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Published: August 3rd 2012
London, England- June 23-26
Tired and jetlagged, miraculously Alexis and I managed to find our hostel in London with little effort. The directions given to us by the man at the train station could have been disastrous but, in this case, worked out perfectly. After checking in, we decided to have a nap as we had very little sleep the night before and, although it was 1:00 pm in London, it was still only 6:00 am Canadian time. We did wander the city in the evening and stopped at a restaurant called Shakespeare for a snack, drink, and some great live music. Although it may seem unfathomable, I must admit that I got us lost on the way back to the hostel that evening and I am predicting that Alexis will be bragging for years to come that she knew we were heading in the wrong direction right from the start. This is a rare and unexpected occurrence as, in the past, Alexis had proved many times that she had no sense of direction which forced me to step up into the role of “alpha leader” (a nickname that Brenda Humphrey came up with while in Mexico two years ago).
While in London, Alexis and I met up with my friend Stephanie (who I had travelled with for four weeks in New Zealand on the KiwiExperience bus) and her boyfriend Dave for lunch.
Lunch was great and then Stephanie and Dave spontaneously decided to change their plans and join us at the Natural History and Science Museum for the afternoon. It was a great day!So as Alexis’ confidence was boosted by her new found navigational skills I was left with a bit of a bruised ego.
Alexis and I had the opportunity to fill the shoes of the “typical” London tourist as we explored the city of London on the Original tour hop on/hop off double decker bus. We got to see such sights as Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Big Ben, Parliament Westminister Pier, etc. In the evening, we went to a pub to watch the “BIG” game; England vs Italy in a football (soccer) match. The energy at the pub was awesome! The room was packed with die-hard fans cheering on their team. One fan had even brought his trumpet and the crowd chanted and sang along to God Save the Queen and other anthems. The 90 minute game increased to 120 minutes to accommodate overtime and a kick off. In the end, England lost 2-4. The pub was filled with grown men acting like children; pounding fists into tables and consoling each other with tear filled eyes. It was a lot of fun and neat to see England’s commitment to their football (soccer) team.
We also
booked a day tour to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Oxford. Windsor Castle is the largest and longest inhabited castle in Europe and turned out to be much better than anticipated. Our tour guide informed us that the Queen was at the castle that day because the flag was raised, however, I have read that when the flag is raised visitors are not allowed at the castle which is a complete contradiction? Either way, we got to see some really great things such as the changing of the guards, the cathedral, and state rooms although pictures were not permitted for proof. The audio tour was very informative and we learned a lot about the history of the royal family and the castle.
Stonehenge was impressive and, although we got some really great photos, we left with no better understanding as to why or how Stonehenge came to be. Our audio guide provided us with a variety of theories as to the the purpose of Stonehenge's creation ie: burial ground, religious ceremonies, astronomy. Needless to say, Stonehenge remains a mystery but it’s overall impressiveness cannot be denied. The stones range in height, with some standing as tall as 24 feet, and
A day spent Geocaching in Liverpool.
Scottie, Me, Moises, Alexis, and Nicole weighing up to 50-60 tons. It is believed that the stones orginated in Whales- a couple of hundred kilometers away. It is difficult to imagine how much effort and patience it would take to move these large rocks such a long distance and arrange them with such precision.
Our day tour also included a brief visit to the town of Oxford and the Oxford University.
Liverpool, England June 26 & 27
We took a night bus from London to Liverpool with hopes that Liverpool would be a means to an end. We needed to catch a ferry to get to Dublin, Ireland. However, upon arrival we were informed that it was not possible for pedestrians to take the ferry across to Dublin as it was only for people with cars. Frustrating! Could no one have informed of us that sooner? Therefore, we would have to backtrack to Holyhead, Whales to catch our ferry to Dublin. However, we had already booked our accommodation for the evening so we decided to make the best of our situation and see what Liverpool had to offer. Many people visit Liverpool to do the Beatles tour but that wasn’t of much interest
Smita and I
Before spending the night on the bus/ferry to Dublin, we were graced with the presence of my friend Smita (another friend from the KiwiExperience bus). Smita caught the train from Manchester to Liverpool to join Alexis and I for dinner and a drink. Thanks Smita! to us so we spent most of our time shopping. One interesting thing about Liverpool was the distinct change of English accent which is called Scouse.The information stations even sell Scouse dictionaries to make it easier for the visitors to understand common Liverpool phrases and slang.
The next day our hostel roommates, Scottie, Nicole (siblings from Canada), and Moises (Brazil) joined us for a morning of wandering the streets of Liverpool until we had the idea of geocaching. Alexis, Moises and I had never been geocaching before so it was pretty exciting for us. Geocaching is basically a worldwide treasure hunt where individuals use GPS to seek out the location of a geocache (treasure). When found, the participants sign and date a piece of paper or trade small trinkets found inside the hidden containers and leave it for the next geocacher to find. There are over a million geocaches hidden around hundreds of countries. This turned out to be a really interesting way to explore the city.
Dublin, Ireland June 28- July 2
We arrived in Dublin at approximately 6:30 a.m and checked in to the Four Courts hostel (as per recommendation of our friend Jen). Jen
At the free BBQ prior to the Hostals Pub Crawl
Justin, Jane, Alexis, Me, Matt, Rachel and Graham had lived in Dublin for a year working as a pub crawl coordinator so she was able to recommend all the hot spots and set us up to meet some of her friends. On our first day we met two fellow Canadians (Matt and Rachel) and an American (Graham) in the lobby and they asked us if we felt like joining them for the free walking tour of Dublin. The tour turned out to be really good. In the evening there was a free BBQ which we all attended and our group grew to include Jane (Aus), and Justin (USA). Following, we went on the hostel pub crawl that Jen used to work for. Jen had prewarned her friend Adrian that we would be arriving as he was working the crawl that night. Adrian was alot of fun and treated us very well! During the evening of fun we managed to find free wifi so Alexis, Adrian and I got to skype with Jen back in Canada. Great night! What did we learn from every Irish person we met? “Jen is a LEGEND!”
Matt, Rachel, Alexis, Graham, Jane and I went to Howth for a trek of the peninsula.
Trekking the coastline near Howth
Alexis and I with the lighthouse in the background. Howth is a small town north of Dublin with a beautiful walking trail along the cliffs/coastline that allows for the potential to see seals. At the end of the day we said goodbye to Jane (as she was heading to Galway) and Graham, Alexis, Justin and I joined Rachel and Matt for dinner on their last night in Ireland before returning to Canada. For dinner I decided to try a traditional irish meal and ordered Irish Beef and Guinness stew and it was so delicious.
Happy Canada day! Alexis and I spent the day/evening sporting Canada t-shirts on July 1st. Alexis, Graham, and I went to a Gaelic football game. Gaelic football is one of the most popular sports in Ireland and it appeared as though it was comprised of a variety of characteristics from many different sports ie: football, soccer, basketball. It was cool to see such a unique sport that is specific to Ireland. We decided to end our time in Dublin the same way we had started it; at the Hostel's Pub Crawl.
Galway, Ireland- July 2-5/12
Hangover in tow, Alexis, Graham and I caught the bus to Galway where we had been invited
to meet back up with our Australian friend Jane. Jane had convinced us to meet her in Galway as there was a ten day celebration occuring on account of the Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo race is a round the world yacht race that just happened to be docking in Galway for the final time after nearly nine months of racing. The celebration included free concerts every night, a variety of food vendors, and beer gardens which created a great vibe in town.
On day 1 in Galway, Alexis, Jane and I planned to do the free walking tour through the City but, due to rain, Jane and Alexis bailed on the idea. I decided that I would still like to go, but after about twenty minutes of wandering the city in the rain I was feeling a bit bored and wishing I knew where to find the girls to meet up. Little did I know, that once I turned the next corner the girls would be there… trying to hide in a doorway while pretendng to be talking on the phone. As it turned out, Jane and Alexis thought it would be funny to follow the tour without
my knowledge and had spent the last twenty minutes taking pictures of me and trying not to be noticed.
The next day Alexis, Jane, and I went on a Connemara bus tour which included visits to the 14th century Ross Errily, the Kylemore Abbey and the village of Cong. The landscape was stunning and the small towns were very beautiful. But what made the day even more special was spending it with our new friend Seamus (the bus driver's stuffed leprechaun). Seamus joined us while we explored Kylemore Abbey, sat and ate lunch with us, and found some creative spots for photos (he even knew how to do "planking"- a style of photography where the individual lays face down with arms stiff by their sides).
On day 3 in Galway, Alexis, Graham, and I went on the Cliffs of Moher tour. Jane had once again carried on her way and after the tour we would be losing Graham as well. Graham had been travelling with us since we arrived in Ireland, we had enjoyed his company and were sad to say goodbye. Alexis and I were on our own once again and headed south to Killarney.
Killarney,
Ireland- July 6-9/12
We had decided to head south as we had heard it had some of the best scenery in Ireland. We were fortunate enough to meet up with Dougal (a guy from our hostel in Galway) who informed of us of a 14 km trek along the Ring of Kerry in the Killarnery National park. In order to get to our starting location we attempted hitchhiking for our first time. Sorry mom! We felt safe enough with the expertise of our guide Dougal, however, noone took the bait. I took it quite personal! Why wouldn't somebody stop to pick us up? I'm a nice girl! Overall, the trek was great and it turned out to be a beautiful day.
With our new sense of adventure and remembering the feeling of satisfaction following the completion of something challenging, Alexis and I decided to rent bikes the next day and further explore the Irish landscape. Alexis and I started our day by taking a two hour boat ride down the river with the plan of riding back to town through the Gap of Dunloe. The Gap of Dunloe is a popular pass between two mountain peeks. It was
a long way up and the two of us had to walk our bicycles up most of the way. As per the laws of physics, we knew that what goes up must come down and that was the bit we were looking forward too. However, the brakes on Alexis' bike were a bit dodgy and it started to rain which made the narrow roads slick. We took our time as we dodged horses with carriages and cars on a one lane highway. In the end we rode a total of 35 kilometers. One of my favorite days for sure!
What did we learn while in Ireland?
1)Well, Alexis and I were starting to wonder if Irish people enjoyed watching tourists wander around with confusion. Alexis and I have been pretty consistent with asking for directions when unsure of where we are going, but the people of Ireland have proved to be more of a hindrance than a help nearly every time. We heard, “It’s easy”, “You cannot miss it”, and yet, every time we miss the proper turn or seem to find one that should not have existed.
2)Also, we were warned that the Irish eat lots
of potatoes, but I was still surprised to see my cottage pie (that is made with mashed potatoes on top) was being served with a side of scalped potatoes AND a side of mashed potatoes! No greens on my plate! Wow! Carbalicious!
3) My sister, Tam, had recommended that we go to Cork to kiss the Blarney Stone, however, after talking to some locals we decided to skip it. We were told that drunk locals have been known to pee on the Blarney stone and that its a big joke that tourists then travel from afar to come to kiss it. Sorry Tam!
Belfast, Ireland- July 9/12
We spent one night in Belfast in Northern Ireland merely out of necessity so that we could catch the early morning ferry to Glascow, Scotland.
Glascow, Scotland- July 10/12
We arrived in Glascow early enough to plan our travels for the next few days, do some shopping, eat a nice dinner, and go to the theatre to watch a movie.
Potree, Scotland -July 11 & 12/12
We headed north to the Isle of Skye as we continued to follow our friend Jane (the Aussie we met
in Dublin and Galway). We heard that the Isle of Skye is very beautiful and is a good overall summary of some of the landscape Scotland has to offer (which is what we needed as our time in Scotland was limited). Upon arrival, Jane had already booked us our room in Portree and had made arrangements to hire a car for the following day to do some independent sightseeing. I needed to check with Jane to ensure that she was comfortable driving the countryside as Alexis and I would be unable to assist. I explained that we don’t know how to drive a manual, nor are we used to driving on the left side of the road, and that we are not really confident drivers at the best of times. Jane assured me that she would be fine as she sarcastically reminded me that she is used to driving on the left side of the road in Australia. Duh! The landscape was beautiful and we were successful in our mission to find some long haired Scottish cow’s (or as Jane called them, “hairy coo’s”).
Edinburgh, Scotland – July 13-15
After leaving the north, we met another Australian named
Luke while in Edinburgh. Let me tell you one thing that we have noticed throughout our travels… Australians are a great time! Luke, Jane, Alexis and I spent our day touring the city and the Edinburgh castle. Our initial impression of Edinburgh was that it was very beautiful and picturesque. However, our opinion was further enlightened following an evening ghost tour that shed some light on some Edinburgh’s darker history.
We were informed that the streets of central Edinburgh had a very different feel to it many years ago as there was rampant disease and plagues due to unsanitary conditions. People were living in poverty and often had to resort to criminal activity as a means of survivial. We learned of grave robbers that would steal bodies for the school of science so that the students would have cadavers to study and the grave robbers would receive a small fee in return. As it turned out, the fresher the body the more money recieved. Therefore, two men that owned a hotel in Edinburgh graduated from grave robbers to serial murderers as they killed their hotel guests to ensure "fresh" bodies were given to the school of science. The school didn't ask questions... We learned the meaning behind the statement "saved by the bell" as, apparently, many drunks had been mistaken for dead and buried alive so they started tying a string to the finger of the person buried underground and attached it to a bell on the surface so that if/when the person woke up they could ring and bring attention to the fact they were still alive. Also, we learned the meaning behind the statement "shit faced". Due to no plumbing at the time, the people of Edinburgh would dump buckets of waste out of their windows. If a person happened to be walking underneath the window at this unfortunate time they would end up "shit faced". Lastly, we toured some pitch black, wet, storage containers where people used to live. The tour guide walked us through as he shared incidences when ghosts were witnessed in the containers. Overall, it was a very interesting tour!
I know all of you are wondering, “How are you and Alexis getting along?” And my answer to you is, “Great!” We have been getting along just fine and have been enjoying each other’s company. My worries about Alexis have proved to be unfounded. I obviously did not give Alexis enough credit and she has definitely been pulling her own weight and sometimes more. Alexis has been taking the initiative to book hostels, buses, plan activities and she has even proved to be an asset when it comes to reading city maps.
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Mom
non-member comment
AWESOME
Once again Crystal....So wonderful to read your adventures!!! I am so proud of the two of you....Continue to follow your dreams...I love you my dear girls!