photo friday: somewhere far from home

I was going through old photos from my trip to Ireland in 2012, and came across this one, which I think was taken somewhere near some sort of castle.

Which is an incredibly precise coordinate.

There’s something near a castle? In Ireland? That’s so strange.

Anyway, if I may tell you all the things I like about a picture I took myself–and I will–I’ll start with the blue, blue sky, and end with the way the water stretches out, like it’s on it’s merry way, off to have some adventures.

And that’s it. That’s all I’ve got for you today. Happy Friday, happy weekend, one and all.

 

photo friday: oh, hello

In keeping with the throwback theme from last week, another gem I came across when sifting through Ireland photos.

Such a happy mug, and I bet he would have made a fine travel companion as we made our way from Dublin to Galway.

photo friday: throwback

A few weeks ago my laptop started acting like a jerk, and I had to call my friend Wild Turkey Dave to come over and help me fix it. Wild Turkey Dave is a genius with computer things, or it’s entirely possible that he’s not so much a genius with them so much as I am rather a non-genius with them.

Anyway, the point is I was moving photos from my laptop to an external hard drive and lo! What fun I had culling through pictures of times gone by. Some real gems in there that I hadn’t looked at in entirely too long, like this lovely scape from the Cliffs of Mohr when I traveled to Ireland with my family.

Photos like these make me long to grab my camera and hop on a plane and I might just need to go check my airline miles right now excuse me please and thank you.

photo friday: balance

Everybody always talks about finding balance in life. It is apparently so elusive, this balance, that people spend their entire lives seeking it out.

Why they haven’t just turned to the Irish, or more specifically the streets of Galway, for some tips on how to get it, I don’t know.

photo friday: house hunting, part I

Over here at McPolish headquarters we’re on the house hunt, and quickly beginning to realize it’s going to be a long process until we find a home of our own. Sadly, the above was not for sale or otherwise obviously ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS WOULD BE SOLVED.

photo friday: happy hour somewhere

I traveled to Ireland with two of my three sisters, and this photo right here represents…..

Hmmm….

Ermmm…..

I was going to get all thinky and philosophical and be all, “It represents our bond of sisterly sisterhood and etcetera and so forth!”

But really it represents this: We went to Ireland. We had some dranks. They were good, so we had some more.

photo friday: oh, hey. how’s it going? moo.

Oh, you know.

Just some cows.

Hanging out.

Not more than a few yards away from a 400-foot drop sheer down the side of a cliff.

As you do.

photo friday: lost and found

On our first night in Galway, as Sisters #2 and #3 and I wandered around, a friendly stranger (are there any other kind in Ireland? Save for the drunk thug on our bus from Galway back to Dublin who spent a good portion of the time yelling into his phone about Bridget, the woman of the house, and some fooking money that had been taken off the table)

(What?)

ANYWAY, a friendly stranger noticed us craning our necks this way and that as we took in the street scene outside our hotel, poking in and out of restaurants and shops on the vibrant, bustling street, and called out:

“You can’t get lost in Galway.” He paused, thinking a moment. “You might get drunk, but you can’t really get lost.”

Turns out, he was quite right.

travel tips you’ve always never wanted

I recently returned from a vacation in Ireland, traveling with two of my three sisters and one of my uncles. We originally landed in the country for the Emerald Isle Classic (What? Oh, right, like you wouldn’t travel to a foreign country to watch two American college football teams play), and after the game we departed Dublin for a few days in Galway.

Obviously on this trip I picked up new! and improved! travel tips since my last international adventure, and I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t share:

The Most Amazing and Useful Travel Tips You’ll Ever Encounter. Maybe.

1. Having a friend who works for United call ahead to tell your flight crew that you and your sister are on board is a gift from God.

2. Also a gift is all the free wine you can drink! Not a gift from God, though, just from amazing flight attendants.

3. Kindles are magic.

4. Frankfort airport spaetzel is magic.

5. Getting stranded in the Frankfort airport for 18 hours and missing a day in Dublin because of a half-day Lufthansa airline strike is not magic.

6. Even though it’s the same price as in the states, buy yourself some perfume at Duty Free. Even if it means almost missing your flight to Newark. Your olfactory system will thank you.

7. This sign is NOT saying you should not play vertical bowling at the Cliffs of Moher:

(photo courtesy of Sister #2)

8. Though it probably should.

9. If you take a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher, get Desmond as your driver. You will not regret it.

10. Galway Hooker is not what you think it is. Unless you think it’s beer. Then it totally is what you think it is. And you probably didn’t snicker like a 13-year-old boy just now like I did.

11. If you’re in the market for a castle, Ireland is probably a good place to find one.

12. Tea and toast should be standard at every meal.

13. So should sausage rolls.

14. Your body clock will probably never fully adjust to the time change, which means you’ll have so much energy at 3 a.m. that jumping out of bed to merengue around your hotel room will sound like a divine idea.

15. When you finally fall asleep at 3:30 a.m., having not merengued because you’ve realized you don’t actually know how to merengue, though you do know how to make a meringue, but that’s completely not worth getting out of bed for, you will be woken up at 7 a.m. by the delivery of beer kegs to the bar beneath your hotel.

16. It will be the only time in your life you are angry at beer.

17. International flights that take place during waking hours suck.

18. Dark Shadows, starring Johnny Depp, is an OK movie.

19. It only eats up 2 hours of the 8-hour flight, however.

20. Which kind of sucks.

21. Which means I highly recommend taking overnight flights.

22. If you’re so inclined.

Remember these tips, my friends, and your travel life will be all the more wonderful. And as always, you’re welcome.