Minor Mishap #7

This one came in the superstitious multiples of 3... each!

7a. Really a major misunderstanding. We arrived at the Colosseum late on the first day and asked at the counter whether we could buy a ticket for the next day. We were led to believe that the ticket worked for 2 days and we could go on through with the little time we had left and come back the next day for the guided tour. Not so, to Mum's surprise when she tried to use her ticket. A little bit of diplomatic conversation concluded in Mum being let through without having to buy an extra ticket. We really did appreciate it. (see 7d for my ticket fiasco)

7b. A souvenir stand outside the Colosseum was aiming to decapitate Mum during a huge gust of wind. The flimsy umbrella Mum was holding snapped, but may have slowed the inertia of the mini-Colosseums and postcards, thereby saving Mum's life. May it rest in peace.

7c. An unknown and unseen bug decided to bite Mum on the ankle twice. We were starting to get worried about necrosis... but thankfully it abated.

7d. After making sure I had my "2day pass" in my pocket with my camera I decided to take some pics on the way to the Colosseum. Somewhere in this process I lost my ticket and consequently was rather displeased with myself when I had to buy another one.

7e. I hooked my mobile phone up to be charged and got the message: "Unable to Charge". My Response: *blank look... panic* WHAT?! I solved the problem by taking some advice from the internet - taking out the battery, replacing and charging the phone on "off".

7f. I thought I had lost my Swiss Army knife. How was I ever supposed to be prepared for all situations without that? Luckily, it was a false alarm, I found it hiding in the bottom of my backpack in Tuscany. Definitely needed the break!

l
R
x
and Judy

Roaming Roma

Our choice of travel to Rome was a train ride... through hell. We thought a sleeper would be a good idea. It wasn't. Especially when we shared with 4 other people (actually very lovely young couples from Hong Kong). The beds were short, narrow and very hard. Not conducive to sleep.

Upon arrival we were greeted by a local who offered cheap accommodation close by, which in our sleep deprived state we gladly accepted. It was close to everything we had planned to see, and after a morning nap we went for a walk to the Font di Trevi. Here we had breakfast/lunch and enjoyed the fountain with a serving of gelati... when in Rome...

Inside the Colosseum

Our next stop on our walking trip was the Colosseum, where we had arrived too late for the guided tour. After sitting down to recover from the heat of the day (and refreshing ourselves with ice tea, which we were soon to become addicted to) we went to the entrance with the view to buy a ticket for the next day. As it turned out, we had a look around the Colosseum that afternoon before heading back to our hotel. Traditional Italian pizza was for dinner -yum!

We awoke to a rainy day. The first point on our agenda was to return to the Colosseum, where Minor Mishap #7 occurred. We then moved on to the Roman Forum and Palatino where we bumped into our train buddies from Hong Kong. After we chatted and commented on the improbability of seeing them again, we parted ways and headed for the Pantheon followed by Navino Square and finally back to the hotel via Font di Trevi again.

Inside the Roman Forum

l
R
x
and Judy

Love From Paris

After staring at the keyboard for half an hour and relearning the keys, we are finally starting our France entry.

"How on earth were we to get to Paris?" was the predominant thought in our head the day before our departure. We had conveniently timed our trip to coincide with a bank holiday in Britain, and consequently airfares and the direct train had upped their prices... way beyond what we could afford.

We ended up spending 14 hours traveling- London tube, train to Dover, ferry to Calais, train to Paris. Arriving without a clue where we were staying, we traipsed around with our backpacks and found a great hotel near the Sacre Coeur. Once we had a base we got a metro ticket and spent 3 days exploring the city of luuurve.

Our first sight-seeing experience was to the Louvre, where we spent 4 hours viewing all the wonderful exhibits (including Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo of course). From the Louvre we walked (and walked and walked) up L'Avenue des Champs-Elysees and finally reaching the Arc de Triomphe. We went back to the hotel to feast on baguette and cheese (to become a staple).

The Louvre courtyard entrance

Notre Dame was fairly easy to get in to see the chapel section. However, it took an hour waiting in line to be able to climb to the top. We consoled ourselves, while waiting, with ice creams. The view and gargoyles were spectacular. Next stop was the Eiffel Tower. Here, the weather decided to drench us with rain, but that didn't stop me going up. Afterwards we caught the bus to enjoy more street views.

The morning of our last day we got up early and made a quick trip up to the Sacre Coeur, being so close we thought we really had to make the effort for the 10 minute walk. We then dropped our bags at the station and headed to Versailles. The Palace of Versailles was stunning, even though it was raining (still). The magnificence makes your jaw drop and you can't help thinking that maybe it is a little 'over the top' (and perhaps the rioting mobs had a point). We toured some of the inside apartments viewing numerous gilt and embroidered furnishings, sculptures, crystal chandeliers and artworks - everywhere. A walk around some of the grounds finished off our day and we were soon back on the train headed for Rome.

While we did have a couple of run-ins with the stereotypical arrogant, impatient, rude frenchman, we generally found people to be very friendly. A characteristic that we noticed about Paris was that most of the buildings, especially in the older section, are all low lying. It gives the city a less crowded feel than if there were a million skyscrapers. And still, everything is very, very French.

l
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x
and Judy

Our Roadtrip in a Nutshell

Click on picture for a larger view.

Flags denote some of our overnight stays (we ran out of stickers).

South Wales and London #2

Our arrival in Fishguard Port was unspectacular. The ferry experience was the same as the trip over to Ireland, so nothing new...(how fickle we are). We searched a while for a Hertz counter, which proved fruitless as there was none. A local told us that a representative would be waiting for us, and he was right. So after eventually finding our hire car we began the last leg of our road trip.

Carew Castle was our first stop which also had a Mill nearby on the lake. Immediately, I noticed that Wales has what I expected castles to be, as opposed to Ireland where the ones we saw were really only tall stone towers. We spent quite a lot of time exploring the grounds and imagining what life would have been like.

Carew

We then went in search of the Coast and found it near Tenby and started along the coast drive... which was a single country lane edged by high hedges. So, we decided to forgo the "coast" and head straight to Cardiff.

We investigated Cardiff Castle and then drove to the border with a brief stop at Tintern Abbey (also near the first place brass was made). We just had time for one more castle (Chepstow) before heading to London.

Chepstow

In London, we met up with Hannah, who we had met in Africa, and had a dim sum (yum cha) lunch. There, she suggested a couple of places we hadn't been to and we spent the afternoon visiting Covent Garden markets and Harrods.

l
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x
and Judy

Grand Ireland

We started off with 2 days in Dublin, checking out Trinity College (University of Dublin), the Liffey river, Millenium needle and St Stevens garden. We got a tour around the University from a local Arts student (can't hold that against him) which was very informative. We learnt about teacher/student shoot outs, the superstitions of the bell tower, special exam privelages such as a glass of claret and various disasters. At the end of the tour we were able to see the book of Kells - absolutely stunning.

Liffey River, Dublin

Following Dublin, we hired a car and drove down through the Limerick and Tipperary Counties to Killarney (narrowly avoiding being squished on a bridge by a truck). We spent another two days there, discovering the town and surrounds. A day was spent driving around the ring of Kerry plus an offshoot Ring of Skellig, to view the lovely coastal scenery such as Dingle Bay; and various ruins.

We saw Ross Castle before making our way to Cork - the second largest city in Ireland. Walking around Cork, we enjoyed the St Fin Barre Cathedral, the Roman fort, rivers and a chocolate cafe. Lots of constuction was going on to improve the centre and there were lots of people milling around. On our way out after staying one night, we detoured to Blarney Castle, which I kissed with the help of a technician to hold my legs (to make sure I didn't fall as you have to bend over backwards over a drop to kiss it properly).

Around Cork

Contiunuing on to Waterford, we stayed nearby at Dunmore East at a B&B overlooking the bay. We walked along the 'beach'... at least it did have sand. The next morning we traveled back into Waterford town to go to the crystal factory. An hour tour of the factory was quite interesting and there were so many lovely things in the showroom, but too heavy to take backpacking (the reason we used to console ourselves after we realised we couldn't afford anything).

Dunmore East Bay

We then traveled straight to Rosslare and had a long evening walk around the sleepy town's cliffs. Not being content with only walking along the cliff, we decided to pioneer our own path down the cliff face to the sandy beach below (Australians and their beaches - sheesh).

l

R

x

and Judy

The HSS 'Take me to Ireland!'

Because the ferry deserves a post all of its own.

We woke up early to return our hire car and catch the fast ferry to Ireland. Stepping on to the boat Mum noted it was unlike the English Channel ferry she had been on before. This was more like a cruise liner than a ferry. Think airline terminal... in a boat. Plus weird monstrous slot machines for those people wishing to waste their money.

Mum and I settled in on one of the comfy chairs in the lounge at the front of the boat and once we got going I purchased a couple of lattes.

The movement of the boat was hard to anticipate, which meant that I was becoming a little dizzy. It was a bit like when you're in a car as a passenger and are expecting to turn left, but the driver continues straight. We decided to lay down in the lounge area and I read while Mum snoozed.

We embarked at 8.40am and arrived at Dun Laoghaire (said Dun Leary) at 11.40am. That's fast!

l
R
x
and Judy

Minor Mishap #6

Frolicking in an adjoining sheep paddock to the ruins of a Roman fort in Hadrian's Wall. Later, I was moving the car into the shade for a litte afternoon kip... when I could smell something rather un-car-like. I thought I had driven through something.

But no. Somehow, I had been so engrossed in the ruins that I had not noticed myself sinking up to my armpits in the sheep paddock. Half an hour and several baby-wipes later, my shoes and jean bottoms were semi-decent, to the point where there was no longer an overpowering stench (as long as the windows remained open).

I had to throw out my jeans and socks. I mean, how does a sheep smell that bad? They only eat grass!!!

l
R
x
and Judy

Lake District and Holyhead

Exiting Scotland we headed into the Lake District of England. We had enjoyed beautiful weather all through Scotland. About 1 hour after crossing the border, it started to rain.

We stopped at Hadrian's Wall - a Roman wall that was built across the country to keep the "barbarians" out. We drove for some time in the countryside before realising we were actually driving on the wall. So much for our "Where is it? We must be close" comments.

We saw more peaks in the Lake District than the Peak District... I think there is some sort of conspiracy there. We stopped at a lovely town called Keswick and stayed at a Youth Hostel on the banks of a river. In the evening we had a walk around the town and through the flower gardens in the local park on our way to the lake. It is great how the sun doesn't set until 9pm - lots of time to explore. The next morning we strolled some more around the town and down to the lake, then visited the nearby stone circle.

We drove all the way to Holyhead, only stopping at Windemere to have lunch on the banks of another lake. The local airforce decided to entertain us with F1-11 fly bys. Very exciting.

Holyhead was a small town out on the edge of an island peninsula. We found the remote Youth Hostel after asking directions. This was close to a bay overlooking the Irish Sea, which we walked down to - complete with real sand!

Bay in Holyhead

l
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x
and Judy

Minor Mishap #5

My friend Kelly lives with 3 other people and most of the furniture belongs to Andrew - a lovely guy from Aberdeen. The first morning we were at Kelly's, Mum was using the computer and I wanted to sit next to her to view what she was doing. I spied a lovely 3-legged chair made of wood where the three legs had been carved out of one piece of wood, but made to lock together in a plaited/celtic type fashion. I began to sit down.

Before I could sit down completely I heard a loud craaaaack!... and I fell to the floor in total shock.

Mum proceeded to point and laugh and ask why I had sat on a table.

I was so terrified that I had just destroyed a family heirloom, and didn't have a chance to tell Andrew until the evening, so was boiling in my guilt and fear all day. I was quite vividly envisioning the wrath of a Scottish temper.

However, Andrew showed no sign of concern, and pointed out that the table should be able to be fixed with glue quite easily, and apparently it was a cheap table and fell apart all the time.

Sorry Andrew!

l
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x
(and Judy)

Bonnie Scotland

We drove up to Melrose with Kelly and stayed for 3 days. Kelly skived off work one afternoon (with permission from her boss) and we all visited Traquair house - the oldest inhabited house in Scotland - complete with peafowl. The weather was perfect and Kelly and I went for a walk up two of the hills near her house - of which there are four - called the Eildons. We started with the hardest one first so the second one seemed like nothing in comparison.

We spent a day in Edinburgh visiting the castle before travelling to Pitlochry, a suprisingly beautiful little town where we spent the night. We then drove all the way up to Culloden Moor, the site of the 1746 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' final battle. They had just opened a new visitor centre on April 16th, 2008.

View to Edinburgh Castle

We then drove through Inverness and along Loch Ness. We stayed at a Youth Hostel right on the banks of the Loch. On our way to dinner (in the only restaurant for miles) we saw our first Heilan' Coo. The next morning we explored the ruins of Urquhart castle and then drove via Glen Coe (gorgeous scenery) to Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the UK). We climbed the mountain... well a little of it. We rode the gondola chair lift to 2150ft and walked around the area for 90 minutes. We spent our last night in Scotland at a converted castle overlooking the bonnie banks of Loch Lommond.

On the banks of Loch Lommond

l
R
x
and Judy

P.S. This is as close as I could get to the Loch Ness Monster???