Middle of Nowhere, Ireland

I have this huge map, yes, a physical map, that I tracked my trip through Ireland on. I basically made a huge loop from Dublin, across to Doolin, down to Dingle (ahhhh, so many D's), then to a bunch of places that started with K's: Kilarney, Kilkenny, Kinsale... etc. I then eventually made it back up to Dublin. Somewhere along the way I was in the middle of nowhere. This actually happened a lot. I saw lots of cows, green, cows, sheep, sheep, green, green, green, and tons of super inspiring landscapes. We drove the country with the windows down, wind completely deafening one ear, and dehydrating our mouths. (I am guessing I let my mouth hang open a bit too much). I also managed to get a sunglasses tan while in Ireland, which I feel like is some serious feat.

Despite keeping a map and half a journal of where we went and what we saw, I honestly don't remember where most of these photos were taken. Here's a lump of completely incoherent photos in the middle of nowhere.

Kinsale Culinary Adventures

One of the last places I ended up while in Ireland this past May was Kinsale. Kinsale was an adorable fishing town along the southern coast. It boasted way too much good food that I neglected to take photos of. What I did manage to capture I didn't really do it justice... Let's be real, I couldn't stay off the cake, uber fresh fish and chips inspired dishes, and local cheese. (Queso is always a major source of temptation).

I found this cake at the Poet's Corner. It was a cute little cafe on one of the main drags in Kinsale that let you leave a book to take a book. The coffee was yummy and the cake was great, but definitely didn't have enough berries between the layers, as I am a self proclaimed fruit whore.

In the morning I stopped at a local farmers market. They had a bunch of fresh breads, but my favourite stall was the cheese stall. I got to try about a dozen cheeses from the area. I love a strong, pungent cheese, and believe me, there was lots to go around. I particularly liked one of the stronger sheep cheeses. :)

Somewhere between my third and fourth lunch, I stopped at a restaurant called Fishy Fish Chippie (the lunch off-shoot of the Cafe). I thought the name was hilarious because who wants fishy fish? Anyway, the fish was pretty damn awesome. Their take on fish and chips was modern as it had the influence of Japanese tempura. Yummy... but if you didn't eat it fast enough the breading got soggy. That really wasn't a huge issue. The decor of the place was wonderful too and had beautiful black and white photos of the family of fishermen that actually caught the fish I consumed. I naturally have photos of all of these cafes that I refuse to actually upload. :)

So my advice for visiting Kinsale? Eat your heart out.

Shoe Porn: Dublin, Ireland

I saw some seriously cool shoes while in Dublin in May. I felt super creepy shooting peoples feet on the fly so I only managed to get a couple shoe shots. (Not to mention, walking with a camera pressed to your face while trying to capture someones moving feet is super dangerous for someone clumsy as me). But, I assure you, Dublin is a happening place for shoes.

I'm obsessed with the comic book brogues. They're ridiculous and probably shouldn't be allowed out in public... like me. I then found a more mature pair of boots. The subtle nature of the "spurs" on these boots are to die for. I can't wait to do my own DIY take on spurs this fall. I'm thinking some fun base metal chain could be an easy way to spruce up boots from last season.

I am thinking that hunting for street style shoe porn is going to be my new hobby. ;)

Drive Across to the West

I landed in Dublin around 7:30 AM and made a completely foggy drive across the country to Doolin... along the way I managed to stop in a delightful little down. This was one of the funny road signs they had. :)

Biltmore: Details

If you didn't already see my previous post on my adventures at the Biltmore estate, I'd head on over to see it. :) Anyway, here are more details from the estate and it's surrounding grounds. I was completely obsessed with the evil looking fish fountains. I did not get a chance to take photos of the rain pipes, but they ended with evil fish as well.

Hello, Asheville.

Pionono: one of the signature dishes at Chorizo Latin Fare

After visiting the Biltmore, I continued my western North Carolina adventure in Asheville, NC. Asheville reminds me of the town I grew up in. It's far more blatantly artsy than Charlotte and boasts of way too many delicious looking restaurants and tarot reading shops. Just about every cafe, bar, and restaurant has been thoroughly soaked in the music scene. I did not have much time to spend in Asheville, however, I did grab some Latin fare.

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Chorizo Latin Fare • Asheville, NC

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Rating: 4/5 Points: Fresh food and great atmosphere Cons: I was really thirsty about an hour after I ate there

Chorizo was fabulous. I got to sit outside on the sidewalk and soak in the vibrant culture of Asheville. I got to see what I presume was a party bus, rolling up the street with a clown chasing the bus on foot. The food was extremely fresh and I got to have the most interesting take of nachos I've ever had: a fried chip bowl with grilled chicken, guacamole, salsa, cheese, and a fried egg on top. Yum. Chorizo makes a house smokey hot sauce that is to die for. It was generously applied to the nachos. Next up was the Pionono-- coffee marinated pulled pork over a bed of fried plantains and spinach, coconut infused rice, black beans, and a side salad. Of course, we can't forget the cheese. I was far too stuffed for dessert or one of the interesting drinks on their menu, but I guess that means I'll just have to go back. :)

Nachos: not your standard nacho plate bowl

Secrets in the Biltmore Gardens

It feels as if every weekend I go to a new place. I live what some people may call a transient life and what others might scoff at because they are ten times the road warrior. When I have the chance to get down to my apartment in Charlotte I usually just mope around and complain about how it's not NYC, admire the weather, and do lots of laundry. While Charlotte has it's charms, I found the beauty of the western part of the state this past weekend. I traveled out to Asheville, taking a detour in Black Mountain, and eventually finding myself walking through the winding garden paths of America's largest single family home-- the Biltmore.

I wish I could have fully captured the expansiveness of the gardens but I knew it was futile from the onslaught. Although the gardens are nestled upon 8,000 acres of land, they still boast of their untamed nature (by French garden standards) and will have you lost in their paths within five minutes. I decided to take more of a detailed approach to the gardens (I went Asian on you and took tons of photos of flowers-- I wish I was kidding).

While shooting some of the photos it really felt like I was listening in on some secret the gardens had kept for a century. Luckily, my eagerness to test of my new lens had me listening.














I'm blogging from bed this morning and wishing that I could be transported back to those gardens as I type. :)

P.S. the purple and green spotted plants reminded me of dinosaurs for some reason. I am pretty sure that I have a childhood of Barney to blame for that.

Forgotten Suburbia Part 4

The day I took this photo it was gorgeous out. This photo makes the day seem kind of sad to me. I'm not sure why...

Forgotten Suburbia Part 3

Back in January I published a couple of posts under "Forgotten Suburbia". Why forgotten suburbia? You know when you go to a new place and your senses go wild-- it's like they're on steroids and even the smallest details get magnified to the grandest proportions. When we're in an environment for too long we lose touch with the little pieces of our surroundings that we used to find magical. So, when I returned back to the suburbs that I had once found so familiar for the first time in months, I got my detailed eye back. Thus I discovered my forgotten suburbia.

Go out and look around a little. You might just discover something that you had long forgotten about.

Forgotten Suburbia Part 2

I just got back to Washington DC today. It was a rude slap back to reality after waking up at 6:30 AM for the first time in days to 27 degree weather and a gorgeous dusting of snow. I slept on the plane and rolled onto the metro with my huge (40 pound bag) in which I carried my Christmas goodies and clothing from the past month (and boots!). Here's another photo from my suburban adventures. I love how natural all the colors seem and yet how stark the difference is between the nature that surrounds the chain and the industrial chain itself.

Can you imagine what this lock was once for?

Forgotten Suburbia Part 1

After spending so much time in Charlotte and not being able to make it back to New York for quite some time, I had forgotten about the little details of suburbia. While Charlotte may have dulled my senses to the south it heightened them to what I once called "home" and what I now call "home-home". I ran out of time to photograph all of what I was inspired by, I did manage to find 20 minutes to get some things down digitally. More to come in later posts. :)

An abandoned house that was probably once quite grand. It overlooks a lake.

Details

I've been so bad about posting lately. Not because I don't want to, but because I have been having issues with Picasa and therefore have post typed up with photos that I can't seem to put in! It's such a shame. Anyway, it's all be worked out.

I went back to my town in New York a couple weeks ago to hang out with the fam, do Thanksgiving, and strengthen my love of boutiques and the charm of classic north east America. I honestly can not wait to be back in the north.

Corner of the YMCA. The planter has holly in it. Such a nice holiday touch.

All the pretty metallics and organics lines up in this wonderful shop in Nyack, NY: Ki.

Gorgeous elbow detail on a jacket in Ki.

Mirror chimes outside of a Christmas store and the light fading inside a building stairwell.

I can't wait to go back. It will be completely lovely during Christmas!

Where has Christina been?

 Lanterns hung in an alley in Penang.

The long story short is that I've been on a multi-month hiatus jetting around the world and then settling in the south. To be precise, Charlotte, North Carolina. Yes, this is the same Christina that was ranting about being stuck in Pittsburgh for years and whining about not being in New York non-stop. What changed? Nothing really... I got a job that took me here. Surprisingly I've found some wonderful little niches that are quintessentially southern and some that are slightly reminiscent of the north that I miss so much.

So what has happened since my last (real) blog post and now?

1. Graduated (amen). I ran a half marathon while part of my graduation went on. Weird.
2. Moved back to New York and out of Pittsburgh.
3. Turned 22.
4. Flew to California to ride horses, enjoy the views, and drink wine.
5. Flew to New York.
6. Flew to Charlotte, NC to have the worst experience of my life trying to find a place to live.
7. Flew to New York, ate some good food.
8. Packed.
9. Flew to Frankfurt for a 12 hour layover.
10. Flew to Bangkok for a couple hours.
11. Flew to Malaysia where I toured around, drove up to Penang, drove down to KL, ran a half marathon and packed up and did steps 10 and 9 in reverse.
12. Packed my stuff to move to Charlotte.
13. Flew to Seattle for my first day on the job. Of course it wasn't a direct flight.
14. Flew to Denver.
15. Flew to Charlotte.

Right, so I'm in Charlotte now. I few to a couple other places in between step 15 and where I am now, but really, you don't need to know. It's too much flying and I have of course neglected to bring my camera on any of these trips.

I lie, I borrowed one in Malaysia that DID NOT LET ME TAKE THE TIME STAMP OFF. Seriously, it's the most irritating thing ever. So here are some time stamped photos of my journey. :)

Coconut water is perhaps one of the most refreshing things you can choose to drink in 98 degree weather + 90% humidity. The guy we bought the coconuts from hacked them open right there. Once we were done drinking the water he'd split them in half so we could eat out the meat. Perhaps I'll include the photo of me struggling to eat the meat out in my next post.

Jack fruit, they are huge! Yes, I could have made a "that's what she said..." joke. I resisted. I feel like a bigger person.

Window! I just really liked the textures. I hate the time stamp majorly right now. 

Nasi Kandar... look it up. It's delicious. 

There should eventually be more to come... Of course in a completely nonsensical, nonlinear format. Also, what's with my life being all about food?

A Little Bit of Athens

I know I'm a bit late but Happy New Year! I'd like to thank each and ever one of you, really and truly for visiting my blog! It means so much when you comment, when my follower numbers go up and even just when I check my visitor numbers. So, thank you! Because I'm abroad and without a computer I haven't had the means to update about my travels, so while I am able to steal my boyfriends computer I'll update a litte. Mwahahaha!

On one of my days here I visited the center of Athens where I got to do all sorts of touristy things like see the Acropolis and Acropolis museum. I got to try Greek coffee and walk around the old area of the city (Plaka) which is touristy but still has old world charm. Plaka sits in the shadow of the Acropolis so my boyfriend and I took time to mosey through the winding streets (and confusing areas) on our way to the Acropolis. On the way we saw some interesting graffiti and empty tourist shops (oh, the economy). Once we got to the Acropolis we realized that there was a 12 Euro fee for seeing the Acropolis and six other main attractions (the Temple of Zeus, etc). Alas, they never took our tickets but I'm all for supporting a good cause. The Acropolis was seriously amazing. While I had heard so much about it in books and of course history class somewhere between grades three and six, I hadn't expected it to be so grand. Note to those future travelers to Greece: go in the winter because I would NOT want to deal with the crowds in the summer.


This photo is out of order but I figured it would lure you all in. ;)


A shop? A cafe? Who knows... I guess those that can read Greek!


Making our way up to the Acropolis... it looked very residential and we may have walked through some peoples yards to get there but we never really got lost. Haha!


Cool! Too bad her head chipped off. :(


Yeah, obligatory photo. :((((( On the up side, I am wearing a cool vest... buuuuttt you can't see it too well.


This is an awesome car. It would not last in NY or Pittsburgh.


On our adventurous walk up to the Acropolis we got to see some amazing rooftops.


After paying 12 euros to get into the Acropolis gates we got to see this forest which I could imagine some nymphs playing in. Too bad they don't exist.... or do they?


To be honest, I'd need to look at a map of the Acropolis to know the name of what I took a picture of. Oops.


Yes, this is so awesome. It looks so awesome. I want an awesome shirt with this awesome set of shapes on it. AWESOME! I think all the feta I've been consuming is making me crazy. or perhaps it's the sugar from the 5 different cakes I ate today...




The internet connection is being slow right now, so you'll have to wait for the rest of the photos and more of my adventures! I assure you all that I will be responding to all of your comments and emails as soon as I get real internet. :)

Enjoy!