British Midlands flights are crap!
No free meals or drinks, not even water.
The flight was short but quite uncomfortable.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Holly
We also discovered some wild holly growing not far off the path. I'd never seen real (i.e. not plastic) holly before.
St Kevins Butterfly?
On the walk back to the bus I discovered this fascinating leaf, shining up at me from a small field of some of the greenest grass I'd seen in a while. It stuck out so well that some of the other tourists commented on how beautiful this 'butterfly' was.
St Kevins Gate Latch
This gate latch seemed both native and out of place in this environment, and I liked the way the water is dripping off both the foliage and the latch itself.
St Kevins Irish Stream
This little stream ran behind the tower and graves. This is where hubby demonstrated to me the 'mammalian dive reflex' whilst simultaneously entertaining locals and tourists alike. It was just off left of this shot where he explained that if you splash your face with virtually freezing water when you're feeling cold, it will make you feel warmer, check out the above link for a better explanation. As I didn't participate in his demonstration I have no idea if you really do feel warmer. What I do know is that watching him demonstrate made me feel warmer from laughing.
St Kevins Grave Stones
The grave stones surrounding St Kevins Tower are eerily fascinating as are all cemeteries.
St Kevins Story
Then on to the highlight of the tour, Glendalough "glen of the two lakes" a truly spellbinding place, home to the impressive 10th century Round Tower.
Saint Kevin of Glendalough is said to have first lived in Kilnamanagh (church of the monks) in Tallaght, Dublin, but moved on to Glendalough in order to avoid the company of his followers, a group of monks who founded a monastery on the site.
He was known for his disdain of human company, especially that of women; his name was used in Ireland as a term for men with cold relations with women up until the 19th century. An extreme example of his chastity was the instance when he pushed an amorous woman into a patch of nettles.
Saint Kevin of Glendalough is said to have first lived in Kilnamanagh (church of the monks) in Tallaght, Dublin, but moved on to Glendalough in order to avoid the company of his followers, a group of monks who founded a monastery on the site.
He was known for his disdain of human company, especially that of women; his name was used in Ireland as a term for men with cold relations with women up until the 19th century. An extreme example of his chastity was the instance when he pushed an amorous woman into a patch of nettles.
First European Autumn leaves
Anyone that knows me and my photography knows that I am fascinated with different textures, so when I saw the first European Autumn leaves I've ever seen I just had to take a shot.
Celtic Sidewalk Fixtures
As I looked down at the road I noticed these little 'man hole covers' (for want of a better description). They were so cool and Celtic and the sort of thing I don't think other people would readily notice, I had to take a photo.
Avoca
25th October 2008
On our way into Avoca to see 'Avoca Handweavers' (reputed to be the oldest weaving mill in Ireland) we passed this quaint little church. Whilst the rest of the tourists explored the mill and it's craft shop we decided to check out the surrounding areas of Avoca.
On our way into Avoca to see 'Avoca Handweavers' (reputed to be the oldest weaving mill in Ireland) we passed this quaint little church. Whilst the rest of the tourists explored the mill and it's craft shop we decided to check out the surrounding areas of Avoca.
Dublin - Day 2
25th October 2008
Wicklow Mountains, Valleys and Lakes Tour
The day was typical for Dublin, cold and wet, as you can probably tell from this photo, taken through the bus window on the fly, it was a lot of work to keep the fog off the windows as it was cold outside and inside the bus was kept tosty warm for human comfort. The tour was great even though the day was wet and windy, subsequently most of my photos were taken out of the window of the bus including steamed up windows and rain drops.
The Wicklow Mountains, Valleys and Lakes tour was conducted from within a double decker bus. We took the scenic route out of Dublin through the Wicklow Gap and the Blessington Lakes. We then stopped at a place aptly named Blairn Chill Mountain. It was FREEZING! The tour continued through to the pretty village of Avoca.
Wicklow Mountains, Valleys and Lakes Tour
The day was typical for Dublin, cold and wet, as you can probably tell from this photo, taken through the bus window on the fly, it was a lot of work to keep the fog off the windows as it was cold outside and inside the bus was kept tosty warm for human comfort. The tour was great even though the day was wet and windy, subsequently most of my photos were taken out of the window of the bus including steamed up windows and rain drops.
The Wicklow Mountains, Valleys and Lakes tour was conducted from within a double decker bus. We took the scenic route out of Dublin through the Wicklow Gap and the Blessington Lakes. We then stopped at a place aptly named Blairn Chill Mountain. It was FREEZING! The tour continued through to the pretty village of Avoca.
Dublin
24th October 2008
It was not the cold in Dublin so much as the almost Gail-forced winds (well they were Gail-forced compared to home), that made it cold. We got in early in the morning and walked around for at least an hour trying to find our hotel only to discover that where the airport bus had dropped us off was no more than a ten minute walk from the hotel - DOH!
We had booked a double room expecting a double bed only to find on arrival that we got two single beds that we pushed together. Ordinarily, I would find this frustrating and uncomfortable but the ability to sleep laying down and snuggling well and truly off-set any discomfort.
At about mid-day I called Bella (an Irish girl I met on the internet), she was only minutes away. It wasn't long before there was a knock at our door. All three of us wandered about Dublin, chatting and taking in the sites before choosing a restaurant to have lunch in. I know Ireland is renowned for potatoes amongst other things, but I really didn't expect to see so many people in the street carrying bags full of them. I had crab claws and Bella and hubby had soup. Strangely enough hubby said it was the best potato and leek soup he had had (sarcasm intended). Again, we ordered rum and coke which seemed to confuse the waitress - is Australia the only county that drinks R&C? She asked if I wanted white or dark rum which to me seemed like a silly question.
We walked back to the hotel and whilst hubby took a kip, Bella and I hung out in her room chatting for a while until hunger pains once again set in. We checked in on hubby to see if he was ready for dinner, he was far from fully lucid so we took another wander through Dublin, to find something to nibble on, walking passed the night clubs I noticed that bouncers are the same all over the world - staunch!
Back at the hotel we met up with hubby and took yet another stroll before returning to our room for a cuppa and bed.
It was not the cold in Dublin so much as the almost Gail-forced winds (well they were Gail-forced compared to home), that made it cold. We got in early in the morning and walked around for at least an hour trying to find our hotel only to discover that where the airport bus had dropped us off was no more than a ten minute walk from the hotel - DOH!
We had booked a double room expecting a double bed only to find on arrival that we got two single beds that we pushed together. Ordinarily, I would find this frustrating and uncomfortable but the ability to sleep laying down and snuggling well and truly off-set any discomfort.
At about mid-day I called Bella (an Irish girl I met on the internet), she was only minutes away. It wasn't long before there was a knock at our door. All three of us wandered about Dublin, chatting and taking in the sites before choosing a restaurant to have lunch in. I know Ireland is renowned for potatoes amongst other things, but I really didn't expect to see so many people in the street carrying bags full of them. I had crab claws and Bella and hubby had soup. Strangely enough hubby said it was the best potato and leek soup he had had (sarcasm intended). Again, we ordered rum and coke which seemed to confuse the waitress - is Australia the only county that drinks R&C? She asked if I wanted white or dark rum which to me seemed like a silly question.
We walked back to the hotel and whilst hubby took a kip, Bella and I hung out in her room chatting for a while until hunger pains once again set in. We checked in on hubby to see if he was ready for dinner, he was far from fully lucid so we took another wander through Dublin, to find something to nibble on, walking passed the night clubs I noticed that bouncers are the same all over the world - staunch!
Back at the hotel we met up with hubby and took yet another stroll before returning to our room for a cuppa and bed.
Our Flight to Dublin - Airline food is CRAP!
October 2008
Leaving Australia
Leaving Australia was strangely surreal, we packed once, twice, three times and still felt anxious that we'd left things, important things behind.
Australia - Singapore
Economy seating leaves much to be desired, and I think it's positively cruel that you have to walk through business class to get to economy.
On the plus side this leg of the journey was relatively short.
4 Hour Stop Over in Singapore
It was good to be able to sleep stretched out even if it was on the carpeted floor of the airport. For security we slept in one hour shifts. After being cramped on the plane, resulting in the expected tight shoulder and back muscles, sleep did not come easy.
Singapore - Paris
Singapore was really hot and humid (thirty plus degrees Celsius). Upon boarding, it became obvious that Air France was cost cutting. It was really steamy inside the plane and the air conditioning was not turned on until we were in the air, which lead to at least a couple of quite cranky travelers. We sat beside a Frenchman, which was handy as the stewards did not seem to understand my requests very well and he translated my wants to them. It's strange to me that they did not seem to know what a rum and coke was, every time I asked for one I got coke only - Oh well.
Paris - Dublin
We transferred to a small plane, the stewards were cool and very friendly. I slept for all of the first ten minutes before they served us croissants - YUM!
Leaving Australia
Leaving Australia was strangely surreal, we packed once, twice, three times and still felt anxious that we'd left things, important things behind.
Australia - Singapore
Economy seating leaves much to be desired, and I think it's positively cruel that you have to walk through business class to get to economy.
On the plus side this leg of the journey was relatively short.
4 Hour Stop Over in Singapore
It was good to be able to sleep stretched out even if it was on the carpeted floor of the airport. For security we slept in one hour shifts. After being cramped on the plane, resulting in the expected tight shoulder and back muscles, sleep did not come easy.
Singapore - Paris
Singapore was really hot and humid (thirty plus degrees Celsius). Upon boarding, it became obvious that Air France was cost cutting. It was really steamy inside the plane and the air conditioning was not turned on until we were in the air, which lead to at least a couple of quite cranky travelers. We sat beside a Frenchman, which was handy as the stewards did not seem to understand my requests very well and he translated my wants to them. It's strange to me that they did not seem to know what a rum and coke was, every time I asked for one I got coke only - Oh well.
Paris - Dublin
We transferred to a small plane, the stewards were cool and very friendly. I slept for all of the first ten minutes before they served us croissants - YUM!
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