Travels With Jim and Rita

Episode 58 - Castles, Creepy Laundry Rooms, and an Airbnb Disaster


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Our journey continues as we embrace "Plan B" - establishing a home base in Tennessee while still spending six to nine months a year abroad. This episode picks up our 10-week European adventure as we complete our circuit around Ireland, revealing both the magic and mishaps of extended travel.

From our stay in a rustic farmhouse near New Ross (complete with a creepy dirt-floor laundry shed) to exploring magnificent Kilkenny Castle with its vaulted long hall, every stop brought new discoveries. We wandered through charming pedestrian "slips" that resembled something from Harry Potter, witnessed dramatic coastlines at Hook Head Lighthouse, and encountered more swans than we could count in the seaside town of Bray.

The journey wasn't without its challenges, particularly when our carefully selected Dublin Airbnb turned out to be an unauthorized rental, leaving us stranded on the front steps with our luggage. This forced us to pivot to a hotel at twice the price - just one example of how travel requires flexibility and a sense of humor.

Dublin itself rewarded us with treasures like Trinity College's magnificent campus, the ancient Book of Kells (though seeing just a single page was somewhat anticlimactic), and the historic Dublin Castle. We even found time to enjoy a proper Irish meal of bacon and cabbage while avoiding the tourist-trap prices of Temple Bar.

As we reflect on our entire journey through Portugal, Spain, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Wales, we're reminded why we choose this lifestyle: "We travel not to escape life, but so that life does not escape us." Join us as we regroup at home base before planning our next adventure!

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Travels With Jim and RitaBy Jim Santos, travel writer and host of the International Living Podcast

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