August 25th - Last Day in Devon and a Quick Pop Over to Dublin

On the 20th of August, we spent more time amongst Holly's family, but managed to squeeze in a visit to a local attraction. At the end of a winding maze of narrow, hedged in country roads lies the Cobbaton Combat Collection. Self described as "a hobby that got out of hand," the collection's origin lies in the purchase of a Canadian C8HUP truck, and has grown to encompass dozens of vehicles and artillery pieces, and thousands of guns, bayonets, uniforms, machetes, etc covering the entirety of the 20th century. Highlights include a Sexton self propelled artillery piece, Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tank, a Soviet t-34-85, and a British Pith helmet in which are scrawled the locations of dozens of postings in the British Empire's easternmost possessions. 

Sexton: A tracked carriage carrying a 25 pound canon.
Though it bears Canadian markings, it has also curiously
been decorated with the "Rats of Tobruk" badge typically
associated with Australian units which participated
in that siege.

t-34-85: The famous Soviet workhorse, outfitted with a
high velocity 85mm canon.

Churchill Crocodile

25 Pounder artillery piece.

Cabinet with a wide variety of weapons, including a Bren
Gun, Browning .50 cal (1/2)

(2/2) Boys anti-tank rifle, Sten gun.

17 pounder anti-tank cannon.

This cabinet held a variety of allied equipment and Japanese
trophies from the China Burma India theater of WW2,
including (pictured here) a Japanese helmet and marine cap.

The aforementioned pith helmet.

The collection had all sorts of odd bits and pieces in the
parking lot. Pictured here, the turret for a Churchill AVRE
specialist engineering vehicle, mounted with a
bunker-busting petard mortar.

Off to the side, perhaps an ongoing restoration project: Comet
cruiser tank, a late war British tank designed to mount the
17 pounder.

Afterwards, we picked up Holly's cousin Joe, who had taken the train down from Bristol. From there, we had a lovely dinner all together with Holly's Nana and Grandad, Aunt Tracy, and her cousins. After spending our last night in Devon, we spent the morning visiting with family and, after an emotional goodbye, got back on the train and made our way to Bristol. From there, we got on a plane, and said goodbye to the United Kingdom. Destination: Dublin!

The next leg of our trip got off to a slow start: Ryanair being an airline known more for it's rock bottom prices than its quality of service, our flight was delayed by longer than we spent in the air. Nonetheless, after a short 40 minute hop we touched down in Dublin. A short taxi ride from there, and we met up with Holly's friend Sarah, whose granny graciously opened her home to us for our short stay. 

We were only in Dublin for two short days, but were determined to make as much of it as we could. On our first day, Sarah and her boyfriend Andy took us on a whirlwind walking tour of the city, covering such landmarks as St. Stephen's Green, the General Post Office, The Spire, Trinity College's campus, library and the book of Kells, and of course, the famous Guiness Storehouse at St James's Gate Brewery.

Holly showcasing her photographic talent!

Trinity College's historic library.

The library is home to busts of
many of Europe's most famous
thinkers.

The Guiness factory.

Far from a giant pub, the storehouse
is home to various exhibits showcasing
the brewing process and some of the
beer's most famous marketing moments.

Also on display was various
Guiness themed art.

But of course there was plenty of
time for appreciating Guiness
itself.

Our appreciation did not stop once we left the storehouse either. While chowing down at a restaurant/bar/arcade, Matt discovered his dormant talent for pinball and all tried their hand at Dance Dance Revolution, to mixed results. 

Matt and Andy are considering quitting their day jobs.

Afterwards, we convened for a pint of plain and a game of Guiness Golf at a pub. 

Matt sitting with Sarah and Andy (across) and Sarah's sister Anna.

After making our way home, we crashed for the night eager to see what the next day held for us. It turns out Sarah and Andy had a change of scenery in mind for us, and we boarded a train for Bray, from where we took a beautiful coastal hike onward to Greystones. 

Stop for a quick 99 in Bray.

Holly captured some of the stunning coastline as we made
our way to Greystones.

After stopping for lunch at a locally famous vegan restaurant (The Happy Pear), where we caught up with Sarah's friend, and after chatting away the afternoon, we headed back to Dublin, where dinner and a few more pints awaited us. Spent, we tucked in to sneak in a few hours of sleep before our 6:30 am flight back to Bristol. From there, a train took us back to Maidenhead, with a short stop in Bath for another quick look around.

That takes us to today, which we spent mostly resting up, planning our next steps, and visiting with Oma, Opa, Mark, Heike, and Beatrice. The days are counting down to our departure to Nepal, but first, one more stop: the Bovington Tank Museum. Stay tuned!