The Crown Inn

If I had to create the perfect English country inn it would manifest as the Crown Inn in Bishops Waltham England.   Our home away from home during our stay in Hampshire England was  located at the head of the High St. in Bishops Waltham.  The location was convenient to all the shops lining High St. which included, an upscale coffee shop for morning lattes and locals watching, to a grocer selling produce and products from the nearby farms.   Also directly behind the inn were the ruins to the famous Bishops Waltham Palace, a medieval monastery that was, pre Henry VIII, one of the largest in Europe.

The Crown Inn was comfortable in every possible way, the bed was heaven and the bathroom facilities were excellent including the standard British towel warmer.

We enjoyed a full breakfast each morning in the wonderful pub on the main floor, antiques abound in each and every room.  The tables were set with the most wonderful Staffordshire calico plates in every single color !

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Foscari Palace Hotel Venice

My trip to Venice was truly life changing.  Yes many people say that, but mine really was.  Traveling alone for the first time placed something permanent in my soul and in my brain.  It seems that now when I think of destinations the sky is the limit. I did learn that finding the right hotel also helps with logistics when traveling alone.

If you are looking for a mid range price on the Grand Canal this hotel has all the amenities and amazing views.  Foscari Palace is located in the Canneragio neighborhood of Venice on the Grand Canal, just across from the Rialto market.

This gem of a boutique hotel is just off the  Strada Nova, a thoroughfare that spans from Canneragio neighborhood to the Jewish Ghetto.  The Strada Nova has many cafe's, restaurants, local shops, and a passagiata (evening stroll) will find you rubbing elbows with local Venetians.

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Writing in Venice

I recently had the chance to venture to Venice Itlay !  This was not your average trip to Europe, there were two very important things happening simultaneously.   One,  this would be my very first travel experience all on my own, and two, I was attending my very first writing workshop !

The experience of navigating unknown airports and landing in a country where English was not the primary language was more than daunting to me.  I have always had my trusty hubby/Sherpa/money exchanger/schedule keeper by my side, this time I was on my own, large and in charge.   Prior to  booking the trip back in February I had changed my mind at least a dozen times.  Each day  I would open the website hosting the workshop and imagine myself strolling the exotic back streets of Venice, hopping on a water taxi,  or ordering an espresso and pastry in Italian.  And then fear would settle in and I would imagine countless disasters that could be fall me,  I could lose my passport, get lost, get robbed !,  in my mind epic dangers awaited a single woman in a foreign country.   Then I saw this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt

 "Do one thing everyday that scares you."

Well that was it, I booked the workshop, booked my tickets and added a few extra days after the workshop to really explore the city on my own.

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Cafe Sacher

                                                         

No trip to Vienna would be complete without experiencing the famous Sacher Torte.  What better place to have the venerated dessert than at ground zero, The Hotel Sacher.  One of Vienna's oldest luxury hotels, established by the son of the famous desserts creator,  this hotel has hosted the likes of John F. Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth.   

In 1832 Franz Sacher created a cake using chocolate, apricot jam and whip cream by order of a Prince.  Today that cake is synoymous with a hotel dynasty and one of the most elegant cities in the world.  The Cafe Sacher on the ground floor of the hotel is quintessential Vienna,  brass chandeliers, damask covered walls, red tufted banquettes and heavy silk draperies.  The wait staff are smartly dressed for service, jacket and tie for the gentlemen and black dress and white apron for the ladies.  

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The Imperial Hotel Vienna

Once in every ones lifetime, for those who seek it,  there must be the chance to experience luxury, refinement and what its like to live on "the other side."  I can say that I have achieved that in my life time at a somewhat youngish age.  The bar has been set at a very high level when it comes to comfort, elegance, and impeccable service.  I speak of our stay at the Hotel  Imperial in Vienna.  A marble palace really, built as a residence in 1863 for Prince Wurttemberg, that can boast of patrons  ranging from Queen Elizabeth and Luciano Pavarotti and, during our stay, US Secretary of State Kerry and a few Iranian diplomats.  Oh, and remember the famous baby dangling incident, Micheal Jackson, yup that was the Hotel Imperial.

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An Anniversary

During our recent trip to Grand Cayman, Brian and I celebrated our 12th year of marriage.  This was a last minute, impromptu getaway that turned into a very relaxing and quite magical trip.  We stayed at one of our favorite places, The Westin on seven mile beach in Georgetown, smack dab in the middle of it all yet very quiet and relaxing at the same time.
Our history with the island is vast, Brian took me here for the first time in 2001 and introduced me to scuba diving, I was certified for open water diving on the East End of Grand Cayman.  The years that followed saw two to three visits a year for dive trips with friends from Michigan, and close to 300 dives logged on the deep Cayman trench.  We were chased off the island during a stay at Rum Point by  tropical storm Isabella, and we watched in horror from afar as Ivan engulfed the island and destroyed nearly everything.  We visited six months post Ivan for a group dive trip hoping some of the money we spent there would help in the recovery.  Each visit now feels like coming home, even though things have changed so much in 13 years, there is still that distinct Caymanian feel that sets it apart from all other Caribbean islands.

The temperatures and humidity in August in Cayman tend to keep the crowds at bay, which is just the way we like it.  The traffic in Georgetown is low, tables at restaurants are plentiful, and there is always a chair and umbrella available on the beach.  I did not dive on this trip, but I gladly stayed back while Brian walked up the beach to catch the boat each morning.  This was only after he had schlepped the paddle board we had rented for the week down four flights of stairs.............yes........everyday, morning and night, you see it didn't fit in the elevator and we couldn't just leave it on the beach !  My hero, he is beyond kind to me and really made sure that this trip was filled with fun activities.   Oh and by the way, The Waterman surf shop in Georgetown, http://www.waterman.ky/#!theteam/cq4e   , great place to rent a board, sign up for SUP yoga or Paddlefit, learn Kiteboarding or wake boarding, or buy a great swim suit.  Our aussie friend Damian was beyond helpful with our latest rental, delivering the board to the hotel and picking it up when we were finished.

 An anniversary wouldn't be complete without a romantic dinner together, its one of our favorite ways to celebrate.   There are many wonderful places available on Grand Cayman for fine dining, a couple of years ago we enjoyed Eric Ripperts restaurant, Blue at the Ritz Carlton.  The food was memorable but the atmosphere for us was a bit cold.  I did a bit of research before this trip and I remembered a restaurant that we couldn't get a reservation at the last time we were on Cayman.  The Grand Old House is located in the  original structure of a stately home built  in 1908 for a prominent Boston business man.  A restaurant since 1960, the establishment is now owned by a group of caymanians and has one of the best wine cellars on the entire island.  The most intriguing aspect of the wine list for us was the amazing collection of Castarede  Bas armagnac.   Castarede is one of the oldest armagnac trading houses in the world, established in 1832 and located in the Bas Armagnac region of France,  it  has cellars over 100 years old.  The Grand Old House has bottles of armagnac dating all the way back to 1881.  The price for a shot is by request, but for a mere 230.00 CDI you could try the 1893 vintage.  We had discussed which year we would try for a couple of weeks before our trip.  I had thought 1912 would be fun, the year the Titanic sank, you know a toast to those lost at sea, or perhaps 1953 the year of Elizabeth II coronation, maybe 1929 the year my Dad was born  ?  It really was fun to try to come up with a year that would be the most interesting for us both.

We enjoyed wonderful service during dinner from our northern italian/german/french waiter Nino.  Very interesting life story he shared, translator Mom, country to country, speaking four languages himself.  Oh the life of a 24 year old............one can only dream.  Nino was kind enough to give us some tips regarding our pending trip to Vienna, he even went so far as to prepare some "Gluwein" (pronounced glue-vine) for us.  This is something that we should seek out in the cool October temperatures on the streets of Vienna, a mulled wine that will appear with the fall season.  Thanks Nino !

Now for the magic.  During our meal a harp player came into our dining room, he played a tune at the next table and then came over to play for us.  We were asked if there was anything we would like to hear,  how about something classical ?  Well three notes into the piece it is obvious that he is playing Pachebels Canon in D, the song I walked down the aisle to.  Brian denies prior planning or bribery, it is just a simple case of kismet, one of those moments in time that you have to grasp and hold tight to before it evaporates, and then thank the universe for the love.  Once I stopped sobbing and could see my husband through my tears I realized he was misting up too.
The only thing left was dessert and armagnac, but which year ?????  Well the decision was made, I wanted something to drink that was bottled before I was born and Brian would like to celebrate the year of his birth.  Smooth, sweet, a hint of smoke, vapors that clear the head,  1960 was a good year.

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Turning a half century

I knew my latest birthday would be important to me.  I had spent the last six months anticipating some exotic, exciting and life changing place to jump into my fifth decade.  It turned out that only a few days before the event, I had come up with the perfect place to begin my 50th year.

I had shared this special place with my now husband Brain over ten years ago, we had just met, we were just friends, in the end we left that island forever in love with one another.  

This is a place that holds such magic for me, a peaceful, unhurried, step back in time.  A place where I can get lost in myself and in the day like I did as a young girl.  I speak of Monhegan Island, my most special place in the world.

I arrived on a Sunday, alone, planning to be conscious of the time past and the time ahead in my life.  I hiked, took pictures, and breathed deeply that sweet Monhegan air.  I had the opportunity to spend the day almost completely silent, I only spoke when buying lunch and dinner.  The day was mine, my last day in my forties, I left the shore that morning in my forties never to return to that time.  When I next stepped foot on the mainland I would be a woman in her fifties, anticipating all that might come with that age and stage of life.  I am ready.

My husband Brian arrived on the morning ferry.  The anticipation of his arrival was such a tickle to my soul, knowing he would celebrate with me, hike by my side, and toast with me this important day.  Of course all the wonderful memories we have created on that island are some of our dearest of all.

They day was all I had hoped for, time passing with us together, no fan fare, no sounds of traffic, except for the occasional island truck on the dirt road.  We hiked the cliffs, lunched by the water, searched for perfectly smoothed round rocks, and reveled in each others company.

We shared a nap, which is customary for the afternoon on Monhegan, then readied for dinner.  We enjoyed a meal in the same dining room where we first ate together as friends.  The sunset was one of my best gifts of all.

The night would not have been as special without two of the loveliest people on the island helping it along.   Many thanks to Pam our server and Radek our maitre'd. Brian and I have had the pleasure of seeing Radek for countless summers on Monhegan, originally form Poland, he is a huge asset to the Island Inn.  This is our first summer meeting Pam, she was  bubbly and friendly and a great addition to the staff, and surprise from Ohio !!  Brian's native land.   Thank you both so much !!!

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