Part one – Dublin
Part two – Leenane
Part three – Doolin and home

Thursday, September 19
We set off around noon for our next destination, Doolin, about two and a half hours south of Leenane. We planned to drive about an hour and stop for lunch, then go to the grocery store. I found a pub called Tom Sheridan’s on the west side of Galway. It was ok. Then we drove about 3 minutes to the grocery store where we got a few groceries and some wine. 

About an hour and a half later we arrived in Doolin, at our house, the Castleview House. Right in the middle of Doolin. Our view.

The town is not much, rather scattered with pubs, restaurants and shops as well as a harbor. We met our landlady, Darra, who, with her husband, own four houses which they rent out here. This one is quite luxurious. It’s new so everything works, unlike Stoneacre in Leenane. I like both places for different reasons. Leenane, because it was the owners home, was more cozy and cluttered. Also older and it needs renovation quite badly. In Doolin, the house was austere. It had a nice outside deck with hot tub and a view of the ruins of the Doolin castle. It had three bedrooms with en-suite baths. 

We settled in and took naps. The day was fine so we had a chance to sit outside on the deck and take in the castle view and have a glass of wine before dinner. Then we walked just down the street to Ivy Cottage for dinner. It was recommended by our landlady. She was quite opinionated about which places were good, and which not. Ivy Cottage didn’t disappoint. Our server was Polish, and I think one of the owners Asian. We noticed a lot of hospitality workers are from other places.  The food was delicious. I had a Thai curry with prawns. Yummy. 

Friday, September 20

Cindy had booked us on a boat trip to Innis Oìrr, a small island, a member of the Aran islands, only 15 minutes from Doolin harbor. We were advised by Darra to arrive early for good seats. While waiting in line we met up with some fishermen quite excited about their weekend. They recommended a pub on the island called Tigh Ned.

It was super windy and not terribly warm. Many people took the horse drawn carts on a tour. The farmers all have big draft horses. They looked healthy but really dirty and unkempt. We took off on a walk around the island village. I snapped some photos; a church being readied for a wedding; A lone horse in front of the silhouetted castle.

Then we headed for the Pub. We were lucky we got there early so we got a good seat and ordered beers. Guiness and Smithwicks, pronounced Smithicks, per Peter, the fisherman. I had my first fish and chips.

Then we waited to board our boat back for the sail along the foot of the Moher cliffs. It is the second most popular sight in Ireland after the Guinness storehouse in Dublin. We were excited because we are huge Princess Bride fans (movie from 1980s). These cliffs were the Cliffs of Insanity in the movie. They are inconceivable! We really enjoyed this part of the trip.

Sorry there are quite a few pictures.

These next few are my favorites. They are the Cliffs Of Insanity from the movie.

The weather was still holding. It had been very windy and chilly while on the boat and island but here, inland, it was sunny enough we could again sit outside.

Bill took a walk on the Cliffs trail while we were lazy. These next few photos are his and they are great.

We had booked a unique experience for the evening. There is something called the Music House of Doolin owned by Christy Barry and his partner Sheila. They invite people into their living room three evenings a week – about 25 people – to enjoy traditional Irish music and local lore. It was very intimate. Christy, the host, played the penny whistle, a flute and spoons. There was a fiddle player, and an accordion player. The host did all the talking. He was an older man who had grown up in Doolin. He told stories of all the old musicians and the way the music had evolved from when it was always played in the living room, strictly for dancing, to what is now where they play in the Pubs. Doolin is known for its traditional music. We were served wine and finger food by the hosts partner and a neighbor. In the end the two woman danced the traditional Irish dance. It reminded me of flat footing, the dance my Mother’s family and the mountain people did where she grew up. Two audience members played and/or sung. It was a very fun and unique experience. We left at 8:30 because all the musicians had to go to work in the pubs playing with different bands.

Saturday, September 21
We figured a Saturday would be the busiest in Doolin, but it wasn’t obviously busier. We lazed around in the morning. We had crumpets for breakfast, and coffee. 

Then we walked to the next town over and visited McGan’s Pub. It wasn’t a lot of fun due to the numerous tour busses which stopped and dumped out their passengers for lunch. We were crowded by them even though there is a back room for the bus people.

We had purchased food for a dinner in so this was the day. Pasta Amatriciana.

Sunday, September 22
We toured our own town of Doolin this day. I did some shopping. I bought earrings and a pretty green scarf with Celtic designs. Then we returned to Ivy’s cottage for lunch. My seafood chowder was delicious.

We had dinner at Anthony’s mainly for its proximity, right across the street. They evidently had a big Saturday night and had sold out of several items. We still managed to get fed. I had a nice sea bass filet served on top of a bed of ratatouille plus roasted potatoes. It was good.

The house we rented is odd in that each of the three bedrooms has a TV but none of the common areas do. So we couldn’t watch anything together. One night after dinner, we actually listened to a couple of Johnny Dollar radio shows from the Big Broadcast on WAMU our old public radio station in DC.

Monday, September 23
Another gray day but no rain. We had our crumpets for breakfast and left for a visit to a town called Ennis. It was about 30 minutes away. Turned out to be a nice town. A rats nest of streets in its center, you could tell it was an old market town. There was a river going through town and they had nice bridges with flowers on them. Lots of houses and stores had flowers as well as on the light poles and all the buildings were colorfully painted. This seems the norm here, colorful houses and stores.

We did a bit of shopping, and then found a pub, Brogdan’s, for lunch. It was an outstanding pub. Luther and Cindy were happy to finally get IPA beers. Seems almost all bars here in Ireland have just the standard beers and ales. Cindy and I had the bacon with cabbage dish because it was different. It was quite good. It was not bacon, rather it was more like ham. On top of cooked cabbage and a big mound of mashed potatoes and puréed carrots. There was what was called a parsley sauce on top, but it was white, more like a béchamel sauce. Anyway, it was good.

We returned to our town and house and relaxed until evening. We had planned to go to O’Connor’s pub for dinner and to see some Irish music. We had had a beer there the day before and asked about the music which was supposed to start about nine. We had dinner. I had mussels again in a delicious sauce, split with Luther, then a ceasar salad.

After we finished we found an empty table in the room where the band plays. Turns out as we had seen before, the band just shows up and sits at a reserved table. Then off they go. They stop and chat between songs, and get drinks etc. It is all very informal and a lot of fun. Turns out two of the musicians were the same ones from The Music House experience. The accordionist and the flute and whistle player, Christy, who owned the Music House. The music is traditional Irish and we don’t recognize any of it, but it is familiar from bluegrass at home. And from our ancestors who were Scots Irish and brought the music along to the Appalachian mountains, where they settled.

It was a fun evening

Tuesday, September 24
We woke to brilliant sunshine after three days of gray and chill. Always a cheerful sight to see the sunshine. We were leaving our Doolin house and heading for Trim which is not terribly far from the airport. It was hard to say goodbye to the very comfortable house. One of the owners came to say farewell.

We drove on some very tiny roads but Luther had gotten very good at them by now. The landscape was pretty amazing. There were enormous granite hills, almost mountains, totally rock. Gray, maybe granite, or limestone. We finally got on the M6 which was a relief. Pictures from along the way

For lunch we randomly picked the town of Athlone which was on the River Shannon and had a big church built in the 1930s and an impressive castle. The center of town was quite nice. We chose the River View Bistro for lunch. They had home made focaccia. I chose the pulled pork since it was something different. It had very little meat on it. Certainly not the pile we get in the U.S. The focaccia made up for it. It was delicious. 

We arrived in Trim about three. Our house hotel called the Highfield House was very near the famous castle. It is a strange business. A hotel that is self catering. Didn’t matter to us since we stayed only one night but odd. They check you in and that’s it. If you arrive late your key is in a box. There was no breakfast offered. The rooms were quite small. The bed-sheets paper thin. Pretty building and gardens. 

We went right away for a walk to the castle. It was not far. The castle was built in the 1100s by Norman’s. There is an almost intact Keep inside the walls. The movie Braveheart was shot here. The Keep substituted as the Tower of London in the movie. We took pictures and walked back along the river. I got a nice shot of the castle in the distance and the river in the foreground. 

We had chosen Kahn Spices Indian Restaurant for dinner. Supposed to be the best place in town. About six Luther and I were wanting an aperitivo so we walked to the Castle Hotel bar. Just across from the castle. Cindy and Bill joined us a little later. It was a nice bar. We walked to the restaurant. It was a nice place. The menu was very interesting looking. We ordered our appetizers and the main courses with naan and rice. The appetizers were disappointing. The mains were better but nothing to write home about. Not spicy enough for me. The owner stopped by twice. Anyway, it was good enough. 

We walked back to the Castle hotel bar for nightcaps. They had a man playing guitar and singing. I loved his Irish ballads. He had a nice voice. Luther and Bill finished with a shot of the Red Breast Whiskey. 21 years old. I got a taste and it was about the best I have had. Outside of Middleton which is way too expensive nowadays for us. 

Wednesday, September 25
We got up early to get Cindy and Bill to the airport. The traffic is known to be very bad getting to the airport. The estimate by Google was about 50 minutes. We took small roads to avoid the M1 traffic. It went smoothly.

Luther and I didn’t fly out until 7:40 in the evening. A lot of time to kill. We went to the nearest town called Swords. It was nice with a pretty center and shopping. We parked and then parked our butts in a coffee shop for an hour and a half. I had a tasty home made scone with butter and jam. The coffee was good too, and that is saying a lot from Italian coffee lovers.

We took a walk and explored the castle. It wasn’t really a castle but was the Bishop of Dublins home in the 1200s. It had a pretty chapel. Then we perused the shops on the Main Street. Many off track betting parlors, lots of barbers, a few pubs and cafes. We explored a hotel and checked out the menu. And decided to go there for lunch. We went back to the coffee shop. It had begun to rain. We had another cup of coffee and then went to lunch. The bar didn’t have the usual beers for a change. He tried a bitter and an IPA. I had a white wine and then we both had curries. Not very good but we were fed. 

Off to the airport and dropped off the car. We had a scrape from the mishap with the wall from early on, so we were charged the €250 deductible. Oh well. We  arrived at the terminal at 2:30. We were around 5 hours early so they would not allow us to check our bag.  We had to wait two hours until they would allow it.  Finally at 4:40 it took the bag. We did the fast track security and then went to the Lounge which we had paid to use. 

It was OK. A bit crowded, but we found a table. We got two complementary drinks and then we could eat dinner. I had the Guinness Irish stew on mash. Luther had a sammich. It was a good place to kill the rest of the time.  We arrived in Bologna at about 11:30pm. Took a taxi and spent the night. Then drove home the next morning.

Best and worst
Since we only did 2 hotels The Mont in Dublin won that contest 

Best Dublin breakfast – for me it was at Tang in Dublin, the wonderful middle eastern dish called Shakshuka.

Best Dublin dinner – Luther liked Note. I guess I agree but I was not that impressed.

Best rental house – can’t choose. They were so different. One was someone’s home, so it was cozy, the other was new and purpose built. Both were comfortable.

Best views – from Stoneacre in Leenane.

Best outing – tie between the two cruises, one on the fiord, and the other to the Aran islands and the Cliffs of Moher.

Most unique outing – The Music House in Doolin. But the last evening in Doolin where we sat next to the musicians and listened was also very special

Best dinner – Ivy Cottage in Doolin

Best Lunch – Hamiltons restaurant, Leenane, my mussels were the best I’ve ever had and that I could see the mussel farms from the restaurant made them even more special.

Souvenirs – I bought fingerless mittens from a nice older lady in Letterfrack. She knitted everything she sold. Two books, a scarf, and two coasters. Also bought two blocks of cheddar because it is scarce in Italy. 

Cindy brought me some knives I ordered and had sent to her. She also brought me a beautiful hand made scarf from Virginia. I love it. I gave her olive oil. Not very adventurous of me.

Observations: it was odd to me that they don’t plant anything near their houses. No shrubs. Even odder that many pave the entire yard. They love to paint their houses and buildings bright colors. The pubs almost all serve the same beers. Very few craft brews. Might be the overpowering Guinness influence. Many people say youse. As in “can I get anything else for youse?” One of our favorite experiences was the cab ride from Roe & Co distillery to our hotel. The driver was amusing to say the least. His favorite word was fock or focking. In hindsight we spent five nights in two places and it would have been better to do three places with fewer nights in the two we visited. We did it this way so we didn’t have to pack and unpack but the two places didn’t have that many things to do. We still had great fun, and it turned out more low key which was fine since 3 of us got colds.

Part one – Dublin
Part two – Leenane
Part three – Doolin and home

Part one – Dublin
Part two – Leenane
Part three – Doolin and home

Saturday, September 14
This day was our leaving Dublin day. We had a very traditional breakfast in Kilkenny Cafe. Everyone was happy. We checked out and cabbed to the airport to get our rental car. Mission accomplished. 

Off to the west we went. It was a 4 hour drive. We stopped for lunch in a random town called Loughrea in a pub called the Old Triangle. It was ok. We had red ales, and three had the fish and chips and one the chicken curry. Pretty good. 

Then we went to Galway to buy groceries so we could make dinner that night. OMG. What a mess. We now know what all the Galwegians do on a Saturday afternoon.  Shop. The traffic was horrific. It must have taken an hour to find the Tesco which was hidden with no signage. The Google maps guy said it was there but to find it was a whole different thing. Anyway, we did buy things and off we went to find our house which we rented for five nights in a town called Leenane.

It was raining by now. Visibility was very poor from rain and mist. The roads got smaller. The hills got bigger, the rivers were overflowing their banks. We had to ford a pretty high water place. There was also, inexplicably, a ton of traffic coming the other way. The roads were narrow and this was Luther’s first day driving. We finally arrived. All of us were tired. Especially Luther. 

The house is a bit creaky and dated but the rooms are lovely. The views are to die for. What a beautiful place. The owner lives in Virginia. She spends summers here because she is a teacher. The rest of the year she rents it. A nice man named Conor Bogdan takes care of it for her and for the rentals.

We cooked in that evening. Pasta arrabbiata. I was pooped and hit the sack early.

I captured many pictures of Killary Fiord from the living room of the house during our stay. I will sprinkle them through.

Sunday, September 15
My mother’s birthday. Happy birthday Mom. Sadly, during the night I came down with a cold. I don’t think it is Covid. I have never had it so I can’t be sure, but by nightfall it still was cold symptoms. We are in the middle of nowhere so no medicine available. Tomorrow we go to another town with pharmacies.

This day we had already decided would be a down day. And that was good for me. Cindy and Bill did wash. We finally went out for lunch in the wee town of Leenane. It consists of a Pub, a Restaurant, a Cafe, a gift shop, and a sub-par “grocery”. The weather was fine. 

We chose Hamilton’s Bar and Restaurant. We chose it because of its menu. It was very good. One of the best meals we have had. I had the local mussels, farmed right in the Killary Fiord. So sweet, plump and clean. Luther had the seafood plate. Cindy had the Seafood Pie, and Bill had the Chicken Curry. All good.

We stopped off at the Purple Door Cafe and bought four ham and cheese sandwiches. They called them croque monsieurs. But they were not. No matter, it made a fine, quick dinner later.

Monday September 16

We traveled to visit the pretty waterfall, Aassleagh. On the river Erriff. Love those double letters! We even saw a huge salmon trying to leap up the falls. Cool! 

This one even has two fishermen trying their luck. Catching a salmon would be awesome!

There aren’t many trees on these barren hills so these pines caught my eye.

Then off we went to visit Westport. A city of 6,800 people but it seemed bigger. But! Gasp! About six kilometers out of town our tire pressure warning light came on. And the strangest thing, almost at that exact time we approached a gas station with a tire center. There had been nothing on this whole road until now. Turned out we had about a 2 inch long screw in the treads. The man in the garage could fix it, thankfully. Not sure what we would have done otherwise. We were really lucky!

Westport had a ton of pharmacies so we got some cold medicine. Not sure it will help much. Why do they sell this stuff that doesn’t work? 

We walked around the town. Really very pretty with colorful buildings. There was a pretty bridge with flowers on it, and a placid, shallow river. Lunch was at Covey’s. It was a hotel with restaurant and at night a bar that stays open late. Luther and I had the sea trout lunch special. Bill had the roast beef special, Cindy had the chicken curry because the chef is Indian. I don’t think it was as good as expected. Everything else was ok.

Then we did some grocery shopping in the big Tesco superstore. I got a roasted chicken for dinner and a giant baguette. And there will be salad. A perfect dinner. The ride back was beautiful. The hills are stark and bare. The valleys can be either green with sheep grazing, or moor-like with gorse and heather. A nice, if low key day.

Tuesday, September 17

Another beautiful day. Warm and clear. We decided to explore the other side of the fiord to a town called Letterfrack. To be honest there is not a lot to see there. There was a pretty abbey on the way. I bought a pair of fingerless gloves from a sweet old lady with a knitwear shop. She knitted it all herself. We got back to Leenane and tried to find lunch. A little hard so in the end we ate at the Purple Door. It was fine. I had the potato leek soup.

Back to the house and a little mishap with yet another tire. Luther clipped the stone wall on the way in and it destroyed the sidewall and scraped the metal under the door. So we called the Enterprise tyre help number and within a couple of hours we had a new tire. All’s well that ends well. Glad we had the full coverage.

An amazing sunset capped a lovely day.

Wednesday, September 18
We rose to another lovely morning. The fiord never disappoints with its ever changing moods. From placid sunsets to morning clouds hugging the slopes. We had booked a cruise on the fiord for this day. 

We drove down to Nancy’s Point…yep, named after me! And boarded a smallish catamaran named the Lady Conamarra. Such an amazing day was never seen in Western Ireland apparently. Everyone has been thanking us for bringing this weather. They didn’t have a summer this year, so this was their summer.  

On the cruise we learned the northern side of the fiord is the oldest by many millions of years. The south side is younger. There is a stark difference. The north side is much rockier and more rugged, less arable. The south side is softer with fields of green and forests.

Almost the entire fiord is being used for mussel farming. I ate them a couple days ago and they are the best I have ever eaten. There was also a salmon farm. One of the first ever they said.

The boat served food and drinks but we missed out. I guess you have to go sit down right away to get lunch. So we returned to Leenane for lunch. We went back to Hamilton’s the best place in town. And then bought fixin’s for dinner. In the evening we watched a DVD that was recommended by the boat guy. It was shot in Leenane and there happened to be a copy in the house. The name is The Field. Shot in 1990. We recognized all the areas. It was a very good movie set in the 1930’s, but very sad. It showed how hard life was around here back then.

Our final morning we said goodbye to the lovely Fiord. It was socked in with fog today. The many faces of the Fiord are endlessly interesting. Someone wrote a comment on a Facebook post I made that I had found where God lives. And I think I must agree.

Next stop, Doolin!

Part one – Dublin
Part two – Leenane
Part three – Doolin and home

Part one – Dublin
Part two – Leenane
Part three – Doolin and home

Hi everyone! So sorry I have neglected posting lately. Much going on. I promise to start posting more often. Meanwhile, we had a nice 2+ week trip to Ireland. I hope you enjoy my report.
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Wednesday, September 11. 
We said goodbye to our house and cat sitters and took off for the Bologna airport. As usual we arrived and checked in and went to our favorite restaurant for a good lunch. The Ryan Air flight was direct to Dublin and took 2.5 hours.

It was 8:30 by the time we got out of the airport. So when we arrived at our hotel (The Mont) we immediately dropped our suitcase and met Cindy and Bill for a latish dinner at Kennedy’s Pub, only 2 minutes from the hotel. Most kitchens close at nine but this one was open until eleven.

There was a live trio playing Irish music. We ordered and ate but it was not the best pub food I’ve had. Nevertheless, we got fed after a long day for us all.

Thursday, September 12 
We had opted for the hotel breakfast at €20 a person. Error, error. Just sub par and not worth the money. It was ok. We never went back. We headed out for a walkabout. It was a pretty nice day. Brisk and partly sunny. We visited the shopping streets on the far side of the river. We walked over and took pictures of the pretty white foot bridge. We checked out the really nice Marks and Spencer.  We photographed the Temple Bar neighborhood. Very pretty with a lot of flowers on the buildings. The Temple Bar itself is said to have the most expensive Guinness in all of Ireland.

There was a cool butcher shop with mosaics of the animals and a very friendly butcher inside. It was a lot of fun just meandering and soaking it all in.

We went onto the Trinity College campus which was very pretty. Lots of people on the lawns and benches soaking up the sun. We had a beer in the Campus pub and then went through a secret gate to a pub we chose called the Lincoln’s Inn. They had things like traditional Irish stew with lamb and some nice wraps. We had dinner reservations in a nice place so didn’t want to eat too much.

Dinner was good but not exceptional. Very close to our hotel. Called Note. We enjoyed some burgundy wines. I had a zucchini starter and a risotto with black kale and Nori. Luther had Monkfish. He liked that. The risotto was bland. My zucchini starter was great.

Friday, September 13
Big day of walking. We started with what in my mind was an amazing breakfast. A place called Tang. Middle eastern food and amazing breakfasts. I had Shakshuka. Two eggs in a spicy tomato-y, red pepper-y sauce with all kinds of great middle eastern spices and nuts. Wow. So good. The others got the fried eggs on toast which also had middle eastern flavors. 

Thoroughly fortified we took off for a tour of the Marsh’s Library and the Cathedral. It was about half an hour walk. Along the route was a trip through St. Stephen’s Green, the largest of the parks opened to the public in 1880.

In the library there were stacks of old books. I love old books. These were very old. Think Gutenberg. There were several collections from several people who had bequeathed or sold them to the library. Then we went next door to the Cathedral. But we were turned away as there was a private service. We were told to return after 1:30 but that was not convenient. 

We then walked up to Christ Church Cathedral. There was also a Dublin museum which concentrated on history starting with the Vikings. It was pretty interesting. We then went down the street to The Christ Church pub. We had salads because that breakfast was still sticking with us. We hung around a long time because we were killing time before our Whiskey Tour of Roe & Co. While at the pub we chatted with the window washer. We could all understand just about half of what he was saying. He was very nice though, and friendly. 

We headed off to our tour, arriving right on time. There were about twelve people on the tour. All Americans. The tour was a lot of fun. The building was once an electric power plant which was abandoned. It was bought by Roe in 2017 so this is a pretty young operation. We saw the huge malting vats and the stills which pump out 2 pints a second of distilled whiskey.

Next we all sat around a big pear shaped table and we had fun first tasting the whiskey and then the corn which was cask strength. Then we got to blend our own whiskey using ratios we chose. For instance, I liked the corn alcohol so used a 65% to 35% mix for mine. It was pretty good. Then they had some things we could add that would transform the whiskey we made to a cocktail, think, Manhattan. Then we went to the bar and finished our drinks. It was fun. 

Dinner was in a place called Spitalfields. It was a gastronomic pub. It was in a pretty far away neighborhood and our cab driver had trouble finding it. We had a very nice dinner. Not fancy. Loud and happy place. Luther and I shared a trout appetizer and we had schnitzels. Yeah, a little weird in Ireland…but hey! It was the best schnitzel I ever had in Ireland.

Part one – Dublin
Part two – Leenane
Part three – Doolin and home

Sorry I have been quiet. It is very hot in Italy. About 100 F here, 37C. So we pretty much do the shutter management and stay inside. We did get the chance to go on a ten day trip to Germany so this will be my Germany 2024 trip report.
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Monday 15 July
We drove north to Bologna airport. Terrible trip. Accidents caused major delays. We had allowed enough time so we didn’t worry. We arrived at the Hotel Bologna Aiport about an hour after we had planned. They were keeping our car and we took their shuttle to the airport. There was no line at the Lufthansa desk so we got checked in quickly. That left plenty of time for a lunch in the airport. There is a restaurant in the terminal called Vecchia Bologna. Believe it or not it is really quite good. Luther had a big salad and I had a plate of Tagliatelle con Ragú. Very delicious. Bye bye Italia!

The flight was delayed and we arrived in Frankfurt a bit late. Then when we got to the luggage carousel the sign said our luggage was delayed. Sigh. Finally arrived at the rental car desk handily in the terminal. This time all went well and we were on the road at 5:30pm. The trip was uneventful and we got to Boppard Germany on the Rhine River at about 7pm.

We were meeting up with old friends who live in Australia. Kaye and Jeff, whom we knew from when Kaye worked in Washington DC at the Australian Embassy. And Steve and Shiromi who originally were Kaye and Jeff’s long time friends, who are now our friends. They travel together for long trips and we either meet them somewhere, or they have also stayed in Italy with us. So that is the back story. The first evening we just chatted and Luther and Steve had an adventure trying to get pizza for our dinner in the house. They couldn’t find their way home! 😁

Tuesday, 16 July
Luther and I had tried to do research before we came on activities for us to do. The first day we had planned a trip to Cologne on the train. We are using only public transport because our car isn’t big enough for everyone.

We arrived with no problem in Cologne in the midst of a rain storm. The train station is right beside the magnificent cathedral. Really quite breathtaking. It was built between 1248 and 1560 it is 157 meters or 515 feet tall. It has magnificent twin spires. It was badly damaged in 1943 but was still standing after the bombardment. Most of Cologne was destroyed in the bombardment. We went into the cathedral and were there for noon prayers and were treated to two beautiful pieces played on the magnificent organ. Wow. Nothing quite like an organ played in a cathedral as tall as this one. Acoustics were amazing.

After that the weather got quite nice and we did a nice walk around town. We stopped for refreshments on a big pedestrian shopping street.

On to our very traditional restaurant Bei d’r Tant. They had every possible German dish. We had a real feast. Sausages, liverwurst, some had Schnitzels, some Pork Medallions. Much nice German wine. Then we headed back. 

An eventful train trip ensued. We boarded our late train and off we went. All of us fell asleep and missed an important announcement. Turns out the train splits into two and we needed to be on the front half. By the time we were awakened by the cleaning crew the front of our train had left us behind. Next train one hour. One hour later, a pile of people exited the back cars for the front cars. I guess they got the memo we did not, and this must happen with every train! How strange.

We went grocery shopping because we were going to eat in. I made some spaghetti amatriciana. We also had a nice salad. That was perfect because we didn’t want to go out again.

Wednesday 17 July
This day was our ferry trip up the river to Bacharach. The house had come with guest passes that get you on all local trains for free. Only thing was we hadn’t figured out how to get them. So today we filled them all out with our names etc and took them to the tourist information center. They explained that we merely tear off the bottom and each person gets one of these. They are our tickets. We headed for the ferry dock. We got a 20% discount with our tickets. And off we went. None of the ferries were terribly full at all. I had visions of packed ferries. Easy to get good seats. It was a bit overcast but comfortable temperatures in the 70s. 

We glided up-river, slowly, through the Rhine gorge. Castles were on many of the crags. two were the famous castle Maus and castle Katz. We passed pretty villages like St. Goar. We saw the famed Lorelei rock. The hills were lined with vineyards. Seemed to me that quite a few had been abandoned which is sad. In two and a half hours we arrived.

We pulled into the dock at Bacharach. It was 1:30 and we were hungry. We had a reservation at Posthof Bacharach. In a pleasant courtyard with the ruins of an abbey above us on the hill. Luther and I had Wiener schnitzels. Others had a vegetarian pflame küche and a shredded sausage dish which was plain old weird.

After our lunch we walked around the pretty town. Very, very quiet. A surprise.

Pictures in the town.

Then we headed for the railroad station and after a while our train showed up. Technically we weren’t quite within the range our tickets covered but only by one stop, so we chanced it. Seems no train trip goes smoothly. Our train stopped and we all had to get off and board another one. But in the end, we got home.

This night we had left over pizza and cheese and fruit and meat.

Thursday 18 July
This day we decided to go up the Mosel River. It is a smaller river and runs into the Rhine in Koblenz. We used our free tickets and went to Koblenz and changed trains to get on the Mosel Bahn. We enjoyed the very scenic trip up the river. This is also a major wine area which we loved to visit back when we lived in Germany. The slopes up which the vines are planted are incredibly steep. On some of them the harvesters have to be lowered on ropes with baskets. 

We arrived in Cochem. It is a popular tourist town with a great castle looming above. Back when we lived in Germany we went to the Mosel in flames festival. They shoot off incredible fireworks from the castle. Anyway, the town was packed with people.

We couldn’t find a place to eat. Finally we saw a tiny bierstube and they could accommodate us. They had an extremely limited menu. We all ordered something and got fed and all the others felt they were having a very authentic experience. I was happy. Then we walked back to the train station and caught our trains back home. We stopped to shop for dinner. This time two chickens, pasta for a cold pasta salad, and a fresh salad. The chickens roasted were super easy. I used my Thomas Keller recipe. Fail safe and crazy easy. 

Friday 19 July
The weather is much cooler than in Italy but each day it had gotten hotter since we arrived. Today was hitting 90. We had planned a visit to Koblenz. We have been having terrible issues with the trains to Koblenz the last two days. They are always late and always literally packed like sardines. It comes from Frankfurt. Someone said a major rail line closed and everyone is using this line. Not sure. But it is horrible. 

We arrived at about 11:15 and headed out for a walkabout. It’s not a huge city. It does have an old town but it was hit hard in the war so not terribly much was left standing. We went over to the Mosel and walked down that side of the city. You eventually come to the Deutches Ecke, literally German corner. It is where the Mosel runs into the Rhine. There is a monumental building to the second Reich just at the end.  Then we walked along the Rhine and watched the river traffic.

Lunch was on the bank of the Rhine at a restaurant called Pegelhaus. We sat outside and had a lovely lunch. We all had fish except Steve. Three salmon and one sea trout. To start there were only five choices. Two got the caprese salad. Luther got the beet tartar, and I got gazpacho. All were cool and nice on a hot day. 

Then we started back to the station. It was a real slog. Hot hot hot. Once back we headed to our house to rehydrate, shower, and nap. It did take it out of us. 

Saturday 20 July
The little blue train. This was the plan. This is a one car diesel powered train that goes up the hill from the Rhine River to the plateau above. It takes about half an hour and is a bit scenic as it travels through tunnels and forests. A lot of cyclists use the train to go up and ride back down. There are also lots of hiking trails in the forests. The last stop was in Emmelshausen. From the train.

We all debarked and walked into what there was of the town, which was not much. It certainly wasn’t picturesque and being Saturday morning most stores were closed. We decided to have ice cream in the pretty town park. We left and went a different way back which took longer than expected and we nearly missed the next train, but we made it. Whew!

We rode back and then decided to walk around Boppard and find a place to eat. We did, in one of the grand hotels along the Rhine. This is a really pretty town with quite a lot to see. Many squares with cafes and tables and a lovely promenade along the river planted with red carnations in flower boxes. There was an outside restaurant and an inside one. It was very hot outside and there was no shade so we went inside. They turned on the lights just for us. We all had yummy things. Several fish dishes, sea bream and salmon. Nice tomato mozzarella salads with cheese that bore no resemblance to actual mozzarella. Hah! We had four bottles of wine! We went to the grocery store to buy dinner fixins and then back to the house and crashed for the afternoon.

Jeff had foolishly volunteered to grill sausages for us that evening. I volunteered potato salad and Steve made a salad. We had the super sharp German mustard we all love. And all sorts of sausages from bratwursts, to weißwursts to the smaller Nürenberg type sausages. Quite satisfying.

Sunday, 21 July
We started slowly this day. Some of us decided to take the ferry up river again to Sankt Goar, a small village up-river. The other two took the train. We all met at the dock. The town is quite small. We did happen upon a festival being celebrated by the local shooting club on the bank of the Rhine. They were all dressed in their green uniforms with a multitude of medals pinned upon them. They had a good band. We didn’t want to intrude so we headed back into town. Doing a bit of window shopping along the way. 

Zur Krone was our destination for lunch. It was a basic Gaststätte which serves the standard German dishes. We ordered only a main course each and it was too much food. Several got schnitzels, I got Sauerbraten with spätzel. And Shiromi got the diet plate, smoked salmon and potato fritters. 😉 The Germans have a strange definition of diet and fitness food.

We returned on the train only to find the supermarket closed. I figured it would be, it is Sunday after all. We did find a wine store open and bought a few bottles for dinner.

It was rather a disorganized dinner. I had volunteered to make pasta agli olio and I did, but only some of us ate it. We just kind of winged it. Monday would be our last full day here. 

Monday, 22 July 
Last day with our friends. It has been a lot of fun. Three decided to go to take the chair lift to the top of the hill with a great view of the Rhine and Boppard. There is a sign that said “the bendiest bend in the Rhine” which is right here in Boppard. 

The other three of us went into town to do some shopping and walk around. We all met up at the ferry dock and then walked to find lunch. Restaurant Severus Stube was our choice. On a tiny street with outside tables that took up the entire alley. 

It was a very fun last lunch. Very unusual food. Some better than other. But overall really fine. The waiter, Alex, said the portions are huge. We tried to mitigate that by sharing courses. It still was too much. One of the funny things was the salads. There were salads everywhere! Everything seemed to come with a salad. Then any extra plate to share all came with an extra small glass of lettuce dressed with a lively yogurt dressing.  I had a lovely avocado toast which came with a poached egg on top, a glass of dressed tomato and a glass of dressed lettuce. Yes a glass. They were served in glasses. Some had ravioli, we had a Tuscan schnitzel yes, Tuscan schnitzel.  🙄

Our last evening together was spent trying to eat the left overs in the fridge. Which we sort of made a dent in, but didn’t eat it all. 

Tuesday, 23 July 
It was time to say goodbye. We all packed up. The Australians had been on vacation for a month. They started with a cruise of the Fjords, so they had cool weather and hot weather clothes. This works out to a lot of luggage. We left about 10:30 and drove down the lovely Rhine gorge and onward to Wiesbaden. It took a bit over an hour.

We checked into the Nassaure Hof the grand Dame of Wiesbaden hotels. It is just next to the Kurhaus which is where one used to go to “take the waters” now it is the convention center. And there is the famous Casino which is located in a wing of the Kurhaus. Very opulent. Been there since 1771. There are large parks nearby. We walked to a big pedestrian area with lots of restaurants. We chose Due Amici which was supposed to be an Italian restaurant. We each had a starter to keep it light. Mine was quite good. An avocado and tomato salad with 3 grilled shrimp and wasabi crème with a lime dressing which gave it a nice tang. Definitely not an Italian dish. Very light and perfect.

Dinner was at Benner’s Bistronomie. It was in the Casino building. We ate in this same “place” years ago with my sister and her husband but it was a different restaurant then. The room is lovely. They had a really good guitar player which contributed to the ambiance. The food was only ok but we had fun anyway. 

Wednesday, July 24
Homeward bound. Everything worked for a change yet Lufthansa still managed to arrive late in Bologna. The 2.5 hour drive home was not bad, which is not always the case. It is always good to get home. Shout out to my friend Jen who cared for our boyz and our garden.

Observations
We lived in Germany from 1989 to 1995. Much has changed. Germany used to have the reputation for everything working and everything on time. Not anymore. Late is now the watchword. We used public transportation for all our adventures. We never had a train that was on time. Both of our Lufthansa flights were late. Our luggage was late.

Aside from that it seems the Germans have an infatuation with Italian restaurants. Probably one out of two was Italian. But then I found out they’re all Mafia owned and it is a money laundering operation. Who knew? The only reliable transport were the ferries.

The house Steve found (great going Steve!) was perfect, aside from the stairs, but we all managed. Oh and the odd bathrooms. On the top floor where we were, there were two bedrooms and two baths. However one had a toilet, shower and sink. The other had two sinks and a bathtub. So we all had to share the toilet. But that was really fine. There was a spectacular view of the Rhine and the village of Boppard. It had a hot tub and a nice patio with a fully mature garden. There was a convenient grocery store, and lots of shops and restaurants in the town.

Best and worst

• Worst transport – Lufthansa and the German rail system
• Best transport – our rental from Enterprise and the two ferries we took
• Best sights – Cologne cathedral and the Rhine gorge itself
• Disappointment – the Mosel River valley and Cochem.
• Best meals – hard to choose. Bei d’r Tant, Cologne. Pegelhaus in Koblenz. Restaurant Severus Stube in Boppard.
• Worst meal – the little bierstube in Cochem
• Prettiest location – lunch in the Posthof in Bacharach on the pretty patio under the ruined church.

Now to say ciao…or, as the Germans say, tschüss!

PS: We just found out the Frankfurt airport is CLOSED today! Climate activists are camped out on the runways. We all dodged THAT bullet. Whew!

Another (very long – lotsa pictures) road trip with my friend Jen, to Molise, region of her ancestors birth. We took one other trip here previously (link to first trip) and explored so decided to explore the other side this time. It is not a big region but is very mountainous so the roads are small. This time to get here we took the big A1 Superstrada. Got us down south super quick even at our snails pace 🤣.

I should mention that I pulled a muscle in my back around three weeks ago and it is still bothering me. I will be the limiter on this trip. Jen is super active and normally travels on her own. I feel badly that I will slow her down. I am mostly along for moral support for her driving. She normally uses only busses and trains, and occasionally planes. She also walks great distances. But Molise requires a car.

Sunday, June 9
We got off the big road and headed toward the countryside. Along the way we stopped and took some pictures. We had to laugh at the Delirium wine Bar. We circled back using the convenient round about and got a photo. Into the mountains we headed taking in the scenery. This beautifully decorated church caught our eye. We got out creakily, and stretched and checked out the church yard. 

Onward to our destination of Isernia. It is the capital of the province of which there are only two in Molise. Our hotel was a bit odd. The Alloggi Be Deluxe was tucked behind a bunch of commercial buildings down a driveway into a big parking lot where we spotted the big sign for it unfortunately in front of the overflowing, and fragrant dumpsters, with an arrow pointing up a ramp. We drove up and there was an enormous, empty parking lot. They had said there was ample parking and they didn’t lie. 

No one was there so we sat and wandered and took pictures. Then Jen got a photo of what to us both looked like a bear cub. We had no idea if bears were near this area. But where was its mama? Later we showed it to a woman in a restaurant and she said there weren’t bears here, but in Abruzzo, next door, there are. She looked at our picture and agreed it sure looked like a bear. 

Anyway, turned out we could check in remotely using a QR code sent by the proprietor.  The rooms are quite nice. Well equipped and comfortable. I had to laugh when I saw the safe. It was on top of the minibar. But it was not attached to the wall! So you could conveniently put your valuables in it so any thief could tuck it under his arm for easy carrying. 

We headed out in search of a bar for a drink. It turned out this was not so easy! We were down the hill from the town. We looked on Google and found a nearby bar which purported to be open. It was not. Disappointment. The next one was up the hill more. Nope. In this way, even though I had hesitated to walk up the biggish hill we made it up to where the road flattened somewhat. It was pretty warm and we were sweating. Finally, we came upon a restaurant and asked if they would serve us a drink. The friendly woman said they were not a bar and were closed, but “of course”, and to have a seat under an umbrella outside in a pretty piazzetta. She put a table cloth on our table for us and we asked for a white wine and a beer. 

Next thing we knew I had a gigantic wine and Jen a huge beer. The sweet woman bustled out with a plate of really good appetizers and good Molise bread. We were pretty much in heaven because we had missed lunch.

We kept on with our walk because we saw an arch ahead with a big bell. It was an entrance into the old city proper. Suddenly, there were plenty of people everywhere. A sunny Sunday afternoon invites everyone out. Gelati were being consumed at one of the two open bars. Finally open bars! We continued with our walk into the main piazza. It had a pretty iron gazebo at one end. And several places to eat and drink all around. We also checked out our restaurant for this evening. It was nearby. We had about 2 hours to kill and we didn’t want to walk to our hotel and back. So we hung around the piazza and people watched which is always fun.

We checked out the rest of the town and went to our restaurant. We both had a creamy pasta dish with fresh truffles. Delizioso. On our pleasant walk back to our hotel, downhill, we took some pretty pictures of the lights and the lit up gate. It was a nice night. 

Monday, June 10
Next morning, I showered and wrote and headed to breakfast at 8:30. We showed the bear picture to the proprietor and her helper. They at first insisted it was impossible. And said it was a Cinghiale, I insisted no, not that. Not a dog. Not a cat. Everyone agreed it was a bear. She called the owner, Nicola. He came. He admitted it looked like a bear. We shared the picture and he called a Dottore expert. Eventually he tried to discredit our picture claim there was a bear found in a park not far away and in the next breath saying our photo couldn’t be a bear cub because there are no bears around here. Jen and I still have absolute certainty our bear is indeed, a bear. This picture has been cropped and I tried to increase the resolution. Not the best photo but I think he is recognizable.

Off on our excellent adventure for the day to a town called Frosolone, known for its knives. There were eighty foundries working a few hundred years ago. We first went to visit the museum of knives. Which was naturally closed. We had been told to go to the Comune and ask a person there for the keys. Well, he wasn’t in the Comune then. Finally a young man ran to get the keys and returned to take us and show us around. He was super sweet. Tried his best English and we sprinkled in our Italian and communication occurred magically. The museum was small but full of many knives from all eras and even from other lands. 

Then we went to visit the shop of the man who runs the museum. He is an artisan and makes every knife by hand himself. His shop was full of knives for every purpose. Many made by him. Some made in other places. The pocket knives were of incredible variety. I purchase a smaller chefs knife, and a lovely cheese knife with the pronged end. Both with olive wood handles. Really nice. Jen got a new mezzaluna and a chefs knife. The owner artisan came to meet us from his foundry. He was very nice. His wife was the one in the shop. 

Turismo Rurale Taberna Agricola was our target for lunch. Google maps said it was 25 minutes away. And off we went. It was a beautiful drive. We stopped multiple times for pictures. There were steep hillsides and wide valleys with many distant hill towns. The hillsides covered in bright yellow broom. They are extremely busy with the haying so there are the large round bales, cut hay awaiting rolling and tractors working the fields. So lovely. We turned down a tiny tiny road. And eventually came to our lunch spot. It was beautiful. We went down the steps and found an outside dining area. The two woman working there were some of the nicest and friendliest people ever. The food was delicious. We were famished. They brought us a gift from the chef. Incredible! 👀 a fried ball of cheese. Really good cheese called ??? and it was nestled into, and topped with caramelized onions. We could have had just these for lunch! So good. Shared squash blossoms. I had a half portion of vegetarian lasagna. And roast lamb with two fried chops. Jen had a decadent chocolate dessert. I had a bottle of Rosato (Rosé) and carried the rest back home with me. Excellent meal

Pretty uneventful return to Isernia and our hotel. We rested then went to the very convenient Tigre supermarket right beneath the hotel. A rather circuitous route to get there but we got a good picnic for dinner. At eight we met for our picnic in the breakfast area just near the front door. There are other guests in the hotel now. While we were eating a man named Carlo arrived. He is an obvious regular as he rolled right in and picked up his key and headed down the hall. Then he returned to pick up dishes for his dinner which he eats in the room while watching TV. He works for an automotive company here and lives in Rome. Super nice, friendly and helpful! I managed to lock myself out of the room and he was kind enough to call for me to get a key to get in. Whew!  After we ate we sat outside where there are nice tables and chairs and had our wine. Nice day.

Tuesday, June 11
We left Isernia at around 9:00. Another nice day. Along our route there was a prominent church up on the hillside on a mountain. We decided it was a must stop and see place. It is called Basilica Minore dell’Addolorata. It is relatively new with a very large and ornate exterior and big central dome. It was nearly empty. We took a few pictures and headed out to our first “real” destination – Serpino.

Serpino is an archeological dig and site dating from the Samnite and Roman times. A relatively big site with intact gates and many walls, and the old Roman roads are also fully intact. Inside there are residential zones, a forum, an amphitheater and a swimming pool and athletic area. Getting there was a hoot. We, of course were following Google maps. We missed our turn because we were distracted by two Carabinieri doing random stops under the bridge next to our turn. So we turned around and missed the turn again…and again! How embarrassing. The cops probably didn’t notice but we did. Finally found the turn. The ruin is along small roads and it felt isolated. Hold on to your hat! Here come the pictures!

We parked and were greeted by two friendly dogs and a cat and then we entered the park. The people working there were quite worried that people would not pay for their tickets so we went to the Biglietteria and bought our tickets. We probably spent two or three hours there. We did stop at a restaurant on the far side out one of the four gates. Turns out, you can enter from the main road. We had a snack which we shared with the cat and dog and then walked back in and finished the tour. People live almost within the site. It must be strange to live in or next to a few thousand year old Samnite and Roman town. I wonder if they hear the ghosts of those ancients at night?

We left Sepino and headed for Campobasso, the capital of the other region of Molise and our destination for three nights. We had recommendations for a safe parking garage and found the correct street but the garages were not open. You had to call and they would come. 

We walked to our hotel in the Centro Storico which was about 10 minutes away. Rolling the suitcase was difficult on the rough stones. We found Palazzo Cannavina Dimora. A nice young man helped us with the suitcases and showed us our rooms. It is an old Palazzo so the ceilings are probably 20 feet high. With windows just as tall. Interesting, quirky art work and decor. But nicely appointed. Jen had an issue with her room. There was a piano teacher in the apartment above her room and she could hear the lessons. That wasn’t so bad except when we returned from dinner at nearly eleven they were STILL at it! She contacted the young man on WhatsApp and he made a phone call and the piano stopped instantly.

Dinner was delicious. Monticelli Sapere e Sapori. Not far from the hotel. I loved my antipasto. A spicy roasted red pepper sauce with a poached egg. Very delicious. And then a pasta with fresh peas and truffles and a cheese. All good. Jen got a cheese soufflé and a pasta aglio olio. We shared a nice Molise Rosato. Love the soft pink color. We had an after dinner drink at a local bar on the way back. A threesome was at the table next to ours with a very rambunctious poodle. Really friendly we had a good chat and they recommended a restaurant for us to try. That ended a very nice day.

Wednesday, June 12
Dawned another nice day. I contacted Mario, the owner of the casaficio (cheese maker) that we want to visit while here. We decided to visit Thursday. That left Wednesday free. We decided to stay in Campobasso. I was happy for a down day. We walked to pick up my hiking sticks from the car. They help my back by making me stand straighter and take a little of the load off. It allows me to walk much longer without pain. We didn’t really walk much. We ended up sitting in a cafe and having a spritz or two. They had old music on from the 70s I think. We listened and tried to name that tune and artist. We headed out and stopped by the restaurant that had been recommended to us to reserve since they wouldn’t answer the phone. They were very rude to us so we left.

Back at the hotel we made a coffee and took it on the pretty terrace here. There is a courtyard behind us and we could hear eating sounds. We looked on Google maps and figured out which place it was and made a reservation. 

Dinner at Ristorante L’Approdo, a fish place directly behind our hotel, was funny and confusing. We arrived and entered. No one was around so we sat in two chairs near the door and reception area to wait. A waiter showed up and we thought he was going to seat us but instead he asked if we wanted some Prosecco. Come no? we said (why not?) So we sipped and waited and no one asked why we were there. Finally Jen asked if we could be seated, certo, he said and took us to a table. A very odd start. 

We were given menus. The place had one wavy, blue tiled wall. Like the ocean. The other two walls had large seascapes. There were metal railings on the walls, like a boat. 

They seated another couple across from us. We ordered and spoke only Italian. The waitress seemed faintly amused. The couple just sat stock still and listened to us. And that couple stared at us the entire meal. Giving us the side eye or turning to stare blatantly. I finally started staring back and she would quickly avert her head. So strange.

But with all that the meal was yummy. We split an order of mussels. Then split a pasta with lobster. Then we each had a secondi. Jen had fried calamari and I had roasted spigola. Sea bass. We chose a nice Pugliese rosato to drink with dinner. Very nice and I was stuffed. 

Returned to the bar beneath our hotel and had after dinner drinks. Off to bed!

Thursday, June 13
We had planned to visit the caseificio – cheese farm. Very famous. The owner, Mario Borraro was super sweet but his son had an operation and wasn’t doing well, so we opted to not bother him right now. Jen did her amazing research and found an interesting sounding town named Civitacampomarano. Yes, a real mouthful! It is a hill town and they are promoting artists to paint murals on the walls of the town. It just so happened that the next day after our visit today was their big festival. The town was preparing while we were there. Nice town. Great castle. The murals were great. At one point I let Jen go off on her own because of some steep staircases I did not want to chance. She shared her photos of some of the art down in that part of town. I waited up by the castle and watched the cats and the locals and the numerous sparrows. 

I probably have 30 pictures between my own and Jen’s. I am just picking a few (if I can restrain myself!) For everyone to see.

As we walked toward the road we happened upon a Trattoria. The only one we had seen in town,  named Agricola Li. Si. Odd name. We were hungry so we went in. This is where the fun began. The room was unadorned. It had four tables in it. We ordered from the very small menu. I ordered the Pasta Li. Si. It had tomato and sausage. Jen got the baked scamorza with truffles. They brought cheeses and pickled cabbage with bread to snack on.

Two gay men came in and sat down at one table. Then the table behind us filled with a diverse group. A mother from Finland with her two boys who she said had an Arab father (never again-she said). They were dark. Then her mother, from Sweden and her father. The mom ordered small steaks for her boys and a large steak for herself.

Meanwhile they began a conversation with the two gay men who, it turned out, came from the Lake Como area. We chimed in with our home country of the U.S. to complete the mix. Then the food came to the big table. Mom was flabbergasted at the size of the steak. It was like a Bistecca Fiorentina. She decided she couldn’t eat it without some plain pasta. Hilarity ensued. The cook, a woman and super nice who spoke some pretty good English was having a hard time getting what this woman wanted. One of the gay guys also was sitting there with his mouth hanging open, aghast at the request…his partner was encouraging her to just get what she wanted. The cook did all the appropriate Italian hand gestures. Forehead smacking, eye rolling, but all in a good natured and entirely hilarious fashion. It was like watching a sitcom. We were in stitches. We left before the cook could bring out whatever she did with the steak and plain pasta. The whole thing was a one of a kind experience. And one that could only happen here.

We headed back to the car still chuckling. The trip back was uneventful. We parked in the garage and headed back into the centro. We freshened up a bit and went out for a drink. On the way we stopped in a few stores and I bought a necklace. Jen bought a hand towel, hand painted by this nice lady with a map of Molise with its specialities. The weather was really quite cool, almost cold and I was in shorts and T-shirt so we didn’t last long . After the drink we stopped in a clothing store. Neither of us likes to try on clothes but we did. I ended up buying a couple blouses and Jen got a really nice pair of brown jeans that fit her perfectly.

Friday, June 14
We were off to our last night, in Vasto, on the Adriatic Sea. We got to the coast in just a little over an hour. Roads are decent but mostly two lanes. We had decided to stop in Termoli. It is where we had stayed the whole time on our last trip. Nice seaside town. We are still early in the very beginning of the Season. Not many people around. All the rental umbrellas and chairs were all set up on the beach in neat, colorful rows. It seems so un-Italian to be so rigid with the rows. But I like it.

We found a convenient parking lot, paid our 3 euro to park for several hours, and walked off into the middle of town. We wanted to dine in Ristorante Mari e Monti. We had eaten there twice on our last trip. I had a nice, cool seafood salad and then a red snapper dish. Both delicious. Jen got pasta with lobster. 

We then went for a walk. We crossed to the island, connected to the main land by road. Got some good pictures of the seaside with the umbrellas. And then into the center with it’s little streets. It was the riposo so everything was closed. We wandered back to the car and headed up to our last stop.

We were met at the parking garage by Anita, the owner of Palazzo Florio, a boutique residence. Anita is from Finland and looks it. Petit, with very light blond hair, she wore shorts and a T-shirt and was energetic and fit. She pointed out places to see in the centro storico where her hotel is. Then, we went up the stairs to the 2nd floor where we did the formalities of getting our ID for the cops and paying for the rooms and parking. I opted for less stairs and less room. Jen went up one more flight to the junior suite. I visited it and it was lovely. 

After freshening up we headed down to check out Vasto Centro. There is quite a bit to see. At the end of the street was a church with extremely exuberant bells!

Just on past was a large building with gardens and then a beautiful promenade along the old walls overlooking the bay and Adriatic Sea. Gorgeous views. The promenade was lined with restaurants and above them apartments with those same incredible views. Lucky them! We circled up and ended up on another street with another church and then some good window shopping.

Then circled back to the first church where there was a bar recommended called Sideways. We sat and had a mojito and then Jen had another and I had a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. We ordered a selection of French cheeses just for a change. They were wonderful. The French make some great cheeses. I also got some good people pictures which I don’t often do.

We decided to walk some more and saw a lovely square with palm trees and ringed with pretty buildings. In the center a fountain. The sun was setting and we loved photographing the light on the buildings and the shadows. Really pretty and a great evening. Strolling back we spotted a gelateria. What better way to end our evening. We got a cup each with two flavors each. I got pistacchio and cocco. Good. Perfect. Off to bed and home the next day.

Saturday, June 15
Our hotel serves breakfast in the rooms. Jen and I were going to have it brought to mine. There was a little checklist of things to get. We had ordered the night before for around 9:30. Anita showed up with this wonderful tray of delicious pastries, fresh fruit, yogurt, cappuccino for us. The pastry I ordered was a croissant filled with cream. Anita said this bakery makes their own cream filling – it’s not the industrial stuff many places use now. So good, and so something I never eat because it is so caloric. But I’m on vacation so an exception was made 😁 I should note this is the breakfast Italians eat daily, a sweet pastry, cornetto, and a coffee.

The drive home up the coast was on the big superstrada. But with views of the incredibly blue Adriatic off and on all the way. Jen was sweet and brought me home adding an hour and a half to her trip. Her city is having a huge festival called the Quintana. Jousting contests between the different neighborhoods. Big deal. We had no idea what the traffic would be like or road closures. Anyway, we are both home safe and sound after an amazing road trip planned entirely by my friend Jen. Molte grazie amica mia! 

To start off with we have house/cat sitters. They were picked up from one of the Perugia stations. Leah & John from Florida. We had a day to show them the ropes.

On Tuesday we left Umbertide for Fiumicino to a new hotel with parking. We said farewell to our house and cat sitters. I hope they have fun and good weather. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and mild temperatures for our drive to Fiumicino. It has been so long since we did this drive. On the way we stopped for panini at the Autogrill. They sure have it all over the rest stops in the U.S. Here is a pic of my panino.

We found the ISA Residence hotel. It sits in a nice, upscale neighborhood. It is new to us and we chose it because it had long term parking. We spent the night there and took the shuttle to the airport the next morning

We also had a good dinner at the seafood place called Altavela. We chose it because of the reviews and also because we could walk there. The people were super nice. We would go back if we ever stay at the ISA again. My spaghetti con vongole veraci.

We checked in on Wednesday morning at the United airlines counter for our trip. There sure are a lot of things you have to do to check in nowadays. We spent some time in the comfortable lounge for United airlines. Almost makes up for the service on board.

The flight was uneventful and arrived an hour early. We rented our car and drove through rush hour traffic to our rented house in our previous town, Old Town Alexandria, VA. We are not used to the traffic here. In my previous working life I did the drive we did yesterday every day to and from work. It was horrible but I listened to books to make it tolerable.

We went to the mega Wegmans in Alexandria for something for dinner and some wine (of course), then headed to our house. It is quite nice.

Thursday. First, a serious shopping trip for provisions. A few observations. There is a brand new Wegmans here in Old Town. An amazing store. So much is prepared foods, kits, dinners ready to heat, even veggies already sliced, baguettes whole but if you’re too lazy to cut into slices you can buy it sliced. It is all about convenience it seems. I guess I get it. People are busy.  They have regular stuff too. Paper products and things you need other than fancy food. They also have the coolest thing I’ve seen. Hard to describe but it’s a gadget that grabs your shopping cart and it goes down next to the escalator you’re on and at the bottom you just pick it up. Pretty amazing! Oh! And they bag your groceries for you!! …and you don’t have to weigh your produce like in Italy.

My sister arrived around lunchtime. We walked about 20 minutes down to the new waterfront development since we moved which I had heard about. Very changed from our time here. We had lunch on a pier. It was an amazing 77 degrees. Why not take advantage?

Friday we spent several hours sorting through the storage. There were several goals. One, find the art work. Two, find the shelves for the tall display stands so I could give them away. Three, find the china. Four, unpack the furniture which I was giving away. Five, find my Kitchenaid mixer which will be given away.

My cousin, Brack, who lives nearby was a lifesaver. He had a friend with an antique store and he took my library table and two chairs. Brack took a lap desk that belonged to my Dad. My sister took the painted, antique German shrank (wardrobe). So the only large thing left was the display towers.

We sorted through the boxes and found all the things we needed to find and made a big pile of trash. Turns out my two oriental carpets didn’t like being in storage for ten years and were completely ruined. Sad to say as they were fine pieces.

We went out for a walkabout yesterday, we visited my sisters old apartment and our old home. We looked at all the new development and we decided to go to Hanks Oyster Bar in a new location near where we used to live. It was a pleasant lunch in their rooftop bar.

For dinner we hit nearby Vermillion last night. It was expensive but good enough. The prices are pretty eye watering for wine and the tips (which we are not used to) add so much to the cost of a meal. They need to get rid of the tipping culture. Delicious beets four ways. Very yummy.

I am going to sign off for now but will post more about the shipping etc soon.

This is a trip report, not terribly long. It started rough, and ended a little rough but in between was nice. You can’t have it all!

Well, the trip started with a thud. We drove to Perugia airport and parked. We got all checked in. Then we found out our incoming plane was delayed. It arrived around 30 minutes late. But after the passengers disembarked they wouldn’t let us on. Finally they said it was delayed for (fill in the blank time). They kept adding to the delay all day. They gave us  €4 euro vouchers to use in the expensive snack bar. Yay. I amused myself with people watching if I could — here is Stanley Tucci who was on our flight. 😉

Anyway, long story short they flew another plane in from Germany. The original plane had gotten warning lights about the landing gear and it was not a simple fix.

Seven hours after our 10:15am departure time we finally got off the ground. Seven hours in an airport with really nothing to do or see was excruciating. Because we arrived in England after dark we decided to book a room near the airport where we had been many times before. The Saracen’s Head. It is convenient and has a restaurant. It meant we missed our first night in our cottage but I guess it could be worse. We had dinner, not the best but convenient after a very long day and we had a bed. 

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Saturday December 16 – We rose and had breakfast in the pub. Then we headed out right away to our destination, Corfe Castle in Dorset. A 3.5 hour drive, which was uneventful. We stopped for lunch just before we got there at the Claypipe Inn. Luthers first bitter and a nice interior. Lots of locals there. A nice vibe.

We stopped in Wareham for groceries and headed to the cottage. It was cold and spitting rain. We lugged all our groceries and luggage up the steep path from where we could park the car to the cottage. 

We didn’t feel like going out again so we decided to cook in the cottage. We had bought a whole chicken already seasoned and with stuffing. It was sealed in a bag and the instructions said to cook in the bag an hour and then open the bag and cook another half an hour. Pretty fool-proof. Except for the fact I couldn’t figure out the oven. I found a book with all the appliance papers and finally figured it out. We also had green beans and a baked potato.

I built a fire in the wood burning stove and before long we were nice and cozy. We watched some TV. A nice evening.

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Next day was Sunday. We always buy crumpets, butter and jam for breakfast. Yum! We went out to explore the village. As I mentioned, the name of the town is Corfe Castle. Apt name since its claim to fame is a ruined castle which was built in the 1000s by William the Conqueror. This morning the sun came out from the clouds just as we walked out the door. The castle is right above our cottage on a hill. It was stunning in the morning sunlight. The village is very cute and very old. All old stone buildings, with an old Norman church just like the churches in all the other villages. Also built in about the 1000s. There are at least 5 pubs. There is a National Trust shop with some nice things for sale. We found a nice deli where we bought some cheese and some chorizo cured sausage for a snack sometime. There were also several other small shops selling souvenirs. And finally we came upon a small grocery which was also the Post office and Western Union.

We set off to Durdle Door which is a National Heritage Site. The parking lot is way up high on a bluff over the ocean. From there, a path leads down to the beach. There must have been fifty mile an hour winds and it was COLD. I was not prepared for this weather. We decided not to do the walk down. The hardy British were all out. Fully suited up for this and even had babies in baby carriages. It would have been lovely on a nicer day. The area was chock-a-block with holiday mobile home cottages. Hundreds and hundreds cheek by jowl. Not my cup of tea. But some of them had great views.

We decided to visit Swanage. It is a town at the end of the road that goes through Corfe Castle and down to the coast. Ferries leave from there. There’s a beach and lots of beach hotels. Some shops, restaurants, coffee shops and pubs. Maybe half of the shops were open. We walked and looked. Along the road I took a few pictures. Pretty countryside.

After our walk about we decided to eat lunch at The Anchor. It was surprisingly empty. The two young women working there were strange. One wore a black band type top covering her breasts. She had a bare midriff and shoulders. She had a Cardinals jacket on over her top. She clutched it closed as though embarrassed to be half naked. And it was a very cold day. Really odd. 

We thought maybe the restaurant was empty because they don’t offer a Sunday Roast. This is a well loved British tradition. On Sundays the families go to a pub which serves the Sunday Roast. It is prime rib or roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and all the fixin’s. Well the Anchor didn’t have this so I guess that explained the lack of customers. The food was quite good. I got a sea bass filet in butter with veggies. Luther got a meat pie which was super juicy. Not dry like so many are. Everything was piping hot. Anyway, a successful lunch.

We spent the evening in again with chorizo and cheese and bread as a small dinner. Warm stove. Bad TV. 😁
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Monday was a gray day. We couldn’t decide what to do. Finally we settled on a drive to West Bay. It is where the British series Broadchurch was filmed. It was cool to see. We walked along the seaside. They have a nice promenade. I’m sure it is nice in summer. Today it was windy and cold and the sea was angry. Very dramatic cliffs in both directions but the town was in a nice flat place in between.

After our walk we headed to West Stanford near Dorset. We had done some research and finally found a well regarded Gastropub. This is a pub with better than average food. It was called the Wise Man Inn. It was quite nice. Kind of half and half pub and restaurant. The way normal pubs work is you go in and go up to the bar and order your drink which you take to a table. From there you either look at the big chalk board menu or sometimes paper menu. You decide on your food and return to the bar to order the food. They bring it to the table when it’s done. This one you order your drinks then sit and they bring menus and return to your table to take your order. Along the way I took these pictures.

We both had roasted plaice. It was a whole fish each with grilled pak choi and what was supposed to be potatoes rösti. The potatoes were not good but everything else was. Oh and we started with baked Camembert with onion chutney. We poured the hot melted cheese on the bread slices and topped with chutney. Delicious. 

The little town of West Stanford was so cute. Thatched roofs and stone buildings. Picture perfect English village. I didn’t take many pictures. But here is one. Nice holly tree in front.

We headed back. Every day on our outings we always had to pass an army camp where they train the soldiers to drive tanks. There were signs along the road saying things like Tank Crossing and Sudden Gunfire. And No Stopping. They had a tank museum too.

That night we did what we always did. We had left over roast chicken and salad with a baked potato. We had a toasty fire in the wood burner as they call it here. We watched game shows on the Beeb. Game shows here are very different. The questions are really hard! Outside our cottage. The castle at night.

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Our last full day here in Dorset. As was predicted it was raining steadily. We had planned to go to Wareham for dinner shopping and return to Corfe to try one of the pubs. Which we did. Wareham has a nice butcher where we got two racks of lamb. Then we returned to Corfe and went to the Greyhound Pub. So cheery inside it was what drew us in. The menu was a bit u usual with Raclette and Fondu as choices, along with schnitzel wursts, and BBQ pulled pork.

Luther went traditional and I had the pulled pork sandwich. They were both very yummy. But huge. I loved the Christmas music and the decorations. The women who served were nice. 

I didn’t mention the steam train that goes from here to Swanage. Here is a blurb about it: “The heritage railway attraction operates full-size steam and diesel passenger trains along the five and a half miles of line from Norden to Corfe Castle and down to the Victorian seaside town of Swanage ”. The track went right next to our cottage. I always ran out when I heard the whistle. In winter it doesn’t do a normal run. But now it has become the Polar Express. A family attraction reenacting the movie. You are urged to wear your pajamas and all the characters from the movie are on the train. It goes from Swanage to the North Pole. I got a few pictures from our cottage. Not too great.

Dinner was in and I did the racks of lamb, asparagus, salad and potatoes. We used up most of the stuff we bought. Not much went to waste.
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We left the cottage next morning at about 9:30 for the haul up to near the airport for the flight the next morning. It takes a little over three hours to get in the vicinity. We were headed for our last pub lunch. I chose the Blind Fiddler. It was out in the countryside in a small village. Very much the country pub. Unpretentious. But they were REALLY into Christmas. There were stars on the building and a huge (and pretty ugly) Santa out front. Another life-sized Santa was inside. There were nutcrackers beside the fireplace and a whole Christmas village with a train. There were many locals inside having lunch or a pint with their mates. 

We had burgers. I wished I had gotten the brisket. They were known for that but I had just had pulled pork yesterday so I decided not to. Buyers remorse. The burger was OK. We drove to our hotel afterwards. Our room was much nicer. Larger and on the ground floor. 

Dinner in the restaurant that evening. We tried to have a pre-dinner drink but the noise level was literally deafening. So we went in and ordered dinner. I got the sticky beef Thai salad. Luther got the ham steak with egg and fries. We both liked our choices this time. This place is hit or miss on the food. I’d get the salad again.

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Up at 6:30 and off to the airport. Dropped the car off. I cannot recommend Enterprise Rent-a-Car enough. They were super nice and efficient and the car was nice. We jumped on the bus to the terminal. I asked Luther where his backpack was as I didn’t see it. Oh no! He’d left it in the car. Well there wasn’t time to return so we figured we would have to have it sent to us.

The flight was fine this time. Wicked winds so we got here 30 minutes early. Good tail wind! Getting through passport control was slow. And we are now home. Our first thing to do was to try to get the backpack sent. The agent at Enterprise was very helpful but we had to arrange the shipping. Sending anything from one country to another is always trying. They want to charge you duty on your own stuff. We hope we got it all right on the online forms. But who knows. There is some crucial and expensive stuff in the backpack. Crossing fingers. A doppo!