Kenmare, one of the loveliest little towns in Ireland, is full of music and magic. My B&B host suggested a few different places for “craic,’ which is what the Irish call fun, entertainment, gossip, news, and enjoyable conversation. In Ireland, it’s all about the music. I’d been told several times to do as the locals do – walk down the street, put your ear up to the door, and if you like the music, go in. If...

The Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland is the longest defined coastal touring route in the world! Ireland isn’t that big, you might think, but drive around the perimeter, with all of those coves and inlets, and you’ll be surprised how many kilometers you clock. I knew I wouldn’t have time to cover the whole route, so I started in the south and then headed up the west coast to see some of the most majestic parts, for as long as my...

I went for the arts in Kilkenny, and instead I found a witch! It’s an hour and 1/2 drive from Dublin south to Kilkenny, a medieval town, with a castle built in 1195. Picking up my rental car in Dublin, I was a bit nervous, since driving is on the left side of the road here, but it was fine. After all, I’d had 3 weeks of practice in New Zealand, although that was almost 7 months ago now. I headed straight to the tourist office and spent...

With only 2 days in Dublin, I set out to make the most of it. I’d tried repeatedly to book an affordable hotel, but there didn’t seem to be such a thing available, and I’d not found any couch surfs, so I checked out my Air B&B app, and was delighted to find an opening with 2 great guys in their 1930’s home, with a cool old tiled fireplace and beautiful backyard deck. Plus, Brian and Oliver gave me lots of travel...

Cinque Terre (translated The Five Lands), a Unesco World Heritage Site, is a necklace of 5 seaside villages strung along the Italian Riviera. It’s some of the most beautiful and dramatic coastal scenery anywhere in the world (my opinion, but also that of countless others). The colorful villages are linked by hiking trails that wind along the coast, up high through olive groves and vineyards, and down low along the water. The whole trail...