The initial impression of Killarney was that of a small quiet town that had adapted to tourism over time. Its residents still held the friendly Irish charm, often taking interest in our holiday and asking questions about where we were from, always with a smile. A US equivalent could be that of a place such … Continue reading Country Music and Killarney, Ireland
The trip from Belfast to Cork was quite simple. We boarded a bus that stopped in Dublin and changed to a new one in Dublin before heading further south. During the layover, we struck up conversation with two fellow travelers, Holly and Millicent. They were teachers from Massachusetts taking advantage of their summer time off. … Continue reading Blarney Stone and Butter Churns: Cork, Ireland
At the beginning of this trip, we hardly knew anything about the United Kingdom and Ireland division and past tensions. In fact, our travel friend whom we met in Bulgaria, Brian, graciously took the time to explain that Northern Ireland is actually part of the United Kingdom and how it worked. Even then, the deep … Continue reading A City Divided: Belfast, UK
Honestly, our trip to Manchester started as a mistake. Originally, we had intended to ferry to Belfast or Dublin from Liverpool, a city adjacent to Manchester. During the process of booking Airbnbs and forward travel, we realized a flight was cheaper than a ferry. So, with Manchester already booked, we decided to fly from there. … Continue reading Manchester, UK: A Place to Work
The first day or two were foggy and cold with some occasional rain. At this point, it was late June in the UK, but we were still wearing our puffer jackets, while it was 100+ back home in Houston (40+ Celsius). The damp weather can make it slightly more difficult to enjoy landmarks, views, and … Continue reading Two Harry Potter Nerds and the Quest of Edinburgh, UK
The initial reason we chose Aberdeen was cheap direct flights from Stavanger via Wideroe Airlines. We walked out onto the tarmac to a small propeller plane. I had ridden in one before, but it was not confidence instilling that time, either. The flight was about 30% full, and they asked if anyone could move to … Continue reading Aberdeen, UK: Land of Grey and Seas of Oil
Hannah was so excited to visit this city. She lived here for 2-3 years as a young girl when she was around 7-9 years old. She had certain vivid memories of places that she wanted to revisit. We spent time each day retracing her steps to her old home, playgrounds, bus stops, lakes, and landmarks. … Continue reading Childhood Memories and a Fjord: Stavanger, Norway
Oslo Opera House Throughout our first 3 months of travels a strange happenstance had dogged some of our adventures. We seemed to repeatedly land in cities while national holidays occurred. This was a double-edged sword. Surprise processions and festivals or traditions had pulled us curiously in to witness the local celebrations. Conversely, closed restaurants, stores, … Continue reading Old Neighbors and Oslo, Norway
Many of my posts begin with a reflection on the transport to the destination. The ride to Stockholm was no different. Sweden has an estimated 10,000 lakes and endless miles of tall forests. The sights flickered past as we wound our way to the city. Our Airbnb was situated just 50 yards from a winding … Continue reading Cycling the Archipelago: Stockholm, Sweden
Much to our chagrin and surprise, Hannah and I met some of our first real difficulties with public transport in Copenhagen. Upon arrival, we proceeded to a ticket machine and typed in the name of the small township suburb in which we would be staying. What greeted us was nothing short of shocking, the one-way … Continue reading A Castle and a Commune: Copenhagen, Denmark
It's A Ritch Life 