Here Comes the Rain Again

After returning from Switzerland, Germany and Croatia, we were looking forward to once again, soaking up the music of Dublin. It was a fantastic weekend with a touch of culture and lots of music. Just what we wanted!

We learnt one thing on our return to Dublin ... when catching a bus you need to indicate! We were waiting for the 29a to the city.  As we moved to the curb, the bus driver just waved his finger at us and kept going! At least a taxi stopped when we needed him! We had booked to see the Smock Alley Theatre's matinee performance of "The Importance of Being Earnest".  Prior to the play, we once again headed to the Queen of Tarts to make sure the carrot cake lived up to expectations from our previous visit.  Lunch was lovely and the carrot cake hit the mark! We were not disappointed.

We were however a little disappointed with the production of "The Importance of Being Earnest". The woman who played Cecily was so completely over the top that I found her very irritating. Nonetheless, the theatre was interesting and the play by Oscar Wilde is always entertaining regardless of the performance.

After the show, we headed off to The Cobblestone for some traditional Irish music. We had been there numerous times before and always enjoyed the music. Dermot, David's colleague from DCU, was playing the fiddle and we spent a couple of hours soaking up the atmosphere of this traditional Irish music session.

After dinner at Oscars, a restaurant close by to the Cobblestone, we headed off to the Celt. We had read about this pub and its traditional music and food. The taxi driver who took us into the city earlier in the day suggested that the Celt was full of riffraff. We stuck our head in the door and found it packed with people (including a man dressed as a condom) and although the music had not started we will head there again another night to check out if it lives up to its reputation.

We headed back into town on Sunday armed with umbrellas and raincoats. The rain had been falling steadily most of the night. After traversing the puddles we made our way to Mass at St Therese's. Our plan for the day was to attend mass and then head to Dublin Castle for the "sand sculpture" exhibition and Chester Beatty Library. We were not sure what happened to the sand sculptures, as although there were descriptions about many, only 3 were on display. 

With the rain continuing, it was off to the library. This library hosts one of the world's best collection of manuscripts, artworks, rare books and paintings from different cultures and religions from all over the world.  Chester Beatty, a wealthy American mine owner, who came to live in Dublin, collected these treasures throughout his life. He bequeathed this personal collection to Dublin, where it is now housed for everyone to enjoy.

Along our way through the day, we had collected some travel booklets and a pair of shoes (its always good to find a bargain when you least expect it). With much of the afternoon still ahead of us, we decided to catch the DART to Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Done Leery!) where the Ukulele Hooley festival was on. We needed to go home prior to heading out and leave our accumulated shoes and brochures. Unfortunately the paper bag we had the items in could not withstand the continual rain and dissolved into a mess on the pavement. So now, carrying wet and soggy brochures and shoes, we made it to the bus and home before setting off to Killester station for the 30 minute ride to Dun Laoghaire.

We arrived to a rain soaked festival in time to hear the last 3 songs. The weather had forced an early end to Ukulele Hooley! 

As we were in Dun Laoghaire, we were determined to find some music. After a drink and dinner and David searching the internet for some entertainment, we headed off through the town to Frank McKenna's, a hotel popular with the locals and not a normal tourist haunt (we were definitely outsiders!). The music was great, with the band of two (who get paid in pints), playing an eclectic mix of music such as Status Quo, Johnny Cash and Rock and Roll. 

While there we discovered a man's bracelet on the floor. Upon picking it up the owner came forward thanking us for finding it and persuading us to accept a drink. We now had new best friends as the husband and wife asked us to come back again in the coming weeks. 

We enjoyed the music  and our evening in Dun Laoghaire. We headed back to the DART for our trip back to Clontarf and a week where we look forward to Kath and Mick Cleary coming to stay.

How Many Stairs Can A Man Walk Down?.... The Answer Is Blowing In The Wind!

Split

Croatia with its rugged coastline on the Adriatic Sea, numerous islands with clear blue water, walled towns, seafood and history....amazing! We were hoping for some relaxation, but also looked forward to the excitement of exploring this part of the world.

Our first impression as we caught a taxi, late afternoon into Split, was how rugged and barren the landscape was. We were dropped as close to our accommodation as possible, as we were staying in the centre of the town although away from most of the hustle and bustle of noisy tourists. We were met by Ivan who owned the apartment we had booked. Although tiny, it had everything we needed and was cool as temperatures were in the low 30's and the humidity high.

The apartment was close to a small local market. Ivan had left us juice and cool water but we were still in need of breakfast supplies. After putting on a load of washing we went to stock up and get used to the local currency - the kuna. Returning to the apartment, laden with groceries we hung out our washing - as you do living in apartment blocks in Croatia on a line on a pully system - by hanging out the window. I left this job to David as I felt sure I would have our washing on the ground far below.

Our first evening after dinner, was spent walking the Old Town. Narrow laneways between white stone buildings the town. These laneways were like a maze, each one intriguing and leading to another to explore. Some opened to a large courtyard, many with washing strung in view of the diners eating at the various restaurants. Vivid pink bougainvillieas clung to old walls and there always seemed to be a cat watching, almost out of view.

Split, is centred around the Diocletian Palace. Built in the 4th Century by the Roman emperor, Diocletian, this fortress is the main focus of the Old Town. At night, cushions are placed on the stairs around the central courtyard and musicians entertain the crowds who sit soaking up the ambience.

After a lazy start the next morning, we walked down to the waterfront to organise and book ferry tickets,

    

Outlook from Fortress Kamerlengo

rental car and tours. We caught the ferry to Trogir for the afternoon and had dinner. It was a pleasant 30 minute boat ride with a cool sea breeze masking the heat. Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is  a small settlement built in the Roman period. We roamed the city and climbed Fortress Kamerlengo, where you got an impressive view of the town and port. We caught the bus back to Split after sampling some of the local delights, arriving back to the busyness and vibrancy of Split at night.

Coffee at Maslinica

At the Blue Lagoon

An early start, the next day, had us at the port for our day trip - a Blue Lagoon Cruise.We sat on the deck of the boat with our legs hanging over the side, watching the rugged cliff faces as we headed to the calm waters for swimming at Blue Lagoon. This beach was our first experience of the stony beaches of Croatia. Once we made it across the stones to the water, the water was beautiful- cool and clear. Lunch was provided under the shade of the trees and then it was off to Maslinica for more swimming and a wander around the village. This was a pretty port, with boats moored in almost transparent water. We arrived back in Split weary after a day at sea.

David had always wanted to visit Medjugorge in Bosnia, and when we planned our trip to Croatia this was a must on our list. Located 141 km from Split, we hired a car and to our astonishment were given a convertible. We took off for a full day that was to take in Medjugorge and Mostar. We travelled along the motorway, before turning off onto a pot holed road that led us to the town of Medjugorge. Since 1981, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing here and giving messages to the world and has been the site of many pilgrimages and visits from people of all faiths. 

Apparition Hill, Medjugorje

It was an emotional experience as people pray and adore the crucifix or statue of the weeping cross as it has become known. An area that was harder to find was Apparition Mountain, an extremely rocky climb up the mountain to a statue of Mary at the top.

Mostar

From Medjugorge we drove on to Mostar. It was apparent that this area had been heavily affected by the war as bombed buildings were still visible. A picturesque bridge spanned the river with men collecting money to jump into the water far below. We were surprised by this town with its market stalls and stone buildings bordering the river. 

The Old Town of Korcula

After 4 nights in Split our next destination was Korcula, a small walled medieval town, home to Marco Polo, a 3 hour ferry ride from Split. This was my favourite place in Croatia, probably because it was smaller and less crowded. Staying in the heart of the Old Town, across from St Marka with its bell tower and swimming under the walls in clear, warm blue water was just magical!

We only had 2 nights here, not enough to explore all there was to see on the island. We bought swimming shoes, so we could comfortably get into the water without stumbling and falling as had been the way I previously had entered the water.

View from atop the Korcula Town Gate

We swam, floated on a lilo, relaxed, ate Croatian style Tapas, climbed the bell tower, roamed all the laneways, learnt all about Marco Polo, caught a water taxi to Badija Beach and enjoyed every moment of our time here. Our time went all too quickly!

Tapas at Fundamentum, Korcula

View over Dubrovnik

Before we knew it we were off to Dubrovnik, our final destination in Croatia. We were picked up from the port by our host and dropped close to our villa which sat high on the hill directly above the Old City. What a view!

The path to the Old City, down 300 steps and the return via a different path another 265 steps, took us past pink bougainvillieas and tall sunflowers, fig and olive trees and vines with plump grapes. I loved this walk which we sometimes did 3 times a day despite the heat, humidity and all those steps!

We decided to head to Banje Beach for a swim after settling in to the villa. We had been spoilt by the clear waters of previous areas we had swum. In comparison Banje Beach was a disappointment. As it was late in the day, the private beach (where you have to pay to get a space with a sun lounge and umbrella )was closed. That left the public beach with wall to wall people and doof doof music pounding from the bar above the beach. We cooled off and then abandoned the beach in favour of a walk through the walled town.

View of Dubrovnik Old Town from the top of the cable ca

Prior to arriving in Dubrovnik we had decided on two things we most wanted to do. One of these was to take the cable car to the mountain top above the city. We rode the car to the top at sunset and the view was spectacular. We avoided, where possible, the young girls taking numerous selfies and the couple locked in a passionate embrace, to take our snapshots before heading back down the cable car and into town for dinner. 

Despite the disappointment of our swim, dinner, that evening, at a restaurant overlooking the water and marina was lovely. The evening air was humid and hot late into the night and the view of the water helped to give a feeling of being cool. We climbed the numerous steps back up the hill to our villa to prepare for our kayak tour early the next day.

Starting at 9:00 am, the tour began with a lesson on how to kayak. Despite this lesson, one man managed to paddle most of the trip with the paddle back the front. Leaving from the park below the Pile Gate, we set off to paddle below the high walls of the Old Town, around Lokrum Island, stopping at a cave along the way, past the nudist beach and across the main waterway to a small coastal beach for snorkelling and lunch, before returning to where we started. Our guide told numerous stories along the way to our group of 10, which also gave me a much needed break; 7km, 3 hours later and with aching arms, we returned. It was a great morning and a good way to see Dubrovnik from a different perspective.

On the Wall

Dubrovnik City Wall

As if our Kayak tour was not enough exercise for the day, we also decided to walk the city walls. Combined with the 500 steps to the villa, I slept very well that night! The view from the walls was fantastic. It varied from looking down within the walls on small market gardens and fruit groves to ruins, a legacy of the war, and people launching themselves from the rock face to the water far below. After gathering some supplies for dinner at the villa, we once again trooped up the stairs. That evening, as we sat enjoying a glass of wine while taking in the view, we could hear the sounds of the city and music wafting up from the within the walls.

On our last day in Croatia we saw the other side to the beautiful mediterranean weather we had been experiencing. A huge storm approached with thunder and lightening rolling over the city. We had been within the walls after attending mass and buying some souvenirs when we decided to return to the villa to watch the storm approach. Our neighbour was busily taking in all moveable objects and kept giving us knowing nods, an indication that this was going to be a bad storm.

Overlooking Lapad Beach

Eventually, after torrential rain, the storm passed and we decided to keep to our plan of going to Lapad, the northern most Dubrovnik suburb, by bus for the afternoon. David had a swim at the pebble beach (rather than the concrete or the sandy beach!) before we took off back to town. As we approached the town to find a place for dinner that night, the heavens opened once again. As the Old Town is at the base of the hill, steps take you from the walls down into the town. These stairs became waterfalls, with water cascading down into the main street, and water pooling inches deep on the stoned placa. We waded through the water, too impatient to wait for the storm to pass armed with groceries. A change of plan as dinner would now be at the villa.

After each downpour, the weather cleared giving a false sense of security that the storm had passed. Once agin we were caught off guard. We decided, after dinner, to venture down into the town to a bar where jazz was played each night. All started well with the evening being balmy and still. Too quickly, the weather turned sour with yet another downpour. With the knowledge that we would be having to carry yet another pair of wet shoes back to Dublin with us, we took off our shoes and waded home once again, and up those stairs for the last time!

We loved Croatia and have most definitely come back fitter from all the exercise! We would love to go back again some day!

Cool in Korcula!

I'm On Top Of The World Looking Down On Creation ...

The Goetheanum

A 4:15 am start could not dampen our enthusiasm for our two weeks in Europe! We had spent the previous few days helping Klaudia, David's work colleague, settle into our apartment and now we were off!

We arrived in Basel, Switzerland, for the start of our journey that was to take us, on Day 1, through Freiburg to Freudenstadt. We had particularly chosen to fly into Basel so David could take me to the Goetheanum, which he had previously visited. This is the home of all things Steiner. The rounded roof tops, the pastel colours, art work, and beauty of the area is what Steiner was about.  The area was very tranquil and a gentle rain that was almost not apparent added to the serenity.

Freiburg

On to Freiburg. We drove through beautiful German villages with narrow roads and window boxes amassed with colour. Reaching Freiberg, we made our way to the Marketplatz. Buildings with high sloped roofs lined the cobblestone roads. A church and fountain centred the market place with restaurants and cafes adding to the vibrancy. A stroll around, and an ice cream, now that we had hit warmer weather, seemed in order, as we watched the passing parade of people and dogs.

Our overnight accommodation was in Freudenstadt. Thank goodness for the GPS as we may never have found our B&B. It was up a narrow lane to a ridge and set amongst corn fields over looking a valley. The owners were very hospitable and we ate a traditional German meal outside on the verandah overlooking the valley. We had a room with a verandah that had vivid red flowers in its flower box.

The plan for this trip was travel to Erlangen over the Black Forest High Road (Schwartzwaldhochstrasse) and then return to Switzerland by way of the famous Romantic Road (Romantischestrasse) As we drove through the Black Forest, hikers were preparing to set off on the many trails that can be found through this area. Huge pines lined the hills with the occasional village spotted amongst the trees on the valley floor far below. Every so often we came across a cleared area for winter skiing and also a bob-sled area.

The Black Forest from the High Road

As we headed towards Heidelberg, the road was very windy with numerous motor bikes and cyclists riding through this area on a beautiful summers day. In fact, the cyclists were almost a hazard as the road was narrow and traffic appeared around the bends quite quickly. As we descended down one hill, we came across what appeared to be a police road block. We waited patiently after they guided us into a road side clearing, thinking that it may be for random breath testing. Alas no! We had exceeded the downhill speed limit of 50 kph! 98 Euros later, and after they let me take some photos for the Year One's unit on "The Community", we were off once again. A very expensive photo opportunity! We can only think that we were caught when we accelerated to get around the cyclists!

Heidelberg and Schloss

We made it to Heidelberg later than planned. Delayed firstly by the unplanned police stop and secondly by a major traffic jam on the Autobahn. We had eaten our lunch in the car, whilst sitting staring at the traffic in front of us instead of cruising along at 130 kph. Heidelberg was a

Rothenburg house

pretty city, I dare not mention the cobblestone
streets and flower boxes again! We walked
 through the town, towards the river where there was the opportunity for a photo on the bridge looking up towards Heidelberger Schloss. This was just a quick stop before driving on to Rothenburg on der Tauber.

Walking the Rothenburg city wall

Rothenburg

I loved Rothenburg, a walled medieval town in Bavaria where you could walk the high town walls. The half timber traditional German houses look like something from a fairy tale. We wandered the streets looking at the Christmas shops and the shops selling Schneeballen, (Snow Balls - a traditional biscuit/cake dusted with icing sugar in the shape of a ball). As the evening was 31 degrees, we ate dinner in a beer garden before another walk around this lovely walled town.

We had a slightly earlier start the next day as we were off to Erlangen, where David was to meet Dirk at the university, whilst I met his wife Corrine for lunch. We had been to Erlangan on our previous trip 3 years ago and Dirk has had numerous visits to Wollongong, on one occasion with his family, so it was an opportunity for David to catch up on some university projects whilst I caught up on news with Corinne. We ate a lovely dinner with them outside on another hot and humid evening and later, when back at our hotel, we  planned our route to Augsburg. 

View of Dinkelsbuhl from the Bauerlin Tower

We left Erlangen mid morning after David had another meeting at the uni. Armed with picnic goodies to eat along the way, which I had bought while David was at work, we set off in the direction of Dinkelsbuhl. We seem to have needed to take a detour on every leg of this trip, roads and bridges being unexpectedly closed. This was the case once again, however, this detour took us through interesting farming land with houses, barns and fields with rows and rows of solar panels.

Dinkelsbuhl

Arriving in Dinkelsbuhl, which is on the Romantic Road in central Franconia, with our picnic, we found a spot under a tree in a quiet square to eat our lunch. Then it was off to climb the Bauerlin Tower. The tower gave us a magnificent view over this walled town, one of 3 in Germany and similar in atmosphere to Rothenburg. With its cobblestones and timber buildings, it was not hard to imagine this town as it had been in the Middle Ages.

Augsburg fountain

In comparison, Augsburg, where we arrived late in the afternoon, was disappointing. We imagined this town was one of the casualties of the war as its buildings lacked the charm of previous we had visited. Here we were particularly interested in the Fuggerei, the world's oldest social housing complex still in use. The conditions for living there remain as they were when it was founded 480 years ago. Each tenant must pay a rent of 0.88 Euro, offer 3 daily prayers, must have lived in Augsburg for 2 years, and be of the Catholic faith without debt. The gates of the enclosed complex are still locked at 10 pm every night.  We walked for some considerable time around the town before a very late dinner.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Wednesday saw us take a very scenic drive to Neuschwanstein Castle that is almost at the end of the Romantic Road at Schwangau. We were amazed how suddenly the Alps seem to loom up in front of you and although the weather was warm, snow could be seen on the mountains in the distance. With the other 6000 tourists, dodging cars, buses and prams, we spent a few hours walking and exploring the castle surrounds, built by the "Fairytale King" King Ludwig II with help from Richard Wagner. From the castle, you could see far into the distance, including the brightly coloured hang gliders that were floating on the air currents down from the neighbouring mountains. Unfortunately, the bridge above the castle, that gives a great view of the area was closed due to renovations ( a constant theme as we travelled around).

Wil

Our destination for the night was Wil, a small town outside Zurich, chosen as a halfway point on route to Sion. What a surprising town and a gem of Switzerland! We stayed in the old town, which was very quiet, yet full of restaurants and beautiful old Swiss buildings. Our accommodation overlooked a tree-lined lake with its quaint bridge. We had a wonderful dinner in an Italian restaurant named Vinothek. We had noticed how the area now had a definite French influence. Although a limited menu, the food was amazing and 

Dinner at Vinothek, Wil

beautifully presented. We were intrigued by all the young men in uniform also eating and celebrating at the restaurant. Apparently, they were concluding a part of their national service. The waitress, who spoke excellent English, was intrigued as to what two Australians were doing in their little town! After dinner, we walked around the lake before returning to our accommodation. It was disappointing that we had not allowed more time here to discover what lay beyond the old town.

Looking down on Lake Brienz

We left Wil mid morning to travel to Sion, an hour away from Lausanne where David was to give a lecture at the Swiss university, EPFL. We travelled via Interlaken and Grindelwald. What a day it was! We travelled through 32 tunnels and 1 road block ( where 1 policeman was armed with a camera and the other a machine gun), watched hang gliders continuously descend from the mountain tops above Interlaken to land in the park in front of us, ate lunch beside a fast flowing turquoise coloured stream (because of all the melting mountain snow on such a hot day), rode an aerial cableway 6 km up a steep mountainside

On the Lötschberg Tunnel train

above Grindelwald, walked through a herd of cows with cowbells ringing, rode on a train that you drove the car onto through the 14 km Lötschberg Tunnel and sat at what seemed the top of the world drinking tea and eating cake! The scenery and views were absolutely breath taking and we marvelled at how lucky we were to travel and see these amazing sights!

The Grindelwald-Mannlichen gondola cablew

A highlight was a ride on the Grindelwald-Männlichen gondola cableway, which took us for 30 minutes up the mountain, leaving the town of Grindelwald as a speck in the valley far below. It gave us spectacular views of the Eiger and Jungfrau with their snow and glaciers. Chalets and farm houses were dotted around the hillsides and the view from the top....amazing! We certainly seemed to be on top of the world!

When I think of Switzerland, I  imagine, yodelling, ice and alps; certainly not the 37 degrees celsius we hit as we approached Sion. We arrived late to our accommodation, happy to be sitting in an air conditioned car, as Swiss hotels don't have air conditioning. As we approached Sion, rows of vines crisscrossed the mountains in every direction. It was a pretty sight!

We ate dinner at the hotel and then went walking so I could get my bearings in preparation for the next day, when I would be exploring on my own, while David was giving his talk. The city was crazy and alive with people as it was celebrating its bicentennial over the following two days.

Valère Basilica, Sion

After an uncomfortably hot night, I set off to climb to Valère castle. We had viewed it the previous night, from our hotel window, perched on the hill lighting the sky above Sion. It is actually a basilica, built in the 12th and 13th centuries where I lit a candle for Maureen, David's aunt who had passed away the week before. On my way up the hill I passed a beautiful stone chapel, All Saints' Chapel. A museum and cafe are also now on the site and I ate a pleasant lunch high over the city looking into the distance at the rows of leafy vines. Once refreshed I set off back to the craziness of the town with its market stalls, music and history on display.

All Saints' Chapel, Sion

I had arranged to meet David at 3:00 pm so we could continue on our way to Fribourg, our last night on our German/Swiss trip. After a drink we retreated to the air conditioned car to make the hour and a half journey. After arriving in Fribourg, battling with parking meters and settling into our room (at least we had a fan this time), we stepped out for pizza sitting in the market square in 30 degrees. We really didn't get to see much of this town as it was our stopover on way to Basal airport early the following morning for 9 days holiday in Croatia. We were so looking forward to the relaxation and excitement of Split, Korcula and Dubrovnik!