Category Archives: Europe

This post features: Vienna, Graz, Krems an der Donau, Sankt Pölten, Linz, Steyr, Kremsmünster, St Florian, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Feldkirch This trip was across 12 days at the end of June and beginning of July 2022 and based on an itinerary put together for May 2020. That plan incorporated Moldova as Chisinau is a shortContinue reading “99. Austria”

In June 2022, while staying in Vienna, I went on a 75-minute ferry ride with Twin City Liner to Bratislava. I took the 08.30 there and the 14.30 back. Although you are required to take a passport there were no customs or border checks… You can get to Bratislava in 59 minutes by train fromContinue reading “98. Bratislava”

I used to go to Stockholm fairly regularly, for work, between 1994 and 2007. Usually it was just to Stockholm but did also visit Gothenburg (Göteborg), Malmö and Östersund. I went to Östersund twice – each time for a wine fair set up by the Munskänkarna. It remains the furthest north I’ve been in Sweden.Continue reading “97. Sweden”

March 2022: this is a trip I’d been meaning to do for some time as I am interested in the Hanseatic League (www.hanse.org). It turns out that the route I’ve (sort of) followed is also known as the European Route of Brick Gothic Churches (see: https://www.eurob.org/). The churches photographed date, variously, from the 12th, 13thContinue reading “96. Germany 4: Hansa Trail”

This post features: Copenhagen, Odense, Roskilde, Helsingør and Hillerød Copenhagen Odense Roskilde Helsingør Hillerød

Bonn and Frankfurt This post features photos from 3 trips. Bonn: October 2019 – during which I visited Cologne, Siegburg, Koblenz, Aachen, Monschau, Bacharach, Oberwesel, Kassel, Fulda, Korbach, Marburg, Stuttgart and Heidleberg. Frankfurt: July 2020 – during which I visited Mainz, Limburg an der Lahn, Speyer, Worms, Ladenburg, Baden-Baden, Freiburg im Breisgau, Breisach, Offenburg, Nuremberg,Continue reading “89. Germany 3”

This feeble post includes photos from my first ever trip to Derry, and some photos of Belfast, taken during a trip in August 2025. Additionally, there are photos of Belfast and Dublin taken during a trip in April 2019. It’s over 10 years since I last went to Cork and I can’t remember when IContinue reading “86. Ireland”

This trip was undertaken in March 2019 and features: Turin, Verona, Mantua, Villafranca di Verona, Padua, Venice, Vicenza, Bologna, Modena and Milan Turin Piazzas and Street Scenes: The River Po: Cars: The City of Ice Cream: Churches: Museums: Monuments: Trains: Verona In The City: Romeo and Juliet: Churches: The River Adige: The Castelvecchio: Street Scenes:Continue reading “85. Italy 1”

This post features: Liechtenstein, San Marino and Andorra Liechtenstein – August 2017 Panoramas: Vaduz: The Cathedral: Street Scenes: The Castle: The Austrian Border: San Marino – March 2019 Andorra – June2019 Encamp: Ordino: La Massana:

This post features: May 2023: Kraków, Tarnów, Katowice, Częstochowa, Łódź and Wrocław August 2018: Lublin, Zamość and Chełm Easter 2015: Warsaw May 2014: Gdańsk Lublin Stare Miasto: Churches: Street Scenes: The Lublin Village Open Air Museum: Zamość The Fortress: Stare Miasto: Churches: Chełm May 2023 Kraków Kraków was the capital of Poland from 1038 untilContinue reading “78. Poland 1”

This post, from August 2017, features: Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Lucerne, Zug, Zürich, Basel, Sargans and Neuchâtel Heathrow: Geneva Lausanne Bern A City of Statues: Lucerne (Luzern) A city of panoramic views… Around the Lake and the Reuss: From the City Walls: Statues: The City: Zug Zug wasn’t on my itinerary but, as I had someContinue reading “63. Switzerland”

June 2017: This post features: Minsk, Khatyn, Vitebsk, Polotsk, Berezinsky Reserve, Lida, Murovanka, Grodno, Ruzhany, Brest, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Pinsk, Nesvizh, Mir and Strochicy Poor old Belarus kept getting pushed back – maybe next year – I didn’t think there would be much of interest to see and I had an expectation of a country atContinue reading “60. Belarus”

This post features pictures of Rotterdam taken during a visit in November 2023 and Den Haag, Delft, Haarlem and Utrecht taken during a visit in December 2016 Rotterdam The Central Station: Street Scenes: Street Art: Waterside: Den Haag (The Hague) Delft Haarlem Utrecht

Bucharest – July 2010 Well, I never expected Romania to be so lovely – possibly Europe’s best kept secret. Even Bucharest is nicer than I’d been led to believe and the travel agent’s assertion that a day in Bucharest was more than enough is wide of the mark. The centre of Bucharest has some interestingContinue reading “35. Romania and Bulgaria”

This post features trips to Hanover, Celle, Bremen, Hamelin, Wolfenbüttel and Braunschweig and Berlin, Potsdam, Brandenburg – both trips in September 2015 Hanover Celle Bremen Hamelin (Hameln) Wolfenbüttel Braunschweig (Brunswick) Berlin Potsdam Brandenburg

Tallinn – June 2015 Views Over The City: The Market Square: The Old Town: Churches: Bars and Restaurants: Quiet Corners: Monuments and Artworks: Street Scenes: The Open Air Museum: Harbourside: Kalamaja: At The Airport:

This post only features Helsinki and Lahti – one day I’ll get around to visiting Oulu, Tampere, Turku and several other places… Helsinki – May 2015 Cathedrals: Other Churches: Harbourside: The Fair: City Centre: The Esplanade: Walkabout: Bus Tour: Poor Old Sibelius: More Wandering Around: Lahti

Lisbon – May 2015 Bus Tour: Along the Avenida da Liberdade: A City of Squares and Monuments: By The River Tagus: Rua Augusta: Wandering Around The City: The Cemeterio dos Prazeres: A City of Wall Art: Trobadores Taberna:

This post features: Madrid, from February 2015 and from June 2019: Barcelona, Zaragoza, Lleida and Girona Madrid Plaza de Oriente: Plaza de España: Parque de la Montaña: Cathedral of Santa Maria: Plaza Mayor and Plaza de la Villa: Museums and Galleries: The Royal Palace: El Centro Canalejas: Street Scenes: Barcelona Gaudi: Other Churches: The Arc deContinue reading “23. Spain”

This post features: Brussels, Courtrai (Kortrijk), Tournai and Ypres (Ieper) from a trip in June 2023 and Antwerp (Anvers), Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen in November 2023: Brussels A quick recce, taking advantage of the 34-minute journey by TGV from Lille. The TGV and Eurostar both come into Gare Midi (Zuidstation), which is a shame inContinue reading “19. Belgium”

Bordered by Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia it is one of the Baltic States along with Estonia and Latvia.  It is part of the European Union, NATO and its currency is the Euro. The population is around 2.8 million. The Lithuanian language has its roots in the ancient language of Sanskrit and is considered toContinue reading “16. Lithuania”

This post features: Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg, from May 2014; Dresden and Leipzig from August 2013 Düsseldorf Statues: Riverside: Dortmund When Beer Was King: The City: Essen Duisburg Dresden The Altstadt: Riverside: Leipzig

Podgorica – April 2014: In The City: Monuments: Fashion Parade: Churches: The River Morača: Gradsko Groblje Čepurci Cemetery: Gorica Park: Beer Time: Some Old Cars:

This post features: Marseille, Bordeaux, Pons, Paris, Metz, Amiens, Strasbourg, Nancy, Colmar & Mulhouse Marseille Around the harbour: Views over Marseille from Notre Dame: Churches: Street scenes: Bordeaux Pons Paris Stations: Churches: Le Grand Siècle: Around Montmartre (Mount of Martyrs): Arc De Triomphe and Champs-Élysées: Monuments and Memorials: La Seine: Street Scenes: In the 19thContinue reading “13. France 1”

This post features Skopje, from May 2013, and Ohrid, from September 2013. At the time of my visit the country’s official name was “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. In 2018 it changed to the Republic of North Macedonia. It’s pronounced with a hard “c” as in “makky-dough-nya” and Ohrid is pronounced as in “och-rid”… SkopjeContinue reading “10. Macedonia”