Charli
Great description!
The camera thing is a bit of a bind. I have a good SLR camera, which is not small, but takes great photos, and has been everywhere with me. But...it's heavy, awkward. One of those little pocket cameras seem a wonderful idea, but a)more money spent; and b) what about photo quality?
Thoughts???
Perhaps this should be another thread. I might do that later
Anyone done Ireland by train?
hi mickey: go to
www.buseireann.ie and you get a good presentation of irish busservice(of course not the same as going by train, but seems to provide good service). enjoy a nice frothy guinness. hbg
CAMERA AND IRELAND BY RAIL
Ah, "the camera thing." Agreed, it is more money spent. I have a Konica, about $165 when I bought it. Also, a Canon, around $80. They take great slides. Of course, the Konica is better than the Canon. The glossies are pretty good quality, too. Naturally, neither compares with the FT2 NIKKORMAT - $650 when I bought it a few years ago. It was just that traveling alone - no tour, no companions - playing "guard dog" became wearisome after the novelty wore off. Expensive cameras that are easily noticed are too big an "attraction." For any of the above prices - and probably less - you could buy better quality cameras today. It doesn't hurt to look at what's out there. Then, you can see if anything fits your needs and budget. I really did like being able to drop either the Konica or the Canon in that shirt pocket. Out of sight, out of those inquisitive minds with acquisitive hands. And, I got a lot of pretty good quality photos to boot.
Mikey - A few years a go I traveled by train across Northern Ireland, Belfast to Donegal. Then, to Sligo and on to Dublin. At that point I picked up a car and drove down across the "bottom" and on to Shannon. I loved the train! Great scenery! Other years I did some train travel in Spain. You can check all the itineraries on line or in the travel books. Go! Enjoy! Have fun!!! 
thanks margo, hamburger and charlie...
on a map of rail lines i found online it looks like you can catch a train going north, south, east and west (sort of), and take a short busride to wherever from the train stations along the way. chances are i won't remember where i was anyway...
absolutely NO bus tours margo !!!! i think i can find a good pint without any help.
i'd like to stay in pretty much one area on the west coast, like galway, aran islands, roscommon. i have to try to take advantage of the promises of 'free lodging'. the smaller and quieter the town the better. maybe a few side trips to dublin, limerick, cork. we'll see when i get there. it looks small on the map and easy to get around but i'm sure it's deceiving. northern ireland is not part of the plan tho.
the list keeps getting longer and longer.
Mikey
I reckon you could do it. Especially if you have friends / contacts who could take you to some of the out-of-the-way places, off bus and train routes, in their area.
Even if you don't see things, just being there is great.
On TV last night, there was a programme about the the early history of Ireland, and what we could learn from the archeologists. The whole show was just fascinating. They went to the Aran Islands and discussed the development of the forts, and the life of those inhabitants, who were probably pirates. I've been to Inishmore only, on a day trip, and I'd love to see more... I think life is pretty hard on those wind blown, stark islands.
Easy to get there from Galway. Bus to Rosnaveal, and then fly or boat to the islands.
Mikey,
Here's a website from a guy who usually has very good and up-to-date information. I've always liked his simplified maps.
http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/ireland.htm
Charli, I'll be taking that same train ride in May, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be taking some pictures of the adventure.
c.i.
Pack me in your suitcase!
c.i. - You're gonna love Peru and the Peruvians! Wonderful people. Very tranquil. Take more film than you think that you might need: As you no doubt know, you can buy plenty of film in other countries that says Kodak , etc., but for the most part it's not the same quality as what's made here. At least that's been my experience.
Wish I could go. I'm green, green, green! So, you'll come back and tell us about it. Have a great trip! We'll be talking before you leave. Charli [/color]
Charli, Since I'm also going to the Galapagos Islands on a seven day cruise, I'm taking about fifty rolls of film and my digital with over 200 megs of memory. That should be enough - I hope.
c.i.
I took 37 rolls for my first African safari, and it was just barely enough, but I also had my digital plus camcorder. I must've looked like an octopus to all the other tourists.
c.i.
