Tag Archives: Travel

23/09/2025
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Europe, Europe, Ireland, Travel

A Tale of Two Countries: From Cornwall Days to Dublin Nights

After spending 10 days in the UK, it was time to say bye and continue our journey.

But not before we spent a little bit of time in Truro and Newquay.

We wandered around our accommodations, the Mannings Hotel, and took a bit more of the architecture and, of course, a pasty. After eating a Cornish pasty, a local delicacy, we walked the streets until we found the Truro Cathedral. We had hoped to go inside, but it was closed. Still, it is a beautiful building.

After being “cross-blocked” by the church, we headed toward the airport. I was told it was a tiny place, so there wouldn’t be any issues going through security. We ended up getting to the airport way too early. So, we drove to the town of Newquay and decided to find a post office where we could mail home some gifts we bought on our trip thus far.

It was either that, or buy another suitcase…and we were not going to do that.

After finagling the gifts into two boxes and taping them down, we realized how much space we had in our bags. Maybe space is not the right word. We reduced the weight of our suitcases by unloading the gifts. Thus, we made our bags near the weight limit. Or so we thought…I was over by a smidge. The employee checking bags was very kind and saw that I had at least made an effort to reduce the weight in my bag, and eventually let the bag go through.

But back to Newquay!

From the post office, we walked down to the beach. It was a gorgeous day, with quite a few people out and about. We saw numerous families and dogs taking full advantage of the weather. Neither of us had any desire to get sand anywhere in our shoes or on our person, so we opted to stay above and admire the view.

Somewhere across the water was our next destination, Ireland.

After killing enough time watching the waves and (mostly) dogs play in the water, it was time to head to the airport. We dropped off our rental, said “ta ta” to driving in Europe, and made our way to our plane. As I mentioned earlier, Newquay is a quaint airport. Yet, it ran like a well-oiled machine.

I did not study abroad in Europe like many of my classmates, so I was only privy to stories about Ryanair. It’s the budget airline for Europe. There are nickels and dimes to be made with every aspect of flying, and Ryanair has that down pat. Snacks? That’ll cost you. Drinks? You’re shelling out some more cash. Checking bags? Crack open that wallet. Toilets? Welp, that was a rumour, along with the idea of standing seats. But you get the idea.

It was an “arduous” 53-minute flight from Newquay Airport to Dublin. But we made it.

We said “ta ta” to driving in Europe back in Newquay because we knew that we would be taking the bus, Uber, bikes, scooters, rail, etc, once we landed in Dublin. We could not have been more pleased with our decision as we made our way to our accommodation. Coming from the generally quiet and serene corner of Cornwall, Dublin was an assault to the senses.

There was a lot of honking, erratic driving, and swathes of people driving to and from the city centre. We both looked at each other and confessed that we were equally glad not to be driving in all of this mess. We also didn’t have any plans to venture out beyond the city, so a car was pointless.

After arriving at our hotel, we wanted to venture out and see some of the Dublin nightlife. We had no plans to do anything, so my partner found a pub and off we went. Walking the streets, we saw the sheer volume of people commuting or just walking the city. We snaked around Trinity College, ambled through town, and carefully minded our wet steps on some of the cobblestone streets. This brought us to The Landmark.

Located in the pleasant Wexford Street community, The Landmark serves as a local and international destination. We were looking for a quintessential Irish spot to have a pint of Guinness. I know, I know, that is such a banal way of thinking and very cliché, but we had to do it. We had been avoiding Guinness the entire time in the UK because we wanted to have one from the source. We were not disappointed.

Yes, I am wearing a Welsh shirt in an Irish pub. Deal. With. It.

The food was exactly what we were looking for, hearty and flavourful. Pair that with a Guinness and a Kilkenny, and you have the makings of a great night. And it was! Walking the streets on our way back to our hotel showed us another side of the city. One that was a bit quieter and less busy, but you could see the remnants of the earlier chaos.

All this to say, it was an ideal way to spend our first night in the capital city. We walked, ate, drank, and walked some more. Up next, more walking! And rain, a lot of rain.

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09/09/2025
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England, Europe, Europe, Travel, United Kingdom

A Night at The Eden Project: Lights, Music, and Nature

Plants. We all need them. Photosynthesis happens, and plants create oxygen. It’s a pretty basic understanding of the importance of plant life on Earth, but an apt one.

My partner loves plants. She cannot get enough of them. I am currently looking at a single bamboo shoot in a glass vase in front of me as I type. There are countless other plants around our place as well. I am indifferent to them, but she loves them, so we have them around. I believe my indifference stems from my childhood, particularly from being forced to help my parents garden on weekends. It became a chore, one I didn’t enjoy participating in.

Then, somehow, I worked at a nursery. Plants became my day-to-day. Did I retain anything I learned while there? Not really. I do appreciate plants, though! That appreciation extends to wanting to visit spots where plants and various forms of ecology are found.

Enter, The Eden Project in Cornwall.

Walking from the car park, I knew nothing about the place. We ventured downhill for what felt like forever because we decided to not take the pedestrian shuttle bus. It was a lovely night, with the weather being perfect, so we walked in. Once we passed through the turnstile, we made our way out to a balcony, and this was our view. I went in blind, and I was in awe at what I saw.

The entire place was lit up for the Christmas holidays. They were hosting a special nighttime light and music extravaganza, if you will. The geodesic domes were lit up, and the surrounding spots were also dotted with colourful lights. It was a truly inviting atmosphere for people of all ages. They even had an ice skating rink set up! We declined to skate but saw many people enjoying the rink.

There are numerous domes throughout the park. The domes represent different biomes. The largest dome simulates the rainforest, and the smaller one is more Mediterranean.

Walking around was quite the treat. Not only were the lights up and illuminating the plants in a variety of unexpected ways, but they also played bits from Hans Zimmer’s score from the movie Interstellar in the background. It created this ethereal and futuristic vibe for our walk among the plants. So cool!

If you ignore the music, lights, and the actual importance of The Eden Project, it reminded me a lot of the movie Biodome. Insofar as the biomes were in domes. That is the extent of my reference to that movie. Oh, and Kylie Minogue! Sadly, no Kylie there that night, but the experience of walking around was a treat in and of itself.

Those involved did an exceptional job creating a unique experience. There were disco balls in the rafters. Things that appeared to be jellyfish, or the woodsprites from Avatar, also looked to be floating above our heads at one point. Add in a waterfall or two, and the walk through the biomes was a pleasant and joyful way to spend the evening.

As we neared the end of the journey, we found ourselves face-to-face with home.

That’s right, we walked into a California-centric part of the biome! We love that we were both born and raised in California. It’s a special place. We have forests, deserts, beaches, and snowcapped mountains spread throughout our entire state. Sometimes those spaces can be mere hours from each other.

But with these wonderful spaces, we also realize how delicate our ecosystem is. Climate change is real (sorry, not sorry to the losers who think otherwise), and living in a state that recognizes that and is working toward solutions is vital to both of us. Seeing our home state represented so far from home was a nice cap to the evening. It reminded us of what we have back home, but also what we need to protect.

Numerous spots throughout the park take an environmental focus and look to educate the visitors. Beyond the typical Latin genus and where a plant can be found in the world, in some cases, a plaque will be displayed indicating what medicinal uses the plant can provide.

At the very end of our trip, we walked into the art exhibition portion of the park. This area is where local artists display their work, and it also houses hands-on exhibits for children. Given the late hour, there were no classes taking place for kids. There was, however, a giant egg-looking seed “planted” in the middle of the building.

It’s a 70-tonne carved piece of granite. It is massive. I had to completely zoom out my camera on my phone just to try and get most of the sculpture into the frame. It’s a stunning piece that cannot be missed.

With the walk over, we took one last look out at the domes. The sun had set entirely by the time we left, and the domes looked as if a party was taking place. I usually log these walks, so I wish I could tell you how many steps/miles we walked in the park. Alas, not this time. I will say that you won’t need your jackets while inside the biomes. We hastily removed ours once we got inside. You can really work up a sweat trudging through a faux rainforest!

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26/08/2025
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England, Europe, Travel, United Kingdom

Exploring Cornwall: A Journey Through Coastal Towns

I admit, I knew nothing about Cornwall before arriving in the UK. I know about Redwall, I have been to the Corn Palace, and I have heard of Cornish Pixies, but I knew nothing about Cornwall. Come to find out, there are many beach towns worthy of a visit here, too!

Cornwall, Kernow to the locals, is located in the westernmost part of the English South West Peninsula. It is a bit of a trek to get there. The roads are long, with plenty of Services available, and they stretch on and on. This is especially true when we were coming from Wales.

Our reason for visiting Cornwall was two-fold. One was to see my partner’s Great Aunt. The other was to show me around. This is a place where my partner grew up. She would spend occasional summers and winters here with her Great Aunt and Uncle. She wanted to share a part of her past with me and allow me to experience the joy of being there among the people of Cornwall.

I really did enjoy meeting her Great Aunt. I lost my grandmother over 20 years ago, and I do miss her. Meeting a member of my partner’s extended family was a bit of a salve on the wound of losing my own family member all those years ago. Aunt Cynthia is a gem.

Using the town of Truro as a base, we set out in different directions to explore the English coast.

Our first stop was the town of Padstow. There is a car park on the water, which can get rather busy regardless of the time of year. The day we visited was no exception. We must have circled the lot three times before a car finally pulled out, and we backed our way into a spot that was so tricky for our rental to maneuver in that when we finished parking, we high-fived each other.

Once we parked, we were treated to a lovely view of the water, obviously.

You may be looking at that photo above and say, “Oy! There are many spots right in front of you! You lie!” Those spots aren’t for regular cars, and as Bryn from Gavin & Stacey says, “I’ll tell you for why:” they’re for caravans or coaches carrying groups of people.

Anyway, there was a Rick Stein’s restaurant and cookery school right next to the car park, so we dipped in there and had some lovely fish and local drinks before we set about the town.

Several cool shops and cafes were dotting the waterfront, and there were many people out and about on this day. The sun was out, sort of, and the weather overall was accommodating. It was a pleasant day by British standards! And I would have to agree. The cool weather made the walk around the town very enjoyable.

I didn’t know this, but the British love their ice cream. As we made our way around the waterfront, we saw many people holding cups and cones of ice cream, even though it was not warm. If this were back home, the ice cream shops would be boarded up and shut for the season. But not these people. And I love them for that. I have always had a bit of a sweet tooth. More than a bit. A lot. So we definitely had a cone while we walked, and I had my partner hold my ice cream while I took the above photo. We are a great team!

Our next stop would be going all the way down to Mousehole. To those of you with an American accent in your brain speaking to you as you read, it is not pronounced Mouse Hole. It is pronounced Mau-zel. With that settled, let me say that the streets in Mousehole are ridiculous. Even for a more compact auto, we had a hard time navigating. The roads were narrow. The turns were tight. And to make matters worse, the car parks were full.

My partner had reached her limit of driving. So, I took over once we got out of the main town. I hadn’t driven on the left side of the road since August 2023 in New Zealand. Now I come with experience and the know-how to drive better than ever!

With me behind the wheel, we turned our sights to a new destination. After the disappointment of Mousehole, we wanted a spot that was a bit quieter. Enter St. Agnes. It is the definition of a quaint beach village. There were fewer people, and I found the view to be slightly better. The way the beach opens up and offers up the expansive ocean as a turquoise-tinted vista is breathtaking.

To our surprise, there were several surfers out in the water. The Royal Navy Lifeboat Institution (think surf lifesavers/lifeguards), pictured above, was also hosing off their wares after being in the water practicing lifesaving. The cold temperatures of the water were not enough to deter those determined to enter the water.

As you walk down the lone road to the beach, there is a narrow path off to the left that takes you up and over and offers up stunning views of the town, the water, and everything else left.

This area feels abandoned. But also as if it was ripped from time and untouched. But, more than likely, I took it to mean that not many people were venturing out above the water when it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That left us to explore and be treated to a quiet spot above the town.

Continuing on the trail, we reached a point where we could either continue our trek and make it a real hike, or we could pause and enjoy the surroundings. There was a moment where we thought about trudging onward, but we looked up the hill and it was STEEP. Not too steep, but steep enough that we knew we wouldn’t want to be sweating profusely by the time we reached the top.

We spent a decent amount of time at this spot. It was serene. We could look out across to where the water meets the sky and really take in the vastness of the ocean and our place in the world. Spoiler alert, I nearly proposed to my partner here, but a bit too many people were walking around us, and I did not have a ring on me. I think she knows this, but in case she does not, I will probably hear from her in the next few seconds after she finishes reading this piece. I’ll tell you her response in my next post!

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19/08/2025
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Europe, Europe, Travel, Wales

Discover the Charm of St. Davids on Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a significant holiday in nearly every other English-speaking country, except for the United States. I always knew it as a day to watch every Premier League team play. I also knew it as a day when there would not be many people out and about. Or at least, that is what I thought I knew.

It would seem that many other people in neighbouring towns had the same inkling that we had. In that, they also wanted to get out, take a stroll somewhere, and have a meal at a pub or restaurant. My partner had told me about St. Davids, the cathedral, and the town, and she mentioned how beautiful the area is. So, naturally, we made our way out there with minimal resistance in the form of traffic or people.

After circling the centre of town looking for a car park of any kind, we eventually found one. And let me tell you, if you are looking for a quaint Welsh village with curb appeal around every corner, this could be your spot. The Christmas lights were strung across the streets, and the weather was just on the right side of damp before edging into wet territory, which made for an eerie but pleasantly atmospheric setting.

Finding the cathedral is not hard. There are signs all over the streets leading you in the proper direction. And reader, let me tell you, the walk in (it’s downhill, so it’s nice [more on that at the exit]) opens up to a rather stunning view of the church. I didn’t think it would be as massive as it actually is. With the fog and clouds so low, it added another level of mystery and brought out that truly Medieval quality the building evokes.

Walking around the grounds and inside the church itself really reminded me of the church that I used to frequent as a child. Although to a much lesser degree, I could see where my hometown church might have drawn inspiration. I could see it in the stonework, the stained glass, and the tower. Beyond that, St Davids blows that one out of the water.

The people who work there and operate the cathedral on a day-to-day basis have done an excellent job maintaining the grounds. It was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. Accessing living history is something that one should not take for granted. Although some structures on the grounds have become ruins, it is essential to preserve and visit them.

It’s super cliche for me to write, but access to our past helps us inform our future, even in this instance. These are architectural marvels, given how long they have stood and how long they continue to stand.

Continuing the self-guided tour outside, you are treated to more civil engineering work (bridges, walls, etc.), and you can see how big a footprint the church has. The old Bishops Palace stands in ruins, hollowed out by time. The sloped grounds are pretty massive. Numerous monuments and gravesites speckle the lot. You can even get a little something for yourself at the gift shop nearby.

After leaving the cathedral grounds, we made our way back up the slope. It’s a steady incline, but an incline nonetheless. Calves burned. A little perspiration was produced. But don’t worry, that was only because we were wearing large coats. Not because we were out of shape. With it being Boxing Day, we luckily found ourselves a pub that was open for a few more hours before we had to head back to the town of Llangwm.

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22/07/2025
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Baseball, California, Sport, Travel, USA

A Trip to the 2024 World Series

With the current baseball season at its midway point, I figured it would be the right time to return to one of my favorite memories of 2024.

This will, of course, be about the 2024 World Series.

Throughout my life, I have attended hundreds of baseball games. Most of them have been at Dodger Stadium. Chavez Ravine is a pain in the ass to leave after the game is over, but it’s a gorgeous stadium to visit. It has, when the air isn’t smoggy, a perfect view of the San Gabriel Mountains beyond center field. Opposite the mountains and behind home plate, at the edge of the parking lot, you have an unparalleled view of Downtown Los Angeles. I may wax poetic here because it’s my hometown team, but I love attending a home Dodger game.

Since I was in high school, from 2001 to 2005, I have attended numerous regular-season and playoff games, but I have never attended a World Series. I am part of a group that holds season tickets, and when it comes time for playoff games, we rotate our attendance. During my time in this group, the Dodgers have appeared in four World Series. But I was not in attendance for any of those games.

Let me tell you where I was during those four World Series runs. In 2017, I attended NLCS Game 2 at Dodger Stadium against the Cubs, and as a result of the game, I lost my voice. In 2018, I attended another NLCS game, this time Game 3, and it was a forgettable loss to the Brewers. In 2020, only a limited number of fans were allowed to attend the World Series, which was held in Texas. I had a work trip that had me miss a game by one day. Grrr! Finally, in 2024, the rotation landed with me going to a World Series game. I was in my hotel room watching Game 1, and if you don’t know, this is how it ended. It would be hard to beat that moment, but I didn’t need it. I just wanted to be at a game and see my team play in person.

After arriving hours before first pitch, we snaked our way through the concourse to find merchandise. The lines were insane! I was lucky to get a program and a bottle opener. I ended up finding a ball and a few pins while I was in my seat, via online marketplaces (Etsy and eBay for the win!). The only bright spot to being in line was when Magic Johnson walked by.

Yes, they are blurry! I had to act fast!

Sitting in our seats, primed for the action, we waited for a long ass time. We got there early. Very early. But I would rather that than rushing to my seat and missing a moment of the action. It was a really entertaining game. The Dodgers took the lead. The Yankees came back. The Dodgers retook the lead. The Yankees clawed back and made it too close for comfort in the ninth inning before being shut down. Here are highlights, if you have 13 minutes to spare.

The guys had done it and needed to win two more. There was no way I was putting the cart before the horse, though. In 2017 and 2018, I bought World Series-branded hats because it had been since 1988 that the Dodgers played in the Fall Classic. They lost those two series, and I learned my lesson. Superstition got the best of me, and in 2020 and 2024, I didn’t buy any hats or shirts until the Series was won.

This was also the game in which Shohei Ohtani injured his arm while sliding into second base. I heard a stadium go quiet once before, but not like this. This was on the biggest stage. Ohtani had done so much to help push and carry this team to this point. The rest of the team picked it up and eventually brought the team over the line to become champions, but not before Ohtani scared the living bejeezus out of everyone in attendance.

When the final out was caught, and Randy Newman’s I Love LA began to play, the sweetest sense of relief overcame me. How can you not be romantic about baseball?

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