Short escape to Ireland (",)

IRELAND 

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic to the west of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St Georges Channel, and after which it is the largest island of the British Isles archipelago. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest islandon Earth.

Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of theUnited Kingdom, which covers the remaining area and is located in the north-east of the island. The population of Ireland is about 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland. ~source: wikipedia

Day 1: 12022015

Get out from home (Beumont) on 4.30am to catch bus 5.10am at marble arch (stop M). Reach stansted about 6.30am. Do visa check and terus masuk security check and ready to fly!

Flight at 8.30am... Reach dublin terminal 1 airport on 9.45am.

DUBLIN!!

Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Dublin is in the province of Leinster on Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey.

Founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Ireland's principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Act of Union in 1800. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland.

Dublin is administered by a City Council. The city is listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) as aglobal city, with a ranking of "Alpha-", placing it among the top thirty cities in the world. It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy and industry. ~source: wikipedia

Direct took bus to the city centre... Ticket bus €6 from dublin airport to o'cornell street. Its either stop at o'cornell street or 1 stop b4 or after that. Its ok. But o'cornell street is really the main attraction. If london,its just like oxford street. The central of dublin city.

Then we look for a map to tour dublin. We found it at i counter (information counter). After that by guide of the free map, we go to Busara's coach station where the bus station for our next journey to Galway (roughly 10-15minutes by walk from O'cornell street). There are lockers for luggage. We shared medium locker €8 that can fit our 3 bags. Then we buy open returned ticket for Eireann Bus to Galway €20.50 if international student got €18.00.

Then we began our walk tour to dublin city. 

1st we go to Custom House Quay. Next to the bridge in front of Ireland convention centre. The building a bit unique.

Then we proceed our tour to main city. We start with Trinity college, national museum, park, then to few cathaderals that we passed by on our walk tour to dublin castle.

Next we go to millenium bridge and Ha'penny bridge. We do follow the Hop on Hop off bus route. But we do by walk and skip a few places that not so interesting for us. It is possible but only for the people that do not have problem with their leg. I think its about thousands of foot step we do our tour today!

After all, we look for Halal food for our lunch cum dinner. So hungry!!! We found 1! I ordered pizza for my meal today ;) Haha

Around 5.50pm, we make our move to Busara's to take bus to Galway at 6.30pm. We bought Eireann Bus which have buses to Galway every hour. Unfortunately, we did not ask how many hours to Galway and we coincidently took bus that stop many stations b4 reached Galway and it take us 4hours 15minutes to reach Galway!! Huhuhu nasib baik la tido je sepanjang jalan. Hehehe

we reach 10.45pm at Eyre Square,Galway and took taxi to our friend's house at Cybry Road,Newcastle,Galway. The taxi charged us €10. Sampai2 je... Mandi2 and tido because tomorow nk jalan awal pagi plak

GALWAY!!

Galway (Irish: Gaillimh, pronounced [ˈɡalʲɪvʲ]) is a city in the West of Ireland in the province of Connacht. Galway City Council is thelocal authority for the city. Galway lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay and is surrounded by County Galway. It is the fourth most populous urban area in the Republic of Ireland and the sixth most populous city in Ireland.

The city's name is from the river Gaillimh (River Corrib) that formed the western boundary of the earliest settlement, which was called Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe ("Fort at the mouth of the Gaillimh"). The word Gaillimh means "stony" as in "stony river" (the mythical and alternative derivations are given in History of Galway). Historically, the name was Anglicised as Galliv, which is closer to the Irish pronunciation as is the city's name in Latin, Galvia. 

~source: wikipedia

Day 2: 13022015

Early morning, we make our move as early as 7.50am to main centre Galway to look for tour to Cliff of Moher. We go out together with Aimi' friend, sarah. It took about 15-20 minutes walking to the Eyre square and Sarah directed us to the Bus coach station. There are a lot of tour company do offer their services ~ tour to cliff of moher, tour to conemara etc. We take Healeys tour which cost us €15 (student price) normal price €20.

CLIFF OF MOHER

The Cliffs of Moher (Irish: Aillte an Mhothair) are located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They rise 120 metres (390 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 metres (702 ft) just north ofO'Brien's Tower, eight kilometres to the north. The tower is a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien. From the cliffs and from atop the tower, visitors can see the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, the Maumturks and Twelve Pins mountain ranges to the north in County Galway, and Loop Head to the south. The cliffs rank amongst the top visited tourist sites in Ireland, and receive almost one million visitors a year.

The cliffs take their name from an old fort called Moher that once stood on Hag's Head, the southernmost point of the cliffs. The writer Thomas Johnson Westropp referred to it in 1905 as Moher Uí Ruis or Moher Uí Ruidhin. The fort still stood in 1780 and is mentioned in an account from John Lloyd's a Short Tour Of Clare (1780).It was demolished in 1808 to provide material for a new telegraph tower. The present tower near the site of the old Moher Uí Ruidhin was built as a lookout tower during the Napoleonic wars. ~source: wikipedia

Our tour begins at 10am. So we do have 1 hour time for breakfast. And we took hot chocolate at Cafe Express near to Eyre Square. Hot choc €2.50. Then we go back to bus coach station to begin our tour.

Along the way to cliff of moher, we do stop several places to take picture... Burren, ailwee cave, monumen which i couldnt remember the name. Then we reach to cliff of moher.

Subhanallah the view is really amazing!!!! Cantik gilerrr..... I couldnt even blink my eyes to see how beautiful it is. We only have 1 1/2hour at the cliff and it is not enough! Huhu... Never mind. Insyaallah 1 day if ade rezeki Allah nak bg, i'll come here again. Xsempat pun nk tngk castle. Just took pictures at the cliff. And buy some souviners..around 3.40pm we go back to Galway city.

B4 that, we do stop for lunch at 1 bar and of course we just lepak2 kt luar2 tu since its bar and nothing we can eat. So we just chit chatting and curik wifi from the nearest hotel.hehehe ;)

b4 balik tu, tourist guide do stop at 1 place near to the sea and the view... Mashaallah cantiknye!!! Terus teringat view kt kudat, sabah! Cantikkkkk tenang. i hope i could have more time here. But..... What to do..as we follow the tour, we need to follow the route!...

After that, we all pun balik again to bus station Galway and meet sarah at 1 indian halal restaurant. I ordered lamb briyani cost me €17.95. Tutup mata jap. Byr je. sbb makan!. Bab makan, sy kurang ckit berkira... Makan je ape nk makan. Hehehe... nasib baik la sdap.hehe we took our dinner and at the same time chit chatting until 9am if im not mistaken. From 7pm until 9pm. Lama gilerrrr borak. Hehehe then, we make our move to sarah's house by walk too ;) kurus2 jap.. hehe

Day 3: 14022015

Morning at 10am we took taxi to Eyre square, Galway. And we do walk around the city.. Look for sourviner and cuci2 mata. The sourviner price is average compare to the european country... Fridge magnet price ranged between €2.50 - €5 each. Tshirt roughly €7 onwards. 

Then we have late breakfast at Cupan tae as recommended by Sarah. Not bad. Combination of nice flavoured tea (toffee popcorn tea) with scones (jam and butter) really nice. A pot of tea €4 and scones €2.25 each. Burrrrpppppp..... Thats only for breakfast, not our lunch anymore eventough we have our breakfast on 11am. Hehehe

Then we have our lunch at High Cafe. Its halal Moroccan restaurant. And again! I ordered pizza and chocolate cake as for my lunch! ;) pizza not bad but choc cake not recommended! Huhu the food reasy quite late. So we are rushing to the bus station to catch bus on 1.30pm. Lucky us the bus is still there eventough it is 1.30pm hehehe.

Bye bye sarah! Our 3hours journey to Dublin Aiport began. Nasib baik la ade internet kt dlm bas. Xde la bosan sngt. Hehehe sampai kt airport on 4.30pm. Rehat2 solat smua... We all masuk kol 7pm. Our flight on 8.25pm and reach london 9.30pm.

End of my journey to Ireland ;)

By the way, flight ticket price is GBP40 for return ticket London - dublin - london ;)

Prague, Czech Republic

"What Happen in Prague, Stays in Prague"

Our tagline in Prague only 4 of us know what is it all about. =)

Date: 21 - 22 January 2015

After Morocco & Spain trip, I continue my journey to Prague, Czech Republic for a short vacation. Flight ticket which i bought last minute (5 days before the travel date) a bit pricey actually. but, since i want to travel with them, tutup sebelah mata je la bayar £108.00. huhuhu . paying £108.00 for 2 days holiday trip is a bit pricey for me as a student. tapi...... xpe la. once in a life time. after this, dunno when i will get this opportunity. =)

The currency in Prague is the Czech Crown (czk). Some restaurants, hotels and shops take Euros as well, but most accept only Czech Crowns. At this time, the currency exchange in London is £1 = CZK34. But actually, it is better for you to change in Prague. the rate is better =)

So, here is the budget (student budget) for our trip to Prague. 

  

For Prague, I'm travelling alone from London and meet them in Prague airport. I took the bus from whitechapel at 3:00am to London Stanstead (bus ticket last minute price £11). Reached there about 4:30am and i have ample time to window shop until my flight time which is 6:54am. =) dah sorang2 jalan kt airport tu, macam2 la den boli. hahahahaha

Once arrived in Prague airport, I'm waiting for them to fetch me up and go back together to our hotel. Since they come to Prague from Krakow, Poland...... I am enjoying my solo trip from London to Prague. poyo je bunyinye solo trip. hahaha ye la.. dah perempuan, mana nak berani solo trip pergi mana2. jadi la from London to Prague =)

Prague Airport. While waiting for them. 

Its too cold in Prague!!!... huhuhuhuhu

It is recommended to buy daily ticket at CZK190. U can go anywhere by tramp, underground or bus for 24 hours. We start our journey to our hostel. We took bus number 119 from airport to our hostel. The instruction to our hostel are as follow:

You should take a bus number 119 and go to the last bus station – Dejvicka – green line metro station. Afterward, please take a metro Dejvicka and go only 2 stops to Malostranska. After reaching Malostranska, You should leave the metro, and after taking a left exit from metro, please go to the right following Klarov street. After getting to a crossroad between Letenska and U luzickeho Seminare street, follow U luzickeho Seminare street. After around 3 minutes walking – please take a right turn to Misenska street – in couple of minutes You will find a Hostel “Mango” with a number 8 on the building. ~ source: http://hostelmango.cz

Front view of the hostel

6 bedded room look alike

Common area

Common area for lepak2 & masak2 & makan2

 Common area for lepak2 & masak2 & makan2

After having a lunch Nasi Briyani which i bought in London, we start our journey to Prague town. 

Prague’s views are breathtaking 365 days a year. Although the Czech capital is nicknamed “the city of a hundred spires”, in fact it is decorated with nearly a thousand towers and spires. You can admire the ancient heart of the city from the observation deck of the tower of Old Town Hall, and discover the charm of the Lesser Town roofs from the tower of St. Vitus Cathedral. Unforgettable views are also possible from the Petřín lookout tower, from Letná Park or from the ramparts of Vyšehrad. An unusual sight arises for those who climb Vítkov Hill, dominated by the majestic statue of military leader Jan Žižka. You'll get an unusual view of the illuminated panorama of Prague Castle from here, especially in the early evening.

Day 1 ~ Our 1st stop: Prague Castle (Pražský hrad)

Prague Castle has been an important symbol of the Czech state for more than a thousand years. It was founded in the 9th century and became the seat of Czech rulers and later presidents. The castle, one of the largest complexes in the world, is made up of historical palaces, offices, church and fortification buildings, gardens and picturesque spots. It covers an area of 45 hectares. The panoramic view of Prague Castle is one of the most spectacular in the world.

Overview Prague town from Prague Castle

Overview Prague town from Prague Castle

Bodyguard for Prague Castle

We are lucky to see bodyguard changing exactly when we arrived at the Castle.

Prague Castle

Day 1 ~ Our 2nd stop: Dancing House

The “Dancing House” is set on a property of great historical significance. Its site was the location of a house destroyed by the U.S.bombing of Prague in 1945. The plot and structure lay decrepit until 1960 when the area was cleared. The neighbouring plot was co-owned by the family of Václav Havel who spent most of his life there. As early as 1986 (during the Communist era) V. Milunić, then a respected architect in the Czechoslovak milieu, conceived an idea for a project at the place and discussed it with his neighbour, the then little-known dissident Václav Havel. A few years later, during the Velvet Revolution Havel became a popular leader and was subsequently elected president of Czechoslovakia. Thanks to his authority the idea to develop the site grew.[citation needed] Havel eventually decided to have Milunić survey the site, hoping for it to become a cultural center, although this was not the result.

Ladies at Dancing House!! =)

Next, we stop by somewhere which i couldn't remember the name of the place for sweet tooth =)

me and tawawa... rindu!!!

got this view on our way to here...

Day 1 ~ Our 3rd stop: Old Town Hall with Astronomical Clock (Staroměstská radnice s orlojem)

The Old Town Hall was established in 1338 as the seat of the Old Town administration. The oldest part of the complex consists of a beautiful Gothic tower with a bay chapel and a unique astronomical clock – known as the Orloj – where, every hour between 9 am and 11 pm, the twelve apostles appear. The Gothic Revival eastern wing of the Town Hall was destroyed during the Prague Uprising on May 8, 1945 and was never rebuilt. The guided tour includes the historical halls, the tower and the underground areas.

The Prague astronomical clock, or Prague orloj (Czech: Pražský orloj), is a medieval astronomical clocklocated in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working

me at Astronomical clock, Prague

Clock ticking at 16:00pm

On the way to the Astronomical Clock, we found traditional Hungarian Cake ~ Trdelnik CZK50-60.

Trdelník (originally called Kürtőskalács) is a traditional Hungarian cake and sweet pastry, originally coming from Székely Land,Transylvania, which is home of the Székely Hungarians. It also is known within the culinary heritages of Slovakia, the Czech Republicand Austria. It is made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix. Nowadays, trdelník is again gaining popularity as a sweet pastry in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and is very popular among tourists.

Its delicious and u must try!!!

We bought 1 1st to try. Its delicious and tempting to buy 1 for just yourself. hehehe

Homemade Trdelnik. Dunno how to pronounce. hehe

Day 1 ~ Our 4th stop: Dessert and Hard Rock Prague

Not far from Old Town Square is a museum that was awarded 7th place in the ranking of the best chocolate museums in the world. A unique exhibition uses words, images and flavours to depict the 2,600-year history of chocolate. You'll see how to work with chocolate to make it both beautiful and delicious, and taste authentic Belgian chocolates.

Choco story Prague

Candy making demonstration

Me and wawa enjoyed dessert! sedaps!!
waffle : CZK 250
cheese cake : CZK190

Acu can't wait to eat all. hehe

Hard Rock Prague

Day 1 ~ Our 5th & last stop: Prague National Museum

The National museum is a Czech museum institution intended to systematically establish, prepare and publicly exhibit natural scientific and historical collections. It was founded 1818 in Prague by Kašpar Maria Šternberg.

Us in front of Prague National Museum

Us in front of Prague National Museum

Lastly, badan is soo tired, so we go back to our hostel by tramp.



Day 2 ~ Our 1st stop: Charles Bridge (Karlův most)

Prague’s oldest bridge was built to replace the Judith Bridge that had been badly damaged by floods in 1342. The Stone, or Prague, Bridge, called Charles Bridge since 1870, was begun in 1357 by Charles IV and was completed in 1402. The bridge is built of sandstone blocks, flanked at each end by fortified towers (Lesser Town Bridge Towers, Old Town Bridge Tower). From 1683 to 1928, 30 statues of saints were carved to decorate the bridge, the most famous of which is the statue of St John of Nepomuk.

We just walk to the Charles Bridge. It is really near to our hostel and the bridge do connect us to the town. So, today we just walk from our hostel, to the Old Town Prague having dessert and leisure tour around Prague =)

Day 2 ~ Our 2nd stop: Dessert and self walking tour in Prague town

After having our breakfast at 1 of the Kebab shop near to the Charles Bridge, we continue our journey for self walking tour. our journey in Prague did not complete without dessert for each meal taken. hehehe. so we stop by at Hotel U Prince Restaurant for our dessert =)

2 dessert share 4 person =)

then jalan2, saw buskin group 

Day 2 ~ Our 3rd stop: Prague Railway station (Praha station)

End of our journey in Prague. Roughly 5:30pm we took bus 191 to the airport from our hostel. our flight back to london is 20:45 - 21:45pm. timing diffferent +1:00 between London and Prague. Journey to London is about 2 hours =)

So far, I think  Prague airport security check in is the easiest. Just passport check, then u can fly! as easy as that. hahaha

Bye bye Prague. till we meet again insyaallah (ade ke? mcm xde je lg)