A YEAR IN MY LIFE ( or 3 )

What a summer it has been! It all started with my sister, Heidi, visiting from Vancouver. She had a flight from Vancouver to Gatwick, London. A 3 hour wait then off to Dublin. What she didn't know was that i was meeting her in Gatwick Airport (a little surprise on my part)! It didn't go quite according to plan as my flight was 1 1/2 hours delayed. I was to get in before her and meet her at passport control. Try and find someone in a huge airport! Just over an hour later with my eyes peeled the whole time, i finally found her on the second floor staring at the departure screen. I actually recognized the back of her head! I came around in front of her and said "fancy meeting you here". She just kept looking at me, i thought she didn't know who i was! Heidi finally said "am i in the wrong airport?" She thought that maybe she was at Dublin and didn't know it!! After a few minutes, it was like we had never been apart.

Our flight was over an hour late departing, so that by the time we got back to my place in Dublin, it was just after 1am. We sat and talked til 3:30am and then crashed. I was up at 6am to go to work and when i got home, Heidi was still in bed!! Lucky dog!

Wednesday saw us catching a train to Galway, where we had a great dinner, walk and sleep. Then it was off to one of the Aran Islands. I had booked us a few nights on Inis Meain. It is the middle of The Aran Islands and the least visited. It is a walk on ferry, no vehicles except for the people that live there. It is one of the last true Gaelic communities left in Ireland. There are only 150 residents and they make their living from fishing and tourism. Many have been there for generations. Electricity only arrived in the '70's.

The island is made up of small plots defined by dry rock walls, they are built in away so that the strong winds do not blow them down. Most houses still have the old thatched roofs. All gardening is done organically, fertilized by seaweed picked off the beaches. Shell fish is gathered by hand and every one is friendly! By the next day, we were known locally as "the Canadian girls" Everyone knew who we were. It didn't help that the whole island was trying to fix me up with the local B&B bachelor! I met him the first night and he bought me a drink. Nice man, would love to live on that island, run a B&B, but ......no spark!

Heidi and i spent 3 wonderful days walking, beach combing and eating to much. We tried Periwinkles, visited an old ring fort and made friends with a week old donkey! Then it was back to Galway for an over nighter. Dinner at an awesome fish and chip place and then wondering around the most amazing hotel i have ever seen! The g! Look at the pics. We had a few days back in Dublin and then a friend from Vancouver came over and stayed with us for 4 days. Did alot of exploring around Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral, Duvblina (Viking exhibit) and the hop on hop off tour and one bar-b-que!!!!

Janice left on the Friday morning and we met up with Diana (who arrived the day before) for dinner and drinks. She stayed a great B&B in town for a few days. Heidi, Diana and i did more site seeing. One day was on the DART (skytrain?) to Dalkey where we went to Goat Castle and had a tour by medieval actors. Great show! then we got off in Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary) to pick up some lamb pies. What a story that was! It led to an impromptu sing song by both Heidi and Diana and i caught it on video. I hadn't laughed so hard for so long!

Monday was a holiday and the day that Heidi left. So very sad :( Diana then moved into my place for a few days before she jet setted off to Scotland for a week to stay with friends. Thank god! Some time to myself and i needed it. A week later Diana arrived back to my place and then it was a day of rest, shopping, eating, meeting Katrina for her Birthday dinner and drinks in a pub in Temple Bar.

The next two days, Diana and i spent touring around the outer counties of county Dublin. We went and saw an almost 8 thousand year old Temple called Newgrange in County Meath. Built before the pyramids in Egypt and still standing. Discovered in the 1600's. We were able to walk right into the center. Saw a few monasteries and then home and crashed. Next day was off to County Wicklow to see Powers Court Estate, Avoca Hand weavers mill and Glendolough! Back to my place for frenzied packing, eating and in desperate need for sleep. Diana left in the morn for home and i went to work!

My place has been a revolving door for the last month, but i have loved every moment of it! Needed to recoup! So now that i have had a taste of home, i have booked a flight home for a visit in December!!!!!!!!!!!! See you all before Christmas! Cheers

Inis Meain

Big bugs in Galway!

The g! Hotel

Christ Church Cathedrale

Me and friends

A monestary

Newgrange

Monday June 25th, had me catching a flight a 6am to Beauvais Airport, Paris France! Thought i was just over tired from the packing and excitement of going to this beautiful city but as the flight wore on, i realized i was very sick!! I still had the excitement when the plane landed and i caught a shuttle bus into the city. I had no idea where i was in this big place and was determined to walk to my hotel. Showing my map, asking directions and 1 hour and 30 minutes later i made it. Along the way, i walked right past the Arc de Triomphe, strolled down the Champs-Elysees, glimpsed the Eiffel Tower. They say that Paris is made for walking but what they fail to say is how big this city really is!

My hotel was in the Opera area, the 9th arrondissements. The city is divided into 22 distinct areas, each with their own flair and amusements. Such as Montmartre, that houses the Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge! Unfortunately, my camera died on the 4th day so did not get all these sites captured in photo. The Latin Quarter was neat with it's lively narrow cobbled lanes, lots of cafes and smartly funkily dressed Parisians. The youth here know no bounds when it comes to dressing but they seem to carry it off with style. Saw what i would call a "typical" Parisian woman. She was walking her little poodle, thin as a waif, wearing ridiculously high heels and smoking! I wanted to take a picture so bad. I must learn to be more discreet with my photos.

The first day was spent at the Eiffel Tower. 2 hours queuing and 2 hours exploring all three levels. It really did live up to it's reputation I'm glad to say, maybe it was just me and having wanted to see it all my life! The views are amazing and the photos really don't do it justice. In fact, i think this is the worst set of photos i have ever taken. I think the combination of being sick, dark grey clouds and the wind and the rain didn't help! All of the major monuments have Army men walking around with machine guns. At first it seemed strange, have only seen that in Mexico, but you get used to it after awhile. In fact you couldn't walk two feet with out seeing 5 or 6 police. All nice and always smiling and saying hi!

A cruise down the Seine, seeing the Mona Lisa in the Musee du Louvre, cruising past Notre Dame, visiting Jim Morrison's (the Doors) and Oscar Wilde's grave at the Cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise , walking under the arch of the Arc de Triomphe, seeing the view of the city form Sacre Coeur and having the best dam food at the Relais that i ate all week. If it weren't for my travel buddy, Karen, i probably would have not seen and done all this, all i wanted to do was curl up in my hotel room and sleep til i felt better. Although she was a little to enthusiastic and kept me out to late and wouldn't let me have a mid day rest. Don't think i was in bed before 1am each night! Hence, a week and a bit later, i am still sick and must recover in time for my bevy of friends and family coming to visit me this summer.

Inside the Louvre