Backpacks and Barbells

I hate London! This was honestly my first impression of a city that I actually grew to love over the three weeks I spent there, and the very reason I chose to do extended stays in a few places. There is so much more to every place than what the breadth of tourism offers. I hate being referred to to as a tourist actually. I'm a traveler. There is a difference. The difference is in the richness taken from each experience. It's in understanding what lives beneath the surface of a place, the culture and the people, as opposed to simply paying to see iconic buildings and buying cheap souvenirs. I do love London, but I would never buy a shirt that says it.  My first few days in London though were spent doing just that: being a tourist. Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace. I'm in no way saying that these places aren't fascinating. They are and shouldn't be missed, but oh my goodness the people. It was worse than Times Square in New York or Disney World on the Fourth...

Alright. Back to the grind. I'm just rounding out a little over a month in Ireland and the UK. Let me start off by saying that these places were more like the US than anywhere else I have been thus far. English is the spoken language. Subways, McDonalds, and Starbucks strategically line public streets and are open later than 8 pm.  Grocery stores have more than a single brand option, and there is always peanut butter on the shelves. I never came across a toilet that couldn't handle toilet paper. Even the people: the mannerisms, concept of personal space, respect; all of it fell in line with what I'm starting to miss from home. They do drive on the other side of the road though which is pretty imperative to remember. Frogger goes really wrong when you're looking for traffic in the incorrect direction. Most crosswalks, however, have these handy little reminders that say "Look Left" or "Look Right". I guess I'm not the only traveller who has struggl...

I'm really behind in my travel blog. A lot has happened, and I can't wait to share it all with everyone. I actually have another post that I was planning on posting today, but something has touched my heart in a different way today.  I woke up this morning to the social media posts and news stories on the death of Robin Williams. Let me preface all of this by saying that I'm not a celebrity person. I couldn't pick out most celebrities in a crowd. I don't know the names of the actresses and actors in most of the movies I watch. I don't ogle over People Magazine's sexiest list. Robin Williams the celebrity was honestly not someone I knew a whole lot about. He was in essence a complete stranger as he was to most others reading of his death this morning, but as I was reading all of the news clips, it was a flood of memories and smiles that this stranger had put in my life. I'm pretty sure my family has pictures of my brother and I riding magic carpets as tod...