40th Birthday World Trip July 2011 – Jan 2012.
Departure date 21st July 2011 – first stop
Ireland.
Well, this is a bit of a catch up as it is now 9th
August and I have been in Ireland for almost two weeks.
21st July – The flight.
The plane flight was long. I had been worried about my hiking pole (it's classed as a
weapon due to the sharp tip they normally have, which mine doesn't, but all
stick like objects are questionable) getting through all of the security gates
at each airport, but there were no problems. I wasn't even questioned. The first leg to Singapore I watched the animated movie
'Rango' with the Chameleon who comes to save the day in a small desert
town. It was good. The Singapore stop was to refuel and
clean the plane. It lasted about
40 minutes but we had to take all our things off the plane and go through
security and then back through security to get back on. Bit of a pain. I tried to sleep for the leg to Abu
Dhabi, which I succeeded to some extent.
We then had a 3 hour stopover there from approximately 11.30pm to
2.40am. It was a 15 minute walk
from the gate we arrived at to the one we were departing from. Toilets are not abundant I might
add. I napped a bit on a not so
comfy seat and was luckily woken by a young guy and his mother, thank goodness,
asking if I was going to Dublin.
The departure gate had been changed, and guess where the plane was now
leaving. Yes, the gate we arrived
at. I finally arrived in Dublin at
about 7.30am on Friday the 22nd July. By the way, I flew Etihad, which a had assumed would be
quite a good airline being from United Arab Emirates and knowing that Emirates
was a comfortable airline. Well,
Etihad is the older and poorer cousin of Emirates. Small seats, not much leg room, older looking aircraft etc.
Ireland
22nd July – Swords
Another thing a had been a bit concerned about was the fact
I only had a one way ticket. When
checking out Visa requirements etc (which there is no visa for Ireland for less
than 3 months) it states you must have proof of having enough money to support
yourself while you are in Ireland (a copy of your bank account) and proof of
ongoing travel (departure ticket and proof of accommodation in another country
(hotel receipt etc). Well, I gave
immigration my passport and asked if they needed anything else (I did have a
copy of my bank account) and she asked how long I was staying. I said 5 to 6 weeks and she stamped my
passport and sent me on my way (without a smile I might add). I was intending to walk the Wicklow Way
so thought I should do some walking before then, so I had a coffee and then
walked approximately 4km to my accommodation in Swords, just north of the
airport/Dublin. I wanted to stay
in a B&B for a couple of nights to make sure a could get some sleep after
the flight, thank goodness, but I had booked out at Swords because it was
cheaper and I didn't want to stay in Dublin for very long. Good plan except Swords was pretty
boring. It had a castle, but you
couldn't get in and there wasn't much else. It was smaller than I thought.
The next day I walked to Malahide (5km) and back as more
practice, and it was meant to be a nice traditional looking seaside
village. Again, not much there
except for a castle. I had one of
the worse coffees I have ever had (Starbucks) and went to visit the
“castle”. I sat and looked at that
for a while as it was closed and then went looking for the ladies, which wasn't
easy as they were doing maintenance and had half the place closed off. I finally found one at the playground
and then toddled 5km back to Swords.
24th July – Dublin
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| St Patricks Cathedral Dublin |
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| Along the Wicklow Way |
Hi all. Yes I know I have been slack. It's difficult to get in the mood, and time, and internet access sometimes, to sit down and type emails etc when you are galavanting around the countryside or world. But I'm here now and at the end of my first leg. I fly out of Ireland tomorrow, and into Belgium. I will only be there for a couple of weeks, while it has been 6 here in Ireland. I have enjoyed it and would have to say it has been nice. Yes, a bit of a strange word to use maybe when you are free and travelling the world. But I think because it has been so similar to Australia that there haven't been any surprises or excitement so to speak. I wanted someplace to wet my feet and be comfortable and Ireland has been a great place for that. Now it is time to head deeper into unknown territory, slowly.
Anyway, flight over was long and if I ever have a choice I will not only take my time going back to Australia next time (yes there will be a next time), but also heading away from home. It took a week for my body clock to adjust. That I didn't expect. I won't talk about the plane trip but I flew Etihad and will say I will try and avoid flying again with them. Just on the basis of room to move, age of plane (well it looked old) type things. If the person in front put there seat back and you are watching a movie, the screen is so close it is very difficult to watch as you are actually looking down on the screen and it doesn't swivel up enough to look straight on. Ok, enough of that.
I stayed in Dublin for about five days (due to accommodation availability for the Wicklow Way Walk), then started on the walk. It started in a park in the far south of Dublin, and I was lost before I even got through the park. Yes, ha ha and all the rest of it. But it is like 26 acres or something and very poorly signposted. An old guy showed me the way through and told me Australia won Tour de France, yay, and was the oldest guy ever (whats-his-name that won, not the Irish guy). Anyway, yes I was a bit concerned that I may get lost on the walk (I wasn't worried previous to that) as I didn't have a map as I thought it would be well signposted. Ok, gate was locked so I had so I had to wait a while for that, nearly died on the first hill it was so steep (pack didn't help), blah blah blah. First day was 21km, plus an extra 3 maybe because I got lost near the end of that leg (bad signposting again, or more like no sign for the hostel at the village, I had to phone them). Walk would have been ok but of course I didn't take into account carrying a pack and the effect it would have on my dodgy feet and knees. Myself and a couple of others, from the hostel, took a bus for the next leg (about 17 km, no way I could have done it), and then I walked with two other groups (German and Israeli) on the following leg of 12 km. That was Glendalough set in a gorgeous glen with a couple of lakes and ruins of an old monastry and church etc. I was planning to stay an extra days there and stayed an extra 2. That was the end of the walk for me. I was having too many problems with my feet and knees and didn't want risk any damage. I took 4 buses over 7.5 hours to Cork (I had planned to stay in the SE for a couple of days but was having difficulty finding accommodation at a reasonable price, being peak season and school holidays) and stayed for about 4 days. I didn't do much there (just the usual rounds in town taking photos) as by the time I got there I could hardly walk. I tried to rest my knee a bit there but it ended up taking 3 weeks before I could walk properly again.
Anyway, flight over was long and if I ever have a choice I will not only take my time going back to Australia next time (yes there will be a next time), but also heading away from home. It took a week for my body clock to adjust. That I didn't expect. I won't talk about the plane trip but I flew Etihad and will say I will try and avoid flying again with them. Just on the basis of room to move, age of plane (well it looked old) type things. If the person in front put there seat back and you are watching a movie, the screen is so close it is very difficult to watch as you are actually looking down on the screen and it doesn't swivel up enough to look straight on. Ok, enough of that.
I stayed in Dublin for about five days (due to accommodation availability for the Wicklow Way Walk), then started on the walk. It started in a park in the far south of Dublin, and I was lost before I even got through the park. Yes, ha ha and all the rest of it. But it is like 26 acres or something and very poorly signposted. An old guy showed me the way through and told me Australia won Tour de France, yay, and was the oldest guy ever (whats-his-name that won, not the Irish guy). Anyway, yes I was a bit concerned that I may get lost on the walk (I wasn't worried previous to that) as I didn't have a map as I thought it would be well signposted. Ok, gate was locked so I had so I had to wait a while for that, nearly died on the first hill it was so steep (pack didn't help), blah blah blah. First day was 21km, plus an extra 3 maybe because I got lost near the end of that leg (bad signposting again, or more like no sign for the hostel at the village, I had to phone them). Walk would have been ok but of course I didn't take into account carrying a pack and the effect it would have on my dodgy feet and knees. Myself and a couple of others, from the hostel, took a bus for the next leg (about 17 km, no way I could have done it), and then I walked with two other groups (German and Israeli) on the following leg of 12 km. That was Glendalough set in a gorgeous glen with a couple of lakes and ruins of an old monastry and church etc. I was planning to stay an extra days there and stayed an extra 2. That was the end of the walk for me. I was having too many problems with my feet and knees and didn't want risk any damage. I took 4 buses over 7.5 hours to Cork (I had planned to stay in the SE for a couple of days but was having difficulty finding accommodation at a reasonable price, being peak season and school holidays) and stayed for about 4 days. I didn't do much there (just the usual rounds in town taking photos) as by the time I got there I could hardly walk. I tried to rest my knee a bit there but it ended up taking 3 weeks before I could walk properly again.
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| Me |
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| The lakes at Glendalough |
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| Ruins of monastery and cemetary at Glendalough |
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| Lake at Glendalough |
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| Hore Abbey in Cashel |
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| Me on my birthday at Hore Abbey |
I decided to go to Cashel (north of Cork) for a couple of days for my birthday. There is the ruins of a cathedral on top of a hill, very dramatic, and a couple of abbeys. That was nice, especially being in a B&B and not in a dorm. In Glendalough it was a 10 bed dorm with one toilet and shower. I've been staying in female only dorms except for once which wasn't available for my first night in Galway. But that was ok because the guys in the mixed dorm were Aussies anyway. First Aussies I had met, but more on that later. I have mainly met Germans, then French, then a splattering of others. Oh, and I stay in B&bs and private rooms sometimes, to have a break, as I am going nuts with staying in dorms with a bunch of inconsiderate young people (not all are inconsiderate, but 99% are teenage and early 20s).
I went to Limerick next (stopped in Cahir to see the castle, one of my favourites) and stayed at a B&B for about 4 days. I stayed there as there wasn't much available and the room (shared bathroom) was only 30 euro a night which wasn't too bad. Oh, Cork was ok. Definitely not my favourite city. I was meant to go to the Bear Pensinulas after Cork for a 5 day walk (much shorter days than Wicklow) but I was still hobbling and there were storms on the coast so there was any point even going for a couple of days and staying at a village. So unfortunate as it is meant to be beautiful over there. Limerick I quite liked. I think it was the Georgian buildings up the main street. While I was there I went on a day trip to Bunratty Folk Village and Castle, and then stayed on for a medieval dinner at the castle. The company was great (2 groups from the US, one was enjoying giving me shit, in the nicest way), the meal was very nice, although it could have been one from home, the difference was because it was medieval we had to drink our soup from the bowl, the meat and veg we had a steak knife (dagger) but no fork so it was fingers only, and then stragely enough a spoon appeared for desserts, although there were none for soup. Didn't quite get that but the food was meant to be recipes from back when. There was also mead (which I could not drink as it was very strong) and music and song etc with people dressed in all the old garb. It was a nice night out.
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| Singers at Bunratty Castle Medieval Dinner |
At
that point I was going nuts trying to do internet/email etc on my iPod,
so I bought a cheap netbook $330 Aust. and I will appologise for any
errors in this as the computer seems to do strange things when I'm
typing and I can't find spell check (it's not word but the other free
download thing like word), and not only is the keyboard slightly
different but the computer made me choose which keyboard setout I want
(it gave me a huge list) and I didn't know which one I was meant to
choose and I chose the wrong one so some things don't type like they are
on the keyboard. Just trying to explain why my typing and grammar etc
is crap, apart from me doing this quickly, on a pillow and being too
lazy to be grammatically correct etc. Don't complain, at least I've
done it.
I wasn't able to get accommodation at Doolin (where I really wanted to go), a major traditional music hotspot. Not much there but 3 pubs all playing trad music every night over the summer period. A lot of well know musicians came from there or played there. So I went to Ennis for a couple of days where I met two retired ladies from Armidale NSW (near where I grew up for those who don't know). They were on a 6 month world trip and had been to Nepal and Ireland and were going to France, working their way across to Greece then Egypt, Morroco, Peru and Canada (I may have missed a couple). Nepal, Egypt, Morroco and Peru were all with Intrepid travel, the rest by themselves. It was nice to see someone over 30. I actually got excited when I saw the walking stick next to the bed (one lady had hurt her foot and bought it cheap in Dublin).
I wasn't able to get accommodation at Doolin (where I really wanted to go), a major traditional music hotspot. Not much there but 3 pubs all playing trad music every night over the summer period. A lot of well know musicians came from there or played there. So I went to Ennis for a couple of days where I met two retired ladies from Armidale NSW (near where I grew up for those who don't know). They were on a 6 month world trip and had been to Nepal and Ireland and were going to France, working their way across to Greece then Egypt, Morroco, Peru and Canada (I may have missed a couple). Nepal, Egypt, Morroco and Peru were all with Intrepid travel, the rest by themselves. It was nice to see someone over 30. I actually got excited when I saw the walking stick next to the bed (one lady had hurt her foot and bought it cheap in Dublin).
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Kylemore Abbey |
From there it was Galway and I decided to do a couple of
day tours, one south and one north/west. It was cheaper for me to go on
a tour to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burrin etc than buy a return bus
ticket to the Cliffs. The cliffs are very dramatic at a couple of
hundred metres high, worth seeing, if you can get the good weather. By
the way if I can add any photos I will, but I have to get them off my
camera first. I also went on a tour to the connemara area and saw
loughs, mountains, abbeys etc. We went to Kylemore with it's walled
gardens. Very nice. I British doctor and his wife built it a hundred
years ago or something. The wife actually died only a few years later.
It then became a home for Belgium nuns after their place in Belgium
burned down. They made a school for girls, and then it closed in the
last couple of years. It opened for tourism, but the nuns still live
there, although there aren't as many now.
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| Doolin |
I managed to get into
Doolin for a few days. Loved the place. Listened to music (if you
could manage to get in), went for walks along the cliffs and down to the
pier, had lots of coffee, hot chocolate and cake. My favourite city
would be either Galway or Limerick, and smaller place Doolin, although
Enniskillen in Northern Ireland did become a favourite as well, but that
is a different country. Sligo was next and a disappointment. I went
on a tour and it was a rip off in comparison to the 2 done from Galway.
The 2 in Galway were 20 euro for about 8 hours and Sligo was 30 euros
for about five. And what were saw wasn't all that great (one was the
grave of Yeats the poet) I only went on the tour because it was
apparently the only way I could get to the lough. There were no buses
and too far and difficult to walk. Then it was Enniskillen which was
nice. I was only there for a couple of days but it is situated on the
river joining 2 loughs. It would be a nice place to visit if you had a
car. It was a bit difficult to get around otherwise.
Now I'm back in Dublin organising Belgium, last minute shopping etc. So that's it. Not very exciting, but that is all you are going to get, and at least you finally got it, or something anyway. Well, I've still got things to do before the early flight tomorrow so I will sign off and see if I can attach a couple of photos or something. If not, maybe another time.
I hope everyone is well. Be good.
Deb
Now I'm back in Dublin organising Belgium, last minute shopping etc. So that's it. Not very exciting, but that is all you are going to get, and at least you finally got it, or something anyway. Well, I've still got things to do before the early flight tomorrow so I will sign off and see if I can attach a couple of photos or something. If not, maybe another time.
I hope everyone is well. Be good.
Deb
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