Glimpses Of Dublin

I've been wanting to take you to Dublin with me for a while now, just been far too busy! 

But slow & sure, I am finding time to sort through all my photos from my days exploring that bustling city, and picking out some of my favorites to share with you.

This is just a random collection of photos from various days...

To be honest, I'm having a hard time recalling the names of places or even where I took a lot of the photos. 

So I hope you will just enjoy looking at them without any details, seeing the city through my eyes. I tried to capture the spirit of the city now, combined with the essence of eras gone by... 

I feel like I saw a lot in a short time, but I know there is SO much more to see. 

Just grateful I got to be there on St Patrick's Day! ♥
(Still unsure if I should publicly tell the story of the drunk 80 yr old man I was sitting beside on the plane, who fell madly in love with me, claimed to be a millionaire lawyer, and wanted to take me to his vacation house in South Carolina.... *dies laughing* )

Stay Irish. Stay Proud. 

Well, readers, until next time! I have more little adventures in Dublin I may share, or perhaps I will take you off to somewhere else... wherever the mood leads me, whatever memories come to mind.... 

Thank you for coming along! 

Royal Hangs... Another London Nod...

Of course visiting the palaces deserved their own post!
I am not Miss Mouse Middleton, proud Royalist, for nothing!

I am so pleased I got to see them.... even if I didn't spend long there... it was incredible & a bit like a dream to actually be there.

The memories will be one I treasure for a long time. ♥

Kensington Palace was our first stop & it happened to be sunny for a few minutes... 
Sadly my photo walking up towards the palace were blurry, but at least this photo Nadia took of me is clear!

I'm not usually this dramatic when it comes to photos, but lets blame it all on the fever... haha... 

I wish I would have felt up to it or had time to go inside, but sadly I didn't. 
However we did walk around the area a little bit, before heading off through Hyde Park.

It was actually raining fairly steady by the time we got to Buckingham Palace, but I wanted a photo outside of it, to prove I really was there, that there really was an amazed rodent behind the camera. 

Still feels like a crazy dream that didn't really happen... 
I have to say it's odd seeing this building in photos or videos now, after having been there in person.

The Mall. 
Hard to get a good photo of when the rain keeps blurring your camera lens...
But I like how this one turned out.

Of course since we were walking by The Goring Hotel anyways, I had to stop for a photo~ how is this Royal related?
If you have to ask, you aren't a Royalist. *haha*
It's where Kate Middleton spent her wedding night before becoming the Duchess of Cambridge!

There were other Royal related moments of course, several in fact... but these were the biggest ones & also happened to be photos that jumped out at me. 

Be watching for more posts later on in the fall... I intend on taking you for a few adventures in the unique city of Dublin, Ireland, next! 

A Nod To London

With so many terrorist attacks & general violence seeming to be happening in London, I thought instead of just tweeting out a little "Love You London" statement, I would reminisce about my time there & thank the city for giving me a lovely few days. 

Despite all that is going on, I have every intention of returning one day to see more. 

It's quite a place. ♥

So here are just a few photos of my adventures in London.

I was SUPER sick, running a very high fever, so needless to say it was hard to enjoy it, but I did the best I could. Just one more reason I wanna go back.

Day 1 it was raining, but Day 2 it was gloriously sunny!

Heading down a path in Hyde Park,  towards Royal Albert Hall, with the Albert Monument in front. 

It was early May so all the trees were in bloom & smelling incredibly strong.
Which is wonderful... if you aren't allergic to them that is. *heehee*
Sure didn't help with the pre-existing head cold I had!
But hey, they are stunning. 

A better snap of The Albert Memorial.
It really is something... I love all the gold...

Westminster Abbey... in the pouring rain... 
We had ducked under a little overhang on a building across the street... 
I liked how this shoot feels more like Northanger Abbey. *grins*
Moody. Wuthering Heights. That vibe. I like it. 

So grateful I was able to see Big Ben before they started construction on it!
It was very sunny the day we arrived here & I truly got a Classic London Experience. 
Didn't even feel the worst so very thankful.

Of course you can't walk along this area without taking a typical London tourist shot. *laughs*
Thank you so much, Nadia, for capturing so many awesome shots at this location!
I am truly tickled with how they all turned out~ had a hard time choosing which one to share here...

I wanted to capture the "still in the early 1900s" London feel... 
I am really happy with the old vibes this photo gave off, but also with a hint of the future due to the London Eye being in the background... 

Just playing his pipes.... randomly in the middle of the Westminster Bridge... 
*laughs* Which means of course I liked the way this dude thinks.

I am glad I took the time to ride the London Eye~ it truly is a great way to view the city which goes on and on and on, there is no end in sight, any way you look.
I found that a bit claustrophobic to be honest... 
But the views still are something else. 

The green is Hyde Park~ see Buckingham Palace way at the end? 
Not much green in this city.... not enough for a country mouse anyways...

What a charming old carousel! 
Was tempted to be a kid, get some cotton candy, and ride it. *heehee*

Walking across the Jubilee Bridge, pausing for some more classic views... 

Popped by Trafalgar Square & of course I went into the National Portrait Gallery to see the painting of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.
It's just... glowing... in person... I love it! 

We saw so many other things on our rather hurried tour... 
Not nearly enough to satisfy me & being ill meant I couldn't do as much. 
Sad I didn't get to the Tower Bridge & such spots.

Which only means I definitely have to return soThe Adventures of Max & Mouse & the Third Musketeer can continue on & we can conquer more ground, Instagramming all the day long!

London, I will be back, I promise! ♥

Memories Of Bridport ...

Been missing my twinsie a whole lot lately & with my new blogging mood striking, I thought it was the perfect time to do a little photo editing & share some snaps that you have never seen before!

I have nearly 1000 photos from my UK Adventure back in the spring of last year, just figured I would keep them until I felt like posting them...

Today I am going to share with you some special memories, of my time spent in the town of Bridport, with my dear friend Nadia & her husband, Alan. 

I am so glad I got to see so much of where she lives, explore the shops, taste some of the local food...I can visualize her going about her everyday life now & that is oddly nice. 

If you want to check her out, here are her links:
{The Blog} ~Walks In Beauty~  

{The Shop} ~Walks In Beauty Paperie~ 

{Instagram} ~Walks In Beauty Paperie~ 

Here are my lovely friends, both of course, cameras out... totally unaware another little rodent had her camera out & was photographing them.... heehee...

Now for a little tour around Bridport...

The streets are so beautiful when the sunlight is hitting the bricks. They glow.

A little visit into Soul Shine for lunch was absolutely delightful.
Walked out with lovely vibes & a copy of Flow's Book for Paper Lovers to boot, my first!
Caught this candid snap of my twinsie (& the 3rd Musketeer behind her) as we were leaving.
One of my special memories because I turned, we made eye contact, and just spontaneously smiled at each other.

So happy we were able to stop by a few antique spots one sunny morning...
Rather felt like stepping back in time... 
I'm glad you didn't see the point where I ran into the door of one store. *snickers*

And speaking of stepping back in time, honestly, I felt even more like that when I saw views like this one:

Everywhere I turned, I wanted to take a photo.
But I had decided on this trip to focus more on soaking up the memories & less on the photography.
However I hope y'all were able to follow along on my Instagram!

Nothing quite like walking home in the beautiful rays of sunshine, after the shops had all mostly closed & the traffic was so little... a sort of peaceful quiet... 

Not to mention the views were hard to beat.

Just a block or so up from where they were living at the time, was this darling church & the daffodils were blooming while I was there. 

This particular evening the lighting was just so so perfect....
I had to stop for a few snaps.

Now, I am glad I did. 
Just look at this.

One day I will be back to this part of the world, I just know it.

Lots of love to each of you & let me know if you want to see more little travel memories from my time spent exploring corners of the UK!
♥

That Haunting Place Known As Stonehenge

One of the places I just knew I had to see when I visited the UK was Stonehenge! 

For those of us who love history & learning about the very beginnings of civilization, sites like this truly intrigue us & the air of mystery about them, call our names. 

I have always been interested in the stories behind these giant rocks & the idea of how they even constructed this circle is impressive.

Now I understand a lot of people are hesitant to visit a place like this, due to the fact they are often steeped in various forms of pagan worship & don't support the Creationist view (aka, "....these objects are millions of years old...")

However, there is a good amount of truth to the actual historical facts & someone had to assemble these rocks in such distinct patterns, not to mention the real human bones they have dug up in this area & other material items found alongside the bones are pretty awesome to see. 

I personally just ignore the information I don't agree with & store away the details I want to use for future creativeness. 

These photos were all taken & edited by me, with the intention of setting the mood of the location for those of you who have yet to visit Stonehenge. 

I hope you will enjoy my little mini tour of this stunning sight & if you want more information, please do go visit the official website at:
~Stonehenge: English Heritage~

The little huts with some information about the era when you first step outside to head towards the actual rocks. 

That classic view. 

Stepping back in time....

The crows that are swooping about sure do make it moody...

The natural lawnmowers that help keep grass down in the area.

One final glimpse of Stonehenge, before we headed back to the bus that took us to the main centre.

What an experience to remember!