Travel theme: Heat

17 juli, 2017 / Leya / 16 kommentarer

If you could send some warm days over here it would be nice…but the Heat from me to Ailsa is staying in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Cee’s B&W Photo Challenge: Signs

9 juli, 20179 juli, 2017 / Leya / 12 kommentarer

This once was a sign…or it is still a sign? Go to Cee to find more signs!

Travel theme: Tidy

7 juli, 2017 / Leya / 5 kommentarer

Travel theme: Tidy

Gdansk harbour – tidy it is. I guess a harbour has to be – otherwise chaos would be upon us. I only wish my desk was as tidy …

Kilmacduagh

2 juli, 20172 juli, 2017 / Leya / 11 kommentarer

The stunning Kilmacduagh monastery was founded by St Colman in the 7thCentury.

I loved everything about it – the serenity, the silence, the rural beauty of the area.

The round tower is dated from the 12th Century, and the tallest one in Ireland – Kilmacduagh is 34 meters in height with the doorway set 7 meters above ground level.
The tower also has quite a visible lean to it – said to be 0.5 meter from the vertical.

The biggest church building on the site is the cathedral ( Templemore Mac Duagh). dated between the 11th and 12th Century.

The Church of St John the Baptist (Teampuill Owen) is in the field next to the cathedral.
It dates from the 10th Century which would make this church the oldest building on the site.

The cemetary is still in use, and I do not think I have ever seen a thicker stone wall than this one.

Impressive!

On leaving, we finally got a closer look at the lovely cows – and they finally got a closer look at us…

Early Morning Kilkenny

30 juni, 20171 juli, 2017 / Leya / 14 kommentarer

We woke up early to take a morning walk in Old Town Kilkenny before breakfast. Kilkenny is one of Ireland’s most beautiful towns, and has been of importance since the 13th century – it was even the capital of Ireland a long time ago.

Eight degrees only, but silence and sunshine. A very pleasant walk.

Warning – slippery because of the butter maker’s

Kilkenny Castle, 12th C

Thursday Thoughts – A Goodbye

29 juni, 201729 juni, 2017 / Leya / 10 kommentarer

Summer it is, and I just have to visit The Garden of My Dreams – maybe for the last time. The old couple owning it, will sell it this summer. If it is not already sold… To sneak in is maybe wrong, but somehow I just have to… say goodbye.

Every year I have talked to the little man and his beautiful wife, about all their travels throughout this world to collect plants, and about the birds he kept ringing every spring.

Some of my favourites are still in flower, and if you follow me through the garden, I will show you some of them. My absolute favourites are the thistles, so they will need a picture of their own. I hope you will enjoy the flowers just as much as I do.

Titanic – Cobh, Ireland

27 juni, 201727 juni, 2017 / Leya / 6 kommentarer

A windy and rainy day, we visited Cobh. Somehow the weather seemed appropriate.

The little seaside town of Cobh, with 13 000 inhabitants, has got one of the world’s largest natural harbours. Cobh was the place where most of the Irish emigrants left for America during the great starvation 1844-48. More than 1 million people died when the potato harvest failed (mildew) and by 1856 2 ½ million people had left Ireland for America. Not until 1930 did the Irish stop leaving the country – due to the Wall Street crash.

Cobh was the last stop for Titanic before her Maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Titanic entered Cobh harbour April 11, 1912. 120 passengers had bought their tickets there – hoping for a new and better life overseas. April 15 she went down after hitting an iceberg. I guess everyone knows she was a White Star Line ship.

Today there is a museum where the White Star Line’s terminal was. Down in the harbour there are mosaic tablets with memorials of those who embarked from Cobh that day. Even if we all know the story…this is a very special place to visit.