London with the Johnsons

Our dear friends, Craig and Lisa Johnson, came to visit, so we spent a couple days in London with them. We met them at our downtown hotel and headed over to Westminster Abbey. It was so cool to see where the Kings and Queens of England have been coronated and see the graves and monuments to the cultural greats of the country. That nightwe went to a yummy Italian restuarant, "Bucca de lupo," in Covent Garden and then went to see "39 Steps."

On Saturday, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral. We took a tour with a very knowledgeable guide who showed us all the ins and outs. We heard the history of the bucket brigade during WWII, where the cathedral was saved from bombings and fires. We made the long climb to the tower where we were treated to fabulous views of the city. It was so fun to spend time with our great friends in our adopted hometown!

Portobello Road

Our Officers and Cilivilian Spouse Club took a trip to Portobello Road and Notting Hill one lovely Saturday in April. We spent the morning shopping at the legendary Portobello Market and taking a London Walks tour through Notting Hill. It was fun to see "how the other half lives," including houses owned by Madonna and others. I loved this garden in Notting Hill--they really do have these private enclosed gardens. And, of course we stopped by the travel book shop. No Hugh Grant, though--bummer.

Ireland, Day 5, 6, 7

Day 5: We headed off on a beautiful drive through Killarney National Forest. There was some incredible scenery.Wecontinued ourdrive along theRing of Kerry. Each corner brought a view more breathtaking than the last. We stoppedat some ring forts (large circular rock walls that the kids never tired of climbing.And, at St. Finan's Bay, we pulled over to a beach with a cool castle. The kidsloved exploring the rocks and wading in the water (even though it was FREEZING!).

We paid too many euros to stop at the "Best View in Kerry County."It was pretty amazing with fabulous views of the Skellig Islands. We also stopped at the Skellig chocolate factory,which hadhomemade and very yummy truffles.

We drove on to Dingle and stayed at Castlewood House, one of the most beautiful Bed andBreakfasts we had the pleasure tovisit.

Day 6: We explored the Dingle Peninsula, stopping for ice cream at Murphy's--a definite don't miss. The kids took a photo with Fungie, Dingle's hometown dolphin. After leaving Dingle, wedrove on. We took the Ferry over to County Clare, and drove up to the Cliffs ofMoher--Amazing.

We stopped at the Burren to see the unique rocky landscape and cool passage tomb on our way to our hotel in Galway.

Day 7: We drove from Galway to Dublin, stopping at Clonmacnoise. I loved the Celtic crosses and Kent enjoyed playing King for a bit. It was our last day in this beautiful country. We were sad to leave, but grateful that we could go home. This was the time of the ash cloud over Europe, and people were stranded everywhere! Because had already scheduled our Ferry, we were free and clear. Surprisingly, the weather in Ireland was sunny and beautiful all week--they said they had never had such a lovely week.

Ireland, Day 3 and 4

Day 3: We drove south a bit to Kilkenny, where we toured the castle. An early 1172 fortress evolved into this 17th c chateau of the Butler Family. They kids favorite part was the fabulous playground on the grounds. After Kilkenny, wedrove on to the Rock of Cashel. This is a group of ancient buildings, where in 450 St. Patrick baptized King Aengus (one of the ancient Kings of Munster).All the kids had an amazing time climing on all the rocks and cliffs on the side of the hill.

Day 4: Today we drove on to Blarney. This was probably the highlight of our trip. The castle is so much more than just the stone. But that was so much fun too! We all got to lean over--way over--while one cute little man helped us up andanother took our photo. We loved it.

After Blarney, we drove on to Killarney, where we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast. That afternoon, we drove over to the Muckross House, a Victorian House set at the edge of the Killarney National Forest. It is preserved in the style that it was when Queen Victoria came to stay for 3 nights after the family prepared for years for the visit. We took a walk through the grounds to a lovely waterfall.

The Emerald Isle

Over spring break, we took a trip with our friends the Listellos to Ireland. It was such a great trip. Here are some of the highlights:

Day 1: We begin our drive passing through Wal

es on our way to our Irish Ferry. We made a stop at Conwy Castle and stretched our legs. Then we went on to the Ferry for our two hour ride over to Dublin. It was a wee bit windy!

Day 2: We went to Bru Na Boinne, which is a neolithic passage tomb north of Dublin. It was incredible--we got to go inside, and they recreated how the light comes infor 17 minutes on the morning of the winter solstice. There were amazing carvings all over the ceilings and walls. Afterwards, we went to the site of the Battle of the Boyne, which was the site of the largest battle every fought in the British Isles. Protestant William of Orange defeated Catholic King James II as 50,000 soldiers fought it out in this tiny area. We stayed one more night in the area and then headed off on our grand tour.

Day 3: We drove south a bit to Kilkenny, where we toured the castle. An early 1172 fortress evolved into this 17th c chateau of the Butler Family. They kids favorite part was the fabulous playground on the grounds. After Kilkenny, we drove on to the Rock of Cashel. This is a group of ancient buildings, where in 450 St. Patrick baptized King Aengus (one of the ancient Kings of Munster). All the kids had an amazing time climing on all the rocks and cliffs on the side of the hill.

Day 4: Today we drove on to Blarney. This was probably the highlight of our trip. The castle is so much more than just the stone. We loved it.

Greenwich

I went on a field trip on April 8th with Madeleine's 5th Grade Class to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. It was a glorious day. We started with the Maritime Museum where we saw the uniform (with authentic bullet holes and blood) which Lord Nelson was wearing at the Battle of Trafalgar when he was shot by French snipers. Then we toured the Queen's House with its amazing tulip staircase. We walked up the path to the Observatory and straddled the hemispheres at the Prime Meridian. We then walked through a tunnel under the Thames over the Isle of Dogs where we were rewarded by a fantastic view of the Observatory complex. It was a great day to spend with Madeleine and her classmates.

Searching for Mr. Darcy

A group of six of us--friends from the ward and all Air Force medical wives--went on a tour sponsored by Outdoor Recreation where we went "Looking for Mr. Darcy." We got to see some of the sights where Jane Austen lived and worked and some places where they filmed some of her movie adaptations (and also Harry Potter, but that was a bonus!). We started in Chawton, where her brother inherited an estate, and Jane and her mother and sister went to live for several years. We got to see the actual desk (teeny tiny) where she wrote and reworked Pride and Predudice and several of her other novels. We then went to Winchester where she lived her last 6 weeks after taking so ill (they still don't know what she died of, maybe Addison's or Lymphoma) and is buried in the Cathedral. Our last stop of the day was Lacock Abbey and town, where they filmed Harry Potter 1 & 2 and some of the Jane Austen adaptations. It was a really cool little town.

The next morning, we went to Bath, where we visited the Jane

Austen center, and some ladies took a tour of the town, but our little group did some shopping! Our last stop on our way home was Steventon, where she was born and her father preached in the church. The rectory where

she was born has burned down, but the church still stands. It was so fun to spend a girls' weekend with great friends. And we even managed to spot Mr. Darcy a few times!