Homeland.

Paper towels. Iced coffee. Home cooked meals. Driving on the right side of the road.

Those are just a few of my favorite things that I came to miss when traveling abroad.

It's always when I leave the comfort and familiarity of home that I notice all that I took for granted, but that's a wondrous part of traveling.

That, plus drinking like real people do, trying new foods (still don't like black pudding though, sorry Britain), immersing myself in another country, and looking at the world from a different perspective all come together into making a trip something memorable and impactful.

See, I recently returned from a holiday abroad and I have to say, it's good to be home.

Don't get me wrong- I adored my time overseas! I loved my late night pub crawls, my dining splurges, and many purchases at Ted Baker. But there's something so incredibly refreshing about coming back home, with eyes widened and my thoughts more open-minded.

Traveling isn't about finding what you know (Starbs), and trying to alter the new area around you to fit your pre-existing routine. It's about foregoing what you normally do and having new experiences.

And all those new experiences make the normalcy of being home even more extraoridinary. And who knows, maybe I can make a habit of having that Irish Coffee every afternoon, thinking about those memories and anticipating my next adventure...

Cliffs of Moher.

There's not many cases where I'm blown away, literally and figuratively! 

But such was the case when we visited the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher. 

At the tail end of our trip, it was the perfect ending to our book of adventure. Majestic, mind-blowing, and statuesque, we arrived at the cliffs in the County Clare of Ireland after a most hearty lunch of seafood chowder and Irish coffee. 

The weather had turned and instead of the sunny skies we had been so spoiled in having, a storm rumbled in and the wind picked up considerably.  

I didn't mind, however. It set the scene for these intimidating and rugged cliffs on the western coast of Ireland, moody and mysterious. 

Whilst Kate and I only had a short time on the cliffs, it made for an impactful and memorable visit.

There we were, at the edge of the coast, peering down at these cliffs all the way in Ireland. Pretty soon, we would be crossing these very seas and heading back towards our home.  

Until then though, I was going to enjoy every moment up there, relishing the sensation of being blown away by the cliffs. And the wind....