#99 Geocaching: A Real Life Treasure Hunt

I just wrote a post about this over on my personal blog so you can read it over there philippasue.blogspot.ie/2014/12/your-new-favourite-hobby-for-2015

But basically, it's a treasure hunt. You download the Geocaching app, and then you use the GPS on your smartphone to locate the nearest Geocache. When you find it, depending on the size, there could be a log book for you to sign, and maybe a prize too! Of course, you can also make your own for other people to find too.

I have just discovered it, and I can't wait to get out there and start finding them! You can even use it as a world wide adventure, and use the app to find Geocaches hidden in other cities and places around the world.


To find out more the website is here: geocaching.com

and the (free) android app is here: play.google.com/store/apps/geocaching.intro

A map of Ireland showing all the Geocaches

#98 London on the horizon

I'm going to London in a few weeks. I've been to London before, it was 5 years ago on my 18th birthday, and my older sister and I went for a weekend. We did the London Eye and the London Dungeons and we got one of those bus tours around everywhere else. It was the end of November and the Christmas lights were all up which was a nice touch.

Christmas!

So I've already been. But then I was only 18 and I was chaperoned by my older sister. This time I'm old and hardened and well travelled and I'll be with a friend (who I haven't seen for nearly 2 years, so you know it's gonna go down!).

London is horribly expensive, but then I've seen the major sites and I'll be with a friend who also happens to have a spare bed in her room which is wonderfully convenient!

Thankfully I'm a native English speaker and occasional viewer of Eastenders so there will be no language barrier to contend with on this occasion, and I think my biggest worry will be the currency. The pound-euro rate has more ups and downs than a rollercoaster, so even though I'm not going for a few weeks I've started eyeing up the exchange rates in order to try and get the best value.

The transport around London is pretty expensive, I'll probably be getting a £30 Oyster card, and travel within zones 1 and 2 (basically central London) has a max daily charge of £7. So (avoiding peak times!) it should be £28 over 4 days. Peak times are 6.30 am to 9.30am (easy enough to avoid I think) but again also from 4pm to 7pm, which is slightly more difficult to avoid, but by (Prince) George I'll try my best!

Not this kind of oyster though

#97 Budapest, Hungary

Budapest. Cheap, wonderful, exciting! I was really impressed with Budapest (ha, it rhymed!). The Hungarian capital inhabitants weren't the most polite or helpful, and the language is completely unintelligible, but if you get past these minor details it's a wonderful city.

The most famous sight is the Parliament building, located on the banks of the Danube river. You can get a great view of here from Castle Hill and Gellert Hill.

Parliament (view from Castle Hill)

Castle Hill is just absolutely fabulous! It is home to Fisherman's Bastion, a fairytale-esque wall, the colourful Matthias Church, and of course Buda Castle (Fun Fact: the Katy Perry video for 'Firework' was filmed there!). It also has some winding streets with cute cafes and shops. It has a magical atmosphere (even with the hundreds of bus tours and groups) and was a real treat. 
To get there take the 16 or 16A bus from the sloping hill opposite Szell Kalman tér station, it leaves regularly and only takes about 5 minutes. I took the bus, but despite what you hear on the internet I don't think it would be a struggle to walk it.

Fisherman's Bastion

Gellert Hill is less impressive and much smaller in comparison to Castle Hill, but is nice all the same. The main focus is a large 'Lady Liberty' type statue, and it still offers wonderful views of the city. It's not as easy to access, you need to walk up quite a few steps in a park type area to get to the top. It's lined with benches and I found it quite a nice walk, but I noticed some less-fit and elderly were struggling a little towards the top. Some bus tours drive you very close to the top, you only need to walk a short way uphill, no steps or anything involved, and I would reckon is suitable for absolutely everyone.

Gellert Hill

Other sights include the Shoes on the Promenade memorial, which is located very close to the Parliament building. Then there are the baths which are purported to be a 'must-do', but the thoughts of hanging out in our swimwear surrounded by other tourists didn't really appeal to us so we gave it a miss. There was plenty for us to do in the 2 days we spent there without wasting time going for a swim.

For nightlife, your only option is one of the ruin bars. Basically they're all just very hip and indie bars with oddball décor and layouts, with cheap alcohol. We popped into one before dinner and since it was early it was quiet, but it gave us a chance to look around and it did look pretty cool.

There are many cruises along the Danube available, but it would be useful to perhaps book in advance (especially on weekends) as there are hundreds of bus tours who take up quite a lot of space! (Alternatively if you are there for a few days, perhaps go to the office the day before and buy your ticket for the next day). We took a night time cruise, and it was lovely to see the Parliament building and Castle Hill lit up, since we had already seen both during the day.

The currency there is the Hungarian Forint, and 300 forint is about €1. Prices are cheap - a 72 hour travel card is about €13.

We got the train in from Bratislava, but Ryanair fly there too. The train is cheap, so I would recommend a trip to a neighbouring country since you're in the 'hood (Slovakia or Austria are probably the closest).

Panorama

Parliament by night

Budapest and the Danube from Gellert Hill

Parliament

Shoes on the Promenade memorial

Instant - ruin bar

#96 Vienna, Austria

Vienna is the capital city of Austria, a country most famous for 'The Sound of Music' and bearded woman/Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst.

The main sights are the three palaces - Schonbrunn, Belvedere and Hofburg. You can also see other impressive buildings including the Rathaus, St Stephens Cathedral and the Opera House. There are many impressive shopping streets, the most famous being Kärntner Straße (near the cathedral) and Mariahilfer Straße (near the Museums Quartier). 

There is the Naschmarkt, an outdoor market where you can sample both local and international foods. There is a big zoo (where you can see Giant Pandas!) but prices are a little expensive so I gave it a miss. You can also get standing tickets for the Opera for under €10, but you have to queue early to be sure you get one. In terms of transport, I would recommend to get either the 24, 48 or 72 hour ticket (prices from around €7 to €17). 

It uses the Euro which is convenient, but it is more expensive than nearby countries like Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia. It is centrally located and really easy to hop on a train and get a cheap ticket to many of its neighbouring countries, which is always a positive. 

Ryanair don't fly to Vienna - but don't worry as they do fly to Bratislava in neighbouring Slovakia, which is only one hour away by train. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Vienna. It was nice, it was pretty, it was clean, it was efficient, the weather was great - but for me something didn't click. Perhaps it was a little safe, nothing made me gasp in awe and wonder. It was nice but for me it just wasn't amazing.

Schönbrunn Palace

Schonbrunn Gardens

Buildings at the Naschmarkt

Vienna Opera House

 Kärntner Straße

Hofburg Palace

Vienna Rathaus

Prater Ferris Wheel

#95 Yes, it is cheaper than flying

I'll be getting the bus to London (from Ireland) in a few weeks.

After searching through a few forums online, and after getting a similar reaction from anyone I've told - I would like to clarify and say that the bus is cheaper than flying. It is a fact.

Since I don't live in Dublin it will cost me €30 for a return ticket to Dublin Airport. A return air fare to London will be about €50, and then once you get to London you'll need a transfer to the city which will be about €20. So flying will now cost €100 total. With only hand luggage.


Now for the bus. Since it leaves from where I live, and arrives into the centre of London, there's no transfer fees. The bus ticket is €53 return. And I can bring as much luggage as I want. So what's the total cost? €53. Half the price of flying.

Apart from the price, everyone's talking about how long it takes. The bus leaves around 8pm and arrives 8am the next morning. So I acknowledge that it is 12 hours of my life gone, but it's all night time so realistically I should be sleeping soundly anyway.

"But flying only takes an hour". No sir, no it does not. That is a lie.

Anyone who has ever flown anywhere knows you have to get to the airport at least two hours in advance of your flight. And then there's the aforementioned connections - so for me it would take 3 hours to Dublin airport, and about an hour once I get to London. So that's 7 hours, and this would be probably during the day.

Oh, and there were a few who said I'd spend all my money at the petrol station stops buying food and coffee etc. Like, I'm travelling at night. I dunno about you, but I'm not one to tuck into meals at 3am. And even if I did buy coffee, I'd have to buy a lot for it to make a dent price wise in comparison to flying.


Now, if you lived in Dublin and only wanted to bring hand luggage then yeah, flying could work out about the same price as the bus. But, for me, getting the bus is a far cheaper option, and since I have very little money to spend on this trip, it's the only option.

Am I looking forward to sitting in close proximity to a stranger for like 7 hours (I get a 5 hour break while on the ferry)? Not really, last time I got a long distance bus (Oslo-Stockholm, night bus, took 7 hours) I had a friendly but odd woman fall asleep on my shoulder and it was terribly uncomfortable. But let's face it, it's €53, and I'd say I'll be getting what I paid for. If I had more money I would definitely fly, but the reality is that I don't, so I will be bussing it, and I will let you know how it goes.

(Oh, and before you say I could get the train - it's more expensive than the bus, and cheap is the name of the game).

#94 Bratislava, Slovakia

Sometimes known as the 'little big city', Bratislava is definitely little. As regarding tourism, it has enough to keep you busy for a weekend, but not much more than that. It's just an hour train ride away from Vienna, and less than 3 hours from Budapest, so it's a good stopover on the road to somewhere else.

The positives: cheap, centrally located, different.
The negatives: A bit too small, not very tourist friendly

Bratislava, or even Slovakia, aren't usually the top of everyone's holiday list, so it's a bit different and special to say you were there. It's a cheap country, and even when you are getting ripped off in restaurants it's still far cheaper than the equivalent in Ireland.

The main attractions in the city are all quite centrally located so can be walked to, or alternatively you can grab a bus. What are the main attractions? There's an old town, although much smaller than the likes of Stockholm. In it you can find a blue Church, a castle on a hill, a palace, a fountain in a little square, and a few other buildings of mild interest or significance.
Just a few minutes outside the city centre there's a good sized zoo (and Dinosaur park!) which is very cheap and a good idea for a day out with children. There's a monument on a hill (Slavín) which is purported to give good views (but I just wasn't bothered trying to get there), and there's also another castle (in ruins).

View from the above castle

The negatives; It was a bit small, but due to it's close proximity to other cities that can be easily forgiven. My biggest shock was the general rudeness of people I met. As an Irish person I get hit with the "Oh Irish people are so friendly" thing all the time, but after visiting Slovakia it does make me wonder that what I had always considered as basic manners is regarded as something special. It could have been the language barrier - but let's face it, Slovak isn't exactly Spanish or a language that can be practically learned or used widely, so I don't think I should be blamed for not knowing it.

Overall, for the value it was great. I wouldn't recommend going solely to here - to make it worth your while you should avail of the cheap trains to nearby Vienna (€13 return) or Budapest (€20 return).

#93 Trip Planning like a Pro

I'm an organised person. And by organised, I mean it sometimes borderlines control freak, and this becomes much more apparent when I go on trips or try plan something with friends. I like to know the following before I go: the exact location, how long it will take to get there, the exact time, the exact price, the exact duration etc etc. And when I say 'I like to know', I actually mean 'I need to know'.

This sometimes annoys people I travel with when I shout at them because we need to hurry up and catch the 10.11 bus because the 10.14 bus would completely ruin our schedule. But they appreciate it when we save time and stress because we know exactly where to go, or when we stay at a great hostel in a convenient location for a good price.

Plan In Advance
I am a firm believer that if you plan your trip in advance, it will ultimately go much more smoothly and the experience will be more enjoyable because you will be saving time and money while getting the absolute best out of your trip.

However, I will also concede that plans should be flexible, and if you get delayed and can't catch a certain bus or visit a certain museum, all is not lost. Stressing because everything didn't go 100% as planned will mean you won't have a good time either, so relax!

Know Where You're Going
I think one of the most important things is knowing where you are going. I personally have a terrible sense of direction, so if at all possible I will designate someone else to be in charge of the map. Before I go on a trip, I will go on Google street view and examine the area around the hostel, for example, and certain areas along the route so they will be familiar when I get there. Up until recently I didn't have a smartphone, so I used to go on street view a few days before and take pictures of the screen on my phone, so when I arrived I could go back and check we were in the right direction.


Getting lost, for me anyway, is really stressful. It means you waste a lot of time that could have been spent doing something else. That's not to say that you won't have an adventure and come across some hidden gems off the tourist route, but especially if you're travelling alone I think it's vital you know exactly where you're going.


Money, money, money
I'm a total cheapo, which you may or may not have noticed. So when looking for a hostel, I have to reconcile the following: price, location and safety. If there's a big group safety becomes slightly less important, which leaves price and location.

I can spend hours on websites like Hostel World in search of the perfect hostel, constantly comparing ones closer to the city but slightly more expensive etc. A well researched and thoughtfully picked hostel should have all the things you're looking for. For me, that means a cheap hostel in a good location, with no hidden fees for breakfast, bed linen etc.

Regarding food, it's obvious that restaurants and cafés on the main tourist strips are going to be much more expensive. This can't always be avoided, but try not to make yourself a victim either. If you want to check out some places in advance, reading through Trip Advisor recent reviews is always a help. But beware of those restaurants marked 5 stars that have only been reviewed by six people, as opposed to the restaurants marked 4 stars reviewed by 3,000 people.

There are such things as free meals. . .well maybe
So we know where to go and where to stay, but what should we do when we get there? I always look up the best things to see, especially free things. It upsets me if I visit a place, come home and a few weeks later realise there was something really cool that I missed out on because I didn't research it in advance. Thanks to the internet there is an abundance of lists of best things to do etc, so there's no excuse not to research it in advance!

As a general rule, most major cities have free walking tours (well they expect a tip, but since you won't ever see them again that is entirely up to you. . .) and there are usually places where you can get a good view of the city for free - if you know where to look.

Also, be wary of paying entrance fees into places. Do you really need to go inside? Is the national gallery something you genuinely have an interest in, or is it just a 'must see' attraction you found on a list? Think it over before handing out the admission fee.

Take a chill pill
Well, not an actual pill. But you should relax and have a good time, it's a holiday after all!

#92 Good news, everybody!

So after about a year of travel draught, I have just booked my flights for a trip to Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna in October!

If you're not sure where I'm talking about - Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia, Budapest is the capital of Hungary and Vienna is the capital of Austria. So basically I'm going to Eastern Europe.

Why? Mostly because it's different - everyone raves about Paris and Rome but I want to go somewhere less explored - somewhere more exciting! They're also cheaper than the major European cities, which is a big bonus.

Why these three cities in particular? Well we're flying into Bratislava, and from there Vienna is only about one hour away by bus, and on the other side Budapest is about 2 hours away, so it would be a pity not to visit since they're so close!

So I'll keep you updated on my plans and picking out what I'm going to see, and feel free to comment and add your own suggestions!

A map to show you where I'm talking about

The old town in Bratislava

The Hungarian Parliament in Budapest

The city centre in Vienna

#91 Slow on the old posting-front I'm afraid

This is a courtesy post to let you know I'm still here, but won't be posting so much for the time being.

Please feel free to browse through my other posts using the blog archive or search labels to the right >>

I know many people are heading over to Japan around now for the JET programme, so for my Japanese related posts look from 2012 to January 2013, and if you have any questions don't hesitate to comment :)

Anyway, here's a picture of beautiful Ireland to brighten up this post a little!

#90 Why package holidays to the Costa Del Sol are a terrible idea

1. It's mainly full of English and Irish people anyway 

2. You end up eating a full English breakfast every day
3. You rely entirely on the prospect of good weather - if it rains you're screwed
4. You learn nothing about the country or culture you are in
5. You sit on your ass all day - might as well be at home watching Jeremy Kyle

#89 New post. . .finally!

So I just checked this and can't believe it's been over a month since I last updated. I promise to write something in the next few days to make up for this!

Anyway, after a busy year I've finally finished college exams and I'm now job hunting, so if you're reading this and want to hire me let me know! My degree is Journalism and New Media (with Japanese and Sociology) and I'll do pretty much anything once you pay me. . .and you don't have to pay me a lot, just enough to live somewhat comfortably i.e. not in the gutter - @philippabrennan.

Help me, Captain Hindsight!

#88 New Blog Update

This blog has gone through a few updates, and I've decided to update the design again. I changed it at the start of the year to make it more plain and basic, but after looking at it for awhile I think it was a bit too basic and a little boring, so I have updated it again. I'm still working on it, but I think it looks a bit brighter now.

#87 Staycation Ireland: Wexford

Wexford, known as the 'Sunny South East' and home of the 'yellow bellies'. The latter makes us sound quite cowardly, but as you'll see we have fought many historic battles over the years!

County Wexford is in the South-East of Ireland, just a little below Dublin on the map in the corner. It is a coastal area with many popular beaches, and the town is situated on an estuary where the river Slaney flows into the Irish sea.

New Ross
This is very close to County Waterford to the east. There is quite an old fashioned little town, but the highlight is the newly refurbished quay-front. There is a statue of US President John F Kennedy whose ancestors were from the area (and he visited there 50 years ago), and not far away is a park and arboretum dedicated to him. Also on the quay is the Dunbrody Famine Ship, a replica of the 'coffin ships' that were used to bring Irish people to America during the Great Famine. It is very interactive and a great exhibit to visit. Finally, there is an 'Emmigrant Flame', similar to the Olympic or Amnesty flame it never extinguishes, but burns brightly for all those who have left this country.
I should think that one day or even a few hours would be enough time to spend here.

Enniscorthy
This topsy-turvy town is full of hills and slopes, and character! It's home to Enniscorthy Castle and Vinegar Hill, where one of Ireland's many historic battles was fought. Every summer there's a Strawberry Festival with Irish music and cuisine, and in August there is a re-enactment of the Battle of Vinegar Hill which is interactive for the whole family.

Gorey
Yes, it is pronounced just like the word 'gory', but don't let this put you off a visit! North of the county, Gorey is a popular town bustling with charm. It has almost none of the commercialised chain stores you will find elsewhere, and instead has one long street filled with local small businesses. It is even starting to gain some fame nationally for it's large array of boutique shops! Coming from Dublin, this will likely be your first stop in the county.

The Main St in Gorey

Wexford Town
This is the hive of activity in Co Wexford, and the huge array of shops and restaurants here have led to a decline in business in the smaller surrounding towns.
There are many things to see and do here; first off is the quay and Wexford Bridge, which welcome you as you enter the town. The area is absolutely beautiful, and you can see fishing boats coming and going regularly. If the weathers right you can also avail of boat tours along the river Slaney and the estuary into the Irish sea. Second is the main street - one long street full of shops, cafés and restaurants. While there are all the popular chain stores and high street brands, there are also many privately owned 'mom & pop' shops too.
There is Wexford Opera House, a new state of the art building which is home to the famous Opera Festival every Autumn, and even if there is no show on during the day, you can avail of tours of the building and views of Wexford and the quay from the café at the top.

Located just outside the town across the bridge is the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve which is home to many wildlife animals and of course birds of all kinds, and on the other side of the town is the Irish National Heritage Park, which is home to many buildings from ancient Irish history.

The black square to the top left is the new Opera House

A look along the quay

A view from across the bridge

Other areas of interest
Of course Wexford isn't all about the towns and urban living! Down south of the county Kilmore Quay is a popular fishing destination and therefore top notch for fresh seafood, while Hook Lighthouse is one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world!
The 'R742' coastal drive takes you through many small villages, including Curracloe (whose beach was used for filming in Saving Private Ryan), Blackwater and Courtown Harbour.

A wet day out at Hook Lighthouse

Wexford is about 2 and a half hours drive from Dublin, and is home to Rosslare Europort, which has ferries to Britain and France. It is a popular destination for Dubliners, with many of them having summer houses there, but it also has a lot to offer for international tourists as well.

Map of Wexford

Links:
visitwexford.ie
facebook.com/visitwexford
wexford.ie
discoverireland.ie/Places-To-Go/Wexford