Almost Done: Checking Off A Summertime Bucket List

Summer is over for the vast majority of people by now. My younger siblings have all started school, my friends have all returned from their vacations, and even my parents seem more routine-y lately. 

But I don't head back to classes until September 16th, and I'm still in (what should be) sunny Virginia, though it's gotten a little cloudy the last couple of days.

I made this summertime bucket list at the beginning of the summer, and now it's time to check off the last few. Here's a stock take of the as yet unchecked items....

Irish

1) Host a Fourth of July party/barbeque

My friend and I hosted a barbeque on July 4 at the BF's house. While we only expected a maximum of 20 people, more than 50 people and 6 hours later, we checked it off as a success.

2) See Cork City at sunrise

I have a sneaking suspicion that the boy reads this blog and gets date inspiration from it. I suppose that's smart. It's kind of like being able to read the girlfriend's mind without being psychic or having to call her friends. Anyway, he surprised me one day and suggested we get together early in the morning and drive out to watch the sun rise over Cork. Check!

3) Start a DIY project

Not quite a check yet, but I did buy all the supplies. That counts, right?

American

1) Host a beautiful bridal shower and bachelorette party for one of my loveliest friends

Check!! She's getting married so soon! 

2) Go hiking in the Blue Ridge

See Number 3.

3) Visit a Vineyard

I must confess that when I wrote 2 and 3 on this list, I knew exactly what kind of bachelorette party my friend wanted. So we went for a hike around the mountains and had a picnic wine tasting at a nearby vineyard. Check!

4) Go to an amusement park

Still unchecked!! 

5) Weekend at the beach

Spent the whole of a Sunday at an Ocean Club down in Southside Virginia with the boy and a great friend last week. Resounding check! 

6) Visit New York City

Epic speed visit to NYC with BF while he was visiting America for two weeks. So many friends to see in such a short time, we set up a big happy hour at a great pub called Fiddlesticks in Greenwich Village to see everyone at once!

7) Host a patio tea party

I don't even know what I was thinking with this one, but it is as yet UNCHECKED!

Summertime

1) Take a roadtrip (or several)

The most roadtrips have happened. But I'm still open to more! In the process of being checked!

2) Have a pool party

I don't have a pool, so I don't suppose this one was ever really going to happen. Wishful thinking, but still unchecked.

3) Surf (as much as possible)

So far this summer, it's only been ONCE! But we did manage a couple of days surfing in March. Does that count?

4) Camp out for a night under the stars

I had this great idea to get an inflatable pool and fill it with blankets for the evening (thank you, Pinterest!) but I haven't done it yet. So, UNCHECKED!

5) Attend an outdoor concert

In this case, I think Josh Groban at Wolf Trap counts! Woohoo! Check!

6) Make margaritas

As yet, unchecked. And yet it's so simple! Sheesh, Diva. Get it together!

7) Have a bonfire beach party

 I don't live near the beach, but I did hear talk of a nearby firepit..... Hopefully soon to be checked!

8) Go horseback riding

I love horses, and I miss riding so much sometimes. Horseback riding in late summer is like the best thing ever for some reason. As yet unchecked... the boy was too nervous to go with me ;) 

9) Eat popsicles

Easy and delicious. Check!

10) Visit a farmer's market

I suppose this can happen in the Fall, too. But see farmer's markets are cliché in the Fall, and therefore must be cooler in the summer. But Dad's grown a ton of peaches this year, so it's almost superfluous. 

11) Go to a carnival

Still unchecked!

12) Hang out with friends and family

The most checks. But I would love to add some more checks to this one, too!

Bestie Travels Part Four: Cork, Jameson, and The End

This is the fourth and final part of our Bestie Travels posts! It's a bittersweet farewell to L! 

On her last day in Eireann, L and I elected not to make the grueling trip up to Dublin for the night. Instead, we played around Cork City a little bit and headed out to Midleton for the afternoon to see the great and famous old Jameson Whiskey factory. 

We ended the evening with a girls' night and some Irish traditional music in the Spáilpín Fánach. This cozy little pub on South Main Street is both well-known and well-hidden. It looks like it popped right out of Pirates of the Caribbean and it features live Irish and trad music every night of the week except Tuesday. Once a month, they even host a traditional singer's session.

L and I barely landed on our feet after a week of grueling adventure, but with one last true girls' night - albeit in a totally different location than Sunday brunch in DC - we finished of the trip with a Sláinte!

I realize this post is massively late, and you probably won't believe when I say I miss her already, because it's obviously been months and DUH, you miss her! but seriously, I missed her the second she got on the plane! So cheers, L, and I hope you can come visit again soon!! xx

Saint Finbarr's Cathedral, Cork City

On the train to Midelton and the Jameson Factory

Jameson, Home of Good Irish Whiskey

Pretty sure it's the largest pot still in the world... and if it's not, it should be.

L trying to ring the bell!

Bestie Travels Part Three: Blarney Castle and Adventure

This is part three of four posts on Bestie L's spectacular stint seeing the land of the green.

After an epic road trip of galavanting around the country, L and I were pretty exhausted. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), we had a party at the house that night for all the gang to meet my American friend that I'd been talking about for weeks. Giddy from exhaustion, I think we made a good showing, but honestly, we were so pooped I don't remember that much. I might have been asleep after all that... 

Anyway, the next day we decided to stick around Cork a little bit. We slept in, took a walk, headed to town, and eventually, hopped in the car for Blarney Castle.

For all of you American readers, I certainly hope you've heard of the infamous Blarney Stone - by kissing the stone you're gifted the gift of the gab. Basically it just means that if you're brave or nutty enough to bend over backwards over a great height and put your lips on possibly the most slobbered-upon thing on the planet, then you will be as talkative as some of us are naturally. Good luck! 

Blarney Castle, Co. Cork

The boy came with us girls for the evening because, though he's lived in Cork for ages, he's never been to Blarney. So the three of us hiked through the castle, crawling over fading limestone and into narrow windows. We crawled through dungeons and caves and enjoyed hunting through various poisonous plants and potions in the poisonous garden. L and I threw some imaginary boiling oil over the boy's head through the hidden gate, and it was just generally a great day. 

Though L didn't make it quite to the top (in fairness, it's a pretty awful staircase, and it was wet from recent rainy footsteps...), the boy and I waved to her down through the floors of the open castle!

Peace out, L

And we ended the day by romantically gazing at a beautiful sunset (my idea) and an epic high five session. 

The moral of the story? Blarney Castle is beautiful and a great visit. But it is much better exploring it with friends x

Get ready for the best high five ever - note how L never looks at me and how somehow I can't stop laughing. 

Bestie Travels Part Two: The Cliffs and the Rock

This is Part Two of a Four Part series on L's overwhelmingly adventurous week in Eireann.
(Sorry for the delay! But SEDiva is back with a vengeance!)

We woke up gloomy and early on Monday morning (gloomy only in weather, not in spirit!) and hit the road after a quick cup of coffee in the cozy and wonderful Aille River Hostel in Doolin, Co. Clare. We drove the scenic and quick route to the highly-touristed Cliffs of Moher about 10km down the road where we were greeted with knock-you-down strength winds.

Now, I have been to the Cliffs a few times now. It's Irish iconicity makes it a beautiful tourist destination, and I've brought lots of people there. I have heard legends of people who've seen the Cliffs in sunshine, but never have I been so lucky. I doubt the existence of such days. The general storminess and breakneck windiness add to the romance. However, I have never, ever experienced winds like those L and I did that day back in March. Please see the video to truly comprehend. L and I hid behind the lookout tower on the far end of the Cliff walk in order to escape the wind and not go tumbling into the sea. It was quite adventurous walking back to the car. (See second video!)

Anyway, despite the wind's anger and obvious aversion to our poor Virginia selves, we had a lovely morning. The Cliffs are highly-touristed now, and as soon as we left, several bus-loads pulled in. But they're worth the trek and the almost disgusting level of comfort provided (if you can stomach a warm gift shop and café) just for the absolute beauty.

Our safe-haven, our rock in the hurricane, our shield from the storm

The beautiful Cliffs - can you spot the Harry Potter cave, hiding the false horcrux?

Our gratitude to this tower knows no bounds!

With many hours left on our car rental, we headed back toward Cork City via Tipperary. One of my favorite overly-touristed destinations in Ireland (another one that I have overly frequented myself) is the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary. The Rock was the Cathedral and seat of the Bishop of Munster for hundreds of years and is now a national heritage site. With a small admissions fee, visitors are free to roam around and explore or wait for a guided tour. Having taken the tour several times, I employed myself temporarily as L's personal tour guide, and we treked around the ancient castle.

Like a giant castle, the Rock is magical and historical all at once. The history behind the place, the stories surrounding every stone and every hollowed out room, the myths and legends whispered by different tour guides create an air of superstition, a bygone era, a world of legend that is often still glimpsed in Ireland.

However, the Rock has been under restoration for a number of years in order to restore and preserve several aspects of the site that are particularly historical as well as endangered by time and the environment. The development has made the Rock even more historical but also more touristed. So roaming over to a nearby field, I showed L the crumbling monastery of [Dominican? Benedictine?] monks who were ousted by one of the most recent historical Bishops of Munster only for fear of a dream the Bishop had in which the poor monks were plotting his death. The Monastery occupies a giant, nearly abandoned field, as many ruins do around Ireland, but the presence of a friendly neighbor and her dog reminded us we weren't lost in a gothic novel. Wandering around in the gloom, L and I took as many fun photographs as we possibly could. Truly, two Southern girls playing castle.

I barely remembered a story about this cross, so L decided to take its advice and hop on one foot backwards around St. Patrick's Cross three times. She'll be engaged in a year, we think.

The view of the Rock of Cashel from the field below.

The monastery in the field below.

Bestie Teaser

Phew! What a week. Just a quick post to say hey-ya, how ya'll doing, I miss you! My biffle L has been in Ireland for the past week and adventures galore and laughs a million were had. I'm completely exhausted, but today we're driving up to Dublin for Jason Derulo, so it's not over yet!

Expect some serious update and adventure posts when I get back. Until then, I hope you enjoy laughing at whatever you think L and I are laughing at in this picture. Good luck figuring it out. I can't. 

xx

Getaway: Favorite Irish Adventures

Announcement: my best friend is coming to Ireland! 

At the end of March, the Ravishing L from Richmond is making an enormous trek from Virginia to Cork City for the week, and I have no words to express my enthusiasm. 

We've been talking on and off for weeks about what we should do with her short time here, keeping in mind of course the bestie hibernation that will occur and revolving around her tourist goals and my insider's perspective. I think we finally have a plan, but it's flexible, and I think we're both gearing up for an adventurous week in which snap decisions are made and last minute left-right-or-straight turns are taken. I'm excited.

With all this travel on my mind recently, I had begun working on an Irish bucket list. Just because I live here now doesn't mean that
a) I'll live here forever, and
b) that I can't be a travelling touristing kind of person as well! 

But as I build the bucket list, I have to acknowledge all the beautiful and wonderful places in Ireland that I've already travelled to. So in preparation for my Irish bucket list (which I will hopefully share with you in the next couple of posts), I'd like to share just some of the favorite places in Ireland that I've travelled to thus far.  In no way is this list comprehensive (please see my old blog for more!), but it is reflective of how awesome travelling and adventuring around Ireland can be.

Enjoy! x

Cliffs of Moher, County Clare

The Cliffs of Moher are the perfect tourist destination, but just because they're typical doesn't mean they're not worth the trek! When my mom visited me here in 2010, we took a mini-roadtrip to Clare and Tipperary. The Cliffs are absolutely beautiful, especially in this light. But I think more than half of my love for them stems from the adventures we had on our way!

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

On a field trip in 2010, we drove up to Belfast for the weekend. We got a great tour of the city, and we even got to tour the murals on both sides. This wall separates the two residential sides of the city (traditionally, Catholic and Protestant). But on this side of it, people from all over the world have made a mural of peace. Visitors come and write messages of hope, prayer, and peace for Belfast along the wall.

Dingle, County Kerry

This picture was taken when my friends and I trekked out to Dingle for the weekend (we didn't walk there, just when we got there). We had a great adventure in this tiny Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking territory) town. Little did I know that my future housemate would be from Dingle herself. I've been back a few times since x

Giant's Causeway, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

On the same field trip that took us to Belfast, we drove an hour or so outside the city to the Giant's Causeway, a huge natural phenomenon caused by glacier movement thousands of years ago. The walk was crisp and hearty, and the world was beautiful up there. You can see Scotland from the cliff.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree, County Sligo

Ever read Yeats? Well, I wrote my undergraduate research thesis on Yeats' appropriation of the medieval Irish Táin. But I spent a few days driving around Sligo on my own and I saw this sign that said "Lake Isle of Innisfree, 4km". So I took it.

Pearse's Cottage, Ros Muc, County Galway

On the course in Carna, we took a day trip to see Patrick Pearse's cottage. Pearse lived in Dublin full-time for most of his political career, but he kept this cottage in Galway. Seeing the beauty and peacefulness of the place, it makes his sacrifice that much greater. I distinctly remember wandering down to the lake and just lying down on the edge for a while. It was so beautiful.

The Rock of Cashel, Cashel, County Tipperary

Former massive castle slash Church and old bishop's seat, I've been here three times already. It's one of my absolute favorite places, and I'm just not sure why. I've taken the tour there twice, and I've roamed over every piece of ruined rock. From the top of that hill, you can see all of Munster. If you wander down the hill and across a field, there's an old ruined convent as well. Driving along and seeing this place just pop up out of the road is pretty gorgeous.

Slea Head Drive, Dingle, County Kerry

Famous roadway (I'm pretty sure it's part of the "new" Wild Atlantic Way) Slea Head Drive winds along the cliffs near Dingle.

Walking to Fínis Island, Carna, County Galway

Fínis Island is crazy typical touristness for locals in Carna, but being a tourist myself, I couldn't have cared less. On our last day in Carna, we all walked out to Fínis when the tide was low. Only in Galway can you walk to an island.

Pub Date

One of the best things about Ireland is the roads. Another is the pubs. Allow me to explain.

The Irish will give out about Irish roads for hours on end, but they will equally avoid the motorways and national roads in favor of the backroads. Why suffer through the tight corners, deep ridges, and million potholes? Because driving through Ireland is actually therapeutic. Driving anywhere can be therapeutic, to be fair. Even driving on the Irish "highways" is therapeutic (two lanes and almost always empty! They're also built up usually, so they have great views!) 

But there's something about winding through the greenery or the sunshine or the fog or the clouds, all with the ever-present scent of fresh rain and grass (sometimes sheep-smell is in there, too). It's just cleansing. 

Add in a quick trip to the pub, with its cozy couches and fireplaces, and you've got your perfect date night x And now you know what D and I elect to do fairly regularly.

The responsible driver's drink of soda versus the irresponsible pint.

#Cork