50 Shades Of Green- Ireland





It is said the best way to see all the marvels of Ireland is traveling by push bike. So we decided to do the next best thing and travel Ireland by car. Or in our case in a beat up Tarago called A-Team which we rented from the wackiest rental company in the whole world, Wicked Camper Vans. It's paint job was a bit shabby and every now and then we had to give the speedo a good whacking so it would work it wasn't perfect to say the least, but it was perfect for us. The only restriction we had was a two week schedule, other then that Ireland was ours to concur as we wished. 

I could drive around Ireland forever, its roads edged with walls of stone and its ever green hedges being the gate way to the lushest fields of every shade of green imaginable. Looking out into the horizon each paddock was a different shade of green, from a mint green to a brighter shade of lime to a shade of emerald green. Looking out it was as if the paddocks were quilt patches all carefully sewn together by the stone wall seams to create a beautiful green quilt, the blanket of Ireland. Every aspect of Ireland is post card picture perfect. With its forever running water ways, to its green moss covered rocks to the richest ivy that covered every tree trunk insight. Even old abandoned stone buildings left for ruins were a beautiful site to see, covered in ivy and sprouting out with lively green trees. 

Being spring everything was really starting to come to life. Trees were beginning to bloom, fields flourished with the wildest flowers, paddocks were filled with the fluffiest white lambs and the waterways were inhabited by the most beautiful cygnets and their mothers. Although nature began to follow suit, the weather was anything but a typical spring time picture, at least not one that I was use to. Rain, hail, sunshine and patches of snow was all in a days work. By the end of the day I was a dripping wet mess, but it was all just apart of the fun. 

North Ireland:

Picking the camper van up in a small town just outside of Belfast was the start of our road trip adventure. Already seeing what Belfast and Dublin had to offer, we decided to head around the coast line in an anti clock wise direction. In no rush we took the first couple of days at a slow pace, poking around the greenest fields and finding old estates with the most magnificent houses and gardens to explore. By night fall we would pull up in the middle of no where and set up camp for the night, taking refuge in the van. One of our first big stops was at the Giants Cause Way, a very popular tourist attraction. The Giants Cause Way is based upon an old local myth that claims a giant by the name of Fionn mac Cumhaill formed the rock formations after being challenged to fight a Scottish giant named Benandonner. The causeway was built so that the two giants could meet. It is also said that the area is full of magic. But if you want to get technical about it, The Giants Cause Way is a natural formation caused by a volcanic reaction with the natural basalt rock forming large hexagonal rock pillars and stepping stones. I much prefer the magical side to the story myself, but either way you put it The Giant Cause Way is truly breath taking. 

Our next stop was LondonDerry, originally known as Derry. Sitting on the very boarder of Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland LondonDerry was another town that was a huge part of The Civil Rights War. With Memorials painted very similar to the ones we saw in Belfast you could sense that this city was still in turmoil. Although a peace bridge had been built in the city there was still a sense of angst. One Irish local told us that LondonDerry still have a sleeper cell of IRA (Irish Republican Army) members who are looking to reform and reignite the battle. That being said no such issues were encountered and we were left to explore the city. 

Already learning so much about TheTtroubles we decided to focus our time in Derry on something a little less controversial, its city walls. We spent most of our time climbing the wall and learning about the way the city was built and run. Being the oldest walled city in Ireland and the only one that is still standing it was a very special opportunity to be able to see something so historic.  

Northern Ireland being apart of England is run on the pound, where as the Republic of Ireland is run on the Euro. Spending some time in both capitals of both parts of Ireland we had noticed that Northern Ireland was just that bit cheaper when it came to the three main essentials on any given road trip petrol, food and alcohol. Before crossing over the border we decided to stock up on all three which saved us quite a few quid in the long run. Places like PoundLand and Tescos has all your essentials and is a wanderers best friend. 

West Ireland:

Driving over the boarder and back into the The Irish Republic we set off down the spectacular west coast. Never a dull moment, the roads of Ireland keep you on your toes. One minute you will be driving along a two way road admiring the scenic view and before you know it the road has some how become the width of your car, yet still is a two way road. It all gets a bit interesting when you go to take the next bend and you have a tractor staring right at you coming your way. Luckily enough this never became a huge problem but really I think it was just lucky that I was never the one behind the wheel.

Getting in amongst the coast our first stop along the way was at a little town called Bundoran. Bundoran is renowned as being the surfing hot spot of Ireland. Sitting at lovely 12 degrees we were happy just to sit on the side lines and watch the locals take on some of the huge swells.  

Cruising along our next major stop was at the bohemian town of Galway. Artistic and vibrant Galway is by far my favourite city in Ireland. A place where people spill out of pubs onto cobblestone floors and dance through the lit up streets to the sound of buskers, banjos and harmonic flutes serenading you, as you explore through the ally ways finding little hide aways. Being Ireland the weather turned for the worst in the blink of an eye, sending us into a little pub called " Tig Coili" which was known as the home of traditional music. The atmosphere was like nothing else I have ever been apart of. In the corner of the pub was a couched area filled with a handful of brilliant musicians jamming away. Before long the bar man was calling order and the pub became still. Emerging from the band was an old Irish man who stood on a chair, strumming his guitar he began to sing a poetic song about Galway and friendship. It wasn't long before he had the entire pub singing along with him. I didn't know the words, but it didn't really matter. I couldn't help but join along, humming and swaying my pint with the rest of the crowd.

Galway was the first time we decided to pull up for the night in a caravan park. The closest was just a few kilometres out of town in a place called Salthill. Basically in a nutshell we over payed for a piece of grass and a freezing cold shower that cost €1 per three minutes. The place is a waste of space and we would have been much better off doing what we did the following nights and just wing it somewhere off a hidden road.

Sticking to our coastal route we found our way down to one of Irelands most famous features,The Cliffs of Moher. Standing 200m high the view from above was absolutely breath taking. We spent hours just sitting along the edge looking out into the ocean soaking in the view and contemplating life as we know it.

South Ireland: 

Completing the west coast we kept travelling around doing our thing. By day we survived on a diet of chocolate bars, cheese and jam donuts. By night we would whip up a pot of pasta. After the first night we gave up on cups and plates and decided to both share out of the one saucepan we cooked it out of and swig cider out of the same longneck to wash it all down. It was camping dinning at your finest. 

The next attraction that was a must to explore was the Ring Of Kerry. Located just outside of Killarney. The 180km circuit was lined with the most beautiful castles, fortes and cliff edged beaches. We spent the entire day travelling around wandering through national parks and finding hidden waterfalls. At night we pulled up just outside of the ring, opened the sunroof and laid back and watched the rain gently come down onto the windowpane. 

Eventually we made our way right to the bottom to the county of Cork. We headed to a small town called Blarney where we set up camp for a couple of nights at there local caravan park. We were taking a gamble after our last caravan park stay, luckily this time it payed off. The park had great facilities, a camp kitchen, laundry room, free wifi in all of the park and most importantly after 9 days...A HOT SHOWER! 

We spent the first day in Blarney visiting the well known Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone. The castle grounds were filled with magnificent gardens that housed the largest tulips I have ever seen in my life. The castle itself was phenomenal we climbed its narrow stair wells and through its tiny doorways (poor James could barely fit) all the way to the top to the Blarney stone. It is said that one who kisses the Blarney stone is given the 'gift of the gab' which means that right now James and I should be talking in the utmost eloquence. 

Using Blarney as a base we took the day to head over to the main city Cork to spend the day exploring the town. Cork is said to be the unofficial 'true' capital of Ireland. We spent the first half of the day in the Crawford Art Gallery where they were showing a fantastic exhibit called 'False Optimism'. The exhibit was created by some of Belgium's most eccentric and talented street artists. The pieces included a room filled with yellow posted notes from ceiling to floor, a piece of glass with a crumbled piece of plastic on top and a bath tub filled with plastic pipes and balls of knitting wall. I thought at one point James' head was going to explode, he couldn't believe it was classed as art. I spent hours examining each piece, James interpretation was much simpler "Someone had a few to many pints down at the pub and thought hey lets go paint some shit". 

We spent the rest of our day in Cork exploring The English Market. The market was filled with the freshest local produce. Including organic vegetables, small goods and great cheeses. James enjoyed the fresh local sausages while I found an alternative bread stand that made a fantastic slice called The Chester Cake that was made up of all the left over bread crumbs with sugar syrup and spices. Away from the food and down a little ally way was a fantastic vintage clothing store called "Miss Daisy Blues" The store was filled with original pieces from every era. Upstairs was an exclusive section filled with the most gorgeous beaded gowns that looked like they had just walked off of the set of a 50's movie. James had to escort me out of the building before I spent our entire months budget on garments.

Heading towards the end of our trip we started to become an attraction ourself. Driving around in our wacky van from the get go caused a bit of a ruckus through out the streets. Every second car would give us a huge wave and the hang ten sign. People would go out of their way to pull up beside us and give us a shout out, or we would see people travelling past laughing there heads off. We would park the van to go grab something to eat and come back to a crowd taking pictures with the van. Fellow road trippers we would see along the road would come up to us and say 'I know you, you were at the Cliffs Of Moher the other day and then you went to Galway" It was as if the Europeans had never seen anything so outrageous.   

Finishing down South it was time to head up back towards Northern Ireland. Having some time to spare we couldn't resist going back up to Belfast and visiting The Vagabonds crew one last time before we left Ireland. Arriving was like returning home, we instantly settled back in and chilled out all afternoon eating burritos, playing games and drinking, before long everyone was there and we were all getting ready to head down to the local to watch a band for the evening. One of the things I love most about Vagabonds is that you can't tell the difference between who are the guests and who are the staff, everyone just mingles as one and its a great vibe. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Vagabonds is a must when travelling through Ireland.

Returning the van back to its resting place in Carnlough, 2265km later we finally completed our full circle. After spending 17 beautiful days in Ireland we were ready for the next big adventure. Another day, another country. 

The Wanderers Daughter xx

Some Where Over The Rainbow- Ireland, Dublin/Belfast

Holiday mode has been switched off and the real adventure has begun. Flying into Dublin, Ireland it was the first time this entire trip that I had felt nervous about travelling. This time we were truly on our own. There was no safety net, no one to come to our rescue and look after us, like we had the luxury of in Dubai. It was the first time self doubt ran through my mind, what was I doing? I must be crazy!  But as soon as we landed and I walked out into the refreshing Dublin air I felt instantly relieved. All worry had vanished as I drove past the rows and rows of  picturesque houses and open green park lands towards the city centre. Arriving into the hustle and bustle of the Dublin city life I had never felt better, but who really could feel anything other then wonderment in a place that was this delightful. We choose to stay in a hostel that we found online called "The Times" which was conveniently located smack bang in the city. It was the perfect location and had all the essentials. A clean bed, helpful staff and great facilities, all for a very reasonable price of 9 Euro per night. Before we started this trip we had decided that we would budget ourself immensely on the little luxurious of life in order to see the bigger picture. The little luxuries being hotels with a view and the bigger picture meaning the world at our finger tips. After all I believe the finer things in life only build a wall between you and the true experience each city and its local people have to offer you. 

We spent our first few days in Dublin exploring its history. We headed to a number of museums and cathedrals where we were lucky enough to stumble upon free tours by local volunteers. I think the luck of the Irish had rubbed off on us because we were truly blessed to have such passionate guides that not only where very educated on the history, but each guide had their own personal experiences and family history to add to it too, making it truly special. Just as my head was about to explode with an overdose of historic facts we took a day to explore the two major breweries of the town, The Guinness Store House and The Jameson Distillery. Both factories were great in their own way-The Guinness factory was extremely interactive and cleaver in its design. Standing at the bottom of the worlds largest pint glass the idea was to work your way through the many levels learning about the different brews, how they are produced and advertised through the ages of time. Working the Australian summer in a winery James was particularly interested in what the Guinness store house had to offer, where basically I was there for the drinking side of it. Ending the tour at the very peak of the pint glass was a breath taking panoramic view of the entire city, the perfect spot to enjoy a delicious pint of self poured Guinness. The Jamison distillery had a completely different feel and was run slightly different. Completely run by your own personal tour guide, who was a lovely local Irish man. The Jamesons tour basically consists of three parts. A movie, a walk through tour and my personal favourite, the bar. Jamesons being my all time favourite whisky I was extremely excited to have been chosen as one of the groups volunteers, which meant I got to sample an extra three whiskeys. It was a tough job but somebody had to do it. Being my preferred drink I found it interesting to learn the history behind how it is brewed and just how much hard work goes into each bottle. Personally I found the Jameson distillery a lot more rewarding then the Guinness store house. That being said they are both a must see when travelling through Ireland. 

Dublin is full of hustle and bustle and the best place to be after the day is done is down at Temple Bar. Full of quirky bars and funky little cafes and pubs we spent every night exploring the many ally ways getting lost amongst the rhythm of the cheerful Irish beat. Bad Ass Cafe, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Elephant Castle and Cracked Chicken are a few great little places we found. Ironically Cracked Chicken was one of my favourite places. The menu consisted only of chicken and delicious salad sides. Coming from a vegetarian it seems a little odd for this to be one of my top choices, but the atmosphere was amazing. Any place that serves delightful drink concoctions out of jars the size of my head is fine by me. Speaking of drinking Garage Bar is a great little spot to start your night drinking away in its chilled atmosphere with some sweet indie tunes. Just a fair warning, the Irish do know a thing or two about drinking. So do as the Irish do but be weary. Whatever seems like a good idea at the time always comes back to haunt you the morning after.

If your after the more traditional style of Ireland dining then you can't go past The Brazen Head. After a few to many Jamesons and a couple cheeky pints down at the Guinness Store House we managed to some how stumble across Irelands oldest pub. Its a great place to head for a few drinks and of course a lovely Irish meal. Warm and cosy it was just what we needed after a heavy day touring through the breweries. It was the perfect end to our day and an even more perfect end to our Dublin adventure. 

Next stop Belfast, an interesting little spot to say the least. Belfast is apart of Northern Ireland, which although is in Ireland its technically apart of Great Britain. It all started in the 1960's when the Republic of Ireland announced it wanted to run separately from Great Britain. Before long war was declared and Great Britan and The Republic of Ireland went into battle. The War Of Independence or as the Irish call it 'The Troubles" was and still is one of Irelands hardest ordeals. Coming into Belfast automatically the entire feel of the city was extreemly different to that of Dublin. As we wandered through the town centre there was something in the air, something that Dublin didn't have. It was the feeling of pain and devastation, although it was still a very lovely scenic city with beautiful botanic parks and monuments. There was no hiding the ache that came with this small city. 

We stayed in a little hostel called Vagabonds, which I highly highly recommend! If I could descried Vagabonds in one sentence it would be 'It looks like Alice in Wonderland went shopping in IKEA to furnish an old boarding school' Upon arrival we were greeted by a very out there bubbly Australian girl called Ash. Being the first fellow Aussie we had met since leaving home we hit it off straight away. The staff at Vagabonds are more then just workers, they are more like a disfunctional little family and Vagabonds is more then just a hostel its there home, and for three days it was my home too. When meeting the owner Curt for the first time he walked in pointed straight at us and said "I know you two, I spotted you down in Dublin two days ago"…. enough said!  To all the staff we were known as 'Those Australians, you know the cool ones' Its quirky urban vibes gives out the best ambience that by the end of our staying it felt like we were just all one big family.

With so much history to consume we spent most of our days further exploring the prevalent political side of the town regarding its war and devastation. The hostel were nice enough to organise a Black Taxi tour of Belfast which took you on a step by step ride on the personal effects and depredation of the locals and all those effected in the time of 'The Troubles'. Our driver Patty was a humours Irish man who grew up in Belfast and witnessed everything this town has gone through. As Patty took us to one effected area after the other walking us through the many shootings and bombings that occurred, I couldn't believe the devastation. The fact that it was still an occurring problem and to this day a touchy issue in the community was most evident when pulled up to the front of the peace wall. A fence that was built to keep the Cathloics separate from the Protestants, and to help prevent any further violent attacks. As a tribute we all made our our mark on the wall and left a little piece of history behind.

Spending most of our time hoping to and from museums we were lucky enough to stumble upon a little gallery called The Mac. Where the luck of the Irish continued. as we managed to catch the last day of artist Andy Warhols exhibition. Andy is one of my favourite artists so it was a great opportunity to view some of his pieces. Including his famous pop art and a range of his movies. I could have spent all day getting lost amongst his work studying his abstract pieces.   

Our last night in Belfast was meant to be a quite night at 'home' where we planned to have a few drinks and make some dinner. But before we knew it the team of staff had dragged us down to a local hotel to where they had their Sunday special of beat the clock and £2.50 cocktails. After a great cheap meal and few to many cocktails it was time for desert. Not willing to waste our alcohol money on anymore food Ash developed a cunning full proof plan, its Toni's birthday! Before we knew it Happy Birthday was belting out of the hotels speakers and all the waiters had joined in with our table to help sing-a-long a Happy Belfast Birthday to me. Ending the song was an array of sparklers carefully bought out in a huge SUNDAE! Voilà we have desert. The rest of the night quickly spiralled from there. Rallying up some hostel guests we crawled from pub to pub, ending our night at a local Irish spot Filthy McNasty. Where the name really does say it all. 

Our stay in Belfast was better then I ever could have expected. Promising we would be back one day soon it was still sad to leave behind Belfast and the Vagabonds family. The curious don't stay bound for long so I must keep on wandering, some where over the rainbow. 

The Wanderers Daughter xx

All That Glitters Is Gold- United Arab Emirate, Dubai

All That Glitters Is Gold- United Arab Emirates, Dubai.

So this is where it all begins. The perfect start to our European adventure, a one week stop over in the beautiful city of Dubai. Flying Emirates we took this opportunity to visit my dear friend Vanessa Grima, who moved to Dubai to work as one of the Emirates cabin crew. From day one there was no hiding the fact that I had fallen head over heels in love with this beautiful city, and who could blame me? Big, bright and bustling Dubai won't disappoint, pulling out all the stops with its great attractions. From clubbing beach front under the gleaming lights of the worlds most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab. To dining water front after a long hard days shopping, watching the magical water show that Dubai Malls fountains have to offer. If its not the biggest and the best in the world then its not Dubai.

We were lucky enough to be instantly adopted by Vanessa's 'Emirates family' who made our Dubai experience worth every second. With their love and knowledge of Dubai I inhabited their lifestyle instantly, and learnt so much about the way this great city was built and how it operates. I also found out that at the end of the day when the sun goes down and its time to hit the town its no longer about what you know but about who you know. I was lucky enough to experience an 'average' Monday night in Dubai's night life. This is where Dubai's elite come into their own, whilst the rest of us are lucky enough to be pulled along for the ride. Personal waiters free pouring premium vodka, popping bottle after bottle of the finest champaign and of course trays of shots brought to you with its very own sparkly flare show. Only the finest of the fine for those who know how to party in United Arab Emirates renowned sin city.

Like everything in life there are two sides to every story. A majority of our time was spent in the older parts of Dubai. Where we rummaged through the spice and gold Souks (markets) playing dress ups and trying on rings of the finest diamonds and gold. Our down time was spent floating down the river on boat taxis called Abra, in search of the most amazing authentic local restaurants. My favourite spot by far was Bayt Al Wakeel where we ate like kings for as little as 15 dirhams. Although the roads weren't edged with marble and not every building gleamed like a diamond. It didn't matter, to us it was still just as beautiful.

One of the great things about Dubai is when the city gets to much its just a quick escape to a desert safari. We enjoyed our desert experience with Lama tours, who we highly recommend. After an afternoon of 4x4 dune bashing we settled down in the deep parts of the desert where our night was complete with belly dancers, camel rides, an array of freshly cooked food and of course some hubbly bubbly. 

When the desert heat got to much we took the day to swim and slide down at Wild Wadi, one of Dubai's water parks. We spent hours floating around the park on tubes going from slide to slide. Wanting something more extreme we decided to try the parks newest ride, The Jumeirah Sceirah. Reaching 120 meters tall, 32 of those meters being above ground. The ride begins with you standing over a trapped door when on the count of three the floor vanishes sending you free falling down a chute reaching speeds of up to 80kph. I apologise to everyone within a 100 meter radius of the park who had to witness my deathly screams. 

After the experience I shared with the people I met Europe has some pretty big shoes to fill. I never thought saying goodbye to Dubai would be this hard, but as I leave I smile inside. I know in my heart this is not goodbye, but simply see you later.

The Wanderers Daughter xx