Monthly Archives: July 2015

Ireland: Why Galway is a Must

Before we begin, a reminder that next week will be our themed Travel Tuesday.  Our current Travel Tuesday cohost, Sara has chosen the following prompt:

Although traveling can provide some of the best experiences/memories, it’s not ALWAYS fun and games. What is your worst travel experience? Or most embarrassing experience? Or biggest #travelfail? Where were you and what happened? “

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Hi! Sara here again, and I blog at SARA SEES where I share adventures from my travels and general wanderings! I’m currently living in Dublin, Ireland where I’ve had some absolutely amazing experiences! You can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

So last week on Travel Tuesday I shared a bit about my wonderful hike from from Glenmalure to Glendalough. As I said last week, this landscape is totallyyyy different from that of South Louisiana, so I’ve really been trying to take advantage of it!

So this week, I want to share another highlight from my time in Ireland thusfar – GALWAY! We’ve been to Galway twice so far, and I absolutely love it! Here’s a short and sweet list of why Galway is a MUST for anyone in Ireland:

1. It’s super easy to get to from Dublin (about 2.5 hours by bus) so it’s a great weekend trip! Plus you pass some great sights of rural Ireland on the ride over!
2. It’s relatively small so you can see the best that Galway has to offer in a weekend!
3. It has GREAT nightlife! So much fun!
4. There are amazing day trips offered from Galway to some of the best spots in Ireland like The Cliffs of Moher and Connemara.
5. And finally, IT’S BEAUTIFUL! The city centre, the waterfront of the Galway Bay, the booths at the Galway Market…everything is so picturesque!

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Expat life in Ireland

Hi! I’m Sara and I blog at SARA SEES, where I share adventures from my travels and general wanderings! I’m currently living in Dublin, Ireland where I’ve had some absolutely amazing experiences! You can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Moving from Louisiana to Ireland has been a bit of an adjustment, to say the least. But for the most part, all the adjustments have been great ones! For example, I’m a lot more active here. Not only is it because I don’t have a car, but because you can walk outside without profusely sweating. That’s new for me! (Sorry to diss Louisiana, but it’s too hot to function there most of the time!)

So, I’m trying to take advantage of this whole non-humid weather thing as much as I can! Throw in Ireland’s astounding natural landscape and there’s one obvious answer…HIKING! Hiking is big here, so there are many options of hiking trails/paths that range from a simple 3-mile hikes to 3 week hikes and everything in between!

One Tuesday when I didn’t have to work, my friend and I decided to go hiking from Glenmalure to Glendalough, which was about 7 miles. We packed a lunch, took a n hour train from Dublin and spent the whole day out in the mountains. As much as I love Dublin, it was so nice to get out of the city and get some fresh air. I came back relaxed with a clear mind, a tan, and sore legs! But the scenery was absolutely astounding, especially the end of the hike which ended at the monastic ruins of Glendalough!

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Itinerary: 4 Days in Los Angeles

Itinerary: 4 Days in Los Angeles

Hi everyone and welcome to Travel Tuesday! I’m Christine and I blog over at A Keane Sense of Adventure (http://www.akeanesenseofadventure.com/). I was born and raised in Texas and I blog about travel, photography and some lifestyle mixed in, so hop on over and say hi! You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter (both at @christinekeane) and I just started using Snapchat (username: akeanekense)!
Earlier this year, I spent a long weekend in Los Angeles visiting a college friend. I could only get away from Friday to Monday but I can honestly say we made the most of our time in The City of Angels. LA is the perfect (long) weekend getaway… you can visit the beach, go shopping, eat at great restaurants, go hiking, you name it.
So here was my 4 Day Los Angeles itinerary (well 3.5):
DAY 1
 
Venice Beach
Venice Beach is a short drive from LAX which makes it a great first stop. After picking me up from the airport, we drove to Venice Beach to walk around and grab a late breakfast. If people watching is your thing, Venice Beach is your place. We saw the Bearded Lady walking around… probably taking a break from working at the Freak Show. Yes, there’s a Freak Show on the boardwalk.
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Beverly Hills
From skaters and beach bums to the shiny streets of Beverly Hills, our second stop of the day was 90210. We stayed in Beverly Hills so we dropped off our bags at the hotel and went walking around Rodeo Drive and surrounding areas. We were trying to spot someone famous but no luck. Be sure to stop by some really cute candy stores in the area like Sugarfina!
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DAY 2
 
Hiking to the Hollywood Sign
We woke early the second day so we could beat the crowd (and heat) at the Hollywood Sign. Hiking the Hollywood Sign is pretty awesome. Not only is it a good hike but you get to get unclose and personal with the Hollywood Sign (selfie, anyone?!). For more tips, you can go here: http://www.akeanesenseofadventure.com/2015/02/hiking-to-hollywood-sign.html.
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Hollywood
After our hike, we went back to our hotel and showered and then head back to Hollywood. Hollywood is something else to say the least. It’s so touristy and there are people everywhere! People are either handing you their demo CDs or trying to get you to take a picture with them for a few bucks. Venture into Hollywood only if you don’t get annoyed easily by strangers.
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DAY 3
 
Malibu
My favorite day of the trip, was day 3. We drove down PCH 1 and stopped in Malibu in the morning. We had lunch at Geoffrey’s and then hung out on the beach for a while. We saw the cutest sea lion pup on the beach too! Malibu is mostly residential so the best time to visit is in the morning or lunch time.
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Santa Monica
After lunch, we drove down to Santa Monica. Santa Monica is the perfect stop after Malibu because it has a lot of shopping, restaurants, activities to offer. We got super lucky and got to see a beautiful sunset while there too! Head over to the Third Street Promenade for some shopping and a chance to see a celebrity or two! And of course, you have to visit the Santa Monica Pier!
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DAY 4
Manhattan Beach
This was my last day in LA (boo). Manhattan Beach is super close to the airport so we stopped by there for some breakfast and walked around the pier before I had to get dropped off at the airport. Manhattan Beach has a really cool vibe. It has a bunch of really awesome houses and the beaches are really pretty. The main street has fun boutiques and cafes. I just wish we could have spent a little more time there.
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My time in LA with my friend went by so fast but it was a break from work. If you’re heading to Los Angeles and are strapped for time, I hope this itinerary can help you with your planning. There are so much more to see that I didn’t get a chance to stop by on this visit so I’m hoping to make back soon.
Thanks everyone for another great Travel Tuesday!


Firmoo Glasses

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Basically from the moment I wake up, until the moment I go to bed I depend on glasses to see.  Except for taking them off to read (or take a shameless selfie), they become a pivotal accessory to my day to day look.  I had been wearing the same two pairs of glasses for the last couple of years and wanted to change it up.  The idea of heading into a eye glass store can be daunting and overwhelming.

That is where Firmoo comes in.  As an online retailer of prescription eyewear, they make getting new glasses simple and easy.  I found their selection of glasses to be fashionable, fun, and even hard to choose just one from all the options.  It was easy to use my current prescription to buy the glasses I wanted to buy.

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When the glasses came in they were enclosed within a durable case with a map design that this travel and expat blogger can appreciate.  The lenses felt great on and I really loved how they looked in person.  They have become one of my favourite pairs of glasses and tend to get worn a lot during days I go into work.

Honestly I look forward to ordering future pairs of glasses from Firmoo and could see glasses being to me what a shoes can be for some fashion bloggers.  They are great way to change up your look as well as help you see the world more clearly.

Get a pair of Firmoo glasses for yourself and change the way you see the world of shopping for glasses online.  You can use this 15% off code on the frames site wide.

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How to choose the perfect pair of glasses online ?

1. Use Firmoo‘s  Virtual Look Viewer to check the shape of the frame and how it suits your face.  It is a great tool for a sneak peek of your new look.

2. Compare the frame size data with the old eyeglasses is also helpful to find your perfect new Firmoo glasses. The specification like weight, sizes of the frames can be found at the product page.

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Have you ordered glasses from Firmoo yet?  When you do comment below with a link to the photo. I’d love to see which frames you choose!

Favorite Travel Partner and Trip

Hi readers and Happy Travel Tuesday! First, a big congrats to the US Women’s Soccer Team for bringing home the World Cup! I’m Christine and I blog over at A Keane Sense of Adventure (http://www.akeanesenseofadventure.com/). I was born and raised in Texas and I blog about travel, photography and some lifestyle mixed in, so hop on over and say hi.
 
For this month’s prompt, I picked “Who is Your Favorite Travel Partner and What is Your Favorite Trip with that Person?” While I would love to take a solo trip one of these days, I enjoy sharing my travel experiences with my friends and family. There’s something about reminiscing about a past trip with someone and having one of those “Remember when…” conversations.
 
My favorite travel partner is my husband, Jimmy. We have been married for over 11 years and after all these years, we still have the most fun when we are together. When it comes to traveling, we have similar interests… we both love being active, being outdoors and we both love a little adventure. I love knowing that I can suggest going on a hike or SUPing and Jimmy’s game (and vice versa unless it involves crazy heights!).    
  
 
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My favorite trip together would have to be the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. We both have a love for sports so getting to see one of the biggest sporting events in the world was an awesome experience for us. We got a chance to watch some beach volleyball plus see the Brazilian men’s soccer team in action which was incredible. We would love to head down to Rio in 2016 or maybe attend a World Cup one day. We shall see!      
 
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  In the future, I’m hoping to have our son join us on more trips! He just turned 10 and recently started asking us about going over to Europe the next time we go. I’m excited that he’s showing an interest in traveling and that he also loves a little adventure! Nothing makes me happier than when my family is together!   
 
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