Disclosure; This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link such as the Booking.com one below, and purchase something that I have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any money, it will help keep this site going and me travelling. Thank you for your continuing support.

2021 A year in Photos

January to May- Lockdown

2021 was like ’20 in reverse. While 2020 began with plenty of travel before falling off the fails, 2021 started with tumbleweeds. I was back to long stints staying in the hotel where I work, something which had caused me no end of stress in 2020. Except this time I got used to it. The creaks of the old building were familiar now. Amazingly when life reopened I even missed it. So maybe there is something to be said for having a building all to yourself for 70+ hours in one go. It afforded me a lot of time to write, something which I found hard to come by at the latter end of the year.

As in 2020, we walked a lot. Quite often I hit 20km a day. Then I undid all that hard work by gorging on some of Dublin’s finest unhealthiest sandwiches and burgers. Nothing quite like a bit of food therapy in these strange strange years. If there was one benefit of lockdown it’s getting to know our home towns a little better, and Dublin with us was no exception. Here’s a few of my faves from Dublin this year.

Spring Colours – 2021 A Year in Photos

Wildlife Photography – 2021 A Year in Photos

2021 also to the benefit of my wildlife photography immensely, which got plenty of practice. Dublin is quite the habitat with quite a few animal species calling it home as we do. A first ever boat trip around the island of Ireland’s Eye allowed me to finally add Puffins to my photo collection.

May – September – 2021 A Year in Photos

As the country reopened in time for summer (and for a change Ireland really treated us to a summer) our desire to expand our horizons was full to the brim, and we took every opportunity to get out of the city and see as much of Ireland as we could. Day and overnight trips took us to counties Meath, Wicklow, Wexford, Louth, Kildare, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Sligo, Mayo, Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, and Roscommon, as well as several trips up to Northern Ireland. I might have missed a few there too. Opportunities arose to work with a number of businesses too, and we did our first FAM trip with a tourist board in Longford.

Clare in June – 2021 A Year in Photos

As well as working with the splendid Ollie’s Tours on his Doolin Food Tour we also go the oppotunity to see more of the magical village of Doolin. It’s the perfect base to see the Cliffs of Moher, or jump on a ferry to the Aran Islands. We did. Hiring bikes is a romantic way to see the many stone walls of the islands, though I’d suggest grabbing one with mudguards as it rains there often. I learned the hard way.

Hiking and more in Wicklow Summer of 2021

As ever Wicklow is a great escape from the confines of city life in Dublin. With these views, little wonder. Flying the majestic Molly the Hawk at the National Bird of Prey Centre was quite the experience too.

Sligo and Mayo July – 2021 A Year in Photos

Fortune shone on us in July as we took to the road in Sligo and Mayo during the best heatwave of the year. The greens look even greener when the weather is favourable. Sligo and Mayo are seriously underrated, with some immense natural beauty. Ben Bulben and the Gleniff Horseshoe are two of Sligo’s best draw cards. Mayo has many more, from the awesome Downpatrick Head, to the incredible views on Achill Island. Road trip heaven.

Wexford in August – 2021 A Year in Photos

Wexford is Ireland’s Riviera, getting more sun than anywhere else, and full of long sandy stretches of beach. But it’s full of intrigue too with some really interesting architecture. There’s Hook Head Lighthouse, which is the oldest operational lighthouse in the world. Further exploring took us to the “Doll House” and the “Shell House”. These Wexfordians are imaginative.

FAM trip to Longford in August -2021 in photos

A three day FAM trip to Longford let me see more of my home county, than I had done in 42 years prior. Perhaps that’s an indictment of how lazy I was when younger, or praise of the good work by the team at Longford Tourism. After three days of walks, cycling on greenways, boat trips, and visiting several historical attractions, it became clear I had missed out on a lot.

Northern Ireland – 2021 A Year in Photos

Several trips to Northern Ireland constituted our first trips abroad in 2021. Even if it is little more than an hour up the road. Personal highlights were the astounding views at the Flagstaff view point, exploring Slieve Guillon, seeing Titanic at night, and an hour of indoor sky diving at We Are Vertigo.

A few other personal faves from 2021

Autumn and a return to International Travel

Having enjoyed the summer immensely in Ireland, as autumn approached so too did one of our favourite times to travel internationally. Travel was now easier than it had be for some time, with vaccine passports opening up great opportuinites within the EU.

The first trip via plane in over 500 days was a solo trip for John, to central Spain, and a long standing ambition to see the castles and towns of Castillo y Leon, and the Spanish capital Madrid. It didn’t disappoint. Each city I visited was better than the previous one.

Avila was surrounded by magnificent stone walls, a real sight at sunset.

Segovia’s Alcazar was what first drew my attention here and setting eyes on it was a highlight of the year.

Toledo was immense in every way. One of the best cities I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting.

Cuenca was cool, though I didn’t have enough time to really appreciate.

I only had a day in Madrid, and a mostly rainy one at that, so it became a museum day.

All in all a fantastic trip and so much more to come on it here at CarpeDiemEire.

Prague in November – 2021 a year in photos

Thankfully it didn’t take long to board a plane again, and Beata and I met in Prague, after she had some downtime at home in Hungary. Prague is one of those capital cities that lives up to every expectation, great food, a warm welcome, spectacular architecture, and attractions that are great fun. It’s castle is the largest in the world, and for anyone that says they don’t need a beer bath, Prague will prove them wrong. As in Beata’s case.

Some other highlights were the medieval banquet (that takes place in an 800 year old bar), the magnificent Charles Bridge, its’s many towers which I climbed, the dancing house, and all the architecture that has survived wars and centuries. As we travelled in November, Prague was still draped in the beautiful colours of autumn which was the icing on a very rich cake.

A Quieter End to 2021

2021 ended as it started, with a much slower pace, as restrictions returned and Omicron loomed. Though we did appreciate the many colours of Christmas that illuminated Dublin, and some of its well known attractions.

Of course our hopes are higher for 2022, and we aspire to travel more, travel better and travel longer.

Wishing you all the best in 2022, and I hope a great year of travelling beckons.

Rome January: 2020 in Photos

So the year started well by me boarding a plane. Beata’s birthday was on the 7th (which means it’s time to start looking for a present again now) and a few days prior we headed off to the eternal city, for a short city break.

Ah Rome! Is there anything to say that hasn’t been said? Anything to share that hasn’t been shared. It’s a city that matches and exceeds expectations. Despite my many visits to Italy, this was my first to Rome, so we followed the well-worn path by the Colosseum, Forum, Fountains and Stairs. The Vatican Museum was as daunting for me as any first time visitor, it would need many more visits. The Hall of Maps beat the Sistine Chapel in the awe stakes. We ticked some increidble food off the list too, Tiramisu at Pompeii, pizza all over the place, carbonara, and ice cream at Geleteria Della Palma. Little did we know that this would be our one true holiday in 2020. One of these days I may write all about it.

Bratislava February: 2020 in Photos

Honestly this trip came at us a bit suddenly and we debated the merits of going. Flights to Hungary were expensive so we flew to Bratislava. It all seemed such an inconvenience. Looking back now…

Bratislava is essentially a small town trapped within a capital city. It was certainly never intended to be so. It’s all the more pleasant for it. Two days would have been enough to appreciate it, but I only had three hours. Queue some serious speed sightseeing. I checked off a lot of sights that I wanted to “see”, the Blue Church, the towns sculptures including its favourite peeping Tom, the Town Hall and Main Square and a few others. See cause that’s pretty much all I did. The resulting blog was on Why you need at least one day in Bratislava.

Hungary February: 2020 in photos

As frequent readers may be familiar with, Hungary has become a second home for me. Beata’s homeland is the east of the country, an area hardly known for its tourism. Previous visits I strive to make the most of it. Alas, this one would not follow suit. My restless soul was restricted and much time was spent with my extended family. Did I enjoy it? Of course, but it’s not going to fill the pages of a blog. One solitary highlight was a return trip to Debrecen, Hungary’s second city. I still marvel just how yellow its church is. The bright February day really complimented it.

March 2020 & The End

By March the rumblings were already beginning of Europe succumbing to the virus. We continued our intention to visit every castle in Dublin. First up was Dalkey and its many castles. This is where Matt Damon hung out for the whole 101 days of lockdown in Ireland. Said he was never happier anywhere. From my own experiences, I’m not at all surprised. The realisation of what was really to come was on a tour of Malahide Castle. We would be the tour guides last, as the castle would close for an indeterminate time just after.

Well that’s 2020 as I remember it. Thanks for your support over the year.

Ok ok, so that wasn’t the end. Just a new beginning. Then the year and my blog (as anyone who has been following along knows) in general shifted in trend towards Ireland.

3 months of Lockdown. 2020 in Photos

On March 16th one of our work colleagues tested positive. It brought the truth about the existence of COVID-19 very much into our reality. Sent home and into two weeks isolation, I nervously anticipated a test. But Ireland hadn’t got it’s act together and the test took 5 days to materialize. The results took another 13 days to get to me. By that stage, I was more bored than nervous.

Ireland’s first lockdown lasted 101 days. For the first what seemed like two years of this, we were limited to 2 km from our homes. It became our world. Shopping, cooking and eating became our existence. I worked 48-hour shifts in work, 2 days on 2 days off, in a hotel. Staying long term in a hotel seems glamorous. Trust me, when alone it isn’t. Old buildings have a lot of random noises and there seemed to be a different one for all 180 years of this one. Seagulls dancing on a skylight one day almost has me running out the door. This was the year I finally surrendered my idea to live in a castle. My heart couldn’t take it.

A month or so in I had another scare. I stepped on a weighing scales! How on earth was I 99 kilos? One look at my belly and I knew how. From this, my raison d’etre in 2020 was born. I aimed to drop below 90kg. Walking was the only option back in April for exercise and before long became my new passion. I walked every road, every lane, every alleyway in that 2km around my house. I found a new appreciation for the Dublin areas of Terenure, Cowper, Rathmines and Rathgar. Discovering new features of these Georgian neighbourhoods became my pass time. The Irish weather for once was compassionate, and the sun shone more in those three months than in any spring in my memory. There’s always a silver lining.

Dublin – 2020 in Photos

The Rebirth of my Love of Hiking

Then June came. Freedom came with it. Of sorts. The country creaked back to life, and national and international travel resumed. Channeling my inner Mr T, I stayed domestic. Tired of my city and park confines, I longed for the quiet slopes of the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains. My old hiking boots were dusted off and hiking replaced regular walking as my biggest passion for the rest of 2020. Those mountains within 20 minutes of Dublin became a real blessing. With it, my goal of 10000 steps daily became a goal to do 10 km daily. I’ve only once fallen short all year since.

Hiking is now as much an integral part of this blog as it is of my life. My post on the 30 best walks and hikes in Dublin, is my most read of the year. Guess I’m not the only one who has gotten tired of the couch.

My favourite hikes were in the Wicklow Mountains, and it was these hikes that brought me closest to the elation felt from travelling. Which in 2020 was exactly what I needed. I shared some of my favourites earlier.

Lough Bray

Spinc Glendalough

Djouce mountain

Hooray for Road Trips

With the country at our mercy between July and October, naturally, a few road trips were taken. My first few took me to Waterford and Longford, in hunt of street art. Always a good endeavor when social distancing is a concern.

Street art of Longford

Street art of Waterford

Kilkea Castle

With staycation being the most fashionable travel word of 2020, we got in on the action ourselves in July. In style. While never wanting to own a castle, I’m more than happy to stay in one. Better still it was a collaboration with the property, so we really lived it up. King for a day and all that. Our Kilkea Castle stay was truly excellent, and a real highlight of the infamous year that was 2020. Where else can you have afternoon tea from a picnic basket?

Galway- 2020 in Photos

August brought our only real trip of the year after February. August- the height of the summer, with long warm sunny days, and high temperatures. The perfect month to travel.

Except in Ireland.

Any experience I have of July travel, involves rain. 2020 was no exception. For much of our trip, the lovely Storm Ellen battered Galway. The dramatic waves by Salthill were at least entertaining. To be honest a storm isn’t going to hold you back in Ireland, they are rarely electric. But some of the views around Galway certainly were. Thankfully the storm and cloud broke on occasion for us.

I would hate to bore you with more tales of my further road trips to Wexford, Kildare, Offaly, Roscommon, Louth, Longford, Meath and Mayo, so instead I’m just going to bombard you with a ton of more photos. Unless of course you haven’t read about my Leap Castle visit. Simply put, it’s the scariest castle in Ireland if not the world. It was definitely the final nail in the coffin of my ambition to ever live in one. Probably the most unique experience I had all year.

2020 in Photos- Wildlife

While staring on with envy at some of the wildlife shots of fellow bloggers on Twitter (you know who you are), I was inspired to go out and purchase a telephoto lens. Again. That’s the third time. Don’t know why I ever got rid of the other two. Seeking local wildlife has been a late highlight of my year, especially within the second lockdown. As the year ends and with the lockdown triquel now upon us, it’s the closest I’m getting to Safari for a while.

So as 2020 draws to a close, it’s clear it’s a year that has changed us all. Certainly the direction of my annual end of year photo roundup.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my readers for being so supportive throughout 2020. It’s been a difficult year for all. Here’s to a return to normality and travel in ’21. I wish you all a very happy new year.

To get my latest posts to your inbox just add your email below.

Having your wedding photos taken abroad- I mean how hard can it be? Or so we thought… But before I get into all the drama behind a simple photo shoot, perhaps I should begin with how we got into the mindset. I’ll leave the separation from the wedding dress, the debacle taking it with us and the randomness of the day of the shoot for later in the blog.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any money, it will help keep this site going and me travelling. Thank you for your support.

Our Wedding Plans

The notion of having our photos taken abroad evolved. We initially planned to elope and marry in Italy. Conventional weddings are not our thing. More on that in a minute. So we contacted a wedding planner in Italy in a destination I had fallen in love with prior. However there was a problem in that the town hall there only took bookings within the calendar year. We were looking at a September Wedding in the year of 2017.

So January came and the first weeks went with no contact. So I followed up. Turns out that same city hall takes holidays in January and half of February. I want a job in that wedding department.

Needless to say we weren’t impressed and more than a little concerned with their competence. Would we turn up to a scenario where something wouldn’t go right? Would they forget the priest? Are we even going to even hear from them in February? Lacking confidence we scrapped the idea.

A Dublin Wedding

And so we settled on a Dublin wedding after all. But we weren’t keen on the traditional wedding that so many of our friends opted for. Beata dreaded the Hungarian traditions, such as the coin dance. The guests gather around and throw coins to the couple and they dance for the money. And I can’t dance to save my life. Don’t get me started on the bride kidnapping tradition.

I on the other hand had worked in a hotel for years and seen so many weddings that I know what can go wrong. I’ve seen fights, renegade DJs, and hospitalised guests on occasions. Another common thing at big weddings – bad food and wine. And that’s not even to mention what it can do to the bride.

So we kept the wedding to close family only. The number we ended up on was…13. We recounted and reconsidered. Can be unlucky for some. But that’s what we invited. And it was perfect. From the good humoured registrar, to the tasty canapés and prosecco in Dublin’s premier hotel the Merrion, to the succulent steak dinner that followed at the very stylish Fire restaurant.

The First Dance

The only thing missing was our first dance. The night in the restaurant ended prematurely at 12am, so we went off in search of a nightclub. Landing in the very alternative Globe Bar, we looked a tad out of place in our wedding clobber. Egged on to get that first dance going, we decided the first song we knew would be it. Then a familiar guitar and keyboard track brought me to my two left feet and we deliberated it was to be the one.

On the dancefloor it turned out the song was Love Will Tear us Apart by Joy Division. How very apt for out rather alternative wedding.

For the record and to relive those who believe in omens, two years on we are still very happily married.

Finding a Santorini Wedding Photographer

We did hold on to one thing from our plan to elope. The dream of having our wedding photos taken in an exotic location. The notion of Amalfi disappeared though, like the town hall staff in January. And it’s place a honeymoon to Santorini grew. Having seen so many Santorini photos on the web, it seemed the perfect place to capture our wedding memories. So we set out to find a photographer for Santorini.

It’s important to book early, and not leave booking a photographer to the last minute. Our search turned up quite a few photographers with the aid of Google. Many are general Greece photographers, while there around ten that are based on Santorini. We decided to book a photographer from the locality we would be in. We presumed they will know the more remote spots, that are perfect for photography.

A listing is available at BestWeddingPhotography.com and from here hunt took us to a Santorini photographer called Ashley. We decided her photographs were the ones that most closely correlated with the idea of what we wanted done. And so after a brief email conversation we booked her for a three hour shoot which would cost €500. This was around the median price for this length of time, with some being a little more expensive who advertise at the top of google. No coincidence there perhaps.

The discussion on the best time for our shoot was one where I was led, as the island explodes to life for sunset, and so is best in those sleepy morning hours. When you have the island all to yourself. I am not a morning person, but I had come this far so one early morning surely wasn’t going to hurt me.

Santorini flights and the wedding dress

Being from Ireland it’s hard to resist the allure (cheap prices) of Ryanair, and our honeymoon proved no exception. Ryanair has direct flights to Athens, and then another to Santorini from there. It was certainly the quickest route and allowed us to spend a few days in Athens. So that was that sorted, book our seats and nothing else to worry about.

Except the wedding dress.

A quick look at Ryanair’s policy on bringing a wedding dress with you on a flight, gives you 3 options.

1. In the overhead locker. I don’t think so.
2. In the cargo hold. Where it may be thrown in along with another 100 suitcases, and undergo an unwelcome alteration.
3. Book an extra seat for your dress.

A new problem

So we booked an extra seat on all four flights for the dress. Costly, but simples. Right? Wrong! No it was never going to be that easy.

I mean for three of the flights it was. The fourth however was where the challenge arose. While booking our three seats together on the flight from Athens to Santorini, Ryanair’s system crashed. Beata ended up the front of the plane, I in the middle and the dress at the back. The system locked us out and there was nothing I could do till the day of the flight.

Parkinson’s law set in and I worried if I might not be able to get beside the dress. What if the person in the seat beside me and the dress refused to move? That would be the longest short flight ever. The day of the flight came and after awkwardly approaching the lady in the seat beside the dress, she was more than happy to move. Relieved I took my place beside the dress. But after all my fussing a member of the cabin crew approached me. The flight was quiet and she could hang the dress at the back of the plane. Damn it, all that worry for nothing.

The day of our Santorini Wedding Shoot

We booked hair and makeup through our hotel, the amazing Lilium Santorini Villa. Perched above the caldera just outside Fira it is the perfect island retreat. Morgan Belleville, Beata’s makeup artist was originally from California and settled in Santorini. Who could blame her. While performing her magic on Beata I took in a Santorini sunrise.

We were due to be collected at 7 am by Ashley who would drive us to the different shooting locations. As it turned out Ashley the photographer was an English Ashley and not an American Ashley. So a guy and not the girl we expected. Ashley is a Geordie living in Greece for some years, and was a sound guy. We filled the 3 hours with conversation. Ashley was accompanied by his Greek assistant. I can’t recall her name, so we shall call her Mary Kate for this blog. Ashley and Mary Kate as it turned out were a couple as well.

Mary Kate was quite afraid of heights. Very interesting then that she choose to move to Santorini, an island perched on the edge of the caldera. It also proved more difficult when half our photography locations were sites reached by a series of switchbacks and dangling on the edge of that caldera, or on the end of roads with plummeting drops to the sea below. Of course this made Ashley’s job all the more difficult, and they had a few disagreements over it. I chuckled to listen to them bicker as only couples do.

The shoot had further complications. Complications such as having to give way to a Santorini traffic jam. I can’t imagine anywhere else where this might happen on your wedding shoot.

The Shoot

We had assumed that the shoot would take us to Fira and other Santorini landmarks such as the Anastasi church, but Ashley had other ideas. He embraced the notion of finding remote places on the island, with views of unique Santorini churches, and of the caldera. And the results were amazing. The complications encountered on the shoot certainly did not manifest in the photographs.

Let me take you on a tour of Ashley’s Santorini photography locations. Arriving in Fira we left the main streets climbing down to Ekklisia Agios Minas, a church off the beaten track. Some convenient flowers and the church provided backdrops for Ashley.

The caldera itself was the star of many photos. Besides ourselves of course.

We bundled into Ashley’s car and set off for the church at Profitis Ilias. This church is on the 10 km walking route from from Fira to Oia. Great views en route, but its not for the Mary Kate’s of this world.

No Santorini photo shoot is complete without a visit to a blue domed church, and Ashley found the perfect one in Panagia Tou Kalou. In an obscure part of the islands north-east, we found ourselves as the only ones there.

No wedding album is complete without some tree hugging pictures. Santorini’s east has a scattering of sandy beaches with Monolithos Beach being perhaps the pick. And it has some nice trees for shade

Of course we finished with the prerequisite walk on the beach and a romantic kiss against the backdrop of the Aegean Sea.

Conclusion

The world needs a little bit of happiness now, and the story of my Santorini wedding photos is without doubt one of my happy memories. Despite the stumbles along the way.

Looking for more inspiration on Greece? Then a trip to Meteora will blow your socks off. Quite possibly Greece’s most amazing landscape. My Meteora experience.

Amused you? Then please pin or share.

2019 in Photos

Belgium – January 2019

The year began with a visit to the twin Belgian cities of Brussels and Bruges. Brussels was somewhat dull in terms of weather and activities, and felt as though it had a hangover from Christmas. Something I’m well used to coming from Ireland. January hangovers are common place. And yet that dullness was lifted, first by its friendly kinfolk, then by its comic book street art and finally by the grandeur of its Grand Place. This was my Brussels adventure.

Bruges on the other hand was anything but dull. It certainly wouldn’t be the only fairytale city of 2019 that would rouse my heart, but was the first. The buildings are as if plucked from fiction, and the canals are the definition of calm, and as if that isn’t enough there’s chocolatiers, waffle shops and delicious frites to satisfy your palate. I was enamoured and shared more in my Bruges blog.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any money, it will help keep this site going and me travelling. Thank you for your support.

Budapest January: 2019 in Photos

I completed a trio of cities that started with the letter B in January. I had long planned to delve deep into the attractions of this fine city, and a necessary and convenient visit to a dentist brought it. It didn’t disappoint. From the baths, to the parliament, to its churches and castles, the city is scintillating. The unexpected surprise of its sunsets were the perfect finish to cultural and relaxing trip. Besides those hours spent in the dentists chair. It was also the first trip that saved me money. I also finally felt worthy of writing about Budapest.

Hungary April: 2019 in Photos

After a long three months without travelling, once again Hungary was our destination. After a brief time in Budapest, the country to the east was again our focus, travelling the towns and villages there. We unearthed surprises in the small Hatvan and Nyirbator, and the elegant Andrassy Palace. But the focus of our trip was the Easter celebrations in the mountain town of Holloko. Here Hungarian tradition is upheld, and recognized by UNESCO, in the form of the practice of sprinkling. It’s a lot more fun than the pics suggest, as described here.

Romania April: 2019 in Photos

A road trip took us across the border into Romania, and my first trip to the nation. Judging by this the first of many. We only had time to visit Oradea, a border city. Its secession architecture was incredible, and its churches and monasteries were Byzantine beauties.

Switzerland June: 2019 in Photos

Without a doubt the highlight of the year was our Switzerland trip. Looking back its still hard to believe that a land so beautiful exists. The urban surroundings of Bern were charming, but as soon as we breached the borders of the Alps we were in mountain paradise. Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and our favourite Grindelwald were all a photographers dream. Point and shoot were all that was required.

France June: 2019 in Photos

We traded the raw power of Switzerland’s nature for the more cultivated lands of the Alsace in France at the end of the trip. Once again it was a joy to see the fairytale houses of the city of Colmar, and the villages of Kaysersberg and Eguisheim. Does a more delightful region exist in France? I have my doubts.

Greece September: 2019 in Photos

A solo trip to Greece had the primary focus of visiting Meteora, a location which had hovered at the top of my bucket list for some time. Need i explain why? 6 monasteries sitting atop huge rocky outcrops in rural Greece, built by monks who only had ropes, pulleys and nets at their disposal is why. Throw in amazing views and spectacular sunsets. The trip also featured visits to Thessaloniki and the Vikos gorge, the world’s deepest relative to its width.

U.K. October 2019

In an effort to surprise the huge Harry Potter fan in the family, we took off to the UK and the Warner Bros Studio Tour. The tour was quite brilliant, and exceeded expectations. That dragon was a stunning sight. Naturally I squeezed some culture in from the cities of St Albans and Cambridge.

Vienna November 2019

Winter brought with it Vienna, and the first christmas market that we had the pleasure of visiting. I’m happy to say we started with one of the best, Vienna really rises to the festive season and pulls out all the stops. The city is a polished one too, dominated by the palaces of the Hapsburgs.

All in all 2019 hasn’t been a bad years travelling, and I’ve seen a few worthy sights along the way. If you have a favourite among this collection, please let me know in the comments.

Thank you for your support during the year 2019, and as ever I would appreciate a pin or share. Wishing you all a very prosperous 2020.

As someone who comes from Ireland driving a car on mainland Europe was always going to be a challenge. Most of the countries that still drive on the left are ex- British colonies. That does account for 34% of the world population and surprisingly 76 countries. But besides the UK and Ireland, only Malta and Cyprus drive on the left in Europe with most of the rest being in Australasia, the Caribbean or Southern Africa.

History of driving in Europe and the world

In fact the history of why it differs is a fascinating one. Historically all traffic was on the left, from the point of view of mounting a horse this made sense and the ability to unleash a sword on attackers favoured being on the left. With the advent of large wagons a shift was made to the right but was never entered into law. The Napoleonic wars saw the first major international  shift, as all countries conquered changed to the right. Those that resisted stayed left.

It was only in the 20th century, and again due to a war, as Hitlers conquering German army, demanded countries under his dominance to change. The US gradually changed after gaining independence but some states still drove left until decrees in the last century. Many old colonies of European states were not required to change with their invaders and so we have our world picture.

So with all that confusion and changing is it surprising we feel the same when required to drive on the “other side”. 

The history of my driving

Let me clarify, I don’t think I’m a bad driver. I had no accidents, no injuries, and no major incidents. But I have had a long succession of minor incidents, all of which have been overshadowed by the sheer beauty which have set my eyes on over many road trips.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any money, it will help keep this site going and me travelling. Thank you for your support.

Top Tips for Driving in Europe

Driving in Italy 2011

I first rented a car in Italy in 2011 when staying in the Rimini area of the country. The first thirty minutes of having the car were uneventful. So uneventful that I never left the parking lot of the rental company. I was nervous as hell and couldn’t get used to the gear stick being on my right instead of my left. So rather than take to the roads I drove around the parking lot. I’m quite surprised looking back that they didn’t come out and take the car back of me. Not the best start to driving in Europe.

Familiarise yourself with the car.

But slowly the nerves subsided and I tackled the roads. The car gave me liberties I perhaps wouldn’t have had at our uneventful seaside location. The beach usually keeps me entertained for about ten minutes before my mind drifts to more cultural and historical sights.  I drove north to Ravenna to be wowed by its churches and fine murals. To the south the towns of Ancona, and the hilltop fortress of Gradara were reached through lands of rolling hills.

San Marino

Buoyed by the confidence I now felt, we then travelled to San Marino. San Marino is the fifth smallest country in the world, and the oldest surviving republic, dating back to the third century, It is built atop a large hill, with its summit being Monte Titano, rising to 749 metres above sea level. To drive there, there are a series of switchbacks before you are required to abandon your car in one of its many car parks and continue on foot.

The views across the countryside are naturally wonderful and as you progress through the medieval townscape, they naturally increase. They culminate in the fortress at the top, which clings to the mountain top and dominates the state. Atop those battlements you could be in a different time, as the land below shrinks from view and fades. And so began my love affair of road trips in Europe.

Driving in Poland 2012

I had travelled to Poland on many occasions but this was to be the first when I would drive. I had enjoyed my experience in Italy, despite my nervy start. We would rent from the beautiful city of Torun before driving north to Gdansk and heading out to the Baltic. It was all well planned, so what could possibly go wrong.

Expect the unexpected is a good mantra to live by.

The rental was a Skoda Octavia. It was a nice spacious car, and Skoda had recovered from the reputation they garnished in decades past. Getting the keys, I set out. Or rather I didn’t. Again I was stuck in the car park. Except this time I was stuck in the parking space. Reverse was in a position I was unfamiliar with, down to the right, over to the side, and back up. The car constantly found fifth, no matter what I did. Not the start I wanted. Eventually it clicked and after ten minutes I left my parking space. A few minutes of nervous driving around the car park and we were set.

Torun

Torun’s city centre was marvellous, having survived both wars without damage. It’s one of Poland’s oldest cities, and is still much surrounded by its original walls. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But for every positive walking its streets, it threw up as many negatives when driving. A mass scale roadwork project was underway and with road closures and diversions it threw my navigation into turmoil. I’ll be honest reading Polish road signs wouldn’t be a skill I’ll list. This was never more obvious than when I was turning onto a motorway around the city.

Traffic lights green. Check.

Right hand side of road. Check.

Road sign saying something. Checked but didn’t understand.

So I pulled onto the three lane motorway, which in my vicinity was empty. Up ahead it wasn’t. Those three lanes were full of traffic all moving. Except they were moving in MY direction. And fast. I’ve never done a u-turn as swift and to this day I don’t know why a motorway would be reversed. Lets call that one a lucky escape.

and onto North Poland

So we travelled north to Gdansk, before hitting the Baltic. The cars gear box kept annoying the hell out of me. It was only surpassed by the hotel we were staying in forgetting our reservation and putting us in the smallest, dingiest, crappest room I’ve ever seen. I may have been a cupboard. Ferry rides and sunsets on the Baltic made things a little better.

As we returned to Gdansk and to leave back the car, I found second and fourth gear near impossible to find and the penny finally dropped; it wasn’t me, the gearbox was going in the car. This was corroborated by the rental company when I returned it. Before I did though I had one final drama, I couldn’t open the cap on the fuel tank. Luckily the rental company weren’t far away and they came to my rescue, much to my embarrassment.

Driving in Spain 2013

We stayed for a week in Malaga in 2013, which would be my next driving in Europe adventure, and while the city provided ample amounts of sea, sun, good food, and history I can’t resist the urge to explore further. So we rented a car and took the bus out of the city to collect, only to realise I forgot my passport.

Always remember to bring your passport, driving licence and relevant documents when renting cars.

So three bus rides later we had our motor. After my usual nervous start and slow acclimatization to the differences, we spent the day exploring some of the Costa Del Sol and Marbella. It was enough time to know these places were not for me.

The Sierra’s of Andalucia

The subsequent day we pointed north into the Sierras. This was more me. The road stretched into the cactus covered hills. Anytime we paused the sound of crickets filled the air. It’s one of my lasting memories of the landscape. Neither can I forget the hazardous hiking path at El Caminito Del Rey ( which has now been modernised, needless to say I didn’t attempt the old wooden one), nor the brilliant green lakes outside the whitewash town of Ardales, at Embalse Del Conde de Guadlahorce. Rondas gorge top location was next and its magnificent bridge before we descended from our mountain location via about a thousand hairpin turns. I began to embrace the notion of driving in Europe.

Driving in Sicily 2014

When I told some people that I planned to rent a car In Palermo and drive across Sicily, I was asked many questions.

Are you mad?

Haven’t you heard how the drivers are there?

Don’t you know they are among the worst in Europe and even more volatile than in Rome?

Online I found no solace, just more sources to back up the claims. So I stopped checking online and listening to my friends.

Palermo

After two days in Palermo, we picked up our car from its downtown location. Which happened to be beside the busiest street in the city, and that’s exactly where the GPS sent me. There simply didn’t seem to be an alternative. So into the roaring fire I went.

So lets set the picture on this. There are two wide “lanes” of traffic going each way. Which suggests two rows of cars in each direction. Nope. Lanes counted for nothing here. If there was any space a car drove into it. No matter where it was. So it looked as if there were eight rows of traffic across the road. It was bumper to bumper, and if you wanted to get anywhere you had better drive very progressively.

It was here I learned the technique of accelerate, brake and honk, all in one movement. If you are going to drive in Palermo then you sure as hell better drive how they do. Incidentally it was on this road that I finally became fully comfortable with driving in Europe on the right. I never felt nervous stepping into a rental car again. So I thank those many insane drivers of Palermo for that.

A sweet journey

Finally leaving the manic streets of Palermo behind we sailed south towards Agrigento, our first stop on our island tour. We stopped for coffee at what will always be my favourite service station, because it was here I was introduced to Cannoli. Its got very little to do with driving, but driving is always better with something sweet and good coffee.

GPS then gave me good reason to not always place my faith in it, as it took us off the main road, before bringing us on to increasingly smaller ones. I went with it as it often does this in Ireland. Even when it took us onto a narrow road with grass growing up the middle I presumed it was a shortcut. Again common in Ireland. When we saw a tractor in the middle of the road up ahead, suddenly the doubt crept in. As we got closer we realised the tractor had probably been there about ten years and the grass had grown into it and through it. I got to practice my reversing skills.

Realmonte

Back on route the GPS seemed unaware of its blip and took us back to the main road. We arrived in Realmonte near Agrigento without incident. The rest of the trip was a treat, the white cliffs at Realmonte still rank as my favourite sunset, the Valley of the Tepmles was astounding, and our route east took us through the scenic towns of Enna and Ragusa. We were based in Taormina for a week, but that’s a story for another day.

Don’t always rely on GPS, sometimes it even loses its head.

Driving in Lisbon 2015

Despite my new-found confidence behind the wheel, 2015 was a year for city breaks, and I only spent one day behind the wheel on a left hand drive. But a worthwhile day nonetheless. Driving a Fiat 500 from my by now favourite rental company, Rentalcars.com, we visited Sintra, which is a micro-climate area near Lisbon. The escape of kings and queens of Lisbon for many centuries now, it is also the perfect escape for visitors of the magnificent city.

You can read how we got on there in A Day Trip to Sintra  which if you do, you will know that this is the only place where I cannot recommend driving in Europe. We did get to Praia de Adraga, a remote beach on the Atlantic Coast, so it wasn’t all a negative. GPS played some tricks on me on the return trip too. Since when is a car rental agency a service station?

Sometimes a car is not always the best option- do your research.

Driving in Iceland 2016

For anyone who has driven in Europe, Iceland has to rank as one of the top places for a road trip. With thundering waterfalls, vast lava fields, gushing geysers, snow-capped volcanoes and remote glaciers, what more can you realistically ask for. It’s incredible landscape is ever-changing, even after every downfall of rain, as new waterfalls appeared from the top of roadside mountains. Its beautiful and rather distracting. Luckily the roads aren’t busy, and there are many many opportuinities to pull in and gawp.

We spent five days travelling from Reykjavik and across the south coast but realistically could spend many more. We took in the Golden Circle, the waterfalls of Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss, and the south coast as far as Vik, and many thermal, geological and geographical wonders. Our rental was a Ford Mondeo, which cannot be faulted and an estate is a perfect car for Iceland in the summer months, if you don’t plan on veering too far off route one. It was our greatest experience driving in Europe. So for once a perfect rental without any problems…

All fine in Iceland

….That is until the morning of our flight home. We were staying near the airport, in a less than perfect B&B, and had packed all for our early flight. Awaking drowsily around 3:30am, we grabbed all our stuff to take to the car, only for the question to arise, where are the keys?

We turned the room upside down, but nothing!

Maybe I left them in the car? No!

Lost them in the car park? Didn’t think so but I retraced my steps everywhere. Not a trace!

We emptied our suitcases, turned everything we had inside out, but no sign.

So I had to face up the truth. They were gone. Forever!

So was €250, the charge for losing your keys. Iceland is expensive enough, without any extra charges.

Facing the truth

With our flight time fast approaching I bit the bullet and called the rental company. They were understanding but explained the policy. I accepted and they said they would send someone out to pick us up. Arriving I met him in the car park, explained the situation and we hurried into the bedroom. After a quick look around, he went straight to the bed, threw the mattresses on the floor, and lo and behold there were the keys sitting on the beds base. It wasn’t the first time he had seen this happen. A few high fives later, he left with the new title of “****ing legend”, and we were on our way to the airport, heavy with shame, but always better than light of pocket. Morale of the story is, don’t throw your keys on the bed as I probably did.

Don’t lose your car keys the morning of the flight

Driving in Hungary 2017/18

Needless to say I kept a sharp eye on mt keys from this point on. Two trips to Hungary within two years saw a number of road trips, and surprisingly no real incident. We did get an upgrade on our rental  last time, to an SUV. The east of the country was our playground, and we travelled much of the Great Plain, a steppe running through the heart of the region. The long stretches of flat land were beautiful, a far cry from the glacially sculpted hills and mountains of Ireland. Its prize is certainly Hortobagy, with a  culture and heritage reminiscent of the cowboys of the wild west (minus the guns). Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I shared my reverence for their way of life in my blog Exploring the Hungarian Puszta.

Northern Hungary

To the north of the country lie the more hillied wine lands of Tokaj and Eger. This is where Hungary’s world-famous wines are produced and at the centre of the regions lie the respective town and city. Our trips into these areas uncovered some incredible sights, from the vine-covered slopes, to wonders created by man and nature in the Matra Mountains, or a clever fusion of the two. Hungary wouldn’t be a country which would spring to mind for a voyage of discovery, but marriage introduced me to its delights.

Car’s introduce you to places you never knew existed

Driving in Santorini 2017

2017 also saw the year of our wedding. We wedded in Ireland with our honeymoon in Santorini, after a few days in Athens. With a line up of wonderful hotels, excellent activities, and mouth-watering restaurants, we had it all planned to perfection. The towns of Fira and Oia lived up to our imagination, and the caldera and views were truly captivating.

Yes, all we planned was perfect, except for our car rental, which we didn’t really focus on till late and wasn’t really a priority. The island is easy to get around by bus, and with some of its roads, perhaps a bus is the best recommendation. On reflection every car on the island seemed to have a dent somewhere. But I’m a sucker for a rental, and when an email arrived in my inbox from a well-known budget airplane operating out of Ireland (who I won’t name and shame), the price was too good to be true. We took a car for four days, a Ford Fiesta being perfect for the island.

Anything but perfect

Inevitability it was too good to be true, and was far from what we expected. The car, an ancient Honda Civic got us around, just, but the last thing you would say it had was a healthy purr, there was a lingering smell of fumes, the key was held together by tape, and the expected Ford Fiesta was an ancient Honda Civic.

The cheapest option is not always the best.

Click to view slideshow..

Driving in Holland 2018

It has always been a bucket list item of mine to see the Dutch tulip fields in full bloom. April of 2018 would be the time when I would cross that off. We took a route through several towns built on canals, and on into the Lisse area of the country. The tulip fields blew my mind, rarely in my life have I seen such brilliant colours in nature. The windmill town of Zaanse Schans, was the other principal focus of our drives, its riverside setting among the most attractive in The Netherlands.

Having promised myself to never rent from the previous company again, and even complaining on my return (futilely), I still did it. I fell for the same half price email again. Naturally I was reminded later of the expression “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”

Playing the fool

Sadly it did live up to expectations. The car a Ford Focus was covered in dents, there was no snag list which was alarming, it had the prerequisite smell of fumes, and despite me requesting a manual I was given an automatic. This may not seem like a biggie, but it would be my first time to drive an automatic. Because of the lack of a clutch I suffered from severe left leg confusion and on a few times it found its way on to the brake, causing me to jam on, when I only wanted to change gears.

Choose a transmission that you are comfortable with when driving in Europe.

2019

2019 has come and gone and more new countries are under my driving belt. And all went smoothly of course. The end. Wait, Hell no it didn’t it never does with car rental!

Driving in Hungary & Romania 2019

A day trip to Romania and my first ever physical border crossing would provide something of a challenge. Taking a rental often occurs an extra cost which we paid on returning. It’s also good to be up front about it to the rental agency. They will provide usual information on where you are travelling to as well.

As soon as I started the engine and turned on GPS I made my first mistake. Somehow our arrival time was going to be an hour later than I had projected. I was confused until I figured out Romania lay in another time zone. Bummer. I was already an hour late.

Learn your time zones before crossing borders

Oradea, Romania

The roads left a lot to be desired through rural eastern Hungary but we made it to Oradea without getting lost in a pothole. It was on this trip the Google Maps earned the nickname Hermie. Hermie again proved a problem as I missed the same turn three time in Oradea, due to confusing directions.

Oradea was an architectural delight, full of secession buildings. You can read more on that Romanian day trip here.

The journey home was where it got interesting. The journey over only had border patrol on the Romanian side and I assumed the same for the return journey. So having passed over my papers to the first personnel I met, I took off past the others that were standing around and into Hungary. A lot of arm waving, shouting and thankfully no shooting convinced me to reverse back to some bemused Hungarian officials.

Take it slowly on border crossings. Don’t risk going down in a blaze of bullets.

Driving in Switzerland 2019

Ah Switzerland. A paradise of magnificent mountains, pristine lakes and gorgeous chalets. Where nothing is ever late due to Swiss timing. Where nothing is to be a fearing because of Swiss engineering. And nowhere is as blatant as on its roads in the form of the elongated tunnels that cut through mountains and around cities. They really are a marvel…that is, till you are a tourist who relies on GPS to get around. Damn you again Hermie. Offline maps or online maps, the result was the same, no maps in the tunnels.

We had rented a car through RentalCars.com (this link is an affiliate one, so bear me in mind when you are renting next) and the local provider was Thrifty. In advance we picked a Ford Fiesta, partially because I was warned that the speed limits are low in Switzerland, and speeding is heavily punished, so I thought a Fiesta might curtail me. They offered me a choice of a Citroen C3 or a Hyundai i20. Thinking to myself that those Citroens are no slouches, I therefore went with the Hyundai. Except when we got outside our luggage wasn’t getting in its boot. So reluctantly I took the Citroen.

We packed all our stuff in, and I sat behind the wheel, put my foot on the clutch…except I didn’t, as the car was an automatic. Oh how I hate automatics. I returned to the desk, again, and third time was the charm, with a manual Mazda 2, and finally we were on our way to Bern.

While hunting the Giessbach Falls we entered a 4 lane tunnel that was about 3 km long. Hermie (legend) suggested we take a right hand turn halfway through the tunnel. Into a brick wall! I didn’t and with that Hermie lost the plot, repeatedly encouraging me to do a u-turn in a motorway like tunnel. It was at that point we no longer sought it’s opinion and we found our own way to the falls.

France

We rented our car from Basel Airport and took it to France. But not before a word of warning from the rental agent. So Basel airport is in France. But we couldn’t take the car back to the French part without incurring a penalty. We had to drive back to Basel in Switzerland in order to drive back to France to get to the airport. Confused? You can bet I was too.

And that was only the start of it. On the way back to the airport I approached Basel only to be met by …. a huge tunnel. My nemesis. As soon we entered the GPS showed the white glad and surrendered. Hermie became a haemorrhoid for me.

Suddenly I was fearing Swiss engineering.

Particularly when the turn for the airport passed me by and GPS still said it was 2km away. The tunnels must have stretched for 10km with bad traffic. I was getting late for my rental return and I was in the wrong country. Then I remembered that roads have colourful things on the side with writing and directions on them. Commonly known as signs. This one was particularly useful. ✈️ Apparently it shows you where the airport is. And it did.

Sometimes you have to get back to basics and follow the signs.

Driving in Greece 2019

A 1000 kilometre road trip through Northern Greece, was an undisputed highlight of the year. Despite the many mountains, my car, a Skoda Citigo, proved to be more than its name suggested. It wasn’t the best on dirt tracks but I perhaps shouldn’t have given it at that test.

Cars with 1 litre engines are not 4*4’s.

The trip took in the shimmering Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods of old; then Meteora, those series of monasteries that sit atop rock columns; and finally the area around the Vikos Gorge, one of the world deepest. The scenery was incredible and the roads mountainous to put it lightly. Yet for all the sheer drops and cut back it was a delight.

Police Problems

Driving in Greece is a challenge though. Speed limits are in place, but there are no limits it seems. 70 kmph zone? Everyone fizzes by at 140. Tunnels limited to 80. Double that in reality. As this was my first time driving on the mainland I took it handy. And yet on the way back from Vikos at a police checkpoint I got pulled over.

The first thing that was in my head was, I don’t know any Greek.

The second; what could I have done wrong.

As I opened my window, I was met but a string of Greek. I fumbled an apology and asked if he spoke English. He asked for my licence so I flicked it out of my Segrid wallet. He looked surprised then asked me to open the boot. My boot only had my camera gear which prompted the officer into a conversation about where I had been and some recommendations about good places to go. He then called his buddy over and asked me to put my licence back in my wallet and take it back out again. They marvelled at the way the Segrid wallet worked, and he told his mate he wanted one. I still don’t know why I was pulled over but I wish all police altercations were this easy. Like that time in Latvia when I ran away from one instead of paying a bribe.

Play it cool when pulled over by the local police.

Thessaloniki

The final stop on my trip was Thessaloniki. Driving here was a real challenge. It’s loud, noisy, chaotic, insert adjective here. I had decided to go to an underground car park, but when I got to the entrance, a car was coming at me up the ramp and a woman started shouting at me on the footpath. I got out of there fast. Circling around again I couldn’t find another entrance so settled on a place with valet parking. My possessions were fine but I still felt I was robbed when leaving.

Then came the real challenge. Finding the hotel. All was ok until the road I needed to take was closed for roadworks. And everything around it was one way leading me away. And further away. Then there was the roundabouts. I got chastised if I didn’t drive progressively on them. I got chastised if I didn’t let cars pull in front of me. Finally I found a circular route taking me to the hotel. In the end a 5 minute trip took 30.

It’s probably best to avoid driving in Greek and Italian cities if you can.

My Advice to anyone considering Driving in Europe

Much like anything practice makes perfect. So I’m hoping one day to get there. While all my stories have their errors and a somewhat humorous side looking back, I tried to draw a lesson from them all.

Choose a rental company that you trust and stick with them (advice which I now follow). I use Rentalcars.com for driving in Europe, I’m not saying they are necessarily the best but they serve me well. Following that link will serve me well too. Take full insurance in advance of travelling, because you can never be too prepared. And have fun seeing that wide world out there. That’s essential.

Choose a rental company you can trust and always take full insurance

I hope you enjoyed reading and I would love some pins, shares, or comments if you did.

I’ve made mistakes along the way and I’ll be the first to admit that I really didn’t have a clue what I was getting myself into. I had no idea how to grow a blog, how to attain readers, or how best to go about building relationships with other bloggers. That took some months and trial and error. But now as the year ends I’m getting my head around it. Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram provide me good sources of clicks through to my webpage. I can’t say I’ve mastered any but I’ve gotten a firm footing in all three. My blogs also finally have the structure they sorely lacked in those early days of 2018. However the discussion of my blogging journey is one for another day.

Writing aside my blogs have always had another focus. That focus is on photography. Photography has been a love of mine for many years now, and goes hand in hand with my love of travel. I’ve never been one to blow my own trumpet, but a consistent appraisal from my blogging peers has been that my photos stand out. It’s something I’ve worked on throughout the year, and I feel I’ve seen a marked progress in my technique.

For my final entry to Carpediemeire for 2018, I want to share my year’s journey through the photos that helped bring my blogs to life. I’m delighted that my memories will now be preserved in both word and pictures, long after my own start to fade. I’ve provided a contextual precursor to the different locations and their photos.

My year began with a misadventurous trip to Mayo in Ireland’s West. Our hotel’s location provided some breathtaking views over the River Moy.

London

My travels then took me on a solo trip to London. The galleries of St Paul’s Cathedral are such an ideal place to view the gargantuan city.

Holland

April saw my birthday and an opportuinity to do one of my bucket list items. We travelled to Amsterdam and strolling the canals was a delight.

The best windmills are probably found outside the city and Haarlem and Zaanse Schans were some of my favourite places to visit.

But we were there for my bucket list item. Spring sees tulips in full bloom, and after the delightful gardens of Keukenhof, we took to the back roads of the country, in search of some of the worlds most colourful fields. We weren’t to be disappointed, as a sea of colour unfolded before us.

Tuscany

As we entered late spring, good fortune found me on a work trip to Tuscany. Three days of food, wine, vineyards, and medieval towns was tough on the soul. The narrow streets, towers and churches of Lucca were delightful.

Pisa for the tourist trap was not without its pleasures, its trio of duomo, baptistery and tower, were extremely photogenic.

United Kingdom

May also brought with a return to the UK. The cities of Bath, Bristol and Wells and the gorgeous town of Castle Coombe were our targets. Wells was simply wonderful, Britain’s smallest city punching above its weight.

Our rushed visit to Bristol mostly only give us time to seek out Banksy and the Clifton Bridge.

Castle Coombe was one of my highlights of the year, a Cotswolds village that seemed to be stuck in the year 1718. The whole town was built in a honey coloured stone and ranks as one of the more beautiful villages I’ve ever passed through.

The last leg of our tour took us to the Roman city of Bath. At its centre the Roman Baths with their verdant green water are both the main draw culturally and historically. The River Avon which dissects the town finds its most aesthetic location in Pulteney Weir and Bridge.

Ireland

Staycations brought their own reward, with a summer trip to the coastal town of Carlingford in Ireland.

Even closer to home we made a visit to Dublin’s Trinity College.

Hungary

Our summer destination would be Hungary, and we spent a day in the blistering heat of Budapest. The Buda castle provides great views of the city below, and inspiration for any aspiring photographer.

We travelled through much of Eastern Hungary, visiting Debrecen, Tokaj, Eger, Nyiregyhaza, as well as the Great Plain of Hungary. The castles of Boldogko and Sirok were amongst the most breathtaking places in the country. This is a random scattering of photos from our day trips.

Reformed Church, Debrecen or the Lego church as I called it

The sunset view from the castle of Eger

Cork

September happened, and we spent our anniversary in Cork in Ireland. The trip took us to the stunning Swiss Cottage in Tipperary, the gorgeous grounds of Fota Wildlife Park, and the coastal towns of Cobh and Kinsale, possibly two of Ireland’s finest.

Our final trip of the year, saw us in Marrakesh. The city was an architectural delight, from our Riad, the palaces to the many ornamental doors. An excursion saw us riding camels on the palm grove of the city’s outskirts, and I fulfilled my ambition to be photographed with the snake charmers of Jemaa el-Fna.

This has been my photographic journey in 2018. It has been an enjoyable year of travel and I am full of anticipation for the one to come.

I would be delighted if you would like, comment or share.

Disclosure; This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any money, it will help keep this site going and me travelling. Thank you for your support.

Sorry for only getting around to writing up the post now. I’ve been nominated for a foursome of awards recently, the Sunshine Blogger Award, the Flawless Award, the Versatile Blogger Award and of course the Liebster Award, and I’m slowly working through the nominations along with previous blogs I had committed too. Delighted to have finally gotten around to this one.

I’m going to borrow a little from backinamerica’s post on the background and rules of the Liebster Award.

The Liebster Award

The aim of the Liebster Award is to give new bloggers more exposure through social media nominations.  It gives bloggers a voice and encourages more people to interact with us and follow our journeys.

The Liebster Award offers a prize at the end for the blogger who comes up with the most creative and unique questions. However, like any great competition, certain rules apply.

The Rules

• Add a link the Official Liebster Award page in your blog.
• Answer the questions given to you, if nominated.  If you were not nominated, you can answer the questions on the Liebster Award blog.
• Come up with 11 more unique and creative questions for your nominees to answer.
• Comment on the Liebster Award blog post with a link directly to your Liebster Award blog entry.

I’ve nominated my chosen bloggers in the tweet that brought you to this link and you can also click on their names below, which will take you directly to their blog.

The following are the questions backinamerica put forward and my answers.

Where is your dream holiday destination?

Without a doubt my dream location has to be Peru. From the ruins at Machu Picchu and Choquequirao, to the cities of Cusco and Lima, the rainbow mountains, and the salt terraces and flats of Maras, it really has so much that excites me. And it has Alpacas which have recently catapulted to being my new favourite animal. I’m hoping in the next few years to make my dream a reality.

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?

That’s an easy one and I’m sure any travel blogger would want the same. I was going to say flying because you can go anywhere you want, but then I thought about teleporting. Go where you want in the morning and pop home in time for your supper and to your own bed. Cut out all the major expenses of travelling and you can travel more. Woohoo. It’s easy to rob banks too.

You win £50 million on the lottery.  What is the first thing you would buy or do?

First thing I would do was go to the off licence and buy the most expensive champagne and get ridiculously drunk. But not before I put the ticket somewhere safe. Swiftly followed by flight tickets somewhere luxurious.

If you could make a one-minute phone call to your past or future self, at what age would you call yourself and what would you say? 

I don’t believe in looking back and regretting. But I guess I would like to call myself in my early twenties when perhaps my priorities were nowhere aligned with what they are now and say “travel more and buy a good camera”. I didn’t really document the holidays I took back then.

What word or phrase do you use too much?

I’m Irish so we commonly use swear words in most sentences. But I don’t want to throw profanities around here, so I’ll say the word grand. I’m grand, that’s grand, it was grand, that costs a grand etc

Name one thing you can’t live without? 

I’m debating if coffee is a thing. But maybe not. So i guess its my phone it’s rarely out of my hand these days, especially since I started my blog.

If you woke up in 1000 years, after being cryogenically frozen, what would question would you ask first?

Did we destroy the planet and if no do they still have coffee. I always need coffee when I wake up.

What trend or fad would you love to see come back?   

I’ve never been trendy so I can’t really put an answer to this one. I guess when I was young I always thought bandanas were seriously cool but didn’t have the balls to wear them. So I’ll go with bandanas.

What age would you like to stay forever and why? 

I don’t pay heed to age. It’s a mental condition in my opinion.  I’m 39 now so i’ll say 38 (I was carrying less kilos then).

Favourite poolside drink?         

I always enjoy sangria when poolside. It just has that exoticness with all the fresh fruit, and its so refreshing. It’s one of those things I would never order when home, but is so perfect when away.

Where is the farthest you’ve ever been from home?

@backinamerica you are going to love this. The furthest I have been is Chicago. Most of my travels are confined to Europe, I am a big fan of all the culture and history. But I lived in Chicago for four months when I was in my early 20’s, it was for a summer and we were students.

My Nominations

My nominations for the Liebster Award are as follows

@SureFootedDana          https://www.surefootedtravel.com/

@WithTheDeVaulls         http://withthedevaulls.com/

@pint_pound_pate          https://www.pintspoundsandpate.com/

@LGSomewhereMcK     https://letsgosomewheremckinney.com/

@TheMommyLady85     https://themommylady85.wordpress.com/

@RootsWingsBlog           http://rootswingsandtravelthings.com/

@the_rolling_20s            http://www.therollingtwenties.com/

@LouDoesTravel            https://www.loudoestravel.com/

@WattWhereHow          http://wattwherehow.com/

@PearlsInTheSea1         http://www.pearlsinthesea.com/

@JUTTravel                     https://www.justustwotravel.co.uk/

Go give these bloggers some recognition if you haven’t already.

My Questions

Bearing in mind that is the liebster award and that questions are supposed to be a little alternative, I’ve mixed in a few hypothetical questions. My questions for you all are:

1. You find a bag of money on the ground. It’s a dodgy neighbourhood and probably from a drug deal gone bad. Do you (a) leave it (b) inform the police (c)grab it and run.
2. Your boat crashes on an uninhabited island. What one worldly possession would you like to have with you.
3. You are only allowed to visit one more country for the rest of you life, due to a global initiative to reduce carbon footprint. Which one would it be?
4. A totalitarian government rises to power. Freedom of speech is crushed and blogging deemed illegal. Do you accept the way things are or join the resistance, and why?
5. Your next blog will be considered your legacy. Knowing that what subject would you write it on.
6. You can time travel back to any time in history. Which era would you choose?
7. Which is better a view overlooking the beach and sea or one across mountains and peaks?
8. What music is always in your favourite playlist?
9. What is the most profound thing you have learned from blogging?
10. How many languages can you speak?
11. What is the most amazing dish you have ever eaten?

I look forward to hearing your answers and I hope you keep the spirit of the award going by nominating others.

I was nominated by liveloveran.com, a lovely girl who writes some beautiful blogs about life in the Phillipines and the wonderful locations there. Thank you so much for the nomination and sorry it took me so long to get around to writing mine.

The rules of the Sunshine Blogger Award are as follows

1. Answer the questions of the blogger who tagged me.
2. Create a new list of questions
3. Tag in 11 other bloggers who spread positivity through their blogs.

Ran put the following questions up to me.

1. What is one thing you cannot live without?

That’s a difficult one. I would say the friendship and love of the people in my life. But is that a thing? If we are talking physical things then it’s probably my phone, it rarely leaves my hand. Wait I just remembered coffee….

2. What inspires you every day?

This is another answer which has totally changed in the last year since I started blogging. It’s totally taken over my life and those who inspire me are the bloggers who have made the leap to doing it full time. But I also have so much respect to those giving it a go, and earnestly sharing their lives with us.

3. Where do you see yourself 3 years from now?

Oh I was never very good at this question, when it came up in interviews. I’m 40 next year so perhaps it’s one of those ages to evaluate and look forward. But I’m not good at that. I choose the name carpe diem, for its meaning (live life in the moment), because it’s what I love to do. So hopefully I see myself with a lot more countries under my belt, and making millions from blogging. 🤣

4. If you can only wear one color for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

I’m not one for clothes, I only go shopping as a necessity. I’m comfortable in dark colours so I would probably say blue/ grey whatever that colour is in the middle of that. I like black but it’s awful in the sun.

5. What are you scared of?

I suppose I’m mostly afraid of failure. It takes a concerted effort for me to try something new. I become very settled in jobs, I’ll be ten years in my current job next January. I’m also afraid of earwigs so my biggest nightmare would be if insects became human size and what would happen. Yep I know that’s a bit random.

6. What is one thing you have to do everyday, no excuses?

Going back to question one, it has to be set time aside to drink coffee. One of life’s greatest pleasures. I used to drink about 8 cups but now I’m cutting back. But first thing every day is to make a cup and sit and relax and catch up with the world.

7. How do you find motivation?

I’m an upbeat guy so that pushes me on. But I’m a bit lazy. I find the thing that motivates me the most to get things done is to set myself deadlines. That pushes me to work to them. Reading other people’s success stories is also fantastic motivation

8. What is something you’d like to achieve before you die?

This is another one of those questions. I’m not of the belief that big goals make you happy. It’s a cliche, but the little things in life… I’ll answer in terms of my travel goals. Walk the Inca Trail, climb to base camp on Mount Everest and stand in awe of the Egyptian pyramids are but a few.

9. Where are you currently and do you like it there? Why?

I’m visiting my parents in Longford in Ireland. It’s a small market town in the Irish midlands. It’s not an eventful place but it is so relaxing. There are few houses around and it’s surrounded by green fields with views across the Irish countryside. I grew up and lived here till I was 18. My parents have a great love for animals and always have cats, dogs, and donkeys. They also house ponies for a local animal sanctuary so there’s always a different selection of ponies to acquaint with. So in essence I love the place.

10. Any hobbies you’d like to take up in the future?

My main hobby is photography so that takes up a lot of my time. I’m awful at keeping fit so a sport that’s in line with that. The gym just doesn’t do it for me. My wife and I would like to take up tennis. Paragliding is something I’m dying to get into as well.

11. What would you like to say to your younger self?

I’m not one to believe in regrets. But I guess I could suggest a few things. To 17 year old me get your hair cut it looks really bad. To 21 year old me buy a decent camera you really should capture some moments from your forthcoming trips.

In seriousness don’t be afraid to make decisions. Your mistakes will determine who you are as much as your successes. Life will take some unexpected turns but you just got to go with the flow.

I hope you’ve gotten to know me a little better. I’m thankful again for being nominated and been given the chance to share with you.

My questions are as follows:

1. What inspired you to start blogging?

2. What destination in the world would you most like to return to?

3. Which would you rather have 1 million now or 15000 every month till you die?

4. What is the story behind the name of your blog?

5. What is the weirdest food you’ve eaten?

6. If you got stranded on a deserted island what’s the one thing you own that you would want to have with you?

7. What is your main goal for your blog?

8. How has blogging changed your life?

9. What’s the best advice you can give to fellow bloggers?

10. Has your blog taught you something about yourself that you didn’t previously know?

11. Which book, movie or song title best describes you?

My nominations for the Sunshine Blogger Award are as follows.

1. Melisliving.com

2. Theuncorkedlibrarian.com

3. Photoblographysite.wordpress.com

4. Adventuringwoman.com

5. Megliovivere.com

6. Theseforeignroads.com

7. Adventuresofaginger.co.uk

8. Justmeandaboardingpass.com

9. Roamingirishman.com

10. Travelaroundthegalaxy.com

11. Theserenityjournal.com

So thank you to all of those bloggers for the great work they do. Leave me a link if you get around to writing up your answers.

⬆️ So obviously this was written at a time that made sense, but now means nothing. So I’m delighted to have received another nomination for the award.
So firstly, I would like to thank Allan for the nomination, he’s doing some great work over at https://photoblographysite.wordpress.com/. This is (was) my first award nomination so I’m chuffed, it’s always nice to see that someone appreciates your efforts. So I’ll raise a glass to Allan later.

I was also nominated by newyorkfamilyadventures.com, withthedavaulls.com, surefootedtravel.com, pearlsinthesea.com lanniesfoodandtravel.com, and most recently MonkeysVentures.com and I would like to thank them so much. I’ll raise a glass to them now too. I’m getting a little drunk now.

The Blogger Recognition Award has the following rules of nomination:

1. Write a post to publicize the nomination.
2. Express our gratitude to the blog that nominates us and link our post to your website.
3. Write about how our blog started.
4. Give advice to new bloggers.
5. Nominate 15 blogs of which we are followers and to which we want to grant this recognition. We can not include the blog that nominated us.
6. Comment on each nominated blog that you have named and provide the link to the post you have created.

My blog carpediemeire was started in February of this year (2018), and is my first voyage into the world of blogging. I’ve been taking photos for many years and I’ve often sought ways to showcase what I’ve taken. So I dabbled with Flickr, Instagram etc but they all seemed a little shallow. Something was missing. My other love in life is travelling, I love reading travel books cover to cover, so when I visit somewhere my knowledge of a place is as full as it can be. So with all that I mind, I looked for a creative outlet to mix all of the above.

Blogging seemed the answer, and I can say six months later (2 years) that it is. It can be hard to find the time to just sit and write as I am now. My work in a hotel is demanding, but I take every opportunity to travel, and squeeze the hours to write about it. I picked my blog title based on this – carpe diem, “seize the moment”, and live life to the fullest. I think its the best advice i can give anyone.
On the subject of advice I’m not sure I’m doing this long enough to give advice to new bloggers. I do know a little about SEO (how google sees your webpage) so maybe I can help there. But here’s a few things I learned.

1. Find a good mix of words and good quality photos, either ones you took yourself or from a good source online. Keep your paragraphs relatively short.
2. If your photos are too big reduce them in size, each theme has an optimum file size that it works better with, and besides each account is only afforded a certain amount of GB. Mine was fast filling up before I realised this but I’ve since upgraded my subscription.
3. If your photos are too large you may have issues with page loading. You can check how accessible your page is at https://testmysite.withgoogle.com/intl/en-gb and how likely you are to lose readers before you even get them.
4. Google likes posts that are over 500 words but its important to keep it interesting
5. Write about things that come from the heart and try to keep the blog on a certain theme
6. Always answer any questions or comments on your blogs as prompt as you can. The blogging community is a welcoming one and are very interactive
7. Every new day is a learning experience. I am still learning so much all the time, be it, how to use WordPress more efficiently, how to drive traffic from sites such as Pinterest, so open your mind.
8. I’ll paraphrase Stephen King “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others; read a lot and write a lot”.
9. Enjoy your writing and others will enjoy reading what you have to say.
10. One I have to add in now- SEO, SEO, SEO. Find that middle ground between writing for your readers and writing for google. That’s the golden elixir.

I would like to nominate the following bloggers for the Blogger Recognition Award all of whom do some great work. Don’t know the rules of this but I won’t nominate anyone that Allan has.

1.  https://aleaaroundtheworld.com/
2. https://rolandomio.blog/
3. https://danventuretravels.wordpress.com/
4. https://becomingfinnishsite.wordpress.com/
5. https://nikkidiscovers.wordpress.com/
6. https://georgiemoon2016.wordpress.com/
7. https://alittlebitofingrid.com/
8. https://theuncorkedlibrarian.com/
9. https://mistakesandadventuresblog.com/
10. https://bikeandbackpacker.wordpress.com/
11. https://travellingdane.org/
12. https://wanderessence.com/
13. https://misselenka.wordpress.com/
14. https://man-walks-into-an-airport.com/
15. https://amieinreallife.com/

So again I thank Allan for the award nomination, and thank all who have read, liked and commented on my blogs up to now. I draw support from all of you.
John