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  • Duncan Grant
Jul – Aug 2019

Europe & UK

7July - 20 August 2019 Read more
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  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Day 7 Ireland Tour

    July 27, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Once again today was spent enjoying more splendid scenery. We drove over the Kerry Mountains into County Cork. We made a stop at Blarney, and the large seaside city of Cork, the countrys second largest city. We visited Waterford and took a tour through the famous Waterford Crystal House. Our night was spent in the beautiful seaside town of Tramore. We took a highlights tour of the town, complete with a cruise liner berthed in Port, watched birds nesting in the cliff face, viewed a number of well kept traditional thatched roof houses, prior to our visit to an Irish pub, complete with thatched roof, plenty of guiness, and Irish pub songs - such a fantastic night.Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Waterford Crystal

    July 27, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We were taken on a guided tour of the Waterford Crystal factory. We were able to see the painstaking process taken to create each piece, some makings made by machines but most individually hand crafted. A favourite was a replica of the Ashes cricket trophy, and even though a smaller replica of the super bowl trophy, Duncan was able to practice his drop punt moves.!Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Avoca Woolen Mills

    July 28, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    With our Ireland tour coming to a close we had a plesent stop at Ireland's oldest handweaving mills at Avoca. Together with the mill there was an amazing cafe filled with delicious freshly backed produce and a stunning garden. There was a huge variety of colours and designs of weaved products available - though we still think nothing beats wool from the Australian Merino. We then travelled to Dublin where we had a farewell night with other trip travellers.Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Farewell to Ireland

    August 1, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We have spent the past few days tracing Angela's past generations. Initially the area of her mother's family in the Sligo / Drumcliff region, followed by the Ryan history mainly around the County of Tipperary. Ange made her Ryan heretige complete by kitting herself out in the County Tipperary colours, a County cap and shirt, yellow and blue.
    We have loved Ireland so much and as our time in Ireland comes to a close our thoughts are of Ireland's beauty. The 50 shades of green wherever you look, the well cared for, tidy homes, mostly large in size. The homes, as well as being tidy are mostly surrounded by manicured lawns and colourful gardens and town streets that are awash with colour of the ever present window boxes and hanging baskets We were also a little taken by the fact the Ireland has fantastic highways with many roundabouts and flyovers, and country roads lined with narrow hedges or stone walls . The farm equipment always seemed to be the latest and best models. Farm animals were in top condition and grazed on lush green pastures. We loved the idea that although Ireland is a modern country they still have time to entertain the idea of fairies and wee folk living in secret places. We were told of the belief that if a Hawthorne tree out in the field grows alone from other Hawthorne trees than it is a home of the wee folk and should not be disturbed. You will see evidence of this in fields where a fence is placed around a lone Hawthorne tree to keep it safe. Apparently one of the new freeways had its course altered to go around a single Hawthorne tree when the initial plan was to pass straight through the area.
    We were keen to check out a game of Hurling, an Irish sport but only managed to watch the Kilmallock men's team train.
    Little 12 week old black labrador puppy, Lilly was delighted to say hello, a real treat since we had Lilly the black Lab.
    We took our little fellow companion Mawson to Ireland, took some keeping him out of the pubs though. As usual he loved having his photo taken, from sitting on a rock at the entrance to the Templemore Park to sitting on flowery cars.!    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Edinburgh

    August 4, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Our short trip to the Scottish hilly capital blessed us with fantastic weather. We spent the day viewing the city sites on the hop on hop off bus. The skyline is dominated by the impressive Edinburgh Castle which seems to loom over the city. Edinburgh is noted for its arts, music and culture, it's medieval to neo-classical town planning,and the cobble stones that line the Royal Mile.
    A must see is the statue of Bobby the little Skye Terrier who for 14 to years visited the grave site of his master who was buried at Greyfriars Kirkyard.
    A pleasant Scottish balmy summer evening was spent watching the annual Edinburgh Tattoo. A specular site with the castle backdrop to the performance.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Frederiksborg Castle Denmark

    August 6, 2019 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The Frederiksborg Castle is situated Hillerod, north of Copenhagen. The impressive Renaissance castle was built in the first decades of the 17th century by the Danish King Christian 1V, and incorporates the best of Renaissance architecture and craftmanship.
    Since 1878, Frederiksborg Castle has housed the Museum of National History. A walk through the beautiful rooms is a walk through 500 years of Danish history, illustrated by portraits, history paintings, furniture and decorative art. It is an encounter with Kings, Queens and nobles which have helped shape the history and development of Denmark from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Coastal Denmark

    August 6, 2019 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    On our trip to Frederiksborg Castle, we drove back to Copenhagen via Denmark's Coastline looking toward Sweden. We passed expensive coastal homes including some with thatched roofs. We saw people having a summer time beach swim and took a look at the outside of the current royals summer holiday Palace. Behind the castle is a large private garden complete with a lake which is available for them to enjoy sailing.Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Copenhagen

    August 6, 2019 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark sits on the costal islands of Zealand and Amager.
    Favourite things to see include Frederick's Church, The Little Mermaid statue, Tivoli Gardens and the Royal Winter Palace.
    Since the turn if the 21st century, Copenhagen has undergone strong urban and cultural development. However we found the city to lack the vibrancy one would expect in such a progressive city.
    It is one of the major financial centres of Northern Europe and has seen a rapid development in the service sector especially information technology, pharmaceuticals and clean energy. It is planned that by 2050 all electricity will be supplied by clean energy. Our taxi from the airport was a fully electric Tesla car, surprising us with its speed and power.
    Traffic congestion is eased by the significant use of bicycle transport with specialist bicycle lanes beside the roads, with the bicycle having right of way.
    Denmark's son, Hans Christian Anderson is most remembered for his fairy tales. The statue to his story of the Little Mermaid is a must see tourist attraction.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Odense

    August 7, 2019 in Denmark ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Odense is the third largest city in Denmark on the island of Funen and has a population around 190,000 people. Odense has a close association with Hans Christian Anderson as he was born in the city in 1805 and spent his childhood years there. There was a street market with colourful flowers and some tempting produce available to purchase. On our way to Odense we drove over the Great Belt Fixed Link Bridge which was constructed in 1988 to 1994.Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Gothenburg

    August 8, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Today it was breakfast in Denmark, lunch in Sweden and dinner in Norway !
    We left the shores of Denmark on the ferry taking us across the Kattegat waters to Gothenburg. A major city in Sweden suitated on the west coast. We love to associate Sweden with Volvo cars and IKEA. Gothenburg is suited on the country's West coast. An important seaport, it is known for its Dutch style canals and leafy boulevards.
    We made our ferry crossing in perfect sunshine which accompanied us the entire day. As we approached the Swedish coast at Gothenburg we sailed along an archipelago that gave us some breathing views.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Sweden to Norway

    August 8, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We have now realised that Scandinavian people are certainly a genitically blessed race-so many beautiful people!!!
    The standard car seems to be a Volvo, Audi, BMW, or Mercedes, and the modernTesla cars.
    Norway is known as the Swiss cheese country due to the number of roadway tunnels. The roadway infrastructure is phenomenal with its tunnels and well constructed roads and interchange systems.
    The discovery of oil and gas in the North Sea in the 1950s to 1960s, made possible a huge contribution to infrastructure development, and impact on this once poor country, thus allowing funds to develop roads, tunnels and other significant infrastructure.
    The long trip from Gothenburg to Oslo took us through prime rural country with splendid crops of wheat, barley and canola, and paddocks of freshly mown pasture and others of recently baled hay and silage. As we approached Oslo the country changed to hilly to mountainous, combined with beautiful valleys, also some areas were heavily treed and forested.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Oslo

    August 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Oslo is the capital city of Norway, sitting on Norway's southern coast. It is famous for green spaces and museums. The streets are vibrant and trendy. We visited the town hall and a guide told us of the Nazi occupation in the city and the difficulties the local people faced.
    We saw the hall where the Nobel peace prize is awarded and visited the gardens surrounding the Royal palace. We were told of the fate of magnificent white building that was taken over by the Nazi and used as their headquarters, today it is the foreign affairs building. It was wonderful to see people playing table tennis in the people's space in front of this very structure, now free from its terrible past. Oslo plans to have the city center completely free of cars over the next year in so doing making free walking space for the people and development of green corridors within the city.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Oslo Municipal Park 1

    August 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Vigeland Sculpture Park is in Oslo with more than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland ( 1869-1943) in granite and cast iron including the popular Angry Boy, and was completed in 1950. Vigeland was also responsible for the design and architectural outline of the Park, and it is one of Norway's top tourist attractions.
    Gustav Vigeland was a quiet lobbyist, and persuaded the city of Oslo to build him a combined home and studio. In return, he would donate his works to the city.
    The sculpture park is a evocative tribute to humankind in all its complexity.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    The Straand Hotel

    August 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    The Straand Hotel is located in the middle of the beautiful Telemark region in south-Eastern Norway. The hotel has a long history that dates back to 1864, and has been held in the same family for 5 generations. Truly a hidden gem with a layback vintage style, overlooking a lake, outside bar complete with a piano being played for guests enjoyment.Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Vermork

    August 10, 2019 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    This region is where, around 1902, Sam Eyde, one of the founders of Hydro Power succeeded in committing International investors to the development of the Notodden Hydro Power Station at Vermork. The plant was a forerunner in producing Heavy Water by concentrating water to increase its hydrogen content. During the Second World War, when Germany, who had plans to use this heavy water to produce an Atomic bomb, occupied Norway.
    Britian and Norway resistance forces combined in a plan to sabotage the plant, and prevent Germany's plans succeeding, and in doing so changed the path of WW2..
    The operation was risky and could not be effected by bombing or air strike because of the mountainous terrain and location of facilities deep underground. This meant using a small team of men who infiltrated and destroyed the facilities, in a daring but successful operation.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Hardanger

    August 10, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Driving through this region is a drive through spectacular landscapes, mountains, fjords, waterfalls, lush valleys and glaciers. The area is a nature lovers delight with many marked hiking trails, and fishing spots. The area boasts a rich diversity of species and is a key habitat for Europe's biggest herd of reindeer. The area is Norway's most extensive national park.
    We took a ferry across the Hardanger fjord before travelling on toward Bergen.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Waterfall - Steinsdalsfossen.

    August 10, 2019 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    The creation of the waterfall was an example of a happy accident. Until the end of the 17th century the river flowed west of where the waterfall is today. But in 1699 a nearby farm suffered great damage from a flood. The old river course was closed off, probably by large amounts of snow or a avalanche, and the water was forced over the cliff. Thus it came possible to walk safe and dry behind the rushing waterfall. Later becoming a tourist attraction and being known as Steinsdalsfossen.Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Bergen

    August 11, 2019 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. According to tradition, the city was founded in 1070, while trading may have commenced as early as 1020s.
    In the middle ages Bergen evolved into one of the most important commerce cities in Northern Europe. One of the reasons for this was that Bergen was surrounded by mountains which gave the city access to fresh water from them. Bryggen features colourful wooden houses on the old wharf. What remains of the quays, Bryggen, is a World Heritage Site.
    Bergen, being surrounded by mountains, lakes and fjords, is high on the must see tourist list, however Bergen is famous for its number of days that it rains-about 200 days a year. Yes we managed one of those 200 but we were still able to see and do heaps of things.
    It is the home to the composer Edward Greig, we visited his home which is situated in the city overlooking the water. The beautiful 2 story wooden home is full of charm and character.
    This city is full of art and culture.
    The panoramic views from one of the 7 surrounding mountains, which can be reached by cable car, is a must see.
    The port of Bergen is Norway's busiest in term of both freight and passengers with over 300 cruise ships calling each year.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Fjord Cruise 1 ( Sognefjord)

    August 12, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today we were spoiled by more spectacular scenery. We boarded a ferry and cruised up the fjord for the following 2 hours.
    The Sognefjord fjord, nicknamed the King of the Fjords and is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. It stretches 205 kms inland from the ocean to the small village of Skjolden. It's maximum width is 4.5kms with a maximum 2depth of 1,308 meters.
    Duncan and I have nicknamed it the OMG Fjord or maybe the jaw dropping Fjord-truly magnificent.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Bergen to Fagernes

    August 12, 2019 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Today was a magical day, although a little wet at times, nothing dampened our total Wow will you look at that!!! moments. We set off from Bergen,stopping in Voss the town famous for extreme sports, continuing through breathtaking scenery, stopping for the fjord cruise, then completing our day's journey to our overnight stop in Fagernes. This is a winter playground for skiing. Along the way we passed through the longest tunnel in the world, 25kms in length. Each 6 kms there is a widened area for turning, together with a coloured light show, used to stimulate the driver from the dull colour of the tunnel. This tunnel was commenced in 1995 and finished in 2000 just 5 years later-the rock etc removed from the mountain for the tunnel was then used to make the road-very clever these Norwegians.
    We stopped at a beautiful water fall/cascade for a few more pics to add to our ever expanding number! Along the way we took a side road that was once the original route before roads were formed, with suspended wire bridges, ladders and ramps where water met sheer cliff faces    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant
    1

    Fargens to Karlstad

    August 13, 2019 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Today we woke in Norway and will sleep in Sweden, saying goodbye to the Norwegian mountains, waterfalls, fjords, glaciers, houses with grassed roofs, and to the trolls of Norway.
    We made a stop at Lillehammer, the mountain resort that hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics. We watched fit, mostly young Norwegians making their decent down the jump and at very fast speeds. There was the option to take a chair lift to the top of the jump, but the weather wasn't being totally kind to us, mist and drizzle making the view impaired and the lift seats damp. We decided to stay dry and instead watched those taking the jump challenge. Mawson the penguin, found an old snow sledge and decided to attempt the jump, all became too difficult so he found a chair on which to sit and contemplate life.!
    As we headed toward Sweden there was a noticible change to the scenery. Still the typical forest areas but now more cleared land with crops and some cattle.
    We drove along side Scandinavia's longest river the Glomma, which travels some 600 kms toward the North Sea which it reaches near Gothenburg.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantEurope & UKDuncan Grant

    Marifriend

    August 14, 2019 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    About one hour from Stockholm is the picturesque small town of Marifriend. Built around the 14 century castle Gripsholm, on beautiful lake Malaren. Marifriend also has a narrow gauge historical railway. This charming little town with its restaurants, cafes and shops make it a favourite short summer escape for those living in Stockholm.Read more

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