I HAVE MY FINAL CHECK OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS to be carried during my 6-day trip. A day before the flight, I was relaxed and not harassed thinking that I might forget something valuable which jeopardise my trip. Having 16 kg check-in bag and one hand carry for my laptop, I was ready to go and looking forward to meeting the Pope in Vatican and David in Florence! My friend was accommodating enough to drive me to Belfast International airport, almost 45 minutes drive from the university. My Aer Lingus flight was on time (1530 departure time) and after 2.5 hours [View Full Entry]

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EASTER MONDAY (2008), NEWCASTLE, NORTHERN IRELAND. It was a non-working holiday and I joined for another walk organised by Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church where (sometimes) I also attend Sunday mass. Joining the group for the 5th time, I walked with them for the second time in the highest land of Northern Ireland, the Mourne Mountains. This time, we climbed the 3rd highest peak of the mountain, Slieve Binnian. Well, I had the opportunity to stands tall at the summit, Slieve Donard in winter 2006. Seeing again the Mournes reminds me of the books written by C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narni [View Full Entry]

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Last weekend, I joined my Irish friends to visit the western part of the Republic of Ireland. We stayed overnight in Ballymote and visited Ballina, Inniscrone, and the place called Knock. I dont have any idea about this small town in County Mayo. Even my Irish friends did not bother to tell me prior to the visit, until we reached the place - the Knock Shrine. As I stepped out from the car, my friends started to explain the significance of the place for the Irish Catholic community, or even for Christians around the world! Why? Because the apparation of our [View Full Entry]

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A glimpse of Mississauga Toronto Ontario Canada on the last day of 2007 and first day of 2008. I woke up early in the morning just to find out that outside of the house is already covered with snow! It was an amazing experience to touch the smoothness and whiteness of fresh snow - a white mantle in all over the place of Mississauga. While writing this journal in my other travel journal's site, Im still blowing my nose after taking the photos posted below. At first, I can bear the coldness, but later on sneezing followed with running nose. This [View Full Entry]

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My recent visit to Dublin in the middle of August has a different purpose. I was invited by a friend to be interviewed and will be featured in a Filipino local magazine. The mag is currently circulated in Dublin catering to Filipino community. Without hesitation I decided to agree to visit Dublin and stayed overnight. I took the opportunity to know the family and joined them in a morning walk along a popular waterway. It was a lovely day and I really enjoyed their company, including the family dog - happy to swim for a wood stick! I also had the [View Full Entry]

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This is the second part of my fascination with Dublin where the Guinness beer originated. Unfortunately, I havent done the Guinness Store tour yet but my friends told me that this is a "must do" thing which takes almost 1/2 day to have a full glimpse of the entire beer factory. Frankly, Im really excited to have it a go and hopefully be able to collect some beer mats (coaster) from there. I tried to drink Guinness for several times and honestly, the taste is acceptable but I have to drink it slowly because I cannot take the bitterness of [View Full Entry]

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BEING A FREQUENT TRAVELLER, having reliable sources of information is essential. One of them is being part of this TRAVEL BLOG community. It provides hands-on information from the members. A month ago, I signed up for another free travel site, TRIVAGO. As a member, I can post photographs and travel reviews and get extra incentives through the shares from every operation I contributed to the site. There are several levels for me to undergo to increase my involvement and responsibilities in the site. The site has German, French and Spanish portals to cater non-English travellers. Bri [View Full Entry]

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St Anne's Cathedral is one of the highlights of the Cathedral Quarter found at the city centre of Belfast. It is a religious icon in its own way for so many years and its reputation is more visible after the installation of the 53 meters high Spire, just at the top of the altar of the church. In my previous visits to the city, I always have the desire to find out what is inside this prominent structure, standing tall besides the University of Ulster. Since I always bring my camera to capture its towering structure and exteriors, unluckily I [View Full Entry]

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I am one of the avid fans of any festival celebration in Belfast City. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Maritime Festival last year (2006) since I was in the US to take my one month summer vacation in some areas of California. But this year, I did my best to attend this annual celebration of wooden ships, including the SS Nomadic which is the last ship that carry the passengers from Titanic during the disaster in 1912. The festival was a 3-day event (30 June- 1 July) showcasing historical wooden tall ships/boats such as the following: 1. [View Full Entry]

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Side trip to Marsden Bay Europe » United Kingdom » England » Newcastle » South Shields By digital_explorer July 6th 2007 Reymos This is the [View Full Entry]

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