More Dublin Adventures

From my Ireland Vacation in May 2010

Christ Church Cathedral

During my first day flying solo (my husband went to work to meet his Irish, Intel counterparts),  I planned to take a carefully thought out walking tour of Dublin called Castles & Cathedrals.  I donned my best tourist costume complete with camera around my neck, over-sized bag with umbrella, and map in hand.  Having studied my tour ahead of time I mistakenly believed it was quite straight forward.  I found the starting point, number one on my walking tour, with no problem.  Although I have to admit it was the Tourist Center which I already seen the day before and it was across the street from our hotel. 

After the Tourist Center, while looking for stop number two, I quickly realized I didn't see street names.  This could be trouble, I thought to myself.  I had already learned street names were posted on buildings so I looked on all the buildings around me and saw no sign of the names.  The Tourist Center was on the corner so there were two different nameless street choices.  I picked the one that looked correct although neither of them seemed to really match up with the map.  I started walking; searching for any street name at this point to tell me I was on the right track.  

Dublin Castle Courtyard

Still not having any luck making sense of the map, I finally gave in and asked for directions and found I was indeed on the right track to my second stop, Dublin Castle.  Victory!  Once there, I looked around the outside courtyards of the castle.  Other than a remaining tower from the 13th century, there was not much to indicate it had been a castle.  In 1673 it burned down and was rebuilt as a palace.  I decided to book a tour to see the inside and signed up for one that would start in two hours.

Audoen Cathedral

With time to kill, I wanted to find stop number three on my walking tour before heading back to Dublin Castle.  Stop three was St Patrick's Cathedral which proved to be quite illusive.  I found Christ Church Cathedral, Audoen's Cathedral and seemingly every other cathedral in Dublin but there was no sign of St Patrick's Cathedral.  I even popped into a local store to ask for directions from a friendly clerk now and then but still ended up at the wrong cathedral.  At least it was a good excuse to hear the lovely Irish accent!  After walking around in frustration for over an hour, my Dublin Castle tour time was approaching and I was getting hungry.  

Inside Dublin Castle

I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to see St Patrick's Cathedral before Dublin Castle and headed back for a quick lunch at the Castle Café before the tour started.  I felt like I had spent the first half a day walking in circles so I was relieved to be on a guided tour in which I was fairly certain not to get lost!  The tour didn't disappoint, it was packed with Ireland's checkered history and I got to see quite a bit of the inside of the lovely and ornate palace which is still used today by Ireland's government.  The tour also included an excavation site of the original castle wall first built by the Vikings and then improved upon by the Anglo Normans.

Bird Outside St Patrick's Cathedral

After the Castle Tour, I was determined to find St Patrick's Cathedral and was pretty sure I finally knew where it was.  Adding to my desire to see this particular cathedral was the fact that I had just learned from my tour that St Patrick at one time had converted every single person in Ireland to Christianity.  Now that is mighty impressive in my book.  I walked out through the back entrance of the Castle and came right up to St Patrick's Cathedral.  It was so close this entire time and not so illusive after all!  I have never claimed to be gifted with directions but I'm telling you that map I was using did more harm than good.

Inside St Patrick's Cathedral

I paid (yes paid) 4.50 Euros to see the inside of St Patrick's.  I was a little alarmed at having to pay to go inside a church.  Actually, I was quite alarmed, but if the money is going to help preserve a historic treasure (and hopefully it is!) then I think it's worth it.  The cathedral was dark and seemed almost gothic to me.  There were lovely stained glass windows as I would expect and there were many tombstones which I did not expect.  After seeing the rich and decadent Cathedrals in Italy, this one couldn’t possibly compare but the Irish were much poorer than the Italians so in that respect this cathedral was very impressive.  The incredible acoustics are what struck me the most about St Patrick's Cathedral.  I was fortunate to arrive during choir practice.  The choir's pure voices gave me chills as they sang out so beautifully in the big and open church.  I swear a sound that beautiful could bring world peace.  I soaked in the moment and knew this was a travel moment to be filed in the enrichment files of life!

The Streets of Dublin

After finally finding the right cathedral, I walked around the streets of Dublin soaking in the Irish culture.  I decided to abandon the official walking tour which was bringing much frustration and just enjoy the vibrant city of Dublin. I was not surprised when I ended up at the Temple Bar Pub.  I would have walked on past in favor of a nap (after all, I had already jogged 3.5 miles and walked at least that as well) but the live music beckoned me and drew me in.  This time it was just one man with his guitar, singing beautiful Irish songs that were a bit slower   than the previous night's music.  Like last night's music, his voice was pure and melodic.  The Irish seem to be gifted in this manner and I was starting a new found appreciation for traditional Irish music.  Although this day did not quite go as I had carefully planned, it was a terrific day of exploration in a wonderful European city and I did get to see a lot of cathedrals!

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels!  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.

Dublin- Pubs and Cathedrals

From my Ireland Vacation in May 2010

Transatlantic travel is not easy for me but the reward is well worth it.  This journey took me from Denver to Newark to Dublin and somewhere along the way I lost an entire night which I normally conveniently use for sleeping!  I do think it is fascinating to fly east.  Suddenly it is dark and then boom, it's light again and it's the next day.

My husband, Mike, and I arrived in Dublin at 7 am while it was midnight back in Denver.  My body was fooled by the daylight and the excitement of a new city.  I was wide awake!  Getting through customs and reclaiming our luggage was almost effortless.  Time to get a taxi and see Dublin!  I love taxi drivers.  I almost always find they are knowledgeable about their city and enthusiastically share if asked.  Our driver did not disappoint; with his valuable information or his lovely Irish accent.  He shared very important points such as one can get a beer (I would later come to refer as a pint) in Dublin 24/7 if one should desire.  He also gave us a good layout of the city and ideas of what to see.  I kept asking more questions, I just couldn't get enough of the accent!

Enjoying our 1st Guinness at Dublin Westin

We arrived at our hotel, The Westin Dublin and it was a beautiful and sunny, yet brisk Sunday morning.  The streets were quiet and most shops were closed.  We walked into the lovely lobby of our hotel which was originally a bank according to our taxi driver.  While checking in we were informed a double room was not ready but they would put us on priority and try to have one ready within a couple of hours.  As it was only 8:30 am, I was not expecting a room to be ready but I was quite impressed with the urgency with which she wanted to get a room for us and with how apologetic she was that there was not a room yet.  While she was helping us, a group of smiling Americans came down the stairs and said a hearty hello to the concierge.  They all knew his name and all seemed to genuinely like him.  That is one of the biggest reason I love to travel, people are happier, friendlier and more relaxed while on vacation.  It's a great time to meet new people from all over the world.

Dublin Castle

After checking in and leaving our bags behind, we ventured out on foot to find a latte.  We walked a couple of blocks to Grafton Street, a well known shopping area of Dublin and stopped at Bewlys for our coffee.  The latte was good and I shocked to see that they had Guinness on tap, at a coffee shop!

The coffee kept the sleepless night away for a bit longer so we walked around Dublin in search of the Dublin Castle.  We didn't have to walk long before we found a locked gate to the castle.  I tried to look through to see what I could see of the castle but all I saw was another church.  

St Patrick's Cathedral

So far I had seen almost as many churches as pubs but I was pretty sure the pubs still outnumbered the churches.  We walked past more ancient, beautiful churches made of stone, most notably the Christchurch Cathedral but could not go in the churches unless we wanted to attend mass.  I was beginning to see Sunday morning was not the best time for a sleepless introduction to Dublin.  The shops and tourist attractions were closed and despite the taxi driver's promise of beer 24/7 and my witness of beer on tap at the coffee shop, it was too early for a beer.  I needed some excitement to keep me awake or my room to finally go to sleep, but we still had an hour before our room was supposed to be ready.  

The Famous Temple Bar Pub

We powered through a little longer and kept walking.  I did enjoy the sights and the sun which I wasn't expecting to see much of.  We walked along the river then ended up at the famous Temple Bar, a charming red corner Irish Pub.  We continued down the street and saw a couple more colorful pubs that were all closed.  Few people were out and the streets were quiet and relatively clean.  As walking zombies, we couldn't take it much longer so we headed back to our hotel and found our room ready early!  

The Auld Dubliner - One of my Faves!

After a 3 1/2 hour nap, I awoke refreshed and ready to go.  Outside, I found a transformed Dublin.  The streets were bustling with people and the pubs were packed with people and live Irish music pouring out.  I was amazed at how alive the city was on an early Sunday evening.  We ate at a traditional Irish restaurant and I was pleased to see a vegetarian section on the menu.  As a vegetarian, I wasn't sure what to expect as meatless options.  I chose the vegetable enchilada and it was delicious.  After dinner I was ready for dessert, a freshly poured Irish beer at a traditional Irish pub.  I was chomping at the bit!  This is what I'd been waiting for; time to get a piece of the local life.  We chose the famous Temple Bar, sat down at the bar and ordered a couple of Smithwicks.  A live band of 3, (a guitar, violin and accordion) was playing and every table was full.  Almost everyone was drinking beer and everyone was smiling, including me.  And so ended my first day in Dublin, enjoying a pint in an Irish pub listening to live traditional music with the love of my life by my side.  It was a wonderful introduction to a city that would capture my heart in the days to come!

Click here for more pictures from my Dublin adventure!

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels!  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.

St Maarten/St Martin - One Small Island, Two Great Countries

From my Norwegian Epic Cruise in Nov 2012

A beach off the Philipsburg Boardwalk

Today was a great day!  I started out the day by sleeping in until 8:15 am.  This was frustrating because I had been waking up a 5 am the  previous days and not able to fall back asleep.  On the day I wanted to wake up early to watch us pull into St Maarten, however, I had slept in and missed one of my favorite cruising delights.  I didn't let it bring me down though, because I did need the sleep to get over my stubborn cold.  Plus, with an entire day in St Maarten, I knew I still had plenty of time to explore. 

Marigot, on the French Side

I really wanted to check out Marigot on the French side because I didn't go there my first time in St Maarten.  I easily found a taxi stand at the ship pier and shared a cab with a nice couple from FL.  By sharing, my fare went from $18 to $8, score!  They talked my ear off on the way to Marigot so I didn't take in too many of the views but they were nice when I remembered to look.  On the radio was reggae Christmas music which I found to be nothing short of  awesome!  The driver pointed out the border and we seamlessly passed from the Dutch side to the French side.  We arrived in Marigot to crowded streets.  Somewhere I heard there are more cars than people in St Maarten, I believe it.  One street was so narrow that we had to stop and wait for a store to receive its drink delivery before we could move on.

Click Here for more pictures from my St Martin adventure!

View of Marigot from my walk

After about a half hour ride we arrived in downtown Marigot.  I, of course, headed straight for the water.  I started out walking to my right, not sure of directions on the island, and walked as far as I could along the water.  It wasn't designed for walking so I was walking through parking lots a lot of the time.  I didn't mind, it was still a nice walk.  St Martin is beautiful.  The water is a beautiful light blue with a hint of green.  The island is very mountainous and the mountains are covered in lush green vegetation.  So you have a blue green Caribbean Sea with a lush green mountain backdrop.  It's gorgeous!  

Pretty Marigot Corner Store

There was really no beach to speak of, instead it was a marina with sailboats and yachts parked at the docks.  There were a few boats out on the water but not many.  I only walked about 15 minutes before I ended at a road that would take me into a lush residential area.  It was tempting but I knew my time was limited so I turned back.  I walked as far as I could the other direction which wasn't very far so I headed into town.  The town was a mix of quaint colorful Caribbean style buildings and rundown abandoned buildings.  There was quite a bit of litter but overall it was a cute town and the people were really friendly.  The cars even stopped every time I arrived at a crosswalk which was refreshing!  

My View from the Cafe

I decided it was time to get a French pastry because you simply can't be on a French island and NOT have a French pastry!  I walked around looking for a place that looked just right and I ended up finding a delightful hidden marina.  I knew right away that I would have my pastry here.  After walking the length of the C shaped marina, I decided I couldn't go wrong with the restaurant that smelled the best.  I sat down with a view of the water, boats and the beautiful mountains and enjoyed an authentic European latte and a yummy French pastry.  My waitress was French and I heard her speaking French to the people at the table behind mine.  There was definitely a lot of French spoken on the French side and I noticed in the shops that prices were in Euros.  After a delicious snack with even better ambiance, I went back to the cab stand and headed back to Philipsburg on the Dutch side of the island.

I was dropped off downtown in the main shopping area and quickly realized that with four cruise ships in port, it was much too busy for this crowd-phobic gal to shop.  It was ok since I was there to explore and not shop anyway. I did brave Del Sol to buy my son a color changing Frisbee and slime and then bolted from the crowds. After leaving Del Sol I quickly saw an opening through the shops to the boardwalk on the water and I knew what was next on my agenda.

The Philipsburg Boardwalk

I spent the rest of my time on St Maarten at the boardwalk and had a very enjoyable afternoon.  At lunch I found a restaurant with wifi and got to FaceTime with my husband.  He was so excited to see me and I got to show him the gorgeous views of the Caribbean Sea from my lunch table.  After a tuna sandwich on the most delicious bread I think I've ever had, I went for a glorious swim in that beautiful water which was very pleasant in temperature.  It felt good to cool off on a hot humid day.  After my swim I walked up and down the boardwalk which was pavement but called a boardwalk nonetheless, took lots of beautiful pictures and soaked in the beauty.  I was able to find wifi again and almost as soon as I hooked up, Braden called!  My poor son had been trying to call me like crazy so I was really glad the timing was so good.  At 8 years old, he was not happy with mom out of the country.  We didn't talk long because there was a delay but it was great to hear his voice.  

Sailing Away from St Maarten

After a great day of walking and exploring, I headed back to the cruise ship.  I was going to take a water taxi but I saw a nice path for walking so I opted to use my God-given legs instead of taking the easy way (although I do love a good water taxi).  And then a great day was capped by an evening of awesome!  I went up to the top deck of the ship and found a full moon on one side of the bay and a beautiful colorful sunset on the other side.  I don't know which one was more beautiful.  As we slowly left St Maarten, I was blessed with a breathtaking parting view from my balcony.  The island was in silhouette with its lights on and I could see the Princess cruise ship still at dock all lit up and above all of this was the full moon shining down casting such beautiful light on the water.  What a gorgeous ending to a day filled with beautiful sights.  This is why I love to travel!

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels!  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.

 

St Thomas - Gorgeous Caribbean Port

From my Norwegian Epic Cruise in Nov 2012

Magens Bay

This was my second time visiting St Thomas as a cruise port and as always I wanted to explore new territory.  My first time was a wonderful visit to Coral World Ocean Park which was a fun experience of observing sea life from their undersea observatory for both me and my young son.  For this second visit, I was inspired by the gorgeous pictures I had seen of Magen's bay.  Little did I know what a great choice spending the morning at this big beautiful beach would turn out to be!

View From Our Drive

Right off the ship, I grabbed a one-way taxi for $8 to Magens Bay.  After waiting a few minutes for the 5 rows in the open air make-shift Jeep to fill up, we headed out on the "wrong" side of the road. I found it ironic as I saw American flags, the boy scouts building, a US court house and yet we were driving on the left hand side of the street.  The driving was reminiscent of other countries I have been in with narrow roads, hairpin turns, and speeds way too fast for the conditions.  I don't normally get motion sick but I had to keep my eyes in front of me instead of taking in the lovely sea views or I was going to lose my breakfast!

Once we arrived at Magen's Bay, I did what I do.  Explore!  I walked the full length of the beach both ways to find the best place to settle in for a couple of hours.  I found said place at the far end from where the taxi dropped us. Not only were there a lot less people but there were 30 or 40 pelicans fishing for their morning meal.  It was spectacular to watch bird after bird dive bomb down into the water and then pop back up.  Sometimes two at once would dive down to virtually the same spot.  I have seen birds fish before and have always thought it fascinating to watch but this was the best yet!  As I sat there and watched, I wondered if they got a fish on every try or if it took 2 or 3 or even 5 tries before they were successful.  I did know that they wouldn't quit until they got what they needed no matter how many tries it took. 

After watching the nature show for quite awhile, I decided to see what kind of show I could see under water so I put on my snorkel gear.  It didn't take me long to find out why there were so many pelicans fishing in this spot.  There were hundreds, no thousands of small silver fish swimming around.  I have never seen so many fish in one place in my life.  My presence and others did not bother the fish or the pelicans.  The birds just kept right on diving down, sometimes only a few feet away from me.  The fish only swam away when a huge two foot long silver fish would occasionally swim by.  The first one I saw at that size startled me and I hoped he didn't eat people!  

I started getting hungry so it was time to head back to town. My goal was to find a spot with wifi for lunch so I could text and/or call my hubby and son.  After two failed attempts, I found a lovely hidden beer garden claiming to have the worlds best margarita.  Although there was no wifi here either, I decided to stay for the ambiance and the Virgin Islands beer which I later found out is brewed in the US.  I found more irony! They drive on the left side of the street and don't have wifi but they brew their "local" beer in the US.  I sat next to a lively older couple from Florida at the bar and we had an enjoyable chat while I ate a fresh fish sandwich and drank my tasty Tropical Mango Pale Ale.  It was a travel moment to be archived in the enrichment files of life! 

After lunch I went in search of wifi again.  There were six cruise ships in port including Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, the largest cruise ship at sea, so the streets were very busy.  Much busier than I prefer so I was beginning to wish I had stayed at Magens Bay.  I finally struck gold in an area of shops that was set up like an outdoor mall.  I got to text my boys and post on Facebook so my wifi mission was finally complete.  

Walkway to the Cruise Port

I wasn't sure of the best way back to the ship.  I knew I would prefer to walk if possible but one of my cab-mates had told me it wasn't safe.  This seemed doubtful to me with all of the tourism so I asked a friendly bartender from the US if a walk back to the ship was advisable.  Not only is it safe, but it's a lovely walk through a beautiful scenic yacht community.  I was glad I asked!  As I started walking, I happened upon a gentleman who looked at me as though I were crazy when I told him I was walking back to the ship.  You would think it was a 10 mile walk by his attitude and the mass of other people flocking to the taxi cabs to get a ride back.  Now the walk is only one mile and as I mentioned it's a lovely walk at that.  If I ever think that a one mile walk along the Caribbean Sea is too long, shoot me! 

Sailing Away from St Thomas

We were back on the ship early which was nice because I got to watch us leave St Thomas in the daylight, taking in gorgeous island views as we sailed away. To cap off a great Caribbean day at port, that night was a gorgeous full moon at sea. I love the way the moonlight shines on the water, so soft and yet bright enough to light up the night.  As I gazed at such beauty at sea from my balcony, I knew this was one of the many reasons I will always love cruising.  The beauty of the moon over the Caribbean was food for my soul!


I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels!  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.