My Irish cousin thought I was crazy to want to spend the night in Ross Castle. In a place filled with reportedly haunted castles, Ross is said to be one of the most haunted, perhaps only behind the famously terrifying Leap Castle in County Offaly that's been featured in numerous paranormal shows. Plenty of paranormal investigators have stayed at Ross Castle, located virtually in the middle of nowhere in County Meath, reached through a maze of back roads which gives it even more an eerie, "should I really be doing this?" kind of feel.
Not one to shy away from an adventure like this and the opportunity to stay in an authentic historic castle, I left my cousin's house with little containers filled with what was marked as "holy salt" and "holy water" and I took off.
I recently wrote about my night there, which turned out to be a night spent all alone, in the castle's tower room at the top. You can read all about it here, 'A Night Alone in the Tower of Ireland's Ross Castle.'
Note: If you want to check out this castle, be aware that there are two Ross Castles in Ireland, the other one is located in Killarney National Park. This one is in County Meath, about 90 minutes northwest of Dublin.
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![]() Not surprisingly, the most frequent question I'm asked is "What's your favorite destination?" It might seem like an easy question to answer, but that's far from the reality. There are so many destinations around the world - I love mountains, beaches, wildlife, warm weather, cold weather, meeting new people. I've traveled to Newfoundland and Iceland many times. I have family in Ireland and have been visiting since 2001 - I think I'm on my 10th or 11th trip, I've lost count. Those countries are all on the top of my list. ![]()
Staying in the heart of the Amazon in beautiful Ecuador, one of the most diverse and spectacular countries was an experience of a lifetime - listening to the howls of the monkeys through the rainforest, seeing the red eyes of the caimans in the river after dark, the toucans perched in the trees and the hundreds of parrots soaring through the skies, it was something I never thought I'd see outside of a TV screen.
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Greece was incredible, the history, the people, the food, the scenery!
And, traveling to Croatia this year I fell hard for that country too - I'm returning to experience more of some of my favorite spots there in 2020 - there's so much I have to say about that spectacular country, it deserves a post of it's own...on the list! ![]()
Of course, I've been mostly living in Baja, Mexico for the last 18 months or so - the Wild West feel, the stunning beaches and crystal-clear blue waters for snorkeling that are like swimming in an aquarium, the Mexican people and the mouthwatering cuisine, make it one of my favorite places too. And, the whales...humpbacks and gray whales come so close you can almost pet them - in some places, you can!
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Truly, it's an impossible question to answer. But, after visiting New Zealand, I have to admit, that one is going to be hard to beat. Not that I have to choose just one, of course. When I returned from my trip, I endured some of the worst jet lag ever... but I also felt more calm and relaxed than I had in a very long time. There was just something magical about this place that I tried to boil down to a list of reasons, but to really understand it, you'll need to visit yourself. Trust me when I say, the long flight and jet lag is worth it.
I'm going back in March of 2021 - in one of my latest articles for Trips To Discover I reveal just some of the reasons why: !3 Reasons New Zealand is the Best Country to Visit
Where will you go in 2020?
2019 was quite the year for travel - and, I've been so busy with client work I've barely had time to breathe between working and traveling. It's time to slow down the pace a bit, but I have got some very exciting adventures coming up in 2020. I'll be traveling to Ireland like I do most years, visiting in late April/early May, a great time to be there with all the green and wildflowers, but far fewer tourists than what the summer springs. From there, I'll fly to Porto, Portugal for a few days and then drive north to Asturias, Spain. That region is rarely visited by American tourists, and it happens to be one of the last places that Anthony Bourdain featured on Parts Unknown before passing in June of 2018. Mountains, ocean, amazing food... there are many reasons I've decided to visit, some of which I've outlined in this article for Trips To Discover: Top 9 Reasons to Visit Asturias, Spain.
In July, I'll return to one of my favorite places on Earth, Newfoundland - this will be my sixth trip, but it will be shorter than usual. Last time I visited the west and north, so heading back to spend more time in St. John's and Trinity, for two whale watching trips. There were hundreds of humpbacks there last year so crossing fingers that it will be just as good in 2020, but it's always a beautiful place to visit. From there, I'll head to the Arctic - Churchhill, Manitoba from there to spend a week with the beluga whales. The Hudson Bay coastline in Northern Manitoba is home to the world's largest population with over 57,000 belugas congregating in the region in the summer. And, while polar bears don't usually come into town until the fall, I'll be heading out with Lazy Bear Expeditions to go where they are. Seeing the belugas and the polar bears is something I've wanted to do for years.
Finally, I had such an amazing time in Croatia this past September/October that I'm going back again in 2020. I was fortunate to be able to join a small-ship cruise with Unforgettable Croatia, one of my clients, and I was seriously blown away by the experience. A small-ship cruise is nothing like going on one of those mega ships and it was one of the best trips I've ever had - it really requires a full blog post, and during this "slower" time of the year, I'll be getting to that soon. The food, the wine, the people, the scenery, the history. Incredible. For this next trip I'll be visiting Crete in Greece for a week first and then head to Dubrovnik, Korcula Island, Split, the Plitvice Lakes area, into Slovenia (Lake Bled) and the Istrian Peninsula, which is amazing, a lot like Tuscany with hilltop towns and lots of vineyards - the area is famous for its truffles too.
Just recently I spent a couple of weeks in New Zealand, so I'll be detailing that trip in my next blog post. I'd wanted to travel there since I was a teenager and it was even better than I imagined. While it's always hard for me to pick a favorite place, I have to say, that was it. I really never wanted to leave... but more on that coming soon. I'm already planning a return trip in March of 2021.
Where will you go in 2020? I'd love to hear about it!
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After spending much of her life in a cubicle, at 40-something K.C. decided to finally LIVE. Today, she is always on some sort of adventure, or writing about it.
She hopes her journey will inspire you to do the same. |