Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: Photo Friday

  • Photo Friday – Ross Castle

    I have publicly admitted that history isn’t my strongest subject (see #1 on this list), and one of the reasons I push myself to travel is to learn more about the world and its past. Every once in a while while traveling though, I get a bit history-ed out and I completely fail to take in any facts at all about a certain place especially if the visit is brief. I learned a ton of stuff on our Ireland/Scotland trip, but gave a complete miss to the history of Ross Castle pictured below. I knew it wasn’t far from the B&B where we stayed in Killarney so I at least made a point to pop by and take a photo, but as I’m writing this post, I can’t tell you a thing about this particular castle. We didn’t tour it, and I didn’t read about it so I’m going to go Google it now.

    (Ah-ha…15th century tower house, O’Donoghue clan, dude may have jumped out of a window, possibly haunted.)

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  • Photo Friday – Stonefield Castle

    Photo Friday – Stonefield Castle

    Built in 1837 along the shore of Loch Fyne in Tarbert, Scotland, Stonefield Castle checked the box for one of my bucket list items: stay overnight in a castle. I didn’t find a clawfoot tub in the bathroom and we didn’t see any ghosts during our visit, but Chris and I felt like king and queen staying in the stately guestroom with four-poster bed and separate sitting room. We didn’t even spend a full 24-hours at the castle, but it was a nice resting point between our long weekend on Islay and our city adventures ahead in Edinburgh. More on Scotland coming soon!

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  • Photo Friday – Fáilte

    I spotted this flower box art roadside in a very small Irish town called Connolly during one of our off-the-beaten-path detours. Fáilte. If I had to choose one word to sum up our time in Ireland it would be fáilte. It means “welcome” in Gaelic, and it’s exactly how I felt no matter where we went. Pubs, bed and breakfasts, in taxis and on foot, nearly every single local we encountered was warm and friendly to us and we felt completely welcome. It’s perhaps my most favorite thing about Ireland, and I can see why people simply fall in love with the whole country.

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  • Photo Friday – Bluemont

    Chris and I have spent several weekends over the last few months working our way through the brewdoun.com list of Loudoun County, Virginia breweries. This past weekend we stopped at Dirt Farm Brewing for the first time where we were treated with this beautiful view of Bluemont’s farms and vineyards. I absolutely love Virginia countryside and I enjoy every opportunity I get to explore it. Stay tuned for more detailed posts about the breweries we visited!

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  • Photo Friday – Head of the Class

    Oh the things that Chris does to make me smile/laugh – I love him for it! At some point he might have asked me not to post this photo, but I can’t remember for sure so we’ll just see how long he lets me keep it here.

    This image was taken at the Skógar Folk Museum in southern Iceland inside a tiny schoolhouse that originally stood in the town of Mýrdalur in 1901. It was moved to the museum and reconstructed there in 1999 among a collection of other original buildings. Of note: the scale of the furnishings and the building itself! With the low ceilings and the tiny seats we felt like giants! The museum is well worth a visit if you’re traveling the Ring Road, especially if you need a rainy day activity. You’ll get to see and tour turf farmhouses and other fascinating examples of Icelandic architecture.

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