Day 11 - Paris

How do you fit Paris into one day? The museums, the palaces, the castles, the culture, the shops (!), the churches, the towers, the monuments, the scenery, the food? Je ne sais pas!

 

We started out at 8.30am with an early morning bus ride to the church of Notre Dame, home of the notable hunchback, Quasimodo. Spectacular as always, the church gave ample opportunity for many photographs – it truly is remarkable.

 

A short period of free time to buy souvenirs nearby was followed by a walk back to the bus and then on to the Eiffel Tower for a photo stop – there was no time to climb the edifice and we had to be content to capture it on film (or do you say disc now?)

 

More time on the bus had us circling bits of Paris thus far unseen with our guide Patricia pointing out monuments, buildings and points of interest along the way. Carly tried to capture some of them as we passed by on the bus, no mean feat with the way all drivers manoeuvre in Paris! We then had about 45 min of free time which we spent shopping for cookies and lunch and then eating same in the Tuilleries Garden. Our stop on the bench was brief as it was pretty cold and keeping moving was the order of the day.

 

Next it was off to the Palace of Versailles, an absolutely wondrous building with magnificent gardens to match. We spent 2 hours there checking out the way the kings of France chose to live before they came to a nasty demise during the French Revolution. Carly has admitted she has learned more about history, geography and politics in the last 10 days than she did in 13 years of school (all those school fees down the drain…oh well…c’est la vie).

 

A bit more sightseeing in the bus and it was back to the hotel to prepare for a night out for a traditional French dinner – yep, snails, frogs’ legs, the lot. Carly chose to start with French Onion soup (bit of a cop out) but recovered beautifully by choosing the roast duck and profitteroles. I started with the frogs’ legs (yum) followed by Beef Burgundy and apple tart. We also had a big cheese platter and were totally stuffed by the end. The food was fantastic and there were also some musicians who had us all singing, clapping and dancing along as well.

 

(My frogs' legs)

After dinner we had another stop at the Eiffel Tower to view it lit up – very pretty – and at 9pm it sparkled even more with a fairy light display for about 5 minutes. We could not fit another thing in so it was back to the hotel to prepare for our early departure tomorrow.

 

Farewell gay Paris!

Day 10 - London to Paris

Much excitement – we’re off to Paris today on the Eurostar. I’ve only ever caught the ferry across the channel before so it’s a new adventure for me too. A pretty uneventful trip – a great way to go – the whole trip only takes about 2 and a half hours, is very comfortable and you still get to check out the scenery. The French countryside always looks lovely and so different from where we have been so far – a lot more crops and less livestock.

We arrived at the station in Paris and were met by our guide Patricia, a Frenchwomen. After loading luggage we spent the next 50 min traversing the city of Paris, soaking up the architecture, traffic, and checking out the Parisiennes! On arrival at the hotel we were ushered into a room for a group meeting where Patricia went on to scare the life out of us with stories of thieving gypsies, people being hit and killed by trams, and an especially gruesome story of a women who disappeared and was never seen again! It’s a wonder we have left the room at all!

 

But leave we did. I convinced Carly that Patricia was just making sure the blasé Aussies realised you didn’t keep your wallet in your back pocket and we would be fine. So off we went for a wander up the street, soaking up the French atmosphere. We weren’t accosted or robbed and managed to also buy dinner from a patisserie, ordering in French and then appreciating confirmation from the server in English, so at least we knew what we were eating. It was very yummy and the pastry was to die for – we are plotting how we can organise to get back there again.

 

So we ate our yummy dinner in the room and then prepared to leave for our evening cabaret show which didn’t start until 9.30pm. What a fantastic show! Unreal costumes with lots of feathers, some clever gymnast type acts, ice skater (!), dancers, horse dressage (!), and much much more. I was very tired when we arrived back at the hotel at 11.45pm but it was a fantastic day.

 

Day 9 - Dublin to London

Finally we see rain in Dublin and it is just in time to farewell us. After grabbing a quick bite to eat we headed off to the end of the street in Temple Bar to catch the aircoach to Dublin airport. Thankfully we only needed to wait 5 minutes or so as the rain was starting to pick up and there is no shelter or awnings on the streets here. There is Wi-Fi everywhere here – even on the buses!

We checked our baggage in at the airport and then waited in the long queue to get through security which was when I realised that I had forgotten to stow my mini swiss army knife in my checked in luggage. Oh no – a confiscation for sure! Thankfully the security dude was much more concerned with my bottle of water which he confiscated and didn’t worry about the knife. Yay! The flight was delayed for an hour but we were in no real hurry and I took the opportunity of the free Wi-Fi to update the blog.

Carly got her first glimpse of the mother country as we circled London and landed at Heathrow. She could see the London Eye and other landmarks as we came in to land. After some confusion at the airport on how we would proceed, we decided to brave the Underground and make our own way to the hotel. The first guy I approached said he could transfer us for £79, another lady offered £45 transfer on a shuttle bus…and the underground was £5.50 each, took us directly to our station without needing to change and took only about 20 minutes. It was then a 5 minute walk to the hotel – much better option!

After checking in, we got directions to a local Launderette and spent an hour or two there washing and drying just about all our clothes. It was so worth it! We also got to explore a bit and wander the streets of Hammersmith – very nice. Carley Ann (Simpie) came and met us and we went out for a great meal at a local pub – the Swan. By this time it had started raining and Carley says that it rains here every day – the only thing she doesn’t like about London. We planned with Carley what we would do when we return to London in about a month and generally caught up on her news.

So it was a fairly early night as we have to put our suitcases out at 6.30am tomorrow. Ready for our European adventure!

(Got a text message at 12.30pm with my Uni results from last trimester – 2 x High Distinctions (Philosophy 96 and Sports Science 90) – Yay!)

Day 8 - Belfast

An early wake up call, a quick brekkie of cereal & toast and we were off through the icy streets of Dublin to await our 7.45am pick up for the Belfast day trip. It was certainly frosty and perhaps the coldest temperature we had experienced…though there was no wind chill which we were certainly grateful of. It turned out there was only a small group of 7 of us on the mini bus so off we went heading north towards the border, a trip of about 2 hours.

Our driver, Steven, was quite chatty and gave us a bit of a run-down of the recent political history and peace process that has now allowed such tours from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland. When we were last here in Dublin in 2008 such a trip would not have been possible, or if it was, there would have been machine gun armed soldiers in evidence at the border and in certain troubled areas. We stopped at a few of these areas and viewed murals depicting various political slogans as well as a number of memorials. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like living in such an environment, let alone being born into it and never knowing anything else.

 

We generally felt that there was a somewhat gloomier atmosphere in the north than in the republic. The architecture seems different – more British I guess (which makes sense) – and the city seemed more “povo” or “bogan” as Carly described it. The houses in Ireland (the republic) are for the most part quite new due to building incentives over the last 10 to 20 years and this may account for the difference…who knows.

 

We first made a stop at the Titanic exhibition which was very interesting – Titanic was built in Belfast and so had a great link with everything that went on both before and after its launch. While it was a great and extensive exhibition, I think the temporary one we saw in Melbourne a couple of years ago was perhaps better. Anyway, it was all good!

It was then off to Belfast city centre for a wander around – we grabbed some bagels for lunch and generally just looked at buildings, shops etc before boarding the bus at 3.15pm for our return trip. An uneventful trip back to Dublin saw us back at the hotel where we had left our luggage so we grabbed a taxi and headed off to our other hotel at Temple Bar. We had a very festive taxi driver who was typically charming and Irish, telling jokes, saying he thought we were sisters, admiring our matching luggage and generally entertaining us for the short trip. At one point a group of people tried to flag him down and he wound down the window and said “I’ll be back for you”. He then immediately said in his cute accent “As if I could ever make it back to them…but I’ll try”.

After checking in we headed out for dinner and decided a good American dinner at TGIFriday was in order…great choice – it was very yummy. All the staff were dressed in Halloween costumes and decorations abounded. This is pretty much the case all over Ireland – Halloween is very big here and this weekend is a Bank Holiday weekend so everyone was very festive. Yes, we discovered just how festive…our room overlooked the main street of Temple Bar, the main party area of Dublin, and boy, do they know how to party! We were both asleep early (I haven’t been getting much sleep – waking up at 3 or 4am most days) but were entertained throughout the night by major yahooing and general partying right up to about 4.30am. Oh well, you can’t expect anything else if you pick the party street to stay in!  

Day 7 - Galway

A fairly low key day as we threaded our way back through the Irish countryside to the tour’s end in Dublin. The thermals certainly came in handy as it was quite chilly, though a clear sunny day as well. Some Americans on the bus cracked up when us Aussies described it as a bit “fresh”.

 

After our 8.30am start we headed to Connemara Marble Factory where we received a very interesting talk from the manager (who Carly thought spoke and acted like a leprechaun). It was actually pretty cool and a lot more interesting than I had anticipated. As well as the factory tour we also did a bit of shopping in the gift shop (as you do) and then really enjoyed the tea and scones that were included as part of the package. I have decided to become a tea drinker and have had at least one cup of tea everyday – last time I “did” Europe I came home a wine drinker, to come home a tea drinker may be a slight improvement (well, a cheaper one anyway).

 

We then enjoyed a scenic drive around Galway Bay (a very picturesque holiday spot that reminded Carly of St Kilda) and a stop in Galway City to allow a bit more time for shopping. We are trying to pace ourselves with the shopping but it is proving very difficult with these multiple daily opportunities! Galway is a traditional Gaelic speaking area and we actually heard a few people speaking the language in the street. Apparently 6% of Irish people still speak it on a daily basis as their main language.

 

(Carly chatting with Oscar Wilde)

Our last leg to Dublin included a stop at an old whiskey refinery where we ate in the café and managed to entertain ourselves when the owner handed out multiple musical instruments and then put on some loud Irish music for us to play along to. Thank goodness the music was loud enough to drown our efforts out! Nevertheless it was good fun.

 

There was a bit of traffic on the road this afternoon as it is the beginning of a long weekend and many cars were heading out of Dublin so we didn’t get to our hotel until 6pm – a pretty long day. We farewelled Martin and our fellow travellers and, after checking in, set out to grab a quick bite to eat at Supermacs (a sort of Irish version of Maccas but with a pizza option as well).

 

It was then an early night to sort out our luggage, fill in some forms and generally get organised. We are heading off to Belfast tomorrow on a day trip and will also be calling in to the new Titanic exhibition they have there. It sounds like fun…can’t wait.

Day 6 - Bunratty Castle

Today it got cold…really cold. Apparently tomorrow it gets even colder – minus 5 degrees was mentioned in passing…so we’re gearing up for the re-emergence of the thermals. Perhaps it just seemed colder as we were somewhat exposed to the elements for much of the day. We started off and soon were crossing the Shannon River on a ferry…and it was very cold. We had the option of staying on the bus during the 20 min ferry crossing (yes, it’s a BIG river), or stretching our legs and enjoying the scenery by standing outside at the railings of the ferry. Needless to say we took the adventurous option and were soon freezing to death as the wind lashed our faces as we braced the somewhat arctic conditions. CJ lasted only briefly as she didn’t have any sort of head covering but I was able to last the distance thanks to my “daggy” hood on my jacket – I knew it would come in handy one day!

 

Our next port of call was a small town where we wandered among the shops and enjoyed some yummy scones, jam & cream.  Once again we found some more “O’Shea” establishments. I’m sure if we ever move here we could deal exclusively with family – we have seen all sorts of O’Shea businesses ranging from garages to bars to solicitors to even a funeral home. It looks like we would be sorted from the cradle to the grave!

Next stop was the Cliffs of Moher – very spectacular…and spectacularly cold & windy! We stopped for a quite a while and were able to trek up the side of the cliffs to gain a better view. It was quite safe behind the erected barriers but apparently people had died when they went over the barriers to get a better photo – that’s what Martin warned us anyway and I wasn’t about to test the theory. With the wind gusting all around I could imagine such a mishap occurring. After a little while we were chilled to the bone and retired to the restaurant for a yummy bowl of soup (me) and veggie lasagne (CJ) which warmed us up somewhat. An extended wander through the obligatory gift shop and I was ready to brave the other viewing area that required the scaling of lots and lots and lots (yes, more than I had realised) steps. Carly was a somewhat reluctant participant but I’m glad we made the effort as the view really was spectacular. It was then back on the bus to complete our journey for the day.

 

Martin, our driver, is a fantastic story teller and seems to have one for every occasion. He is also a walking encyclopaedia and seems to remember every date, name, distance, event or incident that relates to Ireland since the dawn of time. I have found it very educational and have learnt a lot, particularly about the history, both recent and not so recent. As well as this Martin can hold a tune and serenades us at times with Irish songs such as The Wild Rover, Long Way to Tipperary, and some other less well known ditties. I was shocked to discover that Carly is totally ignorant of these songs (even Danny Boy or When Irish Eyes Are Smiling) and claims she has never heard them! I have certainly failed in her upbringing somewhere along the way. There is only one song she has recognised and that is the Belfast Street Song because it was on a “So fresh” CD when she was a teenager.

Finally we arrived at Bunratty, scene of the medieval banquet in Bunratty Castle, our entertainment for the evening. We walked around the village for a while before returning to change for the banquet. It was a fun night though we had to climb up steep stairs again – the quads are certainly getting a work out. As it was a medieval banquet we got to sip from our bowls and eat with our fingers, something Carly commented Rhys would have loved!  Needless to say a great time was had by all with much singing and frivolity.

 

We are wearing ourselves out with lots of walking and stair climbing – CJ was sound asleep by 9pm and I was not far behind.

Day 5 - Ring of Kerry

We finally had a pretty good night’s sleep but this was only because we resorted to drugging ourselves with cold & flu tablets full of antihistamines! Anyway, we woke up to a typical Irish misty and drizzly day and were on the road by 8.30am. We first stopped for a group photo by a lovely lake near Killarney, then it was off to a Woollen Mill for some shopping (very important part of the day) and then followed this up with a visit to a shepherd named Brendon who gave us a great demonstration of sheep dog trials. Very clever fellow…and very clever dogs. We thought maybe the sheep were also very clever but he assured us this was definitely not the case!

The scenery around the Ring of Kerry is spectacular and although we missed a bit in the mist today, generally we were pretty lucky and the mist cleared when we stopped for photos. We also went for a “monastery experience” where we learnt all about a bunch of monks in the 6^th century who carved a life out for themselves on a rocky island 13 miles off the coast. Thankfully we didn’t actually go to said island as there are 650 very dangerous looking steps up to the monastery that make Blarney Castle look like fairy steps. An interesting story none the less…and we had a yummy lunch of mushroom soup there. By this time it was getting pretty cold and our last few stops were a mite chilly to say the least.

 

We went for another walk around Killarney this evening and spotted some more O’Shea signs…OMG – they’re everywhere. At the woollen mill shop this morning the shop assistant saw my name on the credit card and asked where abouts in County Kerry my family ancestors were from. She seemed quite disgusted when I said I didn’t know and didn’t really seem keen to accept my excuse that the O’Sheas aren’t really my family so it isn’t my fault. Looks like someone needs to do some serious family research before I can show my face in that shop again!

 

Martin, our driver, continues to delight us with great commentary and stories as well as breaking out in song regularly and encouraging a bit of community singing. Even CJ was clapping along at times. Tonight we finally met the other two Aussies on the bus – most of the passengers are American with just a couple of Canadians as well. They are a young couple from Victoria and we chatted happily for an hour or two – it is easier when you have stuff in common.

CJ is madly trying to dry the clothes she washed last night so I’d better go and assist. We move from this hotel tomorrow which will be sad as we love it here…awesome food!

Day 4 - Blarney Castle

We awoke this morning (still a bit early for our liking) to find a beautiful fine Irish misty rain falling – our first Irish rain! After a humungous breakfast we were off and running by 8am heading for our lunchtime stop at Blarney Castle. CJ was umming and arring about whether she would climb up to kiss the Blarney Stone. Anyone who has heard the story of her Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb would understand any reticence she may have. After much soul searching she bit the bullet, girded her loins and off we marched to slay the dragon of her fears. At this point I’d like to say that I erred somewhat in telling her it was a piece of cake, not scary, no problems etc etc. I was almost as scared as she was! Last time I did the deed there were heaps of people in a slow moving line which managed to hide the steep slippery stairs, the large drop, the uneven surface and massive gap when you kiss the actual blarney stone. Anyway…with a bit of persuading we both managed it and (I think) Carly is happy she went through with it.

 

 

After all that excitement, we managed a little shopping, some eating, a short walk, and then back on the bus to head for Killarney in County Kerry. Martin, our tour guide and bus driver, is a very entertaining fellow, giving us ample commentary and often a song or two to while away the hours on the road. He is amazingly knowledgeable and seems to manage the duel job of driving and commentating very well…so far, anyway!

After arriving at our hotel in Killarney Carly & I headed out to explore the town and continually came across O’Shea establishments – this certainly is O’Shea country. Everyone is very friendly and we are having a great time.

 

Dinner in the hotel was a slightly subdued affair and we decided to give the night’s entertainment a miss as it didn’t start til almost 10pm so it was back to our room where I introduced CJ into the mysteries of washing out clothes in hotel rooms – she seemed to think I was going to do her laundry too…bahahaha!

Day 3 - Dublin

CJ only lasted until 7pm before she was sound asleep with her glasses on and a towel still wrapped around her head. I lasted maybe another hour but was soon also sound asleep. Unfortunately all this early to bed stuff meant that we were also awake early – 3am for Carly and 4am for me. So we watched some bizarre TV – an old made for TV movie about rich people killing each other in Texas in the 70s and killed some time before we could go down for breakfast.

We spent a fun morning walking all over Dublin just checking things out – and ended up at the National Leprechaun Museum. That was fun and we got to “be” leprechauns and sit in big chairs and generally be pretty silly. Our guide was a fantastic story teller and we were thoroughly entertained (and informed).

 

We arrived at our new hotel just in time to join our tour which began with a drive around Dublin and a trip to Dublin Castle – all very impressive. We were certainly starting to flag by this time but needed to hang tough as it was then on to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for a night of Irish singing and dancing. What a fantastic night! There was a lot of audience participation with us clapping and singing along. This was just as well because that is all that was keeping us awake by this time. CJ & I were actually experiencing constant “micro sleeps” in between choruses! Needless to say we slept the 25 min bus trip back to the hotel where we arrived at 11pm – both in bed by 11.30pm – big day!

Just a few thoughts and observations…

We are mystified as to why we have observed a number of shops that advertise they are “Probably the best ……. in Ireland/Dublin”. What’s the go with that? Do they have an inferiority complex or what? Have the courage of your convictions and say you are the best!

 

Also, the weather has been great, not really that cold at all – I roasted in my thermals today – I think it’s t-shirts for me while on the tour – as predicted the bus and other indoor areas are very well heated and I need to strip off many layers!

I can’t believe how busy & crowded Dublin is – there are people everywhere. We were concerned that it would be a bit of a ghost town on Sunday afternoon (the day we arrived) but were stunned to find crowds everywhere and the shops still well and truly open after 5pm. Not sure where Ireland’s recession is biting, but it doesn’t seem to be here!

 

Day 2 - Dubai to Dublin

Both CJ and I managed to grab about 6-7 hours of broken sleep on the flight from Sydney to Dubai so found ourselves in pretty fine form at Dubai where we had only a very short layover. We did, however, find enough time to purchase a couple of scrummy “Ben’s Cookies” that we devoured while we waited to board our flight to Dublin. I am writing this on that flight at the moment. We are continually fed, as one invariably is on international flights, but we are becoming confused regarding time and meals. We have just had our second breakfast for the day and my watch tells me it is 5pm Sydney time with another 4 and a half hours until we touch down in Dublin where it be, I believe, about 12 noon. I have decided I will eat what I am given and trust that it will provide an indication of the time of day…and I will re-set my watch when we arrive.

 



We have now landed and will soon begin the adventure of catching a bus into town and finding our hotel. We are using the airport free wifi and have skyped all the family to say we got here safely.

Our mission is now to stay awake until a reasonable hour...it is 1pm here but feels like 11pm as that is the time at home.

So we were very proud of ourselves to have negotiated our way from the airport via the bus system and were checked in to our hotel in Temple Bar by 2pm. Starting to tire slightly we decided that we needed to “shop til we drop” to avoid fading too early and succumbing to sleep. So we walked and walked and shopped and shopped, managing to find too different “O’Sheas” bars or restaurants without even trying. We had dinner in one of them – a very authentic Irish Stew and a little less authentic Pasta Carbonara – and have now returned to the hotel to shower and tumble into bed. My bet is we’ll be asleep by 8pm which will be 6am Sydney time so hopefully we’ll be in sync by tomorrow when we join our Irish Tour for 6 days.

 

Carly at the first O'Sheas bar we came across.

 

 

Penny outside the O'Shea bar that we ate at.

Day 1 - Newcastle to Sydney to Dubai

Some people are glass half full and some are glass half empty. If you look at the glass as half empty you will anticipate the worst, and prepare for every eventuality. If you are preparing to travel to catch an international flight where being late means missing the plane, perhaps glass half empty is the way to go. This goes someway to explaining why Carly and I left her place (Buttaba Hills in south western Lake Macquarie) at approximately 2.40pm to catch our flight that was due to depart at 9.45pm. Gary was taking us and he is unashamedly glass half empty. It was hard to argue that there could never be an occasion where the F3 freeway would become blocked, impassable or some other unforseen tragedy would not occur. It was all totally possible.

After an uneventful trip down the freeway we, of course, found ourselves nearing the airport at 4.40pm, some 5 hours before take-off. Carly was not looking forward to spending that amount of time at the airport and came up with a brilliant solution. Our beloved Newcastle Jets were due to play at 5.30pm – all we needed was a pub, a sports bar or a club! After some aimless driving around the back streets of Mascot and surrounds, with the help of Rhys’ GPS app, we discovered the Alexandria-Erskineville Bowling Club – a true “Crackerjack” establishment. It was packed but there was room for us to grace the Bistro and, after some gentle encouragement to the management, the Jets v Mariners was soon showing on the large screen therein. If you have not caught up with the outcome of that game, let me assure you that it was a cracker and close right up to the end…even the 6 minutes of extra time required. Too close in fact to leave for the airport at the appointed time of 6.30pm, the time required to get us to the airport at the regular 3 hours prior to departure.

This is where the glass half full kicks in. We are so close to the airport…what could go wrong? The website says we only need to be there 90 minutes prior to departure…let’s watch the rest of the game. And aren’t we glad we did? Jets won, it was a 10 min cruise to the airport and we were checked in by 8pm in plenty of time. So, the moral of the story is that a glass half empty was great because we got to watch the football in the first place, and a glass half full allowed us to watch it all – a perfect compromise!

Carly was getting a bit apprehensive, having suddenly realised that she would be leaving behind numerous loved ones, not the least of which was her husband of 18 months, for 7 whole weeks. The football was a good distraction and the time constraints also determined that there would be no protracted goodbyes at the airport. So, after a brief but heart-felt kerbside farewell, we left Gary and Rhys to find their way home back up the freeway and we proceeded thru the usual checkpoints, arriving at our gate well before boarding. A long and tedious flight of 14 hours followed (Gee it’s hard going back to economy after being in business!) that was as uneventful as one could hope for.

Getting ready

Well it’s now less than a week before Carly & I set off on our big trip. It has been over 18 months in the making and started with a very innocent question from Carly…”Hey Mum, would you go to Ireland with me?” So what started as a couple of weeks in Ireland and London has blossomed into a seven week odyssey that will take us to many parts of Europe as well as Dubai on the way home in addition to the intended destination of Ireland and London.

James has given me his mini notebook computer and this will be my companion as we wing our way around the world and then wend our way across many countries in the search of adventure. OK, you’ve caught me out – CJ and I are not that adventurous and will be mostly partaking in guided tours such as the one pictured here – but, hey, that’s an adventure for us.

So we are getting all the last minute stuff together, comparing our packing lists (yes, we are both anal I know), loading up the Kindles, and contemplating how many scarves, beanies and heavy coats we will need.

I will try to update the blog regularly – feel free to keep up or jump on occasionally to see how we are faring. Seven weeks seems like a long time, though I’m sure it will fly. Saturday 20 October is the beginning of the journey and Friday 7 December will see us touch down again in Sydney. Please feel free to leave comments here or send us messages on facebook or email – I’m sure we will yearn for news from home.

Until next time…

Cheers,

Penny