Sorry for the delay but life comes before blogging and life was hectic and exciting there for a little while.
We've returned home to Ireland in one piece and have had a bit of time to settle back and place our feet back on the ground!
The last few weeks of the trip were fantastic. I adored Moorea and learned so much on Easter Island. We were welcomed so warmly on both islands and made feel so much at home that it was really hard to tear ourselves away.
But it's good to be home too. The trip was for us a resounding success. We didn't have a single bad moment in our 8 months away. We met kind, honest and warm people everywhere we met and count ourselves very lucky to have had such a positive experience. Now that I'm home I'm debating whether to keep the blogs up or not. But the travelling bit is over for the moment so this blog will certainly become defunct now. Thanks for reading.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, October 01, 2007
Fun in a camper van!
"If it's a rockin' don't come a knockin'!"
Ah we had fun in our loveable, cranky, slightly smelly camper van, nicknamed "Buster" in the past 3 weeks.
We toured the north and south islands of New Zealand not in their entirety but pretty comprehensively and had a ball. In order to return the van to Auckland yesterday I drove 1000 miles single-handed in 4 days, and Yes I am proud of myself. It was also a bit of fun and my lovely co-pilot was an inspiration on the journey as always! A CD of the Travelling Wilbury's also came in handy...
High lights for me here in New Zealand included a sunrise balloon trip, a para gliding adventure where I discovered an ability to emit ear splitting involuntary noises, abseiling and the discovery of my spiritual home in Hobbiton. The biggest smiles were reserved for the dolphin, orca and whale watching expeditions which were over whelmingly uplifting. All in all NZ has been good to us. We met some honest, decent people who were willing to chat but not pry, and had a ready smile. I really liked it here and will be sad to leave.
The plan is that we head for Papeete on Wednesday and Morea on Thursday. Then it's off to Easter Island and then to Santiago. We then come home.... But that's ok too cause we've had one hell of an adventure!
Ah we had fun in our loveable, cranky, slightly smelly camper van, nicknamed "Buster" in the past 3 weeks.
We toured the north and south islands of New Zealand not in their entirety but pretty comprehensively and had a ball. In order to return the van to Auckland yesterday I drove 1000 miles single-handed in 4 days, and Yes I am proud of myself. It was also a bit of fun and my lovely co-pilot was an inspiration on the journey as always! A CD of the Travelling Wilbury's also came in handy...
High lights for me here in New Zealand included a sunrise balloon trip, a para gliding adventure where I discovered an ability to emit ear splitting involuntary noises, abseiling and the discovery of my spiritual home in Hobbiton. The biggest smiles were reserved for the dolphin, orca and whale watching expeditions which were over whelmingly uplifting. All in all NZ has been good to us. We met some honest, decent people who were willing to chat but not pry, and had a ready smile. I really liked it here and will be sad to leave.
The plan is that we head for Papeete on Wednesday and Morea on Thursday. Then it's off to Easter Island and then to Santiago. We then come home.... But that's ok too cause we've had one hell of an adventure!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Onwards and Downwards
We have now arrived at our furthest destination from home. So I guess from here on in we'll be on the return leg of the journey.
Australia was interesting and a bit of a break from foreigness but New Zealand whilst not being entirely foreign does seem a bit more removed from what life at home is like.
We arrived here on monday and are currently in Auckland. I'm very excited about being here during the Rugby World Cup and seeing as we'll be travelling around the country in a camper van we'll have to get imaginative about where we'll be able to view games, but that's all part of the fun.
It'll also be a lot easier for us to get stuck into some decent hikes and walks whilst here as we'll have the freedom of bringing our accomodation with us where-ever we want to go! It would have been nice to do that in Oz as well but circumstances didn't allow it this time.
All the same we had a blast. I got quite intimate with varieties of wines hitherto unknown to me and enjoyed every second of it! We also got to explore different ends of the country and I have to say I really like Melbourne. There was loads to do there and the weather was gorgeous, despite the fact that it was the end of winter. We were very lucky in that regards.
I saw the Amazing Human Body exhibition there which is something I've always wanted to see. It has put me off the thought of ever smoking again for good it is truly disgusting what tar does to the lungs. We also went to an AFL game between St. Kilda's and Richmond which was fantastic. Definately a high light. The fact that the game was quite close in the end and Richmond staged a fantastic comeback attempt was greatly appreciated by us! It was all very exciting. So between the large variety of museums on offer, the excellent restaurants, even better wineries and the laid back attitude Melbourne rocked.
I know I haven't been great at the regular posts here and I don't know if it will improve while I'm here as we'll be travelling around quite a bit, but I do promise to post as much as I can when I can and I'll provide samples of photos along the way!
Australia was interesting and a bit of a break from foreigness but New Zealand whilst not being entirely foreign does seem a bit more removed from what life at home is like.
We arrived here on monday and are currently in Auckland. I'm very excited about being here during the Rugby World Cup and seeing as we'll be travelling around the country in a camper van we'll have to get imaginative about where we'll be able to view games, but that's all part of the fun.
It'll also be a lot easier for us to get stuck into some decent hikes and walks whilst here as we'll have the freedom of bringing our accomodation with us where-ever we want to go! It would have been nice to do that in Oz as well but circumstances didn't allow it this time.
All the same we had a blast. I got quite intimate with varieties of wines hitherto unknown to me and enjoyed every second of it! We also got to explore different ends of the country and I have to say I really like Melbourne. There was loads to do there and the weather was gorgeous, despite the fact that it was the end of winter. We were very lucky in that regards.
I saw the Amazing Human Body exhibition there which is something I've always wanted to see. It has put me off the thought of ever smoking again for good it is truly disgusting what tar does to the lungs. We also went to an AFL game between St. Kilda's and Richmond which was fantastic. Definately a high light. The fact that the game was quite close in the end and Richmond staged a fantastic comeback attempt was greatly appreciated by us! It was all very exciting. So between the large variety of museums on offer, the excellent restaurants, even better wineries and the laid back attitude Melbourne rocked.
I know I haven't been great at the regular posts here and I don't know if it will improve while I'm here as we'll be travelling around quite a bit, but I do promise to post as much as I can when I can and I'll provide samples of photos along the way!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Searching for the wizard
Austalia is a very easy place to get used to. In fact it's so easy here it feels uncomfortably like home. I say it's uncomfortable coz I don't really want to be at home yet and being here is making me a little homesick. That is both unexpected and a bit off putting.
So far we have travelled from Sydney to Brisbane and from there to Melbourne. We're a little restricted on where we can go here as it's expensive to get around and I've decided I'm not willing to drive all over Australia and then tackle a month of the same in New Zealand. Besides it's even harder trying to get around New Zealand so driving is supposed to be the best option there.
We're doing lots of fun things here all the same. We've taken hikes and treks into the rainforrest. Visited animal sanctuaries and fed beautiful birds. The museums here in Melbourne are well worth a visit and of course we did the necessary in Sydney in terms of harbour cruises and the Opera house.
I have yet to take a wine tour here but to make up for that I have been sampling lovely Australian wines aplenty. So far my favourite has been a very fruity Shiraz by Oxford Landing. Very Yummy with absoloutley everything I say and to prove the point I've drunk lots of it!
We've been pretty lucky with the weather here as well. We had some rain in Sydney but some very fine days as well. It's not a bad show when you go to Bondi beach in the middle of winter and there are bikinis all over the place, it's not what I'd call typical winter at all at all. Not a vest in sight. Here in Melbourne it's colder but very fine and sunny and is quite pleasant and fresh. We're heading to see The Human Body exhibition tomorrow and off on another hike on friday so I would say all in all things are going well.
Unfortunately there is no sign of the elusive Wizard of Oz so far but I've been tracking sightings and am still hopeful of finding him...
So far we have travelled from Sydney to Brisbane and from there to Melbourne. We're a little restricted on where we can go here as it's expensive to get around and I've decided I'm not willing to drive all over Australia and then tackle a month of the same in New Zealand. Besides it's even harder trying to get around New Zealand so driving is supposed to be the best option there.
We're doing lots of fun things here all the same. We've taken hikes and treks into the rainforrest. Visited animal sanctuaries and fed beautiful birds. The museums here in Melbourne are well worth a visit and of course we did the necessary in Sydney in terms of harbour cruises and the Opera house.
I have yet to take a wine tour here but to make up for that I have been sampling lovely Australian wines aplenty. So far my favourite has been a very fruity Shiraz by Oxford Landing. Very Yummy with absoloutley everything I say and to prove the point I've drunk lots of it!
We've been pretty lucky with the weather here as well. We had some rain in Sydney but some very fine days as well. It's not a bad show when you go to Bondi beach in the middle of winter and there are bikinis all over the place, it's not what I'd call typical winter at all at all. Not a vest in sight. Here in Melbourne it's colder but very fine and sunny and is quite pleasant and fresh. We're heading to see The Human Body exhibition tomorrow and off on another hike on friday so I would say all in all things are going well.
Unfortunately there is no sign of the elusive Wizard of Oz so far but I've been tracking sightings and am still hopeful of finding him...
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Calling from the Land Down Under
Greetings from Oz. We've reached a new continent and a new capital in one piece.
It's been a relatively quiet week here for us as we've been catching up on sleep and the home style comforts that we've been missing in various degrees over the last four months.
I've really missed breakfast cereal. A strange thing to miss but it's top of my list. That and salt and vinegar crisps. So I've been indulging in lots of both!
We've been exploring Sydney in between all of the eating and sleeping and I'm impressed. It's a cosmopolitan and cool place to be and a good place for us to kick back in. We've done the usual tourist things here and have also taken a trek in the Blue Mountains which shook the cobwebs off a bit.
We've done quite a lot of planning here for the rest of our trip and I can now tell you that today we reach our official half way point. We've also got all of our sleeping needs covered for here and New Zealand and have changed our itinerary a little bit. Not bad work for the few days that we've been here.
That's it for the mo, we're off to Brisbane on the train tomorrow and then it's down to Melbourne for a few weeks. Brisbane looks to be HOT!! Which is good and Melbourne looks coooooooollld, which is bad, but it's amazing that one country can offer you that kind of variation so we'll take it in our stride.
It's been a relatively quiet week here for us as we've been catching up on sleep and the home style comforts that we've been missing in various degrees over the last four months.
I've really missed breakfast cereal. A strange thing to miss but it's top of my list. That and salt and vinegar crisps. So I've been indulging in lots of both!
We've been exploring Sydney in between all of the eating and sleeping and I'm impressed. It's a cosmopolitan and cool place to be and a good place for us to kick back in. We've done the usual tourist things here and have also taken a trek in the Blue Mountains which shook the cobwebs off a bit.
We've done quite a lot of planning here for the rest of our trip and I can now tell you that today we reach our official half way point. We've also got all of our sleeping needs covered for here and New Zealand and have changed our itinerary a little bit. Not bad work for the few days that we've been here.
That's it for the mo, we're off to Brisbane on the train tomorrow and then it's down to Melbourne for a few weeks. Brisbane looks to be HOT!! Which is good and Melbourne looks coooooooollld, which is bad, but it's amazing that one country can offer you that kind of variation so we'll take it in our stride.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Fom Tokyo to Nagasaki
We've had a busy few days on the trains in the past week here in Japan, and it's been fantastic. We organised a Japanese Rail Pass for ourselves before we arrived here and it's been so easy to use it's almost unbelievable. You just show up at a station, reserve your seats if you want to and go where-ever takes your fancy!
So far we've visited Kyoto...
Such a beautiful and Japanesee city. If you catch my drift. We wandered around the Gion district looking at temples and shrines and we even caught site of some Geisha as they moved through the streets. Unfortunately I got so excited that I forgot to take a picture... You can't win them all I guess!
Here are some girls in Kimono as the next best thing.
Shrine in Kyoto
We also spent two nights in Hiroshima. The city was completely destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945 and the people there chose to leave a partially destroyed building insitu as a reminder of what happened there. It's very striking.
But it's not just all about death and destruction when you visit either Hiroshima or Nagasaki. It'S an important thing to note about both of these cities. Life has gone on here, buildings have been rebuilt and there is a huge amount of pride on view.
Castle in Hiroshima
In fact in Hiroshima we saw our first baseball game! Once we figured out what was going on it was really good fun and the cheer leaders made it very exciting!
In Nagasaki there is a concerted effort to showcase the cities fascinating history. It was the only port in Japan to have any contact with the west for close on two centuries. Also not all of the city was completely destroyed when the bomb was dropped here so there are plenty of shrines to visit. It's a very beautiful place and both here and Hiroshima are a high light of coming to Japan.
The spectacle bridge
So far we've visited Kyoto...
Such a beautiful and Japanesee city. If you catch my drift. We wandered around the Gion district looking at temples and shrines and we even caught site of some Geisha as they moved through the streets. Unfortunately I got so excited that I forgot to take a picture... You can't win them all I guess!
Here are some girls in Kimono as the next best thing.
Shrine in Kyoto
We also spent two nights in Hiroshima. The city was completely destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945 and the people there chose to leave a partially destroyed building insitu as a reminder of what happened there. It's very striking.
But it's not just all about death and destruction when you visit either Hiroshima or Nagasaki. It'S an important thing to note about both of these cities. Life has gone on here, buildings have been rebuilt and there is a huge amount of pride on view.
Castle in Hiroshima
In fact in Hiroshima we saw our first baseball game! Once we figured out what was going on it was really good fun and the cheer leaders made it very exciting!
In Nagasaki there is a concerted effort to showcase the cities fascinating history. It was the only port in Japan to have any contact with the west for close on two centuries. Also not all of the city was completely destroyed when the bomb was dropped here so there are plenty of shrines to visit. It's a very beautiful place and both here and Hiroshima are a high light of coming to Japan.
The spectacle bridge
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Oooo Exciting!
I`ve just learned that two of my photos on Flickr of Dublin have been shortlisted for the Schmaps on line guide!
The photos are this one of Merrion Square
and this one of the Grand Canal
I`ll let you know if I`m successful!
The photos are this one of Merrion Square
and this one of the Grand Canal
I`ll let you know if I`m successful!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Earthquake
I didn`t realise the seriousness of yesterday`s earthquake here in Japan when I was writing last night. Here`s the latest BBC update . Hopefully that`s the end of it for the moment and the earth will remain nice and stable for the next two weeks...
Monday, July 16, 2007
Turning Japanese I really think so...
Yeah I know a predictable post title but I could`t resist it!
So we`re now officially out of China. We landed in Tokyo this afternoon after a very pleasant flight with Cathay Pacific and are lucky enough to have missed the Typhoon that was threatening to strike Tokyo over the weekend, I think we`re out of danger here now! However I did notice on the train into the city from the airport that there were delays to some trains due to an earthquake! We don`t get interesting stuff like this happening to us in Ireland so it`s a whole new world of experience for this Travelling Trixi! Bring it on I say so long as nobody gets hurt.
We`re here in Japan for the next two weeks it`s expensive so we`re on budget rations but that`s ok we`re not complaining. I haven`t seen anything of Tokyo to report yet apart from the fact that every person we met has been very friendly and helpful and everyone seems to have a word of English which is helpful!
Once agin we encountered difficulties with uploading photos in Hong Kong so I`ll just have to keep trying!
We had a ball there though. Once we got over the tiredness that comes with travelling for a protracted period of time we really got into the swing of the city. The museums are amazing and I especially would recommend the Science Museum which had this big kid running around pressing buttons and getting all interactive with the scientific stuff. It was very cool.
I also loved the Star Ferry tour of Victoria Harbour. We took the 6.00p.m. boat and it was perfect. The sun was setting and the sky, the water in the harbour and the waterfront buildings were all bathed in a beautiful red glow. The weather was balmy to hot and the breeze was a blessing as it came over the water. It was incredibly relaxing and beautiful and definately another thing to recommend. Also the walk around the Peak is something to savour. The views are incredible and even in the heat it was a very pleasant way to spend an hour.
The other side of Hong Kong is of course the shopping. And boy can you shop if you want to drop. I loved the night markets on Temple road, the bargaining was hard but there were good souvenirs and gifts to be got there if you were up for the challenge. There was also a constant queue outside Louis Vuitton in Tim Shui Tsai which puzzled and amused us in equal measure! Why do people bother? That`s a rhetorical question I really don`t care why people waste their time in such ways! But the sheer pointlessness amused me!
So now we`re in Tokyo. I`m going to miss China a lot I know but I am looking forward to travelling in Japan over the next two weeks. I hope I fall in love with this country as completely as I fell in love with China...
So we`re now officially out of China. We landed in Tokyo this afternoon after a very pleasant flight with Cathay Pacific and are lucky enough to have missed the Typhoon that was threatening to strike Tokyo over the weekend, I think we`re out of danger here now! However I did notice on the train into the city from the airport that there were delays to some trains due to an earthquake! We don`t get interesting stuff like this happening to us in Ireland so it`s a whole new world of experience for this Travelling Trixi! Bring it on I say so long as nobody gets hurt.
We`re here in Japan for the next two weeks it`s expensive so we`re on budget rations but that`s ok we`re not complaining. I haven`t seen anything of Tokyo to report yet apart from the fact that every person we met has been very friendly and helpful and everyone seems to have a word of English which is helpful!
Once agin we encountered difficulties with uploading photos in Hong Kong so I`ll just have to keep trying!
We had a ball there though. Once we got over the tiredness that comes with travelling for a protracted period of time we really got into the swing of the city. The museums are amazing and I especially would recommend the Science Museum which had this big kid running around pressing buttons and getting all interactive with the scientific stuff. It was very cool.
I also loved the Star Ferry tour of Victoria Harbour. We took the 6.00p.m. boat and it was perfect. The sun was setting and the sky, the water in the harbour and the waterfront buildings were all bathed in a beautiful red glow. The weather was balmy to hot and the breeze was a blessing as it came over the water. It was incredibly relaxing and beautiful and definately another thing to recommend. Also the walk around the Peak is something to savour. The views are incredible and even in the heat it was a very pleasant way to spend an hour.
The other side of Hong Kong is of course the shopping. And boy can you shop if you want to drop. I loved the night markets on Temple road, the bargaining was hard but there were good souvenirs and gifts to be got there if you were up for the challenge. There was also a constant queue outside Louis Vuitton in Tim Shui Tsai which puzzled and amused us in equal measure! Why do people bother? That`s a rhetorical question I really don`t care why people waste their time in such ways! But the sheer pointlessness amused me!
So now we`re in Tokyo. I`m going to miss China a lot I know but I am looking forward to travelling in Japan over the next two weeks. I hope I fall in love with this country as completely as I fell in love with China...
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Farewell to China
Well we've arrived in Hong Kong and said our sad goodbyes to China.
I've written an account of how we got here and hope that this post will appear first and the rest in order of where we went. It may not work out that way so bear with me!
![IMG_2206[1]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1373/534134357_f20bed6ef5_m.jpg)
Tianamen Square
I also hope to get some photos up and sent to friends and family over the next week so there should be more colour coming soon.
I had the most amazing experiences in China over the last few weeks and I'm really not ready to leave yet, but time is moving on and there's a whole wide world to be seen yet.
I'm going to ease myself into Hong Kong by going to see the light show this evening and saying goodbye to our new friends.
I'll check in again later on in the week.
I've written an account of how we got here and hope that this post will appear first and the rest in order of where we went. It may not work out that way so bear with me!
Tianamen Square
I also hope to get some photos up and sent to friends and family over the next week so there should be more colour coming soon.
I had the most amazing experiences in China over the last few weeks and I'm really not ready to leave yet, but time is moving on and there's a whole wide world to be seen yet.
I'm going to ease myself into Hong Kong by going to see the light show this evening and saying goodbye to our new friends.
I'll check in again later on in the week.
Yangshou
They refer to Yangshou as a a back packers paradise and that it certainly is.
The scenery in this part of China is breathtaking and we went on a fantastic bike ride to Fuli village on one of the mornings we were there. I really enjoyed the little excursion and have made up my mind to purchase myself a bike when I get home. It's a cool way to get around.
We also attended a chinese cookery school which was great fun. We learned how to stuff pumpkin flowers, cook egg plant, make beer fish (fish cooked in beer a local delicacy) and chicken with cashew nuts. I have a recipe book and plan to practice more of this type of cooking when I get back.
We also witnessed the ritual beheading and preparing of snake meat for dinner. Now I know not everyone would be into this and I didn't think I would be either, but one thing I've learned on this trip is that food is food whatever way it comes and it all has it's merits. I drew the line at drinking snake blood though. That was a step too far for me.
We also tried our hand at Chinese painting which was very relaxing. That combined with some accupuncture put me in a very relaxed frame of mind for our last overnight train to Hong Kong.
The scenery in this part of China is breathtaking and we went on a fantastic bike ride to Fuli village on one of the mornings we were there. I really enjoyed the little excursion and have made up my mind to purchase myself a bike when I get home. It's a cool way to get around.
We also attended a chinese cookery school which was great fun. We learned how to stuff pumpkin flowers, cook egg plant, make beer fish (fish cooked in beer a local delicacy) and chicken with cashew nuts. I have a recipe book and plan to practice more of this type of cooking when I get back.
We also witnessed the ritual beheading and preparing of snake meat for dinner. Now I know not everyone would be into this and I didn't think I would be either, but one thing I've learned on this trip is that food is food whatever way it comes and it all has it's merits. I drew the line at drinking snake blood though. That was a step too far for me.
We also tried our hand at Chinese painting which was very relaxing. That combined with some accupuncture put me in a very relaxed frame of mind for our last overnight train to Hong Kong.
Longsheng
oooohhhh Beautiful beautiful Longsheng. This place on our itinerary was far and away my highlight.
We stayed amongst the terraced rice paddies of the dragons spine for two nights. We walked for a total of 10 hours up and down the rice paddies, calling nie hao to everyone we met, laughing everytime someone slipped and nearly killed themselves in the mud, rescued puppies, got drenched in sweat and rain.... It was amazing.
Rice Terraces
The houses in the villages are made of wood and as they are built on terraces each house over looks it's neighbour. There was an incredibly strong feeling of community and peace there and everyone we met had a kind word and smile for us. There are two minorities living in the area we stayed with the zhuan minority and met women of the miao minority who unwound their long hair for us so they could demonstrate how they dressed it.
I really liked this part of our trip as it really felt like the fact that we were there was of benefit to these people. We were supporting their economy and their way of life and I loved every minute of it. I hated leaving the peace and beauty of that place.
We stayed amongst the terraced rice paddies of the dragons spine for two nights. We walked for a total of 10 hours up and down the rice paddies, calling nie hao to everyone we met, laughing everytime someone slipped and nearly killed themselves in the mud, rescued puppies, got drenched in sweat and rain.... It was amazing.
Rice Terraces
The houses in the villages are made of wood and as they are built on terraces each house over looks it's neighbour. There was an incredibly strong feeling of community and peace there and everyone we met had a kind word and smile for us. There are two minorities living in the area we stayed with the zhuan minority and met women of the miao minority who unwound their long hair for us so they could demonstrate how they dressed it.
I really liked this part of our trip as it really felt like the fact that we were there was of benefit to these people. We were supporting their economy and their way of life and I loved every minute of it. I hated leaving the peace and beauty of that place.
Shanghai
Of all the places I've been to in China I think Shanghai was my least favourite. It has a lot to offer and is a very busy commercial place but it just didn't do it for me.
Saying that though we had fun there all the same. The tourist tunnel was surreal and funny experience and if you're into 19th century porn by an add on for the sex exhibition, it's flippin priceless. Although once I realised that all the porcelein chinese women were depicted with bound feet it was slightly less funny... and a lot more surreal.
The boat ride to see the lights of Shanghai is pretty cool but I wouldn't go up the Pearl tower again. The queues were Chinese style - chaotic and I just wasn't in the humour for it on that night. I think after the peace of Hangshou, Shanghai just grated on me a little. Lots of other people loved it though.
Saying that though we had fun there all the same. The tourist tunnel was surreal and funny experience and if you're into 19th century porn by an add on for the sex exhibition, it's flippin priceless. Although once I realised that all the porcelein chinese women were depicted with bound feet it was slightly less funny... and a lot more surreal.
The boat ride to see the lights of Shanghai is pretty cool but I wouldn't go up the Pearl tower again. The queues were Chinese style - chaotic and I just wasn't in the humour for it on that night. I think after the peace of Hangshou, Shanghai just grated on me a little. Lots of other people loved it though.
Hangshou
Hangshou is known in China to be it's most beautiful city. The main attraction there is the West Lake. It lives up to it's tag line I have to say.
We spent a very pleasant afternoon strolling around the lake on the first day we arrived and on the second day we spent an even more pleasant morning cycling around it! We also visited a tea museum and plantation which was really interesting.
I liked Hanshou so much better than Nanjing. We relaxed there and got some beautiful photos.
This is the famous Laughing Buddha, he's one of many rock carvings at Failin Temple complex and he just makes you happy to look at him!
We spent a very pleasant afternoon strolling around the lake on the first day we arrived and on the second day we spent an even more pleasant morning cycling around it! We also visited a tea museum and plantation which was really interesting.
I liked Hanshou so much better than Nanjing. We relaxed there and got some beautiful photos.
This is the famous Laughing Buddha, he's one of many rock carvings at Failin Temple complex and he just makes you happy to look at him!
Nanjing
It was only a short hop relatively speaking from Tai'an to Nanjing where city living was once again the order of the day.
Nanjing is a big place and there's loads to do there. As we only had a short time we visited the Presidential palace, the Taiping gardens and the Confucious temple as well as a trip out to Sun Yat Sen's monument.
There's a cool street with lots of night life called Fuziama street but beware of biting insects as Michelle and I got seriously huge disgusting bites there....
Nanjing is a big place and there's loads to do there. As we only had a short time we visited the Presidential palace, the Taiping gardens and the Confucious temple as well as a trip out to Sun Yat Sen's monument.
There's a cool street with lots of night life called Fuziama street but beware of biting insects as Michelle and I got seriously huge disgusting bites there....
Buyong Village and Taishan Mountain
We didn't actually stay for an night in Tai'an city but were bussed instead to a village outside the city called Buyong village. We were billeted with various families in the village for the night so that we could get a glimpse of how real people live here in China. It was brilliant.
For a start the food we were given was just out of this world. It was simple enough fair but there were was loads of it. We were also introduced to new varieties of vegtables each more delicious than the last. In fact I would have happily survived on veg and rice if I had to after eating the food cooked by our hosts.
We were also given the opportunity to visit the village kindergarten as well as other community run projects. The Kindergarten was one of my highlights though.
The kids were beautiful. They had a little show prepared for us and then demanded that we do a show for them.... It was pricelessly funny watching grown men attempting the macarena! Everyone was sick and sore from laughing afterwards.
We stayed in a very simple room that night complete with cockroaches, straw mattresses and a thundering rain shower! It was all good though and I'd go back in a heart beat!
The following day we were dared to climb the local holy mountain called Tai'shan. It's a buddhist and taoist holy place and there were no other tourists there attempthing the 6666 steps! It was tough going. About half the group went half way and then took the cable car whilst those with more energy ran up the remaining steep incline! All I'll say is that theview from the cable car was very picturesque!
For a start the food we were given was just out of this world. It was simple enough fair but there were was loads of it. We were also introduced to new varieties of vegtables each more delicious than the last. In fact I would have happily survived on veg and rice if I had to after eating the food cooked by our hosts.
We were also given the opportunity to visit the village kindergarten as well as other community run projects. The Kindergarten was one of my highlights though.
The kids were beautiful. They had a little show prepared for us and then demanded that we do a show for them.... It was pricelessly funny watching grown men attempting the macarena! Everyone was sick and sore from laughing afterwards.
We stayed in a very simple room that night complete with cockroaches, straw mattresses and a thundering rain shower! It was all good though and I'd go back in a heart beat!
The following day we were dared to climb the local holy mountain called Tai'shan. It's a buddhist and taoist holy place and there were no other tourists there attempthing the 6666 steps! It was tough going. About half the group went half way and then took the cable car whilst those with more energy ran up the remaining steep incline! All I'll say is that theview from the cable car was very picturesque!
Xi'an
We took an overnight train to Xi'an with the sole purpose of visiting the Terracotta warriors, it was something I was really looking forward to. As we landed so early in the morning we went straight to the historical site which was a real bonus as we got to see all the warehouses before the large buses of crowds of tourists arrived.
The warriors are amazing and I was almost drooling at the thought of all that lovely archaeology waiting to be discovered there. The sheer scale of the project is amazing and the Chinese have done an excellent job of presenting the story and the archaeology.
This was taken on camera phone I should have a better example later on.
For the rest of the time in Xi'an we visited the Muslim market which is definately one of the best markets we've been to on this trip. I got a silk brocade jacket made for me and the Boy picked up lots of gear that he had been looking for. Later that night we met up with the gang and had the most incredible meal. Hanif took us to a local restaurant, the type you'd walk past without even noticing that food was served there where we were introduced to Hot Pot. The principle is that there is a vat in front of you with stock of the chilli variety and the broth variety and the fun part is that you get to put whatever you want into the soup to cook! It's like fondu without the cheese. It was all very delicious and the communal eating part was just as much part of the experience as anything else! We then drank far too much beer and nursed our sore heads until we got our next overnight train to Tai'an.
The warriors are amazing and I was almost drooling at the thought of all that lovely archaeology waiting to be discovered there. The sheer scale of the project is amazing and the Chinese have done an excellent job of presenting the story and the archaeology.
This was taken on camera phone I should have a better example later on.
For the rest of the time in Xi'an we visited the Muslim market which is definately one of the best markets we've been to on this trip. I got a silk brocade jacket made for me and the Boy picked up lots of gear that he had been looking for. Later that night we met up with the gang and had the most incredible meal. Hanif took us to a local restaurant, the type you'd walk past without even noticing that food was served there where we were introduced to Hot Pot. The principle is that there is a vat in front of you with stock of the chilli variety and the broth variety and the fun part is that you get to put whatever you want into the soup to cook! It's like fondu without the cheese. It was all very delicious and the communal eating part was just as much part of the experience as anything else! We then drank far too much beer and nursed our sore heads until we got our next overnight train to Tai'an.
The Great Wall
Rather than taking the east route and heading for the closest section of the Great Wall to Beijing, we were driven at 5.45 in the morning to Simatai which is about 2 hours from Beijing. I had been warned that the Wall was a bit of an endurance challenge as there were hawkers to be avoided and as well as crowds of people vying to put their feet where yours were supposed to go. However at Simatai it was nothing like I was warned about.
The first thing we discovered was that we each were allocated our own personal salesman or woman. Each person has a companion who walks and talks to you as you scale the wall huffing and puffing fit to blow the house down! I was given a tiny little man who stank of drink abandoned me to take the short cut (cheaters walk I call it) and then guilted me into buying a t-shirt because he was an old man you see! It was all very strange and kind of funny.
The actual walk itself is about 10km and took around 3 hours. It was tough tough going. I think the pollution in Beijing was really beginning to affect my breathing and whilst I enjoyed the experience I would have preferred if I hadn't been so wrecked after it! The views from the wall are amazing and the actual experience of being there made up for any discomfort. We were also there practically by ourselves. Apart from our little companions the place was deserted. It was very peaceful, clean and there was a very real sense of history there. It was definately worth the hype.
The first thing we discovered was that we each were allocated our own personal salesman or woman. Each person has a companion who walks and talks to you as you scale the wall huffing and puffing fit to blow the house down! I was given a tiny little man who stank of drink abandoned me to take the short cut (cheaters walk I call it) and then guilted me into buying a t-shirt because he was an old man you see! It was all very strange and kind of funny.
The actual walk itself is about 10km and took around 3 hours. It was tough tough going. I think the pollution in Beijing was really beginning to affect my breathing and whilst I enjoyed the experience I would have preferred if I hadn't been so wrecked after it! The views from the wall are amazing and the actual experience of being there made up for any discomfort. We were also there practically by ourselves. Apart from our little companions the place was deserted. It was very peaceful, clean and there was a very real sense of history there. It was definately worth the hype.
Friday, June 15, 2007
All the Tea in China
We're really beginning to settle into our time here in China and have begun to enjoy many of the customs of ordinary people here immensely:
Tea drinking.
Coming from Ireland, where we drink a lot of tea anyway, the adaption to Chinese style tea drinking wasn't a problem for me. Also the fact that at home I prefer my tea black as opposed to the standard "tea in your milk" preference of most of my compatriots further made the adaption to Chinese tea drinking a little easier for me. The ritual behind having a pot of tea in a Chinese tea shop is really beautiful and relaxing. The varieties of tea available is incredible and so far I haven't tried one that I haven't liked, whether that be green, jasmine or oolong. It's all so very good. We've also tried Mongolian and Tibetan yak butter tea on our travels. The Mongolian option was palatable enough it's green tea made with milk and flavoured with salt, I liked it. Yak butter tea is also made with milk and is much more pungent and not as palatable in my opinion, but then I was pretty ill at the time I tried it, so I wouldn't take my word for it!
Duck eating:
I cannot praise the Peking Duck eating experience enough. They really know how to cook the skin of animals in this country. That includes pigs as well as ducks by the way. When you have a Peking Duck dinner there isn't a scrap of the bird that isn't used. From the head to the bones all are included in the meal at some stage, and are served in different and interesting ways.
Interneting:
As travellers we constantly have our eyes peeled for the one chinese character that we can definately recognise - wang ba! The Internet cafe's here are generally massive, futuristic, smoky and dark. They also don't provide USB connections as a rule so unfortunately we've had big problems uploading photos which is disappointing for us. Maybe Hong Kong will be better!
Sleeping:
Ok so maybe we're not indulging in this national past time as enthuasically as the Chinese do but we do get some sleep from time to time. The Chinese however are allowed in their constitution to sleep at work providing that the sleeping doesn't interfere with the work of others. The places where you find people asleep can be very strange. So far in the middle of a busy road is the top of my list of weird and wacky.
Avoiding death:
That sounds dramatic doesn't it? But every time you try to cross the road here and do so successfully is a major victory. The green man may mean pedestrians can walk safely in most of the world (except in Greece and Italy maybe) but here it means that the oncoming traffic should speed up, swerve to make contact, or swing into the right turn lane which for some reason never stops for the lights. They're the ones that'll get you if you're not watching out for it. Riding in a taxi is a lot of fun too if you don't mind lots of lane jumping and horn blowing as opposed to brake using. I will never complain about Irish drivers again.
That's the round up for the mo. Sorry again for the lack of colour. I can't view the pages myself at the moment so I'm just guessing about the blandness! It's only slightly frustrating at least I can post and retrieve mails, so forgive me if I don't reply to comments.
Tea drinking.
Coming from Ireland, where we drink a lot of tea anyway, the adaption to Chinese style tea drinking wasn't a problem for me. Also the fact that at home I prefer my tea black as opposed to the standard "tea in your milk" preference of most of my compatriots further made the adaption to Chinese tea drinking a little easier for me. The ritual behind having a pot of tea in a Chinese tea shop is really beautiful and relaxing. The varieties of tea available is incredible and so far I haven't tried one that I haven't liked, whether that be green, jasmine or oolong. It's all so very good. We've also tried Mongolian and Tibetan yak butter tea on our travels. The Mongolian option was palatable enough it's green tea made with milk and flavoured with salt, I liked it. Yak butter tea is also made with milk and is much more pungent and not as palatable in my opinion, but then I was pretty ill at the time I tried it, so I wouldn't take my word for it!
Duck eating:
I cannot praise the Peking Duck eating experience enough. They really know how to cook the skin of animals in this country. That includes pigs as well as ducks by the way. When you have a Peking Duck dinner there isn't a scrap of the bird that isn't used. From the head to the bones all are included in the meal at some stage, and are served in different and interesting ways.
Interneting:
As travellers we constantly have our eyes peeled for the one chinese character that we can definately recognise - wang ba! The Internet cafe's here are generally massive, futuristic, smoky and dark. They also don't provide USB connections as a rule so unfortunately we've had big problems uploading photos which is disappointing for us. Maybe Hong Kong will be better!
Sleeping:
Ok so maybe we're not indulging in this national past time as enthuasically as the Chinese do but we do get some sleep from time to time. The Chinese however are allowed in their constitution to sleep at work providing that the sleeping doesn't interfere with the work of others. The places where you find people asleep can be very strange. So far in the middle of a busy road is the top of my list of weird and wacky.
Avoiding death:
That sounds dramatic doesn't it? But every time you try to cross the road here and do so successfully is a major victory. The green man may mean pedestrians can walk safely in most of the world (except in Greece and Italy maybe) but here it means that the oncoming traffic should speed up, swerve to make contact, or swing into the right turn lane which for some reason never stops for the lights. They're the ones that'll get you if you're not watching out for it. Riding in a taxi is a lot of fun too if you don't mind lots of lane jumping and horn blowing as opposed to brake using. I will never complain about Irish drivers again.
That's the round up for the mo. Sorry again for the lack of colour. I can't view the pages myself at the moment so I'm just guessing about the blandness! It's only slightly frustrating at least I can post and retrieve mails, so forgive me if I don't reply to comments.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Update from Manchuria
We're currenlty in Dalian in a city in the north east of China near to the Korean border. We're quite proud of ourselves for getting here successfully and for booking our return to Beijing for later in the week. I think we're aclimatising to the Chinese way of doing things, though the queue jumping and spitting won't be habits that I'll be taking home with me!
However on the positive side of things I love the tea here. I love wandering the markets even if it means being harassed a little and I love the game of bargaining (when I have the energy to engage!). I also really enjoy meeting the people here in China. It's so funny to be busy doing my own thing only to look up and find a small crowd has gathered to watch me or just to have a look at one or either of us. It's not intrusive it's just curiousity and it's not surreptitious it's bold and open and I appreciate that. I also find the kindness of strangers to be incredible. My faith in human nature is returning and being restored and it's a wonderful feeling.
Dalian seems to be a fairly typical Chinese city. It's definately not as polluted as Beijing and the annoying cough I've been cultivating has abated since we landed here a day ago. We were out at the Summer palace in Beijing before catching the night train to Dalian, the day was very hot about 38c and sticky. I can honestly say I have never felt as dirty after a day of wandering around. I had to make do with wet-wipes as we didn't have time for a shower before leaving Beijing andthey were filthy after running them over my sticky skin! No wonder my poor lungs are beginning to give out.
So we're returning to the final time to Beijing towards the end of the week and then we embark on a three week tour of the rest of the country ending in Hong Kong. I'm not too sure what the internet accessibility will be like as we travel so I may have to store up the next instalment until Hong Kong in July...
However on the positive side of things I love the tea here. I love wandering the markets even if it means being harassed a little and I love the game of bargaining (when I have the energy to engage!). I also really enjoy meeting the people here in China. It's so funny to be busy doing my own thing only to look up and find a small crowd has gathered to watch me or just to have a look at one or either of us. It's not intrusive it's just curiousity and it's not surreptitious it's bold and open and I appreciate that. I also find the kindness of strangers to be incredible. My faith in human nature is returning and being restored and it's a wonderful feeling.
Dalian seems to be a fairly typical Chinese city. It's definately not as polluted as Beijing and the annoying cough I've been cultivating has abated since we landed here a day ago. We were out at the Summer palace in Beijing before catching the night train to Dalian, the day was very hot about 38c and sticky. I can honestly say I have never felt as dirty after a day of wandering around. I had to make do with wet-wipes as we didn't have time for a shower before leaving Beijing andthey were filthy after running them over my sticky skin! No wonder my poor lungs are beginning to give out.
So we're returning to the final time to Beijing towards the end of the week and then we embark on a three week tour of the rest of the country ending in Hong Kong. I'm not too sure what the internet accessibility will be like as we travel so I may have to store up the next instalment until Hong Kong in July...
Thursday, June 07, 2007
From the Rooftop of the World
We're currently in Lhasa, Tibet in the roof of the world and it's amazing to be here.
We took the Trans Tibetan train from Beijing on the 2nd of June and arrived here on the evening of the 4th. Getting here was as much of an adventure as actually being here and I will treasure the memories from that trip forever.
We travelled hard sleeper class which was an education in itself, believe me. We were due to travel soft sleeper which is slightly more salubrious in that there are only 4 berths per room and they have the luxury of a western style toilet. However hard sleeper it was for us due to the railway company overbooking the train. So we quickly adapted to the 6 berth rooms, no doors for privacy and the joys of a squat toilet on a train. Like I said it was an educational experience. We had a ball on the train despite the initial inconvenience. There were over 100 middle school children returning to Tibet after being in school in China for the past four years who decided to adopt us for the journey. There were times I was glad of the oxygen being pumped into our room as there were so many people gathered around us asking questions or simply just smiling at us. It was amazing.
On reaching Lhasa, I'm afraid I succumbed to a fairly serious bout of altitude sickness but thanks to a Tibetan drug called Gao Yuan Ning Jiao Nang I have rallied successfully. I would recommend this drug to anyone if you come here and suffer from the hell that is Accute Mountain Sickness.
Lhasa is an incredible city. The Tibetan people have the most beautiful faces I have ever seen. When the smile they light up all around them. Their language sounds like music and when they work together they sing. It's an amazing sound and one that makes you want to join them in their joy. I feel so lucky to be here and my only wish is that I could stay longer here.
We took the Trans Tibetan train from Beijing on the 2nd of June and arrived here on the evening of the 4th. Getting here was as much of an adventure as actually being here and I will treasure the memories from that trip forever.
We travelled hard sleeper class which was an education in itself, believe me. We were due to travel soft sleeper which is slightly more salubrious in that there are only 4 berths per room and they have the luxury of a western style toilet. However hard sleeper it was for us due to the railway company overbooking the train. So we quickly adapted to the 6 berth rooms, no doors for privacy and the joys of a squat toilet on a train. Like I said it was an educational experience. We had a ball on the train despite the initial inconvenience. There were over 100 middle school children returning to Tibet after being in school in China for the past four years who decided to adopt us for the journey. There were times I was glad of the oxygen being pumped into our room as there were so many people gathered around us asking questions or simply just smiling at us. It was amazing.
On reaching Lhasa, I'm afraid I succumbed to a fairly serious bout of altitude sickness but thanks to a Tibetan drug called Gao Yuan Ning Jiao Nang I have rallied successfully. I would recommend this drug to anyone if you come here and suffer from the hell that is Accute Mountain Sickness.
Lhasa is an incredible city. The Tibetan people have the most beautiful faces I have ever seen. When the smile they light up all around them. Their language sounds like music and when they work together they sing. It's an amazing sound and one that makes you want to join them in their joy. I feel so lucky to be here and my only wish is that I could stay longer here.
Friday, June 01, 2007
The East is Red
We've been in Beijing for a week now and we're settling in nicely here! It's a cool and crazy town with lots of positive things going for it, as well as the inevitable negative ones as well.
If you're arriving into the city from the railway station watch out for taxi touts and make sure you have the phone number of your hotel so that even if you don't have the name of the place you're staying in Chinese script at least a phone call can be made to get directions!
We stayed pretty quiet for the first few days, we were lucky enough to have chosen a hotel right in the middle of the Chinese, not tourist, shopping district so there was plenty to keep us occupied for the first few days without us having to travel too far! Once we ventured into Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden city we were glad we had gathered our energy first! Unfortunately most of the buildings around Tiananmen are closed for renovations before the Olympics next year. So we weren't able to gaze on the face of Mao this time round! But we did encounter a very persuasive scam operation whilst just hanging out!
As westerners we are attracting a lot of attention where-ever we go. This came as a surprise to me to be honest and everytime we get our photos taken or just stared out of it I have to laugh! We're like mini celebrities! But the biggest surprise I've had is when a lovely looking Chinese girl approached me to stroke my arm and to tell me that my skin was beautiful! I didn't know where to put myself! But apparantly that's the reason for all the attention... She also invited us to view some paintings in the Forbidden City which in turn became a hard sell routine to get us to pay massively inflated prices for student art! Be warned flattery is a weapon too!
![IMG_2246[1]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1209/535364326_028ac6806a_m.jpg)
The Forbidden City
We did meet a real artist whilst wandering along minding our own business who was great fun and filled us in on loads of info about Chinese paintings etc. It made me glad we hadn't shelled out in the Forbidden City.
![IMG_2253[1]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1032/535375568_448628d91b_m.jpg)
For now we can't upload any of our photos from the Trans Siberian trip or any of the ones we got here in Beijing as the facilities just aren't available here, which is a pity. As soon as we have any I'll post some to the relevant posts, promise!
We're heading off to Tibet tomorrow night on the train! I'm really looking forward to it. The train at it's highest point goes up to 5000m. We'll be provided with oxygen and will be on the train for 2 nights. One of the apparant slogans for the staff on the train is "Lack of oxygen is no excuse for not working". I'll leave you with that one and will hopefully report back after our foray into Tibet...
If you're arriving into the city from the railway station watch out for taxi touts and make sure you have the phone number of your hotel so that even if you don't have the name of the place you're staying in Chinese script at least a phone call can be made to get directions!
We stayed pretty quiet for the first few days, we were lucky enough to have chosen a hotel right in the middle of the Chinese, not tourist, shopping district so there was plenty to keep us occupied for the first few days without us having to travel too far! Once we ventured into Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden city we were glad we had gathered our energy first! Unfortunately most of the buildings around Tiananmen are closed for renovations before the Olympics next year. So we weren't able to gaze on the face of Mao this time round! But we did encounter a very persuasive scam operation whilst just hanging out!
As westerners we are attracting a lot of attention where-ever we go. This came as a surprise to me to be honest and everytime we get our photos taken or just stared out of it I have to laugh! We're like mini celebrities! But the biggest surprise I've had is when a lovely looking Chinese girl approached me to stroke my arm and to tell me that my skin was beautiful! I didn't know where to put myself! But apparantly that's the reason for all the attention... She also invited us to view some paintings in the Forbidden City which in turn became a hard sell routine to get us to pay massively inflated prices for student art! Be warned flattery is a weapon too!
The Forbidden City
We did meet a real artist whilst wandering along minding our own business who was great fun and filled us in on loads of info about Chinese paintings etc. It made me glad we hadn't shelled out in the Forbidden City.
For now we can't upload any of our photos from the Trans Siberian trip or any of the ones we got here in Beijing as the facilities just aren't available here, which is a pity. As soon as we have any I'll post some to the relevant posts, promise!
We're heading off to Tibet tomorrow night on the train! I'm really looking forward to it. The train at it's highest point goes up to 5000m. We'll be provided with oxygen and will be on the train for 2 nights. One of the apparant slogans for the staff on the train is "Lack of oxygen is no excuse for not working". I'll leave you with that one and will hopefully report back after our foray into Tibet...
Monday, May 28, 2007
Half a World Away...
We've arrived safely in Beijing following our epic and adventurous journey over a third of the globe by rail.
The Trans Siberian/Trans Mongolian rail trip is all it's cracked up to be and much more! Leave all your negative ideas about Russia, trains, hygiene and food behind and you'll have a ball!
Our journey started in Moscow on the 11th of May. Arrival into the country was uneventful and because we had nothing to declare whatsoever we sailed through customs once our visas were checked and registered. After a journey of about an hour and half by car we arrived at our hotel which was in the middle of about 5 of the major flea markets in Moscow! The hotel was comfortable and the area was colourful! We couldn't have asked for better.
On our second day our guide - Xena the Warrior Guidess took us on a three hour tour of Moscow in the driving rain! We started with a whistle stop tour of the metro stations, which to me sounded bizarre at first, but is something I have to recommend. I have never seen such opulence in a public place. There are brass chandeliers, mosaics set with semi precious stones and whole stations decorated wall to floor with priceless and rare marbles. It would put the Vatican in the shade at times! We also did the obligatory tours of Red Square, GUM and the Kremlin, which sparkled even in the rain.
The Kremlin
On our third day we spent our time exploring the local flea markets where you could buy anything and everything from German World War II helmets to beautifully hand crafted birch burrel boxes. It was a great place to blow a few hours and we came away with fantastic gifts and souvenirs. We were due to leave Moscow that evening on the #10 train to Irkutsk and the nerves were definitely beginning to set in!
We had left ourselves plenty of time to reach the station had stocked up on instant noodles, soups, had bought our tea supplies and mugs and figured we were as prepared as we were ever going to be for the four night and three day journey that awaited us.
Far from being boring or uncomfortable or in any way miserable our trip across Siberia has left us with enduring and fabulous memories. We were lucky to be sharing our cabin with two lovely Russians, Tanya from Tayshet who was returning home after a visit to her daughter, had limited German but no English and who was up for a bit of a laugh and some charades in order to communicate! There was also Andrey who was an ex power lifting former anti air craft gunner with some English, many "anecdotes" about crashing things and who I don't think drew breath for the entire journey! He was fantastic company!
The train itself was very comfortable, was vacuumed twice a day, had a trolley service for snacks and mad little woman who offered doughnut type breads stuffed with meat, cabbage and potato for all who wanted it! For some reason she found me particularly amusing maybe it was my wonder and surprise at the goodies she offered, who knows!
The views from the train windows were enough of themselves to keep you amused. As you leave Moscow further and further behind the countryside opens up before you. Huge skies, grasslands that give way to forrests that give way to Taiga, it's something you have to see to truly appreciate. Other diversions included stops at local train stations. At one all you could purchase there were stuffed toys, at another fish! And of course there were many where you could stock up on the necessities of life!
On reaching Irkutsk we were taken to Lake Baikal. To put it into some perspective the lake is half the size of Ireland! It's the largest fresh water fish in the world and the waters are incredibly pure. If we had been there a month earlier it would have been completely frozen over. In fact one of the popular ways to travel from Listvyanka to Port Baikal in winter is drive over the lake. It's very beautiful there and we were taken by our host for a long walk on the banks of the lake and for a picnic complete with camp fire and blackberry tea! We also were lucky enough to have two trips to the Banya, which after four days on a train was an absoloute necessity! Birch twigs, sauna and tea! It's a great combination...
Our trip to Ulaan Bataar was quieter than the one to Irkutsk but was just as amusing. The stories you may hear about Mongol traders on this train are all true! Why the trains are built with so many hiding places is beyond me! People were running up and down the train from the moment we set off, dragging bags, boxes and packages with them. We were in a compartment with two empty bunks and for some reason nobody tried to store goods with us! I think we provided entertainment value enough for everyone. It was a bit like living in a fish bowl as the whole train seemed to stop by to have a look at us! The border crossing was typically awful. Eight hours without a toilet! Enough said... My advice is stop drinking about 3 hours before you're due to arrive I had no problems once I had become completely dehydrated! But we got through after cursory searches and some tutting and frowning over our customs forms (we can't read Cyrillic you see!!!!). But all's well that ends well!
On arriving in Mongolia we were taken to the Terelj National Park where we stayed in a Ger tent. It was so beautiful there. There was a perfect silence and it was an ideal place to recharge the batteries. We also attempted to horse ride and made friends with a Mongol Nomad called Sanja. Nothing can really explain how amazing an experience we had there and I'll always treasure the memories.
The Ger camp
On the train to Beijing we met a lovely Swiss girl called Valerie who had spent three weeks in Northern Mongolia, riding and living with Nomads. Her pictures were amazing and I'd love to learn how to ride properly so I could do something like that. It's one for the future maybe.
By the time we were on the train to Beijing we were familiar with the routine! Valerie and her Swiss compatriot Patrick were once again great company and the time passed very quickly. The border crossing wasn't too bad but the toilets were once again out of action for 8 long hours! The gauge on the trains also have to be changed before entry into China and we were allowed to stay in the carriages as they were raised, gauges changed and put back on the tracks! It was cool but took a while!
The landscape on this leg of the journey was like nothing I've ever seen before. Travelling through the norhtern more hospitable part of the Gobi was an eye opener. Dust came in the windows as soon as the wind rose. We and all our belongings were covered in a not so thin layer of it almost immediatley. The sand storms enveloped everything and it amazed me to see people living in this inhospitable and miserable place. When we woke up the next morning in China the landscape couldn't have been more different. Blue skies, newly verdant hills, paddy fields giving way to mountains. It was amazing. We didn't pass the Great Wall unfortunately but will be seeing it up close later on in our trip.
Arrival into Beijing was a bit chaotic and a little scary as we had no-one to meet us here. But we're becoming more seasoned at this travelling lark and we found our way to our hotel with little trouble! We're staying very centrally here which gives us a chance to find our feet and get to know the city at our own pace.
I have to pinch myself every time I remember where I am! It's an amazing place and I really like it here, which is a relief!!!!
So that's it that's the bare bones of our Trans Siberian experience. Just two things to note if you are thinking of doing it. Firstly if you are stopping to trek at Yeketeringburg or Irkutsk try and get the Tick borne Encephilitis vaccine, it's a big problem in those areas and there isn't that much info available about it in the guidebooks. Secondly, the guidebooks are often wrong! Don't believe all the negative publicity and be prepared for the good things not just the advertised negatives, a daily shower isn't all it's cracked up to be ya know!!!
The Trans Siberian/Trans Mongolian rail trip is all it's cracked up to be and much more! Leave all your negative ideas about Russia, trains, hygiene and food behind and you'll have a ball!
Our journey started in Moscow on the 11th of May. Arrival into the country was uneventful and because we had nothing to declare whatsoever we sailed through customs once our visas were checked and registered. After a journey of about an hour and half by car we arrived at our hotel which was in the middle of about 5 of the major flea markets in Moscow! The hotel was comfortable and the area was colourful! We couldn't have asked for better.
On our second day our guide - Xena the Warrior Guidess took us on a three hour tour of Moscow in the driving rain! We started with a whistle stop tour of the metro stations, which to me sounded bizarre at first, but is something I have to recommend. I have never seen such opulence in a public place. There are brass chandeliers, mosaics set with semi precious stones and whole stations decorated wall to floor with priceless and rare marbles. It would put the Vatican in the shade at times! We also did the obligatory tours of Red Square, GUM and the Kremlin, which sparkled even in the rain.
The Kremlin
On our third day we spent our time exploring the local flea markets where you could buy anything and everything from German World War II helmets to beautifully hand crafted birch burrel boxes. It was a great place to blow a few hours and we came away with fantastic gifts and souvenirs. We were due to leave Moscow that evening on the #10 train to Irkutsk and the nerves were definitely beginning to set in!
We had left ourselves plenty of time to reach the station had stocked up on instant noodles, soups, had bought our tea supplies and mugs and figured we were as prepared as we were ever going to be for the four night and three day journey that awaited us.
Far from being boring or uncomfortable or in any way miserable our trip across Siberia has left us with enduring and fabulous memories. We were lucky to be sharing our cabin with two lovely Russians, Tanya from Tayshet who was returning home after a visit to her daughter, had limited German but no English and who was up for a bit of a laugh and some charades in order to communicate! There was also Andrey who was an ex power lifting former anti air craft gunner with some English, many "anecdotes" about crashing things and who I don't think drew breath for the entire journey! He was fantastic company!
The train itself was very comfortable, was vacuumed twice a day, had a trolley service for snacks and mad little woman who offered doughnut type breads stuffed with meat, cabbage and potato for all who wanted it! For some reason she found me particularly amusing maybe it was my wonder and surprise at the goodies she offered, who knows!
The views from the train windows were enough of themselves to keep you amused. As you leave Moscow further and further behind the countryside opens up before you. Huge skies, grasslands that give way to forrests that give way to Taiga, it's something you have to see to truly appreciate. Other diversions included stops at local train stations. At one all you could purchase there were stuffed toys, at another fish! And of course there were many where you could stock up on the necessities of life!
On reaching Irkutsk we were taken to Lake Baikal. To put it into some perspective the lake is half the size of Ireland! It's the largest fresh water fish in the world and the waters are incredibly pure. If we had been there a month earlier it would have been completely frozen over. In fact one of the popular ways to travel from Listvyanka to Port Baikal in winter is drive over the lake. It's very beautiful there and we were taken by our host for a long walk on the banks of the lake and for a picnic complete with camp fire and blackberry tea! We also were lucky enough to have two trips to the Banya, which after four days on a train was an absoloute necessity! Birch twigs, sauna and tea! It's a great combination...
Our trip to Ulaan Bataar was quieter than the one to Irkutsk but was just as amusing. The stories you may hear about Mongol traders on this train are all true! Why the trains are built with so many hiding places is beyond me! People were running up and down the train from the moment we set off, dragging bags, boxes and packages with them. We were in a compartment with two empty bunks and for some reason nobody tried to store goods with us! I think we provided entertainment value enough for everyone. It was a bit like living in a fish bowl as the whole train seemed to stop by to have a look at us! The border crossing was typically awful. Eight hours without a toilet! Enough said... My advice is stop drinking about 3 hours before you're due to arrive I had no problems once I had become completely dehydrated! But we got through after cursory searches and some tutting and frowning over our customs forms (we can't read Cyrillic you see!!!!). But all's well that ends well!
On arriving in Mongolia we were taken to the Terelj National Park where we stayed in a Ger tent. It was so beautiful there. There was a perfect silence and it was an ideal place to recharge the batteries. We also attempted to horse ride and made friends with a Mongol Nomad called Sanja. Nothing can really explain how amazing an experience we had there and I'll always treasure the memories.
The Ger camp
On the train to Beijing we met a lovely Swiss girl called Valerie who had spent three weeks in Northern Mongolia, riding and living with Nomads. Her pictures were amazing and I'd love to learn how to ride properly so I could do something like that. It's one for the future maybe.
By the time we were on the train to Beijing we were familiar with the routine! Valerie and her Swiss compatriot Patrick were once again great company and the time passed very quickly. The border crossing wasn't too bad but the toilets were once again out of action for 8 long hours! The gauge on the trains also have to be changed before entry into China and we were allowed to stay in the carriages as they were raised, gauges changed and put back on the tracks! It was cool but took a while!
The landscape on this leg of the journey was like nothing I've ever seen before. Travelling through the norhtern more hospitable part of the Gobi was an eye opener. Dust came in the windows as soon as the wind rose. We and all our belongings were covered in a not so thin layer of it almost immediatley. The sand storms enveloped everything and it amazed me to see people living in this inhospitable and miserable place. When we woke up the next morning in China the landscape couldn't have been more different. Blue skies, newly verdant hills, paddy fields giving way to mountains. It was amazing. We didn't pass the Great Wall unfortunately but will be seeing it up close later on in our trip.
Arrival into Beijing was a bit chaotic and a little scary as we had no-one to meet us here. But we're becoming more seasoned at this travelling lark and we found our way to our hotel with little trouble! We're staying very centrally here which gives us a chance to find our feet and get to know the city at our own pace.
I have to pinch myself every time I remember where I am! It's an amazing place and I really like it here, which is a relief!!!!
So that's it that's the bare bones of our Trans Siberian experience. Just two things to note if you are thinking of doing it. Firstly if you are stopping to trek at Yeketeringburg or Irkutsk try and get the Tick borne Encephilitis vaccine, it's a big problem in those areas and there isn't that much info available about it in the guidebooks. Secondly, the guidebooks are often wrong! Don't believe all the negative publicity and be prepared for the good things not just the advertised negatives, a daily shower isn't all it's cracked up to be ya know!!!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Behind the Iron Curtain...
We're currently in Riga, Latvia and are preparing ourselves to delve further behind the former Iron Curtain and arrive in Moscow at the end of this week!
Riga is a bit of a party town and seems to be a real hot spot for British Stag Parties that according to the locals cause havoc here at weekends. They don't mention problems from Irish Stag or Hen parties so I'm hoping we don't cause the same kind of problems here. We've even seen warnings from the British Embassy warning people not to forget where their hotels are and not to urinate in public! Nice!
In all fairness whilst it is very pretty here it does feel a bit like a bigger shiner Temple Bar! Dublin people will understand! But saying that we've had a lovely time here and have prepared ourselves for the next step of our journey.
It's unlikely that I'll have an opportunity to blog for the next couple of weeks as we'll be in transit to Beijing on the Trans Siberian railway.
We're due to stop twice, once at Lake Baikal and the second time in Mongolia. I'm looking forward to the trip but am nervous about entering and exiting Russia and just hope that everything will go ok for us. Apparantly random visa problems can occur for no known reason. Hopefully that won't be us!
The train journey itself sounds like it will be good fun and I'm not really concerned about it at all. In fact I'm looking forward to having to sit down for a while!
So that's the update for the moment. I'll be back as the Terminator once said, but it may be about two weeks, but keep checking in just in case I make a surprise appearance with strange tales about Mongol traders!
Riga is a bit of a party town and seems to be a real hot spot for British Stag Parties that according to the locals cause havoc here at weekends. They don't mention problems from Irish Stag or Hen parties so I'm hoping we don't cause the same kind of problems here. We've even seen warnings from the British Embassy warning people not to forget where their hotels are and not to urinate in public! Nice!
In all fairness whilst it is very pretty here it does feel a bit like a bigger shiner Temple Bar! Dublin people will understand! But saying that we've had a lovely time here and have prepared ourselves for the next step of our journey.
It's unlikely that I'll have an opportunity to blog for the next couple of weeks as we'll be in transit to Beijing on the Trans Siberian railway.
We're due to stop twice, once at Lake Baikal and the second time in Mongolia. I'm looking forward to the trip but am nervous about entering and exiting Russia and just hope that everything will go ok for us. Apparantly random visa problems can occur for no known reason. Hopefully that won't be us!
The train journey itself sounds like it will be good fun and I'm not really concerned about it at all. In fact I'm looking forward to having to sit down for a while!
So that's the update for the moment. I'll be back as the Terminator once said, but it may be about two weeks, but keep checking in just in case I make a surprise appearance with strange tales about Mongol traders!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Sausages and Beer
Warsaw has been fun and relaxing it has to be said.
I was a little confused by the "Old Town' at first as it is this strange other wordly historical town with something not quite right with it... But then I put the fact that the whole city was completely destroyed during World War II together with these newish buildings and realised that the Old Town had been rebuilt to look like it used to before the war. It's an impressive feat by the population here and well worth seeing.
I also have to commend the place as being great shopping value! And have to mention how yummy the beer and the sausages are!
I was a little confused by the "Old Town' at first as it is this strange other wordly historical town with something not quite right with it... But then I put the fact that the whole city was completely destroyed during World War II together with these newish buildings and realised that the Old Town had been rebuilt to look like it used to before the war. It's an impressive feat by the population here and well worth seeing.
I also have to commend the place as being great shopping value! And have to mention how yummy the beer and the sausages are!
Friday, May 04, 2007
Onwards and Upwards
Well our time in Greece has come to an end and we left the Mediteranean with a heavy heart.
We had a lovely time there and I think we'd both return gladly and spend some quality time in areas outside of Athens exploring more of what the country has to offer.
As it is we spent a day at Delphi, Epidaurus and Mycenae so we weren't doing too badly! From an archaeologists and historians point of view Greece is mind blowingly exciting! To stand on the Acropolis in Athens and look on the Parthenon was simply amazing. To then go and stand in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and to know that the next day we would be visiting the prehistoric Palace at Mycenae made me feel incredibly lucky to be able to not only visit these sites but to appreciate their meaning as well. It was a fantasitc experience and one I'll always treasure.
At the moment we have successfully arrived and are ensconced in Warsaw. It's obviously very different to Athens but is a lovely place to kick back and relax, which is what we need right now! The Old Town is preserved and very pretty. It's a holiday weekend here this weekend so the place is quiet and everyone is relaxed. It suits us down to the ground!
We had a lovely time there and I think we'd both return gladly and spend some quality time in areas outside of Athens exploring more of what the country has to offer.
As it is we spent a day at Delphi, Epidaurus and Mycenae so we weren't doing too badly! From an archaeologists and historians point of view Greece is mind blowingly exciting! To stand on the Acropolis in Athens and look on the Parthenon was simply amazing. To then go and stand in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and to know that the next day we would be visiting the prehistoric Palace at Mycenae made me feel incredibly lucky to be able to not only visit these sites but to appreciate their meaning as well. It was a fantasitc experience and one I'll always treasure.
At the moment we have successfully arrived and are ensconced in Warsaw. It's obviously very different to Athens but is a lovely place to kick back and relax, which is what we need right now! The Old Town is preserved and very pretty. It's a holiday weekend here this weekend so the place is quiet and everyone is relaxed. It suits us down to the ground!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Ancient Athens
We're onto our second week now and have moved from Bella Italia to Ancient Athens!
Emailing and blogging haven't been a major priority as you may have guessed in the last week but now that we've found our feet here we can spare a few moments to fill in the gaps!
Florence was a truly beautiful city and one that I would definately recommend to anyone, though be prepared to open your wallet as it can be expensive! It's also a good base for making excursions into the rest of Tuscany should you be so inclined. We went to Siena for the day and San Gimignano both places were really interesting and steeped in history. We enjoyed the trip. We also went to Pisa which was a bit of a swizz to be honest but the bus journey through the Tuscan countryside was well worth it. And we saw the famous Leaning Tower!
We're now currently in Athens. Compared to Italy, Greece seems less sophistacated, and also less expensive. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have it's charms! The food here is just gorgeous and good for you! I'm loving it!
Also the archaeology is astounding and it's awe inspiring to be able to stand before these iconic buildings that for me have only ever before existed in between the cover of books. I feel so lucky.
Emailing and blogging haven't been a major priority as you may have guessed in the last week but now that we've found our feet here we can spare a few moments to fill in the gaps!
Florence was a truly beautiful city and one that I would definately recommend to anyone, though be prepared to open your wallet as it can be expensive! It's also a good base for making excursions into the rest of Tuscany should you be so inclined. We went to Siena for the day and San Gimignano both places were really interesting and steeped in history. We enjoyed the trip. We also went to Pisa which was a bit of a swizz to be honest but the bus journey through the Tuscan countryside was well worth it. And we saw the famous Leaning Tower!
We're now currently in Athens. Compared to Italy, Greece seems less sophistacated, and also less expensive. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have it's charms! The food here is just gorgeous and good for you! I'm loving it!
Also the archaeology is astounding and it's awe inspiring to be able to stand before these iconic buildings that for me have only ever before existed in between the cover of books. I feel so lucky.
Friday, April 20, 2007
From Milan to Florence and back again
We're currently in the beautiful Medieval city of Florence and it's all I've ever dreamed it would be!
We spent our first night in Milan and had a blast wandering the streets of the city and enjoying the many outdoor art installations on show through out the Sforza castle grounds and on the streets of Milan itself.
We're currently in Florence and it's truly a beautiful place, with so much to see and do here it would make your head spin. We travelled to Fiseole today and wandered around the Roman ruins there, ate icecream and generally chilled out.
We plan to head to Pisa and Siena as well over the next few days so you could say that things are going well1
We spent our first night in Milan and had a blast wandering the streets of the city and enjoying the many outdoor art installations on show through out the Sforza castle grounds and on the streets of Milan itself.
We're currently in Florence and it's truly a beautiful place, with so much to see and do here it would make your head spin. We travelled to Fiseole today and wandered around the Roman ruins there, ate icecream and generally chilled out.
We plan to head to Pisa and Siena as well over the next few days so you could say that things are going well1
Sunday, April 15, 2007
On the road... again
Right we're off again!
Here is a map of the first part of our Journey!
The rest will be updated as we go along. I'm not prepared to tempt fate any further...
Here is a map of the first part of our Journey!
The rest will be updated as we go along. I'm not prepared to tempt fate any further...
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Further preparation
Things are hotting up nicely on the preparation front!
We now have all three visas for Russia, China and Mongolia. Despite my nervousness about applying for them it was a pain free experience all round.
My three top tips for applying for visas in Russia and China if you are living in Ireland are as follows:
1) Turn up early, especially if you want to collect them on the same day. The sooner you're in there the sooner you get out.
2)Read the instructions carefully!
If you're going for Russian visas you need a voucher in Russian and an invitation. You also should duplicate the applications and bring the duplicate with you when you travel as having a visa doesn't guarantee entry into the country. Don't do what these arrogant middle aged women did when I was there. It's not clever or funny to turn up with nothing but a cheque book.
3)Smile! It cheers everyone if you're pleasant and respectful, you are on their territory after all!
I'm getting very excited now!
We now have all three visas for Russia, China and Mongolia. Despite my nervousness about applying for them it was a pain free experience all round.
My three top tips for applying for visas in Russia and China if you are living in Ireland are as follows:
1) Turn up early, especially if you want to collect them on the same day. The sooner you're in there the sooner you get out.
2)Read the instructions carefully!
If you're going for Russian visas you need a voucher in Russian and an invitation. You also should duplicate the applications and bring the duplicate with you when you travel as having a visa doesn't guarantee entry into the country. Don't do what these arrogant middle aged women did when I was there. It's not clever or funny to turn up with nothing but a cheque book.
3)Smile! It cheers everyone if you're pleasant and respectful, you are on their territory after all!
I'm getting very excited now!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Visa Numero Uno
Our trip to London last week concluded with us successfully securing our first visa! We can safely enter and exit Mongolia during the months of May, June and July should we so choose!
It was all very straightforward with only the small hurdle of a taciturn and disdainful Monoglian civil servant to be cleared. We were in and out with visas in place within two hours. It was an extra £20 well spent if you ask me! We could have left our passports there and saved the £20 but we were on a tight deadline as we had to fly home again and didn't want to risk being stranded without passports in London. We could also have elected to apply by post but we were heading to London anyway so it seemed as easy to just go and do it in person.
I was due to apply for Russian and Chinese visas this week but have been struck down by something yucky in my tummy. However if I improve I might get one of them sorted towards the end of the week, and the other one can wait til next week.
We have also booked and paid for our round the world tickets with Trailfinders in Cork and they were full of helpful advice and joie de vivre! It was an easy way to spend a lot of money!
Details of the intinerary will follow but I'm loathe to say too much at the moment in case I jinx myself again...
It was all very straightforward with only the small hurdle of a taciturn and disdainful Monoglian civil servant to be cleared. We were in and out with visas in place within two hours. It was an extra £20 well spent if you ask me! We could have left our passports there and saved the £20 but we were on a tight deadline as we had to fly home again and didn't want to risk being stranded without passports in London. We could also have elected to apply by post but we were heading to London anyway so it seemed as easy to just go and do it in person.
I was due to apply for Russian and Chinese visas this week but have been struck down by something yucky in my tummy. However if I improve I might get one of them sorted towards the end of the week, and the other one can wait til next week.
We have also booked and paid for our round the world tickets with Trailfinders in Cork and they were full of helpful advice and joie de vivre! It was an easy way to spend a lot of money!
Details of the intinerary will follow but I'm loathe to say too much at the moment in case I jinx myself again...
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Plans are afoot
Well the bad news (if you want to look at it that way) is that we will be Ireland bound for another few weeks. But the good news is that things are beginning to move for us and there is an end in sight!
We should be leaving these fair shores (once again) towards the end of the month and in the meantime it is my job to "organise us".
By the time we leave this time we will have a fully planned itinerary, visas and plane tickets!
We had previously planned to organise on the road as we were travelling in Europe for so long and the visas that we needed would have expired before we got to use them! So now the plan is to spend less time in Europe and we should be in Russia in early to mid May! I'm very excited....
We can organise visas for Russia and China here in Dublin and even get them processed in 24 hours by paying extra and the Mongolian visa can be expressed through the London consulate.
I'm feeling much calmer and more in control of the whole process now. So wish me luck as we try to get this show back on the road!
We should be leaving these fair shores (once again) towards the end of the month and in the meantime it is my job to "organise us".
By the time we leave this time we will have a fully planned itinerary, visas and plane tickets!
We had previously planned to organise on the road as we were travelling in Europe for so long and the visas that we needed would have expired before we got to use them! So now the plan is to spend less time in Europe and we should be in Russia in early to mid May! I'm very excited....
We can organise visas for Russia and China here in Dublin and even get them processed in 24 hours by paying extra and the Mongolian visa can be expressed through the London consulate.
I'm feeling much calmer and more in control of the whole process now. So wish me luck as we try to get this show back on the road!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
A change of direction!
Where do I start?
Well we've had a change of plans and direction in the last week which was necessitated by some good news for a change!
My Lovely Boy is soon to become a Lovely Published Boy! Much to our delight his manuscript which was submitted just before we left, was accepted by a publisher! We really didn't expect such a quick response and were fully prepared to wait 3 or 4 months before hearing anything at all about it's prospects! So we're delighted to be able to return home for a short while to deal with the "business" side of things! It's not a bad thing! The book by the way is a history book and is based on an aspect of Irish history during the War of Independence which you don't see much written about. I don't want to say too much just yet cause it's his business.
So the deal is that we're here for a while, don't know how long yet, it'll be a couple of weeks anyway. Which will give the Continent a bit of time to prepare itself for us with more sunshine and less biting winds sil vous plait! We're probably not going to do the Scandinavian trip this time but have talked about taking a holiday to see the Northern Lights sometime else. The break at home will give me chance to learn some basic language skills in Italian and Spanish as well as getting visas sorted for Russia, Mongolia and China so all is not lost! I don't think I'll try to learn Chinese or Russian it might just be a bit beyond me!
Well we've had a change of plans and direction in the last week which was necessitated by some good news for a change!
My Lovely Boy is soon to become a Lovely Published Boy! Much to our delight his manuscript which was submitted just before we left, was accepted by a publisher! We really didn't expect such a quick response and were fully prepared to wait 3 or 4 months before hearing anything at all about it's prospects! So we're delighted to be able to return home for a short while to deal with the "business" side of things! It's not a bad thing! The book by the way is a history book and is based on an aspect of Irish history during the War of Independence which you don't see much written about. I don't want to say too much just yet cause it's his business.
So the deal is that we're here for a while, don't know how long yet, it'll be a couple of weeks anyway. Which will give the Continent a bit of time to prepare itself for us with more sunshine and less biting winds sil vous plait! We're probably not going to do the Scandinavian trip this time but have talked about taking a holiday to see the Northern Lights sometime else. The break at home will give me chance to learn some basic language skills in Italian and Spanish as well as getting visas sorted for Russia, Mongolia and China so all is not lost! I don't think I'll try to learn Chinese or Russian it might just be a bit beyond me!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Vive La France!
We are now onto week three and our second country and nobody's dead yet so I can report all is basicly going fine!
Our last few days in Barcelona were lovely, we ate lots of tapas and chilled a lot! We also made it to Sagrada Familia, and to Park Guell to gaze in wonder at Gaudi's work. Here's my tip though if you are going to visit Sagrada Familia. It is under construction and while the facade looks amazing, internally it is covered, literally, in scaffolding. So if you want to pay 8 euro a heqd to look at scaffolding, go for it! Also (and this really annoyed me, in fact the story of Jesus throwing out the money lenders from the temple came to mind) if you plan to asscend to the top of the church it's an additional 2 euro per person! Personally I saw all I needed to see from the ouside and will happily return to visit the internal church at a later date when there is more to see!
Sagrada Familia
Internal Church without scaffolding!
Park Guell
We moved on to Carcassonne on Saturday as I have been curious about the place for a long time! We took a train from Barcelona to Cerberre and from there another connection to Narbonne and a final connection to Carcassonne! I have find the story of the Cathar heresy fascinating and wanted to see the medieval citè. Mmmm I have to say it didn't float my boat! I am an archaeologist, I know what Medieval buildings look like! La Citè is not medieval! Talk about the Disneyfication of history! I was not impressed with the turrets nor the colour co-ordinated roof tops at all! And there wasn't a Cathar to be found! Or at any rate any information apart from what I read on the back of a beer bottle! It was a strqnge place indeed, but the people were very friendly and helpful and it was a good place to experience living like a French person!
Right now we're in Paris and are going to bunk down here for a little while as we've always fancied learning more about this city and this is a good opportunity! We endured a seven and a half hour train journey very easily, in fact it was quite pleasant and the scenery was fab! In fact I'd recommend it!
Well that's it for now there are more photos on flickr so keep checking in!
Our last few days in Barcelona were lovely, we ate lots of tapas and chilled a lot! We also made it to Sagrada Familia, and to Park Guell to gaze in wonder at Gaudi's work. Here's my tip though if you are going to visit Sagrada Familia. It is under construction and while the facade looks amazing, internally it is covered, literally, in scaffolding. So if you want to pay 8 euro a heqd to look at scaffolding, go for it! Also (and this really annoyed me, in fact the story of Jesus throwing out the money lenders from the temple came to mind) if you plan to asscend to the top of the church it's an additional 2 euro per person! Personally I saw all I needed to see from the ouside and will happily return to visit the internal church at a later date when there is more to see!
Sagrada Familia
Internal Church without scaffolding!
Park Guell
We moved on to Carcassonne on Saturday as I have been curious about the place for a long time! We took a train from Barcelona to Cerberre and from there another connection to Narbonne and a final connection to Carcassonne! I have find the story of the Cathar heresy fascinating and wanted to see the medieval citè. Mmmm I have to say it didn't float my boat! I am an archaeologist, I know what Medieval buildings look like! La Citè is not medieval! Talk about the Disneyfication of history! I was not impressed with the turrets nor the colour co-ordinated roof tops at all! And there wasn't a Cathar to be found! Or at any rate any information apart from what I read on the back of a beer bottle! It was a strqnge place indeed, but the people were very friendly and helpful and it was a good place to experience living like a French person!
Right now we're in Paris and are going to bunk down here for a little while as we've always fancied learning more about this city and this is a good opportunity! We endured a seven and a half hour train journey very easily, in fact it was quite pleasant and the scenery was fab! In fact I'd recommend it!
Well that's it for now there are more photos on flickr so keep checking in!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
The second week
Well we´re still here in Barcelona soaking up the rays and enjoying the tapas!
It´s proven harder than expected to leave this beautiful city so we have stayed on a few days longer to laze around and take in the atmosphere.
We went to see Barcelona play Gymnastic last sunday at Camp Nou, which is probably been the highlight of the trip. I got to see Ronaldhino play in the flesh! I´m still buzzing over it! They won 3-0 and Iniesta came over to close to where we were sitting to do his goal celebration thing! It´s the little things that make me happy!
I think the thing I like best about Barcelona is the way you can just wander and explore and discover the most beautiful architecture around corners that you might have missed on another day. The weather is so clement at this time of the year and the tourists are fairly thin on the ground all of which combine to make it a great time to come here. So if you are considering visiting then think about a winter visit! Besides the heat here in summer is crazy, too hot for my blood at least!
We´re due to leave on saturday and need to sort out our train tickets to Carcassonne today. From what I can see it´ll be a long enough trip with changes in Narbonne and possibly Port Bou, but we´ll handle it we´re well rested and getting itchy to move again!
So far I have been dedicated to keeping a daily account of what´s been going on in the fabulous journal the lovely Elke gave me for the trip. It amuses me to act like a Victorian lady on a european tour! It will also serve to remind me of what I got up to on this trip which considering my capacity for forgetting stuff is a gift in itself! Thanks again Moose!
It´s proven harder than expected to leave this beautiful city so we have stayed on a few days longer to laze around and take in the atmosphere.
We went to see Barcelona play Gymnastic last sunday at Camp Nou, which is probably been the highlight of the trip. I got to see Ronaldhino play in the flesh! I´m still buzzing over it! They won 3-0 and Iniesta came over to close to where we were sitting to do his goal celebration thing! It´s the little things that make me happy!
I think the thing I like best about Barcelona is the way you can just wander and explore and discover the most beautiful architecture around corners that you might have missed on another day. The weather is so clement at this time of the year and the tourists are fairly thin on the ground all of which combine to make it a great time to come here. So if you are considering visiting then think about a winter visit! Besides the heat here in summer is crazy, too hot for my blood at least!
We´re due to leave on saturday and need to sort out our train tickets to Carcassonne today. From what I can see it´ll be a long enough trip with changes in Narbonne and possibly Port Bou, but we´ll handle it we´re well rested and getting itchy to move again!
So far I have been dedicated to keeping a daily account of what´s been going on in the fabulous journal the lovely Elke gave me for the trip. It amuses me to act like a Victorian lady on a european tour! It will also serve to remind me of what I got up to on this trip which considering my capacity for forgetting stuff is a gift in itself! Thanks again Moose!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Photos!
Come see my photos on Flickr!
(They´re in the sidebar just click and view!)
All comments welcome....
(They´re in the sidebar just click and view!)
All comments welcome....
Saturday, January 20, 2007
One week down
I can´t believe we left home just over a week ago it really and truly feels a lot longer than that. I expected to be tired while travelling but the reality of the tiredness has taken my by surprise.
We´re in Barcelona until next saturday and we have decided to take it easy today. We had a very active day yesterday taking in a tour of Camp Nou, organising tickets for the game tomorrow night and then finding the CosmoCaixa museum and getting completely blown away by how cool it is. So cool in fact I think we´re going to have to go back before we leave here!
Barcelona is an amazing city, I have to say that I do prefer it to Madrid and we both feel very relaxed here. Also the fact that the temperature is in the early 20´s centigrade is helping the feel good factor! We´re swanning around in t-shirts and sweaty faces and the natives are still wrapped up in heavy winter coats and scarves! It´s made me realise just how miserable the poor Spanish must feel when they visit places like Ireland where the weather can be pretty miserable and the weather here today would constitute a decent summer´s day back home! But I guess that´s the beauty of travel!
We still have lots to see and do here in Barcelona but we have another week left and should be reenergised for more sight seeing soon! Then it´s off to Carcassonne for a few days and then to Paris, I think, though I don´t like the look of those storms in northern Europe so we´ll see about that one!
P.S. I should have photos to share soon...
We´re in Barcelona until next saturday and we have decided to take it easy today. We had a very active day yesterday taking in a tour of Camp Nou, organising tickets for the game tomorrow night and then finding the CosmoCaixa museum and getting completely blown away by how cool it is. So cool in fact I think we´re going to have to go back before we leave here!
Barcelona is an amazing city, I have to say that I do prefer it to Madrid and we both feel very relaxed here. Also the fact that the temperature is in the early 20´s centigrade is helping the feel good factor! We´re swanning around in t-shirts and sweaty faces and the natives are still wrapped up in heavy winter coats and scarves! It´s made me realise just how miserable the poor Spanish must feel when they visit places like Ireland where the weather can be pretty miserable and the weather here today would constitute a decent summer´s day back home! But I guess that´s the beauty of travel!
We still have lots to see and do here in Barcelona but we have another week left and should be reenergised for more sight seeing soon! Then it´s off to Carcassonne for a few days and then to Paris, I think, though I don´t like the look of those storms in northern Europe so we´ll see about that one!
P.S. I should have photos to share soon...
Monday, January 15, 2007
And so it begins...
Here we are in Madrid! It´s sunny, there are blue skies and you don´t need a raincoat! Not a bad beginning to our trip considering we started off on a cold and windy morning in Dublin faced with the news that all planes were delayed due to a combination of bad weather and the little matter of a runaway refugee. It could only happen in Ireland!
We´ve had a lovely few days taking in what Madrid has to offer. The Prado, Thyssen and Sofia Reina museums are a must if you plan to come here! Í´m still in shock and awe at the fantasic offerings on show in all three... I am now a major fan of El Greco,
![image081[1]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/358284893_dba7aee071_m.jpg)
How cool is that?
We also managed to take in a match at the Bernebeu last night, Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza. It was fantastic! The atmosphere was electric with excitement and it was such a treat to watch proper football played by real players! I loved every minute of it. We were seated behind the north goal, the one Van Nistlerooy scored in, and that was an extra kick!
Well it´s off to Barcelona tomorrow for about a week I think and we´ll try and load some photos up if there´s any worth sharing!
We´ve had a lovely few days taking in what Madrid has to offer. The Prado, Thyssen and Sofia Reina museums are a must if you plan to come here! Í´m still in shock and awe at the fantasic offerings on show in all three... I am now a major fan of El Greco,
How cool is that?
We also managed to take in a match at the Bernebeu last night, Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza. It was fantastic! The atmosphere was electric with excitement and it was such a treat to watch proper football played by real players! I loved every minute of it. We were seated behind the north goal, the one Van Nistlerooy scored in, and that was an extra kick!
Well it´s off to Barcelona tomorrow for about a week I think and we´ll try and load some photos up if there´s any worth sharing!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
And We're Off
After months of delays, illnesses, the heebie jeebies and lots more besides we are finally off on our worldwide trip!
We are due tomorrow to fly from Dublin to Madrid and so the adventure begins!
Wish us luck....
We are due tomorrow to fly from Dublin to Madrid and so the adventure begins!
Wish us luck....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
