Below will try and become a short recap of each location with some photographs:
Scotland: Never doubt a Scotsman
* Flew over for a weekend and stayed with friends in Glasgow. Met many men in Kilts and asked them the million dollar question, 'So, is it true you really don't wear anything underneath those?' Answer: 'You can't ask, you have to see!' (then flash of an under-kilt....and Yes, it is true.
*Absolutely LOVED the place. Looks a lot like Ireland: green, raining and overcast, but a LOT cheaper and who doesn't love the accents??
*Went to a comedy club and sat near the front- BIG mistake being an American-living in Ireland-visiting Scotland-with a surname for a first name. Mental note to not do that again, but it was good laughs--the parts I were able to understand!
Then not so long ago, Stephanie and I headed throughout Europe for two weeks for Holiday time away from work. With limited amount of money we spent most all our trip COUCH SURFING, which was an amazing experience! If you haven't read much about it, then you create a profile and basically if you are travelling you can stay with locals in their house/spare rooms/floor/couch, and then also put your place up for someone to crash in. We were pretty careful with who we asked to stay with- as you can see if they have prior references, background check or location check. This saved us two weeks of free accommodation which would have been at least two hundred dollars-even at cheap hostels. We made great friends and I highly recommend this to anyone- just make sure to be safe!
Germany: Apfelwein! ('apple-wine')
*We arrived into Frankfurt and spent about 3-4 days here. Our Couch Surfers treated us extremely well and we slept with two kittens in the living room. On the first night there was a going away party for one of their friends who was moving to Berlin- so we went out to a traditional German restaurant and had the local Apfelwein. Steph and I rode on the back of motorcycles through downtown and across the river-bridge to the restaurant, and they were nice enough to point out sightseeing along the way--I think Stephanie had her eyes closed most the time!
*At the restaurant everything was in German, but we got a lesson in German food from everyone eager to teach us. It was great because they wanted to practice English and we wanted to hear German so it was a mix of both all night.
*We were based near the Apfelwein location of Frankfurt, which means they bring out large pitchers called Bembels- which can hold 1 to 2 Litres of Apfelwein- ranging between 5.5% - 7%AbV. Plus one large pitcher can cost as low as $3-5.
Jerez, Spain: Mystery Location
*For those of you who didn't know, Stephanie and I planned a 'mystery location' which meant that we booked flights to Jerez, not knowing where it was at all. We just made sure we could fly into someplace from Germany and out to another place we knew- which was Madrid. We didn't tell anyone were our mystery location was just to make sure it didn't come back to us, and we finally found out once we were on the plane and flipped open the Ryanair magazine.
*We landed in Jerez without a map, accommodation or any point of reference. We got onto the airport bus and when asked were we wanted to go (in Spanish) I answered the best I could and we just went to the city center. From there we went next door to the train station, looked up accommodations and started walking. We found a great little hotel for a great price and then went exploring in Spain.
*Jerez is the wine bodega capital of Spain and from here we went to the Tio Pepe Bodega and a dinner show of Flamenco dancing.
*We feel in love with the $1 Tapas and cervezas.
*Since we were here for about 5 days we decided to take a bus down to the South of Spain, Tarifa, and hop a ferry over to Morocco for the day! The bus down to Tarifa (a small & VERY cute surfing/beach town) was indescribable, as we had NO idea where we were and nearly missed our ferry!!
Morocco: "Who just goes to Africa for the day?"
* From Tarifa the ferry to Tanger is about 35 minutes and since we were worried we would only have a limited amount of time there, we decided to book a day tour which would take us all around. It was a great tour, however the next time I go I would just do it on my own.
*The weather was fabulous and the water was amazingly blue. No wonder the camels were hanging out on the beach!
*There were little side markets and it was a flash back to India for us. Lots of bartering and hassling. But once again I was able to blend in pretty well and when I would answer them in Spanish they started to shout out where they thought I was from or what my ethnicity was: "Moroccan, Spanish, Madrid, Bilbao, Indian, Hungarian, etc etc." I doubt they would ever guess I lived in California, and currently Ireland.
Tarifa: The Ocean Beach of Spain* The town was very cute and welcoming, but since it was off-season it was very quiet and had we stayed there longer probably would have gone crazy looking for things to do. No wonder everyone goes to Africa.
*But we did stay an extra day to enjoy the beach and sun, before getting back on the bus to Jerez for our flight to Madrid.
Madrid: The capital of Spain
*We went to Madrid for about 4 days and stayed with another great Couch surfer. We were there for the weekend so basically went out until 5 am- normal with the locals, and then spent the day strolling through the park and going in and out of museums.
*It was recommended that we take the train over to Toledo and visit the medival town. And there it is, about 45-minutes/an hour outside of Madrid in the middle of the desert is this VERY hilly town. It's a great day trip, but wear comfortable clothes, shoes and drink LOTS of water!
Palma Mallorca: After 11 months I am finally reunited with a warm beach*After our very busy and exhausting time in Madrid, we flew off to Palma Mallorca for a relaxing 3-4 days. Here again we stayed with two very fun and friendly gals. They lived right near the main city and huge Cathedral. So we toured around the town and then made our way down to the beach every day. The sun was so hot, and the water so refreshing that I really started to wonder why I was even in Ireland.
*Palma is a great city with a fun nightlife, but because it is a tourist destination it can be very expensive compared to the rest of Spain. But that doesn't mean you can't find some sweet bargains! 
London is Calling...
*After a relaxing beach vacation in Mallorca, we caught a flight to London for a quick visit. With only two days we got onto the Hop-on-hop-off bus tour which takes you everywhere.
*Spent some time with Big Ben, the Crown Jewels, a naked protester, the London eye, river cruise and Nita- a volunteer we had met when in India!
*The weather was a bit colder and started to rain, but I absolutely feel in love with that city. There is a vibe about London that can't be expressed. Maybe it's the fashion, buildings, history or expensive drinks but I would love to live there one day.
After London we finally returned back home to Ireland to finish our last few weeks of work.
No comments:
Post a Comment