Versailles
16 kilometers outside of Paris
there is a palace
named Versailles
and inside
is my favorite room in the entire world
The Hall of Mirrors.
but back up
to the palace of Versailles
King Louis’ lavish estate from the 1700’s
its a reminder of an absolute monarchy
and obscene wealth
you see
in Louis’ time
mirrors were *the* sign of money
so of course he covered an entire room with them.
The room is a long hallway
dripping of gold, and glitz
with floor to ceiling windows
overlooking the gardens
which are, of course, fit for a king
I’ll warn you
the tourists are maddening
but when you get to the Hall
stop at the front and wait
maybe 5 minutes
maybe 20 minutes
i’m telling you. wait.
and you will find a moment of peace
a moment when the people stop coming in
and the rest trickle out
the Hall is empty.
and suddenly its 1775.
The mirrors and chandeliers twinkle
and its oh so easy to imagine
the ballroom filled with dancing aristocrats,
and Marie Antoinette herself twirling.
I could post a photo,
but then you won’t wait.
And I’m telling you.
you gotta wait.
Q: I'm going to Ireland, any suggestions?
A:
Ireland is amazing. It’s one of my favorite places.
Ireland is, well, everything I thought it would be. The green scenery, beer everywhere, and the people are some of the most welcoming you will find in the world. They randomly burst into song at pubs, which is such a cool, where-tf am I experience.
Dublin is where I’m guessing you will start, but you need max 2-3 days there. It’s v cool (Must dos: Trinity library at the University, irish stew and some brews at Brazen Head (Irelands oldest bar), and of course learn to pour a proper pint at the Guinness factory!). For nights out the Temple Bar area is fun. Touristy, and cliche-y (not a word) Irish, but still fun.
Okay, okay... I have a lot more Guinness photos.
To really see Ireland, you are going to rent a car (ready to drive on the other side of the road??? lol). I will recommend two places, Dingle and Cliffs of Moher. They are on the west coast, and definitely could be hit back to back. (Maybe about 4ish hours from one another).
But watch out for cows in the road.
You're also going to need a car to go castle hunting. No, seriously. Castles. Lots. O'. Castles.
Dingle is a funky little port town on a peninsula. It doesn’t have a ton of foreign tourists (Dublin is crawling with Americans- yawn), but lots of Irish and British tourists. People go there for stag and hen parties bc there are tonnnnsss of pubs and restaurants. I need no recommendations here- just walk around and follow the live music :) There is a scenic drive around the peninsula as well which you gotta do. It takes about an hour. “The Atlantic” post is from this drive.
Cliffs of Moher are the reason you go to Ireland. Have you seen Leap Year? If you’re going to Ireland you definitely should. The scene at the end where they kiss and live happily ever after- that’s the Cliffs of Moher. They also filmed Princess Bride here. I will send a pic I took. The town Doolin is where you stay- there are 3 pubs- but don’t let that fool you. They get down. This was my favorite place in Ireland. For me, this was Ireland. The Cliffs are maybe the most beautiful thing I have ever seen- drive up and see it standing on them, and then also take the ferry and see them from below. The pubs and the people will fill your heart with so much love you will ask yourself if moving to Doolin and opening a B&B is possible. Am I talking it up too much? Haha.
Ahhh okay. this is a novel. I have one more thing I want to tell you about though and that’s where to stay. Normally when I travel, if I’m staying somewhere more than a few nights I Airbnb it. I like to have a kitchen as eating out gets old. However, the hard part about Airbnb is meeting the people, checking out etc etc, not as easy as a hotel. So for a night or two stay, really not worth it.
The cool thing about Ireland are the rooms above the pubs. Like hotel rooms, most will say en suite- so it’s just like a hotel with a room and bath. All the pubs have them, and they are usually rented the day of, (although we did rent our Dublin one prior). They are older, and homey, and have actual keys (no scanning machines here!), and give you a true Irish experience. Doolin is all B&B’s. We would just check out reviews online, walk in and ask for a rate. For two people, most were around 40-50 euro a night. Dublin was more. There are no Marriotts! haha.
There's no rush here on the Emerald Isle. Stop and smell the wildflowers, even if it's rainy. (How do you think it stays so green?!?!)
What am I missing? Make sure you call your credit cards and let them know where you’ll be so they don’t get shut off, and the best rate for money exchange is to withdraw from an Irish ATM once you get there.
I’m sure this is more information that you need, but I just love love Ireland. It’s going to be CRAIC! (Irish for a great time) Let me know any other questions.
the Atlantic
today we drove around the coastline
and I saw this boy on a bike
we kept stopping off at the same viewpoints
and he smiled when he looked at the sea
Irish Stew
my goal was to lose 10 pounds this year
only 15 to go
Milan
il Duomo di Milano
Fun fact: I can speak a little Italian. Not fluent by any means, but enough to wind up making out with an Italian TV actor at 3 in the morning. So.. the right amount?
Today I had a really long conversation with a man named Rafa from Pakistan who works at the little mercat on the street I live on.
We started talking, and somehow the convo turned to how it's the end of Ramadan. He was telling me about how he's been praying for peace, and love, and the world. He talked about the importance of paying it forward and doing good deeds, and how it's especially important to focus on these things during Ramadan. His mosque has been giving out hundreds of kilos of food this month, and he talked about how the Catholic churches have been helping. He thought that was very beautiful.
He told me were friends, gave me gift, and told me he was going to pray for me and my travels on these last days of Ramadan.
Can you imagine if everyone took a month to devote to generosity and think of love and sharing? Or, if that's just how we lived- every month? Continually paying it forward and blessing each other with respect and positivity? Amazing.
Thank you, Rafa.
Alternate Imaginary Life: Thailand Edition
in one of my alternate imaginary lives, I wear a yin yang necklace and move to the islands. I drink a lot of watermelon slushes, and do wedding photography for tourists.
I get as many tattoos as I want. The hut I share with my Japanese surfer boyfriend has a monkey that is cute at first, then really annoying. I never learn to like durian.
