Luck of the Irish

Next stop called for a bit of family bonding time. After reuniting with my mother in London, we met my father and grandmother at Heathrow after a couple of days of relaxed sightseeing and shopping. Together we headed to Dublin, hiring a car to drive us the rest of the way across the country to our final destination of Gort County, Galway.  We spent a week doing some sightseeing across the country. We visited Limerick and did a spot of shopping after checking out some of the local architecture. Bunratty was a highlight, firstly for the castle and also for the visit to Durty Nelly's which would have to be the most Irish pub I've stepped foot into. Galway's markets were heaven for both food and shopping alike, and we battled through the rain to kiss the Blarney stone. On our way back we also visited cousins in Meath and Dublin, with some touristy visits to the Leprechaun Museum and Guinness storehouse along the way.

Bunratty castle

Family bonding

Durty Nelly's

Giants room at the Leprechaun Museum

Leprechaun Museum

...and if there's anything I learnt in Ireland, it's that it’s never too early to buy the next drink.

-Melissa

J'adore Paris

Paris, city of love. In my case, a different kind of love. I'm talking love of food, art, shopping and all things Disney.

Hostels

The last minute booker I am, I found that accommodation prices in Paris were quite steep, and I was unable to find a single hostel for the whole week. I stayed for two nights in the Latin Quarter at Young & Happy, which was a quaint little hostel but it was somewhat lacking in hygiene and facilities. I met a nice South American guy who visited the Eiffel Tour with me on my first night. It was predominately Spanish speakers in my hostel, so I got a bit of practice in, and I managed to make a few good friends on the last night staying there (one was yet another Jesus). I stayed at the Canal St Christophers Inn for the rest of my time in Paris, which was my favoured accommodation in the city. The dorms were clean and significantly more spacious, with the added bonus of having curtains over each bunk for a bit of added privacy when it was needed. I made friends with a couple of Australians (typical, I know) who introduced me to a whole troop of their friends, so I had a great bunch of people around at all times. The bar and restaurant downstairs was also a great communal area, and conveniently located to grab a bite. Oh and free wifi and breakfast - a backpackers dream! 

Food

When in France, eat like the French do. I thought it was necessary to try a few French delicacies, and at the top of the list was escargot (more commonly known as the humble snail). Personally I found they simply tasted like the garlic sauce they were immersed in, really not so bad! Perfect for the season was French onion soup, which was delicious and warming in the winter chill. Then on to the most important of meals, which is of course dessert. At the top of my to-eat list for my fellow sweet tooth's would be Nutella crepes (food of champions) and the infamous macarons of Lauderée, which are completely worth the splurge. 

The view from Notre Dame

Lourve

Sights

On the top of most Paris to do lists would be the Eiffel Tour, and I took every opportunity to see the infamous attraction. I saw the lights on the tour both on my first and last nights in Paris, and made it there twice in daylight before finally venturing up. Ironically the time I finally decided to take the plunge and go up to lookout point it was quite foggy which made the view less than ideal. However I managed to make a friend in the lift up who left me with someone to share lunch with, which is always a plus. Notre Dame drew me to its gargoyle adorned architecture through childhood memories of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. The church boasts a picturesque exterior, and the walk up and around the interior brought me into the movie setting, with the gargoyle lined path overlooking the city emitting a gothic feel. Something else drawn from film inspiration was a visit to the Moulin Rouge location (It was unfortunately all booked out), and just around the corner, the bar from the film Amelie, which offered affordable themed drinks at happy hour. On an art front I visited the obvious, the Louvre, however it's certainly an overhyped gallery, so I would suggest going in without such grandeur expectations. The typical tourist reaction to the Mona Lisa was not lost on me - the painting is tiny! For something a bit different, I also visited Musée Rodin, where I was in awe trawling through the Rodin sculpture garden, recognising many of his famous works, but also discovering some hidden gems. 

The Mona Lisa

Half an Eiffel Tour

The Thinker - Rodin

Moulin Rouge

Disneyland 

Child at heart, I was determined to visit the Disneyland in Paris, if only to see how it compared to my visit to the Japanese version years prior. Fortunately for me, amongst the previously made group of friends were two girls who were just as keen to check out Disneyland as I was. Themed food, rides and paraphernalia is my bread and butter - so naturally I was in heaven! I came back with a multitude of disney themed presents, and for myself a pair of minnie gloves and novelty mouse hands - because who knows when I'll need those right?

Alice in Wonderland

The Disney Castle

Shopping

All roads lead to Rome, and all Melissa's lead to the nearest shops. The first stop was Champs Elysees, the most famous shopping strip in Paris, and for good reason! You could spend hours trawling through shops and lusting after designer goods. We also ventured into one of the multitude of cinemas along the street, checking out the newest Gossling film at the time, which was The Ides of March (we figured if it was in French we could always just look at Ryan and George, however fortunately it was in English). Another necessary stop is Galeries Lafayette, even just to stare at the architectural beauty. Getting off the high street I ventured into the flea market scene, visiting Marché aux puces de St Ouen. It was easy to get lost amongst the throngs of crowds and stall owners selling a wide variety of goods. I stumbled upon a section of vintage clothes and accessories and stocked up on a multitude of unique skirts, knitwear and scarves. 

Galeries Lafayette 

Au revoir!

-Melissa 

Bordering the Benelux

My friend Geraldine was studying in the Netherlands during this trip, so naturally I had to make a stopover in The Hague to check out where she was living. Being reunited was pretty exciting, and I was taken on a quick tour of the city before leaving my bag in her room and heading across the street to pick up some turkish food and a couple bottles of wine, a classy start already. Drinking ensued, and I was introduced to their favourite local bar for a night out before heading off on our own little adventure the next day. First stop was Brussels, where we took full advantage of the delicious Belgian food, with a side of culture and shopping. Indulging in fries and mayonnaise was a necessity, and a visit to the local markets resulted in some insanely cheap purchases - some I still wear today!

Local delicacies

After another train ride we found ourselves in Bruges, the canal ridden 'Venice of the north'. Beautiful castles and historic buildings aside, we got down to business with the most important thing - the food. Flemish stew and waffles were in abundance, before a combined visit to the chocolate and fries museum for a bit of educational eating (if it's in a museum it's cultural right?) 

Priorities

The other highlight of Belgium was the discovery of flavoured beers, which we took full advantage of. The fruity flavours were definitely preferred, although I was pleasantly surprised by the somewhat off-putting idea of chocolate beer, which I would actually completely recommend!

Classy Amsterdam

Amsterdam was the last stop on our little adventure, another classy experience with a side of culture. We jumped right into the Amsterdam scene, visiting the sex museum which was a pretty hilarious experience, then topping it off with a visit to a local coffee shop (news flash - they don't sell coffee). We got lost in the canals of the city, and had a humorous experience wandering around the red light district at night watching people do the walk of shame. Following these escapades we decided to visit the Anne Frank museum, which was somewhat confronting, but worth the visit. Just down the road from there we found an amazing pancake house to indulge in Dutch 'poffertjes', followed by some vintage shopping doing a little bit of damage to my bank balance as a fitting end to the Amsterdam experience.

Obligatory tourist shot in a giant clog

-Melissa

Guten tag!

Another day, another dollar. The budget traveller I am, I chose to fly into Frankfurt in Germany in order to get the cheapest possible flights to Europe for my second visit of 2011, being lucky enough to get back within the year. First stop was Berlin, which was a cultural whirlwind, though as a city I think I had quite a differing experience than many I've spoken to. The hostel I stayed in, Wombat City Hostel, had great facilities, but I didn't quite get on with many of the people I met there. I did most of my sightseeing alone, which is completely fine by me as when exploring a new city I'm always pretty content to wander solo without having to worry about other people. I did make some friends, ironically on the last night and morning of my departure, but it's always great to have a good chat to keep loneliness at bay whilst travelling solo.

Berlin wall

Currywurst

Next up I ventured over to the Netherlands and Belgium to visit a friend, returning to Germany with a stop in Dusseldorf, which I had chosen purely for the perfect stopover location between Amsterdam and Munich. I had only planned to stay one night, but ended up being there for three, with it being one of my most unexpectedly enjoyable cities (despite a hiccup or two along the way). The first day arriving I noticed the hostel was quite empty - not the best sign, but in the end it meant we were almost forced into becoming friends with the few other backpackers there. I met two lovely guys in my hostel room, and decided to go out on the town with one of them as it was his last night there. His name was Jesus (what an excellent name), and we made our way to the pub area in Dusseldorf, with it proving to be a pretty crazy night of more shots and drinks than I can remember consuming. It was definitely not one of my classiest moments, but it was a bonding experience and a half! The next day me and my only remaining friend decided to venture across town to the city aquarium, although we left early so I could have a necessary recovery nap. That was where the Dusseldorf experience turned a bit sour, and as many solo female travellers would understand, there's always that one experience where you've been taken adventure of in one way or another whilst travelling. My so called friend turned out to be a bit more friendly than I would have liked, which developed into the most scary experience I've encountered travelling yet, and was incredibly lucky to find solace in a newcomer at the hostel who helped me escape the situation. My new friend was a Londoner, who took me out for a drink and a memorable karaoke experience, singing crowd favourite 'Barbie girl' before making a swift exit from the karaoke bar. It was a much improved end to an otherwise horrific day.

Surfing in the park in the middle of winter

A few days later than originally planned, I ended up in Munich at another branch of Wombat Hostels, which I found to be far more sociable than its Berlin counterpart. I quickly made friends in my dorm room, and having a drink in the hostel bar led to building ourselves a nice little drinking group for the first night. I hadn't met the rest of the people in my dorm, though I become somewhat acquainted with them in the early hours of the next morning when two had a pretty heated argument, and one of the girls got pretty aggressive. At a more reasonable hour, the crazy outburst served as a good means for becoming friends with all but the girl in question. The remaining few were actually really nice people, and I spent the day visiting the concentration camp of Dachau which was quite overwhelming. We decided to have a more lighthearted afternoon, taking a walk in the Englischer Garten and seeing the locals surf in the man made waves of the parks river. Ending the night in the Munich Hofbräuhaus, I indulged in a schnitzel and a pretzel the size of my head.  

Pretzels bigger than my head

A final stopover in Cologne was a quiet end to my German adventure, with an evening of checking out the breathtaking Cologne Cathedral before a nice dinner and an early night.

-Melissa

Kiss me, I'm Irish!

I'm third generation Irish, and although my grandmother was born just after her parents arrived in Australia she always spoke about 'the motherland'. Getting to Ireland was almost like coming home, with the Irish sense of humour and culture being the closest to Australian that I've come across yet. I arrived in Dublin with Garigarra and stayed in a hostel dorm room with over 20 people, which was an overwhelming experience, but also very easy on the wallet. 

The Guinness storehouse

The Liffey river

I feel like I spent most of my time not only in the UK, but also in Ireland in pubs. There's something about the British and Irish pub culture that doesn't quite translate to the rest of the world. We did quite a bit of walking around the city, checking out some famous landmarks, historic buildings, and of course the local shops. We also made sure to stop by the Liffey river to have a Guinness (the best place for a pint according to my father), or should I say I had a Guinness, whereas Gari opted for the far girlier option of a banana cocktail. As night fell we headed to Temple bar, typical I know. It may not be the nicest area in Dublin, but they sure know how to have a good time!

Kilmacduagh cemetary

After a few days in Dublin together we headed over to Galway, where I left Gari and headed off into the unknown on my way to Gort County. At this point I wasn't exactly sure what to expect as I hadn't had the most productive phone conversations with my Grandmothers cousin, but was hopeful, and thought I'd at least have a nice afternoon with the family. Turns out the abrupt phone conversation is ingrained into older Irish people due to the prior extravagant expenses of phone calls, and I arrived to the most welcoming hug from a man I'd never met before. I spent almost a week meeting cousins I'd never before dreaming of meeting, getting to know the family I was staying with, in particular the two boys who were 10 and adorably feisty, and the other was in his mid teens with an amazing sense of humour. I also had the amazing experience of visiting the cemetery that several of my ancestors were built, seeing such familiar names printed on headstones in another country was quite profound. I was incredibly sad to leave, with just in time to have one full day back in London to shop, eat and have a night out. It was a bit of a 'see you later' to a country I had so quickly fallen in love with, and a promise that I would see everyone again soon. 

The cousins

-Melissa