The castle was being renovated when we got there. A bit disappointing considering pictures I would have liked to take however it was still magnificent and impressive. It’s called by many names among them: Rock of Cashel, St. Patrick’s Rock, Carraig Phádraig or Cashel of the Kings. It is said to be a place where St. Patrick converted Aenghus the King of Munster.
Please do visit new Facebook profile for more pictures here.
We didn’t know Cahir Castle will be closed for maintenance until March 2015 so on a lovely sunny day in March we headed down to Cork and Cahir. Yes the castle was closed and the Swiss Cottage was closed. Bad luck. Both sights look amazing even if you can’t go inside.
Cahir Castle is a stronghold located on a small island on river Suir. It’s one of the biggest castles in Ireland I’ve seen. After walking around the castle we decided to follow the trail to Swiss Cottage. It’s a nice walk leading along the river. We only got a glimpse of it through the back gate but it looks like taken out of fairy tale. Enjoy the pictures!
Howth is located on the peninsula of Howth Head north from Dublin. You can get there by DART from Dublin Connolly station. If the weather is nice it’s a lovely spot for a day out, picnic and even swimming.
Howth is a popular area for sailing. You can also spot various birds (razorbill, guillemot, fulmar, kittiwake, stonechat, linnet, whitethroat, yellowhammer, skylark, wheatear, peregrine, buzzard and kestrel) and seals.
The free family spectacle is set to light up Dublin’s iconic locations – Barnardos Square, Trinity College and Wolfe Tone Square – with cutting edge 3D displays from 5pm each evening from 30th December 2014 to 1 January 2015.
Barnardos Square (Dame Street) will become a magical canvas, animated each day by a myriad of fabulous fairytale characters and vibrant landscapes. This bespoke interactive installation is a super family experience where the audience will become the story teller, allowing children to create their very own Fairytale from a pick ‘n’ mix menu of well known fairytale scenarios. With all of your favorite characters and happy endings to choose from this is one magical journey not to be missed!
Prepared to be enchanted and surprised as Trinity College will come alive and take you on a journey through ancient and contemporary Irish iconography with state of the art 3D imagery.
The sounds of the city, its voices and character draw you into an immersive original sound and light installation in Wolfe Tone Square. The Urban Voices celebrates the acoustic environment of the city through sound activated graphics based around the AXA building. The viewer will be treated to a unique soundscape designed musically around the sounds of the city that they interact with everyday through their speech, Luas trams, cars, mobile phones, the Ducks in St Stephens Green, Dublin Bike bicycle bells, Sellers on Moore St, footsteps…… creating a uniquely Dublin, Urban Soundscape.
Source: http://nyfdublin.com/luminosity/
Mammturk Mountains are a picturesque mountain range in North Connemara. You can drive N59 to Maam Cross and continue straight in the direction of Clifden, take right turn into R344 along Lough Inagh. Another right and you keep going along the range. Stop where you wish to start climbing. They are less well known than their more famous neighbours, the Twelve Bens on the other side of the Inagh Valley.
There was nobody there on the day we hiked (17th Aug 2014). The weather was changing rapidly, sun, wind, rain, sun and so on. There is no real trail or path (other than the one made by sheeps). So you can just go cross country.
The ground was very wet, covered with grass and moors with exposed rock and some loose stones. We also came across lovely waterfall and saw a few small ponds at the top of the range. We only climbed one of the peaks. I think it was Maumahoge/Knocknahillion. Hope to go back another time and do the Maamturks challenge!
Every year Maamturks Challenge takes place. You start not far from Maam Cross and hike from one peak to another which takes from 10h upwards. The route runs most of the tortuous Maamturks ridge finishing in Leenane. The maximum height is a modest 700m but the successive steep slopes are very demanding.
This post will have almost no text. I just wanted to share my pictures from a day in Connemara, Ireland. Most of the time pictures of landscape do not give the impressions of space and magnitude so treat it as teaser rather than faithful representation of reality.
Connemara is situated at the very edge of Europe, on the west coast of Ireland, and is one of the most beautiful, unspoilt places I’ve seen in Europe.
Beautiful Aasleagh Falls is situated near Leenane in the heart of Connemara. The waterfall featured in a scene from the movie ‘The Field’ which was written by John B. Keane. The story was adapted for the big screen by Jim Sheridan in 1990 and starred the late Richard Harris.
Now… turn the volume down! Seriously, down!
Yes this is me scaring away the birds which you can’t really see.
I arrived to live in London straight from sunny Mexico. Well maybe not that straight as I had aflight from mexico City to Madrid then Dublin and then London. It was the winter at the beginning of 2009. If you remember it many flights over Europe were cancelled because of the snow. So was mine.
I got stuck in Dublin airport with luggage containg all the things I gathered during the time I was living in Ireland. Yes I took it all with me to Mexico. So one 80l backpack and small backpack for hand luggage. I have saved some money and after a long consideration decided to try my luck in London.
So there I was tired with the journey from another side of the World waiting for information on my budget flight to London. As usual not much was known as the situation was dependent of weather conditions. In the end my flight was postponed untill the next day. I decided to rent a room in a hotel €50 if I remember correctly. I didn’t want to waste money but decided to spoil myself nontheless.
It was snowing all the time. Big flakes of snow in the street light looked like a big adventure. I was restless. Excited, afraid and still thinking if I’m making the right choice. And so I went to visit my friends who then lived in Dublin City center. We always had a good laugh together. So was this time. I couldn’t stay long as I wanted to get to my hotel before they shut the public transport. It felt so weird thinking I might as well never be coming back to Ireland. I suppose to appreciate how big decision it was for me you should know I love the green island implicitly. This doesn’t mean I don’t see the faults it’s just that I take them along.
If I had to choose a decision that changed my life the most it was the one to move to London.
Let’s skip the night, the morning departure and let’s just arrive in London on a sunny and frosty morning. My boyfriend found us a room in Britannia Village, Royal Docks near London City Airport. Wonderful view on plans taking off and landing as well as Canary Wharf. As this is first post on London of many I will just write a bit about Royal Docks and Britannia Village. The apartment building we were living in was quite new and clean, tall but narrow. It had 3 storeys. Ground floor – entrance, utility room, micro bathroom and garage (converted into a room in our house), first floor – box room, living room and kitchen, second floor two rooms and a bathroom. All that know living conditions in London will appreciate we actually had a living room. Everything was cramped and small. I was used to living in one family houses with big kitchen containing dining area and separate large living room. My single room was the only a bit smaller than the room I had to share now with P. It was quite difficult as you can imagine.
The most distinguish feature of Royal Docks area is a high foot bridge above the dock just opposite to the London City’s runway. You get a beautiful panorama view when you climb it. Long after those first days I used to visit my friend in Britannia Village we would walk around the dock and then sit on the bridge observing the sunset and talk about life. I miss it even though I don’t miss London.
Next to the Royal Victoria Dock ExCeL Center is located. It’s the international exhibition and convention centre. I was once inside to use the toilet I think and wanting to get something to eat. I think in the end P. treated me to something sweet but I know he visited an exhibition and was happy about it. So was my friend M. after sightseeing the sailing boats fair. I think there are plans to revive the area and recently a Cable Car was build. i think in time for the Olympics. I have to say thanks to the Olympic village the whole East London was revived.
The Royal Docks comprise three docks in east London – the Royal Albert Dock the Royal Victoria Dock and the King George V Dock built on riverside marshes. They were built for large vessels that could not be accommodated further upriver. What else I can say that there a a couple of restaurants worth recommendation among them Thai restaurant – Nakhon Thai (there’s another on the Isle of Dogs) and Caribbean – Caribbean Scene Royale, the second I never visited. Shame on me. Also that the windows prevent pretty much the noise of the airport of intruding the houses. The problem emerges when you want to open the window.
On Thursday I decided I needed to get out of London. Where better to go than where your friends are?! I booked the train and ferry to Dublin and then bus to Galway. It was the first time I wasn’t flying to Ireland. I would like to share some pictures from Holyhead with you.
Today I was awoken by rain. It’s one of the best feelings when you lie in warmth and know that you don’t need to get up yet listen to the rain outside. My thoughts went back to Ireland where I used to live for what seemed a lifetime. So different to London.
In Galway it rains often, in spring, in summer (5 times a day) in autumn and in winter. And yes, you can get used to rain. I remember running in the rain, coming back from work in the rain, going to work in rain, going out in rain, drinking in pub in rain. All those precious memories and I miss it now.
What is true for this magical place is also that rain comes from every direction. From in front of you, from behind you, from above you and sometime from beneath you, and I don’t mean when you fly. It’s because of the wind, you can forget about an umbrella. Most people give up and leave broken ones on the side of the street and never get another one.
The rain can be warm or cold, coming in big drops or just drizzle. It washes the streets, pavements, street lights, green meadows in Connemara, diving boards n Salthill, mooring in Barna. It can rain for days or it can rain for minutes.
They say the weather makes Irish people depressed and overuse alcohol, I was never depressed in Ireland. My headaches stopped and I always had something to do so I forgot about the rain.
You are probably wondering why the title and pictures have nothing to do with the text hahahaa I guess it’s because not many people really like rain :)
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