From Seville, we took the train to Madrid, a journey of 2.5 hours. It was around this point that we decided against buying a public transport card. But if you’re staying here for a few days, the multi card with a shareable 10 trip pass makes sense. The cab drive this time was only a few minutes, and we got to Hostal Oriente without any adventure.
(more…)Category: Europe
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Seville via Cordoba
From Malaga
Cordoba
See/Do
From Malaga we took the train to Cordoba, it’s just over an hour away. The bus station is right next to the railway station and for 4 euros per locker, allows you to roam without baggage, only literally. Google tried to confuse us with the location of our major destination – the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba – but we somehow managed to reach there with enough time to see the place before it closed! (Sunday – limited hours)
Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, a beautiful and relatively peaceful place despite the crowds.
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Dublin & beyond – Part 2
We spent very little time in Dublin after our first day, and made day trips to The Cliffs of Moher + Galway (Wild Rover Tours), The Ring of Kerry + Killarney (Railtours Ireland – part train, part coach), and Belfast Titanic + Giant’s Causeway + Dark Hedges (Finn McCools Tours).
See/Do
When the lights go on in Dublin Officially The Spire. Unofficially Stiffy on the Liffey! The Cliffs of Moher
Quite breathtaking. You can take short or long walks along the cliffs. O’Brien’s Tower Beyond the tower… Repeat, because it never gets boring! Dunguaire Castle? Galway
We spend a few hours walking around Galway A pretty, pretty place it was. The Galway Girl, in person Galway had a charming Christmas Market Things were just getting started when we visited Ring of Kerry
This entire landscape (McGillyciddy Reeks, Dingle Bay, Kenmare Bay, the Killarney National Park, Ladies View, the lakes, as well as the villages – Glenbeigh, Waterville, Sneem) is extraordinarily beautiful in a way that the camera really couldn’t capture. It also seemed a little underdeveloped (relatively) from a tourism perspective, and that’s a good thing.
The Red Fox Inn, situated right next to the Kerry Bog Village Museum, the first attraction in the Ring of Kerry tour. Waterville Bay Whitestrand. There was a postcard at every turn. Around Upper Lake, Killarney Torc Waterfall Killarney
Killarney is another quaint town that we just wanted to hug! It plays host to the citizenship ceremonies – the final step to becoming a ‘natural’ resident of Ireland. Just so colourful and pretty! Everything you need, packed into a few streets I thought a famous time machine had malfunctioned, but apparently this is a health initiative. Giant’s Causeway
There is a rugged beauty to this place. That’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site you’re looking at Difficult to recognise it, but this is Dark Hedges, famous in another world as King’s Road. #GoT Gracehill House, built around 1775 Belfast
The most bombed hotel in the world. Titanic Belfast, the place where the ship was built Now a museum. While that’s done well enough, I admit to being a little queasy about converting a tragedy into ‘Disneyland’. Belfast reminded us more of Glasgow than Dublin. Eat/Drink
Some great Ice-cream to be had at Murphy’s. This was shot in Killarney. But we had the ice-cream in Galway. This is Whiskey Chocolate. Recommended by our guide for whiskey tasting A good old-fashioned pub Helped me choose the whiskey to buy. D tried the Irish Coffee but wasn’t very impressed. But then, she is neither a whiskey person, nor a coffee person. I think it has its uses. The place we stopped at for lunch during the Ring of Kerry tour. Somewhere between a pie and a stew Fish and Chips need no intro The homemade pudding that we absolutely loved. If whiskey is your thing, then a visit to Palace Bar is in your interest Salmon in Dublin Our last dinner in Dublin. This was recommended by all the guides as the local hangout. Absolutely loved the vibe and the service. This place is an absolute TARDIS. You would never be able to guess the amount of space it has from the outside. Just goes on and on! What better way to end than a Guinness and an Irish Hot Whiskey. I thought Ireland had a raw, unspoilt beauty to it, which stands in contrast to the finesse that Scotland’s landscape has somehow acquired. If we do visit again, and we do want to, we would spend a few days each in its smaller towns.
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Dublin & beyond – Part 1
We reached Dublin via Glasgow, and though the Ryan Air lady tried to give us a scare by ‘wondering’ if our UK visa was enough for Ireland, it turned out ok. Asking for a BVIS category specifically in your UK visa application is a good idea. We had pre-booked Aircoach to take us to the Holiday Inn Express on O’Connell Street (the stop is right outside the hotel) and the room was ready when we reached (lucky!), so we got straight into the thick of things, armed with a Flexi tram ticket for the day.
See/Do
The Jameson Distillery Bow St. tour is the right way to say hello to Ireland. Coincidence that we visited on the death anniversary of John Jameson! Going drunk to college has always been a dream. So we went to Trinity College soon after! A path we would take at least once day Guinness Storehouse. This should be your view from the ground when you get out 🙂 Rock of Cashel
We used Dublin as a base and did day trips to different places. Our first trip was with Paddywagon Tours.
The Irish High Cross, and a lovely view Also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick’s Rock, The neighbourhood is picturesque too Blarney’s Castle
The first view of the castle. Kissing the Blarney’s stone is supposed to give you the gift of the gab, but though we were within kissing distance, we skipped! Ireland’s winter palette is out of this world! Blarney’s Castle is like a fairytale treasure hunt. The tour guide gave us a map and we spent all our time trying to catch the different spots. This was The Seven Sisters If a fairy popped up, I wouldn’t be surprised. The place is magical. Poison Garden. After this D tried to see the Fern Garden and we lost track of each other! These three window towers are all over the place. Cork
Cork has a lovely small-town charm that was soon to become a signature of many places in Ireland. When we visited, it was all set for Christmas. Eat/Drink (Dublin)
After our bookmarked places turned snooty, D found this wonderful place – JW Sweetmans, where we began with a cider and a golden ale. Now that’s a bar! Whiskey Chicken The first of our Irish stews Mooneys was a small place near the hotel. And we tried a different version of the stew. The Temple Bar. Might as well call it a temple given the crowds! Everything is priced higher in this part of town. A peek inside The Temple Bar Another favourite spot in Dublin for the great food, drinks, and most importantly, the service. A little note for the warm water and the warmth. Highly recommended. D had a Bertha Gin, and I tried the first of many local whiskeys. This was Teeling, and the one that I chose to finally buy after sampling many others in later days. For a change, I loved the Tomato Soup. This is a Gaelic Boxty. Irish FilletBeef, Teeling Irish Whiskey, Black Pepper & MushroomCream Sauce, on Boxty Pancake
