Travelling with a light heart!
To get away from one’s working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one’s self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change. ~ Charles Horton Cooley Watching the sunset from atop a dune in the Moroccan Sahara. My friend, Rachid, took this photo when we were …
Rome, Italy I love it when things go swimmingly! It's great when everything is exactly as relaxing, luxurious, delicious, and romantic as you'd hoped. On the other hand, it can also be oddly perfect when things take a hilariously strange or utterly wrong turn. When Dario and I had the opportunity to stay in a …
Today's post is written by Dario! He's been promising me a guest post for some time, so when Silvia from Trippando told me about a contest she and Travel – Moments in Time were having for writing about beaches, I thought this would be the perfect moment to nudge him into action. Having nearly …
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. ~ Mark Twain Flowerbed constellation in India. I am posting this …
Rome, Italy When people think of Italy, inevitably one of the first subjects to come up is the food. It's a year 'round event here, to be sure, but holidays bring an extra level of showmanship to the table. Natale (Christmas) is one of the biggest eating holidays of all – it lasts 2 or …
Rome, Italy Dario and I are spending the winter holidays with his family in Rome. Things are a bit crazy as he is helping with repairs to the house and we are rearranging some of the furniture, including some things we left here when we moved to Ireland. Still, there is plenty of room for …
Cuzco, Peru Today's post comes to us from Katy of www.starryeyedtravels.com. It's a sweet little story that encapsulates one of the oft-overlooked and underrated fringe benefits of travel: new friends. I always knew that the hiking Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was going to be a pretty amazing experience, but what I didn't …
Once upon a time, the CouchSurfing community in Cork was very active. There was a group outing at least once each week. This week was no different. I didn’t go as often as I should have, but since I’d convinced a new member to come down and meet all the lovely, friendly people, I made …
Cork, Ireland The cool weather and tendency to dump water on the head of anyone walking under Irish skies may not dispose this lovely island toward warm beaches and piña coladas, but hot drinks and delicious sweets are definitely on the menu! I have a few things that are on my regular schedule of indulgences. …
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania / Un’Goro Crater, Kalimdor I love travel in its many, many forms. When I am not out traipsing about the earth in search of new and funny adventures, I will often turn to other forms of travel: books, movies, following other travel bloggers, and playing my favorite MMORPG, World of Warcraft. …
From the archives – and freshly updated! – comes a little piece comparing the 3 countries in which I've lived. Seemed fitting in light of the fact that we are soon leaving Ireland to head back to Italy for a while. WARNING: the word "awesome" is used to excess. I have been meaning to …
Strange, is it not? That of the myriads who Before us pass'd the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us of the Road Which to discover we must travel too. ~ Edward Fitzgerald Derreenataggart stone circle. In my head I keep rolling the R's with a Scottish accent. I've …
Capri, Italy Living in Naples gives one all sorts of opportunities for adventure, eating, and uber-tourist activities. A travel outfit affiliated with my employer had a day trip heading to Capri, so I joined in. Since I lived within walking distance of the airport, I *could* have just taken the Alibus down to the port …
California, USA / Parris Island, SC, USA In Part 1: The Background, I talked about leaving my amazingly cool job in the visual effects industry and joining the Marine Corps. Many of the reasons for the decision were explained, although it’s impossible to articulate them all. Here, I’ll share the story about getting ready for …
Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough. ~ Mark Twain Jameson whiskey — size HUGE! — outside The Old Distillery. This was just going to be a quote and a photo that I conveniently had in the wings, but I couldn't resist giving a tiny …
Cork, Ireland What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words "Ireland" and "November" together in the same sentence? Whatever it is, I doubt it is anything along the lines of, "glorious sunny day," "bathing suits," or "a good time to go kayaking!" The closest I planned to come to the …
Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. ~ Miriam Beard Photo by me. Do you recognize the location? (Click to enlarge.)
Tenerife, Spain There is so much to like about travel to a volcanic island that it's really hard for me to narrow it down. I mean it's: 1) travel, 2) a volcano, and 3) an island — with beaches! Three of my favorite things! And that's not even taking into account the people and new …