Traveling Ireland on a Tightwad Budget (didn't work)

May 22-29, 2009

We had planned this vacation for quite some time. Scott's parents came to visit during the kids Summer mid-term break and we planned to see the southern half of Ireland on a driving tour.

So after Lawrence and Saralee acclimated to our time zone we drove over to the northern tip of Wales for a ferry over to Ireland. Scott flew over after work on Friday and actually beat us there to Limerick (close to the western coast of Ireland). He rented a car (because we already had a full van of 7 people). It was a long day of driving that didn't stop there!

Limerick

The first day in Ireland we took it easy. We just drove into Limerick to see King John's castle and then out to Bunratty Castle.

King John's Castle

King John's castle was interesting if you follow the Robin Hood story...King John was the unpopular king whose brother Richard was well liked. Not much was left of the castle but there were several exhibits that were interesting...especially the one about the foundations!

Bunratty Castle

As we walked around the grounds toward the castle we were SHOCKED to see two EXTREMELY large dogs (on a leash thankfully) walking towards us. They were authentic Irish Wolfhounds. And they were huge!...almost the height of Christina!







Bunratty Castle was interesting and TALL!












The narrow stairs seemed to go up and up. The first main hall feels like it is the main hall of the castle, but if you continue up there is yet another even larger hall. The furniture had to be brought in via the windows as the stairs were too narrow to bring the long planks used for the kings tables!


Lawrence knows when he's out- numbered!





The grounds also held sample buildings of what village life would be like in Ireland long ago. At first it seemed like it was just a few homes they relocated to give the impression of what a village would have been...but then it kept going! There actually was an entire village! It included just about everything you could think... a church, a wealthy landowners mansion, a mill, a farmers house (with stable INSIDE the house), doctors, store...just everything you could imagine.




Here is Madison's favorite house. It was the home of a well-to-do farmer in the area.





Since we were traveling on a super tight budget (and there were eight of us traveling) we We however, opted for the Shaffer Super Supper... pizza sandwiches cooked on our convenient portable grill!






Our dinners quickly became a long night of cooking with just one grill...but the demand was great! And everyone seemed to love the pizza sandwiches. Other nights we grilled burgers and hot dogs. Jeanne would grill while we watched an hour of Britain's got Talent. By the end of the show everyone was fed and full.








The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren

Another famous landmark of Ireland is the dramatic coastline of the Cliffs of Moher. Although a bit windy, we did enjoy the views!










They had an interesting museum that was built into the hillside. So after we went out to see the cliffs and the lighthouse we were able to warm up in underground.





Next we headed off to the Burren area. It was an EXTREMELY rocky area where there seemed to be no topsoil and only rocks. It was really interesting and different from anything else we have seen on our travels.






Unfortunately Madison's foot found a crevice in the rock (they were everywhere) and really hurt her ankle. She eventually did recover but it did put a damper on the day a bit.



The Ring of Kerry


We drove around a famous circular drive. It is known for it's fantastic views of ocean and mountains. It unfortunately was a bit cold and rainy, but thankfully it cleared up a bit when we came to a beautiful beach.







We were due to make sandwiches for lunch so it was perfect! A front seat view over the ocean!


Cobh, IRELAND

Scott's nephew is a Titanic history guru. From a very young age Ethan has been almost obsessed with any and all information about the Titanic. When his grandparents were planning a trip over here and he found out that they were visiting Ireland Ethan strongly requested that they visit Queenstown, Ireland since it was the last port of the doomed Titanic before it sank. So we dutifully typed into google maps "Queenstown, Ireland" to find out where it was and if it was possible. But the town of Cobh is what kept appearing. We researched and found out that the name had changed (Irish-English conflict...).


There was an immigration and transportation museum by the harbor that was interesting too. So, Thanks Ethan for your suggestion! We enjoyed the stop!






Blarney Castle

It seems that if you visit Ireland that you just can't miss kissing the Blarney stone... well at least seeing the Blarney stone for the germ-a-phobes (smile). So we went.

The downside to Ireland is the cost of everything. Everywhere you went (except the gas stations) the costs were much higher than expected. And the Blarney castle was no exception. Everything adds up so fast!

But we were quite pleased with our stop at Blarney. The castle ruins were interesting and the climb up was broken up with various rooms and views.

We finally made it to the top and didn't know what to expect... where was the stone? It was in the MOST obscure place! You go up the stairs, shimmy along the edge of the castle wall to the far side, get on your back and slide out and arch backwards with your head down an outside hole (you are held onto by a helper man)... THEN you pucker up and smooch the farthest stone down!



I really wanted to know WHO came up with this creative legend... Well, whoever it was they made Blarney castle a lot of money!





Above a video of Bryce earning "the gift of gab"








The views were great from the top though. It is amazing how things in Ireland really do seem a little bit greener than anywhere else!


Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny is a town that Jeanne's distant family originates. So it was interesting just to see the beautiful town. We stopped by the castle, ate lunch in the car and then walked to the castle. It is a square shaped castle with one side missing. It overlooks the river that flows through the city and has a massive front garden.




We walked through the various rooms on the tour but were most impressed and surprised by the extra long hall. It had incredible paintings and carved woodwork. It was kind of an elegant folk art style. Hard to describe, but beautiful.




Jordan just stared at the ceiling.














Bryce looks surprisingly similar to one of the former owners...








Then the girls checked out the new playground. They had so much fun we had a hard time getting them to leave!











We finally enticed them to leave with a moving game of "tig" (or tag).






Waterford

We arrived at the Waterford Crystal Factory for a factory tour...only to find out that Waterford went into bankruptcy and was sold to an British company who was going to relocate the factory to the York area. Wow! We were disappointed but at least we were able to walk around the factory store (selling their inventories) and watch a historical video of the Waterford company.























This chandelier cost about $50,000. Yikes!



We drove up the coast on the way to Dublin and found a beautiful small beach to rest and play. As typical for our family, we thoroughly enjoyed playing in the surf, climbing rocks and skipping stones.









Dublin

The highlight of Dublin was easily the Trinity college library. In it is located several priceless books. The book of Kells and several other early christian books. The book of Kells was created around 800 A.D. by Celtic Monks.


It is a beautiful piece of artwork primarily but textually it contains the four gospels. In the museum it was interesting because the book of Kells was housed at a location that caught on fire more than 10 times in 14 years (going by memory)...and THEN they decided to move it to Trinity college for security reasons. I laughed and laughed when I read that.



Lawrence was thrilled to see that the college had a physics department and really wanted to take a peek. So while he popped in for a tour the rest of us went to their exhibit titled Infected...


Quite honestly, it was scary to enter. They made the hall appear like a danger zone with plastic vapor barriers and yellow warning streamers. When we finally gathered up enough courage to enter they gave us each a computer chip that we wore on a lanyard. It was an interesting concept... you were not infected when you began your journey in through the exhibit, but if you came into close proximity with someone who was infected you could and would (after a period of time) become infected. When you became infected a very small light would blip on the back of your computer chip so you would then know that you were "sick".


There also were computer monitors on each floor where you could see small shapes with identifying numbers beside them. Red meant infected and green meant clean. It was interesting because at one point the only person who was red in the entire building was Bryce. Then a group of school children came in and Bryce had a bunch of unknowing victims! Jeanne and the girls stood in front of the computer and watched the epidemic unfold before our eyes. Then the school children started to squeel and run around. Bryce was having so much fun (sounds like him, huh?)


At first Christina was a bit traumatized by the whole ordeal. She really didn't want to be infected and would wail that quite loudly throughout the exhibit. Consequently she spent most of her time standing in front of the "healing" computer.



They also had a really cool table that you strapped a wrap around your head and if you put off Theta brain waves. If you were relaxed you sent more of them. So the goal is to relax so you win...it's a hard combination!





Madison and Christina battled it out "relaxing" for about 15 minutes when finally laughter cause Christina to loose it. What a great job competing though!







It was a fun exhibit. And Lawrence had a great time meeting a fellow physicist who worked in a surprisingly similar field as Lawrence did! But the kids were tired of traveling and were in a complaining mood so all we heard was...

I'm hungry

I'm thirsty

I'm B O R E D

I'm tired

I'm cold

I'm hot

It's amazing how persistent kids can be! Scott had to leave that evening for his flight back home. So we left the Trinity college in the hopes of finding a castle and eating a picnic lunch. But Irish roadsigns are TERRIBLE and our Tom Tom wasn't any help either...it took us to a golf course! (we live by our Tom tom and when it fails we are so lost!) We drove around for an hour and finally gave up. Lunch ended up being at a gas station. Sigh.

Scott had to leave to fly back for work the next day while we had planned to drive back. But the kids were really tired of traveling and driving so he almost had two stow-a-ways for the flight home.

Early the next morning we woke up to catch the ferry back. It was a LONG drive back and we made it about the same time Scott did from work on Friday.

Next time I think we'll fly.

Jordan's Dad came to visit!

May 5, 2009

Jordan (Jeanne's sister's son) has been living with us since the end of August 08. It was supposed to be a 4 month stay until Christmas-time. But Jordan enjoyed it here so much that he decided to stay through the end of the year! He was able to visit home in Alaska for a few weeks at Christmas but it was really short for his dad who was only able to see him for one week due to his work schedule on the North slope of Alaska.

So.... when the opportunity for him to visit for almost a week arose he took it. We were on our way home from our trip to Egypt (3 am driving past Heathrow) and we picked Jareth up from the Heathrow Travelodge next to the M25 circular road around London. It worked out great. We were all exhausted but talk about efficient!

Jordan really loves his Dad and his Dad really loves him. It was a special visit where Jareth was able to visit the school which Jordan has really enjoyed. Jareth also really liked looking at the travel map of the places Jordan has been to in Europe with us. But the time went fast and he was going back so soon! Thankfully for the Demientieff family Jordan will be coming home soon!

Work week for Bryce

April 3, 2009

In the UK, students are required to have a work experience week as part of their education. Kirkstone house school typically has their work experience the week after returning from Easter. We, however, moved the boys job assignment to the first week (of their month-long spring break). Our original travel plans changed but it still worked out beautifully for us to be able to travel to Egypt.

Anyway, Jordan landed a dream his dream job of working in a computer repair center while Bryce's assignment was to the Royal Air Force Fire Brigade. Although it wasn't Bryce's first choice it still was interesting for him.

One of the days he was able to watch Harrier jets land and take off... cush job, eh? Other days they cleaned, polished and tested their equipment. The most exciting day for him was the smoke house where they practiced rescues in a burning building
...and they let him don the equipment and go in!!!!! YIKES!

Bryce lived to tell the stories though and it will be a very memorable experience.

Another trip to the ER

Bryce was prepared to take his GCSE test in biology on Wednesday. It was scheduled to start in the afternoon. But during break time Bryce and his friends were tossing around a rugby ball when they collided going after a ball and Bryce came up the loser.

It looked like Bryce had dislocated his ring finger so the school promptly took Bryce to the Emergency room in Stamford.


When Jeanne met up with Bryce he was just waiting for an x-ray. It came back with a fracture at the base of the finger.



When Bryce curled his finger his ring finger would twist over. That meant it needed to be straightened. They gave laughing gas during the procedure. He's smiling in this picture but Jeanne stopped taking pictures when they started to work. It was very painful. But Bryce was an incredibly brave kid.


Sometimes there are moments as a parent where you wish for anything to make it better but you can't, and then you look again at the situation and realize how much your "child" has matured and are proud.

After another x-ray we were told that we would need to go to a fracture clinic next week. That's the UK heath system over here! It was further complicated because we were to leave for Ireland for mid-term break.

But a miracle occurred when there happened to be an orthopedic doctor was AT the hospital (it was his clinic day), AND they had purposely half-booked his schedule with easy patients because his fellow doctor was out at a conference. SO... the doctor had lots of free time to see Bryce. The funny thing was that the nurses wouldn't have even asked if the doctor could see Bryce if Jeanne hadn't said that we were going to have to cancel our trip to Ireland. Then the nurses tried extra hard to work something out. YEA!!!!

We went into the office and after looking at the second x-rays the doctor then asked Bryce "how brave are you?" Which meant he needed to pull, tug and bend his finger some more. After much pain Bryce had a much straighter finger that didn't twist when bent.

The teacher who had chaperoned Bryce was required to do so because she had to vouch that Bryce hadn't received any text messages or met anyone who passed information about the test that was to be given. Weird but we won't complain because she was extremely helpful and nice. As they say over here..."no worries".

To top it all off Bryce left the hospital in a blaze of glory...the teacher who brought him had a convertible and put the top down. Bryce obviously felt very cool. We (Jeanne, Grandma and Sarah Rodman) watched Bryce drive off with his good fist punching up in the air shouting "YEAH!"

On the way back to school he told the teacher "I don't want to come here again, but if I do, I want you to bring me!"

:-)

Trip of a lifetime! 3 country middle-east tour

We arrived late to the three-corners resort in Taba Heights. We had booked last minute (for us) an all-inclusive trip with Thomson tours. We chose this tour for several reasons:
1- because of it's proximity to Cairo and Jordan it allowed us to visit both the pyramids and Petra which were must-sees for us.
2- because the older kids would only miss a small amount of school as their work experience week overlapped (which they had already completed).
3- the cost was pretty reasonable.

In the morning Christina awoke to Jeanne telling her that the red sea was just out our window. She was hysterical because she thought it was going to be red. Here is the video of her.

The first day at the resort we just relaxed and got our bearings. Scott and Jeanne had planning issues and money issues to solve.

(Note to any others contemplating a trip to Egypt/Jordan: bring lots of USD. Cash machines don't work well and everywhere easily exchanges for USD. Also bring lots of singles as tips are expected everywhere you go).

The resort was great. We arrived finally at the beach a bit late for snorkeling but we got a few minutes in while the sea was glass smooth. It was great!

Mount Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery

The next morning we got up early to meet our taxi-van. This was prearranged with a tour guy from Cairo for $330 a day. We drove to St. Catherine's monastery and Mt. Sinai. We saw the burning bush. It was supposedly taken from a cutting from the original burning bush which is now located inside the chapel. There also is a well there where Moses met his wife. But the monastery was very crowded and we didn't see much because of the crowds. The kids and Scott then climbed up the opposite mountain for a birds-eye view of the valley. The kids are so funny in that they just love to climb rocks and explore! They saw that mountain and couldn't resist! Although we had originally planned to walk up to the top of the mountain we realistically didn't have time. I guess we always have to leave something to do next time!

Cairo

From there we drove in our van to Cairo. We were accompanied by one driver, one guide and one "tourist police". The tourist police officer is required for foreigners. There were numerous checkpoints along the road. The road would have bumps and barriers and require stopping in front of police shacks. When I looked I could always see a police officer located somewhere in a turret with an automatic rifle facing the road. It was a bit unnerving, but we were told it is to control the unauthorized movement of Egyptians in the Sinai peninsula not for control of us foreigners. They faithfully checked the license of the driver every time we stopped.

Anyway, back to our trip... The Sinai peninsula is completely barren. The mountains are all dry rock and rubble. There didn't seem to be anything green for miles and miles. However, on our way to Cairo from St. Catherine's we did find an oasis of sorts with palm trees growing everywhere. It was interesting!

The roads were very windy and desolate. The sand blew over the roads and made for interesting driving. But the long 6 hour drive was made even more interesting because of the manner in which Egyptians drive! They really like the middle of the road and will pass at any time! Two official lanes are easily made into 3 or 4 by crowding and jocky-ing. We just were amazed that there weren't any wrecks especially in Cairo!

We arrived late for dinner and met by our official Cairo guide. The hotel that Jeanne chose was not ideal. But we endured the single pane windows facing a busy street... When we woke we saw a beautiful sight of the pyramids. We were excited for our day to start!





First stop was the Egyptian museum however. Jeanne was quite enthusiastic about seeing king Tut as we had missed the tour when it came to London.


The thing that was amazing was that the mask isn't painted as it had appeared in pictures. The blue and colors are actually inlaid stones! It was really beautiful!

The thing about Egypt (and especially Cairo) is that it really is dirty. We had been warned that the money was filthy and that we had to have plenty of hand sanatizers. Jeanne thought she was going way overboard with the constant handwashing and anti-bacterial wipes that we used...but it wasn't enough. Madison still got a bit of the tummy bug. Fortunately Scott had prepared with purchasing the medicine ahead of time. The other fortunate thing was that it hit when we had access to toilets in the museum. Egypt doesn't have many toilets. Thank God the medicine works fast!

We went on to a buffet lunch and then to the SPHYNX and the PYRAMIDS!

We walked around the Sphynx first alone...well not quite alone...our tourist police officer accompanied us. It did make me wonder if he was there to watch us or to protect us... Our tour guide was muslim and had to pray at that certain time. It worked out fine as we were able to explore around the sphynx and get some good pictures.




Okay, maybe this isn't a great picture...but it is funny!






Finally, we drove to the other side the hill where we entered the pyramid area. We walked around the great pyramid. It took a lot of restraint on our kids part to not try to climb the pyramid. Those stones were calling out their names, but they refrained. It's a good thing too because it doesn't appear that you would want to cross those police! There were also plenty of sales vendors and boys pestering you to ride their camels.

The blocks were absolutely enormous! They varied in size but were all transported from other areas. The pyramids are built on a bedrock foundation. The interesting thing is that for 3,800 years the great pyramid remained the tallest man-made structure in the world. It was unsurpassed until the 160 meter tall spire of the Lincoln Cathedral (only one hour away from us in Manthorpe) was completed in 1300. COOL!

We drove up to the tour bus vantage point where you can see all three large pyramids. There we got our family photo that we've been wanting! Surprisingly, we were there on a day where Cairo actually got a smattering of rain. But our photo still turned out great!

This may end up our 2009 Christmas photo!


The kids were so excited to be able to ride a camel down to the second pyramid. Madison made a funny face when the camel looked at her strangely. It was hysterical!

We were then able to climb into the center through a tunnel. The tunnel height was quite short. Only Christina was able to stand upright- the rest of us had to walk or crawl bent over. The oxygen was low and the humidity was high. But we made it! I would never try it on a hot summer day though! Unfortunately, they took my camera before we went in and we weren't allowed to take photographs. I did find someone who had videotaped it and posted it to you tube. So if you're curious you can watch it.
Entrance to the tunnel of the second pyramid (Khafre). Our guide told us that the tunnels were the same as the great pyramid and the cost was significantly more so we opted for the cheaper experience.



Crossing the borders Taba-Eilat-Aqaba

We woke up early again for an uncertain day. Obtaining information on the crossing was difficult and we had a number of uncertainties. We also had been strongly discouraged by various Egyptians who wanted us to stay in Egypt. They obviously didn't trust the Israeli's. There was a ferry that crosses from Taba to Aqaba that would have been ideal but they charged full price and really only allowed for one day tours. We were wanting two days and the logistics just weren't working. So we had to resort to the uncertain land route.

It actually turned out perfect. Our taxi from the hotel dropped us off at the border. We bought our egyptian duty stamps (licked with our anti-bacterial wipes) and easily crossed over the no-man's land into Israel. We went through Israeli security very easily. In fact, as American's we were greeted warmly and with smiles everywhere we went!

We met a taxi on the other side who radio-ed for another car to take us all over to the Jordan crossing. Again no problems...US dollars worked fine.

Petra

Jordan was especially welcomed with his name matching the country. The security all thought it was wonderful! We got tons of "Jordan in Jordan" pictures.

We were met by our prearranged minivan taxi (through our hotel in Petra) and continued on to Petra. Scott struggled again with a cash machine but we finally were able to check in and get to exploring Petra.

Petra actually was #1 on Jeanne's must-see list...which is why we were so persistent in trying to cross the borders. And it truly was worth every bit of trouble. We walked down a wide road that sloped down to the valley. We saw an occasional carved building but we were all surprised by the beauty of the rock when we made it to the Siq. It's a strange word, but it is the narrow crevasse of rock that was used by the Nabataeans as the entrance to their elaborate city. It winds and meanders down and down. Water was difficult even back then, so they used the water that flowed down from the Moses spring to feed an aquaduct. They carved it into the rock also.


The brilliant reds in the rocks have earned the Petra the name of the "rose-red city". We exited the siq to be faced with the most enormous, mind-blowing building that was carved INTO the rock face... the treasury. It is where the Nabataeans collected their road taxes. Since Petra was the crossroads of travel taxes are where they obtained their wealth that they flaunted in their amazing rock buildings. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Nabataeans they are thought to have originated from the wandering beoduin tribes of the desert. They formed a connection of oasis in the desert trade routes and charged taxes of those who used their roads. They were conquered in about 300 BC and then had their gradual decline under the Roman empire's control. Then they mysteriously vanished. The city of Petra became a legend and wasn't discovered again until 1812 when it was found by a Swiss explorer.


Can you imagine discovering this place and walking through the beautiful Siq and walk straight into this carved building! What an incredible sight!
From the treasury we continued down into the wider valley where they mixed carved buildings with constructed buildings. We then walked up to the upper market area and behind to catch a trail that wound up to the high altar.


The trail led through a roman soldier hall and then continued up. We were a bit perplexed as we knew the trail continued on but we couldn't see anywhere to walk. We were surrounded by steel walls and carved buildings but no pathway! Finally, we discovered the hidden stairway up. It was getting late an there was no one else on the paths to help with directions or information. But we continued on...

Here's a fun video in Petra.


The stairs were steep and seemed to go on forever. The views were fantastic but Jeanne was starting to get worried about making it OUT of Petra before Dark. We weren't to the top yet so we kept climbing. We had seen a video about Petra and we knew what the high altar was supposed to look like but we actually never found it. We were running out of time as the sun was setting. Petra is not a place we would want to be after dark without flashlights! So we took pictures from the top of an amazing lookout over the Petra valley. I wish we had more time. But we needed to climb down.










A view from the top!


Again the stairs were steep and provided a great cardiovascular workout...even going downhill!

When we finally made it down we discovered Petra was nearly deserted. We walked back to the treasury and were able to get some great photographs with no one else in them! The walk back up the Siq was absolutely amazing.

Words can't really describe and pictures (even the great ones we got) don't seem to do it justice. But it was very likely the best day of our entire traveling adventure over here in Europe.

Wadi Rum

We were absolutely exhausted with sore feet and tired muscles from our walk into Petra the previous day. We considered going again and trying to visit some of the sights that we didn't get to see...but opted to take the taxi home via Wadi Rum instead. Wadi Rum is one of the sights where the movie Lawrence of Arabia was filmed. And it really is beautiful. We were able to take a 2 hour ride on the back of a jeep. That in itself was an adventure! (see below video)

We stopped at a spring where the kids climbed up the mountain to see the spring (can you hear the music...climb every mountain...). Then Madison was able to finally roll down a sand dune. She had been asking the entire trip to find some sand dunes and then we were at one...a RED one!





The kids had a great time playing in the sand.

We completed the tour with a climb into a canyon (not near as impressive as Petra) and a stop at a Nabataean building outside of the current tribal village. It was yet again a wonderful day.

We crossed the borders with a significant delay in the Israeli security section (a tour bus with luggage was ahead of us). But we still made it across, called our Israeli taxi man and made it back to Egypt.

Here is a picture of Madison in the Jordan-Israel border of the no mans land. There was a sign behind that there were mines in the ground between the fences. But truly everyone was exceedingly friendly to us.

We were surprised by the ENTRANCE tax imposed at the Taba border. And although we didn't have enough cash our taxi driver from the hotel thankfully loaned us the money. Another example how important it is to have extra USD with you when you go to Egypt!




Taba Heights

We had one more DAY of relaxing at our hotel and snorkeling as our plane didn't depart until the evening. We all really enjoyed the last day in the sun.

Even Christina (who had been working up to it and practicing in the pool) decided to try to snorkel in the ocean. There was great coral and lots of fish to see. It was a great place to learn how to snorkel!

When we arrived at the airport we were shocked to see how lax their security was. Jordan had a 2 liter bottle of water that he sent through their unmanned x-ray machine. We walked through with it fully visible! Then the man who was standing by the human metal detector left! People were walking in and out! Taba functions only for charter planes but we still were a bit unnerved by the lack of security!

Here's a funny video that we shot at the time. Watch for Bryce's facial expression. What a hoot!

The kids all decided that they wanted to come back to the hotel again. It was the trip of a lifetime!

Tour of the middle east

Well... we made it!

This trip has been the trip of a lifetime. We have so many wonderful photographs. In fact we have so many that I had to rethink how to display them. For now you can view a slideshow video that we combined with still photographs and video. Please allow time for the video to load...it will be worth it!


Here are our other videos (much shorter) that are worth viewing.








We also had the opportunity to climb into the pyramid. They didn't allow photographs or video, but someone else broke the rules and posted it to Youtube. If you're curious you can view a portion of the crawl with this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vwl9UU0THg






More to come soon...