Travelling with a light heart!
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 …
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 …
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 …
Ballingcollig, Ireland This video was shot at a Tweetup in local pub here in Co. Cork. Unbeknownst to me and Dario is that there was live music scheduled along with the chat, pints, and general good craic. The music is what's called a "trad session": an informal gathering of musicians at a local pub, …
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 …
Tenerife, Spain As you may know, I love volcanoes and warm weather nearly as much as I love camels. So when Linda of Islandmomma offered to be my guide around Tenerife, I jumped at the chance! It was a fine chance to test out the camera I'd won from the Cork Cycling Festival's photo competition. …
Copenhagen, Denmark While in Denmark one lovely May, we decided to pay a visit to the iconic mermaid sculpture. It was based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, The Little Mermaid, and has become quite a tourist attraction for those who visit Copenhagen. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. And yet, when we arrived …
Unguja, Tanzania Zanzibar is blessed with amazing scenery, filled with spice and warmth, and springs from often tragic history. It's also the birthplace of the incredibly talented lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury. Learning a bit more about the background of this tremendous singer, and possibly visiting locations of significance in his life, was on …