Italy! Ecce Romani!

Tuesday 21st January
21 and going to Rome on the 21st!

So for my 21st birthday, with my travel addiction in full swing i had thought to myself, what would be my ideal holiday? Something that would make my 21st special, somewhere I'd always dreamed of going to...the answer...Italy! I love the history of the place, my two favorite time periods are the Renaissance and the Ancient Romans. I love the fantastic art of the Renaissance having based my dissertation on it, and its also one of the main fashion capitals of the world. Definitely a place for me!
I had considered Egypt, another favorite, however, with the current political problems and warnings on the British security pages i decided against going there (two young unchaperoned blonde girls in a warring Arab country....NO!)
Although it wouldn't be a trip of sun and sea I wasn't bothered, it'd be a bit warmer than home and i was going for the history and culture (and perhaps a little bit of shopping, it is the January sales season after all!)
The weather in Belfast upon leaving was horrid, we got the 12.30 Aircoach down to Dublin, the easiest and quickest way to get down for only £8 single arriving in under 2 hours. We checked in and hit the shopping area, spraying ourselves with perfume testers and trying a baileys chocolate, delicious! We boarded the plane and took off at 4.25 arriving in Ciampino Airport Rome around 8.30. A small airport our driver picked us up outside. He was supposed to meet another couple, however, they didn't appear so he just left.... as you do. Our Hotel Excel Roma Ciampino was about 10 minutes away from the airport. 4 stars, the reception building had lovely marble floors, a spacious rest area and bar. our room was on the ground floor in the building just behind the reception, with a red, white and black wood decor. High ceilings and two flat screen tvs (though Italian programmes) We had a large double bed, a pull out single in the living room/kitchen area and a modern bathroom complete with beday. Having unpacked we went to the bar, ordering two hot chocolates cioccolata Calda. delicious! We pretty much had to eat it with spoons it was so thick and creamy!

MERCOLEDI 22ND
Wednesday 22nd January

Having arranged for the lift on the hotel bus to the train station we got up and had breakfast around 9, a buffet spread with lots of juices, coffees, breads, pastries and cereals, you could also ask for a hot drink of your choice. At the station we bought our week pass for 34  euro which includes use of the metro, train and bus. Unfortunately, we got the wrong train, looking instead at the arrivals boards, we'd jumped on the train to Velletri, we had to stay on it before it made its return and went to Roma. So, instead of a 10minutes train journey, we were on it for two hours...awesome.
We finally arrived at Rome Termini at 1pm, we were shocked upon arriving at the amount of graffiti everywhere, it really ruins a city. we were delighted to try a cioccolata for less than a euro from a vending machine. Could easily get used to that! We headed out of the station having purchased a map with metro and bus directions, to S.Maria Maggiore. One of the famous Rome churches. Unfortunately, it was closed, but it was a vast, beautiful styled exterior, which pleased us anyway. It had started to ran, and we were already being harassed by black vendors trying to sell us umbrellas (also referred to as; looky looky men)
From here we got on the metro (a terrifying experience for Rebecca, who hates heights, later on, on a very steep escalator going down a couple were smooching to which she exclaimed, "What are they doing!? This is not the time nor the place for that, this is a life or death situation" heights, escalators and the metro do not bode well with Rebecca)
We got off at the famous Circo Massimo beside the roman forum. Amazing to see it, having read about it in some of my favorite books about the romans and Cleopatra's children. We walked along it, marvelling at this spot of history before going on to Piazza bocca Della Verita and going into Santa maria Cosmedin  where the famous Bocca Della Verita was situated, made famous in Audrey Hepburns Film Roman Holiday. The tale goes that it was used by men as a test for their wife's fidelity, if she was an adultress the mouth would clasp shut upon her hand. Rebecca and I were safe of course! underneath the church was an ancient Masuleom from the medieval period, originally made by Hadrian in 2ad. It made me feel very strange, a sense of doom inside the place, I was overcome with a sense of ill. And so we moved on, going to Spagna, with the Spanish steps, on top of which sat the church Trinita dei monti. 
We got some Photos in front of the courtyard of the beautiful Spanish Embassy and visited the Keats and Shelley museum. Rebecca was very interested as she'd been studying these romantic writers for her English exam the previous week. The house was where Keats had actually died of TB, his last view from his bedroom window onto the Spanish steps. He was then buried in Rome, it was sad, but informative and interesting. Worth a visit for any major John Keats fans or romantic period literature fan. From here we walked the 135 steps of the Spanish steps and entered the Beautiful Trinita dei Monti. The outside gives a spectacular view of the area, which is renowned for its shopping!

 The view from Keats window

 The sun setting, the view from the Trinita del Monti

We walked along the shops of the via corva, entering some beautiful frescoed churches and gazing at the antiques in the local stalls and shops. We strolled along the Piazza Navona lit up in the dark night, the beautiful fountain seeming like a natural element. On to the Vast Pantheon having had a delicious pizza at a restaurant nearby with freshly made froccia on the side. The pantheon still used as a church today is the only Church not belonging to the Vatican. Originally a Roman Pagan temple, its size, architecture and fantastic marble interior and realistic frescoes are breathtaking. The Roof of the Dome is Unbelievable! to have created something of that size, and eloquence nearly 2000 years ago is phenomenal! The "window" has no glass pane, the architecture is in its originality and is fantastic. Can't wait to see it during the day, where the light from the sun shinning down in through it will be like the light of God!






Our final stop was the +Trevi Fountain.I inhaled in sheer wonder at the beauty of this marble fountain, the frontier of a house in marble, the most spectacular edifice i've ever seen. The flowing water and rock design looking so natural with the chiselled mythical and impressive statues. clear blue water flowing almost in what seemed like a sylph like scene.
The remarkable spell was broken, however when a photography vendor offered a photo for a kiss... no thanks!
On up we passed another beautiful fountain, Fontana del tritone  Somewhat passive and forlorn in comparasion to the beauty of the Trevi.
Our metro ride towards the Bus at Anagnina was amusing. 3 Asians (there's a lot of them in Rome!) were sleeping on each other exhausted, to the point that when I briefly sat down beside one he was near lying on me. The look of confusion, annoyance and utter exhaustion was hilarious!
Our bus dropped us off in the dark and we weren't too sure to go, luckily a gay guy walked with us towards it before hailing us a bus who dropped us on up about 100M to the entrance to our hotel. Italians are very helpful!

Dublin zoo and the Heineken cup - Leinster vs Northampton Saints. December 2014

Saturday 14th December

dul Laighean! Go Leinster!

It's easy enough to get from Belfast to Dublin, one can go via train, bus or coach. We went via the Aircoach which goes straight from Glengall Street at the Europa bus station in Belfast and stops only twice, once at Dublin Airport and then to Dublin's main street; O'Connell street near the "point"
Unfortunately for us, being December the weather wasn't the best. Wet and windy, typical Irish weather. We browsed the shops, bustling already by noon on a Saturday, despite the weather, but with less than a fortnight to Christmas it was only to be expected. We checked into a charming hotel/B&B, The Fitzwilliam Townhouse, an old Georgian house still beautifully furnished with framed information on the house and the roles of family members and staff. Being young, we were given one of the rooms on the top floor as there was no lift and apparently the young "Love to keep fit." The porter was a lovely fellow, from Mauritius, who recommended some Thai dishes in the Thai restaurant we planned on going to later Kanum http://www.kanum.ie/ 

We had a great lunch in the pop up restaurant +Skinflint  a pizzeria. A really funky, laid back hipster theme, we ate of revamped painted doors, which song lyrics on it, we drank homemade lemonade from a jar and the toilet was male/female/ladyboy. The grapefruit Lemonade which We decided to try was far from sour, it was delicious, and the pizza wasn't like anything i had before, it actually seemed healthy and delicious, is that even possible?? (I went for a garlic spinach and mushroom one, its more of a crispy  flatbread, not circular stuff crust scenarios, hint of truffle oil and cheese but cheese enough. Perfection. Couldn't even eat it all, a shame really, but it seemed rude to take away haha!)

We decided to head to the match early before the madness began in the rush towards the Aviva stadium. My first Rubgy match, I was looking forward to it. Amongst a sea of blue +Leinster Rugby shirts (myself included) there was the odd English supporter sporting green and black of the +Northampton Saints
I'd never been to the stadium before, let alone been to a match, but i could already feel my anticipation and excitement rising. Passing many, many merchants, selling their Leinester and Ireland wares, from hats and scarves to flags and programs, we wound our way around before finding the correct gate entrance. Much to our delight and surprise, we found ourselves in a nicer area of the stadium, carpeted, a good bar and flat screens showing other matches, our seats themselves we comfortably padded. Unfortunately for us and some of the other Leinster fans, we were surrounded by what seemed to be the majority of the Northampton supporters, ready to make as much noise as possible to get their own back for the last match they played against Leinster were the fans stayed behind rubbing their defeat of the Saints in their faces.
We had a great performance before the match began, with a blue Leinster Santa sliding down from the stadium ceiling on wires before jumping in his Blue sleigh and doing a tour of the pitch while fire dancers and performers danced in the middle of the pitch before Leo the Lion, the Leinster Mascot ran on and the match players of both teams were introduced, Leinster to a theme song of "welcome to the Jungle" by Guns n Roses.
Sipping on a pint of Stella Artois Cidre (a first time taste and huge success) the match began, what I didn't know I guessed while watching having had the points system explained I soon became quite caught up in the struggles on pitch, to the point I found myself having leapt off the seat in a near try, yelling "Go Leinster" to little avail. The Northampton Saints were giving it all they could, they weren't having a repeat of their last match versus Leinster. The game ended with a score of 18-9 to the Saints, the cheers and chants from their supporters which seemed to surround us having got steadily louder and slightly bawdier as the time went on.. Disappointing, but still a great experience of what I doubt will be my last match.

Having escaped the madness of the exiting disappointed Leinster fans, we made our way to Kanem a 6 minute walk away, like the stadium it was also pretty packed, but the squeeze was worth it. Having been to Thailand myself, I know good Thai food when I eat it, the cooks in the back were all Thais and were using authentic recipes, tasty stuff! Well recommended!

After a good night's rest, falling asleep to the comedy programmes of a Saturday night of RTE we got up early to head to the zoo.I had just got out of the shower when a fire alarm went off. Dripping wet, no makeup I was not in the mood to trudge all the wall down the several flights of stairs to be told it was just a false alarm or something else. However, it prevailed for a further 5 minutes, we stuck our noses out the door, seeing others do the same and head downstairs, we followed suit. Of course by the time we reached the lobby, we were told everything was fine, some food in the restaurant and to head back up, Typical eh!

Finally ready, we got directions from our friendly Mauritius porter and headed for a bus to take us to the zoo. Annoyingly, you can only use change on the bus, and even then if its too much you don't get any back.
it was a sunday morning and hardly anyone was there, perfect! To add to this, it wasn't raining, and although very cold the sun was out. having paid in we turned left and headed towards the wild cats! the regal proud lion and lionesses, he roared as if yelling, "here i am come look at me" a small roar but all together impressive, I'd never experienced it before. there was a large troupe of small monkeys on a small island on a lake area, many busy grooming each other. I then spotted the snow leopard. What fabulous creatures, I literally jumped up and down in excitement at spotting them. One came particularly close, so fluffy and such a beautiful coat, I just wanted to cuddle him!
There were many more monkey areas, wolves (unfortunately hiding or asleep so we didnt see them) beautiful tiger and some funny looking otters and seal who loved splashing about in their pool area. Herons flew around, flying low but still out of reach, perching above and peering at the few who were visiting the zoo. I Admire them, but at the same time find them slightly daunting and odd looking?

 There were so many different types of monkeys in several different enclosures, the orangutan in particular with their funny shaped faces, the male was so huge that we only noticed 2 of 3 females as he blocked one with his sheer size! A large chap indeed languidly resting on the rest while he ate one of the females food.
from here we traveled on into the "african plains" area. it was amazing, reminding me in effect of my safari tour in Kanchanaburi. Having played on the craved wooden zebra like the child I am and used the toilet which was styled like an african hut we admired the giraffes, zebras and ostriches. I was particularly fascinated by the oryx, I never seen them before, they reminded me of the graceful gazelles but were even more fascinating as they're more rare and endangered. beside this, cordoned off  aesthetically with rocks
was a "crash" of rhinos. amazing animals. even from afar you could see the unmitigated power and muscle of their bodies (or if you're from the North you'd just say, "pure tanks")
There were perhaps 8 or 9 of them including a "baby" still wouldnt feel comfortable with a small one! on round from the Rhinoceros were two very similar and even deadlier mammals, Hippopotami. closer to this and looking from above, these animals were enormous! there pool area was very deep, so that you only saw them briefly when they rose to the surface for air, except for the one having a doze in the mud. I guess when you're that size and that dangerous you can simply do whatever pleases who, no-ones going to stop you eh?

From here it was on round to the gorillas. They had been moved to a new and larger enclosure from the start of the zoo near the tiger as it was clear that the male, "harry" had been angry and hitting the glass. due to his size and strength it was very cracked in areas. No one wants an angry silverback gorilla on the loose. A troupe of monkeys, some females and his children, some young and older, big Harry was sitting right beside the viewing pane window. HUGE! sitting resting, head leaning on knuckles. the size of him was scary and also knowing what he'd done to the last window didnt help, however seeing him so close, seeing his feautures, his hands, particularly the face and the eyes, you couldnt help see the connection behind the human race and the monkey, so alike, so powerful and often destructive; a hunter gather, a leader, a father, the head of the household, seeing him so close, so real, so alive really makes you see how and why Darwin created his theory of Evolution in 1859.
Onwards we saw adorable red pandas,cheeky penguins, a scary hornbilled bird that scared me when i looked at it through the glass window! onwards we came across farm animals, sheep, cows, chickens and really cute little goats! there was an few interactive areas near this, one that had real furs and horns and another larger indoor area which had remains of mammoths with touch and feel sections giving you the true idea of this extinct animal's vast size!
Into the old zoo area where the original lion was kept in the 19th century, this had been made into an atruim, with enclosed sections with bats and other foreign birds, along with an open area with partridge like birds and more exotic ones roamed more freely (ones that didnt fly as much) then continued on to the monkeys in a similar area, little cute pygmy monkeys and spider monkeys along with others. So many cute and fascinating species. definitely worth  a visit!

Titanic Belfast November 2013

Friday 29th November

A YOCO reunion

In other words.... students who were part of study China Nanjing Easter 2013
You're Only In China Once

Two of the girls from England came over to see us girls from northern Ireland.
We had "such" a good weekend.
Chantelle who had just turned 21 and my roommate Rosie from Nottingham.

On the Friday night the majority of us met at the Christmas continental market at Belfast city hall after Nicola, Rosie, Lisa and I went for some cocktails in The Fly in Belfast as it's £3 Sunday-Friday until 11pm and they are tasty! Perfect setting for a catch up

We had a quick look around the bustling market stalls, full of hot food from Spanish Paella, french crepes, roasting hogs, German sausages, and all the strange exotic burgers, like kangaroo burgers!its always busy, full of people buying from all the little stalls, admiring the tree inside City Hall or outside, trying mulled wine, eating, shopping or have a drink in the German or Laverys beer tent, the market always has a great buzz to it. However due to its popularity meant that the beer tents were packed unfortunately. We fancied Asian cuisine as this was a China reunion (everyone I told this to was convinced i was meeting Chinese friends ha-ha) we tried Cosmo in +Victoria Square but without a reservation we would need to wait an hour. Instead we dined in +Wagamama great for Asian food! We meet 3 of the other girls from here that we were in China with, Siobhan, Gillian and Shannon and had a major catch up and reminiscing session other our meal before we went our separate ways. Rosie got the bus back to mine and met my family and the dog and was hit with my mother's intense Christmas decorating (she'd stolen my mannequin to create a Santa.. along with my favorite and oldest pair of Dm boots!) Rosie thought they were awesome to the point that she took a photo to show her mum (and later when she returned home she sent me one of her home decorating skills...tinsel on bikes haha)

wagamama, chinese chopsitck memories

Saturday 30th November

 up early, my parents gave Rosie and I a lift to town to meet up with Nicola and Lisa for our belfast tour bus. We gave her a mini car tour of comber , the birthplace of Thomas Andrews Jr. the ship designer for the +Titanic showing her the memorial which was also my primary school, Andrews Memorial primary school, Adara where he lived and "Aureen house" where his mother (Elizabeth Pirrie) lived. there's a full walking tour to do which i've promised for next time

top of victoria square

http://www.walkni.com/d/walks/448/Comber%20Heritage%20Walking%20Guide%202011.pdf

once into Belfast we got on our black bus tour once we met the girls. it was a cold day, and fortunately for us there wasn't many on the bus apart from one other small group of girls so we had much information from our tour guide. A young student i soon caught on that I recognized him, He had been Clarence the clown for the recent Halloween haunted tour bus trip i had done round Belfast, he was great at it, doing a booming voice like impression of Tom Hardy's Bronson and making us laugh and shriek throughout. Today however he was very informative, funny and interesting in what he told us. we went past various important buildings and monuments, from city hall to the Albert clock  round to the Titanic museum with the famous towering yellow cranes Samson and Goliath of +Harland and Wolff which of course helped create the infamous ship. We travelled all around Queen university area laughing at the restaurant with an awful pun name of +THAi TANiC before going round the falls and shankhill areas and seeing the famous +Belfast Peace Wall  it was fascinating, as although i lived near the city there's so much of it i hadn't seen or known. Unfortunately on our way back there was some trouble at city hall. it was a year since Stormont had decided to remove the union flag from the pole accept for the designated 17days causing chaos with the loyalists. so there were hundreds upon hundreds of protesters there. they eventually moved on thankfully but it was funny when we first saw them, one was dressed as the queen haha!

 being jack and Rose

 Titanic centre

justice courts at Crumlin road used in the troubles

we stayed on the bus and got taken back to the +Titanic Belfast world's largest Titanic exhibition Titanic centre. I had never been before so i was very excited. we took some pictures posing outside before getting in out of the cold. The foyer was decorated especially for christmas and looked charming!
we got our tickets (student discount ofc!) had a tasty snack in the restaurant area before donning captain hats and getting a photo in the foyer in front of the green screen (optional purchase at the end)

the whole thing is HUGE and fantastic. absolutely fascinating giving you loads of vital information on key facts about eh ship, its creators, the Harland and Wolff company, the political movements at the time. life on board and the voyagers. there was even a ride which moved you through the steel works creation. there was so much to see, touch, and listen to. interactive sections, movies. everything you could think off. actual ship recoveries. reconstructions of the interiors. it was amazing! could go several times and each time I know i would see or find something new and fascinating that i'd missed before. It's a brilliant museum suitable for all ages. I highly Recommend!

 after all this we had another reunion with the girls, one of which was over to celebrate her 21st, for this we all went to Filthy Mcnasty's for a cocktail making class along with snacks. it was great fun. the first cocktail was made for us (we were late on arriving due to the vastness of the museum and the fact that we didnt want to leave it was so enthralling!) for our first lesson he gave us an explanation of what he was doing and made us all one. we drank this while others went next, chatting and catching up. next he chose a couple of us to add and help him make it before our last go were we each made it ourselves in pairs. however. he decided to make it competitive for myself and Nicola, BIG MISTAKE, she has lots of brothers and im VERY competitive when i get going. we watched and memorized the ingredients of the pair before us before it was our turn. we had to try and race each other to completion. it got VERY competitive, almost messy. there were elbows, grabbing, in the end i didn't even use the measuring devices. I beat Nicola by a good few minutes, however hers was sweeter and won for taste. we near broke things, i may have tried to bite her. but it was a great laugh and the cocktails were very tasty, well worth it!

               competitive cocktail making!!!

after this we preswalled at Lisa's student house

"Pre-swall

A gathering of people who meet up before they go on a night out to drink as much alcohol as possible.

This is usually done by students to save money. It also adds a bit more to the night and there can even be an after-swall on special occasions."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pre-swall

there was lots of drinking, dancing and of course singing, the Lady in glitter was mentioned and much reminiscing ensued. we headed to The parlour bar and partied on. we had jugs, danced like we were in china, sang some more and apparently a lesbian tried it on with me. We woke up not in Lisa's house but Nicola's were she had not only stolen her housemates mattress which we were sleeping on, but also her whole bedset. definitely a fun night. the day was spent watching mean girls and being sad that Rosie had to leave back for england. A hearty munch was followed and tears were nearly shed at the airport. are reunions always this sad?


 the parlour belfast