travel

Slow travel and how to explore your own city first

August 3, 2017 by Meg 5 Comments

“Where is the first place you will visit now that you have a job?”

“When are you going overseas?”

“Now that you are working, when will you book your next holiday?”

These are the main points of conversation since I started my new job. Seriously, why are people always in a rush? Why does it feel like it is all a big comparison and competition? Life is so crazy as it is, everyone seems to be in a rush to tick off that bucket list, to rush through and get to the next bigger and better thing. They rush to travel to new places, but can they honestly say that they have truly savored the experience? Most people I find are waiting for Friday, waiting for their next holiday, waiting for a new year – why? Why are we not focusing on life as it is right now in the moment?

Why do people assume that to travel means to leave?

You can still explore and travel by staying at home. So often we think that to be living our best life we should be filling up our passports with visas and stamps in foreign countries – how many people can say that they have truly explored their home town? Have they have been a tourist in their own city? Making life an adventure every day, by slowing down and savoring what we have right in front of us is truly what I think makes your life infinitely happier, relaxed, and much more fulfilled.

Here is how to explore your own city first. And no, you don’t need a huge budget, and you don’t need to jet off to distant lands to become an explorer.

Create a staycation. Some weekends I like to plan a mini itinerary on what we can see and do in Dublin, where we can eat and how our whole day will go. Just like as if we were visiting Dublin for the first time.
Keep a bucket list for your city. We have an ever-growing list of things we want to do in Dublin, and we had a similar list in Johannesburg. On weekends when we are not sure what to do, we can go through the list and find ideas that we wrote down. It is a great way to remember and get to see everything.
Try visit a new place every time. One of our rules is that we try not go to the same restaurant or pub more than twice. This is because there is such a wide variety, and we want to explore everything. Also routine can be so boring and monotonous. If you feel like you want to spice up your routine, change it first by trying a new place instead of sticking to your local go-to spots.
Get creative and find the things to do that don’t cost a thing. Not everything in life has to be expensive and over the top. Sometimes exploring a new park, or museum, or finding a free event makes life exciting!
Do one new thing. Key to exploring is to fully explore something, you can’t say you have truly experienced a new place if you run in, snap a picture and leave. Slow down. You don’t need to rush through your whole weekend, doing everything. I like to pick one or two things we can do each weekend, but leave it really casual, and play everything as it goes – some weekends you just want a pj and series day and that is OK too.

So many people use Dublin as a chance to jet overseas without fully exploring what it has to offer. And while I will admit that was definitely a reason we chose to move to Ireland (it is so central to all sorts of wonderful countries) because we have been short on cash recently, it has forced us to get creative on how we get out and enjoy our free time. Through living on one salary and still wanting to explore, it has made us realise that it doesn’t have to cost a lot to explore your home town, and for us, it’s still an adventure exploring Dublin from the inside out.

The biggest benefit to exploring your own city first is to really fall in love and appreciate where you live. You start realising just how much your home has to offer, and it turns you into a travel expert and brand ambassador for your own city – you can become that go-to person on where to go and what to see in your home town. And because things are always changing, new restaurants are always opening up, life never really gets boring because there is always something new to explore.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY? HAVE BEEN A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!).

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2-3 times a week; I am also setting up exclusive challenges; guides and templates that I will only share with my subscribers, so be sure to sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox! Sign up now!

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

The best way to spend a weekend in Waterford

July 25, 2017 by Meg 9 Comments

If you ever get the chance to visit Ireland, I hope you will go and visit the oldest city in Ireland, Waterford. We decided what better place to visit over St Patrick’s Day long weekend than Waterford City. We were warned by locals that it is a lot less of a fuss than the annual parade that Dublin hosts on St Paddy’s but that is kind of what attracted us most to the trip – less crowds and more exploring a place that by all accounts is kind of underrated for some reason.

How to get there (from Dublin):

By car; 2 hour drive.
By bus; 2 hours 30 minutes and costs 20 euro return
By train; 2 hours 20 minutes commute and costs 30 euro return (pro tip: it is cheaper if you book your ticket in advance!)

We decided to take the train, so we took the Luas red line, and got off at Heuston Station which is where the train leaves Dublin to go to Waterford City.

Where we stayed:

We stayed at The Barley Field, which was a short walk from town with very basic facilities but a pretty good breakfast included in the room fee. I think if you were wanting to spend loads of time at the hotel, it might not be great. The room was small, and there wasn’t much in the way of restaurants or places to eat. Depending on the night in the week, the pub gets a bit festive, but it quietens down after midnight. We were very happy to sleep there, get a good breakfast and hit the town to explore.

Tips on what to see and do when you visit the oldest city in Ireland, Waterford. Click To Tweet

Where to eat and drink in Waterford:

We didn’t eat out too much in Waterford, just to keep the budget down. But we did find a few spots worth a mention, and definitely recommend you visit them if you are ever in Waterford for the weekend. For a quick pint, and a bit of live music, definitely visit Tully’s Bar. They have a great selection of drinks, and it is a cosy pub with a small outside area in the back too.

There are two meals, Waterford is “known” for, the one dates back to the 17th Century which is the Blaa. It looks like a floured roll but it is a lot more lighter and fluffier. They are best eaten fresh, as they dry out quite quickly. We had them for breakfast at the Barley Field. Not sure if they are worth all the hype but we at least ticked that off the old bucket list!

Another food made famous in Waterford is at a place called Burzza. Basically they make really great burgers and pizzas. But if you are feeling adventurous, you should try their signature dish, namely the Burzza which is a burger wrapped in a pizza!

If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, then you need to visit Patrick Murphy at Larder. It is this great little coffee bar that sells viking approved coffee, plus great freshly made treats. We stopped in for a cupcake and a coffee. I have to say that Patrick was super friendly, and told us the story behind why his coffee is viking approved: One of the guys who plays in the TV show, Vikings, actually regularly goes in for a cuppa! Regardless of the story, I can honestly say, it was the best cup of coffee we had all weekend!

Then no post about our weekend in Waterford would be complete without me telling the story of our visit to the local pub called Phil Grimes. We stopped in here on the Friday we arrived, as a final pitstop before bed. We walked in and found the pub was seemingly quiet for 9pm on a Friday eve but regardless, we thought we would sit at the bar and have a quick pint before heading back to our room. It wasn’t long before the bartender asked us where we were from, and what we were doing in Waterford. Within a few minutes Tom, the bartender/owner, started listing all the things we needed to see outside of Waterford. What we realised is that there are some really cool spots to see out of town, but all unfortunately most require a car to get to. Especially because on weekends the bus services don’t run regularly to these out-skirting towns. At the end of our drink, Tom offered to take us out to Dunmore East, a seaside town about 20 minutes drive out of town! We stayed for another drink and chatted with the rest of the locals. I have to say that it was the first time since arriving in Ireland that I felt so welcome, and honestly, they were so proud of their home – they were all such great tour guides. We took Tom up on his offer to drive us to Dunmore East and the visit to this local pub even prompted us to visit Dungarvan the next day – but I will have to talk more about these two towns in another post!

If you want to get a sense of a local Irish pub, with real locals that are friendly and welcoming if you sit quietly and are ready to chat – then this pub is a must visit! Tom, we thank you for your kindness and hope one day to go back and visit you at the pub.

What to see in Waterford City:

Admittedly we were on a bit of a tight budget so we skipped out on going inside a lot of the museums and tours Waterford had to offer. However, Waterford is fairly easy to walk around and really, walking gives you a better feel for the place versus zipping through in a car. We found a lot of street art on the walls, as well as walking through parts of town where the medieval defensive towers and walls are still in tact. These walls once divided the town up between vikings and anglo-normans. The history of the town dates back to when vikings first founded the town in 914 A.D.

The one place we knew we needed to visit was Waterford Crystal Factory. It was quite a pricey entrance fee of EUR13.50 each but I have to say, the tour through the factory and watching how crystal is made and crafted definitely makes up for it.

I took a million video clips and pictures throughout the tour, and I have to say, I would probably be happy to go back there again. I know Rob’s mum is really keen to visit, so we would love to take them down there!

$Visit \waterford \crystal Factory in Waterford City, Ireland$ Rob of course had no issue picking up pieces of crystal in the showroom – I on the other hand was freaking out that he would drop something and we would be liable to pay for it!

The Waterford Treasures are three museums in the Viking Triangle, namely: Bishop’s Palace, Medieval Museum and Reginald’s Tower. You can visit all three for a combo price deal.

Reginald’s Tower is the oldest urban civic building in Ireland. It also has an replica viking long boat outside of the tower.

The Medieval Museum is said to be the only medieval museum in Ireland, this is according to all the online research we did leading up to this visit. But I would argue that that is not really true since we visited Dublinia in Dublin and the Athlone Castle – both of which are medieval museums as well?! Perhaps I am missing something here?

Bishop’s Palace is a Georgian mansion which covers Waterford’s history from 1700 to 1970. It also has the world’s oldest surviving piece of Waterford crystal, a decanter dating from 1789. We walked around the grounds, but decided not to pay for the tour inside.

In hindsight, had we had more time, I think the combo for all three spots would have been 13 euro, so actually not too bad in price.

Christ Church Cathedral is free to visit. I am not sure what it is about churches that has me so captivated. We are not particularly religious, I think it is the fact that there is so much history within the walls that makes them so intriguing to me. The detail on the ceiling was so dainty and beautiful.

I also have to say that I may start a collage of street art at the end of every post because this is by far my fave thing to find in every city we visit. It is such a great reason to walk through your own city too, you can find street art almost every corner you turn. Plus it is totally free to look at and admire!

$Street art in \waterford, read the post for more things to see and do in Waterford City, Ireland$

We did all of this exploring of Waterford City on Friday and some of Saturday. After lunch on Saturday we took a bus out to Dungarvan for the rest of the day, and for the whole of Sunday we explored Dunmore East.

If that is one thing I have to say, it is that if you plan on staying a while in Waterford, then you definitely need to rent a car because there is so much more to see in the whole county of Waterford. But if you plan to break it up into shorter visits, then Waterford city itself is perfect to explore over a weekend.

HAVE YOU VISITED WATERFORD? WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THIS CITY?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

Athlone: A day trip to the middle of Ireland

July 14, 2017 by Meg 10 Comments

This post is long overdue! I wanted to share my trip to Athlone which is in County Westmeath, Ireland. According to some forums and searches online, Athlone is considered the middle of Ireland. However, there is also a geographical centre of Ireland (which is Carnagh East, County Roscommon) and the middle of Ireland according to Irish Mythology is the Hill Uisneach (just outside of Athlone). Regardless of all the facts, to me, it is in the middle of Ireland.

How to get there:

If you book early enough you can catch a train for 30 euro (return). the train takes 2hrs5min from Connolly station, Dublin to Athlone.
I left buying a train ticket to last minute, and by then the price has increased considerably, so I took the bus instead. A bus trip costs 18 euro (return) and for a 2hrs15min bus ride from Dublin (Busáras) to Athlone, which I think is far more affordable, and for only 10 minutes extra!

Visit the middle of Ireland: Athlone in co. Westmeath. plus 6 things you need to see there! Click To Tweet

Things you must see while visiting in Athlone:

Shannon River

This is the largest river in Ireland. It runs from Dowara, county Cavan all the way to Limerick city, county Limerick (360.5 km!). To get to most of the tourist spots on the left bank in Athlone you need to cross over the Shannon as the bus and train stops are all on the other side of the river.

Lowe & Co

I cannot rave about this little gem of a restaurant enough. Lynda has created an ethical, organic, community deli that is just bursting with flavour and yummy treats. All locally sourced products, and a wide variety of items are made at the onsite kitchen.

A post shared by Meg | Simple Living & Travel (@thisisus_living) on Jan 20, 2017 at 1:09pm PST

They also have great coffee! I tried the lemon and coconut cake while I was there – it did not disappoint! Check out their Facebook page, and Instagram page – just a note that they are closed Mondays & Sundays.

A post shared by Meg | Simple Living & Travel (@thisisus_living) on Feb 9, 2017 at 2:20pm PST

Luan Art Gallery

This is a publicly owned art gallery in Athlone. Admission is free and they have a display that changes every 2 months. At the time I was visiting, they had a display on illustration and illustrators using various mediums, which was fascinating! On the banks of the Shannon river, with floor to ceiling glass windows, the view alone is worth a visit (plus, did I mention it is totally free?)

Athlone Castle

Looking to learn the history of the town, then you have to stop in at Athlone Castle. It is an interactive museum, with a great way of telling visitors the history behind Athlone in a fun and engaging way.

The castle was built in the 12th century and a few years ago went through a bit of renovation. Cost of admission is 8 euros, and I recommend setting aside at least an 1 hour or so to go through the museum. Don’t forget to go up to the viewing deck as well, the views of Saints Peter and Paul Church and the river are pure magic.

Saints Peter and Paul Church

I didn’t go inside, but you cannot walk past this church without snapping a pic.

Sean’s Bar

What is a visit to a quaint Irish town without stopping for a pint?! It is mandatory that if you ever find yourself in Athlone, that you visit Sean’s bar.

Sean’s Bar in Athlone is the oldest pub in Ireland (built in 900 A.D). #Traveltip: you can’t say you have been to the oldest pub in ireland without stopping for a pint! It’s another great reason to visit Ireland. – – – – – #athlone #countywestmeath #westmeath #discoverireland #ireland #irishlife #luckoftheirish #irishblogger #travelblogger #mustlovetravel #wanderlust #staycation #throwbackthursday #thirstythursday #lifeinireland

A post shared by Meg | Simple Living & Travel (@thisisus_living) on Jan 24, 2017 at 9:08am PST

According to Guinness Book of Records, it is the oldest pub in Ireland. Built in 900 A.D, this cosy establishment on the river is a must visit pub. In summer time they have a beer garden out the back, and I told it gets very festive. I visited in the middle of winter, and still felt such a lovely vibe in there. Besides, who can visit a pub and not have actually stop and have a pint?!

I only went for the day, so I only got to see the places above, here are places a little outside of town that I recommend you visit (especially if you have a car!):

Moydrum Castle – this is a castle that is in ruins, that has ivy slowly growing over it. It looks fascinating, and totally Instagram worthy! This blog post has some great pictures and shares the history behind the castle ruins.

Hill of Uisneach – As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, according to Irish mythology it is the centre of Ireland. You can only access it by taking a guided tour (cost is a 10 euro donation), the walk is about 3km, so takes about 2 hours to do. Open from May to September, Wednesday – Sunday at 1pm. Check their website for further info.

The Old Rail Trail – This is a greenway cycle route from Athlone to Mullingar. The full route is 40km, but you can do parts of it, as little or as much as you can. I really love that all through Ireland these greenways are being opened up – they are in the process of building one in Dublin too, and there was one in Waterford when we visited there too.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO ATHLONE, IRELAND? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TOWN IS THE CENTRE OF YOUR COUNTRY?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

How camping in Ireland is different to South Africa

July 7, 2017 by Meg 3 Comments

Rob and I recently were lucky enough to be invited to our first camping trip in Ireland. Our new friends invited us to tag along for their 40th Birthday celebration. As with most campers we have met – these guys love camping. But more than a love for camping, they are avid campers. What makes them so over qualified for camping is that they are mountaineers! They all met at university – and were part of the moutaineering club back in the day. So you could say that we were safely in the hands of experts in Ireland.

Rob and I have always enjoyed the odd camping excursion. Back in South Africa, we enjoyed going camping with a few regular camping friends. In fact our first ever camping trip together was in the Pilanesberg. I tried looking through my pictures of that first camping trip, and realised the only pictures I snapped were of the animals we saw on our game drive (shame, tough life back in Africa – score one for South African camping!). For context, and for the purpose of showing the differences between South Africa and Ireland camping, I found this image via Google of the campsite in Pilanesberg:

pilanesberg-camp-site-bakga-South Africa

Image Source: Findtripinfo

So we like camping, and back home we had been slowly building up all the necessary camping equipment. Something Rob taught me very early on, the trick with enjoying camping is going away with the right gear. If you are kitted out enough – it makes the experience much more enjoyable. And he was right, even with our first experience getting off to a shaky start (we arrived at the campsite, at night, and had to pitch a tent that we were not familiar with – in the dark!), I have loved all our camping trips together. What makes it so much fun is that I get to plan and organise to a point, but once we are all set up – then its pure relaxing, you can really step away from the hustle and bustle, and just be at one with the great outdoors (I realise this sounds super cheesy, but it is true).

The differences between camping in Ireland vs South Africa? Read this post! Click To Tweet

The only major stumbling block to camping in Ireland was that we brought over absolutely none of our camping gear. Although we didn’t sell it with everything else we got rid over back home. All our camping gear is inconveniently sitting in storage, all the way back in South Africa. But Ruth and John were determined to have us join them. They arranged between the extra gear they owned, and all their mountaineering friends, and rallied to find us a tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags – all the camping essentials. They even gave us a lift to the campsite and back home after. If that wasn’t enough, they fed us too. We were treated to the five star Irish camping experience, perhaps you could even call it glamping since someone helped us put up the tent when we arrived. So camping in Ireland definitely is way better than home (score ten for Ireland – thanks John, Ruth and friends!)

A little info on where we stayed:

We camped at a spot just outside of Tipperary, on the way to Limerick, called Ballinacourty House. It was an absolutely stunning location, with a beautiful view of the Galtee Mountains. Also close to a great biking park where the guys went off to mountain bike the one afternoon. It cost us 9 euro a night to pitch a tent, per person (excluding electricity). Camping in Ireland might be the way we explore more of this beautiful country, because under a tenner for a night is a huge cost saving in my books! Plus, this particular camping spot allows you to bring dogs! John and Ruth’s neighbours have the coolest giant schnauzer called Harper who got to come camping with all of us. On the camping grounds there is a walled garden with beautiful flowers, I took a million pictures of all the beautiful flowers – I definitely think it is a spot I would love to take Rob’s parents to, I know they would love it there!

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Ballinacourty House. Camp site. Camping in Ireland. Galtee Moutains in the distance. Campsite is near Tipperary, on the way to Limerick

Our campsite (our tent was on the right)

Ballinacoutry House & Garden, Tipperary, Ireland. Camping, Campsite. Galtee Mountains.

The walled garden

Harper! This picture really doesn’t show how big she is.

So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?

Pitching a tent in Ireland is a whole lot easier. (and that is not because someone did it for us). The ground is so soft that the pegs just sink into the ground – in South Africa one of the key camping essentials is a big hammer to hammer the pegs into the dry, arid ground.
Not every camp spot has their own BBQ facilities. Every campsite in South Africa has braai (BBQ) facilities next to every tent! In Ireland, you have to bring your own, or in some cases, there are communal facilities that you share with the other campers.
Recycling depots. I love that all throughout Ireland there are facilities you can use that help you to recycle. It is not so big back home, and I have never seen collection points for plastic, bottles and general waste all separated at an actual campsite until we were in Ireland.
Plan for all weather types in one day. In Ireland it can honestly be all four seasons in one hour. On our camping trip we had a bit of everything. It was cold at night (I did not pack enough warm clothes!), was misty in the mornings, and then it cleared up and was such a beautiful sunny day (I even got sun-burnt on my feet, because it was the first time wearing sandals in Ireland!). So bring sunblock, plus a thick coat. It is kind of weird that even though it rained, it didn’t ruin the camping experience. Back in South Africa, if you went camping and it started to rain, you would probably pack up and go home early. But I will say the rain here in Ireland is not like back home. It is more of a light drizzle, and you hardly experience thunderstorms, so it is not all together too bad.
Midgies versus Miggies – it is important that you know the difference. In South Africa we have these pesty bugs that fly around in a group, just annoying you. They will fly into your face, and just generally buzz about. Those are called Miggies. Midgies are something we have only encountered in Ireland. These little buggers are lethal. They are like a cruel mix of a mosquito and a red ant. When they attack, you know it. But they are very tricky to really spot, they look like miggies, but they bite, so that means they are far the worst. We tried several midgie sprays, plus wore thick layers and covered up – and still got attacked.

I have to say that we love camping – whether it is in Ireland or in South Africa. It is great to be outside, and away from the city. It was just the kind of mini-break we needed. A huge thanks to our new friends, John and Ruth, for making such a big effort to make our very first camping trip in Ireland a memorable one. We know that there will be more camping trips in our future, and we hope that one day, we can pay it forward and help someone out just like they helped us.

Do you like camping? Where is your favourite place to camp?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

travel

Slow travel and how to explore your own city first

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY? HAVE BEEN A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN?

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

The best way to spend a weekend in Waterford

HAVE YOU VISITED WATERFORD? WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THIS CITY?

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

Athlone: A day trip to the middle of Ireland

HAVE YOU BEEN TO ATHLONE, IRELAND? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TOWN IS THE CENTRE OF YOUR COUNTRY?

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

How camping in Ireland is different to South Africa

So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?

Do you like camping? Where is your favourite place to camp?

Pin this and read later:

Get all the posts by email!

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM

Archives

travel

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY? HAVE BEEN A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN?

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

HAVE YOU VISITED WATERFORD? WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THIS CITY?

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

HAVE YOU BEEN TO ATHLONE, IRELAND? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TOWN IS THE CENTRE OF YOUR COUNTRY?

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?

Do you like camping? Where is your favourite place to camp?

Pin this and read later:

Footer

Follow Me on Social

Get all the posts by email!

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM

Archives

Tags