Dancing over the Swilcan

Fog! It was very foggy this morning. The plan was to go for a jog at 6.30 before a 7.30am brekky but it was pitch black. 

After brekky we jumped on the bus. Only three degrees outside. Unlike winter mornings in Queensland, it doesn't warm up at all. We were shivering. My throat is 98% better from the other day but my nose is choc full of muck. Same can be said for nearly everyone on the bus.


We leave Grantown-on-Spey. The Scottish Highlands once again produce the goods with a postcard morning. Very low cloud which turns into fog. It couldn't be any other way, I'm loving it!

First stop, Pitlochry; a small highland town that borders with the Lowlands. Geoff suggests either the walk through the tiny town or a walk through to the hydro-electric dam that occasionally has salmon jumping up stream. We chose the dam. A bit of rubbish in there but there was a nice backdrop. We walked back into town. I sculled a Hot Chocolate whilst Poppy had a white coffee. Back on the bus we were.

I don't know what my attraction is to The Highlands. I think it's the unspoiled wilderness that sets this place apart. Some places were sunny with blue sky. Others were fogged in to set the eery backdrop of doom.

After driving through Dundee, we arrived at the place I've been looking forward to the most. The soft spot in every true sportsman's heart. St Andrews! Not only the place where The Duke on Cambridge went to university, but the home of golf. We had well over an hour and forty minutes to check out this place and we savored every moment of it.

I've played St Andrews on the Playstation many times before and had seen old footage of The Open Championships. This was something completely different. Something special. Something I've dreamt of. Something I couldn't believe I was doing, walking across the 1st and 18th fairway (a public footpath). 

We took the obligatory photos on the Swilcan Bridge. We even walked right down and onto the 17th, the "Road Hole" to check out the infamous greenside bunker that is near impossible to get out of. TV and photos make this bunker look a lot easier than it really is.

I won't forget this hour and forty for a very, very, very long time. Next time I come here it will be to play the Old Course. You need to book a year in advance to get a look in! The Pro Shop was hideously expensive but it's not often you come here...

It was sad to leave, even though we've had more time here than every other stop on tour (excluding Bath). Onwards through the town of Perth, we arrived at our hotel in Edinburgh, The Novotel.

Our penultimate tour excursion was to a Scottish show, right in the heart of the capital. After the fine dining experience we were treated to bagpipes, Scottish ballads and fantastic vocals. The dancing too, spectacular. Of course I was asked to take part in the dancing...I only had 3 pints of beer and two glasses of white in relatively quick succession by then! Was good for a laugh. The show ended, I had to quickly scull the fresh pint that was put in front of me.

Songs on the bus ride home. Being the youngest I was expected to be the loudest. "TO BE THE MAN WHO WALKS A THOUSAND MILES TO FALL DOWN AT YOUR DOOR....DAA DA DAA DAAAA"

Yeeahhhhhh. The Americans love me more now, maybe. They were cheering me on, possibly for the cheap comedy they were getting. Fantastic group to be around. Bring on a full day in Edinburgh tomorrow! 

Hunting Nessie

Good morning outskirts of Glasgow! Most of us are buzzing around the brekky table this morning, Loch Ness makes an appearance today.

The first Loch (Lake) on our radar this morning is Loch Lomond. Very pretty settings on a beautiful Scottish morning of blue sky and sunshine. Prime selfie backdrops here!

We inched closer and closer to The Highlands, through narrow roads, blind corners and roadworks. The closer we got to the mountains, the gloomier the weather became. You could call it a romantic setting as we crossed the threshold into the high country. Clouds rolled down the mountain whilst the sun took a break behind heavy clouds. It's how I had always imagined this part of the world.

Time for lunch. Tyndrum is the place I've had an unforgettable meal. I had Haggis!! Haggis and Brie Panini for lunch. The meat was minced, probably tasted nothing like the normal stuff but as far as I'm concerned, Haggis is Haggis!

After the fanfare as I was the only one 'crazy enough' to try it, we continued through the spectacular landscapes of the Scottish Highlands. As a lot of places have been, this is truly spectacular. It's not the sheer cliff faces or coastal marvels that Ireland holds. The beauty here is the roads, set out in the valley with giant mountains either side of you. If it's not a mountain it's another spectacular loch. 

A teaser. We thought we were going to visit Nessie but no, we stopped at another small village where there were restrooms...and an 18th century bridge. Beautiful setting.

Finnnallllyyy! The bucket list destination, arguably the most famous lake in the world, Loch Ness.  Very long, narrow and extremely deep, the water temperature rarely changes from 7 degrees Celsius. On the look out for Nessie. We saw an unexplainable 'line' in the water that did not move, even when the wake from water craft swept through. Very interesting...

Driving along the Loch provided unlimited photo opportunities and the chance to ponder if a huge creature is indeed lurking beneath.

Another rest stop at a 16th century battlefield, where the Battle of Culloden took place. We were on our way to our most northern pit stop on the tour. We drove through the city of Inverness, which is now the most northern place above the equator I've been. It seems like a nice little place. With a population of 50,000 it's the largest city in The Highlands.

The last part of road for the day. The sun broke out from behind the clouds for a brilliant late afternoon show. The green hills with the golden autumn trees glowed in the afternoon light. I sat back in the bus and soaked up the magical scenery. Again and again I'm blown away by the many different landscapes that provide breathtaking scenery. We've all seen it in photos, on movies and TV. But being here and seeing with my own two eyes is definitely worth the trip to the other side of the world. I'm still pinching myself.

We arrive in Grantown-on-Spey. Geoff recommends either a walk into the town or a walk to the Spey River. We chose the town. Very small with no major landmarks, very cold yet very pretty. The hotel is old. A very nice building with a grand design. Grand design means old design. The first hotel with an actual lock and key instead of a swipe card, small tartan pattern decor in a smallish room. Dinner, one of the best yet. Looks like a foggy start tomorrow, should be interesting.

We have a brewery?!

Off on an early morning expedition. A 300 metre trek across the chilly Liverpool city centre, looking for what I had looked for last year on my trip to Liverpool and failed. The old offices of the Higson Brewery! 

Sandwiched between two pubs, these appear to no longer be the headquarters of a North English Ale. Being 6am we weren't able to make any enquiries to the pubs, we had another international border to cross.

First leg of the bus journey today takes us up through the English Lake District. This is where a lot of older Brits bring their caravans on summer holidays. I can see why. Pretty little villages, nice lakes and laid back locals. We stopped at the village of Grasmere.

Nice village. One slight problem for a 22 year old though; the average age of locals and tourists appeared to be about 75. Tea and scones everywhere, only grey hair to be seen on the local bus and frame walkers everywhere. Don't take this the wrong way, please. But the overall feeling of this hamlet was one of a ritzy retirement village. 

To the border! Goodbye England! Our fourth border crossing in three days took us to Scotland. We once again stopped, just over the border in the tiny village of Gretna Green. 

In centuries gone by, this village was the place where young couples would escape England to take advantage of Scotland's more relaxed marriage laws. Now it's the home of ridiculously overpriced gift shops and a chapel where couples still tie the knot amongst a nice backdrop.

The last leg of today's journey brings us to Scotland's largest city and the host of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow. Not the prettiest or grandest city by any stretch of the imagination. However you can feel Glasgow's charm by standing in the city square amongst the fine buildings and watch the locals succinctly go about their business.

The hotel is a little bit out of town, the bedroom is ok. Dinner was good and we had a couple of pints in the bar. A good day today. Not the best, but it was good.

Next stop: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Trust me, it's not gibberish.

Hard to get up this morning. Wasn't hungover, just suffering from a lack of sleep. Up for brekky at 6.15 and the bus leaves at 7.15. 

Sad times. Time to leave Ireland. My final drink count roughly came to 10 Guinness, 5 Bulmers and 2 Irish Coffees. I also treated myself to two Galway Hookers.

The Irish Ferrys vessel was ready to go. This is a mini cruise ship. Duty free shops, bars, restaurants and even a cinema. They weren't showing Titanic today.

Three and a half hours later we arrived in Hollyhead, Wales. Non-stop back to England. Driving on Welsh motorways are entertaining as the road signs are bilingual in English and Welsh. The Welsh words for some towns appeared to be absolute tongue twisting marathons. Looks like a very interesting language to speak.

Back into England, signified with a tiny sign that most people on the bus missed. We stopped in the smallish town of Chester for a look around. There was a "roman "amphitheater"" (note my double use of quotation marks) and a pleasant town centre.

Time for Liverpool. The home of two huge clubs in the English Premier League (Everton and Liverpool) as well as a band that I've admired hugely for a long time for their talent and catchy tunes; The Wombats.

Yes Mum, for The Beatles this is "where it all began"! 

Shortly after checking in we were back on the bus for a city tour with a local who knew the city backwards. On the highest point of the city sits the largest Anglican Cathedral in the world. I'm not a huge fan of old buildings or churches but this was a sight to behold. Whilst we walked around the inside the choir started practicing for their next service, giving the place a more harmonious atmosphere.

The bus took us all around the city whilst we learnt the significance of certain buildings and landmarks. The esplanade area along the Mersey River looked beautiful in the evening twilight. We hop out at the Cavern Club, where it all began.

This is still a live music venue where a local musician was belting out some good tunes. It caught us out how far beneath the ground the actual club is. It was the basement of an abandoned warehouse before becoming the Cavern Club. We only stayed for 15 minutes, not enough time to really appreciate the place. I'm not a fan of The Beatles, but even Poppy looked fairly interested in what was around.

Back to the hotel. Very nice room. One bedroom apartment overlooking the outer part of the city. We both got queen beds! The food at dinner was terrible, but everyone was hungry.

I now sit on my bed writing this blog contemplating checking out the city by night or even checking out Cavern Club again...hmmm. Will see what happens, if anything at all. Might save myself for Glasgow tomorrow night!

By the way, Galway Hooker is a beer. Also a boat that's docked in Galway. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Footballs and Sliotars

Dublin Dublin Dublin, oh how I like you so very much. Ok, I've had a few pints but at least let me tell you how I got to this point.

I always comment on the breakfast, a natural place to start. Not a great spread this morning. Mushrooms were good but other than that it didn't look too appetising. Then phone calls home. Thanks for liking the blogs everyone, it's great to hear that you are interested in this. Sorry for the "old fashioned" words I use now and again, but when hanging around the older generation on the bus it's bound to happen #yoloswag

Hopped on the bus at 9.30 for an introductory tour around this fine city. Georgian houses, cobblestone streets, old churches (of course) and Trinity College. It was nice, but I wasn't interested one bit.

Poppy stopped off at a shop where you can trace Irish family history, to trace the other side of his family. Afterwards we walked back to the hotel to drop some things off that he purchased and I had forgotten my Samsung Galaxy phone; i.e my good camera!

Poppy's hip started playing up a little bit so he decided not to join me on my next expedition. The one place I've always wanted to visit in Dublin. The Holy Grail of sport in Ireland. The one, the only, the unique, Croke Park.

Croke Park is Ireland's biggest sporting stadium. In fact, it's the third biggest stadium in Europe (82,300 capacity) behind Wembley Stadium (90,000) and Camp Nou (Barcelona ~99,000). Only the sports a part of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) are played here, the two notable ones being Gaelic Football which is just known as 'Football' and Hurling, the ones with the wooden sticks. The most intriguing thing of the GAA is that they are amateur sports. Ireland's biggest sporting stars are not paid for their on field heroics. After their weekend game they go to work!

Back to getting there...

I caught a taxi and he dropped me off at the wrong entrance for the museum! Oh well a kilometre won't hurt me. I finally arrived to a very friendly man who seemed excited that an Aussie was taking interest in Gaelic Sports.

The tour started. The only foreigners on the tour was myself and a young couple from the UK. The other 15 or so were Irish. We watched a 15 minute film showing how the stadium prepares for the All-Ireland Final, the biggest days on the Irish sporting calendar. Then through where the busses drive the players on that "one day in September". We arrive at the dressing rooms, where each county team has their jersey represented. Into the warm up rooms where the players make their last preparation before heading out onto the field.

It was set. We were ready to run out onto the pitch for the All-Ireland Final! Well...we couldn't touch the grass. The stadium is huge. The history behind the stadium and events that have happened here that changed Irish history are moving. This place rivals the MCG, very closely as my favourite sporting stadium now.

The tour finished and I went through the GAA Museum. A very good and interactive place to learn everything you need to know about the history and the mechanics of the sports. You can even try out Football and Hurling yourself. I failed badly.

I walked back to the city, going down O'Connell Street, the main street of Dublin for a look. I met Poppy back in the room where he told me what he got up to then we went on the next optional tour, Guinness Brewery! 

Fantastic building. The guided tour took us through how Guinness is made and the history behind it. We then had a free pint of the "Black Stuff" at the Gravity Bar. 360 degree views of Dublin.

It was only fitting that I had a pint looking out towards Croke Park. It was a coincidence (I promise) but it really did top off my dream day in Dublin. It's such a shame we only have one day here.

 
Now, how did I end up here, in my bed nearly drunk typing the worlds longest blog??

After the buffet dinner, I told Geoff that I was keen to check out Temple Bar, the pub hotspot in Dublin. Out of the 35 others on the bus, no one else joined me. Their loss. The bus dropped me off on the way to the hotel. I found a pub with plenty of brews on tap, darts on TV (not exactly Irish but oh well) but there was a musician playing Irish tunes. We have to be up very early tomorrow to cross back into Wales, so I kept my consumption down.

Ireland. Such a beautiful country. It's a shame we have to leave so soon. I really do want to come back one day! Words cannot describe landscapes, the people and the overall experience we have had here.

Liverpool awaits...

Blown away, literally

Woke up and my throat felt like it was pregnant. I felt ok, there's just a bug or something in there. Oh well, it's not Ebola.

Stuck to good old Rice Bubbles this morning before quickly packing for another long day on the bus. It was wet and gloomy outside. Not to mention freezing. On our way to the first stop, The Cliffs of Moher, we were warned that the view would most likely be fogged in.

Fogged in it was, bugger. It gave the otherwise spectacular view an eeriness to it. The wind by this stage was blowing about 50km/h, maybe more and everyone's knuckles were paralyzed. Most people didn't even opt in for the view and went straight into the visitor centre anyway.

Continuing on, passing through a town known for match-making as well as a lot of LGBT flags, going down a twisty mountain range and watching the fog lift; we eventually arrived in Galway for lunch. The bakery was highly recommended and we gave it a thumbs up. After a quick stroll around the centre of town it was finally time to head to the big smoke, Dublin!!

It takes two hours to cross Ireland, from west coast to east coast on a very good motorway. Our hotel is right on the edge of the city centre and overlooks the River Liffey. Best of all, there's Dublin's take on Oktoberfest right outside the hotel door! You bet I had a sneaky pint there before dinner

It was time for the Irish Show. On the edge of the Dublin suburbia sits an old building with thatch roofing. We were treated to a three course meal, an Irish stage show and the comedian. It was fantastic. The singing was bold, passionate and really told the story of Ireland beautifully; same goes for the dancing. The comedian, I forget his name. He is about 70 years old, and has the experience that not many other funny men can match, and it shows. His jokes weren't necessarily top shelf, but his delivery of the lines and the way he read and interacted with the audience proved why he is widely regarded in this part of the world.

A full day in Dublin tomorrow. The next post may or may not be written by a drunk man...

Dingle Dangle Dongle

Early rise again as we prepare to depart Killarney. Not a huge brekky selection but I'll wait out for lunch to have a big meal. 

It's freezing outside. 9 degrees but the rain and fog shows promising signs of lifting.

Out of Killarney town we go. We drive 5 minutes to the top of a hill. The view, spectacular. 360 degrees of absolute beauty (if you don't mind an old cemetery). A rainbow appeared to top off the perfect early morning Irish landscape.

A bit of driving now. We go around the Dingle Peninsula, which overlooks Dingle Bay and far near the horizon, The Ring of Kerry. The road is very narrow with tight, twisty bends built into the mountainside. Coaches can only go one way on this road as it's impossible to pass one another. Even two cars cannot pass in extensive areas of the road. The scenery...I've ran out of clichés. 

Here's a brain teaser for those reading. If you're driving around the Dingle Peninsula, looking at Dingle Bay, what's the name of the town we stopped at?

If you said Dingle, well done. Fish and chips for an early lunch. I ordered Smoked Haddock, freaking fantastic. Worth the €11. The weather cleared up yet the wind is howling through, it's only 13 degrees!

A very long drive now. The outside view was fantastic as always whilst I listened to some tunes. Next stop was a town called Adare. A small town, with many pubs and an old castle. Stereotypical Ireland. In for a pint of Guinness with the locals. Just the one this time around.

We checked into our hotel at Ennis. After a quick check of Facebook we were off for an Irish Banquet at a 15th century castle! I've been fighting a sore throat all day and now it's getting very bad. My fail safe of Strepsils aren't really helping either. But good money has been paid for this excursion so I'm not going to miss it.

Into a medieval castle, Knappogue Castle. Addressed as "My Lord", we were served mead whilst violins and harps were giving off delightful tunes. Into the feasting hall. Firstly a smoked salmon dish, followed by a nice tomato soup (I normally won't go near the stuff, don't get excited Mum!). Of course spoons weren't around in the 15th century so we drank the soup directly from the bowl. The stage show of songs, dance and the lovely harps and violins were first class. As were the mains of chicken in white wine sauce  and a sorbet desert (we'll ignore the lack of sorbet in the 15th century). The night finished off with a brilliant tap dancing performance with a lot of jokes and laughs shared. It's hard to describe what really transpired in text. By now I'm reeeally feeling under the weather.

Back to the hotel and to bed. Dublin tomorrow. Very, very excited!