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Another European Adventure
  • Antonio Pelaia
  • Antonio Pelaia

Another European Adventure

Germany, Ireland, Scotland and Czech Republic Weiterlesen
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  • Beginn der Reise
    20. April 2018
    Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Wait. Board. Fly. Repeat.

    19. April 2018 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    It just seems like yesterday I was waiting to board a flight. The 3 days I’ve had to rest up were great but my neck is still a little stiff from the last flight on Monday morning. This flight stops in Reykjavik, Iceland then to Berlin, Germany after an hour layover. Does that mean I can say I’ve been to Iceland?

    I will be gone for a total of 30 days on this trip. My itinerary includes traveling to Germany, Ireland, Scotland and Czech Republic. This isn’t the longest trip I’ve had. Back in 2012, I had a 6 week trip, mainly through Italy.

    I am slowly learning the art of packing lighter! I have a carry on that weighs only 8.5 kg and a small Roots backpack at about 4 kg! This means I don’t have to check-in any luggage. It usually adds about an hour of time to wait for the baggage carousel. It is much easier to just take your carry on and go! I can do laundry at some point.

    I did get a new water bottle. If you recall, my last one was offered to the gods in Machu Picchu. This one is neon yellow and practically glows in the dark. If I lose it again, I guess I’ll have to go without!

    The flight will board in about an hour. Hopefully it’s a smooth flight. I doubt I will sleep on the plane but I will try.

    More to come....    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Arrival in Berlin

    20. April 2018 in Deutschland ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    It was a long day of travel. Both flights were full but I got aisle seats which helped a little with comfort. I didn’t get the emergency exit seats this time so I was a bit crammed. I watched some tv on the in flight entertainment system which helped the time pass.

    Berlin looks quite big from the air. I was a little overwhelmed at first with the airport but only because it was unfamiliar. I purchased a SIM card and a week bus pass to help with getting around. I took the TXL bus and tried to make my way to my friend Jason’s place. I partially succeeded. I missed a stop and just walled the remainder of the way.

    We relaxed a little and got caught up before making our way out for a little neighbourhood walk. I took a few pictures as well. It was about 27 degrees, with the sun shining! Jason was a great guide, giving me some information on the sites we passed.

    On our way back we stopped in at a grocery store and bought a few things.

    We went back, ate, relaxed and talked for a bit before heading to bed.

    I was so exhausted. It’s great to be in one place for a few days. I’m looking forward to discovering Berlin.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Berlin 2.0

    21. April 2018 in Deutschland ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    I had a restful sleep.

    Jason and I had a relaxing morning and planned a walking tour today of some sites in Berlin.

    We walked to the main station. The transit system js quite intricate here, and overwhelming for a visitor.

    We went to the main station Hauptbahnhof. We walked the Reichstag building. Other stops included: Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, The Jewish Memorial, Neue Wache, The Nazi Book Burning Memorial, Museum Island, The Berlin Wall and the Topography of Terror.

    As a treat we stopped in at the Rausch Chocolate Shop. We ate lunch at an Asian restaurant close to a park.

    Jason was a great tour guide.

    Today was a jam packed day! We will see what tomorrow will bring.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Walk til you drop!

    22. April 2018 in Deutschland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    It was a day full walking. We had breakfast and left around 10:30. Our goal today was the East Side Gallery.

    On our way, we stopped by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which are the remainders of a bombed church from WWII. It obviously has been left as a reminder of the horrors of war.

    We also went through a mall that overlooked the Berlin Zoo and we could see some orangoutangs and gorillas. Pretty cool.

    When we finally arrived at the outdoor gallery, we were exhausted from walking. There were many tourists there taking pictures and selfies. Basically, it’s the largest remaining section of the Berlin Wall turned into several murals. It was quite remarkable to see. There are many parts of the city where you see a two brick path identifying where the old Berlin Wall use to be. It zig-zags all over the place. It’s hard to picture a 12 foot wall dividing the city.

    We took the transit back. I’m going to have to try and figure my way around the transit system. Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow. I’ll need a relaxing day to recoup from my walking. I should be documenting my step counts! Ha!!    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia
    1

    Flying Solo

    23. April 2018 in Deutschland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    The days are passing by so quickly. I have to remind myself what day of the week it is. It’s Monday today.

    I’m going to do some wandering on my own today.....well for part of the day. It’s been great that Jason has been able to show me the basis but it’s time for me to try it on my own.

    I decide to go to a place called Primark. It’s a U.K. chain that is similar to H & M.

    As I was writing this I almost missed my stop! I had to squeeze through the bus doors as they were closing. Yikes!!

    I made it to my destination! To my surprise, I came upon the TV Tower. I took a couple of pictures and made my way to Primark. I did but a couple of little things. I can’t take much back because I don’t want to put my bags over the limit! I could have purchased so much but didn’t.

    I stopped and bought some pretzels and had that as a snack.

    It started to rain a little but I made my way into a McDonald’s to get a coffee and some wifi.

    I made my way back to Jason’s place and we went to a market area that had lots of restaurants including a Canadian poutine place....we had to try it. Unfortunately, no discount for Canadians.....I asked. Ha!

    I still have yet to try the Currywurst....maybe tomorrow.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Touristed Out!

    24. April 2018 in Deutschland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    I think I’m touristed out.

    Jason and I took the subway to Alexanderplatz, walked and shopped a bit. We didn’t really buy anything but it was good to window shop. It was overcast and rainy today so it wasn’t the best day to be out and about.

    We ate lunch but it was a pretty tasteless burger and overpriced.

    Tonight will be a low key. Home made fried rice and Netflix.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia
    Get your mind out of the gutter. It's a GOLD HAT!!

    Museum Time

    25. April 2018 in Deutschland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    I had a little bit of a sleep in this morning.

    We decided to go to Neues Museum and do some wandering around. It was cool to see all ur Egyptian, Roman, etc. artifacts. The highlight was Nefertiti. I couldn’t take a picture but it was quite beautiful.

    It is interesting to note that there are bullet holes in buildings all over the city, including this museum. Some attempts have been made to plaster over them but for the most part, they have been left. Again, reminders of the horrors of war.

    Jason and I had some dessert at a restaurant and then went back to his place.

    I had to prepare my booking for tomorrow. It was a bit of a nightmare but I did it. Ryanair would not let me use a mobile boarding pass so I had to find an Internet cafe to print a paper copy. It’s sneaky business. I have another Ryanair flight from Dublin to Edinburgh and I doubt I will use the airline in again.

    Hopefully I sleep well tonight and all goes smoothly tomorrow. If not, I’m sure you’ll read all about it!    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Budlin Dound

    26. April 2018 in Irland ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Today is a travel day. I’ll be making my way to Dublin. As always, I don’t tend to sleep very well because I’m so worried about missing my flight! Thankfully Peter will be meeting me there today.

    I enjoyed Berlin. It took me a few days to get use to the way things work. Thankfully I had Jason to show me the city and give me tours, ideas and tips.

    Speaking of tips, here are some things to remember when you visit Berlin:

    1) Get a transit pass. I got a 7 day pass and it came in very very handy. This is the most progressive city I’ve been to with a transit system. Buy a ticket from the machine for your trip. Validate it in one of the validation machines. Keep it in your wallet for the duration of your trip. You just walk on and off the buses, trains and subways. You don’t need to scan your card, go through annoying turn-styles or get transfer tickets. It’s all on the honour system. If you get stopped by one of the transit officers you’ll need to present your validated ticket or you will get a fine!! I haven’t been stopped.

    2) Don’t be afraid to explore. There are lots of cool things to see and do. I find the best way is just to walk. Remember to download an offline version of google maps of Berlin. You won’t need to connect to the internet and it will keep you from getting lost.

    3) Ask for help. Locals are quite friendly and helpful. Most speak English and are willing to guide you in the right direction.

    4) Don’t over do it. When traveling, it’s natural to want to do EVERYTHING. Be realistic. Personally, I would just Tackle 2 or 3 things you want to see and do for each day you travel. Set your budget and stick to it. It is so easy to get caught up in the ‘I’m here right now, I may as well do it.’

    Hopefully Dublin will be just as easy to navigate, plenty of sites to see and foods to try.

    I’m beginning to hate being in airports. It’s lines, waiting and more waiting. I have a few more flights to go so hopefully I can hang in till the end.

    Finally I’ve arrived. Peter arrived as well. We walked around and went for an early dinner. I didn’t eat since this morning so I was famished. Tomorrow we have a free day to explore Dublin.

    Adventure time!    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Rainy Dublin Day

    27. April 2018 in Irland ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Dublin is beautiful and green. Minus the rain. This afternoon it’s suppose to clear up so hopefully we can go for a walking tour.

    We slept in a little today. Unfortunately, there is construction going on in the hotel and they were drilling away bright and early. What a wake up call!!

    It was an educational day. We decided to do a free tour today. It was mainly the north end of Dublin and very political in nature. The tour guide was so knowledgeable and obviously a history buff. Ireland has had its share of hardships.

    The most moving part for me was the sculptures called the Famine. It is depicting people fleeing to Canada in a time when there was a potato blight and many people had very little food. Unfortunately the Irish government didn’t step in. Many Irish people took the long journey to Canada to make a new life as it was worth the risk. This sculpture depicts the ‘Depart’. In Toronto, the other sculpture depicts the ‘Arrival’. I will have to make a point of seeing it on my next trip to Toronto. I think you will agree that the artist did an incredible job!!!

    Tomorrow will be an remarkable day. Lots on the agenda...just wait and see!    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Starting Ireland Tour

    28. April 2018 in Nordirland ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    This is the first day of our bus tour through Ireland. I am quite excited. There are 27 of us and several of us are Canadians.

    I meant to put a little disclaimer on my first entry. There WILL be spelling and grammar mistakes on these entries. The autocorrect feature and typing on an iPhone make it difficult to write. Plus, I don’t always have time to reread my entries and make corrections.

    Our first stop was in Belfast for the Black Cab Tour. We had a condensed version of Irish history between the Catholics and Protistans. The wall in Belfast is much higher than the Berlin Wall, about 3 times higher. I find it fascinating that the wall isn’t coming down anytime soon but some progress has been made between the two sides.

    We ate lunch at St. George’s Market. It reminded me of the old Covent Garden Market in London. There were lots of artisans and food stalls.

    Our next stop was the The Dark Hedges. It was difficult to take a picture. There were too many people there. It was cool to see but I think it would look much better in the summer. A scene from The Game of Thrones was filmed here.

    We made our way to Ballintoy. A very small town in northern Ireland. The harbour was close by so we went for a walk to take some photos after we settle into our room.

    Tonight is dinner and hopefully in bed early.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Gaint's Causeway and Derry

    29. April 2018 in Nordirland ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    We took a 25 minute walk this morning to the rope bridge (Carrick-a-Rede). It was a small bridge that we could have paid 7 pounds to cross.

    We took the short 15 minute ride to Giant’s Causeway. Again, I’m amazed at how many people are here. It’s a has been the best site so far. Wow.

    We arrived in Derry. Our Walking Tour was extremely well done. The guide was a local and has so much passion and dedication to his city. He knew how to entertain us and keep us interested. I would love to come back and explore this city. Unfortunately, we are only here for one night and it’s Sunday so most shops are closed.

    We are up early and hitting the road by 8 am    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia
    Fairy Tree with Ribbons

    Eleven.1

    30. April 2018 in Irland ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    I’m going to try to do my journal in parts so I’ll be able to add more photos to each entry.

    We were up for breakfast and out the door for 8 am. I filled up on breakfast as we have most of the day in the bus with a few site-seeing stops along the way.

    It’s chilly here this morning but at 1 degree celsius it feels much warmer than back home. I’m assuming because it is a drier cold.

    We stopped at the Creevykeel burial tomb. It was small. There also were several fairy trees. The legends say that if you tie a ribbon on then branch you’ll get good luck. So I tied a little piece of thread on a branch.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia
    1

    Eleven.2

    30. April 2018 in Irland ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    We stopped at a famous cemetery where the poet Yeats is buried. They have a church, cafe and gift shop here.

    Now....superstition or not. I’m a believer of fairies.

    Less than 10 minutes after tying the thread to the fairy tree I asked the attendant / cashier about where you can purchase an enamel cup as they have on the tables. She told me a kitchen supply store or a commercial restaurant supply store. She then said how many do you want? I said just one. She shuffled some stuff around on the shelf behind her and said here you go. I went to give her some money and she refused to take anything. I was thrilled!!

    Thank you so much Drumcliffe Tea House!!    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Eleven.3

    30. April 2018 in Irland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We continued our journey this morning to Galway.

    Lunch in Westport before we continue our journey. It looks like a very quaint town.

    We arrived in Galway. It seems like a great city. Lots of students and places to visit.

    Tomorrow we are going to the island by ferry for the whole day. Forecast is rain. :( We can walk, bike or take a tour bus there. I guess we will have to wait and see what Mother Nature dishes out!!    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Twelve.1

    1. Mai 2018 in Irland ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Today we were suppose to go to Aran island. Peter and I opted out. The forecast is rain all day there so we figured it would be best to have a lazy day in Galway and explore.

    Our plan is to do the free walking tour here, like we did in Dublin.

    It was a great tour with lots of rich history about Ireland and the area. The guide was a trooper. The rain, wind and cold has no affect on her. She just talked and told us stories without missing a beat. Pretty impressive I must say. I was chilled to the bone by the end of the tour.

    We had a quick bite to eat and returned to have some down time. It’s been almost 2 weeks now. Hopefully today’s ‘reset’ day will help me persevere the next two weeks.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Terteen.1

    2. Mai 2018 in Irland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    No. I didn’t make a spelling mistake in the title. It’s a joke. The Irish can’t pronounce ‘th’. Our guide Darren, has been entertaining us with his ‘th’ words since the start of the tour.

    Yesterday was a bust for the group who went to the island. It was rainy, cold and windy. They stayed ok the bus most of the time and some didn’t even want to get off to to take pictures because it was so cold. I guess we made the right decision.

    We are heading to Ennis today. There are a few stops in between.

    Our first stop, Dunguaire Castle. It’s a small castle but it’s nice to take a photo. Tomorrow we’re suppose to stop and see more castles.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Killarney Here We Come.1

    3. Mai 2018 in Irland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    8 am meet up time today.

    It’s been a wet, cold and foggy day. The bus ride to Dingle was a couple of hours but we did make a pit stop along the way.

    The countryside would look much better if the sun was shining.

    In Dingle, there’s a famous dolphin named fungie who has captured the hearts of locals and tourists alike. Supposedly he’s been here for 17 years entertaining people in the harbour. They even have a statue of him!    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia
    1

    Blarney Castle

    4. Mai 2018 in Irland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Today’s agenda includes Blarney Castle and then back to Dublin. This will conclude the tour.

    The castle was cool. It had narrow stone spiral staircases. It could be dangerous if you slipped.

    I wasn’t going to kiss the famous Blarney Stone. Luckily we got there first and didn’t have to wait long.

    The castle grounds were enormous. We had over 2 hours to explore. It was almost too much time so we went into town to get some lunch.

    We have a long bus ride back to Dublin.    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    DUB to EDI

    5. Mai 2018 in Schottland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today is going to be a travel day. I will be flying to Edinburgh tonight. I can’t really do much as I have to check out of the hotel and make my way to the airport. I’ll be getting into Scotland later this evening. I’ll likely just walk the city centre or do a free tour.

    I’ve seen and done what I’ve wanted in Dublin.

    After a long wait, I’ve arrived safe and sound in Edinburgh. I need a good sleep so I can tackle the day tomorrow!!    Weiterlesen

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  • Antonio PelaiaAnother European AdventureAntonio Pelaia

    Edinburgh.1

    6. Mai 2018 in Schottland ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    My first impressions of Edinburgh were WOW!

    It was a smooth experience getting from the airport to city centre. What threw me off was the massive set of steps going up to the hotel area. Talk about Machu Picchu all over again....with luggage.

    I arrived around 10. I had to cut through this court yard to get to the main lobby. The courtyard was filled with massive amounts of people, drinking and watching a boxing match. It was very difficult to cut through and the noise was over the top. I did manage to get into the hotel and check in. She assured me I wouldn’t hear anything from my room. I did here some but it was not too bad.

    There is going to be a ton to discover today but I won’t be able to do it all so, we will see. Plus it’s Sunday so many places will be closed.    Weiterlesen

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