My favourite place
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Wednesday June 09 2010
From Borneo to Berlin, Compass writers choose their favourite destinations.
My favourite place is Paris, France.
Now, before you all start calling me a beret-wearing baguette who is particularly enamoured with Thierry Henry, think about this for a second – France was the birth place of the modern world. The French may seem like they know it all, but that’s because they really do know best.
Paris is not the type of city that invites you in – no one will talk to you if you don’t speak French. It is a city that is there to be discovered. It is a city of love and a city of good wine – and cheap wine!
Perhaps it is this very reputation as the city of love, or perhaps it is that air of mystery, that invades the senses every time you walk down a Parisian walkway, beneath the Eiffel Tower, as the lights of Paris at night guide your way.
Just try to forget about Thierry Henry.
Conor Tobin
Contrary to prevailing opinion, Amsterdam is not all about the red light district and cannabis-selling ‘coffee shops’. Far from it, in fact.
Although it does boast its fair share of hookers and weed, Amsterdam’s real appeal lies elsewhere. The Dutch capital has a multitude of pleasures of the non-vice variety, not least its architecture.
With numerous canals snaking their way through the clean streets – all the while framed by the exquisite designs of the buildings – a summer’s stroll through Amsterdam’s streets ranks alongside that of any other major city.
Add to that the beautiful Rijksmuseum – home to numerous paintings from the Dutch Golden Age – and other sights such as the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank’s home, as well as the oldest stock exchange in the world, and Amsterdam reveals itself to be a city containing many pleasures, apart from the obvious.
So banish those preconceptions of Amsterdam as a place of sin and vice, and take a chance on the real side of the city.
Cormac Murtagh
London! I know it’s not exotic or sunny but I love it. I’ve been there three times and each time it gets better. The weather never seems to be as bad as Dublin, I find the people quite friendly, the shopping is to die for – two whole days spent in Topshop on Oxford Street and a suitcase with burst zips proves this.
The buses run on time, and the Tube can bring you anywhere you want to go in a fraction of the time you can get around a city like Dublin, which is half the size.
Being a history fanatic, I can’t get enough of London’s past. In the three times I’ve been there I still have not seen all the museums and exhibitions.
But it’s not just for people like me, it makes history accessible with shows such as London’s Underground covering everything from The Plague to Jack the Ripper.
Leah Jordan
Wicklow
So, my favourite place in the world.
I’ve been trying to rack my brain for a fitting answer and a fitting reason. Berlin, Dubrovnik, Boston, Rome. Rome was pretty special.
But I keep coming back home again – I’m a bit of a home-bird, I admit. Driving along the back roads of rural Wicklow on a seldom seen summer’s day is my favourite place in the world. I always feel unreasonably content there, scaling the mountains, or forging a path through the valleys and glens, with sunlight piercing in fits and bursts through trees covering roads older than us all.
I’m not a farmer’s son, or the pride of the parish, but I spent much of my childhood travelling along roads like these. So maybe it’s partly nostalgia. But the breadth and beauty of my county’s landscape never ceases to sur¬prise me. It’s stunning out there, but so easy to look past, because it’s right at your feet.
Fáilte Ireland should be paying me for this.
Andrew Cosgrave
Orlando
My favourite holiday destination has to be Orlando Florida. It is a holiday destination for everybody, I’ve been to Florida over 10 times I love I that much.
It is a 100 times better then New York for shopping and has an amazing night life. But the best part of going to Orlando has to be the theme parks, my favourite of which is Universal Studios.
Universal is the more adult of Orlando’s top theme parks, the rides are all movie based and are entirely driven by adrenaline.
Universal also offers an amazing night-life on their CityWalk which has so many clubs your spoiled for choice. There is over 20 night clubs which have no cover charge so you spend the whole night bar hopping.
I would definitely recommend Orlando to anyone who is looking for an amazing holiday, the best holidays I have ever had, have been in Orlando.
Aisling Murray
Milan
The busy city of Milan is ultimately every fashionistas’ shopping paradise. Here you can lose yourself amidst the streets of haute couture and vintage shops.
It’s my favourite place to escape and explore Italy’s interesting history and embrace its laidback lifestyle.
The city is home to mesmerising sights like the Duomo and Santa Maria Delle Grazie – where you can enjoy Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece ‘The Last Supper’.
There’s a fantastic array of activities to choose from in Milan, and Italian hospitality is very refreshing. It’s bliss to chill in a trendy café with a cappuccino after a long day of shopping and sightseeing.
The Italian food is always so fresh and tasty – my favourite dish is calzone (folded over pizza). There’s nothing better than relaxing in the evening, sipping a glass of vino and taking in the Milanese ambience!
Orna Ballout
My favourite place in the world is Strasbourg, France. Strasbourg is a city with the perfect blend of culture, food and drink, and nightlife. Located in the northeast of France, right on the border with Germany (which explains the visible mixture of French and German culture), it is one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been to.
There is so much to see and do. I never tired of walking around the beautiful historic city centre.
The climb to the top of the imposing Cathédrale de Notre-Dame was always worth the effort for the amazing views of the Vosges Mountains and Black Forest. Everyone who came to visit me enjoyed sampling traditional Alsatian food, like my personal favourite, the delicious pizza-like tarte flambée.
Strasbourg will always be a special place to me, so much so that I’ve been back numerous times since my year there. Take it from me, if you ever have the chance, go there!
Deirdre Gilhawley
Dingle
My favourite place in the world has been described as “the most beautiful place on earth”.
It has stunning sandy beaches and is home to a celebrity dolphin. Previous visitors include Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and John Wayne. Have you guessed it yet?
Having been to places as varied as the Bahamas and New Zealand, Dingle still reigns supreme in my holiday hit-list. When the sun shines in Kerry it is the most perfect place on the planet.
Dingle is a fishing town situated on the Dingle Peninsula – the most westerly point of Ireland, jutting out onto the Atlantic Ocean, providing breathtaking views. The town itself is a hub of activity during the summer months, boasting delightful restaurants and a lively pub scene. The people, the nightlife, the craic – all are unparalleled.
If you find yourself with a few days to spare this summer, make the journey south to Dingle. If it was good enough for Mr. Wayne...!
Gemma Kavanagh
New York
Whether you’re standing in Times Square or looking across the city from the top of the Empire State Building, you will never be bored in New York City.
Everything you’ve seen on TV or read about it is true. It really is the city that never sleeps. Times Square at 3am is the same as Times Square at 3pm.
For a city that has had a fearsome reputation in the past, it is now one of the safest in the US. Most people are incredibly friendly and they love the Irish over there.
Don’t Miss: Ground Zero. Not your average tourist destination but if you wander through the canyons around Wall Street, where the skyscrapers almost block out the light to the narrow streets below, and then emerge into this stunning open gash in the heart of the financial district, it is easier to understand what has happened in the world for the last nine years.
Peter Flanagan
Atlantic Ocean
My favourite place is the Atlantic Ocean. Specifically the Atlantic Ocean that hugs the south west coast of Ireland.
Some travel great distances to see real beauty, to find inner peace. Me, I can’t think of a more attractive proposition than being on a boat, with the Kerry, Cork or Clare coastlines on my right and vast swathes of unforgiving ocean to my left.
On a clear day you realise what spectacular landscape Ireland has, from the teenage awkwardness of the Burren’s potmarked texture, to the broad shoulders of the Kerry mountains as they proudly kiss the sky.
Even on a wild day, when soaring seas and howling winds conspire to relocate your heart upon your tongue, there’s a magnificence to this place.
The south west coast of Ireland is where land, sea and sky combine to remind you of your role in this universe; and that is why it is my favourite place.
Steven O'Rourke
Pamplona
If it’s banter you’re into, then the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain is a must. The town centre is awash with high-spirited peo¬ple dressed in the traditional attire of white trousers and shirt, red neckerchief and belt. If you’re not wearing these, then you’ll look out of place!
You’re outside on a cobbled, over-crowded street having a beer at 5am in the morning, when a local marching band come rumbling around the corner in your direction.
You’re thinking, “they can’t possibly get down this street”, but they proceed to plough through the multitudes, beating their drums and singing their songs regardless. It’s an experience to behold.
The climax of the night is when six huge bulls are released from a pen at 8am and run along a specially designated route through the town centre and into a large stadium where they are greeted with a huge cheer by thousands of spectators.
Rory Coen
Berlin
A country without smell is a country without soul. For example, Ireland smells of wet sods, you can’t go wrong. Funnily, the smell of bratwurst coming from the little kiosk in Alexanderplatz, in my mind, is the smell of 20th century history.
Berlin is a city where you can see an harmonious idea of contemporary architecture built on and around symbols and rubble of the Second World War and the Cold War. You can walk along the path of what used to be the Wall, an old scar that cuts the city in two, and end up in the East Side Gallery.
You can dip into history by visiting Checkpoint Charlie, or the Jüdisches Museum, and find yourself cast back into the future under the white vault of Potsdamerplatz.
If you have a passion for the 20th century, whether it’s art, music, theatre, architecture or tormented history, Berlin is the place to go.
Sara Marilungo
Borneo
Kuching, or ‘cat city’, is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the huge island of Borneo.
Unlike peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak was largely undeveloped until the 19th century and although Kuching is now a sizeable city with most modern amenities, it still retains something of a rakish, pioneer atmosphere. And I think that’s why I love it so much – it’s a hugely romantic and exhilarating place.
You can wander through covered market streets, eat in one of the marvellous seafood restaurants, take a walk along the appealing boardwalk and watch the barges lazily make their way down the Sarawak River or tie one on with a pub crawl of the city’s lively and slightly rough-round-the-edges bars.
Simply put, I defy anyone not to find something to love about Kuching. And I haven’t even mentioned the giant, kitsch cat statues that dot the city?
Ronan Abayawickrema
