Springtime glamping

There is something about Spring, the flowers, the new lambs, and fresh feeling of the day that makes me want to go camping ...well glamping!

Ards Forest Park, Donegal

I think it it because Springtime brings us back in touch with nature, with the bright mornings and longer evenings, we tend to recognise our surroundings again without the harsh imprint of Winter.

Camping is fun, but in Ireland at this time of year, it is for the brave, because it is still oh so cold at night and the weather as well as the landscape is still quite unpredictable.

But there is a solution, you really can have it all, thanks to cosy wooden pods - camping without the frostbite - glamping indoors!

Last year some friends and I headed north to the wilds of Co Donegal. Such a beautiful county with a stunning coastline, majestic mountains and a fun vibe.

We stayed at the Wild Atlantic Camp in Cresslough, 25 minutes drive from Letterkenny and beside Dunfanaghy. This location is situated at the beginning of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way a world famous coastal drive that is 2,400km long. If you are looking for adventure - and an authentic Irish experience, this is the place to start.

The campsite is also the perfect base to explore the well known and lesser known spots of North West Donegal.

Things to bring:

-Waterproof and warm clothes (think layers)

-Good walking shoes

-A camera

-A good appetite

-Sense of adventure

Marble Hill Beach

During our two day adventure we took a drive up to Horn Head which has spectacular views, we took a stroll and watched the Atlantic push in and out at Marble Hill Beach. We also set out for a fun trek at Ards Forest Park, a 480 hectare Coillte managed forest park, which has forest trails, treks across sand dunes and a beach and playground.

For our glamping experience we stayed in a lovely cosy wooden pod. The pods can house up to 4 adults have lighting, heating and are so snug with cute decor, making them romantic and functional.

The camp also facilitates traditional camping (but who wants the hassle of setting up a tent?!) and motor homes/ caravans.

There are free hot showers, campers kitchen and a den with TV, games and dining area, the wifi is free (seriously though you are camping - get off the phone!) and there is a children’s playground (can also be used by adults when the kids are in bed!) You won’t miss the astroturf as you drive in, we got to watch a local game while we were staying.

This is really a fun Spring get away, whether you are looking for romance,wildlife, culture or fun.

For more info check out The Wild Atlantic Way and Wild Atlantic Camp.

Beautiful scenes in Ards Forest Park, Donegal

Latvia - Proposal - Engagement - New Puppy

The past three months have been a whirlwind.

From an exciting trip to Latvia which resulted in a wedding proposal (I said yes!), an engagement ring and coming home to a new puppy, there has simply been no time for blogging.

Since February 15 there has been screams, champagne, screams, dazzling smiles, dazzling diamonds and dreams followed by plans and a few more screams!

To settle my mind and to document my adventures I will be returning to the blog world with tales of how a last minute city trip turned into a romantic snowy proposal, a review of Riga and my impression of Latvia along and events since.

Husky sledging outside of Riga, Latvia
(c) fifiheavey

This is an adventure blog, and although travel is my main adventure hobby, doing something new, being something new is also an adventure. Please hang in there if you start noticing a 'wedding theme' running through, it won't last for long and I promise to keep it to a minimum. Also expect some puppy talk!

Thank you to all for your messages of best wishes and for continuing to read.

Fiona x

The Fear Factor

“Things are hotting up in Egypt” is a popular comment I have heard over the past week – and the commentators are not talking about the weather.

In two weeks time I will be holidaying in Cairo. I am so excited and despite the media hype and misinformation abound I am not at all afraid that I will get caught up in some dangerous situation.

It may seem strange but I can't see myself walking out of the hotel and being hoisted on to the shoulders of mad protesters heading to Tahrir square or the US embassy.

Everything I have read seems to point that there were less than 500 at the US embassy protest on September 11, and that since then there have been no violent clashes. Protests continue – but protests continue in every country for a variety of reasons every day.

Protesters chant slogans amid orange smoke outside the U.S. embassy on September 11.

Photo: Time World http://world.time.com

Several cruise ships have altered their plans to avoid Egypt and the US Government has warned against travel there. But have they warned against travel to Sydney or Paris? There are protests there too against the controversial movie.

Remember nobody was killed in the protests in Cario. 

Last year I joined (as in went to see) an austerity protest in Athens during a stop over. Days before and after buildings had been set on fire, the city was being flashed around the world as a violent city. But when I was there it was just a protest – a mass one with thousands of people, angry people – the city was piling high with rubbish due to strikes - but there was no violence on the day I was there, just some stink! We also did not get any hassle from the protesters, one of my friends got interviewed for Greek TV!

I don't want to join in any protests in Egypt, but if I get to see one I would find it interesting to see one from a safe distance. To gauge their level of discontent to get an idea of the age profile and to try and understand the issue from their point of view.

Do we still need guidebooks?

I caved in. I thought I could hold out. But it just all got too much.

Too many tweets, blogs, top tens, reviews.

So much history, power shifts, religion, myths.

I got cross eyed and overwhelmed but still seemed to be uninformed.

So I ordered the Lonely Planet guide book for Egypt.

I didn't want to, I actually sort of grimaced during the purchase – but I had no other choice.

It was either buy a Lonely Planet or go to Egypt like an American* – uninformed, and I couldn't do that.

I have surfed the whole world wide web, I have read pages of websites, blogs, reviews, top tens and everything else thrown in. And although of course these sites hold such valuable information (feel like I am doing myself out of a blog here) they didn't satisfy my need for a comprehensive overview.

I want to know what are the main attractions, I want to know the history of the country, the important struggles and more importantly I want to know how Egypt got to it's current situation.

And a few reviews of restaurants or tours wouldn't do any harm.

All of these 'need to know' things can be found in various forms online and print, but I have less than three weeks to take off and I don't have time for extensive research.

But Lonely Planet is the most trustworthy publication (in my opinion) to collaborate all the info into one bulky book.

I have used Lonely Planets all over the world, some for only research pre-holiday and in other cities a battered Lonely planet map has helped us direct a campervan or rental car around the streets!

Any guidebook should be used as such – as a guide.  

It is not the be all and end all, you do not organise your entire trip around it's paragraphs. But for an outline, a general idea or rough sketch then they can be invaluable.

But what about tripadvisor apps and widgets and google maps and you know the new era of smart phones and info at your finger tips 24/7?

Well they are super, time saving, colourful, helpful, interactive etc etc

But I am on holidays, my phone will be mostly off.

I want to look around me, not into a screen.

Anyone else still feel the need to purchase a guide book for holidays, trips and adventures?

*I threw in that terrible stereotype in to annoy you, to push you to continue reading and maybe send me an irritable comment – please do!

Insurance against natural disasters?

The flights are finally booked, the hotels have been reviewed to death, my credit card bill has plenty of reading on it and I can almost smell the sun cream.

There is plenty of build up time between now and holidays to get excited, but there is also one small issue (or large depending on your outlook): travel insurance.

For some, travel insurance is a must, it is essential and is booked at the same time as flights are booked and hotels reviewed. And it makes sense of course, because things can go wrong and you could be left paying a whole load of money for that 'budget trip'.

But still I ponder.

If I was to take a short trip to the UK or Europe (under 5 days) there is no way I would take out travel insurance. I would think of insurance as a silly additional cost.

Flights are of course delayed – but only by a few hours usually and there are always plenty of flight options available. Medically as an EU citizen I know I will be treated without question. I don't have medical insurance at home – so why should I panic just because I am travelling?

I have of course taken out travel insurance for holidays before – because it make sense, it is a fail safe, a peace of mind – a fall back.

But when travelling to Cuba a few years ago I was told I would not be covered there. The trip went ahead successfully, with no problems.

Then last year I went on a cruise to Israel. It was only at the last minute I remembered travel insurance, I was sitting in the airport about to depart and it sparked with me. I consulted with my travel partner and we decided to go on ahead. Nothing bad happened. We enjoyed the trip. We didn't need travel insurance.

I know I have been lucky, I have never been stranded for days in an airport, left in hospital with serious injuries or had all my stuff stolen. I also know the other stories the scary ones about thousands of euro of legal fees, medial treatment.

Some insurance companies are now covering against natural disasters. But I feel like travel insurance is putting a downer on my hols:

Passport – check

Money – check

Suncream – check

Insurance in case my boyfriend dies in a horrible complicated accident – check

Is travel insurance essential. Pic: telegraph.co.uk

So travel insurance – is it really essential?

All countries great and small

The 2012 Olympics are on. London is shining. Hard working athletes are taking centre stage.

Medals are being won and lost, countries around the world are celebrating and commiserating.

But despite the 24/7 coverage of all things Olympic, my attention has been seized by all the countries taking part. 205 to be exact. 

205 countries have contributed 10,000 athletes to compete in over 300 events.

The symbol from The Hunger Games

The opening ceremony,  felt  a bit like the Hunger Games, or indeed something Victorian, something in a twisted fairytale or novel. A sort of war without weapons, battles without deaths. 

But still a contest between countries, nations - Democratic states, Republics, Dictatorships and Communist identities.

During the opening ceremony I looked on with awe as countries, nations carried their flags with honour – and many of them were unknown to me.

Arbua, Benin, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kiribati, Lesotho, Micronesia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Tuvalu were some of the countries that did not spark with me. 

I couldn't place them on a map, I didn't have a handy fact to hand nor could I spell or pronounce them.

So while my partner stares and ooh and aahs at the nightly commentating from the London Olympics I am researching these 'new' countries, looking at histories, stats and checking out the price of flights!

So here are a few handy facts about those less well known countries – have these at the ready when the Olympic chat dies down or if your hairdresser asks you 'Any holidays this year':

Aruba - Aruba is one of the four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands just north of Venezuela.

Benin- Officially the Republic of Benin, West Africa and the birthplace of Voodoo

Burkina Faso - Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, it is one of the safest countries in West Africa.

Djibouti – One of the smallest African countries - you can snorkel with whale sharks there!

Eitrea National Flag

Eritrea - One of the most secretive countries in Africa, the capital boasts the most shining collection of colonial architectural wonders in in Africa.

Kiribati - Located in the Pacific ocean,  it was the scene of a number of the bloodiest battles fought in World War II.

Lesotho- It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 meters in elevation, skiing is a big draw here.

Micronesia – Found in the Pacific Ocean close to the Philippines, it is a group of islands Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Yap.

Saint Kitts and Nevis – Also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, it is a federal two-island state in the West Indies.

Tuvalu – Sitting midway between New Zealand and Australia with a population of just 10,554, it is the fourth smallest country in the world.

The island of Tuvalu

Fascinating.

Beer and efficiency

Boozing in Berlin
(c) fifiheavey

Ireland does not not have a drinking culture.

That is a bold statement, but one I most definitely stand over after my return visit to Berlin last week.

In general, us Irish reserve our drinking to the weekend or occasions of celebration or commiseration. We don't drink every day, because despite generations of stigma it is not our culture.

"God invented whiskey so the Irish wouldn't rule the world!"

We are fond of and take to The Drink on a regular basis, but it has never become part of daily life.

Germans are known as pretty crazy party people. Their dance and rock music influences helps hammer in that perception. But from what I witnessed last week, they do not reserve their drinking habits for parties only.

Let there be Rock - Bretter Bube Bar
(c)fifiheavey

Take the U-bahn and you meet locals swigging beer, watch out for the cyclist balancing steering their bike with taking a sip of local brew and don't be surprised to see alcohol ... everywhere.

Currywurst
(c) fifiheavey

Small glass bottles of vodka, gin, jagermeister are sold just above the sweet stands at the counters of supermarkets. "Where is the nearest bar?” is a silly question, every eatery including cafes and some take-aways give you access to an alcoholic beverage.

“Just apple juice?” a waitress questioned confused as we ordered brunch, around us everyone had a a 'real' drink in front of them.

And does all this mass drinking result in chaos? Puke on the streets? Loud singing? Rudeness?

A lack of productivity? 

Nope.

Apelmann - East German pedestrian traffic light
are symbols of German efficiency
(c) fifiheavey

How can a land of beer on every corner result in one of the most efficient systems?

Trains run on time, people queue in an orderly manner, food is fast and yummy, the streets are clean and the people are respectful.

Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin
(c) fifiheavey

And the biggest benefit to drinking German beer?

No Hangover!

Back to Berlin

A section of the Berlin Wall
(C) fifiheavey

Big pressure this week.            

I return to Berlin.

Four years ago I flew into Berlin not expecting anything great and with my own preconceptions about the city and the country. But it astounded me, the history was amazing, the culture intriguing, the people fun and helpful and the entertainment – out of this world.

Me and a Berlin bear
(c) fifiheavey

Berlin surpassed Paris as my favourite place in Europe and I have been singing its praises ever since.

This week I return to the once divided city.

But this time I am not alone, I will travelling with a friend (cousin to be exact).

I have told him Berlin is amazing, the craziest place on earth, the most interesting location in the world ... etc etc

(C) fifiheavey

And now I have to make it live up to that huge reputation. There is a whole lot of pressure on me and on this unique city. If we return and he is not bowled over by Berlin and all the wonders it holds – my reputation could be ruined.

Its gonna be easy though right? 

There are so many things to see and do, so many historic sites, buildings, streets, museums. 

The Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Unter Den Linden, The Reichstag, Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, Topography of Terror ....

Brandenberg Gate, Berlin
(c) fifiheavey

“I don't really do the tourist thing” he told me.

Uh Oh.

So he will be expecting the strange and wonderful, the quirky, the unknown.

Still Berlin should be able to deliver. I just stumbled across craziness on a daily basis in Berlin four years ago. I didn't have to go looking – they were right there on tap.

But em... if you had to go looking, say for strange unique things to see and do – where would one look? 

I am open to all ideas!

My back up plan: Get him drunk on authentic German Beer and turn him into a history craving tourist!

Craziness on tap - looking forward to hangover free German beer!
(C) fifiheavey

Holiday Vs Trip

“Going anywhere nice this year,” the hairdresser queries as she starts her process of small talk.

“Nothing planned yet, but Im going for four days to Berlin in April” I inform her.

“That will be a lovely holiday, never been there myself,” she states.

The Berlin Wall
(c) fifiheavey

But it isn't a holiday. I specifically said four days. Everyone knows that is a trip, right?

Like really it is just a long weekend Thursday – Sunday. How could she possibly have mis-interpreted that?

A holiday is seven days or more, probably over ten days really to suffice the 'holiday' title.

Over the last few years a “holiday” to me also needs to include a long haul flight or at least a different continent and usually has to have some sort of “adventure days” and “relaxing days.”

That is a holiday to me.

Not a city break, or a get away weekend or a brief rendezvous.

Fiji
(c) fifiheavey

What does a holiday mean to you?

Twenty 12

Poster from the movie 2012

According to Maya Calender 2012 is the year that the world ends – or some feel it could mark the start of a whole new spiritual and enlightened era.

Either way, the new year is here, a whole 12 months full of opportunities, dreams and inspiration – or just over 11 months to doomsday... we better make it a good one eh?!

I am not so good with new year resolutions, I think because usually they are too general. I need specific goals and plans. And yet top of my list this year, as it was last year is:

To Make Myself Happy.

Strange I know, vague of course and selfish – most definitely.

But you see I have this awful problem, as I believe many of us do for relying on other people to make us happy.

And they cant. No matter how much we push them.

A little me time, some pampering, reading, writing, watching old movies, listening to classical music. It is always the little things that bring a smile to our faces.

This year – do them, I hope to. Forget about the washing up – schedule your time in. Don't change your plans to suit someone else, be selfish, smile.

Will you be making New Year resolutions on January1?

But to be more specific and goal driven I have decided to instead of making plans for the whole years based on a five minute whim on New Years Eve I will make out a month by month plan.

Pick five things and stick to it all month. And if I don't succeed (“get away negative and realistic voices”) then I can try all over again the next month, add to and take away as I please.

(Lists are one of the things that make me happy...!)

A little 'To list' for 2012
(c)fifiheavey

Make a start on my award winning book is in there somewhere in 2012, as is going on more adventures, taking more photos, seriously trying to make some head way with the family tree, reading, writing, and getting out in the fine country air.

Travel plans are also well underway, I have adventures lined up for the first six months of the year and can't wait to get out and do them.

So out with the old and in with the new and as Oprah Winfrey once said “Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.”

Are you looking forward to 2012 - anything big planned?

Knowing me and knowing Ski

When you travel you learn about places, people and things from all over the world, but you also learn about yourself. Months on the road, by yourself, with people in good places and bad you come to terms with who you really are.

You learn things about yourself that you never knew. Some good, some bad.

I have always known that I am organised, efficient, and at my worst: scheduled, but what I didn't know was my issue with control – more exactly my fear of not being in control.

Learning to let go on The Remarkables, New Zealand (c)fifiheavey

Of course on the road, you plan things and more often than not they do not go according to plan and despite some dismay at this (maybe a few hissy fits) I grew accustomed to things steering off course. I quickly adapted, and put a plan B, C or even Z into place. But even when things don't go as planned, you can stay in control, you can re-direct the troops and carry on, re-focused.

Concentrating (c) fifiheavey

“Let go”

“Relax”

“Stop Thinking”

“Go with the flow”

On top of a snow covered mountain in New Zealand, hurtling towards the bottom at what must be record speeds with no plan, no idea, no alternative to my disposal, my nightmare was realised.

My ski instructor told me I had “control issues.”

You see skiing is fun, or at least it is supposed to be, you the skis, a snowcapped mountain and the fresh air. In this game however you have to submit your control, you have to go with the mountain, the skis, ignore your instinct thoughts ... relax ... glide ... smile ... stop.

I wanted to have fun, I wanted to have so much fun with everyone else and enjoy skiing. I wanted to excel through my beginners group to intermediate with my boyfriend, I wanted to show that I was better than some seven year old brat - so I concentrated really hard to get all the moves, to learn how to sweep from side to side and stop before I feel off the edge.

Ski lifts on The Remarkables (c) fifiheavey

The ski instructor told me I was trying too much, I needed to let go.

This concept was alien to me.

In the videos I look rigid, stiff, my turns are forced, my feet locked into a “wedge” shape. I wore the bruises from the ski lifts for weeks, the trauma of having to hurtle my body forward seconds before I fell to my death across a cliff took longer to disappear. But the effects of not being able to “let go” have never left me.

Over and over, I recall children diving to get out of my way, ski couples huddling in fear, and teenagers gasping in shock as I fly my way down an intermediate slope and throw myself to the ground, as my boyfriend laughs himself into a hoop.

Snowboarding as the morning sun breaks out.
(c) fifiheavey

Sometimes having fun can be hard work – I knew I should have picked snow boarding!

How do I breathe???

How do I breathe? - This was my one and only concern when I decided (I didn't decide actually I was cajoled, pushed and bullied) to go for a tandem sky dive.

Before I jumped with my sky dive instructor
(c) fifiheavey

We were in New Zealand, I already had the bruises from Skiing, money was short and we needed to make some decisions: bungee jump, black water rafting or sky diving.

Bungee jumping was immediately ruled out – it only lasts a few seconds, you have to jump yourself (in sky diving the instructor does that for you) and you dangle upside down and may hit the water – no flipping way!

Black water rafting – this seemed like fun, it was unusual and involved abseiling, climbing, cave tubbing and a lot of, eh black water. But by this stag of our trip we had snorkeled, scuba dived and surfed so we had ticked the water sports box enough.

Sky diving it was then. New Zealand is the best place for your first sky dive (yes that is a biased opinion) and Lake Taupo is breathtaking (with or without a parachute).

So we booked our appointment with Skydive Taupo, I informed family and friends of my impending death and we anxiously waited for the big white stretch limo to collect us.

The stretch limo
(c) fifiheavey

I didn't sleep the night before, I was excited (really I was shitting it) the next morning I didn't eat, the limo arrived and inside we met some Irish lads (of course) also paying for the service to jump out of a perfectly good plane.

Sky high
(c) fifiheavey

They chatted with my boyfriend about what music they would choose for their DVD of the experience. I didn't partake in this trivial chat because all I was worried about was “How exactly do I breathe?”

I understood that thousands sky dive probably each week (I made up that stat!) and very rarely does anything go wrong, but I just couldn't comprehend how I was supposed to breathe in the face of free falling at over 50mph for one minute.

Sixty seconds of 50mph wind in my face – where, how when was I supposed to breathe?

It seemed so unnatural, so wrong.

These questions all seem irrational, even annoying now, post sky dive but before hand, no amount of talking or explaining would calm me. My instructor did a great job of distracting me and he reassured me I would be able to breathe, he promised his life on it – if I arrived alive I would keep him to that!

So up we went in the pink plane, and actually inside I regained my nerve – on the other side of the small aircraft however I saw my boyfriend's face and realised panic had just crept in.

The pink Skydive Taupo plane

Despite my pleading to be the first out, I had to watch the other two fall from the plane before I got my turn.

The experience was out of this world, the free fall exhilarating, the pull of the parachute released, the feeling of flying, the view of the two New Zealand islands, the lake, the birds and clouds.

Even the landing was so much fun.

Sky diving is a high like no other, those who are thinking about take recreational drugs should be first introduced to this, a high adrenalin activity that cannot be beaten.

Preparing to land ...
(c) fifiheavey

How did I breathe? Well actually quite easily and once out there it was the least of my concerns, I just wanted it to last longer, to see more, to feel more.

Sky diving is a whole lot better than drugs – but be warned it can also be highly addictive!

Adventure at home

My boyfriend and I have been on a sort of adventure the last few weeks, as we frantically prepare to move into our new home.

Although I would usually use the word adventure in the context of travel, this has actually been an adventure into the unknown. We didn't quite know what to expect and like traveling it has taken on a life of it's own as well as an uncontrollable budget. We have learned so much on the journey, one of us even acquired a new skill!

Although we are both so excited to move in and resume normal life again (like having time to breathe) we will both be sorry to see the end of our adventure. I think it reminded us of our round the world trip, the large number of small decisions that had to be made each day, the consultations and sometimes even the arguments!

Renovating also means being exhausted each night, for me it was coming home from work each day to quickly change into paint splattered clothes and start the real manual work.

We were so lucky to have so many people to help us and to join in our adventure and our decision making. Many of them would laugh when they would ask a question and it would have to go to an executive meeting between the two of us!

But don't worry although we are moving into a new home, we are far from “settling down” and hope to be conducting some real adventures pretty soon.

Research has shown that moving house is one of the most stressful life events, right up at the top with divorce and bereavement.

Do you agree?