Street Entertainment in Galway City Centre

Don't exactly know what this street entertainer and his mates were doing, but they certainly knew how to draw in a crowd.

It all looked good fun, but I was in a hurry, so, unfortunately, I couldn't hang around.

Thomas Hardy's Wessex: Arriving at Lulworth Cove

This was our third day in Hardy's Wessex:

-  The first day had mainly involved travelling from Warsaw to Dorchester (with an unscheduled stop at Bradford-on-Avon on the Bristol-Weymouth train line)

-  During the second day, we'd mainly visited places relating to both 'Far from the Madding Crowd' (up near Hardy's birthplace of Higher Bockhampton and in Puddletown) and 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' (all round Dorchester town centre)

-  On the third day, we'd moved onto Wool (of great Tess significance, of course).

After we'd set up camp at Wool, we decided to catch the last bus to Lulworth Cove, knowing that we'd have a five-mile walk back, but such was the attraction of Lulworth Cove.

Arriving at Lulworth Cove at about 5.30pm on a Saturday evening, we were greeted by the wonderful thatched roof building below:

And one of Hardy's poems on a pub wall:

Was nice to see that the good folk at Lulworth Cove had ice-cream for dogs if any dogs fancied one:

Finally, after having a rather expensive pastie and chips (not bad, but nothing special), we were ready to explore not only Lulworth Cove, but also Durdle Door  . . .

Thomas Hardy's Wessex: Colliton House, Dorchester

With the help of Anne-Marie Edwards' 'Discovering Hardy's Wessex' (1978/1982), we were able to find Colliton House, Hardy's model for Lucetta's home, High Place Hall, in 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' (Hardy's Dorchester novel, of course). 

As Anne-Marie Edwards (1978/1982: 91, 93) explains, in Dorchester town centre, you walk "down High West Street and take the first narrow turning on your left . . . " and soon your upon Colliton House:

When we had a quick look at Colliton House, it seemed to be some kind of cafe bar now.  We really should've gone inside to have a drink and to see what the place looked like inside.

Anne-Marie Edwards (1978/1982: 93) points out that with its all-brick, small country mansion-type appearance, Colliton House very much matches Hardy's description of Lucetta's home in 'The Mayor of Casterbridge'.

The Doolin Cliffs: Some More Shots

Some more of my shots from my Sunday morning walk to the cliffs just outside Doolin:

After two days at the often (sometimes unpleasantly) crowded Doolin Festival, it was great to get out into the fresh air:

Absolutely loved this walk, it just gave me a couple of hours to recharge my batteries before going to the third day of the Doolin Folk Festival:

Have always been a fan of such rugged landscape:

From a Church in Galway

Really like this juxtaposition of different Catholic religious motifs from a church in Galway.

Kotek Acting the Goat

Great shot of Kotek acting the goat from eastern Poland.  Actually looks like he's had a skinful.

Galway: The River Corrib and the Cathedral

A few shots of the river Corrib from my recent, two-day trip to Galway:

Have just read that this is one of the shortest rivers in Europe running for about six kilometres from Lough Corrib through Galway to Galway Bay.

Nice shot of the river with Galway Cathedral in the background:

Inside, the Cathedral, which was opened in 1965, was characterised by its spaciousness: