Wee Buns!

Some People May Find The Following Photo Offensive...

I know we did!

Destination: Belfast

Well, spent the weekend in Belfast (and other places in Northern Ireland) and I've gotta say, it's been one of the highlights of my trip.

We caught the train up on Friday night, which normally takes about 2 hours, but due to some kind of mechanical problem (to another train), it took about 3. Got in around 10pm, so found our way to the hostel and then popped out for a quick snack and a cuppa before catching a few zeds. Easier said than done, due to a very large Scottish gentleman we were sharing with, who returned at 2am - turning on the lights and talking very loudly (yeah, you just try to tell him to shut up and turn off the lights!). The sight of this large object lying on his bed the next morning sans shirt just has to be seen to be believed (and thanks to Sarah taking photgraphic evidence you will enjoy it soon too!).

Saturday morning, headed up into the city centre and checked out the tourist office for things to do on the weekend. Started with a recommended Black Cab tour of the political murals of West Belfast. Firstly we were taken to the protestant side on Shankill Road. You feel a bit strange at first getting out and taking photos, but you soon realise they don't mind and there are many tours doing this. After a look at the peace line (the fence that divides the Catholic and Protestant sides) and gates that are shut 6pm to 6am and all weekend, it was over to the Catholic side on Falls Road. Saw the Sinn Fein (Irish for "to stand alone") headquarters - didn't see Jerry (or is it Gerry?) there. The driver gave us a very detailed history of "the troubles" and explained that even though they are in a time of peace, they will keep the fence, just in case. Definitely the best tour I've done so far (yes, even better than the Segway tour of San Fran - perhaps a Segway tour of Belfast?!).

We did hope to do a walking tour of Belfast in the arfternoon, but it was sold out, so instead we went to the St. Georges markets for a look and some lunch and then off to a nearby pub to watch the Aussies beat Canada in the RWC. Not the most interesting of matches, but always good to cheer on your country away from home.

That night it was out to dinner, followed by drinks elsewhere then to a movie (Superbad again!), which technically means I have now seen my UK movie as well! A better night's sleep that night thanks to some earplugs and the fact that Fat Bastard kept the lights off (I think someone complained).

Sunday, took a Paddy's (big green bus with a driver who keeps breaking into song!) tour of the northen part of Northen Ireland, which included a visit to the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway (interesting rock columns, most of them hexagonal). It is believed they were formed by volcanic activity, but locals say it was more likely to have been due to a giant called Finn MacCool, who made it as part of a path for him to get to some chick he liked in Scotland (which you can see from this point in Ireland)! Next it was on to the walled city of Londonderry (or Derry as many prefer to call it), which was the site of the Bloody Sunday protests in 1972 (remember the U2 song?). There were many murals here depicting the events of that day and a quick walking tour filled us in on the history behind it all. From there it was back to Belfast, where we hopped on the train back for Dublin, this time running to schedule, getting back at about 9pm.

A great trip and a real learning experience - there was so much I didn't know about the history of Northern Ireland. If you are ever over this way, you really should check it out, you won't be disappointed and the people are some of the friendliest and most helpful you could ever meet.

So How Do You Say... Dun Laoghaire?

I took the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) a short way south of the city to Dun Laoghaire, a nice resort-style suburb that would be very nice on a warm summer's day. This was not a warm summer's day! When the sun was out it was OK - but a bit chilly. There was a long pier there and when there is a long pier you must walk out to the end of it (then when you get to the end you realise there is nothing else to do, but turn around and go back!).

Anyway, a fairly relaxing day - tomorrow night we are heading up to Belfast for the weekend, which should be a bit of fun.

By the way, it is pronounced "Dunleary".

What's Your Favorite Dish?

I'm not gonna cook it, but I'll order it from...

Oh My God... I'm In Kilkenny!

Been so busy I had forgotten to write anything, On Tuesday I popped over to Heuston Station (on the Luas Tram) and caught a train to Kilkenny (about a 2-hour trip). Nice view of the Irish countryside looking out the window, kept me amused until I got there. Kilkenny is a nice little town, with the 800 year-old Kilkenny Castle the major attraction. Went on a guided tour of the castle, though I made the mistake of having a pint of Bulmers Cider (couldn't actually find a pub in Kilkenny that serves Kilkenny!) at Morrisseys bar just before and that stuff goes right through you!

Spent the day just nosing around the shops and sites, before hopping on a train back to Dublin. An early night, which was very welcome after a busy week.

On Wednesday I went to the Guinness Storehouse, where they used to make the beer, but now that is across the road, with the Storehouse a kind of huge Guinness museum. Very impressive place, with a self-guided tour of how they make Guinness as well as a history of the advertising - some very funny ads (Guinness Makes You Strong and Guinness Is Good For You!!!). At the end of the tour you end up at the top in The Gravity Bar (great views of Dublin), where you get a pint of the stuff - only in Ireland!

Later met up with Sa for dinner in the Temple Bar area of town, then on to a bar to see some good old Irish stand-up comedy - very funny (they all seem to have this wonderful Irish accent over here!).

The adventures continue...

The Wheels On The Bus...

Well, today I took another of my favorite "hop-on, hop-off" tours to get my bearings and figure out where everything is. Much colder (and wetter) in Dublin to be sitting up top in an open double-decker bus, but a great way to see the city. Highlights included Merrion Square and the early home of Oscar Wilde, St. Stephen's Green, Temple Bar, St. Patrick's Cathedral, The Guinness Storehouse (might take a tour there - you get a free pint at the end!), Phoenix Park, Parnell Square and the River Liffey.

Also took a look at the shopping districts, including the popular Henry and Grafton Street precincts. Bought nothing yet, just getting my head around the Euro first (I thnk it is best not to convert, then it seems cheaper)!

Met Sa after she finished work and went for dinner in Little China (it's not really called that - it just looked like that!) and then went for a nose around the shops and had a cup of tea (yes, no alcohol!) by the Liffey before taking in a movie. Yes, I have now seen a movie in the U.S. (The Bourne Ultimatum), Canada (Superbad) and now Ireland (Knocked Up). I wasn't that excited by the movie - I preferred "The 40 Year-Old Virgin", but still a few good laughs to be found. So now I have set a challenge, I need to see a movie in the UK and Singapore!

Tomorrow it's off to Kilkenny - hope I can find a pint of it somewhere!

It's Just A Lot Of Drinking Really

Arrived in Dublin at about 10am and after catching the bus into the city, met Sarah at the "big spike" (which I am sure is just there because it can be easily found, so everyone meets there). Had lunch and a beer before moving on to another pub for more beer while watching Australia slightly thrash Fiji (Fiji did give it a good go though!). Many Aussies there to chear them along!

After a breather, went out for some dinner (much easier ordering food now I'm in Dublin, as I just order what Sa orders - I really don't know why we do that!!!) and some more drinking, then went for a walk around the city, scouting out bars for future nights (no shortage of places to drink around here!). Weather was not too bad - a bit overcast, but warm enough.

Despite the jetlag, I think I did pretty well really - for day one, at least.

Rainy Days And Saturdays...

Well, even though it wasn't forcast, it rained today... there was this man on a street corner selling umbrellas, saying to buy one now, cause it was going to rain. I thought he was nuts and there was no way it would rain, it was just a little cloudy and muggy. Anyway, 3 blocks later and in pouring rain, I thought he may have had a point...!

Just waiting for the shuttle bus to the airport - then it's on to Dublin (don't mention the Rugby, I mentioned it once...!).

So Much Time, So Little To See (Strike That, Reverse It!)

Today was jam-packed with so much I don't know how I did it all! Started the day with a visit to Liberty Island and the big green lady, followed by The World Trade Center site, which gives you an idea just how big the devistation was.

After that it was up to the observatory of the Empire State Building with great views all round on a beautiful day (this is one huge city!). Next was the great green lung of Central Park, including a visit to the John Lennon "Strawberry Fields" gardens. While at Central Park I popped over to the American Museum Of Natural History (Dum Dum from "Night At The Museum" was there!).

Finished off with a visit to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue (open 24/7) - a nerd's paradise. That is one incredible store, with iPods going out the door at a great rate of knots!

A very busy day, helped by a very well run subway system, that makes getting around this great city very easy!

If I Can Make It There, It Will Be A Bloody Miracle!

Today has been so packed full of stuff, I am not sure I can remember what I've done...

I went on several hop-on, hop-off tours to get my bearings - The Uptown Loop, The Downtown Loop, The Brooklyn Loop and finally, The Night Loop, which pretty much covered a huge part of the various areas of NY. Saw all the usual suspects - The Empire State Building, Central Park, Greenwich Village, The Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square (again) and many, many more! There is always something going on around here.

Tomorrow I am going to tackle the subway system, which everyone swears by (and seems very easy to understand - like the street system), so I will be checking out Central Park a bit more, going up to the top of the Empire State Building to find Meg Ryan, visiting the World Trade Center site and down to Battery Park to get the ferry to Liberty Island to see the big lady. Speaking of ladies, I found that Leggy Blonde had stowed away in my suitcase - thanks Davey! She went with me around the city today (photos to come!).

I also found a great store at Times Square called M & M's World, which is just that - 3 floors of everything to do with M & M's - clothing, toys, nick-knacks - oh, and M & M's in every colour possible - I didn't know where to start. It made my collection of M & M toys seem a bit pathetic.

Anyway, Johnny needs to rest up for another day of fun - how anyone has the energy to live here, I don't know!

Start Passing On The Information, I Left Today...

Well, it was time to leave Olympia today - sad to leave after having such a great time with everyone, but New York was calling.

The flight from Seattle to New York with American Airlines was about 5 hours 20 and made me appreciate how good the airlines in Australia are - you get the feeling you are an inconvenience to the Flight Attendants (maybe I am!). Anyway, arrived in New York (JFK) and proceeded to get my initiation into the New York way of life by the Airport Shuttle driver, who must have had 10 cups of coffee by that time - he was a maniac! He wouldn't stop beeping his horn (I asked him how is blood pressure was - he just laughed!), but I soon realised that everyone does this and it is perfectly normal! Somehow I made it to the hotel - The New Yorker Ramada (Cnr of 34 W and 8th Avenue for those playing at home) - in one piece!

The hotel is in a great location, so even though it was about 8.30pm by the tme I settled in, I went for a short walk to Times Square and realised what all the fuss was about - bloody amazing. I love this place - it's full on 24/7, but as long as you go along with that, you are fine - when in Rome...

Portland And Beyond...

Well, a couple of disappointments for Johnny in Portland (but probably not the end of the world either!). For one, we went to find the 24 Hour Church Of Elvis, only to discover it was no longer there (Elvis had left the building!). The other was we planned to watch the Australia v Wales match at a nearby Irish pub, but we got our 6am and 6pm mixed up and we missed it. Never mind, through the wonders of the internet we managed to download the match (no danger of accidentally finding out the score before in this country!). Great match - am looking forward to watching the Australia v Fiji match from the comfort of an Irish pub... this time one that is actually in Ireland!

Spent most of Saturday just walking around Portland - we caught a tram to Washingtom Park (not much of a novelty for a Melbourne boy, but the kids loved it!). The Oregon Zoo was a bit of a letdown (not to mention those bloody Meerkats "ooh, look at us, we can stand on our hind legs and look like little people!"), but we are spoiled by such great zoos in Sydney and Melbourne. Had a great lunch at Jake's Crawfish - I recommend the seafood taco! After that we got ost in Powell's Books - it is 'UGE!!!

Sunday, once we got our acts together, we spent most of the day at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). They had an exhibition called Body World, which was bodies preserved by a process called plastination - sounds bad, but it was very interesting (and quite tasteful really) - take a look at Skin Man...



Since returning to Olympia, we have just be hanging out really - I am getting ready to leave tomorrow for New York, so it's the boring washing and packing stuff. Had a great time with everyone here and spending some quality time with the kids - will be sad to leave...

Carry On In Portland

Is this sign here just so I'll take a photo of it?!

Portland, Oregon

Once the boys were home from school we all packed into the family truckster and headed south for Portland, just over the border in Oregon.   Around 2 hours later we arrived and retired to the hotel bar for a few G & T's (maybe not the kids though!).

Saving looking around Portland for Saturday - I have found there is a 24 hour Church Of Elvis, so that is a must-see and we found a pub that is showing Aust v Wales (RWC), so we will probably end up there at some point!

Not Much Really!

Spent most of the morning looking around the shops in Olympia - loved "Rainy Day Records"! The sun came out in the afternoon, so pretty much lay about in the sun reading and doing not much - I kinda like that!

Ferry To Port Angeles - Eventually

Spent the morning in Victoria looking around the shops etc (the first day of my trip when it was actually overcast - no rain of course!). Went down to the ferry terminal to see if we could get on the 3.00pm ferry to Port Angeles (on the Olympic Peninsula). We missed out on that one by about 4 cars (if it weren't for all the huge semi-trailers, we would have made it), so we had to fill in time till the 7.30pm sailing.

Went for a very long walk (during which we couldn't see much due to very thick fog) that pretty much took us to our departure and then set sail for Port Angeles at sunset, which looked spectacular... until we entered the fog!

Anyway, we made it to PA safely and then drove home down the scenic way (if it was daylight), which took about 2 hours or so.

Lots of fun and much packed into 3 days - thanks Davey!

Victoria

An early start today, up at 6 and at Anacortes by 7.30 for the car ferry over to Sidney (British Columbia, Canada). A pleasent 2-hour trip, winding through the San Jaun islands.

Once in Canada! where spelling is correct (centre!) and distances are metric, we drove down to Victoria.   A very English town, which may or may not be just put on for the tourists.

We walked along the waterfront in the glorious sunny weather, around to Fisherman's Wharf, which may not be on the scale of the one at San Francisco, but it does have an interesting collection of permanent houseboats.

After a fish & chip lunch, we got the bikes and went for a ride on the "Galloping Goose" bike trail.   It goes for 55km in total, though we only went to about the 15km mark. A great bike track, would love to do the full length if we had more time.

Later we went to the movies and saw "Superbad", which starred, among others, Michael Cera, who played George Michael Bluth in "Arrested Development".   A very funny filum!

Finally, bangers and mash at the "Sticky Whicket" pub, washed down with a few beers.

A big day, I'm buggered...

A Bit More

Checked into the hotel in Burlington and then drove to the ferry terminal in Anacortes to see how long it would take for the next day (32 minutes if you really want to know, we will try to beat that time tomorrow!).

Coming back, we stopped off at Deception Pass and went for a walk over the bridge and down to the beach - nice!

Had dinner at a classy place called Bob's Burgers and Brew - not much more I can say about that!

Oh, and we also watched the first episode of series 6 of Curb Your Enthusiasm - Larry's still got it!