The Green of Ireland

Ireland is so green.
I never thought it would be like this, nor did I think that this would be something I would take such a keen notice of. But living in Australia where most of the countryside is now shades of brown or yellow, it is definitely something I have taken notice of.

Well that was a mistake...

Being in Dublin, I HAD to go to the Guinness storehouse.

I mean how could I not go?
So I arrived bright and early, excited to run inside for fun and interest! As I moved further into the storehouse, I began getting closer to the tasting.
Until I finally reached the Gravity Bar at the very top.

Waiting for me there was a freshly poured Guinness, the froth still settling.

And the views were amazing. A 360 degree view of Dublin.

After a few pints at the Guinness Storehouse, I decided it was time to move on...

Unfortunately, I decided that the place to move onto was the Jameson's Whiskey Distillery....
The day was getting a bit interesting.

Inside the distillery, I took the full tour. The tour guide was keen to note that Jameson's distill their whisky three times, unlike other makers who only distill their whiskey's once or twice.

Isn't it just beautiful?

The big problem came at the very end....

During the tour, I volunteered to take part in the whiskey tasting at the end of the tour.

Many, many drinks later... I was a fully certified "Irish Whiskey Taster"!

They even gave me a certificate!!!!

After the distillery, I stumbled off towards Oliee and Fliss for dinner and.... ummmm.... more drinks....

Lawrence and Peter O'Toole

My favourite movie of all time is Lawrence of Arabia.

It's been one of the inspirations of this blog.

So it was particularly amazing for me to be standing in the crypt at St Paul's Cathederal, starring directly at the bust of TE Lawrence.

Standing before the great man's bust was a sobering experience.
Later in the day, I went to the Imperial War Museum. There I saw TE Lawrence's head piece.
And the motorcycle that he was killed on.
A few days later, I found myself in Dublin.

And more importantly, I found myself drinking in a pub that was frequented by Peter O'Toole.

Oliee encouraged me to stand out in front of the pub and to imitate Peter O'Toole's famous stance....

With more than a few Guinness' inside of me.... I was more than happy to do it!

The Beautifully White Mijas

The beautiful town of Mijas.

Picturesque and stunning.
Selma and I sat on the train for a bit to get out there.

But it was completely worth it.
A whitewashed Spanish town on the side of a mountain, drenched in sun and with an ever present sea breeze.

Tasty almonds too....
.... I like almonds....


Selma had her fun too.

The Alcazaba

Aunty Selma and I went to the old Moorish ruins.

Underneath these Moorish ruins was an old Roman theatre. Apparently Antonio Bandares used to perform there when it was used recently for plays. Selma was definitely excited.
The ruins were amazing...

But tiring to climb.

From halfway up, we could see the Plaza de Toros.


Cool and calming.

Death of a bull

I went to my first bullfight!

Selma and I were walking by the bullfighting arena when we noticed that a fight was about to begin.

We couldn't not go!

Inside, we were immediately treated to the pomp and ceremony of the event.

The band played and the matadors and their followers marched in.

After the bull had been softened up, the star matador took centre stage.

It was like a slow but precise dance.
As the climax approached, the band began to play again ... building the drama and the suspense.
But eventually, the it was time for the bull to die.The bullfight was definitely one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life.

The grace and poise of the matador, the thrill of the event and the death of the bull...

Was it a barbaric thing? Possibly...

But it was also a beautiful thing to watch.

Costa del Sol

I went to Malaga!

My Aunt Selma randomly messaged me telling me to go and visit her in Spain....

Why not I thought.

I jumped on a flight and I before I knew it I was out of the London cold and in the middle of the Andalucian heat.

It was still early in the morning so I caved to my inner tourist and went for churros and chocolate.
God it was tasty.

Tapas would follow later in the day with Aunt Selma.
But the first thing we did was go to church!!!!
Being a Sunday, we managed to walk into the main cathederal in Malaga as the service was beginning.
So I was able to attend Mass and take Holy Communion.... in Malaga....