Tag: travel

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Eleven Tips for Safe Travel During the Epidemic

Has the recent lockdown made your urge to travel worse than usual? If so, you’re not alone. When Dennis announced that he had a business trip to the University of Cincinnati this past week, I was more than willing to go along. He needed to be there on both Friday and the following Monday, so it made sense to spend the weekend rather than drive the 300 plus miles back and forth a second time.  Rather than stay in Ohio, I thought we could travel a little further south and visit a few places in Kentucky.  Reflecting on our trip, I’ve come up with ten tips for safe travel during the current epidemic.

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Disney Dreaming

I’m busy here planning our next trip to…Where else? The most magical place on Earth–Walt Disney World in Florida! We don’t usually go away in the summer due to Dennis’s job, and this year is no exception.  It’s actually worse because he and my brother are buying Dennis’s company. See me if you need a mover in Northeast Ohio or Northwestern Pennsylvania–I happen to know a few. Here’s a link to Dennis’s company and another to my brother-in-law Mike’s company. Continue reading “Disney Dreaming”

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Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory

Niagara Falls is a short 3 1/2 hours away for us, so it’s great for a weekend getaway. One place that I’d always wanted to visit was the Butterfly Conservatory, located at 2565 Niagara Parkway on the grounds of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, so one weekend, Dennis and I decided to drive up. Continue reading “Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory”

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Cliffs of Moher

The view at the Cliffs of Moher is an iconic portrait of the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, one that graces tourism sites and brochures. That being said, I wasn’t too optimistic about our actual chances of seeing the cliffs. The weather is often foggy, and while nearly one million people visit each year, many don’t even catch a glimpse of the famous sight. My friend Wanda had warned me that we probably wouldn’t be able to see anything–her own picture at the Cliffs of Moher had been taken in front of a panoramic photo in the ladies’ washroom.

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Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet

On our second day in Ireland, we were offered six optional excursions on the Brendan Vacations / Trafalgar Tours Irish Highlights tour. They all sounded great, so we booked them for a total of 220 euros a person. The first of these was the medieval castle banquet in Limerick.  We didn’t know which castle, but it included dinner. I had wondered if it might be at Bunratty after seeing the padded benches in the vaulted Main Guard Hall, and it turned out that I was right. We were headed to the Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet! Continue reading “Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet”

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Ireland, Day 2: Stepping into the Past at Bunratty Castle

After leaving Galway, we headed south towards Limerick. Our plan was to visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park in County Clare. Bunratty Castle was built in 1425 and restored in the 1950s and is surrounded by buildings typical of the era including a fisherman’s cottage and farmer’s home. Continue reading “Ireland, Day 2: Stepping into the Past at Bunratty Castle”

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Confidence: A Cross-Country Road Trip

When I was young, my mom insisted that we all learn how to swim because she wasn’t a strong swimmer herself. She took us to lessons at the YMCA in the winter and local lakes and swimming pools in the summer. We all learned to love to swim and passed it down to our children. That confidence served us well.

A History of Road Trips

My mother was also never confident about her ability to drive long distances alone. To be honest, she never had to do it.  My dad usually did most, if not all, of the driving on every trip we went on. I will always remember the first time Mom drove through Toronto. We were supposed to stop and switch drivers, but didn’t, and she passed with flying colors. It was just us girls and the kids–no men to do the driving for us. Continue reading “Confidence: A Cross-Country Road Trip”

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Ireland, Day 2: A Rainy Morning in Galway

We left Dublin early on Monday morning, heading towards the town of Galway and the west coast of Ireland. I was able to use my debit card to take out euros at a service plaza. The exchange rate seemed pretty good– 1 euro was equal to $1.24 U.S. Surprisingly, there were no fees at the ATM, nor did our bank levy any. Upon arriving in Galway, the driver dropped us off at Eyre Square. Allie led us on a short walking tour of the Latin Quarter, ending at the River Corrib. Then we were free to shop and have lunch. Continue reading “Ireland, Day 2: A Rainy Morning in Galway”

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In Dublin’s Fair City: Cead Mile Failte

After our overnight flight from Toronto, we easily passed through customs and quickly found our Brendan Vacations greeter upon exiting the airport in Dublin.

Hotel Arrival

Our bus driver, the lovely Louie, dropped us off at the Sandymount hotel next to Aviva Stadium where we met out wonderful guide for the week, the Amazing Allie Lister. Our rooms weren’t ready yet. We needed a caffeine pick-me-up, so we ordered coffee (tea for me) in the hotel bar and sat out on the deck. Dennis remarked that the coffee wasn’t very good, and Mom quickly cut in and said “It’s awful!”

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Air Canada Flight 842: Dublin, Here We Come!

We were exhausted by the time we boarded our Air Canada flight AC842 from Toronto to Dublin. It was a larger plane with two seats on each side and four in the middle for a total of 291 passengers. I didn’t see any empty seats at all. I put my headphones in and turned on some music, hoping to go to sleep as soon as we took off at 11:15 p.m. especially since each seat had a pillow and blanket. Unfortunately, the crew decided to leave the lights on in the cabin for another two hours and served dinner at midnight. Drinks (including alcohol) were free, but we just wanted to go to sleep. Continue reading “Air Canada Flight 842: Dublin, Here We Come!”