• Ella Balagula
  • Ella Balagula

Ireland and Spain Summer 2024

A 23-day adventure by Ella Read more
  • Trip start
    June 26, 2024

    Arriving to Dublin and Temple Bar

    June 26, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We arrived to a beautiful, if a bit cold, windy and drizzly, Dublin around 6 pm. But how exciting that the summer nights are long here and the sunset is at 10 pm! So, I immediately jumped at the opportunity and while Igor had to work, I embarked on the first VoiceMap tour of Dublin, of the Temple Bar area. It’s the hip area full of pubs that came up in the last 20 years or so. As most of the old cities, Dublin grew around the river and I got my first glimpse at the beautiful bridges.Read more

  • Rick Steve tour and Book of Kells

    June 27, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    After delicious breakfast of poached eggs, potatoes and green, we started with the 90 min Rick Steves audio tour of Dublin, which gave us a really good overview of the many layers of the Dublin history, from the Vikings all the way to the more recent history of the Irelands relentless fight for Independence. We walked around the stunning Trinity College campus, which ranks right next to Oxford and Harvard. We saw beautiful monuments and cathedrals and listened to Rick telling us fascinating stories. We then stopped by for delicious porridge with coffee, and went back to Trinity college, to visit its library where 1200 years old Book of Kells resides. Even though the book itself is a bit underwhelming, being open on just one page, under the glass, the properly named Long Room of the library was just breathtaking. It also had a piece of art hanging there, also properly named Gaia - a digital depiction of our earth with NASA photographs. It’s trying to simulate the yearning for connection that astronauts experience when seeing the Earth. The books also strive to give people a sense of connection.Read more

  • VoiceMap tour of the docklands

    June 27, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    In the afternoon, Igor was working, and I went to indulge in yet another VoiceMap tour, now of the Dublin Docklands. The docklands were used to build the canals to use in the ever growing port. But in the last couple of decades the area became host to the many tech companies to build their EU HQs there, attracted by the low tax rate, which boomed Irish economy. I marveled at some beautiful and funky architecture and quite enjoyed the tour and the hip area.Read more

  • More Dublin explorations

    June 28, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    In the morning, we went to do another Rick Steves audio tour, this time of northern part of Dublin, which focused more on the fight for independence. We walked up the main boulevard which had many monuments to the liberation figures. We then went to see a replica of the ship Jeanie Johnston which was used in 19th century to transport Irish immigrants to North America during the great famine of 1845 - 1950, during which over 1 million people died and up to 2 million emigrated. Usually, at least 20-30% of people on the ships wouldn’t survive the arduous journey across the Atlantic on the overcrowded ships, but amazingly, on Jeanie Johnston not a single person died. Thanks to the humanitarian efforts of the ships owner, captain and doctor, who all saved many lives. It was a fascinating and touching story and tour. We then went to the completely digital EPIC museum of Irish immigration. And in the late afternoon, I went on a VoiceMap tour of another area - called the Liberties, where a lot of breweries and distilleries are located.Read more

  • Glendalough and Kilkenny

    June 29, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    On Saturday morning, we rented a car and embarked on our drive of Southern Ireland. The first stop was a monastic site at Glendalough, which had some ruins of a monastery, a large cemetery and a beautiful round tower, all situated among stunning scenery. I befriended a cute Bamby on the parking lot and then we walked the site, while listening to a VoiceMap audio tour of the area. We then drove to the town of Kilkenny, where we visited beautiful castle with some very well restored rooms and a giant paintings gallery. We then did another VoiceMap tour of the town of Kilkenny and learned about its history, and many interesting stories of its inhabitants, which included some witches ands merchants.Read more

  • Coolest B&B experience

    June 29, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    As the days are very long here, we decided not to stay at Kilkenny but to drive further south, and booked in the evening some B&B with good reviews. When we actually came there, we were shocked to see the imposing huge estate looking building and many cute cows outside on enormous grounds. Apparently we were staying on the restored 200-year old house with fascinating history and very kind young couple who bought it for the diary farm (1200 cows!) and started renovating it and running B&B. Beautiful house, amazing amenities and delicious home cooked breakfast.Read more

  • Ring of Kerry Day 1

    June 30, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We started our day with scrumptious breakfast in our atmospheric B&B and then went to the nearby Rock of Cashel which is really ruins of some monastery with a cathedral and cemetery located on top of the hill, or rock. We had a very interesting guided tour and walked around the large site. We then embarked on the drive of the Ring of Kerry which is a famous circular drive around coastal county Kerry in south of Ireland. You drive on beautiful country roads and stop by some marked “goodies”, like castles, abbeys, or forts, most remote and ruined to some degree. It also goes through beautiful villages. It was raining and windy which apparently is a semi permanent state of things here, but we braved the drizzle and went to see a stunning ruined abbey, with multiple floors and with an old tree growing in the courtyard. It was very mystical, especially since because of the weather we had the abbey to ourselves. We then stopped to see a small and beautiful waterfall but had to run back to the car because we were eaten alive by the swarms of tiny no see ums. We then stopped at the town of Kenmare and saw a 3000 year old stone circle which was probably used for some pagan rituals. Amazingly, next to the stones there is a “fairy tree” which has written wishes tied to it and we spend some poignant time, reading the wishes. Most of them were really “I wish for health and happiness for my family” with the touching ones from kids who wished good grades, career, happiness for their parents, or some eclectic wishes like, “I wish I was a dolphin”. It was so humbling to see that people all really wish the same things. Finally, our last stop for the day was a remote stone fort which was used for protection - thousands years old.Read more

  • Ring of Kerry Day 2 and Skellig Ring

    July 1, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Today we continued driving Ring of Kerry and exploring the various goodies. First, there was a ruined abbey located on the appropriately named Abbey Island and we were not sure how to get there, because some reviews said that you could only cross there during the low tide. And indeed it was a low tide and we were the only ones exploring this remote cemetery and abbey. Feels like the end of the world. We then kept driving and stopped by at another stone fort - it’s the same story, very old, made of stones without mortar. Next stop driving through the Kerry Ring was a random statue of Charlie Chaplin - the king of silent movies apparently loved to vacation here in Waterville. Then we drove the Skellig Ring - sort of a ring on the side of the ring - a smaller loop attached to the Ring of Kerry, which goes to the Kerry cliffs. The cliffs were stunning and very photogenic as evidenced by many pictures. In the distance one can see the Skellig islands - one of them is Skellig Michael, which is a large rock jotting out of the ocean where the monks miraculously built thousands of steps and an abbey. They lived there for 600 years until the 15th century. There are boat tours going there but we skipped because the 1.5 hour trip can be very choppy and not great for sea sickness 🐟 🤮 🤘. Then we drove to the nearby Valetia island that is home to the first transatlantic cable station. Unfortunately the museum was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but we drove by it. This is where the cable was laid on the Atlantic sea floor all the way to Newfoundland and the first transatlantic telegrams were sent in 1850 . Before that, the news exchange between the two continents would take two weeks on the ships. We also sampled incredible farm made ice cream, kinda the best we ever had! And I made a cute 🐶 friend there. We then drove towards the direction of Cliffs of Moher to stay overnight in a modern style B&B with two cutest dogs.Read more

  • Cliffs of Moher and Burren

    July 2, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We left our B&B and said farewell to the cutest resident dogs and drove to Cliffs of Moher. Indeed they deserved their status of one of the most famous Irish tourist destinations. The cliffs are dramatic, majestic and powerful. We walked along the top trail, which luckily is protected from the edge by the built up trail with granite slabs. I then took a one hour boat tour that takes you close to the cliffs, again 🐟 was being careful with the rough water to ensure no 🤮 and stayed ashore. There were lots of birds along the cliffs, including cute puffins that were unfortunately too quick to be photographed.

    There were Aran islands visible in the distance where you can take 1 hour ferry to and do day island hopping or stay overnight. One of these islands is portrayed in the movie “Banshees of Inisherin”. Next time we should visit them! We then drove to the nearby Burren, which is the moonlike landscape of limestone. We walked around to a Neolithic burial site called Dolmen - it’s 5000 years old and marks the mass gravesite.
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  • Galway city

    July 3, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    On our last day in Ireland, we stayed in Galway city, which is considered to be the coolest and hippest city in Ireland. It’s the center of Irish food and music scene. We really went there because it wasn’t too far from Cliffs of Moher and because there were VoiceMap tours available there. We did two VoiceMap tours - one historical and one specifically talking about gastronomy of Galway. We sampled many great small restaurants with local produce and walked around its pretty town center. Then we drove 2.5 hours back to Dublin, stopping on the way at the Tara, a historical hill, 30 min from Dublin. We did a VoiceMap tour there too, walking around a large site of grassy mounds, marking the areas of archeological finds. We also learned about the significance of fairies in the Irish beliefs. That concluded our week-long Irish adventure!Read more

  • Vilnus Encuentro Las Campanas

    Jul 4–8, 2024 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We spent 4 amazing days dancing tango and enjoying beautiful ballroom with great floor, mostly fantastic music and some (also mostly) great dancers. Vilnus in numbers: number of milongas over 3.5 days - 7. Total hours at milongas - 26. Total tandas I danced with other partners - 63. Total tandas we danced together - probably 30 or so. Total number of times we ate at the same restaurant Kyiv (borsch every single time, plus other things) - 5. Amount of sightseeing - zero, because we did it last year. Overall, very enjoyable encuentro!Read more

  • Bilbao

    July 9, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We arrived to Bilbao late Monday night and on Tuesday morning immediately tackled the city through a 1.5 hours VoiceMap tour, which was quite interesting and gave us a great overview of this beautiful and fun city. It’s an incredible story of transformation - the city used to be gritty, poor and unsafe, especially through the 90s with the terrorist threats. It then undergone amazing transformation, starting with building the now world famous Guggenheim museum. We saw a beautiful indoor market, gorgeous opera theater, and walked through an old city with beautiful plazas. We also strolled along the river on the promenade and admired some very beautiful bridges. The city is very green and is an architecture marvel. We also sampled the world famous Basque cuisine, particularly Basque tapas which are called pinxtos (pronounced pinchos). We really loved the opportunity to create our own tasting menu through sampling many small morsels - mostly mini sandwiches that are just as delicious as stunning. True works of art. We finished the tour near the Guggenheim and experienced a real sense of awe over this glimmering titanium covered flying dream of a building.Read more

  • Guggenheim museum in Bilbao

    July 9, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    We spent incredible three hours marveling at the Guggenheim collection, as well as the building itself. Its interior and exterior are both absolutely breathtaking, very organically incorporating art pieces into its galleries. It’s hard to imagine that human mind could conceive such a surreal structure. Frank Gehry is an absolute genius. The building is covered with paper thin titanium panels, reminding of glistening fish scales, a homage to Gehry’s childhood love of fishes. And there is a stellar collection of art that fits perfectly into the surroundings. Outside, there is a large Jeff Koons floral sculpture of a puppy, made of live fragrant begonias. There is a giant steel spider by Louise Bergouis, symbolizing a protective embrace of a mother (go figure!). The largest wing is dedicated to enormous steel mazes by Richard Serra. A mesmerizing infinity room by Kusama. And there was a fascinating temporary exhibit by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara who is famous for his paintings of children with wide set eyes. It was such a captivating visit!Read more

  • San Sebastian

    July 10, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We left Bilbao in the morning and drove an hour to the nearby San Sebastián and of course, started our day with the VoiceMap tour. It was very interesting to see how this beautiful beach resort developed over the decades and learn about its history. The city really centers on the beach life, and the main city beach, La Concha (shaped like a seashell) is enormous and buzzing with people. In the afternoon I went to sample some more Pinxtos and went for a sunbath and a swim, surrounded by literally thousands of people.Read more

  • Panticosa and thermal baths

    July 11, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    In the morning, we had a brunch in a nearby cafe, happily taking a break from the rich and heavy pinxtos. We then drove 3 hours into the heart of the Pyrenees mountains, to Panticosa where our next tango encuentro was taking place. It was actually in a small spa town with thermal springs, 10 km up deep into the canyon from Panticosa. In the afternoon, I took a short hour hike outside of our hotel, with gorgeous views of the lake and the tiny town nestled in the valley, surrounded by the tall mountains with streaming waterfalls. The location of this encuentro was really absolutely stunning. Later, I went to the thermal baths and enjoyed the wellness circuit of multiple saunas and thermal pools.Read more

  • Hiking in Panticosa

    July 12, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    This morning, we drove 15 min to Panticosa, and with the great advise from the information center, embarked on the best hike in the area. Panticosa is a ski resort and there are ski lifts all over the mountains. We took the gondola up, and were able to do a 3 hour hike in the higher altitudes, above the tree level, to two gorgeous mountain lakes. The views were incredible, and we even made friends with some horses who were grazing on the slopes. A bit of an adventure happened - apparently I have not worn my hiking boots 🥾 for a while (tango travel somewhat replaced hiking travel), and my feet became half size bigger, so the boots were small. By the end of the hike I had painful bloody blisters on my pinky toes. Which had the potential of compromising the remainder of our hiking this trip!Read more

  • Encuentro in Spain

    July 13, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    This morning we drove to Panticosa to urgently address the issue of blisters and bought some Compeed bandaids (second skin) and the new roomier hiking boots! With Compeed I was able to dance and enjoy the beautiful encuentro. The average age of the dancers here was a bit higher than usual, and the average level of the dancing skills quite lower, but we were able to find enough of great dancers to really enjoy the milongas. And in the early afternoon we went together to the thermal baths and even our non water/sauna loving 🐟 really enjoyed it! Truly relaxing and rejuvenating time in a breathtaking location.Read more

  • Ordesa national park Day 1

    July 15, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    In the morning, we left our encuentro venue and drove for about an hour to the Ordesa National park. There, we did a 3 hour nice hike through the forest with beautiful views and 3 pretty waterfalls. My toes held up well, thanks to Compeed, new hiking boots and general trouper attitude! We stayed in a small town near the national park and enjoyed a quiet atmosphere and perfect weather.Read more

  • Hiking to the waterfalls in Ordesa

    July 16, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today we did the main 6- hour hike in Ordesa National Park, 18 km round trip, with gorgeous scenery, and 5 waterfalls along the way. It was fairly crowded, but the weather was absolutely perfect, the path gentle and overall the hike was pretty magical. The waterfalls were progressively more beautiful, culminating in a stunning, hidden from view, waterfall, aptly named Horse Tail. My favorite part of the hike was at the end, when the path unexpectedly opened up to a magical valley, surrounded by the tall mountains, covered by yellow wildflowers. It was indeed one of the top day hike we ever did.Read more

  • Tarragona and Barcelona

    July 17, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Last night we left Ordesa park and drove 3 hours to the coastal town Tarragona. We never actually heard of it before, but it’s close to Barcelona which is where we fly home from. And, you guessed it right, there was a VoiceMap tour in Tarragona which was apparently the most important Roman Empire city outside of Rome. Also, an interesting fact was that the encuentro organizers (and some other dancers) were all from Tarragona. The city was quite beautiful and the tour very interesting. It was great to step back in time and imagine what it must have looked like in Roman times. There is quite well preserved/reconstructed coliseum for the gladiator fights. There were ruins of the hippodrome for the chariot races, and ruins of the Roman theater. Interestingly, a lot of it was just underground, as the city accumulated layers of history through medieval and to our times. Apparently, people in Tarragona would sometimes during the constructions uncover the pieces of columns in their bedrooms or bathrooms and because it’s all protected, would have to build and decorate around them! After the tour, we drove about an hour to Barcelona and did a VoiceMap tour of the Gothic quarter, which was very beautiful and fascinating. We also uncovered on the tour another Gaudi building that we never visited before - Palace Guell which we went and toured inside. It’s amazing how many more treasures we find in Barcelona despite many visits. We also agreed that from all the major European cities, Barcelona is one of the most walkable and livable, with welcoming vibe.Read more

  • Morning Barcelona walk

    July 18, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Before our flight home, we decided to get up at 7 am (despite a late night at somewhat lame milonga in Barcelona) to do another VoiceMap tour (of the same guide that we found funny and interesting). It was pretty amazing to walk the Citadel park and the usually touristy medieval streets of El Borno barrio, that we had completely to ourselves. A quiet empty morning city really opened itself to us and it was a great cherry on top of a wonderful trip.Read more

    Trip end
    July 18, 2024