Street Art is Free Art

I love nothing more than an excellent mural or a street performer. You never know what you'll find around town, so keep your eyes peeled for cool stuff just waiting to be discovered. A lot of cities are partnering with local artists on beautification projects, so this is more and more common in downtown areas.

While we're not traveling, you can still be a tourist in your own city, which can help you learn more about where you live and also give you a feeling of being on vacation. One of my favorite things in London is all the different neighborhoods with different vibes. We have some of the best times just walking around looking at street art. 

Portland has become more and more of a hotbed for street artists. There are tons of murals on buildings, walls, fences, and even electrical boxes. The same can be said for many other cities, including Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Seattle, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. It's a cheap travel activity and you're not confined to an art gallery. Most cities even have a ton of sculptures scattered around. 

I always look out for street art, cool graffiti, and other artwork whenever I walk or ride through a neighborhood. It's an awesome way to find out what sort of artists your destination is home to and how a city sees itself. 

There are a lot of ways to save money on a trip and plenty of free and cheap things wherever you go. Street art is a great alternative to a museum, especially if you travel with kids who may or may not make it be able to hang out in a quiet and controlled atmosphere for long enough to make admission prices worth the visit.   

With more cities wanting to enrich neighborhoods, showcasing local painters is an affordable way to do so and also give them a wide, varied audience. 

What are some of your favorite cities for art, either traditional or street?

Must-See Ireland Locations (Part 1)

One of my favorite things is to rent a car on vacation and drive around all over, much like I love a good road trip. As much as I enjoy walking and taking public transportation, you can cover a lot more ground in less time when you drive yourself. When we return to the UK, my hope is to road trip around Scotland, but Ireland is also a wonderful place to explore. 

Photo credit to my wonderful cousin, Cassidy

Having an Ireland staycation is great, and stress-free, but nothing beats being able to see a place on your own and soak in all the culture, architecture and scenery. Plus, there are a ton of castles. So, let's take a look at some of the must-see places in the country, whether you're planning a self-drive vacation or a stay-put vacation where you might take a day trip or just stay in one of these destinations:

photo credit

Belfast

The capital and largest city in Northern Ireland that often gets overshadowed by Dublin as a trip destination, but it doesn't make it any less interesting. This was the originating sailing port of the Titanic and you can visit the museum with full-scale models and interactive exhibits and rides. But that's not the only cool thing to see in Belfast. 

• Belfast Castle - Built in 1870, the castle sits on the slopes of Cavehill Country Park. If you've ever wanted to eat at a castle, this is the place to do it. Stop in for afternoon tea or lunch, and then hit up the museum in the cellars. 
• Belfast murals - Like other cities, Belfast has a ton of murals on walls across the city. You can take a formal tour or you can just walk around and discover them on your own, too.
• Botanic Gardens - Established in the early 1800s, the gardens are a public park full of tropical plants, exotic trees, and plants from the southern hemisphere. 
• Shanes Castle - These ruins are found 20 miles from Belfast, nearby Antrim. It was used as a filming site in seasons 1 and 2 of Game of Thrones.  
• St. George's Market - A market is always a good place to get a feel for a city and interact with locals. This market is no different and sells everything from food to handmade goods. If you're looking for souvenirs or gifts to bring back home. 
• Ulster Folk & Transport Museum - Located around 7 miles from Belfast, this museum shows you the history of life in Northern Ireland. The transportation museum lets you explore all forms of transport from early Ireland until now.

photo credit

Clare

Known as the Wild Atlantic Way, Clare is the place to visit if you love nature and the water and even enjoy a good hike. 

• Bunratty Castle - The most complete medieval castle in Ireland sits right on the river. Built in the 1500s, but restored in 1954, it's full of authentic furniture and decor, and sits within a Folk Park that is like stepping back in time. This is the Ireland version of Colonial Williamsburg.
• Cliffs of Moher - These cliffs overlooking the Atlantic are a popular tourist attraction, due to their sweeping and dramatic views. You can walk to the cliffs and avoid entrance fees. 
• The Burren - This limestone plateau is home to wedge-tombs, caves, ring forts, and several castles. It's a great place to soak in the history of the land and get some amazing pictures while you're at it. 
• Burren Smokehouse - If you're a fan of salmon, you can learn all about how it's smoked, turned into different dishes, and even taste some of the local organic salmon that is smoked here as well. 
• Doolin Village - Located in the Burren, this little colorful fishing village is a must-visit. You can take a ferry to the Aran Islands from here, or take a boat to see the Cliffs of Moher from the sea instead.

photo credit

Cork

A lot of people make the pilgrimage to Cork in order to kiss the Blarney Stone. I certainly wouldn't suggest that, as so many other people have done it, not to mention we're in a pandemic, and I hope we don't forget what germs can do, but that doesn't mean you can't touch it for a little luck of the Irish.

• Blarney Castle - Home to the Blarney Store, but this 600 year old castle has much more to offer, and sits on a property with beautiful gardens. 
• Blarney Woolen Mills - Originally a small cottage with a thatched roof, the mills is now the largest Irish store in the whole world. Purchase not only wool clothing and blankets, but also pottery, crystal ,and many other Irish goods. 
• Old Midleton Whiskey Distillery - Also known as the Jameson Experience, the distillery began as a woolen mill and then turned into a military barracks before finally becoming a distillery. Here you can take a tour, explore the visitor center, restaurant, and gift shop.
• the city itself - The second largest city in Ireland has much to see and do. The city center is actually an island set between two channels of the River Lee. Cork began as a monastic settlement until the Vikings invaded. The city was fortified with walls, and parts of the old medieval town center are still present. Many refer to Cork as the real capital. 

Photo credit - Cassidy Pappas

Derry

• Cairncastle - If you're a fan of Game of Thrones, the surrounding areas of this quaint little town of 66 people was used for filming parts of seasons 1, 4 and 5.
• Dunluce Castle & Carrick-a-Rede - The ruins of this castle overlook the sea and are full of historical significance. Carrick-a-Rede is a rope bridge open year-round that links the mainland to the small island of carrickarede. The island is said to be the best example of a volcanic plug in Northern Ireland, but you can also see Scotland from there.
• Giant's Causeway - Shown above, the causeway is made up of interlocking basalt columns caused by a volcanic fissure eruption. You can walk upon the columns like stepping stones and this area is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. 
• Derry City Walls - Originally built in the early 1600s to protect the Scottish and English planters, the Irish worked with a collection of London livery companies and the city was renamed Londonderry. Now, within the walls, you will find a number of important landmarks, like St. Columb's Cathedral.

These aren't the only things to see in these cities, nor is this even a full account of places to stop on a road trip, just some of the ones with more than a handful of interesting things to see and do. In Part 2, we'll look at another list of cities/counties. 

Have you ever been to Ireland? Or is it on your wish list?

St. Patrick's Day Celebration at Home

We're coming up on yet another celebration that's going to be odd for a lot of people. Possibly, this is the second pandemic St. Patrick's Day for people, as lockdown started right around this time last year. We've been learning to do more on our own, without the backdrop of a packed restaurant or bar around us. In fact, this might be one of the most pleasant holidays we've had (not including Christmas), because there weren't a ton of drunk people around us.

Those of you that know me personally, probably know I worked in an Irish store for several years and it really ruined me for a long time for wanting anything to do with Irish food, music, or culture. When you're inundated day in and day out with people telling you about their family heritage, it sort of loses its shine. Also, my boss and her daughter were the literal worst when it came to supervisors, so that probably had a lot more to do with it. Ireland is gorgeous and full of amazing people and it is a lot easier to see that now that it's not my actual entire job. 

In fact, Ireland was not a place I was that terribly interested in seeing, until I went to Scotland and learned more about it firsthand. 

I get asked frequently if I'm Irish. It could be the green eyes and that I usually have a red tint to my hair or my fair skin (or a combination of all three). My family isn't Irish in the least, but I am always intrigued by the interest. 

So, this weekend we decided to do an early celebration with traditional food and a few walking tours of Irish factories, including the Guinneess brewery and the Jameson distillery. Both are on my list to visit whenever we get there, but this was fun for both of us while we sat at a table "outside" the famous Temple Bar and had a few drinks, then had some traditional dishes.

 

Our tablescape was pretty easy to pull together. I threw on a dark green tablecloth. I already had these sparkly shamrocks in a green vase on one of my shelves, so I pulled it down and added a little Irish flag. This light-up shamrock necklace has been a fixture here as well, since Snape (scroll to the bottom) usually dresses up for every celebration and holiday. We borrowed it, added some of our Mardi Gras beads, and then heaped a cauldron (because of course I have a bunch of cauldrons around here) with chocolate coins. 

You've already seen these plates and I have a variety of cake plates as well, so I thought a matching white one would go perfectly. All pubs serve drinks in pint glasses, and we brought home some Glencairn whisky glasses from Scotland, so I poured myself a dram of one I've been sipping on at home.

You know I can't resist a good chance for headwear. I don't remember why I had this Irish flower circle, but I do, so that clearly needed to be reused. I got Eric this fantastic leprechaun hat. Isn't it perfect? It'll be one of those things we can reuse for a future Harry Potter party.

I love how large and vibrant this backdrop is. Plus, my apple cake looks pretty awesome, too. If you follow me on Insta, you saw a sneak preview of it, but here it is in all its glory (and in the main photo). But, let's talk actual food first:

Though we have a lot of Irish restaurants in Portland, there aren't any super close to us or that deliver. I did consider making this whole dinner, but then decided I didn't want to, plus I couldn't find any corned beef like usual, so I ordered from a great pub I'd been to pre-pandemic. I ordered corned beef and cabbage, which came with roasted carrots and potatoes. That's what's on our plates. In the container is shepherd's pie made with pork. 

I ordered ahead, chose my pick-up time, masked up and got curbside to-go. Easy peasy. The verdict?

Holy cow! Why have we never had corned beef and cabbage before?! It's delicious! My incredibly weird thought was that I already had pastrami, so why did I need corned beef? I enjoyed the cabbage, but I think I'd much rather have colcannon instead. The shepherd's pie was yummy, too, and a nice spiciness to contrast with the rest of our meal. 

Since it didn't seem like anyone serves Irish desserts, or ones that aren't totally boozy, I decided to go with something easy and not super sweet. This Irish apple cake recipe sounded perfect and it totally was. I remembered how quick a custard is to make, and will, hopefully, not forget again before I decide to make it for something else. 

To go with this meal-ender, I made Irish coffees. One with whiskey and one without. I cheated a bit and used peppermint creamer, topped it with coconut whipped cream, and added some fun sprinkles and stars. It was a great complement to the apple cake. 

There are still a few days before St. Patrick's Day, and if you want to throw your own celebration at home, you still can! You don't have to do much prep to make it special either. Here are few things you can set-up or order right now to be ready for Wednesday:

• Lucky leprechaun and shamrock lights
• Crazy cups with crazy straws
• Irish coffee mugs
• Gold chocolate coins
• A small cauldron
• I like this mug, because it has dual purpose
• There's also this incense holder cauldron
• A great backdrop
• I like this bar one
• Or this castle one
• A fun banner: Let's Get Shamrocked or a generic St. Patrick's Day one
• Funky glasses or hats
• You can also find headbands and hats still at your local Michael's or Target
• Make an awesome playlist
• St. Patrick's Day Dublin parade 2019
• Trinity College (awesome library) tour
• St. Patrick's Cathedral tour
• Jameson Distillery tour
• Guinness brewery tour
• Irish pub cookbook (if you don't want to order in)

There you have it. A fun and easy St. Patrick's celebration at home. I'll be doing something else on Wednesday, too, so follow me on the 'Gram to see my special homemade fun, where we will eat and watch a livestream of an Irish band (It's called One Night in Dublin and you can sign up with Goldstar.)

Slainte! And stay tuned for a follow-up post on traveling to Ireland.

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I may be compensated should you choose to make any purchases through them. This allows me to keep this blog running for you. Thanks in advance!