Day 33 Perth Western Australia Thursday 2nd August 2012
I am writing this final post from my computer at home - YAY and I thank God that I am now safely in the arms of my wonderful husband, Dave and my two gorgeous sons, Ben and Nick. It was so great to see them last night waiting patiently at the airport given my flight was delayed about 40 minutes!
Dave had prepared a lovely dinner and after catching up with all the news I went to bed at 9pm and woke at 12pm today. That's 14 hours later - OMG I have never slept that long before! There is certainly no place like home or being in your own bed. I could have slept even longer but I thought I had better get up as I would never sleep tonight.
I will add some final thoughts to this blog in the next few days once I am over this jet lag so please check back soon.
Wednesday 1 August 2012
Day 32 Dubai United Arab Emirates Wednesday 1st August 2012
After 31 days of travel without a problem finally a major one. My flight from London to Dubai on the A380 was delayed by 3 hours which meant I would miss my connecting flight to Perth:(
We arrived into Dubai at 3.30am in the morning and I was advised that I would have to stay the day and catch the next flight to Perth which was at 2.55 am the following morning. Lucky for me I managed to secure the last seat on that flight and everyone else going to Perth had to go to Singapore then onto Perth from there. Emirates arranged for me to be taken to the hotel and gave me meal vouchers for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I finally arrived at the hotel at 6.30am and was feeling so tired and disappointed as I really wanted to go home by this stage. I went to bed and woke up at 1.30pm so decided I would wake myself up with a shower and go shopping in Dubai seeing as I would never probably have the opportunity again.
It was almost 50 degrees celsius so I got a taxi to take me to the Dubai Mall which apparently is the best for shopping. WOW - what an amazing shopping mall as it had over 1200 shops! It opens at 9.00 am and closes at 1.00am in the morning and I said a prayer of thanks that I was not a worker in that place with such long, long hours. This place was enormous and I stayed there 7 hours walking around shopping and I reckon I still only saw half of it.
It had it's own ice skating rink, incredible aquarium, movie theatres and so much more. They had these cute little indoor taxis that you could hire to get around in which I found fascinating - maybe I should have hired one to see it all.
I arrived back at the hotel about 9pm, packed my luggage AGAIN and went to the airport about 11.30pm. I was waiting at the departure gate early as I was more than ready to finally get on that plane bound for Perth and my boys. Hopefully it would be on time with NO more delays.
After 31 days of travel without a problem finally a major one. My flight from London to Dubai on the A380 was delayed by 3 hours which meant I would miss my connecting flight to Perth:(
We arrived into Dubai at 3.30am in the morning and I was advised that I would have to stay the day and catch the next flight to Perth which was at 2.55 am the following morning. Lucky for me I managed to secure the last seat on that flight and everyone else going to Perth had to go to Singapore then onto Perth from there. Emirates arranged for me to be taken to the hotel and gave me meal vouchers for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I finally arrived at the hotel at 6.30am and was feeling so tired and disappointed as I really wanted to go home by this stage. I went to bed and woke up at 1.30pm so decided I would wake myself up with a shower and go shopping in Dubai seeing as I would never probably have the opportunity again.
It was almost 50 degrees celsius so I got a taxi to take me to the Dubai Mall which apparently is the best for shopping. WOW - what an amazing shopping mall as it had over 1200 shops! It opens at 9.00 am and closes at 1.00am in the morning and I said a prayer of thanks that I was not a worker in that place with such long, long hours. This place was enormous and I stayed there 7 hours walking around shopping and I reckon I still only saw half of it.
What an amazing waterfall within the Dubai Shopping Mall
Ice skating in the Dubai Shopping Mall
Massive Aquarium in the Dubai Shopping Mall
Taxis available to hire in the Dubai Shopping Mall
It had it's own ice skating rink, incredible aquarium, movie theatres and so much more. They had these cute little indoor taxis that you could hire to get around in which I found fascinating - maybe I should have hired one to see it all.
I arrived back at the hotel about 9pm, packed my luggage AGAIN and went to the airport about 11.30pm. I was waiting at the departure gate early as I was more than ready to finally get on that plane bound for Perth and my boys. Hopefully it would be on time with NO more delays.
Monday 30 July 2012
Day 31 London England Monday 30th July 2012
Well, today is the day when this fantastic trip ends as my flight home to Perth leaves Heathrow at 2.15pm this afternoon. I have had the time of my life and my "Who Do You Think You Are" adventure has lived up to all its expectations and more! I think it will take me 6 months to digest everything that has happened during the past month. I have seen and done SO many things which I had been dreaming of for a long time. I shall never ever forget the wonderful people I have met and these friendships will be everlasting.
Our day spent at Olympic Park yesterday was brilliant although very tiring as we had to walk so far.
It started with the Hockeyroos at 8.30 am which was a great game but the Kiwis were just too good for our girls. Hopefully they can bounce back in their next game. After the hockey we walked 20 mins to the basketball stadium to have a look. As luck would have it the Boomers were playing Brasil in an hours time. We saw a queue so asked what was going on. The attendant told us it was for recycled tickets and that if any came available we could buy them for 5 pounds- we couldnt believe our luck! We waited until one minute before the game started and then they called us up to the counter to get our tickets. We were SO EXCITED as you can imagine! We ran into the stadium as they were playing the Australian national anthem and it was awesome to get to our seats just before the game started. It was an amazing atmosphere in the stadium and we enjoyed every moment of it. It was an extremely close match and went right down to the wire with the roof lifting off due to supporters from both sides screaming their heads off. Bad luck to the Boomers but hopefully they can win their next match and keep their medals chances alive.
It took us over 2 hours to get back to our hotel with thousands of people all trying to do the same thing. Dave, you would have hated it as even I was stuggling in amongst these aggressive crowds.
We finally got home around 6pm and were exhausted after our very fast and furious days at the 2012 London Olympics. But oh what a great time we had and it was an experience that we never forget and I can now tell my future grandchildren that I attended the 2012 Olympics in London!
Well, today is the day when this fantastic trip ends as my flight home to Perth leaves Heathrow at 2.15pm this afternoon. I have had the time of my life and my "Who Do You Think You Are" adventure has lived up to all its expectations and more! I think it will take me 6 months to digest everything that has happened during the past month. I have seen and done SO many things which I had been dreaming of for a long time. I shall never ever forget the wonderful people I have met and these friendships will be everlasting.
Our day spent at Olympic Park yesterday was brilliant although very tiring as we had to walk so far.
It started with the Hockeyroos at 8.30 am which was a great game but the Kiwis were just too good for our girls. Hopefully they can bounce back in their next game. After the hockey we walked 20 mins to the basketball stadium to have a look. As luck would have it the Boomers were playing Brasil in an hours time. We saw a queue so asked what was going on. The attendant told us it was for recycled tickets and that if any came available we could buy them for 5 pounds- we couldnt believe our luck! We waited until one minute before the game started and then they called us up to the counter to get our tickets. We were SO EXCITED as you can imagine! We ran into the stadium as they were playing the Australian national anthem and it was awesome to get to our seats just before the game started. It was an amazing atmosphere in the stadium and we enjoyed every moment of it. It was an extremely close match and went right down to the wire with the roof lifting off due to supporters from both sides screaming their heads off. Bad luck to the Boomers but hopefully they can win their next match and keep their medals chances alive.
It took us over 2 hours to get back to our hotel with thousands of people all trying to do the same thing. Dave, you would have hated it as even I was stuggling in amongst these aggressive crowds.
We finally got home around 6pm and were exhausted after our very fast and furious days at the 2012 London Olympics. But oh what a great time we had and it was an experience that we never forget and I can now tell my future grandchildren that I attended the 2012 Olympics in London!
Sunday 29 July 2012
Day 30 London England Sunday 29th July 2012
What a great day ahead today as we have tickets to the womens hockey at Olympic Park. The match is between Australia and New Zealand however it starts at 8.30am which means we have to leave our hotel very early. It takes about half an hour to get to Olympic Park on the tube and then another half an hour or so to get through security and walk to the hockey arena within the complex. Rain is forecast for today so we have packed our raincoats. I am really looking forward to seeing Olympic Park for myself as we have heard so much about it here on the news.
I haven't got much time now but I will try to quickly write about our fantastic day at Wimbledon yesterday. We caught the tube along with 50,000 other people to the tennis on a beautiful warm sunny day. When we arrived at Wimbledon there was a huge queue as apparently there was trouble with fake tickets circulating around. Once the queue started moving it wasn't long and we were inside those hallowed gates. Gee, it was great to see the whole spectacle unfolding in front of us. We made our way to Court 1 and were delighted to see that we would get to see Sam Stosur play in the second game. We were sitting next to a couple of Aussie's and we also seconded two Venezulan guys to make some noise for Sam - she tried hard but the Spaniard was just too good.
We spent most of the day at the tennis and saw some great matches. I would love to come back in the future to attend the Wimbledon tennis tournament as it is truly a world class venue. We went to a great pub on the way home then had an early night ready for our 5.45 am start this morning.
What a great day ahead today as we have tickets to the womens hockey at Olympic Park. The match is between Australia and New Zealand however it starts at 8.30am which means we have to leave our hotel very early. It takes about half an hour to get to Olympic Park on the tube and then another half an hour or so to get through security and walk to the hockey arena within the complex. Rain is forecast for today so we have packed our raincoats. I am really looking forward to seeing Olympic Park for myself as we have heard so much about it here on the news.
I haven't got much time now but I will try to quickly write about our fantastic day at Wimbledon yesterday. We caught the tube along with 50,000 other people to the tennis on a beautiful warm sunny day. When we arrived at Wimbledon there was a huge queue as apparently there was trouble with fake tickets circulating around. Once the queue started moving it wasn't long and we were inside those hallowed gates. Gee, it was great to see the whole spectacle unfolding in front of us. We made our way to Court 1 and were delighted to see that we would get to see Sam Stosur play in the second game. We were sitting next to a couple of Aussie's and we also seconded two Venezulan guys to make some noise for Sam - she tried hard but the Spaniard was just too good.
Saturday 28 July 2012
Day 29 London England Saturday 28th July 2012
Today we are going to Wimbledon for the tennis and we are so excited! Our ticket session is from 12pm to 8pm so hopefully we will see at least one of the superstars in action. The weather seems to be much cooler today with the possibility of a shower or two so better pack our raincoats.
Yesterday was another fantastic day getting around old London town. After a scrumptious breakfast at our hotel we set off for Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guard. It was a super sized version of what happens on a daily basis probably for all the Olympic tourists in town and we were thrilled to be able to get up so close to those furry hats of the guards. After Buckingham Palace we walked through the lovely Green Park on to the tube stop to go to Hyde Park. From there we caught a taxi to visit Harrods. Harrods was very extravagant in most of the departments and I was not impressed with the memorial's to Diana and Dodi as I felt it was all too tacky. The girls were laughing at me as I did not want to buy anything there as Mr Al Fayed was not getting any of MY hard earned money!
Next we went to Carnaby and Oxford Streets for some great shopping and a bite to eat. It was fantastic and we enjoyed walking around these iconic streets and shops. We had a booking to go on the London Eye next on the southbank of the Thames. God, that was sensational when you reached the top as it was a fabulous view across London from every direction.
From the London eye we caught a water taxi down the Thames to go to Tower bridge to see the Olympic Rings which did not disappoint. By the time we got to the bridge you could feel the excitement in the crowd with the Opening Ceremony only a few hours away.
By this time it was after 6pm so we caught a taxi back to Victoria Station to find a great pub with a big screen to watch the opening ceremony. Browns Pub atmosphere was terrific so we settled in for the night having a lovely dinner followed by the wonderfuly Opening Ceremony. We got talking to a television crew from NBC New York, a retired English professional cricketer and some Hong Kongers all watching the spectacle with us. My favourite bits were the Queen and James Bond, Mr Bean, when the Aussies entered the stadium and of course, the lighting of that amazing cauldron! Good on you Team GB, you certainly shone every so brightly to the world!
Today we are going to Wimbledon for the tennis and we are so excited! Our ticket session is from 12pm to 8pm so hopefully we will see at least one of the superstars in action. The weather seems to be much cooler today with the possibility of a shower or two so better pack our raincoats.
Next we went to Carnaby and Oxford Streets for some great shopping and a bite to eat. It was fantastic and we enjoyed walking around these iconic streets and shops. We had a booking to go on the London Eye next on the southbank of the Thames. God, that was sensational when you reached the top as it was a fabulous view across London from every direction.
By this time it was after 6pm so we caught a taxi back to Victoria Station to find a great pub with a big screen to watch the opening ceremony. Browns Pub atmosphere was terrific so we settled in for the night having a lovely dinner followed by the wonderfuly Opening Ceremony. We got talking to a television crew from NBC New York, a retired English professional cricketer and some Hong Kongers all watching the spectacle with us. My favourite bits were the Queen and James Bond, Mr Bean, when the Aussies entered the stadium and of course, the lighting of that amazing cauldron! Good on you Team GB, you certainly shone every so brightly to the world!
Friday 27 July 2012
Day 28 London England Friday 27th July 2012
Today is the day that London starts to shine on the worldwide stage - the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games commences in a little over 12 hours time. It was great walking around on the streets yesterday with so many different accents everywhere we went. The weather yesterday was very warm but today will be much cooler so hopefully the rain will stay away for the big night.
I bet you are wondering how we got on yesterday driving into London, well I am pleased to report that our sat nav told us it would take 25 mins and it took 25 minutes! We could not believe our luck and all those prayers paid off so thankyou very much. There was hardly any traffic on the road so the advertising campaign must have scared the pants off most Londoners to stay out of the city centre . Most locals were on pushbikes which certainly proved a challenge all of its own to make sure we didn't hit them as they weaved in and around the cars and buses.
After dropping off the hire car to Hertz we hailed a taxi to take us to our fabulous hotel, St Ermins which is very near Buckingham Palace so our base in London is very central. St. Ermins is a 4 star hotel so we are most pleased with our surroundings for the next four days. Car delivered and checked into our hotel by 10am- fantastic as we were expecting this to take most of the day! Our girlfriend Jan from Melbourne arrived so after getting her settled we went to tackle the underground to go to Paddington to collect our Olympics tickets for the tennis and womens hockey. This took longer than expected as we had to queue for an hour and half and let me tell you, people we not happy! After getting our tickets we hailed a black London Cab to take us to Covert Gardens for lunch.
After lunch we caught the tube again to Westminster coming up from the subway right under the iconic Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
Next thing on our list to visit was the Churchill War Rooms Musuem which was fantastic. These rooms were hidden deep under parliament square and were where Churchill and his ministers ran the war during the London blitz. It was fascinating and I loved it!
When we came up from visiting Churchill's bunker incredibly the Olympic torch relay was on its way to Buckingham Palace so we were very excited to see it right in front of us.
We came back to hotel at 7pm where we had dinner and drinks then it was off to bed after our very full day of activities.
Today's agenda is to visit Harrod's first thing, then to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the Guard, shopping in Oxford Streeet and Carnaby Road! We also need to scout out a great spot to watch the opening ceremony on a big screen.
Today is the day that London starts to shine on the worldwide stage - the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games commences in a little over 12 hours time. It was great walking around on the streets yesterday with so many different accents everywhere we went. The weather yesterday was very warm but today will be much cooler so hopefully the rain will stay away for the big night.
I bet you are wondering how we got on yesterday driving into London, well I am pleased to report that our sat nav told us it would take 25 mins and it took 25 minutes! We could not believe our luck and all those prayers paid off so thankyou very much. There was hardly any traffic on the road so the advertising campaign must have scared the pants off most Londoners to stay out of the city centre . Most locals were on pushbikes which certainly proved a challenge all of its own to make sure we didn't hit them as they weaved in and around the cars and buses.
After dropping off the hire car to Hertz we hailed a taxi to take us to our fabulous hotel, St Ermins which is very near Buckingham Palace so our base in London is very central. St. Ermins is a 4 star hotel so we are most pleased with our surroundings for the next four days. Car delivered and checked into our hotel by 10am- fantastic as we were expecting this to take most of the day! Our girlfriend Jan from Melbourne arrived so after getting her settled we went to tackle the underground to go to Paddington to collect our Olympics tickets for the tennis and womens hockey. This took longer than expected as we had to queue for an hour and half and let me tell you, people we not happy! After getting our tickets we hailed a black London Cab to take us to Covert Gardens for lunch.
After lunch we caught the tube again to Westminster coming up from the subway right under the iconic Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
Next thing on our list to visit was the Churchill War Rooms Musuem which was fantastic. These rooms were hidden deep under parliament square and were where Churchill and his ministers ran the war during the London blitz. It was fascinating and I loved it!
When we came up from visiting Churchill's bunker incredibly the Olympic torch relay was on its way to Buckingham Palace so we were very excited to see it right in front of us.
We came back to hotel at 7pm where we had dinner and drinks then it was off to bed after our very full day of activities.
Today's agenda is to visit Harrod's first thing, then to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the Guard, shopping in Oxford Streeet and Carnaby Road! We also need to scout out a great spot to watch the opening ceremony on a big screen.
Thursday 26 July 2012
Day 27 Richmond-on-Thames Thursday 26th July 2012
Stunning weather and stunning views from our hotel room in Richmond-on-Thames greeted us this morning. What a lovely spot and we so enjoyed our night here in Richmond. Today is the day when we attempt to drive into London on the eve of the Olympics to drop off our hire car at Hertz. Everyone here told us we shouldn't do it because of the traffic delays etc but we are going to risk it so will let you know tomorrow how we went - PLEASE keep us in your prayers! I am really EXCITED now as we head into London for the 2012 Olympic Games - Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!!!!!
Now let me tell you about our day yesterday with the weather getting even hotter than the previous day reaching 32 degrees. We set off from Bourton-on-the-Water to drive through the georgeous little villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter, Snowshill, Woodstock and reaching Oxford for lunch. Oxford was amazing and we loved seeing the students riding their bicylces around the streets on such a beautifully warm summers day. Next we headed for Windsor Castle which was fabulous and eveyone there was enjoying the river Thames in boats, swimming or feeding the ducks. Royal Ascot was next on our list and we were very fortunate that the groundsmen had opened the gates to fix the reticulation at the front gardens. We charmed them to let us get inside for a photo session which was fantastic -perfect timing indeed.
The next challenge was to find Henry's daughter's grave, Mary Elizabeth McGuigan Hughes who died in 1947 and is buried at the Richmond Cemetery. Luckily I rang the office and the groundsman came down to show us exactly where Mary is buried but super slueth Lone had already found her. I was pretty sad when I saw that she was buried alone so far away from Australia and her family. Surprisingly she wasn't buried with her husband so I will have to investigate that further to find out why. We placed some stones from her father and mothers grave, took some stones from her grave to take back to Melbourne and said some prayers.
It was a very busy day so by the time we checked into our stunning hotel, The Bingham we were ready for a nice cold shower, a bite to eat and an early night to be mentally ready to tackle the frantic London traffic this morning.
Stunning weather and stunning views from our hotel room in Richmond-on-Thames greeted us this morning. What a lovely spot and we so enjoyed our night here in Richmond. Today is the day when we attempt to drive into London on the eve of the Olympics to drop off our hire car at Hertz. Everyone here told us we shouldn't do it because of the traffic delays etc but we are going to risk it so will let you know tomorrow how we went - PLEASE keep us in your prayers! I am really EXCITED now as we head into London for the 2012 Olympic Games - Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!!!!!
Now let me tell you about our day yesterday with the weather getting even hotter than the previous day reaching 32 degrees. We set off from Bourton-on-the-Water to drive through the georgeous little villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter, Snowshill, Woodstock and reaching Oxford for lunch. Oxford was amazing and we loved seeing the students riding their bicylces around the streets on such a beautifully warm summers day. Next we headed for Windsor Castle which was fabulous and eveyone there was enjoying the river Thames in boats, swimming or feeding the ducks. Royal Ascot was next on our list and we were very fortunate that the groundsmen had opened the gates to fix the reticulation at the front gardens. We charmed them to let us get inside for a photo session which was fantastic -perfect timing indeed.
The Mounting Yard at Royal Ascot
Mary Elizabeth McGuigan Hughes grave at Richmond Cemetery
Placing the stones from Australia
It was a very busy day so by the time we checked into our stunning hotel, The Bingham we were ready for a nice cold shower, a bite to eat and an early night to be mentally ready to tackle the frantic London traffic this morning.
View from our hotel, The Bingham in Richmond - stunning!
Tuesday 24 July 2012
Day 26 Bourton-on-the-Water England Wednesday 25th July 2012
OMG- it's a heatwave here in England and all the people here in the village were beside the river and on the village green last night trying to cool down. It reached 29 degrees yesterday and it is forecast for 30 today - goodness me I don't think they will cope at all today. They would certainly not survive 40 degree temperatures that are a regular part of our summers in Perth!
Yesterday we left a very wet and cold Belfast for the 40 minute flight to a Birmingham of sunshine and heat. After picking up our hire car we headed for Althrop, the Spencer family estate in Northhamptom to visit Princess Diana's final resting place. The hire car is a brand new Vauxhall and can you believe it, it has a sunroof!!!
It was too hot yesterday to have it open but hopefully by the time we get to London we can open it whilst driving. Althrop is a massive estate, beautifully landscaped and it was wonderful to see where Diana grew up.
We saw a display on her early childhood, moving then into her engagement days through to her wedding, children and the years after that. Her wedding dress, shoes, flower girls dresses and jewellery were on display and it was fantastic to see them for real.
In another display were Diana's iconic outfits and dresses, shoes and handbags - inspiring but sad when you think about what happened in that car crash in Paris.
Just before we came out of the museum there was this huge cabinet with thousands of condolence books from all over the world which was particularly interesting as I remember signing one myself. We looked for the Australian books and there were heaps of them.
We really enjoyed our time at Althrop and afterwards we drove towards the Cotswolds on our way to Bourton-on-the-Water for the night. It was lovely to visit all the small villages but we were feeling quite tired when we reached our accommodation. There is a famous restaurant in the village called The Croft Restaurant and of course we just had to eat there which was delicious!
OMG- it's a heatwave here in England and all the people here in the village were beside the river and on the village green last night trying to cool down. It reached 29 degrees yesterday and it is forecast for 30 today - goodness me I don't think they will cope at all today. They would certainly not survive 40 degree temperatures that are a regular part of our summers in Perth!
Yesterday we left a very wet and cold Belfast for the 40 minute flight to a Birmingham of sunshine and heat. After picking up our hire car we headed for Althrop, the Spencer family estate in Northhamptom to visit Princess Diana's final resting place. The hire car is a brand new Vauxhall and can you believe it, it has a sunroof!!!
It was too hot yesterday to have it open but hopefully by the time we get to London we can open it whilst driving. Althrop is a massive estate, beautifully landscaped and it was wonderful to see where Diana grew up.
We saw a display on her early childhood, moving then into her engagement days through to her wedding, children and the years after that. Her wedding dress, shoes, flower girls dresses and jewellery were on display and it was fantastic to see them for real.
In another display were Diana's iconic outfits and dresses, shoes and handbags - inspiring but sad when you think about what happened in that car crash in Paris.
Just before we came out of the museum there was this huge cabinet with thousands of condolence books from all over the world which was particularly interesting as I remember signing one myself. We looked for the Australian books and there were heaps of them.
After the museum we took a tour through Althrop Mansion where Earl Spencer, Diana's brother Charles was signing books so it was great to actually see him in the flesh. Then we walked down to the lake to see Diana's final resting place. It is so very beautiful and peaceful and I think she would be very happy coming home to this wonderful quiet place with no papparazzi anywhere to be seen!
Diana's Island - you can see the urn that is Diana's final resting place.
Today we are heading towards London and plan to end up in Windsor tonight stopping off at Oxford and other villages on the way as well as going to Windsor Castle and Royal Ascot Racetrack.
Day 25 Belfast Northern Ireland Tuesday 24th July 2012
Today will be a very sad day for me as I leave Ireland heading for the Olympics in London. I have had the time of my life over the past three and a half weeks and I will never ever forget this wonderful visit to my ancestral homeland. God willingly I hope to return someday.
Yesterday we said goodbye to Frank & Leonie and Peter & Loretta then Mary drove us to Belfast spending our last afternoon together. We stayed at The Merchant and I couldn't think of a more fitting place to spend our last night in Ireland. Mary, Lone and I enjoyed a magnificent High Tea at The Merchant. It was really hard saying goodbye to Mary but I guess all good times have to come to an end sometime. We now have to start planning Mary and Adrian's trip to Australia so we are all not too sad for too long. Look out Aussies the Irish McGuigan's are coming!
We had an early night as our flight to Birmingham leaves at 8.30 am this morning. Our plans today include visiting Princess Diana's final resting place at Althorp Estate in Northhamptom then onto the Cotswolds. We are picking up a hire car at Birmingham airport and dropping it off in the centre of London on the eve of the Olympics - are we mad or what, God help us!!!!
Today will be a very sad day for me as I leave Ireland heading for the Olympics in London. I have had the time of my life over the past three and a half weeks and I will never ever forget this wonderful visit to my ancestral homeland. God willingly I hope to return someday.
Yesterday we said goodbye to Frank & Leonie and Peter & Loretta then Mary drove us to Belfast spending our last afternoon together. We stayed at The Merchant and I couldn't think of a more fitting place to spend our last night in Ireland. Mary, Lone and I enjoyed a magnificent High Tea at The Merchant. It was really hard saying goodbye to Mary but I guess all good times have to come to an end sometime. We now have to start planning Mary and Adrian's trip to Australia so we are all not too sad for too long. Look out Aussies the Irish McGuigan's are coming!
High Tea at The Merchant
After saying our tearful goodbyes to Mary, Lone and I did a little shopping then had dinner at The Cloth Ear. I finally got to taste the famous Belfast Bap which Lone and I shared and it was delicious.
The famous Belfast Bap.
We had an early night as our flight to Birmingham leaves at 8.30 am this morning. Our plans today include visiting Princess Diana's final resting place at Althorp Estate in Northhamptom then onto the Cotswolds. We are picking up a hire car at Birmingham airport and dropping it off in the centre of London on the eve of the Olympics - are we mad or what, God help us!!!!
Monday 23 July 2012
Day 24 Castledawson Northern Ireland Monday 23rd July 2012
I don't think I could ever find the right words to describe our Grand Reunion Day yesterday - it was AWESOME, FABULOUS, FANTASTIC, AMAZING, OVERWHELMING, EMOTIONAL, INSPIRING, MEMENTOS, MAGNIFICENT, BRILLIANT etc etc etc.................................... I am feeling a little tired this morning so I will probably make a few spelling mistakes but I will try to do my best so I hope I don't forget anything. If you read this post once please come back and read it again as I will be adding details over the next few days as they come to mind.
The weather was overcast but at least the rain stayed away until we were all safely at Walsh's Hotel.
Our own private Mass commenced at 3.00pm at the church of our ancestors, St Patrick's Glen Maghera with the fabulous Fr Frank Lynch as our celebrant. Seventy McGuigan's from all over Ireland were present including the Australian contingent. Mary had organised a fantastic singer who was so hauntingly beautiful and you could feel the Holy Spirit moving powerfully in that special place. The readings were given by descendants and the offertory procession was emotional as members of our family brought the gifts to the altar which included the flags of both countries, a gaelic football and the McGuigan Crest.
After Mass we made our way to the cemetery beside the church where we had a little service to place the stones from Henry and James' grave in Melbourne and John's grave in Sunderland on their mother and fathers final resting place. The circle is now almost complete as I gathered stones from Michael and Mary's grave to take back to Australia to put on Henry and James' grave at the Melbourne General Cemetery. Everyone said prayers and I spinkled the holy water - I love this custom that the dead are so much a part of the living.
Hooley time and we made our way to Walsh's Hotel in Maghera which is 5 minutes away. Walsh's Hotel is very old and has been part of the community since the 1800's so it was a most appropriate venue for our Grand Reunion. The room was decorated with family tree printouts, stunning blown up photographs and family crests everywhere. As we made our way into the room everyone congregated around the photos and discussed who was like who.... brilliant craic going on! Traditional Irish music filled the room through the speakers which set the atmosphere for a night of great fun. A three course dinner was served which was lovely then Mary and I did a presentation on the history of both the Irish McGuigan's and the Australian McGuigan's. Mary proceeded to present us four Aussie's myself, Lone, Frank and Peter a Slaughtneil Gaelic Football Juersey. We speedily put the jumpers on to much hollering and hooting from those present who obviously barrack for other teams. It was a priceless moment and we wore our jumpers proudly all night!
Mary and Niall had organised some live Irish Music and Irish dancers. I gotta tell you it was a fantastic experience and certainly a highlight of an already extraordinary night. We all loved it!!!!
Unexpectedly Fr Frank took the microphone and sang a wonderful Irish emigrant song about Australia and his big booming voice filled the room. You could have heard a pin drop as everyone was captivated listening - WOW it was another memorable moment amongst so many others.
SO much detail and planning went into making sure we had a great time - Mary you are a complete treasure and the best thing I have discovered along this fantastic journey. All too soon it was time to leave, after a few tears and hugs to everyone, Seamus drove us back to the Inn at Castledawson stopping at his daughters home in Maghera on the way. It was great to meet Sinead and her beautiful family so a great big thankyou to Seamus for the ride home. We got to bed just a little after midnight which wasn't too bad given the great craic that was still happening in the room when we left.
I simply cannot put into words my sincere gratitude to Mary, Adrian, Bridie and all the family for your wonderfully warm hospitality. We are truly overwhelmed that you have welcomed us with such love and openess - blood is truly thicker than water!
Today we sadly leave this wonderful part of the world for Belfast after meeting for breakfast for a debrief of our great day yesterday. Frank and Leonie are heading to Dublin then onto to Amsterdam with Peter and Loretta going to Derry then onto Lisbon.
London Olympics here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please keep checking the blog as our adventures continue............................................................
I don't think I could ever find the right words to describe our Grand Reunion Day yesterday - it was AWESOME, FABULOUS, FANTASTIC, AMAZING, OVERWHELMING, EMOTIONAL, INSPIRING, MEMENTOS, MAGNIFICENT, BRILLIANT etc etc etc.................................... I am feeling a little tired this morning so I will probably make a few spelling mistakes but I will try to do my best so I hope I don't forget anything. If you read this post once please come back and read it again as I will be adding details over the next few days as they come to mind.
St Patricks Glen Maghera
The weather was overcast but at least the rain stayed away until we were all safely at Walsh's Hotel.
Our own private Mass commenced at 3.00pm at the church of our ancestors, St Patrick's Glen Maghera with the fabulous Fr Frank Lynch as our celebrant. Seventy McGuigan's from all over Ireland were present including the Australian contingent. Mary had organised a fantastic singer who was so hauntingly beautiful and you could feel the Holy Spirit moving powerfully in that special place. The readings were given by descendants and the offertory procession was emotional as members of our family brought the gifts to the altar which included the flags of both countries, a gaelic football and the McGuigan Crest.
Burying the stones at the grave of Michael and Mary McGuigan
After Mass we made our way to the cemetery beside the church where we had a little service to place the stones from Henry and James' grave in Melbourne and John's grave in Sunderland on their mother and fathers final resting place. The circle is now almost complete as I gathered stones from Michael and Mary's grave to take back to Australia to put on Henry and James' grave at the Melbourne General Cemetery. Everyone said prayers and I spinkled the holy water - I love this custom that the dead are so much a part of the living.
Leonie, Loretta, Lone, Peter, Frank and Brenda at the McGuigan plot in Maghera
The McGuigan Clan outside St Patricks Glen Maghera
Hooley time and we made our way to Walsh's Hotel in Maghera which is 5 minutes away. Walsh's Hotel is very old and has been part of the community since the 1800's so it was a most appropriate venue for our Grand Reunion. The room was decorated with family tree printouts, stunning blown up photographs and family crests everywhere. As we made our way into the room everyone congregated around the photos and discussed who was like who.... brilliant craic going on! Traditional Irish music filled the room through the speakers which set the atmosphere for a night of great fun. A three course dinner was served which was lovely then Mary and I did a presentation on the history of both the Irish McGuigan's and the Australian McGuigan's. Mary proceeded to present us four Aussie's myself, Lone, Frank and Peter a Slaughtneil Gaelic Football Juersey. We speedily put the jumpers on to much hollering and hooting from those present who obviously barrack for other teams. It was a priceless moment and we wore our jumpers proudly all night!
Photos and Flags
The Slaughtneil Gaelic Football Jumpers
Mary and Niall had organised some live Irish Music and Irish dancers. I gotta tell you it was a fantastic experience and certainly a highlight of an already extraordinary night. We all loved it!!!!
The Band
The Dancers
Fr Frank Lynch
The Dungiven McGuigans
The Slaughtneil McGuigans
SO much detail and planning went into making sure we had a great time - Mary you are a complete treasure and the best thing I have discovered along this fantastic journey. All too soon it was time to leave, after a few tears and hugs to everyone, Seamus drove us back to the Inn at Castledawson stopping at his daughters home in Maghera on the way. It was great to meet Sinead and her beautiful family so a great big thankyou to Seamus for the ride home. We got to bed just a little after midnight which wasn't too bad given the great craic that was still happening in the room when we left.
I simply cannot put into words my sincere gratitude to Mary, Adrian, Bridie and all the family for your wonderfully warm hospitality. We are truly overwhelmed that you have welcomed us with such love and openess - blood is truly thicker than water!
Today we sadly leave this wonderful part of the world for Belfast after meeting for breakfast for a debrief of our great day yesterday. Frank and Leonie are heading to Dublin then onto to Amsterdam with Peter and Loretta going to Derry then onto Lisbon.
London Olympics here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please keep checking the blog as our adventures continue............................................................
Sunday 22 July 2012
Day 23 Castledawson Northern Ireland Sunday 22nd July 2012
It's here - our Grand Reunion Day has finally arrived. Weather is overcast but hopefully it will not rain until we at least get to the hotel for our "Hooley"! Our day starts with 3pm Mass at St Patricks Glen church which is a few minutes from downtown Maghera. This fabulous old church was built in 1830's and stands as a testament to the unwavering Catholic faith of the Irish people who were not allowed to worship in public for so many years. After Mass we are visiting the graveyard next to the church where we will have a little service of placing the rocks from Henry, James and John's graves onto their mother and fathers grave completing the circle of bringing them all together again. Then its on to Walsh's Hotel for an evening full of craic! Mary and Niall have organised Irish dancers and Music which I am very much looking forward to.
Yesterday was a day of preparation and I have to say how happy I am how everything came together so well. Mary and Adrian have done an outstanding job with organising the photographs etc, Lone visited the florist for the flowers and I was able to arrange the family tree printouts. We are definitely getting help from above. Frank and Leonie wanted to see Belfast so they had a great day touring around with Peter and Loretta doing the same thing. We all met at The Inn Castledawson for dinner at 7.30 pm with Mary and Adrian joining us too. It was a great evening and after dinner we got into a taxi to go to the Cross Keys Inn for some music and story telling. The Cross Keys Inn is officially the oldest thatched inn in all of Ireland so we were most eager to see it. The taxi took us way out into the countryside until we finally reached the Inn about 15 minutes later. It was the cutest little place and its history was displayed on every wall. Unfortunately the musicians had not turned up so we were able to phone the taxi to turn around and come back for us - very disappointing really as we were so looking forward to hearing the storytelling especially about the Leprachauns! This Inn was out in the middle of nowhere and guess who we met - two Aussies!!!
I will try to capture everthing and report on our special day tomorrow - don't forget those prayers for blue skies and sunshine.
It's here - our Grand Reunion Day has finally arrived. Weather is overcast but hopefully it will not rain until we at least get to the hotel for our "Hooley"! Our day starts with 3pm Mass at St Patricks Glen church which is a few minutes from downtown Maghera. This fabulous old church was built in 1830's and stands as a testament to the unwavering Catholic faith of the Irish people who were not allowed to worship in public for so many years. After Mass we are visiting the graveyard next to the church where we will have a little service of placing the rocks from Henry, James and John's graves onto their mother and fathers grave completing the circle of bringing them all together again. Then its on to Walsh's Hotel for an evening full of craic! Mary and Niall have organised Irish dancers and Music which I am very much looking forward to.
Yesterday was a day of preparation and I have to say how happy I am how everything came together so well. Mary and Adrian have done an outstanding job with organising the photographs etc, Lone visited the florist for the flowers and I was able to arrange the family tree printouts. We are definitely getting help from above. Frank and Leonie wanted to see Belfast so they had a great day touring around with Peter and Loretta doing the same thing. We all met at The Inn Castledawson for dinner at 7.30 pm with Mary and Adrian joining us too. It was a great evening and after dinner we got into a taxi to go to the Cross Keys Inn for some music and story telling. The Cross Keys Inn is officially the oldest thatched inn in all of Ireland so we were most eager to see it. The taxi took us way out into the countryside until we finally reached the Inn about 15 minutes later. It was the cutest little place and its history was displayed on every wall. Unfortunately the musicians had not turned up so we were able to phone the taxi to turn around and come back for us - very disappointing really as we were so looking forward to hearing the storytelling especially about the Leprachauns! This Inn was out in the middle of nowhere and guess who we met - two Aussies!!!
Saturday 21 July 2012
Day 22 Castledawson Northern Ireland Saturday 21st July 2012
One more day until our Grand Reunion takes place in Maghera - 160 years since the last time we were all together! Yesterday's weather was sensational for most of the day so I am doubling my prayers that tomorrow will be the same. It has been one of the worst summers on record for Ireland as it has rained almost every day since I arrived on 30th June. Can everyone reading this blog please say a quiet prayer for blue skies and sunshine for tomorrow - thank you!
Yesterday we had a lovely morning at our hotel settling in as we waited for the next Australian contingent to arrive. Peter and Loretta McGuigan from Melbourne got to the hotel around 11.30am and we were all very excited to see each other. We spent a couple of hours catching up then Mary came to take us to visit the McGuigan's at Slaughtneil - the original family home of our McGuigans since around 1750. The weather was fantastic and the 20 minute drive to the farm was stunning.
All you Millbrook McGuigans- how appropriate a Black Hill sign! We all grew up in the shadow of Black Hill and this sign appears on the side of the road in our ancestral homeland.
We had a great time at Christopher and Ann's home and their hospitality was as usual, overwhelming.
One more day until our Grand Reunion takes place in Maghera - 160 years since the last time we were all together! Yesterday's weather was sensational for most of the day so I am doubling my prayers that tomorrow will be the same. It has been one of the worst summers on record for Ireland as it has rained almost every day since I arrived on 30th June. Can everyone reading this blog please say a quiet prayer for blue skies and sunshine for tomorrow - thank you!
Yesterday we had a lovely morning at our hotel settling in as we waited for the next Australian contingent to arrive. Peter and Loretta McGuigan from Melbourne got to the hotel around 11.30am and we were all very excited to see each other. We spent a couple of hours catching up then Mary came to take us to visit the McGuigan's at Slaughtneil - the original family home of our McGuigans since around 1750. The weather was fantastic and the 20 minute drive to the farm was stunning.
We had a great time at Christopher and Ann's home and their hospitality was as usual, overwhelming.
McGuigan descendants in front of original stone wall at Slaughtneill.
Today will be spent completing last minute arrangements for the reunion ie: decorating the room at Walsh's Hotel Maghera, working on documentation, final touches to my speech etc. We have family members coming from all over Ireland for the gathering so it will be fantastic to meet those I haven't yet met and I am sure they are looking forward to meeting their Aussie cousins too.
Thursday 19 July 2012
Day 21 Castledawson Northern Ireland Friday 20th July 2012
We have arrived safely in Castledawson which is only about 10 minutes drive into Maghera. We are staying at The Inn Castledawson and this boutique hotel is just stunning with the river just outside our window. It will be lovely to have 4 days here so we can unpack instead of trying to find things in a suitcase. Can't believe it's day 22 and our Grand Reunion is in 2 days time!
Yesterday was a huge day travelling and we spent over 6 hours in the car driving from Galway in the Republic of Ireland to Castledawson in Northern Ireland. We left Galway around 11.00 am and made it to Knock in County Mayo for the 12 pm Mass. Knock is such a peaceful, spirit filled place and we loved wandering around soaking up the deep spirituality of this little piece of Heaven on earth. We spent lots of time on our knees praying for all those intentions we brought with us. Frank was very diligent in making sure he secured lots of Holy Water for us while we girls hit the religious shop for souvenirs to remember this day.
Then we passed through Dungiven, Mary's home town on our way to Castledawson. We reached our hotel at 7.30pm after a long days driving but it was another fabulous day spent together on the ancestry trail.
Today two more of the Aussie contingent arrive, Peter and Loretta McGuigan from Melbourne so cant wait to see them. This afternoon we are planning to take the gang to Slaughtneil to see the family home which should be great as the weather is perfect with beautiful blue skies today which I hope continues for our special weekend.
We have arrived safely in Castledawson which is only about 10 minutes drive into Maghera. We are staying at The Inn Castledawson and this boutique hotel is just stunning with the river just outside our window. It will be lovely to have 4 days here so we can unpack instead of trying to find things in a suitcase. Can't believe it's day 22 and our Grand Reunion is in 2 days time!
Yesterday was a huge day travelling and we spent over 6 hours in the car driving from Galway in the Republic of Ireland to Castledawson in Northern Ireland. We left Galway around 11.00 am and made it to Knock in County Mayo for the 12 pm Mass. Knock is such a peaceful, spirit filled place and we loved wandering around soaking up the deep spirituality of this little piece of Heaven on earth. We spent lots of time on our knees praying for all those intentions we brought with us. Frank was very diligent in making sure he secured lots of Holy Water for us while we girls hit the religious shop for souvenirs to remember this day.
The Pilgrims!
Knock Ireland
We drove on through County Donegal which with its hauntingly beautiful landscapes is unforgetable. Before long we crossed the border and were in our ancestral homeland of County Derry. Lone, Frank and Leonie have never visited Northern Ireland before so Mary decided that we would go to Derry City on our way home. Mary drove in and out of the walled city and we parked so we could walk along the street of the Bloody Sunday Massacre. Mary gave a guided history tour of the iconic murals along this street and it was fantastic to see them up close as the last time Mary and I visited it was raining and we couldnt get out of the car. What a moving experience to see them up close.
Today two more of the Aussie contingent arrive, Peter and Loretta McGuigan from Melbourne so cant wait to see them. This afternoon we are planning to take the gang to Slaughtneil to see the family home which should be great as the weather is perfect with beautiful blue skies today which I hope continues for our special weekend.
Wednesday 18 July 2012
Day 20 Galway Ireland Thursday 19th July 2012
Yesterday we left stunning Kenmare around 10am saying goodbye to Adrian until Saturday when he will travel north to Maghera for our Grand reunion. We drove to Killarney to meet Frank and Leonie and it was great to catch up with them again and so we continued on our journey towards Galway together. Our destination were the Cliffs of Moher which took about 3 hours to reach. They reminded me of the Twelve Apostles on Victoria's south west coast. The weather was a bit miserable but seemed to clear enough for us to walk up the steps to get a good view and take photos.
Today we are going to Knock in County Mayo which is an hour's drive from here. On Thursday evening of the 21st August, 1879, at about 8 o'clock, Our
Lady, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist appeared in a blaze of Heavenly
light at the south gable of the Knock Parish Church. Behind
them and a little to the left of St. John was a plain altar. On the altar was a
cross and a lamb with adoring angels. The apparition was
seen by fifteen people whose ages ranged from six years to seventy-five and
included men, women and children. Today Knock shrine is an
international place of pilgrimage and prayer where over one and a half million
pilgrims come every year. The Shrine grounds
incorporates five churches, including the Apparition Church, Parish Church/Old
Church, Basilica, Blessed Sacrament Chapel and Chapel of Reconciliation. All of these are set
in beautiful landscaped gardens of approximately 100 acres creating an
atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. SO looking forward to seeing this wonderful place and believe me, we will be there for hours praying for all our intentions from both here in Ireland and back home in Australia!
Yesterday we left stunning Kenmare around 10am saying goodbye to Adrian until Saturday when he will travel north to Maghera for our Grand reunion. We drove to Killarney to meet Frank and Leonie and it was great to catch up with them again and so we continued on our journey towards Galway together. Our destination were the Cliffs of Moher which took about 3 hours to reach. They reminded me of the Twelve Apostles on Victoria's south west coast. The weather was a bit miserable but seemed to clear enough for us to walk up the steps to get a good view and take photos.
We arrived at Galway at 5pm and checked into our hotel, The Jurys Inn in the centre of town. How cute is this place! We got settled and went out to the Quays Inn Pub for dinner which was lovely and this pub had live music and the craic was great. I couldn't believe how many people were about on a Wednesday night. There were street musicians and buskers everywhere and the atmosphere was fantastic. Lone loves Galway and has been here 4 times so she was able to guide us to all the great places!
Leonie, Frank, Mary and I on the streets of Galway Ireland.
The music was great!
Salute!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)