Dublin, Ireland, Fri 12 - Sun 14 Dec 08

A weekend in Dublin visiting my old workmate Sam and his girlfriend Louise meant a weekend of drinking! That is pretty much the most popular thing to do in Dublin, and they do it well! Although it aint cheap for a night out in Dublin. One of the most expensive cities I've visited so far!

Friday night we started at a cuban bar complete with cigars and tasty Irish Whiskey (which was to become my staple diet for the weekened... the whiskey, not the cigars). We also sampled some local Irish grub on the way home... Supermacs... very much like mcdonalds! haha gotta try the local takeaways.

Saturday we started our day at the Old Jameson distillery which they live right next door to! Lucky for some. Louise had to go Christmas shopping so Sam, Nick and I headed for the distillery. It's not a working one, more museum style but the tour was kinda fun and at the end we were amongst those chosen for a special tasting. Along with the standard Jameson drink you get at the end of the tour we also got to compare a shot of Irish (Jamesons), Scotch (Johnny Walker) and American (JDs) Whiskey. Can't think of many things more fun than that!

Sam took us on a walking tour in the afternoon. He knew a lot about Dublin so made a great guide. We saw lots of pretty buildings and churches. Christ Church was the best and the bells were going at the time we past which was beautiful to hear. I have to admit I was quite surprised, I wasn't expecting Dublin to be so pretty.

We also checked out the local Christmas markets and met back up with Louise, quite similar to the setup of markets in London, lots of cool stalls to wonder through.

That night we headed into Temple Bar (the famous drinking district of Ireland) and started our pub crawl. We started at The Temple Bar with some fantastic Irish music. We followed on with more cosy pubs, more whiskey and more great music. It was a fantastic night.

The last one we visited was the oldest pub in Dublin. It had graffitied dollar bills all over the walls which made the place look very unique. I ended the night with a tasty Baileys coffee to keep me warm for the walk home (it was rather chilly in Dublin). I loved that when you order a coffee in Dublin, they automatically assume you want alcohol in it!

Sunday we had to say goodbye to our hosts as they had family commitments and we did our own thing. We started at Dublin's temporary Christmas ice rink since we'd enjoyed it so much as Hyde Park. Sadly this one wasn't so great with terribly uncomfortable skates and not very good equipment.

After that we spent the afternoon at the Guiness Brewery. Not what I was expecting, it's a self guided tour through 5 floors of information about Guiness and the Brewery. I found it quite boring but I'm glad we went. At the end you get to pour your own Guiness which I found lots of fun. I tried mine but quickly gave it up to Nick. I'll stick with the Whiskey thanks!

It was great spending the weekend with friends, least of all for the comfy air bed and cooked breaky but mainly for the fun company and great local knowledge. If you're reading this, thanks guys!

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, London, Sun 7 Nov 08

Winter Wonderland is a big Christmas theme park in Hyde Park in London. We went there one Sunday because I really wanted to go ice skating outdoors (it's on my list of must do's while I was over here) and they had an outdoor rink. We had a booking for night (it's really busy so you have to book a session) but decided to head earlier during the day because we knew there'd be a fair bit to do.

It was so packed, all the stalls and rides were along one very narrow lane so it was like a mosh pit of families. So to get away from the crowds for a little while we hired a boat and went out for a row on the Serpentine lake. No one else was out there at first so it was really peaceful.

The coolest thing was that the corner of the lake was frozen on top and we got to row through it! It was so much fun smashing the top of the lake with the oars and picking up big chunks of ice (though that didn't last long as my hands started to freeze over).

Back at Winter Wonderland we enjoyed some Bratwurst hotdogs at the German markets and tasty dutch pancakes covered in chocolate (thanks to the recommendation of my friend Arn).

But the best part of the day was the ice skating. It was best at night with all the beautiful Christmas lights. We got there really early so were at the front of the queue and were let out on to the ice first. Our first lap on the rink was on untouched ice. Very cool. I was a bit unsteady at first but I soon got the hang of it. There were far too many people to go really fast but it was still heaps of fun. Nick managed to fall over and took out a women with him! It was hilarious. I fell over once too but only because Nick was trying to shove ice down my back so I don't think that counts!

Leeds Castle, Kent, England, Sat 22 Nov 08

Wow Leeds Castle was awesome. I'd read about it in the Lonely Planet so we decided to head out for a day trip. Funnily enough the castle isn't very interesting, it's everything else on the grounds that is. We took a coach down from London (a couple hours) and it was a freezing cold day! Even with the sun out. We were all rugged up but it was hard to get out of the bitterly cold wind.

Leeds castle is set on beautiful large grounds with plenty of gardens, duck ponds and lakes. The castle itself is picturesque and situated on a small island surrounded by a man made lake.

We spent most of the day outside wondering the grounds, our noses freezing in the near zero degree temperatures. The castle had a hedge maze which was so much fun getting lost in. It was a decent size one with a concrete lookout in the center. Nick and I had a race to the middle... Nick won :(

Once at the lookout we found a grotto which drops down under the maze giving another exit out. It was filled with crystals, coloured lights and carvings of birds and faces. It was really for the kids but I found it awesome. Lots of fun.

The maze was on the outskirts of the castle grounds near the Falconry. Leeds castle houses a number of owls, hawks, falcons and vultures. It was my favourite part of the castle! The owls were beautiful. We were fortunate to see a couple of the vultures be flown as part of a group course and we talked at length with the flyers/falconers who were working with some of the birds.

Later in the afternoon we had come back to the Falconry to watch the bird flying display but they had to cancel it due to the high wind. So they just bought out a couple of the birds and I was able to pat the large owl which was amazing, it was so soft. I'm so glad we got a chance to see them. They really were simply beautiful birds.

We did go into the castle but it actually wasn't very interesting as it had been lived in for many generations and the inside simply looked like a stately home and I'm not into antiques and the like enough to find it interesting.

I'm so glad we went out there though, it was a great day out. Apparently the Falconry do day courses where you can fly some of the birds. I'm so keen to do that. What an amazing experience that would be.

Tower of London, London, Sat 15 Nov 08

Nick and I spent the day at the Tower of London. We didn't actually give ourselves much time and the there is so much to do!

We had a guided tour by a Yeoman Warder (a guy who looks after the place and dresses in funny clothes). He had some great stories about the prisoners and executions that took place there.

We saw where Ann Boleyn was beheaded and buried and the prison towers where various people were incarcerated and the carvings they etched into the walls.

The crown jewels were incredibly beautiful and we saw one of the largest diamonds in the world. The vault doors were massive! And There was an armoury building full of guns and swords and armour. Plus there were massive ravens that chill out in the grounds, they are there because apparently if the ravens leave, the Tower of London will fall. So there will always be ravens kept there.

After it closed we took a walk along the water front and Tower Bridge which is so pretty at night when it's all lit up.

Geneva, Switzerland, Sun 9 - Tues 11 Nov 2008

Through a stroke of luck I was put forward to help out with a pitch that landed me in Geneva, Switzerland (my workmate who'd been working on the account had to be in Japan for karate champs). To be perfectly honest I didn't really know anything about Switzerland and didn't have time to do much research so I didn't know what to expect.

I was up at 5am Sunday morning to get to the airport on the other side of London and spent a fair chunk of the night doing preparation work with our partner (the jobs not always glamorous). However Reema (my workmate) and I did manage to head into town to have a walk around the lake front. Geneva was completely dead on Sunday,they seem to strictly adhere to Sunday rest day here, absolutely nothing was open and barely anyone was around. I have to admit, it was rather pleasant.

First impressions of Geneva, weren't the greatest, there didn't seem to be a lot there and it wasn't the prettiest of towns, even though it was on the side of a (very large) lake. That was until we found the old town, beautiful cobble street area with a small village feel. Much better and where Reema and I ended up spending most of our time (especially to eat with it's gorgeous cafes). Geneva is very French. It is right on the border with France so everyone speaks French, all the cafes sell French food (croissants, pastries and beef tartare!) and of course the attitude is very French too (and I don't mean that in a bad way, I kinda like the French attitude).

There was a beautiful church in the old town, an impressive town hall and lots of gorgeous buildings. Monday we were working all day so we headed into the old town at night for dinner. It was even more beautiful at night, with lots of pretty lighting and a quiet laid back feel. We had dinner at a restaurant specialising in meat (mostly raw, I didn't know you could have raw beef in so many ways) and I had a beautiful duck dish. Geneva had beautiful food, we didn't have one bad meal.

On our last day we weren't flying out till the afternoon so we took the opportunity to see Geneva in all it's day bustling glory. Finally the crowds were out, the shops open and the whole city was alive. Funnily enough I preferred it when it was eerily quiet :) We stopped in at a chocolate shop and I've got to say the smells were incredible. I bought some bars to take back home with me (and for the office) and then bought some single handmade ones just for me. They were delicious. Geneva has some of the best chocolate I've ever tasted!

We headed down to the lake front where we marvelled at the large fountain - a 200km/hr water shoot that reaches 140m in the air! It is stationed in the water at the end of a pier so you can walk down and depending on the wind direction get wet. Of course I headed down, it was like being a kid again running through the sprinklers. So much fun.

The rest of the time we simply spent wondering the streets and admiring Geneva. I was so lucky to have a chance to see this city but I've got to say the food (and mostly the chocolate) was my favourite part ;)

Brighton, UK, Sun 2 Nov 08

This was my second trip to Brighton and Nicks first. We took a stroll along the beach and the carnival pier. I still love this town. Even in winter it is absolutely beautiful. It was a much warmer day than our day in Rye which helped.

We actually spent most of the day shopping, after Rye I realised I was very lacking in the warm clothes department so I bought lots of merino wool and thermal gear! Nick found some awesome waterproof boots for snowy days in London. We found a great pub for lunch with comfy leather couches to chill on, needless to say we stayed there longer than expected.

The best part of the day was chilling on the beach as the sun went down. The red horizon was gorgeous and it was awesome to see the carnival lights which I missed last time because I'd left before it got dark. I imagine it'll be beautiful along the waterfront once all the Christmas lights go up.

Rye, England, Sat 01 Nov 08

We decided on an England day trip weekend and Saturday (1st - I'm behind in posts again!) we had picked Rye, a tiny little English medieval town on the Southern coast. Rye is famous for its picturesque cobble streets and quaint houses. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating and it pissed with rain and was freezing! Silly me managed to forget my umbrella so I got absolutely soaked.

We wondered the streets of Rye (which didn't take too long, it's a really small place!) and checked out the old church with its clock tower. The clock pendulum hung inside the church and created an eerie tick tock.

We visited the tiny prison castle museum where we sat in the prison cells, tried on medieval helmets, got very confused why there were fake wooden sheep on the top floor and had a big old chat to the museum guy.

The most famous street in Rye is called Mermaid Street and is full of cute English houses along a small cobble lane with pretty vine covered facades and a couple of old fashioned pubs.

By mid afternoon we were drenched, cold and hungry (well I was, Nick seemed immune) so we took shelter in a local pub and enjoyed some much needed warmth and wine. We found a great possie on a window bay bench and spent quite awhile thawing out and watching the rain outside. A pretty little English town to spend a day.

Update

Nick has also created a blog, this one just for photos. Some will be the same as here but many more, and since I'm pretty slack with loading all my photos onto my photo site some of you may like checking it out.
http://iwashere2008.blogspot.com/

Barcelona, Spain, Sat 11 Oct 08

We had an afternoon flight out and with our airport being an hour out of Barcelona we only had the morning. We wondered around our hostel's area for a little while and although there wasn't too much to see we did find a crazy little kids park with wacky trees, plants and play areas.

We walked on to a large inner city park which had beautiful fountains and ponds and made for a great walk. Just outside we spotted a gropu led by some musical drummers & dancers. They were awesome, they had a great beat and were so energetic. We watched them for ages. We left the park and spotted Barcelona's Arc de Triomph which was a beautiful peach colour.

We finally made our way to the bus station to catch the bus back out to the Girona airport where we had a rather annoying time. Our plane was delayed by 2 hours, we had multiple gate changes (causing many annoying walks through the airport) and we got stuck on a stairwell in limbo for 45 mins! They had sent us passed the boarding gates but the door to the tarmac wasn't open so we were stuck on a stairwell. We couldn't go anywhere because they'd already taken our tickets. So weird and frustrating. Not a pleasant journey back at all.

Barcelona, Spain, Fri 10 Oct 08

In the morning we went to Parc Guell, a park up on a hill on the opposite side of Barcelona from the beach, designed by Gaudi. To get there we had to make our way up a very steep street. It was so steep they had escalators in the toughest parts. An escalator in the middle of a street is a weird site.

Once up in the park we found a lookout post. It was a stone mound with crosses on the top. It had fantastic views over Barcelona. Nick and I sat up there for ages. Walking down into the main entrance of the park (we'd come from the side) we saw the famous ginger bread houses that flanked the main gate. They looked crazy with their white mallowpuff roof and lollipop chimney.

We wondered around the front terrace which had incredibly beautiful mosaic detailing and huge columns. At the front stairs there was a mosaic lizard which is one of Barcelona's famous symbols, trying to navigate the people taking photos was the interesting part.

The architecture in the park is like nothing you've seen before. In fact it's like no park I've ever seen. Nick thinks Gaudi was a little nuts, I'm inclined to agree, either way he had one incredible imagination. The park had so many different areas to explore we could have spent hours there but we were getting hungry so we headed out in source of sustenance.

We found a little cafe and sat down to a fantastic spanish meal. Nick had paella for the first time and thought it was tasty! We were stoked to find such a good place for lunch. After our feed, we took the Metro down to the waterfront and walked down to the beach. Being such a beautiful day it was the perfect afternoon to spend lying in the sun.

The sand was pretty gritty/dusty but not bad for a city beach, if you can get past the hawkers selling massages and sunglasses. We walked the length of the beach and found the other end a lot quieter so chilled there for the rest of the afternoon. I loved being at the beach again. On our way back we stopped at a beach side cafe for coffee (I told you I'm addicted to Spanish coffee) and some more paella before heading back to the hostel.

We spent the rest of the night on the hostel terrace chatting to random people and enjoying the cheap hostel drinks. You could buy a very large Sangria or Beer for about 3 euros. Unfortunately the Sangria was rather potent which made for an interesting night!