Qadisha

Lebanon, November 2005: Prior to traveling to the Middle East I had read William Dalrymple’s 1997 book “From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium. It was in these pages that I’d first heard about the Qadisha valley. The mystery of the place intrigued me, so I was determined to visit it […]

Danger!! Mines!!

Siem Reap, Cambodia, 3rd March, 2001: Excerpts from my diary that I just rediscovered: “We got a tri-shaw out to the land-mine museum…” “It was just a couple of shacks really, but loaded with defused mines of all shapes & sizes, makes & models- Russian/Chinese mostly- but also local….” “The guy who set it up […]

Newgrange

Ireland, 2001: Newgrange (Irish: Sí an Bhrú) is a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland, about one kilometre north of the River Boyne. It was built about 3200 BC,during the Neolithic period, which makes it older than both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Newgrange is a large circular mound with a stone passageway and chambers […]

The Sun Is In Our Eyes

Tripoli, Lebanon, Nov 2005: Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in the country. Situated 85 kilometres (53 miles) north of the capital Beirut, old Tripoli dates back to at least the 14th century BCE. It is home to the largest fortress in Lebanon- the Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles- […]

Baalbek

Baalbek, Lebanon, Nov 2005: Baalbek- situated in the Beqaa Valley 85 km northeast of Beirut- contains some of the best preserved Roman ruins in Lebanon. Known as Heliopolis during Roman rule, it had one of the largest sanctuaries in the whole of the Roman empire.The history of settlement in the area of Baalbek dates back about […]

Decrypt

Egypt, Dec 2005: Inspecting some ancient tombs on the westbank of the Nile- across from Aswan. They were completely off the tourist trail and not mentioned in any guidebooks. We eventually found a man who had keys to them and he let us in for a look- after a certain amount of “baksheesh” was paid. […]

Empire State

New York, February 2004: On my way back to Dublin, I stopped in New York… There had been a blizzard but the Empire State beckoned… Completed in 1931 in distinctive Art Deco style- its roof height at 381 meters (with antenna included 443.2m high)- it’s still one of the highest buildings on the planet- at number […]

Metéora

Meteora, Greece, April 2003: Metéora, literally translates from Greek as “suspended in the air” or “in the heavens above” – it’s obvious as to why… It is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. This was my first visit to this beautiful and surreal […]

Untitled

Vienna, Austria, Sept 2001.