Day 28: Tired

I’m in Cardiff now; I’ll look for Torchwood Three when I spend Thursday around Cardiff Bay. But getting here was more annoying than usual. I eschewed an earlier departure from Aberystwyth (wherein I would have changed from bus to train at some point) in favour of a single bus all the way to Cardiff. Unfortunately, I had to be on that bus for four and a half hours, with little chance for a stretch break. I ended that trip stiff and in need of a massage. That was two long bus rides in three days. I might take the train to London this time.

What I hadn’t counted on when I set up my itinerary is the fact I have to get from place to place, and in some cases (Glasgow to Skye, for one), the journey took up the whole day. And there’s the cost of it all: even though I scored discounts (like a €12 train from Westport to Dublin bought online when a walk-on fare could be three times that), it all adds up in the end.

Maybe I was a bit ambitious trying to squeeze in as many places to go. But I’m rationalizing it with the fact that I may never visit these places again, and it might be a while before I have this much time to travel anyway, so the fatigue is a necessary evil.

UPDATE: I’ve booked my Eurostar train from Paris to London. I was all ready to book a one-way fare for USD 190, but I’m still getting cold feet. Enter Seat 61’s guide to Eurostar. I had to clear my cookies (a necessary chore anyway) and come back to the Eurostar site and pretend I was a UK resident (or some other country that’s not necessarily your own – Seat 61 recommended Spain, but I got a higher converted price). Long story short, I booked my train to London, but I needed to add a return trip (Seat 61 claims that even Eurostar recommends this for one-way passengers). I can print off both tickets at Paris’ Gare du Nord and the return becomes a souvenir that just isn’t used. The total of £86 is still better than USD 190.

A couple of contrasting pictures from around Aberystwyth, on the mid-Welsh coast. The second one involves a local legend about how, in medieval times, a crossing was constructed near the base of a waterfall.

Day 26: AWOL in Wales

The last few days, while I have been doing the usual things (walking around aimlessly ending with a beer at a pub), are what I would call the introspective time of the trip. It seems to coincide with the nights I have been sleeping in a room to myself.

Why? The previous Friday, I had been ready to get set for my ferry ride from Dublin to Holyhead, in northwest Wales, when I discovered that the sailing had been cancelled because the weather (which was unusually pleasant, ie. not raining) became a stormy mess overnight, and I was too late for an alternate until the following morning. This meant booking another night in Dublin, but I had just missed out on extending my stay at the hostel by five minutes. Since it was still pissing rain outside, and I’m too lazy to venture out and find a new hostel, I just booked a room at the adjacent B&B, but at €80 for one night, it was more than what I paid for the previous three nights at the hostel (€72). Needless to say, I was choked the rest of the day, and could only manage to walk a few blocks in a full downpour, huddle in a bookstore for a bit, then come back. You should see the crowd at the doors of the bookstore: the rain still coming down, everyone hanging back, praying that it eases up just slightly.

At least I managed to snag some cheap airfare back to Vancouver; it’s a direct flight from London, but only after booking that did I realize I would have to get back there from Paris. Some creative googling later, and I’ve come to the realization that a Eurostar train from Paris to London, then another train direct to the airport, would be the most painless way to ensure a timely arrival for check-in. However, the Eurostar train would set me back $200, and it’s liable to change (ie. go up) anytime. I’m booking that as soon as I finish this post.

For some reason, I found (or will find) myself staying on all three Welsh coasts: Llandudno on the north, Aberystwyth on the west, and Cardiff on the south. I wanted to try to make it to Hay-on-Wye, the supposed haven of second-hand booksellers, but it’s so out of the way you’d have to go through England if you want to get there. Llandudno and Aberystwyth are both pleasant seaside towns, the latter slightly geared more toward students, thanks to a university campus. I had booked a hostel dorm in Llandudno, but I ended up being the only one sleeping in that room (summer’s obviously over), and in Aberystwyth, I just walked around looking for accommodation with internet access, so I found a B&B with a single room (actually two beds, but the owner gave it to me for the single rate).

(Sorry, no pictures this time… Something’s not working to upload my files.)

Next: looking for Torchwood Three…

Day 22: Guinness IS good for you

This is my last night in Dublin, and Ireland, and I’m sad that I didn’t get a chance to see more of this great country! To say that Ireland loves “the black stuff” would be an understatement, and I would know: on some days, I’m sure I’ve consumed more Guinness than water! And of course, no trip to Dublin would be complete without a visit pilgrimage to the Guinness Storehouse at St James Gate. It may be overpriced at €15, but you do get a pint of product at the very end: the Gravity Bar, which has 360° views of the Dublin skyline. In my case, I didn’t wait until then, because in the floor below, you get the opportunity to pull your own pint, and I have the certificate to prove it:

While at the tour, I met another Canadian who saw my flag patch on my backpack. After talking to six in the first three weeks, I talk to six in a 24-hour period! Two of them were this couple from Ontario, both 70. One of them actually expressed a craving for Tim Hortons, and I told him that it’s available in Ireland. Hopefully he gets a chance for the Canadian black stuff (before the double-double) before he goes. The picture below is of the Tim Ho sandwich board I shot in Belfast:

OK, as promised, some photos that I think are interesting during the Irish portion of the trip. About an hour’s bus ride from Belfast is Armagh, which has archbishoprics for both the Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland (Anglican). I went to the Anglican cathedral first, and while amazing in itself, I became awestruck going inside the Catholic cathedral. Take a look for yourselves, but the cathedrals are better appreciated in person.

The Tour of Ireland cycling race passed through Westport. This is a shot of the peloton, or the main group chasing the leaders.

And this is painted on most of Dublin’s crosswalks. I’m slowly starting to get it, to the point where I can cross with the locals (who just ignore the walk/don’t walk signage), much to the amazement of the map-holding tourists patiently waiting for the signal to change.

Next: the Welsh experience…

A Map for Saturday

I interrupt my trip updates with an opportunity for you to be inspired to get out there and travel. Being a lifetime member of Hostelling International Canada, I get the occasional e-mail about upcoming events. One of them had been flagged in my inbox, but unfortunately, the event has already passed.

What you could have attended August 28 at the Vancity Theatre was a showing of A Map for Saturday, a travel documentary in which HBO producer Brook Silva-Braga (who was scheduled to be in attendance at the showing) leaves his job and travels around the world for almost a full calendar year. I stumbled on this in the spring while flicking through channels. By then, I had already resigned from my job and was slowly building my UK/Ireland itinerary. Silva-Braga, with all his filming gear, asks travellers he meets why they’re travelling; their responses were candid. Silva-Braga turns the camera on himself too, opening up the way I’m doing with this blog. When I finished watching, I just wanted to get out, right then and there, and never stop.

If you’re on the fence, wondering if you should go travel, for whatever the length, here’s the trailer. If the last person, a 73-year-old from the States, doesn’t get you motivated, I don’t know what will.

Day 19: Halfway already?

Well, it’s halfway if I’m still planning to leave on 20 September. Looking at fares online, they range from CAD 945 (CDG-YVR via FRA) to $2377 (CDG-YVR via LHR). That second one is pointless, because I can just take a train from Paris to London and save $1000 and even then I’d still have to change planes (LHR-YVR via JFK).

After almost three weeks away, I’m still in awe of all the places I’ve been. Right now, I’m on Achill Island, the largest island off Ireland. Just walking around yesterday, it ranks right up there with Skye as the highlights of the trip so far. One (or should I say five) of the main draws of Achill is its blue-flag beaches [wiki]. Basically, the beaches have to meet very high quality-assurance criteria. After seeing two of them, Dugort and Golden Strand, I can’t help but be impressed with the pristine beauty; the location of Dugort in particular, at the base of Achill’s highest mountain, doesn’t hurt.

It’s lucky I went yesterday, the only day in the trip where the sun broke out for the better part of the day. Mind, it was peppered with brief downpours, but that’s expected out here, even in summer. And being from Vancouver, the raincoat was always close by. Today is a bit more unpredictable, which is why I’m hanging around at the hostel typing this. There haven’t been a lot of “I’m not really going to do anything” kind of days; I should try to plan a few more before the chaos of my London-Paris tour.

Next: more photos!

Day 17: Mounting Frustration

I was trying to keep this in the back of my head, but I know I have to confront it sooner or later.

CBC News: Passengers of collapsed discount airline Zoom seek new flights
CBC News: Lobster business reeling from Zoom collapse
BBC News: Musicians caught in Zoom collapse
BBC News: Flights low note for male choir

My flight home from Paris in late September doesn’t exist anymore, thanks to Zoom’s announcement. I had already known about the news since Thursday night (Irish time), but when the travel agent with whom I booked the flights e-mailed me about it, and it was marked URGENT, I knew this was big. And just as big will be finding something remotely cheap to replace my Zoom flight. And one-way flights are not remotely cheap.

I spent Friday in Westport, a nice-enough small town in northwestern Ireland. One of the first things I did was to find a travel agency to give me an idea of the prices, and it’s not looking good – €1600 (CAD 2500)!

In the intervening five hours or so between when I leave my Westport hostel and I board my bus to Achill Island, I will have to contact my credit card company to request a “denial of service” refund. But I’m not letting this get me down. It’s a few days away yet, and I certainly wouldn’t mind another few days (or weeks) exploring France…

Next: a few relaxing days on another island.

Day 15: Am I in Belfast?

Sorry, no pictures again, but hopefully there’s a bit more flexibility with internet access when I get to County Mayo.

Before I leave Belfast, I just have to point out two things that remind me of home. The first is that Northern Ireland’s public transport network is run by Translink (always with a small l). The second is the presence of Tim Hortons coffee. Yes, a chain of convenience shops sells Tim Ho. It must be the presence of a hockey team, the Belfast Giants, and its contingent of Canadian ex-pats. A visitor’s guide tells me about the hockey team, and an advert for a “Canadian-style” bar at their home arena, but no mention of whether it’s in a league.

And a number of Vancouver streets, on either side of Knight Street, are named after places in Scotland: Ross, Inverness, Culloden, Lanark, Dumfries, Argyle.

I haven’t spoken to many Canadians so far in my travels. There were a couple from Victoria who were on the same train and ferry to Skye on the way to a wedding in Edinburgh, and two others from Montreal. The rest were mainly from France, Australia, or China. A surprising number of them were attending conferences in the cities where they were staying, which is quite interesting to me.

After I finish my breakfast (something lighter on my body than yesterday’s Ulster Fry), I have to pack and make it to the bus station for the cross-country trek to County Mayo, which is where my next communiqué should come from.

Day 14: Ulster Fry

The title of the post represents a heart-attack-inducing traditional Belfast breakfast: two pieces each of potato bread and soda bread, two sausages, bacon, fried egg, and tomato. Photos to come, because it takes too long to upload them, and I only have a limited amount of internet (£3.00 for an hour that I’m intending to spread out until I leave Belfast the next morning).

Day 14?! I’ve already passed the one-third mark of the trip. I think I’m bearing it well after two weeks on the road, even though I’m starting to forget what day of the week it is, some hostel facilities leave much to be desired, and I’m still not looking the correct way when I cross the street (because the British and Irish drive on the left-hand side, one first has to look to the right before crossing). But it’s all about the experience, right? It has been a great experience in Scotland: the culture of Glasgow, the majestic nature of Skye, the history and festive atmosphere of Edinburgh.

Now I have a week and a half in Ireland. Today (Wednesday), it’ll be a daytrip to Armagh for the requisite religious component, then across the island to County Mayo, and back again to Dublin. If there’s another thing I’ve learned, it’s to steel myself for these long transition days going between places. Off I go, but first I’m going to try and finish this Ulster Fry…

Day 11: I’m still here!

I’m now in Edinburgh, and if the crowds I faced the day before on my way to my hostel are any indication, then I should be ready for London and Paris at the end of the trip.

So what’s happened in the week since the last post? The highlight has to be day 5, the West Highland Railway on the way to Isle of Skye. Whoever came up with “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” must have ridden this train from Glasgow. The views were spectacular throughout, and I couldn’t put my camera away.

The middle photo is of the Glenfinnan viaduct, as seen in the Harry Potter films. After the train was a short ferry crossing to Skye. But no sooner had I picked up my jaw from the ground did I see these:

I hope I’m not being blasphemous, but Skye is like God’s country. It was so beautiful, so peaceful, I just wish I could have stayed there forever. Indeed, I left Skye almost begrudgingly, knowing that anything after that would be a complete comedown.

Day 8 included another train ride, this time to Inverness, and the scenery just about matched that of the first trip. When I arrived I got my first frustrating moment. I came out of Inverness train station with no map and a scant one-line direction telling me how to get to the hostel. I got lost and it started to rain. I ended up finding it, but I took a long circuit that was completely unnecessary. My spirits did pick up when I observed a pub quiz that took place later that night. I’ve heard of pub quizzes, but finally seeing one made me want to participate in one, definitely when I get back to Vancouver. (Anyone know if there are any?)

One last thing for now: it’s interesting to see all the Gaelic (pronounced locally as “gallic”) in the Highlands and on Skye. If I heard it, I wouldn’t have known. Sometimes the Gaelic-to-English translation is obvious, but others aren’t so much.

(That’s Bank of Scotland to you)

Day 4: Glasgow Wrap

I decided to stay four nights in Glasgow for two reasons: 1) I know the first day will be a write-off, what with the jet-lag and all, and 2) Sunday travel on my next destination, the Isle of Skye, is almost impossible once I get there.

All those free museums! I basically spent my time in Glasgow saving money. And what a collection of museums with free admission! The Hunterian Museum, Museum of Transport, Kelvingrove, St Mungo, Glasgow Cathedral, GoMA: that’s basically the best of the best in Glasgow, and it’s free admission, all day, everyday. I’ve been reminded of a conversation I had before I left, how many places open their museums for free, but Vancouver doesn’t have many, if there are any at all.

Another comparison I want to make is the pedestrian mall on Sauchiehall and Buchanan Streets. On the days I visited, it was packed full of people. How about doing the same for Downtown Granville once the RAV line is done, and leave the buses on Seymour and Howe?

And since we’re matching pop-culture references to my trip, here’s one I found at Glasgow Cathedral:

Next: a magical train ride to Skye!