A Post-RTW Reunion in London

During my trip to Argentina earlier this year, I met a few French travelers. We rented a car down in Patagonia to tour the glaciers from El Calafate.

My post from back then - http://warutravel.blogspot.com/2009/01/glaciers.html

One of the guys (kind enough to do all the driving!) was a chef at a restaurant in London. With his business card in hand, I searched online for his whereabouts and luckily found his restaurant.
I wanted to take my friends out for a nice meal as part of a thank you to their extremely kind hospitality during my stay in London (i.e. being my crash pad while in town!), and mentioned the restaurant.
To my surprise, they knew about the place….apparently a well-know, Michelin starred place.
Wow!!!
Cool!!!
I'm there.

For privacy reasons, I'm not going to disclose the name of the restaurant.
But let me just say that the food was delicious. I'm not a really big fan of French food, but this one wasn't too thick/creamy and to my liking. The presentation was wonderful, too : )
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take any good photos of the appetizers and main courses, but here's dessert:Awesome, right?! Fun and sweet!

After finishing our meals, I asked the server if the chef was in - explained my situation and expressed my desire to say a quick hello to him.
Pascal came up from the kitchen to meet me out front on our way out. How nice!!! It was great to see him. We were only able to have a quick chat and a hug, but it was very memorable, being my first reunion with a fellow traveler I met during my year-long RTW adventure.
Hope to have more of them in the future!!!

@ BHD

While waiting in line to check in for my flight to London at the Belfast City Airport, I came across this sign:

How many errors can you spot?!

Not sure if I'm more amazed at the sheer amount of dumb mistakes on the sign, or the fact that the airport/airline staff doesn't seem to care at all about the mistakes!
Also, not sure which I like better - "lick & fly" or "blackpoo"!!!

Anyways, I'll be in London for a few more days.
Then, back to Tokyo.
BACK TO REALITY.

Belfast in a Day

I've never really thought much about Belfast. The only image that comes to mind when I hear that name is IRA bombings. That's how limited my knowledge of the city and Northern Ireland itself is. Pathetic and unworldly, I know.

So, when my friend suggested heading up there from Dublin, I was honestly baffled. Why??? What's there to do???
Turns out Belfast and the surrounding areas have some wonderful sights, including a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Since we only had one full day (not nearly enough time!), we signed up for the Giants Causeway Day Tour offered by Mini Coach, which leaves the Belfast International Youth Hostel every morning.
[Random note. By the way, the hostel looked very, very nice. Perhaps even cleaner than the Travelodge we stayed in. My friend doesn't "do" hostels, but I would've definitely stayed there had I been on my own]

Leaving the hostel, and saying hello/goodbye to the cute bee......we drove along the coastal route for a brief glimpse of Carrickfergus Castle. Not very interesting, aside from the strategic, yet meaningless, placement of toy soldiers around the perimeter of the castle:

Then, off to the Bushmills Distillery!

Having done the whiskey production tour in Dublin, we passed on the opportunity here. Instead, we spent the time at the bar, tasting some yummy whiskeys. Well, my friend did most of the tasting, while I happily gulped down a cup of hot coffee : ) Better to stay sober when a full day of bus rides and sightseeing lies ahead for Waru.

After we all had some sort of drink in our systems, we were back on the bus. Passed through a lot of Irish greenery to make a quick photo stop at the ruins of the medieval Dunluce Castle:

Very picturesque with its dramatic cliffside setting and oldness. I wish we could've walked inside the ruins to explore more!!! Although that might be rather eerie…

From there, we headed towards the highlight of this tour - the Giant's Causeway. Yup, the UNESCO Heritage Site I mentioned earlier. It's been a UNESCO site for over 20 years, but I never knew about it!!! Weird…
The Giant's Causeway is famous for the hexagonal rock formations lying along the coast:

Apparently created by volcanic eruptions, but the naming comes from a local myth…something about the rocks being shaped by a giant. I don't tend to believe in giants, but it's a bit difficult to imagine that the lines of uniformly shaped rocks could be attributed solely to the forces of nature! I mean, the shapes are so consistent, it's easy to picture them being manufactured by hand and/or machinery!

We spent some time walking along the rock formations, and found that they weren't restricted to the coastline; some tall, hexagonal columns could be seen embedded in the surrounding hills as well.
What a unique place!!!
For some reason, I think there might be a similar sight in Japan, on a smaller scale. If any readers out there know of its existence, please let me know. Would love to check that one out, too : )

Our last stop of the day was the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. A beautiful seaside park-ish place, where you can take a walk along the coast and cross the famous bridge (for a small fee).As you can see, the bridge is a rope bridge, but it's very Westernized (in other words, modernized, secured, and well-maintained), so that the adventurous, wobbly feeling of being on a rope bridge is pretty much nonexistent. Not for the adventure/challenge hearted, but worth it for the scenery:

Wonderfully crystal clear green waters and green-covered rocks.
There was a rainbow out in the ocean for a while, adding more to the "wow" factor.

Back in Belfast, we went out for dinner at the delicious Ginger Bistro (the sticky toffee pudding with ice cream was without a doubt the yummiest yummiest yummiest one I've ever had!!!), and ended the night with some Guinness at the Crown Liquor Saloon. Great atmosphere. Great setting - old wooden tables, carved ceilings, and beautiful stained glasses.

And best of all, Waru was allowed to drink as much as she wanted, since the bed that she'd be collapsing on was only a few steps away.

Guinness, Guinness, Guinness!!!

No first-time trip to Dublin can be complete without a visit to…

The Guinness Storehouse.And that's where a bunch of us went this morning.

Of course, we've all had a few pints of fresh Guinness at various bars since we got here, but this is the official tourism part.

Entrance fee 13.50 euros. The self-guided tour gets you through the usual stuff, including history of the company, as well as the manufacturing history & methods. I found the most interesting, unique exhibits to be those on the advertising history - a collection of props, characters, slogans, etc. used in their marketing efforts since launch. Love the Toucan…"See what one or Toucan do"! How great is that line?! Totally irresistible, that I ended up buying a mug with Toucan at the gift shop.

On one of the higher levels of the storehouse building is the Gravity Bar, where you can get a free pint of freshly-made Guinness. Free as in it's included in the entrance fee. The place is very, very crowded with tourists from all over the world. So it's not really a place to chill while enjoying the beer, since someone seems to be waiting for a chair/table at all times. More like get the free beer, drink, and leave kind of place. Oh, and take in the views of the area:

Since some of us STILL wanted some more drinks, we headed towards one of the other bars on the lower floors. Not so crowded as the beer isn't free here. I munched on some yummy pork sandwiches as my friends continued their drinks.

By the way, the best way to test the freshness and yumminess of Guinness is to check its white creamy top. See how thick it is?

You should be able to draw pictures on it (often a shamrock) which doesn't immediately disappear. Or, you can stick your fingers into the foam and see if it creates a sharp tip. Sort of like a cappuccino.

I don't usually drink beer. Makes me too full too soon. Makes me pee too often. But when I do drink, I tend to always go for wheat beer. Now, I think I'll add Guinness to my repertoire too! It was sooooooooo good!!! Although the quality of the beer will probably decrease as the distance from Dublin increases. A huge bummer when I don't think I'll have the opportunity to settle in Europe anytime soon.

For me, one of the greatest discoveries here was the HALF PINT. I never knew they existed, no joking. It is THE PERFECT size for Waru's drinking purposes, and will be hooked on it going forwards : )

(Sorry for the random note)

Finally leaving Guinness behind, we headed to the Dublin Castle. None of us were really interested in seeing it, and didn't bother going in for the tour.
The sand figures being created in the nearby courtyard were enough to grab our attention:

What is it with Ireland and sand figures?! Seen in Galway, and now here too.

Anyways, some final comments on Dublin.
An odd sighting:I think it's a dinosaur's tail. Why???
And very cute wall art:There might've been some art festival going on in the area, as there were a lot of walls being painted when we walked by.

In the evening, most people flew back to London, while my friend and I took the bus to Belfast. Even though this involved leaving Ireland and entering Northern Ireland (different countries with different currencies), there was no border check or passport control. A Mystery.

Arriving at night, we immediately checked in to our hotel across the street from the bus terminal. As the streets were all dark, with not too much liveliness around us, we settled on a nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner.

A Very Busy Dublin Day with U2

It wasn't until early this morning that the whole U2 group got together. Aside from myself, everyone was supposed to arrive sometime yesterday. But, there seems to have been some sort of weather issue going on at LHR or the wonderful Aer Lingus that canceled many flights. Either way, one of my friends didn't make it - she had to travel throughout the day and night on the bus, train, and ferry to get here today! Poor thing! Sounded like a fun adventure, though.

Now that we were all together, we did some Dublin sightseeing.

First thing first, FOOD. We went to a place called The Pig's Ear. The name is adorable, and so is the restaurant. What an amazing brunch!!! After my delicious haddock omelette, I had to try the brown bread ice cream with crushed yellow man. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

I honestly thought that "yellow man" referred to some Asian thing…you know how we're yellow people. Turns out to be a reference to sugar cookies instead. Haha.

With our tummies very happy, we walked over to Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells. I don't know much about it, except that it is a manuscript of some gospels in the Bible. The highly intricate illustrations and the colors of the Book are gorgeous!!! Although I'm not sure it merited a 9 euro entrance fee… Instead of the Book, I think I enjoyed walking through the old library itself. Definitely a bit dusty, but the shelves lining the halls, filled with ancient-looking books was a sight to admire. Made me want to have a library in my own house. Not that I have a house, or plan to have one any time soon : (

At this point, the group broke apart and went their separate ways, to reconvene at the concert.

Since there was still plenty of time, I went to the Old Jameson Distillery with a couple of friends. I can't drink much, but I actually like whiskey; it's the smell that does it for me. Joined the 10 euro tour that takes you through the whiskey-making process (none produced at this exact location anymore) and some whiskey tasting. It was okay…I prefer the ones I'd tasted in Scotland.

My friend participated in the taste-testing event, getting herself a "certification" for having completed the test. Glad I didn't do it, as there was a significant amount of alcohol consumption required in the testing, which would probably have gotten me quite incapacitated. Not a good idea with the concert coming up in a couple of hours.
With not enough time to have a proper sit-down dinner (plus, we didn't really have a clue where to go!), we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Jameson. A little bit more of the whiskey, too.

Then, off to the concert!!!!!!
I know it must sound crazy to most people, but I really haven't been to a single concert in my 30+ years of existence on this planet. I mean rock or pop concerts. I have been to the more classical ones, which are easier to be dragged to by parents when younger and also by yourself when older. I can't imaging going to a rock concert on my own would be much fun…

Anyways, it was a great experience! I loved the funky stage set, which somewhat reminded me of the gross spider statue in Roppongi Hills:

Better when darker:

Obviously, since we weren't in the VIP section or anything like that, we didn't have a good, clear view. But the live sound was fantastic, as well as the vibe of the other concert-goers. I guess that's what makes it exciting…enjoying the music with fellow fans. I've followed U2's music for a couple of years, but that was a while back ago. So I didn't know all of the songs that were played tonight, which was a tiny bummer.
Now, I want to go to a hip-hop or rap concert…

After having lost my concert virginity, what better way to end the night than chowing down on some McD!!!I can never resist their fries.

The Irish Countryside

Cliffs of Moher vs. Connemara. I could only choose one.

It was a tough debate.
The Cliffs would offer spectacular views of the tall, sheer drop-offs into the Atlantic Ocean. On the other hand, Connemara may be less dramatic, but it would offer beautiful scenery of the traditional Irish countryside, full of green hills and the all important fluffy sheep.
If I had time to do some hiking in the area, I probably would've gone to the Cliffs. However, given the fact that I had to leave for Dublin tomorrow and had planned to join a tour rather than do my usual independent sightseeing, I opted for Connemara.

I took the 20 euros bus tour from the Galway Bus Terminal. A good sized group of about 20 tourists, filling only half of the bus. Probably because of the cold, gloomy weather we're supposed to be having today.

The bus drove by some beautiful, small villages (with the requisite sheep farms) and through windy pathways along deep green hills. The stone walled cottages in the mist looked so cozy!!!
First stop - A quaint pub/cafe in the middle of nowhere. Great for some hot drinks and the toilet. Turns out we were in the Irish fjord area. Since I missed out on the more famous Norwegian fjords last month, I was very excited to be able to at least see some here. After my cup of hot chocolate, I took a short stroll…and found that the clouds were hiding most of the views. Darn.

So…this is what a fjord looks like?! Hmmmm….slightly disappointing : ( This could be anywhere in Oregon or Washington!

Back on the bus, we passed through more countryside and woodlands, on our way to today's highlight - Kylemore Abbey.
Admission is 8 euros, and was not included in the tour.
I may have this all wrong, but I think Kylemore used to be a castle, which turned into monastery/abbey, and then into a boarding school. The school closed down just a few years ago, and now, the castle and its premises are a tourist attraction.

There's a 20 minutes guided tour of the castle, which I gladly joined and found mediocre. It looks better from the outside:More than the castle, I enjoyed taking the short walk in the mossy woods:…to reach the pretty, little gothic church:By this point, rain started pouring. Rather than take the shuttle bus to the Victorian gardens and get drenched there (no umbrella on me), I headed to the cafeteria for a bite. Plus, I'm not really a garden fanatic.
While enjoying my coffee with a book in hand, a local couple started chatting with me. I was reading a Japanese book, and they were fascinated by the vertical writing and right to left progress. But I think they were more stunned by me - they seriously couldn't get over the fluent, accent-less English that accompanied my totally Asian face! They even invited me to dinner at their house!!! Of course, I had to decline as my only way back to Galway was on the tour bus I came on. As an alternative, they gave me their business card so that I could contact them if I ever came around this area again. Cute couple. I guess there aren't many Asian Americans (not that I am) that come by this way.

On the way back to Galway, we made a quick souvenir stop. Usually, I hate such stops. But this time, it was at a wool store. No sheep here, only sheep-made goods. I probably touched every single sweater, scarf, and blanket in the store! Being a poor customer, though, no purchases. Hey, it is July right now!!!

Why Galway???

An uneventful, short flight from London to Shannon Airport on Aer Lingus. Their flights leave from the most inconvenient, boring, and run-down terminal at Heathrow. I hate it when getting to the terminal and waiting for the flight turns out to be longer than the flight itself! But I guess that's what happens to mega short-haul flights…

Coming in for the landing, I was very excited to see the rolling green hills with white spots. SHEEPS!!!!! So in-line with my image of Ireland : ) Which is greenery and sheeps. How simplistic.
Having entered an EU nation, I had to go through entry formalities, and was shocked to receive one of the biggest entry stamps in my passport. Took up the whole entire page, and it's not even a visa!!! I don't have that many blank pages left…

Although I arrived in Shannon, my final destination for the day was Galway. From the airport, there's a semi-frequent bus for 15 euros. Ride time about 1.5 hours. Pricy, considering that I was able to purchase a longer Galway - Dublin bus ticket for 2 days later for only 5 euros.

Out of all the cities in Ireland, I don't know why I chose Galway as my first stop, rather than head directly to Dublin with my friends. I knew I wanted to see more of Ireland than just its capital city, but why Galway?!?!?! Please don't ask. Maybe I read somewhere that this area has the most sheep in the country.

You know what…that's probably it!!!!!

After checking into my youngster-filled hostel, I went out to explore the town. Charming and colorful stores lined the main Promenade. Mostly tourist stores and restaurants and pubs. I did find a cute pet store:

Along with this awesome sand work:

(Where does the sand come from, I wonder...)

The Promenade ends and opens up at the bay, with some old fortress walls. Nothing exciting to note, excepts that the bay was prettier and more photogenic than the walls:

With that walk thru the Promenade, I was sadly done with the main highlights of the city. So, I spent the rest of the day just wandering around random streets. What better way to explore the city on such a beautiful day! And so rewarding when encountering beautiful sceneries like this:Reminded me of New England.

That evening, I went to Supermac. Not McDonald, but Supermac. And yes, they serve very similar menus, with my choice for the night being chicken nuggets.

Back at the hostel, I chatted the night away with my dorm mates. Who all happened to be heading to Dublin for the U2 concert as well. Being avid fans, it seemed like they were going to as many concerts as they could throughout Europe for the summer. Coolio!

Excursion to Stonehenge

As you can see, I'm still here. In London, when I should be back in Japan already. I have a very good reason though. My friends had an extra ticket to the U2 concert in Dublin later this month. I've never been to a U2 concert before (in fact, it would be my first ever concert!). I've never been to Dublin before. With no commitments or plans for the foreseeable future, it was a no brainer - I'm changing my flight to Tokyo!

I was slightly annoyed at having to pay a large fee to change my travel dates on my free Virgin Atlantic mileage ticket, but I'm now scheduled to be back in Tokyo in early August.

With some free time in London, I took the opportunity to visit Stonehenge today.
I'm a huge fan of archeological sites and anything UNESCO Heritage, but Stonehenge never really appealed to me. I'm sure that there's significant history to it (although much of it remains a mystery), and I'm certainly interested in its usage and purpose and all that. But as an eye pleaser, it wasn't part of my "must-see" sights. To some degree, I felt that seeing photos was enough. That's why I've never made it out there, even though I've been in London and its surrounding areas many many times.

But the time has finally arrived for Waru to step into the world of Stonehenge.

When I make excursions and day trips, I usually like to take public transport when possible. It's cheaper, more adventurous, and funner that way. Unfortunately, I didn't see much fun or adventure associated with local public transport in London. Plus, after some research, I realized that train + bus + entrance fee ends up costing more than an all-inclusive (even audio tour) bus tour direct from London. So, I made my way to Victoria Station, hopped on the tourist bus, and went to Stonehenge.

As expected, I wasn't impressed. Somewhat glad that I went there with low expectations.
With audio guide in hand, I circled around the stone complex (the only path) for about 30 minutes, stopping at each highlighted point to listen to the recorded explanations. This proved to be quite interesting - learning about the theories of the site and how the stones got there. I definitely spent more time listening than seeing. Just because there's really isn't much to see, considering that the structure is rather small, and the path doesn't let you get close. Certainly no touching, no climbing. And for some reason, Stonehenge's close proximity to the highway made the experience even more disappointing…

Not to mention the rain that started to fall, prompting me to rush along the last parts of the path. I doubt I missed much in terms of sights though. Just different angles?!

(Apologies for my negativity…)
I spent the rest of the 30 minutes or so remaining until the bus left for London in the gift shop. Packed with fellow tourists waiting out the rain or killing time until the buses left. It was a great gift shop nonetheless. Lots of cool, unnecessary trinkets. Fun to look at, but never will purchase!

Bye Bye Russia

What better way to end my trip in Russia than…..

Take a WILD guess

…YUP.

Stolle pie.

Woke up early to have my breakfast there.
Unfortunately, they didn't have my favorite strawberry pie this morning. Boooooo.
Also, as an avid believer in edible souvenirs, I bought a bunch of pies as presents for my buddies back in London as well. Need to carry them back carefully.

Now, it's time to say goodbye to Russia. 1 week was waaaaay too short of time for this enormous country. Even though my initial entry into this country wasn't all positive, I still love the country and am curious about it. Especially the further eastern areas - I will definitely be visiting again.

Anyways, last night, after I came back into the city from my trip to Pushkin, I went to see the ballet.
Remember how I didn't have a chance to see the Bolshoi in Moscow? Well, it so happened that some Bolshoi ballerinas were in St. P doing performances at the Mikhailovskiy Theater. I was hoping to catch a ballet I knew, like Romeo and Juliet or Nutcracker. Given my lack of ballet experience, I thought those would be easier to follow in understanding the storyline. However, I'd missed those dates. This day's schedule was for Giselle. Since I really really really wanted to see a Russian ballet, I gave it a shot. And VERY happy that I did : )
As a child, I hated watching the Nutcracker every year in the Boston winters. My parents had forced me to go. So, I never really thought that I'd enjoy or appreciate it. But now, I totally loved it. The costumes and ballerinas were beautifully amazing. I even got the story. It must be the aging thing….
The Mikhailovskiy is certainly not as famous as the Bolshoi, but I felt both the performance and the theater itself (exquisite interior) to be superb!
Sorry I don't have any pictures to show. I stupidly left my camera in my bag at the coat check. Oops.

Palatial Day Trips

When I first arrived in St. Petersburg, I had intended to stay in the city for only 2 days. Then, I'd take an overnight trip to the town of Novgorod to see the kremlin there.

However, I nixed that idea after my dorm mate recommended I see some of the gardens and palaces located in the outskirts of St. Petersburg instead. Plus, I was slightly reluctant to have to deal with the Russian ticket sales people at the station. (Although in retrospect, it might've been smooth going, with St. P being more touristy-friendly and Westernized than Moscow.)

…Which meant that I'd have to register my visa here in St. P. I didn't have to do it in Moscow since I only stayed there 2 nights. It's only when you stay in one city for more than 3 nights that a visa registration becomes necessary. Sounds like a hassle, but it's quite easy - just fork over some cash to the hostel, and leave it up to them to complete! Mine cost 200 rubles.

To be honest, I'm not really a palace fan - purely excessive wealth on display. I much prefer natural wonders. But what attracted me to the palaces in Russia was the idea that the excessive is turned outrageously more excessive and opulent. Waru was not disappointed.

Peterhof Palace
There's a ferry that leaves from across the Hermitage. 700 rubles for the roundtrip, each taking about 45 minutes.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Peterhof was the palace built by Peter the Great (hence the name). I didn't take the tour of the inside, so can't provide any insights on that, but I did spend a lot of time walking along the gardens and parks. Absolutely perfect with the beautiful weather!!!
Full of green, gold, and white.Amazing fountains.

As I didn't know how long I'd be at the palace, I didn't specify the time of my return ferry. Big mistake. Even though I had paid for the ferry already, I still needed a ticket for a specified ferry and needed to get in line. A veeeeeeeeery long one, turning even longer because the booth wasn't open when I got there. I was hungry and wanted to get back to St. P quickly. Not happening. It was nearly 3 hours later that I got off the ferry at the Hermitage.

(FYI - stopped by for another Stolle pie on my way back to the hostel)

Catherine Palace (aka Summer Palace)
To get to the town of Pushkin where the palace is, I took the metro to Moskovskaya station, from where I picked up a marshrutka (shared cab with defined destination). Easy to find.
After entering the garden for 180 rubles, unavoidable because the palace is within the garden, I lined up (yes, again!) for about an hour for entry to the palace. See the line? Paid 550 rubles…did I get ripped off?!?!?!

Entry into the palace is restricted to groups, led by a guide leading you from one room to the other. I suppose that's necessary to prevent overcrowding, in addition to keeping tourists away from touching the beautiful, lavish, ultra expensive looking decorations.

The most famous room in the palace is the Amber Room. As the name implies, it's a room completely decorated with amber stones. From ceiling, wall, floor…EVERYTHING. Totally stunning and admirable.

I don't think I was supposed to take a photo, but I did. Explains the crooked photo. Hehe…could't stop myself. This is a sight definitely worth seeing.