A Day In Paris
On the final day of our cruise through the British Isles, we chose the day trip to Paris excursion. With just six hours to spend in this big city, we did our best to maximize time and hit a few monuments, while also being able to enjoy a cappuccino at a cute sidewalk cafe. After all, the ambiance is Paris is one of my very favorite things to experience! Today I’m sharing five things to do in Paris if you’ve only got a few hours to spare! (I know a lot of flights have long layovers in Paris, so even if you’re not doing a day trip by cruise, you could still take note of this list!).
One of my very favorite things to see in Ireland: The Blarney Castle. This medieval castle dates back to 1446, with views of vast Irish countryside (truly, I have never seen so many shades of green in my life!), the ability to climb to the top (the stairs are quite narrow and steep), a few dungeons in sight (eerie and fascinating all in one) and the best part? If you’ve got Irish roots, you may want to hold to tradition and kiss the Blarney Stone! Unsanitary? You betcha. But awesome? 100%. Blake is full-on Irish (true story: Baby P might just be a ginger, ha!), so visiting the Blarney Castle was such a special treat while on our cruise through the British Isles in September!
What to do with just a few hours in Dublin? Eat, drink, stroll…repeat repeat repeat. 😉 Blake and I have become pros at maximizing our time during day trips into cities (hello, cruise life!) – and after enjoying two day trips to Dublin on separate occasions, there’s three things I’d highly recommend…
One of my absolute favorite cities I’ve ever visited, and hands down the one I tell everyone to add to their travel bucket list, is Edinburgh, Scotland. The sights (Harry Potter dreamland!), the people (kindest you’ll ever meet), the food (delicious!)…the combination of centuries old architecture juxtaposed with modern buildings, restaurants and shopping centers is something unlike anything else. It sort of reminds me of Rome but in a less gimmicky, touristy way in the sense that you’ll be sitting outside at a cafe and boom – directly to your right is the Pantheon…ya know, just a casual construction built in 126 AD and perfectly standing (…like what?! Insanely incredible!). I don’t know about your city, but you definitely won’t experience anything close to that feeling in Austin, Texas, ha! Needless to say, cities with such rich histories are my very favorite to visit. It’s so fascinating to walk amongst castles and stroll through alleyways that have been there for hundreds of years…and you will experience just that and so much more in Edinburgh!
Ohh goodness, I definitely felt all the nostalgia pangs as I organized this travel post! It’s been a full week since we arrived home from our two week 
You know what I love? A restful, relaxing weekend. Lately work and life has been so crazy that finding two consecutive days to fully escape has seemed nearly impossible. Blake started a new job, some personal things were taking up a lot of my free time and getting out of Austin simply wasn’t in the cards. Which is where the idea of a stay-cation came to our rescue! As Austin has become a booming city, it’s cool factor has grown dramatically over the years and new hotels are popping up left and right to accommodate the influx of visitors. 
**Illustration by 
Hello friends! Ohh the long anticipated Iceland travel diary is finally HERE! In November, I partnered with the wonderful 
