Gadling

This story is an example of a traveler's nightmare as well as what it's like to win the lottery--an is the glass half empty or half full sort of tale.

Three strapping young men, high school graduates from Plano, Texas landed in Dublin, Ireland ready to embark on a back-packing trip around Europe. They were eager. Excited. If you've done a similar trip, you know the feeling. Then they were asked two magic questions by immigration that they didn't know the answer to.

"Where are you staying?" and "How much money do you have?" They needed a bank statement to prove they were solvent. They came up with goose eggs on both accounts.

They didn't have a place to stay yet, therefore, no address. Evidently, they didn't have proof of enough funds either so there they were. Instead of following where their adventurous selves felt like going, they were sent back to New York City.

Hearing of their plight, and that shame had befallen Ireland that prides itself on being friendly, an upscale hotel group d4hotels.ie has offered the trio an all expenses paid trip back to Ireland. They've also been offered free cell phone service for a week and probably free pints of Guinness.

The three have accepted the offer, but feel nervous about the black mark on their passports. Hopefully, their best dreams are coming true and that Plano will be left behind for awhile. Let's see if any other countries want to show how friendly they are.

If you've ever walked into an upscale candy store like I did on Thursday when I walked into Posh Chocolat in Missoula, Montana, you know how your eyes are drawn to those glass cases after you/ve had whiff of that rich and creamy smell. You know how each piece of chocolate is so darned pretty that it's hard to chose. Again, that's what happened to me at Posh Chocolat.

Think about how that experience might be multiplied by more than 30. That's how many gourmet and artisan chocolatiers will be at the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon this Sunday, July 12.

The chocolatiers are among the finest of the fine. Along with tasting all types of chocolate, with the entry fee you can attend demonstrations, talks and on-going interviews by TasteTV's Chocolate Television program. Wine is also involved with the event and one of the demonstrations is about a chocolate spa.

For the best ticket deal, get a ticket on-line for $20. At the door, you'll pay $25. Kids under 6 are free and from ages 7-12, $10. The salon is being held at the Bell Harbor Conference Center.

Look for Posh Chocolat's offerings for sure. The truffles are AMAZING! Our sister blog, Luxist has a rundown of some of the other chocolatiers and speakers. If you miss this year's, there's always next year. This year is the 2nd annual event. I'm assuming there will be a 3rd.

I was after a cup of coffee. I got that. French press coffee to be exact. But, it was the truffle I ate at Posh Chocolat in Missoula, Montana yesterday afternoon that enticed me to take out my pen and take notes.

Posh Chocolat's specialty is Artisan chocolates that win awards. The one I savored, Garam Masala Spice--a lovely blend of ground peppercorn, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin in Ecuadorian dark chocolate, landed the best truffle award last year at the 2008 International Chocolate Salon in Seattle.

The store owners and chocolatiers, Jason and Ana Willenbrock also brought back eight other awards which have helped put Missoula into the forefront of fine chocolate.

There's a photography book Chameleon with a Camera: A Unique Primer on Travel Photography and How to Survive a Trip that I came across on Tuesday in the Philipsburg, Montana Public Library. It's a slim volume perfect for taking along for inspiration. The author, Dennis Carlyle Darling is a professional photographer and a professor of journalism at the University of Texas in Austin.

Each summer he and his wife, Helen Darling, country western song writer and singer, come to Philipsburg. They are both charming, lovely people.

As I read through the book, particularly enjoying the travel related quotes and rejuvenating my interest in taking pictures of people, one of Dennis's fortes, his packing list caught my attention. He's traveled to various countries on several occasions and has a couple of handy suggestions for items that are easy to take along and useful. One of them I haven't seen on a list before.

Ben Southall, the British guy who won the "Best Job in the World" contest is now busy at work care-taking and exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia to promote them as destination hot spots. In case living on one island for six months sounds claustrophobic , there's no need to worry about Ben.

His girlfriend, a former Canadian gymnast, went with him for this gig that comes with a sweet deal paycheck. Perhaps the $121,000 total rings a bell.

As a person who has lived in a remote place on my own, I think it's great that his girlfriend is along with him. I can imagine that as the days pass, no matter how glorious paradise seems, it can get pretty lonely, particularly as tourists come and go since most visit on day trips..

His girlfriend has already added some excitement.

Lady bugs and lightening bugs are the favorable bugs of summer, particularly if you're in the Midwest region of the U.S. Both are bugs that I associate with childhood Julys in Kentucky. I particularly like this shot by Lili Living because of the contrast of texture and colors between the lady bug and the blades of grass.

If you have any shots to share that hint at a place that evokes a memory of summer, send them our way at Gadling's Flickr photo pool. (Other shots are welcome as well.) One might be chosen as a Photo of the Day.

For the past seven summers, ever since we moved back from India, we've embarked on a Great American Road Trip. The first was the mega version that put 10,000 miles on a new Ford Taurus station wagon in three months. Mind you, this was in 2003 with a 10 year-old and a 1 ½ year old-and without video games, computers or a DVD player.

This year's version is a fly drive combo. Three months for tootling around between the Atlantic and Pacific is harder to come by-three weeks, doable. Without a burning desire to drive through the Midwest to get to Montana from Ohio like last year when I waxed poetic about Wisconsin's cheese curds, we flew on Northwest Airlines (aka Delta) over those endless corn and soybean fields to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sure Albuquerque is no where near Montana, our main destination, but there's a reason for the detour.

In yesterday's article "Travelers Weigh in on Policing Carry-ons" in the New York Times, Joe Sharkey said that he received 300 e-mails with complaints about overhead bins and carry-on bags. According to Sharkey, people are fussing right and left regarding other people's carry-ons.

Reading the responses that Sharkey highlighted reminds me a bit of people's complaints about other people's driving. Instead of grousing about the lack of blinker use, people driving too close, people driving too slow in the fast lane, or too fast in the slow lane, or talking on a cell phone instead of paying attention to the road, people are turning other people's carry-on bags into modern day travel hazards and symbols of human rudeness.

For example, one person suggested that with the amount of stuff people are cramming into overhead bins and the dangers of falling objects, wearing a helmet while flying isn't a bad idea. He might have a point.

Here's an idea. Like Sharkey also mentioned, maybe the airlines could rent helmets as a way to make more money. Hard hats, for that matter, could easily be decorated with an airline's logo.

A few months ago, a Gadling reader e-mailed a question about what to pack for a move overseas. The reader was flummoxed about what to ship and what not to ship. Jeff White, in a help out a fellow traveler effort, wrote a long response with suggestions based on his own experience as one who has lived overseas himself. I was struck by Jeff's generosity and thoughtfulness. As Kraig posted, Jeff , one of the most thoughtful among us, shared some of his packing tips with Gadling readers.

Yep, Jeff's thoughtfulness-and curiosity appeared over and over again in his posts. Working with Jeff these months has tuned me into tidbits I would have missed such as this one on the Amsterdam Hilton's tribute to John Lennon and Yoko Ono this past March. As part of the song goes (I know that because Jeff tipped us off)

"I said, "We're only trying to get us some peace".

Christ you know it ain't easy..."

Jeff, John Lennon would have been pleased and proud to be remembered by someone like you. As for me, I've been in such a funk knowing that you have died. It ain't easy.

Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton,
Talking in our beds for a week.
The newspaper said, "Say what you doing in bed?"
I said, "We're only trying to get us some peace".

Christ you know it ain't easy...

I was looking for YouTube footage of the 4th of July parade in Hannibal, Missouri, one of my most memorable 4th of July's ever, when I came across this marvelous effort that worked. Flippy Cat didn't set up the dominoes, but he makes a comment about them. Very cool.

Here are two other top 4th of July's.

Sitting in the car in the cemetery in Philipsburg, Montana with my husband and two kids watching fireworks go off from various parts of town. There wasn't an organized fireworks display, just random people doing their own thing. My son who was four at the time said, "This is a fireworks festival." About the cemetery. We aren't morbid. The cemetery is the highest point of the town, thus has the best views.

At Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts with my family and friends on a trip back through time to 1790-1840 for a reading of the Declaration of Independence in the town square. This historic village is one of the best I've been to and worth the trip.

Hope your 4th of July is swell. If you can swing it one day, there's nothing more fun than a small town parade where candy is thrown like confetti.