the 19th century:

Kilkenny Castle Picture Gallery Wing

You can see from the photograph above that the gallery takes up the entire upper floor...

Fun Photo Friday — Kilkenny Favorites

Butler Gallery, Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, Ireland

Time for a Kilkenny edition of Fun Photo Friday:

Lanigan’s Lounge in Vibrant Blue Saint Mary’s Cathedral Leaded Window Copper Beech at Kilkenny Castle