Category Archives: Videos – Travel Adventures

Costa Rica Pt 1 – Landing in San Jose | Driving to the Rainforest in a Downpour

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Part 1 of our Costa Rica Travel Series.

 


Itinerary for Day 1

  • Take an evening flight out of Baltimore, bound for Juan Santamaría International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica (connection in ATL).
  • Arrive in San Jose the next morning around 11AM
  • Pick up our rental car.
  • Sharpen up our Central American driving skills by cruising through downtown San Jose
  • Drive about an hour north from San Jose towards LaPaz Waterfall Gardens and Peace Lodge Resort
  • Navigate through an afternoon rain forest downpour.  This happened every day around 12:30PM.  The following morning we would awaken to a perfect reset of bright sun and clear blue skies.  We quickly learned to plan our outdoor activities between 6AM and Noon, followed by storm watching in the afternoons.
  • Arrive at the Peace Lodge hotel.
  • Lounge on the balcony and try to absorb the fact that we made it to Costa Rica.
  • Head out for a fancy Costa Rican dinner.
  • Get some much needed sleep and prepare for our upcoming day of rain forest exploration.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where we do a rainforest waterfall hike and see how Sara does face to face with poisonous frog (spoiler alert: they become best friends).

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Sara Goes to Ireland Pt 4 – St Patrick’s Cathedral & Dublin Airport

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Join Sara & I as we travel around Ireland.

For the fourth and final day of our travel adventure in Ireland, we have a handful of hours to explore before heading off to the Dublin airport, so we decide to check out two Dublin landmarks that we hadn’t seen yet – Dublin Castle.

Itinerary for Day 4

    • Check out of our room at the Clontarf Castle Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
    • An early morning visit to Dublin Castle
    • A gander at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
    • Head to the Dublin International Airport

Sara Goes to Ireland Pt 3 – Travel Tips, Castles & Temple Bar

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Join Sara & I as we travel around Ireland.

For the third day of our travel adventure in Ireland, we share some Ireland travel  tips over breakfast, then head south from Dublin, towards the Wicklow Mountains and Lough Tay (Loch Té in Irish) for a day of exploration, followed by a night on the town in Dublin’s Temple Bar district.  Along the way, we discover some ancient castles, one in ruins, the other still standing (complete with a functioning moat).

Itinerary for Day 3

    • Have some coffee & porridge in our hotel room at the Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin.
    • Head south on the highway towards the Wicklow Mountains
    • Visit Lough Tay and the surrounding forests.
    • Picnic along the River Liffey near the Ballysmuttan Bridge.
    • Head further south towards the town of Wicklow to visit the ruins of Black Castle.
    • Head north back towards Dublin, visiting Drimnaugh Castle along the way.
    • Visit Dublin’s famed Temple for for some bangers and mash & and pint of Guinness.
    • Return to the Clontarf Castle Hotel for some drinks at the Knight’s Pub before heading of to bed upstairs.

Stay tuned for part four, where we head into Dublin one final time for an early morning visit to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, followed by a hearty breakfast at the Dublin Airport, before heading back home to the states.

Sara Goes to Ireland! – Pt 2 Cliffs of Moher & Castle Ruins

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Join Sara & I as we travel around Ireland.

For the second day of our travel adventure in Ireland, we head west from Dublin, towards the western shoreline and the stunning Cliffs of Moher.

Itinerary for Day 2

  • Have a quick spot of coffee and some porridge in our hotel room at the Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin.
  • Head west on the highway towards Galway and ultimately, the Cliffs of Moher.
  • Exit the motorway near to town of Ennis to explore the ruins of Clare Abbey, an Augustinian monastery founded in 1195.
  • Continue on towards the west coast of Ireland, enjoying the sights.
  • Explore the Cliffs of Moher.  There is a path along the cliffs that runs from the village of Doolin all the way to  the village of Liscannor, with the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center in between them (which is where we started from)
  • On the way home, stop in Limerick City, Ireland for some fish n’ chips and a pint at Dolans pub and live music spot.
  • Return to Clontarf Castle Hotel.

Stay tuned for part three, where we head south of Dublin to further explore the Wicklow Mountains followed by a night out in Dublin’s famed Temple Bar area.

Sara Goes to Ireland! – Pt 1 Dublin Arrival & County Wicklow

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Join Sara & I as we travel to Ireland

Itinerary for Day 1

  • Arrive at Dublin Airport via Wow Air
  • Pick up our rental car at the airport.
  • Grab some breakfast (eggs and beans!) at Brams Cafe on St Aidan’s Park Rd.
  • Check in at the Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin.
  • Head south to Wicklow Gap in the Wicklow Mountains
  • Explore some ruins along St Kevins Way (30 km trail from Hollywood to the valley of Glendalough)
  • Head to the West Wicklow House in Blessington, County Wicklow for a pint of Guinness and some dinner.
  • Return to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Stay tuned for part two, where we head west towards the Irish coast to see the Cliffs of Moher and stop for some tasty fish n’ chips at Dolan’s in Limerick City, Ireland.

5 Days in Iceland

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Travel with us to Iceland for 5 days of Adventure and Sightseeing.

Below is a list of waterfalls (“foss” in Icelandic), craters, hot dog spots, national parks, etc visited on each day.

Time of Year – Late October

Day 1 – Notable Places Visited

Left Baltimore International Airport via Wow Air to Reykjavík
Reykjavik-Keflavik Airport and a stop at the Duty Free alcohol shop
Blue Lagoon Spa and Hotspring
Iceland Hot dog Stand – Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (Baejarins Beztu Pylsur)
Bonus Supermarket for food and groceries
A visit with the Black Death (Brennivin)

Day 2 (Golden Circle) – Notable Places Visited 

Random stop on Rt 1 to gaze at mountain range
Kerið Crater (Kerid Crater)
Geysir Geothermal Field and Hot Springs
Strokkur Geyser (active)
Geysir (not currently active)
Gullfoss (Golden Falls)
Another roadside gaze at a snow capped volcanic mountain range
Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir National Park)
Öxarárfoss waterfall (Oxararfoss)
Gallows Rock
Site of continental drift between the North American and Eurasian Plates
Silfra (glacial spring where you can scuba dive between the two continents)
Hot dogs from Olis Gas Station – Amazing.
Brennivin

Day 3 – Notable Places Visited

Black Sand Beach and volcanic cliffs near Vík í Mýrdal (village of Vik)
Dyrhólaey (Dyrholaey) – massive arch and southernmost point in Iceland
Mountain drive near the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier (Myrdalsjokull Glacier)
Sólheimajökull Glacier (Solheimajokull Glacier)
Skógafoss (Skogafoss waterfall)
Seljalandsfoss (waterfall that you can walk behind)
Brennivin

Day 4 – Notable Places Visited

Hvalfjörður Tunnel (Hvalfjordur Tunnel)
Landbrotalaug Hotpot natural hot springs (the larger one is tapped so you can control the temp!)
Kirkjufell (mountain)
Kirkjufellsfoss (waterfall adjacent to Kirkjufell)
Reykjavik nightlife, bars, clubs, insanity, fun
First bar – Lebowski Bar (American themed bar that was having a Halloween costume party that night)
Subsequent bars – I honestly have no idea, but it was intense 🙂
Okay, that’s enough of the Brennivin

Day 5 – Notable Places Visited

Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach (Nautholsvik Geothermal Beach)
Grotta Lighthouse
Reykjavík-Keflavík International Airport for a final round of hot dogs.