Kilkenny, Ireland

Kilkenny is an Irish town located south of Dublin at about 130 km approx. from Ireland's capital. It is a lovely place to visit, with kind of a medieval spirit. The architecture, the streets, the monuments and churches spread out through the town center, it all makes you get back in time to a more medieval times. There is a very good connection between Dublin and Kilkenny, and although it takes around 2 hours to get from one place to the other, it is quite easy. There are several Bus companies that provide the service and there is also the train. I went with a group of friends and we took a bus from Dublin Airport straight to Kilkenny's city center, with the BusEirann company. It took us around two hours to get there but the buses are very comfortable and with wifi on board. Specially if you are traveling with friends, time will pass quickly and you can also enjoy the views. We paid 25 euros each for a return ticket but as i said it was an express service and there are many other options to get there.

The most visited and well known attraction in Kilkenny is the Kilkenny Castle. You can enter and visit a part of it's chambers, and see how Kings, Queens, Dukes and so on used to live back in the days. It has a marvelous display of paintings as well and allows you to go into the gardens, a huge green field with wonderful views. The castle is next to the river which makes it a great place to get some cool photos if you cross one of the bridges close to it. It is a very interesting place due to its history and renovations as it started as a medieval castle and was remodeled several times through the ages making it very cool to do a tour as you can see the several different parts of the castle with different architectures and styles. There is also a showroom where you can see a video about the history of the castle and how and when it was reconstructed. The entrance costed us 7 euros and it is self guided. 

But Kilkenny it's not just the Castle. The town has a wide number of Churches and Cathedrals spread out through the streets and most of them worth a visit. The most common one between tourists is the St. Canice's Cathedral. It is 800 years old and it's architecture is something amazing. You can get inside for a fee and look at the medieval tombs of some of the town's most important names or look at the impressive stained glass windows. The Cathedral has also a tower that you can climb, not for the faint of heart i must say, as it has 110 very steep steps to climb where there can only pass one person at the time. But the outcome of that journey is amazing as you'll get an amazing view over the town and all it's touristic points. 

Unfortunately for us we didn't had the time to do everything that we had planned as we only went to Kilkenny for one day and came back the same afternoon, and one of the things we wanted to visit was the Smithwick's factory. This is an ale factory that produces one of Irelands famous ale and inside you'll get a tour and know how of the production process of this ale and the facilities where it is made. Also at the end you'll get a taste of the Smithwik's pint so you can enjoy all the knowledge you got through the tour.

Finally my last recommendation about Kilkenny is where to eat. This was an easy choice for us as most of us where Portuguese in the group and we heard wonderful things about this Portuguese restaurant in town. It is called the Algarve Grill and whatever you hear about this place... it is even better!! That was the main reason why we didn't had the time to visit everything in Kilkenny as we spent a lot of time in this restaurant where the food was simply delicious, the staff amazingly friendly and the prices very appealing. In there you can try the typical Portuguese cuisine from starters to deserts. Definitely worth a visit.

You can also try one of the traditional pubs where you can try typical Irish food and live music. One of the best places i was recommended to is the Tynan's Bridge House Bar just close to the River Nore.

So in conclusion what you should do and visit in Kilkenny is:

What to visit:

• St. Canice's Cathedral
• Kilkenny Castle
• Jerpoint Abbey
• St. Mary's Cathedral
• Church of St. John Evangelist

Where to eat:

• Algarve Grill Portuguese Restaurant
• Tynan's Bridge House Bar

How to get there:

• BusEirann Expressway
• JJ Kavanagh and Sons Bus
• Train Services from Dublin

Kilkenny is a wonderful town, full of people and an amazing medieval spirit surrounding it. It will definitely leave you surprised and marveled. If you are spending some time in Ireland this is a place where i strongly advise to visit.

Leave you with some more photos of my trip, hope you like it.

See you next time!!

Mahora, Spain

Mahora is a small village in Spain, in the province of Albacete which has aproximatly 1.400 habitants.

It's a lovely place in the country side with marvelous people, delicious food and great festivals.

I went there in August, time in which they celebrate their Saint, and i was able to see all the festivities and all the tradition of this people.

Everyone knows everyone in this village and when there are people from outside, they love to recieve well and show every corner of their village, where to eat good, where to stay, what to do and where to party. 

During these festivities, which lasts for an entire week, other than the religious activities, they have a parade, which goes around the village, usually with the young people participating in it. They also have a very particular activitie during the night, every night at 2.30 in the morning they release the fire bull which is nothing less than a man carrying a structure similar to a bull's head, in which are placed several fireworks. So the man goes through the streets runing after people, with no fixed trajectory, and everyone runs from him not to get "burned" until the fireworks run out.

It is very intense as everyone goes there to see it, from young people to the elder ones.

One of the days they also organize the Grand Prix, which joins several teams and puts them to the test in some sports and intelectual games. It is really funny to see as it usually ends up in people falling or making funny gestures, allways in a safe mode.

Music and kids activities are allways present with the tents on the streets selling typical products, inflatables and trampolines, bumper cars, concerts and so on. There is also a disco "Los Jardines" where you can continue partying all night long.

The architecture is beautifull and the landscapes of the countryside are amazing. If you love photography it is a very nice place to take some great pictures. There is the river nearby with some rapids and a "hidden" pathway which is abandoned but you can still manage to get there. It is great to explore and to be in contact with nature, also in the middle there is a water spring with the natural water flowing where you can enjoy a refreshing sip and recharge batteries for the way.

There is also a huge abandoned bridge built for the train to pass in the old times. 

 Food is delicious in Mahora. Naturally, as they are in the country side, it is based on animal stuff such as Pig ear or fried tail, prawns on the plate, potatoes with special sauce, barbecue meat and so on. It is very cheap as well as it is not a very well known touristic place, so you can eat until you are stuffed full and pay as little as 10 euros or so. One of the best places i've eaten was in the restaurant ABEYRA, close to the swimming pool and the footbal field.

To get to Mahora the best way is to rent a car. You can fly either to Alicante, Murcia or Valencia which are more or less between 130km and 200km from Mahora, but in the airport the best thing to do is to rent a car. In Spain the rent a cars are quite cheap and you can enjoy the trip through the country side and make some stops to taste the spanish food along the way. 

Other option is to take a bus or train from Valencia to Albacete and then local bus to Mahora. That would take you a little bit more time but also a nice way to know the surroundings.

There are places to stay in Mahora, there is the Hotel Cervantes which has an 8,3 classification in Booking and the Maxi Pension. Also there is the "La Casona de Mahora" which is kind of a guest house but quite new and very comfortable as it looks by the images in the web.

I'll leave you with some more of my photos, hope you like it and brings your desires to visit this amazing place.

See you later.

Adios!!

Cernache do Bom Jardim, Portugal

Cernache do Bom Jardim, a wonderfull place located in the interior of Portugal close to Castelo Branco that can match the paradisiac islands of the pacific or the quiet lakes of America.

In there, you can do everything, from boatrips in the lake, kayaking, sunbathing, nightlife, relax and eat great food for great prices.

I've went with two friends and we only spent three days there but trust me, it is definitly worth to stay longer. 

Cernache do Bom Jardim is located close to Zêzere river and between two dams, so the waters are very calm, warm and full of things to do.

It is great for kids, familys, romantic trips, relaxing ones or even for adventurous people. You'll never get bored there. 

The climate is good in the summer, it is the best time to visit as the winters are a little bit harsh on this side, very cold and you cannot enjoy anything from the river. But during the summer, temperatures can go up to 30 something and it is very cool to wake up in the morning and feel the sun on your face toghether with the smell of the river and it's surroundings.

The locals are the most wonderful people, they will recieve you with open arms and show you everything, give you the best tips about the region, where to go, what to see, where to eat etc.

The region is marvelous as well, lots of small villages around the river with a special word for Dornes, a typical village where people go and don't wanna leave anymore. It was also where a portuguese movie was filmed, based on the village and portuguese typicall things.

This is a region that was once dominated by the Templar Knights, very close to Tomar, one of the main Templar "bases", and so full of Templar trace elements such as the 6 side templar tower in Dornes village. If you like history, specially Templar history, this is a place to visit!

We got luky because when we went to visit Cernache do Bom Jardim, there was a food festival, more specifically a snail festival. There were all types of snails, a huge amount of recipes, delicious wines and dishes. And there are throught the year severall of this festivals, such as the beer mug festival, where you can buy a local beer mug and enjoy yourself through the day/night.

To get there it is not easy, the best thing to do is to fly either to Lisbon or Porto and rent a car. The trip there is wonderful through the mountains and the pinewoods. If you canot rent a car you can allways take a train or bus to Entroncamento, Sertã or Castelo Branco and from there try to get a connection to Cernache do Bom Jardim, but i think it will cost you a little bit more.

But this is a wonderfull place, definitly worth a visit, everyone will love it!! Either with friends, familly or in a romantic trip, you will not regret it!!

I'll leave you with some more of my photos, hope it will give you the feelings to go and visit.

See you next time bye!

Até á próxima, adeus!