About three years ago we had the fortune of making a stop in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, and we’ve been here ever since. The City of Tribes, as it is also known from when the place was ruled by 14 wealthy merchant families, couldn’t have a more appropriate name to describe it today. It has the absolute best of the Irish charm, coupled with a multicultural atmosphere which gives it the perfect easygoing mix.
With slightly more than 70,000 inhabitants, Galway is the third biggest city in the Republic of Ireland. It has the friendly feel of a countryside town, but is also a vibrant place where there is always something going on. And when the summer arrives...well it seems to draw the energy from the sun and spread inspiration through the town. And with those long summer days come countless gigs and festivals. It’s not without reason that Galway also carries the nickname of Ireland's Cultural Heart.
During the Little Havana Festival, we were walking down lively Shop Street and we couldn’t help commenting on how lucky we were to be in that very place, right at that moment. It was like a carnival on the streets, but more than that. The whole buzz enveloped us, immersing the followers from all tribes as we marched down the alleys and lanes.
We don’t know how much longer we’ll be in Galway, after all we are on the Road to Anywhere, and we never know where the next turn leads. But right now we sure are happy to be here.
Watch our new video for a taste of the Little Havana Festival, one of the first of this season.
If you have the chance, you should definitely come to Galway and check out one of the many festivals. Here are a few of the big ones: Galway Arts Festival - Jul 12 to 25http://www.galwayartsfestival.comGalway Races - Jul 26 to Aug 1http://www.galwayraces.comGalway Film Fleadh - Jul 6 to 11http://www.galwayfilmfleadh.comThe Galway Hooker Festival - Aug 20 to 22http://is.gd/cRYMxGalway International Oyster Festival – Sep 24 to 26http://www.galwayoysterfest.com
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cuba,
English,
Galway,
Ireland,
Little Havana Festival,
salsa,
summer
Sorry for the delay in getting this on the blog, you wouldn't believe how busy we've been since we arrived. In fact, we are still so busy with tasks, interviews, filming, editing and watching the clock that we don't even have time to tell you more!
Enjoy the story so far, off for dinner/cocktails now, then hopefully some sleep before the BIG day tomorrow!
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Ballinacurra House,
English,
Ireland,
Kinsale,
video
Have a look behind the scenes at this cheerful, intimate restaurant in Kinsale, Co. Cork. Meet head chef and owner, Olivier Queva...
Posted in
Cork,
English,
Ireland,
Kinsale,
Max's Restaurant and Wine Bar review,
video
If you ever wondered why a couple from South Africa and Brazil would settle in Ireland, this video produced by Dave should explain it all.
Posted in
Connemara,
Donegal,
English,
Ireland,
Kerry,
Scenic,
video,
Wicklow
Many people who watched our video, apart from saying how impressed they were with the beauty of Ireland (and our acting skills – hmmm, not quite), asked us about the cute dog that was following us everywhere. The real celebrity of the video!! Even newspapers have mentioned her.So, here we are to properly introduce you to Jessica.The first time we met Jess was about 3 years ago, when we moved to a new house in Galway. It was love at first sight!! Both of us, apart from all the passions you already know we have (travelling, filming, writing, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and so on), love animals - dogs especially. Everywhere we go they seem to follow us. And with Jess, it wasn’t any different. Apart from speaking “Doggish”, Jess communicates very well in English and Polish...do not dare to say the word “spacerek” (go for a walk in Polish) if you don’t mean it. At the moment she is trying to learn Portuguese, but is finding it a difficult language, especially the “ão” at the end of the words. Jess is supposed to know her farm duties well, after all she is known as a sheep dog here in Ireland....but she doesn’t like to work. She just likes the good life. Jess is actually quite scared of sheep, horses and cows. The couch-sleeping, TV-watching, spoiled Jess – what would your ancestors think of you Jess??We moved out of John’s house (Jess’ owner), less than a year ago. We have to say it wasn’t easy ...but we did need more space. We are still very close to him, and of course to Jess – this is a love for life... We always try to drop by to take her out for an adventure. She loves the beach, the lakes and forests. Those are her favourites.But Jess is also very popular – she has many, many friends, and loves making new ones (when the people from TV Globo came to Ireland to do the story with us, Jess wanted to go to London with them – she is a real media hog). So sometimes she might have her agenda fully booked for months.We often babysit her as well, which is the biggest pleasure...and now that she has become a celebrity, we always need to make sure we have some very juicy bones to pay her wages. Jessica also has a preference for healthy food – she looks after her figure – and raw carrots can’t be missing from the menu.Jess, we love you! And don’t worry, even if we get the Ultimate Job, we will always come back to you...(she actually did tell us in a series of yips and yelps that she would miss us, but that it was ok. She understands this is our dream job!!)Here is a short video of Jess doing what she loves most at Barna forest in Galway.
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border collie,
dog,
English,
Ireland,
Jessica
Wow, only four days to the final and meeting everyone in Kinsale at Ballinacurra House. Time to tick all the boxes on what to do...and there is so much to do! Anyway, Dave & Dani’s Ultimate cocktails - tick! And we even got the approval of the people! Check out our video below, it was so much fun out there mixing away in the sunshine...we had a few good laughs.And if you dare to try and make one yourself, here are our recipes:
Dave & Dani’s Ultimate Love Potion
- Blended strawberries
- A shot of Baileys
- A shot of Amarula
- A shot of vodka
- Guarana powder
- A drop of coconut milk
- A drop of condensed milk
- Ice
Shake everything and serve in a long glass, with a strawberry for decoration!
Ultimate Job Energy Booster
- Brazilian coffee
- A shot of Baileys
- A shot of Amarula
- Guarana powder
- Ice
Shake everything, pour in a martini glass and add chocolate sprinkles!
Slainte, Cheers and Tin-tin!
Posted in
Cocktails,
English,
Galway,
Ireland,
Salthill,
video
Just back from our little break to tranquil County Clare. Nothing like a sunny camping trip with your friends to take the edge off things before the biggest weekend of our lives... enjoy the vid!
Posted in
Adventure,
Camping,
Clare,
English,
Ireland,
video
With only a week to go, the competition is getting more and more nervewracking. So we decided to take some time to do what we love and went exploring around Clare for the long weekend with our Irish housemates. As long as we live here, we'll never cease to be amazed by the scenery! Enjoy the pics, video to follow soon...
Posted in
Camping,
Clare,
English,
exploring,
Ireland
During a chat with an editor of a travel website, we received a valuable tip: writing about travel is an art, difficult to do well and all too easy to fall into mediocrity. And with this in mind, we try to produce the stories for our videos and written articles.
For this competition, apart from the video, we also had to write a piece of 200 words about our favourite place in Ireland. After all, this is the dream job, but it is still a job. And part of the work entails writing travel pieces for the Irish Times, a prestigious Irish newspaper co-sponsoring the competition along with main organisers.
The hardest part of this task was to choose our favourite place, since in Ireland there are no shortage of candidates for 'favourite' on our list!
Yet after much deliberation, we decided to write about our trip to Inis Oirr, one of the Aran Islands. After deciding on the location, the next problem was to summarise our thoughts into less than 200 words, on a place where you could easily write a book in a heartbeat.
For those who didn't have the chance to read the piece, here it is below:
As the dramatic landscape of the Cliffs of Moher slowly receded, the smallest and nearest of the Aran Islands revealed itself. Dolphins followed our ferry on the 45 minute journey to Inis Oirr, and watching them frolic off the bow, we knew we were about to discover an enchanting place. Inis Oirr's turquoise waters received us with the view of a small white beach. On the walls of our B&B, some old pictures caught our attention. Cows were being placed into currachs (small traditional boats), and hoisted onto a larger boat. Owner Peader explained to us that not long ago, that was how everything would arrive and leave Inis Oirr. It was with this sense of history that we rented bicycles and got lost in the maze of pristine stone walls that cover the four square mile island. Rounding a corner on our way to O'Brien's castle, a local pony trap driver jovially remarked 'look out, the traffic lights ahead are broken!' As we laughed, we understood that apart from the astonishing scenery, it was the 250 inhabitants, the preservation of their language and culture, their resilience and their bond with the ocean that makes Inis Oirr so unique.
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English,
Inis Oirr,
Ireland,
Irish Times,
travel competition
