Ireland Day 1 Glendalough

On our trip to London we had a 6 hour layover in NYC and then arrived in DUBLIN 7am Thursday morning, with a connecting flight to London at 8pm, so a full 13 hours to spend in Dublin on a purposeful extended layover.  Our international flights were from Phoenix to NYC to Dublin and then I booked a seperate flight round trip to London and back to Dublin at $100 saving me HUNDREDS if not a thousand dollars had I booked Phoenix to London.  And while I love raving about a good deal and ranting about debt, the moral of the story is that with creativity and flexibility traveling can be done cheap, but you gotta like give a shit. you know?

Once we got to Dublin we picked up our rental car - I use expedia to book in advance, just make sure the drivers name is accurate they won't make changes to the driver on the reservation once you arrive. The Husband googled some nearby places and we found Glendalough, about 2 hours from Dublin and it was like a literal fairytale.  So majestic and enchanting.  We stopped by the upper lake for a quick photo and then drove down to the lower lake, old church and cemetary. We didn't pay to go to the visitor center and there's no rules saying you can't walk around without going in, so unless you need to check out the printed materials on this sacred space, save your money and explore for frizzle.

It was raining but more like a misting, so we were fine wandering.

from a bridge on the path.

and I mean, yeah it was cold, but we were prepared,

// horses!

We went up the steps only to realize you have to walk around to get into the fenced cemetery but as the rebel I am I just climbed and jumped over the wall.  All the plants were calling to me, so luscious and green, we just don't have these same foliage in the desert so I was trying to capture every variety. I love hunting for details while traveling.  The ribbon tied to the tree, the moss on the headstones and trees, the droplets of water waiting to be released it feel so new and inviting.

Once we got to the cemetery we looked for names maybe that of my husband's ancestors - but turns out they were from Northern Ireland. There was the ruins of an old church and missionary's home, just stones now but someone's whole live revolved around those walls.  I try to be respectful of a space when we're traveling, I document what I see but I'm not taking instagram selfies with tombstones.  I honestly can't describe what beauty this place held, when it was finally time to leave we went to town and warmed up with a toasty, soup and stout. After I napped in the car of course.

     

NYC Layover 2019

The Husband and I set off to London last week for a work conference, and had a few hours to waste in NYC.  When I bought the tickets for our flights I got an amazing deal like $500 round trip but with that came an 8 hour layover in NYC, which was fine because we love the city and were traveling without kids totally confident we could make it back on time. But that flight got cancelled and we were rebooked with only 6 hours.  Still plenty of time, just not as much as we hoped.  The Husband wanted pizza and I wanted Central Park so we started there.   We got trash pizza from Ray's Pizzeria, actually mine was fine but his was gross, oh well.  We walked around the park and then headed towards Rockefeller. I wanted to go to the Seasoned Vegan but they didn't open until dinner, and Flower Power Herbs & Roots Inc but they were just a bit too far away.  I started to stress about making it back on time so we headed back about 3.5 hours before our flight. 

We made it back to JFK with plenty of time to spare and security was full but extremely quick.  So now we know, 6 hour is plenty!

The view from the street before crossing over into Central Park.  I don't know the names of all the buildings but my favorite part of NYC is all the mixed buildings and architecture.  I just find the whole juxtaposition of them intriguing and it's a reminder that each one came from a different era or story. I guess that's the architect's niece in me. Dwellings, structures, pattern, design,  I love it all. Once we made our way to the park we found a path and a squirrel friend and a better view of the buildings.  Pro Tip; pack your carry on like you don't need it, and then volunteer to check it to your final destination when everyone is stressing out about their bags fitting.  Saved myself $50 and didn't have to lug around my roller bag through the city. The Husband always carries his backpacking back-pack as his main luggage but he packs so light it's not a struggle.  I on the other hand brought 3 pairs of shoes, a giant sweater and a traditional saree to wear to the bollywood night, my bag was full, to say the least. 

Not bad for a couple hours in one of the most famous and bustling cities in the world.  Next time we hope to stay longer and see family! Anyway, working on the other days from our travels so check back soon.  If you have any questions about our travel adventures feel free to email or follow along on instagram.