JGHeraghty | Poetry

Old Fortress, Corfu Old Town, 2022 I'm not one for partying, so Corfu was a bold choice. I recall people looked at me funny when I said I was going to party-party land in the summer. But you know? I had one line of thinking: how do I know it's not my scene, I've never tried it? Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly follow the motto of 'try everything once' but it's just a thing people know about themselves and I didn't actually know it. We didn't go alone of course, we went with a whole crew of people. I believe there were 12 of us in total. Some I knew, some I didn't. For €400 for 7 days, you have to wonder what you're getting yourself in for. Here's the answer: a beautiful beach, basic plumbing in your hotel, a series of bug bites (if that's what you're in to) and the most incredible night sky on that midnight beach. Oh you're a drinker? Ah you'll fit right in. Me, not so much, but I did love my experience there. ...

Kölner Dom, 2022 Okay, I'll be honest. We went to Cologne because we needed to go to Berlin, and the cost of the flight was so cheap by comparison (including the cross-country train cost) that it only made sense to choose it. We were heading to Berlin for Pokemon Go Fest 2022. Our original plan was: we fly to Cologne (for €13 each), check in to our hotel - situated right in the train station we would depart from - sleep for 4 hours and then take a 5 hour train ride to Berlin. Yes, we were ambitious. However, as life does, we woke up the same minute we were meant to be departing on our train. And while I do not know much about public transport in Germany, I knew two solid facts right then: we were not getting that train and we were definitely not getting a refund. So what could we do except enjoy a wonderful day in Cologne while we waited for the next train! ... With only a few hours to spend in a new city (and the fact we already missed one train), you might be expecting we were he...

Eiffel Tower, 2021 Who doesn't dream of Paris? Me. I'll be honest. I had heard so many negative things about Paris before I went, so that dampened it a little for me. However, since I have been, I cannot stop dreaming of Paris. The feeeeeeeling of being there was so incredible. I loved the tea, I loved the Eiffel Tower, I loved the air. I honestly felt like I belonged there, which is an unbelievable feeling. We decided to go in November, as it was nearing the end of the year and I swore I would not go anywhere attraction-filled for New Years after London. It was our first trip since the pandemic so we were a little nervous. Before we left I got the biggest cold feet of my life, sitting on the couch, telling Shane I wasn't going. We talk about regrets in life, getting up off that couch and making my way to the airport was one of the best decisions I have made in my life to date!  Before we went, I made an extensive plan that was activity packed (and maybe a bit too ambitious...

Tower Bridge, 2023   London was never one of my top picks for the Before 30 list, however Shane told me he enjoyed his short layover in London while he was traveling, so I figured it was a good destination to go to on our first trip away together. We planned a short trip to London for New Years in 2019. Pre-pandemic, the 'before times' if you will. We stayed in a luxurious 4 star hotel in the center of London, near Tower Bridge so we would be close to a couple of attractions. Before going, we purchased a thing called 'London Pass', I think it goes by something else now. The pass included tickets to some top attractions such as the Big Bus, London Eye, Madame Tussauds and Sea Life.   At the time, we hadn't yet established how we would plan out our trips. We went to London as part of a wider trip from Birmingham. Shane was spending Christmas in Birmingham with his family, so I met him there, and took a train from Birmingham to London to see out the New Year.  We were ...

Sagrada Familia, 2018 I went to Barcelona for a womENcourage conference back in 2017. It was my first flight, my first time trekking around on my own outside my small hometown. My parents came with me (also my mother's first time abroad) and we stayed in this hotel in Calella. Calella, while a lovely place, was not ideal as it was 2+ hours away from the University I was attending for the conference.  The first night was one of my best memories: it was torrential raining and we all got soaked in seconds. The whole night was lightning flash after lightning flash, and the three of us found ourselves hiding out in a soon-to-shut Burger King.  In the end though, we ended up having to brave the storm, ducking under shutters that were almost 3-quarters shut. I felt like we were in a movie, making it out at the last minute! haha That whole night, my room lit up again and again with the flashes of lightning, and the rattling of thunder. I don't know what I love so much about stormy wea...

Before I am 30, I aim to travel to 10 countries!  While very achievable for most, I have only started traveling in the past few years. So when I set that goal, I didn't even think I would get to 10, if I'm honest. Obviously, the pandemic happened and I had to pause for a while, but we're still on track: we put a large dent in the list in 2022 alone - visiting a total of 8 countries in the year. I always thought of travel as something terrifying, I was mostly nervous about food. I love other cultures, and I can get excited about taking the plane, train, car or hike to the next attraction.  It is immensely important to me to go out into the world and see it. I have found my past few years, I feel incredibly isolated and as though I don't have control of my own life. I feel like I was born into a society with rules on how you should live your life, in stages I mean: find a man, get married, have kids, grow old. I'll talk more about the lessons I learn along my journey,...