Back home now in Ireland, after 2 years in Canada, and what an experience it was!! Decided now to write a few travel blogs on my little own country of Ireland. Ireland is a beautiful place, lots o…
Wild Atlantic Way Series: Galway City
Back home now in Ireland, after 2 years in Canada, and what an experience it was!! Decided now to write a few travel blogs on my little own country of Ireland. Ireland is a beautiful place, lots of greenery, (which reminds me of British Columbia!) weird weather, (Irish people call the Sun, ‘That Shiny Yellow Object in the Sky!) ancient ruins, spectacular scenery, and all round great craic from the locals!!
My journey to the West Coast all started because of a job interview in Co. Galway. My parents and I left my hometown of Co. Louth, on the East Coast and travelled by car to Galway. It’s a 3/4 hour drive depending on traffic and the route you take! We left on the Saturday, the day of a Six Nations game, (for those who don’t know, Six Nations is a rugby tournament between obviously, six nations! England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Wales and France.) We arrived in Ballinasloe for lunch, only to find out the score was 43-10 to Ireland!! Ireland were running rampant around the pitch and it made for great TV!
That smell of burning turf lingering in the air, is when you know you’ve arrived into a different landscape. It’s what I love about Ireland, how you can go from a modern-day landscape, to stepping back in time into the old culture and traditions.
Arriving in Galway City, we parked the car at the Travelodge, walked 1km into the city centre, and took a wander around. Galway City is one of my favourite places to be. It doesn’t feel like a city in the modern sense, instead it retains all its traditions and Irish charms. Galway has plenty to see and to offer. Great food, great craic and great scenery! If you’re ever out and about in Galway, head to the Latin Quarter, this is where you’ll find everything, charming streets, bustling shops, and plenty of places to eat and drink and have a bit of craic at night-time!
The view outside The King’s Head at night-time in the Latin Quarter, and part of the Latin Quarter.
Before my interview, I hung out around Eyre Square, one of the main parks in Galway, with my parents on a gorgeous sunny day, even though it was cold!! It’s a bustling place to be, full of young people, old people and loud tourists! It’s a great place to hangout, to watch the world go by or to sit and read a book in the sunshine.
Eyre Square.
Monuments on Eyre Square. The monument above is what’s known as the Galway Hooker. It’s a type of traditional fishing boat, which are still used today, off the coast of Galway and the Aran Islands. It’s also the name of a local craft beer! The sails are also depicted on the crest of Galway County Council.
My next post will be along shortly, this time of the Cliffs of Moher, which is 90 minutes drive from Galway City.
Enjoy!
travelramblings
Sea To Sky: A very Squamish Day Out
My parents arrived to Vancouver in August, leading to more adventures around Vancouver and BC!
The first weekend they were here, we all decided to go to Whistler for the day on a gorgeous sunny afternoon, only to realise that there was no point in sitting in traffic for hours at Squamish, wasting a gorgeous day by sitting in a hot stuffy car, due to the Squamish Music Festival!!
So we stopped at this place just outside of the town, which is situated between Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls. It’s located right on the most picturesque, stunning scenic route; Highway 99. The drive on Highway 99 is so beautiful, that I’ve decided to write a separate blog post on it!
http://www.seatoskygondola.com (website in case anyone wants to browse it)
I had no idea where we were going as I was sitting in the back of the car, not paying attention to anything except looking out the window and listening to my ipod, when we stopped just outside of Squamish at the Sea To Sky Gondola. When I think of the word ‘Gondola” I automatically think of the wee tiny boats in Venice Italy, what I didn’t realise was, it also means cable cars!!!
The Sea To Sky Gondola
I have a terrible, terrible fear of heights, so I was really did not want to go up in them!! Although the price is a bit steep, (35 dollars a pop) I would have to say it’s worth it. Eventually with a bit of needling from my family, I walked into a cable car, sat down it took off like a shot! I did not move the entire time going up!! That 10 minute ride was nerve-wrecking, and extremely long!! My brother tried to get me to look around to see the amazing views but I could not and did not want to move! So he took over the photographing duties inside the cable car!
View from the Sea To Sky Gondola. (Credit goes to my bro!)
When we reached the top of the mountain, my legs were shaking slightly, but it was worth the trip up because the views are just incredibly stunning.
The views from the Gondola. Sea To Sky Country.
At the top of the mountain, there is a little café/restaurant facilities and a suspension bridge. There are also guided tours around the area, and little walkways. my family and I went for a walk around the area, through the woods, which is absolutely beautiful but we didn’t spot any bears, or wildlife, but I did NOT walk across the suspension bridge. Going up in the cable cars was enough for me! The suspension bridge is made of steel but stretches out over two massive gorges so I was like “I’m NOT walking on that!”
The suspension bridge that I did NOT want to cross!! (All the family on the bridge!)
I have to say, even though I’m terrified of heights, I do feel that going up on the gondola was worth the trip as the views are something I’ve never experienced before. I’ve been to a lot of beautiful places but this has to be my favourite so far.
Squamish country, and a glacier!!
Squamish from the Sea To Sky Gondola mountain top.
There’s a reason why people keep coming here to BC/Canada, and it’s not for the food (sorry!) It’s for the amazing scenery that Canada is so famous for. It’s definitely a once in a life time trip too.
Until next time folks!
Festival of Lights: A Firework Celebration.
This has been one of the most amazing summer’s I’ve spent abroad. While I’m still looking for work, I’m always up for a new adventure and experiencing all that Vancouver has to offer. I’m constantly surprised by all the events that were held in the city since being here!! This time its the Festival of Lights celebration!
The crowds of people on a tiny beach at English Bay!
The Festival of Lights is a sight to see and definitely an experience to remember!! Held in English Bay every year on the last weekend of July/beginning of August and hosted by different countries. This year it was held by the US, France and Japan. The fireworks last for 25 minutes, but it’s an all day event as there are bands playing on the beach. It’s a great way to spend a weekend on a beach with friends just having fun! When the sun set, everyone was greeted by some pretty amazing views of the mountains and the ocean.
The sun setting over English Bay, and the moon came out!!!
The first firework display was held by the US. I was a little disappointed by the US display as it kept stopping and starting and the music that was played with it wasn’t really in tune with the fireworks. There wasn’t much bang to this display and it ended relatively early. The second firework display was held by France and this was much better as they ACTUALLY played french music with the fireworks!! There was more bang and definitely a lot more colourful and smoky! Japan held the last display but as my parents arrived in Vancouver, we didn’t see the point in heading to English Bay to see the fireworks as it was a little too crowded. Japan though had by FAR, THE most colourful display of fireworks! We could see them from my brother’s balcony. It was a great way to introduce my parents to their visit of Canada!
Some photos of the firework displays held at English Bay
This is just really a short post, but definitely would tell people to go see the Fireworks display next year! Don’t know who’s hosting it though but it’s an event to remember with the right friends and a few drinks on the beach!!
Until next time folks!
O Canada! Canada Day (July 1st)
July 1st and that means it’s Canada Day!
The sun is out, and the weather is so fine that it’s a gorgeous day to go exploring around Vancouver and to check out the festivities downtown for Canada Day! Canada Day is very like St. Patrick’s Day at home in Ireland, but a lot more laid back, and family oriented event organised by the city.
The MINUTE I stepped outside my house I saw several people wear the colours of their country, Canada while heading downtown for the festivities. When I arrived downtown, there were so many people out and about, all dressed in red and white, some with flags, some face-painted skin enjoying the holiday.
I went to Canada Place to meet up with some fellow travellers and friends, but due to the sheer amount of people it was nigh IMPOSSIBLE to actually meet or SEE anyone that I knew in the crowd!! So while I was still at Canada Place, I took a free tour of the Vancouver Convention Centre, which recently held the TED Conference (side-note: The TED Conference will be held again in Vancouver in 2015.)
Facts about Canada Place and Vancouver Convention Centre.
The part of that I visited was the West Convention Centre. It is a massive building and when you walk in the doors, look up and you will see a MASSIVE spinning globe of the Earth. Also just recently I found out that the globe is lit up at night time!! It’s pretty cool and amazing to see something like that! I went up the stairs into the building, which has at LEAST 5 floors, wooden walls all around the insides, spectacular views of the mountains, North Vancouver, Stanley Park, the inlet and Mount Baker in Washington, US.
The Earth spinning around above the massive crowd of people wearing red and white!
The view of Mount Baker, in Washington, US.
I got lost when inside the building, and I ended up inside one of the conference rooms. It is absolutely massive and really hard to believe that the TED Conference was held here. The ballroom is nearly the size of a football (soccer) pitch!
One of the ballrooms in the Convention Centre. It’s quite a dark picture but it should show the scale of the room!
Eventually after spending time inside the Convention Centre, I made my way through the massive crowds of people, (there were music gigs, parades, other events, and fireworks held here for Canada Day.) and hopped on a bus to English Bay to meet with other friends.
Sunset Beach both in the daytime and the view at night time!
Sunset Beach and English Bay were amazing places to visit, it provided some amazing views of the mountains, especially when the sun set. It doesn’t feel like you’re living in the city as here you can’t really hear the traffic. English Bay is where the Inuishuk monument is and it’s the symbol of the 2010 Winter Olympics. After spending the entire day down at the beaches, we had to walk back to the city centre via Denman Street and Coal Harbour. By ‘eck that was a long way to walk!!! Although we did get to see the fireworks on our walk back! Which was a good thing as it cost 15 dollars to see it from Canada Place!!!
This is actually my favourite image so far and I’m proud I manage to take this picture of the Inuishuik Monument at English Bay.
I have to say that being an Irish person, I was not expecting the laid back atmosphere of Canada Day. I thought it’d be more like St. Patrick’s Day where people drink themselves silly celebrating…
Until next time folks!
Brother’s Creek/West Vancouver
Things have been so crazy and busy since I started my new job working in VCC Library, which is why I haven’t been posting many blogs until now! Never fear though I have quite a few to post up tonight/rest of the week!!!
Lets start by my first entry from June!
Our starting point!
A group of us went to do the Brothers Creek hike over in West Vancouver, incidentally also part of the Baden-Powell Trail that ends at the Quarry Lookout Point!. I have to say that this hike was a little tougher than the previous ones that I’ve done so far. But first the car journey up to West Vancouver was interesting to say the least!! As we ventured outside of Park Royal shopping outlet centre, up into the mountains the houses there became more extravagant, and made the houses here in Mainland Vancouver look like boxy little sheds!! I shudder to think how much those houses actually cost, but I can definitely see why they’re built on the slopes of the mountains, because the views from there are amazing! Although as we drove past some of the newly built houses, there were some smaller normal sized houses. The ride up to the trail was quite steep and it makes you wonder how these people live up here in the winter when it snows on the mountainsides!! Some of the driveways were really steep too!!
Back to the hiking trail, as we reached the trail we started our climb up the mountain to the Lost Lake. The entire climb up was quite steep and it didn’t help that the sun was shining, plus it was really hot that day too. The trail that we did was a measly 2.5km long but as it was all up hill, it was a little bit of a struggle. The forest itself was beautiful and teeming with wildlife, and fauna native to the area.
The uphill Climb!
There isn’t really anything spectacular about Brother’s Creek but it is a little off the beaten track and there weren’t that many people out here.
Sauron’s Tower from Lord of The Rings, (The Twin Towers)
The confusing signs! No wonder we got lost!!!!
We got lost on the way down as the signs on the mountain were really confusing and we ended up a little further than anticipated! Eventually we reached the road and made our way back to the car.
Some interesting Wildlife in the forest…
If you’re not really a hiker, I wouldn’t recommend doing this trail as I found it a little tough, it’s more suited to those who are experienced hikers or fitness fanatics. If you want to do other trails, I’d definitely recommend Deep Cove.
Thats all for now folks!
Sunsets from Cypress Mountain.
The weather this weekend has been FABULOUS! My brother and his fiancée went up to Cypress Mountain to see the sunset over Vancouver, and I tagged along for the ride. It took about 15 minutes by car, although the drive up was full of twists and turns and steep hills!! It was almost like being back in the European Alps!
We reached Burrett’s Landing just in time to see the sun set over Vancouver and I have to say that there isn’t a sight quite like it. I’ve been and seen a lot of sunsets in different places, and I have to say that this would be one of my top 10 sunsets! (My number one sunset has to be in Santorini from both the pirate-like ship with local Greek music playing in the background, and watching the whitewash buildings turn to orange, and overlooking all the other islands from the city of Thera. There isn’t a view quite like it.) If you ever do get to visit Greece, Santorini is the place to go!
View from the pirate like boat in Santorini.
View from Thera, Santorini.
Anyway back to Vancouver! Watching the skies turn orange over Vancouver was pretty spectacular, although it was a little hazy and couldn’t really see beyond Greater Vancouver, and Victoria Island. My brother pointed out Mt. Baker (which is in Washington State, USA,) to me in the distance, I nearly missed it as it was really hard to spot due to the haze. As I was taking photographs, I spotted a LOT of barges and ships in the inlet, making their way up to the port. It was a bit like watching a puzzle play out as the barges tried to navigate the inlet to the port without hitting each other! After spending some time on Burrett’s Landing, we drove up to the very top of Cypress and I saw the ski/snowboarding runs, in all its natural glory, minus the snow.
Downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park.
Vancouver Island and fir trees.
The barges slowly making their way up the inlet to the port plus Vancouver Island in the distance.
The greater Vancouver area.
Lion’s Gate Bridge and parts of Stanley Park.
Vancouver Island in the distance.
Mt. Baker, in Washington State, USA.
If you wanted to see a sunset or the twinkling lights of Vancouver, this would be the perfect place to be! Bring a warm jacket, a camera, a hot drink, and just watch the Mother Nature show!
That’s All Folks! Until Next Time!
Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre (Vancouver Public Library, Central)
This post is really for the people who are coming to Vancouver in the near future and want to do a bit of research on the job market and possibly gain some networking contacts. I’m not sure about other libraries in Canada, and if they offer services like the Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre. If you want to see if there’s such a service available, I’d suggest that you contact the libraries of the place/city you’re going to in Canada.
The Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre offers all kinds of services for newcomers to Canada. It doesn’t matter what kind of job/occupation you’re looking for, the SIIC has a lot of information catering to the employment sector in Canada. You can find networking and getting Canadian experience guides, as well as employment outlook, professional associations, and more. There are 71 industry guides on the SIIC website. If you don’t find a guide for your industry, or if you have more questions after reading your guide, you can contact the library via phone, email or in person. There is a big sign that says Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre when you come up the escalator. All services are free. If you would like to check out the website, I posted a link below. http://skilledimmigrants.vpl.ca/index.php/
Here is my own personal story of using the SIIC in the Central Library.
I accidentally stumbled upon the SIIC while I was looking for the careers section on the VPL website! After reading about the centre online I thought it might be an option worth checking out to see what kind of services and support was offered.
When I finally arrived to Vancouver, in the second week of being here, (the first week was spent mostly lying in bed recovering from jet lag and moving into a new house!) I contacted the SIIC (Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre) and I made an appointment. I met with the coordinator of the SIIC at my appointment, and I found her to be really friendly and a lot more helpful than the recruitment agencies that I’ve been to! She helped me with regards to gaining employment and how to network in Canada. Networking and volunteering is an important part of life in Canada, as Canadians love to see volunteering on resumes. It shows that you’re actively doing something while searching for work and can also it could lead to a proper paid job if one arises. We spent about an hour chatting about my work experience, and the different types of sectors that I could possibly work in. I said that I wasn’t sure about using SIIC because I didn’t think it’d be helpful due to the type of visa I’m on, my education background, and also because of my hearing problem. I was actually really surprised to find out that having a hearing impairment (I dislike that term!) wasn’t labeled as a disability in Canada unlike it is at home!
I’d definitely recommend checking out this service as it’s from my experience a very useful tool for starting out here in Canada. It’s also a great way to network, and to make that tedious experience of job hunting a little easier! You never know what might pop up! For me, by using this service I’ve made contacts with other organisations, and some friends as well.
That’s all folks! Until next time!
Summer Night Markets in Richmond.
I’m back online with a new travel blog post!
A few of us decided to go and check out the Summer Night Market in Richmond. So we carpooled into two trucks and headed off to Richmond. I’ve been to Richmond a few times now and I feel like I’ve just stepped into another world. It has a completely different culture and way of life compared to Vancouver’s lifestyle. Richmond seems to be one large industrial area dominated by massive warehouses and international superstores like IKEA.
Anyway it didn’t take that long to drive out to Richmond to where the market was. Not so surprisingly it was at the back of a massive industrial estate behind a warehouse. As it was a Saturday night the market was packed and parking was scarce. We eventually found a parking spot but had to pay a 4 dollar entry fee. We walked to the markets from the car park, although we managed to get lost and walked into a Home Depot parking lot!! Whoops!
It’s a 2 dollar entry fee into the market itself but you can buy a season pass for 49 dollars. The market itself runs from May until early October when the weather is still good. We decided to hit up the food market first as it was the closest to the entrance. I just tried a mini donut and a weird looking ice-cream cone from one of the many food stalls. There seems to be more food stalls there than arts and local crafts stalls. The food there were all mostly from Asian countries although there were a few local and European food stalls.
The food market in Richmond.
This is a South Korean delicacy. It’s a long ice-cream wafer cone that is spun into different shapes and the ice-cream is poured inside the cone! It was delicious!
We continued walking around the markets and my friends tried some of the food there, One of them had this for dinner! Squid tentacles! (Above picture) I did NOT want to try this!
We saw an inflatable pool filled with water and massive balls/domes with people inside them trying to run around in the pool on our walkabouts through the markets and we all decided to give it ago! It’s 10 dollars but no time limit. If you want out you just simply grab the attention of a worker. It was such a fun thing to do but it’s tiring and INCREDIBLY hard to stand up inside the balls/domes on water! More often than not you end up feeling like a hamster stuck inside a spinning wheel! You really need to have an excellent core and strong balance to be able to stand up inside the dome on water!! I would love to try this on land as it’d be really fun to do!
Little hamsters running around on water in domes!
After this fun activity we decided to call it a night as many stalls were beginning to close up. It was a good night out but I was slightly disappointed with the markets as it didn’t seem to have a lot of arts and crafts as one would expect from a massive market. The market seems to focus more on food, although I would recommend checking the market out on a weekend night. The food was okay, but with great company it was a good night out!
Thats all folks! Until next time!
Supersize Super Store Shopping
I’ve been here in Canada for several months now and I’m slowly getting used to the way of life here. The one thing that never seems to amazes me is the size of the supermarkets and the big boxes of everything. Nothing comes in small packages, or in ones, they’re usually in big boxes or bulk packages.
Every time I set foot inside the Real Canadian Superstore on Grandview Highway near Rupert Street station, it’s like being inside a big massive warehouse where everything is completely super sized!! I would avoid going to places like the Real Canadian Superstore or Cost Co on the weekends as it’s like a big traffic rush hour inside with people hurrying around the aisles with massive trollies and crashing into each other! It’s a little bit like that 90’s show (for those who know it) Supermarket Sweep!! It may seem expensive but in the long run it actually works out as being cheap enough as the supplies last you for a while! I kind of wish there were stores like that at home in Ireland!
There is a downside to shopping in a massive warehouse like store. If you don’t have a car it’s awkward to carry all the shopping back with you on the Sky Train and the bus! Sometimes I wish I had my trusty blue Polo car here in Vancouver! It would save a lot of money on transit…
The food in the superstore is a little expensive but there’s something really wrong with today’s society if a box of coke (12 cans) cost as little as 3.50 dollars where as fresh fruit and vegetables cost between 5-10 dollars. If society wants to tackle the impending epidemic of obesity, shouldn’t it be the other way round? Increase the price of junk food and lower the price of fruit and veg!
If you are going to go shopping in a superstore, bring a wheelie case with you and stock it up as much as possible! It’ll make it a LOT easier to carry things, especially heavy items.
That’s all folks! Until next time!
ruthmccann45 