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Twenty Four Hours in Belfast Historical Modernism: Part II

Mural in Belfast Northern, Ireland

Megan’s second installment about Irish history and our tour through Belfast. While Belfast has many modern offerings and natural wonders, the smart traveler would be wise to take advantage of this city’s rich history as well. When Ireland became an independent republic in 1922, it was also partitioned. Six counties in the North remained part of the Great Britain, becoming Northern Ireland. In the 1960s the Northern Irish Troubles began as a result of friction between the Government and the remaining Irish republicans (not to be confused with American-style, Donald…

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Twenty Four Hours in Belfast Part I: Historical Modernism

Downtown Belfast in Northern Ireland

My good friend Megan Crotty and I ventured on a road trip last month! We drove through Northern Ireland and Ireland for a few days. With her background in Irish history, she’s taken the reigns with our time in Belfast. Megan will conclude her Belfast story with her experience on an eye-opening Black Taxi Tour very soon. After a quick jet-lag fueled and giddy drive from Dublin, we arrived in Belfast’s city center on a bustling Friday afternoon (after a bit of practice, Eileen drove on the left like a boss)….

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Drinking A True Colorado Wine At The Gateway Of The Rockies

Try wine in Colorado - photo Courtesy of Estes Park

Wine is fabulous. I love wine that’s why I made sure to have a perfect wine cooler. I’m not afraid to say it. I’d swim in a bottle of red if it wasn’t weird and expensive to do. I’m particularly fond of pinot noir, but I’m always up for trying a new bottle. On my most recent getaway to Estes Park, Colorado, I got the chance to try some new grapes from a pretty spectacular little place called Snowy Peaks Winery. I tried all the grapes. I was confused when…

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Shauna’s Up a Volcano in New Mexico!

Shauna’s back to share her New Mexico travel adventure at the state’s coolest volcano. You can read more about Shauna’s family excursions over at Pure Wander. There’s nothing like road tripping on a bright, blue, beautiful, clear day. Our latest road trip took us to the northeastern tip of New Mexico on Route 325 where we drove past Capulin Volcano with a car load of household items, two furry friends and a 4-year-old who had been confined for days. Luckily for us, the best trips you have are sometimes the…

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Jake’s Whirlwind Block Island Tour Part Two: Surprises and the Sea

C/o Anthony Cannistra (Flickr)

After checking in at the Hotel Manisses we decided to go and see if there was anything left of the wine and hors d’oeuvre hour a short walk up the street at the 1661 Inn. Stepping out the back door to walk up the hill towards the inn we came across, a giant turkey – no, that’s not right, it had to be something that escaped from a Doctor Seuss book I think, or maybe some sort of strange mutated creature only known to this island.  Obviously I’m wrong, and it’s…

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Jake’s Whirlwind Block Island Tour Part One: Hotel Manisses

C/o Don & Suzan, Flickr

Jake’s back for a couple of posts about beautiful Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island, where there is a little something for everyone and incredible views year-round. Stepping off the ferry from Point Judith, Rhode Island onto Block Island, I see a cab driver and ask him where I can find “Hotel Manassas”. He quickly points out that it is “man-i-sees” – duh, this 7 mile island is definitely not where two civil war battles were fought (Bull Run to us Northerners). Fortunately, in spite of my bad…

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Joanne And Her Year In Cambodia

Jo is a regular at blogging at her daily musings. We recently connected at a blogging networking event and has taken on role at Queen Superior intern over at our newest project, Pure Wander. She’s done some incredible things travel-wise and wanted to share her great Cambodia story with the world! Walking through mountains of garbage in Phnom Penh’s municipal landfill when I was 16 on a three-day mission trip with school; I was trying not to breathe in the foul air but yet holding the hand of a beautiful…

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Jake at the new Cafe Esplanade in Boston, MA

This is Jake’s blogging debut, but he’s certainly not new to writing. He’s interested in the ongoings around Boston and likes to find out people’s stories, especially when it has to do with local food. Recently he checked out the newly renovated Cafe Esplanade and found it was easy to while away the hours in the Back Bay. Separating the city of Boston from the city of Cambridge, the glistening waters of the Charles River gives the perfect view for a delicious meal here at the Cafe Esplanade. If you’re looking…

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Shauna & Family at North Padre Island, Texas

Shauna is my other half of the dynamic duo that makes up PureWander, which will be launching this fall. Recently she and her family road tripped to North Padre Island in Texas and had a wild time. She’s guest posting this week while I carry on procrastinating. Ahem. We are moving from Texas to Colorado. There was only few days from when we left our house until we needed to be on the road, so we decided to take a mini-vacation. After almost 5 months in Texas, this New England…

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