Ireland – Eire – Nicest people in the world

We landed in Dublin, Ireland on New Years Day. Jess came from spending New Years Eve in Amsterdam and I flew in from Cornwall. We hired a car and our plans were non existent, other than to pick up a car and drive? Probably not the best plans, but it worked for us!

We picked up the hire car, a map and decided to drive. It was bloody cold and I was a bit nervous about driving in a foreign country, but need not have been because it was pretty much the same as driving here in Australia.

We headed south of Dublin, with no real plan. As we passed through County Laois, we saw a sign for a castle and decided to head toward it and check it out. My first historical Irish castle, Dunamase, was not disappointing. The views were stunning and I pulled out my trusty iPhone to snap some memories. We wandered around, enjoyed the cold and marvelled at the spectacular views.

After leaving County Laois we decided to head for Cork. We booked an Air BnB for the night, just south of the city and our lovely hosts, Eamonn and Michelle welcomed us into their home like family. They also had a dog, Missy – a big plus for Jess and I! Michelle was previously a tour guide, so while Jess hit the sack, Michelle helped me plan our few days in Ireland to maximise the journey.

After a good night sleep we headed off to Blarney Castle. Another amazing castle steeped in folklore. If you are going there, allow a full day to explore the entire grounds. Its not cheap to enter, but it is gorgeous and there is plenty to see if you have the time. We were a bit pressed, so climbed the stairs through the castle, kissed the Blarney Stone, took a mad dash around the grounds and then headed off to our next location.

We left Blarney Castle and headed to a local pub for lunch and warmth. The pub had a few little fireplaces and we set ourselves up in a little nook of sorts and ate pub-grub, which was delicious but expensive. Everything was expensive in Ireland 🙂

How cute is this though?

We didn’t have enough time to do the Ring of Kerry, so opted for the Dingle Slea Head drive. We stopped in Dingle and it was freezing, so fo course we got ice cream. Murphys Ice Cream is a local company and their ice cream is beyond amazing. Definitely worth a visit. We followed this up with the Slee Head Drive. Again, it was freezing and incredibly windy. The coastline was rugged and craggy and the scenery was gorgeous. We saw the ‘sleeping giant’, faintly in the distance due to the horrendous weather. We also came across the most gorgeous cemetery I have ever seen – and I know that when you are dead, you are dead, but the view from the cemetery was nothing short of spectacular – Ballinskelligs Old Burial Ground. I told Jess that this is my final resting place – in beautiful Ireland, forever near the ocean….

We left Slea Head and headed to Limerick for the night. We went for a night time drive around Limerick and saw the sights. Pretty place ❤ As is all of Ireland.

Our final day in Ireland was spent at Bunratty Castle. We spent not nearly enough time wandering around the grounds and through the castle. A lot of buildings on the grounds have been relocated here and maintained, for historical purposes. There was also a fair amount of farmyard animals – pigs, cows, chooks, ducks, sheep and geese. We then headed for the Airport, Jess came home and I went to Amsterdam for the night.

Ireland – beautiful, expensive, beautiful, the nicest people in the world, beautiful, cold, beautiful. Go there!

Netflix and five more sleeps

Five Sleeps

Its only 5 sleeps until I take off for my European adventure. Five long nights. The excitement/anxiety is driving me crazy and I have so much going on right now also. Life is insane. Crazy. Not long until I land in Budapest and see my beloved Jecca.

The preparation for packing has started. I’ve started putting all the ‘things’ on the spare bed, ready to pack. I cant believe how organised I am. This is a mammoth deal for me because normally I would be packing within 10hrs of flying and with a bottle of wine for company, encouragement and to ensure I make good decisions when packing! Yes, that really IS how it works!

The Stuff

So I have all the essentials ready. Sort of. My passport and medications are ready. My marvellous GP gave me scripts for the good stuff – antibiotics, Betahistine dihydrochloride, and phenothiazines as well. She also suggested some ‘restavit’ for the night flights. Its supposed to help me sleep which is pretty funny because I suck badly at sleep. I cant sleep sitting up and the onboard setting is uncomfortable for me because my feet dont touch the ground when I sit. I know this is going to sound like a ‘short girl’ problem – but it really is. My feet not touching the ground means that my lower legs go numb. That’s going to be a shit load of fun with the RLS!!

The packing problem really is about quantity now. How many pairs of jeans? How many shirts? I’m going to dress in layers each day – singlet, tshirt, skivvy, jumper then jacket, but will also have access to washing facilities so thats not really an issue. I was thinking 4 of each singlets, shirts, skivvies, 2 jumpers and the Kathmandu jacket I bought. I also have a scarf and beanie ready as well as gloves. The gloves are cheap ones from Aldi so probably wont be much chop although they should get me through the first day until I can purchase some decent ones in Budapest.

Hopefully I dont forget the toiletries and makeup. I dont know how I am going to take my shampoo and conditioner? They are in tube kind of things and I’m thinking they may squirt everywhere if I pack them in my checked baggage, but I dont want to leave them behind, just to buy more in Europe. Makeup will be the absolute minimum and wont be a problem. I’m not taking my hair straightener though, so I’m stressing about the frizzies!!

Netflix

Hours and hours of travel. I need Netflix. I’m going to download Outlander, Season 3 to watch. I know what I’m like an that I will get bored, so will need to find something else to download so I can flick between them. I’m all open to suggestions! I’m a comedy kind of girl – think Brooklyn Nine Nine and you got me. I’m totally open to suggestions.

Ive got my international charger ready to pack, Ive also got my USB battery things, for when my phone/iPad look like going flat. I cant be without some form of entertainment during these revoltingly long flights. It doesnt work for me, given that I cant sleep. I’m pretty sure they wont appreciate me pacing the floors for hours at a time!

Home

Everything here is nearly organised. The neighbour is going to keep an eye on my home, my friend is going to come and start all of the cars and be there to sort shit out in an ’emergency. I’m also doing the ‘global roaming’ thing, so will have the same number. I dont want to have to change SIM’s in Europe in case Mum and Dad need me. Its just easier this way.

My days and nights between now and when I leave are insanely busy. Trying to fit everyone in and get everything done is sending the stress levels into hyper-drive. Not long now and I can chill……just 5 more sleeps!

I’m excited!

Heading Home Day – The Journey to Melbourne

‘Melbourne trip’ day dawned like a typical Brisbane morning. Clear bright skies, sun shining, not a cloud to be seen and a chilly 14C. I woke before my alarm, post a healthy 4hr slumber and made the trip to the airport. I had pre-booked and paid for my parking with BAP (Brisbane Airport Parking), and after getting a discount voucher from their facebook page, paid a paltry $9, including the free airport transfer’s. That would have been awesome, except I paid on my credit card which I cancelled after the great iPhone incident of 2017 and access to the car park requires validation with the credit card used to purchase. Ugh. My fault entirely – I should have called BAP and discussed options prior to arriving on their doorstep!

Brisbane Airport

I don’t mind airports and I do like to watch the people. I’m flying Tigerair to Melbourne and being me, I’m 2.5hours early because I don’t cope with being late. The flight is a bit over two hours, so budget airlines work for me. Although I am quite tall, with really long legs (honest), I can sit in relative comfort on any carrier so Tiger works for me. I don’t have any checked baggage, thankfully, because the self-check-in computers have broken so its back to the old way of lining up and speaking to a person.

Broken computer’s are OK, these things happen, that’s the way it is with technology. It is really quite problematic when it happens at this time of the day though as I wasn’t caffeinated prior to doing the manual check-in. I had to speak to people. My fellow travellers who had taken place in line with me were being entirely inappropriate, passing decisive comments such as ‘good morning’? Yes, Mr ‘Bright and Bubbly, hot as hell tradie’, it MAY be morning, but it is far to early to deduce if it is in fact a ‘good’ morning. It may not be a ‘good’ morning, or it might, or it might not be for me, or it might not be for you if you dont stop smiling and talking to me. I need coffee.

And Ms ‘lady in a floral skirt and tan blouse’ with your ridiculously invasive ‘how are you today?’ – what’s with the Spanish Inquisition lady? Really? Do I look like a roguish criminal who is about to crash-tackle you for your gorgeous Prada handbag? Why so invasive? Back off!! Do I look like a person who is adequately caffeinated and equiped to ‘people’?? But that is an awfully nice looking handbag……

This is how a caffeine addict reacts, pre-caffeine, when forced to interact with ‘people’. This cant be legal, surely? Is there a law stating I MUST interact with people in a polite and civilised manner, before caffeine? I think I need a policy job so I can draft legislation reflecting the utter absurdity of requiring a caffeine addict to interact and ‘people’, prior to adequate caffeination. It could be a matter of public safety, at the very least.

Caffeine

Nectar of the Gods – Juice of People and Humanity

I’ve now made my way to the ‘food court’ and purchased myself some ‘people and humanity’ juice. A big cup, with a triple shot. This should tide me over until I reach my destination. I think I will be able to board the aircraft and travel, in a relatively civilised manner, to Melbourne. Ive hurried my face in my iPad, because it is less likely that ‘people’ will want to ‘people’ with me, I can pretend I need to look at the keyboard while I type and also avoid ‘people’ this way. The lengths I will go to…. I am excited, although to the casual passer-by, my excitement could rival Hannah Gadsby’s chipper carriage. Melbourne. Its going to be a great afternoon and wonderful evening and I’m totally stoked, but just wish I was able to stay for longer. It is Melbourne, after all.

40 minutes until I board. Best I head to my gate. I just don’t cope with being late, even with semi-adequate caffination…..

Disclaimer: I abhor violence, with or without caffeine. No ‘people’ were harmed in the contemplation of or composition of this blog post