TravelBio

After the school year in China, and after traveling to England and Ireland, it would be nice to relax for awhile. I flew back to Ohio on the 21st of July, happy to be home and to see my family. I didn't have much time to unwind though, because on the 24th - a day after my birthday (28) - I was back in the skies. This time my parents, sister Anna, and I were all flying to Las Vegas! Vegas isn't exactly the first place that comes to mind when I think of destinations to go with my family, although it was a fun trip nonetheless. My parents aren't teetotalers, but they aren't wild late night people either (and I'm glad about that...who wants to party on the Strip with their 60-year-old mom?). So in other words, I expected the trip to be low key. It was laid back - we spent a good chunk of time exploring the strip, playing video poker, and hanging out in our room. We stayed at the Jockey Club, next to the Cosmopolitan, in an apartment with two bedrooms, a living sp

My flight back to the States actually left from Dublin - I'd booked an award flight on American Airlines and the additional taxes out of London were $200 more, out of Manchester an extra $100 - so I figured why not make a stop in Ireland? Dublin has a reputation for good bars, live music, and late night fun - maybe too much, since room prices over the weekend were crazy expensive (I couldn't find a hotel for two nights less than 200 pounds, and Airbnb wasn't much better). So I ditched the weekend idea and booked an Airbnb apartment for the following Monday and Tuesday. Instead of flying directly to Dublin, I went Manchester to Belfast that Saturday, where Trevor and his mom met me at the airport. If you read my China posts his name might sound familiar; Trevor was the school's PE teacher and was home for the summer with his mom, who lives a town outside Belfast. She agreed to host me and even chauffeured us around the countryside Sunday. That Saturday when I