a new sun and adventure await
a morning tea
provided by an american
who fell in love with an irishman and never left
a sweet guy who came with the room
love and protection free of charge
not yet ready for morning
—
“i get up in the morning looking for an adventure.”
-george foreman
—
aran islands, ireland
sundial house, cushendall, northern ireland, uk
“the words ran away from me.”
-edna o’brien
—
portstewart, county londonderry, ireland
meeting my new old friends
on
inis oirr (aran islands)
ireland
—
“there’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.”
-jim henson
day 1
room 1
visited a pub
in a little village
filled with
friendly people
from near and far
then
slept above it
in a tiny room
while beautiful irish music
kept on
playing below
dancing me into sweet dreams.
—
“i’m not afraid of chaos and i’m happy talking to strangers.
i really love not knowing where I’m going.”
-fiona shaw
met a friendly irishman
in line
at the first airport
with an accent
who was
going my way
we had
many hours
of
travel adventure
ahead of us
through
flight delays
canceled flights
missed connections
route changes
airline changes
seat changes
itinerary changes
re-ticketing
running to gates
taking shuttles
sitting on the tarmack
trying to find lost luggage
sharing
food
and
beers
and
stories
and
laughs
and
names of
places to visit
each
making our way
to the magic land of
ireland
for our own reasons
and
what a lucky beginning
to this wonderful adventure.
—
“luck is believing you’re lucky.”
– tennessee williams
and my feet
are taking me
to ireland
where
i will find
my heart again.
With a $49 Raffle Ticket,
You Could Win an Island Resort in Micronesia
if you’ve ever dreamed of giving it all up
to go live on a tropical island somewhere,
we may have found your one-way ticket
—as well as your future career.
As Condé Nast Traveler reports, Doug and Sally Beitz are giving away the Kosrae Nautilus Resort, which the couple has run for the last 22 years. With the purchase of a $49 raffle ticket, you’ll be entered in a lottery that will be drawn on July 26. The winner becomes the 100 percent owner of the 16-bedroom hotel located on Micronesia’s Kosrae Island. It’s an enterprise that, according to the raffle website, is “debt free,” and the resort features a swimming pool, private beach, fully-stocked restaurant, and SCUBA dive operation. The winner also inherits $10,000 in the company bank account. There’s just one caveat: If fewer than 50,000 tickets are sold, the resort is off the market and the Beitzs will split the money from the lottery with the winner.
Why in the world would the innkeepers abandon a life of island bliss? “We’ve had our time in the sun and enjoyed a career most people would never even dare dream about, but our current goal now is to become professional grandparents,” Doug Beitz says on the contest website. “We feel like a new chapter in our lives is beginning, and we’re ready to pass the baton to someone else.”
—
credits: mentalfloss, caitlin schneider, conde nast traveler, kosrae nautilus resort
one saturday night in 2012, a search party was organized in iceland to hunt for a woman who had apparently failed to return to her tour bus. but the twist? she had. she became part of the search party looking for her, unaware that she was the subject of everyone’s concern.
the tour bus in question had stopped near iceland’s eldgja canyon and the woman in question took the opportunity to go freshen up and change clothes.
when she reboarded the bus, the rest of the passengers didn’t realize it was her. instead, they became alarmed that she’d gone missing. the driver waited for an hour before the police were called.
things escalated. a search of the area took place, joined by around 50 people, some in vehicles, many on foot. the coast guard was alerted, and the search went on for several hours.
it wasn’t until three in the morning that the truth became apparent: that the woman everyone thought was missing was actually helping them in the search. once she realized she was the missing tourist, she informed the police. the search was called off.
moral of the story? it’s always worth properly counting the number of people on a tour bus. no matter what they happen to be wearing.
—
“not only do I not know what’s going on,
i wouldn’t know what to do about it if i did”
– george carlin
—
credits: mentalfloss.uk
traveling with my co-workers
to meet fellow educators
i was faced with a snap decision.
with one of us busy on her phone
working to get transportation from the airport
and the other already at the bottom
i suddenly realized i was left carrying two rolling bags.
while standing at the top of the moving stairs
and people piling up behind me.
i quickly did the math
and decided that:
me – one human
plus
they – two rolling bags
would probably not all
safely make it down at the same time.
so instead of a minus one situation
at the end of the equation
i heaved my companion’s bag
right onto the escalator
all on it’s own
let it just gently bounce and roll down
figured it could take care of itself
alerted them to look out for it at the bottom
though when they looked up
they were too busy laughing
to realize the gravity of the situation
and somehow
it all ended well.
humans and bags both
none the worse for wear.
survival instinct kicked in
at just the right moment.
and that is why we are teachers.
we are always learning.
i feel that i might be good in a landslide situation.
or a kindergarten classroom.
—
“let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not.”
-ieyasu tokugawa
25 Unusual Foreign Travel Warnings for Visiting the U.S.
What do foreign tourists worry about when they visit the U.S.? Expensive emergency healthcare, overly sensitive attitudes towards nude sunbathing, and gross tap water, apparently. That’s according to travel warnings for potential U.S. tourists from around the world.
These government-issued advisories can seem like common sense for Americans, but they also reveal significant cultural differences between the U.S. and other countries.
Here are 25 unexpected travel warnings from around the world aimed at those visiting the U.S. (most are approximate translations from the country’s official language):
1. DON’T GET RIPPED OFF AT AN ORLANDO GAS STATION (UK)
2. TAKE CARE OF THE FLOWERS (CHINA)
3. DO NOT USE HOTMAIL OR GMAIL (AUSTRALIA)
4. DO NOT STALK ANYONE (GERMANY)
5. WATCH OUT FOR GUNS AT NIGHTTIME (CANADA)
6. STAY AWAY FROM THE EAST COAST (CHINA)
7. REALLY, WATCH OUT FOR GUNS (GERMANY)
8. DOORS MIGHT BE CLOSED (RUSSIA)
9. DO NOT INSPIRE ROAD RAGE (CHINA)
10. DO NOT TALK TO PROSTITUTES (GERMANY)
11. DON’T PEE IN THE STREET (SWITZERLAND)
12. DON’T JOKE ABOUT BOMBS (UK)
13. TRY TO AVOID BEING NAKED (GERMANY)
14. FEEL FREE TO SHACK UP (AUSTRIA)
15. DON’T CUT IN LINE (CHINA)
16. DON’T EXPECT AIR TRAVEL TO BE SAFE (CANADA)
17. VACCINES DON’T CAUSE AUTISM (MEXICO)
18. THE TAP WATER TASTES GROSS (AUSTRIA)
19. THE AMERICAN DREAM ISN’T REAL (RUSSIA)
20. EXPECT HARASSMENT IN ARIZONA (MEXICO)
21. YOU MIGHT GET EXTRADITED (RUSSIA)
22. WATCH OUT FOR EXPENSIVE DOCTOR VISITS (AUSTRALIA)
23. DON’T LEAVE TRASH IN YOUR CAR (CANADA)
24. TAXI DRIVERS KNOW NOTHING (RUSSIA)
25. PAY YOUR TRAFFIC TICKETS (GERMANY)
—
credits: google images, mental floss magazine, animation insider
I didn't have my glasses on.... 