The year started with something good - we found 2 other rare Sporeans here, TW & KH! thou there may be some who are studying, its not easy to find one who is living and working here..n KH stayed so near my hub..yet they never bump into each other! hmm..
anyway, the rest is history...we had so much fun travelling tog, to other parts of Ireland...its just a pity that KH decided to leave for his family back in sg..so, we are short of one super fun kakhi..
Our first official outing was to the southern part of ireland, which includes Kilkenny and a few other places which we hop and go..early in the morning, i prepared egg mayo sandwiches plus some snacks for everyone to eat on the road..it was a couple of hours drive to Kilkenny town n we had a short coffee break at d mega Dunnes Store cafe..we then decided to leave for Kilkenny Castle wen it started to drizzle...
we bought the entrance tickets and went for a guided tour ard the castle..it is very interesting to see and learn how the people in the past live, esp thru the remains eg. the woman's bed are half the size of the original ones as its known that during that time, they sleep by sitting upright..hmm...i wonder how true it is...anyway, this is my first time visiting a european castle and i must say having a guide is good, as you will learn alot more than when you visit the place on your own..
the Kilkenny town is abit boring...it seems that other than the castle, there is nothing much else there...so, we stopped by an irish pub for some local "Kilkenny" - how can you not get a pine when you are here rite?
Here, we also ordered some sandwiches to share...we like the place very much as with most other irish pubs, they all look very "original" and cozy..we took many pix here - yes, typical SK sporeans...but who cares..my fav pix is the one i took for the 3 of them - showing men of 20s, 30s & 40s...haha...diff age, diff job, diff priorities in life..but all here in ireland with a common goal, i.e. to earn $$.. ;D
We headed back to Dublin city shortly after that..n otw back, we passed by the Cashel castle where the famous rock of Cashel is! It was closing by the time we reached there but the guys were kind enough to let us in for 5-10mins...
After a quick glance around the castle, we went back to our car for some "banana power"! haa..we decided to have a banana each for some energy before the long journey back..n of cos, we took quite a few pix for fun! ;P
We had some biscuits in the car for dinner and then instant noodles for 'supper' when we got home...the long journey ride was quite tiring but its oso very fun! where shall we go nex week? hmm...
West Ireland - Galway + Cliff of Moher
We went for another trip the next weekend, and stayed for a night up in the Doolin mountains!
The drive this time is much longer but we did stop at a few places before reaching our final destination - Cliff of Moher! We had a super fulfilling lunch at this "wild life" thematic restaurant in Limerick City (if i rem correctly)..we ordered 4 diff dishes so that we can try all of them...the food is ok..just that the portions are huge!
We kept a close track of the time and set off immediately after lunch..then along the way, we passed by many beautiful coastal sceneries...n yes, we cant resist the temptation of not stopping to take some pix there...i guess the one and only thing about Ireland (other than Guiness) is the beautiful natural landscapes...we also drove up what they call the "sky road" - the inclination of the road is so high that u can only see the sky in front of you...its quite scary as the view is almost like sitting on a roller coaster before sliding down the track..but i love it...cos i love thrills! wooohooo.....n yes, i m sure you can tell how windy it is with all the hair on my face!
my hub's attempt to try flying didnt last...well, the wind is so strong...i tink he will prob get blown off anytime with a little "push" from me...kekeke....n where is uncle KH? Gotcha - hiding from the wind in his car, snacking on Pringles! ;P
We finally arrived the Cliff of Moher! The road up was tough, with the drizzle and strong wind...the wind was so strong that we have to bend forward on our climb up...its no joke ok, i nearly got blown down the track a few times...but its all worthwhile wen we got up..u will know why if you are there:
We explored the area n dicovered many interesting things!
We found this interesting signage n yes hub, keep out! ;P
Okie, we were supposed to play "Titanic" - the part where jack & Rose posed in front of the ship..but we decided to be funny n imitade the opp of the signage - my hub so evil, pushing me off the cliff! heh...
After all the fun, we decided its time to check in our B&B (Bed & Breakfast - popular type of accommodation in europe where people rent out part of their house to tourists, n most often, with home-cooked breakfast..now u know why the name)...we stayed in this 2 storey cottage in the Doolin Mountains...
Take a look at our room! Its in the attic but very very well maintained....
u wan to know how ulu or 'scenic' it is where we stayed? check out the surroundings - farms, cows n hills......moooooo..........
After we settled our stuff, we drove down to one of the oldest irish pubs around in ireland - established 1832! but i guess we are more interested in the seafoood...heh..
We learnt something very interesting that night - the Doolin village is so small n so, everyone here knows each other...this pub that we were in, is something like their "community centre" where they gather to socialise...the owner of our B&B told us that that nite, there was a gal celebrating her 21st bdae at the pub and everyone who was there were invited to join in the party! so exciting...gatecrashing into someone's 21st bdae party? haa...we didnt stay up that late thou...had a drink n some finger food before going back to chill out at the B&B - enjoying the sweet potato soup i prepared as well as biscuits & milk & whatever we can find in the house...n my hub literally ransacked the kitchen! ;P
The next day, we had a hearty Irish breakfast - eggs, bacon, black & white pudding (pan fried frozen pig's blood) with bread & butter, before we quickly set off to Galway and then back to Dublin City....
Then otw back, we passed by this spot that had high crashing waves..its amazing how mother nature works...n of cos, we had loads of fun getting "wet" too...haha...
Our last stop - Galway City...we wanted to get some famous Galway oysters here...at this famous restaurant..but were told that its not the season and they ran out of it..feeling disappointed, we ordered some fish & chips for dinner..the food was ok..
This prob marks our last trip tog as KH was leaving for Germany then Spore next, next Mon...we had a farewell lunch at KH's house and chilled out till late night..all da best to ya, KH!
~ HIGH TEA IN PARIS ? ~
I always rem this little "tai tai dream" we gals like to joke about in spore...saying if we become rich, we will fly to Paris or somewhere in europe just for hi-tea and then back..well, i have not reached that stage yet, for sure! hee..but my hub and i can still afford to go for a short break in Paris, over the weekend in early Feb... ;)
I was not feeling very well during the trip..but my hub was very caring and took great care of me...he even tried to make everything we do fun so that i wun feel so lousy..so nice lo...haa...anyway, this is our 2nd trip to Paris (1st one was in 2004 when he first came over)..this time, we went to diff places:
1) Institut Du Monde Arabe - Institute of Arab
The interesting thing about this institute is not only about the products they sell..like the 'Aladdin' lamp my hub is rubbing.......
its the architectural design of the building! Check out the solar-powered automated arabic pattern "windows" which open and close based on the amount of sunlight shone onto it..1st, u will be able to see diff patterns on the facade of the building..2nd, u will be able to see the shadows of diff arabic patterns inside the building!
We then took a slow walk around the area...
exploring the roadside book market.....
n we found Notre Dame! Haa....
2) Notre Dame
Feeling excited, we went across the river to check it out...its a very very nice church..n there were many people there..maybe cos its a Sunday...
3) Night View of Eiffel Tower - Awesome !
When we were meeting the photographer in town...we went to check out a building that has the highest viewing gallery in paris (cant rem the name..haa)..there were also some exhibits on top of the gallery...after that, we went to the highest restaurant bar (something like new asia bar in sg) for a drink...n we managed to catch the awesome night view of the Eiffel Tower....of cos, its much much nicer than the pix i took...
it was a short weekend trip but we enjoyed every moment of it...sm how i feel that i have learnt to appreciate Paris a little more during this trip..i guess maybe the first time wen i was there, it was a very "touristy" kinda travel - very rush n mainly to see the popular spots...or maybe my expectation of paris then was too high as i hav heard so much about it...to be fair, yes, paris is beautiful... ;)
