Getting great out of good

December 03, 2017  •  1 Comment

The grass is always greener. When your traveling in Ireland, it pretty much literally is. However, despite the landscape, it’s worth mentioning that Travel has its own very real demands on ones mental strength. 

Sometimes if your traveling with people, the sheer amount of time spent having to make minute to minute decisions that involve not only your time and experience but also your wallet, it make even the most perfect groups dynamics a tad tense. With our second day to explore the city, exhausted, half our crew sick, we were in just such a place. I mention this because I think it’s worth while saying that along side every picture of glamour and fun, there is a back story that for the large part in travel blogs, goes unmentioned. Whether it was the hours of research before you even left to find the right place to stay or the best deal on airfare, or in the moment right there on your dream vacation, sometimes things aren't perfect. I believe it’s the expectation of perfection that can ruin a good thing. 

So it’s Saturday morning, we are in Dublin, and tiredness has gotten the best of us. Which way do you lean into? Do you fight? Do you give into the stress and let the day be taken from you? No! You find grace for each other, take a power nap, get some coffee and seize the day!

Upon such seizing, my favorite personal moment was seeing this little piece of everyday life in Dublin, which was also an pleasant foreshadowing for the day, hint hint.

With a bit of recon work, right down the street I find a little coffee shop called Catherine's Cafe & Bakery (they were doing a bit of renovations, not sure if a name had been settled on) but locals seemed to be going in, so I followed suit. Another little gem, I brought the troops and we restored some much needed energy with a good Irish breakfast. I had a very filling chicken pie and flat white, go figure right?

Now to explore!

Ireland has a rich and rather violent history of religious affairs. The right to soil between Protestants and Catholics along with some very severe circumstances i.e potato famine, are a fairly solid proof that the Irish are a resistant bunch. Their church’s, those still standing, are quite spectacular given the circumstances of the people that built them. 

 

Along with a wandering through and around some of Dublin’s sacreds, we took some time wandering the streets to soak in whatever the next left turn would hold for us. 

The Penny Bridge is another favorite of mine, complete with the promises of many an ambitious couple, locking away their love to one another with witness by the white cast iron walkaway and the river flowing underneath.

Another such left turn took us meet Toby the horse. And for a brief ride down Thomas street complete with a van of Irish men sitting in traffic, singing us songs as we past by. 

Of course, No trip to Ireland is complete without a trip to a castle

In this case the Dublin Castle which is still used today to hold dignitaries most formal soirées.    

And to fit the wash, rinse, and repeat evening of successful adventure, we of course ended up in a pub with some Cottage Pie ( side note: Shepard’s Pie very hard to actually find in most places here) asbestos tongue recommended! 

Every challenge is a testament to how much getting out there and exploring is paid in full. Having fun takes some work, but it’s worth it.


Comments

Carl Spence(non-registered)
I'm enjoying every episode. I'm especially in awe of your interior shots of the churches. Perfect composition, just the right choice of lens, and finding the EXACT exposure to bring out the most delicate detail in both the darkness below and the stained glass windows above. This is deliberate, calculated, and professional photography. Few can get the results you have without a dozen synchronized flash lights. And even then the results still look fake.
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Europe here I come!  You can view the pics within each post in a slide show by clicking on one of the images to start.  

Enjoy! Kit

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