Visiting Fajãs on São Jorge, Azores São Jorge Island is full of them. Fajãs – small plains of land around the coastline that were formed by debris from either rock falls, landslides or volcanic eruptions. For piles of debris, they sure are pretty. The first one we visited is perhaps the best known, Fajã do Ouvidor. The road down was seriously steep. When His Lordship, an Austrian, says it’s steep, believe me it is steep. But it was well worth…
Pico da Esperança hike, São Jorge, Azores We really are in the land of lava. It’s everywhere! I was amused by this ATM machine on a typical steep São Jorge street. A slab of lava has been thoughtfully supplied by the bank to help you get at your money without tilting over. And although it’s not whale or dolphin watching season at the moment, I did get to see one dolphin while we were here. Made of lava, of course….
Dalkey and Killiney Coast, County Dublin In between our jaunts down the country, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying pottering around the Dun Laoghaire area. The Oldies love to stroll out to the pretty village of Dalkey, with its seven castles, ancient churches, dinky little cottages, quaint shops and, of course, cosy pubs. For me though, the highlight of Dalkey is its harbours. Poor old Bulloch Harbour took a battering in recent storms, but it is still one of my favourite places…
Slovak Paradise National Park Hikes, Spis Castle It’s a miracle! The Oldies are walking on water. They finally bit the bullet and joined the hardy hikers on a couple of gorge walks in the Slovak Paradise National Park. Their first was the Zejmarska roklina gorge near Dedinky. I bet they chose this one because they had been told it was the shortest of the gorge walks. What they only realised afterwards was that ‘shortest’ certainly didn’t mean either easiest or…
Podlesok and Levoca, Slovakia We are moving westwards, our next stop being in Podlesok in the High Tatra region. This campsite has got to have one of the best views ever! I feel like I should rechristen the High Tatras the ‘High Hatras’. They wear a hat of clouds each morning, but when they finally peek (or should that be peak?) out from under their wispy headgear, they display their full magnificence to the world. The campsite is located in…