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8 of my favorite things to do in Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, a beautifully picturesque town embedded into it’s landscape. Â A medieval castle appearing as if it pushed up from the lush green and rocky ground, pouring itself out onto the road that tumbles downhill with colorful shopfronts lining the stone streets, landing you at the foot of a palace. Â The old town takes you back in time giving the city a duality of charm and history with modern touches. Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson described it perfectly as “Half a capital and half a country town, the whole city leads a double existence; it has long trances of the one and flashes of the other; like the king of…
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Snapshot Sunday: Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Scotland
- Asia, California, Canada, Europe, France, Ireland, North America, Northern Ireland, Pennsylvania, Scotland, Thailand, UK
My 13 memorable moments of 2013
It’s the last day of 2013! Â What an amazing, exciting and rewarding year I’ve had and I can’t wait to see what awaits in the coming year. Â Until then, here is a list of my thirteen best moments of 2013 in no particular order! Â Enjoy and have a happy new year! 13. Â Behind the scenes at Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, California. As a child you dream of being an oceanographer, a Sea World employee (until you watch Blackfish) swimming with the dolphins or in a job surrounding yourself with wildlife for your 9 – 5. Â The Aquarium by the Bay in San Francisco makes you feel like…
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How Brussels sprouted onto my itinerary
I love Brussels. Â There I said it, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it. Â It was an accidental addition to my most recent trip to Europe and once again, my overweight luggage worked in my favor and the travel gods smiled down on me once more. Big Red Some of you who have heard of my recent trips know that I have two suitcases, one is a crimson behemoth I’ve affectionately dubbed “Big Red”. Â Ok, so it isn’t the most creative nickname, but “Big Red” and her carry on counterpart, (you guessed it) “Little Red” is what we started calling them and the monikers stuck. Â Since I’m…
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Skye’s the Limit: Isle of Skye, Scotland
It was my search for “Hairy Coos” or “Shaggy Moos” as I affectionately call them, that led me to Northern Scotland. I had gone to Dublin for a writing workshop and like most of my travel plans, a snow ball of ideas and further adventures quickly ensued. It began with hopping over to Scotland on my way to Germany to visit friends and ended with having a month and a half long European excursion. In diving deep into my constant travel research, I decided I wanted to take a famous long train route up the coast from Glasgow to Mallaig. From there I could take a 30 minute ferry ride…
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A Day Tour from Edinburgh: Uncovering the Holy Grail
Ok, so I didn’t uncover THE Holy Grail, but while in Scotland I did have the opportunity to visit Rosslyn Chapel. It’s a treasure trove of unique stone work and ornate statues, it’s exploding with legend and folklore. Taking a day tour from Edinburgh to explore the mystery of the church turned out to be an interesting and adventurous day trip. I was only in Edinburgh for a few days and hadn’t originally looked into taking the time to head out of town. My father however had been talking about this place since before I had planned my trip to Scotland. Each time I talked to my family while I…
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World’s Most Famous Cemeteries
 Why are we so interested in cemeteries? That eery feeling, the tragic stories or the spooky architecture? Whatever the reason, people have been intrigued by cemeteries for centuries and we have been visiting famous grave sties so frequently that the term “tombstone tourist” was coined to describe the millions of grave goers each year. Peruse through my personal list of the world’s most famous cemeteries. Père Lachaise, Paris France “We die only once, and for such a long time.” — Molière Located in one of my favorite cities, Paris, this is possibly one of the most well known cemeteries around the world.  Famous musicians, writers, politicians and thousands of others…
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The most beautifully hellish train ride
Trans-Siberian Railway, Orient Express, The Polar Express, well, maybe not the Polar Express but you get my drift, they are all famous and iconic train trips you dream about taking, having your eyes fixed on amazing scenery and you get that nostalgic feeling of traveling through a country the way they did in times of yesteryear. Â The train from Glasgow, Scotland to Mallaig, Scotland is one of these train rides, a five hour journey north on the West Highland Line and it is one of the great train journeys only a true locomotive lover would appreciate. I thought it would be a cost effective way to get a lay of…
