The autumn colours are starting to show through quite strongly now in Dublin. Earlier this week I went back to the National Botanic Gardens to collect some photographic evidence of this. Maybe it is because the environment is still a…
Christmas lights in Dublin
Yes, folks, it’s that time of year again… Well no, actually, it’s only mid-November, but the sparkly Christmas lights in Dublin have already been switched on by eager store-keepers. We went to Grafton St last Sunday night about 5pm and the…
Sarah and Vee in Dublin
Last weekend we had a great time with Sarah and Vee, visiting us from London where they are currently living. Well done you two for giving up a weekend to visit an elderly aunt and uncle! Sarah was still buzzing…
The Tallis Scholars
So far we have somewhat neglected the cultural side of life in Dublin but last Thursday we went to the National Concert Hall to hear The Tallis Scholars. This is a choral group of 10 singers who specialise in early…
Cobh, County Cork
This is a picturesque town about three hours by train from Dublin where we spent last weekend. It is pronounced “Cove” because of the Irish language “bh” making a “v” sound (cf. the girl’s name Siobhan, pronounced “Shevawn”). OK, enough…
Corfu Wrap-up
Just a few bits and pieces here, mainly as a record for us and perhaps of less general interest than other posts. We visited the Achilleion Palace, home to Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, wife of Emperor Franz Josef, a fascinating…
Tricky roads
Many of the Corfu roads are very narrow and windy and we covered many of them in this 36-seater bus. On one of the days out, we sat in the front seats and Pip has taken a couple…
Scenic Corfu
Three of our seven days in Corfu were spent touring the countryside by bus. Corfu is quite mountainous and many villages are built on the sides of hills in quite spectacular fashion, making for great views and photographs. We visited…
Corfu Town
Corfu is both the name of the island and the name of the main city which the locals refer to as Corfu Town. The town is a curious mixture of styles which reflect its history of being under Venetian rule…
People-watching in Corfu
Bruce and I just spent a much-needed week’s holiday. We went to Corfu, thus fulfilling a ‘bucket list’ item for me – always wanted to visit the Greek isles! Well, one isle counts, surely? We were very fortunate to have…