part iii Sailing Brittany, from Plymouth to l’Aberwach.

Or,  from this… to this… to this… Plymouth, day iii (my trip)  first full day on boat. We will leave today, when Mike’s pal Dave arrives on his train from Manchester,  and soon as the afternoon tide allows.     We grab a quick bite in town and then have another, more serious, tour of the boat.  … Read More part iii Sailing Brittany, from Plymouth to l’Aberwach.

Part ii- Dublin to Concarneau and Carnac; a sailing voyage on the coasts of Brittany.

Part ii- Dublin to Concarneau and Carnac; a sailing voyage on the coasts of Brittany. Getting there:  (Part Two)  Day zero + 1.   North Wales to Plymouth.  We leave mid-morning to catch the train,  first leg Bangor to Birmingham.   Despite the continuing grey weather, the first part of this journey is quite nice,  with the… Read More Part ii- Dublin to Concarneau and Carnac; a sailing voyage on the coasts of Brittany.

From Dublin to Concarneau & Carnac; a sailing voyage on the coasts of Brittany.

  I’ve been invited to join two old friends and another chap, crewing a 36-foot sailboat, from Plymouth, across the English channel to France, then down the coast of Brittany. We will be on board for about 8 days. Travel plans?  I can fly back direct from Brittany to Dublin.  Connections are pretty good. Getting to… Read More From Dublin to Concarneau & Carnac; a sailing voyage on the coasts of Brittany.

Four details… four pictures from Dublin and around Ireland.

A small set of curious pictures,  just four today,  for readers to puzzle over.   In a break with tradition, these images are not all from the capital.  Two pictures are from Dublin, but the other two from elsewhere in Ireland, from much further afield.  Enjoy,  and please feel free to share with friends or colleagues.… Read More Four details… four pictures from Dublin and around Ireland.

Egyptian Neo-Classical Architecture in Dublin: the Ripples of History. A self-indulgent & speculative wander, through ideas, history, and some favourite Dublin buildings.

In his much-quoted opening of Dublin 1660-1860, the architectural historian Maurice Craig describes how one of the most momentous events in history, the taking of Byzantine Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, had a side effect with unexpected consequences. Byzantium, a huge Christian empire and the surviving eastern half of the old Roman Empire,… Read More Egyptian Neo-Classical Architecture in Dublin: the Ripples of History. A self-indulgent & speculative wander, through ideas, history, and some favourite Dublin buildings.