Two picturesque villages in a row. Great views to the sea, funny coloured houses, nice cafés. But with all this flattery about Ireland I have to come to the less beautiful things now: First was, that it is not possible in all those picturesque villages to stroll quietly along the roads. Instead there is a steady stream of cars passing through the most beautiful parts and the people crowd on the small sidewalks. It leaves all the beauty to your imagination or maybe if you look up and ignore what happens on the ground, as I did for taking the photos.
Second thing is housing architecture. There are those wonderful old raw stone buildings of mostly sheep farmer families on the countryside and the traditionally coloured houses in the villages with their broad chimneys an their wooden carved business signs speaking of big craftsmanship of the times. But the region didn’t seam to have found an architectural language of modern times yet. Every piece of great contemporary architecture I saw (and this also counts for interior design) is imported. There is no Irish architecture which is aware of the past and its natural surroundings which continues classical Irish design into the future. Instead you’ll find mostly ugly, modernistic prefabricated housing in the middle of the greatest and wildest landscapes with thick plastic windows directly from the home depot stores, concrete fences and no intended garden at all. Interior Design (if it’s not traditional like for example in many pubs) is mostly inspired by English Interior Design but without the great materials and the will to develop coziness and individuality. I would really like to see those Irish style family homes with a love for proportions and space. There must be some.
Those Irish people. Never in my traveler life I have met such friendly and eloquent people like here. Out of the blue you’ll start an intellectual conversation on the street while looking at some zucchini on a market stand. And all that without being intrusive or without the intention of selling something. There are many, many countries in the world who could take a leaf out of Irelands book on that issue.
We went to the Stepping Stone Bed & Breakfast because my cousin, who was already there for several times, recommended it to us. It is beautifully situated in Bridia Valley between the mountains of Kerry and you’ll get there by car or while hiking along the well indicated Kerry Way.
Sandy and John are the warmest hosts ever and they will make your stay a pure blast.
I didn’t have a lot of time today so I chose this tiny hike not far from where I have been. I was blessed with three wonderful lakes in bright sunshine. This hike can easily be extended, for example direction Buckow or Kesselsee. The landscape around there is wonderful and compared to everything around Berlin […]
Goshavank Monastery (meaning: the Monastery of Gosh) is from the 12th or 13th century. It’s recent renovation was payed by an islamic person from the United Arabic Emirates out of unknown reasons. Rosas Haiku: Wasser Mehl und Salz Der Tonir hütet die Glut Das Brot häutet sich
Location: Dilijan Lodge – uphill north – direction Haghartsin Monastery / Distance: 17 km / 1100 m ascent / Weather: 23 °C, sunny and cloudy / Camera: Nikon D90 Haghartsin Monastery Haghartsin Monastery was built between the 10th and 13th century. Haghartsin means playing eagle.
