Galway, the Burren, and the Cliffs of Moher

After a few days in Dublin, I swapped the east coast for the west coast, with Galway City as my homebase. As an introduction to Ireland, it was great to see the capital and the country.

Galway has lots of idyllic postcard sights...

I love aquariums - a lot. I've probably been to them in at least six countries. So the National Aquarium in Galway was a must, where I made a new friend:

Squee!

We decided to jam as much sightseeting into one day as possible and took a - gasp - bus tour! Something I rarely do, but worth access to such views:

We took a very adventurous rainy trip through the Burren ending at the Cliffs of Moher, where the gale force winds made being outside a bit impossible...

The west country is worthy of a trip. It is hard to imagine people have been living there for thousands of years, perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean building a life on rocks and wind. 

Summer time and the (city) living's easy...

It has been incredibly hot a good part of July and we've been taking full advantage of walking everywhere and consuming icy beverages on the regular. There are so many things going on around Boston during the summer, it's hard to keep up. 

Two Saturdays ago, we headed down to WGBH headquarters - the local public television station that brought Julia Child to the world - for a local craft beer festival featuring food trucks from around the region. 

I always feel like I'm in the know when it comes to local beer, but I happily discovered a whole menagerie of nearby breweries I hadn't experienced before. My favorite discovery was Newburyport Brewing Company. A brand new brewer in one of my favorite little north shore cities, their Belgian White was extremely tasty with a crisp finish perfect for a hot summer night.

This past weekend, we had several visitors staying in our itty-bitty apartment that had taken on a resemblance to the surface of the sun in atmosphere. I love the heat but 110 degree heat index is a little much and we headed toward the water in search of cooler entertainment on the river.

The duck tours are a Boston original; the 'ducks' are amphibious WWII era vehicles that were used to get men and supplies from ships to the beach. Now a colorful fleet roams Boston as the only guided tour that covers both land and sea (well, river). 

That, my friends, is a duck.

After a quick spin around downtown, you splash down into the Charles River to take a look at the skyline and let the kiddies drive. The informational part of the tour is pretty typical if you are familiar with Boston, but the chance to 'drive' up the Charles is first class.

Supposedly, you can now swim in that. Not so sure.

Bermudian Paradise

Bermuda is the perfect mix of beautiful beaches, interesting attractions, and luxurious shopping, dining, and resorts. Here you don’t need to choose between going to the beach or to a cultural destination; Bermuda has both.

The pink sand will draw you in and the warm turquoise waters will keep you coming back for more. Beaches are well marked on local tourist maps and you can just ask the local bus driver when you embark which stop is nearest to your sandy destination.

Horseshoe Bay...I shall stay forever.

Horseshoe Bay is by far the most popular / talked about beach and for once it is actually worth the trip. It is wide sweeping bay bordered by rock formations and coves. Since this is not the land of the free and the brave, you can climb rocks, explore caves, and go pretty much anywhere you choose to risk - there’s no fences or ‘stay off’ signs here. However, lifeguards are plentiful, friendly, and constantly keeping an eye out for any trouble.

It is so easy to get to the beaches, pick one off the map and leave behind the cruise ship day trippers. Elbow Bay is only a short distance from from Horseshoe Bay but much quieter and less populated. Exploring beaches is tough, but someone has to do it.

The colors, Duke!

When you’re looking for some history or culture (or you've just gotten too sunburned) take the bus or ferry to St. George’s, the oldest continuously inhabited British town in the New World, founded in 1612. Beautifully preserved buildings are the centerpiece to an active, living city - it may seem pristine, but St. George’s is no open air museum. The main square around Town Hall is filled with restaurants, shops, and visitor center / tourist information outposts.

St. George's

One of the more unique attractions in St. George’s in the Lili Bermuda Perfumery. Crafting fragrances in the French tradition using local scents and inspiration, the Bermuda Perfumery company offers free information tours, a  beautiful shop area, and even afternoon tea in a historic business. Perfume is one of my favorite souvenirs - the scent always brings back vacation memories.

Culture, history, and pink sand beaches; what more could one want? Bermuda has it all!

City Series: Amsterdam Revisited

After going back to Amsterdam last October, I intended to write a few bits about why I love my second city...and then, I didn't. I only realized this when I stumbled upon another new bloggers post about Amsterdam and decided to rectify it. Sometimes I get caught up in having to do things at the 'right' time or not at all, but it's always a good time to talk about travel!

I love to walk: in new cities, my cities, open fields, pretty much anywhere is good place for a stroll. But Amsterdam leads cities not only for walk-ability but for things to see. I have yet to find a boring part of Amsterdam and I've spent over six months of combined time there. 


One pleasant walk is through the floating flower market or Bloemenmarkt. It is not far from other sites, there's food vendors in and near the markt and there's some of the best shops for silly souvenirs you could ever wish to find. 

The floating flower market is made up of moored barges brimming with tulip bulbs of every variety. Note some are specially marked and will clear U.S. customs, while others will not. I presume it's less strict within the EU. There's tons of bulbs, cut flowers, and tulip paraphernalia - yes, that is a thing - available for purchase and often at rather good prices. Along the street are several cafes serving a mix of Americana/British breakfast foods, sandwiches, and beverages and while the food is not that exciting these places have front row seats for people watching. 

Tulips are hugely iconic in Amsterdam and the Netherlands and it's only proper to appreciate the rich variety of the flower that inspired the first market crash in history!

Touristing in your own Town: A Boston Tea Party

We often play tourist in our own city and scope out the sights. If you can’t go on an actual vacation, a ‘staycation’ has to be the next best thing. And it distracts from the threat of even more snow…

The Boston Tea Party Museum

The Boston Tea Party Museum in the newest museum in town. Consisting of a barge-like main building and two replica 18^th century trans-Atlantic ships, the BTPM sits not far from the actual location of the Boston Tea Party rebellion in 1773.

Tours are every hour and are led by costumed actors, which is pretty common around these parts. I see colonial generals at least twice a week. However, the BTP staff are in character at all time and give participants their own characters to get in on the fun. From the Old South Meeting House into the cargo hold of the ship, there is whooping and stomping galore.  The climax of the event is definitely throwing the tea crates into the harbor – which you can time and time again thanks to tethers.

My historic profile: violent mob boss. The guide picked this especially for me

The tour finishes in Abigail’s tea room where you can sample teas from the colonial era and buy snacks. It’s a lovely little space offering an afternoon tea option, but it wasn't open when were there.

On deck, ready to destroy British goods!

In need of lunch we continued the tourist crawl at Quincy Market. This shopping / eating complex has been a market location for centuries and boasts lovely stone buildings, a newly renovated historical center, and a lot of food and goodies. We were totally focused on food and skipped all the shops to head straight toward a New England classic: clam strips.  After delicious clam strips we wandered off to find tea and cupcakes before heading home to consume large amounts of British television. If that isn’t a vacation day, what is?

Glorious 

14 Hours in New York City

There’s no place like New York City. A mere four hour megabus trek away from Boston, NYC is easily accessible so whenever we’re feeling big city, we score some cheap seats and nap our way to Manhattan.

Last December we discovered the best worst idea ever. Traffic between NYC and Boston is practically constant, the path populated by the infamous “Chinatown” buses and a variety of double deckers rolling back and forth between the two spots almost continuously (and they say we don’t like each other). Last winter we discovered an overnight megabus that dumped you in NYC at 4:15am, giving you an entire day to explore the city sufficiently without feeling like you missed out by not staying overnight. That is, Friday night 12:30am we board the bus and arrive mid-town four hours later for a 14 hour (or longer) day trip in the Big Apple powered by sleep deprivation, caffeine overload, and excitement.

Arriving anywhere at four in the morning seems ridiculous but it is a surreal experience to be the only person in Times Square or Rockefeller Center, to be able to gawk at the Christmas tree or the neons without being constantly jostled by several thousand people. The city that never sleeps takes a short pause before dawn; the clubs close and their patrons burst forth to the fast food joints and the taxi stands, the street sweepers and night crews take advantage of a lull in traffic to work uninterrupted, the lights dim. New York City never stops: the buzz, the rush, the noise follow you through the night and accompany the sunrise but the lull before dawn let’s one take up a little more space than usual in the city.

Time Square - with room to spare!

We tend to stay near the more populous places until it gets light out, but then we set off walking and pick a neighborhood. Each trip is dedicated to a different region of Manhattan. Even with all the time and money in the world, you can’t see all New York has to offer so I don’t stress out. I can always come back.

NY Public Library Mural

This past weekend we focused on the Village, exploring the streets and shops, having breakfast in a little British-style tea shop where the owner seemed to know everyone that came in. We did a lap around the universities campuses and checked  out the Fashion Institute’s museum. I wasn't feeling very well, so we took our time this trip but we still had a great time and spent next to nothing, in New York dollars.

One of the many 9/11 tributes

We took our time with my being sick and not eating all that much to support the 16 (!) miles we walked, but each time I'm in the city I find a dozen undiscovered treasures to come back for. 

If you’re in the Northeast / Boston area and going to give the NYC marathon day trip a shot, some helpful things to remember:

• Grand Central Station opens at 5:30am. Before that, you’ll be stuck in the vestibule with the Jersey kids going home from the clubs and the local color. But after GCS opens it is warm, large, and has free bathrooms. It is also a beautiful building and landmark worth seeing with a lovely dining hall and sitting area downstairs.

• Starbucks are plentiful and whether you like them or detest them, they are some of the first places open in the early morning. If you don’t see one from where you are standing, walk a block in any direction and take a look around. There you go.

• The New York Public Library is another gorgeous building which also features rotating exhibits on a variety of topics. It is also free!

• Bring a snack for the bus (and for the hours before everything else opens)!

• Dress warm, regardless of season. NY’s skyscapers create wind tunnels that make it feel much cooler than Boston and other coastal cities. It is also much less sunny because of said buildings.