let your memory dance

I was down to the last half of my last roll of film by the time I got to Dublin. Here are some shots from Ireland last summer, the last part of my month-long Europe trip after Yvana and I parted ways in Munich. I spent five days in Dublin and after weeks of nonstop motion, it was nice to be able to slow down and see things at my own pace. I spent two days wandering the city itself; I recommend doing one of the free walking tours, seeing the museums (my favorite was the National Gallery of Ireland), visiting Kilmainham Gaol, and looking at the Book of Kells at Trinity College. I also took a couple of trips out of Dublin: I spent one day on a Game of Thrones tour that took us to a dozen sites in Northern Ireland where various scenes from the first three seasons were shot, and one day out to Howth in the morning and then a 7km cliff walk from Bray to Greystones in the afternoon.

This was my first time traveling solo, and it's something I think everyone should try at least once in their life. Who are you when no one's looking?

Being in a foreign country alone forced me to be more present; I was conscious of the fact that every decision I made was entirely my choice, for better or for worse. At times that inspired me to be bold and do things that were out of my comfort zone, like hiking along a cliffside by myself on a rare sunny day or reaching out to a friend I hadn't talked to in years to meet up at a pub for a Game of Thrones screening; other times I found myself spending too much time on my phone texting friends in the States instead of going out and seeing things or quickly eating at fast food chains so I didn't have to suffer the embarrassment of eating alone at a sit-down restaurant.

Travel is the epitome of invented nostalgia, all checklists of important sites and experiences you're supposed to have when you go somewhere new. That isn't a bad thing, but if there's anything I've learned from this trip it's that the moments of spontaneity, serendipitous discovery, and self-reflection aren't ones that you can choreograph ahead of time; you have to make room and leave the rest to chance.

xoxo, vivian