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No 12 Water Bus to Burano

Posted on September 10, 2024 by julieallen36

Today was our second full day in Venice and it promised to be full of sunshine and very warm once again. Because we’ve been to Venice before we have already done a lot of the ‘must do’s’ such as St Marks, The Campanile, The Rialto etc etc. So we wanted to do something a little different. We decided on a little trip over to the island of Burano, famous for its lace making and colourful houses. We could have gone to the other famous island, Murano, that’s the one famous for its glass making but it seems to be more industrial and perhaps less picturesque.

After breakfast at the hotel overlooking the canal we set off determined not to overdo it quite as much today. We’d managed 21000 steps yesterday so a sit down on a water bus would be nice! We walked upto Fondamente Nove to catch the No 12 water bus. It only took about 15 mins with the aid of Google maps to guide us through the narrow alleys, over bridges and through lovely piazzas. It was very much easier than 20 years ago when trying to find our way around, with a good old map, was completely pointless. We arrived at the Bus Stop and easily found platform A where the No 12 leaves from. There was already quite a queue gathered and we only had to wait about 10 mins for the 11-10am bus. It arrived on time and on we all got. Jane and I got seats next to a window but it was really hot and sticky on the boat and very little breeze. The trip takes about 40 mins stopping at Murano first and then a smaller island where only the locals got off. The views across the lagoon are very pretty and it was exciting to see the mountains as a backdrop as we will be heading towards those next!

Once we landed on Burano it seemed very pleasant and our priority was to buy some water. Then we wandered with the crowd through Lace Alley down to the colourful canal side houses and shops. It was really pretty and relatively quiet. We took loads of photos and found some quiet corners. We decided to have a beer at a small cafe by the canal side and I did a sketch of some of the houses. After a while a nice Canadian couple got chatting to us. He’d seen me painting and wanted to take a picture of me and what I’d been upto! He said he’d never seen anyone else doing what I was doing. Basically, using collage, paint and a pen to create a colourful scene! It turned out they were newly Weds on their honeymoon. Bless.

Once I’d finished we wandered around a bit more and by now it was much busier. We popped in some of the shops and bought some glass items but I didn’t buy the colourful 170 euro shirt I tried on. We walked into the main square which we’d managed to miss earlier. It was full of colourful cafes and absolutely packed with people. It was all a bit much so we decided it was time to catch the bus back! We’d have stayed for another drink but no one was interested as they only want to serve you lunch.

So back on the No 12 we went…it was handily waiting for us. Much more crowded on the way back but we still got seats next to the window. There was a medical emergency part way across when the young chap sitting behind Jane cut his finger and then passed out at the sight of his own blood! He looked terribly unwell and his poor girlfriend did a great job of trying to cool him down. The staff on the boat were also helpful and arrived with a huge plaster for what was actually a very small cut!

Back at Fondamente Nove we headed towards the Rialto Bridge as Jane wanted to make sure we saw it whilst we were here. It got busier and busier as we got closer and we found a couple of great Instagram spots to take photos.

Afterwards we found a cafe for another beer and a sketch down below the bridge and looking across the Grand Canal. It was complete madness all around with people, pigeons, menacing gulls and boats big and small racing around but it was nice to escape for a moment into my paints!

Now it was time for something to eat and we had our tea in reverse! Starting with pudding , we joined the queue for gelato at ‘Suso’. If people were prepared to queue that much then surely it must be good. Apparently it is ‘an unmissable ritual’ when in Venice. Or so their website says. They don’t have ice cream flavours they have ‘proposals’. Well my proposal was a ‘Mimosa’ which was Ricotta cheese, lemon cream and butter shortcrust pastry chunks. I scored it 9/10 delicious but surely could still be surpassed. Jane chose a ‘Sosu’ proposal which was toffee, caramel and more caramel and toffee. She scored it 8/10 , very good gelato but no surprises!

Then we moved on for our main course to a tiny place called ‘Baci and Pasta’. A takeaway pasta and gnocchi place. Family run it offers 4 different types of pasta, 3 types of gnocchi and then 3 different sauces. It’s all freshly made and served to you in a cardboard container. We stood at the window and ate ours as all the young people had taken the perches at the base of the fountain outside in the piazza! Very tasty it all was too!

After this we skipped home to our hotel ready to spend the rest of the evening chilling out in our lovely air conditioning. We need an earlier night as tomorrow we are catching the train to Lake Garda.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Venice | Leave a comment

Return to Venice

Posted on September 9, 2024 by julieallen36

Jane and I came to Venice many, many years ago!! And here we are returning once more. Last time we came it was February and absolutely bitterly cold but we had a fabulous time because we happened to be there when Carnival was on. This time it’s September and very different. Ever since visiting I’ve always said that this is my favourite city in the world, alongside New York. I justify this by saying that you can’t compare the two.

Well this time around we’ve been here just two days and Venice has certainly lived up to my hype. It is so beautiful. We are staying away from the main madness in Castello. Our hotel is Liassidi Palace and it’s on the Rio de Greci. We arrived by water taxi which delivered us right into the lobby of the hotel. When we last came (maybe twenty years ago) these water taxis drove you straight from the airport to the city but now you have to get a limousine car part of the way. Still the ride in the boat is fantastic and we felt like royalty as we sailed up the tiny canals and under bridges filled with tourists. Venice Film Festival only finished yesterday so I guess people were thinking we were Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Lady Gaga or Nicole Kidman!

After settling into our hotel we ventured out on what was an extremely hot and muggy afternoon. However, it was stunning and a thousand photos laters we came back. We had dinner in a lovely cosy restaurant early and a nightcap back at the hotel. In the evening it rained quite heavily but we managed to avoid it,

Today was my birthday and we have spent it wandering all over Venice after I’d opened all of my cards and read all my messages etc. The sun was shining and it was a very warm day. We walked from our hotel down to the front passing all the gondoliers, the street vendors and artists and taking in the Bridge of Sighs. We briefly visited St Marks before meandering our way along to the Academia Bridge. We had sneaky peaks of the Grand Canal along the way. By now we were in need of a coffee but we couldn’t agree on where to visit so we didn’t stop. Big mistake…we wandered on in the boiling heat getting grumpier and grumpier by the minute. We crossed the Academia Bridge and then walked straight across Dorsoduro to the other side in the hope that there would be cafes over there.There was nothing so we walked along the waters edge right to the end of the peninsula at Dogano. Unfortunately, due to global warming there seemed to be a very high tide and water was lapping over the path. We carried on anyway and got our feet completely soaked. At the end the views back to the city were great…thank goodness.

On our way back we finally found a lovely spot for a drink by a quiet canal but now it was time for beer and not coffee! Very splendid it was too. Next I navigated us to the Hard Rock Cafe just of St Marks Square so that Jane could buy her shot glass. The place had only been opened for 15 years so wasn’t here last time we came. St Marks Square itself was now under about 10 cms of water. From here we walked back to our hotel where we collapsed exhausted.

I gave Mum a ring on FaceTime and it was lovely to catch up on my birthday. Then it was time to venture out again. Jane had booked a restaurant but it was 30 mins walk away and we didn’t really feel up for that. Instead we caught the fabulous No 1 Vaporetto which took us up the Grand Canal to Saint Toma. We had a little mooch about because we were early and then took our place on the romantic balcony for four. It was lovely and the Bardolino wine was perfect along with our gnocchi, Escalope Milanese and Jane’s fillet steak.

Back home we came on the No 1 bus in the dark and an easy wander back to our lovely hotel. What a lovely way to spend my birthday!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Italy, Venice | 3 Comments

In Search of the Craic

Posted on July 2, 2024 by julieallen36

Unfortunately, despite the hot tub soak I woke up the next day and was still broken and suffering from scenery overload. I’d not be driving anywhere today and instead Jane and I decided to stay and relax at the house. Meanwhile Adrian and Pam drove all the way to Mizen Head which was 2 and a half hours drive away! Joyce and Enid stirred themselves in the afternoon to drop into Tralee and enjoyed their visit to the Museum where they learned all about the ‘Rose of Tralee’ history and then joined a pipe and drum festival in the park. A fitting way for Joyce to spend her birthday.

Jane and I stayed at home and decided to watch ‘The Hunger Games. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes- a strange choice considering Jane’s phobia of snrrrrs. We’d enjoyed the previous films but this one really is rather poor with some terrible dialogue and earnest acting.

The highlight of our day was when there was a ring at the doorbell. I went to the door to find a man hopping about from foot to foot dressed in dirty overalls, wellies and sporting a comedy ginger beard. He said ‘ A diddly diddly fiddly biddy diddy Dave , didly didly?’ I looked confused and said ‘er no’ not understanding anything he’d said except the word ‘Dave’. He repeated himself and pointed at his tractor parked up outside in the road. I still didn’t understand but figured maybe he was at the wrong house. I said ‘Er no, we are only renting this house’ ie I don’t know where Dave lives! He smiled and hopped off down the drive.

Anyway, the reason that Jane and I were reserving our energy, was that that evening we were determined to go out in search of the ‘craic’. This is that mythical Irish ‘good times’ where there’s a bit of fun, a jolly atmosphere and surely must involve some traditional Irish music. Jane had found a bar in the Grand Hotel in Tralee that served up Trad music and also a decent meal. We’d tried to book a table but been told that this wasn’t possible and that we should ‘just turn up at 6 o’clock and we’ll see ya right.’ So we did, Pam kindly dropping us all into town so that we could enjoy a glass of the ‘black stuff’ or in my case ‘red stuff’.

When we got there it didn’t look terribly grand from the outside but inside it was all wooden panels and very busy. We were given tables in the sunny window in a section where they’d only just finished serving smoothies and afternoon teas. The nice Irish Waiters kept referring to us as ‘Lads’ even though clearly Adrian was the only actual lad. Apparently, ‘lads’ is the Irish equivalent of ‘guys’. There was Euros footy on the TV in our section and Gaelic football in the noisy, main bar,

The ‘craic’ was building but then we found out that the music would not be starting until 10pm. It was highly unlikely that this group of lads would stay awake until then!

Gradually, the football fans and other diners left and we only had ‘Tommy the Toothless’ to enjoy the craic with. Jane tried really hard to engage with Tommy but the problem was that he was another fella who it was impossible to understand!

Getting fully into the swing of the evening I ordered a sherry trifle for pudding and by 9pm we all agreed that it was time to call it a night.

What I’ve learned then is that you perhaps can’t search out the craic – it just happens. I’m not sure it did happen at the Grand Hotel that Saturday evening in Tralee. But thinking about it, we’d already found it the night we stumbled upon lovely Helen’s Bar in Kilmakilloge. Now that was ‘Savage Craic- a great night all together with everyone on top form, the Guinness flowing and great stories/jokes/memories being made’.

Our journey home on Sunday was straightforward and it felt like we were the only people in Cork Airport. The Duty Free shop was full of lovely gift items and I stocked up on a lucky pen and lucky Irish Wishing Jar for Mum and lucky Irish chocolates and a penny whistle for me!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Craic, Ireland, Kerry, Tralee | Leave a comment

John’s tour of the Dingle Peninsula

Posted on June 29, 2024 by julieallen36

This, for me, was going to be the highlight of our trip to Ireland. Those other peninsulas were nice but today we had John with us to show us Dingle off the beaten track. John is our friend Joe’s Dad and he has lived in Ireland since 1995. He’d been to visit us in Broadway with Joe last time he was over and he’d talked about all the highlights of Dingle which I’d captured on a couple of post it notes.

He’d driven all the way over from Cork to take us out and he came in the car with Jane and me whilst the others followed along in the second car. Luckily the start of the Dingle Peninsula is much nearer at Bennerville Windmill. We were on the road by about 8:45 as John wanted to make the most of the day. He came armed with a huge book on the Archaelogical Survey of the Dingle Peninsula. Crikey.

As we started the drive we had sunny views of high mountains including Mountain Brendan which is the 2nd highest in Ireland. As we drove John told us how he’d originally fallen in love with Dingle , back in 1986 he’d lead some long cross peninsula walks for young offenders from Birmingham , about 50 in total. This had been their alternative to being locked up and had been life changing for many of them. Their route took them for 14 nights across the high mountain ridges and all the way to the Great Blasket Island where they’d plant their flags and pennants.

John warned us that he had two issues 1) glaucoma which means he can hardly see through his right eye and 2) he is hard of hearing. I was doing the driving with John as my co-pilot and his hearing issue meant that we were often shouting at cross purposes! John’s tour was a bit of a magical mystery. He had a very definite plan as to where we would go but was somewhat reluctant to reveal it. This meant I had to make sure that Adrian was following me in the 2nd car all the time. John also admitted to a third slight issue which was that although he used to live in Tralee, he hadn’t visited the Dingle Peninsula for ages! So his directions would involve some low key humming as we approached a possible turn or stop and then him suddenly shouting ‘TURN!’.

Our first stop was a non-descript lay-by where we were lead by John up a boggy lane towards some mountains. It wasn’t entirely clear how long we’d been walking but it soon became very clear that we were not all wearing footwear suitable for boggy hopping! We were up here to admire some Bronze Age rocks and rock art called ‘cup and ring’. John made it show up better by rubbing it with grass. This form of prehistoric art has been found all over Europe and also in Hawaii, Australia, India and Mozambique. It’s a small world.

To be honest though we were all a little bit more impressed by the view which was magnificent 180 degrees of mountain and 180 degrees of coastline.

Next we drove up the Connor Pass. In places it was one way and very narrow with over hanging rock face but there was at least a sturdy wall to keep us safe. At the top we had fine views over Harp Lake and down to the sea.

Then it was an easier drive down into Dingle Town. Dingle is a very nice feeling town and we parked up and had a little mooch around. It’s all very colorful again and John took us to see Dick Mack’s with its walk of the stars outside (Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Robert Mitchum) . Like other establishments here it’s a shop on one side and a bar on the other. This particular one is a cobblers! Dingle also has a number of nice galleries and a busy harbour where the little fishing boats now take tourists to see Fungi the Dolphin in the harbour.

We had a refreshment break here and then got on our way again. I made John do a detour down to Ventry Beach which is a huge expanse of sand. I’d read that we might find seaglass here but after 5 mins searching only Adrian found 1 piece!

From here we took the very scenic Slea Head drive and had great views over to the Great Blasket Islands, one of which looks like a sleeping giant. We stopped at Krugers Bar for a swift half as it is the most westerly pub in Europe! It was very traditional and had lots of pictures on the walls from when they filmed Ryan’s Daughter and more recently ‘Far and Away’ around here.

Next was one of those hum hum hum TURN moments as we swerved off up a grassy lane and through a gate where it said ‘no parking’. We parked and Pam was a little disappointed that the building remains were just that and not a set from Stars Wars. We had a little wander up and then down towards the cliffs. Here was a relic of the school building from Ryan’s Daughter. A lovely spot perched on the cliffs. Only John slid down the cliffs a bit to try a spot of fossil hunting….

Next we stopped at beautiful but wild Clogher Beach where the waves were crashing and swimming is permanently banned because of the dangerous cross currents. The weather had now gone off and it only added to the drama.

Next we went to the Gallarus Oratory but we didn’t want to pay the 5 euros entry fee so instead Jane and I followed John through his ‘private’ entrance through two gates and down another grassy lane enclosed by a gorgeous fuschia hedge! The building is a small arch shaped pod with dry stones walls. It was very cosy inside. It is apparently the only one of its kind and no one really knows when it was built or why.

By now we were all fading again and we drove back along the lovely lanes which are lined with beautiful hedgerows of monbretia, fuschia, buttercups, vetch and other sweet wildflowers. We had another fuel stop in Dingle and then car 2 decided to go home via Dunnes for tea. As we left Dingle we passed a long queue outside a small white building. John explained that it was not a queue for bingo but a queue to attend the wake of a well known sports presenter Tommy Gorman. There was a police road block guarding the way it was obviously only going to get busier. In fact it was on the news on RTE1 when we got home.

John decided we could have one more stop to see Inch Beach on our way back. Another stunning stretch of sand with surf sparkling in the late afternoon sun, mountains as a backdrop and the sun shining through the clouds which were rolling in. We took a few snaps and then dashed back to the car as it started to rain.

It had been another lovely day with John as our excellent and kind guide. But all that driving and chatting was exhausting and broken, I hauled myself into the hot tub to recover. I love a hot tub in the rain. 😁

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Dingle, Ireland, Kerry | 1 Comment

The Beara Penninsula drive

Posted on June 29, 2024 by julieallen36

We woke up the next morning to wind and rain and so naturally this was the day to set off on another huge drive (80miles) around the wild and untamed Beara Penninsula. This involved getting back to the start point at Kenmare which, using the faster roads is still and hour and 15 mins away.

There is a handy leaflet describing the best places to stop but we were keen to do it at a slightly more relaxed pace today as there was no rush to get back for football.

We started near Bonane at the heritage centre which has been created by the locals. This involved a slog up a steep path until we reached the hill fort and stone circle. There were lots of wild flowers and ferns around and the views would have been nice if it hadn’t been so murky. One of the main attractions of the site was a huge, monolith standing stone at a jaunty angle. It turned out that this was just a trick of perspective in the promotional photos as it was actually only just above my knee. It was easy to image the little Stone Age village living up here but Jane wasn’t impressed by the site and rather wished she’d stayed in the car. At least they had a very modern portaloo with a very acceptable seat above the long drop!

Next stop proved very popular with all the cats. It was a boutique chocolate maker called Lorge Choclatier. They sold individual handmade chocolates and they tasted fab so we each bought a little selection for later.

Now we drove over the Cana Pass which was steep and narrow and at one point involved driving through 3 rock tunnels which was fun. We drove on down to Glengarriff which was busy with tourists and cyclists doing the Ring of Beara cycle ride. We all seemed to head to the one coffee stop, The Sugarloaf Cafe. Another splendid place where Jane and I shared a toasted sandwich and a cup of tea. I notice that the girls here had lovely Irish accents and were definitely enjoying the ‘craic’ as they worked.

After refreshments we walked down to the Blue Pool and the swimming spot but it wasn’t very blue today. The cute little boat that takes you over to the Italian gardens on Garnish Island. However, despite our ‘more relaxed approach’ , time was pressing on and so we gave this a miss instead starting our drive down the coast past pretty villages and beaches to Castletownbere. The pictures of this had promised pretty little fishing boats but actually the ones in the harbour were huge ocean going vessels , this is after all the centre of Ireland’s white fishing fleet. We had a look round the pretty coloured shops of the village and then were off again.

Now we headed along to the far end of the Penninsula at Dursley Head. It was a mad drive along tiny lanes across a patchwork of green fields with views over the, by now, sparkling sea! Yes the sun had once again come out. At Dursey Point there is a cable car over to Dursey Island which is a Heath Robinson affair. It was very windy and I had to give Jane strict instructions not to go on it.

By now it was 5-30 and people were getting rather jaded. Now we just needed to drive back along the north/west side of the Penninsula! This was an amazing drive winding through huge elephant rocks along the real Wild Atlantic Way! The waves below us were crashing away and sometimes with no barrier at the roadside to stop us from falling off! I absolutely LOVED it!

However, we were still along way from home and our thoughts turned to food. We sped through the colourful villages of Allihies and Eyries (their artists would have to wait for another day!). Stress levels were rising as we didn’t really want to return to Kenmare to eat.

Joyce googled a place called Helen’s Bar in a village called Kilmacklloge. We got there by driving along a narrow road which felt as if we’d be driving into a posh hotel. At the end we emerged by the sea and a pier and there was Helen’s Bar. It was very busy in the car park and in the bar itself. The chance of 6 of us just rolling up to eat seemed highly unlikely. However, the wonderful Helen herself soon found us 2 tables to join together and the food was absolutely amazing. Fish n Chips, Scallops in batter and chips and yummy homemade apple pie. All was well with the world once more. What a really special place.

Now only an hour and a half to get home and Joyce’s turn to drive!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Beara, Cork, Ireland, Kerry | Leave a comment

Herding cats in Killarney National Park

Posted on June 27, 2024 by julieallen36

After a very good nights sleep I still woke up early and was busy blogging by 7am. It was a beautiful day and today we’d be retracing some of our steps into Killarney National Park. Jane and I were a little late getting ready, making plans with John for our trip to Dingle on Friday, and when we came downstairs everyone else was already sitting in the cars tapping their fingers. I asked if we had a plan but non emerged. The term ‘herding cats’ often comes to mind when travelling with 6 adults and trying to decide how to spend a day. Levels of research , ideas of what makes an interesting way to spend time and ability to make an actual decision all vary. Pam’s spreadsheet had already gone slightly to the wind so it was all a bit vague. We knew we didn’t really fancy Killarney town itself so in the end we set off heading towards Mucklow Lake Boat Trips because Jane had mentioned that she fancied a nice trip up the lake to admire the views.

It took over an hour to get here and we drove into the grounds of Mucklow House but then diverted following the signs saying ‘Boat Trips’. It was only 100metres down from the car park to the boathouse where the man sat in a tiny rowing boat like vessel. Hm…this wasn’t quite what we’d imagined and Pam would definitely not be happy sitting in this in her life vest tossing about on the slightly choppy waters! No one else really fancied it either. Luckily, we had sneaked via the back gate into the grounds of the house so we took the opportunity to have a little mooch about along the lake shore. We walked along a peninsula getting sunny views through the pine trees and up the Lake Mucklow. At the end we came out onto a lovely rocky beach and the scene was an oil painting waiting to happen.

After about an hour we walked back to the car, the place was starting to get busier and we had to dodge the ‘Jaunty’ Horse Traps prancing along the paths.

Next the cars split up again as Jane and I wanted to see Torc Waterfall which the others had stopped at the day before. It only took us 5 mins and it was a pretty waterfall for an easy walk. We then drove up the windy road to Ladies View cafe where we met the others and had coffee and cake on the terrace overlooking the splendid view. We then walked out into the rocks (shaped like elephants back with beautiful striations) for photos. It wasn’t busy and it was a fabulous spot overlooking the lakes and valley below, with mountains all around.

Then we carried on up to Molls Gap but the views today weren’t so spectacular and we were very glad we’d stopped the evening before. We then headed straight down to Kenmare which we’d all bypassed the day before in our speed to get home.

Kenmare is a busy little town with lots of colourful shops and pubs with the most amazing hanging baskets. We didn’t really have a plan of attack so the cats just wandered about for a while. I then took us down to the harbour where the tide was out and it wasn’t particularly pretty. I am really missing the ability to look at my OS maps app on the phone. The maps I can access don’t have footpaths or contours and I find it impossible to picture what we’re going to find.

We had to retrace our steps into the village and now it was time to visit the oldest pub in Kenmare – PF McCarthy. Well , it all looked very old and traditional on the outside but inside it was more like a canteen. Very disappointing and we decided that we would not eat here later but did have a Guinness and ales and enjoyed their toilets.

Next we found our way to the Kenmare Stone Circle where we were presented with some tags on which to write a prayer and tie it to the Fairy Hawthorn trees. It was interesting to look at others peoples tags which prayed for health and happiness for family and friends whilst others prayed for World Peace. My particular favourites were these two:

Abundant Cheese for all

Well, I suppose I’m meant to write on here ‘World Peace’ . So ‘World Peace’.

Jane added her own little prayer , a very poignant ‘England to win Euros 2024‘ and mine may have mentioned a budgie!!

Meanwhile, Pam was wandering round stroking the rocks in the stone circle and getting a tingle in her fingers tips. It was indeed a very magical place.

A little bit further on we found Cromwell’s Bridge over the stream. It’s a very steep side old bridge but has nothing to do with Cromwell at all. Adrian and I couldn’t resist the challenge of climbing up it and sitting like leprechaun’s with our feet dangling over the top.

By now it had started to rain and Pam decided that she needed Colcannon and she needed it NOW! Unfortunately the best place in Kenmare for colcannon was only serving ‘Lite Bites and pizza’ today so we didn’t stop there. Instead we opted for the pub with the best floral display ‘Foley’s’ where people ate Irish Stew or Beef and Guinness pie with a flaky hat on it! Jane wasn’t impressed. I had pizza.

By the time we came out it was pouring with rain and it was time to hack it all the way back to our house. It was chaos in Killarney as the Jaunty’s were all going home, there was a shinty match at the stadium and a funfair all going on at the same time.

Safely home (just) – it was time to chillax and enjoy the hot tub in the light drizzle. Perfect!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Ireland, Kenmare, Killarney | 3 Comments

The Ring of Kerry

Posted on June 26, 2024 by julieallen36

After an evening BBQ and a session in the hot tub in the sunshine we went to bed excited about our trip the next day. Unfortunately, whilst the new unbobbly sheet was an improvement, I still couldn’t sleep very well. It was very hot in this modern house and I woke up with the dawn chorus at about 4-30am…

We had decided to do the The Ring of Kerry in a day despite the fact that my guide book says the slower you do it the better. In fact I’d definitely read somewhere that it was best to take 4 days. Slightly concerned about this I’d plotted how long it would take to drive between the different stopping points and it added up to roughly 4 hours. We would have plenty of daylight and the only time limit that we were on was that Jane and I needed to be back for the England Euros game at 8pm.

We set off at 9am and the weather was very poor. No rain was forecast but it appeared to be one of those days when we were just sat in the middle of the cloud with constant drizzle. Our first stop was about an hour away, The Kerry Bog Village. We had wondered whether we’d need extra time here and the line of about 10 coaches indicated that it was indeed very popular. The reception staff were very Irish and friendly and we were soon inside this authentic 18th/19th century Irish village. However, it is literally a collection of cottages with old tut inside. There is no explanation of anything and we came away feeling very uneducated. There was a random collection of animals and Pam is going to report them to the ISPCA for the conditions in which their sad looking bog ponies and bored Irish wolfhounds were being kept. There was, of course, the obligatory shop full of green souvenir tat which I’m sure was very popular with the American college kids.

Onwards…..next stop was Rossbeigh Strand which is a finger of pebbles that sticks out into Dingle Bay with magnificent views. It was nice but although we had emerged from the cloud it was still fairly murky. Pam and I managed to find 5 tiny pieces of sea glass between us so we were happy!

On the way to our next destination we stopped at Mountain Stage Viewpoint -still cloudy but with glimmers of sunshine on the Dingle Peninsula. We arrived at Cahershiveen at about midday and went down to the marina which was quite pretty with the lovely green waters. It was around about now that certain members of the group had a sudden and urgent requirement for a cup of tea and maybe…something to eat. Like NOW! So we went back out to the town where we found the rather marvelous Lazy Cat Cafe. This was a trendy Ukrainian Cafe with fabulous scones and cakes and a decent flat white. Hurrah. Pam’s Napoleon cake in particular was very good!

After refreshments we went back across the bridge in search of Ballycarbery Castle down by WhiteStrand Beach. By now the sun was fully out along with the water in the estuary. It was very lovely even though we couldn’t actually visit the ruined castle. Apparently it once belonged to the McCarthy clan and is still privately owned. We also found the Cahergall Ring Fort which a nice lady at the marina had said was a ‘must’. It was built around 600AD with walls 6m high and 3 m wide! Of course we had to climb up it although it was rather scary, the views from the top were fantastic!! The other highlight here was the man sitting on the back of his van showing passersby his lamb. Presumably the idea is that you take an interest , have your photo taken with the lamb for which he charges you a few Euros and if you don’t pay he bundles you into the back of the van and holds you for ransom. We didn’t fall for his Irish tricks.

By now it was starting to feel like we weren’t making progress fast enough…but we still wanted to visit Valentia Island. It was a lovely drive down the narrow lane to the harbour at Reenard Point where we caught the car ferry the short distance (5mins) to Knightstown on the island. It was a very pretty harbour with great views all the way back to the mountains in the mainland.

But crack on we must as we sped directly along to Portmagee where a bridge takes you back across to the mainland. I didn’t even stop at the farm offering their own ice cream and Pam didn’t spend long in the Skellig Experience visitor centre as it’s displays focused on puffins and not Star Wars (which had partly been filmed on the Skellig Islands). We took a few photos of the colourful harbour at Portmagee and then drove through on our way upto Kerry Cliffs.

Now there were a lot of people parked up here and the signs suggested that it took just 10mins to walk up to the cliffs but that you needed to spend an hour here. Hm…..did we have time to do this……..? Well I’m very glad we did because the cliffs were an easy walk and it was spectacular with views over the 1000ft cliffs and the wild Atlantic below as well as the pointy Skellig Islands.

By now time was pressing on as it was about 3-30pm. We needed a new plan…..those of us who wanted to watch football (Jane and Julie) would need to really start to hack it, whilst everyone else could go at a more leisurely pace. So we split up in the cars, Jane and I still determined to complete the Ring of Kerry route which according to my calculations would still take nearly 3 hours!!!

The rest of the driving went by in a bit of a blur but it was spectacular with climbs up giant mountains and cliffs at Coomanispic, beautiful turquoise bays at Derrynane and long, long stretches of road all the way to Sneem where we finally decided to stop for tea. We went into D Oshea’s Bar which is a colourful pinky purple colour and it was very smart inside with views out the back over the estuary. Jane enjoyed her first pint of Guinness and Colcannon and Ham whilst I had a little half of red ale and sausage and mash! Perfect and after making friends with the American locals at the next table we felt ready for the final stretch of our journey. Meanwhile Pam, Adrian, Joyce and Enid had also arrived in Sneem and were eating a seafood platter at The Stone House.

It was a beautiful evening as we continued miles along by the sea to Kenmare and then up into the mountains of the Killarney National Park. By now the roads were relatively quiet and we couldn’t resist stopping at various viewpoints of Moll’s Gap and Ladies View. We were due to come back here the next day…but what if it was raining?!! It was truly beautiful and a shame to be driving past it all at rally driving speeds. Hey ho…looking forward to doing it at a slower pace tomorrow.

We drove through Killarney itself, bypassing the town centre. It seemed to be a very big town and very ‘corporate’ looking. I’m glad we are not staying there….

Now we were back on the familiar N22 and I drove at 120kmph all the way back to Tralee, only slowing down for white vans parked at the roadside in case they were doing speed checks. I swerved into the drive at 8-07pm. We hadn’t missed much and naturally England went onto have a dismal 0-0 draw with Slovenia. Thank goodness we’d taken the opportunity to stop and look at the views in the way home!

The others arrived back at half time having stopped at all of the viewpoints along the way as they’d recovered from their earlier scenic overload!

My recommendation….don’t try and do the Ring of Kerry in a day. At least plan to stop one night somewhere half way along…Derrynane Beach would probably be top of my list.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Ireland, Kerry, Ring of Kerry | Leave a comment

Tralee, West Ireland

Posted on June 24, 2024 by julieallen36

We set off on our trip to the Emerald Isle on Sunday 23rd June. Flying from Birmingham Airport takes a mere 50 mins but unfortunately, due to building works at the airport you currently have to arrive 3 hours before your flight. Ridiculous. It was very busy and we felt very happy that we’d booked our Fast Track Security pass and sailed past the winding queues like smug things. It’s terribly chaotic and there’s no air conditioning so it was deeply unpleasant sitting in Wetherspoons feeling like we were trapped in an over-crowded, tropical glasshouse.

We met up with our fellow travel companions here..Pam and Adrian and Joyce and Enid. After a short delay, our Ryan Air flight set off across the Irish Sea. We landed at Cork Airport which was shiny and modern, calm and quiet and very European feeling. We picked up our 2 smart hire cars and then drove the 1.5 hours to Tralee. It’s very easy , straight along the N22 all the way! The road was very quiet and the scenery green and pastoral. Towards Killarney it became a little wilder with impressive mountains and lakes all around.

When we arrive in Tralee it was about 6-30pm and we went straight to buy some supplies from Lidl whilst Jane, Adrian and Joyce went to collect Fish n Chips from Quinlan’s fish bar!

We arrived at our fabulous Airbnb just outside Tralee and ate our tea and then unpacked. As we settled in, it became apparent that we had some First World problems: no WiFi code, no bedside lamps, no plugs next to mirrors to do our hair. With the help of lovely Jessica, the owner of our Airbnb,we solved as many of these as we could and settled down to watch Scotland play Euros football on the big telly with a glass of red wine. Unfortunately, nobody could help Scotland win their vital match against Hungary.

When we went to bed another problem emerged…we had a bobbly bed sheet which was very irritating and would need dealing with.

In the morning Jessica and her little girl, Alex, came to show us the ropes and by about 10-30 we were ready to start our first day here in Tralee.

Pam had put together an itinerary on a spreadsheet (good girl) and today we’d be off to do our big shop and also to visit a windmill. However, in a radical move we decided to mix it up and so off we set for Blennerville Windmill. This is only 1.5miles down the road and is a most excellent tourist attraction. Before we were able to go into the windmill we had to watch an audio visual presentation on the history of the place. It was an interesting introduction and we learned about how the English discovered how easy it was to grow corn here for exporting to Britain where there was huge demand brought about by the Industrial Revolution. The Irish peasants, who did all the work, lived a very poor life on tiny plots of land and eating a diet of potatoes and bread. But then the 1845 Potato famine made things even worse and 1 million people died as well as 1 million emigrating to ‘The New World’ on so called Coffin Ships. No wonder we aren’t very popular although to be fair , everyone so far has been very friendly.

Next we had to visit an exhibition which didn’t do much to uplift the spirits. The windmill fell into ruin but was rebuilt in the 1990s and people learned the skills they needed to build all the lovely houses we see around here today.

We climbed up the windmill itself using the steep ladder stairs and learned all about its workings. It’s the tallest windmill in the UK and Ireland and has huge sails but at the moment they’re not turning.

Next we visited the Model Railways exhibition and then walked along the canal which runs all the way into Tralee and it was lovely to be out in the sunshine and fresh air. There was some good bird life including egrets, herons, oystercatchers and a Godwit!!

Some of the graffiti on the footpath didn’t seem terribly friendly, however the little tea shop and gallery was very sweet and we had a nice cup of tea and fruit cake.

Our final stop of the day was a trip into Dunnes in the town centre. We were very excited to go here as we’d had a very good visit to a Dunnes when we were in Belfast. It didn’t disappoint and it had a particularly splendid Ladies Department. The food section was also very upmarket , like Booths, and we stocked up on supplies for our BBQ tonight. I don’t think we can bear the thought of doing a ‘big shop’ after that so we will be eating out a lot!

We even bought a new bedsheet to replace the bobbly one. Thank goodness!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Ireland, Tralee, Wild Atlantic Way | 1 Comment

Adios Buenos Aires

Posted on September 30, 2023 by julieallen36

I’m writing this sitting waiting for our flight home, at Buenos Aires International airport.

So let me tell you about our last day in the city. We didn’t have a definite plan for today so I kind of made one up, piecing together the final bits we wanted to see. It would be a day of taxi rides as we went from one neighbourhood to another. My plan was first of all to go back to La Boca….they’d played a match last night but as it was a draw, hopefully all would be calm. Our hotel receptionist gave us the same old warning not to wander off track….and off we went. However, today was Friday and we got stuck in very bad traffic almost from the offset. The taxi meter was clocking up the pesos and we were just sat still. Eventually, the driver told us there was a ‘Manifestacion’. Fascinating….but luckily I knew from our visit to MALBA that this meant that there was a demonstration. He said we wouldn’t be able to get to Boca today! Apparently, this is a bit of a thing on Friday’s and when I looked at Google maps lots of the streets and big junctions had turned red.

We needed a new plan and luckily I had one. I asked the driver if he could take us to Puerto Madeiro, the dockside trendy area as we hadn’t really explored there yet. We were nearby so that was easy. He dropped us off next to the Punta de La Mujer which is an elegant white bridge opened in 2001. Apparently, it’s meant to be a homage to tango. The area was very nice and there were quite a lot of tourists wandering about next to the water and all of the warehouse restaurants. It is also the home of the Hard Rock Cafe in Buenos Aires and so obviously we had to go there for Jane to get her shot glass. We’d read reviews that this was the worst Hard Rock Cafe in the world so that had to be worth a visit. Very disappointingly they had no shot glasses…but we sat down and had a beer which was very welcome even though it was only just midday. The nice young waiter saw that Jane was interested in the rock memorabilia and proudly gave her a private tour of some of the highlights such as the Kiss guitar and the AC/DC worn out trainers!

After this we walked back through the business district to our hotel which wasn’t too far away. Everyone was on lunch break and relaxing in the sunshine or grabbing a bite to eat.

We had a quick stop at the hotel and then made our way out again in another taxi to Palermo. This afternoon we’d booked to go on a ‘free’ graffiti tour which cost US$ 10. The taxi took ages to cover the 5 miles to get there and the driver was very excited to have 2 English ‘chiccas’ in his car. He talked incessantly and whilst he was very pleasant, my ears were bleeding by the time we arrived for our tour. A little late, we met our Group and the lovely guide Vito who was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his subject. This part of Palermo seems really lovely with low-rise shops, bars and restaurants. Much more relaxed than other parts of this city. We really liked it and thought this would have been a nicer area to stay in. The graffiti tour was fun and took us a couple of hours to complete. I now know all about tags, blocks, throw-ups and the difference between vandalism and art in the world of graffiti. We also learned a little more about the history of the city as sometimes the graffiti is making a political statement, such as marking a house where two people went missing during the military dictatorship 1974 to 1983. Just two of what are thought to be 30,000 people who just went missing.

When the tour finished we sat and had a beer outside at the Chopperia and then caught another taxi back to the hotel. After a quick bit of packing we went out for out last meal, revisiting the cosy place down the road , correctly named Vincin. We resisted the gorgeous empanadas today and went for …..pizza!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires, graffiti, Palermo | 1 Comment

Avenida 9 de Julio

Posted on September 30, 2023 by julieallen36

After our Tango night, the next day it was time to explore again. Once more, we were on our own and after a slight diversion to a lovely scrap-booking shop in Esmeralda, our first stop proper was a guided tour of the Teatro Colon. This is the fantastic opera house which was completed in 1908 and it was an atmospheric visit where we could imagine that we were part of the very grand audience taking tea or champagne in the Golden Salon! The acoustics in this place are said to be near perfect and the likes of Maria Callas and Pavarotti have all performed here. In fact, the acoustics are so perfect that performers are in fear of getting something wrong , as they won’t get away with it here. I was especially impressed with the place as my friend Sue, had actually performed here which must have been amazing.

After this we continued along Avenida 9 de Julio. This is the big 12 lane Avenue that kind of divides the city. It’s wide and noisy and a little bit seedy and unlike elsewhere, the architecture is big and brash and really rather ugly. Still , we walked down here until we got to the big city landmark of the Obelisk. This monument commemorates the 400th anniversary of the founding of the capital and is visible from all around the city.

We made our way onto Avenida Mayo, which crosses A. 9 de J , and was much more pleasant and definitely has a Parisian feel to it. Here we were heading to another of the cities famous coffee house , Cafe Tortoni, which is the oldest in the city. We had to queue to get in here but inside it was v nice with Tiffany lamps and pictures all over the walls. We ordered a coffee and some churros but were a bit disappointed when no chocolate was served with them.

Next we started walking up the long pedestrian street called ‘Florida’. It’s full of uninteresting shops and unsavoury characters. The whole street seemed to be lined with unsavouries shouting ‘Cambio, Cambio’. These are the unofficial currency dealers who seem to want to swap your dollars for pesos. They didn’t seem to be particularly targeting us as tourists and we just couldn’t work out why there were so many of them. Anyway, we didn’t engage.

We did a short diversion to find the Guimes Gallerias shopping mall. I’d read that there was a terrific view of the city from the 14th floor here but we struggled to find a lift that went further than the 6th floor. Eventually, a nice janitor complete with bucket and mop helped us find the correct lift and up we went. Sure enough on the 14th floor there was a chap selling tickets and then we climbed a spiral staircase 2 floors until we reached the viewing platform. Here the views were indeed splendid …not as pretty as some cities but good to see it all from a different perspective. we could see as far as the River Plate Delta and Uruguay.

By now we were well on our way to 10,000 steps and were pretty exhausted. We made it back to the hotel and after a quick cup of tea , headed out for an early dinner. We’d chosen a place recommended by Laura our guide. Recova de Posadas, which was only a 9 minute walk away. However, as it appeared that we needed to go under an underpass to get there we decided to get an Uber. It took literally 3 minutes and it turned out that the restaurants here were all under the underpass! The recommendation was actually for one called El Mirasol, one of the famous steak houses of Buenos Aires. It was completely empty at 6pm which was lucky as communication was somewhat difficult. Jane chose a sirloin and I chose a breaded chicken breast just to be controversial! But before it arrived we had another controversy with the wine. We tried to order a £30 bottle of Malbec but when it arrived it was cold, fridge cold. Via Google translate we discussed this with the waiter who said ALL of the red wine was cold and no they couldn’t warm it up for us! He pointed us at the only bottle that was at room temperature and that cost only £7. Reluctantly Jane agreed…but the funny thing was it actually tasted ok. What a result!

Jane’s steak was very good but I have to say my squashed whole chicken was a bit dry and definitely a bit much. The French fries were fab and the ice cream pudding with Dulce de Leche and nuts was delicious. It wasn’t quite the culinary experience we’d expected although after all the waiters had finished eating their tea with us, the place did start to get busy as all the local olds came in for their supper!

To round off the evening we ended up needing to get a taxi back to the hotel as Uber suddenly didn’t want to accept our credit card. The restaurant weren’t interested in helping these two old birds and so we were out on the street corner trying to hail a cab. I waved at everything as there seemed to be no logic to which cabs were free. I turned out to be quite skilled at this and we were soon whizzing along dodging through the traffic on the way back to our hotel.

So….that left one more day …and a few different options for how to spend it.