Plaid Hat Diplomacy in Valencia
A hand raised in greeting, with a smiling face, or is it a hand raised in anger? Luckily, it was the former, with the smiling face of a friendly man just out of the shot greeting his friend in the plaid hat.
The Bustling Streets of Valencia
If you don’t like crowds, you should avoid Valencia during the Fallas festival. I rarely saw any trouble. The crowds were almost always in good mood or, at the very least, resigned to not moving very fast. It appears that moving fast can be accomplished if you hire someone in a high-vis vest who will…
The Jerusalem Convent-Matemático Marzal Falla
If you visit Valencia during the first 19 days of the month of March you’ll be bombarded by the loud bangs of bangers going off, and fireworks every day. You’ll also come across elaborate Falla, or statues, dotted around the city. In the past, they were built of papier mache, but these days the main…
Reflections on Wilton Terrace
A glass fronted building on Wilton Terrace is reflected in the waters of the canal in Dublin earlier this month. I thought it might be the Canadian Embassy, but Google Maps shows it’s a slightly different building.
DMode at Cyprus Avenue
DMode, Depeche Mode Experience, is a Depeche Mode tribute band. They played in Cyprus Avenue on Saturday night. As expected, most of the audience was a bit older, around my own age, or older. Well, Depeche Mode have been around for a while! I learned that I really don’t know anything but Depeche Mode’s major…
The Doorway Guardian
A little orange or ginger kitten stood guard just inside the tourist entrance to the grounds of the Beylerbeyi Palace in Istanbul.
A chair for the cat
Obviously, this cat’s human hadn’t got his chair ready for him to sit on yet.
Under a Turkish Sky
We visited the Çamlıca Tepesi yl (Çamlıca Hill) in Istanbul last week. It’s a hill on the eastern side of the city. There is a huge Turkish flag flying from a massively tall flagpole, and you can see out over the Asian side of the city from the nearby park. The city just seems to…
The curves of the Sacré-Cœur
The curves and textures of the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre in Paris are evident in this close up photo of the roof. I love how the curves flow, and the patterns repeat.
Sunset over Ring Wood
The Ring Wood in Blarney last night just after the sun set behind me and there was a lovely glow at the horizon. In the next few years, houses will be built in that field, possibly obscuring this view from across the valley.
Palestinian Flags on the Street
After the Pro Palestinian march walked past and down Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork. There is so much anger at what the Israeli army is doing in Gaza. How can anyone in their right mind support Netanyahu and his Government after all they’ve done? Hamas are terrorists, but Israel bombing cities and homes and hospitals…
The Santa Barbara Courthouse Mural Room
Visiting the Mural Room in the Courthouse of Santa Barbara was a treat I was not expecting. The murals depict the history of the region, sometimes inaccurately, as they include Peter Pan, Robin Hood and Errol Flynn!