Ireland 2nd day: Sun 28/11/2010 Drogheda, Tara Hill, Monasterboice, Belfast

Woke up early to explore Drogheda in county Louth.  River Boyne runs acoss the town and there are at least 7 to 8 bridges here. The newest bridge is a pedesterian bridge that is built next to Scotch Hall shopping centre. Drogheda has a long history. It is where Oliver Cromwell's Irish massacre took place in 1649. It is a charming town with a mixture of historical sites and modern buildings. The Green Door hostel is situated less than 5 minutes walk to the town center. I walked pass the Highlands Gallery to reach St Laurence's gate. It is dated back to 13th century and is the only remains of what was once a walled city. The bell of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church chimed to remind the citizens of the Sunday morning mass. It was first built in 1791 but later new building was added. It houses the head of St Oliver Plunkett who was unjustly punished for treason by English law. Other attraction in Drogheda include the Millmount museum and tower. I had no time though as I had to drive to Hill of Tara.


As I walked back to the hostel, I was shocked to see my car was covered with snow. It was my first time trying to thaw a car. I was not sure what to do but I just blast the heater and direct the heat to windscreen. Took about 5-10minutes to thaw and I used brochure to scrape the snow off the windscreen to hasten the process. I wanted to be on Hill of Tara to see sunrise...


With GPS coordinates, I drove passed the towns of Slane and Navan. There are some changes to the roads but with coordinates, the GPS was able to improvise. As I approached the Hill of Tara (Teamhair na Ri), I must admit that I was very disappointed. I was really looking forward for green lush hills as I always seen online but God shows me other kind of beauty...The view on hilltop was amazing. The raw beauty of nature cannot be more palpable or dramatic than in winter. The visitor centre on Tara Hill is closed during winter but one can still enter the hill for free. There is an Irishman with his son playing snow gliding on the hill.  Hill of Tara is a very special place. It was the ceremonial capital for 142 Irish high kings before the arrival of Christianity in 6th century. It has Stone Age passage tomb and prehistoric burial mound that dates back to 5000 years ago. It rivals the Stonehenge in UK. The snow was very thick. I was thankful that I was wearing waterproof hill hiking boots. It does offer some protection. Walking in the snow is not easy. All the romantic notion about Winter Sonata disappeared right away. And it is difficult to make out the landscape when the hill is snow clad. I could see the Banquet Hall but I could hardly see the rectangle shape site. Found the Mount of Hostages, a small Stone Age passage tomb that dates back to 1800 B.C and in the 3rd century was used as prison by King Cormac MacArt. Nearby is the Royal Seat and Cormac's House. Atop Cormac's House is the Stone of Destiny and one can have a great view of Boyne and Blackwater valleys  here. The Stone of Destiny is said to be an inauguration stone of the high kings and if it let out three roars when the would-be king stood on it, he would be crowned. There are many sheeps on the hill grazing on the snow covered grass. I wondered how does the sheeps stomach it...cold icy grass...The feeling of being all alone on a mountain is very peaceful and satisfying. 

Next, I drove to Bruna na Boinne to visit Newgrange. To my utmost dismay, it is closed due to the snowy weather!!! Newgrange has the finest Stone Age passage tomb and it predates the pyramids in Egypt as it exists from 3200 BC.  Sadly, I could only see it from far...

Due to time factor, I had to skip the Hill of Slane and drove straight to Monasterboice to see the famous celtic high crosses. It is located in a quite remote place but is very near Bruna na Boinne. I had to pay toll of euro1.80 though when I followed the gps fastest route. Having a gps coordinates made the journey easier. The atmosphere in Monasterboice is very unique. I was the only human being there, probably the first visitor of the day because I did not see any tyre markings on the road or carpark. Monasterboice was founded by St Buite in 520 A.D. Later, it was taken over by the Vikings who were eventually slaughtered and driven out by Donal, an Irish high king of Tara. The round tower is visible from far and was built after 968 A.D but damaged by fire in 1098 A.D. Near the entrance is the Muirdach's Cross (900-923 A.D) which stands 5.5metre high with biblical scenes being sculptured on its western and eastern faces. It is one of the most photographed crosses in the world, frequently seen on the covers of bibles or christian books. The Western Cross is near the tower and has carvings too. I enjoyed the peaceful quietness of this old monastery. It is like suddenly time stood still for a moment. The high crosses did appear very weathered and with time, the carvings may no longer visible...

I skipped Mellifont Abbey which is most likely closed in winter anyway. Drove 1.5 hour to Belfast. It was a smooth journey since I used the M1 motorway. No toll to pay this time. Arrived in Belfast at 230pm. Checked in into Belfast International Youth Hostel which really looks like a 5 stars hostel. It has a spacious lobby and free parking at the back which is exactly why I chose this hostel. Maybe it is winter but I only paid GBP9.50 for a night stay in 4 bedded female dorm. No breakfast though. The room and the toilet are clean and the heater kept me warm during the night. After freshen up, I went out to explore the town. Maybe I should take the black taxi tour but I wanted to explore the infamous Belfast murals on my own. I was just being plain ignorant, I did not know then that walking on ice with snowfall is treacherous. Almost slipped on the ice while walking on the sidewalk. I walked along Donegal road till I reached the roundabout and then turned into Broadway. Then I reached the Falls road which is famous for its murals. By the time I reach the junction to turn into Northumberland street to go to Shankill road to see more murals, the sky has darken and the snow started falling. So I skipped Shankill road and walk towards the city centre instead. The snowfalls was significantly heavy by the time I reached Divis Street. I wanted to explore the harbour to see the Big Fish and Titanic shipyard but I was distracted by Tesco. Shopped for food instead. Unfortunately, I met a man inside Tesco that creep me out . Initially I thought he was just being friendly like any other Irish people but that was something not right about his gaze. My internal alarm was beeping away so I steered away from him. But by the time I finished paying at the counter, he was waiting outside the door for me. That really scare the hell out of me. Because of that, I cancelled my initial plan to explore the harbour and walked back to the hostel instead.  I made a detour to make sure I was not followed. Belfast suppose to be one of the safest town in Lonely Planet listing but somehow I just do not feel safe at all. I was prowling the streets of Dublin at night without feeling any ounze of fear but the Tesco experience left a bad taste in my tongue.


My bag was very heavy with food supply and by the time I reached the hostel I crashed onto the sofa in the lobby to rest. Ate Tesco pasta for dinner and slept after a hot shower...And I felt warm that night :)

Murals on Falls Road near the Beechmount Drive

Murals on Falls Road near the junction to Northumberland Street

Ireland 1st day: Sat 27/11/10 Ireland became Narnialand!

It was a mad day to begin with. Slept at 4am and rose at 8am. Need to catch a bus to airport at 11am. Prepared breakfast and lunch in a gusto. Made fried rice with egg. And I was waiting for a parcel that contains the much needed waterproof hiking boots that luckily arrived at 10am. I had to rush to the hospital to print out my hostel bookings. Really last minute...


I was still in the silly notion that Ireland is not snowing and I would have to prepare for rainy weather during hill hiking. I even bought a raincoat online...Rain is the least worry! The Regatta shoes proven to be really waterproof, well padded and has decent grip but too stiff (due to leather) and too snug for my feet after wearing a pair of socks. I did not feel it when I tried it on but after started walking around for days, the pain became significant that I was practically limping on the last day of my trip. The colour of my left 3rd toe actually turned blue and the nail is dying due to the impingement caused by tight front of the shoes. I actually thought I had frostbite but the fact I could still feel and move the toe is a big relief. Is too late for any return as I have worn the shoes across Ireland. I have to find a cobbler to expand the shoes as I do not want to give up on it yet. Surprisingly, as I googled the internet, there are quite a number of solution to stretch shoes.

I have done loads of reading on lonely planet, checked the sunrise and sunset timing but for the love of God, I forgot to check the weather!!! How stupid of me! Had I know it is snowing ....I would have just take the Paddywagon tour and cancel/forfeit all deposits made with car and hostel booking. Driving on snow clad roads are truly a nightmarish experience which I was to find out soon enough...


Reached Gatwick airport South terminal on time. Like many other passengers, I was stucked in the airport due to delayed flight. There was 4 inch snow in the Dublin airport and the airport staffs were trying to thaw the ice. My flight which was initially scheduled at 130pm  was postponed to 430pm then to 630pm and later to 720pm. I had to call up the car booking agency repeatedly to inform about the delay and change the collection time. I had to call up the hostel in Drogheda as not all hostels allow check in beyond 10pm without notice. The long wait was not such a pain after all because I met Tina, a very nice Canadian girl. We were in the same flight. She is a very positive girl who was trying to cheer me up by saying that the snowing in Dublin is probably just for 1 day. How I wish that is true. The Queen of Narnia is back and she is meant to stay for a couple of months. The 4 inch snow on that day was just a beginning... 
Coming from a country which has worse winter, Tina reassured me that 4 inch snow is really nothing to worry about. She advised me on how to drive on snow which came handy in later days. What is interesting is, though Canada has colder winter, the days has longer sunlight just like Texas and air is more crisp and fresh. Seriously, that changes things. I hate the fact that sky becomes dark by 4pm in winter. Is just too depressing with prolonged darkness. I met a very kind Irish couple who gave me their contact number just in case I need any form of help. The Irish are very friendly and kind people. They have really BIG heart :)


The long wait became quite emotional at the end. A couple of passengers began to voice their dissatisfaction. The delayed flight changed things. For the nice Piers couple, they missed attending a funeral, for one of the girl, she had to fly back the next morning which really means she had only 8 hours in Dublin and for me, my initial plan to visit the shopping centres in Drogheda vanished into thin air.  What became the last straw that broke the camel's back was when another flight to Dublin that was scheduled at 630pm was allowed to take off in time way before us, the much delayed 130pm flight. The crowd flew into high rage at this unspeakable stupid move of Ryanair. There is no Ryanair office in Gatwick hence no spokeperson to complaint to. Alas, at 720pm we managed to board the plane and arrived at 840pm. 


Upon arrival at Dublin, I ran like mad woman to get my car because the collection time was 8pm. Reached the counter at 9pm. I paid for the full tank of petrol at euro60 and paid euro 88.83 for 6 days rental (included euro15 for booking fee!!!) My rented car is a new car...way beyond my expectation. It is a Fiat punto with manual transmission. Now, I have not driven manual car for some time since the last time I driven a manual rented car was in Kota Kinabalu early this year. Driving an european car is slightly challenging. I got confused with the fact that the lighting switch is on the left and the wiper switch is on the right. The petrol cap does not have a lever to open it, just use hand and use the key to unlock. There is heater and fog lamp. I had to fumble around to find the cigarette lighter point to plug in my GPS. And I had no idea that a reverse gear has an extra lever to press when using it. On the first night driving, I did struggle as I was not used to the GPS but thank God, I had the good sense to book a nearby hostel in Drogheda that is only 20-30minutes drive from Dublin airport. To go to Drogheda, exit south Drogheda at M1 motorway to avoid the tollbooth between Julianstown and Drogheda North.


Reached Drogheda fairly easy but I could not find the hostel! Drogheda is quite a big town with 2 Tescos and few shopping centres and many bridges. The problem with GPS is without the exact address or coordinates, is impossible to find a place without getting a bit lost. I circled around the town and landed at the railway station before calling the hostel and thank God again, found the place. There is no parking provided and I was supposed to park at the railway station which is 5min walk away. But the staff in Green Door Hostel was very kind. He allowed me to park just outside the hostel, helped to reverse the car (and taught me about the reverse gear) and even explained about the facilities in the hostel thoroughly. Unfortunately, the heater was off and it was freezing cold. Skipped bath (to my delight :p) and had warm chocolate before sleep. In the kitchen, met an Irish man who is really friendly. He works as a child entertainer and is involved with charity organization and plan to go India. Due to low season, I had the whole room for myself. I am the only girl in the whole hostel but somehow I felt safe. Later in the night, another Irish guy came in. He works in Drogheda but stranded because of the weather, unable to cycle back to Slane. First time in my life, a guy kissed my hand at introduction. I thought that kind of gesture only practiced by the French or during Victorian time in the movies. He is a friendly chap and we chatted a bit. It was a long day and I was totally wasted. Buried myself under the quilt to create an igloo effect and armed with my thick woolen socks, I fell into a deep slumber...

Ireland 27/11-4/12/2010: My first driving tour in Europe

Ireland will remain in my memory for a very long time. My tour in Ireland had been very eventful laden with many unfortunate events and I am very thankful to God I am still alive! Ireland is a very beautiful country but during winter, it takes a lot of physical and mental strength to be able to enjoy its beauty. One of the nurse said I am crazy to drive around Ireland. Now I know why.


Initially, I was contemplating to join a 6 days Paddywagon tour which would be much easier in winter, free of worries and cost lesser than to rent a car. BUT the travel itinerary does not include Newgrange and Hill of Tara in Meath county, Gap of Dunloe in Killarney and Glendalough in Wicklow county. After travelling in Scotland , I realized buses are infrequent during winter months. Hence, I decided to rent a car and drive on my own which is a mistake for someone who has never driven a european car nor driven on winter roads before. I have never learnt how to defrost a car! I even struggled on how to open the gas cap and frequently getting confused with light indicator on the left with windscreen wiper on the right (opposite in Malaysia). The european car is just made quite different from Malaysian car.


I planned an ambitious trip driving around Ireland for 8 days which is really a crazy thing to do in winter but I did not realize it until when I was actually doing it and by then, there was no turning back. Starting from Dublin airport, I drove north to Drogheda in Louth county, the  Meath county, Belfast, Antrim county, Londonderry, Cong in Mayo county, Connemara in Galway county, Galway city, The Burren, Ring of Kerry, Killarney and Gap of Dunloe, Glendalough in Wicklow and back to Dublin. For my friends who may want to drive around Ireland in summer, here are some tips:


1) Get a good GPS with updated maps. I drove around with an old GPS and the roads in Ireland are constantly changing even at the smaller cities. Ireland loves roundabouts with loads of new roundabout to confuse a new driver. I had to circle around the new roundabout at least twice to get the bearing of the old route shown in my old gps. You can imagine the "fun"/ "stress" I had. My GPS also does not stick well on the windscreen which I suspect related to cold temperature and slightly moist screen in winter. I had to put it down near the gearbox or hold it with my hand while driving which had caused many "near accidents". I had an accident in Tralee very near the roundabout when I looked down at the GPS :(


2) Get an accurate GPS coordinates of places of interest. Most tourism website in Ireland gives the coordinates but I did not realize the importance until it is too late. This was my first time using a GPS and I was ignorant about its function. It took me a day to get used to it and because it is an old GPS, it does not have list of POI  (places of interest) which I assumed it would have. I was using a Tom Tom and am not sure whether Garmin would have performed better. I manage to get few GPS coordinates for Hill of Tara, Newgrange and Monasterboice, and it did help to make the journey smoother. 


3) Renting a car: There is a grace period of 1 hour to the time of collection and returning the car. There is also extra charge for after hour collection which you need to check as it differs with each company. So, if your flight is delayed like mine, you do need to call up the agency to hold the car and update the collection time and your flight number or else you would be forfeited the deposit for NO show up and the car would be released to other customer. ALWAYS read the small print of the terms and condition.  Print it out and bring along with you. Many HIDDEN charges.  Some company requires you to pay for full tank of petrol and return empty tank OR return with full tank and get a refund. There is extra surcharge for collection of car in the airport and Dublin city. Some company even charge one way trip surcharge if you collect and return the car to a different place. For that reason, I collected and returned the car to the airport and took a bus from the airport to the city to escape from paying the extra charge. There is also extra insurance coverage that is called super CDW etc (different company, different names) that helps to reduce payment to zero or GBP100 in the event of excessive damage. But what I forgot to foresee or even ask the company is in the event that I wrecked someone's car, who will cover for that damage???. This happened to me in Tralee as I bumped into an Irish man's car. The normal CDW included in the car rental does not cover the damage on victim's car and the car rental company charged my card euro1000 as front payment . It gave me mini heart attack and I had to contact Nova to enquire about whether the extra insurance that I bought at GBP40 helps to cover the damage cost. Surprisingly, my Fiat Punto is undamaged. This Italian car is tough but the Nissan car of the victim was not so lucky...


4) Petrol: price changes every day.  A full tank of economy car cost about euro55. Needless to say, smaller city has cheaper petrol but the station may not be open during winter.  I was stupid enough to pump petrol near the airport before returning the car full tank. The price of petrol near the airport is ridiculously much higher than the city. Try to get receipt to claim VAT. The VAT here is about 21%, VERY high. The unfortunate thing is when I tried to claim VAT in the airport, all counters are closed and no one knows where to get the VAT reclaim forms.  I am not sure but I think you need to use credit card to purchase petrol in order to claim VAT because one of the information required in the form is your credit card number, flight number, address and passport number. 


5) Driving on the left. No problem for me...


6) Driving in winter. Do not attempt if possible. Is very slippery and can easily loose control. If it ever happens, grab the steering wheel tightly and pray hard. I was told not to slam the brake, just pump the brake repeatedly and slowly. But when panic sets in, it is difficult to remain calm. Try not to drive in thick snow area. Once the tyres get burried in the snow, you are stucked! A bit of slush is fine. And if going uphill, DO NOT ever stop, once stopped is difficult to get a good grip and get the car running. It happened to me in Eniskerry and my car just went backward instead of forward. A kind passerby called up a towtruck to get me out of the snow. The back tyres of my car were stucked in the snow. The Irish man who came to help is a very experienced driver. Instead of towing, he maneuvered the car and managed to get it out of the ice and even managed to back the car and moved it downhill so that I could reroute through the town to M50 motorway to Dublin.  I was told to drive uphill in gear 3 and downhill with gear 2 but I was driving mostly in gear 2 on the mountain roads. When turning a corner, be VERY extra careful. I lost control once and almost ran into bushes but somehow miraculously, managed to stop the car an inch away..
I had to learn how to defrost the car on spot. I did not expect Ireland to snow this early this year hence had not be Google-ing online to prepare myself for driving in winter. 
Do not trust your GPS in winter, use your common sense and gut feeling. The GPS always try to give the fastest route but it does not know about the safest route because it does not know about the snow condition. Once, GPS tried a murderous attempt on me by teaching me to go through the mountainous road from Newsbridge, through Blessington to go to Glendalough in the night! I realized I made a mistake half way through the journey but I had no choice except to move forward since the roads are narrow and icy and is impossible to make a reverse or u turn. The snow at the side of the road was more than 10 " thick. The GPS also taught me an uphill road to M50 from Powercourt House in Eniskerry that caused my car tyres to get stuck in the snow...Instinct told me that it was a bad road but I followed the GPS instead of my good sense and that was not wise at all.


7) Extra cost to consider: 
Parking: If park on the city street, there is hassle about finding a carpark and at some city like Galway, finding a spot is very stressful and parking can be very expensive.
For that reason, I only stay in hostel that provides free parking and walked around the city .
Places of interest: In Giant causeway in Antrim, you get charged GBP6 for the carpark and in Cliff of Moher euro 6 for the carpark. National Botanic Garden in Dublin charges Euro2 for the carpark.
Toll: Yes, the motorways are not free. Equip yourself with the information about the toll rates at www.nra.ie. Some are fairly easy to pay, the fees ranges euro 1.80-2.00 and some motorways has a toll booth where you can pay cash. But at M50 near Dublin, there is no booth and only electronic booth available whereby your car would be captured by the camera. One has to pay the toll online at www.eflow.ie before 8pm the next day to avoid fine for late payment.
Ferry: I had a shock of my life when the GPS directed me to drive into the sea when I was driving from Burren to Dingle. The fastest way is to drive to Killimer and get a ferry to cross the sea to Tarbert. It is also the fastest way to travel to Kerry county. Or you can choose to drive a longer distance to Limerick then to Killarney. In winter, time is precious. The cost of the ferry is about euro18 and it takes 20minutes to go across. The only problem is the schedule...it departs every hour and once you miss it, you have to wait for the next ferry in an hour time. But driving to Limerick will take extra time and the fuel burnt probably will cost euro 18 anyway. So make sure you plan your journey well to avoid missing the ferry.

Windsor Saturday 13th November 2010

Woke up at 630am to catch an early train to Windsor& Eton riverside station. The weather was amazing with no rain at all throughout the day! Tried to get concession fee for entrance to Windsor Castle when buying train ticket as advertised on national rail website. Somehow I felt so cheated when the Redhill rail staff said there is no such service here. Totally opposite of what was being said in the website. I could have bought the train ticket and plus bus ticket online but instead, I bought the train ticket at the counter to get Windsor Castle concession fee. Without plus bus ticket, ended up paying extra GBP 1.40 for return bus ticket from the hospital to Redhill town. Sigh, public transport is UK is so expensive...

Arrived early in Windsor. Outside the Windsor castle is King George V memorial. A short uphill walk around the castle brought me to the entrance gate. Even in winter, there were loads of visitor. Tour groups from France, Japanese, Chinese etc. There was already a queue outside before the opening time at 945am. Buying the admission ticket just took less than 10minutes though as the group tours enter from a different door.

The audio guide is included into the GBP 16 fee and it is really informative and easy to follow. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen. Its rich history spans almost 1000 years. It took me 3 hours plus to finish the tour but I missed the exhibition in the Drawing Gallery and Winchester Tower. I also forgot to get my ticket stamped to enable me to get free annual pass :(

                                                      The Round Tower, Windsor Castle

St George's Chapel

The State Apartment

Past the entrance, there is St George's Gate with State Apartments beyond it. Then while walking towards the Round Tower, one would pass by the battlement wall with small windows to shoot arrows. The Round Tower was used as fortress during war and is surrounded by a moat. Now the moat is a beautiful garden with small waterfall. Next is St. George's Chapel. St George is the patron saint for the order of Knights of Garter. The chapel has very impressive Gaelic architecture. The buttresses on the outside were built to support the high ceiling and arches inside the chapel. The chapel is the burial place of 10 England monarchs including King George VI ( Queen's father ), Queen Elizabeth  (The Queen Mother), King Henry VIII and Princess Margaret. One of the most beautiful marble carving is the one of Princess Charlotte's tomb. She passed away at age 21 from childbirth and the carving depicted her covered corpse and shrouded figures mourning at her deathbed. The carvings above it shows her ascending to heaven with angel holding her stillborn baby. The ceilings are magnificent and there many half body angels with wings holding musical scroll decorating the arches. At the altar, there is a special window built for Catherine, King Henry VIII's wife  to view the service from above. The altar is decorated with gold- coloured carvings and paintings. At the choir, there are flags of all order of knights being hung above. 

The next visit is to Queen Mary's Doll House. The doll house, completed in 1924 is a childhood dream comes alive. It was built for Queen Mary, King George V's wife with great detail and fine craftsmanship. The House has electricity, fully plumbed with flushable toilet and even has a mini vacuum cleaner. There is real wine in wine bottle in the wine cellar and the rooms have mini paintings on the wall. One can see the Queen's bedroom, bathroom, study, wardrobe, King's bedroom and bathroom, dining room, kitchen with china, cutlery and working coffee mill, maid's room, man's room, strong room for crown jewel and silvers. The 2 famous dolls France and Marianne, belong to Princess Elizabeth ( now The Queen)  and Princess Margaret are also at display with clothes, bags and shoes made by famous Parisian designer. Yup, jewellery by Cartier too. The dolls were gifts to the princesses during 1934 State Visit to Paris by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother). 

The State Apartment has many lavishly decorated rooms with wonderful paintings. The rooms were created for Charles II and Catherine of Braganza in1675-1678. St George's Hall is one massive hall where there is long table laid for 160 guests during State Banquet and it also holds service for the Order of Garter in June yearly. Other rooms are Waterloo Chamber, King's Drawing Room, King's Bedchamber, King's Dressing Room with Breughel's Massacre of Innocents painting, King's Dining Room, Queen's Drawing Room, Queen's Ballroom with famous drawing of King Charles I (beheaded)'s five children, Garter Throne room and The Lantern Lobby which houses silver collection and suit of armour belongs to King Henry VIII. The fire in 1992 is believed to start in the Lantern Lobby.

Beyond this is the Semi-State Rooms which were badly damaged during the fire. It was originally built for King George IV and designed to suit his taste. Now, it is fully refurbished and repaired.

 Sadly, no photography is permitted inside the cathedral, the Queen Mary's Doll House, the State Apartments and Semi state rooms. I wished I did not have to rush but since I have bought Legoland ticket online, I really need to move on as during winter, places close as early as 4pm.

Boarded a Legoland shuttle in front of the Theatre Royal. Again, is not cheap. A return bus ride which is just 15min one way cost GBP4.40. Legoland has quite a huge crowd. I can only imagine the crowd would have double or tripled during summer. The only reason I wanted to visit this place is for its Miniland. It does not disappoint. The Lego miniatures cover famous buildings and sites in London, Brighton, Scotland, France, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, USA etc. Thank God it did not rain that day. The rides are quite kiddy and to line up for the ride it takes 15-30min which is quite a pain. To beat the queue, one has to buy Q-Bot which is not cheap but worthwhile if you bring your kids along. For the adults, any rides that are close to exciting are located in the Land of Vikings, Knights Kingdom and Pirates Landing. In the Kingdom of Pharoahs, I tried Laser Raider which is really a stupid choice. I lined up for 30min or more and I had no time for Viking rides at the end. But then, there was ot much time to begin with after I finished with Miniland. For those that pay GBP35 admission fee, a day in Legoland is a must to make full use of its value. But since I paid GBP15 via online purchase, I did not feel the pinch too much. On certain days, there is firework too but not yesterday. This weekend is the last opening before it closes during winter hence the discounted ticket.

Waited for shuttle bus outside the Legoland entrance to get back to town. In town, spotted Kitchen Fudge shop and bought strawberry fudge. Then, bought 2 more packets of fudge in Mr. Simms shop in Windsor shopping center. Finished 1 packet of fudge yesterday (was my dinner) and the rest of the fudge today (breakfast and lunch). Really hope I do not become diabetic. Really consumed too much sweet stuff lately. 

Spent the whole day watching Hana Yori Dango Returns(Japanese version) with Italian subtitle while blogging about Canterbury and Windsor trips. It is really stupid but I could not find the ones with English subtitles. It did not matter much since I do know the storyline anyway...

Time to cook...tomyam fish and kailan for tonight. Needing a spicy and salty dish to offset the sugar overconsumption in the day :)

Canterbury Sun 31st October 2010

Procrastinated long to write this post. I was actually somehow disappointed with Canterbury . Maybe because everyone says how great is this place, my expectation was too high to begin with.

It rained from morning till evening on that day. Canterbury is located quite far east of Kent county. The rain and gray sky did not dampen my spirit. Travelled from Dartford with first available train. Had lovely egg omelette as breakfast before leaving thanks to Jon.

Just outside the train station is the medieval wall of Canterbury. It is a lovely view from the bridge that connects the station to the city. Beyond the wall is the historic Dane John Garden that dates back to 1551. Even in the dense rain, I quite enjoyed this garden. Lined with tress along the pathyway and a fountain in the middle, it is attractive in its own way. One can cut through the park to reach the heart of Canterbury, with its bustling streets and shopping centres. I got a bit lost within the shopping areas and took a while before I found the Canterbury Tales. Made a mistake here. The only reason I visited it before the Cathedral is because I assumed the Cathedral is only open at 12 on Sunday( tour is open at 12 but visitors can enter before 12). Had I visit the Cathedral first I would have 50% off the Canterbury Tales admission fee or got GBP5 off the fee using the coupon from Tourist office right opposite the Cathedral.

                                                 The entrance to Canterbury Cathedral

                                                       Streched my neck to gaze at this beauty

Gothic style cathedral just like the St George's chapel in Windsor Castle

The Canterbury Tales is quite fun in its own right but the admission fees is too high, GBP 7.95. Inside, audio guide is provided and visitors are guided from one tale to another. My favourite story is the one by Wife from Bath. Other stories are Knight's Tale, Miller's Tale, The Nun's Priest's Tale, and Pardoner's Tale. The stories were told by a group of pilgrims that were making their way to Canterbury to pay respect to St Thomas.

During winter months, Sunday is not a good day to visit. All the museums are closed hence there is really no point buying Canterbury pass. I wandered around the town to look for an open museum. Found Greyfriar's garden instead. A visit to the tourist center confirmed that none is open.

The next stop is the reason why everyone visits Canterbury. The entrance arch to the Cathedral is imposing. I stood back at the tourist office to take in the view. The medieval arch is like a starter to a main meal. Beyond the arch is a path that leads to the majestic cathedral. It is founded in 602AD by St Augustine, its first Archbishop. The gothic style architecture is apparent from the outside. The roof and ceiling are amazing. Really craned my neck gazing at the impressive arch and roof work. The cathedral had a bloody history. It is where St. Thomas was murdered by followers of King Henry II who was used to be a close friend to the archbishop. The Corona keeps a piece of relic from the crown of St Thomas which was struck off during the murder. The 12th century choir and high altar are quite a sight to behold too. Beyond it was where the shrine of St Thomas used to be. It has relocated in 1220 to Trinity Chapel. The stained glass windows are beautiful. Becket's miracle window is just one of them. Edward, the Black Prince, King Henry IV and his wife Joan of Navarre were buried here.

Outside the cathedral, it is worth to saunter around its vicinity. The Norman staircase was built in 1153 and it led up to Poor Pilgrims's Hall where the poor could stay for 3 nights free. It is now part of King's School. While climbing the staircase, I could not help wondering how it feels when the poor found this place of rest in the past.

After leaving the Cathedral, I walked around the city to St. Augustine Abbey , which was a monastery found in 598AD  by St Augustine and later became part of a palace. Now it is mainly ruins. I was reluctant to pay to see ruins and walked on to St. Martin's Church.

St Martin's church is the oldest functioning parish church in England. It was built in 597AD, a gift from King Ethelbert of Kent to his christian wife, Bertha. King Ethelbert was a pagan king. 

It is a small and humble looking church. From the outside, no one would have guessed how important this church is. It marks the start of christianity in Kent. In 597 AD, Pope Gregory sent Augustine on a christian mission to Kent and the rest is history.

Behind and on the hill behind the church is a lovely garden which I stumbled across by chance.

While walking back to the town, I passed by The Kings School, which was originally a medieval cathedral school. It is in fact the oldest extant school in the world, being first founded in 597AD by St Augustine. However, it is now a private school. Opposite the school is Lady Wotton's Green which has 2 statues of King Ethelbert and Queen Bertha.

Since the museums are not open, I left early after shopping for groceries in Tesco. Looking back I really should have shopped for boots here. Sigh...

Cheesy adventure

For the love of cheese, my greedy self managed to finish a 200g pack of cheese in 2 days! I am just so so so hungry nowadays and it correlates inversely with the ambient temperature. Weather forecast predicted temperature in Redhill to dip to low 1* C and I find myself thinking about food frequently at workplace. A friend suggested since I love cheese so much, might as write about it...


I have eaten white stilton with blueberries before and it tastes real good. So I tried british white stilton with apricots last week. It tastes ok but I prefer the former though and I wish the cheese taste is stronger and creamier. This week, I tried to be adventurous and tried Yorkshire Wensleydale with cranberries. It did not disappoint me. It has a mixture of sweet dried cranberries and sharp taste of cheese. I ate it with crackers, with oats or just by itself. The cheese became smaller and smaller and disappeared in no time :) 25 g of fat per day is a big number but I cannot think when I am hungry...

Rochester Sat 30/10/2010

It was a glorious sunny day in the beginning. Set my alarm at 730am but I overslept because I watched a Korean movie Changing Partners overnight and only slept at 4am after finish planning my Canterbury trip. So woke up at 930am instead! I panicked and got prepared in superhuman speed. Instead of cycling, I got into a bus. When I reached the town, it started raining...The weather is really unpredictable! I rushed to post office to collect my parcel. It was delivered to my home when I was dead asleep post night shift hence did not hear the doorbell rang. So I had to collect it at the office instead. It was my new crumpler Pretty Boy 5500 bag! Bought in ebay and really pleased with its quality. Not ciplak but original! It can fit my camera, a 500ml bottle, biscuit and umbrella (necessities for travelling). It also has a front pocket that can fit a wallet, handphone, passport and small notepad. The only thing is after a day of carrying it around, my shoulder became quite sore due to the weight :(

Got into a train to Dartford to meet Sherryne. I had not seen her for good 6 years I think. She looks exactly the same, as lovely as usual :) Train ride to Dartford was just about 1.5hr with 2 changes. Sherryne drove to Rochester and we reached there in less than 30minutes. Rochester is a lovely town. It is a town where Charles Dickens used to spend his childhood. It started to drizzle when we arrived but it lasted less than 10minutes and Miss Sunshine was out again after that. The weather was great for the rest of the day. We went to a pub to grab some lunch first before sightseeing.

The Rochester Castle is one of the best preserved Norman castle around. It was built initially in 1078AD. Much has been damaged in previous sieges. It has 3 square towers and one round tower. It is cold and breezy inside the castle and the view from the top is like sweet dessert after a main meal :) One get to see the beautiful expanse of Medway River, rows of yachts and the Rochester Cathedral. Entrance fee is £5. Audio guide has additional charge.

As we walked around town, we found The Six Poor Travellers House. It is a Tudor charity house founded in 1579. In the olden days, it provided free lodging for poor travellers and later used to treat soldiers during war. At present, it is a well maintained and charming house with a lovely herb garden at the backyard. Each bedroom has an ancient fireplace and a simple bed. There is no entrance fees!The Rochester Cathedral is the second oldest cathderal. It was first founded in 604AD but present nave was built in 1083 under Bishop Gundulf. The King's School was first built in 604AD and is part of Rochester Cathedral hence is the second oldest school in UK. The cathedral is certainly not as massive as the Canterbury Cathedral yet is beautiful in its own way. I love the crypt and  the Chapter Library Door.

Lastly, we went to The Guildhall Museum. The Rochester Guildhall was built in 1687 and  now is a museum. We like the Hulk, which is a depiction of what a hulk would look like in the olden days. Hulk is old or damaged ship that has been stripped of its masts and used as prison.

That end our journey in Rochester. We went back to Sherryne's comfy home in Dartford. Met up with Jon, Sherryne's hubby, a  bubbly and friendly chap. Had a great dinner in a nearby Indian restaurant after shopping in Asda. Then while watching Xfactor, had huge helping of raspberry pavlova. What a perfect day!  :D