Another Easter visit from the Hamiltons (2019)

Mom and Dad Hamilton arrived at Gatwick airport late on Tuesday morning. We picked them up in a and headed back to Winchester via the South Downs AONB. Along the way, we stopped for farm shops and our first of many encounters with carrot and coriander soup.

Early Wednesday we hit the road, heading North to Stoneywell, an Arts & Crafts cottage outside of Leicester. A 5-point turn to get back to the car park earned us a very stern head-shake from a surly old English ***, but the cottage was beautiful and the sun was out.

After another quick shot of carrot and coriander, we continued on up to York. York Minster was preparing for an Easter performance of Wagner's Percival. Afterward we walked down the Shambles, walked the walls, and had a well-earned dinner at Melton's (we recommend the baco noir from Canada).

Next morning we kept heading North, stopping in the North York Moors for England's finest view, and at Bamburgh for a seafood lunch and a gander at the castle on the sea. We arrived in Edinburgh in the afternoon and were shortly met by cousins Betty and David. We walked the Royal Mile and ate dinner together before parting ways. Next morning we were back into Edinburgh for some shopping on the mile and a hearty debate about what colour plaid was best for girls' dresses (hopefully Addy and Lainey like red). Back in the car for a beautiful sunny drive down South. Lots of sheep, Hadrian's wall (or was it Adrian's?), and an Italian meal in Stoke-upon-Trent before arriving late back to Winchester.

Saturday in Winchester was a day of rest. We walked into town for supplies, but mostly took it easy. Lamb shanks went into Joule overnight for Easter dinner. We attended Easter matins at Winchester Cathedral, which started with a low and rising rumble on the organ and the Bishop knocking on the door. The cathedral was cool, but outside it was sunny and warm, and we promenaded down to the Itchen and back home.

The shanks came out for dinner and fell off the bone and into our bellies.

The Isle of Wight ferry was busy on Easter Monday, so we booked an outbound for noon and return at 21:40. The crossing was smooth and pretty. Upon landfall, we headed for Osborne House and toured V&A's summer residence. Afterward, lunch along the River Medina in E. Cowes and over to W. Cowes to view the closed shops and harbour, with a stop at Carisbrooke castle along the way. We drove out to the Needles around sunset, and waited for the ferry in Yarmouth in the church, the shop, and the King's Head with some refreshments and a cheese board.

On Tuesday we got the train to London, stopped at UCL, the Dickens museum, and sped back home. On Wednesday we drove out along the South coast of Dorset, and on to Exeter for a tasty pasty pastry. Dad almost missed lunch when we all ducked in the shop without him noticing! Next stop was for standing stones in the Dartmoors, which required from reversing in the car, hiking through fields, and parking among horses. Carrying on into Cornwall the sun came out and we arrived at our cottage near the Pendeen Watch Lighthouse. Beautiful views in all directions! We had a nice walk along the sea cliffs and lighthouse, then got dinner at the Radjel (Cornish for 'ground with loose rocks'), which was a nice local (with mixed reviews, but we liked it).

Wednesday we were off for St Ives, but not before encountering our AirBnB host Ben. Mom and Dad learned everything about him in 10 min., and we walked down to see Portheras Cove on his advice before heading out. Next was the Tate St Ives for a lunch with a beautiful view of the surf and then more pleasant views of the artwork, including Barbara Hepworth's studio and sculpture garden; Barbara is apparently a family friend (of Aunt Nan's, we learned from cousin Betty).

We drove next to Glastonbury, and Gigi's offered up a delicious Italian dinner. We abandoned Cheddar Gorge and Bath to spend the next day in Glastonbury. Mom and Dad raided charity shops while Andrew and Melissa hiked the Tor with a new Welsh friend from Cornwall.

 

We all met up to stroll around the Abbey and have a cream tea before heading home for a takeout Indian meal at home. Last day was spent leisurely around Winchester. Pictures of our entire trip are on flickr.

2018: A Year in Brief (Part 2) - IRELAND

We were back in Ireland for the 12th of July - no surprises there. We flew into Belfast and picked up Garvan and Claire for a trip out to Bruckless, detouring to stop at Newgrange. A 5,200 year old passage tomb and stone circle, it was built before Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. We got the perfect day for a tour and even got to go inside.

Onward to Bruckless for a few days and then Andrew and I took off on the roadtrip through the South we had intended to take while living in Belfast. Better late than never, right?

After climbing Knocknarea and adding a stone to Queen Mebd's Cairn, we figured we earned a soak at the Seaweed baths in Enniscrone, Sligo. The room came complete with a body-sized steamer enclosing everything but your head.

Downpatrick Head and the Céide (cagey) Fields before meeting Jim and Rosie in the middle of no where for tea. We left Jim waiting at the roadside for ages while we drove around the block a few times. Onward from there, we drove through Pontoon (aptly named as it's positioned beside a land bridge over Lough Conn), Westport, into and through Connemara (past Croag Patrick, along Killary Fjord, and out as far as Kylemore Abbey). We sped on to Galway for a long multi-course meal at Loam. Just before that yummy dinner, two hitchhikers were spotted and removed from Andrew's calf (which would later lead to a visit to the A&E and Lyme disease).

After a jaunt into Galway in the morning, we drove down to Yeats' tower, a ruined abbey, and a drive through the stoney Burrens. It was raining at the Cliffs of Mohr and we drove by without seeing much. Past surfers at Lahinch we caught a ferry across the Shannon and drove out to Dingle for the night. Yummy Guinness, a new friend (who bragged about stealing the world cup trophy in another pub), trad, and yummy seafood.

Stunning drive around Dingle and then over to Kerry to catch a boat trip out to Skellig Islands (Skellig Michael and Little Skellig).

Spent the night in Killarney, which was packed fully of fellow Americans. Then drove up to Belfast after a distillery tour in Tullamore and a stay at a spa where we had to buy swim caps to be allowed in the water. Pictures of our amazing trip are here.

We were back to Ireland again in September for a 100th birthday! Tom and Bea both turned 40 this year and they've been together for 20 years - what better reason to celebrate? Also, Andrew was cured of the Lyme.

Justin and Alba came to visit in November. We toured the town, got lost along the Itchen, and stayed up late eating and drinking.

We didn't make it home for Christmas this year, as we thought we wouldn't have our passports. We sent them away to the Home Office along with our applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain in October, and assumed we wouldn't hear back until 2019. To our surprise, we got our decision in December and they're letting us stay!

2018: A Year in Brief (Part 1) - The Hamiltons

2018 was much more exciting. Susan and Verity visited in January and then Nicola and Gerard came in May. (I guess they really did like us back in Belfast!) 

Mom and Dad (Hamilton) came in March-April, which was amazing. We spent a bit of time here in England, but we went to northern France and met the Wilmes for a few days (always great!). One of the highlights of this trip was the ferry crossing from Portsmith ... said no one ever. I stupidly booked us regular seats for an overnight ferry ride and no one slept. Lesson learned, and we had slightly better seats in a dark room on the return journey. From now on, it's a cabin or no ferry.

We celebrated Easter in Rouen and then drove up the coast to Mont-Saint-Michel, an island and monestary that is only accessible when the tide is out. We forgot the camera on this trip, which was a shame, because it was stunning, but here are just a few we managed to capture. (We'll have to go back some day and take more!)

2017: A Year in Brief

I keep forgetting that I started this blog to keep a record of Andrew and my crazy adventures. They never stop and I don't ever want to forget all the bits and pieces. I'm going to keep up with this from now on, as we've got another amazing trip in a few weeks when Mom and Dad (Hamilton) come to visit for Easter. So, to recap VERY quickly and then I'll start again more regularly.

2017 wasn't even that exciting, except that we moved from Belfast to Winchester. So, actually, I guess that was a pretty big change. Andrew started a new job at the University of Southampton and I decided to go back to school for an MSc in Information Science at UCL. It's 2019 now and classes are over for said programme. Dissertation will be written in a few months and graduation will be next fall. That went quickly.

We did go to Belgium in June that year, which was beautiful and pretty fun - photos are on flickr.

It was back to Donegal in July and then some Irish friends came to visit us in October. We spent Christmas in Florida with the Kennedys and New Year's in New York with the Hamiltons.

2016: A Year in Brief

As I've been a bit delinquent on posting (again), I'll do a short recap of 2016. Here goes.

January:  We said goodbye to our apartment on the Irish Sea (in Bangor) and moved to the big smoke (Belfast) this month. I also flew back to Chicago to say goodbye to Mom. A lot of goodbyes.

February:  Andrew and I had tickets to see Andrew Bird play in London a few years ago, but we weren't able to use them. The concert was the week we were moving to Belfast and you can't really take leave the first week you start somewhere. So when I saw that Andrew Bird was in Europe again, I snatched us some tickets and we were off to Amsterdam for the weekend. We saw him play twice that night: once in a big hall with another band and again by himself from the front row of a very small venue. It was amazing!

March, April, May:  We went with Tom and Beatrice to Donegal once. The rest of the time, we were working and I can guarantee it was raining. 

June:  I went home to Chicago to welcome Emma Sue into the world and to set a record for eating the most deep dish pizza and Portillo's in a two-week period (thank you, John and Elizabeth!). Meanwhile back in Belfast, Andrew hosted his cousin Paul for a few days. They went to Donegal, up to the Causeway, hiked up Cave Hill, and visited a few pubs in Belfast. Their adventures are on flickr! I'm sad I missed it, but I always love being there for the arrival of a new Moravec.

July:  Back to Donegal for both of us to celebrate (or actually, to avoid the celebrations of) the 12th of July. No goat this year, but as always, a wonderful time - photos on flickr to prove it.

August/September:  Andrew had to head home for a conference. As he wasn't with me in June, he stopped in Chicago and New York to say hi to our families. (I bet he had some deep dish pizza, too...)

October:  Our first trip to Vienna! One of my best friends from high school, Brian, was living there with his husband for the past few years and a reunion has been long overdue. We visited a few museums (Klimt), hung out with them and a few of their other friends who were also in town, and even went on a winery crawl. We caught the last summery weekend of the year and it seemed like everyone was out, walking from one winery to the next, tasting wine and sturm. It was amazing to see Brian and visit with such an old friend, to meet Dan, and to explore a new city. Photos are on flickr.

 

November:  Italy with the Hamiltons. A whirlwind trip through Rome, Pompei, Naples, and a breathtaking drive along the Amalfi coast. Perfect! Photos here, here, here, and here. (I don't know why we split up this trip into so many flickr albums...)

Pompei

 

December:  Luxembourg & France with the Wilmes family for Christmas and then back to Vienna to ring in the New Year with Brian and Dan. It was easily the most amazing New Year's Eve I've ever had, and probably ever will have. Christmas photos here and New Year's photos here.

Happy New Year!!!

I don't want to come home! (Hawai'i December 2015)

Andrew and I spent a blissful week and a half in Hawai'i (and two pretty awful days of travel) before Christmas in December 2015. Andrew had a conference on the big island, and as usual I tagged along. The first half of our trip was spent at the conference hotel in Waikoloa, the resort area of the island with beautiful beaches. Andrew went to sessions in the mornings while I laid around at the pool, and this conference had an unusual schedule, in that the attendees had the afternoons off and then picked back up in the evenings after dinner. It was great, as Andrew was was able to take advantage of the sun and heat rather than being stuck inside in this amazing place during the day.

We snorkeled a few times, and also just relaxed by the pool and on the beach. I'd like to thank the organizers of the conference for planning what was clearly just an opportunity for a vacation in Hawai'i.

When the conference ended, we picked up a rental car and began our exploration of the rest of the island. We went on a tour of a coffee plantation, which was really cool. They showed us through the fruit trees (yes, coffee is a fruit!) and also explained the process of making coffee from growing the beans to the final product, all the while letting us drink said product for free. I'm not the biggest coffee fan, but they gave us a chocolate covered coffee bean and I tried some tea that they make from the shells of the beans. We also spent a day swimming with dolphins, which was absolutely my favorite thing we did, and hiked in a crater and to Akaka Falls.

  

The rest of our photos of our trip are on flickr.

Another visit from Amit

In October 2015, we were lucky enough to get our second visit from Amit (we got him in Denmark, too!). While visiting family in London, Amit popped over to Belfast for the weekend and Andrew and I took him around Northern Ireland to see the greatest hits:  up the coast to the Giant's Causeway one day, of course, and a stop at Dunluce Castle. We also visited the Glens of Antrim and hiked around to some waterfalls.

 

We went to Scrabo Tower (above) and Castle Ward and explored the grounds there. They do most filming of Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland, and this is a place that gets a lot of action.

It was honestly one of the best weekends in a long time. We loved having Amit again, and we're looking forward to the next time he comes (hopefully we can lure him over for another visit)! More photos of this amazing weekend are on flickr here.

Home (bitter)sweet home. Part II.

We flew into Chicago on Tuesday and were welcomed with open arms by Elizabeth, John, and Charlie. Charlie even welcomed me into his bed for a bit of a reading/ipad-ing, which was particularly sweet. 

On Wednesday, Elizabeth, Charlie, Andrew, and I spent the morning at the zoo with Ben, Rita, and little Andrew. It was so wonderful to see our old friends, and we got to have lunch at Portillo's, to boot! We went to see Marisa and Dave's new house in Oak Park on Thursday before having lunch with Marisa, and then headed back to Mom & Dad's to meet Christopher after his flight got in. The wedding was Friday and we were flying away again on Saturday afternoon, but not until after I had a hot dog. 

More photos on flickr.

Home (bitter)sweet home. Part I.

Only in America:

(Newark allayed us of any fears that we hadn't landed in the USA.)

Our flight over (in September) wasn't actually that bad this time. And arriving at the airport was wonderful; it always is. Mom and Eric were there waiting for us as soon as we walked off the plane in Buffalo and took us to dinner. No matter how many times we go home, it still shocks me just how great it is to see someone waiting at the airport. It's almost as if I don't even realize just how much I miss someone until I'm there in person. Visits home are tough: it's a long way to come for a such a short time.

We saw Emily, Jon, and Addy for a short while on Sunday, and on Monday we went up to the land, which was amazing. 

Mom & Dad & Jon have been working hard all summer long to get it ready for winter, and it seems as if it will be fine; all buttoned up now until spring. This was my first time up there, and it'll be wonderful to look back years from now and remember that I saw it before it was finished.

We spent another day with Emily, Jon, Addy, and Eric before Eric drove us to Buffalo for our flight to Chicago. Before we left, we stopped for some ice cream with A. Joanne, Lou, A. Janet & Uncle Dick, and A. Sandra - it was so nice to see them again. Onward to Chicago for Kara and Brian's wedding, and more photos on flickr.

We ︎♥︎ Copenhagen (and Pølser - duh)

Denmark. Twice this year. Yes! There was a relevant (I think?) conference for Andrew in Copenhagen in July, with the added bonus of seeing old friends. Pack your bags, we were off to Denmark again. It felt a bit like coming home. 

Andrew was there for the week and I joined him for the weekend. I got in Friday evening and we met Scott, Nancy, and Chris for dinner at a street food market I had read about. Starving, the first thing on my agenda was a pølser. Luckily there was a pølsevogn right as we walked in. Done. Not nearly sated, Chris and I did a lap to check out all of the other food. Andrew loved this place because you can buy a bucket with ice and beer in it to carry around. After dinner we sat outside on the water as the sun went down, but I was so tired from traveling all day that I fell asleep just about as soon as we sat down. Luckily we had all day on Saturday to spend with them, too - hitting the National Museum and enjoying a nice dinner on Nyhavn. (I also snuck in another pølser mid-day at some point.) 

 

They were gone by Sunday, and Andrew and I took the train out to Helsingør to explore Kronborg Slot (castle). Most people know of it from Hamlet - Shakespeare used it as the inspiration for Elsinor Castle. We got off of the train and, believe it or not, walked by a pølsevogn. When in Rome...

The castle is located at the point where Denmark is the shortest distance from Sweden, and at one time that land belonged to Denmark, too. The position allowed Denmark to impose tolls on any ship passing through and Helsingør was once one of the most important towns in northern Europe. We took a short, but excellent, tour of the castle before wandering the grounds on our own. The best part was going down below the castle into the crypts in total darkness. I don't know why they allow people down there, because there is no light and no guards and no signs directing people where to go or how to get out. As unsafe as it was, it was just as fun popping out and scaring Andrew. He's a better spouse than I, because he didn't return that favor. 

We spent Monday morning on the Strøget before we needed to head to the airport. As usual, a wonderful weekend away in one of our favorite cities.

See you later, Denmark! (We know we'll be back.)

More photos on flickr.

Closer to America than we've been since last October

The 12th of July in Belfast is like the 4th of July in America (even better: you get two whole days off of work!), except that it's not fun for half of the population. The loyalists are celebrating the Battle of the Boyne and the republicans are getting the hell out of town. We joined some Irish friends for a long weekend in Donegal instead of sticking around for the marches and bonfires. We had a bonfire of a different sort two hours away and roasted a goat over it. Yum.

Tom and Beatrice invited us along with them and a few other friends and we spent the weekend in the wild Irish countryside. It was great. Tom had procured a goat from a local butcher and, after marinating it in the bathtub overnight, it was ready to go on the spit on Saturday morning for a day of roasting. All day long (through a lot of rain) we watched and waited, turning the spit, basting, salivating. It was ready to go as the sun was going down (which is quite late here in N. Ireland in the summertime), but worth the wait. We ate as much as we possibly could that night. And the night after. And the night after. And we still have a lot of goat in our freezer. If you are wondering what goat tastes like (it's great - between beef and lamb!), just come for a visit and we'll share some.

On Sunday and Monday we took a drive to two different breathtakingly beautiful beaches each day and Andrew went swimming in the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean at both. We were closer to home than we had been since last fall and if we squinted really hard we thought we could see the shores of America. Almost. 

I, too, took a dip, but only after putting on Tom's wetsuit. (Which I actually put on backward, but oh well, that's not really important.) Also, my hands and feet were pretty cold after about two minutes so I didn't last. Andrew's a champ - or he's insane. 

More of our weekend on flickr.