Day 68 24 September

Our last blog!  This is a very predictable entry tonight.  Yes, we rested, read and walked!  It has been another warm day, super sea views and interesting people.  This is a really lovely beach resort, a great place for families as well as conferences.

We have had an amazing time, are grateful for all the support we have had from home and have learned so much about how to travel.  We look forward now to processing it all as the weeks go by and hopefully we will have opportunities to share many stories.  

Tomorrow we leave here at 2.15 for the Brisbane airport, fly out at 6.45 pm and land hopefully just before midnight NZ time.  Thank you Katherine for staying awake to meet us.  Hope we are on time.

We are ready to come home, despite the reports of wet, cold weather.  We are also interested in the yachting and of course are hoping for success.  Go Team NZ!  

See you soon.  Love to all.

Day 67 23 September

A very restful day for us here on the Sunshine Coast.  Another late start, a bus trip to Maroochydore to browse the shops and a one hour walk along the beach.  This is a wonderful warm part of Aussie.  All good and most enjoyable.

 Have just had a fire alarm activation, a false one, so the hotel is settling back after a visit from the brigade.  This time we were sitting in the foyer catching up on emails so we just sat and looked on!

We are interested in the outcome of the America's Cup - can they do it?  Not much talk about it here and the iPad Herald has not helped.  You must be really glued to the telly as each race is run.

Tomorrow we pack and prepare for homecoming on Wednesday.  Hard to believe that we will soon be on that plane.  It will be good to see everyone again.  School holidays are fast approaching too.  Love to all.

Day 66 22 September

Another day of rest and relaxation so not a great deal to write tonight.  We slept late, walked along the beach, read the newspapers, enjoyed a telephone call from Katherine and girls, and have watched some TV.  We are truly on countdown to our journey home.

It has been a lovely warm day on the Sunshine Coast.  The wind surfers are having a great time and are fun to watch.  This resort offers all we need and more.  Tomorrow we will take a bus and look for some shops.

Love to all.

Day 65 21 September

After a really really long sleep our morning disappeared quickly!  This afternoon we took a long walk along this beautiful beach.  School holidays begin here and it was the first day for the Surf Lifesaving teams to be on duty.  We enjoyed the warmth of the temperatures and the exhilaration of being beside the sea.  The swimming pool here was occupied most of the day.

Our plans for the next couple of days are very open. We are able to take a bus to Maroochydore, 20 minutes away, so we may do this.  One thing for sure is that we will be spending as much time as we can walking the beach, reading and just relaxing.  The apartment offers everything we need, meals are there too if we want them.  Faye ironed shirts today for the first time since we left home!  

Deborah and Andrea thanks for phoning tonight.  Brings the reality of homecoming very close!  Good to hear all is well.  Love to all.

Day 64 20 September

We are now very settled into the Ramada Hotel, Marcoola Beach on the Sunshine Coast.  It has been a very full day for us, hot and sunny day and a very early start.  We waited on our aircraft for about an hour before the plane got clearance to leave Hong  Kong. What a busy airport!  However, we had a very good flight and managed to catch some sleep.  We landed at Brisbane an hour late but this did not affect our booking with the bus company as we were scheduled to leave at 10 am.

This is a very spacious apartment on the 5th floor with a magnificent view of the sea.  The facilities are excellent.  It was great to be able to catch up with our washing using a machine and drier as well as using a clothes rack.  We are sorry we are going to miss seeing Damian who is holidaying in Europe.

We have had an early tea and are ready for bed.  I think the travel is catching up on us!  Will share more tomorrow.  Have a good weekend.  Love to all.  View from our balcony............

Day 63 19 September

We are now at Hong Kong Airport in preparation for our flight to Brisbane.  This airport is huge and we have walked a good distance to get near our Gate!  All seems well organised and very clean with plenty of signs and of course heaps of people.  The Cathay Pacific Lounge is also big, one of three at this airport - a pleasant place to wait.

Today was really quiet.  We slept late, had breakfast brought to our room, leisurely packed, had lunch and let the day go by before we caught the shuttle, a service which operates every 20 minutes at no cost.  We are very impressed with both hotel and the attentive service we have received.  It is very hot outside so air conditioning is welcome.  Unfortunately this climate is not conducive to walking, the heat and planes constantly taking off detract from fresh air!  This stop-over was a very good call as we feel quite rested.

We are presently reading an Australian paper and note that temperatures of 25 to 30 can be expected over the coming week.  Looking forward to that!   

Good to hear from you.  The skies are beckoning.   Love to all.

 

Day 62 18 September

It has been a very long day.  We left Copenhagen at 9.20 am 17 Sept, Frankfurt at 2 pm and arrived in Hong Kong at 6.30 am 18 Sept.  With the exception of a few anxious moments at Frankfurt when we had to change flights from Luftansa to Cathay Pacific.  Once sorted (bus to terminal 1, train to terminal 2),  all went well, good flight, lovely food and great attendants.  We were able to catch a shuttle to the Hotel, good service too.

We are staying at the Marriott Hotel close to the airport, ninth floor, great view, spacious room - ideal for us to be in all day and rest after the long flight.  We are looking forward to an early night tonight!

Tomorrow we have organised a late check out for 2 pm.  We fly out about 9 pm, hopefully sleep through the night and arrive 7.45 am in Brisbane.

We are dining at a Chinese restaurant tonight.  Menu looks good.

Yes, our days are numbered now!  Love to all.

Day 61 17 September

Our last day in Denmark.  We spent this with Charlotte and went to see her mother, Inger Lise, who is in a home close to where Charlotte lives.  Inger Lise is very ill but was able to talk and recognise photographs from the Ellerman family albums which we went through with her.  She remembers Mum and how she used to write to her so she was very pleased to see us. We had lunch, left her to rest and went for a walk out to the coastline.  On our return to the home we said our goodbyes and went to Charlotte's home in Humlebaek.

Charlotte had invited her two sisters for tea so we now have met another branch of the family, Annemette and Henriette.  We shared a beautiful meal, talked heaps in English before it was time to return to the hotel and pack for tomorrow's journey.  Our Denmark experience will certainly be one to remember.

It will be an early start as we fly out at 9.20.   Tomorrow evening we will be winging our way to Hong Kong so not sure when the next blog will be written.  Will write once we are settled into our hotel and rested.  Lots of love to all.  

Day 60 Photographs

Day 60 16 September

Another day with this amazing family.  We woke early and set off with Ina at the wheel, Helge and Martha, for a long trip to visit the old farm and the cemetery.  As to be expected, the farm has changed.  The old house has been remodelled and has been subdivided off, the land under new ownership.  Many of the old buildings remain and it was interesting to see these.  Took some photos and will be able to compare these with the 1995 visit.  We met the new owner who showed us around and invited us in to see some old photographs he had borrowed from the neighbour.  Great!!

We have mixed feelings about the visit to the cemetery.  The headstones have been removed and trees planted, so the 1995 photos are really important.  Helge would like copies of these as he has no record or advice that this removal was to happen.  Apparently, after so many years, this happens to make space.  Not sure how this works as the plots are still hedged.

We then moved on to have a lovely lunch at the home of kHelge and Martha's son, Allan & Birgit (wife).  Once again we were made so welcome in a beautiful new home in a wooded area, lots of talk, translated as we went.  At the close of the meal, Helge spoke - a very emotional time as he expressed his thanks etc.  They really appreciated our visit and did not want us to leave!  It was soon time to drive on to Aahus to catch the train.

We are now on this train returning to Copenhagen.  It will be 9 pm before we get back to the hotel.  Tomorrow we spend the day with Charlotte and meet her mother, Inger Lise, and her family.  Somehow, sometime we will need to pack our bags to move on!

Until tomorrow, love to all...................

Day 59 15 Septemberm

Please make an amendment to last night's blog - Ina's husband is spelt Joergen pronounced Yur-han.

We have had an amazing day today.  Ina drove us and we arrived at Helge's place to find a beautiful garden decorated with many NZ flags and the Danish flag flying, a custom in Denmark whenever someone special or important is coming to visit.  We were greeted so warmly.

Helge and Martha had invited all relations for the day - lunch, dessert, afternoon tea and tea.  We sat down (17 of us) to designated named places, were welcomed formally and shared a beautiful meal prepared and served by Martha. After eating, each family introduced themselves and shared stories.  We then were taken on a walking tour of the farm and once again we got a feeling for life in Denmark and many aspects of farming from cows, to pigs, to potatoes.  We viewed the most beautiful garden and lawns, spacious and colourful.  You really have to see this to appreciate the beauty of it.  

We returned to the house for dessert and then out came the photographs and records.  We have been given quite a few to bring home.  Five of us were first cousins, and some of the group were meeting for the first time so it was a real family occasion.

As many could not speak English and of course we know no Danish, two of the younger generation were interpreters for the day.  They were most attentive and translated constantly so that we could converse.  There was a lot of laughter, deep viewing of the family tree and intense discussions as family lines were sorted out.  Helge had done a lot of work and had written material to distribute.   He really appreciated the contact with the NZ families, especially the cards and emails from Elaine.  What an amazing couple!

We are saturated with information and it will take some time to work it through.  Before we came to bed tonight, Helge and Martha gave us a thank you gift.  It has been quite an emotional day and one we will certainly remember.

Tomorrow we drive to visit the family farm, the cemetery (headstones are gone now), and areas of family interest.  Ina has been a wonderful companion and she will get us to the train at Aahus to return to Copenhagen late in the day.

On Monday we spend the day with Charlotte, meet cousin Inger Lise, and Charlotte's family.  This has been a very humbling experience - we realise that people do value family connections and we were so fortunate to be able to be part of bringing the family of Jens and Nikoline Madsen together.  We will have so much to share when we get home.  Love to all.

Day 58 14 September

Today we left Copenhagen to travel by train out to Jutland.  We were met by Ina at Kolding and brought out to Hadersley to her home where we met husband Johan and children, Lena and Jacob.  We have had such a good afternoon, a lovely lunch and a walk around the property - a pig farm with hectares of surrounding fields used for grain cropping, and blocks of attractive woods which are refuge for deer and foxes.  It is just beautiful.  Ina and Johan are building a new home and are presently living in part of the barn which has been converted to very comfortable living quarters.   We have been made so welcome.

Ina and Johan have talked a lot about their trip to NZ and their desire to come back.  I will share our photographs with them tonight and will take some tomorrow and hopefully put them on the blog.

Tomorrow we move up to meet Helge and family.  There is so much to see.  Farming is a key industry so the flat landscape is preparing for winter.  

Once again we are having new experiences and enjoying them very much.  Hope all is well with you.  Love to all

Day 57

A quiet day in Copenhagen.  Walked into the city, met Charlotte mid afternoon and the day slipped by. We purchased our train ticket for tomorrow and with Charlotte's help had a look at the set up at the station.  With a bit of luck we will not have to change trains.

We spend tomorrow evening with Ina and then a night with Helge, both living in Jutland.  Charlotte has talked a lot about her Mum and we look forward to meeting her on Monday.

So it's early to bed.  Weather looks OK.  It was cool this morning but warmed up as the day passed - what to wear is always the question.

Hope to have some photographs tomorrow if all goes to plan.   Much love to all.

Day 56 12 September

We are settled into our hotel in Copenhagen after an uneventful flight from Dublin.  No dramas with bags or customs!  Charlotte met us at the airport and we travelled by train to the station opposite the hotel, so convenient.  It is a small room but has all we need.

We connected with Charlotte very quickly and we have had such a good time talking, on the train and over a cup of coffee.  Tomorrow we will meet for lunch and if all goes to plan we will meet Charlotte's two sisters.  On our return from our visit to Jutland, Charlotte will take us to meet her mother, my cousin, Inger Lise, and we will go out to her place to meet her family. 

Tomorrow we will explore Copenhagen and get a feel for this place.  We have decided to leave our bags here and just take our backpacks to Jutland on Friday when we visit Ina and Helge.

Simon was struck with the family likeness!  Can you see this?  Note that I am in warm clothes - it was wet and cold when we left Dublin.  Love to all

Day 55 11 September

Our last day in Ireland!  We are now at the Clarion Hotel in Dublin ready to fly out tomorrow to Denmark.  We went back to Ennis to check out further documents before we set out for Dublin.  It was an easy drive, all motorway, lovely countryside.  However, when we reached the airport we had some bother finding the hotel.  Another story to tell!

We returned the car without too much hassle and walked back to the hotel.  We have really loved this Ireland experience, very relaxing, a very friendly culture.

So there really is very little to share with you today.  An early night, early start tomorrow, change of currency, through customs again and a different language!   

Love to all.

Day 54 10 September

We spent today on the trail of the Gibson family.  Who and when did he/they leave Ireland to reach NZ?  Many records were destroyed during the civil wars so we spent today visiting the centres which specialise in genealogy.  We visited Kilmaley, Ennis and Corrofin but have been unable to reach any conclusions.  We also renewed our acquaintance with Paddy Pyne, visited the cemetery again and enjoyed an Irish coffee with him.  He is a very interesting person with a keen interest in the history of this area.  We are beginning to wonder if  Kilmaley (County Clare) is the origin of this Gibson line.

Tomorrow we move on!  It's back to packing the bags and hoping the weight is OK.  We have received an email from Charlotte Ellerman (daughter of cousin Inger Lise) who is meeting us at Copenhagen.  A new phase begins.

We have had to source our evening meals for Sunday and Monday as this hotel restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday.  Not that many options in this area.  We think we have been spoilt with plenty of choices!

All is quiet regarding the hurling result here, possible disappointment that County Clare did not retain its lead to win.  That's sport for you!

Until tomorrow, love to all.

Day 53 9 September

Hurling has been the call of the day here with County Clare and County Cork playing off the final and drawing 25 all in the last minute!  So there has to be another match 28 September - we will be home to watch it!  There is amazing community spirit for this sport.  We were in Ennis and managed to join the crowd in the Square as they waved their flags and wore the blue and yellow - shirts, hats, hair bands, scarves, painted faces etc.  All good fun.

This morning, after Mass we drove to Kilmaley to reconnect with the Gibson genealogy.  Ŵe met Paddy Pyne again, visited the cemetery but could not locate the family graves - memory had faded. We are meeting Paddy tomorrow and he will take us back.  Tomorrow we will visit the Ennis Library and the genealogy centre at Corrofin Heritage Centre.  Should be interesting and we hope they are open!  Meanwhile, just driving around is so interesting and we are noticing quite a few developments since our visit in 1995.  We are meeting many of the locals - fascinating accents, wonderful sense of humour, good stories.

There are many golfers in residence here so we are very much in the minority.  

We are beginning to think about our trip to Denmark now.  We will leave here on Tuesday to drive back to Dublin, return the car and stay the night close to the airport.  

The temperatures have been warmer today and the heating is on in the hotel, thank goodness.  Must away to bed now for an early night.  Good to hear news from home.  Love to all.

Day 52

Today would be our first experience of feeling cold!  The day began as clear and fine in Dingle but as we moved up to County Clare, the temperatures dropped and we ran into rain.  However, this did not deter our interest in the landscape, the farming, the desolation, the Atlantic coastline and the many villages.  

We were sorry to leave Greenmount House, an exceptional place for its facilities but it was also the hospitality and the care of the owners and staff that we will remember.

Vaughan Lodge turned out to be different from our expectations.  It is a large hotel close to Lehinch, known for its golf courses and facilities.  Many Americans come here for tournaments.  At present there are Americans, Canadians and Irish playing in tournaments so the place is busy.   Our room is spacious so we will be very comfortable.  It is central to the places we want to visit and what we want to do - that probably will not include a game of golf!   We are close to Ennis, Kilmaley etc and we hope to find out more about the Gibson connection to this area.

Tonight we had our evening meal here in the hotel, lovely food, attentive service etc.  There is great interest here in the hurling championship to be held in Dublin tomorrow.  County Clare is a strong contender so the flags are out and there is quite an air of excitement and anticipation.

Good news about the All Blacks.  We have no details yet about the game - will wait for Monday's Herald.  All is well with us as we begin another phase in our journey through Ireland.

Love to all.

Day 51 evening 7 September

We missed the sunset!  The attached is the remnants!

Love to all.

Day 51 7 September

Overnight rain cleared and we had another sunny day with the occasional shower.  We got back into the car and decided to drive out to Slea Head.  This proved to be a very interesting part of the world,  narrow road, winding and steep at times.  The views were breathtaking, evidence of the wild waters of the Atlantic Ocean and steep cliffs.   We hope the camera has captured some of this beauty.  The Dunquin shoreline is said to be among the most rugged in the world.

On our return to Dingle we did a little browsing around the port area and settled into a lovely afternoon enjoying the sun and our amazing view.

Tomorrow we pack up and leave for Ennistymon, County Clare.  From here, we hope to visit Ennis and its surrounding areas, but once again we may decide to enjoy a quiet restful time in the vicinity of our accommodation.

We have really enjoyed being in this area and so pleased we have had time to soak in the culture and lifestyle of the people.  The word recession is often mentioned and there is evidence of this.  The summer has been amazing and has attracted many visitors to Dingle - tourism would be one of the key sources of income.

As we write this, we capture an amazing sunset.  Will have a go with a photograph.

Day 50 6 September

This was a day of relaxation and rest so there is not a lot to share with you.  It dawned sunny and fine but by 11 am it was raining heavily.  We did not pursue our plan to take a drive but kept close to the village.  By mid afternoon the sun was out and we returned to our room, sat in the sun and "blobbed out" reading and just doing nothing.  What a treat!

You will have read our email about our late night experience with the spam/hoax.  All is now well and we are able to keep up the communication.

Tonight after dinner we walked home close to the water.  It was a beautiful evening, so quiet and peaceful.  Not sure about tomorrow - probably need to think through our drive on Saturday.  Whatever, we know we will continue to enjoy this place.  From conversations we believe we have been very fortunate with our weather in this part of the world - conditions have been ideal for fishing, tramping, biking, outdoor events etc.  It is the Dingle Marathon on Saturday so the place will come alive!

Until tomorrow, love to all.

Day 49 5 September

Our first day in Dingle.......

We slept late, woke just I time to get to breakfast by 9 am and meet the deadline of 9.30.  We spent most of the day just wandering around the town, talking with people etc and doing a little shopping. There is an abundance of hotels and eating houses.  Of most interest has been the art and craft shops where local artists make and sell their own creations, obviously for the tourist trade.  Fish is on every menu, a strong industry here.

Late afternoon the rain came in so we had to get out the raincoats to walk for dinner.  We are now back in our lovely room enjoying a peaceful quiet time.  Tomorrow we hope to drive out to Slea Head, the most western point closest to Canada.  This will give us a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean.  However it will be weather dependent.

We note that it is fairly wet and cold at home.  We continue to enjoy discovering new places and are soaking up the beautiful scenery.   We are enjoying the hospitality of the Irish people - they are very friendly and interested in where you are from. Of course, we are taken for Australians most of the time!

Keep warm everyone.  Much love to all.

Day 48 4 September

We are now settled in to our home in Dingle for the next four nights and what a super place this is!  We have a very big room in this rather beautiful complex with an amazing view out to sea over pastures, cottages and fishing boats.  Will try to attach photographs at the close of this entry.

We picked up our rental car, an Audi A3, a lovely car to drive.  A good part of the way to Dingle was by motorway before we hit a more challenging road of hill and bends, but still very easy and no different from some roads in NZ.  We drove for about five hours with a stopover at Adear.  It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny and the scenery was so good.  Once on the way, the drive was quite simple.  We were given a GPS and this too was very helpful.

Dingle looks really fascinating, a typical Irish village, but with a beautiful outlook towards the sea.  Will be able to comment more after tomorrow.  Farming seems to have a presence as does the fishing industry.  We have just got in from a fish meal, really fresh too.

We are looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow so will just take walks.  Hopefully the weather will remain warm and fine.  This is a part of Ireland we did not visit in 1995 so there is plenty to see and enjoy.  Hope all is well.  Love to all.

Day 47 3 September

A day in Dublin.......

We took ourselves to Baggott Street to visit the Mercy International Centre, the home and final resting place of Catherine McAuley (please amend spelling in last night's blog - a senior moment), foundress of the Sisters of Mercy.  We were made very welcome, had missed the tour for the day, but were shown around by an Australian Mercy Associate, Ann O'Connell.  This historic place captures many aspects of Catherine's work with the poor and disadvantaged, a sacred place central to the Mercy Sisters throughout the world.  We were so fortunate to be able to visit.  Of course, I was reminded of the Mercy Spirit so alive at OLSH.

This afternoon we browsed a shopping area, walked through St Stephens Green, a place that reminded us of Cornwall Park, a green area in a busy city.  We had hoped to visit the Genealogy section of the Dublin Library to see if we could find any records relating to the Gibson and Lynch families, but as it was Monday, it was closed. Pity!

It has been a lovely warm day and the forecast is promising.  We have studied the map to find our way to the Dingle area.  We think getting out of Dublin will be the challenge!  One consistent thing we have experienced is the friendliness of the people so we should be able to get help if we need it.

So another good day.  Love to all.

Day 46 2 September

Thanks to Patrick Gibson we caught our flight to Dublin in good time.  Manchester Airport is huge and once again we found ourselves walking good distances to check in (no weight problems this time), goo to security and then to the gate.  The security check was very very thorough.  Simon's backpack was searched only to find we had forgotten to take out the sunscreen.  No worries and all was well.  Thank goodness we had plenty of time.  The flight was short so we seemed to land in no time and went straight through to find a taxi.

We took a taxi to our accommodation.  Our room is very big, fairly basic but comfortable, B&B.  We are quite tired so will look forward to a good sleep.  Tomorrow we search for Baggott Street, the home of Catherine McCaughley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy.

There is a cold wind here so time for jackets.  We found a lovely Irish Hotel, Foleys, and enjoyed a good meal.  We seem to be very central to the city so will be able to walk to shops etc.  We change from the Pound currency to the Euro, so it will be off to find an ATM machine.  

We look forward to this new phase of our journey and have our maps out to plot our driving around Ireland.  Ŵe need to do this before we leave Dublin.  So until tomorrow, love to all.  Enjoy your new week.