Packing for Ease of Travel

This piece of luggage is called The Ghost Cruiser from REI. It's the luggage I took to Ireland and Scotland last fall (those posts were interrupted on this blog, by me during a blogging lapse). It weighs only 5 pounds empty and is a 27 inch rolling...duffel of sorts.

Trying to show the two openings here.  It's main compartment and a smaller top zip compartment.  It has a good study handle, and stand which keeps it upright nicely.

Empty insides show you two side pockets that zip that are good for a pair of shoes, or misc under things.  I am able to put a sandal and a dress shoe(flats) in each pocket.  I find not putting the pair together is helpful.  The sandals obviously are smaller and compact better than a dress flat, so one of each works well.  I've also been able to put panties, and footies in each of those compartments along with the shoes.  Additionally a top flat pocket with zip works well for file folders, rain gear, or jacket you want to have quick access to; as well as a dress you might not want to scrunch.

All of that packed nicely in above suitcase for a recent 2 week trip to Park City, Utah.  Notice 4 packing cubes, Zip lock bag of coffee, zip lock bag of yarn, ditty bag (red), zip lock bag of cooking spices (which I don't take on tours like Ireland, but do when we go to a timeshare vacation).  A few misc items like a hat, umbrella, and rain coat folded in a zip lock bag, and a Martini shaker (also not something I take on tour, lol).

Please notice the green cube, 2nd from the right.  It's the largest of the 4 you see and it contained 2 flare skirts, 2 dresses with flare skirts, 7 sleeves dress tops, 1 t-shirt, 1 bra and a handful of panties and footies.

Now I can't recommend this luggage, because they no longer make it, but they do have some that are similar.  REI (an outdoor store with excellent equipment fully guaranteed).  We've belonged to the co-op for years.  So even though you might blink at the cost of their equipment, it's very high quality that they stand behind....and as a member, you get annual dividends.  

I like a suitcase I can lift.  It's not possible to worry about weight with this suitcase.  You can't put 50 pounds in it.  I'm sorry it's no longer made, because both hubby and I have been very pleased with our purchase.

I plan to to use this suitcase again later this year when we go touring again in Europe, this time Italy.

**I highly recommend using packing cubs.  Different colors is helpful too.  Perhaps I'll go into more detail on that in a different post.  

***I should also mention all the above weighted 39 pounds...well beneath the 50 pound limit, which includes several things I purchased while there, including an extra pair of shoes.

Ring of Kerry, Jaunty Car, Castles and The Blarney Stone

 Blarney Castle sits on over 60 acres of gorgeous parklands.  There are gardens, walk paths and more.  Plenty for those who may not be up to the physical task of climbing up and up in The Castle where the narrow circular steps are quite step and one way.  A bit of challenge also if you're claustrophobic.  I had to keep concentrating to move quickly up where there would be openness.  The view from the top is breathtaking.  You can look in all directions...even if you don't plan to kiss the stone.  This is hubby below.

 He wanted to kiss the stone.  That also is rather physical, and you're pressed for time, as the long to do so is quite LONG.  We did fairly well, as our tour guide got us there at an off time.  You lie on your back, bend your neck and head down to kiss the stone which is beneath you.  I wasn't keen with the position, as a person with some back issues.  Our friend who's pictures are in this post (her's were better than hubby's), wasn't keen on kissing a dirty stone where hundreds of thousands have put their lips.  I would guess about 1/3 of our tour group kissed the stone.  There were 39 of us.  I think about 2/3rd's climbed to see the sites.

 This is the estate house.  No longer lived in.  Beautiful flower gardens all around.

 Not a view you see often, or at least we didn't.  We do not have on rain coats, and I actually had removed my jacket and pushed up the sleeves.  We had a nice lunch outside and it was comfortable.  The ONLY meal we were able to do that.  This was after the kissing of the stone and walking the grounds.

 Another view of Castle, giving you an idea of it's height.

 One cool morning we left (optional excursion) our hotel early with about 2/3rds of our party for a Jaunty Car trip through gorgeous park lands.  The Killarney National Park is quite large and very pretty.  Martin was our driver.  A senior citizen who'd been doing this job a very long time.  He told us his Father had also been a Jaunty Car Driver.

 We were bundled up, but enjoying the ride.

 Later in the day we traveled throughout the Ring of Kerry.  Lots of pretty landscapes, sheep everywhere.  Stone walls everywhere.  And Green, Green, Green.

 Jane in the foreground, me right behind her in one of the narrow passages; but you can see here we weren't closed in.

King Puck and Oliver Cromwell in Killarney

 The British are Coming!  Does this look Paul Revere?  This statue is King Puck with his crown, but every year in County Kerry a goat is honored.  Don't scratch your head, I shall explain..  An old festival, in fact the oldest in all of Ireland honors a goat.  Once a year a male goat (a puck) is captured and honored for 3 days in town squares.  The goat is well fed, and put high on a scaffolding to survey his territory.

 The goat is crowned King by The Queen Puck, who is not another goat, but an honored school girl chosen.  Once she crowns the King, the festivities begin.  There is music, food, and of course drink.  There is dancing.  The local pubs stay open later than normal.  At the end of the 3 days, King Puck is returned to the wilds to resume his normal life.

It is not known how long this festival has been in existence or perhaps how it all began, but......it is believed to be a result of The attempt of England's Oliver Cromwell's Raiders to over take Killarney, (Killorglin).  The goats were in the fields as Cromwell's Raiders tried to make they way to town, they spooked the herd of goats.  One said goat made it to town, tired and bedraggled.  Towns people immediately knew something was afoot.  They were able to fortify the town and ward off The English Invaders.  The Paul Revere Goat, certainly something to be celebrated.  The 3 day festival starts every year on August 10th.

*the 2nd and 3rd picture are a small town square where our tour bus stopped briefly.  No scaffolding there, and it wasn't the time of the festival, but apparently some towns/villages honor goats throughout the year.

Cork, Lusitania and The Easter Rising/Rebullion

Memorial to all who perished in The Lusitania.  This is Cork.  This is located in the town square.

 A very pretty little seaside town, lots of pretty flowers, and lots of little pubs.

 A sidewalk memorial to those executed in The Easter Rising/Rebellion.  Their names are Capt Mick Leahy, Seamus Fitzgerald, Paddy Wheldon, Jack Stack, Joe Reid, Ernie Fowler, James O'Connell, William O Regan, Donald Healy, William Ralph, Bunny Reid, Liam Ahern, Jack O'Connell, also Pat Curran IRB, John Dowling ICA, Liam O'Brien IRB

The back of the stone.  If you look directly across the street, you'll see the ticket office which is directly in front of the long locked harbor where the Titanic departed from.

The Easter Rising, also called The Easter Rebellion started on Easter Monday, April 24th 1916, and ended on April 29, 1916.  It took place primarily in Dublin, but also in Meath, Galway, Louth, Wexford and Cork.

The Rebellion was against The British.  The leaders of the rebellion hoped for help from Germany since Germany was against The British in WWI.  They did obtain one shipment of firearms from Germany.  They also expected their fellow Irishmen to join them once the fighting started and they declared a free Irish State.  Most Irish did not support them.  There were approximately 1600 followers of the cause.  A small number easily handled by The British is a handful of days.

Somewhere around 2,000 were killed or injured during the standoff.  The leaders were than executed.  Once the leaders were executed The British continued with martial law, and arrest some 3,000 citizens they believe had been involved, or supported the rebellion in anyway.  Those arrested did not have any trials to determine their guilt or innocence.  The British sent about 1800 of those 3,000 to England where they remained prisoners, never having a trial.  The quick executions, mass arrests, and imprisonment turned many Irish against England.  This made those executed Martyrs of the Cause.

**These aren't my pictures, but my friends Jane's.  Her's were better than mine.

County Cork, St Colmans and Kinsale

 Inside a beautiful old Gothic Style Church, St. Colman's in The Port of Cobh. (Kinsale)  It's also known as Cobh Cathedral.  Construction of the church took 47 years.  I've found conflicting information about when it began, 1867 or 1879; however...I've found the 1867 date to be more universally used.  It's truly breathtaking with such detail in the carvings, and the colors in the stain glass windows.

 It's a Roman Catholic Church.  Again dates vary when it was completed, 1911 or 1915.  The spire is 100 meters and is hard to capture in a photo; as you can see.........we tried but failed.

 The tower houses either 42 or 49 Bell Carillon.  In one article, it said 42, making it the largest in Ireland; in another article it said 49, making it the largest in Europe.  In either case, it is beyond impressive.  Perhaps it once was 42 and is now 49?

Our selfie with the Church and the sea behind us.  Myself, my husband, and our very good friend, Jane.  The church sits on a very busy corner and narrow road leading up a very steep hill.  Beside the road is a dramatic drop off to the sea.

Across the street from the Church you see this dramatic site of little houses.  These houses are all built into a very step hill that falls away to the sea.  This site is quite unique for several reason.  It's steepness, the fact that the houses are all attached; and from what we were told...they hold each other up due to the construction of the chimney.  They're small, quite old, and very narrow.  The upper window also plays an importance structurally.

This photo is not one of mine, but one I found on the net, taken by Bjorn Christian Tiorrissen in 2012.  The site says the photo can be used, but to please give credit.  This professional obviously was able to capture the dramatic site far better than we could with our cell phones.

My picture shoes the back of the houses from the walkway across the street from St. Colman's.  This photo shows the front of the wee little houses with the church behind.  We didn't manage to get to the spot where this might have been taken.  But, isn't it gorgeous!