This was my first overseas trip for many years, it was also my first visit to the United States of America and some of the Mediterranean countries. I was still working and therefore took some leave to have this holiday, I think it was this travel and the excitement of exploring new countries that assisted me in making up my mind to retire, which I did 12 months after this holiday.
My visit to the United States was filled with many surprises as I realised during my visit to San Francisco that like any other major city in the world there is poverty and homelessness. I was surprised to see the number of loudmouth redneck drug affected individuals making a nuisance of themselves. I guess I was expecting the movie type portrayal of a glamorous city. In saying that I was delighted to meet the average American who were very welcoming and friendly. There is no doubt San Francisco is a beautiful city and its attractions are well worth experiencing.
I then made a short visit to Boston a city I fell in love with immediately as it didn't seem to have some of these aspects that I did not like in San Francisco. I really enjoyed the short visit to Boston and the city is on my bucket list to return to for longer visit sometime in the future.
After the flight from Boston to Dublin I met up with my sister Frances and her husband Reno and we drove across Ireland to the village of Dolan in County Clare where we had a self-contained cottage or a week. We made this our base and explored such areas as Grange in County Limerick which is the ancestral home of the Dunworths. We also visited the Internet radio station in Ballyhaunis County Mayo where I co-presented a radio program with my good friend Una Flanagan. The village of Dolan is an interesting place as it only has about five pubs and these are well known for their live traditional Irish music so I spent many a pleasant toe tapping evening enjoying a Guinness.
We then spent a few days in Horley UK near the Gatwick airport and whilst they are we did a train trip to Bath. Bath was a very interesting city originally built by the Romans. That afternoon Frances in Reno returned to our hotel in Horley and I went on by train to visit a work colleague that had been seconded to the Welsh government and was living with his family in Cardiff. It was great to catch up with Tim and meet his family. Tim also gave me a city sites tour and took me to a local Welsh pub to sample some local beers. The next day after doing a tour on the hop on and off the bus it was time to get the train back to Horley.
The next day we flew from Gatwick to Malta. I was impressed with Malta and the beautiful views over the Mediterranean Sea however I was very surprised with how dry and hot the island was and at that time most of the houses seemed to all be painted the same colour. The attractions and the history of this island nation are unique and I enjoyed learning as much as I could about the island. I think the highlight for me was our daily swim at a beautiful beach and I enjoyed the warm waters of the Mediterranean.
After Malta I returned home to Cairns.
I hope you enjoy the video I have made of this holiday.
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