So, as you may know, I had a major medical emergency in 2017 that almost ended my life. Within 7 months of leaving the hospital, partly to celebrate the gift of life and to “get back on that horse” …. but mostly to celebrate my brother Martin’s “big roundy birthday”, I was blessed to be travelling again in 2018.  In July of that year, we decided to “push the boat out” and “splash out” on a trip for the 4 of us (Charlie & I; Martin & Mary) to Rome the Eternal City, for 4 days followed by a week-long Western Med Cruise on the biggest ship (at that time) the Symphony of the Seas.  It was hard to comprehend that the same week the previous year, I was on life support!!  Looking back I realise I was dragging myself around on this trip…..the lads will tell you I was “like a bag of cats!!” And I’m surprised I wasn’t dumped overboard somewhere approaching Majorca.  However, it remains one of the best holidays I’ve ever had.    This blog post is about how we got on in Rome for the first leg of the trip. Enjoy!!

I’ve always been fascinated by historic places. I can almost hear the resonance of footsteps and voices of those who have walked those paths before us.  In 2001, (I can’t believe it’s 20 years ago!) I decided to go see the Holy Land and Egypt with Peggy and chose a cruise on-board the Olympic Voyager.  Sadly, after booking, we were informed that the itinerary had been altered due to tensions in the Middle East so the Holy Land was taken out in favour of an extra night in Egypt.  We were still excited to be heading off to see the Pyramids and Sphinx of course. 

I remember so well that when we finally got to Giza (and got past the hassle of the hawkers), it felt very surreal to be finally standing beside these ancient man-made constructions: the Great Pyramid of Khufu (constructed c. 2580-2560 BC) and the Sphinx (built  during the reign of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Khafre c. 2558-2532 BC!!). 

As we stood there in awe, we were greeted by a local man of indeterminate age and very few teeth.  He took a shine to Peggy and offered me seven camels for her as he needed a wife.  Having considered briefly how I could house 7 camels in the underground carpark of my Gardiner Street apartment…not to mention what to do with all that camel dung….I had to politely decline his generous offer.  Peggy’s response was “at least find me a fella with his own teeth”! 😊
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So this blog covers where we went and what we saw.  I hope you enjoy!

My first time in San Francisco was when I went to visit my friend, Catherine, in 1988 (here).  I vowed that that I would “Return to San Francisco” like the Merle Haggard song.   I never thought then that it would be another 21 years before I would do so and that Charlie would be with me.  After five memorable nights, we then flew on to Las Vegas where we stayed five further nights, taking in a visit to the natural wonder of the amazing Grand Canyon….and the man-made wonder of the Hoover Dam.  So my blog this week describes that great trip…. what we saw, where we stayed.  We took literally hundreds of photos so the ones below are only some.  After all, some of “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!”  Enjoy!

My 1990 European camping trip was really in-TENTS.  I joke about it but it really was.  Seventeen days during which we visited 6 countries (France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy), slept in self-erected canvas tents and were bussed around Europe by coach.  And generally had a ball!  The resilience that comes from being 24. 😉

I say WE because, although I went on my own, I travelled with FunTrek (at that time known for its Grand European Group Tours).  So, I was joined by 36 others mainly from Dublin with a smattering from Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Kildare, Kilkenny and Carlow.  Amongst us were butchers, bakers, no candlestick makers 😉, nurses, trainee accountants, chefs, shop assistants, trainee solicitors, farmers, students and civil servants.  Mostly young singletons with one married couple.  A more diverse bunch you couldn’t find.  We also had a driver (Robbie), a guide (Martin) and a cook (Kenny).  Kenny would cook our evening meal most days at the campsites…mainly BBQ but I also remember a lot of mince!

For all the tea in China
Beijing, Xi’an & Shanghai - 11 Night Holiday – April 2012 
So, following our thoroughly enjoyable trip to Hong Kong in 2011, Charlie and I thought it might be a great idea to see more of China by visiting the mainland.  This would tick several items from my Bucket List.  There are few countries in the world with a culture as distinct as China.  It is HUGE; there’s over a billion people here covering 9.5 million square kilometres!  It’s also a country of contrasts, China offers thriving metropolises like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong as well as beautiful mountains, valleys, rivers, and plains in the West and Southern parts of the country. 
 
So, we wanted to do a taster trip showing us the present (Beijing), the past (Xi’an) and the future (Shanghai) of China.  In looking back now 8 years later what I remember most are the