Barcelona, Spain Diving headlong into local dining experiences is one of the preferred activities of many travelers. The same is true for me and Dario. However, we don't limit ourselves to local cuisine, as we have several favorites in which we cannot always indulge depending on our living and travel situation. We may have gone …
Whining and dining in Besalú, Spain
Besalú, Catalonia, Spain Hola from Besalú! Dario and I, and several other travel bloggers, are here in Catalonia, Spain, exploring the area, eating the food, drinking the wine, and staying at amazing luxury villas (srsly, they are suh-weet!). Grab yourself an eyeful of the view we had this morning! To infinity and beyond! …
Rose colored glasses don’t keep out the smell
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 …
Beach Flashbacks
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 …
Natale: la tavola (the table)
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 …
Buon Natale from Rome!
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 …
Friendship on the Inca Trail
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 …
Best CouchSurfing Request EVER
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 …
Hot and Sweet Diversions in Cork
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. …
WoW vs. RL: Un’Goro Crater
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. …
US vs. Italy vs. Ireland
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 …
Quote: …the myriads who Before us pass’d…
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 …
Race to the Blue Grotto!
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 …
How the Marine Corps prepared me for travel: Part 2
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 …
Of Kayaks, Cameras, and Cold
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 …
Beautiful Activities on Tenerife
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 …
Dragon of Shandon 2011
Cork, Ireland Just a quick reminder to anyone who is lucky enough to be in Ireland this Halloween — the Dragon of Shandon is coming on Monday! A very toothy smile from the 2010 parade. Here's the scoop on this year's parade: Join Cork Community Art Link in the historic heart of Shandon, Monday October …
How the Marine Corps prepared me for travel: Part 1
Marin County, CA, USA / Parris Island, SC, USA Part 1: The Background About 10 years ago I left my amazingly cool job in the visual effects industry and joined the Marine Corps. Some people think I was nuts. There were many reasons for going, however, not the least of which is that I like …