Why I Love Spending Time in Dublin, Ireland

// March 8th, 2010 // 2510No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/03/08/why-i-love-spending-time-in-dublin-ireland/Why+I+Love+Spending+Time+in+Dublin%2C+Ireland2010-03-08+12%3A45%3A57Ryan // Ireland, Travel, Travel Tips

Guinness Storehouse

The St. James’s Gate Brewery opened up on December 31, 1759 after its founder Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the four-acre property for a laughable annual rent of £45 (approx. $70 USD).

Although the tour of the Guinness Storehouse is a little pricey for the budget minded traveler ($18.25 USD) it’s definitely a MUST see in my book. In fact, the Guinness Storehouse is the No. 1 most visited attraction in all of Ireland since opening in 2000.

Inside the Guinness Storehouse is seven whole floors full of history, facts about the ingredients, and information on how Guinness is made. You’ll even get to learn about the man they call the “fifth ingredient”, Arthur Guinness himself .

Once you’ve had enough of the history and you’ve explored all to be seen in the Storehouse, the tour points you to it’s seventh and final floor. The Gravity Bar.

Conveniently located at the top of the Guinness Storehouse with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the city of Dublin. That’s not all! It’s now time for all of you Guinness lovers to sit back, relax and sip on your complimentary pint of Guinness as you ponder what your favorite part of your visit to Ireland has been so far… Hmm? I wonder?

Cost:

€ 13.50 – Adults / ($18.25 USD)
€ 11.00 – Student / ($14.85 USD)
*Receive a 10% discount off adult admission – only available if you book online.

Temple Bar

Not so much the pub itself, but the area around it. Just a short walk over the Hay’penny bridge, through an alley of sorts and there lies Temple Bar. An area known for it’s late night revelers, and overly crowded pubs, but to me Temple Bar is much more than that.

When in Dublin I enjoy spending a part of my day strolling through some of Temple Bar’s seemingly endless amount of cobblestone streets that are lined with shops, galleries, restaurants, cafes, beggars and street musicians with dreams of one day becoming as famous as Dublin’s most celebrated rock band, U2. The Temple Bar area is also a great place to people watch. If that’s your thing, you’ll probably end up spending the better half of your day here.

Tip: Head over to the Bad Ass Cafe if you’re up for some good pizza!

If you want to check out the Temple Bar nightlife, feel free! Just know that you’ll need two things before you head out for your night on the town. Common sense, and MONEY! You’ll be home early if you think that you’ll only spend $50USD. Nightlife in Dublin can be VERY EXPENSIVE!

Fact: The Temple Bar has won the title of Irish Music Pub of the Year each and every year since 2002, (2002-2009).

You can always count on some great traditional Irish music being played in Temple Bar. Be aware, the Temple Bar Pub and the area itself is very touristy so you’ll need to keep your eye out for pickpockets. Otherwise, enjoy yourself!

St. Stephen’s Green

This beautiful public park was built as a gift to the people of Dublin from the Guinness family in the 19th century. Adjacent to one of Dublin’s most popular shopping streets (Grafton St), St. Stephen’s Green is a place that you could easily spend the better half of your day. On a sunny day during the summer months you’ll find that St. Stephen’s Green is packed with all of the Irish that are trying to take advantage of a day without rain! Most tend to either walk the park, lay out in the sun or bring a lunch and have a nice picnic while being surrounded by a plethora of flowers, trees and lush green grass. St. Stephen’s Green also has a pond that you can bring the kids to feed the ducks.

Have you been to Dublin? If so, feel free to leave a comment below about you favorite things to do and see!

Hiking Red Rock Canyon – Las Vegas, NV

// February 24th, 2010 // 10814 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/02/24/hiking-red-rock-canyon-las-vegas-nv/Hiking+Red+Rock+Canyon+-+Las+Vegas%2C+NV2010-02-25+04%3A04%3A01Ryan // Photography, Travel, USA

A place that most people never get to see while visiting Sin City. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a 45 min drive West of Las Vegas, NV. If you’re feeling adventurous and you’re sick of walking the strip, take a day trip out to Red Rock. I GUARANTEE that you’ll have a blast.

If you’re not into hiking, biking or rock climbing, that’s okay! Red Rock has a 13-mile scenic loop [map] that you can spend some time driving around. There are many pull off parking lots along the way, so if you see a particular area that you’d like to get out and see for yourself, you can do so.

I highly recommend scoping out some hikes before you make the trek out to Red Rock. Definitely plan ahead and don’t forget to bring lots of water!

Pull over and take a quick group photo in front of this cool sign!

Check out the view!

Jeff climbing to the top of this rock that looks like a turtle.

After hiking in the sun for about an hour or so, I needed some shade!

Look how RED this rock is? I love it.

What a rewarding end to our hike at Red Rock! You could see for miles…

One of my favorite photos from the hike… Amazing!

Have you been to Red Rock Canyon? If so, please feel free to share your story by leaving a comment below.

Top 5 Things to Do in Dubrovnik, Croatia

// February 22nd, 2010 // 23723 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/02/22/top-5-things-to-do-in-dubrovnik-croatia/Top+5+Things+to+Do+in+Dubrovnik%2C+Croatia2010-02-22+12%3A45%3A40Ryan // Croatia, Travel, Travel Tips

Here’s our list of the Top 5 Things to Do in Dubrovnik, Croatia:

1. Walk The walls of Old Town

Yes, you can actually walk atop the giant castle walls that surround and protect the Old Town of Dubrovnik! The walk around the walls is about 2 Kilometers (1.2 Miles) long. Parts of the castle walls reach up to 82ft (25m) in height, and up to 20ft (6m) thick in some places! Make sure you charge up your camera batteries for this one. You won’t want to miss some of the best views in town. Literally!

Cost:

50 HRK/pp ($9.25 USD/pp)

Duration:

Until your batteries run out!

2. Kayak the Adriatic Sea!

We highly recommend this half day Kayaking adventure! We went with a company called Adventure Dalmatia and they were as professional as you can get. For those that have nightmares about flipping over in a kayak and getting stuck upside down, no need to worry! These kayaks are top loading, therefore you basically sit in a somewhat comfortable seat on top of the kayak. Plus, you can ride doubles! Instructors will lead the way as you struggle to keep in sync with your partners paddling. You’ll eventually get the hang of it and like us, you’ll end up passing your instructors at light speed while attempting to see how fast you can actually make your Kayak go!

As you cruise along the beautiful Adriatic sea you circle the Island of Lokrum, explore some small caves, and make a quick pit stop into a private cave beach along the Dubrovnik coast line called Bettina. Here, you’ll take a relaxing seat on the beach while you consume your yummy dalmatian ham & cheese sandwich which is included in the tour price. Once your food has been digested you can take a dip in the clear blue waters with your snorkel gear for a bit before heading back to the mainland. After all was said and done we had a great time, and boy were we sore afterwards!

Cost:

230 HRK/pp ($42.50 USD/pp) – Price Includes Kayak & Snorkeling Gear, Lunch, Waterproof Barrels for personal items, Guides/Instructors.

Duration:

2.5-3 hrs

3. Visit the isle of Lokrum

Lokrum. A small, lush, uninhabited yet beautiful island which lies about 700m off Dubrovnik’s spectacular coastline. With just a short 10 minute ferry ride from the port of Old town to Lokrum, this island can provide a few hours of fun in the sun and some nice hikes along Lokrum’s many cliffs. Not only can you spend a couple of hours taking in all of the photo op’s along the cliffs, but Lokrum also houses an old monastery, botanical gardens and a lake called Mrtvo More or the (Dead Sea). The Dead Sea was my favorite part about Lokrum, or was it the nudist beach which lies on the south-eastern tip of the island? Either way, we had a great time exploring all that’s to been seen on the isle of Lokrum and we highly recommend this short hop across the Adriatic. Oh, and one more thing… be sure to watch out for the gangs of pesky peacocks that seem to be around every corner on this island!

Cost:

40 HRK/pp ($7.45 USD/pp) – Round Trip Ferry from Old Town Port to Lokrum

Duration:

Early morning until the last ferry leaves…

4. Seaside Drinks at Buza

Buza, a unique cliff side cafe on the south side of Old Town that can only be found by catching a glimpse of an old wooden sign that says “Cold Drinks With The Most Beautiful View”. Be sure to keep an eye out for this little sign, because it can easily be missed! When you arrive at a hole in the castle walls that leads out to the sea, you know you’ve arrived! Most people pass right by this place without ever knowing it existed. That’s what makes it special though, right?

There’s actually two Cafe Buza’s (Buza 1, and Buza 2) along the edge of Old Town. Both are accessed by holes in the castle walls, and both serve the same menu — drinks only!  If you’re feeling a little adventurous, make sure you bring your bathing suit so that you can do a few of the many cliff jumps that are quite conveniently located at Buza. Usually, you’ll find a lot of the young locals jumping there through out the day. Watch to see where they jump from, and where they land and you’ll be fine! But, then again… don’t take my word for it!

Overall, Buza is a great place to end an evening while sipping a glass of wine and watching the sunset over the Adriatic Sea. Sigh… LIFE IS TOUGH!

Cost:

Reasonable.

Duration:

You won’t want to leave this place!

5. Explore Old Town at night

Old Town at night is as beautiful as it is during the day. From the immaculate white cobblestone streets to the maze of stair-filled alleyways that make up Old Town, there are endless routes to explore and you can do so feeling completely safe at all hours of the night. In saying that, I always recommend bringing a friend or two along with you because being cautious never hurts!

You’ll find that there’s usually a lot going on in Old Town by night. The streets are filled with the young and the old and most seem to enjoy taking an evening stroll while admiring all of Old Town’s beauty. If walking isn’t your thing, you can hit up one of the many restaurants and bars in the area, or you can even make a delicious decision to stop into one of the few gelato shops in town. Mmm!

For a fun, reasonably priced night out head on over to Latino Club Fuego where you can drink and dance until the wee hours of the morning. Head over to Gil’s Cuisine and Pop Lounge for a more expensive, posh night out. Gil’s is an Old Town hot spot where you can wine and dine on their open air roof-top dining/lounge area. The views cannot be missed, but the prices sure can!

Cost:

Depends on what you like to do!

Duration:

All night long…

Have you been to Dubrovnik? If so, feel free to leave a comment below with your own personal Top 5 things to do!

Our Unplanned Route Around The World

// February 18th, 2010 // 227813 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/02/18/our-unplanned-route-around-the-world/Our+Unplanned+Route+Around+The+World2010-02-18+12%3A15%3A57Ryan // Travel, Trip Preparation

Where you headed…?

Many people have asked us the same questions over and over again… “Where are you going on your RTW Trip?” and “What route will you be taking”?

Well, the truth is that we don’t really have an actual planned route around the world. We’re not interested in planning our whole trip out from A to Z. We want to take it day by day. We like to call this type of traveling “itinerary-less traveling”. We might not have a plan that’s set in stone, but what we DO have is a list of  eight must-see countries that we need to check off!

Egypt

The land of Ancient History. The kings, the tombs, the pyramids, the temples, the deserts, the culture, the environment and the atmosphere. All of the above were factored into our decision to visit Egypt. After contemplating back and forth about where to start our RTW trip, we decided to do a quick Kayak search for flights to Egypt and we found a great deal [BOS-CAI] for ($600/pp!) We knew that this deal wouldn’t last long so we jumped on it!

Greece

A country that I didn’t get to visit when I traveled Europe in 2008, and a country that Liz has always dreamt of visiting. The sun, the sea, the people, the food and did I mention the sun? You see, Liz is someone that I categorize as a “tanaholic”. You know, someone that is completely obsessed with the sun! She would have no problem spending her days soaking up the rays. Me? Not so much. As much as I love the sun, I love to get out and explore. Considering that Greece will be one of the most expensive places that we visit on our trip, we plan to only spend about two weeks in this expensive country. We will most likely spend a few days in Athens, and then take a ferry to one or two of the many beautiful Greek islands.

Thailand

Sigh… THAILAND. We have heard nothing but GREAT things about Thailand and we’re really looking forward to spending a lot of time here. Assuming it’s as beautiful as it’s portrayed, we will probably end up staying here until our visas expire! To be honest, we’re looking forward to Thailand the most for a million different reasons. The culture, the food, the adventures, the activities, the wildlife, the islands, the beaches, the diving and the outrageous bargains that can be found on accommodations, food, adventure activities and more! Thailand is known to be super beautiful, super friendly, and last but not least super CHEAP!

Laos

We’re still learning about this somewhat unknown country called Laos. We had never even thought about visiting Laos until we saw this incredible video called “The Long Way Laos” from our new travel blogger friends Aaron & Georgie from HappyTimeBlog. After watching them tear through Laos on a motorbike we were hooked! As an avid motorcycle enthusiast/rider myself, I was instantly jealous of their trip through the mountains of Laos. If and when we make it to Laos we’ll be sure to give our new friends a shout out for the recommendation.

Vietnam

Vietnam is another country that we hadn’t really thought about visiting. It wasn’t until after doing a little bit of research on places like Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang, HaLong Bay, Hue, and more until we decided Vietnam would be a place that we were interested in visiting. I’m also hoping that we’ll be able to rent a motorbike and explore the outskirts of this beautiful country.

Malaysia

From the Petronas Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur, to the beaches of the Perhentian Islands. Malaysia is a destination that we’re pretty excited to travel through. We haven’t done too much research on Malaysia as of yet but we have heard that the assortment of cultures and foods is out of this world. At the moment we don’t plan on spending a whole lot of time in Malaysia but hey, you never know!  After Malaysia we plan on traveling south by train to Singapore where we will fly to our next must see destination, Indonesia!

Indonesia

We’re really looking forward to visiting Indonesia. Mostly because we plan to veg out here for as long as our visas allow us to. We’re hoping to do accomplish ALL of the following things during our visit to Indonesia: attempt to learn how to surf, go snorkeling, go diving, hike Mt. Bromo, explore the islands on scooters, fall fast asleep in our bungalow hammocks, catch a few Balinese sunsets, and simply just R-E-L-A-X!

Australia

An expensive, yet must see country on our list. We’re thinking about renting a car and driving along the coast until we reach Sydney. We’ll see what happens! We hope to be able to dive the Great Barrier Reef, drive along Great Ocean Road, visit a national park or two, see the Sydney Opera House, photograph some wild Koala’s and Kangaroos, and maybe even reconnect with few Aussie friends that I met back when I was traveling through Europe!

Then what?

Well, we’re not sure. It will all come down to what our finances look like once we’re ready to leave Australia. If we’re still hungry for more and we decide we can afford to travel on then we’ll most likely head over to South America before heading home. Only time… (and money) will tell!

With just about 3.5 months until departure, we dream of the day that we’ll begin a new chapter of our lives and we look forward to see where in the world the wind will take us.

Flashbacks: Summer Fun – Boston, MA

// February 3rd, 2010 // 1032No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/02/03/photo-flashbacks-summer-fun-boston-ma/Flashbacks%3A+Summer+Fun+-+Boston%2C+MA2010-02-04+01%3A47%3A36Ryan // Photography, Travel, USA

In summer of 2009 we were fortunate enough to host my family from Ireland at our home. We took them into Boston for the day and here is a pictorial from our adventure in town.

George Washington Equestrian Statue – Boston Public Gardens

Bubbles…

Buildings of Boston

Hopping along

Fishy at the New England Aquarium

New England Aquarium

Shark!

Glass Patterns

My cousin riding the carousel

My cousins awaiting the next round of fountains

Slippery!

Fountain Chaos!

PTM Travel Photography // Quiet Inlet – Newport, RI

// February 2nd, 2010 // 482 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2010/02/02/ptm-travel-photography-quiet-inlet-newport-ri/PTM+Travel+Photography+%2F%2F+Quiet+Inlet+-+Newport%2C+RI2010-02-02+14%3A18%3A52Ryan // Photography, Travel

RTW Trip Coming Soon!

// December 3rd, 2009 // 6432 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2009/12/03/rtw-trip-coming-soon/RTW+Trip+Coming+Soon%212009-12-03+16%3A24%3A34Ryan // Travel

Yes, you heard right. We’re headed off on another adventure! This time it’s an Around The World trip!

We’ll be posting more details about our upcoming RTW trip as the time gets closer.  We simply cannot wait to get back out on the road again, and we’re really looking forward to documenting a boat load of  great travel information, tips, photos, videos, reviews and more for our viewers!

Excuse us for the lack of content lately. It’s due to the fact that we haven’t really traveled for almost a year and a half now! Over the course of the last few months I’ve been working hard on the redesign of Pause The Moment. I hope you enjoy the new and improved site!

Keep in touch!

-Ry

Road Trip to Lincoln, New Hampshire!

// August 1st, 2008 // 252No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2008/08/01/ptm-lincoln-new-hampshire-day-1/Road+Trip+to+Lincoln%2C+New+Hampshire%212008-08-01+22%3A05%3A59Ryan // Travel

We woke up this morning around 8:30AM and finished up some last minute packing before loading up my car with all of our gear. Liz decided to bring her closet with her, so it made it sort of difficult to see out my rear window. Not really, she actually did good! Only because I forced her to leave what I thought was unnecessary back at home.

Anyways, so we loaded the car and headed on up to New Hampshire. Surprisingly enough there was a little traffic before we got to Boston but luckily we were in no real rush to get up there.

We took our time and even made a few stops along the way. We arrived at the Franconia Notch Motel around 12:45PM and we were immediately able to check right in. It worked out perfect. We were looking forward to transferring all of our junk from my car into our new home for the weekend.

Once we unloaded all of our gear and parked our bikes inside of our room, we headed south on Rt.93 to exit 32 (Rt.112) The Kancamagus Highway which is where you’ll find everything you need from shopping, to food, outdoor adventure companies, and even ski mountains like Loon! We stopped just out front of Loon Mountain which is where the Pemigewasset River flows right by.

We spent a few minutes hanging by the river before packing up and heading back past our motel to Indian Head Resort on Rt.3.

Here you can find a gift shop, and tower that you can climb to the top of for $0.50 to get some amazing views of the Indian Head Monument in the distance along with all of the other beautiful scenery that surrounds it.

After leaving Indian Head Resort we headed back on down to the Kancamagus Highway for our 4:30PM Sky Rider Zipline Tour at Alpine Adventures!

Once everyone arrived that was going on the tour with us we all got geared up while listening to the instructor talk about the safety precautions.

A limo bus picked us up out front and took us to another location about 10 minutes down the road where we loaded on to a 6-wheel drive Swiss army transport vehicle called a Pinzgauer. The ride we were about to take was beyond crazy. We were told to hold on tight as we tore through the forest and got tossed around in the vehicle. I couldn’t even take out my camera because it was literally that rocky and bumpy. Besides, I needed two hands to hold on so I wouldn’t fly out of this thing!

We finally arrived at our destination and we hiked out a minute or two into the forest where we were met by our first Zip line of five on this tour! The best part about this first zip was that it was a dual zip line so we could race each other!

Each of the 5 zip lines had their own characteristics. Some were longer than others, some were faster, etc. Overall they were all unbelievable! I’d have to say my two favorite zips of the five were the Montego Bay Express Zip which was (nearly 1600ft long) with amazing scenic views and…

The last zip of the tour was also a favorite of mine, White Knuckle Pine zip which had an 80ft drop and speeds up to 50MPH! Liz and I both decided that we would end the day by walking our heels to the edge of the platform of White Knuckle Pine and falling off backwards! It was insane!

The Sky Rider tour took about 2 Hours to complete from start to finish and by the time we were finished we were pretty exhausted! We hiked down about 5 minutes and loaded back into the 6-wheel off road vehicle for a ride back down to our limo bus.

After arriving back at the office of Alpine Adventures we dropped off our gear and had a short debriefing. Overall it was a great experience, and I definitely recommend this if you’ve never done zip lining before. Between the views, the speed, the fun and the pure adrenaline of zip lining, it is truly something not to be missed if you’re in the Lincoln, NH area.

Once we finished up at Alpine Adventures we took a long ride all the way down the Kancamagus until we reached the Settlers’ Green Outlet Village in North Conway, NH. Neither of us were too impressed with the stores there so we headed back to our motel after spending about 45 minutes or so looking around. Tomorrow we plan on grabbing some breakfast early before heading off for the day to do some hiking and maybe we’ll even spot a few waterfalls along the way.

Flashbacks: Shutter View – Lokrum, Croatia

// July 28th, 2008 // 2281 Comment »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2008/07/28/ptm-travel-photography-shutter-view-of-lokrum-croatia/Flashbacks%3A+Shutter+View+-+Lokrum%2C+Croatia2008-07-28+23%3A38%3A48Ryan // Photography, Travel

Flashbacks: Tree Jumping – Glen Echo Lake

// July 21st, 2008 // 432 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2008/07/21/ptm-travel-photography-tree-jumping-glen-echo-lake/Flashbacks%3A+Tree+Jumping+-+Glen+Echo+Lake2008-07-21+14%3A59%3A51Ryan // Photography, Travel

Blogging While Traveling: Is it WORTH it?

// July 16th, 2008 // 2144 Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2008/07/16/blogging-while-traveling-is-it-worth-it/Blogging+While+Traveling%3A+Is+it+WORTH+it%3F2008-07-16+19%3A17%3A07Ryan // Travel, Travel Tips

In the beginning I was told that keeping a blog while traveling would be nearly impossible. With the availability of internet and open Wi-Fi connections across Europe, and the sheer work load of writing in depth each night about my experiences in all of the cities and countries that I would soon be visiting, I knew this would be quite the task!

After completing three full months of blogging on the road, I truly found out how difficult it actually is to find time to sit down each night and put my day, thoughts and experiences down on paper or on the web in this case. Not only did I have to worry about writing often enough but I also knew that I had to make every blog entry interesting and read worthy. It had to be interesting enough that people from all over the world would actually look forward to tuning in to read what I had been up to and where I’ve traveled to over the past few days. I needed to find a way to engrave my website into my visitors heads and make them want to come back for more every day or two.

Before creating PauseTheMoment.com I would have never labeled myself as a writer, never mind a good one. After researching about the difficulties of keeping a personal travel blog, I didn’t think that I could possibly maintain a full on blog for a week never mind a few months. I underestimated myself as most would if they were in my situation. I now feel that overcoming my fears, and creating a fairly successful travel blog has not only been an incredible personal achievement, but it was one of the best decisions that I could’ve ever made. I wouldn’t change it for the world!

The best part about it all is that I now have an archive of great memories, stories, photos, videos, and more to look back on for years to come. I now plan on printing my entire journey to Europe in book form so that I can have an actual hard copy of it hanging around. How great will it be to be able to have a hard copy of my entire trip in arms reach at all times?

If you are thinking about starting your own personal blog of your travels or adventures, my advice is to go through with it! Understand that there will be a lot of hard work and effort involved but if you succeed in keeping it up to date you won’t regret a single minute that you spent on it. Good luck, and when you’re struggling to decide whether you should continue writing, or just quit and take the easy way out, KEEP ON KEEPING ON!

Flashbacks: Ray of Light – Castellana di Grotte, Italy

// July 16th, 2008 // 215No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2008/07/16/ptm-travel-photography-ray-of-light-castellana-di-grotte-italy/Flashbacks%3A+Ray+of+Light+-+Castellana+di+Grotte%2C+Italy2008-07-16+13%3A33%3A39Ryan // Italy, Photography, Travel

A Surprise Flight Back to Boston!

// July 15th, 2008 // 213No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2008/07/15/surprise-flight-back-to-boston/A+Surprise+Flight+Back+to+Boston%212008-07-15+16%3A24%3A48Ryan // News & Announcements, Travel

Guess who’s back? Yes, it’s true! While I’m very sad to leave Europe and all of it’s crazy ways, I’m also happy to say that I’ll be able to sleep in my own comfy bed (after sleeping in more than 28 different beds across Europe), eat a nice fat American cheese burger with a side of fries not “chips”, drive my car again for the first time in three months and most of all be home to celebrate my mothers birthday with her. I won’t tell you how old she’ll be next week, but I will tell you that it’s a BIG one!

I’ve just returned from an amazing three month trip to Europe which allowed me to visit over 38 cities in 14 different countries during my stay. The things that I’ve seen, and experienced over the last three months cannot be justified in words, or photos.

My trip to Europe was a trip of a lifetime. It is something that many dream of, and an experience that most never get to live out. This trip has truly changed me as a person and my general outlook on life. I’m now returning with the a mind that is far more open than I thought it ever could be.

I have dreams of traveling again to many more cities, countries and even continents but unfortunately for now I will have to settle for the typical daily grind. I have no set plans as of yet for what I will do next but I’m definitely not finished traveling! After traveling through Europe, I’ve realized how many other interesting places there are in the world that are calling my name, just begging for me to encounter and explore them. I will get to these far away places one day, it’s just a matter of time.

—

I’d like to send out thanks to each and every visitor from around the world that has visited Pause The Moment religiously over the last few months and even the ones that checked back in every now and then. There were many times that I contemplated on giving up but every time that I logged in to check the visitor statistics for PTM you always made me change my mind! YOU (the visitors) are one of the major reasons that I kept PTM up to date and that I now have a personal archive of stories, photos, videos and more to look back on for years to come.

As most of you know by now, I love hearing from my visitors! Over the course of the last few months, I’ve tried my best to reply to each and every email and comment that has come through my site. Your feedback has always been greatly appreciated and will continue to be. If you have any questions, comments, or just want to chat… be sure to Contact Me!

A Day of Sights, and Music in Dublin…

// July 12th, 2008 // 210No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2008/07/12/a-day-of-sights-and-music-in-dublin/A+Day+of+Sights%2C+and+Music+in+Dublin...2008-07-12+12%3A21%3A38Ryan // Ireland, Travel

My uncle and I headed into the city to run some errands for my grandmother who lives one block from O’Connell Street in Dublin City Center. Quite convenient huh? As we were walking down to the bank we walked by this statue of a hand that is behind these tall black gates that are usually locked.

I’ve walked past this statue about 3 million times at this point and each and every time I walk by it I think to myself… I wish I could just run in there real quick and jump up into the hand for a photo.

The first time that I walked by a few weeks ago the gates were open but unfortunately I didn’t have anybody with me to take the photo. But today I was in luck! Not only were the gates open, but my uncle was with me so he could be the designated photographer. Nice!

“The Hand” statue is my little secret because it’s not easy to find. It’s not smack dab in the middle of the city, and most visitors to Dublin have probably never seen it. It’s one of the many cool things to see during your stay in Dublin, but maybe I’ll keep it secret and we’ll see if you can find it on your own! That makes it more fun, doesn’t it?

Afterwards I headed down O’Connell Street past the G.P.O and over to the Ha’Penny bridge to snap a few photos while the weather was good. Good weather here lately is any day that it’s not raining! It had been very overcast for most of the day but hey, at least it’s not raining!

I crossed over the Ha’Penny towards Temple Bar where I spent a while listening to some buskers (street performers) play their music and although it’s somewhat rare to hear actual quality music, a few of these guys were great!

I have to say, there’s nothing better than coming down to Temple Bar on a nice day when everyone is out and the buskers are on every corner. It’s amazing to see some of these musicians with so much talent, yet most of them will never be discovered.

Until next time…

Flashbacks: Crooked Clock Tower of Kotor – Kotor, Montenegro!

// July 11th, 2008 // 208No Comments »http://www.pausethemoment.com/2008/07/11/ptm-travel-photography-crooked-clock-tower-of-kotor-kotor-montenegro/Flashbacks%3A+Crooked+Clock+Tower+of+Kotor+-+Kotor%2C+Montenegro%212008-07-11+10%3A05%3A18Ryan // Montenegro, Photography, Travel