Spanish speaking places can be confusing geographically in that there are many different places with the same names. There’s Las Palmas, and then there’s La Palma. There’s Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and then there’s Santa Cruz de la Palma. Just to be clear, the latter is the capital city of the island of […]
things to see
El Teide National Park, Tenerife
What’s the highest point in Spain? It’s Mount Teide, the volcanic mountain towering Tenerife. It is visible from most of the other Canary Islands as well with a summit of 3,718 metres. The mountain is an active volcano that last erupted in 1909. The surrounding planes, desolate rock landscape and weird formations make up the Teide […]
The Old Head
One of my most favourite places ever, has to be The Old Head of Kinsale. Right on the end of the peninsula is a golf course that’s just for members, and a good-looking one it must be too, but I just go for the views. Here are a few photos from winter and a few from […]
The Bells of Shandon
My dad likes to build things. He likes to know how things work, how they fit together, how to fix them. To make a living he works as a mechanical engineer back in South Africa. When he came to visit us in Cork for a few days on his way home from a Norwegian business trip, […]
Blarney Castle in Summer
The first time that I visited Blarney Castle was in winter. The second time I visited was during a glorious heat wave (the weather insisted on short sleeves and the sky was a beautiful blue late into the evenings). Summer sun filtered through the bright new season leaves, rhododendrons bloomed in all shades and the Golden Rain […]
Blarney Castle in Winter
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Blarney Stone. Legend has it that kissing the stone will give you the gift of the gab, the gift of flattery and of knowing how to use words in a wonderful way. Many people, famous and not so famous, have kissed the stone at the top of Blarney Castle. I […]