Deb Moore
I'm addicated to travelling. Seriously. I started travelling the States with my parents at a very early age and it's morphed into a love for European travel. I've been to France, Ireland three times, England six times, Scotland twice and Wales twice. If the economy will allow it, I'd like to see Italy and the Amalfi Coast this year. Debber
While visits to touristy places are always required to a certain extent, I try to see things that the majority of tourists don't. If car rental agencies knew where I drove their cars, they'd never rent to me again. From the less than 'B' roads in England to the unnamed single lane roads on the Iveraugh Peninsula in western Ireland that twist precariously through the mountains, these are the places that my blog will take you.
Travel Blog Posts
December 27th 2008
Ever the inquisitive, I've always wanted to take the high speed train, the Eurostar, from England through the Chunnel and on to Paris. I finally did this in 2005. Although it's possible to catch the train in London, it involves driving to the train station from Heathrow, and anyone who has ever visited London knows that you do NOT want to get caught driving in London at any cost. So the plan was to drive to Ashford, Kent, not far from London, and catch the train there. The train left Ashford at 6:00 p.m. and arrived in Paris at 7:50 p.m. with a brief stop in Calais. The journey through the Chunnel took 20 minutes and was uneventful. The train ride, however, was unbelievable! You don't quite realize what your rate of speed is until another ... read more
December 27th 2008
Although it can be absolutely exhausting, my mantra for avoiding jetlag is as follows. Schedule a late afternoon flight to Europe, arriving early the following day, and stay up. Yes, just stay up! Stay awake as long as you can and plan a couple of activities. After an early dinner, you will sleep like the proverbial baby and awaken the following day and will be accustomed to 'local time.' This is what worked for me in 2005, with a direct flight from Chicago to Dublin, staying awake for 39 hours straight, but waking up the next day on 'Ireland time.' After landing in Dublin and checking into the hotel and with a quick survey of a local map, I decided that a 107 mile trip to Northern Ireland shouldn't be TOO taxing. Ah, silly girl. You ... read more
December 27th 2008
After seeing U2 in Dublin the night before, you would think that the rest of a three day trip to Ireland would be a disappointment, but that wasn't the case at all. Having only three days planned in Ireland, it was a rush to fit in as much as possible. Sunday, June 26th, 2005 included a drive from Dublin to Blarney with an unplanned side trip through the city of Cork first while attempting to locate the small village of Blarney. Cork is not a city in Ireland that is ammenable to driving. After negotiating roundabouts in Ireland, this city has a strange preference for stop lights, but they are not your normal stop lights. The lights for the east-west intersection flash red for example, while the lights for the north-south interection flash yellow. This ambiguity ... read more
December 27th 2008
Let me preface by saying that I never really had a desire to visit Ireland. However, after a quick three day visit in 2005, I'm addicted to the place. It began in late 2004 when I was desperately trying to land tickets to U2's Vertigo tour in Chicago. Despite three separate dates, it was impossible to score tickets. As my twisted little mind went to work searching alternatives, I suddenly had an epiphany. If I couldn't get tickets to any of the Chicago shows, how about trying to get tickets to one of their shows in Dublin? Why not go directly to the source? Fingers flying across the keyboard, I quickly located a ticket broker in London. Admittedly, I spent WAY more for a ticket than I should have, but how can you argue cost when ... read more
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