Journey from Manchester, England to Girona, Spain through Leeds Bradford Airport

Destination: Leeds Train Station
Date: 1 January 2010

It was Christmas break that hubby and I planned to go for our next Europe travel mission, as well as to escape from the crazy cold of the white blanket throughout England and also to celebrate our second wedding anniversary! :) Spain here we come!

Why we choose Spain? Simple! It's because we found cheap return flight tickets by ryanair.com! Before buying the flight tickets, we did some quick research on the internet about going to Spain, the places and things related. After considering all the budgets, time and everything, lastly we made our decision to go for our second Europe travel mission! But this time we plan to travel more like the backpackers! I will explain more about the price and everything when it comes to the point. Keep reading! Ha..ha.. ;)

Early in the morning of 1 January 2010, we both walked to the Crumpsall Tram Station, hoping to spend £2.00 per person to go to Piccadilly. Unfortunately the tram only starts at 9.00a.m. on New Year! So we were rushing to catch a taxi in a very quiet morning at Crumpsall area, Cheetham Hill. Luckily we managed to get one and arrived at Piccadilly Train Station on time. Huh... Moral of the story, do not forget to check public transportation schedule time especially during public holiday! Instead of paying £4.00 for the tram, we had to pay £10.00 for the taxi. Huhu~

A friend told us to consider parking at the Leeds Airport as it could be cheaper. Anyhow after calculating it we found that it is cheaper or almost the same price to travel to Leeds Airport by train and then take a bus. This is because we were going to Spain for six days. The car parking rates for six days are between £31.00 - £50.00 and hubby said it could be tiring to drive. You can compare the parking rates near Leeds Airport from Airport Parking Shop website. So, we bought two return train tickets from Virgin Trains at £24.00.

Once reach Piccadilly Train Station, hubby asked me to look for the train platform number while he went to get the printed tickets. The printed tickets were very confusing us as there were nine printed tickets. So you have to look very carefully which one is to be used. For me the best way is to ask at the information counter or go to your right platform and ask any of the train officers you could find ;) Once we managed to get into the train, in less then 5 minutes the train was already make a move. The journey to Leeds was about 1 hour, where we arrived at Leeds Train Station around 9.30a.m.

Leeds Train Station

Then we were looking around to find the bus stand S7 which is the Metro Leeds bus interchange to Leeds Airport. You can find it on the left side, after you exit the main entrance of the Leeds Train Station. It is very near, just few seconds to reach the bus stand.

Metro Leeds Bus Station Interchange, Stand S7.

It is easy to know the time for the next bus coming to the stand, as you can see in the above photo. Our bus to Leeds Airport would arrive at 10.07a.m. Before seeing the electronic board showing the bus arrival time, we were reading the bus schedule on the left board for few times until we realized that there was an electronic board showing it! Ha.. ha.. ;P We bought the bus tickets on the bus at £2.50 per adult and the journey took about 30-40 minutes.

Once arrived at the Leeds Airport, we went to the check-in counter to weight our bags! Less than 10kg! Yee hee! If you have baggage to check-in, you'd better book online as it is cheaper but for us it is no no no way! He.. he.. We were traveling on budget and trying to reduce everything possible! ;) Please note that you can bring along one cabin bag only. Your bag should not be bigger than 55 x 40 x 20cm and 10kg is the maximum weight. Anyhow we saw someone brought a big luggage bag which I guess bigger than that size. No idea! Maybe it was his lucky day ;) Even we had check-in online, but as Non EU/EEA passengers, we must go to the airport bag drop/visa check desk before going through security. This is because they want to check for validity on our travel document/visa.  In additional, the bag drop desk close strictly 40 minutes before the scheduled flight departure time and passengers should be at the boarding gate at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure.

After that, hubby took a picture of me around that area and suddenly a female officer or staff (we didn't know as she never introduces herself) came to tell us that no camera is allowed. So we just apologized for it and thinking that maybe we could take some photos at outside the airport. Guess what again she came and wanted to see the photos that we already took. According to her it is in the security policy that no camera is allowed at all, even outside the airport. What a very ridiculous policy? There were lots of people were taking photos outside the airport and it just that she didn't see it! Even there were no sign at all saying no camera is allowed until we went to the security check area.  There only we started to see the sign. Whatever!

Early December 2009 we bought the flight tickets from ryanair.com at only £28.00 for 2 return tickets Leeds-Girona, Spain-Leeds. Let me break down the price for 2 adults.

Leeds (LBA) to Girona (Barcelona) (GRO) = 4.00 GBP
Girona (Barcelona) (GRO) to Leeds (LBA) = 4.00 GBP
4 x (Free Web Check in) = 0.00 GBP
Debit Card = 10.00 GBP
Debit Card = 10.00 GBP

Total Payment Amount Excluding handling fee = 28.00 GBP

Hey you know what, if you have card with Visa Electron, ryanair.com won't charge the £10.00. Like us, we paid using Lloyds TSB debit card, so they charged extra £20.00 for our return tickets. Also don't forget that if you buy ryanair flight ticket online, you must check-in online 15 days before the departure date and the printed boarding passes must be brought to the airport!

Since we arrived at the airport early, so we just took our time to enjoy our fried rice which I cooked from home! ;)

Later, we make a move to the security check. It was our first time being asked to open our shoes at the security check. Ha..ha.. Well everybody had to. Besides that our jacket or coat also must be opened and put into the scanning machine. Moreover, we had to show our toiletries bag and it should be kept in a clear visible bag! All bottles cannot be more than 100ml. There was one passenger whose her shampoo was being asked to throw away or to be put in the hold of the aircraft for a fee about £35.00.  So if you are unsure, just check at the bag drop desk before going through security.

Once last call has been made, we went to line up for boarding. Let's go to Spain!

Going to fly with Ryanair for the first time!

View from the plane where we almost reach Girona, Spain.

Girona - Costa Brava Airport

The immigration at Girona - Costa Brava Airport just asked for our passports and wanted to see our return tickets. That's all and you can start practice to say Hola, which we can hear the local people pronounce it like "O-la" when meeting people. :)

Then we were searching for the bus station at the airport to go to Girona City by asking at the information counter. Once you exit the airport just turn right and walk straight until you see the bus station right in front of you. It is not very far, I guess just about 100 meter. The bus ticket can be purchased at the counter near the bus station. We paid 2.50 per person for the bus ticket.

View of Girona - Costa Brava Airport from the bus station.

Stay tune until my next post! I will share more about our journey and holiday in Girona City as well as Barcelona!!!

First Snow Fall in Manchester, December 2009

Location: Crumpsall, Manchester, England.
Date: 17 December 2009

This is our fourth months in Manchester. We've been told by many friends and specially Malaysians in Manchester that this place usually doesn't snow. Except in last February 2009, there was thin coating of snow that last for about one day.

Today lots of friends from other parts of England put their Facebook's status with "snowing".  Suddenly hubby looked out from the window and saw snow falls at our place! We were both very excited and went out to the Crumpsall Park near our house to play in the snow ;)

Today is our first day playing in snow together, as hubby was once played in Scotland when he was around 4 years old.

So here are some photos to enjoy!

Snow falls on the plants

Me carving our names. He.. he..

Arif Loves Tika in Manchester 2009

Hubby trying to make snow ball

Me in the snow falls

Wicklow Mountain Tour

Destination: Wicklow, Ireland.
Date: 30 October 2009 (Friday)

Here it comes our second day in Ireland! This tour took us through the scenic route out of Dubliln through the Wicklow Gap and the Blessington Lakes. Unfortunately the weather was not very good as it was a rainy day. Anyhow most passangers on the bus wanted to take a look at the view point.

Sorry I do not have the Wicklow gap photo due to the rain :(

Next, the tour brought us to Glendalough “Valley of the Two Lakes”. This place is a fascinating monastic settlement in a very beautiful natural setting. According to our tour guide, the monastery was founded by St. Kevin who was a hermit monk that died about 618 AD.

Let's look around at this interesting place! Anyhow we did not walked to the lake as it was raining all day long.

Following the tour guide.

St. Kevin Chapel

The Bell Tower has 4 windows, one facing each direction. They were used for storage, but also for refuge during time of attack.

Stream at Glendalough

What a very green setting!

I just love to see these Autumn golden leaves

The tour continued to the pretty village of Avoca. Whereby it has a reputed Ireland's oldest surviving business, known as Avoca Handweavers.

Above is the shop whereby you can buy souvenirs.

Located above the shop, you can buy their products, but I guess they are quite expensive, anyhow for those who go for the quality, they might be worth to buy.

Our lunch! :)

The tour guide recommended to try Ireland local food here at the Avoca Handweavers Restaurant. So we had Quiche (€12.95), the set which included some broccolies, potatoes and egg with cheese. Besides that we tried the Avoca bread and soup (€5.55) and Hot Chocolate (€3.50).  I guess the food was quite expensive as there were nothing special regarding the taste. They are just ordinary taste which serve in many restaurants.

Once we were full enough, we enjoyed the mill tour! Inside, you can see how they weave the knitwears using both the tradisional and also modern weave machine :)

For more information about where we stayed and more interesting places we visited in Dublin, please refer to my two posts before this. Enjoy! :)

Dublin City Sightseeing Tour

Destination: Dublin City, Ireland.
Date: 29 October 2009 (Thursday)

As promised in my previous post, now is the time for me to share about Dublin City sightseeing tour!

Early in the morning I made some breakfast and brought some in our backpack for lunch. Just some simple sandwiches which the ingredients were bought from the Tesco Express nearby.  While I was preparing the breakfast, hubby bought the Dublin City sightseeing tour ticket online at City Sightseeing. We got 10% discount to buy the tickets online!

Around 9.00a.m. we were already got onto the hop on hop off bus.The first bus or the start point was at 14 Upper O'Connell Street, outside Dublin Tourism Office. As it was just in front of our hotel building, we could just walked there slowly.

Statue of James Larkin, the labour leader at the O'Connell Street, Dublin.

O'Connell Bridge at Liffey River, Dublin City.

Grafton Street.

On the right of the Grafton Street, there is the Molly Malone statue. Molly Malone is a tale of a beautiful fishmonger, who was a part-time hussy also.

 

Molly Malone statue.

As you can see in the above picture, the windows are getting smaller on the top. According to our bus tour guide, it is because they wanted to make the building looks higher and the second reason is to reduce the window tax.

Cycle track signboard in Ireland.

Most of the signboard in Ireland were translated into two languages, English and Gaeilge.

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Above picture is the Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. Here is where the Anglo-Norman adventurer who conquered Dublin and married Aoife, daughter of the King of Leinster, was buried.

In Dublin, you can always rent a bicycle, but I am not very sure about the price rate.

Later on we hopped off the bus and walked to Saint Stephen's Green, one of the oldest public parks in Ireland. We wished to capture some autumn pictures in Dublin. Below are some of the pictures taken.

Hubby and I at Saint Stephen's Green Park, Dublin, Ireland.

Resting at the park while enjoying the golden view of the park in autumn.

Above picture is the state drawing room, which was the principal reception room inside the Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle only provides guided tour and students get cheaper price by showing the student ID card! It is so interesting to know the history of Dublin Castle. I won't tell, you should visit yourself! He... he... :)

Powder Tower at Dublin Castle.

Guinness Storehouse.

We visited the Guinness Storehouse at St. James's Gate, Dublin as it is Ireland’s number one international visitors attraction. The entrance fee was quite expensive for us even though we got some discount from the Dublin City sightseeing tickets. For more information about Guinness Storehouse, visit this website.

The Guinness brewery was founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. In 1759 Arthur signed a 9000 year lease for a site at St. James's Gate with access to the city watercourse. Can you count when will the lease end? :)

Inside the storehouse there is a tasting lab, where visitors can sample the finished product but as we are Muslims we couldn't taste it. We visited this place just to gain some knowledge. Besides learning the process of producing Guinness, visitors can also watch visuals about the making of barrels, the tradisional made of wooden staves enclosed by metal hoops.

On top ot the storehouse, there is the Gravity Bar, that have the unique 360° view of Dublin City and beyond. Here all visitors can enjoy a complimentary pint of Guiness. Again it was not for us as we are Muslims, so we just had two glasses of Coke! :)

Some of Irish souvenirs at Carrolls.

We found that Carrolls Irish Gift Shop is the best place to buy Irish souvenirs. Most of the souvenirs are cheaper than other places! In fact there are few Carrolls Irish Gift Shops in Dublin. For more information, visit their website.

Ireland is very famous with the step dance or people just call it Irish dancing. There are few places where you can watch the Irish dancing but you have to pay for the show. As for me and my hubby, our budget was quite tight, so we went to Arlington Hotel and watched free Irish dancing show. We only paid for the drinks and able to watch live Irish dancing show for about 30 minutes. If you want to enjoy a night of unforgettable Irish hospitality and food while watching the traditional entertainment, you may book the three course menu dinner at €29.95 per person.

Arlington Hotel.

As we came early to Arlinghon Hotel, we enjoyed listening to the above live band, while waiting for the Irish dancing show to start, located at lower ground of this hotel.

 

Irish dancing show at Arlington Hotel.

I really enjoyed watching the Irish dancing and listening to their traditional music. It made me felt like being in a fairy world :)

Once the show was over, hubby and I walked to the Temple Bar area. It was a quite happening night there as there were many street shows. Some more that night was Halloween, so many people were dressing in different costumes.

Part of the Temple Bar area.

Below are some of the street shows at the Temple Bar area.

 

Spire or Spike at O'connell Street, Dublin.

Before went back to our room at the Lynam's Hotel, we took some pictures at the Spire which is 120m tall, making it the tallest structure in Dublin City centre. Locally known as Spike, located at O'Connell Street, Dublin, which is also in front of our hotel. To know more about our hotel, please read the previous post! :)

We saw a machine which people can buy stamps, 24 hours a day! What a very convenience way to buy stamps. Hopefully Malaysia will have one like this :)

The whole day was a great tour but we felt that it was not enough time to visit the whole Dublin City in a day. Some more in autumn it gets dark early which is around 5.30p.m.

In my next post, I will share about our experiences during the Wicklow Tour! :)