Drinking Guinness in Dublin

The Wombat's trip to Dublin started off in sober enough fashion, watching the ducks at St Stephen's Green - here he is, cooling off near a fountain (while being careful not to get his fur too wet).


However, a visit to the world-famous Guinness Storehouse led to some hard drinking, as the following photos show. In this one, he's innocently examining the original 9,000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness, allowing him to build the Guinness brewery at St James's Gate.


But here's The Wombat about to tackle a pint of the black stuff...


And here he is, complete with a frothy moustache, and already eyeing up his second pint.


After consuming more Guinness than was good for him (never mind the slogans), The Wombat then managed to 'lose' himself. But His photographer searched high and low, and thankfully tracked down the errant marsupial before he could do any lasting damage to himself or anything else. Here's a photo of The Wombat in the middle of O'Connell Street, looking properly contrite after a good scolding.


The Wombat apparently suffered a bit of a hangover the next day. And he's no longer allowed to be quite so disapproving of those doped-up wallabies.

The Wombat heads south

When The Wombat heard he was taking a trip south, he got very excited, thinking of sun and sangria. His hopes were dashed though, when he got no further than the megalithic passage tombs in County Meath (in the Republic of Ireland)... At least the weather was nice.


Here he is, loitering at the entrance to the Knowth passage tomb...


And again at the entrance to the Newgrange tomb.


He also got to visit Trim Castle, but found himself clapped in the stocks for a crime he didn't commit (or so he claims).

The Wombat in Northern Ireland #1

The Wombat is normally resident in Northern Ireland (for reasons best known to himself) and he's just as keen to visit the local sites as to go abroad. Recently, he took a trip up to the Causeway Coast.

He's still a bit unsure about the sea - too much water! - but he's happy to view it from a safe distance - this photo was taken in Portstewart.


Here he is, outside Dunluce Castle. Its kitchen slid into the sea one night (back in the 1600s), and The Wombat is glad that he lives somewhere a bit more stable (and land-bound).


Every visit to the Causeway Coast should include a trip to the Bushmills Distillery. The Wombat thinks he likes whiskey - he'll certainly give it a try, anyway!


And of course, The Wombat visited the main tourist attraction: the Giant's Causeway itself. Can you spot him in this picture?


He's a bit easier to find in this one....

Badly-behaved Marsupials

The Wombat was quite shocked today to read on the BBC News website about a group of fellow marsupials who have been behaving in quite a disgraceful manner.

Although The Wombat isn't averse to a drink or two, so far he's drawn the line at hard drugs. But this article describes how wallabies in Tasmania are eating poppies grown for medicine, getting high on the opiates they contain, and then making complete spectacles of themselves. And incidentally, creating crop circles.

The Wombat wishes everyone to know that he has never been involved in crop circle creation, and utterly condemns those who are. Unless they're extraterrestrials, in which case all well and good.

Do Wombats eat meat?

The Wombat likes a good meal (and a good drink, too). But for this particular dining experience, he's not entirely sure about what's been ordered for him - braised lamb shank on a bed of mashed potatoes. Those sprigs of rosemary look appetising though.

The Wombat visits Italy

Between May 20th and 27th 2009, The Wombat was lucky enough to travel to Italy - specifically, to Rome and Sorrento (with a side-trip to the isle of Capri). He saw a lot of Roman ruins, got some sun, and was utterly shocked by the lewd paintings in the loo of an Indian restaurant.

See all his adventures...

Here we have The Wombat in the Colosseum. He doesn't think he would have been much good up against a tiger or two.


The Wombat likes his beer, and of course had to check out as many Irish pubs as possible in Rome. This was probably a pint of Becks though.


Here The Wombat takes a chance to catch some sun, on the terrace of his hotel in Sorrento.


The Wombat was most impressed by the ruins of Pompeii, although after the events of Rome, he was careful about which frescoes he looked at. Here he is surveying the forum with Vesuvius in the background.


The Wombat doesn't really like water that much (he's afraid of getting his fur wet), but a boat trip around the isle of Capri is very much the done thing.

The Travelling Wombat

The Wombat is a small furry marsupial who likes to travel.

If you're interested in taking The Wombat somewhere, be it on your own vacation or to show him the sights around where you live, please contact travellingwombat@googlemail.com.