Galway to Dublin. . . . . .

Another leg of our wander around Northern Ireland and Ireland brought us back

 to Dublin. The trip from Galway was enjoyable, more lovely green countryside
 to view from the train windows, and a slightly drier day with clouds and touches
 of blue. It has been quite wet and rather chilly much of the trip.

Traditional Irish music has filled our ears - whenever we could find it - bringing

 on toe tapping and hand clapping, both on the streets and within the low-ceilinged,

dark wood walls, and old planked floors, of historic pubs.

First night in Dublin we were back eating at our favorite Italian down by the

 famous Ha'penny Bridge crossing the River Liffey. 
Being the start of the weekend Dublin was of course crowded beyond
 belief - we felt somewhat like the oldest people on the street, and probably were!
Nights in big cities are definitely for the young.

Saturday we were back on the train heading south to Waterford for the day,
and today again, but not quite as far, leaving the train in Kilkenny.
More stories to come of two interesting and quite different towns,
 as we dodged raindrops, sighed happily when the sun popped out, climbed
 castle steps, found a great Irish silversmith (yes bought a beautiful keepsake!),
and had a lovely chat with an author in one of those enjoyable pub breaks to
quench the thirst.

Day trip to beautiful Cornwall. . . . . . . .

When we meet up with long time blog friends gifts are not required.

Smiles, warm hugs, non-stop chatter is always lovely.

Reading a menu, choosing a wine, toasting to happiness,

good health and friendship . . . . . . . . and a ton of thanks for making time

 in one's day, perhaps traveling some distance, to get to a meeting point is

 what long distance friendship is about.

I've done it often around the world, and many of my blog friends 

have gone out of their way to meet up with me - and usually Bob is

there too!  It's always so exciting, and I have to say it has never been 

disappointing. 

We took the train from Devon to Cornwall to meet up with Barbara

 (also known as Elizabethd) of the lovely blog Small Moments.
Barbara and I met via our blogs many, many years ago when she and her
 husband were living in France. They returned to the UK a few years ago and have

 made their home in a small Cornish village. She took a train also and we met

 just about halfway.

I must admit Barbara really spoiled me. Such lovely gifts, and all from Cornwall. 

 I wish you could see the exquisite, delicate embroidery of the 'Cornish Lane' 
framed piece. The rose hand cream smells wonderful, the beeswax candles are lovely, 
and the tea is actually tea grown in Cornwall - the only true English tea - delicate and

 perfect for a summer afternoon. These lovely gifts were packed in the canvas bag

also made in Cornwall - I will find it useful toting items to my car.

Barbara also included a great book for Bob about unusual Cornish places -

he's busy reading it so I forgot to add it to the photos.

Thanks so much dear Barbara. It was so much fun meeting up at long last

 and spending time together over lunch. Hopefully we can do it again some day 
when we're able to return to the lovely southwest of England.

Today: We're in Belfast, Northern Ireland heading out early on a coach trip
to the Giant's Causeway etc.  Guess what, it's raining and chilly!

Riding the rails. . . . . . .and a new station!

Below are the words we heard last year, and yes they have now come true.

Yesterday, on a beautiful cloudless blue sky, gentle breeze, 

wear-a-sweater Autumn afternoon, we at last paid a visit to check out

 our brand new train/transportation station in the heart of the city. . . . . and

 quite honestly we were blown away!

'Today (in 2017) it's a gravel-filled construction site.

But this time next year? Expect something amazing at Raleigh's

 new Union Station, says the project engineer.'

Raleigh Union Station is completed and open for business - at least for

AMTRAK train service. Bus traffic and hopefully light rail will be added later.

We had such a fun time exploring the station as well as conversing with 

other Saturday visitors on the outdoor observation deck - we do love to

 meet and chat with interesting people. 

There was a dad with his young son who longs to ride trains;

a Brazilian couple our age who moved here 25 years ago; a very 

nice Jordanian gentleman who came to the US many years back and

 owns a business with his family here; a young couple with a beautiful 

7 month baby boy who were good listeners, despite us being older than

their grandparents!

All in all it was a busy visit. 

I loved that the architect has taken what was a huge ironworks company

 supply warehouse, built in the 1940's, renovated and expanded it, but

kept many of the original elements incorporating them into the new

contemporary construction.

The station timepiece hanging from a vintage ironworks gantry.

'Raleigh Union Station fits within efforts to support the expansion of mass transit

 options in North Carolina's central region. Raleigh is a rapidly growing city, and

 with that comes a need for transportation facilities to meet current and future

 transit demands. 

Raleigh Union Station will not only serve Amtrak passengers, but also 

act as a multi-model transit center connecting riders to other forms of transit. 

Offering this level of service will address congestion and land development

 concerns, while also providing a transportation hub that will continue to 

revitalize Downtown Raleigh and its Warehouse District.'

'The station retains elements of the old steel warehouse, including the massive steel pillars and ceiling beams in the main hall. Two gantries overhead that used to move steel around the building are fixed in place, as is the big sliding steel door on the back wall. The walkway leading to and from the train platform is lined with rusted steel plates salvaged from the warehouse.'

All photos via iPhone

Hope you had a great weekend too.  

We actually started out just to take Bob's desktop computer to the repair

 shop - it crashed yesterday morning as, like us, it's showing it's age I fear!  

The ride through downtown became a "let's find a parking place and take a

 walk around" mini sightseeing tour!  It's years since we both worked downtown

 and the many changes always bring surprises, some good, others bad.

 We must say however time definitely doesn't stand still. . . . . . the entire

 cityscape is an ongoing project.