Top 5 Things In Ireland

Top 5 Things In Ireland

1. Irish Coast Bar None, Gorgeous!

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The Glens: GlenArm, Glenariff, Carnlough, BallyGally (my favorite town name!)  The Valley of the Antrim area and Glenariff Forest Park rolls down to the ocean to these cute cute harbor towns. GORGEOUS stunning hillsides dotted with sheep are exactly the ideas of Ireland you think you know and expect to see. The Cliffs of Maor are incredible and it becomes obvious why it was named the Emerald Isle!  Super cute tiny towns, gorgeous water and the most stunning green hillsides.  lots of cute B&Bs along the coast.   Although we didn’t get to do the Park it sounded wonderful.

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The Giant’s Causeway has so many myth’s attached to the area it is mind boggling, the Irish love to tell tall tales, ha ha.  It is actual Basalt columns.  Very cool to see.

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2.  Hamlets and Villages – Quaint and Lovely!

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Kilkenny is a quintessential Irish Town, Very CoolIMG_5878

The Oldest Pub in Ireland!IMG_5594 IMG_5578 IMG_5580

Kinsale was lovelyIMG_5862 IMG_5867

Cong, Where the Duke of Hollywood filmed The Quiet Man with Maureen Ohara, really incredibly beautiful.  Amazingly just a short walk from Ashford Castle!

3. Castles and Historic sites – Stunning, did we mention the Castles??

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Its worth all the hype and would love to stay there even at $500 starting rate! stunning.  you can hire a horse carriage to tour the grounds but walking is just fine and worth the entry fee.  we were given free access as it had been raining all day and sun came out just as we arrived! Scored 🙂   MUST go across the bridge and see the town where Quiet Man was shot: Cong. tiny tiny and cute cute

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Kilkenney Castle IMG_5617

Lindsmore Castle

IMG_5677Cahair Castle

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Doweth, TrespassingIMG_6020 IMG_6035 IMG_6081 IMG_5524

Cohb Cathedral, Titantic’s last portIMG_5756

4.  The PEOPLE – They Do seem to smile More!

IMG_5598   11181799_10155715872680408_6609005928104745694_oThe smiles come out even when they are only half!

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5.  Listening to Traditional music in Pubs When you can find it!

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Doolin

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Dublin IMG_6092

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When we found it, it was great but Very hard to find and quite disappointing actually because they start so late.  You have to be in a city after 9:30 at night if you want to catch it. No one seems to play during the day ever or even what we consider Happy Hour time frames, nothing before 8pm was the very earliest we found in one tiny town of Doolin.  All major cities is never before 9:30. Many pubs play American or UK music which was quite disappointing.  I love Rod Stewart of course, but in Ireland I want Irish ditties.

Beautiful as you can see, a definite Bucket List.  The big cities we weren’t as happy with as we were the coast and small towns.  10 days, 6 hotels and lots of miles, we saw ALOT.  Fun times had by all.

Round the Island Race – Press images 2015

Round the Island Race – Press images 2015

via J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race – Press images 2015.
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Wow, that was truly amazing!  I hope to get lots of pix from the professional photographer they had on board as I was busy grinding out the tacks and helping to set and retrieve sails etc, big grin!  Truly a once in a lifetime experience.  I met some wonderful people including Pierre Marie, a frenchman living in San Diego and a very talented sailor, from whom I was delighted to take direction from.  Also unexpectedly the owners of Stars and Stripes 11 based in San Diego Bea and Lynn Hanna were on board crewing as well.  I felt right at home ha ha.  Everyone was very supportive and knowledgeable. We blew out a spinnaker on the backside of the island and we all jumped too and handled it and sent another balloon aloft and hardly missed a beat.  No panic at all when the sound of a sail exploding overhead went off.
This trip really renewed the peace I feel with the sea.  The water really is a deep part of both Darla and I.  Speaking of Darla did you see the cute outfit she met me with on the dock!  Smokin’

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Irish Eyes are Going to Be Smiling!  So Excited.  Sneaking in Ireland Trip Before Scotland

Irish Eyes are Going to Be Smiling! So Excited. Sneaking in Ireland Trip Before Scotland

We didn’t think we could, but all things are possible if you want it bad enough right?

Ireland was one of those things!  As we leave our time on Isle of Wight, to drive to Scotland, we decided to figure out HOW to get from the southern most tip of England to Ireland and then up to Scotland. Ireland-Sightseeing

With roads to navigate, ferries to be figured out and hotels for all in between, we are working on FINALLY getting to see Ireland and all its beauty.  So excited, and so happy as Hopefully, July will be a perfect weather month and we will be on a fast one week road trip to catch as much as we can.
Stay tuned for great pics and LOVE input from everyone, where to go and what is a MUST see?  Egan Family: we need your help on this one!  Nigel too 🙂

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It’s Official!  We Are Racing Around the Island!

It’s Official! We Are Racing Around the Island!

Click here to view the Invitation Letter for the RTI regatta

11139_0000007e6_a81f_round-the-island-thierry-martinezI am so excited to share the news that I have been invited again, to join the crew of the Eleonora, the largest yacht to ever race in the largest sailboat race in the world!  The “Race Around the Island” (Isle of Wight Island)

I truly am humbled and inspired that I have the opportunity to be a part of an incredibly talented group of people doing a world class event.  The previous race was small, although a big deal, to this race; the largest of its kind.

Just to give you an idea of the scale of this regatta and the yacht I will be helping to man,  I am attaching a few pix from other years races. I have raced several times in the Newport to Ensenada race in California and it is an absolutely crazy start. There are hundreds of yachts there and this race is even larger! We will be starting first at 7am and behind us, it will be absolute pandemonium and organized chaos. It will be fun to watch the smaller, faster boats come up behind us.  We are the Biggest but not the Fastest.   We will have the opportunity to view close up, some of the finest sailing vessels in the world striving to catch us!!

Wish us good wind and fair seas!

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How To Travel and Stay for FREE?

How To Travel and Stay for FREE?

House Sitting, a fairly newer if not even known concept for Americans but a Big deal and quite normal for Australians where the concept seems to have originated based on activity and websites I’ve read.

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Usually House Sitting is a NON paid, (although sometimes you can get paid) gig whereby you, the house sitter,  stay in someone’s home whilst they are away on holiday.    Usually, again exceptions to every rule, you stay for Free in exchange for taking care of their home and most the time, taking care of pets/animals.  You can get house sits with no animals as well.

In Europe, many areas are remote and people need someone in the homes for security reasons and peace of mind to the homeowner for things like taking in the mail and communicating to the homeowners any emergency business matters in the mailings.

Ensuring the toilets are being flushed and kept going, making sure gardeners are coming on time if employed, or you become the gardener in exchange for free lodging!  Sending emails or skype feedback to the owners as they travel and can be assured that all is well back home.

We joined a house sitting site, Trusted House Sitters, http://www.trustedhousesitters.com.  We pay money to join and the homeowner pays money to join, to give somewhat of a security blanket of both parties being registered to the website with personal information and credit cards. (INTERESTED? in doing this yourself? email me and I can save you 20% on membership)   In America it is more common to have to get a Police Report attached to the website.  You have to go thru different processes in each State so consult the website for your area.  In Europe, it seems people are much more trusting and the process of police reports aren’t needed as much.  (don’t mind doing them but they are a bit of handwork to obtain)

Daily you receive updates of house sits available and you email the homeowners to the ones you qualify and want to do.   The downside is there are ALOT more house sitters than home owners so you have to be a really good writer and have a good website online to convince homeowners you are the one to stay in their home!  Be creative, highlight ALL your skills that help you be a good house sitter or pet sitter.

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Then once they find interest in you, normally you talk via phone or skype/facetime to do a meet and greet.  Then you both agree and boom you have free lodging from several days to months or even a year in some house sits!

We use the house sits as our itinerary telling us where to go next and finding places we would have Never gone to or thought to go to.  You get to live like a local to really see if you like that area or not.  Its a great way to test an area if you are thinking of moving.  Or its just a great way to see a country/town thru the eyes of those that live there.  Really get to Know a place versus just visiting.

However! (you knew there was a catch right?)  However, if fancy hotel rooms, maid service and fresh sheets/towels each day is your idea of a holiday, then house sitting is Not for you!  Housesitting and living like a local, is well, living like a local and/or a homeowner.  Meaning, you have the house to keep clean, do dishes, cook at home, clean bathrooms, bring in the mail and sometimes even mow the lawn!  If they have pets, then there is the responsibility of having to be gone no more than 4 hrs at a time to entertain and keep company the animals. Feeding them, loving them, cleaning cages, picking up poo-animal owner type of things.  also communicating with the owners is an important part of the house sit as well.  Either emailing or skyping to fill them in on the weekly goings on of the household.  Being responsible is a Must.  Plenty of time to have fun, but just like at home, responsibilities are a priority.

The owners expect you to be them or even better than them, at keeping the house clean and loving and tending to the animals. If you aren’t prepared to share your holiday fun with those duties and responsibilities, then its not a good match.  We love it, have met great people, stayed in nice homes, and loved on cute fur babies.  There’s been some tougher assignments, not all have been perfect, but all have offered something that was unique and great and staying for free in top Holiday Destinations is pretty awesome.

Need to Know Where to Eat, Sleep or Play?

Need to Know Where to Eat, Sleep or Play?

Bella Travels Member Profile – TripAdvisor via Member Profile – TripAdvisor.

We are building a resource of personally reviewed places for your perusal!

We use Trip Advisor ALOT when traveling and deciding where to eat/stay, figured it was easier and more centralized to link you to our page there, vs adding it all the time with our blog.  You can see Cities and categories, or always feel free to contact us directly as well

clicking on the link will take you to my trip advisor entries. scroll down and they show cities that I have commented on restaurants hotels or attractions. If you are going somewhere, check out where to go or not go, I write my reviews honestly and have not been paid by anyone (darn it!)