Ireland Archives - Page 27 of 47 - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

Countries, Culture, Deals, Europe, Ireland, Sport, UK

Rossmeister, Braywatch and Andorra’s Box

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You know Christmas is coming when… the latest Ross O’Carroll Kelly book hits the shelves and he coins another killer pun like Game of Throw-Ins of Andora’s Box.

And as it happens the new Ross book hits the shelves this Friday… and I’ve already told Santa that, roysh, I want that.

As well as a Beamer with one of the Seoige sisters (or both) sprawled over the hood.

Andorra was where Ross decamped when he had to get out of town.

From the looks of it Ross is having to make the most of things these days in Bray, the old-fashioned Co. Wicklow resort I know so well.

Although I prefer the luxury of leafy Powerscourt in nearby Enniskerry.

Back to Andorra.

And In truth if you do during the winter you’ll not be able to hook a T bar or ride a gondola without bumping into someone you know from Dublin 4..

If you want a taste of Dublin’s Rugbyland and walk in the Rossmeister’s footsteps then the InterCon is where you’ll stay.

And he’ll no doubt have a thing or two to say about Ireland’s win yesterday against Scotland.

Pyrenees please

Andorra is an ideal country to get the skiing kick.

And Pierre & Vacances are all over the Pyrenees with more than 455 rooms and apartments.

It is adding to that with two new residences in the Pyrenees, Hotel Austria and Residence Andorra Degas.

Deal me in

Hotel Austria boasts 62 rooms and is just 1km from the Peretol ski resort.

The Degas Apartments are right on the doorstep to the skiing, just 750m from the Grandvalira slopes.

A seven-night stay at the Hotel Austria at a flexible rate, arriving on March 13 is from €395/£358 for a double bedroom with breakfast included.

And a week at the Andorra Residence Degas is from €757/£685 for an apartment that sleeps up to three. Flights and transfers not included.

I’ve looked up at those Pyrenees from my post-Lourdes tour so this is unfinished business.

Caribbean, Countries, Culture, Europe, Ireland

Out of my tree

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And watching the Scary One plant her pear trees in the drizzle for National Tree Week has sparked memories of where I’ve been out of my tree around the world.

Let’s hear it for the beardies… on Barbados

Beardy trees

Caribbean: The trees certainly caught the Portuguese mariners” eye when they landed in Barbados..

Not the golden beaches, interestingly (well they have their own) but their bearded Ficus citrifolia.

While we all visit the West Indies for its beaches we miss a lot if we ignore its heartland so you should go safari.

Where Dwayne will tear up the woodland in his Jeep and the bowed bearded trees will flick your face.

Eat one of those famous Tobagonian meals of fish which has just jumped out of the sea and macaroni in Jemma’s Treehouse.

And sleep it off in your own treehouse in Castara Retreats in a hammock naturally.

Tree si

Italy: And my favourite is this much-loved straight up and down tree… it’s very poplar.

My good friend and an Irish Travel Writer of the Year into the bargain, Muriel Bolger, wrote beautifully for me on their appeal, on a trip I sent her on to Northern Italy.

Which I checked out for myself in Bergamo this past Autumn.

I had, of course, familiarised myself with them when I went off-road on my Via Francigena pilgrimage.

Me and the chasing dogs.

Espana fir favor

Spain: And while the summer is when we all descend on Spain’s beaches here’s my ode to Autumn in Espana.

When nature is in a state of undress, and when she is at her most becoming.

The best way to discover a region is by foot and on my Camino in Galicia I trudged the same tracks the Medieval Peregrinos did.

I dare say that the tree growing out of this house was there then too.

The explorer to Tenerife, rather than the sun seeker, will head north, rather than south.

And the rainforest in the Northern Anaga Mountains. All of which you cam enjoy on your CanariaWays.com trip.

The Power of trees

Crane your neck: The Douglas Fir at Powerscourt

Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow, Ireland: And when you live in the Garden County of Wicklow then trees are all around you.

The tallest one in Ireland is on the magnificent Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry, near Bray, some 60m plus which is it the seventh highest in Europe.

And when you stay in the sumptuous hotel you get a view, and a review, like no other.

And shiver me timbers

Celebrity Edge: And trees are the last thing you’d expect on a cruise ship.

But this is just one of the things which separates the $1bn Celebrity Cruises Edge from the other ships on the seas..

Edge which I boarded two years ago for its inaugural trip from Fort Lauderdale to tbe Bahamas boasts Eden, a forested wonder et land of plants.

But then every on Edge transports you to a different world.

MEET YOU UP A TREE

Canada, Countries, Culture, Ireland, UK

Yes Yukon – 125 years since the Gold Rush

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Yes Yukon. Happen if I had been a young buck in 1896 I would have been searching for gold in them thar hills.

Listen it’s got so bad in Murty Demesne that I’ve taken to burrowing up in the Pentland Hills around Edinburgh.

Grandpa Murty too went to Canada to try to make his fortune (actually sent there to get himself out of trouble in Scotland).

But that was later.

London’s calling

Yukon has been in the public conscience this year again with the remake of Jack London’s Call of the Wild with Harrison Ford.

My good friend Jo, who babysits the British and Irish journalists at IPW, the American Travel Fair, is a mine of information on Yukon.

And she has dug us out this….

Hit the trail

The Chilkoot Trail traces the prospectors’ path from Skagway, Alaska through the Yukon to Bennett Lake, British Colombia.

Across the ravine, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway chugs over the pass (this woman’s a poet).

En route through the coastal mountains to Carcross village.

Visitors can enjoy Gold Rush tours of the Klondike Gold Fields and also pam for gold.

Dawson City

Jack London fans will love the Jack London Museum and Cabin in Dawson City.

You, of course, will be staying somewhere a lot more salubrious.

The Dawson Lodge is a new ten-bedroom environmentally-conscious boutique-style hotel with Gold Rush ambience.

And Yukon will ensure you don’t feel alone even though there are only 40,000 human types across an area the size of Spain.

You will get a welcome from its 180,000 caribou, 70,000 moose, 22,000 mountain sheep, 7,000 grizzly bears, 10,000 black bears and 250 bird species.

Heavenly dancers

While there’s plenty of life too up there in the skies with those heavenly dancers, the Northern Lights.

It’s just one more frontier for this Wild West frontiersman to cross.

America, Countries, Culture, Europe, Ireland

Holiday Snaps – Hungarian heights

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I christened her Funky Gold Edina which she happily went along with despite it probably going over her Hungarian head.

Edina was the ever-smiling Top Flight for Schools host on our walking trip up the Tyrolean Alps in Austria.

Which is no mean thing when everything over your head gives you vertigo.

It’s the people you meet from foreign countries when you’re abroad who inspire you to visit their homelands.

Hungary for cultureEdina’s beloved Hungary is also on Travel Department‘s radar.

Phew Danube

You’ll go right round the bend but you’ll love it on your Danube Bend Walking Holiday.

Spend five nights in the Medieval castle town of Visegard in Northern Hungary.

Enjoy five days of walking with packed lunches with moderate (7-11kms) and challenging (12-20kms) levels.

With Edina and Caroline in the Austrian Tyrol

Among the highlights are Nagymaros, Zebegeny, the Pilis Mountains and a half/day tour of Budapest.

From €1,199pp for seven nights including flights, transfers and 4* hotel accommodation, departing June and September.

Sit down next to me Rosa

Rosa and Thistle in Memphis

There is something iconic about the American bus.

Where else can you see a man in a gabardine suit who looks like a spy when you’ve gone to look for America (ask your folks)?

But not all buses are Greyhound or Peter Pan buses… in the Deep South they were awful segregated affairs.

Until a wee seamstress cast a huge Civil Rights legacy 65 years ago today by refusing to give up her seat.

Her arrest in Montgomery, Alabama, sparked the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott.

I had the honour of sitting beside Rosa (well kinda) in the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.

The real bus is in the Henry Ford Museum in the Detroit area near where she moved, like so many African-Americans.

But the real story begins in Montgomery, Alabama.

Malta crosses

Should you see a Catholic priest walking down the middle of a street in Malta or Gozo then you should veer into a ditch to miss him.

It used to be the case too in Ireland though these changed days they’d probably be stepping on the peddle.

The links to the two countries have always been strong and they’ve just been renewed.

Since the end of last month you can get back to Malta from Ireland with a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of arrival.

And when you’re there you can enjoy, the sun, sea and swally, of course, but why not the saints too?

And as I often say the best way to check out a new place is to go where they play and pray.

The archipelago boasts more than 360 churches and chapels and having visited St John’s Co-Cathedral for the Caravaggio which means only another 359!

St Augustine Church and St Paul’s Shipwreck Church are on the Malta Pilgrimage Trail and the old convert must think I’lm stalking him.

In Malta yes, but also Rome while I’ve also been on the trail of St John too, on the island of Kythera in the Athens/Attica region of Greece.

America, Countries, Culture, Food & Wine, Ireland

The Travel pack – alpha males

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And aren’t we, the alpha males, the most awkward species – especially Homo Caledonius and Homo Australis?

The story goes that Caledonius and Australis squared up in the Rockies where Australis thought it right to defend the honour of a female.

Brush it off

The female in question was an elderly Jordanian woman whom Caledonius had brushed past on his way back up the coach to rescue his rucksack.

Australis puffed out his chest and lambasted Caledonius for ‘touching the Asian woman’!

And it carried on into our Colorado spa where it did mellower and we all just chilled with our party.

Pagosa Springs is the world’s deepest geothermal hot spring aquifier.

Which we’re told powers local businesses, the best of whom are, of course, the craft breweries.

Springs eternal

And a shout-out here to beer archaeologist Travis and his pals at Avery Brewery h here.

Paradise Coast, Florida: And Paradise is right there waiting for me, as in March when this peaky bug interrupted me.

The Paradise Coast is on the south Florida coast, and a Hertz car was sitting there for me at Miami only for Donald Trump to close the country down.

Ever the Everglades

The Everglades has a certain ring to it and the National Park is a World Heritage site.

And, of course, you’ll explore the tropical jungle, mangrove and cypress swamps.

Everglades Area Tours will give you the skinny on the marine, birdlife and endangered species.

Any visitor to the Everglades will grow fins themselves with the amount of water life they eat.

But always the Floridians are thinking of the sustainability of its Paradise Coast and Keys .

And fishermen detach claws at the joint and throw the crustaceans back.

Stone crabs can regenerate their claws every one to two years, making this one of Florida’s most coveted sustainable food sources.

Countries, Culture, Europe, Ireland, Sport, UK

My Sporting Weekend – Kitmastime

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And for many a parent the go-to Christmas present for kids (and maybe vice-versa) was a football top.

My most memorable was, and this is pertinent in a week when we lost Diego Maradona, La Albiceleste.

Or the sky blue and white stripes.

Truth was that my attempts at long hair never came close to the chic cool of the hero of that year’s World Cup, Mario Kempes.

And physical evidence still exists in a picture album of a rather angst-ridden teen standing by the tree.

In truth I hadn’t asked for Argentina and would have preferred the Dutch shirt.

And I did rue the day I left the World Cup winners’ top behind in a changing room.

So in recognition of Diego and also to flag up a very good cause comedian Mark Watson’s Kitmas appeal for donations of old football tops here are my five faves.

Which will, of course, draw you to these countries.

Dutch of class

Argentina and the Netherlands in the World Cup final in 1978.

The Netherlands: And it was probably just as well that my parents didn’t give me the Dutch top in the Glasgow of the Seventies.

Because an orange top is identified in Scotland with King William of Orange and the Protestant team Rangers.

And that wouldn’t have gone down well in my Catholic school.

Thing was though that as an eight-year-old and uncluttered by such nonsense I was dazzled by that colour.

And the Netherlands of Cruyff and Krol.

And I did manage to blend in with the Oranje Army when I treated the-then Miss F to a night out.

Amsterdam to Rotterdam where the Dutch beat the Greeks 1-0.

Portuguese man of awe

Portugal: And while it’s mostly always the top you get sometimes you need the whole shirt and shorts ensemble.

So that Portugal‘s red top with the addition of green shorts becomes the Portugal flag.

Our guide Jose Madomis told us from the off that Portugal in the days of the dictator Salazar was run on Football, Fado and Fatima.

So much so that among all the stands of Our Lady merch in Fatima you’ll find the Portuguese shirt and Cristiano Ronaldo towel!

Moroccan roll

Morocco: And not just because they were Scotland’s last opponents in the finals of a major competition, a 3-0 defeat in 1998.

But because of the lengths I went to to get myself a Morocco top

On my travels in Marrakech. I picked the green one rather than the red.

Where I got roped in by a trader after some pointless bartering.

To buy his threadbare top off his stall for more than its worth.

Which set in motion a tragical mystery tour from Jemaa el-Fna around the souks.

And that was just the start of my rocky Moroccan roll.

Roman holiday

Hotti Totti: Roma legend Francesco Totti

Roma: And we’re still waiting to get to see the Gods of calcio after Dad here promised the Son and Heir a match only to forget his passport.

But we did get a Giallorossi (red, more of a maroon, and yellow piping) top snd pencil case.

Calcio too is a religion in Rome

And as you come out of the Vatican you’ll find the shops on one side of the street bedecked in yellow and white, the other in Roma red.

Dynamic Zagreb

Medjugorje: And, no, you didn’t read that wrongly…. the Balkans Wars just across the Croatian border in Bosnia & Herzegovina is solidly Croat.

Particularly in the Irish Centre, the focal point for your Marian tour.

Where your barman cranks up the volume when his faves Dynamo Zagreb play.

And with my Croatia friends on World Cup final day in 2018

And will accompany it with a tape of his best supporters’ songs.

Outside on the stands and in the shops and the only thing competing for space with Our Lady is…

Yes, you guessed it Croatia’s distinctive red and white checked tops.

And one just for me

Put your shirt on me

Quinta do Murto; And a postscript here… before I was invited out to Quinta do Lago to visit the hi-tec Campus.

I was asked my shirt size.

And when I was taken into the changing rooms where English Premier League sides set up camp there on the peg was…

My own black top with white sleeves with my name on the back.

Caribbean, Countries, Culture, Deals, Europe, Ireland

Holiday Snaps – Black Magic Friday

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And we’ve had many a black Friday this year. Saturday through to Thursday as well, it must be said.

So let’s make this a Black Magic Friday, home and abroad, with these offers for the day that’s in it.

Donegal is so on point

Harvey’s Point, Donegal: And Donegal is the magical Irish county to escape life for a while.

The award-winning Harvey’s Point ate offering a 10% discount on all gift vouchers purchased online through Monday.

And the vouchers are valid for three years.

Inter the InterContinental

InterContinental, Dublin: And not just because of the picture above, although it doesn’t harm it.

But because i was able to bring my own lady of leisure, and today’s birthday girl as it happens, here for a bit of spoiling in the past.

While I also enjoyed many a function there too, an oasis next to my work in Ballsbridge.

The refurbed InterCon is offering a €290 dinner, B&B, complimentary suite upgrade for two.

Book between now and December 2 for a stay between December 2 and March 2021.

Get your Sandals on

Sandals, West Indies: And after the year we’ve had we owe it to ourselves.

Sandals will always be about the hot tub, and bottle of Champagne and free mini-bar which got replenished every day.

On an unforgettable first trip to Barbados.

Well, Sandals are all over the Caribbean and have some tasty Black Friday treats.

Seven nights at the Caribbean Grand Luxe for the dates May 1-June 30 from £1865pp.

Jamaica is one that has got away in the past but won’t in the future.

Stay seven nights at the Riviera Bamboo Grove Premium from £1399pp for the sane travel dates.

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD

America, Countries, Culture, Deals, Ireland, UK

Hungry and Thursday – Lobster for Thanksgiving

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It was a time of plague and pestilence when frontiersmen reached out to new peoples in an act of trust.

And it is the best of America, its Thanksgiving Day.

Clouded in myth from what I can see there are two main contenders.

The 1619 religious feast on the English Puritans’ arrival in Berkeley Hundred, Virginia.

And the 1621 shared harvest meal between the settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts and the Native American Wampanoag people.

Mass gathering

The indigenous people had helped the incomers get through the previous harsh winters.

The feast is akin to a Christmas meal with roast turkey the centrepiece.

And didn’t we all see the turkey get a pardon at the White House last week?… they’re coming back for the bird today.

But while you may go for turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, and cranberry sauce if you want to be really authentic then here’s how to party like it’s 1621.

Walk like a Puritan

And If you want to walk like a Puritan then you need to get your hands on waterfowl, venison, lobsters, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin snd squash.

Now because Thanksgiving is a celebration of Settler and Native-American unity, a fairly rare occurrence these 500 years let’s focus on the First Nations.

And other than getting out on a reservation (and I will) their representative body and my pals, AIANTA are the folks to go to for everything you need to know.

While the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC is the Smithsonian Museum which chronicles their history.

The pipes of peace: In Denver

The American story belongs to all those who have settled, been settled or resettled including more than a couple of Murtys and McNultys (my Mum’s people).

While not all got out to the Wild West, I did, as did Buffalo Bill Cody and his Plainsmen. Chief Sitting Bull was already there.

Wild West Road Trip

My friends at American Holidays know the way already.

And they are offering a Road Trip through Wyoming and my fave Colorado, who both claim Buffalo Bill’s bones, the two Dakotas, Montana and Utah.

All from €1499. They’ll give you 15 days RV rental with unlimited mileage, flights from Dublin to Denver and return from Salt Lake City.

With two nights in Mile High City, Denver, before your trip.

Buffalo Bill’s graveyard: Golden, Colorado

You’ll also get a Vehicle Provisioning Kit of cookware, crockery and utensils.

And personal kits for four people – bath towels, pillows and bedding.

And maybe in the spirit of Thanksgiving leave room for some lobster, venison, waterfowl and pumpkins.

Countries, Cruising, Deals, Europe, Flying, Ireland, UK

Mac Black Friday – your Scots pal’s round-up

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And the first Black Friday had nothing to do with shopping and everything to do with sheeping.

The Scottish Highlanders were only 128 miles from London on Friday, December 6, 1745, when they decided to turn their army around and head back to their sheep.

It was an ill-fated retreat and their English pursuers caught up with them at Culloden, near Inverness, on April 16, and smote them, a thing they did then and very sore.

These days the only injuries you’ll pick up are sore shins in the shopping rush, although this year it’ll be ‘digital finger’.

Your favourite Travel blogger is always happy to take one for the team so here’s my round-up.

Flyday Friday

And it’s not just off-the-rail fashion or white goods that are Black Friday regulars… we all love our airline giveaways too.

Ireland’s national airline Aer Lingus carrier have a headline offer of €100 off for a family of four bringing two checked bags to Gran Canaria in May.

While also flagging up plenty of other sun spots from which to choose.

Ryanair pride themselves on giving more away more often and are championing ‘Every Friday is Black Friday.’

Friday cruiseday

And our floating hotel firms are all about the sails.

Princess Cruises are offering deals with peak season sailings from €769pp through November 30.

They have 14 UK-based voyages from seven to 14 nights, departing between May and October.

Eleven of those voyages will travel round-trip from Southampton to destinations across northern Europe (maybe taking in here), the Med (and this) and the Canary Islands (us too).

The 3,560 guest Regal Princess will be based in the UK from April to October 30.

Fares start at €769pp for a seven-night cruise during peak season and €1209pp for a 14-night cruise.

Royal Caribbean is combining Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

And they are recommending booking a cruise this weekend and get up to $400 onboard credit and save up to $150 instantly.

And why wait? Because this is what you get and here too.

Friday skiday

Slope off to the mountains, where there’s plenty of social distancing, with Crystal Ski and get €150 off any booking up to April 2022.

All 2020/2021 holidays come with Covid Cover and free amends up to 28 days before departure.

And because Andorra is a favourite of Irish skiers. Depart January 10, stay self-catering in 3* Sant Roma Apartments, Arinsal from €292pps (four people sharing).

While Italy is mine. And why not spend yours in Sainte D’ouix, at the 3* Hotel Martin, half-board, from €544pps.

Offer runs through to Monday. Includes flights from Dublin.

And I’m not stopping there… more Black Friday deals coming up.

WATCH THIS SPACE

Countries, Deals, Europe, Ireland

Oh Diana! And she liked a Sunny Beach too

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She was more Barbados than Bulgaria but Oh Diana, you did like a Sunny Beach.

And what does this possibly have to do with TUI?

And their Black Friday savings of €250 per booking, running from yesterday (my birthday, and thank you) with free amends on Black Friday bookings.

The BLK100 will save you €100 when you spend €1,000, BLK175 €175 when you fork out €2,500 and BLK259 for a spend of €3,500.

Great Aunt Bulgaria

Well, Bulgaria was where we, as a family, took refuge from the cloying, smothering public grief for Princess Diana back in 1997.

Little did we know when we booked our TUI holiday earlier in the summer, and every year then, we’d be leaving behind us a country in an emotional breakdown.

It could, of course, been any sunspot that gave us respite.

But this being Eastern Europe and only a few years after the Iron Curtain there was a sense that She wasn’t the saint here that she was in the West.

Socialistites

They had problems of their own trying to develop a more capitalist society out of state-controlled Socialism.

And it was all too evident on the Black Sea beaches where Russian writing was scrolled on the changing room doors.

And in the main square in Bulgaria’s second city, Varna,, where a customer in front of us in the bank handed over his gun on entry.

While outside old Eastern European women in shawls, baggy jumpers, grey skirts and brown shoes lined the square.

Scales of justice

All with weighing scales in front of them. All of which made me wonder how the old women in the middle ever made a living.

And why this was even a thing.

Money was tight, obviously, and the driver who took us to Sebastopol waited there all day to collect us.

And turned up at our hotel the next day early asking if he could take us back.

But while it was dear for the locals on Bulgarian wages it was great value for tourists.

Save for another day

And one British couple we met had saved so much on their previous Bulgarian holiday that year they had come back that September for more.

Water thrill: The Aquahotel

We returned, of course, to a Britain grieving vicariously for an idol most had never met.

Not Diana’s fault but an excess of self-indulgence all the same and one well captured in the latest Netflix series of The Crown.

Diana days

Diana’s death and funeral were times we, all of us who lived through them, can remember specifically where we were.

And should you feel the need to jump ship and get out from new madness in the UK then Bulgaria is still a haven and great value.

And particularly with TUI who are offering seven nights all-inclusive on July 5 at the 4* Aqua Hotel Nevis, Sunny Beach.

It’s a deal

Dublin to Bulgaria from 2+1 €2339, 2+2 €3199 (both prices include a free child place).

All part of my old friends‘ Black Friday package of deals for 2021 to signal next year’s bounce back.

Worth weighting for!