Travling is my passion, and my family and I are having the times of our lives this year. We've visited Ireland, Atlanta, and will go to Washington at the end of July. Click the RSS feed to experience it with us!noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)Fri, 4 Oct 2024 23:54:49 -0400Blogger http://www.blogger.com20125http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/en-usnotravel,familyTravling is my passion, and my family and I are having the times of our lives this year. We've visited Ireland, Atlanta, and will go to Washington at the end of July. I hope you enjoy our trips as much as we do!Click here to travel with the Osbornes!Natalie Osborne Smithnoreply@blogger.comNatalie Osborne Smithhttp://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/02/jeffersonmemorial.htmlFri, 1 Feb 2008 15:12:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-5387657722039938707 Jefferson_Memorial Originally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith This is probably the best picture I took on our mini vacation to Washington. We went on the monument tour on the HOTEST day of the trip. We were pooped by the end of the tour, but the light was perfect for picture taking. This was taken at the Jefferson Memorial!0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/02/famcaptialbuilding.htmlFri, 1 Feb 2008 15:04:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-8259048186087677137Fam_CaptialBuilding Originally uploaded by natalieosbornesmithHere are Mom, Aunt Pat, and Jennifer in front of the Captial Building. The city was working on the Mall, so the grass was all messed up. It still reminded me of the tree lined parks in Paris around the Eiffel Tower. Hmm... You think the city planners had French influence?0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/02/mom-and-me-capital-building.htmlFri, 1 Feb 2008 15:02:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-3860425111389413277 IMG_1925 Originally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith Here we are at the back of the capital building in Washington DC! The vista in the back was beautiful. That's the Washington Memorial in the background. Washington is one of the most beautiful capitals I've ever been to, and it's SUPER easy to get around!0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/typical-staircase.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 17:06:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-25398774002561279 Nat's Ireland Originally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith OK! That's definitely a tight squeeze!This is a typical Midieval staircase found in castles throughout Europe. This is from Yeats Tower (Thoor Ballylee).0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/thoor-ballylee-yeats-castle.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 17:03:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-4000508369300507743 Nat's Ireland Originally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith The tower was made famous by Irish poet William Butler Yeats. The tower had to be restored before Yeats could live in it. By the summer of 1919 Yeats and his wife and daughter had moved in. The tower or castle that Yeats bought was a sixteeneth century norman castle built by the family de Burgo, or Burke. It consisted of four floors0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/ennis.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 13:11:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-4495551149419766923YeatsHouseOriginally uploaded by natalieosbornesmithAt our trips end, we spent a couple of days in Ennis. This is a great town to stay in when hopping from one place to another. It also hosts one of the 2 international airports in Southern Ireland, so it's a great place to start or begin your trip. Some neat things to do while there are:- Yeats Tower (Pictured here & see next post)- Bunratty 0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/closer-look-at-burren.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 13:00:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-5270252591055766850Burren2Originally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith Take a closer look at the rocks of the Burren. The Burren (Irish: Boireann, meaning Great rock, Boirinn is the modern form used by the Ordnance Survey) is a unique landscape region in northwest County Clare, in Ireland. The rolling hills of Burren are composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated 0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/burren.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 12:56:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-4905389923213051465BurrenOriginally uploaded by natalieosbornesmithThe western coast of Ireland is dramatic in its views and plant life. You look one way and you see the aqua waters of the Atlantic. You look inland, and you see the Burren.The Burren is an ecological marvel located roughly between Lahinch to the south and the southern part of Galway Bay to the north. At one time, the Burren was a fertile and 0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/galway-city.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 11:40:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-8581800921865874689Galway_CityOriginally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith I didn't particularly care for this city. We got there on a Friday, and all the college kids were out. It was hot, crowded, and noisy that night, and there were issues with the water in Galway city. Luckly our hotel had a "high tech" filtration system, so no worries there! When we woke up the next morning, my mom and I went walking before we 0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/cliffs-of-mohr.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 11:35:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-6085922856897000138Nat's Ireland Originally uploaded by natalieosbornesmithAnother shot of the Cliffs!0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/nat-ireland.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 11:31:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-1041817759938721310Nat's IrelandOriginally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith To get an idea of the scale, look for the little people hiking on top in the first photo. The Cliffs are probably the most famous spot in Ireland, but it is well worth the drive and hike to the top. The natural cliffs are 300 meters high (over 984 feet high). There are walking trails out to its furthest point, but it can be dangerous as the 0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/ferry-ride-to-cliffs-of-mohr.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 11:24:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-7075839767940978624FerryRide Originally uploaded by natalieosbornesmithThe Cliffs of Mohr is not far from Killarney. An hour drive and a ferry ride between the two largest peninsulas, the Dingle and Kerry, will get you on your way to one Ireland's most beautiful spots!0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/pink-tavern.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 11:13:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-8344841413056727395Me_SneemOriginally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith Look at that PINK tavern in Sneem, County Clare! This is common in small Irish towns. My mom and I guess that they use bright colors because it is usually overcast and raining. The bright colors help keep their spirits up during perpetual rain. We were lucky on this trip that we only had rain the first 2 days!0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/ericmeringofkerry.htmlRing of KerryWed, 23 Jan 2008 10:55:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-8042815935012398100Eric_Me_RingofKerryOriginally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith It's really amazing how beautiful the Kerry Pennisula is. We were lucky and took a bus tour. The lanes are so narrow that cars have to pull off the road to let the busses go by. My father-in-law wanted to drive it, but we all agreed afterwards that the bus ticket was money well spent. We stopped along the way to eat at a sea side diner0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/killarney.htmlWed, 23 Jan 2008 10:42:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-2486280499626555120Nat's IrelandOriginally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith Killarney was another of my very favorite cities in Ireland. Like Kilkenney, it is small and the people are very friendly. We stayed at the coolest bed and breakfast right outside of town. The town is loaded with great shops, music, and eating! Some things to do while there:The nearby Muckross Traditional Farms are full working examples of 0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2008/01/blarneycastle.htmlBlarneyWed, 23 Jan 2008 10:26:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-7167971670291080160Blarney_CastleOriginally uploaded by natalieosbornesmith I just loved the picturesque Blarney Castle in County Cork. The grounds are beautiful, and I must say that all the steep and narrow steps to the top of the castle was "interesting." When we finally got up top, I could see for miles around. I must admit that I did kidss the Blarney stone, although I need no help with the gift of gab! Blarney0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2007/07/traditional-music-in-kilkenny.htmlSun, 22 Jul 2007 16:59:00 -0400tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-7403085963279310976South of Dublin is a small city called Kilkenny. The town is quaint and the people are very friendly. There is also great shopping in this little town. I would suggest staying in the Kilkenny House Hotel. It is newly renovated and very reasonable. Places to visit while there:Kilkenny Castle - Newly renovated by the Irish government from EU grants, this castle gives you a good idea of how 19th 0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2007/07/rainy-dublin.htmlDublinSun, 22 Jul 2007 16:44:00 -0400tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-8499389462675615036I have to say that the weather was pretty miserable during our two days in Dublin, but the sites were still very interesting. Trinity College is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen in Europe. The English built it during the 18th century to educate the Irish people. One of the most interesting things we saw while there was the Book of Kells. It is one of the oldest Latin manuscripts of the 4 0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2007/05/ireland-itinerary.htmlMon, 28 May 2007 07:29:00 -0400tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-1554552999729462834 We'll start out in Dublin, Ireland's capital. While there we plan to go on the Guiness tour as well as see the parliment building, etc. We'll then head towards Kilkenny. We're staying in a country manor. I'm really looking forward to this as it will be more like the "real Ireland." Big cities like Dublin are always fun, but they never seem to really reflect the history and culture of the people.0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)http://nattystravel.blogspot.com/2007/05/getting-ready.htmlSat, 26 May 2007 16:54:00 -0400tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666145753760043694.post-2396655512956189244My first trip of the summer is to Ireland. Erin Go Braugh! Eric and I are excited, but we have a lot to accomplish before next Friday. Can I say laundry? I didn't know how much had piled up over the week! Keep on the look out for more posts to come!0noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Osborne Smith)