It has been a while since we have written on the blog - trying to navigate London has consumed all our energy for the past 2 weeks! We left Southampton on Monday the 16th of July, and caught a train to London. After dropping our bags off at our hostel, we headed out to start viewing flats, a couple of places we had seen on the internet the day before. This was the start of our steep learning curve.....the first place we saw was quite a nice place, just very far from anything else. The second place we saw was horrible, and we couldn't get out of there fast enough, but the landlord wouldn't stop asking us questions! She was still talking to us as we walked down the driveway.
So on Tuesday we made another big effort, searching through piles of ads on the internet (and we were only using one website!). It is amazing how many places are advertised each day. We had narrowed our search to North London, and managed to find a few places that seemed suitable....until we saw them, and realised they really weren't. A couple of the places were in council estates, the others were in quite dodgy areas...
Wednesay was more successful, when we narrowed our search further to only north-west London, and we went to see houses in Acton, East Acton and Shepherds Bush. All of these were quite good, although for one of them we would have had to sign a 12-month contract, and we weren't sure we wanted to committ to anywhere for that long. Another place had no living area, so felt more like a hostel than a home. So we decided to choose the one in East Acton, which is not too far from central London. The flat has 1 other kiwi, 2 aussies and 2 south africans, so we manage to bring the kiwis into the majority! It was a relief to find a place to live, as the search had been quite stressful, and we felt like we would never find anywhere!
On Thursday we headed into Oxford St, so I could go into the bank and start up my account, which went pretty smoothly. After that we went to Hyde Park, and sat on the deck-chairs scattered on the grass...until we got asked to pay to sit there. We decided to get up and go for a walk after that, around the lake and past the memorial fountain to Princess Diana, which was turned off for maintenance.
On Friday we headed up to Birmingham, to stay there for the weekend and pick up luggage we had left there before we left for Spain. We spent the weekend recovering from our flat-hunting in London, and hiding from the rain - many of the areas around Birmingham were flooded, with evacuations and no electricity or running water. Luckily the area we were staying in wasn't affected. On Saturday we braved the elements to head into Birmingham city centre, to go to the Walkabout pub (Aussie pub) to watch the replay of the Bledisloe Cup game...only to find we had missed it! Luckily they had it on tape, so were kind enough to replay it just for us. It was great to see the All Blacks win!
Shaun's great-aunt introduced us to a couple that live across the street from them, and the husband is very involved in the local rugby club, so he invited Shaun to go to their AGM on Monday night. Shaun went along, chatted to the locals, drank some Guinness and experienced a rugby club in England.
On Tuesday we returned to London, to start the next stage of our introduction to London...looking for a job. This has involved getting in touch with as many recruitment agencies as possible, sending out lots of emails, looking at lots of job ads, calling lots of people etc. So hopefully all the hard work will pay off! We spent Tuesday to Thursday doing this, taking a bit of time off on Thursday afternoon to visit the British Museum, a massive place that we will have to return to.
On Friday we moved into our flat, and had to go shopping to buy pillows, sheets, food etc...That night we met our flat-mates, who all seem very nice. Today we plan to buy more stuff to fill our room with, and explore London some more.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Barcelona to Southampton, a photographic diary(double click on images to enlarge)
Shaun on an old viking ship. These ships were used for trade throughout Europe through the 13th,14th and 15th Centuries.
Salisbury Cathedral, boasts the tallest spire in Britain and some amazing stained glass windows.
Shaun, Christine and David with Stonehenge in the background
Julia and Shaun and the more photogenic side of Stonehenge
The 'white horse', carved into the chalk hillside. The white dots around its legs are sheep. Which gives an indication of it's size!
Shaun in front of the west gate, the wall that once encircled the whole of Southampton but much of it was destroyed in the 1940 Blitz.
The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, England
The Round Table of Arthur and his Knights, in the Great Hall at Winchester
Ruins of the Wolvesley Castle, Winchester
Statue of King Alfred the Great- the Man who unified Saxon Britain
Julia with David's 1950 Riley. Behind lies the entrance to the once mighty hill fortress, Sarum
The view from the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth
The Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth.
The HMS Victory, Lord Admiral Nelson's warship against the Spanish Armada.
The Brighton Pier
One of the many rides at the end of the Brighton Pier.
Hurling match in Dublin, Ireland.
Courtyard at Kilmainham jail in Dublin where the leaders of the Easter Uprising were executed.
Julia and Julia's Mum being wind-swept in front of the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland.
Julia and Mum with Cousin Danny O'Sullivan, his great-nephew and dog, in front of the house at Killarney.
Castle in Cahir, Ireland (also very windy).
Irish dancing at the Arlington Hotel, Dublin, Ireland.
Huge vats of Guinness at the Guinness factory in Dublin which produces over 4,000,000 pints a day!!
Beautiful white sandy beach at Calpe
An amazing cove with beautiful warm clear water, that we spent the day swimming in. 
Massive beach at Grandia, we had dinner in a restaurant across the road.
The Wool Shed, complete with big screen and lots of kiwis
Waving the boat back in
Bull-fighting
Bull charging horseman. note the blindfold on the horse - very cruel.
The crowds inside - and spilling outside - the Wool Shed.
Messages of support from NZ on display at team NZ base in VALENCIA. The jigsaw pieces that were in post offices throughout NZ
Julia and Steph, listening to audio guides in a Cathedral in Valencia
The Holy Grail!!!
View from the tower above the Cathedral. 360 degree views of the city below.
One of the features of the Barcelona skyline, over 100 stories high!
La Sagrada Familia, work was started on this in the late 19th century and as you can see by the cranes, has yet to be completed.Sunday, July 15, 2007
Brighton, Winchester, Stonehenge and Southampton
We caught the train to Brighton on Wednesday to have a look around Britain's most polular seaside town. We headed down to the waterfront to see the world-famous pier, which stretches hundreds of metres out into the water, and is complete with a theme park at the end. After this we went to the old part of Brighton, called 'The Lanes', lots of small lanes filled with old buildings, now housing shops and restaurants. We saw the Royal Pavilion, a huge Taj Mahal-type building on an immense scale, which was built in the late 19th Century by the Prince of Wales. We also visited the Art Gallery and Museum.
On Thursday we hopped on the train again, this time to Winchester. This is a very historic town, which used to be the capital of England. We first visited The Great Hall, the only remaining part of Winchester Castle. Hanging on the wall inside is King Arthur's Round Table, which is huge, about 18 feet in diameter, and weighing over 1.5 tonnes! We then went to Wolvesey Castle, which is the ruins of a medieval castle built nearly a thousand years ago. We then headed along the river, to find a very large statue of King Alfred the Great, the King attributed with creating monarchal Britain and driving out the Vikings. We visited Winchester Cathedral, which is over a thousand years old and very impressive.
On Friday, David and Christine were kind enough to take us on a tour of areas in Southern England that we couldn't reach by train. To add to the excitement, we were chauffeured around in a 1950 ex-bridal vehicle, which made us feel like celebrities. We first headed to Old Sarum, an old hill fort just out of Salisbury, which had been in use for over 3000 years. Now after excavation in the early 20th Century the ruins of the old castle, keep and walls can be seen quite clearly. The dug-out hill defences have stood the test of time and are still very impressive. We then headed into Salisbury to visit Salisbury Cathedral, which has the highest spire in Britain and many amazing stained glass windows.
We then continued north to the main destination of the day, Stonehenge. Equipped with a very informative audio guide, we marvelled at the still-unexplained phenomenon of Stonehenge. The first henge was begun over 5000 years ago, however this consisted only of a ditch and bank enclosing a ring of 56 pits. The 2nd henge was created 300 years later, in a horseshoe inside a circle shape, made of rocks weighing over 1 tonne each, tranported all the way from the north of Wales. The 3rd, and most impressive henge, was completed 300 years later, and mimicked the shape of the 2nd henge. However these rocks weighed up to 45 tonnes. The sheer magnitude of getting the rocks there and standing them up is incredible, and also the fact that for over 1000 years and many generations people worked to complete the same project, for a reason still unknown today.
We then went in search of a horse on a hillside, which after a few wrong turns and nearly giving up, we found. It was amazing, a huge white horse (due to the chalk in the hillside) carved with amazing detail and precision on an immense scale, over 100 feet high and 150 feet long. We then raced against the impending sunset to see our next hillside masterpiece, the Regimental Badges. This included 7 different badges carved into the hillside. We then enjoyed a meal in a traditional English pub, and headed home.
On Saturday we explored Southampton, and walked along the ancient wall that used to encircle the city and was once the foreshore. We visited a Titanic Memorial in one of the many parks, as the Titanic sailed from Southampton. We also visited the Museum of Archeology, housed in a tower that used to be part of the ancient wall. We saw a church that was destroyed in the 1940's Blitz, but the remaining outer walls have been left as a memorial.
We then managed to find a walkabout pub which was playing the ab's game which was good to see, and great to notch up a victory even with Ruben Thorne on the field. However we were not fortunate enough to find a pub playing the Warriors, this did nothing to dampen the spirits and what a result!Good to see Ropati back where he belongs.
Ps. Go the Warriors
Shaun & Julia
On Thursday we hopped on the train again, this time to Winchester. This is a very historic town, which used to be the capital of England. We first visited The Great Hall, the only remaining part of Winchester Castle. Hanging on the wall inside is King Arthur's Round Table, which is huge, about 18 feet in diameter, and weighing over 1.5 tonnes! We then went to Wolvesey Castle, which is the ruins of a medieval castle built nearly a thousand years ago. We then headed along the river, to find a very large statue of King Alfred the Great, the King attributed with creating monarchal Britain and driving out the Vikings. We visited Winchester Cathedral, which is over a thousand years old and very impressive.
On Friday, David and Christine were kind enough to take us on a tour of areas in Southern England that we couldn't reach by train. To add to the excitement, we were chauffeured around in a 1950 ex-bridal vehicle, which made us feel like celebrities. We first headed to Old Sarum, an old hill fort just out of Salisbury, which had been in use for over 3000 years. Now after excavation in the early 20th Century the ruins of the old castle, keep and walls can be seen quite clearly. The dug-out hill defences have stood the test of time and are still very impressive. We then headed into Salisbury to visit Salisbury Cathedral, which has the highest spire in Britain and many amazing stained glass windows.
We then continued north to the main destination of the day, Stonehenge. Equipped with a very informative audio guide, we marvelled at the still-unexplained phenomenon of Stonehenge. The first henge was begun over 5000 years ago, however this consisted only of a ditch and bank enclosing a ring of 56 pits. The 2nd henge was created 300 years later, in a horseshoe inside a circle shape, made of rocks weighing over 1 tonne each, tranported all the way from the north of Wales. The 3rd, and most impressive henge, was completed 300 years later, and mimicked the shape of the 2nd henge. However these rocks weighed up to 45 tonnes. The sheer magnitude of getting the rocks there and standing them up is incredible, and also the fact that for over 1000 years and many generations people worked to complete the same project, for a reason still unknown today.
We then went in search of a horse on a hillside, which after a few wrong turns and nearly giving up, we found. It was amazing, a huge white horse (due to the chalk in the hillside) carved with amazing detail and precision on an immense scale, over 100 feet high and 150 feet long. We then raced against the impending sunset to see our next hillside masterpiece, the Regimental Badges. This included 7 different badges carved into the hillside. We then enjoyed a meal in a traditional English pub, and headed home.
On Saturday we explored Southampton, and walked along the ancient wall that used to encircle the city and was once the foreshore. We visited a Titanic Memorial in one of the many parks, as the Titanic sailed from Southampton. We also visited the Museum of Archeology, housed in a tower that used to be part of the ancient wall. We saw a church that was destroyed in the 1940's Blitz, but the remaining outer walls have been left as a memorial.
We then managed to find a walkabout pub which was playing the ab's game which was good to see, and great to notch up a victory even with Ruben Thorne on the field. However we were not fortunate enough to find a pub playing the Warriors, this did nothing to dampen the spirits and what a result!Good to see Ropati back where he belongs.
Ps. Go the Warriors
Shaun & Julia
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The South Coast of England
When we arrived at Gatwick airport we were greeted by my 2nd cousin Christine who had kindly organised for us to stay at their home in South Hampton. After a nice hour and a half drive we arrived at our destination ready to do some sight seeing. We headed along the coast and through the 'New Forest', a massive national trust park complete with wild horses and foals, deer and wild cattle. We headed on through many idyllic little english towns to the sea side and a view of the Isle of Wight. We walked along the stormy coastline with waves crashing over the sea wall and in the distance a castle which seemed to sit in the middle of the channel, connected only by a sand spit, which was the main defence against marine attack in past times.
Today(tuesday) we headed over to Portsmouth by train, a seaside town rich in marine history. It was the last place Admiral Lord Nelson walked on land before his defeat of the Spanish Amarda and subsequent death at sea. It now houses the mighty warship 'Victory' which Nelson last commanded. We saw it in the afternoon and with 100 cannons it is a truly impressive sight. This is getting a little ahead of ourselves though. We first visited the 'Spinnaker Tower' a 140 metre high tower shaped as named, like a sail. We headed up this and were greeted with panoramic views of the channel, the isle, the town and the surrounding districts. There was also an interactive geography/history lesson which helped shape the rest of the days sight seeing. After this it was off to Subway for lunch and then into the old town for a walk along the fortified coast line. We headed down to the last place Nelson walked on land and looked out at the three cylinder shaped concrete cannon towers placed 500 metres apart and surrounded by nothing but water. These were built in the 18th centuary to combat the threat of Napolean. The path then took us to a cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows and apparently the home to 6 ghosts. We then headed back past the tower to the docks to see the Mary Rose(the pride of the English fleet which in 1527, shortly before it was to engage in its 1st battle capsized and sunk off the coast without ever firing a shot!), the HMS Warrior which is the largest battle ship of its kind at over 250 yards and has a great name and HMS Victory which was covered earlier in the piece. All in all a very informative and interesting day.
Shaun
Ps. Go the Warriors
Today(tuesday) we headed over to Portsmouth by train, a seaside town rich in marine history. It was the last place Admiral Lord Nelson walked on land before his defeat of the Spanish Amarda and subsequent death at sea. It now houses the mighty warship 'Victory' which Nelson last commanded. We saw it in the afternoon and with 100 cannons it is a truly impressive sight. This is getting a little ahead of ourselves though. We first visited the 'Spinnaker Tower' a 140 metre high tower shaped as named, like a sail. We headed up this and were greeted with panoramic views of the channel, the isle, the town and the surrounding districts. There was also an interactive geography/history lesson which helped shape the rest of the days sight seeing. After this it was off to Subway for lunch and then into the old town for a walk along the fortified coast line. We headed down to the last place Nelson walked on land and looked out at the three cylinder shaped concrete cannon towers placed 500 metres apart and surrounded by nothing but water. These were built in the 18th centuary to combat the threat of Napolean. The path then took us to a cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows and apparently the home to 6 ghosts. We then headed back past the tower to the docks to see the Mary Rose(the pride of the English fleet which in 1527, shortly before it was to engage in its 1st battle capsized and sunk off the coast without ever firing a shot!), the HMS Warrior which is the largest battle ship of its kind at over 250 yards and has a great name and HMS Victory which was covered earlier in the piece. All in all a very informative and interesting day.
Shaun
Ps. Go the Warriors
Ireland: Saturday to Monday morning
On Saturday we hopped on the hop on-hop off bus tour around Dublin, which took us past many of the sights Dublin has to offer. These included the Guinness brewery, Trinity College, St Patricks Cathedral, the Kilmainhim jail (where the leaders of the Easter rising were executed), the Phoenix Park (the largest enclosed park in Europe) which contains the house of the Irish President, the American Embassy, the Zoo, as well as lots of sports grounds and wild deer (introduced in the 1500's for hunting purposes). The bus then took us along the side of the Liffey River, where Bono and the Edge own a hotel, on top of which is a penthouse suite that costs €2300 per night.
We had made enquiries the previous day into Gaelic football being played that weekend, there turned out to be none of these as it is played in winter. However, there was a hurling match on Saturday afternoon. This is the summer half of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Hurling is a cross between lacrosse, hockey and Aussie Rules, played with a wooden stick with a large flat end and a small ball. The idea is to hit the ball through the rugby posts above the cross-bar (worth 1 point) or between the posts beneath the bar (worth 2 points). There are 14 people on the field, 1 goalie and the only protection they wear is a helmet (not even shin-guards), which resulted in a few nasty injuries. The game was between the lowly-ranked Dublin team and top-of-the-table Tipperary team. Dublin did well, to the excitement of a very vocal local crowd, to be ahead shortly after half-time. However, this did not last and cheering disappeared and abuse came to the forefront, with liberal use of swear words and "Oh for the love of Jaysus". Tipperary went on to win, and the stadium (very similar to Carlaw Park - concrete stands and standing room only) emptied on to the field to get signatures from the players. All in all, it was pretty exciting afternoon.
On Sunday we headed off on the bus tour again, this time to do more "hopping-off". Our first stop was the Dublin Castle, more similar to a palace now after fire destoyed most of the castle in the 1700's. We then went to St Paul's Cathedral, parts of which date back to the 12th Century. We also saw St Patrick's Cathedral. We got back on the bus to go to Kilmainhim Jail, where we went on a tour of the jail. The jail was built in 1796, with no more than 200 small cells (9 by 6 foot) and at its peak it housed over 9000 people. At this time there were no sanitation facilities, and men were required to do ten hours hard labour per day, stone-breaking. No speaking was allowed in the cells, and breaking this rule led to 2 weeks in isolation. In 1904 the jail closed down and only held political prisoners, included in this was Ireland's first Prime Minister, Eamon de Valera, who only escaped execution due to his joint British-American citizenship. We saw the yard where the leaders of the Easter Uprising were executed, a very sombre experience.
We went to the Phoenix Park next, to see the huge monument to Lord Wellington (the General who defeated Napolean at Waterloo ) and to explore the grounds. Unfortunately our luck with the Irish summer ran out here and it started to rain, so we hopped back on the bus and headed back into town.
That night we went to dinner at an authentic Irish pub (O'Neills), which had amazing food that came in humungous servings. The food was served from a 'Carvery', which is sort of like ordering food in a cafeteria, but of a far higher quality. The plate was piled high with lamb pie, potatoes, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables and salad. Shaun had a Guinness on the recommendation of the tour bus driver (apparently it doesn't travel well), and he thought it tasted amazing, nothing like the Guinness we get in NZ. After dinner we experienced the Irish cinema experience and saw Shrek 3 - lousy theatre, great movie.
On Monday morning we waved a sad goodbye to Ireland and it's friendly inhabitants, lush green countryside and indecipherable accents, and headed back to England.
We had made enquiries the previous day into Gaelic football being played that weekend, there turned out to be none of these as it is played in winter. However, there was a hurling match on Saturday afternoon. This is the summer half of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Hurling is a cross between lacrosse, hockey and Aussie Rules, played with a wooden stick with a large flat end and a small ball. The idea is to hit the ball through the rugby posts above the cross-bar (worth 1 point) or between the posts beneath the bar (worth 2 points). There are 14 people on the field, 1 goalie and the only protection they wear is a helmet (not even shin-guards), which resulted in a few nasty injuries. The game was between the lowly-ranked Dublin team and top-of-the-table Tipperary team. Dublin did well, to the excitement of a very vocal local crowd, to be ahead shortly after half-time. However, this did not last and cheering disappeared and abuse came to the forefront, with liberal use of swear words and "Oh for the love of Jaysus". Tipperary went on to win, and the stadium (very similar to Carlaw Park - concrete stands and standing room only) emptied on to the field to get signatures from the players. All in all, it was pretty exciting afternoon.
On Sunday we headed off on the bus tour again, this time to do more "hopping-off". Our first stop was the Dublin Castle, more similar to a palace now after fire destoyed most of the castle in the 1700's. We then went to St Paul's Cathedral, parts of which date back to the 12th Century. We also saw St Patrick's Cathedral. We got back on the bus to go to Kilmainhim Jail, where we went on a tour of the jail. The jail was built in 1796, with no more than 200 small cells (9 by 6 foot) and at its peak it housed over 9000 people. At this time there were no sanitation facilities, and men were required to do ten hours hard labour per day, stone-breaking. No speaking was allowed in the cells, and breaking this rule led to 2 weeks in isolation. In 1904 the jail closed down and only held political prisoners, included in this was Ireland's first Prime Minister, Eamon de Valera, who only escaped execution due to his joint British-American citizenship. We saw the yard where the leaders of the Easter Uprising were executed, a very sombre experience.
We went to the Phoenix Park next, to see the huge monument to Lord Wellington (the General who defeated Napolean at Waterloo ) and to explore the grounds. Unfortunately our luck with the Irish summer ran out here and it started to rain, so we hopped back on the bus and headed back into town.
That night we went to dinner at an authentic Irish pub (O'Neills), which had amazing food that came in humungous servings. The food was served from a 'Carvery', which is sort of like ordering food in a cafeteria, but of a far higher quality. The plate was piled high with lamb pie, potatoes, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables and salad. Shaun had a Guinness on the recommendation of the tour bus driver (apparently it doesn't travel well), and he thought it tasted amazing, nothing like the Guinness we get in NZ. After dinner we experienced the Irish cinema experience and saw Shrek 3 - lousy theatre, great movie.
On Monday morning we waved a sad goodbye to Ireland and it's friendly inhabitants, lush green countryside and indecipherable accents, and headed back to England.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Ireland - Wednesday to Friday
After a hectic flight schedule, including an hour between our flight arriving in London Stansted to our flight leaving for Dublin, we arrived safely in Dublin, and were met at the airport by my mum. We proceeded to collect a rental car, and started our journey across the island towards the Cliffs of Moher. It was a lovely drive through the Irish countryside, with stone walls, green fields, abandoned churches and castles, many detours due to roadworks, and a flat tyre to cap it off. Luckily this happened minutes from one of the largest towns we had passed through, which included a tyre repair shop. We reached the Cliffs of Moher and were greeted by a howling gale and rain. We braved the elements and were greeted by amazing views of sheer cliff faces plunging into the sea, with layered rock, gannet colonies, hobbit holes and a castle. We continued onto Limerick, where we found a room at a lovely B&B.
On Thursday morning we headed to Killarney and the O'Sullivan farm, where my great-grandfather departed from in the late 1800's to immigrate to NZ. Danny O'Sullivan, my mother's 91 year old second cousin, stills runs the farm here, and was an amazing source of Irish historical information - when we could decipher his strong Irish accent. Having lived through 2 world wars, uprisings, revolutions and revolts, and most of recent Irish history, he had some very interesting stories to tell. He is obviously well-respected in the farming and local community. We had a tour of the farm, including the original stone building that my great-grandfather had lived in, and which the family only moved out of in the 1950's. After this visit we drove around Killarney, looking at all the "O'Sullivan" shops in the town, and drove out to the nearby Killarney national park, famous for its walks and lakes. We spent the night in Cahir, complete with a fortified castle, a jail that looked like a castle and now houses a B&B, a Gaelic football field and a 200-km+ wind!!!!!!
On Friday we drove back to Dublin, where Mum was kind enough to drop us at the door of our backpackers. Mum headed to the airport to fly to New York, and we began our sight-seeing trip in Dublin. We spent the afternoon wandering the streets, walking to the River Liffey and through O'Connell St, in the main shopping area. We began the night with a burger meal at a place called Jade's, which was going fine until we saw a couple of cops stop a man of middle eastern descent right the outside the door. The police asked to search him, and he refused and starting arguing with them. This escalated quickly and the police arrested him, at which point he took a swing at one of the officers, which resulted in back-up being called and in no time there were 7 police there and a very angry man having his face rammed into the window of the restaurant we were sitting in. It's hard to know whether the police had a reason to stop him, or if it was just an over-reaction due to the recent attacks at the airports.
We headed down to the Arlington Hotel for a night of Irish dancing, Irish music and Irish cider. We then went to the Temple Bar district, and took in the atmosphere of the streets filled with pubs, nightclubs and street performers.
On Thursday morning we headed to Killarney and the O'Sullivan farm, where my great-grandfather departed from in the late 1800's to immigrate to NZ. Danny O'Sullivan, my mother's 91 year old second cousin, stills runs the farm here, and was an amazing source of Irish historical information - when we could decipher his strong Irish accent. Having lived through 2 world wars, uprisings, revolutions and revolts, and most of recent Irish history, he had some very interesting stories to tell. He is obviously well-respected in the farming and local community. We had a tour of the farm, including the original stone building that my great-grandfather had lived in, and which the family only moved out of in the 1950's. After this visit we drove around Killarney, looking at all the "O'Sullivan" shops in the town, and drove out to the nearby Killarney national park, famous for its walks and lakes. We spent the night in Cahir, complete with a fortified castle, a jail that looked like a castle and now houses a B&B, a Gaelic football field and a 200-km+ wind!!!!!!
On Friday we drove back to Dublin, where Mum was kind enough to drop us at the door of our backpackers. Mum headed to the airport to fly to New York, and we began our sight-seeing trip in Dublin. We spent the afternoon wandering the streets, walking to the River Liffey and through O'Connell St, in the main shopping area. We began the night with a burger meal at a place called Jade's, which was going fine until we saw a couple of cops stop a man of middle eastern descent right the outside the door. The police asked to search him, and he refused and starting arguing with them. This escalated quickly and the police arrested him, at which point he took a swing at one of the officers, which resulted in back-up being called and in no time there were 7 police there and a very angry man having his face rammed into the window of the restaurant we were sitting in. It's hard to know whether the police had a reason to stop him, or if it was just an over-reaction due to the recent attacks at the airports.
We headed down to the Arlington Hotel for a night of Irish dancing, Irish music and Irish cider. We then went to the Temple Bar district, and took in the atmosphere of the streets filled with pubs, nightclubs and street performers.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Spain - Sunday to Tuesday
On Sunday we headed down to the port in the afternoon to watch the final America's Cup race that we would be able to see. We settled down in the wool-shed, and waited and waited....and eventually the race was post-poned due to light winds. This was disappointing, so to fill in the afternoon we went shopping. In July in Spain all the shops have big sales, which was handy timing for us (perhaps more for me than Shaun). After shopping, we picked up some food to cook dinner and headed back to Steph's flat. Shaun cooked dinner for Steph, a friend of Steph's flatmate (Nick), and myself. The four of us had a lovely evening, including a bottle of Spanish red.
On Monday morning we headed off to hire a car, which Shaun had the pleasure of driving. It had a tendency to stall, which combined with the Spanish drivers following close behind led to one car hitting us - luckily no damage done. Five of us (Steph, Shaun, Nick, another of Steph's flatmates, and myself) headed south out of Valencia, down the coast to a beach called Calpe. This was a beautiful white sand beach, with a huge amazing rock at one end. We walked along the beach, and although we thought this was as good as a beach could get, Steph insisted we drive further round the coast - where we found an even more beautiful beach, tucked into a cove with crystal clear blue water, complete with houses on the hillside overlooking the water and a friendly octopus swimming around our feet. We spent the afternoon here, alternating between the water and sweltering on the sand (temp of 44 degrees). We then headed back towards Valencia, after having our last swim at 5.30, and stopped at another beach for dinner and a walk. This beach (called Gardia) was much bigger and although we arrived at 7.30, it was still very full of sunbathers and swimmers.
On Tuesday we said a sad farewell to Steph and Valencia, and hopped on a train to Girona airport, an hour north of Barcelona. We arrived at our amazing accomodation for the night - Girona airport. We were fortunate to secure seats to sleep on as the airport was full to the rafters with people with the same idea. It was a different night, which included loud Germans, flies, bright lights and rock-hard seats. We woke up at 4am in the morning to check into our flight, and waved goodbye to Spain, and although we didn't know it at the time, to the sun and warm weather.
On Monday morning we headed off to hire a car, which Shaun had the pleasure of driving. It had a tendency to stall, which combined with the Spanish drivers following close behind led to one car hitting us - luckily no damage done. Five of us (Steph, Shaun, Nick, another of Steph's flatmates, and myself) headed south out of Valencia, down the coast to a beach called Calpe. This was a beautiful white sand beach, with a huge amazing rock at one end. We walked along the beach, and although we thought this was as good as a beach could get, Steph insisted we drive further round the coast - where we found an even more beautiful beach, tucked into a cove with crystal clear blue water, complete with houses on the hillside overlooking the water and a friendly octopus swimming around our feet. We spent the afternoon here, alternating between the water and sweltering on the sand (temp of 44 degrees). We then headed back towards Valencia, after having our last swim at 5.30, and stopped at another beach for dinner and a walk. This beach (called Gardia) was much bigger and although we arrived at 7.30, it was still very full of sunbathers and swimmers.
On Tuesday we said a sad farewell to Steph and Valencia, and hopped on a train to Girona airport, an hour north of Barcelona. We arrived at our amazing accomodation for the night - Girona airport. We were fortunate to secure seats to sleep on as the airport was full to the rafters with people with the same idea. It was a different night, which included loud Germans, flies, bright lights and rock-hard seats. We woke up at 4am in the morning to check into our flight, and waved goodbye to Spain, and although we didn't know it at the time, to the sun and warm weather.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Valencia - Thursday to Sunday
After we met up with Steph on Thursday we all went to Valencia´s cathedral together, which is a really amazing cathedral, over 600 years old. It has an amazing collection of tombs and paintings, even containing the Holy Grail, apparently the chalice that Jesus Christ drank from at the Last Supper. After having the audio tour through the cathedral, we climbed 272 narrow winding steps to reach the top of the tower. This provided awesome views of the whole of Valencia, from the port to the hills. We spent about an hour up the top of the tower enjoying the view, and the cool breeze.
After that we walked past the bull-ring and picked up tickets for a bull-fight the next night. By this time we were very hot, as temperatures have soared past 30 degrees most days, so we headed across town for a swim. We were lucky to be able to use a private pool, which is attached to the apartment building where the kids that Steph teach live.
On Friday we slept in as we knew we had a big day ahead. We then headed to the port to watch the racing in the wool-shed again. This race was rather traumatic one, as the main-sail blew out on the second leg when we had a controlling lead. We then had to watch Alinghi sail past us, and go to win the race. After the race we headed to an outdoor bar situated beside the waterways, which had clicked onto the fact that 90% of it´s clientele are Kiwi´s and so serves 2 euro beers and plays kiwi music (Dave Dobbyn etc). After a couple of beers we caught a bus to the bull-ring and headed in to watch the bull-fight. This turned out to be an interesting spectacle, a lot more brutal than either of us expected, but was a good experience none the less and gave us an insight into Spanish culture. Then we headed down to Estrella bar at the port, which is surrounded by the water in a fantastic setting with light shows, lasers and giant glowing eggs, combined with the fact that is surrounded by super yachts makes it a pretty exciting bar to drink at. It´s obviously pretty popular with tourists and locals alike, judging by the line to get in. We managed to skip this by arriving early (11pm). They start late over here.
On Saturday we woke up late and headed to an Irish pub to watch the All Blacks game which was packed to the rafters with Kiwis and a sprinkling of Aussies. It was a great atmosphere until the 63rd minute when Carl Hayman was sent off, but this created the opportunity for a Warriors chant! After the disappointing loss, we picked our hopes up and headed down to a packed wool-shed to watch some racing....however this turned out to be a disappointment as well and the only saving grace from a terrible sporting day was the mighty Warriors downing the 4th placed titans 22-6! We then headed to Estrella bar to drown our sorrows and renew our hopes for the next day.
After that we walked past the bull-ring and picked up tickets for a bull-fight the next night. By this time we were very hot, as temperatures have soared past 30 degrees most days, so we headed across town for a swim. We were lucky to be able to use a private pool, which is attached to the apartment building where the kids that Steph teach live.
On Friday we slept in as we knew we had a big day ahead. We then headed to the port to watch the racing in the wool-shed again. This race was rather traumatic one, as the main-sail blew out on the second leg when we had a controlling lead. We then had to watch Alinghi sail past us, and go to win the race. After the race we headed to an outdoor bar situated beside the waterways, which had clicked onto the fact that 90% of it´s clientele are Kiwi´s and so serves 2 euro beers and plays kiwi music (Dave Dobbyn etc). After a couple of beers we caught a bus to the bull-ring and headed in to watch the bull-fight. This turned out to be an interesting spectacle, a lot more brutal than either of us expected, but was a good experience none the less and gave us an insight into Spanish culture. Then we headed down to Estrella bar at the port, which is surrounded by the water in a fantastic setting with light shows, lasers and giant glowing eggs, combined with the fact that is surrounded by super yachts makes it a pretty exciting bar to drink at. It´s obviously pretty popular with tourists and locals alike, judging by the line to get in. We managed to skip this by arriving early (11pm). They start late over here.
On Saturday we woke up late and headed to an Irish pub to watch the All Blacks game which was packed to the rafters with Kiwis and a sprinkling of Aussies. It was a great atmosphere until the 63rd minute when Carl Hayman was sent off, but this created the opportunity for a Warriors chant! After the disappointing loss, we picked our hopes up and headed down to a packed wool-shed to watch some racing....however this turned out to be a disappointment as well and the only saving grace from a terrible sporting day was the mighty Warriors downing the 4th placed titans 22-6! We then headed to Estrella bar to drown our sorrows and renew our hopes for the next day.
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