Dublin Mountains & Powerscourt Waterfall - 20/4

It took us a day or so to recover from the wedding, but we didn't loiter for too long. Cabinteely is only about 30 minutes from the Dublin Mountains and Olive and Andy (Yvonne's mum and dad) took us on a half day tour. We drove through Enniskerry, a cute little town on the tourist trail, and then zig-zagged our way to Powerscourt Waterfall. Here we met a grumpy gate guard that was not at all impressed with our attempt to pay the 'family' (2 kids/2 adults) entry fee. It was worth a try :)

The waterfall was beautiful, much better then the one I saw in Thailand where the water was quite obviously pumped from the bottom back up to the top using a garden hose! You have to love the Thai tourist industry :) There was none of that sort of thing in the Dublin mountains, a 100% authentic and natural waterfall. From here we went for a bit of a drive through the mountains before a lovely Irish Coffee at the Ritz Carlton. It was my first Irish Coffee in Ireland and it couldn't have been in a more exquisite location. Gordan Ramsey even had a restaurant there. Very posh!

Tara and Fergus's Wedding - 18/4

Tara and Fergus celebrated their wedding in grand fashion. I have no idea if it was a traditional Irish Wedding, but I can safely say it was a great one. The day kicked off with a catholic church ceremony and I surprised myself with how much of the stand/sit/kneel routine I remembered. From the church we went to the pub, surprise, surprise. From the pub to the reception, where the food was great, the speeches were funny and the beer was cold. Perfect. From the reception to Tara's parents house for more booze and some amazing Irish singing. It was after 6am and the sun was rising before we made it to bed, all in all a truly great wedding.




Naive as I was I thought the wedding was done, but I soon discovered that this being an Irish wedding, meant we'd only reached the half way mark. After a brief sleep and a little recovery time we were back in the pub with all the usual suspects to do it all again, less the ceremony and this time we went back to Tara and Fergus's house. An all too familiar 5am cab ride home and the wedding was officially over. An absolutely fantastic couple of days.

Sandy Cove & Dublin City - 16/4

One of the great things about writing a blog is that it can really help you remember all the things you've been doing. However, remembering the things you've been doing in the first place can be quite a challenge if you've been out drinking until 5am and 6am. But all is not lost, well at least not while we still have a camera that can fit in your pocket. With significant effort I have been able to reconstruct much of the last two days events based purely on the photos found in our camera.

It appears that a couple of days ago we went to Dun Laoghaire. I can recall a fogy conversation with an AXA Insurance representative regarding the insurance on the car we plan to drive around Europe. From there it looks like Yvonne took me to see one of Dublin's finest beaches at Sandy Cove. Yvonne assures me that in a few months when summer hits this beach will be packed.



I'm pretty sure that yesterday we went into Dublin City. It must have rained the entire time because people are carrying umbrellas in all of the photos. I do have a vague recollection of walking down O'Connell Street and hearing a proud Irish person say that it is one of the widest streets in all of Europe. Must be why I took the photo. Other photos make Dublin look to be a very interesting city, however, from the over engineered drainage systems one could conclude that it must rain a hell of a lot!

The remaining photos lead me to believe that our detox hasn't been going so well, but we appear to be having a grand time catching up with Yvonne's friends and getting way too drunk.

St. Enda's, Avoca & Glendalough - 14/4

Well our drinking detox hit a small road hump last night. Ger, Paula, David, Yvonne and I drove down to Gorey and stayed in a beautiful hotel/spa called the Seafield. We managed to get ourselves pretty drunk in our rooms before heading down to the hotel bar to finish off the job. Being on the other side of the world doesn't seem to have cured me of my kleptomaniac ways and we now own a lovely pair of silver salt and pepper shakers.

In our drinking down-time we have managed to see some amazing sites. On Sunday we did a tour of St. Enda's School with Yvonne's parents. It was an Irish boys school established in the early 1900's by Patrick Pearse. Pearse was executed in 1916 for leading an Irish uprising. Today on our way back from Gorey we took the scenic route via Avoca and Glendalough. Avoca is a cute town famous for its hand weaving, but Glendalough was the high-light. It was simply beautiful. Set in a valley with two gorgeous lakes and some 6th century stone towers to boot. So beautiful.

Cabinteely & Hangovers - 12/4

Strange as it might seem our blogging has slipped a little since we reached the shores of Ireland. If we haven't been eating delicious meals dished up by Yvonne's mum, then we've been drinking, sleeping or suffering from hang-overs. Thank god Yvonne brought a massive packet of Nurofen Plus with us.

Our first two days in Ireland we're basically spent catching up with loads of Yvonne's friends and getting smashed. On Friday I met Paula, Dave, Liam and Robin. It was a pretty late one, drinking at Paula and Dave's place, with Ger and Andrea too, until almost 3am. The following night we headed into Dublin where I met Tara, Fergus, Sonia and Lisa. Ger, Greg, Eamon and Liam were there too and we drank at a couple of bars until closing, when we headed back to Tara and Fergus's place. It was 5am before we made it home.

I've been doing my best to sample the local grog, Guinness of course, but also Bulmers, an Irish cider. Both drinks appear to give hangovers of similar discomfort. Tara and Fergus's wedding is on this Friday, so the plan is to try and do a mini detox between now and then. The realist in me says there's a better chance the local will run out of beer then Yvonne and I not drinking for the next five days. But the optimist in me is actually hoping that the local runs out of beer.

London to Ireland 09/04

I can remember when I was in year five at Prairievale Public School we had an old brass hand held bell that was rung for lunch time, home time etc. The bell was passed from class to class and each student would have their turn at walking through the school and ringing it. So much fun! When I came back from Christmas holidays to start year six I was horrified to find the school bell, that we all looked forward to ringing, had been replaced by an electric system on a timer.

I had always wondered what happened to that great school bell, so imagine my surprise when I heard it being rung at 11pm in a London pub. Well I admit that it might not have been the exact same bell, but it sure sounded the same. And I wouldn't put it past the New South Wales Department of Education trying to make a few bucks by selling off old equipment. However, my surprise was no where near complete, as I soon discovered that much like at school, the ringing of the bell signified home time. Apparently 11pm is last drinks in England, no wonder we have so many bloody Poms in Australia :)

This all said our 11pm cut off meant we were home and in bed not long after midnight. Which in turn meant we didn't have too much trouble making our 9am train from Euston to Holyhead. The four hour train ride was actually quite nice and the English country side was really beautiful. From Holyhead we caught a ferry to Dublin, which was another 4 hours, but I can't say the scenery was quite as good. The seas were quite rough and although it was interesting at first, after a while one bit of ocean looked much the same as the next.

Yvonne's father, Andy, met us at the port which was great. And it wasn't very long at all before we were back at Yvonne's parents house in Cabinteely sipping a nice warm hot whiskey. Yvonne's mum, Olive, then dished up a delicious dinner and we drank wine and talked into the night. It was great to be in Ireland and to be welcomed so warmly.

Old Bank Of England - 08/04

Our last day in London was a bit of a lazy one. I felt quite bad seeing Shan head off to work at 9am while Yvonne and I enjoyed a relaxing morning of TV and a late breakfast. When we did finally venture out it was nearly 1pm. Holidays ..... it's good to be on one :)

In no particular rush we wandered through Hype Park, down Oxford Street and into Soho, where we happily stumbled across China Town. In backpacker fashion we found the cheapest meal on the street and for only 3 pound 80 pence each had a nice serving of rice, noodles and pork.

From here we walked down to Piccadilly Circus and then over to Trafalgar Square, where I had a lovely 45 minute nap in the sun. In Sydney I've often walked through Martin Place and wondered who the bloody hell are these people that can just laze around and sleep while I'm working my life away? Well I'm no closer to understanding who they are, but I was one of them for a little while.

We spent our last night in London catching up with all the expats at a beautiful pub called The Old Bank Of England. Thanks to Sacha for organising this. It was great to see everyone in one place, Maria, Sacha, James, Shan and Eamon. I learnt from the 'Ale Trail' lessons of the night before, and stuck to lagers. Apparently all the English fellas like drinking the Ales, but myself, I like my beers cold and bubbly not warm and flat.

The story goes that Sweeney Todd used to murder people in the tunnels below the Old Bank Of England, then serve up pies made from the flesh of his victims. Well this is how Eamon told the story, but it didn't stop us ordering a meat platter that came with sausages and a selection of pies. To make the night worth everyones while, we handed out a packet of Tim Tam Double Coats to all the Aussies that turned up. Sorry Michael, since you didn't turn up yours went to Eamon, so on his late arrival home he'd have a peace offering for his girlfriend.

London 07/04

Two days in London and I think we're all tourist'd out. Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abby, Westminster Cathedral, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Covent Garden, London Eye, Marble Arch, St Paul's Cathedral, Greenwich and Soho! 48 hours of walking, bus tours, ferry tours and starring at maps. It's been amazing but tiring.

Massive thanks to Shan for putting us up for our time in London. It would have been so much harder if we'd have had to worry about accommodation and if we didn't have someone to unravel the mysteries of the oyster card. Thanks mate.

I think the Houses of Parliament were probably the most impressive sight that we've seen, they're both old and beautiful, just like my mum :)

Last night we went on a little pub crawl of Soho. Shan had discovered the 'Ale Trail', a promotional ploy to make part-time alcoholics drink five ales at five different pubs. At the end of the trail you are awarded a trophy-like t-shirt. Which was great as I only brought three t-shirts myself.

Tonight we're meeting up with Sacha, Michael, Charlie, Eamon and Shan, friends from Australia and Ireland. Hopefully it won't be too big a night as we have an early start tomorrow.

Ely Cathedral - 05/04

When discussing our second days activities with Ruth and Paul I gave them the broad request of a church / castle / abbey. I thought it would be a good idea to get a good one in early. We all know they are beautiful and awesome but to be honest they do get a bit tiresome after a while ("A.B.C." as they say..... Another Bloody Church).

The one they decided on was Ely Cathedral. A fully restored 900 year old Cathedral which was absolutely huge, with a stunning alter and organ.

Just for us they decided to put on a service along with some singing monks... so good of them!!
After many snaps and a good walk around the surrounding village it was time to go. My nephews were ready for some dinner and I was ready for a nice glass of wine!!

Anglesey Abby - 05/04

All over the UK there are hundreds of old buildings and estates that are owned and kept in original splendor by the National Trust. On Sunday Ruth and Paul took us to an estate called Anglesey Abbey, once owned by Lord Fairhaven. Lord Fairhaven was a renowned collector and it was difficult to walk anywhere in this immense estate without coming across a statue of a man with his willy on display. By the end of the day Yvonne, Ruth and myself were debating whether Lord Fairyhaven might not have been a more accurate name for the estates original owner. This said, as I look back on the many photos that we took on the day I can't seem to find a single shot to support the above. Oh well, he had a beautiful house too :)

Cambridge - 04/04

After our little walk around Royston, Ruth and Paul picked us up and we headed to nearby Cambridge. We were very lucky because not only did Paul go to Cambridge as a student, but he also works there now. Thus, we had all the insider knowledge. Paul took us to all the best places, made great use of his priceless ex-student CAM-Card which granted access to some restricted college grounds, and to top it all off .... we got free parking!! I love free parking :)

Now anyone who knows anything about about Cambridge, unlike myself, would know that punting is the thing to do. There is a lovely controlled river, called the Cam, that runs right up the middle of Cambridge. And for just a few pounds (even less with your CAM-Card) you can hire a punt and try to navigate the water ways. It's actually quite hard to maneuver the damn thing, and even harder when there are 50 other people unsuccessfully trying to do the same thing. But the views from the water were amazing and we left most of the punting in Paul's experienced hands.

The rest of Cambridge was amazing. I took loads of photos and totally played the role of a tourist. I originally thought that it was just a university town, but in fact the students only make up a small percentage of the population. There are loads of people that live and work there quite unrelated to the university. Cambridge was exactly what I was expecting an old fashion English town to be like, so beautiful.

Reflecting on my first day out and about in England, all I can say is that we Australians were certainly very unimaginative when came to naming our towns and streets. Every second town or street sign that I see has a counterpart in Australia. Which on one hand is great, because I know how to pronounce everything, but on the other hand, it's sort of disappointing that our country is made up of recycled English places. I'm pretty sure I won't be seeing any Woolloomooloos or Parramattas though :)

Royston - 04/04

I don't know if it was jet lag or just plain, simple tiredness, but even after 12 hours of sleep both Yvonne and I still felt pretty trashed. But it was 11am and time to get up and moving. We had a bit of breakie and headed into Royston to take a look around. Royston is a cute little town, I'm sure it's hundreds of years old and half the buildings are older then anything in Australia. I certainly got the impression that Royston doesn't get a whole lot of tourists, we got some strange looks when I made Yvonne stand in the middle of the road near the town sign. Later when I spoke to Paul about it, he confirmed that Royston wouldn't really be on the tourist maps. I guess it would be like tourists heading to Parramatta or Fairfield. Oh well, it was my first real English town I was going to take photos :)

Sydney To London - 03/04

The great thing about going on a four month trip is that you don't necessarily have to plan it all that well. Which is great, because neither Yvonne or myself particularly enjoy planning. We were always intending to simply let the journey evolve. To see where the wind blew us and just enjoy it. This said, I never thought that the wind would blow us through Frankfurt on our way to London. Actually I shouldn't blame the wind, as it was really the fogs fault, which had apparently blanketed Heathrow. In fact, in the end it was the wind that cleared the fog, thus allowing us to even make it to London. So I guess that brings us full circle, and we really have been going where the wind blows us.

Singapore airport was pretty fancy. Everything in the loo was automatic. Automatic flushing toilets, automatic liquid soap dispensers, automatic taps and automatic hand-dryers. Frankfurt airport looked quite nice also, what little we could see from the tarmac where we sat re-fueling for 2.5 hours. Apparently the fog was too thick at Heathrow to safely land, and in the expectation of having to circle above Heathrow we needed to detour to Frankfurt to re-fuel. Here's hoping that our next trip to Germany is slightly more interesting. When we finally made it to Heathrow, nearly 30 hours after leaving Sydney, we were greeted by a lovely 5 degree spring day.

Myself, I was riding high on the fact that we had made it, Yvonne knew better. Our actual destination was Royston, near Cambridge, where Yvonne's sister lives. This translated into a short walk, a train ride, some more walking, followed by a 2.5 hour bus ride. A bus ride which followed a zig-zag route of several towns and another airport before it deposited us at Royston. But finally we had made it. Yvonne's lovely sister, Ruth, met us at the bus stop, drove us home, fed us, watered us, let us shower and provided a nice warm bed. Well we didn't sleep straight away, we managed to take a walk around the housing estate, watch 45 minutes of Wall-E with Ben and Sam, Yvonne's nephews, and drink a bottle of wine and a few beers with Ruth and Paul by the fire. But sleep wasn't long in coming.