SOFIERO

Castle and garden of SOFIERO, known for its amazing amount of rhododendron growing in this north part of Europe.

http://www.sofiero.se/ you can find more information about the visiting time.

We enjoyed yesterday a trip back from Danmark, stayed for a couple of hours, enjoying the good weather, the fantastic smell and the enchanting concert of colours of the flowers. Here just a few pictures. It's definitively a must while travelling south.

                                                 Azalea

                                                Papermoon

                                                Rhododendro

VARBERG - THE BATHHOUSE

When I moved to Sweden in 2000 I visited many places around Gothenburg and south of my new hometown.
Varberg, is a sea town and has a remarkable fortress just on the coastside. The whole city has a special touch of history and water has and does still play a big role for the town. Here you can find different kind of hotels with Spa and just in front of the fortress a wooden construction rises from the water. The bathing house. When I first saw it, I thought I was somehow on the wrong side of the world. The maroccan/arab details mixed with the northen sky light hits one. Admiration, astonishment, curiosity.

Many visits have I done to Varberg in these last ten years; it's just one hour drive away from Gothenburg and well worth several visits, even if it's just to walk on the seaside, take a cup of tea in one of the cozy cafés, or visit the museum in the fortress, or why not, book a spa for a week-end.

The pictures shown here are taking winter 2010, an amazing sunday afternoon.

GAP OF DUNLOE

Patrick and Queeny

We just arrived in Killarney and check in at Elyod B&B for the night. Mary the owner explains that she won't be there the next day, coz. she invited her friend for the GAP OF DUNLOE TOUR. We listen carefully and during the evening we decided that that would be a great thing to do, even though touristic and not really a bakpacker solution.

The next morning a small bus comes to pick us up and in Killarney centre we change to a bigger bus until we reach the Kate Kearneys Cottage. Here we change once more to a jaunting car that has place for 4 sitting person and our driver Patrick, a real irish farmer. The jaunting car is led by a lovely irish pony, Queeny. A 1 1,5 hour ride through valleys and mountain, lakes and rivers, an amazing landscape that reminds me a little bit of my home country Switzerland.

The ride stops at the Lord Brandons Cottage where we eat a warm soup and enjoy the company of the others sitting in the sunshine. To go back to Killarney a small boat waits and we drive slowly but surely among the zig-zag lakes of Killarney. Our driver is a well preserved man in his 60ies that jokes all along the trip. The sun is high in the sky and a few of us for sure gets a sunburn while back on land. Who would have thought that one can get a sunburn in Ireland!

The journey of 6 hours is worth all the investment done in the early morning. It's something special and it's a MUST while staying in Killarney. We arrive at Ross Castle where a bus is ready to bring us back to our B&B.