It was stormy and grey on the streets of Stockholm where I was visiting family last week, so for a change I was photographing the glow of a Scandinavian Christmas, but indoors. Tastefully designed, as you would expect, Christmas here knocks the stuffing out of the predictable old tat that it often brings out . . .
Can’t wait to get back on the road
I just realised that I can't wait to get back on the road. It's not that I don't love my home place, I really do. Since coming home, the weather in Ireland has been beautiful and the nature surrounding us has felt very precious. But today I was looking back over our couple of months wandering around Northern Spain and Portugal and I . . .
Counting steps while counting votes
Just photos today!! Yes we got lost on some magical beaches and although I kept up my column writing for the News and Star, the old blog was a step too far. Wifi is scarce in these parts, the west coast of Galicia. So I'm posting some of my last column on waiting for the counting of votes in the Ireland South Constituency of the . . .
Porto at the mouth of the River Douro
On our way to Porto, we stop off at a beach just south of the city and relax for a couple of days. We are about to discover the north coast of Portugal and this long stretch of beaches and board walks all the way to the Spanish border. Just outside the city we decide to stop over in a campismo, which I keep calling a campasino much to the . . .
The Douro Valley
So the mountain peaks were still covered in snow as we drove further down into Spain and headed west to begin our meander down the Douro Valley. After a couple of days in Zamora, a beautiful historic town. We crossed the border into Portugal at the village of Miranda de Douro. What followed was a terrifying mountain escapade on tiny . . .
A taste of Northern Spain
It's almost impossible to stop yourself snapping everything that moves when you arrive in a new place. I am trying to be more disciplined but still when I got to upload my first batch of images, there were over 500! So today let me begin with a taster of the colour and textures of Northern Spain. This road trip started in Santander where the . . .
Setting off on the road again…..
I couldn't help myself! I was dipping into some old travel stories when I got lost in dreams and memories. One of the joys of photography, is that when you study a place through your own lens, you remember details, feelings, smells, weather. I never seem to forget where I was and what I was doing. Sometimes, I can even remember the . . .
On a chilly pier at dawn
I wonder at times why we don't get up and out for every dawn. When you are camping or sleeping in a tiny VW van at western the edge of Ireland, every sound tells you, the day is here! Get out of bed now! It starts with crows flying from their roost across the harbour to the Castle. I catch them crossing overhead from my . . .
Blacksod Bay
You couldn't be looking out into Blacksod Bay and fail to think of Rescue 116. The helicopter went down here last year, 2017, while on a mission in bad weather conditions. All four crew were lost. You can see Blackrock Island where the incident occurred from everywhere along this stretch. I had never been here . . .
The Copper Coast of County Waterford
Annestown, Knockane, Benvoy, Boatstrand, Kilmurrin, Bonmahon, Tra na mBó, Ballydowane, this was my journey today. I've been thinking about starting a section on this blog to highlight some of the places I know and love. What do you think? I get asked a lot about the best places to visit and besides the obvious and the . . .
