31 03, 2017

Cathedral at the Rock of Cashel

By |March 31st, 2017|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Inside the ruins of the cathedral area at the Rock of Cashel. According to Wikipedia: In 1749 the main cathedral roof was removed by Arthur Price, the Anglican Archbishop of Cashel. Price's decision to remove the roof on what had been the jewel among Irish church buildings was criticized before and since. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.

9 03, 2017

Sweet Molly Malone

By |March 9th, 2017|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

The story of Molly Malone is a bit sad. 300 years ago, she may have actually been called Mary or Margaret and was a fishmonger's daughter who not only sold her catch on the streets of Dublin, but as she was such a beauty (and poor) also sold herself. She died young after contracting cholera or fever from one of her clients in 1699. (Although there is some debate on if all the facts are true or have become shrouded in legend.) It is said she still haunts the city to this day. Her story is commemorated in a famous

3 03, 2017

To the Skelligs – Monument to St. Brendan the Navigator

By |March 3rd, 2017|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Photography, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

This statue by Eamon Doherty (1995) features 4 monks, including St. Brendan, on a boat elevated by 8 oars navigating their way to the monastery at Skellig Michael, an island off the coast of Ireland. You can view this statue, which overlooks the water in a park near Caherciveen, County Kerry, Ireland. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.

17 02, 2016

30 at 30: Best Experiences So Far

By |February 17th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Memories|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

Today is my birthday, and I've hit the "Big 3-0". I wanted to look back at 30 of my favorite travel memories in my life, in no particular order: Fulfilling my dream of going to Egypt, seeing so many amazing tombs and temples Sitting alone in the temples of Abu Simbel and Karnak Climbing into and on top of a pyramid Wandering the Christmas Markets of Munich Seeing the castles of Germany Taking a haunted trolly/walking tour of Boston graveyards. Seeing as many museums as I could in Washington, DC Swimming with sharks in Belize Racing golf-carts on Caye Caulker Making

16 03, 2015

Travel Missteps: Quit Your Bitchin

By |March 16th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

My first indication that my trip to Ireland would be unusual was at customs. My sister and I waited together and when we stepped up we answered the usual questions. When the younger custom agent asked us what we were doing we explained we were going on a tour. Curious he asked us which tour company and we said CIE. He then just started laughing at us. “You certainly are screwing with their demographics aren’t you?” He said still laughing. Confused we tried to find out what he meant, but he only replied “You’ll find out soon enough!” And boy

8 03, 2014

Souvenir Saturday: Its Smaller on the Outside

By |March 8th, 2014|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I was on my last afternoon in Ireland, and had a lot of euro coins left over. Knowing that my bank won't exchange coins, was buying random souvenirs as gifts. One of the last items I bought was a small county flag of Dublin, Ireland. I had seen them around while traveling and they reminded me of the flags of the different contrade of Siena. But when I returned home and open the package, I found that this 7 euro flag, was not a small flag.  But it was actually the size of a traditional flag (about the size of a

1 04, 2013

Travel Missteps: The Color Coded Dance Card

By |April 1st, 2013|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

An Irish Sheep with colors on its back. Ireland is full of 3 things: Pubs, Churches, and Sheep. In 2009 I visited southern Ireland for a few weeks. One thing I thought was out of the ordinary was the different colors on the sheep. Some markings are to help determine the owner of the sheep, as sometimes sheep from multiple farms are kept on the same land together. But other color markings are during the breeding season. The male sheep, a ram, has a harness installed near his neck that contains an animal friendly dye. When he mounts