Ireland - Killarney. Muckross House and Gardens.

 

Oct 2019
A very enjoyable afternoon wandering the grounds and gardens around Muckross House and Gardens. The house is part of the Killarney National Park.

Ireland - Killarney Day 1

 
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Oct 2019
I had 3 days in Ireland. I knew it wasn’t long enough but I considered it a ‘taster’ for future reference. I joined a facebook group to get an idea of the best places to go in such a limited time and was surprised at how many people considered it too far to go from Dublin to Killarney (a 3 1/2 hour drive) for 3 days. I guess the Australian distances give a different perspective to distance. I ended up catching the train from Dublin to Killarney (had one change of train along the way) and had a lovely relaxing time chatting to an elderly lady about the ‘Troubles’ and the ‘Sunshine and Showers’ and the landscape of Ireland.

I settled in to my spacious room with ensuite at an AirBnB and did a little happy dance. Next day, I set out without an umbrella in drizzling rain to walk to pick up a hire car. I underestimated the distance and the weather so called into the only shop along the way, a petrol station store, thinking surely they would sell umbrellas. Nope. I must have looked forlorn enough for the woman to take pity on me as she handed me a huge, solid umbrella that had been left behind some time ago. I ‘paid it forward’ at the end of the trip by leaving it at the train station for someone else.
I picked up the hire car, was told not to worry about the scratches on the sides because you can’t avoid the brambles on the narrow roads, and off I went into the pouring rain. And everything you think about the Irish Countryside is pretty much how it is. Lush, green and beautiful.

When you ask for tips on where to photograph you really need to ask another photographer as most non-photographers send you to the nearest lookout. I headed in the direction of ‘Ladies View’, about 19 kilometres out of Killarney because it was as good as any to explore my surroundings. I spent a good few hours stopping along the side of the road to take photos and I spent about two minutes at the lookout. The rain eventually stopped and I waded through flooded roads and boggy marshes and had the most exhilarating day exploring and photographing.
If you had a spare 6 weeks this would be a great place to explore further.

Hello London!

 
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Oct 2019
Two days in London. Day one walking the city. Day two at Kew Gardens. Day three, off to Ireland.

I was pretty excited about all the red double decker buses for lots of historical reasons. I caught a bus in to town but didn’t make it. It just stopped and said it ended there (not where it was supposed to stop!). Later found out it was due to protests in Trafalgar Square.

Pizza Making, Minori and Farewell to Italy

 

(Oct 2019) Our penultimate night in Italy turned out to be one of the best with a Pizza Making class in San Lazarro, a little town on the top of a hill with amazing views and the best pizza we’ve ever eaten. We booked the class through AirBnB and it was a challenge, yet again, to work out the public transport and more than once in the planning stages we questioned whether to go ahead. We pushed through though and so glad we did. The hosts were brilliant, the pizza was great, the views magnificent and the limoncello was divine. And they even drove us back to the bus stop to make sure we didn’t miss the last bus back down the hill.

We had hoped to get to either the Isle of Capri, which looked too touristy for my taste, or my preferred option of Ischia. Turned out we couldn’t get to either of them from Amalfi at that time of year as the ferries weren’t running direct. So we made a very wise choice and took a ferry in the other direction and found ourselves in the quaint, quiet little beachside town of Minori. Lonely Planet describes it as the scruffier cousin to Amalfi and Positano and if I had my time over I’d choose this as my base. Much more my style. It’s the Caloundra to the Sunshine Coasts Noosa. Much more relaxed, much less crowded, and much less touristy. Just as beautiful but seemed more genuine.

The next day we were lucky enough to score a lift with our Air BnB host to Naples, thereby avoiding the dreaded buses back over the hills and around the winding roads and mysteriously missing bus stops. The last day was not without stress as I caught the fast train back to Rome to try to get my dead phone resuscitated and the boys headed off to explore Hercule and Mount Vesuvius. Missed trains, accomodations dramas, no wifi and and hour each way on a bus to an Apple store, language mixups, and the usual travel traumas. I was extremely grateful to the Apple store for reviving my phone at no charge (data intact) and thereby saving me the expense of having to buy a new one. We had to be at the airport at sunrise so made a hasty decision to forfeit our last nights accomodation which we thought was close to the airport, for a last minute booking near the train station in Rome. Wise choice and an easy transition the next morning. The boys back to Australia and me a couple hours later to London.

Farewell Italy. It’s been a memorable trip.

Positano

 

Positano or Noosa? They seem pretty similar to me. Crowded, touristy, expensive. They were both probably amazing before everyone discovered how beautiful they were. One afternoon was enough for me.

Ok, ok, that might be a bit harsh. It’s a beautiful place, just not my style. I liked Portofino better. Mind you, we had walked the Path of the Gods in the morning plus the extra 1500 stairs to get to Positano. So maybe I was just a bit tired. There were plenty of interesting characters around the place.

Best decision was to have a break from the buses and catch the ferry back to Amalfi. Great scenic views of the oncoming storm.