Ireland and France Travel Journal

My sister Jennifer and I were so fortunate to be able to visit Ireland and France this March. It was my first time outside the USA, and I had a great time. We visited with my cousin Pat, who lives there part of the year. She has been going to Ireland for many years and was our amazing tour guide. She's also a seasoned international traveler, and we learned a lot from her!

I'll share more pages with you later, but for now, here is a start. Under the pages I've listed some of the "ingredients" in the page. I used lots of tickets, maps, and other things that accumulate during a trip.

Pat gifted us with beautiful little leather journals made by the Holden Leathergoods of Co. Kerry, Ireland. I used the bag the green bag the journal came in, as well as the stickers from the bag, and a purse cut from Holden's literature. The journal is even signed by the maker. Pat gave these to us before we left home, so I broke the ice by doing this page and one about packing before we left.

Here's a page done while I was packing. The suitcase is cut from an old postcard.

One day, early in the trip, we visited Howth. It's a lovely town on the Irish sea with many places to buy fresh seafood. While Pat was shopping for salmon and other things for dinner, Jennifer and I were exploring and taking pictures of the harbor.

This page was made with little photos I had printed at the little pharmacy in Donabate, the village where we stayed with Pat. I had the pictures printed 2 images to a print and then cut them apart, so they they would be small enough for this book. Pat is an amazing hostess, and we had a wonderful meal with her Irish friends. The salmon she made was the best I've ever eaten.

Here's a description of a proper Irish breakfast, which Pat fixed for us on our first day there. More on that later...yummy.  The Chinese bit was a note inside the bag of Chinese takeout we had with some Irish friends that night.

Here is a receipt for groceries and a list of words and phrases we were hearing being used in Ireland.

In Ireland, the driving is on the other side of the road, and there are roundabouts wherever you go. They actually work quite well, but I was so confused at first. This map of an imaginary roundabout shows my confusion, because I got the directions wrong on several of the vehicles. This page is all colored pencil and ink and white Sharpie pen.

We were charmed by Dublin. More pages about that to some, but here is a teaser: a Dubline streetlamp with shamrocks, and a Georgian Dublin door.  Pitt Artist Pens and Prismacolor colored pencils. Many of my pages were prepped with some paint before leaving the states, and this is one of them.

Here are a couple of Irish cottages, which dot the landscape. We even visited with friends who live in one of the old cottages, which they've renovated into a charming little home. This is happening all over Ireland, as the government encourages people to save the old buildings. These two even have thatch roofs. The pink one is a sweater shop in Doolin.

We went back to Howth several times. We were amazed at how the Irish sit out and eat at patio tables when it's quite chilly! Hardy folks. We also went back to Howth for a prawn festival which was mouthwatering. This page is just my notes, plus a wonderful little map they give out in Howth to help you find your way around.



I have many more pages to show, but this is a start. More to come!