A trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands seemed like just the thing to thaw my daughter and me from the polar vortex, so a girl’s getaway was in order. In researching hotels, I soon realized there weren’t a lot of options on this tiny island. The Ritz is the most expensive and the next step down was the Marriott or Sugar Bay. The Marriott seemed to fit our needs, with pools and a beach, comfortable rooms, a large breakfast buffet, and a location close to Charlotte Amalie (every other hotel is another 20-30 minutes away).

We got in our rental car and drove on the left side of the road to the hotel (my first experience driving on the left!). Although we had directions and Google maps, we pulled in at a Marriott that was not our hotel. Before you arrive at the hotel there is a Marriott time share. The sign out front does not indicate it is a time share and not the hotel, so after a confusing attempt to check in, we were directed to the Marriott hotel next door. This time we found it and  walked into the open air lobby to check in. Our room was not ready but we were told it had been cleaned and just had to be inspected. We were given a pager. I asked about parking and was told there are a few spots in front (only about 8 total truly) and then there is a parking garage up the hill. We ended up parking in the garage and hauled our luggage down a very steep hill. No one explained there is a staircase in the garage that leads to a walkway to the hotel. There are signs on one level of the garage, but we did not see any on the top level.

First Impressions

We sat on a terrace and enjoyed the ice water and free rum punch served in the lobby. However, it was hot. We were tired. After half an hour I inquired again at the desk and

was told the room had still not been inspected and that the desk clerk would call and request the inspection. 45 minutes went by and we hauled ourselves and our luggage into the lobby and conspicuously stood near the desk. Someone asked if we needed help and I explained about the room and said I could not believe it took an hour and 15 minutes to simply inspect a room and in fact I could care less if it had been inspected. I wanted to check in and if there was a problem I would call. This time we were told the room had been inspected but the system had not been updated and thus our pager did not go off.

Our Room

At last we were given our keys (only one of which worked) and directed to the room. Our room was on the first floor, which is below the main area of the hotel (the lobby is on 4 and the pool and restaurant are on 3). In fact this is actually a partial basement, carved into the cliff. Our room had a lovely walk out patio with a view of the Charlotte Amalie harbor. There were three cruise ships in port every day we were there and we had a good view of the cruise ship dock, as well as the entire harbor. The patio entrance was a regular glass door that locked with only a small lock that turned in the door knob. There was a dead bolt but a key was required. I would have been more comfortable with a room that opened to the outside if it had a deadbolt. The floors above us had balconies.

The room was comfortable with two double beds (both comfortable), an arm chair, a desk, and a dresser that contained an empty refrigerator (no mini-bar nonsense!) and a coffee maker, glasses and safe. Two of the pillows were flat and two were acceptable. The bathroom was adequate but not as nice, as updated, or as comfortable as the room – a cramped one room unit with sink, toilet and tub. We soon discovered that the room was perpetually damp. Our damp (not wet) bathing suits and cover ups never dried when hung over a chair overnight. Bathroom towels never dried. There was also no vent or fan in the bathroom. The dampness definitely made us feel as though we were in the basement. The upside of the basement was that it was very quiet. There were no people pounding through the halls, no footsteps over your head or other sounds.

We paid $649 per night for this room. I felt it was high, but that’s about what you can expect to pay in high season in the Caribbean for a hotel of this caliber. I found some of the hotel staff very helpful and others were adequate. All had clearly been carefully trained however to greet guests with a smile and a “hello, how are you?” Most tried to make small talk as well. This was friendly but it honestly got a bit tiring. Every time I needed to speak to someone I had to have a long conversation. I did appreciate talking to staff who truly tried to be friendly and welcoming.

The Beach

Our first order of business was to head to the beach. There were no signs and no indication in the guest guide in our room where the beach was. We found the pool area (two pools, both with infinity edges and a hot tub with a bar area and a kids’ sprinkler pad) but could not find the beach. Finally we asked and were directed around a corner near the towel service (no signs pointing the way). We emerged to find a “scenic elevator to the beach” as the sign said, which was out of order. We still couldn’t get to the beach. We asked again and were told there were 87 (!) stairs around the corner from the elevator. This was a bit of a surprise to us. There were indeed MANY stairs, but they were spaced out a big with longer steps. Going down wasn’t so bad. Going up was a challenge and we passed people huffing and puffing their way up.

The stairs ended at a boardwalk by some tennis courts and at last – the beach. It was a lovely private beach, accessible only to guests of the Marriott and Marriott Morningstar resort next door. Chairs and umbrellas were free, but the umbrellas were hard to come by. Behind the beach was another pool. We never did determine where you could get towels down there (we were told you could) but I immediately located the bar for my daily virgin strawberry daiquiris. The water was warm, but the waves are strong with an undertow. It gets deep very quickly. This area is called Frenchman’s Reef because there is a reef out there – and we could see waves breaking on it. There is also an island out

from the shore and plenty of boat traffic. At the end of the day you can see the cruise ships coming around the point from Charlotte Amalie.  The sand was soft but HOT! The beach is long enough that you don’t feel crowded, unless you want to sit under an umbrella. A nice touch is a hose at the base of the steps to the bar to rinse your feet. There is a breeze at the beach (this is the windward side of the island) but it was just enough to keep us from getting too hot without disturbing us.

The hotel offers a shuttle to the Morningstar Resort if you can’t do the stairs down to the beach. We took this shuttle to dinner one evening and it was literally a 2 minute ride and the shuttle is

always looping around, so it is possible to access the beach without the stairs.

The Pools

We tried out all of the pools and enjoyed the infinity pools the most. The pools tended to be fairly crowded and it was difficult to find two chairs together on the pool decks. Both infinity pools on

the hotel terrace have lounge chairs directly in the water, to what end I’m unsure, since the chair is above the water (it’s not like you’re touching the water), but I suppose you could reach your foot down to cool off. We found all of the pools to be just a bit too cool for us, although they were definitely refreshing. The Morningstar pool down at the beach is larger, but had more families in it.

The Breakfast

I am not embarrassed to tell you that we make a lot of our hotel decisions based on breakfast. Is it included? Is it a big buffet? And are there some gluten-free options? Breakfast might be one of our favorite things about staying at a hotel. The Marriott included breakfast in our package and what a breakfast it was. Served on the 3rd floor of the hotel in a room with nearly floor to ceiling windows looking out over the Charlotte Amalie harbor, this was a buffet we most definitely approved of. And the best part was one hot dish changed each day, so there was no breakfast fatigue. There was an omelet and waffle station, cereal, fruit, meats and cheeses, pastries and breads, yogurt and cottage cheese and at least 5 hot dishes which always included scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, potatoes, and bacon and regular sausage.  The changing dish included eggs benedict, a frittata, and my favorite  – corned beef hash, which was served to us the morning after St. Patrick’s Day showing me that the hotel not only makes its own breakfast, but someone in the kitchen plans wisely, making the most of all of their resources. Our server offered milk, coffee, tea, and juices. If you ordered coffee (we did not) it came in an

insulated carafe AND in addition to your nicely sized china mugs, you are given takeout cups to take your coffee with you. Loved this. The staff at the restaurant was friendly but not pushy. We enjoyed our breakfasts there very much. I found a lot to eat that was gluten-free.

The Location

The hotel is situated on a little peninsula so it is possible to look in two directions and see ocean from certain terraces, which is really lovely. Your room will either look out over the harbor (as did ours – although it was called a full oceanview room) or it will look out over the beach to the open ocean (called an island view), however these rooms are above the pool area. We had a rental car, so we drove ourselves to Charlotte Amalie (about a 5 minute drive) and also to Red Hook and up to Magens Bay. Nothing was more than a half hour drive for us, so we felt the location was ideal. If you do not rent a car, you can take a taxi to town (but you will have to wait while one is called for you), or you can take the hotel ferry. Ferry is a bit of a misnomer. There is a small boat that leaves from a dock (down many stairs) that will take you to the heart of Charlotte Amalie.

This is not free and there is a $7 per person fee each way and you must buy tickets in the hotel lobby. It goes every half hour. There is a handful of shops in the hotel, including a gift/snack shop that offers packaged sandwiches and salads as well as desserts. It was vastly overpriced (we paid $9 for a pint of Haagen Daz).

We dined at Havana Blue at the Morningstar Resort and it may have been our best meal. There is also a beachside restaurant called Coco Joe’s, a restaurant near the pool and the dining room where we had breakfast each day.

Overall we enjoyed our stay and found the hotel comfortable and relaxing. The biggest drawbacks are the stairs to the beach (if the elevator would work this would not be a concern) and the limited parking. Once we got the last spot in the ramp and another time we followed some people to their car when there were no spaces.

 

A trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands seemed like just the thing to thaw my daughter and me from the polar vortex, so a girl’s getaway was in order. In researching hotels, I soon realized there weren’t a lot of options on this tiny island. The Ritz is the most expensive and the next step … Read more →

Today is the fifth post in my five part series about Ireland, leading up to St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  A week about Ireland wouldn’t be complete without mention of Irish music and dance.  My daughter grew up watching videos of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, so we certainly couldn’t go to Ireland without seeing some live, authentic Irish Dance. I have to give a shout out to my friend Kerry Dexter who blogs at Music Road about Irish and

Scottish music and spent a lot of time coming up

with options for me to consider for live music and dance. She is a true expert and I highly recommend her blog.

We ended up choosing to see the show at the Brú Ború Cultural Center in South Tipperary.  If you are in the area, you must go. Check their

calendar since shows are not performed every night.

The center is located at the foot of the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel is an imposing ruin that was the seat of the kings of Munster, where St. Patrick converted King Aenghus to Christianity. It is the most visited heritage site in Ireland and it is certainly an impressive collection of Celtic and medieval art. The rock is actually a church/monastery that is in ruins and which sits at the top of a very steep hill. You park at the bottom and climb up. It’s worth the climb though. The view is spectacular and you will get to see a High Cross, frescoes, and the ruined cathedral, tower, and chapel. We visited the Rock during the day and returned at night to the cultural center for the show.

The show we saw had two parts. The first half was in a theater. A cast of at least 20 played instruments, sang, and danced. There were heart rending solos, toe-tapping dances, reels, and jigs. There are harps, fiddles, and many other instruments. The show was mesmerizing, even if we couldn’t understand much of what was sung (most was in Irish). The performers were talented and seemed to really enjoy their work.

Once the show in the theater ends, guests are invited to the pub to continue the evening for a traditional céilidh, singing in a more informal venue with storytelling and impromptu dancing. We didn’t stay for this (we had a long drive ahead of us that night), but it looked to be shaping up to

be a good time.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the cultural center has a nice gift shop. There are a few tacky souvenir shops at the very bottom of the Rock’s driveway. There is a tiny cafe on the road that leads from the cultural center’s parking lot to the Rock’s driveway where we had a very satisfactory lunch.

Don’t miss the Rock or the show, but plan to stay up late!

 

Today is the fifth post in my five part series about Ireland, leading up to St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  A week about Ireland wouldn’t be complete without mention of Irish music and dance.  My daughter grew up watching videos of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, so we certainly couldn’t go to Ireland without seeing … Read more →

My celebration of Patrick’s Day continues with a week-long series of posts. Adare, in County Limerick, is said to be the prettiest town in Ireland. Given this moniker, we couldn’t resist a visit.  We fit it into our itinerary after our stay near the Ring of Kerry and on our way to Dromoland Castle. Adare felt more like a small city than a town. We visited many towns in Ireland that truly felt like towns with very narrow streets, tiny shops all tucked together, and a feeling that they were home to locals first and a tourist attraction second.

Adare’s claim to fame is its thatched roof homes. Everything I read used the plural for “homes.” I pictured a tiny little village with quaint little homes with thatched roofs, little traffic, and a cozy feeling. Adare didn’t fit my fantasy.

The center of town is a very busy street with numerous intersection and lots of traffic. It’s a wide street, not narrow and cute. The town has very plain looking buildings with businesses at street level. Most of the buildings are not shops that would interest tourists and none were very welcoming looking. Just as you pull through the town, there is a small park on one side and a row of about 3 thatched buildings all together. If you pull into the park, there is a huge parking lot and a visitor’s center. The visitor’s center has absolutely nothing worth buying and is useful simply for its restrooms, to be frank.

We parked and walked across the street to the thatched buildings. They are quite cute, with a little gate in front and some have beautiful little gardens in front of them. We stopped and had lunch at The Blue Door, inside one of the buildings. It was fun to dine inside one of the buildings. Our lunch was nice – not stupendous, but very good. We enjoyed fettucine with smoked and fresh salmon, a burger on a gluten free bun, and a chicken caesar salad. The interior was quite quaint and we enjoyed ourselves.

We took our time to look at the thatched houses. There was a handful of shops amongst them. Inside an antique shop we discovered some dusty stacks of paintings and I came away with a small print of Blarney Castle, already framed and a quite lovely watercolor that seemed to me that it could have been of the Ring of Kerry area. There were no shops elsewhere in town to visit, other than those in the thatched buildings. We drove around a bit, hoping to stumble on something else but there just was nothing else in the area. There is an old church next to the visitor’s center which didn’t excite us.

If you’re driving in the general area of Adare, it’s worth a quick stop, but don’t plan to spend a lot of time there and don’t detour far out of your way. The prettiest town in Ireland? Well, no. It’s cute for sure. My vote for the prettiest town in Ireland might go to Kilkenny or any of the towns on the Ring of Kerry.

My celebration of Patrick’s Day continues with a week-long series of posts. Adare, in County Limerick, is said to be the prettiest town in Ireland. Given this moniker, we couldn’t resist a visit.  We fit it into our itinerary after our stay near the Ring of Kerry and on our way to Dromoland Castle. Adare … Read more →

Ok not really, but it makes a nice story. This post is part of my weeklong celebration of Ireland in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. You’ve probably heard that we Americans make St. Patty’s Day into something it isn’t in Ireland and in fact, corned beef and cabbage is nowhere to be found on Irish menus. That doesn’t stop me from taking this day as a day to remember and celebrate all I loved about Ireland. My favorite part of Ireland was the food!

Before we went to Ireland I had read that it was gluten sensitive-friendly. I was completely overwhelmed at how true this was. When we visited Ireland, we did so after a week in France, where eating was a challenge. The language barrier didn’t help, although we made out quite well in Paris in general. I find that the hardest thing about traveling gluten-free is breakfast. Scrambled eggs get old really, really fast. While in Paris, I found a biologique store that sells health food and was able to buy some gluten-free bread which we then toasted each morning at the hotel breakfast buffet. It was a welcome addition to eggs, cold cuts, and fruit.

As soon as we arrived in Dublin, I sought out a store to buy some gluten-free bread. The Tesco supermarket near our hotel had an entire aisle of gluten-free bread, snacks, crackers, cookies, etc. We stocked up. The first morning at our hotel (the

Radisson Blu), we were thrilled to find that gluten free bread was available with breakfast – just sitting out in a basket with a label. I was in a gluten-free paradise! Every hotel we stayed at had gluten free bread available for breakfast, although we did have some back and forth about the oatmeal (“porridge”) and whether it was truly gluten-free at one location. I had one waiter tell me that so many people are “coeliac” in Ireland that it is simply nothing unusual. It is so common in fact, that the waitress at the not so great restaurant at the airport hotel we stayed at the night before we left Ireland told me ALL of their sauces are thickened with cornstarch, not flour, so they are all gluten-free.

My research revealed there were several restaurants in Dublin, all within walking distance of our hotel, that had many gluten-free items on the menu, or offered entirely gluten-free menus. If you are celiac or gluten-free, Dublin is a marvelous place to visit. Here are the two places where we enjoyed dinner while in Dublin:

Millstone

Our first dinner in Dublin was Millstone on Dame Street. The ENTIRE menu is gluten free. This cozy little restaurant was a perfect welcome to the country for us. Live music accompanied our dinner are we enjoyed Irish seafood chowder, goat cheese and berry compote, mussels with chorizo, salmon with prawn sauce, and pizza. Apple pie and chocolate cake ended our meal.  The food was fresh, perfectly seasoned and a glorious welcome to Ireland. I nearly cried I felt so well taken care of. Good gluten free pizza is hard to come by at home and gluten free desserts simply don’t exist in most restaurants (unless you’re having ice cream or the ubiquitous flourless chocolate cake). This is a not to be missed stop. We enjoyed the music, the comfortable setting and the sense of history we felt in the old building.

Brasserie Sixty 6

This menu had many GF options listed. The restaurant was very crowded, loud and busy  — and it is much bigger than it appears from outside. We had a good experience here as well and enjoyed crab with avocado mayo, lamb chop, cod with lemon confit and citrus salmon. Mashed potatoes and peas were to be shared. This place was hopping – a very popular spot. It was hard to hear but we enjoyed our food. The menu was a bit more creative than Millstone, but it wasn’t all GF. This is an excellent second place to go for gluten free dining in Dublin.

While there are several options for gluten-free dining in the city, alas, the one place I was desperate to try is not gluten-free in the least: Crackbird, where they make heavenly fried chicken. Maybe next time!

We don’t drink, but if you’re looking for gluten-free beer in Dublin, it can be found and I’ll refer you to an expert in this area.

Stay tuned as I continue to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with more posts about glorious Ireland.

 

Ok not really, but it makes a nice story. This post is part of my weeklong celebration of Ireland in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. You’ve probably heard that we Americans make St. Patty’s Day into something it isn’t in Ireland and in fact, corned beef and cabbage is nowhere to be found on Irish … Read more →

One of the highlights of our stay on Oahu was going to be a visit to the Iolani Palace, the only royal palace on US soil. And then Hawaiian nationalists stormed the palace and took over the grounds, holding it hostage for several days while we were there.

We signed up for an excursion to take a  helicopter ride to the glacier to go on a dogsled ride when we ported in Juneau during our Alaskan cruise. Unfortunately,  a dense fog covered the area that day and helicopters could not take off so our excursion was cancelled.

Climbing the Tower of Pisa was something I was excited to get to do! We bought our tickets in advance and took a train from Florence for the day. We took lots of photos beforehand and planned to walk back to the train station, find some lunch and do a little shopping on the way. That is until my husband sprained his ankle walking down the 296 circular stairs.

Travelling requires you to be ready to deal with the unexpected – both the good and the bad. Often, our travels have offered pleasant surprises and revealed exciting information, views, landscapes or flavors. Once in a while though, as in the situations above, something really disappointing happens. We’ve been very fortunate that nothing that is a real tragedy or complete trip disaster has ever happened to us and of course in comparison the bad things that could happen, we have been really lucky. However, these experiences have taught me what to do when something unexpectedly unpleasant or unplanned happens.

• Handle a medical emergency first. Obviously, if someone is sick or hurt, you need to deal with the problem. I overpack medical supplies and this has served me well in dealing with the sprained ankle (Ace bandage in the kit), UTIs (prescription and OTC meds packed), and stomach upset (I always bring ginger and chamomile which work miracles) and so on. The thing to remember is that most medical issues are not trip-ending, and if you miss an afternoon or day due to illness it is not the end of the world.
• Reassess and consider alternates. How much time do you have? How much do you want to spend (consider that you probably just got some cash back when your plans were cancelled)? Where are you and what is closest? You will most likely to be able to flex your plans and find something else to do that fits your budget and your interests. For this reason, when I am planning a trip, I always make a list of alternate activities and places to go if something on our main list misfires.
• Be open to new things. When the Iolani Palace closed, we instead went to the Bishop Museum, where we learned a lot about natural and cultural Hawaiian history and saw an up-close demonstration of traditional hula dancing. They also had a pretty decent gift shop! It wasn’t something I planned to do, but it ended up being a good experience.
• Focus on replacing the heart of the experience. When our helicopter ride to the dogsleds on the glacier was cancelled it was a big deal, since this was going to be the highlight of our trip. The excursion company had nothing else to offer us, so we talked to vendors on the street and soon planned an excursion to a dog camp in the hills, where we got to see where the dogs train, pet them all (extremely important!), and be pulled by the team of dogs in their summer training vehicle. We had a great time, got to cuddle some puppies, and came home with a nice photo of us in the training vehicle. We didn’t get to walk on a glacier (another time!), but we did get to do what was most important – see the dogs. And we saved a lot of money. If the glacier had been our priority, there were bus tours to go see it. We didn’t get everything we wanted, but we ended up having a great time. The extra cash in my pocket bought me a jade salmon-catching bear carving.
• Don’t be afraid to take the day off. Sometimes the best way to enjoy a destination is to simply relax at your hotel or resort, or to wander and spend some time in a park, beach, or restaurant. I tend to over-schedule our trips, so sometimes forced relaxation can be a good thing.

One of the highlights of our stay on Oahu was going to be a visit to the Iolani Palace, the only royal palace on US soil. And then Hawaiian nationalists stormed the palace and took over the grounds, holding it hostage for several days while we were there. We signed up for an excursion to … Read more →

When you plan a trip to Ireland you soon learn there are a wide variety of accommodations to choose from, and often it’s hard to evaluate them if you’re used to US chain hotels. During our stay in Ireland we stayed in a US chain hotel (the Radisson Blu in Dublin), a castle (Dromoland Castle), a luxury Irish spa hotel (Aghadoe Heights), and also at a country home.

I had grand visions of Irish country homes and was eager to stay in one and experience it for myself. A country home may not sound impressive, but actually Ireland is brimming with these huge, over the top homes the wealthy used to live in and they are must-do experience. They aren’t exactly mansions and they certainly aren’t palaces, but are more like an upscale retreat in a country.

We stayed at Gregans Castle Hotel which is located in the Burren in Ballyvaughan. Never heard of the Burren? I hadn’t either before I began planning our trip. The word burren in Irish means a rocky place and that’s an apt description for this very strange landscape that is technically what is called a karst. It’s almost like a moon landscape – all rocks with big cracks in them. There is some grass that grows among the cracks – no trees. It’s rather eerie. There

are interesting sites however, including the Poulnabrone Dolmen Tomb. This  is a small stone shelter smack in the middle of the desolate Burren. It’s eerie and moving to think it was created for a body and that it has stood since between 4200 and 2900 BCE (basically a long-ass time).

The Burren is fascinating when you first encounter it but soon it becomes a very dull landscape to view. It’s definitely worth a visit as you are passing through the area (western mid-coast Ireland, south of Galway), but unless you are excited about hiking it, I wouldn’t plan to stay here. But of course, we did exactly that! Gregans Castle Hotel is neither a castle nor a hotel. It’s a large home, situated on the edge of the Burren and indeed there is a rather remarkable view of the Burren from

the backyard, where you can clearly watch the sun and the shadows from clouds move over the bare hills.  It’s situated on a winding road (note: back Dramamine if anyone in your group has carsickness issues: I had two kids in the back seat moaning all the way there) and does not look impressive from the road. In fact, it’s rather hard

to find.

We pulled in the gravel drive and entered through the very unassuming entrance. The reception area is a tiny spot and immediately the whole thing felt very weird. The gentleman at the front desk (who I am certain is a lovely, lovely man) gave us a bit of a Hotel California feel – as if we might never leave. He did help haul in our ridiculous amount of luggage for a one-night stay (two weeks in Europe leads to plenty of luggage) but was rather unfriendly.

The home is a huge, sprawling place, yet it does not feel grand or luxurious. It truly feels like a place where rich people went to feel rustic. There are hallways that twist and turn with plenty of

old, old portraits of horses and people and country scenes gracing the walls. There are unexpected rooms with bookcases, sofas, TVs (since there are none in the rooms), fireplaces and little nooks with chairs everywhere you turn. There are several staircases (and no elevators which made our luggage mountain even more outrageous). Finally we arrived at our two rooms which were not adjoining, but one room away from each in a separate upstairs hall. Each room is named and has a giant key on a huge plaque. We had a LOT of trouble getting the keys to work.

Once inside, we were shocked by the size of our rooms. They were huge. One room had a separate seating area through some French doors. They were furnished with beautiful antiques, floor to ceiling draperies, and lots of books, china, and knicknacks. It truly felt like you’d been invited out to the country for a spot of fox hunting and some family drama circa Downton Abbey. The rooms were a bit of a trip back in time. The bathrooms certainly felt dated, but dated in a luxurious kind of way – sinks with separate hot and cold taps; long, narrow tubs and ancient tiled floors.  The beds were comfortable and the rooms fun to explore.

The hotel has grounds to explore, which include some farm animals, lawn croquet (I kid you not)

and some chairs set outside to enjoy the scenery. The entire hotel was freezing cold in August. The heat was not on in the hallways and common rooms and if you were cold, you were best to find a fireplace and huddle. Our rooms were also cold but we had space heaters we turned on. Our stay included breakfast which was part buffet and part made to order. We again had that creepy Hotel California feeling with staff that was unfriendly (a rarity in Ireland) and stand-offish.

Another problem we had with the hotel was a dinner recommendation. As we were heading out for the evening, we had to turn in our keys at the desk (something American travelers may find annoying, but which is still common in Europe). A very friendly woman behind the desk asked where

we were headed. We told her we were going to dinner and she asked where. She dissuaded us from our choice and instead highly recommended a different place (the Pier Head in Kinvara), saying she ate there often and loved it and added that it was on the waterfront. She said she could call and get us a table with a view since she knew the owner. We usually have great luck with hotel dinner recommendations and so we agreed. We arrived to find a tiny restaurant with gaggles of people (clearly locals)  sitting and loudly drinking at picnic tables outside ( a little intimidating to walk through). Our table was not ready and we had to wait. Once we were served, it ended up being the absolute worst meal we had in all of Ireland. I was absolutely shocked that someone at a such a very fine and expensive hotel could send guests to such

a truly terrible place that clearly was in no way up to the standards the hotel had set.

Despite this and the creepiness of most of the staff, the hotel was a lovely place to visit and would be a nice place to come and just sit, if that’s your ideal vacation. There are a number of small towns scattered across the edges of the Burren. Stop in at the Burren Visitor Centre in Kilfenora and pick up a map. The volunteers will mark the highlights of the Burren on it for you and you easily see where you might stop for a bite or a bit of shopping (I bought my best find on the entire trip in a tiny shop across the road from the

visitor’s center, so it pays to poke around!).

I’m glad I got to see the Burren, since it is one of the biggest natural features in Ireland and I’m also happy to have been able to experience a country house. If you have time, both should be added to your itinerary, but if you are looking to hit the hot spots in Ireland I would skip both. The Cliffs of Moher is in the same vicinity and gives you more bang for your bucks when it comes to natural beauty.

When you plan a trip to Ireland you soon learn there are a wide variety of accommodations to choose from, and often it’s hard to evaluate them if you’re used to US chain hotels. During our stay in Ireland we stayed in a US chain hotel (the Radisson Blu in Dublin), a castle (Dromoland Castle), … Read more →

Excellent food, luxurious accommodations, a World Heritage attraction and a walkable town make Bayeux, France a must-see on your visit to Normandy.

I’d never heard of Bayeux until I began planning for our trip to France.  But the more I read, the more it was clear it was not to be missed.

The Hotel

We were welcomed to the Hotel Villa

Lara by an American desk clerk which made communication easy. This lovely little hotel is tucked behind the hospital in this tiny town. The easiest way to get there is via a little winding driveway that crosses a creek. They have a gated parking lot for guests. Our rooms were luxurious, but also very modern, with bright colors (such as purple) and vivid patterns  – trendy but very French. Each room had a tiny balcony (through French doors) overlooking a lawn. We were thrilled with the 5 star amenities, beautiful furnishings and large rooms. You

could hear the church bells from the cathedral in our rooms.

Breakfast was included in a dining room adjacent to a very French kitchen area, where the staff cooked eggs to order in individual dishes. This was our best breakfast in France. We felt pampered and were well-fed as we set out to explore the town, but first my children filled their pockets with the complimentary caramels set out in the lobby.

The Tapisserie

The reason most people visit Bayeux

is to visit Le Tapisserie de Bayeux, a museum holding the Bayeux tapestry, which has been designated a World Heritage site by the UN. The tapestry is a big deal, but I’d never heard of it before we went (ignorant American that I am). I had completely the wrong expectation. I expected something similar to the tapestry room at the Vatican in Room – huge floor to ceiling heavy tapestries, almost like big Persian rugs. The tapestry in Bayeux is completely different. It is 230 feet long – it fills a

huge case that runs down the middle of the room then back up the other side – and is narrow, maybe 2 1/2 feet tall. It is actually an embroidered piece of cloth, not a tapestry.

The tapestry is fascinating for many reasons. It dates at least to 1476 and is probably older than that (that is the first known reference to it) and it depicts the events that led up to the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror (if you go, I would recommend you take 10 minutes and read a very brief description about this so you have some perspective – I didn’t and was a bit lost at times).

The tapestry is housed mere steps from the Villa Lara and no advance tickets are needed. We ended up going as it was raining and everyone else in town

had the same idea, so we waited a few minutes in line. You are given headphones in your language and don’t even think about saying no to them because they are the only thing that will explain what you’re seeing. You will move in a slow line of people as your narrator talks you through the events on the tapestry. It does not tell you when to move, so it can get a little confusing at times. The narration also points out items of interest in the tapestry, such as funny little vignettes you might miss. The embroidery is very basic and not at all intricate, yet it manages to tell the story and offer humor and pathos with its simple stitches.

It served as a history book for a population that was not literate and I found that to fascinating to consider. If you have time, go through it twice, so you can really grasp all the details.

The museum upstairs contains some items that may help put the story in perspective and it’s worth a trip up the stairs for that. All in all, we were in and out within the hour. (There were no photos allowed at the Tapisserie, so visit their site for an idea of what to expect)

The Cathedral

The Bayeux Cathedral is the other big

draw in town – a huge, imposing building that absolutely dwarfs the entire town. It dates to 1077 and is magnificent. We snuck inside for a brief look and it is beautiful inside as well, with these huge medieval type doors. The tapestry used to be housed here and now returns once a year for a special display.

The Shopping

The best shops are near the Tapisserie. The shops on the main street are either t-shirt shops or the basic small town stores used

by residents. The Tapisserie gift shop was not exciting at all, which was rather disappointing since as you walk down the hall from the museum to the shop, some lovely items are displayed in cases, yet the shop only carries exact replicas of parts of the tapestry, placed on mugs or t-shirts.

There was one lovely shop next to the watermill, where they sell lace (Bayeux is known for its lace), as well as a large collection of

items with red poppies on them, which have meaning for remembrance of World War 1 and Veteran’s Day.

Dining

We enjoyed an excellent dinner at Le Pommier, a restaurant behind the Cathedral, recommended by our hotel. Since my husband and myself are gluten intolerant, dining out is always a challenge, but they were very accommodating here (and very fluent in English). The owner came over and told us what we could order. Our starters were: a salad with French ham, cheese

plate, snails, and a cheese fondue with ham. For entrees, we enjoyed salmon with pepper sauce, cod, pork and rib roast. We also had dessert, where we enjoyed Normandy apples – baked apple, apple pie, and banana pineapple chocolate skewers. Everything was of the highest quality.

I highly recommend a stop in Bayeux. It is within half an hour of the World War II beaches, so you can combine those into your

visit and use this as your staging area.

Excellent food, luxurious accommodations, a World Heritage attraction and a walkable town make Bayeux, France a must-see on your visit to Normandy. I’d never heard of Bayeux until I began planning for our trip to France.  But the more I read, the more it was clear it was not to be missed. The Hotel We … Read more →

Kissing the Blarney Stone was one of my bucket list items. When we visited Ireland, I had to go. How could I not? Read the story of what it was like and why you should go in my new piece at GoGirlfriend.com.

Kissing the Blarney Stone was one of my bucket list items. When we visited Ireland, I had to go. How could I not? Read the story of what it was like and why you should go in my new piece at GoGirlfriend.com.

Last year, I bought my husband a gift certificate for a hot air balloon ride ($245 per person) over Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County, NY as his Christmas gift.  We finally went for our ride on a recent beautiful fall weekend with Balloons Over Letchworth. This was our first hot air balloon ride and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m not afraid of heights, but I was a bit nervous!

Getting Started

We arrived at the park (known as the Grand Canyon of the East because of

the stunning gorge created by the Genessee River) to the launch site, which is next to the Glen Iris Inn (if you go, plan to have dinner at the inn afterwards, or book yourself a room – it’s a lovely inn overlooking the falls and they book far in advance for the fall foliage season). There were two balloons going up that night. We signed our waivers and declined the t-shirts that were for sale. First the baskets were rolled out of the trucks. Each basket weighs 1000 lbs. Next a really small looking bag was hauled out. Once it was opened and spread on

the ground, it was the balloon. The baskets were laid on their sides, the balloons attached to them and they were completely laid out on the ground. Then two big gas powered fans were directed at the balloons to fill them with air. This took about 20 minutes. Once the balloons were inflated, the burners were turned on to heat the air. Gradually the air warmed and soon the balloons lifted and straightened and the baskets were righted. Lots of people in the park and came and watched this spectacle.

Our captain was Sean Quigley who has

been piloting balloons for more than 20 years. He stood in the center of the basket. Around him were 4 compartments and 2 people were to stand in each. We climbed into the basket using some holes that are cut in the side. Terry and I stood in our little compartment, which was just the right size for two people.

Floating

Before we even knew it, our balloon had lifted off the ground. There is absolutely no sensation of movement when in a balloon. If you closed your eyes, you would think you were standing on the ground. You don’t feel upward motion or side to side movement. There is no swaying or jerking. Slowly, we rose over the falls at Letchworth and began to drift north and west across the park. Our companion balloon followed us.

Riding in a hot air balloon is very different from a plane. You remain close to the ground and you move slowly, so you have time to really see the scenery beneath you. Trees look different from the top down – softer and fuzzy somehow.

We had a beautiful perspective to see the changing the leaves and the colors were stunning. We could peer through the trees at the forest floor and make out logs and once in a while we saw hikers. Soon we were past the park and drifting over farms and fields. We saw many deer, who ran from us. We saw a fox in a field and floated over some cows who just tilted their heads in a leisurely way and watched us. There are more cows than people in Wyoming County and we saw plenty. It was almost like we were watching a silent movie as the trees and landscape moved below us. We were completely separate from the normal noises and

distractions of real life.

It is amazingly quiet up in the air, the silence interrupted only occasionally by the blowers. When we booked the reservation they told us to wear hats. The blowers are so hot that the top of your head gets very warm. I was very happy to have my hat on! It is warmer up in the air than down on the ground and we happened to be out on a warm evening, so we were very comfortable. If you tip your head backwards, you can see straight up into the balloon.

As we moved across the county, two chaser cars followed us and our pilot kept in touch with them via radio. Our pilot had no control over our direction however. He could control our height, but it was completely up to the wind to decide where we were going. We traveled at about 8 mph, a good speed since if the wind is over 10 mph they do not take off (and in fact, they couldn’t fly for 20 straight days this past July). We went as high as 2000 feet. Our companion balloon went down low enough for the passengers to pick some leaves, but our balloon didn’t get that low. Sean was always watching for power lines which said can be quite dangerous.

Landing

Soon we could see Silver Lake and since the sun was close to the horizon, Sean began looking for a place to land. The wind had carried us in a direction it did not usually blow, so he was in unfamiliar territory and did not know the farmers in the area. He tried to land a few times but changed his mind when he saw the terrain up close. He prefers to land in a flat mowed field and there weren’t many around. Eventually as it was about to get dark, he decided to land in an alfalfa field. The wind had

picked up at this point. Balloons do not land by coming straight down. Instead, they come in on an approach like an airplane does. Sean told us to bend our knees and hunker down since we would bounce. We bounced twice, fairly hard, before coming to a stop on our third touch down. The approach felt very fast, compared to our movements up in the air which felt very slow.

Our adventure wasn’t over yet. Sean didn’t know the farmer who owned the field. No one in surrounding houses were answering their doors

and we were in the middle of an alfalfa field. He wanted to be able to drive his trucks out to the balloons to load them up, but knew doing so would damage the field. So he wanted to move the balloons. The guys from the chaser cars came over and Sean attempted to lift the balloon up about 2 feet and the plan was for the guys to pull it towards the street. The wind was quite strong at this point and was blowing in the opposite direction. They could not make any progress. Eventually Terry and another passenger got out and helped. The 4 of them could not control the balloon (and this was a dangerous situation – the balloon would lift them off the ground then come back down again and they had to certain not to get their feet underneath it). Most of us remaining passengers sat down on the floor of the basket so that we would not be tossed around so much. Eventually, despite everyone’s efforts, the basket blew over on its side while we were still in it. This was a little scary while it was happening, but since we were right on the ground, I knew it wasn’t dangerous. I crawled out, but some of the other passengers were a little shaken, including an elderly woman.

Next we sat in the chaser’s van while the guys had to put the balloons and baskets on wheeled carts and attempt to wheel them out of the field which took about 45 minutes. Eventually we made it back to the park but we didn’t stay for the traditional champagne toast. I was done with balloons at that point!

Despite our rocky ending (which Sean insisted very rarely happens) I would go in a hot air balloon again. It was an hour of absolute silence and offered a beautiful perspective that felt rare and special.

Last year, I bought my husband a gift certificate for a hot air balloon ride ($245 per person) over Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County, NY as his Christmas gift.  We finally went for our ride on a recent beautiful fall weekend with Balloons Over Letchworth. This was our first hot air balloon ride and … Read more →

Versailles was on my list of top sites in France. We spent several nights in Paris and then drove east to Normandy. Versailles is roughly a half hour outside of Paris, conveniently located exactly on the way to Normandy. [It’s possible to see Versailles during a stay in Paris, however. You can take the train or you can sign up for a bus tour.] Since we were renting a car and it was on the way, we decided to head directly there the morning we left Paris.

Getting to Versailles

Somehow, our visit to Versailles ending up being about motor vehicles and rudeness more

than anything else – bear with me through my tale to find out why.

Our morning started out with the cab ride (motor vehicle incident #1) from our Paris hotel to the car rental at the airport. Our driver insisted (French rudeness #1) he could not take us to the actual rental lot and wanted to drop us and our mound of luggage at the airport, from where we would have to take a shuttle to the rental lot. Fortunately my husband was able to finally convince him to drive onto the lot (which was no problem – I guess cabbies aren’t used to taking people to car rental lots) and we were able to get our car and go.

Versailles is just outside a town and when you pull up to it you kind of wonder if this is really it, because it looks like city. And it also does not appear all that elegant from the roadside. It’s all stone and there is no lush landscaping anywhere you can see.

Parking

There is a parking lot conveniently in front of the palace. In my trip preparation I had read that there have been some break-ins in this lot, so I was sufficiently paranoid about leaving all of our possessions in the van, but we had no choice. My husband parked the van by backing it into a spot right on an aisle, thinking it would make the car very visible and also making it hard for anyone to open the trunk. The lot is also extremely open – just a bare piece of pavement in front of the chateau so nothing is hidden.

Welcome to the Lines

We headed into the front courtyard where we were confronted by a huge mass of people. It

was 9:30 on a Sunday. The place had just opened at 9 am. We had purchased our tickets online so we did not have to go into a building on the left to buy tickets. It appeared most of the world also had pre-purchased tickets )there was no line to buy tickets, only to get in).

The Versailles people need to meet the Disney people. When you go to Disney there are orderly lines that feel very regular and controlled. They also have mastered the trick of having you wait in one line, then letting you move forward tp where there is a second line, so at least you feel like

you’re making progress. At Versailles there is ONE line. And it is a long, long line. It snaked through the courtyard. There are no signs, no ropes, and no guidance for this line. It just forms wherever it wants (French rudeness #2). When you enter the courtyard you have no idea where the end of the actually is and it takes quite a while to figure it out.  There is a separate entrance for tour groups, but all of the tour groups remained in the main line and no one used that entrance.

We stood in this line for 2 hours. 2 hours. And somehow we ended up smack in the middle of a group tour from Asia (rudeness  #3 – not French but we’re counting it!). The members of this tour group seemed to think we were invisible and leapfrogged back and forth around us, in front of us and behind us, all the while smacking us in the face with the umbrellas they were using to shield themselves from the sun. There was also a woman who was reading a book and felt it to be completely appropriate to simply lean back against whoever was behind her, namely us. There was only one security guard in evidence and he was not interested in organizing or policing the line in

any way.

Enjoying Versailles

After our two hours in the sun, we finally made it into the palace. Yes, it’s fabulous. Yes, it’s outrageous, but after a two hour wait, I didn’t have much energy to be amazed. The Hall of Mirrors is beautiful and Marie Antoinette’s apartment is stunning. This is opulence times 50. The fabric wallpapers, the draperies, the chandeliers, the furniture, the paintings, the beautiful ceilings all overwhelm. It is breathtaking and you can’t help but wonder how they thought they could get away with living this way (and obviously they didn’t – you can see the hidden door through which Marie Antoinette escaped when she was told of the revolution). It’s hard to fathom how big and crazily over-the-top this place is without seeing it with your own eyes.

However, the place is practically wall to wall tourists. It was hard to see anything at all since there was always someone in front of us – and most of these people will not give an inch. They act like they own the place (rudeness #4 – again generally not French, but we’re counting it). There are virtually no bathrooms to be found. There was one set in a courtyard, with an extremely long line. This bathroom was guarded by a French madame who had decided she was in charge of hygiene. Not only did she direct you to a stall, but I saw her march not one, but two children to the sink and force them to wash their hands. She also had harsh words for anyone who dared to block the doorway (rudeness #5)

We had a quick lunch at the sandwich and salad stand inside the chateau. The only other food option is the Angelica fine dining room (we dined at Angelica at the Galleries Lafayette in Paris, and I will be writing about that). There aren’t many choices, but at 11:30 we beat the crowds nicely.

Outside the Palace

We did not buy the separate tickets for the gardens, but admired them out the windows. They definitely appeared less crowded, so I would recommend them if you want a less claustrophobic experience.

Then there are the outlying areas of the estate. There is a tram (motor vehicle #2) that takes you there for a separate price. Of course there is a long line for it. And the tram itself drives amazingly slowly, however the people who were walking looked at it, clearly realizing that no matter how slow it was, it was faster than walking because it is a LONG way back to the other areas. The tram was not only torturously slow, but it was cramped and we ended up near an American who felt the need to sit in front of us and discuss our shoes (“THOSE are cute, but they look like they would hurt. I wish I could get Scott to wear shoes like THOSE.” – rudeness #6, not French, but still annoying). She also talked incessantly and loudly so we knew every single detail about her entire family by the time we escaped the tram.

We headed back to the Petit Trianon, a small home and garden where Marie Antoinette spent most of her time since she found Versailles to be too much like a city. Honestly it was nothing worth seeing – a few rooms and an unkempt garden with a small Roman-style shrine. And it definitely was not worth the slow tram ride and the 45 minute wait to catch the interminable tram back to the palace.

There is a pretty fantastic man-made grand canal (1670 meters long) that runs through the property. The king used to have naval spectacles and gondolas on it. Now there are rowboats you can rent.

Shopping

There are several gift shops scattered throughout the palace. I didn’t find anything amazing

to buy. I grabbed a few bookmarks and a magnet. My daughter got a pencil case. It was disappointing to be in a place so beautiful and to find nothing equally beautiful to bring home.

The Real Story

You’ve read this far and wondered why I titled this piece as I did. Even though our visit to the chateau was complete, our time there was not. We left the palace around 2 pm, completely exhausted and looking forward to a leisurely drive to Giverny, our next stop. I was still slightly worried about break-ins. We got to our van to find it had not been broken into. Instead, it had been completely parked in on all sides. Several cars (including a BMW directly in front of us – motor vehicle #3) had decided to create a new row directly in front of our car, so there were three rows of cars with ours being in the middle row. Someone had parked on the aisle side of our car as well and people had parked in front and behind of them. We were completely surrounded by cars on all four sides. [This and what follows is rudeness #6-#453] These cars arrived after we did and we had no way of knowing then they arrived or when they would be leaving. Versailles was open for several more hours and we were faced with the prospect of a long, hot wait in the parking lot, as our available time to spend in Giverny ticked away.

My husband found one of the parking attendants. He shrugged the ubiquitous French shrug and raised his palms to the sky. Not my fault, not my problem. When pressed, he said it happens nearly every day. He can do nothing. Two more attendants came over. Although they initially seemed to find it funny, they agreed with my husband about the ridiculousness and tried to look for solutions. My husband walked back to the chateau entrance and the people working there told him the lot was not owned by the chateau and was a private lot. Not their problem. <shrug> They had no PA system over which they could ask someone to move a car (handy to know – if Versailles is burning, no one is going to tell you).

There was a group of police vans gathered outside the lot. My husband walked over to them to ask for help. “Parlez-vous Anglais?” “Non”. Clearly they did though because when he asked where to get help (en Anglais) they told him to walk 10 blocks to the police station. And they shrugged. Not our problem. They laughed as he walked away.

By this point, the two helpful attendants had started trying to push a small car diagonal to us out of the way while my husband spoke loudly, heatedly, and with great emotion to the head attendant. As this happened, a French couple in the illegal third row (several cars down the row from ours) came out and got in their car and laughed at our predicament. I am pretty sure they shrugged a few times for good measure.

At this point, my husband may have suggested getting a jack and using it to move the BMW in front of us (that had purposely, without caring at all parked us in – and most likely shrugged as they did so). He may have suggested using our car to push the BMW out of the way. He may have wondered how the owner would feel to find his car keyed, with tires deflated or a very detailed note about what we thought of them left under their wipers. I may have made a show of crying in frustration. My children may have appeared hungry, hot, thirsty, emotionally disturbed, and cranky. I may have appeared to feel faint in the heat and from the stress. My husband may have acted Italian with flailing of arms and many hand gestures. People in the lot may have looked (and shrugged). The words we will always remember this day by are when my husband told the attendant he was going to cause “an international incident” if this wasn’t solved.

We were in luck however. The people from the car directly next to us came out and left (shrugging). We were able to execute a 30 point turn and squeeze our van out. My husband explained to the attendant that the least he could do was waive the parking fee (he did) and suggested that perhaps in the future he ought to police his own lot or at least paint some lines on the pavement so people would not feel they could park anywhere they wanted (Ah, mais non <shrug>). In the end, there was no international incident, just a family that will never, ever return to Versailles ever again no matter what. <shrug>

Versailles was on my list of top sites in France. We spent several nights in Paris and then drove east to Normandy. Versailles is roughly a half hour outside of Paris, conveniently located exactly on the way to Normandy. [It’s possible to see Versailles during a stay in Paris, however. You can take the train … Read more →