Sorry for the delayed post. The last six months have been rather insane and I am now, finally, emerging out of the zombie-like state that comes with having spent days on end intensely focused on an attempt to complete a master's degree. I'm not done yet - but the pressure is off a bit (for now...).
Anyhow, with that lame excuse for not finishing the blog of my "epic journey", let us continue:
After Cyprus, we flew back to London en route to Brentwood in Essex for a family visit. The plan was to get the Picadilly Line into the city then transfer to a train that would take us out to Brentwood. However, the Picadilly Line was not running when we arrived at Heathrow (yeah, the major tube line was completely shut down for hours). So, sleep-deprived chaos ensued... (sound familiar?). In the end, we ended up having to spend our life savings on a Heathrow Express trip to Paddington Station followed by an intense transfer to Liverpool St. Station. I say it was intense because we had three large suitcases at that point due to all the beautiful christening presents that Rosemary received, carry-ons, a stroller, and Rosemary to deal with. There are quite a few stairs in Paddington Station and no elevators that we could find. It is also extremely crowded. I am sure we looked quite silly and it probably seemed like we should be wearing Hawaiian shirts, Tilley hats, socks with Birkenstocks, and perhaps we could have even made it more direct with neon signs flashing "tourist".
In the end, we did make it to Brentwood with only a few emotional scars and had a lovely visit. We were lucky enough to get a ride back into London (yes, in a car) and then took Virgin Trains (sounds a bit rude!) to Wales and Irish Ferries back to Dublin. I really wish I had photos of the train ride through England and Wales. The coast of Wales is stunningly beautiful and as we were traveling through there, a thunder storm was darkening the sky over the ocean while the sun was still shining on the other side. Unfortunately traveling with a two-year old involves a fair amount of "entertaining" and does not free up much time for photography. Another time though, I hope... I would love to set foot on those beaches some day...
One other thing, being aboard the Irish Ferries ferry (I have no idea how to properly write that) was strangely familiar. The only major difference was that unlike BC Ferries, alcohol was served in the restaurants.
Photo time:
Holyhead Ferry Port in Wales:
Irish Ferries:
Coming in to Dublin Port
Tilley hat as it will keep you covered come rain or shine. In the summer, Tilley hats offer protection from the sun’s rays and in the winter, Tilley hats keep your head warm and keep the rain off your face.
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