Inspiring Travel Writing from Gillian Ivory
Gillian Ivory is a journalist and writer specialising in culture and travel. Her work has appeared in several British, Irish and international magazines and newspapers. Gillian first got a taste for exploration and all things Latin when completing a degree in Hispanic Studies at King's College London, after which she moved to South Africa to study business at postgraduate level at the University of Cape Town. She started her career in Industrial Relations in Cape Town in 1994. Working in the field during the period of the countrys first democratic elections was the beginning of an insatiable interest in trawling new places, delving head first into diverse cultures. After immersing herself for several years in the hectic world of management consulting, she moved sideways into journalism. Gillian grew up in Ireland and having subsequently lived in the UK, Spain, South Africa and Cuba is currently based between Dublin and Malaga. She accompanies most of her work with what she captures on camera. Her website can be seen at www.gillianivory.ie and her Dublin blog at www.planeteye.com/City/Dublin+Ireland+4365.aspx.
Articles by Gillian Ivory
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Before You Die: Brave the Irish Sea for the Traditional Christmas Morning Swim at Sandycove, Dublin
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Gillian Ivory
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Ireland
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East Coast Ireland
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Dublin
Swimming at these temperatures may turn your lips blue, but that’s just an excuse to sip from bottles of brandy passed around on the shoreline. By the time you get home to the turkey you can justify any amount of indulgence. Gillian Wear
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Before You Die: Balance on a Razor Sharp Ridge of an Ochre Coloured Dune in Sossuvlei, Namibia
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Gillian Ivory
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Namibia
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Namib Desert Region
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Namib Desert
Do it barefoot and you’ll feel the rising heat of the sand in what is possibly the oldest desert in the world. Dwarfed by its magic, watch the horizon stretch towards infinity. Gillian Wear
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Before You Die: Take Afternoon Tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town
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Gillian Ivory
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South Africa
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Cape Town and around
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Cape Town
A thoroughly confusing experience, you’ll wonder whether you are in India under the Raj or Africa under the British. But the gardens are stunning and you’ll fight over the last cucumber sandwich. Gillian Wear
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A Rebel City with Culinary Clout
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Gillian Ivory
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Ireland
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Southwest (Kerry & Cork)
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County Cork
The Corkonians, dare I say it, are held to be the fastest speakers in Ireland, and for the sceptics out there - see how well the average foreigner, even those with fluent English, understands those with a true Cork accent. The intonation is...
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Cape Town's Kaleidescope
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Gillian Ivory
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South Africa
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Cape Town and around
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Cape Town
Cape Town is a city of contrasts, packed with life, noise and colour. On one end of the scale are miles of run down shacks made out of little more than cardboard and tin, where inhabitants sleep four to a bed. At the other extreme are colonial style...
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Berlin's New Identity
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Gillian Ivory
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Germany
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Berlin Region
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Berlin
Who could forget Liza Minelli’s brilliant portrayal of the Sally Bowles character at the seedy Kit Kat Club in Cabaret? Still fascinated by past images of Berlin, I arrived there wondering what its identity is today. There was the decadence of the...
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Andorra Doesn't Do 'Tack'
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Gillian Ivory
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Andorra
In many ways Andorra seems like Luxembourg gone south - sparklingly clean, eminently wealthy and ultra-organized. Crossing the virtually non-existent border from France to Andorra is a confusing affair. You are not quite sure when you have hit the...
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Crazy Kings and Passionate Plays
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Gillian Ivory
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Germany
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Bavaria
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Bavaria
Perched on a hill, its sugarcoated walls are crowned with black turrets and its narrow window frames are deserving of Rapunzel and her golden hair. Down below, its moat is zigzagged with iron bridges where trolls are likely to inhabit the spaces...
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Hands Off the Baobabs
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Gillian Ivory
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Namibia
The great thing about Namibia is that there isn’t a sniff of that sycophantic attitude towards tourists. No servile flattery here. It’s not to say that there isn’t service and efficiency (its Germanic colonial legacy takes care of...
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Before You Die: Drink a Peach Vodka at the Kube Ice Bar in Paris
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Gillian Ivory
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France
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Ile-de-France
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Paris
You’ll be offered a parka coat and gloves outside the door to this stylish refrigerator where even the glasses are made of ice. Spend 30 minutes sampling the vodka and run gasping back to the warmth through a decompression-like chamber. Enjoy this...