It wasn’t quite the crack of dawn, but Day 4 in Ireland certainly got off to an earlier start than any of its predecessors. Why, you ask? Well, because a mid-afternoon flight from Dublin to London was definitely going to sneak up on us faster than we would have liked — which meant we had but a few wee hours to see or do anything else in Galway before we had to hit the road, Jack, and not come back no more (no more, no more, no more…).
Read MoreApparently not ready to leave the cozy confines of Gem’s place in any kind of a hurry, Day 3 in Ireland got off to a slow start. Once we got going, however, we began the day by heading over to the same place the previous evening had concluded: the quaint and colorful city of Cobh.
Read MoreAs far as the day itself was concerned, we hadn’t looked up a ton of things to do or really put any kind of concrete plan in place, but one thing that was absolutely, without-a-doubt, no-ifs-ands-or-buts-about-it on the list was a visit to Blarney Castle. There, we’d have the opportunity to climb up to the parapet or rampart or battlement or whatever you want to call it and kiss the fabled Blarney Stone, which is said to bring good luck and eloquence (“the gift of gab”, so they say) to anyone who lays a wet one on it.
Read MoreIt was only recently, as in within the last couple years, that I learned just how Irish I am. That sounds odd perhaps, but I’ve lived most of my life believing I was mostly Polish. That may still be true, but according to data from MyHeritage, my maternal grandmother was 94.1% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh, which no doubt means some of that Irish blood runs through me, as well. Armed with this information, I set out for my newly-realized ancestral homeland in late March 2024, looking to connect with my Irish heritage and maybe drink a Guinness or two.
Read MoreIt’s the kind of place you probably wouldn’t go unless you had a specific reason. Like, say, if your youngest brother decided he wanted to go out into the world and try something new, and if, due to a range of factors, he wound up moving to Oklahoma City with one of his best friends from high school. If something like that were to occur, well you would have all the reason you’d need to finally check Oklahoma off the list, right?
Read MoreWhile paying a visit to our good friend Abe or taking in the magnificence of the World War II Memorial or reflecting quietly at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are all perfectly good uses of your time in the nation’s capital, there is also a good selection of watering holes for those looking to wet their whistles after the sun goes down.
Read MoreIt was a joke. Kind of. But as my brother’s 21st got closer and closer, my resolve grew: we were going to do it. Well, we were going to do something, anyway. I told him we didn’t necessarily need to go to San Diego; we could take a trip wherever his little heart desired. Somehow, some way, we landed on Vegas. Yes, Sin City was going to be the one.
Read MoreIt’s probably safe to assume that most travelers fall into one of two categories — they either like to plan every little detail of their trip or they prefer throwing caution to the wind and surprising themselves along the way. You may fall into one camp or the other, but here’s a little secret: both are good options. And that’s why it’s perfectly okay to do a little of each, to approach your trip with plans of the half-baked variety.
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