A few weeks ago I spent a weekend in the city of Armagh, approximately an hour's drive from Belfast. It's a city I've never visited before and I admit I'm slightly embarrassed by that fact. Then again, I suppose, having no family or friend connections to the place, it hadn't been on my radar. All…
In the centre of Belfast, in the oldest part of the city, lies a series of narrow cobbled streets and alleyways known as Cathedral Quarter, named after St Anne's Cathedral whose Spire of Hope rises impressively on the city skyline. Steeped in history and with a strong literary tradition, its old red brick warehouses now…
Two weekends ago, we took a short break to the picturesque town of Carlingford. Situated on Ireland's ancient East coast, on the edge of Carlingford lough, and with the impressive backdrop of Slieve Foy, the town is just over 100 miles from Belfast (about 75 minutes drive) and a short distance over the border that…
As the end of year approaches, I've been thinking about the past twelve months, trying to assess how it all went. Looking back, it was a rather lovely year. We and our families enjoyed good health, we paid off our mortgage, Boris reached the grand old age of 3 and I hit the final year…
We love to get away at this time of year for a short break, just before autumn ends and winter takes over. Our destination this October was Rathlin Island, which lies approximately six miles to the north of Ballycastle off the north coast. Rich in history, flora and wildlife (seals, puffins and the elusive golden…
Having its roots in the 1600s, Bakkehuset is considered the oldest building in Frederiksberg (a large suburb in Copenhagen). In Danish, bakke means hill and hus means house, so Bakkehuset translates as 'Hill House'. In it's day, in the Danish Golden Age (1800 to 1850), it was the home of Knud Lyne Rahbek , a…
On our recent trip to Copenhagen, a lot of our time was spent wandering around the city's green spaces. Copenhagen is blessed with a number of gardens and parks and these are places we tend to visit more and more when we go on holiday. The Danish word for garden is 'Have' , which naturally…
