It has been a long time since I have blogged. My first trip to
Europe was the trip of a lifetime. I never would have thought that I would be
returning six months later. For our second trip to Europe we traveled to the UK,
Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. This time we traveled with Tommy's partner
and his wife. Although a little chilly, Europe was breathtaking in the
springtime. It is amazing to see everything bud out and growing. Here is a
summary of our trip.
Travel to Europe: This time we flew from Paducah to
Chicago to DC then to London. Having an extra flight helped break up the travel.
The long flight to London was a bit eventful including a medical emergency and
projectile vomit. But lucky for us we were nowhere near either incident. We also
had a bit of turbulence but nothing too bad.
London: We had an easy
landing at Heathrow and took a cab straight to our hotel with a ride through
Hyde Park and right at the changing of the guard. We took a little break to
freshen up at our hotel, the Bloomsbury. We stayed there last time and it did
not disappoint. We took a quick bus ride to the theatre district to see a
production of A Clockwork Orange. The play was very interesting and I loved the
intimacy of the small theatre. We headed back to the hotel and had a little rest
then traveled on the Tube to Camden Town. We visited several bars and pubs. One
of the bars had a great bartender who made amazing drinks including one with
burnt sugar. AMAZING! We walked back to our hotel and enjoyed the night air and
the hustle and bustle of the city. Our second day in London we enjoyed some
traditional pub food and visited the British Museum and the St. Giles Cathedral.
We popped in a little bar in SOHO to catch a great little drag queen performance
where the entire bar sang! We also found a metal bar and enjoyed the music. We
finished out the night with dinner at a great little restaurant with great food
and drinks and Carla was able to get her fish and chips. We barley slept a wink
and it was time to wake up at 3am to take our cab to the airport for Italy.
Italy: We arrived in Naples early in the morning. The airport is tiny but we
were able to find a rental car (the last one they had) and headed to Pompeii.
We had quite the time with traffic but it was a fun experience from Naples to
Pompeii. We parked at a free parking area in Pompeii and walked to the site.
Pompeii is inspiring with the whole city trapped in time from the volcano. It is
both eerie and breathtaking. We finished our day in Pompeii with some pizza in a
little coffee. The square was full of hustle and bustle in this interesting
little town. The view of the mountains is amazing. We drove to Rome and made it
to the Hotel Una Roma. The hotel is just a few blocks from the Coliseum; I loved
seeing it at night. We ate at a little restaurant where they treated us to a
Roman feast including Lamb, Chicken, Pork, roasted veggies and potatoes. We also
had an amazing bottle of wine! Our waiter was Russian and his girlfriend lives
in Lexington. The owners are going to be opening a castle in Pisa and we plan to
stay with them the next time we visit Pisa. We finished off the night with some
yummy Gelato, You can't be in Italy and not eat Gelato, We awoke the next
morning to a great view of Rome from our balcony. We enjoyed a yummy Italian
breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We jumped in the car and headed to Tuscany
via the coast. We visited a little island and had a wonderful meal at a
restaurant right on the water. I have never seen water so blue. I could retire
on this little island! We traveled through Tuscany and arrived in Florence at
our hotel. We were in for a surprise when we were offered the Tower room. The
Tower room is the highest views that are not a church in Florence. The Tower
room offered us a panoramic view of the city. We walked around the city and
night a saw the Doma and the Cathedral, We woke up the next morning and enjoyed
breakfast and went to see David. We checked out of the hotel and took the train
to Pisa. We walked to the Leaning Tower and enjoyed some yummy pizza. From
Pizza we flew to Frankfort-Han Airport.
Germany: We arrived very late
in Germany. We found our rental car and BURGER KING!! Then we drove to our hotel
Bellevue through the twists and turns of the wine country. We awake to the
beauty of the mountains and had a wonderful breakfast with breathtaking
views. We traveled from the hotel
to our appointment at Dr. Loosens. We learned about the wine and the grapes. We
sampled and purchased some amazing wine. We had dinner at a hotel restaurant and
enjoyed some very yummy dishes. We drove through the wine country to Dusseldorf.
We stayed at the hotel Melia and enjoyed the views of Europe's oldest park. We
had fun in downtown Dusseldorf and ate at a Hungarian restaurant where we were
entertained by a duo violinist and pianist. I had the best stew I have ever had
in my life! We took a bullet train in the morning from Germany to the
Netherlands.
Netherlands: We arrived in the afternoon at the Central
Station in Amsterdam. We stayed at the Mint/Double Tree hotel just across from
the station. We took a little rest and then headed out to our favorite little
bar inside the Renaissance Hotel. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city
and had dinner at a yummy steak house. We awoke the next morning and had a
wonderful breakfast at the upstairs pancake house. I have never had such a
wonderful breakfast! We visited the Vangough Museum and enjoyed the park. It was
amazing to see all the greats in the Museum. All these great works moved me to
tears. We finished off our night at a little restaurant recommended by a couple
from Boston. We enjoyed a feast on Nes street where the waiter says, "I am the
menu, try to remember the things you like!" I had a fillet with a cream and
strawberry sauce. It was so yummy and tender.
Travel back home: By the
last day of our trip I was starting to feel bad. We flew from the Netherlands to
the UK and then caught a cab to Heathrow and flew from Heathrow to Chicago to
Paducah. The flight home wasn't too bad. We had a bit of turbulence on the
flight back to Paducah. The fasten seatbelt sign was on the whole time. But our
pilot landed us safely and we were able to beat the weather and make it back to
Murray. I was so glad to be home. Even though I was sick it felt good to be
back,
I loved this trip to Europe just as much as the first one. I loved
all the time we spent in Italy, I loved Germany! I loved the British Museum and
seeing the Rosetta Stone! I loved the Vangough Museum. I loved all the food we
ate! The pancakes, the Roman Feast, the wine at Loosen, the fresh seafood on the
water. It was yet again the trip of a lifetime. I am so honored to have traveled
with such a great group and most of all my partner in crime. I love you
Tommy!
Europe was the trip of a lifetime. I never would have thought that I would be
returning six months later. For our second trip to Europe we traveled to the UK,
Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. This time we traveled with Tommy's partner
and his wife. Although a little chilly, Europe was breathtaking in the
springtime. It is amazing to see everything bud out and growing. Here is a
summary of our trip.
Travel to Europe: This time we flew from Paducah to
Chicago to DC then to London. Having an extra flight helped break up the travel.
The long flight to London was a bit eventful including a medical emergency and
projectile vomit. But lucky for us we were nowhere near either incident. We also
had a bit of turbulence but nothing too bad.
London: We had an easy
landing at Heathrow and took a cab straight to our hotel with a ride through
Hyde Park and right at the changing of the guard. We took a little break to
freshen up at our hotel, the Bloomsbury. We stayed there last time and it did
not disappoint. We took a quick bus ride to the theatre district to see a
production of A Clockwork Orange. The play was very interesting and I loved the
intimacy of the small theatre. We headed back to the hotel and had a little rest
then traveled on the Tube to Camden Town. We visited several bars and pubs. One
of the bars had a great bartender who made amazing drinks including one with
burnt sugar. AMAZING! We walked back to our hotel and enjoyed the night air and
the hustle and bustle of the city. Our second day in London we enjoyed some
traditional pub food and visited the British Museum and the St. Giles Cathedral.
We popped in a little bar in SOHO to catch a great little drag queen performance
where the entire bar sang! We also found a metal bar and enjoyed the music. We
finished out the night with dinner at a great little restaurant with great food
and drinks and Carla was able to get her fish and chips. We barley slept a wink
and it was time to wake up at 3am to take our cab to the airport for Italy.
Italy: We arrived in Naples early in the morning. The airport is tiny but we
were able to find a rental car (the last one they had) and headed to Pompeii.
We had quite the time with traffic but it was a fun experience from Naples to
Pompeii. We parked at a free parking area in Pompeii and walked to the site.
Pompeii is inspiring with the whole city trapped in time from the volcano. It is
both eerie and breathtaking. We finished our day in Pompeii with some pizza in a
little coffee. The square was full of hustle and bustle in this interesting
little town. The view of the mountains is amazing. We drove to Rome and made it
to the Hotel Una Roma. The hotel is just a few blocks from the Coliseum; I loved
seeing it at night. We ate at a little restaurant where they treated us to a
Roman feast including Lamb, Chicken, Pork, roasted veggies and potatoes. We also
had an amazing bottle of wine! Our waiter was Russian and his girlfriend lives
in Lexington. The owners are going to be opening a castle in Pisa and we plan to
stay with them the next time we visit Pisa. We finished off the night with some
yummy Gelato, You can't be in Italy and not eat Gelato, We awoke the next
morning to a great view of Rome from our balcony. We enjoyed a yummy Italian
breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We jumped in the car and headed to Tuscany
via the coast. We visited a little island and had a wonderful meal at a
restaurant right on the water. I have never seen water so blue. I could retire
on this little island! We traveled through Tuscany and arrived in Florence at
our hotel. We were in for a surprise when we were offered the Tower room. The
Tower room is the highest views that are not a church in Florence. The Tower
room offered us a panoramic view of the city. We walked around the city and
night a saw the Doma and the Cathedral, We woke up the next morning and enjoyed
breakfast and went to see David. We checked out of the hotel and took the train
to Pisa. We walked to the Leaning Tower and enjoyed some yummy pizza. From
Pizza we flew to Frankfort-Han Airport.
Germany: We arrived very late
in Germany. We found our rental car and BURGER KING!! Then we drove to our hotel
Bellevue through the twists and turns of the wine country. We awake to the
beauty of the mountains and had a wonderful breakfast with breathtaking
views. We traveled from the hotel
to our appointment at Dr. Loosens. We learned about the wine and the grapes. We
sampled and purchased some amazing wine. We had dinner at a hotel restaurant and
enjoyed some very yummy dishes. We drove through the wine country to Dusseldorf.
We stayed at the hotel Melia and enjoyed the views of Europe's oldest park. We
had fun in downtown Dusseldorf and ate at a Hungarian restaurant where we were
entertained by a duo violinist and pianist. I had the best stew I have ever had
in my life! We took a bullet train in the morning from Germany to the
Netherlands.
Netherlands: We arrived in the afternoon at the Central
Station in Amsterdam. We stayed at the Mint/Double Tree hotel just across from
the station. We took a little rest and then headed out to our favorite little
bar inside the Renaissance Hotel. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city
and had dinner at a yummy steak house. We awoke the next morning and had a
wonderful breakfast at the upstairs pancake house. I have never had such a
wonderful breakfast! We visited the Vangough Museum and enjoyed the park. It was
amazing to see all the greats in the Museum. All these great works moved me to
tears. We finished off our night at a little restaurant recommended by a couple
from Boston. We enjoyed a feast on Nes street where the waiter says, "I am the
menu, try to remember the things you like!" I had a fillet with a cream and
strawberry sauce. It was so yummy and tender.
Travel back home: By the
last day of our trip I was starting to feel bad. We flew from the Netherlands to
the UK and then caught a cab to Heathrow and flew from Heathrow to Chicago to
Paducah. The flight home wasn't too bad. We had a bit of turbulence on the
flight back to Paducah. The fasten seatbelt sign was on the whole time. But our
pilot landed us safely and we were able to beat the weather and make it back to
Murray. I was so glad to be home. Even though I was sick it felt good to be
back,
I loved this trip to Europe just as much as the first one. I loved
all the time we spent in Italy, I loved Germany! I loved the British Museum and
seeing the Rosetta Stone! I loved the Vangough Museum. I loved all the food we
ate! The pancakes, the Roman Feast, the wine at Loosen, the fresh seafood on the
water. It was yet again the trip of a lifetime. I am so honored to have traveled
with such a great group and most of all my partner in crime. I love you
Tommy!
RSS Feed