Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 66

Sights to See: Burren, Ireland

The Burren  +353 (0)65 7071017.  The striking lunar landscape here includes ruts, grikes (fissures), rocky mounds, and clints (isolated rocks jutting from the surface).  This rocky terrain is home to rare plants (including colorful wildflowers that bloom in spring) and insects (approximately 700 different species).  You will see plenty just driving route N67, but if you have the time head inland at Lisdoonvarna (if you’re heading north, take the R476 to R480, exiting near Ballyvaughan) to see many of the ancient ruins.  This is a helpful road map to the Burren.


     Burren Centre in Kilfenora   Stop here for orientation and detailed information about the Burren.  The area is a popular weekend escape, so you’ll find out about yoga and painting classes as well as camp sites, B&Bs, and hostels.  Note that Burren roads are quite narrow.



More things to do in Ireland. 



More information about Ireland.



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


 image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Misc.: Cologne, Germany

Lost in the Translation



A while back, as we were driving through the streets of Cologne, Germany, trying to find a hotel near the famous gigantic cathedral, we passed a bar where the merry patrons flowed outside into the street.  We pulled up, and my husband, feeling confident in his German, asked in German, “How do we get to the cathedral?”  Their response was incredulous looks and a few snickers.  He asked again, being a bit more insistent.  And then they started laughing, and gave friendly directions.  Because the central shopping streets were closed to traffic, the directions were complicated.  One of the Germans offered to get in our car and direct us to a hotel they knew nearby.  After settling into the hotel—we could see a bit of the cathedral from our room--my husband looked up “cathedral” in his German dictionary and realized he had been asking for directions to the big “katheter”/catheter not “kathedrale”/cathedral!  We figure the Germans we met are still telling this story, too. 



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images copyright 2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See: Saint Brigid’s Well, Ireland

Saint Brigid’s Well  Beside Murphy’s pub, 5 min. from the Cliffs of Moher, in LISCANNOR.  Regarded as a place of healing, the well at this pilgrimage site is in a little cave-like structure filled with offerings that include holy pictures, rosaries, medals, and similar items left by pilgrims.  Steps lead up to a cemetery with a large cross.  This cemetery is where Cornelius O’Brien, who built the tower at the Cliffs of Moher, is buried.



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video c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Sights to See: Cliffs of Moher and O’Brien’s Tower, Ireland

Cliffs of Moher  1 hr. NW of Shannon airport, 2 hrs. S of Galway, near the village of Liscannor, +353 65 708 6141.   Opens 9am.  E6, 65+ E4, under 16 free; guided tour E45.  This is Ireland’s most visited natural attraction and a UNESCO recognized Geopark.  Towering 702 feet above the roaring Atlantic Ocean and running for a 5-mile stretch, the shale and sandstone cliffs are so high that the ocean’s roar is heard as just a whisper.  This official entry provides protected cliff-side pathways.  An eco-certified, grass-roofed building embedded unobtrusively in a hillside holds a cafe and the visitor center, where you can view two short movies and take the 5-minute “Ledge Experience.”  Free WiFi is available throughout!  On clear days you can the Aran Islands and on to Connemara.  Rain and fog are disappointing and not unusual, but you will still enjoy a visit.  Hags Head outside Liscannor Village is the most southerly point of the cliffs and the sweet fishing village of Doolin is the northerly point. 





●O’Brien’s Tower  €2 , children €1.  Built cliff-side in 1835, this tower stands near the cliffs’ highest point.  You can climb a spiral staircase to a viewing platform on its crenellated top.  The area immediately north known as Cliff of the Foals is a world-famous surf spot.



More things to do in Ireland. 



More information about Ireland.



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



first image, vintage photo courtesy of venue; second image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Misc.: car rental, Ireland

When renting a car in Ireland, choose the smallest car that can accommodate you and your luggage.  You’ll be glad you did when you find yourself driving along one of the narrow country roads lined with dry-stone walls.  Take note of the the duct-taped mirror in the picture of me in our Dooley Car Rental.  Fortunately the damage was done by someone previous to us, but it is an example of what you might be in for!  Apparently Ireland is one of two countries in Western Europe that have the most traffic accidents (the other is Portugal).  Because most credit cards no longer offer complimentary collision insurance in the Republic of Ireland, you will most likely need to buy Collision Damage Waiver insurance (CDW)--which limits your financial responsibility in case of an accident.  It is expensive.  While you can opt out of the CDW in some countries, it is a mandatory coverage in Ireland.  After checking with several car rental agencies, Dooley Car Rentals  felt like a good choice to me because it is an Irish company and has a fully inclusive rate.  Be aware that some car rental agencies won’t rent to, or charge additional for, drivers under age 21 or over 69 and for taking a car into Northern Ireland.  A piece of advice once you have your car (this was our mantra in Ireland)--look right, drive left.  Another item to consider--though it costs more for an automatic transmission, I did think it was well worth the expense.  And my favorite sign was for “traffic calming” areas before roundabouts, which are prevalent, efficient, and easy to get used to.



More things to do in Ireland.



More information about Ireland.



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image c2013 Gene Meyers

Sights to See: Ireland

The island of Ireland is comprised of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (which along with England, Scotland, and Wales forms the United Kingdom).  An official border has separated them since 1922.  The Atlantic Ocean is to the west and the Irish Sea to the east.  Ireland is one of Europe's least densely populated countries.  Like many islands that were once entirely forested—most famously Easter Island—the trees have been almost completely cleared, and for almost 200 years now Ireland has imported almost all its wood.  Prehistoric bogs and limestone plains survive, and Ireland famously has no snakes but does have one lizard.  And though Johnny Cash sang of Ireland as having “forty shades of green,” and before my visit I saw in my mind’s eye sunny skies, the reality in late September/early October was a graying mist.  And that’s probably why the island is so brilliantly green when the sun does shine. 



More information about Ireland.



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



image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Good Eats: Himalayan Yak Restaurant, NYC-Queens

Himalayan Yak Restaurant  72-20 Roosevelt Ave., (718) 779-1119.  L-D daily; $$.  Dishes here include Nepali dishes goat Bhuttan and aloo kauli ko tarkari (potatoes and cauliflower curry) as well as  Tibetan momo dumplings and Indian chicken tikka masala.  Plenty more representations from each country round out the choices.  A Himalayan combination platter provides the opportunity to sample many dishes, including buckwheat fout bread, crushed radish pickle, and goat curry.  I’m not so sure when I’ll be ready to try Ema-Datsi—the fiery Bhutanese national dish made with spicy long green chilies combined with an American cheese sauce. 







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More things to do in NYC.  



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image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Emlen Physick Estate; and Good Eats: Carriage House Cafe & Tearoom, Cape May, New Jersey

Emlen Physick Estate 
(800) 275-4278, (609) 884-5404.  House tours Apr-Dec.  Though located
outside the town historic area, this 1879 Victorian Stick-style mansion
is well worth a visit.  One tour option includes trolley transportation
to and fro plus a rolling tour of the Historic District.  The guided
house tour visits 15 authentically restored period rooms. 



Time a visit to include lunch or tea in the Carriage House Cafe & Tearoom. 
Situated inside the estate’s former garage for carriages, the cafe
offers a menu of tasty tea sandwiches, scones, and pastries along with a
selection of teas served in delightful individual teapots.  In good
weather, dining takes place inside a protective tent on the garden
patio.  





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

Things to Do: Cape May Winery, Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May Winery  711 Townbank Rd., (609) 884-1169.  Daily 12-5.  Tasting fee $6/6 wines + keep the glass; tour $20, includes wine tasting + a barrel tasting + fruit and cheese + keep glass.  Built on a former lima bean farm, this winery offers wines from dry to sweet and constantly rotates its varietals.  It’s a small operation, with bottling taking place in the garage.  Picnic facilities are available.



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.  



videos c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  



cheap easy way to store leftover wine to take on a picnic:





cheap easy way to store leftover wine:

Sights to See: Cape May, New Jersey

Located at Exit Zero on the Garden State Parkway, at the southernmost point of New Jersey's Atlantic shore and below the Mason-Dixon line, Cape May is America’s oldest seaside resort.  It was once home to the summer White House and also was once the capitol for lima beans.  Now more famous for its Victorian architecture and pristine beaches, the entire town is a National Historic Landmark. 



The historic area is spread along the streets heading inland.  Measuring two blocks deep by six blocks long, it is an impressive collection of more than 600 authentically restored and preserved structures from the Victorian period of 1840 through 1912—indeed, it has the largest concentration of Victorian structures outside of San Francisco.  Among their lavish ornamentation are latticework, scrolls, frets, brackets, bargeboards, and plenty of stained glass.  Features include original detached kitchens that are converted to garages, and wrap-around porches with rocking chairs and hammocks, but no widow walks--because the town has no harbor.  Natural cedar shakes are popular on outside walls because salty sea air otherwise makes it necessary to repaint every five years or so.  Some houses resemble San Francisco’s “painted ladies,” but most are in lower-key traditional East Coast colors of white or grey.  Gardens bloom with colorful flowers, and at night the area is lit to a glow by the town’s original gas lamps.





Cape May is third in the nation for weddings (behind Las Vegas and Disney World)--more than 400 are held here each year—and it is a fabulous place for families, indeed for everyone, to get away—think noisy lobster restaurants, fresh saltwater taffy, and an immaculately clean beach. 



Originally a peninsula, it is now an island.  A drive along Beach Avenue provides a good orientation and a view of the plethora of lodging options, both vintage and contemporary.  In spring and fall the area attracts migrations of birds and butterflies.





More information about 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