Last few months.

The online world is full of posts labeled lockdown diaries, lockdown blues, how to cope, etc. That makes my task, of having to write an account of lockdown, for posterity, a tough one. The two major challenges are, what to call the post, without it sounding redundant and secondly, the approach for the article.

I must have spent 15 minutes trying to decide if my post was going to be a motivational speech, a rant about people and attitudes, or a post full of positivity. Not finding peace with any one approach, I decided to do what I think I always manage best. Blurt out everything pell-mell. Because since when do we have fifty shades of black or white? It’s always a shade of Grey…or is it Gray? 🙂

Let’s start at home. We fall squarely in the classical mid-zone. Happy to be home but unhappy without the bai – the bane and boon of our lives. We were definitely happy about being home 24 x 7, days on end…the feeling was akin to a summer vacation which we grown-ups, never get! As our little one put it, it was two months of back-to-back Sundays, because Sunday is the day when K has no school, momma has no cases and Daddy has no office. Family-time, in a big big way!

But (…and there always is a but), we didn’t have house-help. And have a big(gish) house which though, utilized to the hilt, did not seem all that cool, now that all 3300 sq ft needed to be swept, mopped and dusted, some of which in the form of balconies which were a playground of pigeons (I’m sure some of you urban dwellers would get me when I confess that the first thing on my amazon pending cart were bird-spikes)! Yes. Painful.

The Pros.

I discovered that when forced to, I could cook well and honestly don’t care about being modest. I fed my family for two months and churned out some remarkable, inspired dishes. The north-Indian bahu, finally fermented idli-dosa batter at home, good enough to knock the socks off of a Tam-Brahm.

I was given ample opportunity to be grateful. Grateful that we have mentored a calm, patient kid who can entertain himself, most of the time. Happy that we could spend so much time with him, reading, cooking, baking, doing chores, and hopefully, imparting some wisdom.

Grateful, that I have a kind husband, who helps. Having heard of some true-blue “Husbands”, who live up to their status of bread-earners and remained foolishly proud of not doing any house-hold work, making their trophy- wives realize their actual role of a “kam-waali” (who cooks, cleans, mops and preens, herself) during the lockdown. Obviously, I could not, but thank my stars…that aligned so well on the Janam-patri! 😉

Once again had to be thankful that I chose Radiology for post-graduation, when I did, as we were well suited to working from home and were practicing Telemedicine (in the form of Tele-radiology), long before that became a norm in the Corona-times.

So much more, time to read!

Re-discovered and put to good use, the miracle machine, Dyson, that was only randomly used in the pre-lockdown era to vacuum the carpets but now took over as the mainstay in cleaning. Wow, what is with us Indians, that we would first sweep the whole house ensuring all dust particles get afloat and settle on our precious tchotchkes and upholstery. Then we go about dusting the hell out of everything, thus re-displacing this “not-so-magical-dust”, only to be mopped up this time with a wet cloth. Seriously?!? all that precious time wasted!

Ramblings aside, it was fun to be the Queen of my own house, though it was more like Queen-bai, than Queen-Bee. There is to be found, immense satisfaction in knowing exactly what is kept, where in the house, and kept the way interior designers planned them to be kept, not like a dumping ground. It was very tiring but yet satisfying to cook meals the way Thomas Keller and such, have propositioned that mankind should cook. It was smugly satisfying to wear smart clothing, gently ironed by your own hands. And talking of hands, I now understood how Rhett Butler figured that Scarlett’O’Hara, was working in the fields, just by holding her hands. I, the working woman in the most honest way, had now developed hard calluses, holding the mop and the hoover.

I was proud to be self-reliant in the department of self-grooming, unlike many of my comrades who suffered the loss of self-esteem having gained a near handle-bar.

The Pros and Cons.

It was all very interesting, to study mankind, and how people respond to confounding conditions. Of course, life turned topsy-turvy. All of his conscious childhood, we have tried to teach our little one the importance of a firm handshake. Now, tucking our not so proud tails, we had to teach him and ourselves, the value of a humble Namaste.

No more eating out or ordering in, no more home deliveries, no catching up with family or friends on weekends or jumping into cars and heading to Sunder-nursery.

In an instant, times changed from when kids would be deterred to have an online presence or their own web-accounts, to times when schooling including PE and extra-curricular, shifted online. Kids now had their own zoom, teams, and such accounts, were constantly attending online classes, chatting with friends, playing chess online, and sharing screens. It took absolutely no time for a seven-year-old to learn how to export documents to word/ notability/ other such apps, modify, save and import their answer-sheet, and finally hand-it-in to the class teacher. I’m sure some teachers would have spent more time figuring all this out, compared to these COVID-kids or more acceptably, the Generation-C kids!

Tech-worthiness was now, even more, a necessity than ever, not only to be able to work from homes, but to be able to learn from home, what with a plethora of webinars, zoom sessions, free online classes and discounted courses, social-media challenges, and likes, hounding you to be productive! The pressure to achieve had never been more. How to smartly utilize this unusual amount of time that some of us had on hand and what new skill to learn?! The pressure to be funny when you don’t feel it, and upload quirky videos on Instagram, just to amuse others? Raging online debates about China and China-made, including Tik-Tok!

These were the times to be part of social movements, helping your fellow human beings, and the non-human strays. Make more Rotis, donate here, help, feed there. At no time, have the upper/ middle classes been made to realize the value of those less fortunate, who until now, silently build our worldly castles and now had been left, literally in the lurch. Commendable are those who came forward with ideas to help those in need, because every roti-donated for the needy and every vegetable peel for a stray was much-needed.

People realized the art of simple living and re-visited the teachings of the older generations. Remove your “chappals” outside the door, wash/ sanitize your hands after you enter, clean the vegetables, and clean them some more and cover your mouth. Not that any of this was new or path-breaking, but it was something that most people only preach to their kids but somehow, forget as they themselves grow older and in their heads, wiser. As a party host, I have been previously scoffed at, for asking guests to leave their footwear outside the door, but now was happy to see, everywhere shoes piling outside the pretty facades.

These times also brought to fore the germaphobes and mysophobes of the world, who went about locking themselves in a world of extreme cleanliness, and sometimes paranoia. But, we would leave everyone to their own devices as long as that gesture is returned. People needed to do something, I agree, but that should be mostly about minding their own business and being less of snoops. There were those who had to shame that one father who chose to take his son, cycling in the sunny afternoon when most choose to stay indoors anyway, or those joggers who forego their sleep for an early morning or late night run. While firmly believing in the importance of distancing and avoiding walking paths in the crowded evening hours, I don’t understand the rant against those maintaining social distancing and choosing awkward, uncomfortable hours to get their bit of exercise.

Definitely, interesting times. Not because people being sick or dying was something interesting, but interesting to see the power of human adaptability. No wonder that humans have succeeded where no other species did, adapting to changing times. It’s heartening to hear stories of kindness, stories of survival, and those of perseverance. We have and will continue to change but hopefully in a positive way.

But why all that plastic again? My one rant which will never end. Just to hide from Corona, we have produced probably more plastic than ever, in the form of sanitizer bottles, shields, masks, etc. Time to ponder people. Time to change.

The silver-lining. It’s still a beautiful world.

I’m in the middle of five books.

1. The starless sea: mentioned on some Instagram post but what caught the eye was a quote from the book “not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime.” So of course, I picked it up.

2. The song of Achilles: which I came across on Scribd… and how can one not read a book about a hero after whom is named one of the thickest tendon in our body. Ok, I’m a medico. I can’t help this weird thought process.

3. Grandpa’s great escape: because my son made a book review for the same and I needed to have my facts correct

4. Twilight: because I wanted to feel mushy and romantic… again

5. Gone with the wind: because I haven’t read it in last 5 years… so high time for a Re-read. Plus I need Scarlett O’hara’s tenacity right now.

6. And yes… intermittently some cookery books. Self explanatory.

This is in the midst of all house work (we Indians are used to house- help, cooks etc and we are truly struggling under lockdown) and WFH. Though also rediscovering our passion for cooking, getting over some of our cleanliness OCD’s and finally getting work done without domestic squabbles.

For some, end of the day relaxation is achieved via Netflix (or some such…). For me and hubby and the little bibliophile that our combined genes have concocted… a good book and a good story is the way to wind up a day. Or to catch a break. Or just relax.

So when you’re prompted to say something about books… people like us don’t know where to begin or end. And we babble…

“For in books, one can climb the highest mountains and dive into the deepest seas…” well, Dumbledore said something similar about dreams, but he wouldn’t really mind if I extrapolate dreams to books… cause at both places we are lost, on purpose.

Bye now, Rhett butler is in town.

They truly are!

Dingle & Ring of Kerry – Wild Atlantic Way 2

Blessed are the curious, for they will have all the adventures!

Some folks might wonder why I’m posting a pending post from a previous trip, now, at the time when there is no imminent travel on the horizon, for anyone.

As I see things, now is the time to keep hopes and morale up, now is the time to find the silver-lining and now is the time to look forward and dream. I am going to. And giving everyone an outlet to enjoy the wide open vistas, which is a rare commodity at the moment. 

Morning at our Air B&B at Killorglin was like waking up in an Enid Blyton book… with crispy morning air, blowing through a picture-perfect window, displaying a bubbling brook and emerald-green vista, aroma of hot-breakfast wafting up to our room and sense of adventure lurking around the corner.

This was a very productive day as we managed to drive through some bits of Dingle and Kerry on the same day (see the itinerary maps for the same), experiencing their mix of scenery and micro-climates, had a thrilling falconry experience in Dingle, drove through the amazing highlands of Glencar, as suggested by our very helpful host and had an unnerving encounter with the notorious coastal fogs in Kerry.

The first planned stop-over was at Inch Beach, a long sandy beach, popular for all kinds of water sports when the weather is favorable, but it was one of the windiest spot on the coast, that day and we bid adieu too soon after few mandatory pictures.

Inch beach

One of the attempted self portrait looked something like this…

Bypassing the town of Dingle we drove to the farthest point on our itinerary, towards Dunquin Harbour, site of dramatic sea-mounds, cut-off by the fiery Atlantic winds. A very picturesque spot and definitely worth a visit.

Dunquin Harbour

After a bit of hiking and photographing here, we drove to the vibrant town of Dingle for lunch. Does anyone recall that particular scene from the movie Leap-year when the actress boards a ferry from Wales (in England) towards Ireland and after a stormy sea trip, lands at Dingle? Just FYI, that’s not possible, since Dingle is situated on the west coast of Ireland! But then, movies we always knew, know no geographical boundaries. Sorry for the totally random trivia!

Lunch at quirky cafe called Pantri, was a colorful affair, serving organic produce with plenty of vegetarian options for me and thankfully, seating available for three, at rush-hour.

After a satiating meal, there was an appointment to keep at the Dingle Falconry.

Eagle Owl

This majestic eagle owl, largest species of owl in the world, was one of the many species of predators we saw during this private, pre-booked, hour long falconry experience. The falconry also has a public tour everyday, though at fixed hours and suitable if you’re in town for longer! Check their schedules and do put it on your itinerary, it was definitely worth the time and money spent!

Golden Eagle

Our little one was thrilled by the experience, as is evident on this YouTube video he agreed to shoot, sharing his experience of the same. If you’re traveling with kids and wondering if its for them, do listen.

Now it was time to explore Kerry. Our Air B&B host suggested that we go down via the midlands rather than follow the coastal road in entirety, to see best of both worlds!

So, following instructions and our trusty google maps, we headed to the spectacular Glencar region (a hidden gem alert) making our way towards the coast, to Waterville. This Glen of river Caragh, is a dramatic landscape with mountains in the back drop and wild moorlands criss-crossed by the river Caragh. A small, barely traversed road meanders through the region, bedecked with jaw dropping landscape, completely out of this world.

Though, we would not encourage standing in the middle of the road, out of respect for the sheep… we did take some of the most iconic pictures from this trip, perched on the road, here.

Most of the Irish midlands have Peat bogs for harvesting Peat, a fuel source, also known as Turf, with the harvesting process called turf-cutting. This is one site, you don’t see everyday.

Mounds of Peat
Peat Harvesting/ Turf cutting

At Waterville, we took a pit-stop at a gift/ coffee shop, and ofcourse, picked up a few tchotchkes 🙂 (what to buy in Ireland deserves its own dedicated, as yet unwritten blog post).

A celtic print scarf
Celtic Print scarves

Along the ring road, while we were busy admiring the magnificent views, rolled-in a fog so dense and so fast, that visibility was reduced from 100-0% in minutes. We barely managed to turn around from Portmagee, aborting the Ring of Kerry loop, leaving behind the now-dangerously obscured roads, heading back towards Kenmare, via inland roads.

Fog just starting to roll-in
Portmagee

Point to highlight here is that despite the best-laid plans, sometimes, one has to bow to mother nature and know when to turn back. Weather in Ireland is very unpredictable, can rain just when you thought it couldn’t be brighter, sun would peak-out just when you’ve trashed all plans due to incessant rains and particularly along the coast, fog could roll in before you could say Wow!

Wind is another factor that can play spoilt-sport, precluding that well deserved walk on the beach or a planned hike, thus owning a sturdy wind cheater, a mandatory clothing item on your list. I feel colder than others in my family and had ear muffs too!

Evenings, after soaking up the scenery, are meant to be relaxed, and what better way to wind down than with live-music in a local pub!

https://familyonafurlough.com/2020/04/10/wild-atlantic-way/Click here to see the first Wild Atlantic Way post about Ring of Beara!

Click here to seen the next post on how to “do” Cliffs of Moher, right!

Our Wild Atlantic Way Itinerary is Here!

& Check our Youtube Video about Dingle Falconry experience here!

Wild, Wild Atlantic Way Part-1

When in doubt, always take the scenic route!

Wild Atlantic way is the Wild Wild West of Ireland, where the lawless Atlantic waves break on the rugged, almost 2500 km long, meandering coastline with stunning finger-like fjords in the south, scenic bays in the middle and steep sea cliffs in the north.

It has something for everyone. With stunning vistas and unspoiled, rugged natural beauty, it’s the perfect road-trip destination with jaw-dropping views at every turn (one has to remember to look more to the road!). The coastline is dotted with quaint and colorful towns with plethora of local pubs pulsating with foot-tapping live music, serving freshest & most delectable sea-food preparations, with locally distilled Irish Gins, freshly brewed beer, including Guinness which nowhere tastes as good as it does in Ireland. There is hiking for the outdoor lovers, whale watching, falconry experience and puffin spotting to entertain families, and the surf coast for the adventure junkies. Might as well, mention the almost “too” famous Cliffs of Moher!

If you have enjoyed the drive along the pacific coast in the US of A or marveled along the Gold coast in Australia, you would simply die of happiness and sensory overload along the WAW!

Its Easy to follow the Wild Atlantic way, with many sign boards with a zig-zag sign, just like this one:

It all comes down to the number of days at hand and the must-visit destinations/ must-do experiences. We had just about 6 nights to spare on the West coast and we planned to drive South to North and then back to Dublin. We don’t mind pushing ourselves a tad bit but the ideal would be at least 10 nights here.

One of the Popular Itinerary is as follows:

  • Dublin to Galway
  • via Cliffs of Moher
  • Down to Dingle
  • Ring of Kerry
  • Beara
  • County Cork
  • Back to Dublin.

We, being a bit greedy to see more, started south and went northwards. After driving through the jaw dropping Wicklow mountains, in the east, we powered through with a long drive of about 4 hours, cutting straight to Glengarriff, in County Cork, at the mouth of Beara peninsula, at the west coast.

Our itinerary (in a broad way) was as follows:

  • Glengariff (night-stay)
  • Beara peninsular (Castletown Beara, Allihies, Eyeries, Healy pass)
  • Kenmare (night-stay)
  • Ring of Kerry in reverse via the stunning landscape at Glencar and Ballagisheen pass, Portmagee, cahersiveen, to Killorglin (night-stay)
  • Dingle peninsula (Inch beach, Dingle, Dunquin Harbour)
  • Ferry across Shannon to Tarbert
  • Cliffs of Moher
  • Galway (2 night-stay)
  • Westport-Achill cycling
  • Donegal- Sleiveleague Cliffs (night-stay)

Amongst the peninsulas on the southwestern coast, are the three big ones; Beara, Ring of Kerry and Dingle. A question frequently popping on Ireland travel forums is, “which is the best?”.

The southern Peninsulas

The simplest answer would be to drive through all… or some bit of all, to appreciate all the flavors.

I’ve broken down the regions, as we covered them, on the map.

Points of Interest- Beara

Tips about Beara:

Follow the road except for two small diversions for Kilcatherine Point and Healy pass.

Stop for a sumptuous meal and one of the best Chowder-sea food soup at The Beara Coast Hotel in Castletown, Beara. We did not, but intend to stay here on our next trip, the location being idyllic.

On our way towards Eyeries, we chanced upon this beautiful arts gallery called Adrigole Arts, where we met the Talented owner and musician Gerry Bruton, picked up some inspired curios and had a slice of the most delicious Guinness Cake! Heard him play live at a pub in Kenmare, later.

The chocolate Guinness Cake- perfect slice!
Allihies, Beara
Colored buildings of Irish villages
So pretty that it inspires the photographer in everyone 🙂
Vivid village of Eyeries

Healy pass, according to us is a must-see point, not just any detour, and is a meandering, snaking route through the highlands seen from a high vantage point.

Healy Pass
The Vibrant town of Kenmare
Coachman’s Perfectly located for break of Journey.
Winding down the day…

And a perfect closure to a long post should be with some Live music! Don’t panic, I’m not performing, this is straight from the land of shamrocks!

I’m Breaking the road trip into a series of posts, so click here for the next one, which covers Ring of Kerry and Dingle!

Slán!

Might of the Moher

Whether you’re a world traveler, nature lover, or Harry Potter fan, you might have heard of the Cliffs of Moher.

The mighty sea cliffs are located on the west coast of Ireland, on the Wild Atlantic way and are one of the most visited sites in Ireland.

So naturally it was part of the itinerary on our recent trip to Ireland.

While researching, we came across many reviews and opinions, calling it too touristy and crowded. Now, we the Rajans, steer clear of the crowds and actively avoid any tick marks on touristy, bucket lists. We are nature lovers and like any sensible person would understand, humans and nature don’t go so well together.. too many humans, even less so! 😬

But the cliffs.. or rather the pictures of the cliffs were dramatic, to say the least. We just had to see them.

Rajan’s smashing the Cliffs!

On Further browsing the internet, we got our solution. So if you are a like minded individual/ family, who do not mind a small (or longer) hike, to stay away from the crowds AND get better views, steer clear of the visitor centre. Or, at least don’t let that be your starting point.

Cliffs are about 14 km long and the visitor centre, is about midway on the cliffs, where the masses usually descend. The southern starting point is at Hag’s head and northern end is at Doolin.

So either one can start proximally, at Hag’s head or distally at Village of Doolin and hike up to the visitor centre (where there’s an option of taking a bus or cab back to either ends). The hikes are beautiful and safe… We can vouch for the one starting at hag’s head.. and even our 6 yr old was merrily trotting along. There’s one official Path, totally safe.. and the other, unofficial goat-track, closer to the edge, also safe but one just has to be careful, at places. Wild pink flowers were in full bloom along the cliffs and sea-gull nests, dotted the edges.

The un-official goat track.
Wild flowers in Bloom!

When we started the day, it was downright gloomy with pouring rain, totally a kinda day you don’t want while visiting the cliffs. One should track the weather conditions (for what it’s worth) to ensure there’s no fog around the cliffs, which will make the trip meaningless.

Nonetheless, since we were anyway headed north towards Galway, we started our day, praying for better weather.

The Path.

The friendly gentleman at the reception of Coachman’s Townhouse at Kenmare was very helpful and gave us an important travel tip which saved us a lot of fuel and some hours on the road. So, instead of driving around the strait, via Shannon and Limerick, he suggested we cross the bay in a ferry at Tarbert, barely a 20 minute ride.

Having saved some hours on the road, we reached the village of Liscannor, the closest to southern point of the Cliffs, at about 3.00 pm, while still pouring, but luckily, not fogged-out, took a quick break at the Rock Shop, did some “essential” souvenir shopping and snack-tucking, then drove about 2km to the private parking at Hag’s Head, at a farm, that charges only 2€. Yes, you read that right, versus, 8€ / person at the visitor centre. Need more motivation to park and hike? Then please read on…

Parking at Hag’s Head

Since the land around the cliffs is all privately owned, the tourists who are allowed to visit are expected to respect the locals and close the cattle gates on the path so there is no cattle-trespassing.

Having heard the phrase, “If you don’t like the weather in Ireland, wait for 10 minutes…” many a times, we experienced it first-hand, this day. Parked our car, geared up for the wet and dreary weather, with a woolen cap, rain jackets etc and started walking.

Wet and dreary!
Make sure you close these gates behind you.

10 minutes into the hike and the sun started shining so bright that now I was missing the sun-glasses and a hat!

Bright and Sunny!

There were exactly 2-3 people visible to us at any one time, the weather gods couldn’t be more favorable and the views were jaw-dropping!

It took us about 2 hours at a leisurely pace, clicking a gazillion pictures with the cliffs, the cows and the clouds to reach upto the visitor centre.

Thanks, you guys, for posing!
Sparkling Atlantic water!

To further corroborate our decision to hike, we came across hordes of tourists and tourist buses completely swarming the landscape. We forgot to click a picture of the same, wasn’t thinking ahead for the blog, so here’s one from the web…

Copyright @pat flynn.

We made a mandatory free trot through the shop and decided to book a cab ride back to Hag’s head, as the little one was now completely exhausted. A bus ride would have been more economical but the service had closed for the day.

10 minutes to the parking lot, and we were back- on our forward journey to Galway! See you there!

Slán!

Click here for the Wild Atlantic Way part 1- Beara

Click here for Wild Atlantic Way Part 2- Dingle & Ring of Kerry

Our 8 days Irish Road-trip Itinerary is here!

Ireland. By invite only.

Wild flowers in bloom along the Cliffs of Moher

For those:

· …who love long breezy road trips along winding coastal roads peppered with sheep here and vistas there.

· …for those who can not have enough of green. Be warned, it’s called emerald Isle for a reason and if too much of wet and wild is not your cuppa coffee… then maybe, hike some place else.

· …for those who love to sweat it out for a view that’s worth it’s while! Full of awe-inspiring hikes, ireland is a haven for adventurers.

· …for those who own a sturdy, smart, Rain jacket. That’s self-explanatory.

· …for those who dig pubs, live traditional Irish music and stout beer. Heard of Guinness? 😁

County Kerry

Why Ireland. We faced this question a bit more than we liked. Well, for all these reasons and more!

Ireland is hugely popular with Americans (since a fair majority can claim Irish inheritance) but it does not seem to be on any major tourist bucket-list for fellow Indians . And Europeans (that I know) don’t see the point, probably as they’re done with wet and green😬.

But hey.. ever heard of Dublin, one of the most trending cities of the world with old world charm and new age shenanigans. Galway, with its vibrant style and epic arts and music culture? What about the dramatic Wild Atlantic Way? No. Ever heard of “craic“…don’t you want to feel it? Or Guinness anyone? Which can never taste as good anywhere, as it does in Ireland!

Not sold yet. Please read on.

Ireland, the island, is divided into Northern Ireland, part of the UK with Belfast as the capital, and the Republic of Ireland, a separate country, with Dublin, the capital city.

Schengen visa does not cover Republic of Ireland, so one needs to apply for an Ireland visa.

A UK visa only permits you to visit Northern Ireland, unless you’ve been stamped with a BIVS (British-Ireland visa scheme, given by default to citizens from some nations including Indians) on which both countries can be visited. All this might change with Brexit.. so keep yourself updated with the latest at your time of visit.

Having said that, boundaries are, as of now, only on paper, or can be spotted funnily on a GPS…easily missable in actuality, since a sign board marks the boundary. Also, you’ll realize you’ve entered UK territory when suddenly the GPS starts talking in miles vs kilometers. 😁

Irish folks, on the whole, are a friendly cheery, relaxed bunch of folks, who will always guide you in the right direction.

Beautiful village of Eyeries on the Beara Peninsula

We had 9 days in Ireland, not much by any standard but since we had plans to be in London already, we latched on the opportunity to visit Ireland, a wish, brewing in the mind for some time!

I wont lie when I say that it was Hollywood that first inspired us to visit Ireland. Being compulsive romantics at heart and suckers for all things wild, we loved the movies, “PS, I love you” & Leap Year, both shot in the stunning Ireland. Movies of course, know no geographical boundaries, jumping from East to West in a wink.

Of course we wanted to see it all. Of course, we were driving around the country.. but distances and time taken on road, don’t mean the same in Ireland, as you will read everywhere. Smaller coastal roads, tourist traffic, sudden fog rolling in, could all alter the variables. And with a young kid, though very tolerant for his age, we couldn’t overdo the driving, push the timing or change cities everyday.

Our itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: London (STN) to Dublin, via Ryanair, arrival 10am, car rental pick up and drive out to Wicklow, a 1 1/2 hour drive, via Lough Tay and short hike in Wicklow to Glendalough. Then Drive across the country, from East to West coast, straight to Glengariff about 41/2 hrs drive, arrival on the west coast). (One might notice that we shaved off the southern part of the island from our itinerary which was tragic but necessary.)

Lough (meaning lake) Tay or the Guinness Lake with its foam head

Day 2: Morning in Glengariff, at the mouth of Beara Peninsula, exploring the Ring of Beara. Arrival at Kenmare.

Day 3: Kenmare for exploring the Ring of Kerry: Did a bit of loop the loop on this day, to avoid tourist buses by taking the longer route and to be on the opposite side of the road as the general traffic. Arrival at Killorglin.

Day 4: Killorglin- Dingle- Kingdom falconry. Sleep at Killorglin.

Day 5: Cliffs of Moher. Drive north to Tarbert- Took ferry across the estuary- drive to Liscannor- followed by a short spectacular hike from Hag’s head to see the Cliffs- arrival at Galway. Serenaded by Galway’s night life!

Day 6: Galway farmers market, drove towards Achill Island via Connemara- biked a bit of the picture-perfect “green way“. Had plans to see the Kylemore Abbey but couldn’t manage with the time constraints.

Day 7: Galway, exploring Latin quarters, saw Emma, tapping to Irish music. Lunch- Drive to Donegal via Sligo- Glencar waterfall on the way- arrival at Kilcar.

Day 8: Morning exploring Cliffs of Slieve League. Drive to Giant’s causeway in northern Ireland. Drive to Dublin.

Day 9: Explored Dublin via walking tour and beer tour.

The Temple Bar in Temple Bar district!

Day 10: Dublin to London.

So much to see, so little time!

See you all on the next post! Drop in question about the itinerary in the comments below. Always happy to help! Slán!

Mumma, Guess why I Loved Chicago?!

This November (of 2018), we made a whirl-wind trip to Chicago, for work. Of course the little one accompanied us and we took turns attending conference and entertaining the little one.  We all wear the traveling pants in our family, and Mr little pants who is already a pro-traveller contributed to travel planning this time, voting for things he wanted to see/ do /eat in Chi-town. 

This post has been based on our little one’s inputs, as have been penciled down in his Travel-journal. He contributed to the trip planning, voting for top things “he” wanted to do in Chicago and once back home, clearly stated what he did and did not enjoy!

Ice Skating: 

“I wish we could skate everyday back home, I’ll get so much better with practice “.                                                                                         No surprises there, as he was thrilled at the end of this tryst. Considering that we, the tropical dwellers do not usually engage in this sport,  and little one has no skating/ balancing skills, the enthusiasm that he showed to try his hand (oops, feet) at ice skating was commendable. Through the week, we passed by the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink (at the Millennium Park), numerous times, dreamily ogling at the skaters. Both me and the little one were keen while daddy was speculative (having earlier torn his ACL in a freak injury). Anyhow, the last evening, few hours before our flight back home, we gave-in to our instincts and queued up to rent skates. Daddy dear was kind enough to also gear up, helping the little one by the perimeter. Despite tumbling a dozen times while balancing the act on the edge of a skate, the little one was all smiles and never once gave up.

Field Museum: 

“Wow, mum, Sue was amazing, not at all scary” Sue had already charmed the little one’s heart long before the trip! A Dinosaur enthusiast from the very beginning, he marveled at the chance to view the largest, most complete T-Rex skeleton in the world! Cherry on the topping was  the giant Titanosaur, nick named Maximo, the largest dinosaur discovered.  Along with him, even we were dazed by the fact that there have been about six “Mass Extinctions” on our planet till date. Makes one wonder, as to when would be our turn?!

The Tilt:

The Tilt was amazing and the view was so awesome! I was a teeny bit scared though…only a teeny bit”                                    At the 360 Degree Chicago, located in the John Hancock Tower, is where people go to get thrilled (tilted) about 1000 meters over the city,  in a glass window. I don’t have Pictures, of the tilt, as typically, photography was not allowed and one is cornered into buying garishly bright, flash bombed overpriced pictures, which we refused to buy. Though the panoramic views and pictures from the gallery were awe-inspiring!

This is the window where we Tilt. I had butterflies in my tummy when we actually inclined, (getting bizarre Final destination scenarios in my head) but the Little one was Rock-solid and enjoyed himself! 

Snow:

“I’m thankful that we got to see snowfall in November!” Having never seen a snow-fall, its not hard to imagine the ecstasy that little one felt seeing the cotton-wooly shower from the Sky, the very first snow fall this winter in Chicago, which was in itself an unusual occurrence around Thanks-giving, making it even more fortuitous. The Winter-wonderland that Chicago turned into soon after, was literally icing on the cake. Despite freezing cold, our hearts were warmed seeing the young one’s joy making snow-balls, kicking snow-balls (since he considers himself a soccer player, Ha) and making a snow angel (Brrr)!  Truly, simple joys of life!

Shedd Aquarium:

“Dolphins are so amazing and so is the giant alligator turtle,  and the sea horses are so cute!” Of course, he loved the aquarium. Who doesn’t?! What’s not fascinating about a largely alien world with such marvelous under-water creatures. The grand slam of the tour was the Dolphin show, Dolphins being such fascinating and jolly creatures! There were sea lions on the show who entertained the little ones and almost all present were squealing in delight! 

Bean:

“Its so big, Daddy! It looked so small in the pictures!” Having heard of it while planning and seen the pictures, the Bean or the Cloud-gate, didn’t seize to amaze! When later, in a drawing class, the kids were asked to do a free-drawing, our little one chose to draw this…

…his memory of the Millennium park tree, the bean and the skyline of skyscrapers in the Windy city!

Zoo Lights, Christkindl Market and the Chicago River walk:  

Little one is a trooper and though he said it only after coming back, he enjoyed the river walk and city walk and said, “I wish we could everyday walk to breakfast, by the river- side, back home!” 

We loved the Zoo-lights, of which, we could get just a glimpse, since it was off-limits, for a private party on the evening we visited. Nonetheless, got few good shots!

Christkindl Market was all twinkling and sparkling and colorful, what with all those baubles and ornaments! It was paradise and not only his favorite, but our’s too!    

…& then there was the Food!

Garrett’s Popcorn!

Stan’s Donut’s

Pancakes and Breakfast at Wildberry:

Mindy’s Hot Chocolate: 

One thing he did “not” dig (into) was the famous Giordano’s Deep Dish Pizza

Can we blame him? It was just too over-whelming, the size of the slice! Let’s be frank… it was delicious, but let’s call it a pie, please. With two layers of bread, tons of cheese and oodles of filling its not anyone’s conventional pizza. Our little one, like me, is a picky eater and could manage to nibble just a quarter of a slice! All the rest was packed for our mid-night feast, since the jet-lagged family was up and hungry middle of the night, every night! 

Let’s wrap up by saying that he had an incredible time. Despite the odds of freezing weather, numb hands, heavy boots, and the massive jet lag etc, he enjoyed the furlough. It was special because he knew what to expect, was part of the planning and the execution.  He had opinions and views which as a parent was so forthcoming and heartening. We understand that as they grow up, they may not remember everything from a childhood trip, but having been exposed to new experiences, kids get a wider horizon and gain confidence.   

Let me know your inputs. Do you travel with children? How old are they? And aren’t you making memories for a lifetime? 

Spring in Da Lat, Vietnam

IMG_2388A cosy hill town, in Lam dong province, in central Vietnam, about an hour long flight from Ho Chi Minh city.

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Though located in a typically hot tropical country, residents of Dalat enjoy a temperate year round climate, being a hill station. The ride from the airport towards Dalat is refreshingly green through a verdant valley surrounded by lush green hills.

We reached Dalat in late evening, another 40 minute drive from the airport. Approaching the city, it’s clear, that there’s abundance of electricity, as the town is lit up like Christmas time.. with predominantly floral patterns, no wonder called the city of flowers, or city of eternal spring!

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The town is centred around a scenic, man-made lake, originally constructed by the french, who developed the town as their summer retreat. Hence, the architectural design of most of the old as well as new constructions is very french or say European with attics and bay windows!

 

At any time, the well maintained, promenade is dotted by locals and tourists, walking by the lake, jogging, dog-walking, fishing or just lazing.

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In the mornings, it’s easy to spot wedding photographers making their clients pose against the picturesque backdrop. In the Evening, the lake is dotted with boat-riders. Numerous small gardens have been developed around the lake, to enjoy the scenic beauty and a spectacular golf course!

Things to do:

1. Number one for me would be sauntering or just lounging by the lake.

It’s blissful. Maybe get some fishing gear or borrow from a local, set a picnic with sangria, and make it a perfect day, à la, Lou reed.

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If walking is a task, try the uber cool buggies, straight out of Cindrella.

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2. Da Lat flower garden.

Though one can soak in the site of omnipresent blooms everywhere in the city, the flower garden, on the lake-side is dedicated to the floral bounty and one can saunter for hours appreciating the dramatic landscaped gardens.

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Do avoid the weekends for any kind of sight seeing, as this is a very popular weekend destination, domestically, with hordes of tourist buses descending every weekend.

3. The waterfalls.

With so much rain, the countryside is bound to abound with waterfalls, and frankly who can resist the awe-inspiring, spectacle of water cascading down with such might. There are many waterfalls, but the most impressive and least crowded is Pongour falls.

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This a broad, multi-step or Tiered fall, surrounded by rocky beds, perfect to get under and get soaked. Being an hours drive from the city ensures that most tourist buses avoid the long trip.

4. Pagodas.

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Abound in all of south east Asia, so of course in Vietnam, a predominantly Buddhist country.

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There are the scenic ones with access from cable cars (Truc lam pagoda) and the middle of city ones with vividly brilliant facade, like Lang phuoc pagoda. Visit one or many, and if you’re lucky to visit on a quiet day, or quieter hour, enjoy the tranquillity on the offer.

5. Da lat market

There’s the all day market and the night market, the road-side and the covered market, selling vibrant souvenirs, the embroidered art, clothes, flowers and fruits.

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6. Street food

Try the Vietnamese pizza, the peanut or soy milk, the grilled sea-food or skewered veggies!

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But do sit on the tiny stools, set on the road-side, to enjoy the goods, feeling, at home!

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If you’re not averse to sweet, try the Ca phe sua da (traditional vietnamese iced coffee served with condensed milk), sitting by the street, popping roasted sunflower seeds, as accompaniment.

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7. What to get back, or not to miss!

Markets are full of souvenirs, but Embroidery Art is very specific to Vietnam and is stunning. XQ house has some stunning, hand embroidered pieces, though very steeply priced. The local Da lat market on the other hand has reasonably priced options, maybe machine embroidered, but still beautiful.

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The Nón lá, or the Conical hat! its not only unique to South -east Asia, is part of the national dress of Vietnam and is very functional for protection against sun and rain! And makes for an ideal Souvenir!

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Tea & Coffee! The Artichoke Tea is very popular here with a whole lot of health benefits!

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Though most coffee exported is Robusta, the Civet Coffee (similar in terms of enzymatic process to Kopi Luwak) is gaining momentum.

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Nuts and Seeds!Cashews, walnuts, and the quint-essential Sunflower seeds are high quality and less pricier than many parts of the world.

 

 

Being a city of flowers, Flower seeds are a perfect souvenir for a horticultural enthusiasts, to bring back home, and remember Da Lat by!

Tam biêt, which is goodbye in Vietnamese.

 

 

Cote’d azure and Provence- 4th leg of the French summer holiday

Arrived by air, from Bordeaux to Marseille, just before noon, from a place with torrential downpour to the land of sunny blue skies, fascinated by the azure Mediterranean coastline, while descending from the sky.

 

Wanting to see more in the available time, we planned to not stay on the coast, but do a drive through (we had already been to Paris, Bordeaux and Burgundy, on this french summer holiday, and still had Provence, Loire valley and bit of Normandy, on the itinerary).

The ambitious, original plan was to drive from Marseilles to Nice, with a stopover for lunch, in a coastal town and then drive up to L’isla’sur’la Sorgue, our local stay for next 3 days, in Provence.

The deviation from the plan was only that we did not drive all the way to Nice, but part of the way, and took pit stops along many smaller coastal towns with awe-inspiring views of the Mediterranean Sea.

After picking up our rental car, we navigated through the Old port of Marseilles, considered to be one of the most picturesque parts of Marseilles, and a harbour for cruise ships, as well. The view was spectacular with boats moored along the quay, cruise ships in the distance and the magnificent fortress, Château d’lf perched on the island of Lf in the distance, made popular by Alexander Dumas’, Count of Monte Cristo.

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We meandered through the popular, Rue de la Republiqué, teeming with tourists, including those from the cruise-ships, with a picturesque promenade, dotted with cafes and restaurants.

We didn’t stay in Marseilles for long, as the plan was to have lunch at Bandol. Here, the challenge was to map our route, to be able to drive along the coast and soak-in the blue hues, as far as possible, and avoid driving, in-land. Unfortunately there isn’t a coastal highway, à la, Highway 1 pacific coast. So we mapped our route from coastal town- to town. Our first stop was Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, then La-Ciotat, latter a smaller port with similar promenades that dot most coastal towns.

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The beaches are pristine white, contrasting with the shimmering azure blue seas and the sunny blue skies. Our breaks included finding a parking spot which was always a task, walk/ sit along the promenade, have an ice- lolly or a beer depending on the age, and click lots of pictures!

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We reached Bandol, about 4 pm and had a late lunch here, paired with a Bandol Rosé, a product of Mourvédre grape, specific to this region, blended with Grenache. Bandol is amongst Provence’s increasingly popular wine regions, known for its young and crisp Rosé and spicy Reds.

 

 

From Bandol, we started back, at 6:30 pm, the shortest route via Marseilles again and then inland, reaching L’isla’sur’la sorgue at 9 pm.

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This small picturesque town is also known as the Venice of Provence, with the shallow, clear steams of river Sorgue, forking through the town, lively cafes and restaurants lining the river side and picturesque bridges connecting the right and left banks. Colourful flowering shrubs along the river side, vibrant boats on the shallow waters and the eclectic lighting from the cafes, are a Photographer’s delight making for splendid pictures.

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The town itself is very lively, bursting with tourists and locals alike, exuberant restaurateurs, eclectic shops and street musicians contributing together to make a perfect holiday atmosphere.

 

Our homestay (Air B& B) here, hosted by Olivier, was another of those great finds (of course not unexpected since DH researches a lot to find us the perfect spot). Perfectly situated, in a quiet by lane, just two minutes walk from the main market and the most happening foodie streets of the town. The apartment itself was eclectic in decor and fun to explore.

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First evening was spent loitering about the town, soaking in the vibrant scenes and clicking away, at the perfect time of the day, twilight! Found a nice Italian restaurant who sweetly offered the patrons, cosy comforters, seeing us shiver in the evening breeze, along with delicious food, of course!

Next day was an ode to lavender! Since this french trip was timed perfectly to coincide with lavender bloom, we had travelled to Provence to see this natural marvel.. my dream since forever. Also, being an ardent fan of L’occitane products, and knowing their origin in Provence, had thought of visiting their production site, which we finally decided against, since that trip would have taken up much of a day. Eventually I shopped from their local store in town, at much discounted rates, compared to home.

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Finding blooming lavender fields was the agenda of day 2 in Provence and made easy by the online “Lavender routes of Provence” Maps. We charted these on our google maps and headed for Gordes. On the way, did some roadside shopping for freshest of cherries and peaches, the bounty of Provence!

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Spotted a cicada, another regional symbol, which chose poorly, to venture into our car and made for all the ensuing mini-frenzy!

 

 

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French countryside like most of Europe is dotted with the most picturesque little towns, and the region of Luberon is dotted with these charming hill-top villages, known as “Les plus beaux villages de France”.

 

 

Gordes is one of those awe-inspiring spots, reminding me much of Andalusia. The photography began long before we meandered through the narrow winding and steeply uphill lanes, which was an adventure in itself, in our minibus!

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After a short break here, we headed for the most photographed spot in the region, the fields of Abbey Senanque, in Vaucluse, with its perfectly manicured rows of lavender, pictured against the timeless Abbey, in stone!

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Though the lavender bloom was not at its peak, it still was one of the most dramatic sites, vivid in shades of lavender and violet! Thank god for digital cameras, else we would have spent an entire roll of film here!

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Next stop on the map was the village of Rousillon, known for the dramatic Ochre hills, and the village itself theme-painted in earthy tones of ochre, red and pink.

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We had a routine lunch of pizza here, having reached later than usual hours, followed by delicious gelato and then lazily loitered through the shops, selling the perfect souvenirs for the tourists. Bought the most aromatic candle here infused with the Herbs’ du Provence!

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Then we navigated towards Sault, the plateau around this town, is lush with lavender for miles. Just before reaching Sault, we had our first glimpse of lavender fields next to the road and we literally jumped out of the car to roll amongst these!

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Unlike the Abbey Senanque, where venturing into the lavender fields is not allowed, here we could roll, bath and tumble amongst the river of lavender! It was all that I foresaw in my imagination and more and a thrill for everyone! We lolled around here, clicking pictures and collecting sprigs of lavender for a while.

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I cannot say that we had our “fill” of lavender, but we were satiated for the moment.. and though we did go upto Sault, we enjoyed the lavender panorama, unfolding on the drive.

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We were late for most of the lavender farms or factories, which were closed for the day, but without worry, as the towns sell enough of everything a traveller can need… and more! Back to town, we bought loads of lavender soaps, lotions, pillows and candles! … ummm, so aromatic and delightful!

Day 3 in L’isla’sur’la Sorgue, we did nothing. And as a result.. soaked in so much more of the town and it’s beat. We could have made a day trip to Nice.. as earlier planned.. but then, would we have stayed in bed till lunch time? Could we have had a lazy breakfast, strolled through the lanes and along the streams, ogled at the vivid sky and speckled clouds, at ducklings paddling in the streams or colourful buntings adorning the already vibrant town? Definitely not. Sometimes doing nothing, especially on a holiday, is the best thing to do. We’re anyway not the “big town” loving folks, already residing in one.. and if given an opportunity, we’ll always be found, in some nook and cranny of a lush countryside.

DH & dad & me did some wine and cheese tasting at Chez Stéphane.

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& tasted the venerable, Châteauneuf-du-Pape!

 

 

 

 

Last morning in Provence, we marked our attendance at the weekly, farmers market in town, known widely for its arts and eclectic crafts section, along with the usual bounty of foods and such, not wanting to leave, but had to advance our journey onwards to central France, on to Loire Valley.

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Repose in Bordeaux-St Emilion.

 

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We visited the region of Bordeaux, in the south-west France, in July 2017, as part of our french summer holiday. After landing in Paris we stayed on for a few days, showing the basic sights to the little one, including the Eiffel Tower, the lit up pyramids and Seine river cruise. (The entire trip was planned around his obsession with Eiffel Tower souvenir back home)!

The second leg of the road trip was Bourgogne (Burgundy). We stayed in Beaune, thoroughly enjoyed the road trip despite having met with a road accident, which delayed us by a day, shortening our furlough to Bordeaux…the details in the previous post, A ride to remember, in Bourgogne.

I titled this trip as “A Repose” to Bordeaux, because that is what it was. Resting time. Repose time. After the mis-adventure in Beaune, the consequent delay, and the long drive between Bourgogne to Bordeaux (nearly 8 hours), we just wanted to relax. The Air B&B that we booked at St Terre, a 5 minute drive from St Emilion, was just what the doctor prescribed!

 

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We chose to stay at the outskirts of the town to be able to stay amidst the serene lush vineyards, away from the touristy Hum-drum, get into the feel of the countryside and still be in close proximity to the beautiful town of St Emilion.

We were hosted by Sabine and Jean Baptiste, in their Gîte (french country house), amidst the Vignobles Daniel Mouty (vignobles meaning vineyards in french), the latter being a well known Bordeaux wine producer. Jean Baptiste is a charmer, and received us with wide arms and pleasant smile, making us feel welcome, at once. He showed us around the beautiful property and the two storey house, all open to us, the vineyards, the small plunge pool and the gardens, equipped with a TT table and even a sand pit for the little one! The Gîte was very well equipped with all basic essentials, and some more. He bought along a delicious deep Pomerol from their vineyards, as a welcome gift and welcomed us to visit their winery for a tasting, anytime!

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We immediately settled in, feeling at home in our beautiful surroundings, uncorked a bottle of wine and parked ourselves on the lounge chairs in the garden, (which was nothing but a large, cleared patch within the vineyard), commanding a spectacular view of the verdant landscape.

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The raw grape vines swayed gently in the cool breeze, as the evening sun still shone brightly and the little one squandered about checking out the property. No one had any intention of moving from this otherworldly nest, even for dining out, since we were well stocked with essentials, thanks to a prior detour to Carrefour- Liburon.

Day after, was another lazy morning with staggered breakfast almost amounting to brunch, when we all voted to finally venture out of this blissful country existence.

Of course, DH had wine tastings lined up, and we started by visiting Chateau Gueyrosse, in adjoining Town of Liburon, at the edge of the river Dordogne. DH, is a meticulous planner and always takes into consideration, every member’s needs. That is inclusive of the youngest, who’s 5 yr old. There are many wineries and Chateaus which provide activities to engage the younger ones. Chateau Gueyrosse has beautiful gardens, a river flowing by and an overall picturesque property where the little one could wander about and explore.

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Here the grown ups learnt about the organic farming methods and manual harvesting techniques. We took a tour of the vineyards, the grounds of the chateau as well as their winery, tasted some great wines and bought a 2011 Ch Gueyrosse.

This would be a good place, to touch-upon the unusually complex topic of Bordeaux wine classification system. For a generic wine enthusiast, like moi, this was an engaging discovery!

It is a convoluted system, especially enigmatic for the New-world consumers, since here, the wines are classified according to where the grapes are grown i.e the “Terroir” and not by the grape varietal. A bottle of Bordeaux wine will detail the Region/ Chateau, Year and appellation, but not the grape varietal, that one usually expects.

 

Bordeaux produces red wines in majority and they are always a blend, usually of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, in varying proportions.

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The Bordeaux region is divided broadly into the “left bank” and the “right bank” by the river Gironde and its tributaries, the Garrone and Dordogne. While the left bank (the Medoc and Grave region) enjoys an elite status following the famous 1855 classification, and mainly highlights Cabernet Sauvignon (with blends of merlot and Cabernet franc); the Right bank relies more on the Merlot with blends from the others, and follows different appellation systems, most prominent being the St Emillion appellation.

Though the elitist wines from the 1st to 5th growths, on the left bank are clearly un-affordable, there are many very well priced Bordeaux wines in the market.

Coming to our day out. Next we steered towards St Emilion! Typically google maps, on the “shortest route available mode” navigated us through vineyards and narrow lanes towards the town.. though not the best possible approach, it was quite picturesque!

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From far we spotted the church spire first… which loomed large as we reached the town centre.. where expectedly there wasn’t any parking to be found. So we drove some distance, parked next to a restaurant and walked the short distance to town centre.

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St Emilion is one of the best looking small towns we’ve ever been too.. closely competing with the Andalusian towns of Cordova and Ronda. When I picture it, I see medieval, pale yellow ? lime stone buildings, lining narrow cobblestoned streets, sloping down to the town periphery and rising upto the bell tower and winding alleys meandering through the town.

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The architectural highlight is the church and bell- tower, towering above the beautiful town and its surrounding acres of lush country-side. The views from the bell tower are breath-taking!

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Spent couple of hours just sauntering through the town, the boutique shops and eateries at a leisurely pace and soaking the views.

Then literally walked down to nearby Chateau Cadet Bon for another Grand Cru tasting where the no-more- wine inclined folks just enjoyed another view of the town from this side of the vineyards.

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We wanted to really go easy so didn’t venture to the left bank at all. Visit to the city of Bordeaux was originally on the itinerary for the this evening…but we forgo it to relax at “our” wine-stay! 😊

Did visit the winery at Vignoble Daniel Mouty, a really short walk from the Gîte, for one last tasting in this wonderful wine country!

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Adieu Bordeaux.

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Maybe, not just yet…

The trip out of Bordeaux, next morning was nothing short of a thriller movie- an early morning flight from city of Bordeaux, so an even earlier departure from St Terre(an hour long journey to Bordeaux Mérignac airport) at 5 am; driving the country roads and eventually the highways, in torrential downpour; couple of detours thanks to poor visibility and GPS re-routings… when we finally approached the airport, the GPS, as usual, lost it, and couldn’t direct us to Avis Rental car drop. By sheer poor luck, we entered a long term car parking.. and could not exit!! Literally.. it was like the song “Hotel California- you can enter but you can never leave! “. As we later understood., with long term parking, one parks the car, collects the ticket, flies out, on arrival, one gets the ticket validated inside the airport and uses that ticket to exit the car park. Since we were not that smart to begin with, we tried to exit using this ticket when the machine flashed ” validation required” in french.. translated it using google translator, tried to ask around for help but there was nobody to ask! Once we figured things, one of us went running to the terminal, a good walk away, tried to validate the ticket, but failed as the machine pointed out.. “this ticket has been already used to exit”!! Now what? .. in the cold weather we were sweating Bricks, couldn’t leave the car there, couldn’t exit, sure to miss the flight!! Made one last effort to talk to Avis rental at the airport who directed us to Avis drop off facility, ran from one place to the other.. and I guess it was the panic on our faces.. and the convoluted way that we tried to explain the situation which garnered sympathy from those officers who told us to leave the car where it was, and walk out with our bags!! Phew. Even then the ordeal was far from over.. we had to lug the heavy duty luggage from the farthest available parking slot in the pouring rain to be able to reach the boarding counter .. just in nick of time.