Sweetheart Dubrovnik

We had a long winter this year. We were so sick of it in Holland that we booked a good week where we could be guaranteed some sun. It didn't happen. No one could calculate the accuracy with which a spell of bad weather and our holiday would collide. Oh well, what can you do?

We flew into Split on May 22nd and decided to jump on a bus straight to Dubrovnik. We seriously underestimated our travel time on the bus. 3 hours stretched to a very tedious 5.45 hours. But it didn't matter. We got to our little apartment in Lapad, got changed and asked our landlord, Mattheus to order a taxi into the old town. Mattheus refused. We took the bus.

The first thing we saw when we reached the old town centre of Dubrovnik were its walls. Katie estimated a good two hours to walk the whole way around and we grabbed our chance once we saw the sun popping out from behind the clouds. It was a good moment too as other tourists didn't want to risk getting soaked. Long story short, it was 45 minutes even with the hundreds of photographs we managed to take. The view was stunning. On one side you have all the red roofs of the city and the other you have the Adriatic Sea and the islands. It's jaw dropping. Mind you, it costs about 12EUR to do it and at the wrong times you'll feel like herded cattle going one-way only around a wall.

After the walls, wine tasting is the next most important must-do in Croatia. A friend recommended we go to a wine bar called D'Vino off the main street of Dubrovnik where we could taste some local wine. We chose to take a set menu of three small glasses of white from three different regions of Croatia. Fantastic. I won't try to describe the wines because I am no expert. We went on to taste the red, but of course. Fast forward a couple of hours and we are best friends with middle-aged couple Jude and Nige from Wales and hanging out of a pole in the Fuego nightclub outside the main city gate. But that's not included in the set wine menu.


Dubrovnik is set in a very special spot. Just off it's coast there are many beautiful islands to admire and visit and down the coast you can see the mountains of Montenegro. Taking the cable car to the top is well worth the 10EUR - so long as high winds don't cancel the service like it did for us. After the wine tasting the night before we were in fragile shape and I won't lie when I say I was relieved that it wasn't running.  But herself found a solution. She got talking to a taxi man who was out spotting an opportunity. For the same price as the cable car fare he would drive us up to the top and give us a little tour lasting an hour. The only catch was that we had to find at least 2 more people which was easily achieved. Tom, the taxi man, was very nice, took us to the top and gave us a perspective into what it was like to be living in Dubrovnik during the war. He showed us old barracks that were used by Croats and destroyed by the Yugoslavs. He pointed out the Bosnian mountains in the background and where soldiers died. He told us to look down on Dubrovnik and that every orange coloured roof was a roof that survived the war, and there weren't too many of them. He also told us we wouldn't reach Hvar town the next day. And so we rang Mattheus and see if he'd keep us another night. Grand.

Actually, here's a virtual version of Dubrovnik's Cable Car.

Not to bring the tone down but when your biggest problems in the world growing up are what to wear to the next teenage disco in town it's hard to imagine what living through a war really means. The War Photo Museum is not for the sensitive but I think every now and then we should be reminded that terrible things happen in the world and we need to be good to each other. We didn't know too much about what had happened in this part of the world (to be honest it's still not clear). But the war photo museum brought the fear and anxiety it to life for us. At only 4EUR entry fee it's worth every cent to take a look.

I could go on and on here about Dubrovnik. I've decided that our time in Split and Montenegro deserve their own posts. How and ever, in a nutshell here are some other things to take a look at in this fabulous city:

• Some scenes of Game of Thrones was filmed here. See if you can spot some of the backdrops!
• Listen to jazz at Troubadour Jazz Cafe. 
• Eat some amazing fresh sea food from any of the restaurants. 
• Go to the Cave Bar out in Lapad. 
• Check out some beautiful places of worship. 
• Take a day trip to Lokrum Island. 

What would I do if I go back? Basically a lot of island hopping. We were robbed of reliable warm weather and if we were to go back anytime soon we would visit Hvar, Lokrum Island, the Elaphite Islands and Korcula where Marco Polo was born. I'd also like to go exploring the oyster farms on the coast and the vineyards. What I won't be doing is hanging out of a pole again in the Fuego nightclub outside the city walls in Dubrovnik.

Or so I say.

My Alternative Travel Bucket List (Part 2)

I'm back again with my little list of destinations associated with legends and fairytales. I think the below have a little more meat where the story is concerned. Well, that's my opinion at least.

Douarnenez, France

Another location I am just learning about now, this seaside town in France is associated with two legends. You can imagine my excitement with this 'discovery'.  Douarnenenz is a small fishing town that is now declining in population. However, it has strong associations not only with the legendary city of Ys that is believed to lie beneath Douarnenez Bay but also the story of Tristan and Iseult.
Ys. The Plot:
Well, a King builds a city unwittingly below sea level on the coast of France with a dike to protect it from the waves. His spoiled daughter comes to influence the city. She turns out to be a nightmare, organising orgies and killing her lovers come morning time. There are many versions of the story but in short, the devil visits her, convinces her to steal the key of the city from her father, open the gates and flood the city beneath the sea. The princess is turned into a mermaid and her good father the King survives by taking his magical horse to his new city on a hill. Magical horses are the best.
Tristan & Iseult. The Plot:
Just off the coast of Douarnenez lies the island of Tristan. To be completely honest, I am not entirely sure why. It could be the French claim to the legend for all I know. All the same it has been an important island through local history despite its tiny size (450m x 250m). In the version that I'm familiar with, Tristan was a noble from Cornwall and Iseult an Irish Princess. Tristan, charged with brining Iseult back to marry his Uncle Mark falls madly in love with her, as she does him. In some versions this is because of a love potion and the work of some tricky people. Anyway, as you can imagine, madness ensues. This legend has been cited as the predecessor for the Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere love triangle so it has to be good.

Loftus Hall, Wexford, Ireland
This could be a blog post all of it's own. Let's be clear, I'm not easily scared and have an obsession with the weird and wacky because I know they are stories. But there is something not quite right with this house. What's the plot? Back in the 18th Century a stranger turns up at the house gates. He is welcomed in and over the following days, the young, lonely daughter of the house falls in love with the stranger. They play games one night and after the young lady drops her cards on the floor, she finds that the strangers feet are actually cloven hooves. The stranger transforms into a demon and flies out through the roof. And so the young lady goes mad from grief and shock and is locked in her room from there on. People who have stayed in her room throughout the centuries have reported horrible poltergeist experiences and animals have refused to enter the room. The hole in the roof where the demon escaped is still there (or reportedly still there since there are claims the house was levelled and rebuilt in the early 19th Century). Another version of the story places the girl as falling pregnant out of wedlock and is locked in her room. Subsequently a baby's body was reported to have been found sealed into the wall of her room. Other strange going's on would include three deaths occurring spontaneously and separately on the same back stairs for no apparent reason. I visited the house less than a year ago as it is now open to the public for viewings. I didn't like it. But then again, I grew up with the story. Being stereotypically Irish, safe to say my parents and grandparents were less than happy with me.... holy water at the ready!

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

This is less of a fantasy destination as it isn't directly related to any legends, more a murder mystery. Although, I admit there are reports that it was the inspiration for Disney's iconic castle. Easy to see why. But back to the murder mystery. The castle was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria. The King had a couple of nicknames, most notably 'The Swan King', 'The Fairytale King', and less complimentary 'The Mad King'. You know you are on to a winner when you find someone called 'The Mad King'.  Ludwig financed Wagner who went on to produce one of his most famous pieces 'Tristan and Isolde' - it's all connected ;). Ludwig's story doesn't end well. He was a known 'eccentric' who had struggles with his sexuality. He was paranoid and began to spend all the Kingdom's money building extravagant castles like Neuschwanstein. His death is shrouded in mystery. He was reported as having drowned in waist deep water but an autopsy stated there was no water in his lungs. His companion had blows to his head and marks round his neck. How and ever, official reports were released stating that Ludwig murdered his companion and then killed himself by drowning. Yeah right.

That's it for now. I think the above three are now my favourite legend inspired destinations but the list is growing fairly fast. More to follow while I count down the days to my 6 month adventure.

Canal Cruising

Yesterday was spent cruising along Amsterdams famous canals in a boat. I cannot think of a better way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon. I am paying for it today with one of the worst hangovers in history. That's a story for another day.

We rented a fairly big boat for the afternoon to celebrate a colleagues birthday, getting on at Rokin. I won't describe the route because I can't remember but we did a good round of the city canals ending up with a jaunt down the Amstel which was glorious in the sun.

What I will tell you is that on the boat there were two Irish girls, a few Dutch, a handful of Americans, two kiwi couples and a Chinese mom and son combo. Too much fun cruising around, making cocktails, blaring loud music and shouting at other boats. 

A canal boat cruise is mandatory in Amsterdam when the sun is out. Let's be honest, it doesn't happen very often. 

My Alternative Travel Bucket List (Part 1)

My last post about Slovenia where I mentioned Dracula reminded me about 'my list'. Most people have a list of beautiful or historical sites they want to scratch off during their lives. My list however, contains a couple of places that I want to see that have connections to legends and fairytales. That's normal, yeah? My dad would tell ghost stories to me when I was little and I have always been fascinated with visiting the physical places connected to the takes. All of the below are in Europe but I am more than sure I'll pick up a few on my travels through South East Asia in the coming months. Silly maybe, but it keeps me happy.

Triora, Italy

I just heard of this lately. It's a sleepy little village in Liguria, Italy close to the border of France. In a few words, it is the Salem of Italy. A group of women were accused of witchcraft in the 16th Century by the inquisition and the usual, were tortured and burned alive, etc. But the town has embraced it's dark history. The site of the burnings still stands and there are witch shops, sign posts, sculptures and various witch 'relics' all around the town. Not to mention the many 'witch' related events round the year and the amazing backdrop.

Pied Piper of Hameln, Germany

We should all know the story of the Pied Piper. The man who turned up and cleared a town of its rats using a magical flute only to clear it of all its children as soon as the town officials refused to pay him for his service. This story has a location and it's in Germany as most good fairytales are. Let's be honest here, it's doubtful there was a magic flute involved but whatever the reason, the story hooked me.


Giants Causeway, Ireland
The Giants Causeway reeled me in when I was tiny. I haven't actually had the opportunity of visiting it. I kind of feel like 'saving it up' to visit with my future kids in years to come. If I feel like having kids. It's a site full of rock columns standing up straight and in prefect formation. What's the plot? Two giants wanting to fight so badly they build a bridge over the sea, not being able to fit in a boat and all. I need to educate myself on the details but the opposing giant ends up rushing back across the bridge over the sea, destroying the bridge as he ran. The Causeway is also a Unesco World Heritage site and mentioned as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the UK (being Northern Ireland.)

Glastonbury Tor, England
Glastonbury Tor
As a child I remember watching the movie 'The Sword in the Stone' over and over and over... But it wasn't for years that I realised that the site of the legend is connected with the famed Glastonbury. I don't need to go over the whole King Arthur story for you but there is a certain charm about swords being pulled from rocks, wizards, knights of the round table and crusades for the Holy Grail (whatever the Holy Grail was supposed to be, I don't know).

But Glastonbury really has it all. Not only does it have Avalon as a legend, it's mythical connections reach far into the past. The Tor has been claimed as a magic mountain, a faeries glass hill, a spiral castle, the Land of the Dead, a magnetic power-point, a centre for Goddess fertility rituals, Druid place of worship and not to mention a converging point for UFO's. Safe to say it has a bit of something for everyone.

Bran Castle, Romania
I can't believe my parents let me watch Dracula when I was about 7 but I am glad they did. It probably sparked a life-long obsession not only with the story written by Bram Stoker but the real story of Vlad Tepes and how the legend evolved down through the ages. Both stories differ but both are full of horror and gruesome detail. I don't know which attracts me more, hellish demon vampires or a tyrant King with a sadistic leaning. For sure it's on my list and if I'm honest, the whole reason I'm making it.


This is it for for now. Absolutely more to follow.

Bring Me Back to Slovenia

Since I started writing here, I have wanted to post a little piece on Croatia. But before I can settle myself to do that I have to write about the beautiful country of Slovenia (and before I bore you to tears about my impending travels in September). The reason being that in 2011 I took an interrail pass and traveled down through Slovenia, into Croatia, and back up through Munich to Holland. There is just too much to write about that I need to break it into pieces.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

 So, myself and himself took an overnight train from Utrecht to Munich and then hopped on another train straight to Ljubljana, Slovenia. The trains were all clean and comfortable but I'm telling you that in future I will be booking a cabin with a bed. Well worth it. Actually a guy that was on the train, we spotted him on our first night in Ljubljana busking on the main bridge. A year ago I walked passed him performing on Leidseplein in Amsterdam. Funny.


Now, I can't remember any of the names of the buildings, streets, bridges or monuments. Nor am I going to Google them for you. What I will tell you is that Ljubljana was a treasure that I didn't expect to find. It's clean and beautiful and feels like it could be Italy's back garden. The city centre is tiny and easy to navigate. We managed to arrive in the middle of some basketball championships and I remember that there were teams playing anywhere and everywhere they could. Which was nice. Actually, Ljubljana is the first and only place I ever thought 'you know, I could get married here' which is special because I'm pretty sure I don't even want to get married.

A few days there is enough. We decided to take a little excursion out of the city and got a bus inland to Lake Bled. I'll be honest, my motivation was that I heard it was the actual real resting place of Count Dracula (Vlad Tepis). I've got a list of these kinds of places I want to visit which I should really post about. Anyway, Lake Bled is an idyllic little spot. It's a mecca for wedding day pictures and lazy boat rides. To the left of the lake there is a small adventure centre. We (of course) managed to find a toboggan ride through a field of sheep that just made my trip. And we also rented a boat for an hour or so. I think it cost ten euros but well worth it to spend some time on the calm water.

Bled Island

Word of warning, only swim within the markings on the lake or you could be fined a couple hundred euros!

If I go back there, and I will, I would visit the underground caves that everyone was raving about and also the teeny bit of coast the country has in-between Italy and Croatia.

So this is the truth

I think it's safe to say I haven't been completely truthful with how much the travel bug has been eating away at me. I've got the notice handed in to work, the flights booked and the vaccination appointment made. Eeeek! It's becoming real.

So what's my plan? My plan is to leave Amsterdam on the 1st September, spend two weeks in Ireland and then jet off to South East Asia for a couple of months. It'll be the usual route of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. However, in Cambodia I'll be staying two months to volunteer in a school there. More info to come on that.

After volunteering I have two months to fill with whatever takes my fancy.

This is going to be epic.

Sunshine in Amsterdam

After posting about our little mini-break in Belgium I have to go ahead and talk about Amsterdam in the sun. Amsterdam would be the perfect city in the world if only the weather stayed warm and sunny. It's glorious in the sun. It's made for having dinner in the park with friends or taking a boat on the canals for the evening. Everyone is hoping that this year will be the year the weather turns around. Here's hoping.

Erasmus Park, Amsterdam

So what did I do that made the most of the weather? Not much. And it was fabulous. Myself and the bestie motored to Erasmus park around the corner from my house for about mid-day (might as well not interrupt the usual Saturday morning lie-in just because it's sunny), threw on some sun cream and stayed put until dinner time.

The next day I went back to claim my spot beside the canal, this time boyfriend in tow with a couple of baby sized badminton rackets to keep him busy. We ended our Sunday evening with a must-have selection of BBQ meats courtesy of Mr. Albert Heijn cooked on a foil disposable BBQ. Now, that's the life.

Rebooting in Belgium (and Maastricht)

It's been a week since we got back from Belgium but the holiday feeling hasn't left me yet. The Belgian Ardennes area is beautiful. I'm afraid none of my pictures or words can do it justice. Myself and himself had intended a little breakaway for ourselves considering that he's off to Munich for 7 months September onwards and God only knows what I'll be up to then.

Durbuy, Belgium.

I'll give you our personal highlights first:

• seeing a man pour out a bottle of suspicious looking apple-juice like liquid at a lay-by,
• watching another man in a mobility scooter let three children stroke his pet ferret, 
• not knowing whether to speak French, Flemish, Dutch or English to people (not that I can) and ending up spouting out a couple of Italian words instead (not that I can speak that either).
• having a waiter tell me that 'you're my hostage now' after himself had to go find an ATM for some cash to pay for a cappuccino.

Kayaking in Durbuy.

We picked the right spot for a night away. We didn't really have a clue where we were going but someone said Durbuy was beautiful so we pointed ourselves in that direction.

And Durbuy was very beautiful. Our first activity was kayaking 8km down a river. It was so peaceful and calm and with the combination of fresh air it felt like I was on cloud nine getting out of the boat. After that we took a little walk into the village and had a look at the castle and beautiful buildings, stopping here and there for Belgian fries and beer. Perfect combo.

Hotel Au Romain, Heyd, Belgium.

Our hotel was an old farmhouse/restaurant in the absolute middle of nowhere, Heyd, Belgium. The room was tiny, the floor was uneven and the window wouldn't close. It was perfect.

On the Sunday, we decided to get a tour of some underground caves in Remouchamps but not before driving through winding roads and forest. The countryside is so beautiful there that being in the car is a sightseeing tour. The caves are spectacular and boast the longest underground boat ride in all of Europe. Apart from the screaming children we were lucky enough to have on our tour this was a great way to spend an hour.

Underground caves,
Remouchamps, Belgium

Maastricht

We moved on to Maastricht for the afternoon. Neither of us had been there before and it was on our way home. Maastricht is beautiful. For the few short hours we spent there it seems to have it all, history, architecture, shopping, atmosphere and more. We wore ourselves out walking around and craning our necks to look up at centuries old plaques above the doors. We parked ourselves at the river front for a drink and a three course dinner for 17EUR each and to watch an impromptu salsa session take place at a bar across the road.

All in all, one of the best mini-trips I've had the opportunity to take. 

Belgian Breakaway

The travel bug has bitten me and it seems there is no cure. To resist the urge to book some long haul flights myself and himself booked a cheeky weekend in the Belgian Ardennes. I'm expecting rolling countryside dotted with medieval villages and farmhouses. Yay to last minute impulse bookings!

The itch

Traveling has always been on the cards. My whole life has been more or less been circling around it. The more I get to see, the more I want to see. The biggest itch so far came when visiting Croatia this summer with a friend. We only planned a week, thinking it was enough to re-motivate us for work and 'normal' life - whatever that is.

It did the opposite. 

Hmmm...time to start planning?

Onofrio's Fountain, Dubrovnik