Ireland is an incredible country.  We were given the advice to head out of Dublin to see the country, and to explore Dublin in a day.  This meant seeing Dublin in our last 24 hours overseas.  

It was well worth it.

Dublin is a beautiful city located just off the coast.  It's busy and touristy, with plenty to offer.  Our first stop was Dublin Castle.  Ireland has only been a free country in the last 100 years.  The renovation in moving a castle to a Parliamentary building is worth seeing the architecture alone.  Inside the castle, you can take a self-guided tour if you don't have time or miss a guided one.  Each room holds the history of the Irish and it's break from the English Crown.  

We booked a guided tour to Trinity College after.  Currently, the Long Room is under renovations.  We've read reviews it's underwhelming without the books.  We loved it.  As an English major, I could have sat just thinking about the writers who had contributed to history.  It holds a Harry Potter feel with a scared ambience.  The Book of Kells is cool, but only if you're really into Biblical history.  With the Long Room under construction, the recommendation is to take the Trinity College tour, as you'll get more for your money, and still get to see the Long Room and Book of Kells.  The history of the college is worth walking, and the tour is given by current students. 

We saw St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christ's Church.  Christ's Church was a recommendation from a local bartender, and it was definitely worth it.  You can go underground to the crypt's and learn quite a bit.  
Side note: From a religious standpoint, the Church of England is interesting.  It follows the religion of the current King or Queen.  There has been one Catholic monarchy, so the churches were converted at one point for Catholic practice.  Then changed with the incoming monarch.  St. Patrick's Cathedral is NOT Catholic.  Also interesting, the Church of England and the Catholic Church both claim St. Patrick.  

The night we stayed we did find the Temple Bar area and loved the live music.  It's near Ha'Penny Bridge, a once toll bridge to cross the river.  The entire area is called Temple Bar.  You're looking for the red building on the corner for THEE Temple Bar.  It's worth the stop to say you've been there, but make sure you check out the other venues too.

Our last stop before heading out was the Gaol (jail).  We missed the guided tours and it's on the list to go back.  Ireland's story to freedom is deeply rooted in it's people and their struggles, and we were in awe of their resilience and dedication.

You can do Dublin in a day!  It's worth it!

Across the Mighty Mac is Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the U - P (not up).  As a Yooper, DC called the UP home, and headed there to kick off summer.  

Starting in St. Ignace, he'll make his way west by driving and camping along the way.  He battled hazy smoke skies on day one, and still found places to see and incredible views.

Follow along and check back in as he sends pictures, posts and updates about the adventures across Michigan. 

Born in an era where America's pastime was to head to the ballpark, Bud Selig was a fan from a young age.  His passion for baseball brought Major League Baseball to Milwaukee, as well as it's famed stadium.

We headed to Milwaukee to see a Brewers game for an end of school year celebration.  This year, we added on a tour of American Family Field before our game that evening.  As a lifelong Brewers fan, the tour was a walk down memory lane for DC.  There's a nostalgia to baseball for most people.  The sights, sounds, and smells fill your mind even when you walk an empty stadium.  

The American Family Field tour starts with a movie name the Bud Selig Experience.  There, Bob Uecker explains the history of baseball in Milwaukee from County Park to the current American Family Field (Miller) Stadium.  Even though I did not grow up near the city of Milwaukee, I also had memories of my own family, and the stories I heard of my immigrant Italian great-grandmother catching a bus to see a game in the city.  The movie transports you to an era in which the city desperately wanted baseball, and how hard so many fought to make it happen.  Mr. Baseball's narration makes the entire experience a trip well worth it.

From there, the tour takes you to a variety of places not normally seen by most.  The views of the field from various points are pretty incredible.  

The highlight of the tour was the radio broadcast room, where Mr. Bob Uecker still calls home games to this day.  DC grew up listening to Mr. Uecker, still does to this day, and could not have been more humbled to be able to take a moment to sit in the spot where history is made every game day.  Mr. Uecker still uses paper call sheets and his eagle eye to call games, while entertaining radio lovers in between pitches.  This moment alone made the tour incredibly worth it.

From there, we headed down to the field level.  We saw the interview room and the outside of the clubhouse before heading out onto the field.   American Family Field offers both an incredible view and the added bonus of a roof that closes for inclement weather.  Baseball is always playing!

Overall, the tour was $15 a person and lasted just over an hour and a half.  It was well worth the time, and most major league parks have tours like this to offer.  

​Go Brewers!

Here we go.

Summer is upon us.  And for those of us in the Midwest, it's nature's invitation to GO.

Being budget savvy and conscious is a reason we are here.  So this summer, if you only plan one thing on a shoestring, check out America's National Parks.

National Parks are free to enter on designated days, and low cost daily, with a variety of activities at each one.  They open our eyes to the natural beauty of the world while giving you a glimpse into history.

And that is why we are highlighting them.  America is a country you can take for granted fairly easily.  The vast amount of space here still undeveloped and protected provides America with a landscape of wonder.  Long before tires, trains, and tik tok, the terrain of America was explored through trekking woods and forging rivers.  If you've never taken the time to see these areas and imagine what it was like before modern technology, there's just one word to describe the development of this country.

Hard.

The difficulty those that came before us to settle and develop America into the country it is today is lost in the sea of modern cities, freeways, and ease of access.  

On our way to West Virginia, to do the New River Bridge Gorge Walk, we passed the sign for Hocking Hills. 

"Hocking Hills!  Everyone keeps talking about that place" I said, almost too excitedly for a forty-year-old.
​
"Well, surprise, we're stopping" was the response from the driver's seat. 

​Let adventure begin.