Our adventure at Cinque Terre

Why go to this lovely world heritage site in winter?  Why not? Actually, I would go again, at any time, and stay longer, and swim and walk....
 The dramatic cliff scape, the buildings are perched on top of each other going up the mountains and are such lovely colours - I wonder if they were always so colourful???

There were no ferries at this time of year  for us enjoy the dramatic views of  villages from the ocean, so we travelled by train to Le Spezia, the main port of the area, then changed to a local train. We first visited Monterosso –the furthest away and with a lovely long beach. Oh, the openness,the freedom, the fresh air and the quiet wave shushing after all those days of narrow smoke stinking streets!!  Bliss….   feeling of freedom...... This and another village got flooded out in 2011, apparently due to global warming, however all the locals got together and fixed everything so today, one would never know.    A quick look around the town at street level and on the train to the smaller village of Vernazza to watch a fishing dingy being hoisted up from the waters far below….  Travelling to Europe in Winter, is so cool - there are no crowds or queues.   However an Asian tour group joined us on the train and we wondered why they did not get off at Corniglia.  This was the only town that had a ‘Welcome to our Village’ sign  and a barking welcome dog - and we soon found out why – there was a switchback series of many stairs to the village high in the hills!  Nothing was open, being the time of year, but thankfully there was a bus service to deliver us to the station down below. Corniglia – visited!! We decided to  eat at Manorola, perched on the edge of the cliff and discovered that the Asian Tour group was dining at a very nice looking restaurant in the main street. As we had plenty of time  for the train before travelling to the next village we elected to settle in for a long lunch of local fare  -  a very good decision, we discovered.  At Cinque Terre one is expected to go walking, we knew, so we elected to do the shortest walk from Riomaggore. However a few minutes into the walk we discovered a very padlocked gate and a notice informing us that the walkway was closed due to slips…….

We then decided to walk up what we thought was the main street only to discover that this was a well  off residential area – odd!!  Back to the station to find an interesting wall lined tunnel  of art leading to the busy main street leading upwards……but we have done enough ups!  Now when is the train leaving to Le Spezia?????

An afternoon with the Royal Cork Yacht Club, Ireland

The Royal Cork Club, Ireland, is the oldest club in the world. Following the newly found hobby of sailing, when he was presented with a yacht,by King Charles 11 in 1600, it is believed that Murrough O’Brien, the 6th Lord Inchiquin (Murrough of the Burnings) took the interest of sailing to Cork.

The pastime became so popular that the Lords great grandson and his friends created the ” The Water Club of the Harbour of Cork,“ now known as the Royal Cork Yacht Club. The club became the pinnacle of local society with many membership applicants being disappointed.

Notable members included Prince Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria, later to be Emperor of Mexico and Sir Thomas Lipton. Today, after occupying a variety of buildings The Royal Cork Club can be found at Crosshaven, not far from Cork, from where it organizes many famous yachting events, including the Admiral’s Cup and the popular Cork week.

Our group was most privileged to be visitors at The Royal Cork Yacht Club, and our sailing adventure will be on the next blog.

Chris' Getting Lost Adventure, in Waterford, Ireland

After a wonderful day exploring Kildaire, the Kildagan Stud, and Kilkenny we travelled to the historical Waterford, Ireland. While the name ‘Waterford’ means ‘windy fiord’ it was calm and raining when we arrived. After depositing our luggage at the Waterford Marina Hotel we set out to walk, in the gently falling rain, along the waters edge to visit the Waterford Chamber of Commerce. After quite a long time of walking, it seemed, we decided to grab a taxi to the venue. However there was not enough room for us all so husband Chris, being the gentleman that he is, and also the only person with a hat, said that he would continue walking. We arrived at the Waterford Chamber of Commerce buildings, walked up the beautiful and unique oval stairwell to their offices, to be warmly welcomed by local members.

After quite some time we noticed that Chris had not arrived. Oh dear! And he did not have his iphone with him! So out with the search party….. where might he be?? Was he wandering up and down the Waterford Streets in the rain, still looking for us? Would he have given up on finding us and repaired to the warm hospitality of a local pub to enjoy a beer? And which pub would he have visited? Maybe he returned to the Waterford Marina Hotel? A phone call to the hotel revealed that there was a kiwi in the hotel pub – no, that was not Chris.

But wait, who is that at reception, waiting for a taxi? There he is! Much to our relief, Chris joined us all at the Waterford Chamber of Commerce, in time to meet our guests, enjoy a whisky tasting,then repair with us all to dinner in the beautiful restaurant at the historic Granville Hotel and pub, on the water’s edge of Waterford.

Kilkenny, Castle, National Craft Gallery and Pub, Kilkenny Ireland

Kilkenny, Ireland is a very tidy traditional town, overseen by the large historical Kilkenny Castle, a U shaped series of buildings, surrounding one end of Green Park land stretching ‘into the future’ it seemed. Across the road in the Kilkenny castle yard, originally the buildings of the stables and coach houses of Kilkenny Castle, is National Craft Gallery, opened on 2000. All the buildings, beautifully restored, feature static and working exhibitions of modern and traditional Irish Art and Craft. The National Craft Gallery is a beautiful area to stroll around, indulge in shopping and appreciate the creativity of Irelands best crafts people.

As one tends to do towards as the end of a busy shopping and touring day, we all visited in interesting looking Irish pub, The Left Bank, situated in the former Bank of Ireland Building. As with several pubs we visited in Ireland, the 4 floors inside the pub as well as outside area, were stunningly and eclectically decorated and we spent much time admiring the different areas of the pub.

Kilkenny, even though we only had a glimpse of the historical houses and buildings looked a very interesting town, ideal for visitors to spend more time there and indulge in a local Irish adventure.

Shopping at Kildaire Shopping Centre Ireland

Mindful that much of our group liked shopping, we visited the white, elegant ‘chic’ luxury factory outlet shopping centre at Kildaire. To prepare ourselves for exciting shopping we dropped in for coffee and the beautifully appointed Italian Restaurant L’Officina then set up It was hard to know where to look first! After picking up some important essentials, we then moved on to another adventure before returning to the old Kildaire Village to visit a large, popular, cabbage smelling pub for a buffet lunch rapidly spooned onto our plates before we could blink an eyelid. Later we strolled through the village of Kildaire- its traditional and a lttle run down main street a complete contrast....

Titanic Exhibitions in Ireland - a one hundred year commemoration

As it is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic there is much interest in the ship and the travellers who sailed on her. In Belfast where the ship was built, a new state of the art exhibition centre (nicknamed “The Iceburg’ by the Befast residents) was erected and opened in March 2012 and by Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Belfast in late June had already received over 250,000 visitors. Everything is ‘Titanic’- the height of the magnificent building is the same height of the bow, an inside wall replicates the cladding on the ship, while outside the exact size of the ship is outlined on the ground. The high technological displays engages all the senses - sights, sounds, vibrations. A strong focus of the exhibition was of the building of the vessel, the people, who and why they were on the Titanic for that partcular trip, and the times. There is also a very touching movie featuring the team led by Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and what they initially saw on the sea floor in 1985. The only item that is not on public display is the Grand Staircase. This is s huge bone of contention amongst locals and visitors. Apparantly one has to attend a VIP function in order to view this famous Titanic artefact. Down in Cobh, fromerly known as Queenstown, Cork, another Titanic exihibition was available to visit. Ths town is the headquarters of the White Star Line company, which looked after the embarkation of passengers and mail before Titanic set sail. This exhibition had a different focus on the tradegy of the Titanic, focussing on the footsteps of the passengers and the times in Cobh. While there was some discussion about the high cost ot visit this exhibition, those of our fellow tourists who did visit felt that the exhibition was well worthwhile. In Cobh itself the town has preserved the buildings of the times in respectful memory of the people on Titanic and the subsequent disaster that befell them, three and a half days from setting sail from this pictuesque town, overseas to see the world. We have visited several Titanic exhibitions around the world, and the development of technology has enabled us to understand more about the boat, the times, why the disaster occurred. Many people have become quite emotional at Titanic exhibitions particularly in Ireland as they are descendents of the builders as well as the staff and passengers who had embarked on that fateful voyage. It also makes one humble and most grateful for the maritime safety rules and regulations in place today as a direct result of the inquiry into the Titanic disaster.

Impressions of Belfast, Ireland

It was most valuable to have a tour guide introduce us to Belfast, Ireland - she quickly gave us a feel of the city and its history. As we travelled around in our bus,admiring and hearing history of the buildings, visiting landmarks such as the Falls Road area, the International wall - spotlessly kept, and the Peace wall - with murals covered in grafitti of quotes and supports of sympathy, it was interestng to note that the tour qiuide referred to the citizens as ‘them’ and ‘us.’ Belfast, as well as being famous for the ‘Troubles,' and the scene of much 'spilled blood,' is also the birthplace of Mother Theresa, Milk of Magnesia and Dunlop Tyres and portable defribulators. The defribulators were invented at the local Hospital which was named after the highly regarded Queen Victoria. Today was the day that Queen Elizabeth was visiting Belfast, and the dubious summer weather kept the rain away for her garden party of 20,000 guests. We always seemed to be about half a mile away from her, and when we visted the new Belfast Titanic exhibition centre she had already been and gone. The iconic Belfast Titanic Centre building (nicknamed 'The Iceberg' by Belfast residents), erected on Titanic's original construction site the Harland and Wolff yards, was opened in March 2012 and by July had received over 250,000 visitors. Everything about the building is relative to Titanic and the sea, for example the height of the building is the same as the bow, and an inside wall is constructed of similar materials to that of Titanic. In Belfast City a memorial has been erected to recognise the people who died in the Titanic disaster. Everyone is named on the memorial. The memorial receives many viistors, including descendents who become quite emotional during their visit. Our Shopping Adventure in Belfast. The English Food Market is an interesting place for travellers to visit - such a variety of beautifully presented fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, oh and chcolate, which we all gorged on! Then it was off to explore the nooks and crannies of the shopping centre. Then we espied a shop selling leather goods owned by an Irishman who immediately had us in fits of laugher with his stories. And yes, we bought....

NewGrange, Slane Castle and Mellifont Abbey, near Slane, Ireland

Today was our historical sites of Ireland adventure. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the NewGrange mount as bookings need to be made months ahead and visits are strictly controlled.The largest of 12 mounds in the area, and only discovered in 1969, until recently people could drive up to it at their leisure. As it’s significance and mystique grew, so did its visitors, so much so that 10 years ago a visitor center, 10 kms away was contstructed, and today visitors are bussed to the site. It was quite awe inspiring to stand inside the perfectly dry, igloo shaped 5000 year old space inside the mound and experience a reconstruction of the sun passing though a slit in the mound as it has always done in the winter solstace. Then it was on though the Battle of Boynes area to visit Slane Castle, built in 1701 and still in use today. Each year it plays host to concerts of up to 80,000 people performed by musicians such as Madonna, Queen and U2, who stayed there for six weeks. Very plain inside by most castle standards, and rebirbished after a fire in 1991, the castle could be best described as ‘shabby chic.’ Today one can hire the whole castle for weddings and stay in tastefully refurbished bedrooms originally occupied by various dukes, rock stars and servants. After invading a restaurant in a quaint village nearby we travelled to the pristine ruins of Mellifont Abbey. Founded in 1142 on the orders of St Malachy, this was the first catholic monastry in Ireland adapted from St Benedicts cisterism in Burgundy. Becuse the austere lifestyle became so popular, many similar abbeys were constructed arount Ireland. However they also became very wealthy, so much so that they were closed down in 1539 by Henry v1111. Today the Abbey is very much alive offering people who prefer the monastic way of life opportunities to work on its extensive land area, on the farm, garden centre, or in the printing press. This site was excavated in 1954 and today all the monasteries are protected.

A flying visit and adventure to London and York, England

Hello everyone,

This was a very quick visit to London - the purpose of which was to attend a surprise stag do for Son in law to be, a girls night out for the gals, and to meet incoming family members.

it is always exciting landing in London - and especially so this time as we landed at daybreak - with the sky lightening up in the distance and the many planes landing and leaving the dark Heathrow with all lights flashing - it made us feel as if we were in a star wars movie!

A very busy week it was. We were pleased we that we booked a day trip York, by train which was very pleasant day. The 2 hour trip through green rural land under grey skies passed quickly and we arrived to a cool sometimes rainy day. Our research suggested we visit the York Minster (cathedral) which is the largest Gothic cathedral of its type in England. However you did have to pay to go to various areas which turned out to be rather expensive, so we opted to pay to negotiate the 275 narrow winding stairs to the top of the tower, which gave us an expansive view of York and its surrounds. The old city with its "Shambles" streets was pretty, quaint, and small. The area featured lots of shops, eating places and a market. Great to wander around, Unfortunately we missed the cat shop but we did not miss the Mulberry Lane Porcelain and Crystal shop. Some amazing displays by world renowned companies and artists were here. An ideal place to have a wedding registry if one was well heeled. Probably the most interesting place was the National Railway Museum which nobody told us about. it is so much more than rows of trains! One of the most interesting features was the 'working warehouse' - shelves and shelves of paraphanalia to do with trains (and boats) walls of signs, all either, being, or about to be restored. Furniture, signals, chamber pots, fabrics, photos and paintings, signal boards, significant pieces of timber and metal, model trains and boats, many items to oooh and ah about.

The other 'must visit' when visiting York, England is the JORVIK Viking Centre. As well as featuring an authentic recreated (including the smells) which one travels though gondola, the centre explores the migrations around England from the geneological point of view. This technology is still very new and confirms or refutes original beliefs about the travels and habits of the vikings and other races.

Mid September was an ideal time to visit London, I felt - the days were balmy to cold (if you are from New Zealand or that part of the world), there were not too many tourists around, so not many queues, and the leaves on the trees had not yet turned, so it was like a cool summer's week.

I did discover some 'do nots' while in London;
- don't eat baked beans with a British Big Breakfast
- don't get on the wrong bus
- dont dont dont mix jet lag with cold tablets and alcohol..................

it was awesome catching up with family members, as well as new and old friends! And to have a quick glimpse at the Victoria and Albert Musuem (must check out and book for any special exhibitions before we go, next time) and to duck into the most interesting shop at the Science Museum. Well - that 'quick' visit lasted over 2 hours.... We did enjoy seeing the steam engine in operation! The National Geographic Shop in Regent Street had some interesting displays on too. Pity they have gone into selling heaps of clothes. But the hot chocolate and coffees in their shop next door is well worth the visit.

So now we are back home and looking forward to our next adventure to Australia and to my son's wedding in a couple of weeks......

Monaco - boating paradise in the sun

We travelled by rail from Nice to Monaco. We emerged from the railway station, which is modern, marble paved and set in the middle of the mountain into sunshine, warmth, to a scene crowded with wall to wall boats on the blue waters and wall to wall hotels and apartments piled up against the mountains. After strolling along the waterfront admiring all the yachts we moved on to inspect the Monaco Yacht Club's Racing Mark Laying boat. Instead of using anchors to secure the marks on the ocean floor, we noted that concrete blocks on the end of twine are used. Presumably the twine is cut and the blocks remain on the ocean floor! I wonder what the archeologists in the year 5000 will make of these when researching it for clues of human activities in the year 2009! After retiring to the very modern, classy Monaco Yacht Club for refreshments, we walked to the top of the old town and visited the Aquarium. Built by Prince Albert of Monaco, a passionate ocean and wildlife exporer in the late 1800's, the building hosts many acquariums of unusual and endangered fish and sealife. While inspecting the exhbition, and finding out about the research techniques carried out by Prince Albert and his team, one wonders if these practices would be acceptable today. However the sealife exhibits talk a lot about conservation, preservation and of the aquarium's most successful breeding programme for overseas aquariums. If you ever venture to this neck of the woods, the Aquarium is well worth a visit.

Out into the sunshine again we strolled, and relaxed at one of the cafes near the palace, where royalty still live, to enjoy Monaco's award winning beer. Then, somewhat reluctantly, we wended our way to the beautiful Monaco railway station back to Nice.

Oh, that's right - it is Saturday! Time to watch the New Zealand All Blacks play the French!! And to enjoy the conviviality of the Hotel bar where there is a wide screen TV!

And then, tomorrow, to sunny, exciting Cannes....... uh oh - don't like the look of the clouds - surely that cannot be correct????

Ah - Naples, Pompei and Sorrento

Our cruise ship the Costa Serena's last port of call was Naples. Anxious to view Mt Vesuvious we were up early an high up on deck, however mist shrouded this famous mountain and instead we were reduced to viewing the many superyachts lounging about -ready to hibernate for winter. Soon we were on a bus travelling to Sorrento, a quaint seaside tourist town. We left the port, passing many very shabby apartment buildings in the Naples city centre, boarded a train and travelled for about an hour through the Naples suburbs and surrounds. The land is very fertile, our guide informed us and it was interesting to see gardens, lemon tree plantations and glass houses dotted everywhere throughout the suburbs. Upon our arrival at Sorrento, we were directed to a place to have a 'technical' stop, which meant a toilet and coffee break. The local coffee is excellent here. I think it is Neopolitan. It has a unique taste and I have to say that coffee has never tasted the same since - it was so delicious! Off we went on our walking tour. Sorrento is old historic, quaint and very tourist orientated. The streets are narrow - many are just walkways and the whole place is geared for local and upmarket shopping. As it was near Xmas the town was decorated - Christmas trees, leafy bowers under windows and Xmas lights everywhere! It must look so picturesque at night!
Eventually we arrived at the water's edge. Er - not exactly - we were about 50 metres above the water on top of a rocky cliff. In Sorrento it is difficult to get to the sea. And there is no beach! Instead people have to pay to sunbathe on piers stretching over the beautiful, clear, blue waters. At last our walking tour ended -not surprisingly, at a pre arranged shop from where we could purchase almost anything made of and to do with lemons - from a huge array of sweets to lemoncellos presented in most decorative bottles, handcrafts and ornaments.

Thankfully we did not have much time to contribute to the local economy and shop - the prices were Definately for the Well Heeled Traveller, and soon we were back on the train. Oh, look! There are the ruins of Pompei! Why didn't we visit them? other Cruise Ship visitors confirmed what we suspected - one needed a whole day to inspect the genuine and replica ruins on display. I would like to come back to Naples and visit the Pompei ruins, and also inspect the city centre - a group of very tall newish glass buildings soaring like a sore tooth out of the eyesores of apartments in the suburbs by the port's edge.

And now it is back to the Costa Serena and get ready to finish our Italiabn cruise ship adventure at Slovena.

Our week as Shore Crew at Newport Rhode Island

Two weeks after travelling to the Invitational Cup Regatta at Newport Rhode Island and now fully recovered from jetlag I now have time to reflect on why we were a little bit tired from that most exciting week.

On each of the 7 days we would do the shopping for 14 people. Fortunately we only had to cook dinner for 4 nights owing to the social activities put on by the New York Yacht Club. Most days we visited the boat shops for parts. Then each morning we would arise around 6.30 to prepare lunches 18 scrumptious rolls, snacks, sliced fruit, gateraded beverages etc etc and breakfast for everyone. We quickly became most skilled at negoting bulk food prices st the supermarket and finding real, rather than water infused meat for lunches. We became so adept at making bread rolls - that by the time we finished the 130th we reckoned we could take on Subway and win! The surprise tidbits were well received by our hardworking sailors. After transporting them to the jetty to pick up their boat we would to a quick tidy up and rush off to our next job - that of being New Zealand's number one fans! We were most fortunate to be offered spectator positions on some of the New York Yacht Club members' most luxurious vessels to watch the racing. These ranged in size from 70 to over 120 feet in length. A couple which could be better described as little ships had the capacity go to sea for up to 3 months without refueling. The owners were most hospitable and we met some very friendly fellow boating visitors. After the racing we would dash off and go shopping for more supplies then join in the after race activities. These included a magnificent seafood buffet on opening night and on the prize giving night a meal almost to die for, followed by dancing to blues music. However the most memorabale evening was the lobster meal. We all sat down to consume One Whole Lobster each! These are the same size as our New Zealand crayfish so this was an absolute luxury. To ensure our enjoyment we were all issued with a plastic bib, pliers, and instructions on how to eat them. Delicious!

At last the last day dawned and at a very early hour for a Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed to farewell our sailors, some straight home while others via exotic places like Lea Vegas. After a final tidyup of our lovely
home for the week we strolled through Newport mainstreet before boarding the bus to next adventure. And how did our team go? They got 10th overall - and beat the french! See the Invitational Cup we site for more information.

Would we go back again ? Yes! For more racing and maybe some sightseeing this time........