WORLD TOURISM DAY 27/9/18
We’ve all been one. It’s a disguise we put on and fit into like a second skin. I for one love being one whether at home or abroad. Today we celebrate them, we celebrate us, we celebrate being a tourist!
Being a tourist especially in a new land is exciting and feels adventurous, from hiking to the top of a mountain to soak in the views, queuing for an hour to try the best pastries from a tiny bakery or joining a free walking tour to get to grips with a new city it’s an activity everyone does and everyone loves doing.
When not being a tourist we here at Vintage Tea Trips love nothing more than talking to tourists on board. Hearing their stories and learning their culture is a total perk of the job. The stories they tell and their kind words about being a tourist with us in Dublin are so amazing that we thought today on World Tourism Day we would share these stories with you.
Kate travelled from the US and brought her mother and aunt on board with her. Her mother and aunt remembered the old buses and loved the feeling of nostalgia it brought to them. “My mother and my aunt were giggling like school girls running up the stairs…We loved that the buses were named Pauline and Kitty (same as my Gran) and that it was from 1964 (the year my Mam got married) so as weird as it sounds, we connected with the bus and felt at home instantly.” – Kate, USA
Doing tourist activities can be a bit daunting when alone. These kind words about Jack were so lovely to hear. “I went solo, as my husband was occupied with business, and though I was concerned about feeling awkward among the couples and ladies’ groups on board, my worries were quickly forgotten when, much to my delight, I was joined at my table by one of the tour guides – my new friend Jack! He was so informative and kind – I felt like I got my own private tour of the city. He customised his information to accommodate my every curiosity about the city – so much so that I’ll have to return again and again to be able to see and do everything he suggested for me!” Therese, USA
Something we take for granted is our own home town. Being a tourist in your own city opens up a whole world of stories and tales that were right under your nose. We especially loved this one which came after Caitlin our guide gave the fact about the Phoenix Park, Parkgate Street entrance gates being missing since 1932 “I was on the VTT bus on Sunday and I told our guide Caitlin that I had part of the Phoenix Park gate in our garden. The story is that the original owner of my house retired as a park ranger and received the slightly damaged capping stone as a leaving present and put it to great use as our current flower bed – what a privilege!” Fiona & Lily, Dublin 15
Teresa visited us from California. She was over visiting her daughter who works here. She fell in love with Dublin and I just had to share her kind words on our city. They chose to do our tour as they are “huge Jane Austen fans, and we’re into all this old school teas and history and everything. I mean there are new tour busses all over, what is fun about that? Nothing. Your city and country have so much history it is awe inspiring, you live in such an amazing place and it is so nice that your country is so solid and everyone is so kind.” Teresa, USA
We would love to hear your stories from your time on board with us. Whether you travelled from overseas or a born and bred Dub we want to hear your stories. Please email your stories to [email protected]