In November 2020 we marked our second visit to “Irish Hollow” in Galena, Illinois. Our first trip was for Trey’s 40th birthday in March of 2012 and we knew we had to return. To say Irish Hollow is a Bed & Breakfast is akin to saying the Louvre is a museum. Irish Hollow is five…
Hilton Head 2020
After months of staying at home we were thrilled to be able to visit Hilton Head this summer. Their Covid numbers started to increase at end of our week, but we followed protocols and were able to enjoy ourselves safely. The picture above was the only time we ate at a restaurant. It was our…
Octoberfest 2019
We went to Octoberfest last weekend and had a great time! We devoured German specialties, sampled delicious beer, wine and spirits, hung out by the fire and browsed quaint shops. All of this fun was had, not in Munich, but in Hermann, Missouri. Hermann is a small town on the Missouri River about an hour…
Tucson, July 2019
This summer we decided to take a side trip from our annual visit to Chandler, Arizona. Tucson, two hours south of Chandler, was the perfect choice. We started our trip with a stop at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. It’s only 30 minutes south of Chandler. It was worth a quick visit. The ruins, one…
Favorite Paris Photos June 2019
Gritti Palace Hotel
Recently named the best hotel in Venice by Travel + Leisure, the Gritti Palace exceeded our expectations. We were very excited for the opportunity to stay here for our two nights in Venice. We booked this hotel using SPG/Marriott Bonvoy points and it was worth every point. The Gritti Palace is a 15th century palazzo…
Osteria Alla Frasca
We reached this tiny osteria after a delightful walk through the winding alleys of Venice. It is in the Cannaregio area about 20 minutes north (walking) of St. Mark’s Square. The food was fresh and delicious. We started with the grilled octopus. It was very tender and was served on a bed of polenta and…
Le Relais de l’Entrecôte -Marbeuf
We decided to eat at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte for our last dinner in Paris. There are several locations. This one is very close to our hotel and they do not take reservations so we were able to arrive at our convenience, which meant early as we wanted to get back to the hotel at…
The Long Road Home
All good trips come to an end. We left Hotel Artemide at 6:30 am Rome time on Saturday morning, June 22nd. That’s the same as 11:30 pm Friday, June 21st, at home. We were a little concerned about relying on taxi availability due to our early departure time so we allowed the hotel to arrange…
Rome Day 3: June 21, 2019
We had another delicious breakfast at the hotel this morning. The servers walk around and offer extra treats to all of the tables. Today it was homemade cannoli and carrot cake. Not necessarily breakfast food, but delectable. After breakfast we walked to Campo de’ Fiore, which translates to “field of flowers”. We wandered through the open air…