7 Things We Could Learn From Germany

So, last November (2014) I toured across Germany with a touring theater called Wilde Shamrock with two guys, Vinny and Ricky. We traveled to schools and venues across the land performing plays and music gigs. The audiences would improve their English, learn about Ireland and most of the time, their laughter assured us they were entertained! Throughout the 4 weeks we traveled thousands of miles and stayed in tens of towns. On the way, I got to meet some amazing people and learn so much about Germany, having never been before despite studying the language in school. There are a few things that stuck out about their way of life that I wanted to take home with me, here are some of them!

1. Take Your Shoes Off 
This is a rule almost every home I went into in Germany abides by. Quite hilariously, no one warned me about it! So the first house I stayed in, I was tromping all over the place in my ankle boots, introducing myself to everyone and wondering why the hosts kept looking at my feet. "We don't wear shoes indoors here," Vinny whispered to me. So I tip toed out to the hall and left them with the rows of shoes I somehow missed when I came in the door. 

It was hard to get used to, and some houses were fine with it so every house I entered, I had a ritual of checking to see if there were shoes by the door or were they on the feet of the people who lived there. If the rule didn't exist, I opted to keep my shoes on as my socks were cheap and not very cosy to walk around in plus I never thought of bringing slippers with me on my travels! And I really dislike walking around barefoot. On days where I was wearing fluffy socks though, it was the best thing ever! And there are so many pros to taking your shoes of at home;

• You instantly feel more relaxed and at home, even if it's not your home!
• Your shoes get less wear and I'm sure the time spent out of them adds up and they'll last longer?!
• Wearing shoes all day, is bad for your feet. They need to air! So let them breathe and they'll be less smelly too.
• You can put your feet on the furniture without being yelled at.
• Let's face it, the carpets and floors will be a whole lot cleaner, won't they? 

So buy yourself some comfy socks or a pair of slippers and take your shoes off at the door.

2. How to Drive
For a country that usually has no speed limit on the motorway, you'd think there'd be collisions and pile ups everywhere! But no, out of the 5 other countries I have experience in the passenger's seat of a car in, Germany is by far the safest country to drive in. One of the reasons behind this is not any lucky ninny can get behind the wheel with a full license. First you need to complete 14 theoretical driving lessons, then do 12 mandatory on the road lessons split between driving on country roads, on the Autobahn and in the dark. Plus you also have to do a first aid course before you can even think of getting your hands on a full license. How crazily smart is that? Yes it sounds like a pain in the hole regarding money and time but at the end of the day, they're more prepared for the unexpected. I'd sooner trust someone who studied at a German driving school when driving through Cavan at avoiding unexpected sheep on the road than I would someone with an Irish license. No offence, but seriously! The way drivers in Germany treat cyclists is another one to take note of and learn from. See the next point!

Genius I tell ya!

(They also have these super genius digital signs every few hundred meters or so on the autobahn which warn drivers of accidents up ahead or roadworks and display a speed limit drivers must adhere to, to cope with such conditions. Then the signs let you know when the speed limit no longer applies and you can go back to driving as fast as you like!)


3. How to Treat Cyclists on the Road
There are cyclists everywhere in Germany and they're treated like the road users they are. They have designated cycles lanes almost everywhere and no one walks or stands in a cycle lane or, as I almost learned the hard way had I not been pulled back, you'll be run over! If you're cycling in Ireland, and in particular, Dublin, you need to constantly expect people to walk out in front of you because...well, they most likely will! In Germany, it's the pedestrians that need to look out for the cyclists because if you're standing in the cycle lane, they'll most likely just cycle you over. And having a broken arm from a cyclist running you over is a whole lot less 'cool' than being hit by a Jaguar.

If there's a meme of it, it must be true.

If Ireland had the same respect for cyclists on the road as they do for cars, the roads will be a whole lot safer. Then it will even appeal to people more as it wouldn't as risky. More cyclists = less car users = less CO2 emissions = a healthier planet. Plus more money in pocket, plus exercise and fine looking legs! Win win!




4.  Be an Honest Customer

Cafés leave these blankets for
people to use and no one
steals them either!

I noticed when in a pub, café or restaurant in Germany that for every drink I ordered, the waiter/waitress made a small mark on the coaster under my glass. When paying the bill, they would come over and count the marks on each person's coaster and charge them for that amount of drinks. Yes, in bigger pubs and restaurants, they'd have it all in the till already and it simply made it easier for knowing who owed what for drinks, but in smaller pubs they did it too. No one swapped coasters with anyone else or tore theirs up. You could easily get up and leave without paying and not get caught, but this was unheard of. Then I thought, could you do this in Ireland and not have people take advantage of it? Honestly, I don't know. Most of the time we use the coasters for 'magic' tricks or tear them up because we're extremely fidgety people. But I'd like to think if places did start doing something like this, we'd have some respect and pay for the 10 drinks we ordered instead of 3. When it comes to supporting businesses in this day and age, we gotta be good! (However I do believe the banks here don't count, so don't be afraid to take their pens...)

5. Allowing Dogs Inside

The door of a hairdressers. Dogs allowed!

As an avid animal lover, one of the first things I noticed in Germany was the friendy, accepting attitude towards dogs. I was sitting in a café in a town called Amberg, having flown into Germany the night before, and I saw someone walk by the window with two gorgeous big dogs. As usual I cooed and cawed until they past. The next thing, in walks the owner behind me and walks by me sitting at the table with the two magnificent dogs!! I loved it. It's just so cool. Over the next four weeks, from Munich to Bramerhaven, there were dogs chilling in cafés, pubs and buildings all over the place. I never saw any strays, they were all accompanied by someone who had them on a lead or sitting at their feet, so it wasn't a case of dogs wandering around restaurants begging at tables. It just added a whole sense of homeliness. I hate walking by places and seeing dogs tied up outside, it breaks my heart even though most of the time they're probably fine. Germany just felt like a happier place for dogs with their lack of 'No dogs except guide dogs allowed' signs.

I don't need to vouch for why we should let people take their dogs into cafés and whatnot in Ireland. Everyone loves dogs plus they'll be more likely to be taken places and for walks with their owners. So come on Ireland! Raise your puppy not to be extremely hyper and maybe I can bring my dog, my Buddy, somewhere for lunch! Imagine how nice that would be!!! I vote for dogs. A vote for dogs is a vote for us. That is all.

6. Reliable Public Transport
Vinny told me of a time he was waiting at a train station somewhere near the border of Germany, close to Switzerland and Austria. An announcement rang out over the intercom in German and everyone started huffing and complaining. It announced the same thing in a few different languages and more and more people showed their aggrivation. Thinking, 'Uh-oh, did the train break down? Is there gonna be an hour delay?' Eventually, the annoucement was made in English saying the train was going to be delayed by two minutes. Two minutes.

TWO MINUTES!!

That goes to show you how efficient and reliable the public transport is in Germany and I experienced it myself when taking buses and trains.

In Ireland, the bus stop you're waiting at will tell you your bus is due in 10 minutes, then when it gets to 1 minute it will disappear off the system only to flash back up 5 minutes later saying the same bus is due in another 6 minutes and the bus will eventually arrive about 15 minutes later. Sadly, this is no joke. Public transport is a nuiscance. So Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann and Iarnroad Eireann, get your ass/transport in gear!

7. Be Nice to our Planet, Be Environmentally Sustainable
Our first roadtrip in the daytime was from Erlangern to Amberg, the day after flying into Frankfurt. Seeing the landscape of a new country is always exciting for me, I suppose it's because I haven't been to that many! So I was looking out the window, examining all the things that make the country different to Ireland; we were driving on the right side of the road  (as opposed to left, not wrong!), there was no Irish on the signposts, only German, and there were wind turbines everywhere. Everywhere. The more we drove, the more we'd see. Then I saw fields of solar panels everywhere. After doing my research, I realized Germany is one of the leading countries in Europe when it comes to environmental sustainability, and we need to follow suit. An investment in renewable energy will save us money in the long run and reduce our use of fossil fuels which is currently around 90%. We need more turbines and we need more solar panels.

This gorgeous view from the car was constant

    Among all these sightings, forest after forest thrived across the landscape too. I learned that one third of Germany consists of forests and over the past five decades, they've added one million hectares of forest back to the land. How does this compare to Ireland? Well, a 2012 article stated our land is less than 10% forestry, the second lowest in Europe and planting has slowed down with no signs of speeding up. Long ago, Ireland would have been primarily covered in forest. Yes, some may blame English rule for cutting them down to build their ships and it's like we're half waiting for the UK to give us some compensation money to replant them or something. Regardless, I don't think we're going to get pity money from any country any time soon in this climate. What's clear is our lack of forest is because of human activities. And we need to fix it. Why? 

• We'll reduce our Carbon Dioxide emissions and if we hit the EU's target, we'll escape hefty fines.
• The environment in general will benefit, primarily animal life. 
• Tourism will benefit. Research shows Ireland's landscape is one of the main attractions for tourists. Using personal experience and talking to tourists, many thought there'd be more forests than there is. More forests = more tourists.
• More tourists = money into the economy. Especially into more rural areas that need it. 
• Employment: If the government gets a loan or takes something out of their hefty salaries and pensions, they could put it to employing people to plant trees and perhaps maintaining forests, spreading awareness and educating people. A large but worthy investment when we escape EU carbon emission fines.

So. Forests. We need them. End of.

And may I remind you of the previous point addressing the number of cyclists there are?! Germany is amazing when it comes to taking care of the environment and Ireland looks ridiculous in comparison. For a country that is great for recycling, we really suck when it comes to everything else.

Jayziz, I could do with a cup of tea now! These are just a few things I think Ireland could learn from Germany, and maybe other countries could take heed too. Of course, Germany is not perfect and there's a few thing I'd like to teach them. Like, why can't you sell proper crisps?? There isn't anything even closely resembling a Tayto crisp or a Hunky Dory. And ye could do with learning how to make a good cup of tea! (Ostfriesland is excluded from this, their tea is pretty amazing.) Making cycle lanes a bit more obvious will also help reduce the number of poor unsuspecting travelers like me getting runover by a bicycle. Having the lanes just a shade darker than the rest of the path can be a tad unclear! Just saying...

Anyway, I'll be going back to Germany in April to learn more about their ways and maybe teach them how to make a good cup tea.


Until next time, I'll sign off with a picture of me and a giant nutcracker that actually works. Thanks for reading and Happy Travels!

Grá, 

Ceara (:

12 Ways To Keep Yourself Entertained During A Flight Layover

The only layovers I've ever had were during my flights to and from my trip to Africa. The first layover was relatively short but on my way back, I had a 7. Hour. Wait. During this time, I almost went crazy. Between being emotionally upset that the trip was over,  having no money left to spend in duty free and being extremely tired but unable to sleep on the ever so "comfy" airport loungers, I was not a happy camper during my layover. The fact that I fell asleep for only 5 minutes and in that 5 minutes I ended up moaning and talking in my sleep so loudly that I woke myself up to passers by staring me out of it didn't help. But if I had known of some/all of these ways to entertain myself, I may not have been such a sulky mess when I eventually boarded the plane.

This was me in Dubai...

1. Sleep
You've been awake for ages and even though you've been on a flight sitting down, dozing in and out, you're still wrecked. If you can't sleep on a plane because you need to be lying down flat to do so or have the kind of luck that always ends up with you sitting in front of a child that kicks the back chairs for a living or beside the only screaming child on the flight, you should sleep your layover away. There's usually a bunch of gates that are quiet. Go to one of these and have a kip or stretch out on an airport lounger somewhere if you can find one. Some airports have hotels you can check into either for a few hours. You can relax/shower/sleep there in style either!

2. Leave the airport!

If you have hours to kill you might as well leave the airport and do a little exploring. Keep in mind, some countries you'll nee a visa to leave so you won't be able to do that everywhere. Also make sure you make it back in time to go through security again before your flight! If you have luggage you don't want to drag around with you and if there are no left luggage services at the airport, find a local internet café or hostel. They usually have left luggage services for a low cost.

3. Introduce Yourself
Whether you're at a bar, restaurant, in a shop or waiting to board your flight, you'll be surrounded by people and fellow travelers. Start some small talk, introduce yourself and let the stories flow. As well as marveling at some adventures they've been on and things they've seen, you can ask for tips on future travels, get some inspiration and even give some advice yourself! You never know, you could end up with a travel buddy, a best friend for life or the love of your life! Or they could be a total creep or not understand a word you say. You won't know until you try though!

4. People Watch
Watching people as they go about their business is a lot more entertaining than it sounds. Just watching people as they go by and observing their characters or imagining their story is quite fun. Making up a live commentary is also good fun especially if you're with someone. Just make sure they're out of earshot, you don't want anyone getting upset or feeling like they're being stalked.

Isn't this just the WORST. THING. EVER?

5. Read
Need I explain? Pick up a good book or magazine or take out your e-reader!

6. Write
If you're documenting your journey there's no better time to catch up on the adventures you've yet to write up on because you were too busy kayaking off waterfalls, vegging out on new foods or getting drunk with the locals. Find somewhere comfy to sit and get documenting. You never know, your journal/blog could end up being as significant as Christopher Columbus'. 

7. Exercise that Brain
Nothing beats a good crossword or Sudoku puzzle. You can get them in most newsagent shops in the airport and it's a good change from watching 8 hours of The Gilmore Girls on the plane. And if you're in anyway competitive like me, you'll spend nearly hours trying to beat your own best score on Solitaire and not notice the time go by.

8. Draw
This can go with 'people watching'. Doodle sketches of the people around you or your surroundings to pass the time. They can be good or funny reminders to come across later. (If you take photos of the people around you, you will probably look very strange and creepy. Drawing is a much safer option and hones your artistic skills!) 

9. Entertain
Have you seen the video of the guy that started a singsong in an airport after a flight was delayed? Well you should! Here it is; 

If you play an instrument and have it with you, just take it out and start jamming. Even if you sing, just sing a song and there's bound to be people that will join in with you. Heck, leave a hat out and you might make a few bob! You can't embarrass yourself, you'll probably never see the people around you again. Just give it a go. [Do be mindful if there's loads of sleeping people around you though, don't be a d**khead!]

10. Be Inventive
Like these 4 chaps who decided to be creative during their boredom, you can do the same, it just takes a little imagination. Create something, video it, and you could have a viral hit on your hands!

11. Roleplay

Having studied acting, I often find it fun to walk around pretending to be different characters. This might not be everyone's cup of tea but even if I just order food in a different accent, I get this amused giddy feeling if people fall for it. Walk into the most expensive duty free shop there and ask to try things or see things that you can't afford but give off the impression that you can. It sounds silly, but can be really funny if you're with somebody.

12. Explore

You might as well explore every corridor of the airport while you're there. You never know what you might find! There could be hilarious statues, an amazing arcade or somewhere selling giant Toblerones for close to nothing. You won't know until you go wandering! Walking around is also a good way to get the blood flowing properly in your legs again as sitting down for hours on a flight is never good.

It was actually quite hard to think of things to do during a layover so if you think I missed anything, let me know! This list must be expanded to stop us going crazy. Long layovers mixed with jet lag, exhaustion, hunger and feeling emotional from the journey can be a one way ticket to crazyland!

In the meantime, I wish you long trips, short layovers and happy travels! And that your flight may have the luck of this meme;

I now leave you with a collection of videos of people being just as bored in the airport as you are. You are not alone. Really, the amount of these videos is actually crazy. Pretty much like the people in them!

Day 4: DON'T SELFIE & CYCLE! & 'Veggie' Dishes May Contain Meat

We weren't going to Port Aventura today so the day was ours to do with as we will. After breakfast I lathered up in factor 50 and headed to the hotel pool for a swim. I've been in outdoor pools before but they were in Ireland so the cold weather always meant there was a lack of life in them. Here, the pool was full of people and inflatable things. Inflatable things everywhere. There's no room for laps or exercise here, just games with inflatable things! 

My fuzzy head at the pool with the Spanish sun behind me!

      After lunch we headed out to a local shop which rent scooters, prams, bicycles and electronic wheelchairs - anything with wheels really! There we rented out 6 bikes at only €10 each for the whole day which is really good value. They gave us 3 bike locks and my nephew a helmet at no extra charge. All they needed as a deposit was one passport or a cash sum. My dad left them his passport and off we cycled into the distance! Well... after walking the bikes through the crowd to the cycle lanes by the fountains...

When we locked the bikes up in Cambrils

  The cycle lanes here are totally different to the ones in Dublin. In Salou, there are two cycle lanes, one for each direction, but instead of having them either side of the road where there's ongoing traffic between, they are side by side, separated from the road. They feel extremely safe to cycle and even have yield signs in certain places where pedestrians often cross. On top of that, the cycle lanes from Salou to Cambrils are left of the road so we had the sea on our left the whole way down. At some points the shore was barely 10 meters from us. It was absolutely beautiful. 

  We eventually arrived in Cambrils, locked the bikes up, and went for a stroll. We walked by a harbour where hundreds of boats and yachts of all sorts were docked. We just so happened to pass an open gate down a private boardwalk so naturally we went where our curiosity called us and had a peek at what life with enough money for a boat is like. Oh my GOD the SIZE of some of them! They weren't just boats, I'm pretty sure there were ships too. Looking at these yachts with their fancy interior and shiny surfaces, I just couldn't understand the concept that some people have enough money to own these things. A life of money and yachts is totally alien to me. But I am absolutely fine with that as I think I'd find a lot more joy out of winning €8 on a scratch card than people with yachts will.

Beautiful. HUGE, works of art!

  When you look at the buildings facing the sea, you can see Cambrils is a totally different location to Salou. Salou is a holiday destination particularly popular to tourists from the UK and Ireland. The buildings closest to the sea are tall apartment blocks and hotels. Between them and the beach you have souvenir shops, fountains and bars. This is because Salou is a much newer city and is fueled by tourism so they need to accommodate that. Cambrils is a much older town. The buildings lined up facing the quay are of beautiful older architecture that display a lot more character. Instead of fountains everywhere we saw statues and works of art. Along the quay you still have restaurants and shops of course, but the further you walk into town, the less 'touristy' it is and the less English speaking locals there are. A place like this is excellent for experiencing true Spanish culture and putting your level of Spanish to the test. The latter we definitely experienced.

  After scouring the area trying to translate menus and coming across one particularly unhelpful and cold waitress, we eventually found somewhere nice to eat. This place also happened to have a menu that translated into almost every European language. However this did not help when it came to vegetarian options. Their canneloni had chicken in it so the only vegetarian options I could see were chips, a green salad or potatoe salad. That's pretty ridiculous!! So I ordered potatoe salad and said 'Sin carne' to her (meaning no meat) several times. She then came back out uttering lots of Spanish and saying something about frankfurters. Dad took over the conversation here as he could pick up on what she was saying a lot easier than I could. She was talking about these frankfurters and Dad was trying to ask if the sausages were vegetarian or not to which she said 'Sí!' and we were like 'Graaaand, I'll have that, problem sorted!' This was originally about a 2 minute long conversation. I eventually got the potatoe salad and had Dad taste the sausage in the salad and turns out, it was meat! Surprise, surprise. I ended up eating a green salad. And anyone who knows me knows that I am not a vegetarian who eats salads. I like pasta, and lasagna, and pizza, and omelettes, and supplements. Salads, are for sides, not mains! But I ate my rabbit food regardless. Thankfully I bought a lollipop in a shop earlier so I had that to keep me happy afterwards. I really need to improve my Spanish.

No... No...                             No...

  We eventually made it back to the bikes and decided to cycle a little further on before turning back, but the track turned away from the sea and into the town. After passing just residential areas for a while and at the risk of getting lost, we turned back and cycled towards Salou. On the way I thought I ought to get some pictures of the cycle for the blog so I took my phone out while cycling to take a video and few snaps. Now, before I continue to inform you of what happened, I'd like to ask you to imagine you're riding a bicycle. Now, what side is the front brake on, and what side is back brake on? 

  Well in my experience the front brake is on the right and the back brake is on the right, right? In Salou, they like to wire their bikes a little differently apparently as the brakes are the other way around! So I was trying to get used to this for the whole cycle. Then while holding my phone, I needed to brake suddenly, pressed the left brake thinking it was the back one but no. I ended up halting the bike, somersaulting over the handlebars with said bike landing on top of me. Very graceful! Thankfully, myself, dad and sister were just bicycle dancing to some music that was playing out of someone's car as we cycled by so we weren't going that fast! All I suffered was a severely bruised ego and legs and quite comic looking tire tracks on my shins! Anyway, lesson learned. Don't selfie and cycle!

A Selfie & Cycle Consequence. Ow!

  Having eventually arrived back in Salou without further incident, myself, dad and my brothers went for a cycle further up the tracks than we had started.* This led us to a beautiful boardwalk above a rocky shore and around old walls of the city. Really beautiful! After admiring these for some time we ran into a dead end on the cycle track and everything else was uphill. Like, 70 degree uphill. Maybe at the start of the day I could have done that but not with banged up legs! We decided to call it a day in regards to cycling and brought the bikes back to the shop. I headed back to the hotel, had a much needed shower and eventually got the tire tracks off me. 

*This cycle led us past some restaurants where those 'seagulls' I was telling you about in my Day 1 blog entry were trying to get people in. As we cycled by they STILL tried to get us to go into their restaurant, madness! One chap tried to lure us in by hilariously letting me know they have free parking for bikes there. Ha ....Ha...*cycles away.* 

   After dinner I headed out to a local Irish bar called Patrick's, no surprise in the name there. After a drink and a wander around a midnight market, I called it a day. 

  Tomorrow, we have our last day in Port Aventura. My factor 50 is at the ready. 

Hasta luego, 

Ceara

The B-e-a-Utiful Boardwalk we came across.

How the film 'Taken' potentially saved my life. . .

So the title says all really. For anyone who hasn't seen the film, it's about 2 girls who travel to Paris from America and get kidnapped after sharing a taxi home with a good-looking french man who turns out to be a part of a huge human trafficking scandal. After watching the first time I told myself I was never going to Paris! Of course the film is blown out of proportion in some ways (I don't think anyone's dad would be as awesome as Liam Neeson in this, not even mine. Sorry dad, love you still!) but there are still many harsh truths depicted in the film. This would include the existence of human trafficking not only in Paris, but all across Europe and the rest of the world.

     My experience differs a lot from the film (thankfully!) but it's still kind of scary to think what could have happened had I not been aware of how easily abductions can happen. It occurred when I went to Italy for my godson's christening in September 2012. After the christening I decided to go to Rome by myself for 2 days before we flew back home. I had not been in Rome since I was 8 years old. I spent 3 months there on our first ever holiday abroad when my dad was working over there so I longed to go back to the city and re-explore the place that means so much to my childhood.
     I was staying in a hostel and had been walking around sight-seeing all day. As the evening came and the darkness rolled in with it, it started to rain. This meant the streets weren't bustling with tourists/locals as much as they would be if it were dry. Considering the rain was more of a heavy drizzle and the air was warm, I had no problem walking around and ticking each landmark that I wanted to see at night (for the lights) off my list. And of course I'm Irish too so a bitta drizzle wasn't going to get in my way, would you be mad?! 

My view having walked around the corner. 

     I was using my trusty tourist map to get around, but the streets are easy enough to navigate so I had no map in hand while walking around the corner into Piazza di Trevi to the beautiful Trevi Fountain. I wasn't dressed like a tourist but the long ginger, curly hair and glow-in-the-dark pale skin kind of gives it away in most cases! There was about 30 people at the fountain which is nothing compared to what it was like when I went there the next day on a dry night. This time I'm sure there were more umbrellas than people. I noticed a young man talking in a group that I had to walk by to get to the front of the fountain. They all appeared to be friends, I thought nothing of it, I was just taking in my surroundings. 
      While standing at the fountain, taking pictures and enjoying the view, I saw the man I noticed with the group approach from the corner of my eye and stand a few feet away from me on my left facing the fountain. He said 'Hello' to me, but as I wasn't looking at him and my hair was down (I allowed that to hang by the side of my face so it would seem I have no peripheral vision which made it easier to ignore him) I pretended not to either hear what he said or show I knew he was talking to me. After a few attempts of saying hello in different languages he took a step closer so that he was about 2 feet from me and said 'Hello!' directly at me. I felt I couldn't ignore him any longer so I turned and said 'Hello!' right back. He was slightly taller than me, a skinny fella, light hair, sallow skin, bright eyes, crooked teeth, not the best looking chap. He proceeded to ask why I have no umbrella, there was some small talk. He offered to take a picture of me in front of the fountain, which I accepted as all my previous landmark photos were just selfies with me and the building masked behind my frizzy hair. He took a few photos (not a great photographer might I add!) and he handed back the camera. He asked if I was here by myself and I said I was with my family who I'm meeting soon (lie). I asked him where he was from and he said Milan. I asked if he was here with friends and he said no, he was alone. At that point the caution bells that were tinging in my head burst into alarm bells. He wasn't here alone, he was here with a group of other young men. I just knew from the way I saw him talking to them earlier that he knew them. He asked if I would like to go for coffee to which I politely declined. He insisted and tried to talk it up as if this coffee would be the best experience of my life. This is also only after about 4 minutes of small talk, not even. I told him my family were waiting on me in a restaurant (lie) in the hopes that he would just give up and leave me alone so I could get back to enjoying the Trevi. He wouldn't give up though so I left him as I told him I had to go meet my family (lie) as he continued with protests. 
      I walked hastily away and down Via del Lavatore and went into Al Picchio, a beautiful restaurant which turns out was my favourite place to eat out in, 12 years earlier. I just went into it this time because it wasn't too far from the Trevi so if Milan Man tried to follow me he'd see me going into a restaurant. Plus I liked how it looked on the outside! 

It's pasta made of potatoe. Irish mind BLOWN.

     That was all the interaction with Milan Man I had. In the restaurant and for the rest of the trip I didn't really think much else of it. I was hungry and was mapping my route across Rome for the following day. What affected me more then was how pitiful and surprised the waiters were that I was dining alone. They removed the place mat across from me while looking at me like I was a child whose puppy had just died. The cheek! I was also trying gnocchi for the first time so I had practically forgotten about it. Food does that to me sometimes!
      On hindsight though, thinking about my interaction with Milan Man, I could have completely overreacted. He might have been just a sincere guy chancing his arm at a date with an Irish girl or just trying to get to know some travelers. I could have just been paranoid. Maybe he wasn't going to get me involved in human trafficking in some way. Maybe it might not have been as drastic as that. Maybe he wanted the 'ride' as some would say! To me, that is definitely something I still did not want. Maybe nothing would have happened if I went for that coffee, expect for a chat.
      But then again, maybe I could have died. Who knows? No one knows. All I know is I did not get a good feeling off this guy and I went with my gut. One thing I do know is I certainly do not regret not going for coffee with him just to be nice. I honestly don't know though, if I would have made the same choice had I not seen Taken.
      It's crazy to think what a fictional movie can teach you. I never doubted the existence of human trafficking but I never thought it would consist of 'nice' people luring you into a false friendship or sense of security. If I had not seen the movie, I would like to think I would have made the same choice. I hope I wouldn't have been naive enough to accept a date with a stranger in the capital city of a foreign country I was only familiar with. [I definitely would have turned down the coffee though. I hate coffee. Hot chocolate person all the way!] Many close friends who know me, know I find it extremely hard to say no to people, especially when it comes to turning down a guy. I either just go along with it for fear of hurting their feelings or run away and cut off all contact with them. [That's awful, I know, but I'm working on it!] So I honestly don't know if I would still be here or not had I not been recently exposed to human trafficking in Europe. 

Like I said, not the best photographer!

     That photo of me in front of the Trevi fountain could have been the last photo taken of me. Again, I know other people have more exciting stories of when they were actually kidnapped or robbed from or jailed and can laugh about it now, but it's always better to be safe than sorry, right? Would you have done the same? When it comes to travelling alone, especially as a female, you're always better off not taking any risks.
     Good advice to the lone female traveler would be;

• Always be alert when traveling, especially walking around at night. Be aware and take in your surroundings. You don't always have to be on edge, just alert.
• Don't get drunk when you're on your own in a city, even if your drinking with a group you just met. 
• Don't let men buy you drinks, they usually want something from you in return and could easily spike you. 
• Walk around with confidence. If you can't avoid interactions with strangers you don't want to talk to, speak to them confidently and don't be afraid to reject their offers. (This is also why I tried not to walk around with my map out all the time.)
• Lie (with confidence). Say you're travelling with family/partner/friends if needs be.
• Carry a safety whistle and/or pepper spray if you want, for extra protection.
• If you're walking around on your own, try not to wear provocative or revealing clothing. Dress for the climate but try to be smart about it. I know nobody asks to be attacked and we are able to wear want we want but always consider your surroundings and safety.
• Read up on where you're going before you get there and what kind of illegal activity goes on there so you know what to avoid.
• Always, always trust your gut feeling. If you don't like the vibe you're getting off a person or place, leave.

You can adhere to the above advice and still have a damn good time. I certainly did! I think to live is to travel. And you need to be alive to live so look after yourself. ;) 

So inadvertently, Liam Neeson kind of potentially saved my life! Damn. I'm sure there's potential for Taken 3 there. . .

Any feedback, questions, advice, thoughts are kindly welcomed. Have a great day and happy travels!

Grá.

Ceara

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I took this picture as I left the fountain. His umbrella is out of sight. Beautiful fountain though! A must see in Italy.

Vaccination Advice

For the travelers out there who like to go somewhere a little bit different than the 'usual' holiday destination, chances are you'll need to be vaccinated to prevent contraction of any unwanted diseases or infections. [Well I certainly hope they're unwanted. Why would you want cholera?]

Vaccinations can be a hectic, scary or daunting process for a lot of people be it their first time getting them, being terrified of needles, worrying of the cost and time limit they have to get them or just being faced with the reality that these diseases exist where you're going.

First of all, relax. You're already preparing yourself and doing the research by reading this post so I have 100% faith that you'll be fine.

1. Know where you're going. 

It is very important to know where you'll be travelling so you can let whoever is administrating your vaccines know and they can make sure you get everything you need. Whether you'll be staying in one city, travelling through a few cities in various countries or making your way across a whole continent but unsure of exactly where you'll be, let the consultant/doctor know everything. And if you're unsure if you'll be visiting a certain place you'll need a vaccine for, just get it. It'll be one less thing to worry about on your travels and if you do decide to go there, it'll save you getting any counterfeit medication and risking your health if you deal with any unsanitary clinics or needles. Better to be safe than sorry!

2. Worried about the cost? Don't be.

• Unlike flights and hotel/hostel prices, vaccination prices will not fluctuate. Therefore you can check out what will be needed months in advance and know exactly what you need to put aside for it. Search the web for your local travel clinic and they should have all the prices up on their website.
• I know some people believe it's better to pay for the medication yourself and get your own doctor to administer the vaccines. I would advise against this. Nothing personal against your GP or anything but you're much better off going to someone who specializes in travel vaccines. And if you need to get vaccinated against rabies then there's absolutely no question about it, go to a travel clinic! The reason for this is you need 3 shots for rabies over a couple of weeks. One bottle is made up of 3 shots but as soon as it's opened, it expires quickly so if you were to get your rabies vaccine in your ordinary GP office, chances are no one else will be getting a rabies shot so it would cost upwards of €100 as you'd be paying for 3 bottles. In a travel clinic, other people will be availing of the same bottle so you'll save a lot of money!  
• Student discounts are often available and discounts for senior citizens and the unemployed also exist. You won't know unless you ask!
• If you're in Ireland I'd recommend The Travel Health Clinic on Dawson Street in Dublin. They're far cheaper than The Tropical Medical Bureau and were lovely to deal with. I felt fully prepared for Africa having received their guidance and had a number to call 24/7 if any emergency arose. They also accept any form of student cards, not just travel cards and they gave me a lollipop after every visit! 

3. Pain

It's not that bad. Really! It's like a slight pinch every time and there can be a slight 'panging' pain afterwards but it's fine. I will say however, not to poke at where the shot went in or lean on it and try avoid sleeping on it if you can, just to avoid any possible discomfort! I learned that the hard way which you can read in this blog post of my old blog. . . Obviously if you're the kind of person with the attitude of a soccer player that will bend their finger the wrong way then never shut up about it and demand some kind of prize for dealing with such atrocious 'pain' then my advice for you is; shut up and deal with it! 

4.  Needles

Needles? What needles? I never saw a needle when I got my vaccines done. Ask them not to show you and they won't. Dr. Weidenhammer in the clinic I went to distracted me without me even realizing by asking me questions while injecting me. It was over before I knew it! In my experience, there were no needles, just the slight pinch of  a magical fairy doctor that resulted in my body being magically protected from awful things! And did I mention? You might get a lollipop! If you don't like needles, you won't see needles.

5. Time

Some vaccinations require a few shots over a period of weeks. If you're worried that you won't have enough time to get them all before your trip away don't panic. Just ring up whichever travel clinic you'll be going to, let them know you'll be flying out soon and might need repeat shots. They should be able to squeeze you in if it is going to be a tight fit to get them all in. Staff at travel clinics are there to help you, they won't want you going away unprepared either so just relax! And in future, give yourself at least 6 weeks before your flight to make an appointment for a consultation. It's hard enough trying to remember where your passport is and whether or not you packed your pajamas the night before your flight without thinking about your possibilities of coming home with Hepatitis A as a souvenir instead of a key-ring. 

These are just some basic tips to help you through your vaccination experience. Your travel clinic will help you with anything else you need to know or you can fire a question my away and I'll promise to answer it. 

Thank you for reading and happy travels!

Grá,

Ceara

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