Dream homes

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: one of my big hobbies lately (if you can call it a hobby) is surfing the web viewing houses that are for sale around the USA, particularly on the East Coast. After grabbing a hot drink (yes, I'm one of those people), I sit back, and browse through Zillow for hours admiring super old houses that are exploding with charm and unique beauty that you just can't find in today's homes (there I go again aging myself about 70 years). I like to imagine what it would be like to live in every house that catches my eye. In most of these homes, I could picture myself on a snowy day sitting by the fireplace with Djinn Djinn at my feet while waiting for the chocolate chip cookies to finish baking in the large but quaint kitchen filled with huge windows to let the winter sunshine in. After, we'd take a walk outside (I'm sure Djinn Djinn would hate the snow so I'd probably end up carrying him) and I would just sit on the porch with a large mug of hot chocolate (with a mountain of whipped cream on top). In the summer days, we'd have picnics every day and take way too many pictures of colorful flowers surrounding the house. 

...can you tell I watch way too many Disney films. 

While I'm a long way off from buying my own home (not even sure yet where I would buy a home- of course I have ultimate dreams of owning a small castle in Ireland but sometimes I feel a large farmhouse in Vermont or a Victorian home in some similar state would suffice), I like to imagine all sorts of scenarios about where I'll eventually end up.

Things on my dream home wishlist:

::must be an old house (preferably built before 1900) 

::glass door knobs are a major bonus

::a room for everything (i.e. library, a study, an attic)

::lots of natural light in every room

::several acres for Djinn Djinn to run around like a maniac and to have room for a few other farm-ish animals

::stained glass windows are a plus

::a hidden room would be so exciting

::built-in bookcases

::window seats

::a turret would be amazing

What about you? What kind of house do you picture yourself in someday?  

P.S. All photos were taken from Zillow. I don't own any of the photos, obviously. Although, one day, I might own the actual home...

Cliffs of Moher

In honor of St. Patrick's day, I felt it especially appropriate to post my 5th and final Ireland post today. I didn't write any of these posts in chronological order but it so happens I saved the greenest pictures for last. On this day, I visited the famous Cliffs of Moher (More? Mo-her? ...still not entirely clear on how to pronounce that) and we were told that it was one of the clearer days (though, as you can tell from the pictures, a misty haze was clearly present). 

Gotta say, the Cliffs of Moher wasn't really on my must-see list but it wasn't something I wanted to miss, either. I kinda feel like the cliffs are entirely overshadowed by the whole tourist trap thing. Apart from that, though, upon seeing the actual cliffs, I was very intrigued by the atmosphere surrounding them  (seriously, I wonder if any crazy person has ever jumped from them?) and a lovely picnic would have been ideal if I'd had all the time in the world to spare. HOWEVER, if I'm being completely honest, seeing the cliffs in real life...gosh, how do I say this without sounding presumptuous... a tiny bit of me felt like the cliffs actually look more magical and powerful in photos than in real life (I've heard the same feeling often applies to some people when viewing the Mona Lisa in person for the first time). I'm terrible for saying that, I know.

Aside from what I just admitted, I was genuinely grateful to have visited the cliffs. I seriously would love to return someday because I think it's just one of those places you really have to soak in to fully appreciate (preferably when you're not suffering from jet lag...).

I hope you all have a fun St. Patrick's day (I'm still 12 and celebrate it by wearing green and going around pinching people who aren't). If you're reading this from the Emerald Isle, just so you know, I'm incredibly green with envy. ;)

P.S. Random tip for you all: if you pay the admission fee to go inside the little watch tower to see the cliffs from high up, be warned that as you're climbing the spiral staircase, if you look up to the ceiling, you'll see some of the hugest Black Widow spiders you'll ever see...

In perfect Harmony

So! I'm here to bring your attention to yet another random town in California (it's what I do best- there's so many hidden gems in this state alone and it puzzles me when I hear that some fellow Californians have pretty much only visited LA and San Francisco). This little town called Harmony (and I do mean little- with a population of 18- there's definitely more cows than people) is right on the Central Coast and boasts a Winery, a Glass shop/Art Gallery and of course, a post office (which, by the looks of it is made up of half a room, if that).

Harmony...what a pretty name, right? And let me tell you, the whole town lives up to its name. Even though the highway filled with roaming cars is quite near, the sound of buzzing motors in the background is easy to ignore when you see the natural beauty of Harmony. It's often surrounded by incredibly blue skies, lush green rolling hills (I definitely typed "heels" and then caught myself...) and sprinkled with a few visible farm houses here and there.

One of the main attractions of Harmony is Harmony Glassworks, an art gallery filled with the most beautiful (and colorful) handmade glass pieces. Along with viewing the pieces on display, you also get the treat of watching the glassblower create the pieces right there in the studio. It was really fascinating to see how glass pieces (vases, glasses, etc...) are made. To be honest, it's not something I ever really thought about but it turns out glassblowing is really quite an intense process.

While it would probably be a bit challenging to turn Harmony into a day trip, it's definitely still worth a quick visit if you're driving along the coast. Because seriously, they don't call it Harmony for no reason...

Polka dot forest

"There is no wi-fi in the forest but I promise you will find a better connection." 

(quote via)

 

Rock of Cashel || Ireland

It all seems like a blur now but one of the brief stops on my trip to Ireland was the Rock of Cashel. Upon hearing the name, I, of course thought it was just a rock on a hilltop, but in reality, it's a ruin of a cathedral with the feel of a castle. It was an unbelievable feeling to be staring at a real piece of history. The cemetery was quite fascinating as well (who were those people? how did they die? what were their lives like? were they good people?).

It was my first real taste of the Irish countryside. The views that surround the site were incredible- so typically Irish. I can't really formulate an intelligent enough sentence to describe how fascinated I was by this particular spot. There's something about rustic gray stones surrounded by lush green grass that just gets me, you know?

Unfortunately I only had less than an hour to explore this spectacular spot. I could've easily spent a day here, not just at the rock of Cashel but in the actual town of Cashel- what a quaint little village. Again, unfortunately, just as in Dingle, most of the shops were closed due to it being off season (seriously, Ireland, what's up with that?) Happily, one of the local cafe owners opened up his eatery especially for us tourists. I feel terrible that I didn't get a business card or anything and I can't remember what the name of his cafe was but if you're ever there, it's the first cafe to the right that you see as you approach Cashel (wow, like that really helps, eh?) Ah, well, all I can say is that the fresh scones and cups of tea were seriously delicious and it was just such a pleasant experience. Every time I think about that day (or just the whole trip, in general), I can't help but fall into a daydream...