http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Barnweasel/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Barnweasel en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:10:21 +0000 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:10:21 +0000 A middle seat and crying babies across the Atlantic lineup at customs and an expensive ride back into the city where the smog lies heavy and the air is pungent with the scent of a garbage strike. Ah yes it's good to be home. Travelling is fun but I'm happy to be back in the Beach for the start of summer. Thanks for reading along as I travelled. Til next time.SlainteLinda http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-412557.html Yes I kissed the Blarney Stone.I can hear you all now various comments about coals to Newcastle wondering if it exploded on contact gales of laughter. Bring on the sarc. Had to be done. And it ain't easy. The trek up the winding stone stair is nearvertical and extremely narrow room only for a rope strung along the wall to help with the going. This one poor lady from Taiwan early had a meltd http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Cork/Blarney/blog-412093.html Think Torontonians go a bit nuts when summer finally settles in Nothing compared to Dublin where the arrival of usual warmth about 27C and a cloudless blue sky and sunshine is as rare as a field of fourleaf clovers. So Dubliners are taking full advantage. Cafes are jammed the pedestrian shopping areas like Henry St. are busy and pubs with yards are doing a brisk business. Along Henry St. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Dublin/Dublin/blog-411534.html I'm clearly a city rat. As much as I enjoyed the peaceful loveliness and raw beauty of Aran and Connamara I was happy to return to Dublin's busy streets. But there's no mistaking this for any other city Dublin has a vibe all its own. It's also hot and humid which us a real change from the cold winds of the west. We took the 7 a.m ferry back to the mainland I had an early night but did get a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Dublin/Dublin/blog-411239.html We're in Inis Mor the largest of the Aran Islands all 14K of it. We've been so lucky with the weather our guide Emily told me last night you should sell your blood you're that lucky. We spend 7 hours hiking yesterday some it a tough slog over rock fields. It's a beautifully barren place a limestone island where there was so little soil the early settlers had to break up the stone fields http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Aran-Islands/blog-410784.html After a morning of walking on a long beach and trying to learn how to play hurley sort of a cross between tennis and hockey with some lacrosse and a fair bit of swearing thrown in we took the ferry across the sea to Arainn the largest of the Aran Islands. Which is none too big by the way. About a kilometre across and some 16K long. The ferry ride over was more of a vomit comet a few passen http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Aran-Islands/blog-410185.html After yesterday's very challenging Croagh Patrick climb Emily took Matteo Adrianna and I on a lessstrenuous trek up a smaller mountain with a path to a shrine to St. Patrick overlooking a hidden mountaintop lake at Maum. The wind was ferocious and it was very cold it was so wild and completely apart from the world. Ringed by mountains with a green valley below us it was breathtaking or ma http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Connemara/blog-409953.html Yes Virginia there is a Letterfrack According to Wikipedia 'Letterfrack Leitir Fraic in Irish from Leitir meaning rough hillside and perhaps from the Old Irish word Fraig meaning woman or fraoch meaning heather is a small village in Connemara in Ireland founded by the Quakers in the mid19th century. It is situated 15 km northeast of Clifden on Barnaderg Bay and lies at the head of Ballinaki http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Galway/Letterfrack/blog-409728.html Greetings from Ireland with apologies for not blogging before now. It's hard and 'spensive to find internet access. But here I am. It's been busy and wonderful and there's much to tell. I'm travelling with a couple from Milano Matteo and Adriana and our guide Emily from Tralee who is sweet and earnest and funny and delights in sharing stories with us about the mythic history of this place. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-409456.html So I'm sitting in the Karma Bar and who do I end up chatting with but a Dublin cabbie and his missus also a cabbie and he lived in Toronto for 15 years so he did over by Honest Ed's. We had a great chat about how many people had barfed in their cabs. Only one each and they made them clean it up or pay 75 euros for the service. The things you learn in a bar. A grand day today sunny and ab http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Dublin/Dublin/blog-408506.html With apologies to Bugs Bunny for lifting that title I'm happy to be in Dublin at last. Crammed into steerage on a jammed airbus for 7 hours is a hard way to go but I was able to get some sleep in between baby wails and odd smells wafting off fellow travellers. And the cold muffin and tepid coffee for breakfast Divine. My hotel is small clean and cute located on Fishamble Street. Who knew fi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Dublin/Dublin/blog-408169.html I'm on the road June 12 this time on a tooralooraluring as my friend Mr. Right likes to call it. I've never been to Ireland birthplace of my paternal grandfather so I'm heading to Dublin for a short stay then joining a hiking tour with an outfit called Extreme Ireland that will take me to Galway and the Aran Islands then back to Dublin for a few days. Two weeks in all. Hope you will come http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Dublin/blog-404098.html Kia OraThere can't be a better way to see a place than from a bicycle. I hooked up with Bike DeVine for a wonderful daylong trip. I was on my own and for 60 NZ got pick up and drop off at my hotel water map and a route they customdesigned for me to let me get to Te Mata Winery which was one I was keen to taste at. The day was like all the others have been clear cloudless blue sky brilli http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Hawkes-Bay/Hastings/blog-223832.html Stop the presses Quit tasting wine and marveling at art deco The local Santa Claus in the village of Levin near Wellington has been sacked by the corp. sponsor for the parade because there were expanded duties including a lolly scramble and they wanted to try someone new. Not your fault Kris we're just headed in a new direction and your real beard and belly isn't working. The new Santa ol http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Hawkes-Bay/Napier/blog-223342.html Greetings blog watchersI boarded an Air New Zealand prop plane in chilly drizzle last night and landed in the sunny and warm Hawke's Bay region of the North Island. Once again I feel like I've landed in the travellers' version of hog heaven. The small seaside town ringed by hills filled with homes that perch dramatically all the way up was all but flattened in a 1931 earthquake. When it was reb http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Hawkes-Bay/Napier/blog-223232.html I'm always leery of those things to do before you die places to visit. What happens when you see them Do you die What if they tank and disappoint Do you die anyway And since I was seeing two of them Aitutaki and the famous TranzAlpine railway trek on this odyssey was I setting myself upHappy to say Aitutaki was amazing. And I am still here. And yesterday's trip across the spine of New Z http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Arthur-s-Pass-National-Park/blog-223054.html Kia Ora from New ZealandIt's been a couple of days since I had a chance to blog 3 in reality as I lost a day coming here left Sat. morning at 4 ayem and landed 4 hours later and on Sunday morning. So I am owed a Saturday night that I will never have and plan to chase after it with gusto.So let's rewind a bit to Friday and my last day on Rarotonga. That it started and ended with tears will lik http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Christchurch/blog-222742.html Kia OranaBack at the Delilicious for a flat white coffee and a spot of blogging....Well if you can't find news make it. So when the Global Volunteers headed off to a local art gallery for the opening of an art exhibit of paddles painted by artists in honour of the vaka races we ended up in the local weekly's aroundthetown column. They must have liked the photo of me. They ran it twice.Hard http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Cook-Islands/Rarotonga/blog-221904.html And now for today's completely unsubstantiated island fable. It seems Queen Elizabeth was here on a Royal visit some years back and one of the corgis got out and enthusiastically introduced himself to the local female canine population. And hence the local stray dog population which is substantial features an impressive number of runofthemill mutts on stubby corgi legs. They're quite hilariou http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Cook-Islands/Rarotonga/blog-221631.html Kia Orana blogger palsThis one must be short we're off to the Edgewater tonight to see the Island Show starring some of the young dancers I embarrassed myself with at dance practise last week. But I have to tell you about these amazing vaka outrigger canoe championship races going on. It's a yearly event and boats have come from all over NZ OZ Fiji Hawaii and all over the South Pacific. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Cook-Islands/Rarotonga/blog-221357.html