Amsterdam

Around Sept 2015 we landed in Amsterdam. The first day was spent sulking / resting in our AirBnb. Our costly train mistake took a heavy toll on my other half and the group was tired after a long travel day. The next day, however, we got up, went out, and found ourselves a typical Amsterdam weed cafe. Jenna is a rule follower – she always reads instructions, directions, regulations, laws, etc. and follows them to a T; so when the brownie package said, “to be shared,” we didn’t know by how many so just the two of us devoured it. All was good for about 10 minutes which was how long it took for us to walk out of the cafe. We spent the day being absolutely terrified by pigeons, bicyclists, and stairs. Our only comfort were waffles and the serene water canals. The next day we went through the Anne Frank house, rode bikes throughout the city, walked around the canals, and as the sun went down walked through the Red Lights district.

In all, an amazing city that would have been more memorable if I wasn’t high of my mind half the time I was there.

Je t’aime

Pouvez-vous parler français ( Do you speak French?)

After some museums, warm pints, and amazing sights, we left the UK and took a train from London to Paris.

Paris

Our second time in Paris was just as unforgettable as the first. Paris was in a heat wave, our electricity zapped out due to overheating, and the 7 flights of stairs to our BnB was the cherry on top to our already sore sweaty bodies. Luckily, we knew the transportation well and were able to save time and see our favorite highlights as well as some we missed the first time. Our first night was spent in wild Bastille. We danced, drank, and woke up with a glow stick. A considerable amount of croissants and wine were consumed, an improvement from our first journey here. A night cruise along the Seine river brought our time in Paris to a close and we were off the Belgium.

Begium

We arrived in Brussels and immediately took off for souvenirs, sights, and of course Belgian beer. It was fun, cheap, and unforgettale. The Grand Place lit up at night and the square was full of people drinking, laughing, and getting into shenanigans. The following morning we walked around the Palace and gardens and it was off to Bruge. Bruge is small, cleaner than Brussles, as well as more expensive. With brick streets, canals running alongside the city, and idyllic buildings lining city center Bruge joined the ranks of picture perfect cities. Cigars, beers, and wine is how nights were spent along with watching In Bruge. After just one night in Bruge we hopped on a train and attempted to leave for Amsterdam. Our train had a layover in Antwerp and once there we accidentaly got on a high speed train to Amsterdam. This mistake cost us each a hundred euro and put a damper on the day.

British Isles

After Istanbul we flew back to Ireland and started another adventure we some familiar friends. Our first stop, pints in Dublin, our second – Irish countryside.

Cork, The Ring of Kerry, The Cliffs of Moher

After picking up our rental car our first stop was in Cobh, the take off point of the Titanic. We enjoyed the idyllic oceanside town, chowed down on some of the best chowder I’ve ever had and made our way to the Blarney Castle. Our first couple nights were spent in the small, yet lively town of Killarney. As recommended by several blog sites we drove around the ring counter-clockwise in hopes of avoiding traffic and awkward on road obstacles. For the most part, things went our way and we found our selves completing the ring and back in Killarney for dinner, drinks, and 90’s one hit wonders. The next day we weren’t nearly as lucky as we found ourselves in a thick fog in the Dingle Peninsula and then again at the Cliffs of Moher. We opted to save the Cliffs for the following day. It wasn’t until then that we found out we traded a foggy day at the Cliffs for a rainy one. However, no complaints – the cliffs were majestic regardless. Around the Cliffs are the towns of Doolin  (where boat tours take off from), The Burren (photogenic rocks), and Lisdoonvarna – where we spent a couple nights in a hostel. Once back in Dublin we packed our bags, fell asleep, and found ourselves on a 6am flights to Scotland.

Edinburgh, The Highlands, Nessie

Edinburgh is old, a bit gloomy, and full of haunting stories. It became on of my favorite cities. Kilt shopping, a night time scary tour, a day time eductional tour, and a few walks up and down the royal mile took up most of our time in the historical city. Though the city started our financial depression with our introduction into the mighty pound, I was able to make it through without breaking the bank and stayed on budget. For the Harry Potter fans, Edinburgh is a must go as it is the town where Rowling wrote the novels and the inspiration for the school and main characters are right there, in city center.

After a couple days in the city we ventured north to the Scottish Highlands. Aside from a gas station, Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness was our first destination. We spent the next day driving around Loch Ness looking for Nessie and was unsuccessful until we approached the souvenir stores and found hundreds of them. I captured my favorite Nessie and we all moved forward south down to Fort Augustus where we walked along the canals and further took in the beauty of the area.

The next day we woke up bright and early to make to Glenfinnan Viaduct in time to see the steam train ride across. Though we made it there on time it must have been wearing the invisibility cloak because we did not see it. After a minor dissapointed we moved further south to Glasglow for lunch and then to York in time for pub trivia. Learned that pub trivia is not fun when nobody cheers and everybody else knows more than you.

Our sunny day in York was perfect, a stroll along the gates, idyllic buildings, churches, and ruins and not but not least – Heworth, or as Jenna calls it, Bronte town. In Heworth we toured the house the Bronte girls grew up in, walk the hills and Jenna yelled, ‘Heathcliff’. We also enjoyed a delicious stew and it was in this town we also got word that the U.S. voted to nationally recognize gay marriage.

Next stop, grimy Liverpool. Not much can be said about this sea side town as we did not stay here long. The night we arrived we went to The Cavarn to see a Beatles show and other that the pints after that we didn’t see much, and I don’t think I plan on seeing much there. However, the pints and music were fantastic, so was watching the local hen and stag parties tumble into each bar and taxi.

We also got lucky with a sunny drive through Wales. The unpronouceable language, natural beauty, and vast open space welcomed us into the country. We made a short stop at Brecon Beacons park where we saw lots of sheep and found out that you can make a air fresheners our of sheep poo. We stayed oceanside in Swansea and the next day ventured to Cardiff, the country capitol. It was a rainy day and a triathlon was underway so our visit was swift but of course there was time for pictures and souvenir shopping.

Onward to Bath! Oh, the English season was upon us and so a two day stay in Bath was perfect. As we drove to Bath we stopped at Stonehedge, took selfies, group photos, and unsuccessfully tried to pick up rocks. The roman architecture in Bath was reminiscent of our own time in Rome just a short 7 months ago. The green baths were the center piece of several building and the canal streaming through the town made Bath an undeniably picturesque town. Tea and biscuits in the famous pump room, cheap thai food around the canal and pasta at the hostel was how we fueled our bodies. After Bath we made a short stop at the Jane Austen house and then….

London

Cool museum, Warm pints, hot weather = London.

Istanbul – A look back

First off, traveling and posting in this blog is harder than anticipated. The words flow off my finger tips, but it’s awfully hard to post on a tablet or phone. Therefore,  I’m restrained to posting when I’m in possession of my laptop which is… not often.

We left Istanbul a bit over a month ago. Teaching English paid our bills and thankfully filled our pockets enough to not have to worry about our immediate travels.

When I think of Istanbul many memories come to mind. Some troubled, frustrated, and annoyed but many heartwarming memories as well. Istanbul was where I met some very good friends. One, a krochet sewing, cat loving, chap stick obsessed lady and the other a wilderness, beer drinking, denim lovin’ lady. Both Canadian.

Istanbul is also home to some of the best food I’ve ever had. At first the thought of eating kebabs almost everyday bothered me but I got used to it. I fell deeply for baklava and managed to leave Turkey without enjoying a single piece of Turkish Delight.

We lived in Bakirkoy and had an apartment very near the Marmara Sea. On our days off we took the Dolmus ( a van taxi with fixed stops ) into Taksim. From there we explored the tourist highlights of Istanbul. Other times we would take the ferry into Kadikoy. Kadikoy is also on the Marmara Sea but on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Often we were asked what we’ll miss the most but, other than the monetary conversian rate, I’ll miss much. I don’t say this because I dislike Istanbul but because I can’t imagine not coming back. The city and country is filled with so much lively culture and travelling, as well as living here, has changed me to be a better person.

Thank you and güle güle,