Where I’ve Been:

My Favourite; Barcelona:

Last year, I went to my favourite place on earth. On the coast of Catalonia lies the (in my opinion) best city in the world. With a population of 1.6 million living in the city, there is a lot of space. However, there is still a metropolitan atmosphere. Great Spanish architects and artists like Salvador Dalí moved to the city, inspired by other grand European cities and gave the area great, unique buildings like the Sagrada Familia and Guell Park.




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Like most cities, it is divided in to quarters (although there are many more than four!). These include Gothic, New, Old and Jewish ones. Every area has a mixture of residencial buildings, ecclesiastical facilities, educational areas and historical sites.




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Many of the places that would attract a tourist are free to access (like Guell Park which has escalators up a big hill for easy access) or can be seen partially from the outside (like the Sagrada Familia).

At every corner, there is a piece of history or somebody’s story. It is a very friendly and welcoming place. They love children especially there and most of the city isn’t tourist-y at all.

Been there many times; Lanzarote:

I wrote about Lanzarote in a previous post when I talked about La Graciosa, a remote island in the same biosphere as Lanzarote. But I didn’t talk about what a lovely and unusual place the island of

It is the eastern most of the Canary Islands . These islands are a popular holiday destination located off the West Coast of Northern Africa. It is one of the lesser populated islands with a population of just 139,000. The island has a huge tourism industry.




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Like Spain, Lanzarote attracts tourists because of its year round sunny weather and high, clear, blue skies. There is also a constant breeze, so it is never too hot – even in the height of Summer, but still leaves you with a great tan.


There are five main resorts on the island (Puerto Del Carmen, Arrecife, Costa Teguise, Playa Honda and Playa Blanca). I have been to all of these and have stayed in Costa Teguise three times as well as holidaying Puerto Del Carmen twice.




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The capital Arrecife is like any other Spanish city, but on a smaller scale. That means that is a very friendly place where everyone knows each other. There are plenty of small local shops, businesses and cafes.

Close to home; Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry:

A few summers ago, I spent one of the most boring months of my life in this place only four hours away from home. We stayed as a family on the side of a mountain, half a kilometre away from any town. Our neighbours were grazing cows and half of the time we were in a cloud. The pollen count was ridiculously high, causing most of my family to break out with hay fever. I got sick on three occasions and fell in muddy fields multiple times.

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However, its a beautiful place. Albeit isolated, living in a converted barn is an unusual experience that I would definitely revisit.

Life in Kerry is very different to Dublin. Livestock is everywhere in fields, along with crops that favour the wetter weather of the West. The population is less dense than in Dublin because of a lack of employment and facilities. A lot of people live in tiny villages like the one I stayed in - Ballyheigue.




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It has a beautiful coastline, with high rugged cliffs carved by the Atlantic Ocean, fields upon fields of emerald green grass. The people were nearly always friendly to us and there were a fair few tourist attractions in the county, like the beaches and a chocolate factory.

A long time ago; Dusseldorf, Germany:

About 13 years ago I visited Dusseldorf in the winter. I don't remember much about the trip but the flight was about two hours long to the city on the Rhine. The population is a bit over half the size of Dublin within the city boundaries. The whole time I was there it was bleak and cloudy but there was amazing architecture, a mix of old and modern. The parks were big and easy to access for picnics in the park. The most famous building in the city is the Rheinstrum, near the state parliament.




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Somewhere memorable; Tarragona, Spain:

About an hour by train from Barcelona lies the city of Tarragona. This was a Roman settlement a millennium ago and in the centre and on the coast of Tarragona lies a fortified town. You pay a small fee for all day access to this place but it is not a museum. People actually live in old Roman buildings. Although there are some tourists, it is mainly a place for people to live. Because it is not that touristic, prices are lower than in the surrounding resorts.

My favourite part of the city was visiting old houses. Throughout the centuries, nobles settled in fine mansions within the Roman town that are available to view today. One of these is Maison Castellarnau.


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Tarragona is most famous for its Castells. You may have seen this before but it is the competition where people build a tower of people. Larger, stronger people go on  bottom, then up to the top a smaller child climbs to hold up a flag. These can reach up to 500 people in one tower.


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Another amazing part of Tarragona is the Catedral Basilica Metropolitana Primada de Tarragona. It is absolutely huge, with rooms upon rooms of treasures, jewels and gold. Its Romanesque architecture makes it one of the most famous churches in the region. Some of the rooms are even locked because there would be too many to see during a tour.

Other places to consider visiting:

·       Brittas Bay, Co. Wicklow.

·       Tenerife, Canary Islands.

·       Fuerteventura, Canary Islands.

·       Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.

·       London, United Kingdom.

·       Belfast, United Kingdom.

·       Cornwall, United Kingdom.

·       Cardiff, United Kingdom.

·       Birmingham, United Kingdom.

·       Co. Antrim, United Kingdom.

·       Southern Sweden.