New beginnings...in the 'Burgh

I’ve finally caught up on my blogs that I can finally update you all properly as to what I’ve been up to lately since I’ve left a beautiful life in Galway, Ireland.

After Jonny and I made our way across the Emerald Isle and spent a couple nights in Belfast before we took the ‘rail & sail’ from Northern Ireland to Edinburgh, UK we settled into our new residence, Budget Backpackers in Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. Ironically, after a full day of traveling with way too much luggage than I could barely manage, we had two smiling Canadians to welcome us at the reception of the hostel – Dani and Mich…a friendly face from Galway as he was also the first friendly face to welcome me when I first moved to Galway...and soon-to-be a great friend to have along my travels. Small world? Not really, for this small-town Canadian gal, as it seems to happen to me quite frequently in life, or so it seems. Mich was kind enough to pull some strings for us and get us straight into long-term residence at the hostel so we could save some money on the rates.

 Just another beauty sunset off Princes St

As expected, we had to lug our bags up to the second floor of the long-term hostel building and into our 4-bed room. Also expected, both bottom bunks of the beds (yes, I was back to living in ‘bunk-bed style’) were occupied so we had to settle for the top bunks until someone moved out. It was definitely an adjustment from living in a spacious, 2-floor, 2-bedroom apartment with a balcony and having as much privacy as I wanted to living with approximately 60 other people, sharing toilet facilities with my flatmates, sharing one kitchen with the whole building and trying to get some sleep amongst the Monday-Sunday party environment. But, I prepared myself for some big changes compared to my life in Galway, Ireland and I can honesty say I have adjusted quite well and a lot better than I thought I would.

Our new shared-room - tiny but temporary

My new flatmates were two Spanish guys – Gonzalo and Sol. Gonzalo had a degree in English so could speak pretty well where Sol pretty much traveled to Edinburgh to learn English so that’s pretty self-explanatory. They seemed to be happy living with two friendly Canadians as apparently (and I soon found out later) that the hostel had been pretty much occupied by many other Spanish travellers with some Aussies, Kiwis and Frenchies mixed in. After we somewhat unpacked (or as much as you can in a tiny hostel room), we decided to get out and meet our ‘neighbours’ and with having Mich as a mutual friend, we quickly fit in. It can always be tough, just like the new kid in school, to fit into a group where solid friendships have been formed, inside jokes, nicknames, etc. but 3 months down the road now it’s all been a blur since and a fun one for that matter.

Hawaiian night at Budget Backpackers

One-sie Party night

Being me, quickly after a few days at a hostel, I started to panic about not working as it’s not like me to go a few days without employment so I started to get on the ball with getting back in touch with a couple recruiters for some advertising positions in Edinburgh…not knowing that my path would quickly change down the road (yes, I’m blog-teasing…if that’s even a thing). I decided to pick up some temp work with my friend, Lauren, who referred me so I could at least bring a bit of income while I hunted for work in advertising. I quickly learned that doing 8-hr shifts on your feet all day at banquets/conferences for £6.20/hr is just not worth it but I stuck it out till I went back to Canada for the Christmas holidays.

My new backyard - Grassmarket

Over the course of November and December I pretty much just got to know the people in my building, spent a lot of time walking up and down all the hills in Edinburgh, frequented the Edinburgh Christmas Markets in New town which made the Galway Christmas Market look like a small-town Farmers market – which is about accurate if you think about it seeing Galway is 75k in population where Edinburgh is just over 500k. The markets were full of delicious food vendors serving anything from bratwurst, crepes, homemade candies and pastries, beef brisket, hot mulled wine/port, and many many other scrumptious and tempting items. It also served as a location for many great retail vendors selling Christmas items, hats, scarves, mitts, other clothing and trinkets. But it had a few things that made it that much more spectacular – a massive ferris wheel, other fair rides and full-sized outdoor skating rink that we eventually tested out when we got a group together showed some Aussies how to skate.

Edinburgh Christmas market and skating rink

Shona & Shannon do our own Rose St Xmas Challenge :)

All in all, November and December flew by in a second filled many fun memories and friendships already created and before I knew it, I was on a plane heading towards to Toronto for 10 days in Ontario to spend time with my entire family including my BFF.  I was slightly sad that I wouldn’t be able to ring in the new year with my new friends in Edinburgh but I also knew being back home and ringing in another year with my BFF and family would make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside too.

 

My crazy new friends

Slán, a ghrá...Cathair na Gaillimhe

Even though it's been over 3 months since I left Galway, Ireland it was still sad to write this blog (obvs very behind but better late than never, I say). Galway was such an amazing city and experience where I made so many great friends, and maybe I won't ever see some of them again, I appreciate all of the special and memorable moments I created with all of them.

Top 10 Fave spots/moments in life

(Corrib, Galway)

Every day since I left Canada, I truly believe everything really does happen for a reason. Even when giving advice to my new friends here or my friends/family back in Canada when they are going through tough times, I always do say, "You are the sole writer, director and actor in your life...so how you choose to go through your life is entirely up to you and only YOU can make yourself happy, not a place or thing or person...just YOU. So you can decide to dwell on the negative situation that has happened or believe that somehow it was meant to happen for some reason...then move on."

I can tell you with 100% of the honest truth that this statement is a true testament to my life and I will continue to believe this hopefully for the rest of my life. Obviously I can't remember every single moment and even those I do remember I will not go into detail or else this blog would be almost endless but since I have started my travels I have tried to keep the same positive attitude that has been instilled in me by my parents, grandparents and family since I was little.

I look at the beginning when I left the stressful and whirlwind of an industry they call Advertising and look at the chain of events since I left and I do believe that the 'everything happens for a reason' pattern does really keep its course. I moved home after attaining my TEFL certificate, got a job at local pub, not knowing the manager of the pub would soon be my traveling partner and flatmate in Galway (Jonny). I spent 8 months bonding with my love, Chelsea, not knowing that I would have to say goodbye to her a year later due to diabetes (which ironically happened a couple days before my brother was home for a visit before I headed back to Ireland). I was able to make some new friends while living in Stratford and I feel confident to say we will be life-long friends (love you and miss you Coop and Jess) and feel so proud to see them grow into beautiful people and pursuing their dreams (Jess moving to Miami, Cooper aspiring to travel after her studies). Being able to continuously increase the bond with my family, grandmother, my sister and my parents was such a blessing because life is too short and every time I was able to sit and just talk with them, I felt like my heart just increased in size and I was able to appreciate each and every one of them in a whole new light. Learning about my Irish roots from Grandma L, laughing till my face hurt with my sister, and - as always - getting the best advice from my rock in life, my mom, when things didn't go according to plan. Which did indeed happen a lot and, I honestly wouldn't be sitting in a cafe in Edinburgh, UK if it wasn't for the advice from Mom, and the way things just go a different way than you planned in life. As some of you may not know, I was originally going to teach English in Jakarta, Indonesia and after accepting the teaching position and finalizing all the paperwork and resigning from my job at the pub in Stratford, I found out just before booking my flight that the visa requirements in Indonesia had just recently changed and my college diploma wasn't accepted compared to a University degree. Obviously, I was devastated and didn't know what to do next but after a comforting chat with Mom, she said to me 'Why did you want to travel in the first place?' I said, 'Well, originally when I started my travel plans after I graduated college, I wanted to tour Europe.' Mom said, 'Ok...so do it. This is a blank page and a chance for you to do anything you want. Just go for it.' So, I opened up the map again and with some advice from some friends who have traveled too, I decided to go with SWAP and instead of traveling for a year, I saw they had a British-Ireland visa for 2 years and booked it. Was it scary? Yes. But, was it more exhilarating? Definitely. And thus my adventures began.

Love of my life in her final days

So...yes, my friends, everything really does happen for a reason BUT life is way too short to wonder why it happened and just keep moving forward. If you're not happy with your life, change it. You may think it's the hardest thing to do but YOU are the only one who can change it for the better. I am so proud of all my friends and family and proud to be in your life. The philanthropic, the entrepreneurial, the retired, the educators, the creative, the managers, the 'life-savers' (yes, that's you sis), the strategists, the musicians, the farmers, and the motivators. I'd like to think that I try to take a piece of what you do on a daily basis and incorporate it into my everyday being and I thank you all for that. Even though I may not keep in touch throughout my travels that well, I do take you all with me in some shape or form wherever I may go...as cheesy as that may sound. :)

Saying goodbye to Galway was sad but I tried to look forward to the upcoming adventure in the UK and what surprises would come my way. I can definitely say that thus far, it's completely opposite to the life I had in Galway...in a good way, and I'm embracing it quite well! So to end this blog, I will list the things I will miss and NOT miss in Ireland.

10 Things I Will NOT Miss In Ireland:
1. Deep-fried everything (my waistline does NOT thank you) with a cup of mayo on top.
2. Drunken Irish or students waking me up in the 'wee' hours of the morning on any given day of the week
3. No Proper Rules/Process. You would think that it would be a good thing to have no rules or a laid-back society, but '5 business days' to get a bank card is more like '30 business days' in Irish-land.
4. As a possible aspiring English teacher, the horrible grammar and pronunciation of the English vocabulary - or Irish vocab I guess in their terms - and how my proper English would be made fun of or told it was wrong...ha. (Eg. 'Hiya. How ye gettin on? Dat jumpa is savage. Where'd ye get dat? I gots to call into dat shop and get me one.')
5. Trying to distinguish the Canadian translation for Irish food/drink terminology. (Eg. courgette = zucchini, cos lettuce = romaine lettuce, prawns = shimp, chicken goujons = chicken fingers, etc.)
6. Access to hot water. Luckily, our amazing landlord, Eugene, installed two different showers into our tiny bathroom (my mistake...'toilets'). One was electrical so I could have a hot shower at any given time of the day. The other is what they call 'immersion', which is the same as a hot water tank, the most common in Irish households. The fine print though, unless you want to pay high ESB (aka. Hydro) bill each month, you have to put the 'immersion' on a timer so it produces hot water only a few hours of each day or wait 1 hr before you have a shower while it warms up. We decided to go with the electrical shower since we were pretty quick. The only drawback - we would have to use the kettle to warm up hot water to do our dishes or make coffee which was fine because in 99% of all Irish households, they have two different faucets for hot and cold water which makes washing your face/hands not a fun experience...think about it.
7. Car rentals. Unless you want to pay 250 euro for an automatic engine, you'll have to settle for the manual-engine car rental which is not possible for me since I don't really drive manual. Yes, this country girl is probably the only one in her family that can't drive stick.
8. Roundabouts. Yes, I agree if you're visiting Ireland it can be quite fun to see all the roundabouts BUT if you're a resident who takes the bus on a daily basis and has a weak stomach - not so fun. Nevermind the craziness of the multi-lane roundabouts combined with insane Irish drivers who have no idea what a signal light is.
9. Wrongly Identified. It's a common mistake for people outside North America to identify a Canadian as  an American since sometimes the accents CAN be similar. Although, sometimes I wish I had a Canadian flag stamped on my forehead because when working in a restaurant, I was always asked, 'what part of America are ye from?' or having actual American patrons treat me like I was American, yet still were rude to me because I was working somewhere other than the United States of America (apparently you aren't to leave the USA?). Though, the positive outcome of this frequent experience is that I became more and more proud to be Canadian and once Irish people found out I was indeed Canadian, they embraced me even more than they already had into their country and culture...even with a real embrace. :)
10. This last one I can problem loop all into the same sentence and please, no offense to my Irish lassies as I don't think any of you fall into this category - or not from what I have seen. The fake-tanned, cheaply-made and too-big-for-you high-heeled-wearing, Irish girls that wear dresses that barely cover their bum and chest (and 'forget' to wear undergarments) that drink way too much Buckfast (alcoholic beverage that consists of cheap red wine mixed with other spirits) and push you on the dancefloor and then fall onto you, spilling their drink, as they cannot wear their shoes or stand due to excessive alcoholic-intoxication and increase their volume of speech by the number of super sugary alcoholic drinks they consume, followed by a lot more screaming and then (unfortunately) sometimes vomiting.

I saved the best for the last because this is probably the main ONE thing I will NOT miss about Ireland. The rest I could likely deal with and I adjusted quite well too. Well, maybe not the really poorly-talented (I think that's called an oxymoron?) busker that would sing really loudly on the main street, enough to hear in my bedroom 3 blocks away. Funny story, Jonny and I were so relieved to move away from this busker and what happens? Approximately 1.5 months later in Edinburgh, he turns up busking right outside our window at the hostel. Yes, you may say....'nah....can't be.' And we did the same, but sure enough, we overhead him saying to someone when we walked by him, that he had just moved from Galway, Ireland. Plus, he's pretty easy to pick out from a crowd as he tends to sing the same 5 songs over and over and over as loud as possible and I can never listen to the Cranberries, "Zombie" ever again.

Now, the positive....

10 Things I Will Miss About Ireland
1. Deep-Fried Everything...just kidding but I do frequently miss the Garlic-Cheese fries from Supermac's and the interesting soap opera theatre that went along with it (aka. drunk students coming to get their post-drinking food after the club/pubs closed).
2. Atlantic Ocean. Being able to stick my toes in the Atlantic Ocean and sit in my favourite spot (below) with a small picnic, my tunes and just lie in the sun, was and always will be one of my top favourite moments in life. When I was able to do this, it was pure bliss and it always reminded me, 'Hey...you're lying in the green grass beside the Atlantic Ocean in Galway, Ireland. Let's just smile and enjoy this moment.'
3. Farmer's Market. Even though I may have not frequented the Galway Farmer's Market as often as I would have liked, when I did go, there was such an array of fresh herbs, fruits, veggies, food carts serving organic vegetarian food, indian food, fresh meats, homemade jewelry (yes, Mom I got your Connemara Marble pendant from the market), etc.
4. The Sickly Blue Door aka. 24 Lower Abbeygate St. The home to many memorable moments; hosting my first Christmas for 5 Canadians, BBQ's on our small balcony, rescuing the neighbourhood cat who we named 'Lefty' who would pull Macgyver moves and climb into the top window of our kitchen to get in (later found out it was a female cat that escaped from the SPCA down the street), many relaxed and amazing movie-nights with the best flatmate ever (Jonnyboy), frequent visitors like Rimi, Mich, Sam, Katey, and personally for me - cooking/baking up lots of new and delicious recipes and having Jonny as my guinea pig...which I believe he enjoyed. Oh, how I miss the Sickly Blue Door and all the memories created but I honestly can say I look back on it with smiles and having the best landlord I've ever had doesn't hurt either!

Two Canadian residents at Sickly Blue Door (24 Lowerabbeygate) - home for a year

5. The Dail Bar. As it was my place of employment for my first 6 months in Ireland there are bound to be many memories and I met so many great people. I instantly became friends with the waitstaff, cooks, kitchen porters, bartenders and managers. Even though I may not see them again or stay in touch too frequently (although I would love to!) they all are the types of people where they come into your life for a short period but you'll always remember them. :)
6. SalesSense International. I must say it was the smallest office I've ever worked in but I learned so much from each and every single employee. I was brought on mid-March as an Account Manager to help organize and bring some structure to one of their new clients - Vodafone. If some of you don't know in Canada, Vodafone is the biggest mobile/phone provider in the world. So, through the guidance of my boss and the very small team I worked with, I was able to understand the world of telecommunications right down to how an actual phone line works (digital vs analog). We became a close family and shared so many laughs including a fun night out in Dublin with the sales managers we all closely worked with and sometimes babysat...ha, jk. All in all, even after 7+ years in the advertising world, I saw that I still have lots to learn and just by working with SalesSense in 6 months, I learned a whole other side of sales marketing that I never knew about and I'm forever thankful for that knowledge and the friendships I made.
7. The Pubs. Obviously it wouldn't be normal unless I mentioned the Irish pubs as one of the things I will definitely miss in Galway. Each and every single one of them had their own character and decor and personality. From Munroe's Tavern with their massive picnic-style seating and 8-euro pitchers of beer (could not find that anywhere else in Ireland) to The Dew Drop with the comfy smoking-area and laid-back-hipster atmosphere to O'Connell's with their backyard beer garden that was open all year-round including a outdoor bar with couches and heat lamps and a big screen so you could enjoy your pint while watching the match. I could go on and on but sometimes I just tell people to go to Galway or Ireland for that matter JUST for the pubs...but I'm assuming most go for that reason anyway and I can tell you this...you won't be disappointed because every city whether it's as big as Dublin or as small as Dingle, they all have the best pubs. Whether you just want to chill and have a pint while you read your book or go out 'on the piss' (as they say) with your mates...they all will welcome you with open arms and a cold, tall, pint of Guinness or Bulmers. :)

Top 5 fave pubs in Ireland - Dick Mack's in Dingle (shoe cobbler by day, pub by night)

8. The Accent. I have to admit I do miss hearing the thick Irish accent. I remember my first days working in the Dail Bar and how I had a hard time understanding an old man when all he wanted was a pint of Guinness and a bowl of chips (fries). It was neat traveling around to different corners of Ireland to hear the different variations of the accent from 'Dubbies' (Dublin) to 'Cark' (Cork) to 'DunEEgaaal' (Donegal) and no, I'm not doing each one justice through writing...like, I said - you'll just have to travel Ireland yourself to see what I mean. I even had to alter the way I would say my name when introducing myself as the Irish wouldn't understand 'Shannon' (of all Irish names) if I said it in my 'Canadian' accent so I had to put on the Irish accent so locals wouldn't think my name is Sharon or whatever weird name they thought I pronounced. If they still didn't understand me, I would just say - 'Shannon...like Shannon Airport?' and they would then just embarrassingly nod since everyone knows that the name Shannon is probably the most popular one (although, I never met another Shannon amongst my travels?) next to Gerard...fact: the manager at both of my jobs in Galway was named Ger.
9. The green landscape. It would be pretty silly for me not to mention the scenery and landscape that the Emerald Isle had to offer to it's tourists and residents. I'm proud to say that I probably saw about 80% of it. From East (Dublin) to West (Galway) to North (Belfast) to South (Cork) and all cities/towns around, I  believe I saw most of what mother nature had to offer with the a few exceptions that I wasn't able to fit into my travels but I imagine I will go back to see (ie. Wicklow Mountains, Killkenny, Donegal, etc.). I think by far my favourite sights were driving along the east coast to Dingle, walking through Killarney National Park, The Cliffs of Moher, Connemara Mountains and the view from my favourite spot in Galway. I would include the Giants Causeway but technically, they are part of the UK (Northern Ireland) but I'll throw that in there anyway because it was during my Irish adventures. To send a postcard of these breath-taking views wouldn't do them justice and once I again I say - you must see them yourself. If my sister/bro-in-law can visit and see most of Ireland in 2 weeks - I think you can too!

 Me & Cliffs of Moher

 Personal Postcard from Coumeenoole Beach, outside Dingle, Ireland

 Lovin' life seaside

10. My life. Odd - but yes, I will definitely miss my life as a Galwegian, living the life as a local, making friends with some of the nicest people I've met, experiencing their culture from food to music to dancing, my flat and having an amazing roommate, a room with a view of the Atlantic Ocean (a rare thing for a smalltown girl from Ontario), traveling around the beautiful country, the memories I've created with some memorable people, pushing myself to go outside my comfort zone and do things I wouldn't regularly do and discovering that I'm a lot stronger and capable of doing things I never thought I could do...like climbing an Irish mountain.

Me and 'Bose' conquering Croagh Patrick and Mother Nature.

To say that Ireland is a great place to visit is an understatement...I can guarantee you will, without fail, have the time of your life if you decide to visit or even live. Just make sure you consult me first so I can ensure you hit up the right towns. :)

All in all, I know I will forever have a special place in my heart for Galway, the Emerald Isle, the friends I've made, the places I've seen and everything that came along with it. So, thank you to Ireland and giving me an experience of a lifetime. I will never forget it!

Slán, a ghrá...Cathair na Gaillimhe. xo

(Goodbye, my love...City of Galway). :)

LegenDERRY Roadtrip

For those who don’t follow the ‘How I Met Your Mother’ television series (and shame on you!), there is one phrase that one of the main characters constantly uses which is ‘Legendary’…well, to be specific he quotes, ‘it’s gonna be LEGEN…wait for it…DARY.’ Not to skip ahead, but when I was in Derry, Northern Ireland (I can’t say Londonderry because I will feel all my Irish friends cringe if I do), there was a small train tour on wheels that was called ‘Legenderry Tours’ and I knew instantly that would be the name of my blog about my amazing roadtrip with my sister and bro-in-law.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for when Joc and Mike arrived. My last official day I could work in Ireland was September 29^th and Joc and Mike arrived the same day. Luckily, they spent two days in Dublin seeing the sights and then they were going to take the bus across to Galway for a couple days before they rented a car to do a few days down to Dingle, Killarney, Cork, Kerry, etc. When they arrived, we just toured around the city and I took them around to my favourite places and pubs and did a lot of walking with Joc while Mike did some work from the hotel room here and there. We had a fabulous 3-course meal at The Park House Hotel (same one as Mom & Dad stayed at) and then Mike dipped back upstairs to finish some work as I took Joc to some live ‘Trad’ music across from the hotel at an ‘old man pub’ (An Pucan) where she had some Irish beer and watched the Irish locals drunkenly sing. She was entertained as an old drunk Irish man tried to put the moves on me…but luckily, Jonny arrived shortly after from his work shift to bounce the old lad out. We also experienced together our first ‘lock-in’ where the pub will lock the doors while people are still inside to ensure more people don’t filter in after closing hours. Do they do that in Canada? Hm…if not, I think I should start a trend.

 Sis and bro-in-law chillin' Galway-style

 Joc' first pint of Smithwick's in Galway @ An Pucan bar with live trad music and impromptu singing by some locals - naturally

The next day, they got an early start and picked up their car rental, installed their GPS system (nicknamed ‘Sam 2’ after their other GPS ‘Sam’ back in Ontario) they bought from Curry’s (UK/Irish version of Best Buy) in Galway and hit the road for a few days down south. They were going to pass through Galway on their way back up to pick me up for our roadtrip up to Northern Ireland.

When they got back to Galway a few days later, we left around 4pm and after many twists and turns on the Irish roads (family history of motion sickness doesn’t help), a stop in Sligo for some pizza (it had to be Dominoes of course for Joc) and a few detours due ‘Sam 2’ setting us off-track, we finally made it to our B&B just outside of Coleraine just before 11pm. The B&B was so nice with it sitting in the nice countryside and was all newly redone. The couple was young and had a small Terrier named Holly who loved attention, naturally I had a room upstairs to myself while Joc and Mike stayed in a room down by the dining area. The room was massive with a king-side bed all to myself, flat screen tv, all handmade wooden furniture/cabinets and lots of windows with a great view of the country-side and lots of starry nights. For only 30 pounds per night, I was in heaven including a home-cooked breakfast that I could pre-order the night before from their personal menu. J

The next morning we had a bit of a sleep-in (well, on Joc and Mike’s watch cuz sleep-in’s for me these days usually involve waking up in the afternoon) and then hit the road. We took the scenic route to The Giant Causeway along the coast and stopped at a few areas that allowed you to pull over and take some pictures. We drove by the golf course that Gavin played at a few years ago while in a tournament (lucky!) and just took in the amazing views. We stopped off at Dunluce Castle and with much of the land and architecture still intact we took the steps all the way down to the shore and walked around the lot. Afterwards we drove through Portstewart and stopped at the beach to see all the surfers attempting the cold waters but they had some great wind for the day to catch good waves. We finally made it to the Giant Causeway and after parking we walked all the way down to the rock formations and, even though it was a fair trek, it was definitely worth it. I took many pictures and climbed up to the pyramid of one of the rock formations and just took in the waves splashing up against the rocks and it was just one of those moments where you wish it would last forever…cheesy but true. I took as many pictures as I could with my iphone and even a video to capture the memory somewhat and then made my way back to the shore. We all just wandered around for a bit but then had to start making our ascent back up to the car as we wanted to squeeze in a tour at the Bushmills Distillery (whiskey) before it closed and it turned dark out. My ankles definitely were getting a work out and I soon realized that Converse are not the most supportive walking shoes!

 view of Atlantic on our way to Giant Causeway

 binocular fail

 descending down to the lower level of Dunluce Castle

 Dunluce Castle

 fully-working steam-engine train

 the magnificent and amazing nature-made Giant Causweay

rock formations made of hundreds of years of tides, water, wind, etc.

Chucks on the rocks :)

We arrived at the Distillery and took the tour and found out a lot more than my little knowledge I already had about whiskey as I’m not a very big whiskey connoisseur…I’ll leave that to the Irish….and scotch to the Scots. Since it was a Saturday, the distillery wasn’t in full working order except for one or two workers who had to keep an eye on the liquid levels during the distilling process. Afterwards, each visitor received a complimentary tasting of any Bushmill’s whiskey of their choice since there are so many types. We took advantage of our ‘family trio’ and each got something different so we could each try them all. As Joc and I made sour faces at the ‘neat’ whiskey (no mixers for us other than a bit of water), Mike savoured in all the flavours that Bushmills had to offer. Final verdict, I enjoyed the 500^th anniversary limited edition whiskey which was sweeter as they crystallized the malt in cane sugar before the distilling process…yum.

Bushmills Distillery

whiskey-photo fun

testing some whiskey in the Bushmills lounge

After our long day of walking, we picked up some cheese and wine (and whiskey for Mike) from Tesco’s as the woman who owned the B&B suggested to us to enjoy some wine and cheese infront of a warm fire after dinner when we got back. Joc and Mike couldn’t get over how inexpensive the cheese (and wine) was since a good hunk of brie in Canada is usually over $4 where in Ireland/UK, you can get it for as little as 1-pound. We even found some ‘Canadian Cheddar’ made by Tesco which Joc got over course due to her love for extra-old cheddar cheese. We stopped at a pub near the B&B and had some good food including Tobacco Onions (ie. crispy onion straws) and then headed back to the B&B. It was nice curling up infront of the fire as it was pretty drizzly all day and it was a great way to end the night.

found this at the Tesco in Coleraine, naturally Joc had to get it for a snack later with some wine by the fire at the B&B

The next morning after breakfast we headed back onto the road and went to Derry (or as the road signs stated – Londonderry). We went to the visitors centre to see what we could do for the day and started out with a nice walking tour along the ‘Walled City’ as the original stone wall was still intact from many years ago around a certain part of the city. It was neat as our tourguide, took us around most of the wall where we could actually walk on top of the wall while hearing about all the history of Derry, The Troubles, the riots/wars, and other parts of Northern Ireland like the ports where people like my great-grandmother emigrated to Canada from. As I was listening to him, I couldn’t help but think how much my Dad would appreciate the tour and all the history seeing that is one of his main interests. I told him later that night when Joc and I skyped Mom & Dad (it was Thanksgiving in Canada) that if he comes back this way that he will have to make a visit to Derry as Mom and him made it as far as Belfast. Unfortunately we ran out of time on our roadtrip to head over to Belfast but I did make it there myself when moving across to the UK just recently. After the walking tour, we grabbed a quick snack (where Joc found out that up in the north part of Ireland you have to ask for your Mc D’s hamburger to be dressed or else it just comes out plain!), and then did some more walking around. We went across the Peace Bridge that was just built a couple months before we arrived as they are really trying to enforce peace in the north of Ireland ever since the riots and wars began years ago. We also walked on the other half of the ‘Walled City’ and just wandered here and there.

Signs and barriers marking British vs Irish sides, The Troubles still fighting

 View of Derry through an arrow-loop 

walking on top of the 'walled city' for our tour

view of Derry through a cannon hole

Built in 1830, Austin's is the oldest department store in Ireland most of Europe. Impressive. 

Had to document this as I'm pretty sure this is  the port where my great-grandmother from Antrim Co. in  Northern Ireland departed from in the early 1900's

New 'Peace Bridge' that just finished a few months before we visited. To join both sides of Derry and communicate peace throughout the region 

Famous statue commemorating the riots and wars in Derry and, again, communicating peace across the region.

We wanted to get back to the B&B for a quick rest and then go out for a nice dinner so we could get to bed at a decent hour since we had to get up early on Sunday for our long trip back to Galway...and then for Joc and Mike, to catch their bus to Shannon as their flight departed from Shannon Airport the next morning (how fitting, I know!) We had another lovely meal in town by our B&B with the usual good Irish comfort food, including dessert of course and headed back to get a good night’s rest. Now, must I note that Mike did a superb job as he was the sole driver on the rental car and did all the driving from Galway to Dingle/Killarney/Cork/Kerry, back up to Galway, Galway to Coleraine, well you get the jist of it. I felt so helpless in the back as I wish I could had given him a break here and there but I know they wanted to save money on not having a second driver on the vehicle so I did my best to not be a ‘back-seat driver’. After many hours we finally made it back to Galway with lots of time before their bus left the station. We said our goodbyes (Jonny came to the station to say goodbye too) and I watched as they pulled away and made their way to Shannon Airport.

All in all it was an amazing journey, sharing many firsts together and experiencing new places in Ireland is always an adventure and a memorable one too. Before they left, they handed me over ‘Sam 2’ to hold onto when they come to UK (specifically Scotland) for their next roadtrip and I can’t wait!

Now…if only I can get my brother to visit. No guilt trip intended…ok, maybe  a small one! YOUR MOVE, GAV. 

Tip #11 - Make friends for life...while traveling.

Surprise, I’m back.

I write this blog currently from my airplane seat as I travel back to Ontario for the Christmas holidays from Edinburgh, UK. After my ‘Amazing Race’ battle from my connection flight in Heathrow (never again), I found my seat on the plane and thought things could only get better from there with a good seat location, quiet seat neighbour and, thus far, a pretty quiet baby and toddler on the other side of me. Of course, my luck turned on me as right from the get-go, my video screen infront of me was quite finicky and would cut out every 5 min. I asked the flight attendants after dinner and such was served if they could look into it and two stewardesses later who said they each reset it, the screen won’t turn on anymore. I found it as a sign that maybe I should pull out the old Mac (and yes, she’s old and damaged – much how I feel like after my crazy day)….and do some BLOGGING. I have a couple blogs left to do from Ireland and I haven’t even written about my experience thus far in Edinburgh yet so maybe I’ll catch up before the New Year even hits…MAYBE (Side note: I guess that flew out the window shortly after 2012 arrived...since I'm just posting this pre-written blog just now...oops.)

Anyway, where did I leave off? Hm…I believe it was my Summer visitors? Well, my summer did indeed fly by with all the amazing visitors I had and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to Galway and friends. Goodbyes are never my specialty so I always try to believe ‘I’ll see you sometime soon!’. The three amazing Canadian girls I met on my second day in Galway, Ireland were something special. Each one of them with their quirks and different personalities (sometimes multiple…haha, jk) made our little Canadian group so eventful and fun. Ashlie, who hailed from the buzzing metropolis of Antigonish, NS (near Halifax) had a love for politics (sorry for always glazing over when you talked about politics, Ash), anything geeky, and was always fascinated by the world wide web. We definitely connected on a geeky level – especially with our love for Apple/Mac products. She would be so sad to see the current status of my Mac that is now coming up on 5 years old with a broken screen and very much in need of an update.

Then there was Rachelle, who was born and raised in Saskatoon, SK and knew everything about sports, probably more than the average Canadian lad and taught me about rugby being the fellow rugby player herself and sharing our love for soccer and many others. She was in the middle of a gap year after doing some university studying in Saskatoon for (surprise), Sports Therapy (physio) and pretty much made a comment every week on how much she was dreading going back to school. I believe even after her return back to Saskatoon and university she is still dreading it but I know she’s a smart girl and will stick with it and be an amazing Sports Physiologist one day. I encouraged her to maybe try to transfer to a different university like U of T or UWO to maybe have another change of scenery and see what it’s like living in Central Ontario and mixed in with some hardcore med students. She would also fit in well with those…ahem…insane Toronto Leafs fans as she is one herself. Hopefully they will win a cup in her lifetime…don’t hold your breath darlin…right Carlee?

Next, the Frenchie…Miss Carlee who comes from a small town outside of Montreal, QC (Hudson – represent!). Even though she admits her French is not ‘parfait’, she is still a true Quebecois at heart with her love for poutine, the Habs (vive les Canadiens!) and snow…ok well maybe the last one is a true Canadian love. She had just finished up college and was looking to travel and the one place she’s always wanted to go and live is Ireland and from what I can tell – it was everything she imagined it would be and she’s itching to get back. She was the last to leave of all my Canadian gals as Ashlie went home in June, Rachelle in July and Carlee stayed till the very minute she would have gotten kicked out of the country which was end of September. She was my Croagh-Patrick climbing partner, my Galway Races date in her fancy fascinator and like the rest of the girls, a true friend and great company to catch a pint with…or two… followed of course by Supermacs or Charcoal Grill…Rachelle couldn’t stay away from her crush. 

Lastly, my flatmate and pillar of strength in Ireland, Jonny Boy. It’s ironic how things quickly change in your life. Just like when I left my career in Advertising to move home and figure out my next step. I was home for not even two days and already restless so I decided to get a job at a pub in town to make some money and keep me busy till the fall. Jonny happened to be the manager at Sid’s and we instantly clicked. I knew of him just because it’s a small town and we were around the same age. He went to one of my rival schools back in the day so I was never in the same circles as him but as everyone knows in small towns, everyone knows pretty much everyone…and their business at times! I could see that Jonny was in a bit of a funk and seeing that I just got myself out of one, I encouraged him to do one thing on the top of his bucket list and just go for it...afterall, it didin’t seem like there was much keeping him in Stratford anyway. So, he started saving his money for Ireland and I was saving my money for Indonesia…or so I thought. Long story short, visa requirements changed after I accepted a teaching position in Jakarta, Indonesia and I had to start my travel plans from scratch again. As usual, my mom grounded me and made me see that everything happens for a reason so I decided to go with my original travel plan which was just traveling Europe. Seeing my family history is Irish and Scottish I decided to get my Brit-Ireland visa and just go for it. Jonny and I didn’t plan on going together and I had my heart set on Galway and he wasn’t sure where is wanted to go. I left about 2 months before Jonny did as I wanted to travel solely on my own to see how I would make out and once I got to Galway, I realized living on my own would be pretty expensive. As I didn’t want to go through random roommate drama like many of my friends have, Jonny and I decided to share a flat and it was a really great experience. We had a good system going with cooking (me) and cleaning (him…mostly) and such and pretty minimal roommate drama for two friends who only knew eachother for about 6 months really. He was so supportive during trying times with work and being homesick and dealing with other up-and-down moments in life…especially with the loss of Chelsea. I truly believe that you see how valuable people really are in your life when going through, what seems, your darkest hours and I definitely did. I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate and friend and I know we have many more fun memories to create in the UK that will be just as cherished as the ones in Ireland.

I learned so much from these friends through so many amazing and memorable experiences that I won’t go into detail or else this blog will go on forever…which seems like it by now, I’m sure. As they read this, I’m sure they will reminisce about all the gut-busting adventures, laughing till we couldn’t breath, tearful and emotional chats about our loved ones back home or who have passed on that we miss so much, sitting ocean-side (a first for many of us), and so much more. I remember the day when I first met the girls at Sleepzone Hostel and I’m so glad that I set aside my shyness and spoke up as I heard their familiar Canadian accent chatting about their eventful outing the night before as Ashlie laid comatose on the couch beside us. They were all my family away from home during the holidays and we made all the other holidays our own too with so many memories I can’t even count, like Halloween, Christmas, New Years, St Patrick’s Day, birthdays, etc.

As I said, I was never good at goodbyes but words truly cannot express what my Irish adventures would have been like if it wasn’t for Ashlie, Rachelle, Carlee and Jonny. I truly believe as each year passes and each year I get older (gulp!), people come in and out of out of your life for a reason…especially when traveling. Whether you share a day with a random stranger, travel city to city with new faces, or meet four random Canadians in Galway, Ireland (and one familiar Stratfordite), you learn something from each and every one of them through the experiences and memories you shared together. I hope I do see them again but if not, I will always cherish the time I spent with them in one of the most amazing places I’ve ever visited and resided in. Ireland will always have a special part in each one of our hearts, just as each and every one of them will always have a special place in my heart…forever.

Fate controls who walks into your life, but you decide who you let walk out, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go. 

Climb every mountain...

No, it's not the beginning of a Whitney Houston song...rather the topic of this post for many reasons. Unless you have lived under a rock for most of your life, you would know that another song title like this is from one of everyone's favourite all-time movies - Sound of Music. I originally had no intentions of writing with that song in the back of my head but I do remember that when Carlee and I ventured to Westport, Ireland to climb a mountain, the Sound of Music movie did come up a lot...and many melodies were sung.

Carlee was leaving in just a couple weeks before she decided to go and climb Croagh Patrick ('croagh' is Gaelic/Irish for mountain). She was trying to squeeze in as much more 'Irish activities' before she headed back to Canada and even though it was a busy week for me with work and lack of sleep and such, I thought I would join her. So, one early Saturday morning we took the train to Westport, got some snacks at the local Tesco and decided to climb a mountain. When the train was entering Westport we saw many rolling hills and mountains and were trying to guess which one was our 'Everest' and once we pin-pointed it, we took a big gulp and said, 'ok...let's do this.' Now, if anyone back in Canada hasn't seen me on my visits, you may not know that I have succumbed to many of the delicious (and non-nutritious) foods that Ireland has to offer like garlic cheese fries, anything battered, and the lack of veggies and salad. I feel like I'm back in university where I just eat anything that's affordable and unfortunately carbs usually fall into that category often. But what I have forgotten is that the speed of my metabolism is definitely not as great as it was in my early 20's so climbing Croagh Patrick was a definite struggle with the added weight and my lack of being in shape.

The calm before the storm...literally

The timing may have not been the best seeing that Ireland was getting hit with the after-effects of the hurricanes and such going on in the States and easter Canada so any local people we met along the way to Croagh Patrick said we were, quote-en-quote..."insane". Sure enough as soon as we were approaching our challenge, the wind picked up and it started to rain. We didn't let it put a damper on our day and kept truckin' on. We bought some cheap walking sticks from an old man at his tiny vendor stand and they sure did come in handy. We were determined to get one of his shirts when we got back that said 'I Climbed Croagh Patrick'.

So onwards and upwards we went and it was not an easy feat with my poor healthy state, the wind, the rain, the fact that there was no trail rather just slippery rocks and the incline that at some points felt like it was a 90-degree angle. We took our time and stopped for mini-breaks here and there and even a 'banana break' to give us a bit of energy. As we made our way up the mountain the wind got worse and worse and at some points we had to hold onto each other to ensure that we didn't fall all the way back down the mountain like 'Jack n' Jill' or fall off the steep ledge. We met an old man walking up the mountain with his dog and also a stray cat that was following a group of women up the mountain as well. You could tell that it didn't matter how great of shape you were in when you would look over at others climbing the mountain and with heavy breathing try to manage a 'I-can't-believe-I'm-doing-this' smile to each other and a small laugh. I think the hardest part of the climb (other than not dying) was the one area where I think it truly was a 90-degree angle as we had to get on our hands and knees and climb (see below for PROOF).

 'Banana break' 

one of the toughest part of the climb - steep angles

We got to 70% way up to one of the peaks and the wind turned into a massive tornado. People were hanging onto each other, some were lying on the ground to avoid from getting blown away and there was a makeshift hut at the peak where everyone huddled behind to shield themselves from the extreme windy conditions. Unfortunately, Carlee and I had to make the unanimous decision to end our challenge because we knew it was far too dangerous for us to continue on with our weak bodies, the increasingly poor weather conditions and the fact that we weren't experienced climbers. We tried to take some pictures but couldn't get too many due to the wind but I managed to take a video to prove that we just didn't wimp out and how windy it really was. In honest opinion, I believe the wind was moving at 80-90 km/h. Believe me or don't but that's the honest truth.

trying to get a picture at the peak 

the wind was so strong we couldn't even keep our eyes open and the rain felt like ice pellets

The old man we met along the way was slowly approaching the same destination and, unfortunately, he didn't have 'Bose' his dog on a leash and soon enough Bose became airborne and almost flew over the ledge. His owner quickly grabbed him by the collar and tried to get him to come with him over by the hut but he was shaking with fear so I helped him bring him over and tried to reassure the dog that we were infact saving his life. Then the old man said to us 'anyone lose a cat?' as he pointed to his backpack. Sure enough there was the stray cat we met along the way in his backpack as the old man told us he picked it up as it was getting lost in the wind as well. It's not everyday that you see an airborne dog or a cat in a backpack. Apparently when the man tried to let the cat out of the bag (pun inserted here) the cat refused and wanted to stay in his new safe and sheltered home.

 'Air-Bose' the dog

'backpack cat' and 'shaky dog'

It wouldn't be a normal crazy day for me unless I had a bit of bad luck so unfortunately I lost one of my favourite 'Canada' toques due to the wind and as I made my descent down Croagh Patrick, I tried to see if I could see it on the way but no dice. It was quite sad as my cousin Sherrie shipped it from Stratford to Galway last Christmas as she had my name for the Murray Gift Exchange and I absolutely loved it. But instead of seeing it as a loss, I just say to myself, 'well, I truly did leave a piece of myself and Canada in Ireland'. Maybe the wind will blow it all the way back to Harrington, Canada but that would be one amazing miracle.

 making our descent, with a memorable view

'Twin peaks' - 1st peak which finished, 2nd one not so much

So, Carlee and I, holding onto each other for dear life, made our descent back down to the base and with a few falls and stumbles along the way, including one massive bruise on my derriere, we made it. Even though we didn't complete the climb 100% we still thought we deserved the tshirt and it was somewhat fitting since the word 'Climbed' was actually in quotation marks - almost in the sense that 'I (almost) climbed Croagh Patrick'. Still, we did it, we are proud of it and we have the bruises and lack of headwear to prove it.

Bose and I chatting over our near-death experience

We celebrated by going to the pub at the bottom of the mountain, drenched, and sat by the fire and had some typical deep-fried Irish food and of course a Guinness. We knew that we were eating all the calories we just burned off but at that point we just didn't care. Afterwards, we took a taxi back to the train station and caught our train. Unfortunately, the connecting train in Athlone didn't wait for our train to arrive when it was 3 min late (typical Irish behaviour) so we could connect to Galway so we had to wait in the train station for a couple hours for the next one. I was so happy to see my bed when I got home as the last time I saw it was at 630am that morning and when I arrived back it was after 10pm.

 Our reward

bored in Athlone

All in all it was an amazing experience, I had the best climbing partner ever and I have another thing to add to my list of life's accomplishments. Thinking about Julie Andrews climbing her mountain in 'Sound of Music' the lyrics have a whole new meaning after tackling the beast that is Croagh Patrick. For those who don't know the song (and shame on you), here they are:

Climb every mountain,

Search high and low,
Follow every highway,
Every path you know.


Climb every mountain,

Ford every stream,

Follow every rainbow,

'Till you find your dream.

A dream that will need

All the love you can give,

Every day of your life 

For as long as you live.

Climb every mountain,

Ford every stream,

Follow every rainbow,

Till you find your dream

A dream that will need 

All the love you can give,

Every day of your life,

For as long as you live.

Climb every mountain,

Ford every stream, 

Follow every rainbow,

Till you find your dream. 

Yes, they are cheesy (much like the movie) but I'm not ashamed to admit that I still think it's still a pretty awesome song and movie and sometimes I feel like this new path that I have been taking falls right in line with what she's singing all about. I have made so many great friends (from all parts of the world) during my journey and even though I've had to say goodbye to some of them (stay tuned in the next blog) I'll always remember them and the moments we shared, just like Croagh Patrick vs 2 Cdn Gals, forever.