London in the Spring (?!?) 2013

The London winter, reported our daughter, had been ‘Interminable’ and there appeared to be no end in sight. Accordingly we had packed for winter weather, being thankful for the lovley fine merino garments available these days. Sure enough, it was cold - but not wet and by brisk walking to a local turkish cafe for a very nice meal without feeling too much, the effects of the cold. Our only full day in London was spent visiting Rays Jazz Music Shop inside the well-worth-a-visit Foyles bookshop in the Charing Cross Area. Then it was off t to the Kiwi owned ‘Ozone’ - the best place in London for a great cup of coffee “but don’t go on Sundays” we were warned “unless you like an hour long wait to get in.” Our caffiene levels topped up, we then travelled underground to

 the Shard glass building. Opened in 2012, The Shard is London’s tallest building - and newest attraction and well worth a visit. Rising like a huge shard or glass pinching into London’s clouds, the Shard comprises of office space below the famous Shangrila Hotel, topped by several stories of apartments - some still available, and then on the 72nd floor a 360 degree viewing platform. It was cruisey, riding up in a new (and warm) elevator, trotting up new smelling wide wooden stairs instead of narrow ones in church towers, and walking into a spacious viewing room full of glass. The whole experience, enhanced by some modern sci-fi music playing in the background felt rather surreal and there was no feeling of being so high up,unless one looked down out of the windows! The views were fantastic!

 Not like the following day when the cloud descended..... But we noted that judging from the ‘cloud’ displays it appeared that visitors were in for a different experience on days of poor visibility.

Our NZ to London adventure April 2013

Most travelers who fly to London or simlar distances expect to have a stopover somewhere along the way. As Quantas and Emrites now share similar fiights, ours was to be Dubai. What does Dubai really look like? An oasis in the desert - a feast to the parched eye? I was not to receive an answer this trip, becuase not only was it to be dark when we touched down, but the question was, would we land there at all? Apparently there had been a significant rain and sand storm over the city for quite some time and we were only made aware if this when we were asked to prepare for landing, two hours out. Rather strange..... Soon after we were infomed that we would not be landing at Dubai becuase of the storm but would be travellng on to Bahrain to refuel and weather permitting, go back to Dubai. So here we sat, at the end of a long row or refueling aircraft, waiting, waiting waiting... Finally we departed to Dubai, touched down, swapped passengers, boarded and took off in a yellowish foggy dawn and arrived in London around 5 hours late - a total of 29 hours on aircrafts, plus airport time - yikes! no wonder I was so tired......

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.

A tantilizing glimpse of Cork, Ireland

Ahhhh!!! So much to see in Cork, so little time!! The only perception I had of Cork was that locals partook in lots of sailing, including the biannual Cork Week Sailing Festival, a racing event that many New Zealand sailors aspire to go sailing in. Cork, a major Irish seaport, is the Republic of Ireland’s second largest city. Literally meaning,“swamp,” Cork is often referred to as the “real capital of Ireland” by its residents. There is much rivalry between Cork and Dublin. Cork people consider themselves ‘different’ to the rest of Ireland, often referring to themselves as ‘rebels.’ Indeed they have their own accent, very musical and pleasant to listen to, which is great, because they tend to love talking! On Saturday morning, after a pleasant evening relaxing in the Collins Bar at comfortable Carrigaline Court Hotel, we visited the English Market in the Cork City Centre. Established in 1788, many stallholders, often run by families, have been there for over 100 years. The current market buildings were constructed in the mid 19th century until they destroyed by fire in 1980 and had to be extensively refurbished by Cork City Council. Today the Cork English Markets is very multicultural, selling a huge variety of food and fresh produce, all beautifully displayed, and attract local visitors and international travellers alike. Even Queen Elizabeth visited during her recent trip to Ireland in June.

The shopping precinct of Cork has changed much over the past 15 years, and is perfect for to go shopping along its traditional streets,

to admire the eclectic array of old and new buildings, and indulge in a tad of shopping followed b a delicious coffee in the eclectic Bookshop Coffee house – as we did. Oops! Lunch time and that means time to go sailing with the Royal Cork Yacht club……

The Jamiesons Adventure at Midleton, Ireland

Well worth visiting is the Jameson Heritage Centre in Midleton, Cork, in the South of Ireland.

The heritage buildings, perfectly restored, relate the way whiskey was produced in the past, including the secrets which made Jamieson’s Whiskey so renowned today. After touring, visitors arrive at the pub where one is expected to drink whiskey, not beer - and where they can have a whiskey tasting or sample one of the many ways that Jamieson’s whiskey can be enjoyed.

An ideal way to commence our Cork adventure before travelling to the Carrigaline Court Hotel.

A glimpse of Waterford, Ireland and its Layers of History

Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland has a fascinating history, and thanks to the Waterford Chamber of Commerce, which has its own stories since its inception 225 years ago, we were treated to a tantalizing glimpse of its layers. The Vikings first settled near Waterford in 853 and after an exchange of various raiders, resettled at Waterford in 914. Over the centuries various visitors, including invaders and even royalty have influenced and shaped the city to what it is today. One of the oldest and most distinctive buildings in Waterford is the circular Reginald’s Tower, reported to be built at the beginning the 13th century. Nearby, and of great interest to we visitors from New Zealand, was a round blue plaque on one of the old buildings which stated that this was where William Hobson, the first Governor of New Zealand was born.

These days most people relate to Waterford because of the Waterford Crystal brand, so it was natural that we should visit this factory. Founded in 1783, the mission of Waterford Crystal was to have crystal ‘as fine a quality as anywhere in Europe.’ Along the way there was a financial downfall and Waterford Crystal and its crystal making techniques were dormant for around a century until, in the 1940’s and 1950’s a group of businessmen revived the industry. In 2009 the business was forced into receivership and after much negotiation the current Waterford Crystal factory visitor center was opened in Waterford. It is most interesting for visitors to view the beechwood molds, named after people such as Justin Timberlake, the crystal craft exhibitions, crystal blowers and the dramatic crystal trophies and artifacts they were producing. After visiting Waterford Crystal we then explored the Viking Triangle and other historical buildings in Waterford, feeling most grateful to have the opportunity to capture a mere glimpse of the history and architecture of this most intriguing city, before moving on to our next adventure in Ireland.

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.