Irene's Old Western Europe Pages.

Goya in front of the Ritz Hotel. - Madrid

First visit to Spain.

This was our first visit to Spain. We spent an evening and one full day in Madrid before flying off to Lisbon for a few days. Then back to Madrid for three full days. Our original intention had been to spend two of those days on day trips to Toledo and either Segovia or Avilla, but when we returned to Madrid, I got really ill and while I refused to stay in bed, it took me all my time to look at Madrid never mind go anywhere else. Oh well, such is life. This gave us the opportunity to see more of Madrid and do our favourite bits again in a more relaxed manner.

Our holiday.

We started our holiday by staying in a hotel in Barajas and travelling in to the city. Although the journey in took a while, it was worth it for the relative peace and quiet at night. For the second part of our trip, we stayed in a hotel in Alsacia which also proved to be nice and quiet, plus it was on the red metro line number two which is the most useful line for sightseeing.

Favourites.

Among the things we enjoyed in Madrid I would highly rate the beautiful cathedral which can be seen from so many parts of the city. I loved Retriro Park. We had a great picnic in the rose garden there and even in December there were still some beautiful roses. It must be stunning in summer. I loved the views especially watching the sunset from Parque de la Montana (Mountain Park) and I loved the Cervantes sculptures in Plaza de Espana. Plus there was always just such a lot of street life and activity going on with crowds of locals, revellers, tourists thronging the streets, street entertainers and people in fancy dress everywhere. Madrid certainly had atmosphere.

Puerta del Sol.

The first place we visited was the Puerta del Sol in the evening. We returned a couple of times during our stay. This square is always crowded and has plenty going on. People in costumes pose for photos, there are buskers, celebrating students, excited children and just generally lots of activity. We had a look at the famous bear and strawberry tree statue which is the symbol of Madrid. On New Year's Eve apparently crowds stand around the clock tower on the Real Casa de Correos and eat a grape on each chime of midnight for good luck in the coming year. There are streets thronged with shops, cafes, restaurants, bars leading off this square in every direction. Metro station Sol.

Inside the Christmas tree, Puerta del Sol. - Madrid

Christmas lights on street just off Puerta Del Sol - Madrid

the symbol of Madrid. - Madrid

The Plaza Mayor.

The Plaza Mayor is Madrid's main square. It is lined with expensive restaurants. On our visit there was a Christmas market in the centre and lots of Christmas lights.

The Plaza Mayor. - Madrid

The Royal Palace.

We got to the Royal Palace by taking the metro to Opera Station. The palace is apparently the largest in Western Europe and occupies the site of the old Alcazar or Moorish castle which was burnt to the ground in 1734. In front of the palace is the very pleasant Plaza de Oriente with its statue lined gardens. Nearby are the Royal Theatre, the Cafe de Oriente and the cathedral. We did not visit the inside of the palace, but I found the following information about palace visits. Opening hours: October to March: Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm, Sundays and holidays, 9am to 2pm. April to September: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm, Sundays and holidays, 9am to 3pm Closed 1st & 6th January, 1st & 15th May, 12th October, 9th November and 25th December. Entry to the Royal Palace depends on which part you'd like to visit, with prices ranging from 2€ to 11€. Free on Wednesdays.

The Royal Palace - Madrid

Sentries on horseback outside the palace. - Madrid

My husband in the Plaza de Oriente. - Madrid

Madrid's Cathedral.

Madrid's Cathedral is right next to the Royal Palace. It is a wonderful building and it is possible to take an excellent photo of it from so many different parts of Madrid. Entry is by optional donation for the upkeep of the building. The suggested amount is one euro. Inside the church had some wonderful frescoes and beautiful stained glass windows. Despite the many visitors to the cathedral, the building was very peaceful inside. Some chapels had been set aside for silent prayer and taking photographs was not allowed in these areas, though it was fine in the rest of the building. Outside the cathedral was a statue of Pope John Paul the second commemorating his visit to Spain.

The cathedral and viaduct. - Madrid

The cathedral from the river. - Madrid

Inside the cathedral. - Madrid

The Basilica of Saint Francis.

The Basilica of Saint Francis is just a couple of minutes walk away from the cathedral across the viaduct bridge. Work on this beautiful church started in 1760 and was finalised by Francesco Sabatini in 1784. The building was restored in 1880. The church is situated on the site of a Franciscan convent which is supposed to have been founded by Saint Francis of Assisi himself in 1217. Entry is 3 Euros. There are views from outside the church.

Street sign outside the basilica. - Madrid

The Basilica of St Francis. - Madrid

Campo de Moro Gardens.

These were once the palace gardens and there is an excellent view of the palace from here. To enter the gardens from the palace you have to walk through the Sabatini Gardens, then down the road past Príncipe Pío Station and the Gate of the Virgen del Puerto. It will take about 10 minutes. It was really cold during our visit. There is an ornate fountain and several statues in the park. There were some nice plants even including some roses still going strong in the middle of winter. Worth a look for the views of the palace. This park had a free and clean toilet something rather hard to find in Madrid. Opening times: Oct to Mar, Mon to Sat 9am - 6pm, Sun 9am - 6pm; Apr to Sept 10am - 8pm, Sun 9am - 8pm. Nearest metro: Príncipe Pío. Admission free.

View across gardens towards palace. - Madrid

Winter berries. - Madrid

A survivor. - Madrid

The Plaza de Espana.

I loved the monument to Cervantes located here. As well as a statue of Cervantes himself it consisted of statues of his main characters such as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. We were lucky to find the statue as during our visit it was obscured by a Christmas craft market. Metro: Plaza de Espana.

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. - Madrid

Temple of Debod in the Parque de la Montana : Mountain Park.

Located just a short walk from the Plaza de Espana this beautiful park contains the Egyptian Temple of Depod. This temple was given to the people of Spain when they helped save it from being flooded by the building of the Aswan dam. There were fantastic views from behind the temple. This turned out to be a great place to watch the sunset.

Sunset from the park. - Madrid

The Temple of Debod. - Madrid

Night view of the cathedral from the park. - Madrid

Bullfighting ring.

It was not bullfighting season and to be honest I would not want to see a bullfight even if it was, but we did go to look at the bullfighting ring as I had heard there were some interesting statues there. There were three bull fighter statues and a wall sculpture of bulls being led to the ring. The bull fighting arena was a beautiful building with lovely tiles. It was possible to go inside the arena on a tour but we did not do this. There was also a bullfighting museum up the back. Metro: Ventas. Interesting even if you are not into bull fighting.

Bull fighting statue and stadium. - Madrid

Leading in the bulls. - Madrid

Outside the museum. - Madrid

Tiles outside the museum. - Madrid

Retiro Park.

I loved this park. We visited twice, bringing a picnic with us on our second visit. We got here from Retiro metro station, though you could also visit from Atocha. We first walked past the lake with its spectacular colonnade containing a monument of King Alfonso XII on horseback. Around this area were buskers, a guy dressed as Edward Scissorhands, stalls and a puppet show. The kids loved the puppet show. What can be cuter than little kids sitting rapt in front of a show? We visited the lovely Crystal Palace and the beautiful Palace of Velazquez. Both are now owned by the Reina Sofia Museum. There was an exhibition of the work of Dutch artist Rene Daniels on in the Palace of Velazquez during our visit. We had our picnic lunch in the Rosadela Rose Garden which still contained a surprising number of blooms. The Prada Museum and Reina Sofia Museums are near this park. There is a clean public toilet near the Retiro metro station. Whatever you do, don't even think about using the portaloos in this park I've only just recovered from the shock of looking inside! The park had some fabulous fountains; when you look closely at their details, they are really very beautiful and imaginative.

Gateway into Retiro Park. - Madrid

The colonnade, Retiro Park. - Madrid

December rose. - Madrid

Angel statue on angel fountain. - Madrid

The Rosadela. - Madrid

December rose. - Madrid

Children watch the show, Retiro Park. - Madrid

Art Exhibition, Palace of Velasquez. - Madrid

Velazquez in front of the Prada. - Madrid

The Crystal Palace. - Madrid

Monsters on angel fountain. - Madrid

Prado Museum.

This museum is world famous and we intended to visit until we saw the length of the queues outside!!! I was not waiting in that, not even for Goya and Velasquez. The area round about is well worth visiting. I liked the statues around the museum.

The Church Of Saint Jerome.

This lovely church is just behind the Prado. It was tranquil inside despite the many visitors and had lovely stain glass windows. I loved its nativity scene. One of the pleasures of visiting Spain at Christmas for me is the beautiful nativity scenes.

The Church Of Saint Jerome.

The Neptune Fountain: Fuente de Neptuno.

The area the fountain is in is great, but the fountain itself is inaccessible and surrounded by traffic. I had to use my powerful zoom on my super duper new camera to get a good shot of it.

The Fountain of Neptune. - Madrid

Near Neptune Fountain.

There were some great sculptures above the door of a souvenir shop near Neptune's Fountain. These were great to take photos of very, very photogenic. There were also some interesting souvenir stalls.

Near Neptune Fountain.

Near Neptune Fountain.

Near Neptune Fountain.

Near Neptune Fountain.

Cibeles Fountain.

Again this fountain was surrounded by roaring traffic and I needed my zoom for a good shot of it. There were some lovely buildings round about including the Palace of Communications and the Bank of Spain. Address: Where Alcala street crosses Paseo del Prado.

The Cibeles Fountain. - Madrid

Atocha Station.

I think we missed the interesting part of this station with the hothouses and the monument to the victims of the horrific terrorist attack that took place here, but we did find the night and day baby heads statues.

Night. - Madrid

The Puerta de Alcala.

This gate was near Retiro Park metro station. I do not really know much about it other than it is rather large and rather ornate and that it looks quite attractive in a picture. It is worth having a look at if you happen to be in this area at any point.

The Alcala Gate. - Madrid

The Casa de Campo.

The Casa de Campo is the biggest park in Madrid. It has a lake, rowing, tennis courts, a zoo, an aquarium, restaurants. The cable car departs from here.

View of the cathedral from Casa de Campo lake. - Madrid

Winter in Casa de Campo Gardens. - Madrid

Boats on Casa de Campo Lake. - Madrid

Wildlife, Casa de Campo Gardens. - Madrid

Real Madrid

We took the metro to Santiago Bernabeu Station. Real Madrid's stadium is right next to the stop. You can tour the stadium for 16 Euros. We just walked round the outside of the stadium, took some photos and visited the club shop. There were a couple of restaurants, bars in the stadium, too.

Real Madrid - Madrid

River Walk.

We had a pleasant stroll along the river between the gardens of Moro and the Casa de Campo. To get here take the Metro to Principe de Pio. There were very good views of the palace and cathedral from here.

River Walk

River Walk

River Walk

Sculpture.

OK, it is not really off the beaten track. This sculpture is across the road from the Velasquez statue outside the Prada Museum. I liked it and wondered what it was. Anyone know? If you do please let me know I cannot track it down. (Years later AI tells me this is The Monument to Eugenio d'Ors.)

Sculpture

Fountain.

This fountain was near our hotel beside Alsacia metro station. It is not one of Madrid's famous fountains but I found it interesting and quite beautiful. We passed it every day as we went to the metro station or to the large Carrefour supermarket located nearby. ( AI tells me this is Fountain in Homage to Women (Fuente en Homenaje a la Mujer).

Fountain

Fountain

Restaurants.

We loved these beautiful tile motifs and decorations on the bars and restaurants on a side street off the Carrera de San Jeronimo near Puerta del Sol. Very very pretty!

Restaurants

Restaurants

Restaurants

The Museo del Jamon: A cheap but fascinating place to eat and drink.

We saw two of these Museo del Jamons near Puerta del Sol. They were always packed because they were doing a promotion where you could get a draft beer for a Euro and a filled roll for a Euro. The walls of this restaurant/shop were lined with hams. Address: Gran Via, 72; Alcalá, 155; Atocha.

- Madrid

Bars in Madrid: Great Place For A Drink.

This bar (we don't know the name) was located between the cathedral and the Plaza de la Villa. It specialised in beers of the world and sold lots of little tapas. We really loved the way it was decorated.

Great Place For A Drink

Passes on the metro.

You can get a day pass, 2 day pass, 3 day pass, 4 day pass etc. We purchased a three day pass for 13 Euros and found it great value as we could hop on and off the metro as often as we liked. Individual metro journeys are 1 Euro 50 cents. to the airport it is 2 Euros 50 cents. Tickets and passes can be bought from the machines in the metro station. Instructions can be found in English on the machines. Machines take notes and coins.

Peter and I outside Kilkenny Castle. - Ireland

Ireland.

I travelled to Southern Ireland in August 2004 with my husband and two close friends that we used to holiday with a lot. Our friends brought their car over with them so we drove around. Our friends had more time than us so they started their holiday in Northern Ireland visiting Belfast and the County Antrim coastline, which they told us was stunningly beautiful. Another place we must get to some time. We joined them in the airport at Dublin which we flew to using Ryan Air. Our original plan had been to stay for a couple of nights in Dublin, but instead, because it was cheaper and quieter, we ended up staying a couple of nights in Skerries. Skerries is a fishing town with a long sandy beach located about 31KM north of Dublin. We had a look around the town on our first day and next day travelled into Dublin stopping at various coastal towns we liked the look of on the way. One of the places we stopped at was Howth. Howth had a wonderful harbour which looked out towards a large island and an old ruined church. Dublin was an interesting city, but I do not feel we had sufficient time to see it properly - another place to be revisited. We spent some of our time here on an organized tour known as The Rebellion Walk which tells the story of the 1916 Easter Rising. It was a very interesting and informative walk. On the walk I remember visiting St Stephen's Green and the Post Office building. Later in the day we visited Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral and the River Liffey.

The next part of our holiday involved us travelling down to Cork and staying there for a couple of nights. We went via Clonmel which we had a quick look at. Cork was a pleasant, relaxed place with great pubs. Each evening we visited the pub that was providing live music. The atmosphere of a real Irish pub is wonderful and puts fake Irish pubs all over the world to shame. We also visited Cork's historic gaol and drove to Kinsale and Cobh. Cobh was a beautiful place. It was the last port of call of the Titanic. After leaving Cork we visited Kilkenny and on the way there stopped off at the Rock of Cashel to visit its wonderful historic remains. Our time in Kilkenny was too short to do it full justice. I just remember visiting its lovely castle.

Skerries.

Skerries is a seaside town about 31KM north of Dublin. Its name comes from the Irish word for rocks. We used Skerries as a base from which to visit Dublin and the coastline near Dublin. Skerries was a pleasant place with a very long sandy beach. It also had an old stone tower and some windmills. It felt like an old-fashioned, traditional type of seaside resort. The sort of place I remember as a child and forever associate with sand, sea, buckets and spades, candy floss, fish and chips and donkey rides on the beach.

Our friends at the beach, Skerries. - Ireland

The beach, Skerries. - Ireland

Howth Harbour.

We stopped off in Howth on our drive into Dublin because we were impressed by its beautiful harbour. It was filled with lots and lots of boats. Opposite the harbour there is an unihabited island known as Ireland's Eye. Apparently Howth has a castle, but we did not have time to visit it.

Howth and Ireland's Eye. - Ireland

Howth Harbour. - Ireland

Howth's Ruined Church.

As well as having an impressive harbour, Howth also had a lovely old ruined church. The church is called Saint Mary's Abbey Church and is located on Abbey Street. The church was founded by the St.Lawrence family in the early 1200s. This church is the burial place of Christopher St.Lawrence, 1st Baron of Howth and Christopher St.Lawrence, 7th Baron of Howth.

Ruined church in Howth. - Ireland

Dublin.

Dublin is Ireland's capital and its largest city. We did not really have long enough to do full justice to Dublin, so I think a future visit is called for. We spent a couple of hours on a guided walk - Rebellion Walk which told the story of the 1916 Easter Rising. This was interesting and worthwhile. We also visited Dublin Castle, Trinity College, the River Liffey and Christchurch Cathedral.

Dublin Castle. - Ireland

Peter outside Trinity college, Dublin. - Ireland

Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin. - Ireland

Clonmel.

We just stopped briefly in Clonmel on our drive down to Cork. Clonmel means honey vale. It is the largest town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is situated on the banks of the River Suir. We looked at the river, the old bridge and an old building called the main guard which dates from 1810. Bulmers cider is brewed in Clonmel.

The Main Guard, Clonmel. - Ireland

Peter in Clonmel. - Ireland

Clonmel. - Ireland

Cork.

We stayed in Cork for a couple of nights. My main memory is of its pubs. We went to a different pub every night always choosing the one with live music and it was really good fun. All the pubs had a great atmosphere. Also remember visiting An Bodhran Bar on Oliver Plunkett Street which had Thin Lizzy memorabilia all over the walls, Cork is on the River Lee. The city has lots of bridges across the river. While in Cork we visited Cork gaol and Fitzgerald Park in the rain. We enjoyed crossing the shaky bridge into the park.

Irish pubs are great. This one's in Cork. - Ireland

Cork Gaol. - Ireland

River Lee. - Ireland

Shaky Bridge. - Ireland

Cobh.

One of the most beautiful places we visited in Ireland was Cobh - a port city close to Cork. Cobh is filled with colourful houses and its skyline is dominated by St Colman's Cathedral, the tallest church in Ireland. Cobh has experienced several maritime tragedies. In 1915 the Lusitania was torpedoed by the Germans near Cobh. 1,200 people lost their lives in this tragic event. Many of them are buried in a churchyard in Cobh. A monument in the centre of town commemorates this terrible event. Cobh was also the last port of call of the Titanic before it struck an iceberg and sunk in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There is a bar in town called after the ill-fated liner.

Titanic Bar, Cobh. - Ireland

Titanic Bar, Cobh. - Ireland

Cobh Town Hall. - Ireland

The Commodore Hotel, Cobh. - Ireland

Monument to Victims of the Lusitania. - Ireland

The Rock of Cashel.

Another very beautiful place we visited on this trip was the Rock of Cashel. According to legend, the Rock of Cashel was formed when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave and converted the Kings of Munster to Christianity. The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several centuries. Most of the current buildings at the Rock of Cashel date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The oldest building is the round tower which is ninety feet high and dates from around 1100. Cormac's Chapel was once the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh. It dates from 1127. The Cathedral of Cashel was built between 1235 and 1270. The Rock of Cashel was attacked by Cromwell in 1647. Its religious buildings were desecrated and around three thousand of its occupants were slaughtered.

The Rock of Cashel - Ireland

View from The Rock of Cashel - Ireland

The magnificent Rock of Cashel. - Ireland

Peter at The Rock of Cashel - Ireland

Kilkenny.

Our last night before leaving Ireland was spent in Kilkenny. Our stay here was short, but we did manage to visit the beautiful Kilkenny Castle. Kilkenny Castle stands dramatically on the River Nore. The original castle was built for William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke at the beginning of the thirteenth century. Kilkenny Castle later became home to the rich and powerful Butler family who lived here for almost six hundred years.

Kilkenny Castle - Ireland

Kilkenny Castle - Ireland

Kilkenny Castle - Ireland

Romantic Jersey. - Jersey

Jersey.

Normally we return to the UK from Hong Kong for several weeks in the summer. We spend two or three weeks travelling round different parts of Europe and the rest visiting family and friends in the UK. In 2004 we had to sort out and sell my mother-in-law's house, so we needed to spend a long time in the Midlands. Instead of travelling for a couple of weeks round Europe, we could just manage a few days in Jersey. Neither of us had ever been to the Channel Islands before and we had often wanted to go. We made it a two centre holiday beginning with a couple of nights in St Helier and then a couple of nights in Bonne Nuit Bay. We liked both places. St Helier was more convenient for bus travel, because to travel anywhere from Bonne Nuit Bay, we had to first take a bus to St Helier then catch a bus to the place we wanted to visit. However, Bonne Nuit Bay had fantastic coastal scenery which made up for any other drawbacks, plus our hotel there had a pool while the one in St Helier did not. As well as travelling around by bus, we also did quite a lot of walking which was a great way to enjoy much of the lovely scenery. During our stay we visited St Helier, St Aubins, Corbiere Lighthouse, St Ouen's Bay, Bonne Nuit Bay, Bouley Bay, Mount Orgueil Castle in Gorey, Grosnez Castle, the Lavendar Farm, the devil's statue in the devil's hole and Grouville Parish Church.

Our holiday was blessed with lovely sunny weather. We found the scenery on Jersey very beautiful and the way of life peaceful and relaxed. One of our favourite memories was a bus trip we took on a rather crowded local bus. The driver would not drive because a child was sitting while an adult was standing. Actually the child was very polite about giving up her seat. The same driver then turned into an improntu tour guide telling all the passengers about sights they were passing and making jokes about them. Such as when we passed a field with seagulls resting in it, he insisted the seagulls had been planted there and would later be harvested and trained to steal tourists' ice-cream cones. Jersey ice-cream by the way is delicious, but those gulls really are evil.

St Helier.

St Helier is the capital of Jersey and its biggest town. It is located on the southern side of the island in St Aubin's Bay. The town is named after Saint Helier; Jersey’s earliest and most important saint. He lived and preached on Jersey in the 8th Century. St Helier has a busy harbour and marina, a beach, a castle that's surrounded by the sea at high tide, several statues and Liberation Square. The castle in the sea is St Elizabeth's Castle. It is built on a rocky islet in St Aubin's Bay. At low tide you can walk out to it. At high tide it is surrounded by the sea. It is possible to take a vehicle there and back at both low and high tide, but we just walked both ways and made sure we paid attention to the tide information which was posted up. It was quite interesting to watch the tide come in.

Elizabeth Castle has an interesting history. It contains the Hermitage where St Helier lived around 550 A.D. It was also once home to Sir Walter Raleigh. He was Governor of Jersey from 1600 until 1603. Elizabeth Castle was built as Jersey's main defensive structure after Castle Mont Orgueil in Gorey was considered too vulnerable to attack by gunpowder. Castle Mont Orgueil was supposed to be dismantled and its materials used to build Elizabeth Castle. Fortunately, Walter Raleigh put a stop to this and Castle Mont Orgueil survived. Charles II hid from the roundheads at Elizabeth Castle during the English Civil War.

Liberation Square was developed in 1995 to mark the 50th Anniversary of Jersey's Liberation from German Occupation during World War II. Jersey was liberated by British forces on May 9th, 1945. During the occupation the islanders had undergone terrible hardships. At the centre of Liberation Square is a sculpture depicting a group of people holding the Union Jack and celebrating their freedom. This sculpture was created by Philip Jackson. The sculpture is in the centre of a fountain with 12 water jets; one for each parish of Jersey. To the north of Liberation Square stands the Pomme D’Or Hotel. This building was used by the Nazis as their Headquarters during the German Occupation. There is also a statue of Queen Victoria in St Helier. She visited the Island twice during her reign and found it very beautiful. The statue of her was erected in 1887 to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. It is located in a small park near the Grand Hotel. Another odd statue was that of a toad on one of the main streets.

Elizabeth Castle. - Jersey

Elizabeth Castle. - Jersey

Toad Statue. - Jersey

Queen Victoria Statue. - Jersey

Liberation Square. - Jersey

St Helier's Marina. - Jersey

St Aubin's.

We walked along the coast from St Helier to St Aubin's. There is a long stretch of beach on the way. St Aubin's is a very pretty place with a fort in the water, a beach and lots of restaurants and cafes. On the walk there we passed an amazing sand sculpture. St Aubin's began life as a fishing village. The bay at St Aubin's is dominated by Saint Aubin's Fort. This fort is on an island you can walk to at low tide, but at high tide it is surrounded by the sea. St Aubin's Fort was built in the 1540s to protect the harbour of St Aubin's. We then walked along the railway walk from St Aubin's to La Corbiere to see its famous lighthouse.

St Aubin's. - Jersey

St Aubin's. - Jersey

St Aubin's Fort. - Jersey

St Aubin's Fort. - Jersey

Railway Walk. - Jersey

Amazing Sand Sculpture. - Jersey

La Corbiere.

We walked along the route of the old railway from St Aubin's to La Corbiere with its beautiful lighthouse. La Corbiere Lighthouse is located in southwestern Jersey. It was designed by Sir John Coode and was completed in 1874. It is located on an island you can walk to at low tide, but it becomes completely cut off at high tide. A buzzer sound warns you when to get off the walkway linking the lighthouse to the shore as the tide is coming in. There was a plaque commemorating Peter Edwin Larbalestier, assistant keeper of the lighthouse, who was drowned on the 28th of May 1946, while trying to rescue a visitor cut off by the incoming tide. La Corbiere Lighthouse is 19m or 62 ft high and its lamp stands 36m or 119 ft above high water spring tides. The light from La Corbiere Lighthouse can be seen up to 18 miles away on a clear night. The lighthouse itself is beautiful and so is the rugged rocky coastline that surrounds it. There are some watchtowers dating from the German occupation located on the cliffs around La Corbiere.

La Corbiere Lighthouse. - Jersey

La Corbiere Lighthouse. - Jersey

St Ouen's Bay.

Near La Corbiere Lighthouse is St Ouen's Bay. There is a long stretch of beach here. This area is popular with surfers, but is dangerous for swimmers due to strong currents. In the middle of the bay surrounded by water twice a day stands La Rocco Tower. This tower dates from the 1800s. It consists of a fortified central tower with a large surrounding gun platform. La Rocco Tower was once part of Jersey's extensive coastal defence system. The Jersey Pearl was located in this area, too. This is a family business devoted to making pearl jewellery.

Tower at St Ouen's Bay. - Jersey

La Rocco Tower, St Ouen's Bay. - Jersey.

Coastal Scenery and Watchtower. - Jersey

St Ouen's Bay. - Jersey

The Jersey Pearl. - Jersey

Bonne Nuit Bay.

After a couple of nights in St Helier, we moved to Le Cheval Roc Hotel in Bonne Nuit Bay. Bonne Nuit Bay is located on the north coast of Jersey. Bonne Nuit has a small fishing harbour, beach and beach cafe. The coastal scenery here is lovely and we walked from Bonne Nuit Bay to Bouley Bay along the coastal paths. Bonne Nuit Bay is connected to St Helier by the number 4 bus. Bonne Nuit Bay takes its name from its sheltered harbour where sailors could moore and be guaranteed a good night's sleep safe from rough seas. Le Cheval Roc was a comfortable hotel with a lovely outdoor swmming pool. The hotel's name originates from a local legend.

Once upon a time a beautiful young girl called Anne Marie went for a stroll along the beach at Bonne Nuit. A lonely old sea sprite saw her and decided to take her as his bride, but he knew she would never accept him as she loved another. His name was William. The next day to his astonishment, William found a magnificent white stallion in his stable. He longed to ride it, but warned in a dream that the stallion meant to harm him, he first picked some mistletoe to protect him from evil. Next day as William rode the white stallion across Bonne Nuit Beach towards Anne Marie, the stallion, which was really the sea sprite in disguise, suddenly charged towards the sea. William realised the stallion meant to drown him and he frantically began to strike it with the mistletoe. The stallion went rigid and turned to stone - the cheval roc. One of the rocks in Bonne Nuit Bay is supposed to look like a horse. La Crete Fort is located on a headland in Bonne Nuit Bay. It was built to guard against a suspected French invasion of the island.

Bonne Nuit Bay. - Jersey

Bonne Nuit Bay. - Jersey

Bonne Nuit Bay. - Jersey

Bonne Nuit Bay. - Jersey

At the Cheval Roc Hotel.. - Jersey

At the Cheval Roc Hotel. - Jersey

Bouley Bay.

We walked along the coastal path from Bonne Nuit Bay to Bouley Bay passing by La Crete Fort, built to repel suspected invasions by the French. The coastal path is stunning with beautiful views over the surrounding cliffs and sea. In July it was purple with heather. Take care though; it can be slippy; at one point my husband almost slipped over the edge while taking a photo and was saved by a bramble bush. This area was once notorious for smuggling. The smugglers would lure ships onto the rocks, kill their crew and plunder their cargo which they could hide in various caves. To prevent people witnessing their illegal night time deeds, the smugglers spread a legend about a giant black dog that wandered the cliffs at night attacking any wanderers unfortunate enough to cross its path. This dog is known as the black dog of Bouley Bay. The dog was rumoured to have red devil eyes as big as saucers. It dragged a huge chain which its victims would hear before they saw the beast. The dog did no actual bodily harm to its victims, but it ran circles around them driving them mad with fear. Now a sight or sound of the dog is believed to mean a severe storm is coming. We visited on a sunny day so did not encounter the beast, but the cliffs are atmospheric and I would not like to wander them alone late in the evening!!! There was a pub named after the black dog in Bouley Bay. It has a little statue of the dog. We had a pleasant drink there. Bouley Bay has a beach. We swam here and I also enjoyed a tasty fresh crab sandwich from its cafe. There is a centre for scuba diving at Bouley Bay.

My husband showing off his bramble scratches. - Jersey

La Crete Fort. - Jersey

La Crete Fort. - Jersey

Bouley Bay. - Jersey

Coastal Scenery. - Jersey

Coastal Scenery. - Jersey

Orgueil Castle, Gorey.

Gorey is situated on the east coast of Jersey. You can get there on bus 1,1A or 1B from St Helier. Gorey is a little fishing village dominated by the Castle of Mont Orguiel. The Village of Gorey began to develop early in the 19th century as hundreds of oyster fishermen moved to Jersey from the south east coast of England. At its height around 2,500 people were employed in the oyster fishing industry here and rows of fisherman's cottages were built to house them. Severe over-fishing brought about the industry's decline and for a while boat building took over as the new industry.

Mont Orgueil Castle towers over the Village of Gorey. It was built on a headland surrounded on three sides by water. Its purpose was to repel attacks from France. It is on the headland of Jersey which is closest to mainland France. The castle is first mentioned around 1212. When gun powder was invented Mont Orgueil Castle was considered indefensible and a new castle was built in St Helier which was easier to defend Elizabeth Castle. The original plan was to dismantle Mont Orgueil Castle and use the stones to build Elizabeth Castle. Fortunately this plan was vetoed by Sir Walter Raleigh, who was then governor of Jersey. He thought it would be a pity to destroy Castle Mont Orgueil. When its importance as a castle declined, Mont Orgueil Castle was used as a prison - the only prison on Jersey at the time until the end of the seventeenth century. The castle and village are very beautiful and I would strongly recommend a visit here.

Gorey Harbour - Jersey

Gorey. - Jersey

Mont Orguiel Castle. - Jersey

Mont Orguiel Castle. - Jersey

Devil’s Hole Review.

The Devil’s Hole is a natural crater in a cliff. It measures about 100ft across and plunges 200ft down. It was created by the sea gradually eroding the roof of a cave. After a shipwreck in 1851 a ship's figurehead was washed up right into the Devil's Hole. The figurehead was a statue of a man, but the statue was placed inside the Devil's Hole and horns were added to his head to turn him into the devil. The original wooden statue has since deteriorated; the present one is made of metal. It's quite eerie to see the statue standing all alone in its pond. The scenery around this area is lovely.

Devil Statue. - Jersey

The Devil's Hole. - Jersey

Devil's Hole. - Jersey

The Ruins of Grosnez Castle.

Grosnez Castle is located on a headland on the northwest of Jersey. Grosnez means Gray Headland. The castle, which is now in ruins, is thought to have been built in the 14th century to provide shelter for the local farmers in the event of attacks from France. We got there on bus number 8 from St Helier. When we boarded the bus, we asked the driver if his bus went to the castle and he told us it was not a castle, just a few rocks, not worth going to and we would only be disappointed when we got there. We went anyway and when he called us to get off at the castle, he repeated that we were wasting our time and would just hate the place. In fact we might as well not even bother getting off and should just return to St Helier with him. We got off anyway. We were unsurprisingly not expecting much from the castle but in fact really liked it. All right the castle itself does just consist of a few ruins but it is surrounded by beautiful coastal scenery and was in no respect disappointing. Also we almost had the area to ourselves, probably no-one else made it past the bus driver!! There are concrete steps at the rear of Grosnez Castle that go down to a small automated signal station. There are wonderful coastal views from the platform.

Grosnez Castle. - Jersey

Grosnez Castle. - Jersey

Dramatic Coastal Scenery. - Jersey

Dramatic Coastal Scenery. - Jersey

Nearby coastal scenery. - Jersey

The Jersey Lavender Farm.

I'm very fond of flowers and Jersey with its hours of sunlight is famous for them. We enjoyed a visit to the colourful Jersey Lavender Farm with its lovely fields of highly scented light blue lavender. You can get here from St Helier on bus number 12A or bus number 15. The Jersey Lavender Farm is a family run business. It was started in 1983 when the parents of the current owner, Alastair Christie, inherited a disused dairy farm. They decided to grow lavender on the farm as it was a perfect crop for the soil in this area. The Jersey Lavender Farm grows, harvests and distills lavender to produce lavender essential oil. They also grow rosemary, eucalyptus, bay laurel and cypress and distill their oils, too. There was a lovely cafe and gift shop here.

The Jersey Lavendar Farm. - Jersey

The Jersey Lavendar Farm. - Jersey

The Jersey Lavendar Farm. - Jersey

The Jersey Lavendar Farm. - Jersey

Grouville Parish Church.

We kept passing this lovely church on the bus as we travelled back and forth to Bonne Nuit Bay, so decided to get off and investigate it. Grouville Parish Church is dedicated to St Martin of Tours. He is known as the Soldier Saint. His Saint’s day is 11th November - Remembrance Day. The church dates from the 11th century. The churchyard contains a memorial to the British grenadiers who died attacking the French at La Rocque during the invasion of 1781. We wandered around the churchyard and encountered some people trying to locate their ancestors' graves. We had a very pleasant meal in a pub not far from the church.

Grouville Parish Church. - Jersey

Grouville Parish Church. - Jersey

A view over Luxembourg. - Luxembourg

Luxembourg.

I have been to Luxembourg only once and that visit was many years ago and short. This page will be of no help whatsoever to anyone planning a visit to Luxembourg now; it is purely for me to record my own travel history and add my travel photos to. Visiting Luxembourg sparked an interest in us for visiting all the tiny countries in Europe. We have not got far with this plan, so far we have only managed the Vatican and Liechtenstein. On our to do list we still have Andorra, Monaco and San Marino. (We have now been to Monaco,too.) Luxembourg City is the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg.

A Brief History.

In Ancient Roman times a fortified tower stood at the crossroads of two roads at the site of present day Luxembourg City. Later in 963, Siegfried I of the Ardennes built his castle, Lucilinburhuc, here. Over time houses, markets and churches were built near the castle. In 1443, Philip the Good of Burgundy conquered Luxembourg. Luxembourg over the following centuries came under the control of Burgundy, Spain, Austria, France and Prussia among others. In 1890, Grand Duke William III died with no male heirs and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg passed to Grand Duke Adolphe. This was the start of Luxembourg's existence as an independent country.

Luxembourg - Luxembourg

Geography.

Luxembourg City is located on a sort of plateau which is divided up by gorges hollowed out by the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers. We started off in the high area and walked down into the gorges. The gorges are crossed by many bridges and viaducts.

Luxembourg - Luxembourg

My memories of Luxembourg are as follows. We arrived there at the main railway station after taking a train from Brussels. We spent a long time looking for accommodation as everything was either full or out of our price range. We had very little money in those days. The accommodation we eventually found was utterly horrible but all we could afford. The bed had a variety of old musty smelling blankets on it. It had not been aired for a considerable period of time. The toilet upstairs had a leak and water was pouring down from the floor above us into a bucket placed just outside our door. We could hear it splashing down all night. I had nightmares about drowning during the short and restless sleep I had. The time we spent sightseeing was short but enjoyable. We looked over the city's gorges from several of its bridges. We also walked down into the gorges for a quick look around. After our night in Luxembourg, we left by train for Strasbourg.

Luxembourg - Luxembourg

"Getting to Luxembourg"

Luxembourg City has one railway station. Its railway is connected to the German, Belgian and French railway networks. There are connections from here to Paris, Strasbourg, Basel and Zürich. Luxembourg has an international airport - Luxembourg Findel International Airport which is located about 6 kilometres from Luxembourg City. Buses run from the airport to Luxembourg City.

Luxembourg viewed from the valley. - Luxembourg

Rembrandt Square - Amsterdam

The Netherlands.

I've only been to the Netherlands once and that was in 1986. I had been working as an au pair in Finland and at the end of my contract had intended to fly back to the U.K. but my boyfriend (now my husband) suggested we travelled back together by train. It was the start of many wonderful travelling adventures together.

We travelled from Helsinki to Stockholm in Sweden; travelled down to Helsinbors in the south of Sweden, then crossed to Denmark. In Denmark we visited Helsinore and stayed three nights in Copenhagen. From Copenhagen we travelled to Hamburg where we spent a day then left by overnight train to Amsterdam. We stayed in a small hotel in Amsterdam for one night before travelling to the Hook of Holland and taking a ferry to Harwich. I have no idea why we have never made it back to the Netherlands. We both enjoyed our visit to Amsterdam and hopefully will make it back some time.

From this trip I remember the following things. We arrived at Amsterdam Centraal Station. We found a place to stay. We saw the Royal Palace, lots of canals, the Sex Museum and the flower market. We also went on a boat tour of Amsterdam which was a bit of a disaster for me. The problem was I had only had a couple of hours sleep on a train from Hamburg the night before. We decided, though we had very little money, to spend a substantial amount of it on a canal cruise. Before we got on the boat we bought rolls, cheese, cold meat and grolsch lagers and had a picnic in the park. It was a very hot day; the lack of sleep, heat and lager made me drowsy. I remember getting on the tour boat and an announcement that welcomed us onboard, next thing I knew the announcement was about a wailing tower from which women waved their husbands or sons off to sea, unsure if and when they would ever see them again. Then we were thanked for joining the cruise and told to get off. I was outraged because as far as I was concerned I had just got on. But no .... I had got on and instantly fallen into a deep sleep. Peter had nudged me, shaken me, slapped me, punched me, but nothing would wake me up. I missed the whole tour and Peter was furious about the waste of money that involved. Ooops!

The other thing I remember is that we had our first ever Indonesian meal here. Neither of us knew anything about Indonesian food, so we were very excited about this. I just picked a name I liked the sound of and to my bitter disappointment ended up with a plate of fried rice with a fried egg on top. I guess it must have been nasi goreng but for some reason this one had no satay or prawn crackers just rice and egg. The most boring meal ever. I cannot remember what Peter had but it was a lot more exciting than mine. Overall we had an enjoyable time in Amsterdam. I remember tall, narrow gabled buildings lining canals, boats and bridges and bicycles.

Canals.

One of the most enjoyable things to do in Amsterdam was simply to stroll along the sides of some of the canals. From here it is possible to view some lovely buildings, lots of canal boats and bridges. A fun way to pass the time.

Canals - Amsterdam

Canal, Amsterdam. - Amsterdam

Different Beers.

The Dutch brew some very good beers. The most famous ones are Grolsch, with its wonderful resealable bottle, Heineken and Amstel. Looking through the few photos my husband had of our trip to Amsterdam, I found a lovely picture of some Amstel being delivered by horse drawn carriage.

Different Beers

Flowers.

The Netherlands is strongly associated with flowers and visiting the flower fields in spring is another item on my to do list. During our trip to Amsterdam we enjoyed taking a stroll through the lovely flower market.

Flowers - Amsterdam

Bridges.

Apparently Amsterdam has more than one thousand two hundred bridges. These come in all shapes and sizes so they make a good photo themselves as well as being good vantage points from which to take photos.

Bridge in Amsterdam. - Amsterdam

Bridge in Amsterdam. - Amsterdam

Canals, boats and bridges. - Amsterdam