Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 59

Good Eats: The Market Bar, Dublin, Ireland

The Market Bar  14a Fade St., Dublin 2, 01 6139094.  L-D daily; $$.  Situated within a gigantic repurposed warehouse, this gastropub literally hums with energy--drawing you in to its inviting atmosphere of red-brick walls and skylights.  Seating choices abound, but I loved the high banquette positioned under a display of shoe forms at the far end.  The tapas menu offers most items in two sizes.  For two people, even the smallest size can be a hefty serving.




Our excellent selections included marinated olives (so many that we packed up the leftovers to treat a homeless person), Feta and chorizo salad, stuffed roasted little red peppers, and meatballs in tomato sauce with a side of patatas,  Free WiFi is available throughout, and a smoking area is upstairs. 

More things to do in Dublin.

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More information about Ireland.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.

 images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Travel Articles: Living History Museums, Virginia

LIVING HISTORY MUSEUMS
in Virginia
Brushing up on this country’s history is a snap when you step into the past at one of its many “living history” museums.  Virginia is home to a plethora of them, and with careful planning you can easily fit the best into a week-long vacation.  Read more . . .

More travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.  

image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt

St. Catherine's Monastery/Monastery of St. Catherine  Icon museum: LE50/$9.10/£4.65, payable at the museum inside the monastery walls; camel ride to Elijah’s basin is $12.  Bus ride is 1 1/2 hours from Sharm; 9 hours from Cairo.  Built in the 6th century by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, this is the oldest continuously functioning Christian monastery and the smallest diocese in the world.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and at an area high point at 5,000 feet is reached via a pass through jagged mountains and desolate terrain in the White Desert near the Israel border.  This area was annexed in the 1973 war between Egypt and Israel.  My tour made a pit stop at the “Jewish area,” where a latte cost $4 and the restroom charge was 40 cents.  Scenery includes scattered rocks, windblown trash, and the occasional thorn tree--camels love to nibble at them--and Bedouin encampment.  
 Home to a community of Greek Orthodox monks who guard the compound and operate a nearby guesthouse and restaurant, the monastery is built around the Chapel of the Burning Bush, which dates to the 4th century A.D. and is said to be built on the site of the original biblical burning bush.  Tradition says that the bush growing here today is the very one from which God spoke to Moses.  The Church of St. Catherine/Basilica of the Transfiguration holds a small sampling of the monastery's icons as well as one of the best preserved Byzantine mosaics in the world (it is located over the apse).  Monastery must-sees include a collection of ancient paintings and art, and a museum of holy relics and icons that holds the world’s largest and oldest collection of Byzantine icons. 

If you’d like to climb Mt. Sinai to see the spectacular view and sunrise, you can take a tour or do it on your own.  Plan to depart on the trail by St. Catherine's no later than 2 a.m., and take a flashlight and batteries plus water and a snack.  Riding a camel for the first part of the trip up to Elijah's basin is worth consideration (they are for hire just outside the walls of St. Catherine's); then later you can walk down, which is easier in daylight.  It is cold in the desert at night, so bring heavy clothing even in August.


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images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: shopping near Grafton Street, Dublin, Ireland

These shops are all just a few steps from famous Grafton Street.

●Avoca  11-13 Suffolk St., just off Grafton St., Dublin 2; +353 1 677 4215.  M-W & Sat 9:30am-6 pm, Thur-F 9:30 am-7 pm, Sun 11 am-6 pm.  Named for the rural Irish village of its origin, Avoca claims to be one of the world's oldest surviving manufacturing companies.  It offers a fetching selection of contemporary Ireland-made clothing and housewares.  On another day, I visited the Wicklow-based woolen mill this store originated from.  Downstairs, Avoca’s wholesome café serves up snacks and take-out, and on the top floor the bright Suffolk Street Café serves breakfast and lunch with a city view.



















●George’s Street Arcade  S. Great George’s St., Dublin 2.  M-Sat 9am-6:30 pm, Thur 9am-8pm, Sun noon-6pm.  Very little Victorian-era British architecture has survived in Dublin.  This long, airy shopping arcade constructed of red brick and wrought iron in 1881 is said to be Europe’s oldest shopping center.  Nowadays you’ll find vintage clothing and whatnot in temporary stalls down the middle, and more items in permanent shops along each side.  Lolly and Cooks serves up sweet cupcakes and pastries.









●Hodges Figgis bookstore  56-58 Dawson St., Dublin 2, 01 677 4754.   This expansive store has been here since 1768.  It purveys an extensive selection of books by Irish authors.










●Kilkenny  6-15 Nassau St., Dublin 2, 00353 1 6777066.  Running the length of the south end of Trinity College, this is the largest emporium of Irish-designed contemporary gifts in Ireland.  A restaurant on the first floor overlooks the grounds of Trinity College.










●Powerscourt Townhouse Centre  59 South William St., Dublin 2  Set in an elegant Georgian house this was once known for its parties, this shopping center is now known for its unique shops. 

More things to do in Dublin.

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 images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Trinity College, Book of Kells, Long Room, Dublin, Ireland

Trinity College  on College St., Dublin 2.  Founded in the 16th century by Queen Elizabeth I, Ireland’s oldest university is situated on the south bank of the River Liffey.  Classical and contemporary buildings adorn this busy campus, whose alumni include Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Beckett.


●The Book of Kells  +1 353 896 2320.  Hours vary seasonally.  €9.  It seems everyone wants to see this ornate illuminated manuscript of the four gospels of the New Testament.  Dating from the Middle Ages—the 9th century--it was hand-painted and hand-written in Latin by Celtic monks.  Expect a long line.  You might be surprised, as I was, to discover that it is relatively small (11 inches by 15 inches) and written on calfskin.  What makes it especially noteworthy is simply that it survives.  Since 2013, you can see the entire Book of Kells online.

●Old Library  After, continue upstairs to see the Long Room, one of Ireland’s oldest libraries.  It measures 213 feet long by 2 stories high and has a barrel-vaulted ceiling, and its floor-to-ceiling oak-wood bookshelves hold more than 200,000 rare books.  An additional claim to fame is that it is seen in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.


●From late May through September you can spend the night on the Trinity College campus!  


More things to do in Dublin.

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More information about Ireland.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.

images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
 

Travel Articles: Kona Coffee Country, Kona, Big Island, Hawaii

KONA COFFEE COUNTRY
on the Big Island in Hawaii
When you finally tire of lazing on a perfect beach on the enchanting Big Island, doing nothing more than gazing out at the horizon or, if particularly energetic, perhaps reading a bit, perk up with a leisurely drive into the scenic Kona coffee country found along the old Mamalahoa Highway (it is sometimes referred to now as Highway 11).  Departing from the desolate moonscape seen around the airport, it begins about 10 miles south of Kailua-Kona where the terrain is green and lush and hilly.   Read more  . . . 


More things to do in Hawaii.

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image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Skimmer Salt Marsh Safari, Cape May, New Jersey

Skimmer Salt Marsh Safari  At Cape May Inlet Marina, departure area varies, (609) 884-3100.  Daily at 10am, 1:30pm, & 6pm.  $28, under 12 $15.  Reservations suggested.  Tour some wilderness back bays in the Cape May Wildlife Refuge on this low-key, two-hour guided excursion into the marshes via covered flat-bottom boat.  Binoculars are provided, and the bird watching is excellent.  At this major migration stopover, owner/guide Captain Ginny Powell says, “We never know who’s coming in and who’s coming out.”  Among the birds you might see are laughing gulls (the largest breeding colony in the world is here June through September). 

 
Sea life is brought on board for inspection—perhaps you’ll see a Knob welk (the state shell) or a Forbes sea star or both!  Ginny’s husband is the other half of the team, and together they make a humorous and knowledgeable couple. 

More information about Cape May.

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Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.  

images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park  On Hwy. 11, 30 mi. SW of Hilo, (808) 985-600.  The Visitor Center schedules informative ranger-led nature walks that will teach you about the legend of Pele, the beautiful fire goddess whose anger is said to cause the island’s volcanoes to erupt (you’ll also learn how to avoid the bad luck believed to be attached to volcanic rocks).  The Junior Ranger program operates here for children ages 5 through 12.  Don’t miss the 11.3-mile Loop Drive along Crater Rim Road around the huge, otherworldly Kilauea Caldera (descriptive maps are available at the Visitor Center).  Several stops along this road are particularly worthwhile and fun with kids--Kipuka Puaulu Bird Park has a pleasant 1-mile nature trail that leads past an extensive collection of labeled native plants, and Devastation Trail offers a half-mile boardwalk path through a skeleton forest created by a prior eruption.  The Thurston Lava Tube, a naturally formed tunnel, measures an extraordinary 450 feet long and is located in a lush tropical rain forest known as the Fern Jungle.  Also within this park, the 13,680-foot-high Mauna Loa volacano, measuring 75 miles by 64 miles, is the largest mountain on Earth. 

More things to do on the Big Island.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.  

image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Great Sleeps: Victorian Lace Inn, Cape May, New Jersey

Victorian Lace Inn  901 Stockton Ave./Jefferson, (609) 884-1772.  Pets ok.  This all-suite 1869 Colonial Revival mansion drips with gingerbread trim and is well located to the beach, the beachfront promenade, and the gathering spot that is the popular Washington Street outdoor mall.  It’s a bit like grandma’s house remembered or imagined, with hand-crocheted bedspreads, natural wood floors, and plenty of that namesake lace covering its windows.  Louvered doors front solid doors allowing in a breeze, and on most days an expansive breakfast is served in sight of the ocean on an enormous wrap-around front porch. 

More information about Cape May.

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More things to do in New Jersey. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.  

image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Great Sleeps: The Grand Hotel, Cape May, New Jersey

The Grand Hotel  1045 Beach Ave., (800) 257-8550, (609) 884-5611.  Indoor & outdoor heated pool; indoor hot tub; outdoor heated kiddie pool; fitness center.  No pets.  Though this hotel is situated just across the street from the ocean, it is a goodly distance from the downtown mall area.  It is grand in the sense that it is the largest hotel south of Atlantic City, but it has more of an air of a small and cozy lodging.  And because it is in the process of getting a needed refurbishment, room quality varies.  The consensus is that a remodeled guest room in the main building is most desirable, and oceanfront is best. 
          E.M. Hemingway's Prime Steaks & Seafood Restaurant serves tasty meals on the ground floor and features a busy bar.  Weekend breakfast and lunch, and daily dinner is served here.



More information about Cape May.

More things to do in Cape May.

More things to do in New Jersey. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.  

images c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers