The Emerald Isle...or one of my motherlands

In honor of Thanksgiving and all the lands we are all from in order to form this land...America, well...okay maybe not in honor of Thanksgiving.  But because I am 1/5 Irish, I would like to talk about Ireland.  Sweet accents, beautiful rolling hills, perfect weather (from what I've heard), and my heritage, Ireland is definitely on my top 5 places I must visit in my lifetime.


Today also begins my posts of my motherlands.  I already blogged about Germany awhile ago so...here's what is left: Ireland (now), Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland.  Yes, that is five countries.  Hopefully my background doesn't consist of any others I'm not aware of.  :)


Comfortably next to England, and slightly smaller, Ireland sits with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and England to its east.  Named the Emerald Isle due to the rolling hills of greens all over the country, Ireland also has coastal mountains (once again, if you love mountains, you can't pass this up!).


Of course there are popular tourist sites including Blarney Castle, Bunratty Castle (great names), and of course the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.  Whether you're a fan of beer or not, it's still interesting to do the "touristy" thing and check it out.

I long to see this in person.  :)

Bunratty Castle

Guinness.  yes.

More info...per usual: Ireland.

Ciao,

Lauren

El Salvador

El Salvador is one of the smallest and yet densely populated countries in the world, and also declared one of the most beautiful.  Highly sought after for its beautiful beaches and the nightlife, people come from all over to this little country in Latin America.

yes, please.

Santa Ana is one natural site that is popular to visit in El Salvador.    The highest volcano in the country, the last eruption was in 2005 forcing many people to leave surround villages.  There is even a small crater lake in the center of several calderas and craters.

With a rich history, El Salvador has much to offer, even beyond what I mentioned in this post.  Check out more info at: El Salvador.

Ciao,

Lauren

Seattle, WA

I have never been to the west coast.  This is one of the main reasons I really want to go to Seattle, besides the movie Sleepless In Seattle maybe.  And I already know I can deal with the weather since Cleveland probably sees just about as much sun as this rainy city.  A city of great coffee, the Space Needle, and Pike's Place Fish Market, there are many reasons to take a trip to the other side of the US.

For me, coffee is reason enough to visit any given location, however there are many other reasons to see this city.  :)

The Space Needle is well-known, and I think it's safe to say, many know Seattle for this popular tourist location.  At 605 feet in height and around 138 feet wide, this tower is impossible to miss.  With a view of not only downtown Seattle, you can also see surrounding sites such as the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, and Elliott Bay.  You can also enjoy your time at the top of this needle with a meal at the restaurant.

If I make it to Seattle one day, I would also like to visit Pike's Place Fish Market, popular for creating the FISH philosophy that is used in many business and work environments.  If you haven't heard of it, check it out at: FISH philosophy.

Alright, well that's all I've got for now!

Ciao,

Lauren

Italiano...I just want the food

With all the hype in movies, I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't want to explore this amazing country in some capacity.  From the food, to the scenery, I already feel, or rather, know that I would fall in love with this place.  However, because this boot shaped country is so large, I'm going to focus in on two cities in particular: Florence and Rome.


Florence is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, which of course is its biggest attraction.  With a rich history, there are endless attractions to see, as well as wonderful cuisine (or so I've heard).  Historically, Florence is the oldest Renaissance city that is still in existence today.  One site that I would really like to see is the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest art museums in existence.

For more information check out: http://www.aboutflorence.com/

Now.  For Rome.  This may seem like an obvious choice, and desire for a person to want to travel to, but there must be a reason for its popularity.  Historically, I would love to see the Coliseum, but I've also heard that the cafes/coffee in Rome are unbeatable (and for someone who loves coffee...take me now).  Like Florence, there are endless possibilities of historical and art/culture to experience, and I'm sure exploring it myself would be the only way to really know what is really there.

For more info check out... Italy Guides.

Ciao,

Lauren

The Falls

One of the few family vacations I've had in my life was a trip to Niagara Falls, Canada, and let me tell you, it was the highlight of my life at the time.  Some would say that you could just go to Niagara Falls, see it and leave, however there are more places to go other than the falls (but I have to say they are pretty awesome).


Unfortunately, I don't have a digital copy of my trip there but...here is an idea of what I saw.

While participating in the more "touristy" parts of this popular vacation site, it is most interesting to learn about the many brave people who ventured over the falls in a barrel.  Some have survived with some bumps, bruises, and broken bones, while others have lost their lives.  The most interesting story is of Kirk Jones who went over the falls with only the clothes on his back.  Amazing.  You can read more stories about these daredevils at: Daredevils of Niagara Falls.

However, the best way (and safest way) to see the beautiful Horseshoe Falls is from a distance, either from the may points you can walk along or from the Maid of the Mist.  When I went, I was able to take a ride on Maid of the Mist as well as take a "Journey Behind The Falls", which is also a very cool experience.  Aside from the falls, there are many options for going to museums or other outdoor attractions.  For more information, check out, http://www.niagara-usa.com/attractions.html.

Ciao,

Lauren

Just Brilliant

It may be because I am watching Harry Potter right now, but I decided England is the location for this post.  Not only do I love the accent (okay, I have a thing for accents in general), but who can deny the desire to be up close and personal with Buckingham Palace?  When I was younger, I used to have some sort of fascination with Princess Diana (I think it was that whole fairytale thing) and also, because she was infamous for helping people.  So that is yet another reason that a visit to England is necessary in my life.


To keep it simple, here are a list of places worth seeing in England:


1. Stonehenge-historical and mysterious, what could be better?

2. Lake Windermere-the largest natural lake in England, who doesn't love a large body of water?

3. Tower of London-a very historical place.

4. Buckingham Palace-like I said earlier, who wouldn't want to see this:

5. Oxford-I just want to see Oxford University I guess...

While there are MANY more places to see in England, I'll end with this, the Brits seem to just have a much cooler way of speaking English, such as describing things with "brilliant", and saying "cheerio!"

Ciao,

Lauren

Perhaps in my near future?

As I get closer to graduating, and the end of this semester, I've been brainstorming/researching ways to travel once I am a college graduate.  And I may have found the perfect opportunity.  The program I used to study abroad in Spain, International Studies Abroad, or ISA, has another opportunity that allows students, or post-grads I guess, to volunteer/intern abroad!  The program is called,  Experiential Learning Abroad Programs, or ELAP for short.


There are locations in both Europe and Latin America, so I am very excited about looking into this opportunity, perhaps for next fall.  Most exciting to me, is that there is now an opportunity in Sevilla, Spain, which includes a Marketing Internship...can you say fate?  Okay, well that's what I'm thinking anyway, PR and International Studies major, who LOVES Spain, what could be better?


The programs are also offered during the semester and can even be combined with ISA's study abroad programs, so not only is there an opportunity to volunteer or gain experience as an intern, but you can also get credits for school.  If I had known about this sooner, I would have tried to do that!  However, post-grads can still take part in the volunteer/intern experience, which for the most part is pretty affordable.


Anyway, here is the website in case you would like more information on this amazing program!  


http://www.myelap.com/home


Ciao,


Lauren

The City of Brotherly Love

So far this blog has only focused on places outside of the U.S., so today I'm going to talk about somewhere in our very own country.  A few years ago, I took a trip to Philadelphia, PA with my family.  To some, this may not seem like a very exciting trip, but the drive through Pennsylvania is an adventure in and of itself.  Since we had not seen my aunt (my dad's sister), in awhile, we were going to visit for a few days, and therefore weren't able to see a lot on this particular trip.  However, the city of Philly is a diverse and very historical place.


Two of the most memorable places I visited were the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.  If you're not familiar with Independence Hall you may remember it from the movie National Treasure...I think Nicholas Cage runs through it or something during the movie.  But as a nerd who loves historical places/things, these two things were wonderful to see.  Below you'll see a couple pictures of my sister and I in front of the bell and also inside Independence Hall. 


Philadelphia also offers many museums and other wonderfully historic places for you to visit, along with parks, and just a lovely little city.  Philly also has more "rundown" parts of town which I was able to see when we traveled into the city, but I didn't witness anything too scary.  :)

Liberty Bell–uncracked side.

The other side.

Independence Hall.

Tourist pose outside of a park in Philly.

Ciao,

Lauren