Can’t believe it is already the end of 2024! Let’s round things off with stories from my Dublin, Ireland trip earlier this year. 

I’ll show you Irish Gothic architecture, and how I got these unobstructed shots and video inside The Long Room Library of Trinity College…

And we’ll recap a few of my other travels and adventures in 2024, such as this visit to the newly renovated Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, BC’s UBC!

Let’s begin with Dublin, Ireland. I checked into the artsy Arthaus boutique hotel for my first time ever in St Patrick’s land.

As a book lover, I had to see the famed Long Library at Trinity College, which is filled with antique books and busts. Isn’t this a bibliophile’s dream?

To visit the library, you’ll have to make advance reservations for the Book of Kells Experience at Trinity College. You’ll get to see the famed 800 ACE illuminated manuscript and interactive museum exhibits as well.

Select the first entry slot in the morning, and rush to the library before the crowds. That way, you’ll have the 18th century Long Library filled with antique books and busts to yourself. Can you tell this is my happy place??

The Long Room is an 65-metre-long chamber of the Old Library, built between 1712 and 1732. It holds 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books, as well as a row of white busts of writers and philosophers like Shakespeare.

Here’s how I took photos in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin without any crowds!

1) Reserve the first 8:30 AM entry to the Book of Kells experience
2) Race past the museum exhibits (which everyone else looks at first) to the Long Library up the stairs and in the back
3) You’ll have about 10 min to take unobstructed shots like this, before others arrive!

I also took a video of my Long Library visit — check it out on @lacarmina IG.

Long Library looks a lot like the Jedi archives of the Jedi Temple in Star Wars!

The chamber also holds “Brian Boru’s harp”, a medieval Gaelic musical instrument and a national symbol of Ireland.

I recommend staying in a central area of Dublin so that you can easily walk around and see the parks and sites. I laid flat at Arthaus Hotel near St Stephen’s Green.

The Art Deco decor and boutique amenities were right up my alley.

From there, I could stroll to Trinity College, Dublin Castle and other nearby landmarks. Spotted tons of decadent Irish brass doorknockers along the way.

Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. Today, the campus has some rather Gothic and haunted elements, like this painting of a horned lady.

The eminent institution was straight out of a fantasy novel. I imagined taking magick potion classes at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Botany. (See my video of the School of Botany here.)

Dublin has quite a few quirky and Gothic attractions like The Church Café Bar & Restaurant, set in a converted 17th century church (the stained glass windows and organ remain).

Irish coffee (with whiskey and whipped cream) is a local must-try. My favorite was the elevated version at Vice Coffee.

Nothing like having a fresh latte outside in Europe. I said hi to Oscar Wilde’s statue at Merrion Square in Dublin.

Marsh’s Library is another book lover’s paradise. It is Dublin’s oldest public library – dating back to the 18th century.

I didn’t pay the fee to enter the library and take photos, so you’ll only get this shot of the exterior. (I also came across this Egyptian lamp-bearer while walking around.)

Dublin is one Goth destination… the dark architecture and moody skies are straight out of a The Cure music video.

Also very Gothic: The Dead Zoo, or natural history museum filled with taxidermy and bones. Entry is free, so why not come to see over 10,000 specimens including bats?

For a short day trip from Dublin, take the DART train to Howth, a scenic Irish fishing village on the peninsula.

Take the cliff walk by the water, and see nautical sites like Baily Lighthouse.

Although I’m not into the pub scene, it’s fun to walk around the Temple Bar area at night. Many of the classic pubs, such as The Long Hall, have been around for hundreds of years.

Have you been to Ireland, or dream of going? For more, see my reel (set to Enya) of my Long Room at Trinity College visit.

Let’s finish off with a few 2024 adventures that I haven’t yet shared on the blog. In the summer, my friend Sancho Angulo and I went to Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology at UBC, which has re-opened after an 18-month seismic revamp.

Sancho and I spent hours exploring the UBC Museum of Anthropology, which has over 50,000 global cultural works lit up by Arthur Erickson’s modernist architecture. One of the centerpieces is Bill Reid’s sculpture of Haida creation myth “The Raven and the First Men.”

The Museum Of Anthropology has the world’s most magnificent collection of Indigenous northwest coast art, including towering totem poles and long houses outside. Whenever friends travel to Vancouver, I encourage them to visit my fav local museum – I think the photos speak for themselves!

You may recall that Sancho Angulo and I were both on CTV’s game show, Battle of the Generations. We have more travels and road trips planned ahead… stay tuned for our next escapades.

I also did a summer getaway to Harrison Hot Springs, the resort town near Vancouver. I enjoyed the hotel’s 90s vibe and swimming pool, and got to hang with the sasquatch statues.

Every summer, I make sure to get in some “Beach Goth” time (with lots of sun protection, always). Wearing a Beach Goth t-shirt from Cat and Bat designs, indie purveyors of Gothic cotton shirts.

I also did a work trip to Del Boca Vista, aka Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida. Here are some snaps from my tropical Goth pool day at Lake Nona Wave Hotel.

I was fond of the Lake Nona sculpture garden, which contains a menagerie of large-scale works. This Miffy one spoke to me.

A funny airport story… I had to go through an extra security check because TSA didn’t recognize my 90s Nintendo Game Boy when it went through the scanner! Agents were confused and probably thought it was a b-o-m-b. Security said they hadn’t seen this device in forever. But Super Mario Land is the best game ever… And the reason I wanted to go to Easter Island!

I was in Florida to write about Michelin starred chef Ryan Ratino’s new Florida restaurants, Omo by Jont and Maass, for publications including Observer. Check out my video about dining at Ryan Ratino’s restaurants — yasss, chef. You can read my travel and food writing on my freelance journalism portfolio page.

And now, tis time for me to lie flat for the season… were you sassy or sweet this year? (From Elf’s Pub at Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, with Sancho Angulo @sanchoangulo). Wishing you the best for the ho-ho-holidays, and see you in 2025!