In August of 2008 we did another tour by car by Europe. After the last experience, it didn't exist other thing in the world that we would wish more. Javi wanted to go to Austria, since a month and a half ago the Football Europe Cup was celebrated and Spain won the championship for second time in its history (the first time was in the sixties in the XX century). For me was OK, I always thought that Austria is a beautiful country. The only think that was sure was that this time I wouldn't lose the oportunity to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most famouse castles in the world (and more beautifuls, of course). This castle also was the one which Disney inspired himself for the Sleeping Beauty movie. Last year we didn't have enough time because it's 100 km away Munich, more or less.
In a few days, after deciding me and Javi and after a lot of hours looking for information in the computer: blogs, webs, etc, we compiled all the information we needed and we made the definitive tour:
So, the 8th August of 2008 at 00:00 we started our way on the road towards Luzdern, in Switzerland, with our little fridge with provisions, our luggage full of things and our hearts full of ilusions.
At 8 o'clock in the morning we're having breakfast in the hotel. We're alone and, although the buffet is narrow, we eat enough. Then we take de car and we go to Howth, which is a fishermans village where there are some cliffs. We know that the best cliffs in the island are in Gallowey, as yesterday told us the boy who was working in the souvenir shop, but is too far for us, so at the moment, we have to be content with these. It's very cold and so windy, but in the spite of the cold its worth it. It's a very nice place and we do a lot of photos.
After having seen the cliffs, we go back to Dublin. This time we walk along the Saint Stephen's Park, where there is a little castle and then we see the Saint Patrick's Church which it's closed in this moment. We visit the sorrounding streets, which all the houses have doors with different colours. Then we find a Shopping centre and we decide to get into, just to feel a little heat and we eat something. After having lunch we take again the car to go to Glendalough, which is a lovely village with some cliffls and stone ruins. The photos that are in the guidebook are so nice and last night our hotel receptionist advised us go to there.
Glendalough is a word we never forget. This is the third anecdote, and although is very fun, we didn't think the same in that moment....
It's 59 km away from Dubln and there's only a road that conect with it. I don't remember very well but I think that you couldn't go faster than 60 km/per hour and the road was in bad conditions. During the way became night and we thought that it would be sad see it by night because we couln't see the cliffs and the village very well. All is better with the day's light. But we were on the road and we didn't have other thing to do. The first dark sign appears: every 500 metres more or less, there is a poster where it's written " In the year 20xx x killed". We didn't know if was refered to the cars accidents or other things but was a little scaring. Suddenly GPS told us that we had to turn left, in a very dark road in the forest. The car goes and goes away but it seems we will never arrive. It's totally at night and we are completely alone in the dark. We don't see any house, any person and any car. There's nothing. It's like a scary movie. We are laughing but the truth is that we are a little scared.
We're sure that in any moment will appear a zombie or The Exorcist girl. For sure very near there is a cemetery with old headstones. Then, suddenly, just opposite the car appears a big stone gothic cross that makes that we were really scared. Javi tells "we go away already from here" and he goes as fast as the wheels creak. We pray so that the car don't have the great idea of brake because it would be terrible. We think that it's better left Glendalough for other ocasion and come back to Dublin. It's a pitty but it's the best. Anyway, I'm sure that someday we'll back to here and we'll visit Glendalough. After a big time we start to see some houses with Christmas lights. Now the nightmare it's over we laugh a lot about it.
We don't know how, but we spent all the afternoon and evening. We arrive to Dublin at 9:00 o'clock in the evening and we see a Tesco, where we buy some things to have dinner. We eat in the hotel room and, after speak some time, we go to bed. It was a hard day (specially the evening) and we're so tired. Tomorrow we have to come back home....
In december of 2007 we saw a very cheap flight to Dublin and we decided to go. We stayed three days and we hired a car that only cost 72 €. We were four people (Javi, my sister Silvia, her friend Ana, and me) this time, so we paid 18 € per person. Also the hotel was fine. The double room was 80 € per night with breakfast and the parking was free.
Dublin is the Ireland's Capital and a very nice city.
The most important to see in Dublin is:
- The Guiness Storehouse (the Guiness beer's Factory) - The trinity College (a part of the University of Dublin) - The Molly Malone's sclupture. It's not sure that she existed, but she's a very important legend in the city. - The temple bar, the pubs town and the most characteristic town of the city - Christ Church - Phoenix park - The Spire (the light monument) It's a monument of 120 meters of hight in O'Connell Street.
14th of december 2007
Today we have to wake up very early, but it's for a very good cause: Dublin is waiting for us!! We meet at my home and then Jose, the Javi's uncle takes us to the airport by car. We pass the save control, and we seat in the plane, that departures in a few minutes. During the flight I study very attentively the guide book to know better what to do and what to see, mi sister is studying, Ana tries to sleep and Javi is listening his Ipod. After almost three hours, we arrive to Dublin. We see the landscape from the plane and it's just the same image we thought: so green and full of cliffs. We do the firsts photos. Te day is horrible but at least it doesn't rain.
The first we have to do is to find the rent a car agency to take the car and go to the hotel, task for which our GPS is essential. The Javi's face is all a poem, is not easy for us driving to the right, because we are used to drive to the right and he's a little nervous. But after some minutes driving, he controls the situation. He's the best!
To be a little city, if we compare to Barcelona, London or Paris, there is a lot of traffic, and although the airport is near, we take more time that we thought for this reason. And here's the first anecdote of the trip: we can't find the hotel although the GPS is taking us towards there. In the street I see a man walking and I decide to ask him. I ask "Please, can you help me?" and he, with all the calmness in the world, say "no". The face that I have has to be very funny, because the man starts to laugh and tell me "sorry, I was jocking" and very nicely he explains us how to go to the hotel, which is very near. What a curious people, the Irish i think...
We find the hotel quickly. We install ourselves and organize the tour to see the city. We have a bus stop just in the hotel's entrance, so we decide to go by public transport, that way we don't have to spend money in the parkings or in the pay zone. We inform ourselves fine about the timetables and we go to the centre.
It's 3:00 o 'clock in the evening and it's getting dark, but as we are close to Christmas the city is full with beautiful lights and you can breath a special ambience. We start to cover the down town. We go across to the O'Connell Street and we stop in a Subway to eat something. Then we walk throug Henry Street and we see a Penny's. It's a very big shop with a lot of clothes and we take a look. Javi buys a coat, because his has broken and it's cold. Then we enter in the Temple bar town and we see the Ha Penny bridge, beautifully illuminated.
After to see differents Irish pubs where people don't stop to drink pints, we buy some souvenirs. And here we have the second anecdote of the trip: in a shop where we were buying souvenirs, mi sister asked for a price. The boy who was working in the shop answered and was very expensive for she, so she said "mother fuck!!" Then, he started to speak Spanish, while he was laughing. So we start to laugh to and to speak. He was Spanish too and was very funny.
We keep walking by the streets and see the Molly Malone's statue, the Trinity College and other buildings. It's 7 o'clock and we don't know what to do, we can't visit anything, so we decide to come back to the hotel. After having a shower we go down to dinner something in the hotel's bar. The receptionist is also Spanish and we speak a lot of time with him. Ana drinks a Guiness, but the rest don't like the beer, so we drink other things, like Coca-cola and water. Then it's late and we're tired, so we go to sleep. Tomorrow, more.
It's only one month ago since we were in Belgium and we come back again. This time we go to Antwerpen, not for tourism but a concert. We go to he Milk Inc's Supersized. We have the tickets since 6 months ago at least. We're so excited. The flight costs us 100 € go and back, the tickets 22 € and the hotel 50 € without breakfast (it's an Ibis)
We arrive to the airport of Brussels and we have to take the car we rent, but the company is not in the airport, but a little far and we have to wait for a free bus that takes as to an hotel and the rent a car company is just next to. Once there we take the car and our GPS takes to our hotel without any problem.
It's raining cats and dogs but anyway we go for a walk and to eat something. We don't take to much to come back to the hotel. It's a pitty but with this weather we don't feel being in the street. So we pass the rest of the evening in the hotel until 7 o'clock, when we go to the Sport Paleis, where the concert will be showed.
We park the car in a place very near of the Sport Paleis and we enter in the enclosure. There are some stands with food and drinks and also merchandising. The doors are still closed but we are living the ambience. It's 7:30 and the doors are open. We get into. I thought the people would enter like crazy, running but no, all is very tidy. We found our place very quickly. We will be standing up and we have a great view. We're very close, in the fourth line. One hour is missing so that it begins the concert while the place fills. I'm surprised because there are people of all the ages: children, old people, young people, adult people, etc. It sounds good music to entertain the people until the beginin of the show.
Finally, at 8:30 the lights go out and starts the concert. I'm grateful for the punctuality. Linda and Reggi appear on the stage.
I love the concert, the show is amazing ans we enjoy a lot. We make a lot of photos and videos and the best is that I can see the concert perfect (usually I can't because I'm very short) and I have enough space for myself (usually I can't breath). At 9:30 there's a break and Javi goes to buy some drinks. At 10:00 o'clock the concert begins again. At 11:30 the concert ends. What we liked the most was the song I faled with Regi and Scala. All thesse angelical voices singing at the same time it makes me feel like heaven. We enjoyed a lot and we love it, we come back next year for sure. We buy a CD that they recordered during the concert and here starts our odyssey.
Our GPS is blocked and we don't know how to arrive to the hotel, but it's like a labyrinth. Finally, after we were lost for a long time, we arrive to the hotel more than an houre after, and the worst is that it's only to 7 km to the Sport Paleis. We are so tired and we go to bed quickly.
29TH SEPTEMBER 2007
Today it's a perfect sunny day and the temperature is also good. On the square just opposite the hotel there is an enormous street market and we go for a walk. We buy some Belgium chocolate bonbons (the best of the world). Hear are cheapper than in the shops and also some tulip's bulbs to plant them. Then we take the car and we go to the Antwerpen's down town, that is nice, althoug there isn't too much: the pedestrian area with restaurants, bars and souvenirs shops, the cathedral and the Hall City Square with a beautiful fountaine.
Going out the down town you find the port. For some centuries, like the XV, XVI for example was the most important merchant port in Europe. Today it's the most important in Belgium and very important in Europe.
We see the castle, we walk for a while and we go to he airport to leave the car and take our plane to home. We say good bye to Belgium and we hope coming back the next supersized, the next year.
