Lisbon, Portugal

In Autumn 2007 I made a brief visit to Lisbon to attend a conference. Unfortunately that meant only a limited time to explore. I did manage to wander the cobbled streets and hills of this great place.

This was only my second time in Portugal so I felt somewhat deprived that I could not see more of this lovely country

I decided to book another trip for June 2009 and arranged to meet D in Porto, we would take ariver  trip along the Duero, then I would go by train alone to the Algarve, stopping along the way at various interesting points but this did not happen. Following a minor accident and medical set back I had to cancel

Now I am looking forward to Autumn 2010 in the Algarve, perhaps the setback was not so bad after all.

Brisbane, The Glass House Mountains and MT Tamborine

In August last year ( 2009) when G & M invited me on a return visit to stay with them in their home in Brisbane there was no good reason to decline. They had, as they always do allocated me  'the green' room' , which they say they now renamed 'trish's' room - Ty G & M its the only thing I have named after me. This is the lovely 'Trish view'  each morning



I would be happy to sit all day and watch the yachts glide by and listen to the silence, the odd 'shushing' of water and bird song while admiring the neighbourhood

G and M had other ideas, there were other treats in store and they took me to see the Glasshouse mountains

There are lots of lovely towns near the mountains and many great opportunities for lunch

In Mt Tamborine the next day I reacquainted myself with the birds last time I had taken stacks of photos of their antics

And the views

Then we all went home and had a delicious bbq

This was the setting while we sipped our local wine

Girona, Spain

Girona airport is where so many low cost airlines converge. I therefore had no idea what a lovely town it is but last year on my way to Collieure, in France  I landed at Girona airport  and thought I would give it a try. I stayed for 2 nights and was delighted, this is what I saw.

Inside the walled town you will find lovely old streets like this......

and churches

There are many opportunities for al fresco eating and the tasty tapas are a treat.

Everything is within easy reach by foot with a central railway station allowing an easy journey to France or the rest of Spain.

Krakow

A and I went to Krakow in early Spring 2007. There was still some snow on the ground but nevertheless all the cafes in the square had outside seating, where people came and went all day  and in the afternoon the late sun was so warm and soporific

The city has a vety vibrant and energetic feel. There was an almost reborn aspect a feeling of future success and prosperity.














We both knew when we planned the trip that Auswitch concentration camp was near Krakow. Both were not sure if we could go and  decided that it should be an individual decision.
It seemes like we would not go, then without discussing further we both went

Afterwards and even now it seemed like the right decision but I am not sure why.









Life goes on in Krakow

This city has some lovely buildings and great coffee houses.

Symi, Dodecanese, Greece

Symi in the  Dodecanese is an amphitheater in its construction with small houses on different levels .  It really shows its beauty at night when the day trippers leave. As the natural light wanes the Island’s houses are lit up with what seems  like a myriads of white candles at different levels. I visited for the second time last year while staying in Rhodes

In 1998, just after my first visit to Symi,  I heard from P that she and J were off to visit Rhodes so I suggested they might like to take a trip to Symi. They have been there each year since

This second time I did not stay overnight but returned from my day trip to stay in Rhod

Rhodes has many interesting sites and a rich history.  Although I would have liked to visit a ‘new for me’ Greek island I was tempted back to join G and B, my very good London friends

Having researched many hotels i decided to purchase a package. this was the view from my room about 20 mins from walk from my friends hotel

In the day I liked to wander the cobbled streets 

At night, this was my view

Thailand

In between the first few times I went to Thailand I would forget why I loved the place so much. Then as soon as I landed I knew it was about the people.  They have class!

Their food is wonderful too and for many years I visited a Thai grocery shop in Hammersmith, whenever I went to London. I would buy kaffir lime leave, galanga, nam pla and lemon grass. Even i marvelled at my culinary results, all it took was a bit of chicken and some Thai basil






The next thing that hits you when you visit is just how stunning Thailand is.

You can even find a very ordinary beach and chill

This sort of boat trip makes you feel that you want to take a friend along too.

Christchurch NZ

The first time I visited Christchurch in New Zealand circa 1998 I thought it was from a bygone era. In 2010 it felt the same










Is this a phone box????

I love the houses and.......




.....these great art deco buildings














And..... if you cannot afford Venice Italy or Cambridge UK you can be punted

Australia, Sydney, Newcastle and Mereweather

When I made my plans to return to live in Ireland I decided to make the best of the countries that would be far away from there, especially Australia and New Zealand . So for my birthday in 2009 I decided to return to Sydney


I saw all the usual sites and stayed in the bay area

However it was when I travelled north past Newcastle that I had some lovely surprises

I liked Newcastle although I had heard it was not a pretty town .
I loved its  buildings. There are also very nice small towns along that coast and one called Mereweather  has open salt water baths just like the abandoned and sadly wrecked ones in the cove in Bray , my own home town.

This was my view on Sunday 15th March 2009

This is Mereweather without the baths