Adventure Culinary Travel
After ten years away, we finally make it back to the lovely little cottage An Nead! Tucked back in the bogland in a rediscovered pre-famine village on a cultural center site with amazing hosts, An Nead is where we stayed over our honeymoon. It is one of our most favorite places in the world, and now we’re back!
Read MoreTen years had gone by since out honeymoon, ten years since we left our heart rock with a message in the box at the seaside grotto. We’ve often wondered what became of that stone. Was it moved or taken out? Was it still there? Today we will find out for sure!
Read MoreIn September of 2008, on our honeymoon in Ireland, we found a personal treasure on a hike up a mountain… a wedding gift from the lovely Emerald Isle herself! We returned to a seaside grotto with our gift, and left it to absorb all of the powerful energy of this place, and also some of that Irish luck! And so began our heart’s ten-year stay in Ireland…
Read MoreIn the town of Westport, Co. Mayo, we adventured out for some good seafood. But first, an amazing sunset over the Quay couldn’t be missed! We bid farewell to our Hobbit Hole, and then ventured further south to Co. Galway, into the town of Letterfrack, to find even more of the best Irish waters had to offer…
Read MoreAchill Island - Ireland’s largest island - sits just off the Mayo coast along the Wild Atlantic Way. A beautiful, natural spot with dramatic scenery and great history, we couldn’t wait to dig in! We stopped at a wild rocky beach, saw dramatic cliffs and crashing waves, climbed up a muddy mountain, and visited a famine-era abandoned village!
Read MoreThe rugged coastline in northern County Mayo is covered in bogland. Known as the Atlantic Blanket Bog, this amazing landscape sheds the typical view of Ireland from the emerald green to much more rustic shades of brown. We venture into the bog, walking through the grassland, capturing the breathtaking views, and learning much about this important natural wonder.
Read MoreRockfleet Castle sits on the rugged coastline of County Mayo. The castle is literally built into the sea! Wandering around the seabed at low tide, we got wonderful views of the castle and the surrounding nature… and thought on the life of its most famous resident, the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley!
Read MoreIreland’s Wild Atlantic Way… a route stretching along the west coast of Ireland that shows off the most rugged, natural, stunning wild landscape the country has to offer. Over the next week of our anniversary trip, we will explore the nature and history of this beautiful area!
Read More“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…” And for a couple nights, we lived there too! My nerdy side went into meltdown mode as we followed in the footsteps of Bilbo Baggins to Mayo Glamping and our very own hobbit-hole!
Read MoreOoooooh, Lisdoonvarna! Lisdoon- Lisdoon- Lisdoonvarna! The song stuck in our heads as we passed into the pretty little town, home of the famous Matchmaker’s Fair for lonely singles. No fair today, but we did make a stop at one of our favorite culinary destinations, The Burren Smokehouse!
Read MoreOur morning on Inis Oirr was started with a full Irish breakfast before time exploring the beach and the little village. Eventually we caught our ferry back to Doolin… but found ourselves on an unexpected detour by the Cliffs of Moher!
Read MoreReturning from the MV Plassey brought us to the highest point of the island with old castle ruins and an amazing view. What’s left with a night on a small Irish island than to stop at the pub?
Read MoreThe MV Plassey wrecked on the rocky coast of Inis Oirr back in the 1960s, and has rested on the shoreline since, where it slowly rusts and decays in the salty air. The road around the island passes by the wreck, and it’s an easy climb through the stones to get right down to the old ship! From the shore there are not only great views of the wreck, but also of the Inis Oirr lighthouse and the Cliffs of Moher in the distance…
Read MoreThe Church of St Cavan is a ruin on the Irish island of Inis Oirr. Excavated from being mostly buried in the ground, St Cavan’s is an amazing site to see! The patron saint of the Aran Islands, St Cavan himself is buried alongside the old church. We ventured through the old stone archways to explore inside the ruins…
Read MoreWe took the ferry to Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands. Life by the sea dominated the world here. We walked the rural roads, with the bright green fields crisscrossed by the random pattern of ancient stone walls, found the local dolphin, and dropped into our first pub back in Ireland!
Read MoreFinally back in Ireland! Ten years has been way too long. We start off running, getting back into the swing of Irish driving as we rushed down to Doolin Pier. Arriving early, we explored the otherworldly terrain along the coastline, full of unique rock formations and micro-environments that felt like another planet!
Read MoreTen years ago we embarked on the biggest adventure of our lives when we were married on September 27, 2008. Immediately after, we took off for our next adventure in Ireland! We loved our time there, and have been thinking for years about when is the best time to go back… and what better time than for our 10 year anniversary?
Read MoreWhen one thinks of Walmart, they likely have a mental image of shopping chaos. I know I do, anyway. Walmart in my home city was always overly crowded and overly loud, a hectic experience in sensory overload.
This also is a fair description of a city in China.
So when we encountered...
Read MoreWe spent our last night of this trip in Zurich, where we walked the familiar streets to find amazing cheese and a favorite hang out spot full of great drinks and great music.
Read MoreWe climbed up the mountain roads on the western side of Switzerland, taking the long and scenic route back to Zurich. And scenic it was! Along with the pastel fields, green forests, and cow-filled pastures, we stumbled on a slice of absolute heaven snuggled right between the cliffs and the road!
Read More