Just after leaving Enniskillen we spotted an opportunity and followed the signs to Monea Castle built for Scottish born Malcolm Hamilton in 1618 about five years before he became the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Cashel. We had an absolutely delightful time wandering through the castle, taking pictures, doing a bit of amateur videography, and imagining life in a castle four hundred years ago.
Off the beaten path is Hampstead is the more than three hundred year old Burgh House with a fascinating history. It’s now a community center, local museum, gallery, concert venue, event space, and more open to the public four days a week. We popped over for a bite to eat and to peruse the galleries to learn a little more about Hampstead history.
Ever since its debut on Broadway the two of us have wanted to see “Wicked the Musical”. Today we realized that dream. In the Apollo Victoria Theater in London’s West End we were witness to the incredible prequel to The Wizard of Oz, the story of the Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
London’s National Portrait Gallery’s temporary exhibition, “Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens” presents an amazing collection of portraits, jewelry, personal effects, books, costumes, and more to illustrate not only the lives of the six women who married the second Tudor king, but the effort across five centuries to keep their memory alive.
What a delightful and unexpected treasure that rewarded our spontaneity. Hey, we just passed a sign for a castle! Want to go? Yes!!! Alice got really good at u-turns.
It was so cool to have everyone feel so easy with spontaneous decisions to just stop and do something that looks interesting!