Views of Lisbon

Famous Cafe in Lisbon, and night time photo of the castle overlooking Lisbon.

Lisbon II

Going back to Lisbon in November. Have seen many interesting places in Lisbon but you can always find something interesting and new places when you return to a city. Staying quite central but not in the same Hotel as before. Last year stayed in a very central and cheap Hotel but decided to pay extra and try elsewhere. The offer of free wireless internet clinched it for me. Mum is still recovering from her Knee Op so Lisbon is a good choice for easy transport links and we know the area from previous visits.

Last year went on a ferry to the other side of the river to Cahicas, and hope to go again, plenty to see there and loads of fish restaurants and old cafes. Might get a ferry back to Belem, a town about 3 km from Central Lisbon and full of Restaurants, cafes and several Museums. Hope to go back to Sintra, plenty to see and do there and plenty of shops selling all kinds of Christmas tat and cheap presents. Mum loves those shops and brings back loads of crap. I got presents in Sintra for some friends last year so I hope they ant reading this.

Hope to try some new Restaurants and return to one we enjoyed last time.

Travel Mistakes

I always do loads of planning before booking any trips. Not all plans work out. For the last trip thought it be a good idea to stay in Mestre, near Venice, Italy. Deliberately looked for a Hotel near the railway for ease of travel. Looked up 'trip advisor' which is a usually very good source. The 'Club' Hotel was supposed to be about 100 metres from the railway. Actual distance is 1.5 km and the Hotel itself doesn't claim to be 100m away. The Hotel however fails to mention the fact that it is completely isolated from the town and at night there is only one Trattoria or Cafe. I knew in advance that trattoria was poor as I had read several reviews saying to avoid. Run by an Italian cousin of Basil Fawlty, he is or was too busy laying out tables to take orders and he made us wait 30 minutes before coming over to take our order. Another 30 minutes our meals arrived. Not really bad but it all tasted like it was heated up and not fresh and of course expensive. Most evenings we avoided it except to buy an ice cream or a take away coffee.
I did walk one evening to see how long it took back to civilization. It did take about 30 minutes including a walk under a motorway through an underpass full of grafetti and unmentionable smells.
Another long held plan was to go to Trieste on Train and apart from visiting the sights go up to the hill above Trieste to Opicina via the Funicular Tram. Unfortunately following an expensive overhaul the tram has suffered numerous breakdowns and runaways so has been closed for repairs. It looks as if the money spent was mainly wasted and apparently the inferior cables installed have completely broken down. Instead we got a bus which took us along a similar route to Opicina. Even finding the tram initially was difficult as the sign posts point you in the wrong direction. Possibly 'they' do not want you to find it and hope to close it down due to lack of patronage. A local Bus driver was very helpful and told us where to go for the replacement bus service and told us to enjoy our holiday. So not all service workers went to the Basil Fawlty School of Charm. 'We' had a similar Tram in Ireland serving the Hill of Howth, it closed down before I was born as there was no money to renovate it despite it being a tourist attraction.

Extra. One week later after visit to Trieste the tramway re opened! Bad timing?

Venice

After London was time to return to Italy. Booked to stay in Mestre and planned to go to nearby Venice and other cities. On the first night arrived at Marco Polo Airport. We were sold the wrong tickets at Airport for a non existant bus service, so along with others got on another Bus going to Mestre. Luckily Italian Bus companies rarely send inspectors. Anyhow arriving in Mestre holding the directions to the hotel, we eventually decided to get a taxi. Turned out the directions were completly wrong and the Hotel had mysteriously moved 1.2 km further along the road. The only real bad point of the hols was the difficulty getting buses back to the hotel and we eventually gave up and got a taxi. We did all the main Islands of Venice, Burano, Murano and Lido. Also spent a pleasant day in Trieste which was about 160 km away on a train journey. We also 'did' Padua and Treviso. Unfortunately on the final day it rained and thundered all day so we just went early to the Airport and waited and waited and waited.

London

Went over to London for a few days. Seem to always do the same things and visit same places. Visited a few new places this time. having rad a magazine article I paid a visit to a couple of 1950's style Italian Cafes, 1 in Bethnal Green and the other near Fulham Football Ground. the one in Bethnal Green , E. Pellicci has been listed by the local council planners. Inside the Interior is decked out in Wood Marketry and hasnt changed in 50 years. The food is all 'greasy Spoon' type but cooked just right. Also full of locals chatting like a real life version of 'Eastenders'
. http://www.classiccafes.co.uk/Pelliccifeature.htm
The other cafe the Riverside Cafe is right outside the bus station and Tube at Fulham. Again well worth a visit for the food the decor and athmosphere. If your going to a city for a second or third visit its well worth researching more unusual things to do. Another cafe well worth a visit is the Ace Cafe. Its a modern version of a 50's 'Transport' cafe where car and biker nuts meets ever night.

Nice in Nice

Never been to Nice or that part of France but Mum went there many times with Dad years ago. Having found the usual goodish deal on flights also got a good deal on Hotel as well and near the main street in Central Nice. Nothing really wrong with the accomodation except the french obsession with never painting rooms or replacing carpets until completly worn out. However it was very central right beside the new Tram and train stations. You could probably spend more time in Nice but me and Mum planned a few trips to Cannes, Grasse, Monaco and up the mountains to Tende. On the flight over from Dublin there was some delay landing so we circled the general area several times and one of the Air Stewards gave us a running commentary and also telling us how lucky we all were to be staying in Nice and to enjoy the cuisine.
Never been one for expensive meals but in Nice there is no shortage of reasonable Restaurants and there were at least 20 such right beside our Hotel. On The first night we went past a small Restaurant that was fairly packed unlike most in the area and decoded to try it the next night. The meals were nearly all a set meal, starter, main course and dessert. Wine was extra. Amazingly the food and drink was less than 20 euro each and have to say it was the freshest and best meal I have had for years. The next night that Restaurant was closed so we tried another across the street. Only slightly more expensive. Slightly meaning one Euro. However the meal was as good as the previous night. Not a proper survey but a 100% success rate there.
Another day we went on a train to Tende. Its called the Train de Mervilles and it follows the old Salt route over the mountains to italy. The Train goes further into Cuneo but was too far for one day trip. In Tende we eat outside with rolls and cakes from the local shop. More to follow.

Lisbon 2007

Was in Lisbon for the second time last week. December is a great time to go there as its still quite warm there especially compared to Dublin. Stayed in a small city centre Hotel right in the very centre of all the shops and cafes. Compared to Dublin, Lisbon foe me has much more to offer. Lisbon has retained more of its character, small shops and has less Multi National Shop brands. There was just one MacDonalds to be seen and we decided not to go in even for a cup of tea. Lisbon anyway has much better Cafes and Restaurants. Many Cafes date back to early 20th century and we visited several. One Cafe in Belem out on the coast is reached by an old fashioned Tram which races out along the tracks at break neck speed. The Pasteis de Belem opened in 1837 and today claims to serve up to 50,000 cakes a day. At night the Cafe is filled with young and old tucking into to custard tarts and coffee as well as the odd glass of wine. Many of the cafes in Lisbon serve mainly coffee and soft drinks and people use them like people in Ireland use Pubs to meet up. In the city centre of Dublin the streets sometimes resemble a war zone, the odd fight breaking out, shouting, drunks everywhere. Lisbon seemed more relaxed and family orientated.

Second photo is of a small family run restaurant we went to twice. Wine was less than 85 cent a glass Coffee 65 cents and a main meal was less than 6 Euro. Have heard some tourists complain of being charged for bread and olives which had been left on their tables. But at the prices we were charged those tourists either went to the wrong places or were too tight fisted.

October 2007

Louverval

Just back from France, We visited the Cambrai Memorial in Louverval. Our Great Uncle died fighting for the Allies in the first World War. Mum never met him. he died before she was born. Theres very few people actually buried at the Memorial, many bodies were never found or identified. The whole of Northern France is dotted with graveyards. The Cambrai Memorial is built on land given by locals in France in perpetuity to honour those who gave their lives to keep France free. It took a long while to actually find our great Uncles name on the Memorial. Still a very sad place after nearly 90 years since the battle that cost so many lives. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission certainly maintain the place in fabulous condition, the grass is cut almost daily and theres no dirt or rusty corners anywhere and looks as if the Memorial was only built recently.

Cambrai

In October We are going to France for a short holiday and most importantly to visit the memorial at Cambrai, Northern France. The Memorial commemorates over 7,000 troops who died there in November and December 1917. Jack Appleby was the Son of Joseph and Margaret Appleby of Rathangan, Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Jack Appleby worked for the Post Office in the General Post Office, Dublin. Like thousands of of others he volunteered to fight against the German invasion of France. Aparently people were offered promotion in their job if they volunteered. Unfortunately very few returned and Jack was killed in action on December 2nd 1917. Jack was Mums Uncle and of course Mum never met him, but we have decided to go to France to visit the memorial nearly 90 years. I don't really know if any of the soldiers are actually buried at the Memorial. There are no marked graves, only a panel on the memorial which should contain his name. Jack was attached to the Post Office Rifles, London Regiment. Reading old books and also from watching TV documentaries most of the soldiers like Uncle Jack didn't have a chance, or much chance to return alive. The tactics at the time were to send the ground troops 'over the top' to face the enemy hidden in trenches. Most were simply 'mown down' by machine guns for the sake of a few yards or metres gained. Of course the higher up members of the Armies on both sides didn't get out of their bunkers, they probably were too busy eating lunch or having an afternoon brandy. 'Like lambs to the slaughter' was another phrase used at the time.
Anyhow I suppose thanks to the bravery of Uncle Jack and many thousands of other Irishmen, and all the millions of volunteers from England, Wales, Scotland and Europe and even as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, I am able to type this up today.
According to my Uncle Joe, at the time of Jacks death, his family was told that he was killed by a piece of shrapnel, but as his body was never found how could they have known that. Maybe they thought it was better to say that rather than give no information. The only picture I have is from his memorial card. The photo is very faint but I can just about see what looks like him in a Military uniform.
When I find the memorial I will take a few photos and also on return to Ireland will do the modern thing and mark the memorial in GoogleEarth and Wikimapia in case anyone browsing will one day find the location and want to read more about the memorial. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission also record everything on the Internet and will maintain the memorial in perpetuity.

Birthday preparations

Mum is 80 in September and is having a celebration on Saturday 8th of September for all her Friends and Relatives. Have been busy getting the garden fixed up in case the weather improves. Almost all Summer the weather has been terrible here. Neglected the back garden for a while and it went a bit mad. Over 50 years ago Dad decided to put in several large Rockeries, dozens of trees and bushes and thousands of rocks. Some rocks came from as far a field as Kilkenny and Killarney. Anyhow it has all got a bit too much over the years and I have had to reduce it a bit and dig out old trees etc. Hopefully ready now for the big day. Have some old garden photos somewhere. Must do a then and now shot sometime. I have still kept most of the shape of Dads unique garden but now hopefully less labour intensive.

Trip to Appenzell via St. Gallen

At the risk of boring everyone and I may be repeating myself, Swiss Railways do run like clockwork. Trains arrive early and if you miss one theres another train coming soon, or just get a train somewhere else and see where it brings you. Set off one of the mornings from Zurich to St. Gallen, to the North of the country. St. Gallen is another beautiful town or small city. Founded by an irish Monk incidentally. Arriving in St. Gallen we then went for something to eat in a Migros Cafe. Then rambled about and found the Trogenerbahn, otherwise known as the Orange Tram. Its actually almost a train that runs on the roadway. Unusually it climbs up steep gradients and giving spectacular views of the countryside. The old fashioned trams have been completely refurbished and look as they must have left the factory. Recently they have introduced new modern trams but they have retained some of the old fleet. Aparently there are plans to extend the line so the future of the line seems assured.
Another day we returned to St. Gallen and found another train station just beside the Trogenerbahn, which is the Terminus of the AppenzellBahn. This is another narrow gauge rack railway again retaining fairly historic trains but meticulously maintained and featuring 'roll down' windows for excellent views of the countryside. Departing the Station the train almost immediately starts a winding climb up an incredibly steep hill. Further on the line is more level and the train passes along the side of the road picking up passengers along the roadside. The driver uses the old fashioned whistle regularly to remind traffic the train is approaching. Eventually we reach Appenzell, another picture perfect town in a country of picture perfect towns. Possibly considered by some to be a tourist trap but Its still a town for the locals doing shopping and going about their daily lives. Anyhow to me it looked as if the town wasn't just a museum piece, certainly the cleanest town and most colourful as well. Just bought a few souvenirs there and the obligatory ice cream of course.
From Appenzell we got another train back to Gais and then almost immediately another train on a branch line to Altstatten. This was another rack railway line and again was most enjoyable as it rambled about the countryside at a slow pace and often down very steep hills. The line runs through fields where you can actually hold your hand out the window and touch trees and even cows who come right up to the train. Maybe thats why the cows in Switzerland always have a bell round their neck!
Eventually we reached the end of the line at Altstatten. here we had the only slight problem of the trip. The train station is about 2km from the nearest mainline Railway!. Of course a local Bus is provided and it duly arrived within 5 mins. Then at the next station we only had to wait a few minutes for another train.

If its Tuesday, it must be?

Before I forget I had to do a list of where we went on hols.
Wednesday- Arrived in Zurich, Tram trips around the city and something to eat.
Thursday- Zurich Cruise. Train trip to Lucerne, 2 Further cruises on the lake.
Friday- Chur to Arosa, Mountain trip. Then to St. Gallen, Went on Old Tram up to Trogen.
Saturday- Engelberg Mountain Railway. Also went to Meiringen on the Brunig Line.
Sunday-Romanshore and went to see the Rhein falls.
Monday- Interlakken, the Mecca for all Trainspotters.
Tuesday- St Gallen, and Appenzell region, also a quick visit to Leitchenstein.
Wednesday-Return to Dublin.

2 Photos of Mum enjoying herself.

Swiss Railway Holidays I

Just returned from a week of travel all over the Northern and Eastern sides of Switzerland. We stayed ina bed and Breakfast in Zurich. Located on a few minutes by Zurich Tram to the City Centre and main railway station. Didn't actually stay much in Zurich but used it as a base for further travels. On the first morning we went on a Boat on the lake and had a nice cruise for a couple of hours, then got a train to Lucerne and another cruise. Unlike Ireland, Switzerland has a proper integrated Transport system and quite often you can get off a train and a boat, bus and another train is waiting for you to continue your journey. Years ago talking to one of my Dads friend, Dave he told me when in other countries railways were being closed down, the swiss people voted to keep them open. In Ireland the money was never put in to the transport system and the authorities couldn't wait to close down as many lines as possible. Switzerland still has more lines than any other country in Europe despite its small land mass.
More ramblings to follow.

Travel Tip no 9

One of the problems encountered by the cost conscious traveller is where to go for a meal. Preferably somwhere a little different or very cheap and filling meals. My tip is to look upwards. For some strange reason many Department Stores often have restaurants on their top floor. In Paris, Printemps is a huge department store with a roof top restaurant including an open air part. Eating outside seems to make the food taste better and In Printemps you have a fantastic view of the whole of Paris. Another store by the Seine is La Samaritaine, again it has a roof top restaurant. In Switzerland, Manora is a similar department store and in Lucerne the restaurant is again on the top floor and you can eat outside in Summer. Aparently in Zurich its the same story. Finally in Porto, we had a snack in the Cortez Ingleses, again it was on the 7th or 8th floor with a fine view of Porto. Although the food wasnt that great we could pretend to be Riff Raff for a few minutes. Picture of Printemps in February 2003.

Recycling, an Irish Tradition

In Ireland as in many other countries when children make their first Communion, a great effort is made by families to get their children ready, money is spent on clothes and all sorts of presents. many Families in Ireland spend thousands, maybe hundreds on dresses especially, even if they cant areally afford it. I remember over 25 years ago Olive who lives in Canada also told us how expensive Communion dresses were in Canada, and Mum actually made a Communion dress for Olives daughter and sent it over. I think Olive made the final adjustments over there, the material was bought in Dublin. Mum probably went all over Dublin looking for all the right buttons, material and additional little bits.
Later on when Frank got married to Joan, Mum made the Wedding Dresses and Bridesmaids Dresses.
Back to the recycling bit, when my first Niece Karen was to make her First Communion again Mum made the dress. Usually the dress gets used once. But over the years as Frank and Joans children came to make their Communion the dress was re used. Mum made the odd alteration, added a veil, changed the sleeves and other details known only to the Ladies.
From what I hear from people in work and in Dublin, this would be unheard of. As mentioned before up to 1,000 euro is spent on a childs dress and never used again. My 3 Nieces don't really mind, they seemed to like the idea that they shared the dress, not to save money and Mum delighted every time in doing up the old dress.In the picture are Aisling, Lauren and Karen (left to right)

Search for a House

Before flying to Gerona, I had spent a lot of time looking at possible areas to look at housing and land. We had narrowed our search to the Languedoc area and just North of the Spanish border. The first day in France, we just went for a drive to familiarise with the area and went for something to eat in St. Cyprian. Most of the Restaurants and Cafes close from 2.0 to 6.30, so between these times it can be hard to find anywhere open. On Saturday we had arranged to meet a local sales agent who showed us a selection of Property all near the seaside town or Argeles Sur Mer. We were quickly shown the properties and it helped us make up our mind as to what were need in a house and the pros and cons for the next visit. For example property in Argeles Sur Mer has the benefits of having a free Bus to the beach as well as being near the Train station and local shops open all the year around. So it might be possible to have a holiday without hiring out a car. All the properties needed some work and one of them is still being considered. Another day we went for a drive about 30 km inland and up hill to a town called Taulis. As we drove and drove around yet another bend it became clear that this property was simply to remote and too difficult to get to. On the Tuesday we were shown 3 sites where we could get a new House or Villa Built, these are all about 20 minutes from the beach, optimistically Frank reckons everyone could go to the beach by scooters. having arrived back in Ireland we are still trying to decide our next trip to France and whether to make an offer on any of the properties.

Collioure

Went to Southern France last week, holiday and looking at property. Arrived in Gerona, Spain on Friday morning and we picked up a hire car and drove to Collioure. Collioure is a picture postcard fishing village. However it wasnt perfect. Firstly although not completly dead, very few places were open and the local Pub only opens at week ends . There were a few Cafes and Restaurants and on the first day we eat al fresco and I included a pic here. We had booked an Apartment and it was adequate but the car parking was a nightmare ven for my brother. No wonder all the local cars had bumps or were very small vehicles. Apart from looking at property we went to Spain to see the Dali Museum and some shopping. Back to Collioure we had a meal in the Dali Restaurant. Most of the main courses were Duck so we all had Chicken. Don't think our Chef was impressed. I thought of the Basil Fawlty episode and the 'Duck Suprise' Salvadore himself didn't show up, must have seen the ad saying 'no riff raff invited''

HOLS 2007

Off Friday 16th to Gerona and then up into Southern France to look at property and a holiday. Hope to find somewhere nice to build a small Villa. Small house really but Villa sounds nicer. Has been some technical difficulty accessing this website due to some ISP having code conflicting with the Blogs here. Back with photos in a couple of weeks.

March

News to follow. Gone shopping.

My Grand Parents

I can only remember one of my Grandparents, Granda Maguire. I hope to wite up short biography on them all but must get the information from my sources first. Obviously doing a Google will be no help to me here! In the meantime here are the mug shots.

A Piano for Margaret

A Family memory by Betty Maguire.

A Piano for Margaret.
One of the highlights of the year when I was young was our annual holidays on my aunts Farm in Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow. After the city’s smells, O’Keefes the knackers in particular, a short distance from where I lived in the Liberties in the centre of Dublin, it was wonderful to get out of the bus at Deerpark and immediately the heady scent of the flowering currant bushes in the hedges outside the house assailed our nostrils first. Then the smell of turf burning and the warm welcome from my Aunt Connie and Uncle Lar and family not forgetting Jess the family sheep dog who wagged his tail so much one would be afraid It would drop off.
Once upon a time my cousin Nell also happened to be visiting there at the same time as us. We got to yarning about a house simply called “ The Lodge” which Nell’s father and mine were always talking about. It was where their mother was born and reared, and it seemed to us to have held a kind of magic for them. Neither Nell or I had ever been to visit it. No information was forthcoming by our relatives. So we decided to sneak off to Rathdangan to visit the Lodge and see for ourselves. We had our bicycles with us so we were mobile. It was about seven miles mostly uphill. The Sun shone, the birds were the only sound we heard on our cycle run and we stopped now and then to admire the countryside. Red poppies intermixed with blue cornflowers were growing at the roadside. The elderflower was in blossom and the scent of new mown hay was all
around us. We went from brilliant sunshine to dark shade as we went through Hume Wood. The trees met overhead. Here and there a shaft of sunshine broke through. It was like natures Cathedral. We felt we were on a pilgrimage, and fell to whispering. A hen pheasant sitting in the hedge nearby gave us a sharp eye as we passed by. We also stopped to look at Finn Mc Cool, his wife and his dog Bran on the side of Ceadeen Mountain. The figures can still be seen in the general flora of the mountain to this day. At last we came to the village of Rathdangan where we enquired our way to the “Lodge” and we were directed down a boreen. As we came towards the house an old crone was standing at the gate, dressed in black from head to toe with a black high crowned hat just like a witch.
She said “ I know who ye are ! Appleby’s !“ ( I was more than ever convinced that she was a Witch as in my innocence I didn’t realise that she put 2 and 2 together and also saw a family resemblance.
We were invited into the house and a great fuss was made of us by “ Peter of the Lodge and His sister Kate of the Lodge “ ( Thus they were always known by our fathers) Nell stayed to chat to Kate and I followed Peter as he had some farm chores to attend to. Peter brought me on a tour of the farm. It nestles in a beautiful glen on one side of which was Ceadeen Mountain with a wonderful panoramic view spread out before me and I was quite lost in admiration of the scene, but Peter said “You are seeing it at it’s best. It is not so inviting in the winter when it’s cloudy, wet, and windy.’’ I didn’t believe him. To me it was just pure magic as I was brought up in the inner city of Dublin with slums and tenements all around where I lived.
We returned to the house and had a real farmhouse tea, boiled eggs and brown bread with fresh country butter.
I had a chance to experience a favorite memory of my father when he was young. It was sitting in the inglenook and looking up the chimney at the stars in the heavens, I only saw blue sky and powder puffs of white cloud drifting past.
Presently Kate brought us into the parlour. Nell and I both exclaimed at once “ A piano ”. We both played the piano and we dashed over hoping to play a bit of music to entertain Peter and Kate, but alas it was not to be for when we opened up the lid of the piano we were shocked to see all the keys were black and mildewed and the wood was rotten, due to the damp, as the room was never heated or used. Having said our good byes and thanks we returned to Deer park and told of our visit to the Lodge.
One of the first things I said to my mother was about the state of the piano. Being of a musical nature I was deeply upset by this.
“There is a wonderful story about that piano, I’ll tell you about it” she said.
My great grand father had one daughter, Margaret. At that time about 1860 or shortly after, there was hardly any employment for women except domestic work, which was hard labour, unless you could acquire a bit of education and aim for something better.
He knew Margaret was clever and musical as well. So he decided to do something about it. He had a few guineas saved up so he harnessed his horse to the common cart and set out for Dublin, 50 miles away. Most of the side roads were little more than boreens. The main road to Dublin from Baltinglass was probably macadamed.

He stayed one night in ballyknockin at his cousin’s Mary Ann before travelling on to the city, and making his way to the auction rooms on Ormond Quay and Bachelors Walk and there he purchased a piano for Margaret. He loaded it on his cart and set out on the return journey. The embankment road was not built then. He would have had to travel to the Naas road through Robinhood lane and Saggart village and on up through the very steep road to the Slade valley and on to Brittas and Blessington, all mostly uphill. There were no weather forecasts then, but of course country men were great judges of the weather ( they had to be) but even so we all know how fickle our weather can be. He had to walk all the way himself to save the horse who had to pull the cart with the piano on it. It is hard to imagine what the journey was like in those day’s but a commitment for a better life for his daughter was what motivated him.
What a wonderful thing for a poor farmer to do for his daughter. To spend his little nest egg and set out on this hazardous journey was a great adventure in those days. The end result can be seen today. All the descendents of that young girl have contributed greatly in different levels of achievement to the present Celtic Tiger in, Business, Government, Nursing, Medicine, Teaching, Justice and Public Services.
I wonder as he approached home and saw the candle left lighting in the window, did he know at all and thought of Portia’s words on returning home from Venice.
“ THAT LIGHT WE SEE BURNING IN THE HALL
HOW FAR THAT LITTLE CANDLE THROWS ITS BEAMS
SO SHINES A GOOD DEED IN A TROUBLED WORLD”

The picture is the earliest photograph in my collection. It is of Joseph Appleby, Margaret Appleby, Nell Appleby and Maureen Appleby.

Lisbon by Night

Swiss Travel

Swiss Travel

Some photos from the 2003 trip. Really enjoyed my first trip and have booked another trip this Summer. Here are a few more photos.

My Brother Frank

Stiil to be seen playing football somewhere in Dublin today, Frank always had a football ready in case there was a game somewhere. This must be from the mid sixties taken by me in our back garden.

Kilkenny, Mary Maguire, Francis Maguire

Kilkenny

More from Kilkenny

My Auntie Maureen Maguire, my Grandad, Francis 'Titanic' Maguire.

From the Archives

Dad was born in Watergate, Kilkenny. Really in the centre of Kilkenny City near the Smithwicks Brewery. The Maguires lived over a shop and Dads Auntie ran the shop. More about that later. The earliest photos are now almost 90 years old and although small in size still are of a good quality and I have started scanning them all in. At present I have about 2,000 digital photos on my Laptop and have thousands of old photos to scan in. Here are a few from Kilkenny in the 1920's or therabouts.

The man behind the camera

Taken by Mum, while on a short cruise in Porto.

Christmas 2006

Christmas Day was held in our House this year. next Christmas will probably be held down in Maggies Meadow in Tipperary, when the new House is finished. More about that later. It was a tight squeeze in the house in Cherryfield as there was the 3 girls, Aishling, Lauren and Karen, my Brother Frank, his wife Joan as well as myself and Mum of course. Apart form traditional gifts it was of course a rather hi tech affair. At any one time up to three laptops going on the intrnet, Nintendo Lites sending texts and drawing wirelessly, iPods being charged, songs downloaded etc. Also still some traditional touches such as dolls and a big Dolls House as well. As usual Joan and Frank did much of the cooking and the food was fantastic and Mum did her Christmas Puddings. On Christmas day i had to drop down a Christmas Pudding down to Mums Sister and they were waiting for the Pudding when I arrived. The Mulhalls almost had the dessert spoons ready when I called.
In the Photo is Mum with my 3 Nieces, Aishling (jumping about) Karen ( dark hair ) and Lauren.

Ramdom Photo

When we were in Vienna, the lady who owned the Apartment gave some suggestions of places to visit. One was to visit a famous Ice Cream Parlour, called 'Ticky' it was one one of the U Bahn lines so eventually we found it. It was much bigger than expected, they had several shop fronts and a large Cafe. Was well worth a visit, and certainly very popular with locals as well as tourists.

JAN 2007

Went into Dublin City on Friday to meet my friend, Orla for a Birthday meal and drink. The most popular area for tourists in Dublin is the Temple Bar area. Most of the tourists go there to see all the old Cafes, Restaurants, Pubs, clubs and Art Houses. As we looked for somewhere to eat I wondered how may tourists actually know the whole area aside from a couple of places is about as old as Disneyland Paris. In the early 70's the whole area was bought up by the national bus company and they hoped to build another bus terminus and garage. The whole area became more or less derelict, as the properties were bought up. The only new large building was the new Central bank built in the late 70's. Purely to make money while more properties became available some of the run down properties were rented out on short term leases and a number of small shops opened, mainly selling records, jewellery etc., and the area became a kind of alternative area where younger people came to enjoy the bomemian athmosphere. The plans for a new bus station never materialised and instead the area was allowed develop, I suppose organically and more little shops opened up. The streets were dug up and cobblestones were put back down to make the area look more 'Authentic'. In fact most of the cobbles were 'robbed' from other areas and in one area of Dublin the cobbles had to be returned back to their rightful place. What has happened since is the influx odd dozens of pubs and clubs. The area has been successfully developed, although I feel its still a bit of a con job and looking at the prices in the restaurants and pubs. it certainly looks that way. Infact Dublin has become one of the most expensive tourist destinations, and Having travelled around Europe I would agree.
Its actually the same with a lot of 'old Dublin', Most of Dublin Castle has been rebuilt in recent years, but much of it now looks older now than it ever did. The same thing probably happens all around the world. Last year I was in Carcassione and the castle there looks and is very old but you can easily see that many old looking towers were added about 100 years ago to make it look more 'oldy worldy'
Back to the meal finally gound a small restaurant off Grafton Street, probaly no bettter or worse than one in Temple Bar. Probably find next time I go past this restaurant it will have been changed into a 15th century cafe. And I don't think they had cafes in 'dem' days either!

2007 More news

No new stories just an update really. Plans for House Hunting in France were delayed due to a lenghty delay in sale of a property in Ireland. Now that is sorted out the plan is to go on a couple of holidays to France and have another look around. Hope to have some new 'old' tales soon. Mum has been writing away and sent one story in for a writing competition. That story is still 'embargoed' at the moment.
Sundays for as long as I have been driving have been an excuse to bring Mum and Dad when he was still with us for a short drive or occasional trip on the 'DART' The other Sunday we drove to Booterstown Station and parked the car outside. Mum has free travel for herself and luckily I go free as well. The first DART train that arrived was completly full, mainly of Rugby supporters going to an International. So full was the train that we didnt get on. In fact when the doors opened there was no room. We got a later DART to Malahide Village. Malahide is a nice seaside place and we have been going there for more years than I care to remember. I can remember going as a child with my Uncle and Aunt. Once we walked down to Uncle Matts house, about 2 miles away and we then walked further to get a long forgotten Bus which went directly to the Village in Malahide. Then main things I can remember was getting one of those cardboard aeroplane kits in a sweet shop and having chips, bread and butter, and lemonade on the beach. By the time we had our meal and paddled about at the little beach it was almost time to go home.
The most recent visit was rather quicker to get there and we went for a stroll to the sea front and then back to a Pub for something to eat. Much of Malahide has been re developed, not all good but one thing I like is a sculpture by Niall O'Neill. I worked for a few years with the Sculptors Society of Ireland and Niall was at the time Chairman. Being an artist usually means a bit of a bohemian lifestyle, sometimes laidback. And Niall is no diffferent. Funny enough although the SSI was a rather laidback place to work I always felt more work was done there than any other place I have worked, the friendly athmosphere seemed to encourage work and many worthwhile art projects were undertaken, especially in schools and exhibitions etc.
If you ever find yourself on hols in Dublin, a short day trip to Malahide is recomended, and have a look at Nialls sculpture too, best enjoyed by geting fish and chips in the local takeaway and sit in the little park and admire the view.

2007

Making holiday plans for 2007. In 2003 Mum and I went to Switzerland and Mum said she enjoyed that travelling holiday the most. Had a good look at my map of Switzerland and those Swiss Rail Journeys Videos made me look to the Northern corner of the country. It can be very expensive so the first thing to do is to get acccomodation in advance. Luckily the Swiss have several websites including www.bnb.ch, which lists inexpensive accomodation on a interactive map. After sending few emails I got a reply from Zurich of 2 rooms with Breakfast for less than 35 euros per night. Also made sure it was easy to get from the railway station. In fact Zurich Trams go right in front on the B and B so no long walks back after excoursions. Zurich itself is supposed to be boring but I will make my own mind of that, its at the very least well located and its built on a lake with several boat trips to other towns. Also its within an hour of Lucerne, St Gallen, Lake Constance and other less well known places. Booked the Airplane tickets already to get a good price, 150.00 return. I used to work for The Red Cross and the fare to Switzerland used to be 600 pounds. That was until Ryanair kicked Aer Lingus into reality. havnt booked them yet but buying a 'Swiss Pass' for 200 euro gives a weeks travel on all Trains, Buses, trams, funiculars and even Boats all over Switzerland. Food can be very expensive so as last time will do our own snacks and for example in Lucerne we found a roof Top Cafe-Restaurant that was more than adequate and still less than about 10 euro for a lunch time meal. I must post some more photos of the last visit to Switzerland.

Porto Traditional Boats

Cafe World

The Majestic Cafe was opened in the 1920's and hasn't changed much since. The dark red leather seats are well worn but still perfectly comfortable, The tables also seemed original, unlike the famous Bewleys Cafes in Dublin the tables dont wobble!. There are a number of similar cafes in Porto. For those looking for Bars or Public Houses, Porto doesn't have many. Parts of Porto are very run down, some Shops/Offices are in a ruinous state and in need of renovation. Much of the roads, and footpaths have been replaced and perhaps the many ruined buildings will be next. Much of the inner city is a Unesco World Heritage site and perhaps property has to be restored using traditional building and perhaps individuals cant afford expensive renovation or restoration. More to follow

Oporto

Arrived back today from Porto, Portugal. The holiday began arriving at Oporto Airport. A fairly new and modern Airport and apart from the usual long walks it has a brand new Metro/Tram connection bring you right into Trinidade Metro station where several lines meet. The Hotel Malaposto was easy enough to find, however it was a long walk mostly uphill and Oporto has a one way traffic system which made it difficult to access the Hotel by Bus. The boring, to some bits first. Yes there is a modern new Metro system with 5 Lines and also you could see new old tramlines being put down for a Heritage Tram. There is already a very old tram line running along the North quay which makes a nice trip to the sea side (well a short walk further along) and again you can follow about 3 Km of tram lines due to be re opened after years of neglect. Talking to an English guy running a shop it has taken 5 years to put the rails down, almost as long as it took to build the new Metro system. Most of the shops and Cafes seem to be in a bit of a time warp. Coffee can cost as little as 50 cent and a bowl of soup 80c. But maybe not Haute Cuisine is on offer. On the first day apart from going on the old tram we also hopped on a bus which eventually reached a little beach called Madalena. Even in October it was like a warm Irish Summer day. The bus trip was not for the fainthearted and the driver was blowing his horn around each twisty corner and shouting at motorists around him. On the bus we met an English Couple who had just arrived by car and caravan and they also couldn’t believe the roads and relayed the nightmare journey driving a car and caravan to their camping site ( Only mad Englishmen drive caravans in the midday sun?)
On another day we went on a short boat trip along the city quays with a supposed free trip thrown in to a local Port tasting trip. However the free drink of port was really a con and left a sour taste in the mouth (sick joke sorry). We also visited several cafes and one famous one the 'Majestic' stood out. Mum noticed there were at least 3 'Ernest Hemingway' types in the cafe and several people writing letters and passing a whole afternoon over coffee. We also visited Mac Donalds which in Oporto was previously a Cafe rather like the Majestic and the 'art Deco' interior was retained plus they still do nice coffee and local soup. More to follow........