The Only Wedding Guest

Kenya Samburu Woman

First of Many Extraordinary Experiences 

I arrived in Kenya in 2007 to spend a month working in a children's home in Mombasa. In my first week I had an extraordinary experience - and one of many of my time in that amazing country.
I arrived in Nairobi alone and had to make a connecting flight to Mombasa. While collecting my luggage I happened to recognise an accent from my home country. Naturally so far from home I was surprised and curious. I asked the couple why they were visiting Mombasa and they replied that they were getting married there the following week. I congratulated them naturally and asked where they were staying. Their hotel was on a strip of fancy hotels some miles outside the city. We exchanged some details and I promised to drop over to see them on their wedding day if possible.

Working at the Children's Home 

Monday morning saw me start work with the children at the wonderful 'Tumaini Children's Home' in Bamburi to the north of the city. The children have all been affected by HIV - either family members or are ill themselves. Many have been orphaned and in spite of the difficulties it is a very happy place. Sometimes visitors arrive to see the home and the wonderful work being done by the founder Joan Smith.On this particular Monday a group arrived and lo and behold my wedding couple were among them. I took this as a sign that I really must go to their wedding and made sure that I had all the details to hand. I was really looking forward to it.

The day arrived and I finished work. I set off  in the evening and got a Matatu - a small public minibus as far as I could go towards the hotel. As darkness fell and the bus went into the dark African countryside, the only visible signs of life were the campfires around which groups of people huddled for light and heat. It struck me for the first time in my life what it must be like not to have access to electricity. Even in the most impoverished countries I had visited, there was always the occasional street light and TV set but this was very different.

Complete Darkness 

The Matatu finally reached the stop where I was told to get off. I stepped out into complete darkness. The driver had pointed me towards a darkened building across the road so I walked towards it. A man appeared, and I found myself at a TukTuk stop - these are motorised 3 wheeled vehicles commonly used in Asia as taxis. The man told me he could take me to the hotel - I was quite relieved. Then I realised that I would have to share the tiny vehicle with 7 men. My heart skipped a beat but had to trust that this would ok so we headed off into the dark. 

I guessed I had nothing to lose so I began to talk to the man beside me and it turned out he and the rest were a group of acrobats heading to the hotel to do a show. Ten minutes later we arrived at the luxury hotel where my new friends were staying. The relief was terrific and I vowed not to take public transport alone at night again. 

Just the Bride,  the Groom and Me!

Inside the hotel the Bridal table was beautifully decorated with ribbons and flowers - for two people! I ordered a bottle of champagne and the waiter found a third chair and I sat with the bride and groom thinking this day is turning into quite a bizarre event! I promised my friends that I wouldn't stay long as it was their wedding day after all - but they would not hear of me leaving and insisted I share the evening with them! I must say we had a terrific evening and share many hilarious stories of our adventures. Later we went to watch the acrobats perform. Needless to say I got the hotel to order me a taxi back to Mombasa!

Happy Faces at Tumaini Children's Home

Fun in a Box

Cool Sounds

At the Beach

OOps!

Must See Berlin

Must See Berlin 

The German Bundestag now sits in the former Reichstag Building - from 1961 - 1989 it was located  inside East Berlin.

No visit to Berlin is complete without a visit to the Brandenberg Gate. The beautiful structure stands on the Pariser Platz near the Reichstag Building. It dates from 1790 and is situated just feet from where the Berlin Wall once stood.  Built in the 1790's the gate stands in front of the Pariser Platz just metres from the Brandenberg Gate. Close by the Hollocaust Memorial site is a chilling reminder of Berlin's traumatic past.

Only one building remains intact from the remnants  of the Third Reaich, the former Luftwffe HQ is now a government tax office. A museum stands on the site of the SS and Gestapo HQ a tribute to the millions who perished.

Hallocaust Memorial

Brandenberg Gate

Victory Column 

Multi coloured Trabants a tourist attraction 

Wall Art

  

360 degree view of Berlin from top of Reichstag Building Dome

Of course Berlin is not only famous for its history which is both fascinating and bloody, but in recent times the Berlin Wall dominated the city in more ways than one.

The carving up of Germany after the war, meant the emergence of two distinct cultures. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Berlin where in 1989 when the Wall was torn down, the two cultures have merged to form an unusual and unique style all of its own.

The city is considered one of the cheapest city in Germany to live and while rents may be quite high - the price of food and entertainment is great value. The number and variation of restaurants is excellent and a search for a coffee shop never seems to take more that two minutes! Try the delicious Gluhwein (mulled wine) and Currywurst  (curried sausage) to warm up when the weather gets chilly.

Many of the city's sites are free to visit, for example the Hollocaust Memorial to the Murdered Jews of  Europe and the Reichstag Building. Advance reservation is recommended and well worth checking out - book  here at Reichstag Building.

There are also Free Walking Tours which are a wonderful way of finding out the city's history and places of interest - just give the guide a well earned  tip when you finish.

Would I go back? Definitely!

Moving to Germany.

Germany - why did I wait so long? 

Germany was a country on my 'to do' list for many years. It was no more than a few hours away by plane but the opportunity just hadn't happened until now.
That all changed in the Autumn of 2014 when following several wonderful house/pet sitting in Ireland I spotted an opportunity to spend 3 months in the beautiful Mosel region of Germany. I applied not knowing what to expect as the couple had many applicants, but following a chat on Skype I was invited - happy days!!

The Big Move

I was already planning on moving out of my house, but with Christmas looming things got quite hectic! Finally on 10th January I set off in my trusty Peugeot and got the ferry from Dublin Port. The ferry crossing was 20 hours and with a fairly stormy sea we rocked and rolled our way to Cherbourg. Now it was just the three of us - me, my trusty 207 and Gertie the GPS....
After a short stop in Bayeux the first night was spent in the small town of Dreux. The next day a steady pace took us to Luxembourg. A good meal, sleep and early start took us to our destination at Liersburg a small village ten minutes from the Roman town of Trier.

A Very Special Welcome in Germany

My hosts were incredible and made me feel like quite the VIP. They showed me around the area and where I could find all my essentials. They even took me on a tour of the city and introduced me to their friends and family. The first month was spent familiarising myself with getting around and visiting different places. I felt quite at home already....

Cologne, Koblenz and Frankfurt

An interesting opportunity arose when a very good friend of mine from New York decided she would like to trace her German roots. The road network in Germany is excellent and well signposted so navigating is not too difficult. I took the road to meet her in Mainz  which has quite an interesting Roman history and is just a half hour away from Frankfurt.  To the east of Mainz, Frankfurt is more of a business city but also contains some very nice architecture.

Tracing German Roots

We found the town of Florsheim not far from Frankfurt and spent a relaxing afternoon in the village exploring it. We found the house where my friend's great grandfather had set off for the United States as a 17 year old boy in the 1870's which was quite an emotional experience. 

The carnival of Cologne (Koln) was taking place so off we went for a weekend to see the traditional party antics of hundreds of people dressed up in the weirdest and most wonderful of costumes. Stepping out of the large train station of Cologne to face the magnificence of the world famous Gothic Cologne Cathedral is truly a memorable sight. Cologne has a really cool party atmosphere

On to Koblenz where it is possible to view both the Moselle and Rhine Rivers at the same time. This beautiful 2000 year old city is the meeting point for these mighty rivers and is nicknamed Germany's most beautiful corner.On the way back was a stop at the picturesque Cochem with its pretty medieval buildings. 

Traben Trarbach was also on our list and we spent a lovely afternoon in the picturesque town. Unfortunately after making the drive to see the huge Buddhist Museum it was closed. I made a mental note to research better next time! 

Trier's Roman remains are very well preserved and it holds the title of Germany's oldest city.

 

The Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady Trier

The Roman Porta Negra in Trier - Still majestic after 2000 years.

One of  Trier's 17th century Artisan Dwellings

Cologne Cathedral breath taking at over 500 ft  

Entertaining passers by at Cologne

Carnival in Cologne - Party Time!

Two of Germany's great rivers Rhine and Moselle converge at Koblenz