Ireland: Beautiful Clogherhead from above

Clogherhead is one of the loveliest Irish places I've had the privilege of visiting. There's a little fishing village with a trailer park alongside thatched cottages, and a long, wide beach that vanishes in the mists. But it is the "head" itself that I found most captivating, with its ever-varying rocky shores that frame views across to Northern Ireland and the open Irish Sea. I was making sure I had the spelling correct when I came across this video, recorded by a remote control plane operator... wonderful stuff. Full screen is a must!

Optical Illusions: Bending your mind

Not everything is as it seems. What is real and what is not? What is 3D and what is merely flat?

European Journeys

When I lived in Germany, I got to make several brief trips to other places around Europe. These included:

France (Paris, staying in a quaint old family-run hotel at the foot of Montmartre)
Spain (Guardamar del Segura, Costa Blanca, with friends)
Austria (Salzburg, to see the castle, also once Innsbruck and once not sure of exact location; remote mountain)
Switzerland (Zurich, Geneva, Winterthur and another remote mountain location)
Czech Republic (only just over the border, for work - I think we ate lunch in Rozvadov)
Tunisia (Hammam Sousse, with a friend for a week in February to escape the northern winter)
England (London, visiting dear friends in Wembley and getting to play the tourist)
Scotland (With my mother, Edinburgh, Perth, Glasgow, Isle of Bute, and a glimpse of Strathraer as we left it)
Ireland (Bangor/Belfast, Dublin, Balbriggan, Doolin, Antrim, Downpatrick, Newtownards and Strangford Lough - Ahem. There'll be a whole other post for this lot!)

Here's a couple of my favourite photos from those trips. Bear with me - for much of this time I was using a first-generation cellphone camera!

On the outskirts of Geneva, looking across the border into France - yes, that's a giant cliff. Geneva is on a bit of Switzerland that sticks into France, so it's possible to use city transport to cross from one French border to the other in about an hour. Which we did. Fun! There was a cable car to go up the cliff, but it happened to be closed that day, so instead we found a nice French restaurant out here in the middle of nowhere and had a meal of several courses for a very good price.

The terrace at Hotel El Menchia in Hammam-Sousse, Tunisia. We breakfasted here each day, then set off to explore the local area - markets and bakeries, and nearby towns by bus or open trolley. Sousse itself has a marvellous souk that pours itself, walled, down a hillside above the modern city, and in the other direction we found a yacht marina with everything a tourist might want.

Walking about the Isle of Bute, we got alternately rained on and dried by the sun. Just look at that blue sky and black cloud! This is a view from the Rothesay golf course above the town, looking east at the mainland and the Firth of Clyde.

So many places, so much to see! Perhaps all of these will need their own posts eventually...

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway is a fabulous natural monument on the north coast of Ireland. The legend goes that an Irish giant was fighting with a Scottish giant, and threw stones into the sea in his desire to make a way across to teach the Scot a lesson. There is a similar formation beyond the ocean in Scotland (image search: Cave of Melody). Check out Ireland.com's Giant's Causeway page for more background and a lovely video.

As for me, I visited in 2008 with a friend. The long and winding cliff pathways, the conveniently foot-sized stepping stones on their long seaward tongue, and the organ-pipe formations in the hillsides all make for an expansive and mind-boggling experience.

Photo Story: San Francisco Boats

It was December of 2008 and I was near the end of a trek that had seen me on the road for about 8 months through Germany, Ireland and the USA. Unlike all my other stops, I had no one to visit in San Francisco, but wanted to see it anyway; so I booked a bed in the Fort Mason hostel overlooking the Bay and Fisherman's Wharf. I snapped this shot nearby in the sharp, golden evening light. Just near here was the stomping ground of the street entertainer who hid behind some branches he held, and jumped out at passers-by. After being frightened themselves, most would join the crowd to observe the next poor soul coming past. In this way I suppose he earns his pocket money. He did jump out at me, but I have to admit, I was so oblivious and intent on my purpose that I didn't even realise until I was well past and the crowd had started to laugh. Just call me unflappable, I suppose...

What the World Eats

This photo series has been around for a little while now, but I just came across it again and was newly fascinated. Each image shows a family and their food for a week. Spot the differences between America, Britain and Germany, then look at those who have far less. The pictures give glimpses of their homes as well. Some surprises, such as a huge amount of Coke in Mexico. Also, in Ecuador (above) they like black hats.

This gets me thinking about what my personal food for a week would look like, since I'm only feeding me. Well, and the cat. Maybe I'll have to put together a picture someday. But in the meantime, a list will have to do - as it currently stands:

- Seven black teabags
- 500g honey
- 2 litres milk
- 2 heads broccoli
- 600ml yoghurt
- 500g mixed nuts
- 1 doz eggs
- 4 oranges
- 1kg fresh meat
- 1 leek or 2 onions
- 1 aubergine or equivalent volume in mushrooms
- 125g butter
- Bunch of silverbeet or spinach or lettuce
- 2 slices grain toast
- 1 can soup
- Various spices and sauces
- Chocolate, variously...

Photo Story: Edinburgh Sunset

Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. Location: http://goo.gl/maps/Yiu4l

I was here in the winter of 2008, staying in a nearby hostel that overlooked the railway station in its huge glacial valley. Cockburn Street is one of the steeply curved connections up the side of the valley leading to the High Street ridge, at whose top sits the Edinburgh Castle.

One evening near sunset as we passed by one of these quaint little shops - something like our corner dairies in NZ, selling basic groceries at elevated prices - three teenage boys were leaning over the counter in the face of the nonplussed owner. "I want a refund," said one of the boys in best Scots brogue, pushing an unseen item at the older man. The owner said something about wanting to see a receipt. "Look," said the boy, "I bought that here and I swear to it on my grandmother's grave."

We passed swiftly on and did not hear the outcome. The whole affair seemed pretty fishy to me, though. Bringing his grandma into it smacked of trying too hard to be convincing...

Aquatic Photography Prize

NIWA, the NZ National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, is a Crown-owned entity working with aquatic resources, among other things. They recently held a photo competition among their employees in places from far northern NZ islands (as with the John Dory image above, taken in the Poor Knights Islands) all the way to Antarctica and everything in between. This photo is just one of the winners - take a look at the others here.

Photo Story - Balbriggan Harbour

Five years ago I spent a summer in Balbriggan, on the coast of the Irish Sea just north of Dublin. I often walked into the town for my groceries, taking a turn around the harbour first. Always charmed by the many colours of the fishing boats, and always hurt to the heart at the sight of two sunken wrecks against the seawall. It's an interesting harbour; it has no water at all when the tide is out, leaving the boats high and dry.

Photo Story: River Winch

This image comes from Regensburg, and I took it from an island in the Danube. There is a bridge there, built in the 1100's and still in use today. It sits on massive boat-shaped pylons that churn the river into whirlpools. More pictures of the setup here. Anyway, back in those days, ships moving upriver didn't have enough power to pass the turbulence, so a winch was built. That's the winch house there in yellow, and if you look closely, you can see a long slit in its wall - that's where the winch cable came out to attach to the ships and guide them up past the rough spot.

Photo Story: Piano Keys

In the year 2009 I enjoyed sharing a big house with a single dad, his two young daughters, and a couple of other flatmates who came and went. We rented the place together; it was high on a hill, nearly at the top of the same ridge I live on now, but much farther along to the south. It was also just across from a very large patch of bush that goes all the way down to the harbour on the inside, and this forest was big enough to get lost in and forget I was even in the city. I had a basement room, but worked mostly upstairs in the lounge, from where there was a fine view of the Hauraki Gulf not too different from what I see looking east today. So each morning I would cart my computer upstairs, and I would pass this piano in the front hallway. It was several months before I realised the door behind the piano led to a small bathroom under the stairs, which proved a useful extra facility. I vaguely recall that the girls were supposed to practise on the piano but I don't remember if they ever did. I do remember downloading sheet music for the Star Trek Voyager theme song and attempting to play it. I couldn't - and still can't - play much easier pieces, so it's no wonder I got stuck fairly quickly. However, the old piano's mismatched keys gave it great character and one day I snapped this shot.

I was asleep in my cold basement room when my father died, early one morning four years ago. Now his piano, in much better condition than the one above, stands in my house that I never would have found if the landlord at that other place hadn't decided he wanted to move in himself. I still haven't learned to play piano, not properly - but I do like to tinker, and maybe someday I'll get it right.

TARDIS: Anzac Bay

Here we begin the TARDIS Downunder Tour. Well, not just downunder eventually, but mostly yes. 

Location: Anzac Bay, near Bowentown, near Waihi Beach, at the north end of Tauranga Harbour. 

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/bL4c0

Globetrotter's Gallivants

Well, I finally did it - culled some of the best photos from my travelling years, and put them all in one place. Theoretically I'm all caught up now - except for any NZ-themed shows that might still be in the offing. Anyway, here it is - a bunch of different countries, but largely Germany, which was my home base for seven years. At the end there are links to other, shorter themed shows. Enjoy!



The soundtrack is "Stepping Stones in Time" - so appropriate for these ancient places, and also for a decade of memories - once again provided by the talented Mike Rogers, and you can find the whole album over at http://michaellrogers.virb.com/magnetica.