A close is a little alleyway leading off a main street to a courtyard. Edinburgh has a bunch of them off the Royal Mile and elsewhere. They remind me of two of my other favorite cities, New Orleans and Venice.
The center actually does a pretty good job of convincing you that there is not enough food for a monster in the loch. However, just outside is a nice Nessie for you to photograph.
Ashdown Forest has never been under the plow-- it has been a forest since the most ancient times, and long ago was given by King Edward III to his oldest son John of Gaunt, who hunted there. Two hundred years ago the forest was the haunt of smugglers and highwaymen; the last highwaymen to be hanged in England were executed not far from this spot. The bench was donated recently in memory of an old couple who used to like to sit here.
This ancient fort is a semi-circle with the other half of the circle a sheer cliff of several hundred feet. One of the great monuments of the prehistoric world.
The church is dug into the hill for protection against the winds off Galway Bay.
One of the greatest stone monuments of prehistoric Europe. What were they so afraid of? Was it slave traders?
It's a common sight in Ireland to see an old thatched cottage next to a nice new house. It's a fine sight because it means people aren't poor any more and didn't have to immigrate.