London..

London.. It used to be one of my favourite cities in the world.. Today, I'm not so sure. We had a fantastic time, felt more than relaxed, confident and safe, even at night, but after being in Ireland, I felt a little, ummm deflated.

In saying that, Hugo and I had many laughs, met some great people, both new and old friends and experienced so much. We were there for four days, we rode bikes through the streets of London in the British Drizzle, we rode on an Inflatable RIB down the Thames to the tunes of James Bond music, we dined at Harrods, we took walks through Hyde Park, we rode the Underground, the buses, the trains. We found a local pub round the corner and mixed it with the locals. We lived like a Londoner.. But, in the end, it's a big city full of tourists. 

Londoners tolerate the tourists, whereas The Irish embrace them. The Irish have stories to tell and love to chat, the English have an air of superiority and look down their noses on the Australian peasants. In other words, Ireland has spoilt me. According to the local Londoners, Australians are loud and uncouth. Drunks and louts, and racists... I was horrified to hear this, but sad because I also had heard the same thing from the locals in Thailand.  Is that really the image we wish to portray to the world? 

Once upon a time, we were the fun loving country, now we are a land of drunken racists. This makes me sad. In Thailand it was clearly visible, but although I didn't witness it in London, it must be present for them to have the opinion. 

I caught up with a gorgeous young friend on mine, an Aussie, who speaks with an English accent now, to enable her to 'get on' in London. Sad but effective. With her hair now a beautiful ginger, she passes as a beautiful Welsh woman. She is beautiful and smart, and able to pull off her new life with aplomb, I'm so very proud of the woman she is, and incredibly happy to have had the chance to catch up with her.

We successfully navigated our way on public transport from Bayswater, to Victoria to Gatwick and settled into the Emirates Lounge to wait for our flight home. We were early, we were the only customers in the lounge for hours, but we'd done it. Without incident, without one hitch, without one hiccup. Me, the girl who struggles with left n right, had successfully navigated her way through yet another couple of countries.. I felt like I had completed the Dakar Rally.. Lol.. Just using 'um, this way' or 'maybe, that way' as commands for the driver.. Yet another reason I love my travelling partner, Hugo. His patience and his calmness. And his incredible faith in my abilities when overseas. Poor fellow. Little does he know, I am still practising my 'fake it till ya make it' routine. 

So, here I sit, in yet another airport lounge, making the most of the free champagne before boarding our last leg.. Home to the Emerald City. 

Country England

Caught the Ulysses Ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, early start but it was a great time to relax, to stop, take stock and think of all the fun we had in Ireland. 

3 hours of quiet reflection taken up with wishing I could live in a place like Ireland. A place where the people are happy, trustful and all have a story to tell. A place where I felt at home, oddly, given the fact I'm of Scottish descent. I find myself yearning for the same peace in my heart when I arrive home. 

From Holyhead, Anglesey Isle, thru Lush Welsh landscapes, although in the train we saw such fleeting beauty as we barrelled along towards Newport. Alighting at Newport, we found we had just 4 minutes to locate the platform, scramble with our luggage and board the train. Asking Welsh people for directions was useless, they either had no clue or couldn't understand what I was saying.. Excuse me, do you know the way to platform 4, being difficult to comprehend in an Aussie accent apparently. A businessman came to my rescue and with one minute to spare, we tumbled out of an old lift in time to board the First  National to Country England. 

Accommodation tonight was in Bristol, and in a Rooftop Rocket, a supercool caravan on the roof of an upmarket guest house in Central Bristol. The smallest place I've ever slept but fantastic views over the city. The noise from the nearby bar was easily shut out by closing the window. On our early morning walk we discovered it was the local Aussie Bar.. Should have guessed. 

Bristol is a fast growing harbour city, gateway to Wales, and a University town. There was some great restaurants and bars along the harbour and a cool market area in the central district. Only one night here before moving on to Chippenham.

Although being in Chippenham before, it made for a great central location to do some sightseeing in the area. Stonehenge, wood henge, Avebury, Marlborough, Salisbury and the beautiful Cathedral, Bath, Castle Combe. It's still a pretty place, but one that's lost it's appeal for me now, the romance and mystique about the area replaced with other emotion. 

Stonehenge has become incredibly commercialised. No longer does the road run by the stones, no more parking and crossing under the road to visit. There's a huge visitors centre miles down the road now, with buses and shuttles to take you to the Henge, a rope barrier surrounding it. It was a beautiful clear day, and my photos are clearer than last time, but that's about all I can say.. I was disappointed at the commercialism. 

We spent a number of hours in Marlborough, a very old market town, and apparently is the burial ground of the Great Wizard Merlin according to the Latin inscription from the towns 14th century coat of arms. 

Devizes and the locks of the River Kennet and Avon. We were lucky enough to watch the long boats navigating their way through 49 locks, created to deal with the steep slope if the river at that point, so joining the river from Bristol toLondon. 

Cup of tea whilst watching the boats coast past silently.. A lovely restful afternoon.  

Accommodation was another BnB through AirBnB. Private, comfortable, close by the railway station and centre if town and best of all had a washing machine.. 

Off on our final stop, London, after three nights in the country. And for once, I'm not sad to be leaving this part of the country. 

The bests...of Ireland.

Hugo and I have done so much in the last few weeks, I'm struggling to remember what we've done. I really should have a pocket book, because every day there's been things we've done, witnessed, stumbled upon or driven by that have made us laugh, people we've met that have made us feel like family after just a brief conversation, and music that has brought me to tears.  We decided to do a Best List, to help anyone reading this compose their journey to this fabulous place.

Best accommodation by far was The Merchant House in Temple Bar. Stunning, roomy, great shower, right in the middle of the action but quiet and safe. We stayed in pubs, and Castles and BnB's and 4 star hotels, but the last three nights were like heaven. On the dearer side, but worth every cent to be in the middle of the city, able to walk everywhere, and have such luxury. 

Best band... Kilkenny in Lanagans pub the night if the Hurling Replay GF. Cannot remember their name but good fun, great music, beautiful Irish voices, banjos, tin whistles, flutes, guitars, piano accordions, the lot.

Best Street Performer: Scotty in Killarney. Outside a grey coloured bank in the Main St, near to Murphys Ice cream store. 

Best hosts: Sean and Bridie Collins at Adare Village Inn. Not often you stay for just one night in a hotel and leave next morning hugging the hosts, 

Best fish; Cafe along the dock road in Valentia island. The best fish n chips I had ever eaten. Without a doubt.

Best food: some random pub in Belfast. Sorry I don't remember the name. 

Best Scones: the ones at the cafe at Carrick a Rede bridge were fabulous and take an awful lot of beating.

Best value for Money; The bike tour through the streets of Dublin. Wobbling around tourists, businessmen, taxis in a hurry, and double decker tour buses. Being in between a bus and a lorry, and trying so hard to ride in a straight line. Lol. Although conquering my fears by walking the Carrick a rede rope bridge was pretty good fun as well! I was stoked.

Best coast line. Slea head in Dingle peninsula, the drives off the beTen track around this peninsular were amazing. Bluest sky, greenest grass, and beautiful clear water. Could see for miles.

Best walk. It's a tie for this one. Cliffs of Moher and the walks surrounding the Giants Causeway.. Breathtaking. Hugo preferred the Cliffs, my preference for the Giants Cuaseway was probably because I could we  see Scotland and the home of my clan McDonald.

Best coffee: a small ice cream shop overlooking the marina and bay in Northern Ireland. Creamiest froth, apparently from very happy local Irish Cows, happy staff, beautiful view on a warm sunny day,  and a lovely long chat with a local millionaire about his brother in Victoria. 

Best Passage Grave: Knowth.. We did Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, Knock narea, Carrowmore, and whether it was the site's energy or the twinkle in Mary the tour guides eye that warmed my heart, but I felt more connected to Knowth than any if the more commercialised ones. 

Highlight of Dublin: Google tour.. Fabulous but not available to the public. 

What I'm glad we did: Northern Ireland. Political Tour of the Murals. Coast drive between Bushmills and Belfast, White Park Bay and Harbours along the northern coast. Knowth and the passage graves. Hired a car and drove the country, I loved being able to stop and take our time where it suited us, instead of being dictated by a bus tour timetable. Cliffs of Moher walks as far as we could go either direction, ditto for Giants Causeway, I had my first Guiness, Trim Castle, carrick a rede bridge, slea head coastal drive, stopped to join in a Cancer Fundraising morning tea at Caherdaniel, visited the castle ruins there also. Valentia Island ring in the Skelligs, Dublin bike tour, celebrating the Kilkenny Cats  Hurling Win, watching the Gaelic footy grand final in a Castle on the west coast,  drove down to seaside for tea n scones at Strandhill west of Sligo. Ate in the Italian Quarter of Galway, drank local beers everywhere we went, Belfast Craft Market, talked to the butchers, the bakers, the scented candle makers, ate local food and stayed out of chain stores. 

What I wished we did: stayed for one more week. 2.5 weeks just wasn't quite enough. 

What I wouldn't do again: Book of Kells, Dublinia, Paid to ride a jinky through the Gap of Dunloe, it's breathtaking but 50 Euro was ridiculous, walking would be a better option although it's 8 kilometres, time is money I guess.. Titanic experience, although once we arrived there we didn't enter but the walk around the docks was okay.  Wicklow, went on a Sunday admittedly, but it was a disappointment after such a beautiful coastline on the West and also Dingle Peninsula.

I'll add to this as we go along and more memories pop in me head.. 

Couple days in Dublin....

Woke up late... Wandered down to KC Peaches for a light breakfast.. And leisurely made our way along to the Google European Offices... Stopping for coffee along the way, along the Grand Canal. Another beautiful day, the sun is shining, we are in tshirts, not once have we needed our winter woollies from home, a light jacket and that's it, our bags are chockers full of clothes that we haven't worn. But we aren't complaining, the Irish Sun is smiling on us.

Arrived at Google HQ with plenty of time to spare, after checking out the new U2 recording studio down at docklands.  We met with the beautiful Nicole and she gave us a grand tour of the Google offices before catching up for lunch.. Now, isn't that an incredible place, each floor is decorated in differing themes, the top floor of the Engineering Dept has a mock Irish Pub, the Shaven Yak, complete with wood panelling and velvet snugs.. I was amazed at each twist and turn of the corridors,at how the office space changed, the collective imagination in that place is amazing. The food is prepared by Michelin Star chefs, and each day they feed more than 4000 people. The visit was one of our highlights..

Walking back into the city centre, we checked out Dublin Castle, and a quick burst of rain sent us into Trinity College to visit the Book of Kells, or more correctly, the page of Kells.. I was disappointed having paid about $15 to look at it, I was surprised to see all the hype was not worth it. We wandered up into the long room, the library of Trinity College, and were amazed at the size of it. The smell of pages long ago written by hand, the wooden ladders and rails, the gold lettering on beautifully polished timber.  Being an avid book reader, Ah, I was in heaven.

The rains had cleared and allowed us a walk to St Patricks Park and Cathedral. It was 5.30pm and we made it in time for Evensong. A 35 minute service, complete with choir, it was fabulous. The acoustics and timbre of the choir gave me goosebumps. We didn't get too much of a look around the church, but the service was quite an experience.

Back to Temple Bar, quick change and out to the Temple Bar Pub. That's one thing about Ireland, is the music. Every pub has music, differing singers with varied styles, it's a cultural delight. From the serious buskers, the drunken tin whistle players on the streets, to the pub scene, to U2, opera and classical music, Ireland has it all.  I will miss it.

Had a light dinner tonight at Gourmet Burger Kitchen, a NZ burger chain, created by three Kiwi's annoyed that they couldn't find a decent burger in London, so created their own. It's now a chain, and it's easy to see why. Rhe burgers were great, and hit the spot.

Next morning, up early to fit in breakfast before undertaking a See dublin by bike tour at 10. It was fabulous. Weaving in and out of the crazy Dublin traffic, having lorries and double decker tour buses pass inches from us, it was crazy fun. Hugo rode behind, poor bugger had to watch me wobble my way through cobblestone streets, malls of people, peak hour traffic. We took in the Guiness Store, the cathedrals, Parks, Squares, St Stephens Green, the Spire.. All kinds of monuments that we would never have found otherwise. There was a reservoir we stopped for a break, right in the middle of the city, with wildlife and flowers like you've never seen.. Complete with a complete of drunks that yelled, oi, put another shrimp on the barbie,Aussie.. And gave us a great wave. It was 20 Euro, and the best value for money tour we had seen. 

Walking back into town, we stopped at Dublinia, a history tour through the ages of Dublin. From Vikings, to the Normans, to the English and present day. It was really interesting. There is an archeological floor, complete with skeletons and all the information regarding the Viking settlement that were uncovered in the 1970's but covered up by new city council buildings, such a shame.

Heading back into Temple Bar, we 'accidentally' came across Queen of Tarts, one of the iconic stores in Dublin for afternoon tea. And it did. It disappoint. Lemon Meringue Pie and Aplle Tarts bigger than your hand... Along with a big pot of Irish Tea. Fab. It was in Cows Lane, an arty fatty area of town, complete with handmade craft, jewellery, clothing stores. A hour of two easily whiled away making our way along the streets toward home. We stumbled across an incredible black and white photography exhibition, all photos from the 70's from around Limerick.  Kids, men, workers, very old women, the lines in their face and the stoop in their backs showing a lifetime of hard work. There were photos of school fires, of youngsters caught in the Gangland wars, the fear and desperation caught in the expression of their faces. I'm cross now that I have already forgotten this fellows name, I would have loved to read more about his stories, and seen even more of his photos. 

Dinner last night was at the Elephant and Castle, which had been recommended to us, it was tasty, but not anything to rave about, we have been blessed with fresh food, fish straight from the boats on island jettys, local vegetables and salads, this trip accidentally turned into a gourmet food trek around the country.

Another few pubs, another few bands playing folk, modern, and traditional music and songs.. Not a big night, due to having to be on a Irish Sea crossing early tomorrow morning, but an evening stroll along the river ending the evening. It's official, I'm in love with Ireland, not Dublin so much, but the county towns, the people, the music, the food, the passion for footy and fun, and of course hurling. 

Wednesday 01st October, 5-30 am came way too quickly for me, and it's with sadness that we pile the bags into the cab to make our way to the Docks to ferry to Wales.