My week long love affair with SCOTLAND

Scotland …. It was unexpected, rough, temperamental, exhilarating, wild, magical and free. The land of men in skirts, diverse natural landscapes, 5 seasons in one day,  bagpipes, haggis, enough interesting history to satiate any historian, and accents you either can’t understand or fall in love with. Being a teacher I have AMAZING holidays, and teaching in London it feels like I’m always on holidays for a week here or there. Last minute plans needed to be made and Scotland won this weeks adventuring. I got even more excited about my trip the day after I booked it….I met a Scottish-man whom I became slightly infatuated by…his accent, love for the outdoors, sense of humour and athleticism at a ping pong table made me a little weak at the knees. Sadly my love affair was not with him! During our brief encounter I mentioned I was off on a trip to his homeland and proceeded to wrangle as much ‘useful’ information as I could get about places to go and things to do. His advice sent me further than initially planned and it ended up being one of the most diverse weeks of travel to that date.

Considering I booked only a week in advance I managed £50 return flights with Ryanair and a day before car rental booking through Hertz for 7 days at £80.

View of Edinburgh Castle from Castle Rock Hostel

Arriving into Edinburgh airport I went to the Information centre (the ladies were lovely) and booked a return bus ticket using Airlink for £7 dropping me right in the heart of Edinburgh city and a short walk to my Hostel. One of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed in; Castle Rock Hostel is located at the bottom of Edinburgh castle…the view from my bedroom window went a little like this…..

I stayed in a 10 bed mixed dorm on the top bunk with NO snorers. Each room in the hostel is themed and my Scottish movies themed room suited me perfectly. I love wandering the streets to get a feel for any new city but brought along a small map from the hostel to help find my way back.

My wanderings led me along the Royal Mile where I stopped in on St Giles Cathedral to admire the stained glass windows and sit in on choir practice that was taking place.

St Giles Cathedral

I continued up to Carlton Hill overlooking Arthur’s Seat. From up there you can enter an observatory, climb onto the base of the Greek style pillars known as the National Monument…be warned you need to be at least 7 foot tall to actually climb onto them or have a buddy….I managed with an old faithful run and leap with a scramble up method.  I decided to sit and take advantage of the sunshine and stayed to watch the sun start to set as I read my book overlooking the city and last people wandering down from Arthur’s Seat.

Night number one I picked up random conversations in the hostel and an hour later I found myself along with about 35 others on a free pub crawl around Edinburgh city centre. Stop #1 was Frankensteins; with its funky cocktails and a full stage like production of its name sake….suddenly there was a Frankenstein being created and coming to life above our heads. Later I took a night stroll of the streets of Edinburgh walking past the closed up Elephant Cafe where J.K. Rowlings sat down to write some of the Happy Potter series.

I rose early enough to take a free morning walking tour around the city centre. My guide was a fellow Australian with a loud personality and a passion for the theatrics. I learnt: buildings aren’t always as they appear from the outside, shiny statues don’t always bring you good luck and fortune, and the way a horses legs are visible with a rider atop is how the man atop came to his death. I saw graveyards full of Harry Potter character such as Tom Riddles…Voldermort finally in the grave! I also saw the statue of the famous dog of Edinburgh; Greyfriars Bobby, known for his loyalty as he stayed by his owners grave for 14 years until he met his own final sleep.

After the tour I enjoyed my packed lunch overlooking the historical execution square in Grassmarket then found a balcony to overlook the colourful buildings of Victoria Street.

 That afternoon I took my time to see as many nooks and crannies of Edinburgh Castle as I could in the four hours before it closed. Useful tip….Discounted tickets are available if you buy multi-day passes, they work out a lot cheaper if you are going to a few castles or historical sites around Scotland. The signs around the castle are great to read but I grabbed an Audio tour to get all the extra goodies and keep me engaged.

My second night in Edinburgh I thought my hostel was about to be ripped from the ground and carried away like Dorothy and Toto to the land of Oz! The strong wind shook and rattled the wooden window panels throughout the night like one hundred 2 year olds chucking a tantrum altogether! Waking the next morning it was time to use my return bus ticket to the airport and pick up my little four wheeled beast and hit the road. It needs to be noted that I used my phone as a GPS in Scotland, but the road signage everywhere is AMAZING!

Here we go…5 days on the open road with no plans….

Day number one I started with another of many castles; Stirling Castle. It was here I find out about the discounted ticket deal.

View from one of the castles peepholes

Afterwards I took stop number one of my Outlander series scavenger hunt. Doune Castle was used for the filming of the castle Leoch of the Mackenzie Clan. In its current real life state it is much older and worn than they have made it appear on television, it was interesting to see the small exhibition with now and ‘TV show’ images for comparison.

Just outside of Fort William I stayed overnight in Glen Nevis hostel at the foot of Ben Nevis. My room looked out at the Glen Nevis range and along the river which had carved mushrooms along the waterside.

Some of the many views I had along my drive

The following day it was raining so I had a late start and instead of hiking mountains today in the rain; I began my drive towards Skye via Glenfinnen.  I stopped at the towns visitors centre opposite Loch Shiel and took a short walk from the car park along a gravel pathway to find the Glenfinnen Viaduct. The Viaduct was used as a filming location for the 2nd Harry potter film when Harry and Ron are driving the blue flying car to catch up with the Hogwarts express.

You can walk right up to, under and almost along the side of the top of the viaduct trainline. I really wanted the do the Jacobite railway from Fort William to Mallaig that runs this length of track but I was a month too early.  Back on Loch Shiel the memorial monument to the Jacobites can be found where Bonny Prince Charlie first called the Jacobites to arms.

I continued towards the Isle of Skye via Calmac ferries at Mallaig, and for myself and the car it was £29.05. I only got a one way because I wanted to drive back towards Inverness over the bridge located on the other side of the Isle.

The weather on Skye was a lot more extreme than I imagined. Most days; experiencing 5 weather types within 5 minutes being completely normal…..sunshine, rain, fog, wind, hail, and snow all made appearances.

For three nights I stayed in a Backpackers Hostel central to Portree main village, located right down on an inlet bay with boats chilling in the muds of low tide. You can pretty much walk the town in five minutes so I was staying in prime real estate.

Portree Harbour

For my first full day I went on a solo mission out to find the Fairy Pools. The drive out was beautiful and I loved the freedom to stop and get out for photography whenever the roadside allowed. The roads to get to the pools is fairly well marked but once you get to the car park you are on your own to cross the paddock and walk up to the pools.

I walked a little further than the main pools wondering if I would come across more but turned back as I watched the surrounds mountain-line become darker and darker over the fairy pools, and the storm whirl in at full charge. I made it back to the car 5 minutes after it hit and I sat in the car for about 15 minutes thawing out before I decided it would be safe to leave the car park in the thrashing wind and rain downpour. As I was leaving the car park dripping wet hitch hikers were thumbing it so I popped the boot and crammed them in too. For the rest of the day imagine rain, shotty reception in the hostel, and a lonely Australian girl sitting with her IPad and notepad with a pint of beer at the local pub.

My second full day on Skye I found companions from the Hostel to venture out into the wilderness with. A small island girl from Canada on a month long UK trip, and Florence; an English and Dutch teacher from Belgium. The weather was showing no sign of clearing from cold, windy, foggy rain but with time restraints we pushed on …. An hour of walking uphill with nothing but the occasional outline to head towards we made it up to the base of the Old Man of Storr. The walk up had one main path for the most part, but closer to the top the number of smaller paths to choose from meant we were mostly guessing; at one stage making a short scramble up some slippery shale. Trying to get this photograph at the highest point we reached I think all three of us almost blew off the side of the ridge-line and into the fog.

Kilt Rock was stop number two.  It’s a sight I had seen pop up on Pinterest for a long time and finally seeing it you know why it is so popular.  The fall was smaller than I imagined but non the less impressive and due to the rain had an extra kick to it. The surrounding landscape along the coast is breathtaking, with its sheer drops and multitude of colours accentuated by the weather.

Stop three: The Fairy Glen was HARD to find with zero sign postage. When we actually arrived we didn’t even know we were there. It wasnt until we investigated a small track leading up behind some trees that we found it.  Hiking up and over the small hill we found ourselves looking out over the Glen.  It’s hard to put into words what you see in the Glen and the photos certainly don’t do it justice, but in one word I would say it was MAGICAL.  Rock spirals leading to a mound of coins and treasure left behind.  There were many waterfalls and a path leading to a rock fortress lookout where you could search for fairies, nymphs or any other magical creature you think you could spot in such a magical place.

The drive around Skye does not take more than a few hours but there are so many beautiful and magical places to see, you could spend a lot more than the two and a half days I had.  One last beauty I wanted to share from the Isle was The Quiraing. The drive along this stretch of the Isle is narrow,  windy, and the view on both sides is packed full of weird and wonderful rock formations.

My time was running low and I still had a long way to go, so from Skye I drove the scenic route over Skye bridge towards Inverness. I had much planned for my time here and it needed to jump right on in.  Back on track now with my Outlander tour, I went to visit Clava Carne first.  These stone circles and Carnes holds as much mystery as many others around the world but this specific one was used as the inspiration and filming for when Clare goes back in time.

Just around the corner from the Carne you can find the historic battleground and museum of Culloden.  In April 1746, Culloden moor saw clans from around the Highlands join together with Jacobite supporters for Scotland and Prince Charles to fight and ultimately lose against the Duke of Cumberland and his troops.  The results from this loss led to many devastating changes for Highland society.  Chiefs were deprived of their legal powers and clansmen of their weapons.  Most notable was the ban of kilts and tartan; a highlanders outer identity.

Urquhart Castle

My last stop for the day was a visit to Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness.  Walking down to the castle I could hear bagpipes and upon entry I had the honor of witnessing a wedding taking place.  Once one of the largest castles in Scotland, its ruins still leave an impression of grandeur.  Up in what is left of the tower I took some time to scan the waters for Nessie the monster, but alas she still evades me.

A sort half hour drive from Inverness is Fort George. As I reached the end of my driving directions I couldn’t see anything but a rolling grassy hill with glimpses of water around. The fort is almost invisible until you are entering the car park.  Perfectly camouflaged, this Fort is known as one of the mightiest artillery fortifications in Britain. I spent the afternoon wandering the ins and outs of the accessible sections and felt all alone apart from the occasional soldier walking by and the mass of seagulls soaring and squawking around.

My last afternoon and night I wandered the town of Inverness, heading into the Victorian Market, walked along the river looking yup at the Castle and finally into the Waterfront for dinner and a pint.  Jacobite Chicken with haggis …I’d never had haggis and it was the anniversary of the Battle of Culloden; so I felt the name deserved at least a try.  I stayed for a few drinks when a live Scottish band started playing.

My last day in Scotland started in Inverness with my last lavish breakfast from Shella my B&B owner of Invernevis B&B, a 10 minute walk into the centre of Inverness to print my boarding pass at the information centre, then I was on the road again. My little wee beastie and I needed to get to Edinburgh again to part ways, her to stay at the airport to await her next and not as cool driver, and me to fly back to London for work. The drive back was fairly uneventful but I took the route through Cairnwood National Park via Aviemore. In Aviemore I took a drive up to the ski hill to look out through the National Park. It is a beautiful view in its own right with the different layers of colour and the large moor below, but I had to try and not compare it to the landscapes from the rest of the trip. There was actually still snow on the hills and skiers and snowboarders were busy squeezing in their last turns for the season.

After a fantastic week of history and sightseeing, I left my love affair with Scotland for the loud sights and sounds of my home in London.

3 days of history & canals in Amsterdam & Bruges

European history is something I have been learning about and dabbling in since high school.  For my final years of high school the passion for the past skyrocketed thanks to the encouragement and great teaching of my history teacher. Our focus points were World War One as a whole, and a focus on Germany during the lead up to and including World War Two. Since then, I have wanted to make my way around key battle sites, points of interest and areas effected during this time in history. Books from this time in history dominate my bookshelves and to read lists, and living in London I have recently discovered the treasure trove of information and goodies inside the London Imperial War Museum.

Why is this relevant…..

Continuing the Bowden Family holiday I want to pick up the story after Ireland….I know I skipped forward and already told you the ending, but that was by far the most fun to write about!

After Ireland, we took a quick flight to spend two days in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  

Meagh driving her giant CLOG

Our experience of the city was ‘diverse’.  Tourists come to Amsterdam for many reasons; the scenery of the canal systems, the legality of drug use and prostitution, the rich history of architecture and people, the history of the many persecuted peoples during World War Two including Anne Franks family and their ‘Hidden Annex’, and of course….the Tulips!

We arrived into Amsterdam as the sun was setting and took a short walk from Central Station down the main strip to check into the Hotel De Gerstekorrel on Dam Straat right off Dam Square.  The first thing I noticed on the walk was the large amount of ‘tourists’ like myself (Amsterdam beanies must make a lot of money!).  Next, I noticed many warning posters all over the streets. Apparently tourists were having a new year that got a little out of hand…sadly due to street dealers dealing bad drugs, there had been several deaths in town and even more hospitalisation cases. The third thing was the smell; with drugs legalized in the country it is hard to walk anywhere without the waft of weed and cigarettes in your face.

With the topography of Amsterdam being FLAT, the city is full of bike, boat and pedestrian transportation.  When locals talk about the canal contents they laugh saying that it has three layers; silt, bikes and water.  For the bikes left ON land, as a pedestrian it’s very important to look both ways before you cross ANY path; road or not. For the ones that break or surface, they can be seen around town in their new form; artwork.

Gazebo, Wheel rim style

After dinner we tried the pedestrian thing and took a stroll down among the ‘Red Light District’. It was still early in the evening so I don’t think it had really ‘kicked off’.  My first impression was that the area was larger than I thought, so many woman working the oldest profession in such a small area! Mum and dad had to explain how the whole thing worked for me but when I got the idea it was particularly amusing watching the types of people making use of closed curtains.

The next day we bought €22 tickets to use the Canal boats to hop on and hop off around the city for 24 hours. The stops were convenient but the sporadic timing of boats made it difficult for us to use it very efficiently.  We used it to see both ‘IAmsterdam’ signs (I didn’t even know there were two), one on the water next to a pirate ship and the other behind the Rijksmuseum on Museumplein.  

Walking through the Rijksmuseum Museumplein on to get to the IAmsterdam sign.

Meagh and I had a climb on the letters, and we all tried for some photos while surrounded by crowds just as eager for a shot as we were.  There is a look out style bridge to take photos from but the platform looked like it could collapse at any moment with the amount of people on it.

We jumped back on the canal boat and cruised around the canals until it was dark.  During the ride Meagh and I had a play around with out cameras seeing what shots we could manage on the move.  As the boat turns corners, you are faced with breathtaking views of endless bridges and walkways surrounded by bikes and people.  

Day two started early waiting in line for the Anne Frank Museum. We got there at 8:30am only 30 minutes before opening, yet there was already a line of about 100 eager tourists in line ahead of us. By the time we were heading in at 9:30am, the crowds were in their hundreds and they would have waited for hours. TIP: Get there early, or head early in the evening as it is open quiet late.

I had no idea what to expect going in.  From the outside the building looks modern and industrial, you have to walk around the corner or cross the canal to get a good view of the outside.  I also didn’t know how much of the original interior would be there. Inside, you climb steep narrow staircases passing through empty rooms with photographs and information on the wall.  The bookshelf that led to the secret annex was still on showcase marking the entry way, and upstairs Anne’s room still held some of her postcard and magazine pictures on the wall.  You will see the sink and toilet still in place, but otherwise the house remains unfurnished or decorated. You can also not go up into the attic of the house where Anne spent so much of her time during their hiding, but they have set up an angled mirror to see in their from the floor below.  For this one family, their attempt to hide, and the story that Anne was able to share through her diary now draws people worldwide to bear testament to the acts of persecution to millions of Jewish people across the world. Inside the museum you can find a book on display with millions of names of the people who were sent to their deaths during the war.  It was opened to the Frank family names, but for each of the other names there is also a story; that for me held the biggest impact during and after my visit.

I held onto these thoughts that afternoon as we boarded a train towards Bruges.  As the train sped through the countryside, all I could image were tanks, soldiers, blood and death.  The weather turned gloomy and again I saw soldiers, men and boys trampling through mud, snow, forests and open fields, as they carried hopes and dreams that would never be fulfilled. The same for the thousands sent by train either straight to their deaths in the gas chambers or to work and starve to death.  I found little comfort in the knowledge that many survived until their liberation, as Otto Frank did.

We had to change trains in Antwerp; the home of DIAMONDS….mum had better self-control than I thought she would and didn’t make a single purchase in our half hour stroll.  The station was huge and decorated with gold trimming, high roof line with a variety of window panels shapes, sizes and colours.  There is a large staircase that makes you feel like you are in a castle, but also a large wooly mammoth at the other end that feels like you have walked into the ice age as you cross the station.

On our arrival to Bruges we had a look at catching a bus… instead we went for the stress free option of a taxi instead. Just as we were pulling up to the hotel, Meagh realised her leather glove was not in the taxi, so our overly stinky driver pulled a u-turn and took us back to retrieve the slightly squished glove.  We were staying a 5-10 minute walk from the main touristy areas at the Karos Hotel.  Upon check out we found out our room was so amazing because we had been unknowingly upgraded to the ‘Royal Suite’.  Located in the attic, it was a lavish and spacious room  with king bed and two singles, a large open bathroom area with twin golden sinks, and a large couch living area to relax and watch subtitles movies.  This was admittedly the best accommodation experience of this trip. When we all walked into the room the first time we made a collective noise of awe and excitement at the space.

We had the whole next day to tour the city of Bruges.  We focused on checking out the architecture, not as many buildings were slanting and looking perilously close to tumbling into the canal as the ones in Amsterdam.  I loved the Steepled gable roof lines and all the colours and diverse added features to each building.  The weather was bitterly cold being January and the Christmas markets were all being packed away in the main square, so we had to find small cafes to stop in for hot chocolates and warm our toes throughout the day.

As it was Winter season the canal boats were all tucked away for maintainance or a holiday….so much of the water traffic was beauties like this guy below.

Bruges boast the HISTORIUM, in the centre of the city Markt.  “A sensory expedition (sounds, sights, smells, touches and tastes) back in time that brings Bruges medieval past to life”.  Inside we had the whole tour to ourselves and were free to roam and explore at our own pace.  The end of the tour is a local brewery cafe where you can quench your thirst, or head up to the top floor for some of the best around the Markt.

Our one and only dinner in the city was at a small lovely fondue restaurant just behind the main market place. Number one tip from both the taxi driver and the hotel man – “Don’t eat in the main areas, go one street back for better and cheaper food”. So one street back and I was faced with a mouth watering, ‘dancing in my seat it was so good’, cheese fondue with pancetta and salad.  Bursting to the brim we rolled back to our royal suite and crashed for the night, ready to take on your next destination in the morning.

Paris here we come………

The Land of Luck and Giants: Ireland in One week

The Bowden Family Holiday 2014-2015

Ireland and Northern Ireland

The feeling you get when you are about to set your feet in a new place is always a thrill, but when it’s a new country it turns into a buzz you can feel right down to the bone. Ireland and Northern Ireland are my next countries for the next week. This trip I am joined by not just my sister, but my mum and dad who have come over from Australia. We have 7 days to circumnavigate from Dublin and head anti-clockwise up through Northern Ireland and then along the coast all the way around and back up to Dublin. We have nothing planned firmly except our first night of accommodation and the car which was booked the night before. True Bowden travel style, winging it and hoping we fly free.

The first glimpse I had of Ireland was coming down through the densest fluffiest clouds to see Dublin city lights shining bright. The second memorable sight was the large group of about 10 men standing at the arrivals gate waiting for friends…..each with a fresh pint of Guinness in hand!

We picked up mum and dad who were getting off their third flight for the day. After a flood of hugs and a quick catch up we were on the road towards our first family holiday in 9 years.

Before we could hit said road we needed to pick up our rental car from Sixt. Easy enough until you add some indecisiveness about whether to upgrade car type and then mix-ups down at the pick-up depot. We drove away in the third car we were offered after we changed our satellite navigation system because the one we were given started speaking to us in Italian.

Mum doing a great job navigating because our GPS was crap

Our first nights accommodation was in a large family room in a hotel in central Dublin.  When we arrived their was a mix up with the booking….apparently we didn’t have one! After some back and forth they gave us a room and took our money. We rounded off our first night with a Tesco tapas style feast and Christmas time again! Thanks to Nan and Pop, Uncle Brett, and Auntie Robin for your thoughtful gifts…..AND Santa, for finally finding us!

Day Two: We decided, because we were flying out of Dublin we would come back and do our tourist stops at the end so we could get on the road faster. Today we would drive up to Northern Ireland with a stop off at Newgrange. This is a 5000 year old tomb/stone circle/large mound that holds a small burial/tomb-chamber at its centre. We took a tour out there and made friends with the bus driver who was the friendliest old lady….on that note, everyone who was Irish was super friendly. Newgrange is an interesting location with very little is known about why it was built. The only fact that they feel they are sure of is the connection with the sun cycle. There are two other large landmarks similar in the area, but they were closed for the Winter unfortunately.  The spot is an interesting place surrounded by mystery, but controversially the exterior has been completely rebuilt with stones found in its surrounding.

Spirals and swirls have been carved into the rock. This stone was the entry stone to the inside chamber.

Reproduced image of the sunrise during Winter Solstice. Entering the tomb you don’t realise you are walking uphill, making the end of the chamber parallel to the box opening at the top of the tomb entry.

We continued our drive up to Northern Irelands capital, Belfast where we headed straight for the Titanic Quarter. It was here that Harland and Wolff built and launched the infamous RMS Titanic. Today the museum is a must see for anyone interested in large boats, the history of Ireland at this time, or just history in general. The museum is spread over seven floors with plenty of things to touch, engage with and read (don’t worry there is an audio guide that tells you everything too), and it even has its own ride!

We were beat by the time we had finished but still had to find accommodation. Interesting fact: our English phones (with Giffgaff) worked in Northern Ireland but not Ireland. So, we were able to go online and find beds for the night. We ended up in a fully decked out two bedroom apartment with a massive living and kitchen area for €50! Great price and location close to everything important, highly recommend the Titanic Apartments Belfast.

Day Three was a massive day. We started in Belfast then headed up along the Wild Atlantic Way and back down to Londonderry/Derry. Today was our most planned day and I made sure we knew where we were going and directions to each place, so it all worked out really well (even with the icy roads and paths literally trying to pull us down!)

Belfast has a lot of history and in our rush we only touched on it. This morning we visited the statue for C.S. Lewis, author of the Narnia series. Here I found out the deep seeded connection to religion that these books hold…. When told this, the books take on a whole new level of meaning and I’m saddened to realise I never drew the connections myself.

We headed back to the Titanic shipping docks where we took a moment to visit the monument. On this ground where the titanic was shaped and put together stands the names of all the victims of the well known nautical disaster.

Finally it was time for my most looked forward to destinations of the trip! We drove towards the North along the Wild Atlantic Way, a scenic route that makes you want to stop frequently for photo moments. With my pre work and directions we made it to our first stop: Dark Hedges. Located on a small back country road used for tractors to haul their weekly manure run you find the haunting Bregagh Road. Here stands large trees growing upwards and inwards toward each other to create a tunnel of branches down the road. Surrounded by farmland we arrived after navigating icy roads and squeezing through narrow ‘alleys’ to see the sun start to creep across fields and through the trees.

Next stop up the road you can find: Carrick a Rede. A suspended rope bridge out to an off coast island that was used by fisherman to get to the migrating salmon in the area. Set up high above the water, the wind rips through your hair as you descend the steep 20 or so steps to get to the bridge. For some, the experience of crossing can leave them a little jelly legged looking down through the gaps and watching the water swish far below with the wind threatening to blow them over the rope railing.

View of the bridge across to the island

Celebratory photo after we made it across the bridge

Taking a moment to feel the wind

The Giants Causeway was our next stop. There were moments when I didn’t think I was going to make it out of here alive. The first reason being, I thought the giant would arrive at anytime and think of me as a delicious treat. The second reason, that it was like walking on ice from start to finish. I have lived in ski fields and walked on icy roads and paths many times in life with only a few memorable falls….this was a league of its own, with the wind whipping up the water onto the rocks and freezing it thick and solid. To begin the experience you have to walk downhill to the waterfront = ice road #1 It was a constant search for gravel or grass to avoid butt taps. We watched as people slid by us and others who were tentatively slipping and sliding with limbs flailing everywhere. Along the walk our audio guide gave us a full history, stories and information about this magical part of Northern Ireland and as I listened I was transported in time.  I dreamt of walking with magical creatures and joining them as they carved up the rocky coastline.
We walked out over the Causeway and onto the rocks…Meagh made it over ice-covered rocks all the way out to the point…I think I managed half way before I was sure if I went any further I would break a bone or two. Nature is an amazing force and the different ways the landscape in this area has been carved and cracked and morphed into the many shapes and styles is truly unique. Highlights included Dad taking a giant slip and slide and making an epic save, and the young Canadian who offered to take a photo for us who first held the camera upside down, then took a video, before finally taking our picture.

Audio guide is a must have to get all the best stories and info

Meagh made it out to the point!

Giants BOOT!

We continued with the icy theme along most of the roads towards Londonderry/Derry. We found the Iona B&B for €58 for the night; Five beds, tv, hot water and a 5 minute walk to the yummiest dinner at Fitzroys Bistro. The restaurant was very busy and seemed very popular, but the barman made the half hour wait at the bar entertaining and pleasant after he handed me my first Guinness of the trip. To make it even better we got 30% off (because it was Monday or Tuesdays) and the meals were above average on the delicious scale!

Dads view for most of the Northern Ireland drive

We woke to more food, our free full fried and continental breakfast included in the room rate. We took a drive tour around the streets of Derry, around the Old town wall, up into IRA homeland and onto the memorials and Free Derry area.

“Free Derry Corner” at the corner of Lecky Road and Fahan Street in the Bogside. The slogan was first painted in January 1969 by John Casey.

From Derry we cruised down to Donegal where we found a 15th Century castle that dominates the town centre and was once the home to the leading clans of Ireland, the O’Donnell Chieftains.  In the town centre of Donegal you can also find the cafe Blueberry, where you can enjoy the biggest and most delicious Chocolate pudding of your life!

The Donegal coastline looked amazing in my research and was one of the places I wished we had more time to stop, look around and explore. In passing we drove a small section of the coast around sunset. We stopped to check out the ruin of Leitrim Castle and a quick coastal photos shoot along Donagal Bay during sunset 🙂

Onwards we travelled towards Mum and Meaghs highlight destination for the trip, Cong. The small and charming town is full of little treasures. We went there because the 1950’s film starting John Wayne and Maureen O’hara, The Quiet Man was filmed here. We stayed in a gorgeous B&B called Michaeleens Manor that was completely themed with Quiet Man memorabilia, stories to tell, and they even lent us the DVD to watch! We only stayed here one night but it was the type of town you could implant yourself in and feel welcomed. We finished the day in style with a yummy dinner at the local Ashford Castle restaurant called The Lodge.  The following day we took a walk through church ruins and down to the river, we stood on a bridge and found ourselves in two counties at one time (Cong and Mayo), and we wandered the streets and heard shooting in the forest (not sure if it’s rabbit of duck season?!).

 

The rest of the day was spent searching…..first for The Quiet Man house. Spoiler alert, it has been neglected and left to ruins far out of town and has been since recreated in the town centre. Second was to find the bridge used at the start of the film. SUCCESS! Tucked far away behind “main” roads and a little out of Cong, we found the ‘stone gem’ and the girls were HAPPY.

New Years Eve was spent at Elements B&B just out of Doolin.  We had a meal at the Fitz in town and lived it up in the warmth of our B&B with our complimentary chocolate chip biscotti.  We started 2015 with the BEST fry up I’ve had in a long time and headed off to see what all the hype was about at the Cliffs of Moher.

This would be our first spell of bad weather. After passing the many hills covered in rocks to get to the Moher (I now realise why there are so many walls built of rocks), we were welcomed to the Cliffs by light drizzle and wind that would have destroyed a tumbleweed.  At one stage as we walked it was like walking into a wall… we couldn’t move forward as hard as we pushed, and didn’t even think about leaning anywhere but forwards unless we wanted to be blown onto our butts. On our walk up to the cliff edges the clouds cleared up for enough time to take in the stunning views and take some photos for 10 minutes, after that it closed back in and clouds/fog swallowed the cliffs.

Mum and dad struggling against the wind to get to us from O’Brian Tower

After our windy adventure by the sea we drove through the small town of Adare; another place I would have loved to have stopped to explore with its historical vibe of quaint thatch roof houses. We continued our drive past permanently windswept treelines to Cork.  Here we stayed at an overly priced B&B, Cork-Crawford house where breakfast wasn’t even being served!
We were finally visiting Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone to acquire some eloquence. We arrived super early to watch as the sun started creeping towards the treelines and mist was rising off the river.  We explored the castles many levels and I was surprised at how sound the structure was.  We each took our turn to sit on the ground, lean backwards with the assistance of a rather grouchy man, to hold onto bars as we slid ourselves down and out to give a piece of stone a smootch…..at least there wasn’t as much spit on it compared to the salt mines of Salzburg we had tried a few years back.  After we all gained eloquence we went out to the grounds to check out the Poison Garden, here you can find many toxic and deadly plants for the witches out there.  Truly a great destination of Ireland.

The many levels of the Castle still standing are astounding!

Next, Kilkenny welcomed us into town with some of the worst main street traffic I have seen and a young boy in wet weathers and bumboots who was sitting atop his mini horse and cart. After our slow drive through town we were finally going over 20km when we decided to head back in and see the Kilkenny Castle. We were greeted with some local…. encouragement after we made a safe turn out into slow oncoming traffic an elderly man (far enough away) honked a few times and shook his fist in an angry manner towards us….needless to say it caused an uproar of laughter that lasted the whole way back into town.

Kilkenny Castle has had many changes to its structure over the years since its first foundations were laid in the 600’s.  It is a beautiful building that we were unable to explore the inside of but were able to watch a video of its history. I am one for wrecks and ruins when it comes to the authenticity of castles and was a little disappointed to know that so much had been altered to the inside and out to make it look the way it does today.

Kilkenny Castle

From Kilkenny we made our final drive back to Dublin to round out the trip.  The Travel Lodge housed us for the night and had an excellent front of house service, but it was the Green Eggs breakfast that did the trick.  Pub meals are always unique when traveling, and I really enjoyed the ones we stopped in across Ireland. It was Sheenans in Dublin that was number one with the smashing Guinness Pie that was served up for me!

For our last day we took a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. Here we learnt all about the history of the delicious drink and the brewing process. The video of how men used to hand-make the wooden barrels was my second favourite part of the day.  The first was getting to pour my own Guinness INSIDE the Guinness factory.

 

Our perfectly poured Guinness. Poor form by the rest of my family….mine is on the right…..

One of the Guinness Classes of 03/01/2015

Last Note: Reading previous reviews about driving in Ireland, they made it sound like a nightmare that would take twice as long as we managed our drives. Dad did an amazing job navigating the small narrow country roads and the icy and wet coastal roads. If you are used to driving in all weather conditions, don’t be frightened of driving Ireland in Winter. Saying that, we do have a reputation of bringing good weather wherever we travel and only managed one day of rain in the week (and that was our driving day).

Top quotes of the week:
Me: “I want an Irish tea please”
Mum: “I had Irish tea this morning …. It was tea and I’m in Ireland”

Me: “That’s a big cow!”
Dad: “He’s UDDERly huge!”

We returned out little driving wagon and had no problems checking in and boarding our next flight with Aer Lingus. Next destination on the Bowden Trip: The land of canals, bikes, and windmills….Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Full Circle: 4 European Countries & 14 Christmas Markets in 1 Week

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Today I reaffirmed that ‘City’ driving is not for me!

It was another three countries in one day kinda drive today. Cheeky Rose, laid out the journey from Strasbourg, France back to Brussels, Belgium and it took us right through the middle of Luxembourg City centre. So we took the opportunity to pop in to the small country and see some sights.

Luxembourg hospitality – Priority parking for females

The Tourist office was closed today, but the parking area we found exited right into a main square. In here we found a large ice rink and food stalls where we got some lunch. Along the side wall was a city map with some touristy places to see marked out. Using the wall map we ended up walking around in large almost coordinated circles. Along our hour and a half stroll we saw amazing displays of architecture, and walked past standing armed guards outside the Palace of the Grand Dukes (Palais Grand-Ducal). . We visited the main church called, Notre Dame Cathedrale which held some of the most incredible stained glass windows and stone carvings.

Charlotte Grand Duchess – Luxembourg

Even poles deserve to be kept toasty warm

Palace of the Grand Dukes (Palais Grand-Ducal)

Across the road we navigated through workers dismantling the Christmas markets until we got to the top of the city walls which looked across to the walled in Castle, Chateau de Vianden. Far below was a forest area with paths, bridges, and a wide range of botany; a runner and romantic couples delight.

Chateau de Vianden

The drive to Brussels took another few hours but once we hit the city is was a traffic nightmare. This was the point when I reiterated my hate for city driving and rejoiced in the fact that it would be all finished tomorrow. We managed to find parking in the Manhatten Building a few hundred metres down the road from our accommodation for €15.50 overnight. We were staying at the Max hotel, a shocking self service check in system that wasn’t working but a super clean and comfy bed that gave us a great night sleep. The hotel was on the Main Street and interestingly surrounded by adult stores and high end priced fashion all next to each other.

Entering Brussels

After the hectic entry into Brussels and the overwhelming feeling of being outside my comfort zone I wasn’t feeling the vibes in Strasbourg. After 10 minutes of walking into the main market and tourist area, my mind was 100% changed.

Once again we had no city map. So, we had a quick look online before we left to get a gauge of the direction to head to find the Christmas Markets. The main area wasn’t hard to find though if you followed the steady stream of pedestrians. We found the markets and they were magical! Lights were projected into churches and main buildings to display falling snow, multicoloured bobbles, Santa and his reindeer flying through the sky, and large pictures of Santas head.

Christmas market lights in Brussels

Around the corner was the La Grand-Place, Brussels, where the crowds were so dense you could hardly move or see anything. We were initially attracted into a side street before we found it, by the sound of music. When we got past the crowds we were faced with a light and sound show that lit up the whole square. 360 degrees of buildings and tower spires lit up and changing with the tempo of the music, cheerful and light to mysterious and dark. It was a sight to see and hear and one of those rare moments that you have in life where you stumble upon something you won’t forget in a long time.

La Grand-Place, Brussels

Walked into thousands of people on a fun run through town

It wouldn’t be the M&M Adventure without a food update, and seeing as Belgium was the destination (inside a market), there was no shortage.
Entree consisted of Belgium Chocolates from Pralines Leonida. Looking at the smorgasbord of choices we braved it and walked away victorious in our decisions of Grenache and a milk nut nougat. For mains, a potato, cheese and basil concoction that delighted the tastebuds. As for dessert, how could we walk past some Belgium Waffles! Nutella, strawberries, and cream, to be eaten with miniature flimsy trident forks that only added to the challenge!

Just a little excited to eat some Belgium Chocolates 

Drive out of central Brussels to Cheloroi airport was stressful to say the least….Rose was amazing but it really turned into a city driving nightmare. And I had no idea which roads I could turn down and where to do it. But we made it! We managed to return our car early with a full tank of petrol. It was hit and miss on where to find petrol close by, and before our petrol range was exhausted. We found an overly priced station next to the airport that you had to prepay before filling….tourist that I am thought the pump was just broken…. After some confusion on where to leave the rental car we finally parked up, said goodbye and returned the keys. Teddy and Rose were brilliant travel companions and made our journey stress free and far simpler than I could ever imagined it to be.

We made it into the departure lounge several hours before check in opened and as I sat to write this the snow finally started to fall and settle outside. I was excited to see snow again, but equally excited we arrived early and I wasn’t driving in it! While we waited we filled our bellies with delicious gourmet paninis, cheese bread sticks and hot chocolate from Paul’s Cafe for €10 each, and were kept entertained by the steady flow of excited children riding the helicopter ride in front of us, which sadly never worked.

Check in time finally came around and Ryanair lets you take two carry on bags on flight!! 🙂 Though our spirits were a little dampened when we realised our flight to Dublin was delayed by several hours with no explanation from Ryanair. We finally managed to get on a plane 3 hrs after schedualed gate closure and then after some thorough de-icing took off about an hour after that. The pilot on board made the whole experience more enjoyable by providing an explanation and a heartfelt apology mixed in with the fact that the delay was due to the plane being held up two stops previously…..the whole time we just assumed it was the snow.

The Final Transport Wrap Up

Cost of VW Golf Diesel car hire for 7 days from Budget: €285

Brussels to Cologne – 211km and €10 parking

Cologne to Nuremberg – 422km and €10 parking under hotel

Nuremberg to Strasbourg 335km, €16 parking and €45 petrol
Tolls booths along the drive were found 100km out of Strasbourg to pay €8.60 and a further 60km paying €4.40.

For our Parking in Brussels we paid €15.50 for central city underground.

Final fuel fill up €55

After Seven days we had driven close to 1500km with two tanks of fuel through Four countries; Belgium, Germany, France and Luxembourg. We had visited more than 14 Christmas Markets and eaten as many local dishes as we could fit in….an amazing and unforgettable Christmas week with my baby sister.

Teddy and Rose – The Ultimate Driving Team!!!

Parlé vous Franćais? Christmas (Noél) in France

We started our drive from Nuremberg, Germany to Strasbourg, France a little later than we would have liked. The drive was fairly uneventful except for the moment we saw a man riding his horse over an overpass bridge. Not something I would see everyday, so it really entertained me. Freeway driving is straight and fast but we had the occasional castle to see in the distance and plenty of options to turn off if we had the time.

We stayed out of central city Strasbourg. Our hotel; The Kyriad, was just 10 steps from the main transport tram Line B which took us to the doorstep of the many Christmas markets scattered around Strasbourg. For €6, both of us had unlimited transport for the next 24 hrs of sightseeing.

Our Christmas Eve feast was a little far South of our traditional feast. No baked ham or roasts, no salad or veg platters, and definitely no festive spirit. Instead, we took the tram into town at 6pm to check out the markets, only for me to open the market guide and read they closed at 6. Then when we arrived, we read in French that the last trams out of the city back to the hotel left at 7….so it was a brisk walk around and more of a test to see if we could use the transport system than any actual sightseeing. For our dinner feast, we had picked up a giant loaf of bread with salami, cheese and mayo from Aldi that morning, and that served as lunch and dinner with everything closing down for Christmas. We managed to build ourselves a mini Christmas tree using a kettle and other items to put the very few presents we had for each other underneath. It really was a sad affair, but still more than I experienced in Nepal last year.

One of my favourite parts about walking around this city was that every alley/narrow road presented a new hidden treasure. On our mini walk the first night we got off the tram knowing that there were supposed to be markets in the area but otherwise didn’t really have a clue what was around us. As we walked around the corner from the station we were faced with the focus point of the markets, the 30 metre tall real Christmas tree.

After we took this sight in we, walked around the same direction the crowd was headed. Just around the corner I turned to the left off the Main Street and was faced with this beauty.

The Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg

Throughout the next day I walked past this same street again and ended up inside the cathedral, but it was this view point that I loved the most.

Inside this gothic architectural masterpiece stands an Astonomical clock that draws crowds large enough that actually getting to view it can be difficult. But get in early before the quarter, half or full hour and wait for a sight and sounds to remember.

Christmas Day
Most of Strasbourg had shut down for the holidays to celebrate. We decided to wake up, open our presents, and then head into town and walk the streets and sights the didn’t require entry.

We started at the Barrage Vauban. This old bridge is now known as the Tombs and contains statues and pieces of stone carvings that are slowly being put back together and reconstructed to their original shape and form. Located at the edge of La Petite France, you can climb the steps to walk along the top and have an overtop view across Ponts Couverts and La Petite France. From here you can also see the branches of the River L’Ill coming together and a series of open and closed Bridges near and far.

Working on the Perfect Angle……

Walking through La Petite France was beautiful. The streets are narrow enough that car traffic was very rare today which made walking around calming. We walked without a map or clue as to where we were going, so around every corner was a surprise and hidden treasure to be found. This small part of town is full of half timbered housing that make you feel like you are walking through the streets of history. Multi storied houses (some a little crooked), with tessellated windows and moss covered roofs.

Meaghs taking a moonlit stroll around the River L’ill

Walking one of the many bridges in La Petite France, this gem sits in the middle of the River L’Ill

Being Christmas Day, market stall owners were given the option to be open today. Several opened up, but the feeling we had walking through was very different to the other markets of this week.

After several hours of wandering we walked a little out of the main tourist areas (as they were starting to get fairly busy), and went to find some food. We came across a little restaurant on a corner named Flams. As we looked through the window with numb hands, feet and ears, we saw waitresses walking around in t-shirts. If that isn’t a sign to go in and warm up, I didn’t know what was. So inside we went to receive a LAVISH three course meal with champagne, for €17 each. After an egg and bacon salad entree, all you can eat pizza and a blueberry tart for dessert we rolled out with full bellies, warm toes and big smiles thinking that felt more like Christmas.

Meaghs loving Course One of our Christmas Feast!

Strasbourg was a small magical city full of history and character.  It is surrounded by the tranquil setting of Les Berges de L’Ill – The banks of the River L’ Ill. Even with so many things closed for Christmas, we managed to see everything we wanted. It was an easy city to navigate using public transport, and small enough that you don’t feel like you’re ever lost when in the central area. Strasbourg turned out to be one of my favourite places so far.

Sky Street in La Petite France

The ‘How-to not organise a trip’ and still manage three countries in one day

When I was a child my parents took my brother, sister and I on enough flights and holidays that each of us were infected with the Travel Bug. As we got older my siblings and I started taking our own adventures and travelling the world independently of the family. This year I have had the pleasure of trips with both siblings which brings back amazing family memories but has also been a chance to spend that extra special time together that’s become so rare.

The start of 2014 I got to slay fresh powder in Japan for 20 days with my older brother. This week I started an epic month long trip around Europe with my little sister beginning with three countries in one day. Then on the 27th of December we will be joined by our parents until mid January.

Because we are travelling with our parents the planning for this trip has been very relaxed! Not because they are planning everything….but because there is no plan. We know a few key countries, cities and places we want to see and we will be renting cars most of the trip so this month has become all about freedom of choice and keeping our plans open.

I started school holidays Friday, and Meaghs and I have 7 days before mum and dad arrive. This part of the trip took us a while to organize and book for several reasons:
1. We knew what we wanted to do (Christmas Markets), we just didn’t know where…so we looked up top Ten Christmas Markets in Europe. We knuckled it down to four out of the ten we thought we could travel between over the week.
2. Open dates of said markets varied, which meant we might have to zigzag, so transport became an issue.
3. Transport…..it is so expensive to fly or train between the areas we wanted to go so we had to look at other options….we picked a car, our own little Beasty that would hopefully see us through some interesting and fun filled days. Again, freedom to stop and see all the little roadside treasures that came our way. Only downside….my driving ability along unknown roads, in new countries, and driving on the opposite side of the road in Winter freaks us both out a little.
4. Too many options and my indecisiveness….when faced with multiple options it takes my brain a while to filter through what I think will be best. Once we had decided on cities, the options for accommodation were huge. I’m ashamed to say we looked for 8 hours one day and only booked a small fraction of the trip and we only booked our car rental the day before we left.

But we did it! We booked accommodation, cars, and organized timing to make sure we made it to each market we wanted. This week we will visit Belgium, Germany, France and Luxembourg before we fly to Ireland to meet our parents.

We are off to a great start on day one….five trains, one plane and a million steps between. With an early start, the first hour of travel was smooth sailing. I made a quick check with the ‘assistance’ man at Victoria station to check when the next Gatwick train was leaving to be told if we ‘scooted over, the next one leaves in two minutes’ as he pointed to the Gatwick express. So we scooted and as we approached we heard…. “Next express cancelled, all passenger to platform 19 for the train departing in one minute”…..instead of scooting we ended up running and made it on just as the doors were closing. At the airport Easyjet cap for carry on luggage is one bag only. So after some reshuffling and a walk to our gate (which felt like it was all the way back in London), we looked at a board and realized our gate was closing in 10 minutes. With no idea how much further we had to go we went for another little jog and made it with a few minutes to spare. The flight to Brussels was over just after we finished our sandwiches but the Zigzag runways and flight paths made us feel like we were in a washing machine.

Upon arrival into Brussels Airport we found our Car rental company; Budget, we were going to get a Reno and have to pay €120 for a sat nav until the point where we were highlighting all the documents and they tried to give us a manual instead of the automatic we paid for. We drove away in a new VW Golf with an inbuilt sat nav for FREE! Our little beastie has been named Theodore…Teddy for short, and our sat nav who we have already thanked countless times is called Rose. The driving wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, I think because the roads where separated into highway straight away AND the last roads I drove on where on the opposite side also.

First stop Cologne, Germany!

When the Girls join together to play!

Calli came to London!!! What happens when two best friends are reunited in a different country? One surprises the other at the airport, and then they laugh, eat, and drink to their hearts content while they explore new places together.

After the obligatory ‘Welcome Tour’ to make her and her BF Tom feel like they were in London (both have been her multiple times so we moved pretty quickly), they left me for a week on their own adventure.

On their return Calli and I went on a two-day adventure of ‘firsts’ (for me). It would be my first mini escape from London via train, my first trip out of London with Calli and my first English League Football game.

Before we could jump Into all these firsts, we grabbed train snacks from Euston station M&S (Marks and Spencers) which seemed to hold as many people as the station itself.  As we raced to the platform, Calli handed me a “deck of cards” as my tickets. Three tickets for one train ride seemed a little excessive, and we had four trains for this trip! We caught a Virgin Train from Euston to Crew and then a London Midlands train from Crewe to Liverpool. With smooth sailing we even had time for hot chocolates in Crew to boost the blood flow as the temperatures dropped.

We had a slow check in we settled into our private room at Hatters Hostel and after putting on many warm layers (making us look like marshmallows) we headed for a stroll in the rain around central Liverpool. We went to dinner in an American style restaurant called ‘Yardbird’ where I ate one of the best fried chicken burgers known to mankind!!! 

Now, to the main purpose of the trip; Football. Liverpool vs Swansea, not a huge game, but memorable non the less. Liverpool came back and fought hard for the win. My favourite part was the roar of the crowd with the winning goal….it felt like it went on forever and you couldn’t help being caught up in the excitement and roaring along with everyone else!

My second favourite was the father/son commentators sitting behind us. The banter and quick-witted comments towards player dives and referee calls made for non stop laughter.  The crowds leaving any major sporting event are always large, so we bypassed the taxi stand and took a 45 minute night stroll back into Liverpool.

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we were blessed with sunshine, so we took a stroll into Liverpool centre for breakfast at Moose Coffee for the most delicious eggs benedict. The restaurant/cafe is covered with famous paintings transformed to include a Moose head, and as it was Halloween this is what we walked into…..

We wandered around Liverpool for the next few hours checking out old buildings and hotspots while taking photos.  We strolled down to the water, across to the Beetles Store, saw a yellow submarine available for rent on the water, and pirate ships. We rode on Superlambananas and tried to find as many as we could around the city.  All together it was a chilly but great day discovering a new city.

 

The trip back to London was fairly uneventful except for the mother and two daughters who had a booze-up on the way back.  A few days later I had Calli all to myself for a whole week.  We stayed in her Hotel room in Angel, and the days I didn’t have to work were jam-packed full of fun.

We did more sightseeing….

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went for High Tea at Bea of Bloomsbury (thankyou to the nice man who seated us even though I took us to the wrong location), went shopping all over London, watched football at the local pub, and ate breakfast at Bill’s (if you have never eaten here, treat yourself to a ‘Billy’ worth of tea….it feels bottomless!).

For Halloween we went to witness a record-breaking attempt for the most amount of people to dance Michael Jacksons Thriller in Covent Garden; they didn’t break it, but they looked great!

We had a girls night out in Shoreditch where we found a rooftop Teepee Bar and the indoor Putt Putt course at ‘Swingers’.  In here we played 9 holes of brow sweating mini golf and enjoyed a delectable feast of Mac and Cheese and Deep fried Oreos from  the ‘When Mac met Cheese’ food van.

To top it all off and to end the trip we went on a late night photography mission around London.  Two tripods, two cameras, one person who had an idea of what to do with said camera (Calli), and one novice “having a go” (me).  These were some of my favourite shots from the night.

I LOVED having my girl come to visit, but it is even more exciting to know that she is moving here at the start of February.  47 days and counting….hurry up and get back!!!!

 

 

 

 

London bound 17/06/14

I started my next adventure with a trip to airport with mum, dad, Nan and pop. After a longggg check in line we had boost, coffee and tea with a final chitterchat and a quick goodbye before I felt the urge to cry. The flight I was on was fully booked with possibility for latecomers to miss getting a seat … How do airlines oversell a flight?? My 32kg giant bag was sent away and my two overly large carry on bags accompanied me through immigration and customs to claim back tax on my new baby … My Sony A65 camera, going away/Xmas/bdays for the foreseeable future from my amazing mum and dad!!! Then off to wait to board my flight to Abu Dhabi. An emergency row aisle seat proved spacious and luxurious as the two ladies next to me and I stretched out and laid back as the steward whisked out bags away to find a spot for them…first class service; thanks Vigin Australia. After my last lot of air travel experiences the food didn’t play nice with my tummy again… Or maybe I’m developing air/motion sickness which would be unimaginably painful considering my love of travelling!!

I made it to Abu Dhabi and as I was not looking forward to my 8hr layover I approached the transfer desk and inquired to see if there was available space in the next flight, 2hrs away. The man with eyes that I could have stared at allll day gave me the nod and smiled at me, then told me not to worry about the change fee (which I didn’t even think about) as he picked up the phone to make sure my bag changed flights. With butterflies and a beating heart I told him he was amazing then skipped down to my gate with the biggest smile I could muster!!! Killing 2hrs is faster and much more pleasant than a slow 8 🙂 I found my gate and my seat buddies from my last flight and settled in for my now short layover which was now closer to just an hour. My seat buddies… 27yr old first international flight newby on a two month mission around the UK and Europe with Contiki, and English grandmother who had been in Australia for several months after her 36 year old son had a stroke. They both made for lively conversation in the early hours of the morning and the wait went fast enough.

My flight to London was without hiccups after it finally got off the ground almost an hour after schedule. Not that I minded, as I was lounging back watching a movie… I even dozed off and momentarily opened my eyes as we took off. I had smooth sailing with an extra seat beside me to sleep most of the way and chocolate cake for breakfast!!!! What more could a girl want?!
London immigration was a sinch…how long are you staying and what is your address? Have a nice day and off I went…. Baggage on the other hand was left wanting…turns out my bag didn’t make it. On the upside I didn’t have to carry my massssive bag on the tube AND they gave me 25pounds for my troubles! Haha thanks guys 🙂

Down I went to the underground with only the name of a station to head towards. I got myself an Oyster card (top up/reload card) and loaded what the baggage people just gave me for “toiletries”. As I was walking away staring at my underground map the Underground ticket master approached with this sounds advice, “if you wait over to the side for an extra 2 minutes we move into off peak fares, save yourself a few bob” …. Thank yooou!

So off I went with my carry on and my Oyster card – 4 trains, 3 stops, lugging my gear up and over walkways (thanking heaven I didn’t have my big bag). I asked a nice station master which station the westbound train was and that was the extent of external assistance. Until I got off my train in Coxley and found no cab and no way to access internet to get to my new home…… So I did what any person would do in a new town and country – I headed for the pub (conveniently located across the road)… But before I even reached it I came across a postman who so kindly directed me to my street, and with expert advice in hand I found my own way there no problem.

Japan Japow Journey

The trip from India to Japan was not a smooth one.

As I arrived at my gate to KL I was greeted with no plane in the dock but frequent thanks for our patience and an unknown eta of our departure. I had several conversations with the people around me, one of which had had to postpone her departure by several days because she had food poisoning so strong. After about an hour and a half of waiting our plane arrived and we were hustled into our seats. Settled in, I was ready to start my long journey to Niseko – 3 flights, 1x 3.5 hr bus trip and over 10 hours of sitting in airports still to come. The trolley rolled through the aisle and the customary offer of chicken or fish was made. After almost 7 weeks of no meat and not thinking too much about the fact I asked for the chicken. A few bites into my meal was all I could stomach and then later a few bags of peanuts. It quickly became apparent that my short slip in my vegetarianism would prove to rear it’s ugly head and attttttaaaaacccckkkkk! I spent the next 24hrs in transit throwing my guts up and out of me in the least lady like fashion….charming! The next three weeks and two courses of antibiotics later I still couldn’t keep much in my system…nasty super bug just from a few bites of chicken!!!

But Japan had many things to distract me from my woes in health 🙂 …….

1) Niseko – Bottomless powder skiing and fresh laps all day with my brother. Even though we got old and didn’t ski full days everyday, we worked hard while we did ride. Took lunch and drink breaks and climbed some mountains to boot. I did ride with many others this trip but riding with Matty B was the best part 🙂 Sorry to all the strangers I picked up on chairlifts and along off piste runs, to the ski school fellows and friends of friends, you WERE great 😉
2) Meeting new people and rekindling long ago friendships …. The Kennys, the SAMs the Mels. I’ll start with Mel, we did or first season together in Perisher and had more skiing fun my first season in Japan in 2007/8 and only saw each other on occasion during Perisher seasons. It was so awesome to ski, drink, play and chat with this lovely lady again 🙂 Mel also brought the other kids into play on this trip. She had her flight delayed by weather and met the Sams having wheelchair races around the airport to waste time. A pair of 20 year old boys from Melbourne, full of life and big dreams. And lastly the Kennys; four guys aged 24-29 on a boys trip to ski, drink and party. With all kids combined or separate the weeks flew by with awesome memories.
3) Trips to Otaru for the Candle Festival with Mel. Our ride to the train station set the mood of the night when our taxi driver actually spoke English and was the cutest, funniest Japanese man 🙂 Mel and I visited the coastline and we’re impressed by the locals as they did a drive by, reverse, followed up with a burnout through the snow covered car park…..WHAT!!!
4) Onsens!
5) Après drinks watching the Winter Olympics with brother, Kennys, SAMs and Mel. Go Aussie!
6) The Fridge Bar had the most delicious Expresso Martinis in the Village….tried and tested!
7) Getting lost and finding our way through Shortcuts along unknown snow banks to find new bars
8) The Berg (our accommodations for the first three weeks) stomach stuffing breakfasts, no visitors policies that led to them stealing boots from our doors and writing notes directed towards us threatening expulsion from premises……yikes!
9) “Ice corner” to watch people slipping and bailing…. The ice didn’t take me here, but it did snag me at two other locations
10) Chicken Katsu!
11) House party lock-ins the led to pants off party – nothing sexual!
12) Dancing till the early hours of the morning to live DJs
13) My 26th Birthday – thanks for coming to celebrate Heath, Adam, Muff, Ali, Shauna, Matt and Matt. Thanks for my pizza, cake and my skis with bindings
14) And lastly and the least forgettable moment of my trip was having my heart broken and realising it was again the start of freedom that I hadn’t experienced in over seven years.

All in all I think this short 7 week adventure was a roller coaster I was sad to get off of and leave behind. But then I think about the snow around the world, and adventures with known and unknown people yet to be had. I can’t wait to see where my wild, crazy and wanderlust life will take me next.

Agra on to Tordi Garh

6am wake up, stuff the bags and breakfast of boiled eggs on toast into their respective pockets, to be out the door and on the bus by 7am. We had one small bus that took us too a big bus. This big bus took our group four hours towards the small rural, yet to blow up village – Tordi Garh. We had one tea break with masala and chippies….and a pee stop. We departed our bus to load onto jeeps parked on the side of the highway. 8 people to a jeep and we were off again…..so much travelling between destinations on this trip…..but we did have a Bollywood movie playing at the front of the jeep….I just chilled in the boot trying to see out the windows.

Along the drive we passed many many plots of roadside land, fillllled with huge chunks/slabs/boulders of stone…..where they were quarried from and how they were transported i wasn’t able to find out. People were cutting into the colourful stones and the statues, gazebo style huts, pieces of art were being displayed along the roadside and in small shops (buildings with a roller style door). If only I could get some of it home when I get my own house one day.

We were greeted at a 17th century palace belonging to the “royalty” of Tordi Garh. now that there is no such recognition of these people/family in an official capacity they do not hold title to the land, but the family still holds the same respect from the villagers. on arrival we were given a marigold lai and coco-cola, and given a short introduction to the history and met o e of the sons of the family. interesting that they still keep a section of the building just for them when they come back into the village from their home in Delhi.

We took a jeep safari tour of the local village, went out to a local farm and met the family and saw how they organised their many patches of crop. We found a 300 year old water reservoir built in stone that is 100metres deep….you could only see about 50metres worth and during monsoon probably only a out half at again, with the water lines to prove it. Next we were pumping along a sandy “road” heading to sand dunes. We trudged up the dunes and were rewarded with 180 degree views of the village and close up views of a 500 year old fort up on the hills behind us. Unfortunately we didn’t get up to see it close up. Tea and biscuits to wait for a sunset that never became visible and we were off again, running down the dunes only to come across a camel that was rigged to pull a wagon…..but see the picture to see what it LOOKED like!

For dinner it was buffet…..the only option and noooo options for me except plain rice, plain roti and fresh tomato. They ended up bringing out a small bowl of steamed veg, but not worth the 500rupee. Damn allergies!!! After dinner a local girl came in to do henna on anyone who wanted it. I got both my hands and forearms dolled up in a simple design (different for each arm), and spent the next hour drying I front of the fire. The superstition with henna when applied: when the dried bits drop off, the darker the henna….the more you are loved by your partner.

The middle of the night was amazinnnnng!! The biggest thunder storm that almost made me feel like I was back home for the summer storms. The loudest thunder claps right overhead and torrential downpour 🙂 they rolled through but came back strong again early morning. We were meant to go for a village walk but ended up eating copious amounts of toast and boiled eggs…was starving so made my belly happy. Three of our group had a sleepless night last night – fevers, double end action and a lot of vomiting. Poor Keiri among them said she’s never been that sick before. So they aren’t particularly looking forward to the 3 hr bus/jeep trip to get to Jaipur.
On the plus side I managed to save everyone 300 rupees from taking our jeep safari yesterday, because my itinerary stated it was included. That’s an extra meal that I can fit into my budget and may be the tipping point of having to take more cash out….going to be a tight race to the finish.

On we go into INDIA!

6am alarms blazing, pushing aside my Mozi net, stuffing bags full of PJ’s and sleeping sacks, pack on the back and out the door ready to jump on the bus at 6:30am…..or 7 in Nepali time 🙂 A quick bus ride to the Indian border 40 minutes away and we were changing our Nepali Rupees into Indian Rupees. I didn’t know Nepal has a closed currency, so no changing it out of Nepal….explains why I couldn’t find any in Australia!! After getting ripped off in my exchange we were faced with child beggars, lots of stares, a quick departure stamp from Nepal immigration, a casual stroll right over the Indian border following our 4 rickshaws full of our groups baggage…all the way to Indian immigration. It was comforting to see a “beware of travel agents in this area” sign posted out front as we handed over our passports to be take into a building…then to watch as police came to move our rickshaws along with our baggage onboard……waving them both goodbye we stood to wait.

We finally made it to our transport – 4 big cars to hold 5 people each with our bags already loaded on top and ready to go. In my car i had MJ, Keiri, Kat (a different one) and Lee.

It would be a monumental 12 hours on the road to follow….with two food stops, one pee stop, a petrol top up, a traffic stand still that required a turn around and detour, and two flat tyre changes. We saw animals being butchered in the streets, passed through many small towns or rural and then intensely busy and traffic logged towns, goats in woollen jerseys, people peeing in the streets, one armed monkey chasing our car after the driver stopped to give them a bag of cookies, and a fog so dense you could hardly see the hazards lights ahead. But we made it to our hotel just after 9pm in Varanasi, Hotel Suyra, and were greeted with my first steaming shower in 3 days. MJ and I ordered room service – nachos for me 🙂

The quote of the day came from Keiri – “Slow down India…your too hectic for me”. At a point where we had been in traffic for half hour and hd our driver creep 5cm and slam on the brakes every few seconds!!! In the days to come the saying became quite the opposite in its meaning.

The last stint of “Volunteering”

With rolling my ankle the last day in Pokhara was the most relaxing day – Kat and I found the hippiest of hippy hang outs with vegan food and hammocks where we had lunch and enjoyed readi g our books in the sun, and went back for dinner. Although it was right at the other end of town the walk was NOT comfortable but the food was delish and Kat didn’t have to eat Dhal Bhat AGAIN!!! I tried some falafels which were full of corriander, so the guys next to us from Israel and Germany enjoyed them. I also got some chocolate cakes to bring home to my Nepal family as a little treat as there is No cake in village – devastating! I bought a really cool hemp handbag and splashed out on a yak wool blanket for myself. Not sure how in going to travel India with everything I own and a sore ankle….maybe I need a porter to come with me……..
Saying goodbye to Kat was hard – we had undertaken all of our crazy adventures together, practically lived, breathed, ate and slept together for the three weeks. It was sad to jump of different buses and leaving my new Nepali sister.

Back to our little village I had to get off the main bus to get a taxi back to the village an hour away. Luckily Nick was coming back from Kathmandu too so I tracked him down in the city and taxied back with him. I didn’t share earlier but Nick and Lava had a large motorbike accident Christmas Eve with both of them in hospital, but Nick was sent to ICU with the biggest lump the size of a baseball coming off his temple stitches under the chin and holesssss in the knee and leg. Many factors involved but glad to see both ok now.
I’ve been trying to rest the ankle so Sanjiv the coordinator told me no more school. I was so excited because My Nepali sister Bec has 4 days winter vacation 🙂 We took a short walk to get more material – Aama is making me another set of pants, we played cards and made s’mores, she taught me how to make a yummy noodle and puff rice Nepali dish, we had fries for breakfast and painted our nails in the sun and made chow min. I also got washing done so all my clothes are clean and ready to pack up to leave. I really cruisy last few days of village life but as the family was my favourite part about the volunteering I was really stoked to be able to spend several days with just them.

Buha killed a chicken for a farewell dinner – my first bit of meat since getting to Nepal – but you literally could NOT have gotten any fresher!! I ate my last Dhal Bhat Nepali style – with my hands – I had to eat with my right and being left handed I thought it would end in disaster but I loved playing with my food, squishing it between my fingers and plopping it in my mouth. deri mitho cha – delicious!
I ended my last few hours with the family by having my last Masala tea with peanut butter crackers and playing cards before Bec gave me a small teddy. I got a ticka blessing, flowers and money for safe travels and then I jumped in the van to head to Kathmandu ready for my next instalment of adventure 🙂

Lumbini

Our morning started with saying goodbye to our host family for the next few days and then Kathleen and I walking to Sanjivs house to meet the others. Lumbini will be the destination – birthplace of Buddha and the number one destination for Buddhists around the world. Gathered our troops – 6 in all, Mark, Hayley, Lava, Min, Kathleen and myself. Loaded into a van we were given our travel instructions – taxi to 3rd eye, have breakfast, cross the road, wait for tourist bus between 9.55 and 10.30, get off in Lumbini, find a locals bus to Lumbini centre, find hotel and check room out…….
Ahhhh ok
So we set off and managed to nail the whole thing! 8am till 2.30pm we were on the road. The variety of transport was eye opening, the views were fairly similar along the way….small villages, people washing, green forests and lots of dirt.
When we arrived there were monks everywhere! Coming for the full moon (a significant prayer time fore the buddhists) and the annual peace prayer gathering. Literally thousands of monks, small monks, old monks, all dressed in red and yellow! Swarming everywhere!
We took a short tour around the main streets, I was surprised to see so many beggars and people trying to take advantage of the people around them….more than I’d seen all through Kathmandu, where I thought it would have been more prevalent.
Not a lot happening in town but I did manage to find some killer food and wash myself for the first time in 4 days. Hoping for a hot shower being in a hotel I was sadly disappoint to find nothing but cold water, and a shower top that dribbled water and a lower garden style tap left to wash with.
Not to mention that I’m developing a chesty cough – a cold shower was the furthest from my hopes.
Tomorrow we are touring the temples and monestaries taking in the touristy sights of Mr Buddha and Buddhism.
Dinner was the saddest affair…we were left till last….got in there at 730 had to beg to get our order taken by 8… Then we slowly managed to get our food after 930pm, leading to once again being locked out of our accommodation.
Today we were temple and monastery strolling. Within a 2.5 square km area you can find the birthplace site of Buddha and temples from countries around the world being represented (no Australian one yet) they were pretty and the decorations were Elaborate, detailed and full of colour.
We took a stroll back to the birthplace of Buddha at night and were the last tourists of the day as they locked the doors behind us….literally walked in the door and they were telling us to quick, quick! But we saw the stone where Buddha came in the the world apparently. The
prayer flags around this area are Countless in number, as far as the eye can see layers upon layers.

Getting to Kathmandu

The layover went quickly 6 hrs of trying to interpret the German, Michael, that I became friends with. There was a lot of….sorry what did u say in the conversations. Boarded the flight no worries after taking the right train thinking it was the wrong….going back and trying again to get to my gate…IDIOT!
As soon as I got on the flight the smells bombarded me….I started to feel soooo queezy….tried to solve my problem by sleeping thought it…..that worked until dinner where I almost threw up all over the dinner they gave me….not eating a thing I tried to sleep again ….waking up to that sickening warm seliva just before the breaking point…..up I jumped …no time for shoes…..to the back of the plane (thank god I was an aisle seat) ……. The toilets were occupied….just my luck … So I pulled the curtain for the stewardess asking for a throw up bag….they jumped to attention …Meanwhile my mouth is full….full …..it took all my self control not to spray the back row of people….but it did end up being my most silent spew ever…with about 6 people watching on…..
Not the greatest flight of my life….but I’ve ticked another first off the list haha
The lady next to me was lovely…..her second trip to Nepal she filled me in o. The dos and donts and gave me a Nepalese contact I case I got into any jams. Getting off the flight she guided me through customs and all the essentials and asked her friend Asis to wait till I found my name flying high amount the crowd. The trip to the hotel was a crazy journey through the most narrow streets and derelict streets I met Nick and Keiry ( my new roomie). Great for a bit of banter and my first 2 friends in Nepal.
All good checked in and still felling queezy….still don’t know why…didn’t eat much…thinking it may be the malaria tablets as today I felt very similar.
Today we tested the showers, got burnt, had a black out all before breaky. Then we got a crew of 6 and strolled the streets of Kathmandu. Lavarn the kiwi got suckered into numerous street sales walking away with a flute, knife and god knows what else! We ended up at fat kaths for 5 hr drinking beers, playing cards, eating napalese food and mixing with the locals. The streets are narrow with people, cars, motorbikes, dogs and small kids wanting room that isn’t there….don’t know how I didn’t end up getting run over all day! But we made it home in the dark, smoke filled streets and ready and rearing to meet the other volunteers in the next hr.
THIS PLACE IS CRAZY!!!!!!!! But amazing 🙂

The beginning……

Off to a cracker of a start…..
Surprise, surprise I didn’t get my knitting OR my hood scarf finished before departure….even pulling an all nighter before my flight it was not happening….packing at 1 am and getting everything sorted the day before…..WHY do I leave EVERYTHING to the last minute!
Picked up all my meds to find out only had half the malaria tablets I needed prescribed to me so had to make a last min trip to docs to get some new ones (thanks doc Dan for smiling when I beat down your door….literally).
Had the best Christmas dinner with the fam with a little present giving and farewells….Meaghy made me a cake…..the best cake…..an extraordinary cake…..a rainbow….rainbow marble cake…..iced as…THE COOKIE MONSTER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cookies coming out of the mouth and all…..cookies 🙂

Mumsy took me to the airport ….got stuck in some yucky traffic but made it in plenty of time…airport was chocker. Standing in line waiting was the painful thing id do win a while…..needed to go to the bathroom so bad I couldn’t standup straight!
Once on board I made instant friends with a smiley stewardess who came up shortly after to tell me she had a whole 5 seats for me to go lie down on! 8 hr flight fully laid out was bliss…especially after my all nighter!
Coming in to land in Kuala Lumpur was pretty….as ar as the eye could see we’re plants called palm oils….I was informed by the man behind me .. Ey were planted by the British And the harvest the leaves right down to the roots and export it all…..thanks Brits for a major resource 🙂
Before leaving I was faced with my smiley stewardess again and knowing I had 6 hrs to killin KL and no currency to barter with….I did the only thing I could think of….ask for more chicken rolls from snack time to tide me over…. 🙂 she was the best!
Now chilling in KL and found out I have to find a train to get to my gate 15 mins away..see what I can do.
Going to check out the outdoor gardens before I try for that one though.