Scotland 2018: Day 2

Laura Irwin

Today was the first day of the European Gymnastics Championships, so I spent most of the day at the SSE Hydro arena taking in the action. I didn’t feel like I was missing very much sightseeing-wise. As a city, I feel like there isn’t a whole lot to interest me in Glasgow, and I saw the highlights I wanted to see yesterday. Anything else will be a bonus. Contrary to yesterday’s prediction, I slept pretty well, save for about 3 hours in the middle of the night when I couldn’t fall back to sleep. So I slept from about 4:30 to 9 last night, and again from midnight til about 5:45 this morning. Not too bad.

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Late night view from my hotel room – Clyde Arc Bridge

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Scotland 2018: Day 1

Laura Irwin

So, Scotland again… for 2 reasons this time:
1. I had to include the U.K. in my “Year of Travel”
2. The European Gymnastics Championships (Euros) are taking place in Glasgow this week.
In fact, the Euros were my motivation for booking the trip in the first place. Even though I’m here for the gymnastics, the European Championships actually encompasses 7 different sports and includes 4,500 athletes from all across Europe.

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Glasgow Cathedral

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California 2018: Day 6

Laura Irwin
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Armstrong Redwoods

I spent the day among the redwoods and along the coast today. After a rejuvenating ten hours of sleep, I went for a non-sugary breakfast (I know, what’s wrong with me?!) at the hotel and then set out for Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in Guerneville. I have been to Muir Woods before, and Armstrong Redwoods has the same beauty without the crowds. There are several trails you can take, but I settled for a loop walk on a couple of shorter trails. I am always amazed by the sheer size of the giant trees and the knowledge that those same trees have been in the same spot for centuries.

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California 2018: Day 5

Laura Irwin

Off to wine country! In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably start off by saying that I’m not really much of a wine drinker. It’s not that I don’t enjoy wine occasionally (remember how much I enjoyed the prosecco in Italy?), but it’s not my drink of preference. That being said, wine country for me is more about the atmosphere, vineyards dotting the hillsides, and good food. I’ve been to Napa a couple of times before, so this time I decided to head to Sonoma Valley.

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Golden Gate Bridge

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California 2018: Day 4

Laura Irwin

I spent most of the day today at Golden Gate Park. It is larger than Central Park in New York City, and is dotted with museums, gardens, and other attractions. Of course, that wasn’t my first stop of the day. I first feasted on deep fried French toast and “Millionaire’s Bacon” (thick-cut bacon caramelized with brown sugar and hot pepper flakes) at Sweet Maple. It felt like a must-try, but the French toast far outshined the bacon. It should probably be noted, though, that I’m not much of a bacon person in general. Then it was off to the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park, followed by Stow Lake, Strawberry Hill, the Rose Garden, and the Conservatory of Flowers. My favorite by far was the rose garden, where hundreds of varieties of roses were all in beautiful bloom.

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Golden Gate Park Rose Garden

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California 2018: Day 3

Laura Irwin

Despite being just a 30 minute ferry ride from San Francisco, I felt like I was transported back to Italy when I visited Sausalito today. I had been there before, but I think it was just a quick drive through that time. Today, I took the 10AM ferry after enjoying delicious lemon ricotta pancakes at Plow in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. Stepping off the ferry was like stepping into a different world. Gone were the crowds and noise, replaced with hillside homes reminiscent of the Mediterranean and quiet waterfront sidewalks.

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Sausalito Waterfront

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California 2018: Day 2

Laura Irwin

Chinatown. School of Rock. Cable cars. Cider bar. Those things pretty much sum up my first full day in San Francisco. I made it until 7PM last night before crashing, and slept moderately well until 3 o’clock this morning. It is probably worth noting that the last “meal” I ate (a piece of sourdough bread with havarti) was at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon. So not only was I wide awake, my stomach was in desperate need of food. Fortunately, I had saved my Biscoff cookies from the plane, so there I was at 4AM… munching on cookies in bed and watching the Bachelorette. Crazy, I know.

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Mama’s on Washington Square

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California 2018: Day 1

Laura Irwin

The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, sourdough bread… what’s not to love about San Francisco? If you didn’t guess already, this is where I’ll be spending the next few days. I have been here twice before, but my last visit was in 2011. I was originally going to go to Iceland this week, but a combination of things kept that out of the running for this summer. Shortly after I decided to skip Iceland, I watched a movie that showed the San Francisco skyline and next thing I knew… the trip was booked!

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Golden Gate Bridge from Coit Tower

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Charleston 2018: Day 2

Laura Irwin
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Charleston, SC

Music and food. Two things that don’t require sunny skies and thus a recipe for a perfect overcast day in Charleston. There was actually a little sun first thing this morning before the clouds won out. I took advantage of the clear skies and went for a long walk before brunch. Speaking of brunch… Poogan’s Porch is a true southern experience, set in an 1880s Victorian home with porches overlooking Queen Street. While the porch was tempting, it was much too humid to dine al fresco today. I had a table on the first floor of the main house where I feasted on a homemade biscuit with honey butter, pulled pork eggs Benedict, and a mimosa. Another A+ meal!

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