Jumé Irmscher

No trip to Oahu is complete without a visit to Pearl Harbor. Even though it happened 77 years ago,  December 7th, 1941 is still very much present in this place. 

Paradise . According to the dictionary, this means:  "...a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness. a state of supreme happiness; bliss." and "...a town in Northern California."

Whether you've been to Hawaii or not you at least have an image you conjure up when someone talks about it. Everyone has some sort of expectation or fantasy on what Hawaii might be like. Some think it's "hang ten" vibes all the way, while others think of beach delight or outdoor extravaganza. My husband and I had complete opposite perceptions before our trip to O'ahu and Maui. He's been told it's paradise with a capital P. An experience of utter bliss resulting from world-class beaches, jaw-dropping scenery, and out-of-this-world activities. You get where I'm going with this, right? No place can have that many adjectives rolled into one without some sort of reality kick in the gut. I, on the other hand, expected delicious food as well as a vibrant and present culture, but a poorer, simpler side of life peeking from behind the fringes of the tourist-laden areas. We both were right but also terribly misguided. Hawaii was all of it. Beautiful and ugly,

Side note: I didn’t do any color correction on these photos. The blues are simply that blue a nd the turquoise is that intense.   Portugal is chock and block full of history and culture, but the Portuguese also need to play. Enter Algarve. This is where you come to let your hair down, perfect your tan, stare at an Adonis or two playing volleyball, and break your camera’s memory card. Algarve coast has it all. Here you play hard and you play hard. You heard right. The only hustle and bustle here is the waves beating down on the silvery sands glistening in the sun. The Algarve coast simply doesn’t have time for your stress or worries. Here the only tolerance is for playing and relaxing – it’s a retreat for your senses, body, and mind. And if the sun and surf isn’t your cup of tea, the amount of rich culture, breath-taking vistas and oh-so-heavenly cuisine will surely bring you over to the dark side. Speaking of which, they also have a bone chapel. Sun, sea and macabre – what a fea

Wine I'm going to come right out and say it. Porto: I'm not a fan. Unlike, basically everywhere in Portugal, Porto feels like just another European city. I was bored by the lack of originality that suffocated the city like a cheap cologne. I do understand that a lot of people love Porto, I can also understand their reasons for loving it. I'm simply stating, that I was underwhelmed by how well she fitted in with the rest of the cool European city crowd. I missed that charming spunk that all her neighbor cities and towns possess. That "I might not be the brightest star you've ever seen, but dang it I'm going to shine with all my might and that's beautiful enough" attitude that Portugal has and that I completely admire.  This McDonald's voted "The World's Most Beautiful" is actually only from 1995. Livrario Lello makes you feel like you've stepped into Hogwarts