Edinburgh Castle is Scotland‘s most visited paid tourist attraction and sits upon an extinct volcano. The castle has undergone so many attacks during it’s 1100 years of history, it is the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world!
I captured these photos after touring the Castle and walking down toward Princes Street Gardens.
As you approach the castle to enter, this is your view…
Having researched The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland before my trip, and checked out some photos of it, I have to say it’s even more beautiful in person! It stretches from the Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, hence the name. A little known fact, at least to those who don’t live in Scotland, it’s actually a bit longer (.12) than a normal mile, because it’s a Scot’s mile. After spending four nights in Dublin, my friend and I flew on Ryan Air to Edinburgh to explore for four days. The architecture can only be described as being Grand and the City is filled with so much history! Compared to Dublin, the City of Edinburgh is much hillier and to me more interesting.
I reserved an Airbnb, located within 15 minutes walking distance from The Royal Mile, and was very pleased with the Apartment. It’s a three-bedroom and we had to share it with other people. The first couple that stayed for one night of our stay weren’t very friendly, but the next couple were very talkative and nice. Cute living/dining/kitchen area…
Breakfast was included with the rental and the owners made sure to keep it stocked with yogurt, cereal, milk, fruit, bread, etc.
Here’s my friend Teresa taking a photo of her bedroom…
which looks just like my bedroom…
The weather was overcast much of the time, and rained for part of one day, and drizzled a bit another day, but nice the remainder. The umbrellas are nice for photographing!
Kilkenny’s rich medieval heritage is evident in the city’s treasure trove of historical buildings and landmarks, especially the magnificent Kilkenny Castle. Kilkenny is Ireland’s most beautiful medieval city. My day trip from Dublin through Collins Day Tours included this majestic city. I walked around the castle looking for a variety of perspectives.
The back “yard” goes forever, with its lush and green manicured lawn!
Who doesn’t love fountains!
A couple of young lads enjoying the day! Nice to see them phone-less.
The city of Kilkenny through my eyes and lens…
Arriving to Dublin in late afternoon, I settled into the Airbnb I had reserved, located in the Temple Bar area, within walking distance to all of the major attractions. My friend and I went to a nearby grocery store for some breakfast and snack items (along with some local wine) and went out to dinner. We had Irish excursions planned for the following two days, so we didn’t really explore Dublin until our last day in the City. We had wonderful weather and I was so excited to be in Ireland! Dublin is a very walk-able city. I asked these two beautiful lassies for their photo…
A typical Dublin street…
The famous Ha’ Penny Bridge.
Trinity College’s “Book of Kells” was amazing! The Book of Kells, created in 800 AD, is composed of four gospels of the New Testament. The room itself is magnificent!
Glendalough, or the Glen of two lakes, is one of the most important sites of monastic ruins in Ireland. It is also known as the city of the seven Churches. Fourteen centuries have passed since the death of its founder, St. Kevin, when the valley was part of Ireland’s Golden age. For my second full day in Ireland, I booked another day trip, this time through a company called Collins Day Tours. My friend Teresa was my beautiful model…
These trees were kinda trippy!
I’ve began collecting photographs of people taking selfies!
The moody skies were the perfect backdrop for the 6th Century monastic settlement, providing just the right atmospheric setting!
The Cliffs of Moher, located 3 hours from Dublin on the West coast of Ireland, rising over 750 feet at their highest point, are one of Ireland’s most spectacular sights! As a day trip from Dublin, it makes for a long day (12 hours round-trip with stops), but an unforgettable one! We were fortunate to have beautiful weather, a bit windy with temperatures near 70 degrees. The rugged and stunning scenery was simply gorgeous!
Walking from one end to the other along the paths was invigorating after the bus ride…
I booked the trip through a company called Irish Day Tours and the guide’s accent was charming! He warned against standing on the edges because tourists have either fallen or the cliff has given way.
My friend Teresa looking lovely as usual!
When Sunlite Pool was constructed in 1925 at Coney Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, it was and still is the largest recirculating swimming pool in the world, holding over 3 million gallons of water, measuring 200 x 401 ft., and ranging in depths from six inches to 10 feet. Although it’s capacity is 10,000 swimmers, luckily when my friends and I visited yesterday, there may have been 100-200 guests enjoying the picture perfect 90 degree weather! After lazing around on our rafts in the pool and sipping on a cold beverage, we were ready for some tubing fun on the Twister!
I don’t remember the first time I visited the pool–some time back in the mid-70’s–and the most recent visit before yesterday was perhaps 7-8 years ago. A lot has changed over the years.
Coney Island’s first name was Parker’s Grove (named after its owner, James Parker), opening in 1870 and consisted of a dining hall, dancing hall and bowling alley. People were transported the 10 miles from Cincinnati by riverboat before the automobile was invented. In addition to Sunlite Pool, Moonlite Gardens, an open-air dance hall was built the same year. Through the years, new rides were constructed and now the Park has 24 fun rides for both young and old to enjoy!
Due to its riverside location, six major floods have damaged the Park: 1913, 1937 (submerging it under 28 feet of water), 1964, 1972, 1991, and 1997.
In the early 1950’s, Walt Disney made a visit to Coney Island to get ideas for Disneyland.
Ownership has changed hands numerous times through the years, and in 1969, Taft Broadcasting purchased the Park and decided to build Kings Island, a new theme park in Northeastern Cincinnati. Coney Island closed in 1971 for three years, but Sunlite Pool continued its operations. Reopened in 1974, the Park began to come to life again and after the Riverbend Music Center opened in 1984, new rides and attractions were constructed.
Taken from Coney Island’s website: “Once given up for dead, a victim of its own success, Coney Island is alive again. While it is no longer the region’s largest amusement facility, it retains many of its beloved traditions-swimming at Sunlite Pool, dancing under the stars in Moonlite Gardens, picnicking and strolling along the Ohio River.”
The people of Southwestern Ohio are indeed fortunate. Their beloved local amusement park refused to die and gave its owners no choice but to rebuild it into what it does best — create memories.”
At the bottom of a steep yet very narrow and winding road in the town of Loveland, Ohio, stands a medieval castle named Chateau Laroche (aka Loveland Castle & Museum). Built by Harry Andrews, a former World War I army veteran, who acquired the land in 1927 and began construction in 1929, it was a labor of love.
Andrews carried tons of stones in an estimated 56,000 five-gallon pails from the Little Miami Riverbed upon which the Castle sits and made bricks by pouring concrete into old milk cartons.
It was during his tour of duty in Europe that Andrews fell in love with castles. Upon his return, he formed the Knights of the Golden Trail (KOGT), a group he said would be dedicated to helping save civilization, which he felt had seriously eroded. Their code of conduct is simply to follow the Ten Commandments.
Working on the castle every weekend until he retired in 1955 at the age of 65, and then full-time, the castle was Andrews’ life work.
The castle boasts a great hall, a banquet hall, an armory, a bedroom for Andrews, a watchtower, and a real dungeon with cells. Some of the rooms are full of memorabilia from the dark ages. Continue reading
Lake Erie has a tiny two by four mile island — “Put-in-Bay“, known as Ohio’s premier summer-time party spot, located only 20 minutes by ferry from mainland. Every year my friends and I organize a long weekend away that usually includes relaxation, hiking, good food, fun, and a hot tub! We enjoyed our trip to Put-in-Bay so much last year, we decided to return for this year’s annual get-away.
This shot was taken early Saturday morning just as the sun was rising…
Friday morning we drove from Cincinnati and caught the 12:30pm Miller Ferry ride (during high season they conveniently leave every 30 minutes) to the island. We left our car parked (it’s free) in their lot and carried our bags on board.
Once on the island, having reserved a golf cart (the preferred method of transport on the island) through Miller Marina, we were able to fit six women and all of our stuff on it! Yes…it was only for the weekend!
We stayed at the Island Club Condos aka Put-in-Bay Condos at a beautiful end unit with a view of the pool and Lake Erie to the left. Our two-bedroom/two-bath condo was perfect!
Put-in-Bay’s split personality ensures that everyone has an unforgettable time…think Gatlinburg and Key West on steroids! While exploring the island with your fun mobile, make frequent stops for shopping, dining at one of the colorful outdoor cafes while listening to live music, and cooling off at a swim-up bar with a frozen tropical beverage in hand. When or if your senses become overloaded from the people watching and intoxicating excitement, hop back on your cart to experience the other side of Put-in-Bay, where you’ll find serene and tranquil spots to gaze at the sailboats gliding by on the glistening blue lake.
When we weren’t out exploring, you could usually find us out on the patio enjoying nature…
Planning travel itineraries usually take many hours of research and when you’re taking a group of people with you, the details become even more important. Initially, I was putting together a 9 day trip to Turkey in September for my travel meetup http://www.meetup.com/Travel-Spirit-Meetup-Group/, but then looking at airfare, I realized for just an additional few hundred dollars, I could fly to Dublin, Ireland and Edinburgh, Scotland. With airfare being the biggest expenditure, hitting a couple of my bucket list spots made sense!
Four nights in Dublin and four in Edinburgh should give me ample time to explore the Cities and take a day trip or two. Traveling solo, I’ll be able to take photographs and leisurely or quickly make my way through these amazing Cities. I’ve found a couple of Airbnb accommodations in the City centers that range between $50 and $60 per night. I’ll have my own bedroom in someone’s flat with access to their kitchen for making breakfast and perhaps a sandwich for dinner to save money. Of course, I’ll dine out occasionally…probably every day for lunch.
Some of the places I intend to visit in Dublin are Howth Head and St. Stephen’s Green.
Additional spots within Dublin are Temple Bar, Grafton Street, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, O’Connell Street & bridge, Trinity College, Dawson Street, and Kilmainham Gaol (an old jail).
My flight from Dublin to Edinburgh through Ryan Air is $107 with the baggage fees.
In Edinburgh, I’ll walk the Royal Mile, visit the Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and climb up to see the view from Arthur’s Seat.
$170 will take me from Edinburgh to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey (near Fethiye) to a beautiful family owned Villa with a pristine swimming pool, and hiking along the Lycian Way trail to the towns of Oludeniz and Fethiye. The weather should be perfect, in the 80’s! I have four tour participants signed up and one gentleman who is very interested.
After spending four glorious days of soaking up the sun and regenerating our spirits, we’ll head to the exciting and bustling City of Istanbul. Exploring main sites such as the Blue Mosque pictured below, the Hagia Sophia Museum, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Spice Market, and the Grand Bazaar, our senses will be filled with bright colors, aromatic scents, and the hauntingly beautiful call to prayer as it permeates the Streets!
My philosophy is…if you want something badly enough…you’ll find a way to make it happen!
2014 has been a year filled with photography and travel…Imagine that! Comparing my 2013 in Review: jogging, biking, hiking, and a bit of water skiing continued to keep my over 55-year-old body lookin’ good, along with lots of new recipes and mostly healthy eating!
This year became more balanced with less play and more work…which means more money…hallelujah! During the summer I worked part-time for a farm at their Fruit & Vegetable Stands (until my back couldn’t take it any more).
I’ve had over 20 photo shoots for my own business, “Sherry Lachelle Photography”…including baby photos…
A few of the Senior photos…
Spending Christmas in Florida is fun! This is the first time my husband and I have been somewhere warm over the holidays. After savoring a home cooked turkey dinner, we headed out to the hot tub and pool and got a little silly. We talked about past snow skiing trips while enjoying the warm weather.
Not looking so happy here…
Really happy here…
My husband arrived in Florida yesterday and I was one happy camper beachcomber! I greeted him in the airport parking lot with a kiss and a homemade frozen Pina Colada. We enjoyed a delicious fish dinner at the condo that evening with our friends Wayne and Deanna. This morning following a fun bicycle ride, we headed to Fort Myers beach for relaxation and a nice long walk on the beach. Of course I took my camera to see what new sights I could capture…
This colorful mermaid kite caught my eye…
Sarasota, Florida not only has beautiful beaches, it is also home to Ca’ d’Zan, meaning “House of John”, a Venetian-style mansion built-in the 1920s by John Ringling, of the Ringling Brothers Circus, and his wife, Mable. The John and Mable … Continue reading
Located on the Atlantic side of Florida, Fort Lauderdale makes a great day trip from the Fort Myers area on the Gulf side. Yesterday, a new friend “Deanna” and I drove a little over 2 hours to check out what’s changed in Fort Lauderdale since the Spring Break days of the 70’s. Researching on Trip Advisor, our first stop was the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, formerly owned by Frederic Clay Bartlett, an artist and his wife, for use as a winter retreat to escape Chicago’s cold winters, dating back to the 20’s. The tour of the home lasted over an hour. The architecture was interesting in that there is a courtyard with doors leading to each room (i.e. most of the rooms are not attached to each other, you’re required to go back out to the courtyard to access another room). The grounds were beautiful with tall palm trees, small ponds, and flowers.
A little sitting area in the courtyard…
An ornate lamp Mr. Bartlett made from an oil drum…
Sherry Lachelle Travels 