Category Europe

Ireland in Film: Rebel County Studios

Cork City has gained attention as a filming location for several renowned movies. “The Young Offenders” and “Angela’s Ashes” utilized various city sites, while “The First Great Train Robbery” shot at Kent Station. “Strength and Honour” featured Kinsale and Passage West, and “Moby Dick” used Youghal as a stand-in for New Bedford. Unfortunately, the film “Divine Rapture” faced production issues in East Cork.

Ireland in Film: Into the West

In 1951, the movie “The Quiet Man” showcased the verdant land of the west of Ireland, marking a significant milestone for the film industry in Ireland. With iconic scenes shot in the village of Cong and Maam Cross, the movie captured America’s heart and left a lasting impact. Similarly, other films like “The Guard” and “Calvary,” set in picturesque Irish locations, continued to showcase the beauty of the region. Additionally, notable films like “Leap Year” and “Irish Wish” have utilized the stunning landscapes of Ireland, including the Cliffs of Moher, as captivating backdrops for their stories. The dramatic beauty of these natural landmarks has also been featured in popular films such as “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” “The Princess Bride,” and the Father Ted TV series.

Lake Como

After spending sometime exploring the town of Como – it was time to jump on a boat and head up the lake. After Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore this is Italy’s third largest lake, Europe’s deepest outside of Norway and with a distinct inverse ‘Y’ shape provides a varied backdrop of mountains, shore-lined villages, beautiful […]

Como

After our wedding in Tuscany, we jumped back on the train north, with a quick change in Florence, back to Lombardy. At the same time Karen’s parents – Iain and Bernadette were piling into their car and heading to the airport in Scotland to grab their flight – they would be joining us for the […]

Under the Tuscan Sun

A wedding in Chianti! The event had arrived. The (main) reason we had decided to travel to just Italy on this trip to Europe – the wedding of John and Joey. The shortest commute of the trip began with the 19114 Train to Empoli. Thirty minutes after we boarded we found ourselves outside the train […]

Siena

After our trip to Florence we had an extra day before we had to make our way to John and Joey’s wedding in Cinciano. A quick check of the map and transport possibilities afforded us the chance to visit somewhere that was on the Bucket List – the medieval citadel of Siena. We departed the […]

Lucca – In Search of Puccini

Taking a break from the city of Florence afforded us an opportunity to visit nearby Lucca on the train. Located 75km due west and on the banks of the Serchio River in a fertile plain near the Liguria Sea this one time rival to the Republic of Florence lies. This makes it ideal to visit, […]

of the Flowers…

And when I thought of Florence, it was like a miracle city embalmed and like a corolla, because it was called the city of lilies and its cathedral, St. Mary of the Flowers Marcel Proust In our previous posts we talked about how much we enjoyed the city of Florence – its various piazzas, palazzos […]

Return to Florence Part 2

In our previous post we discovered the popular sights and sounds as we sauntered through the city. This time we would work around the margins of the centre of Florence to see what else we could find. The Mercato Sant’Ambrogio is known as Florence’s second market. Second after the Mercato Centrale and its tourist market. […]

Monochrome Monday: Florence, Italy

Few images from our trip to Florence in September 2019. Interior shots of the Duomo, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore The Ponte Vecchio stretching across the Arno River. Piazzale Michelangelo and its bronze replica Michelangelo’s David. 

Return to Florence Part 1

Our Taxi from Firenza Santa Maria Novella Train Station drove past an open square with a single statue in the middle of a circle of trees – Piazza della Indipendenza. It had changed very little in the preceding 12 years. The last time we were here the watchful gaze of Ubaldini Peruzzi’s Statue (He was […]

Milan

September 2019 We had only been back in Europe in January 2019, so it was reasonable to assume we would not be back for another year or so. There had also been a few visitors from home lined up for the Xmas and New Year coming – so definately no other trip on the cards. […]

Monochrome Monday: Como, Italy

Few images from my trip to Lake Como in September 2019. Watch out for our upcoming Italian arc on JKRoaming.com Church on the hill ( I think this is in Brunate). Taken from the Lake on a misty morning. Villa Olmo, Como. Eagle Statue in the gardens of Villa Olmo, Como. Cathedrale di Santa Maria […]

There and Back Again – Falkirk and Fife

Chariots of Fire During our Hogmanay Hootananny in Pitcarlie House we found ourselves a short drive from a lovely spot of Scotland. Located between Dundee and Edinburgh is the coastal town of St Andrews and it’s West Sands Beach. This provided the perfect spot for a brisk walk and chance to blow out the cobwebs […]

Yes, but what about Second Christmas Dinner?

The main benefits of being in an ‘International’ relationship is that every trip home involves two locations – two families and particularly at Christmas – two dinners 🙂 This year would be no exception. The Scottish leg of our home trip began with a night in Shawlands staying with Dan and Laura where we had […]