I find these floors odd. Stones compressed into cement. Very popular these days but somewhat unique when I looked down at our Venetian floor. Also, an odd, heavy choice for a floating city. Well, that’s not entirely true. Venice is built on pylons like a forest turned to stone over…
Visiting New Grange with the Mary Gibbons Tour
Waiting, patiently, I stare at my sneakers. With each inch of the wooden staircase gained, the sense of anticipation grows. This tomb is older than the pyramids. Older than Stonehenge. Why did they build it? Will there be ghosts inside? Will it collapse? We move another inch. The sun is…
Best Free & Paid Things To Do in Dublin
As a South African travelling over to Dublin it can be a bit daunting deciding what to do. This is mainly because of 3 things: funds, time and options! In our experience, some of the best things to do in Dublin aren’t part of the Dublin Tour so buying a…
Ireland’s Most Beautiful Library: The Long Room
Tones are low within the Book of Kells exhibit room. Upon exiting, a turn left leads guests up the stairwell to the Trinity’s famous library hall. The damp sounds of shoes on wooden floors increases as you approach the tall doorway of the Long Room. Like a panning shot in…
Discovering My Ancestory at EPIC Ireland Immigration Museum
We’ve all seen the TV shows. Who Do You Think You Are?, Genealogy Roadshow and Long Lost Family, to name a few, but have you tried to find your ancestors? Thanks to the interwebs, it’s become easier and easier to reach out, take a DnA test or visit archives to…
5 Foodie Hits & Misses at the Foodhallen, Amsterdam
While staying in Amsterdam for our honeymoon, we discovered an awesome food market called Foodhallen (aka “food hall”, wow, original name there!!). Name tasing aside, it was an awesome opportunity to see what Dutch pop up kitchens have to offer and to enjoy Dutch food on a shoestring. Located about…
How To Get Discounted Moulin Rouge Tickets, Paris
Daa-daa-dadadada-daa-daa-dadadada-daa-daa-dadadadada-dadadadadadadadada 😀 The can-can! Who doesn’t know it? I remember my mother and her pals dressing up, rehearsing for hours and presenting a version of it in our home town’s Little Theatre for their annual variety show, what a hoot! Only one of the most famous dances in the world,…
Sweet Memories of Notre-Dame, Paris
It is with such shock and sadness that I write as Notre Dame’s last flames are being doused by desperate firemen in the heart of Paris. The incredible, 800 year old cathedral sadly caught on fire early this evening, sending the world into a state of shock as the exquisite…
Visiting a 5200 Year Old Irish Tomb: Knowth
Knowth and Newgrange are two of the world’s most famous tomb sites. I’d never heard of Knowth (pronounced nowt), nor Newgrange, before visiting Ireland last year. So I was pleasantly surprised and pleased when my distant cousin organised a trip for us to visit these fascinating sites. While I lost…