Hurricane Irma Notes

Hurricane Donna Cat. 4 September 4, 1960
Then 35 years later
Hurricane Luis Cat. 4 September 5, 1995
Then 22 years later
Hurricane Irma Cat. 5 September 6, 2017

Anguilla recently had a near miss with an above Cat. 5 hurricane. A near miss in this case meant that all of our electrical grid was destroyed. The storm took the roof and sometimes the entire building  of many homes, businesses and churches. Large buildings with a big room and a large galvanized roof really suffered. Old houses were destroyed. These old houses had been around for a hundred years. We took a tour and it was clear that if the house had any wood for support it was rotten and termite infested. On some of the newer old houses they created a berm of sorts around the edge of the galvanized and it held it in place but if the galvanized was exposed on the ends even if the roof was new that was a good chance the wind was going to get under it and rip it away. There are crumpled bits of galvanized all over the island.
Anguilla got the north wall of the storm, generally the dry wall with stronger wind. The eye of the storm went right over St. Martin/Maarten. The island has a big population and lots of buildings, not all of them built to withstand a hurricane. They suffered a lot of damage and loss of life. Anguilla had lots of damage but only one person died, he refused to leave his house and it fell on him. Our biggest concern is the fact that we lost the entire electrical grid. Many poles were destroyed along with any equipment that was on them.

After Luis I waited 3 months for power. 
I had two generators and the ability to siphon water from my cistern upstairs to my area downstairs and even make hot water using a solar bag and the hose. It was fine for one person but we now have 6 people in our compound and moving water around would be a chore nobody wants to do.
We did not wait for power after Irma, we had power through the storm and we are now servicing 4 households. That is because we have off-grid solar.
We are one of 4 households on the island that have some form of off grid solar. We have a big robust system and did not lose our roof mount solar. A few panels were damaged from flying debris but the system stayed on the roof and once we replaced the panels we continued making power. We are supplying all of our needs including washing and drying clothes for us and our neighbour. A long extension is enough for him to power his fridge, have some lights and a fan.
Our off-grid system has been in place since April 2015. Since then we have not felt a single power outage. If the grid goes down we know nothing about it. We are careful, we know when to do heavy load stuff like using the clothes dryer or the big convection oven but other than that we just behave like we are on the utility grid. There is no noise, no additional expense of fuel but since we have the old fashion lead acid batteries we must maintain them. It is really not a big deal. Now there are maintenance free lithium batteries and at some point we may switch over to those. They are smaller and require nothing.

The rest of Anguilla is experiencing a different reality. 
We also sell generators. A variety of sizes and fuels. We sell, install, repair and maintain many generators. Most of them require constant maintenance.  People are generally offended by generators, they want the power but don't want the hassle. Generators are nasty and smelly. You have to haul diesel or gasoline in your car and then fill your generator a lot. Oil changes are a must. You have to start them unless you have an automatic start but those get expensive fast. They also are notoriously unreliable. If you forget about adding oil you can destroy your machine. Little things turn into big problems. Every time something goes wrong you not only have to pay for it, you have to get it to the guy that can fix it. Did I mention the noise? If you are the only one in your neighbourhood with a generator everyone hates you. If everyone has one the place ends up sounding like dueling generators. Many parts of Anguilla will be using generator power for months to come. It is frustrating and stressful. We are passing out free solar lights to folks with no power. Generous people that don't live here donated so we could get boxes of these lights. Now at least the house is not dark. But they have no ability to keep food cold, water is a nightmare and no fan. And it is hot and still and probably will be for another month. Many of them don't have transportation so how do they get water and food. On Anguilla people tend to help people. Small community means smaller problems but it is easy to see why a place with a large population could have a crisis situation for so long.

Hurricane Gonzalo Oct. 13, 2014
We were all just minding our business when hurricane Gonzalo showed up and really messed with Anguilla. It wasn't even a hurricane when it arrived, and although we prepared we were not that concerned. Well it built itself into a hurricane right on top of us and destroyed a lot of utility poles and equipment. It left us without power for a week or more. We had been experimenting with solar and had some panels and batteries. Chris fixed up a small solar system, propped the panels up in the driveway and ran a cord into the house. We used it to keep the fridge running and have a fan at night. It was lovely. We had a generator but it was costing a fortune to run it and even though it is quiet, it is still noisy and you simply can not run it all the time. We had a great idea, it blossomed into building our own off grid solar system to supply all of our power. We wanted to just do grid tied solar but the utility was against it, they were so against it that they would charge us as much to export the power as to import the power. So we decided we would make the investment, (it is not cheap) and supply our own power. We never looked back. Every month we don't pay the utility we are getting paid back for our system. Gonzalo happened in October and by April we were off grid.

My Idea
Since Anguilla has a small population and many single family homes, I think that folks could install a simple 2 kw system on their homes. It might not supply the entire house but it would make them self reliant in the event of a power outage. If people would consider purchasing a small solar system now, installing it on their house and use it to run a constant load such as the refrigerator and some ceiling fans and lights, when we get a power outage situation, those items would continue to run. The items could be wired into the solar system directly. They would run on them all the time even when the utility is working. The rest of the house would continue to run on the utility. This would solve the generator problem. Instead of a generator to run a much needed fridge and lights, the solar system would do that. The solar panels could be removed in the event of a storm and replaced when the danger had passed. If you did buy a generator you could buy a much smaller one and just use it to run a water pump and charge the batteries if it is a cloudy day, solar only works when the sun shines but the charged batteries work all the time. In time you might consider a larger system but 2 kw will do a lot to help you after a storm or a power outage.
Just a thought.

Generator or Off Grid Solar?

Hurricane season approaches and Anguilla gets hurricanes. It is a fact of life and because our electric lines are above ground, we often lose power, maybe for days or weeks or even months at a time (remember Hurricane Luis?). This can be a bad situation for people who live and work here and don't have a way to generate their own power.
What can be done?

Fossil Fuel Generators

First thing people always think about and figure out a way to buy is a fossil fuel generator. They come in all sizes and there are several ways to fuel them.

Propane Generator

If you have a big house and you live in an urban setting, having a propane generator is really the way to go. They are quiet and can run for a long period of time.  Price for a 7kW propane generator is about $3,000.00 US
Propane is available on the island.
It must be delivered. Make sure you stock up before the storm.

Diesel Generator

The next best option is diesel. Not nearly as quiet and it is messy. You must fill the tank. You must buy and haul the diesel and you must change the oil and if you don't service your generator it will soon fail.
Diesel generators also come in various sizes. If you get a small one and expect it to run your entire house, it will fail. That's a lot of money to spend for disappointment. You must understand what you need, how much you can afford to spend and then sort out your power load to accommodate the generator.
The 6 KVA Launtop in the photo cost $1495. US.
It might run a small house but not a large house and in short 3 hour run times.

Gasoline Generator

The last and worst option is the gasoline generator. They are not efficient, they are expensive to run and they are dangerous. Dealing with gasoline at the station where you must purchase it and at home where you must pour it into your generator is messy and dangerous. There are rules to follow for safety but people tend to ignore them when they are in an emergency situation such as a power outage after a storm. They also require oil and maintenance.
A 5 KWH generator holds 5.5 imperial gallons. The generator  will run for 9 hours  but it is not recommended as it will reduce the life of your generator.
We do not sell gasoline generators. They are noisy, messy, dangerous and inefficient.

Generators are used for emergency situations and not much else. It sits in your garage or back room or under a tarp until that moment when you must fuel it up and turn it on. Forgetting that much needed maintenance may lead to disappointment when you need your generator most.

One thing to remember when using a fossil fuel generator is that at some point you have to turn it off. People generally do this at night and that is OK except that much  needed fan can not run because you have no power. Having power if only to run a fan at night is important after a hurricane. The air is still and hot and you need to sleep.

Solar Generated Power

Off-grid solar system

The smart option for Anguilla is a solar generated system. 2 KW system $5,000.US

This is fairly new to the market. An off-grid solar system. They too come in many sizes and they require batteries. Unlike any of the power generators mentioned above, solar power generation requires very little maintenance and no re-fueling. They are basically a self contained unit that creates and stores power all day long as long as the sun shines.
So…you install your solar panels. Or, if you don't want to keep your system running all the time you place your solar panels in a clear to the sun area facing south, hook it up and let the batteries charge. Depending on the size of the system you can choose to either hook your system into your electrical panel or run extension leads to the items you wish to run such as a refrigerator and lights. The system will run your items all day long using the sun as power and at night the batteries which have been charging all day will continue to keep the power coming. All you do is make sure the system is running, keep your batteries topped up with battery water (once a month) and let the sun do all the work. The inverter that comes with the system turns the suns energy into electric power. There is no re-fueling or changing the oil. There is no maintenance except tending to the batteries. If you keep your system safe and dry it will just keep running. The solar panels are made to be outside in the sun free of obstructions such as trees or buildings that block the sun. That is about it for a solar powered generating system.

How do you get emergency power?

Diesel

Gasoline

Cost of Power Generation

Diesel and gasoline generators require fuel and oil. On Anguilla we use the imperial gallon.
1 gal. US = 1.2009 Imperial gal.
Diesel Fuel
In Anguilla we pay $13.21 EC per gallon for diesel fuel. It will cost approximately $92.47 EC for 7 hours of run time on your diesel generator.
Gasoline
We pay a little less than $14 EC for an imperial gallon of gasoline.
A 5 KWH gasoline generator holds 5.5 imperial gallons. It will cost $126.00 EC for 9 hours run time.
Propane

100 gal, container

A propane generator requires at least one 100 gal. tank for proper operation. At $16.00 EC per gallon that is $1600.00 EC to fill the tank. 10 hours run time will require 7.3 gallons. About $81.00 EC a day.

Solar
The cost of solar generation is free. After your purchase the solar system the sun charges your batteries and it doesn't charge you for charging your system. The only time you lose power is when the batteries run out and if you plan careful and pay attention you should always have power especially for important things like your fridge and a fan.

The math is simple...if we have an outage for 5 days the cost to run your house on a propane generator is $405.00 for 10 hours a day. The cost for a diesel is $462.35 for 7 hours a day. The cost for a gasoline generator is $630.00 for 9 hours a day. The sun is free.
Prices of fossil fuels is subject to change. The sun is not, let's hope it doesn't get a union.

Things to consider when using fossil fuel generators:

Do not let your generator run out of fuel.
You must wait until the generator is cool before refueling.
It is not recommended to run a generator all day and all night. It is recommended to run it for 3 hours at a time, then rest and refill.
Do not run your generator in an enclosed area, it is dangerous and could be deadly.
When you turn off your generator you lose all power to your home.
A generator may take 2 quarts of oil or more so keep it handy.  Don't forget you also need oil filter and an air filter.

Propane generators require propane fuel. It is highly recommended that you have at least one 100 gallon tank for proper operation of your generator. This tank can not be refilled by taking it to the propane dealer, the dealer comes to your house to refill this tank. These generators also require a yearly service by a qualified propane generator technician.
Running a generator that requires fossil fuel will run your house in an emergency. But it is costly and continues to cost for the entire time you are using it. If you do not maintain your generator it will fail. Maintaining a generator involves service and starting even when not in use. If you do not do this your generator will fail when you need it most.

Solar Generated Power

Let's say you decide to try creating your emergency power using solar. A storm is coming so you pull out your solar panels and set them up. At this time it is not necessary to connect your inverter to your appliances or your transfer switch. You are simply topping up your batteries.

Solar panel on roof.

The storm arrives and your regular power goes down. You have now connected your inverter and stored your batteries in a safe place.  You have power because your batteries are charged. When the storm is over you place your solar panels in the sun and recharge your batteries. Since your appliances are already connected they will continue to run. They will run all day because the sun is shining and at the same time your batteries are charging so you have power for night time use. And just because the sky may be overcast does not mean your solar system will not keep charging. It may be at a reduced rate but you have all day. Keep an eye on your inverter for information on the state of charge of your batteries. That is all there is to it.
You do not have to refuel the system.
You do not have to change oil or filters.
It requires no maintenance except keeping the batteries topped up with battery water.
When you are done using your solar system you can pack it away until the next storm but why would you? Why not leave it running to power important items in your house? You will be saving money and using your system so it can pay you back for the money you spent.
It sounds pretty simple. The Caribbean has a great resource we are not using. The sun can help us so much in getting away from the use of fossil fuels, protecting our environment and saving us money.

Other Solar Storm Solutions

Another solution in dealing with a no power situation in a storm is a smaller version of an off-grid system. This will get your through the storm with the ability to charge your phone and have some lights. They are a great way to have a little comfort in a difficult situation.

Keep a few emergency lights on hand so you can carry them around the dark house. They have their own solar panel built in and give off enough light to use on the kitchen table for dinner. Great for the kids so they have a bedside light. 

They beat candles as there is no danger of fire.

Anguilla has more sun than anything else. It creates an environment that people love during the winter months and during the summer can make this place almost impossible to live in but what about if we think about it in a different way? What about if we use the sun to produce our energy needs. It will save us money. It will stop the use of fossil fuels that pollute our island. It will make our island more popular for people that consider the benefits of solar energy as opposed to fossil fuels.
Solar power can make Anguilla a powerful place.

Sunshine Shack Goes Solar!

Sunshine Shack on Rendezvous Bay

Anguilla just turned off their generator. Why, you might ask... well, Chef and owner Garvey asked Comet Solar to install an off-grid solar system to power his popular beach bar.

Now, when you are chilling out and listening to tunes, you won't be annoyed by the constant drone of the gas powered generator. You won't smell it either! Instead, the sunshine that makes the trip down the beach worthwhile, will also be powering his beachbar.

Comet Solar completed the install yesterday and since then the sun has been supplying the entire place with the electricity he needs to keep the tunes mellow and the beer cold.

"I really did not want to run electric lines out to the beach and spoil the view"  Garvey explained, "Now that I have the ability to store energy for nighttime use and have power during the day to run the business, I am ready to go." 

Chris Mason of Comet Solar designed an inexpensive off-grid solar system that will supply him with the power needed without costing an arm and a leg. Installation was quick and easy. After measuring the beach bar's power usage, Chris suggested a 2 KW system with 4 batteries and an inverter. The system was installed in less than a day and Garvey's solar solution started making power immediately. In future if his needs increase, more batteries and panels can be added. 

Anguilla has  plenty of sunshine so it is fitting that a beach bar on Anguilla named Sunshine Shack is powered by the sun. 

Go Garvey!

Small Solar

There are lots of solar ways to save money. Not everything has to be a big project that requires set up and people, some things are just simple and easy and anyone can do them, some very inexpensive.

Witch note:
Before I start to tout a new product (we don't sell these) let me say that we went through the whole solar yard light thing that you could find in every hardware store. They are pure crap. First if you have a dog forget it, puppy finds those little cheap plastic lights easily accessible and quite satisfying to chew on. They put out a nasty color light and last about a minute. Failed experiment.

I was looking for a solution to a problem we have with lighting on our outbuilding where we park our cars. I have been driving Chris crazy about it because he refuses to let me keep lights on when we go out at night, "costs too much" he says. So I started begging for solar lighting which is also a pain because it requires installation and getting it here.
Cruising through the isles of Amazon I came upon a little light. It is solar and it is motion sensor. It was not what I had in mind, I guess I was looking for solar string lights.This one is small and very simple and it was not a string light, it was one little unit made of aluminum. Light on the bottom,     solar panel on top, screw to wall, done.
link to lights...

http://www.amazon.com/Frostfire-Wireless-Weatherproof-batteries-required/dp/B0074KDGL4/ref=sr_1_3?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1438527107&sr=1-3&keywords=solar+motion+light

Soft light, bright light.

Additional Note: I hate motion lights. They come on every minute and don't seem to work when you need them. I find these little lights have a very direct motion detector, no blowing trees across the road are going to cause them to come on.

We got three to give it a go. One next to the charging station and vehicle. One on the steps to upstairs and one on the lower gate into the compound.
Amazing, simply amazing. not only do they work, they work great! Screw it to the wall, let it charge up during the day and as soon as it gets the slightest bit dark, they come on. The light is soft, you would not even notice it until you come within range. Suddenly it brightens up like a warm welcome. Walk away, it politely waits till you are out of range and goes back to soft. Fantastic, it solved three problems instantly. Of course you must pay attention to where the sun is and make sure it has a portion of the day in sunlight. As long as there is sun, you are charging. As long as it is dark, you have a lovely light when you need it.
Speaking of string lights, I got some of those too. I wanted to have a twinkly garden at night just cause it looks good. Found two types on Amazon. Very inexpensive. One variety has small lights some bright and some not so bright pleasant color temperature. Lovely effect in the trees. The other is like tiny glass balls on a string. Both do a great job of creating a nice lighting effect using only the sun to charge.
It is nice to have a constant lighting arrangement that comes on every evening and charges every day without any thought or any cost. You can get very creative with your outside space if you know your lighting is self contained, requires no extra wiring and is very inexpensive.
I got one string a few  months ago and it is working just fine. Now I have decorated a portion of the yard and as I go I get more creative with the arrangement.
Good fun and inexpensive.

I will take a better pic but you get the idea.

Comet Solar's Adventure in Europe

A little travel a little solar

The Solar Witch and famed solar installer Chris Mason needed a little re-energizing so they planned a trip to Munich to attend the gigantic InterSolar Expo Europe, a three day extravaganza in the city of Munich, Germany. We also decided to visit a few more places, we are going all this way... why not.

BA from SKB to Gatwick nice flight

London the first time.

The trip started in Anguilla with a short flight on TransAnguilla to St. Kitts for a rather long flight to Gatwick London aboard  British Air. All went according to plan and we arrived early in the morning at Gatwick. We spent the night at Heathrow for a flight to Munich the next day.

Fidgety after our long flight we decided to go into London using the conveniently located Tube station right next to the hotel.
The friendly assistant at the station advised us to get an  Oyster card, good for life, just requires a top up when you want more tube rides. Do it right at the station or online. The Tube is great, took us right where we wanted to go for a walk-about of Hyde Park. It was a beautiful sunny day, the solar witch brings sunshine wherever she goes and the park was full of people having picnics and roller skating. I was amazed at the diversity of people in the park. Everyone having fun, they even had an area where you could speak your mind on any topic and people would listen or walk away, all very civilized.
Great start to a great rather hectic trip.

On to Munich!

Upon  arrival even though I had planned out the entire trip ad nauseum, we were still confused about getting the train into town but once again a friendly attendant helped us in German...(we kind of  understood some things),  and we were on our way.
But wait, the assigned stop put us off in the middle of nowhere. We were in and out, up and down, asked a bus driver and finally  found the right  bus into Munich and right where we wanted to go. We even met an exhibitor on the bus. We arrive at the lovely Ramada Hotel & Conference Center München Messe and after getting the room sorted we return to the little bar for our first German beer. What a delight!
Also had some uber good sausage.
The hotel was great, once you are talking to a human about room changes etc. they sort it out quickly. I have never seen a  more  elaborate spread for the hotel breakfast then they had in this one, Germans really know to do breakfast.
Well for that matter they also know how to do beer. Really good.

Munich Messe

TripNote: I will no longer use booking sites to book hotels. They offer these great deals until you find out you can not change a thing and they won't talk to you even if you only want to change  a date or add a day. Booking.com or hotels.com. Forget about it. We did not book everything in advance and I found out pretty quick that hotels will give you extras and better deals if you book directly and they will talk  to you, a real human that is nice will fix all your problems. 

Entrance to the Solar Expo

Intersolar Expo

Three buildings of solar stuff.

I really hate when people use the word WOW to describe a photo or event etc. but seriously WOW! First it was huge, gigantic, 4 building of solar fun. Masses of people, mostly in suits and ties streamed into the place daily. We had booked early so we got our invite out and proceeded to explore the expo. There were giveaways, music, entertainment, food everywhere but mostly there  was solar, everything you could imagine and more. Great ideas for new products and new ways to solve problems when trying to create ways to squeeze more energy out of the sun.

Everything you need to install solar

Chris spent  a lot of time talking with suppliers he already deals with online. It was good to meet them and have face to face discussions about products, future plans and sorting out glitches.

Solar witch and owl seems like a good pair.

Hardware and software

I wandered around meeting friendly owls that can keep your solar  panels clean and checking out new products that might work in difficult situations. Solar panels are not just flat anymore and then are not  all blue black. They even have clear panels that can be use in vertical situations and solutions for roofs that have tiles. They even make solar panels that look like tiles. There are even panels that can replace windows and look very stylish.

It was really small, little did we know.

Try as we might, we did not see it all. Way too much stuff to take in. But we did get some new  ideas that are practical for what we do.
Solar is big business in Europe which is surprising since most of the time it is cloudy. Most of the people attending were business people not installers but since we are the  business and installers we fit right in.

Next?

Hiding from the smokers

Dessert

Full of knowledge and ideas, we exit the Munich Messe and head into the real city for a day of  touring around. We had a hotel for the night. Hotel might be a bad word for this place. In a great location but I guess I did not pay attention when it  said  twin beds and what they meant to say  was cots in a room  just big enough to fit them.  But on a bright note, right down the street was the most fabulous Italian  restaurant and they were serving lunch.

Tarullo's
Kreuzstraße 18
80331 München
Germany
We sat down inside the restaurant, they had a patio but it was full of smokers. So we sat inside had a delightful lunch with a bottle of  wine and went back to our hostel style room for a nap.

TripNote All across Europe and England and Ireland too, the smokers are now pushed outdoors at all eating establishments. I guess in the winter they suffer but when it is warm they fill up the patios of restaurants and if you don't smoke you absolutely don't want to sit on the patio which is a shame really. 

This is not a gargoyle but close enough, no not Chris.

Onward and upward we head out to tour the town which is lovely. Most cities now have walking areas where no cars are permitted and people are free to roam with no fear. It's great. So we wandered and noticed they were setting up stages in the street. Music perhaps, music indeed the next day and it was a day we needed to kill while waiting for the "night train" to Amsterdam. And a bit of good luck. Rather than leave our bags at the hotel and then return before they shut for the night we were able to take  our bags to the station and put them in a locker. The train leaves at 11:30 PM so that made it very simple to do whatever and then go directly to train and  not have to haul bags. 
So we went back downtown and lo and behold, music and craft festival. Just for  us and  oh, it was a sunny day, thanks solar witch!
We ate lunch  in a place called Ratskeller and it was fab. 

Cute directions to restrooms

RatslellerMarienplatz 8
80331 München

Germany
Schnitzel... Great and the building was amazing, covered in my favorite sculpture, gargoyles. 

Beer and music

This group  was in the shopping area and they were fantastic!

Music everywhere all kinds and good. Get a beer, sit down, listen to music, walk through the craft stalls, what a way to kill a day. We even  went to a quartet mini concert in a beautiful chapel. We did have to sit on  the  most hideous pews, they really like to  make the faithful suffer, but the group was very good and we enjoyed it. Then walking back toward the station an impromptu group complete with grand piano and just there in the shopping area thrilled us with their music. 
Earlier in the day Chris broke down and got a phone sim. It is worth it rather than roaming. But, he left his AXA sim at the phone store and we raced back just  as they  were locking up and he had saved it for  us. 

The Night Train  

Sim card in hand and finally dark, we head for the  train station. First time it felt a little creepy. There were people hanging around the station I would not want to  meet in a dark alley. They were also in the station although  I can't imagine why since you have to  pay  to go to the  toilet and the place is crawling with police. At any rate the train finally arrived, on time and we had our tickets ready  to  go and  after a minor  glitch, seems Chris had his own bed and I was bunking with  someone else, we were on our  way into the night and Amsterdam by  morning. 

The night train is totally cool, I  would recommend it to anyone that likes a little adventure. That night in the tiny room prepared us for an even tinier room, so small it  was bunk beds with a sink. But it's an adventure and we were loving it. Into our bunks and asleep for the night I woke at dawn and watched the German and the Dutch countryside whiz by. Breakfast in bed, more and more towns and finally Amsterdam. 

Yikes, Bikes!

They are everywhere and they rule the road and the sidewalk. You must get used to it if you live there but newcomers beware. These bikes will run  you down and not apologize. I realize it is good for the environment and the smog in the city but you really have to be on your toes. They sell pot there, in little cafes. Did I say we had some...I did not say that. 

We had some fantastic meals, 

Casa di David

Singel 426

1017 AV Amsterdam

Netherlands

Wood burning pizza oven and we got to watch the show. Delicious. 

Indian, yum.

Shiva

Indian Restaurant

Address: Reguliersdwarsstraat 72, 1017 BN Amsterdam, Netherlands

Delightful Indian food and lovely staff.

Our hotel was covered in netting as they are doing renovations and I suppose that is the reason  we got a good deal but we did not care that it was a bit worn, it was in a very good location.

Once again a very crowded city full of all kinds of people and lots of young people. We did not ride a boat on the canals, we did partake of the local favorite dish, ground meat rolled in crumbs and fried, I will take a pass. Oh we went to the Red Light district, highly overrated.

London calling

Our tiny room in London

Another train ride, this time during the day from Amsterdam to Brussels and then London. I love trains. Somehow it reminds me of my grandfather and I don't know why.

We arrive in the afternoon, just in time to check  into our hotel very near Victoria Station and of course the passport office. It was all carefully planned. Hotels in London are expensive but I wanted easy access to the  PP office and this one was our best bet. The Z Hotel is modern and extremely tiny. I  thought the train was small. Everything, bed, and bathroom was in a room about the size of our closet. It was a double bed. It touched the wall on three sides. We did not care, we were in a good location and we did not intend to spend  anytime in the room. In fact we were right out of the room and headed to Soho to meet a local chef, Ken Chin from Cha Cha San in Anguilla for dinner at  the Duck and Rice ;where he was a chef long ago. The food was great, the place was very buzzy but at the end of the day, I will take Ken's fabulous Pork belly noodle soup any day. We are lucky in Anguilla to have so many fabulous restaurants.

The Duck and Rice in Soho

The Duck and Rice 

90 Berwick St

Soho, London W1F 0QB

United Kingdom

Passport morning...

Full English Breakfast

Off to get my renewal and that's where it all fell apart. I signed up for the one day passport. It cost more but Chris did it recently and it worked great. You go in and  4 hours later you return for  your  brand new passport. That is unless they over-charge you buy 1,000 pounds and then realize it and then freak out and will not make your passport until they sort it even though it was not in any way my fault. Well maybe a  little since you should always look at your receipt, everyone does...right?

Wicked

I was very depressed. We had train tickets to Ireland for the next day noon. They assured us it would be done. So with high hopes we booked a musical, Wicked was fabulous, we had great seats and it was a tiny walk from the hotel. In the morning bright and early we exited the passport office with passport in hand and and boarded a train, a Virgin train to Holyhead and Ireland. The train ride and then the giant ferry ride was grand.

Home again

We arrived in Dublin at around 17:00, that is 24 hour time for 5:00PM. Got a taxi to our hotel located very close to Stephens Green. Very nice hotel and in a very cool area full of shops and restaurants. We were tired and didn't walk very far to find dinner. 

Dada Moroccan Restaurant Dublin

45 William St S Dublin Ireland

Fantastic food and decor and lovely people. We ate there twice. 

Sarah's mini horse are real cuties.

The hotel arranged for a car and we took off the next morning for Mullingar and sister Sarah and niece Leah. Sarah is Chris's younger sister, full of live and love and also full of dogs, cats, chickens and tiny horses. They are so cute I wanted to put one is a suitcase. Tons of animals, hum, that sounds  familiar right?

She is also involved in the humane society, now it is getting scary. We stayed a couple of days, ate at a very nice restaurant that used to be a church. The food was good and everyone treated us like royalty, must be Sarah. 

And now we head off for the unscheduled part of our trip. I left it to fate and Chris and he decided on...

Connemara

We have been before, I would go again. 

Ireland is absolutely beautiful but there is a reason why people go to Conamara. There are places that are close to civilization but you feel like you are at the end of the earth. Not a sound. Pure bliss even when it is cloudy. You stand amongst the bog and small streams and look up at the hillside or mountain and all you see is green and little white dots, those would be sheep. It is not difficult  to get there but it is not for the faint of heart as the roads are very narrow, once in a while you meet a car and that can be dicey but just a short way from the last house you see there is nothing and nobody and you  feel completely alone. Of course we had a Tom Tom and he, (we changed the voice, the woman annoyed me) found out where we were in an instant and took us back to reality regretfully.

We stayed in Leenane in the hotel by that name right next to the only fjord in Ireland. The sea comes inland. The little town of Leenane is a tourist destination but there are only a few shops and restaurants. 

Leenane Hotel

Clifden Road

Leenane

Connemara

Co. Galway, Ireland

Leenane Hotel

We ate all meals at the hotel, not because there wasn't a choice but because it was just so damn good. They had trout, it was pink. They had treacle bread, the best I have ever ever eaten. They gave me the recipe. I will make it.

The place was very old, the people were lovely, we had a great time. But restless feet must wander and we had to be off to Galway. 

We passed through breathtaking scenery and then came upon the most astounding of  all. So what beach is this in Anguilla? Ha Ha, it is in Ireland!

Clifden Again?

We deliberately routed through the town of Clifden and we were not sure why. We had been there before but could not remember the place or the circumstance. By noon the fog  had cleared and the sky was blue. It was warm. No sweater needed. We parked in town and did a walk about deciding to eat, why not?

Mitchells Seafood Restaurant Market St Clifden Co. Galway Ireland

Chris headed towards the restaurant but I was sidelined by a cute little fused glass gallery next door. Connemara Blue. Beautiful glass creations and a delightful owner Ben who advised me that the restaurant was uber good. Chris in the meantime had already gotten a table and was patiently waiting for me to wrap it up, well he was not patient, he finally came next door to drag me out. 

Ben was right, lunch was perfect and it seemed lots of other people knew about it too. We kinda made pigs of ourselves. 

Galway, the far side of Ireland 

We booked the room for two  nights, a short stay in a town we  like very much. It is not even a small city but it has that kind of feel. Ireland in the summer is tourist central and Galway was packed with buses and tourists. They even have a little section now known as the Latin Quarter full of restaurants and shops and performers. Some of them are very good. We like to walk the streets and explore. Then look for a good place to eat. We found one on the other side of the canal.

il Vicolo

Bridgemills

O’Brien’s Bridge Galway Ireland

It was hard to find and downstairs in an old factory turned into shops. We thought it was closed but Chris insisted and what a treat. We had lunch and wine and dessert and Limoncello. Everything was fabulous and so was the room, right next to the old waterwheel that once ran the  textile factory. It still worked. The wait staff and chef were all young people with lots of energy. It was very refreshing to see the pride they had in their work. One of the girls makes aprons in her spare time and wants to start her own apron company. So much  energy we were starting to get  our  energy back. When we get energy we want to get back  to what we like to do. New ideas, new products and energy!

Galway's Artisan, just not the same.

Dublin Pride

Our three week excursion was nearing the end. We stopped off on our way through Mullingar to say goodbye to Sarah and Leah and headed for Dublin for a couple of days.  Stayed  in the same hotel, returned the rental car and planned to just do a walk about and chill out before our flight to Gatwick but wait...the Pride

parade and events was being held the very weekend we were there. We went looking and finally found the end  of the parade and some other events and a concert, all very civilized, folks in Ireland are all ready to move into their new way of thinking..."The future is equal." I  thought that  summed it up pretty well. Little did we know there were pride parades all over the  world. 

Dublin is a lovely city with lots going on and many young people. It has some old and some new, nice mix.

Gatwick to St. Kitts

But, holiday was over, short flight to Gatwick and overnight to catch that flight to St. Kitts on British Airways.  If I had it to do again I would return to London from Dublin on the ferry and train. It was such a pleasant trip and if you are spending time in an airport you might as well spend it on a train. At least there is something interesting to see and you don't get abused by the security people. We were both ready to go home and get back to work. Solar jobs are waiting and I am planning my next book this time about the Long Dog. Should be fun.