Tag: Ireland

Traveling to Ireland & Scotland

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I had the most amazing opportunity to visit Ireland and Scotland last year. Both places had been on my bucket list since I was young and finally getting to experience them was incredible. They hold a special place in my heart and I want to go back again. Scotland especially felt like home.

I’ve included a few pictures from Ireland. As you can see, the green Irish countryside isn’t just a stereotype, it’s actually that green in person! The first image is from the grounds of the hotel I was staying at in county Meath. The next three are from Loughcrew, the site of megalithic burial grounds dating back to roughly 3500 and 3300 BC. The final two are from the Hill of Tara, containing a number of ancient monuments, and according to tradition, was the seat of the High King of Ireland. It’s a beautiful country and the locals were warm and friendly. Many of the days were overcast, and you always had to expect a chance of rain, but the weather was lovely and the temperature warm. As long as you had a raincoat you were good to go.

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After spending some time in Ireland, I took a short flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. I spent the first couple of days wandering the streets of the Royal Mile, exploring as much as I could. The first three images are from Calton Hill, which is home to a few different monuments. The first is the Nelson monument, commemorating Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish at the Battle of Trafalger in 1805. The second is a view off the back of the hill and the third is the National Monument. It remembers the sacrifices of the Scottish soldiers and sailors who died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. The fourth image is from Edinburgh Castle. The next day I took a 12 hour bus tour to the Scottish Highlands to get a taste of the countryside. The fifth picture is a view from Loch Ness. The sixth is Urquhart Castle, which played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. The final image is from Glencoe.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed a small glimpse into my Ireland and Scotland trip. If you ever have the chance to visit, I highly recommend it. What is your favourite place to travel? Where do you want to go next?

NaNoWriMo and other updates

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Golden forestI can’t believe we’re more than halfway through November. Time flies regardless of what you’re doing, it doesn’t seem fair 😉

I wasn’t originally planning on doing NaNoWriMo again this year (you can check out last year’s post on the subject here if you’re interested). While I had really enjoyed last year’s adventure, I decided I was going to take a year off. I didn’t really have a story in mind and I was pretty busy. However, on November 1, I logged back into the website and started a new novel. One of the things I love about NaNo is that you have to write a certain amount each day, essentially ‘forcing’ you to practice. Last year I really struggled with motivation but its been a lot easier this time around.

I apologize for not sharing a lot of original content this month. With recovering from my Ireland/Scotland trip and trying to make word count for NaNo every day, I’ve been slacking on my blog. I’m still planning on sharing some of my trip photos so I hope you enjoy those. Thank you for being patient, its just taking me a little longer than I’d like.

Last year in November, I posted my Autumn Reflections series. But this year, autumn came and left before the end of September.  It’s officially winter here. Fortunately we haven’t had a big dump of snow yet but I know it’s coming. While I don’t enjoy the cold weather, I love the scenery when everything is blanketed in a sparkly layer of white. That and hot beverages are even more enjoyable when it’s cold out!

How is your November so far?

Image credit: “Golden Forest” by Juraj Patekar is licensed under CC by 2.0