17 03, 2017

Sphere

By |March 17th, 2017|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Sphere Within Sphere is a statue by Arnaldo Pomodoro. There are actually multiple versions of this statue of various sizes around the world. This one is outside the Trinity College Dublin. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.

13 03, 2017

Travel Missteps: On the Wrong Foot

By |March 13th, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

On our last night in Ireland we went to a tavern for "traditional" Irish music and dance. It was a long banquet hall, with tables facing the stage area. While we ate we listened to ballads and music. Then it came time to watch the dancing. They whirled and jigged about. After a few songs they then went out into the crowd and grabbed volunteers. Of course my family pushed me up. Me: klutzy and injury prone and not graceful. Everyone laughed as I struggled to keep up with the dancers. Although I felt like a fool, I played along.

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

17 03, 2016

Ireland: Land of Sheep, Pubs, & Churches

By |March 17th, 2016|Categories: Photography, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

When I went to Ireland a few years ago on a bus tour, I liked to joke that the only things we saw were Sheep, Pubs, and Churches...in that order. So in honor of St. Patty's Day, here they are: Ireland is truly as green (and wet) as they say it is. Which brings views like this one where fields contain slow moving sheep grazing and lazying. In Dublin, tourists flock to Temple Bar which is lined with numerous pubs. The most famous is this one, Temple Bar, which also gives this area its nickname. And then there are the

5 03, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Fuzzy Sheep Magnet

By |March 5th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

The first magnet I ever collected was from Dublin, Ireland, and it was a fuzzy, wool & wooden, sheep. I had never planned on collecting magnets, as I thought they looked cheesy on a fridge. But when I moved into a new place and the fridge was a hideous off-beige, and so the magnet collecting began. Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

22 06, 2015

Travel Missteps: No Cocktails at the Pub

By |June 22nd, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Ireland was the first trip abroad where I was able to and wanted to drink. Thankfully Ireland has no shortages of drinking establishments, and none are so iconic as the traditional Irish pub. So on our first night my family and I headed out to the Temple Bar district of Dublin to get a drink. At first we tried a pint of Guinness for its 250th anniversary, but no one in our family really liked it. I wasn't surprised as I actually hate most beer. But we did greatly enjoy the traditional pub atmosphere and we learned a lot of drinking

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