Affectionately referred to as “Irish mothers’ milk” by some and “the pint that drinks like a meal” by others, Guinness is a cultural right of passage on a visit to Ireland. And as a fiercely Irish yank, the Guinness Factory Tour was tops on my “must-see” list. But I had my doubts: Was it going …
Recap fever has hit the travel and everyone is reflecting over the past year and looking forward. I really won’t recap too much because I just outlined my full RTW travel route; that post serves nicely as a highlight of my past year. But this looking forward thing, now that I can get behind! I’ve …
The heart and sole of Ireland lives in the country’s pubs—and I don’t mean because of the Guinness, although let me assure you that plays a role. But it’s the country’s music and warm enthusiasm that keeps the yanks like myself enthralled with Ireland’s rich history and amazing music. I have to admit, my fondest …
Oscar Wilde described the Connemara region as a “savage beauty”—he was surely referring to the rough landscape that is largely covered with peat bogs, rocky hills, and interlocking chains of lakes. I’ve got to say, if ever there was a lonely landscape, it would have to be this region of Ireland. To really and truly …
The local residents living in the Aran Islands are as unique as the topography of this small chain of limestone islands lacing across the top of Ireland’s wind-swept Galway Bay. Known across the country as the cultural heart and soul of the Emerald Isle, the Aran Islands boast not only a prehistoric fort, but also …
“So, when do you head out again, where are you going next?” And that is the ten million dollar question, my friends. Truth? I don’t know. I have a conundrum. I’m living at my parents’ house, readjust to life in the U.S., and plotting next steps. When I left a year ago, I was supposed …
“Umm, did you hear that sound?” I oh so casually asked Laura as we drove from Doolin—a quaint and inviting village on Ireland’s wild west coast—toward the Cliffs of Moher. Laura, partially deaf in one ear, paused to consider and definitively shook her head before re-launching into her story. But I couldn’t shake the nagging …
I’ve been back from my around the world trip for six weeks. And I am struggling to adjust to being surrounded all of the people I love. For a year I have had physical distance from them, and distance created by living a different life, talking less, and generally having no idea what was happening. …