To celebrate Keith and John turning 40, we decided to celebrate in the beer capital of the world, Ireland, with John, JoAnna, Kara, and Ansley. Since we only had a week to spend in Ireland, we concentrated our trip in the Southern part of the country. On our way there, we stopped in London to do a little touring but mainly to attend Charlie and Melissa's 10th anniversary party which we had discussed with them early in the year while we were at Jazz Fest together.
Accommodations: The Fairview Guest House, Killarney
A really nice, small hotel with modern decorations. The rooms were larger than what you would expect from a European hotel. They serve a good continental breakfast. Highly recommend this place.
Garnish House, Cork
We stayed in a house across from the main building. The rooms were large and clean. While this hotel was quite comfortable, it is renowned for the afternoon tea upon arrival (amazing scones!) and the massive breakfast buffet. We highly recommend it!
Westbury Hotel, Dublin
A large hotel in the center of town, convenient to the pedestrian mall. The rooms were quite nice with modern decorations.
Activities:
London
Pub Crawl with Ewan
John/JoAnna/Keith/Shawna flew directly from Raleigh to Heathrow on Thursday, July 2nd - that way we would have a day to get over the jet lag before the anniversary party. The direct flight was great - arriving at about 7am London time. We first went to Charlie & Melissa's flat to refresh, dropped most of our luggage at the Hyatt Churchill, then headed out to meet Dawn and Rachel for lunch in Covent Garden. It was fun to catch up with the two of them for a couple of hours as we had not seen them for a few years. After lunch, we headed out via a train to Ewan and Sharon's house who live in the outskirts of London. Ewan had told us that once we arrive we could either walk "up the hill" to his house (no directions given) or get a cab. Being tired and lazy that day we opted for the cab, which was for the best because there was absolutely no way we would have ever found the house. We had some drinks in their back yard before heading out for the evening: Ewan took us on a power tour of pubs in his neighborhood before we met up with Sharon later in the evening for a late dinner. The beers flowed quickly, the pubs were quaint, and we ended up in a loud discussion with Ewan on what the hell a Coot is ("that's a coot!). Following multiple beers, we went to an awesome Indian restaurant where Sharon met us.
Big Ben / Parliament
The following morning, we had a quick breakfast then headed back to London. This ride was more eventful than the way out - a naked woman was sitting on the tracks preventing it from moving. The police came and she ran down the side the the train - definitely more of a "naked is a privilege, not a right" kind of experience. Once we arrived back in London, we went on a power-tour of the city as John and JoAnna had never been there, seeing the Palace, Big Ben, Parliament, the Thames via a boat tour, London Bridge, and then the Tower of London. John and JoAnna actually toured the Tower while Keith and Shawna went back to the Hyatt to get changed for Charlie and Melissa's party. The party itself was a riot - it was great to meet all the friends and family we had heard of. Many drinks were had, huge numbers of pictures were taken, and Shawna did some serious sucking up to Melissa's parents! We returned to Charlie/Melissa's place for a couple of glasses of champagne before heading back to the hotel.
Ireland - Killarney
Sunday morning was a bit rough as Keith and Shawna had a long night - we were less than enthusiastic about heading to the airport for the flight to Ireland. We arrived in Dublin at 11am, quickly met Kara and Ansley, picked up the 7 person van, then immediately headed west. The first stop was Limerick, where was walked around and grabbed lunch at a pub that actually has beer keg taps at each table - excellent! We then drove to our hotel in Killarney, where we stayed for a few nights.
Dingle Peninsula
Monday was spent driving and walking the Dingle peninsula. Working our way clockwise, the first stop after leaving Killarney was Inch, where part of Ryan's Daughter was filmed. We then headed over to the town of Dingle, where the four of us walked in the drizzle to the local lighthouse. Of course, Keith and John had only one obsession while in Dingle - to purchase and eat some berries, so we could talk about eating dingle berries. Yes, at 40 years old - why grow up? After leaving Dingle, we continued west, where along the road we saw numerous occasions where old rocks were piled in circles. Sometimes the rocks were piled REALLY high (wow!) such as at the beehive huts. It was hard for any of us to get excited, though we did take some photos. We also stopped by Kilmalkedar Church so we could get some type of culture.
Tuesday was spent around the Ring of Kerry, on the peninsula immediately south of the Dingle. From Killarney, we drove south through Killarney National Park to Kenmare where we had a bit of a walk around. We then headed to the west side of the Peninsula where we experienced one of the highlights of the trip: visiting Skellig Michael. This is a bit of an extension to the Ring of Kerry drive, but well worth it. Skellig Michael is located about 9 miles off shore from Portmagee - it was first founded in the 7th century and for 600 years was a monastic center. It is the larger of the two Skellig islands, with the smaller now a bird sanctuary. You take a boat to the island. Arriving at the island, you first have to hike up many stairs to the top, all the while being bombed by birds (mostly puffins). Keith brought home some of the puffin poop on his jacket to prove it. The top of the island is covered with ruins - it is hard to fathom anyone living in such conditions today, never mind 1400 years ago. Once back in Portmagee, we continued clockwise around the Ring of Kerry. Our next stop was Ballycarbery Castle, just to the west of Cahersiveen. We continued to see more rocks piled in circles as we drove back to Killarney for dinner.
Skellig Michael
Ireland - Cork
Ross Castle
On Wednesday, we packed up the car as we were moving east to Cork. We first stopped in Killarney National Park to do some walking, as well as seeing Ross Castle, St Mary's Cathedral, and the Muckross Estate. We then headed directly to Cork where we checked in to the hotel and spent some time walking around the area including Saint Finbarre's Cathedral and Shandon, the Latin Quarter.
Thursday was spent in the cute town of Kinsale, roughly 30 minutes away. We first took a 90 minute walking tour of the town (that you can get by going to the Tourist Information Office), followed by a harbor cruise. The town is very picturesque and well worth the side trip.
Kinsale
Ireland - Dublin
Rock of Cashel
On Friday, we headed back to Dublin via Rock of Cashel. It is a really cool castle; however, it was pouring rain (imagine rain in Ireland - shocking, I know) the day we went so we could not get many good pictures. Arriving in Dublin later, we checked into the hotel and walked around the pedestrian mall.
Sunday was the beginning of our trip home: Kara and Ansley flew directly to the States while John/JoAnna/Shawna/Keith flew to Heathrow for an overnight (staying with Charlie/Melissa) followed by a flight from Heathrow to Raleigh the following day.
Restaurants / Pubs:
The following is a list of restaurants and pubs we went to - we honestly enjoyed them all:
For Keith's 40th birthday, Shawna decided to surprise him with a weekend trip with friends to Lake Norman which is outside of Charlotte, NC. She got the gang together (John, JoAnna, Kim, Jonathan, Steve, Julie) and rented a 5 bedroom house right on the lake for the weekend. Keith thought that Shawna and he were going to a B&B in Asheville for the weekend so he was quite surprised when this crew showed up at our door just minutes before we were supposed to leave.
The House on Lake Norman
We were supposed to leave the house for "Asheville" around 3 in the afternoon on Friday so Shawna told everyone to come to the house at that time to surprise Keith. Well, Keith was on a conference call that was running long so she sent a text to everyone to stay outside until she let them know that he was off the call. Unfortunately this took a while, so the gang hung out under the tree at the side of our house, started to drink beer and tore into some of the chips that they were planning to bring on the trip. Our neighbors surely must have wondered what was going on.
Chilling at the House
When Keith finally got off of the phone, Shawna texted them to ring the doorbell. When they did, Keith answered the door to find 6 of our friends standing outside. He was perplexed as to why they were all there and they said they came to wish us a good trip to Asheville. Still perplexed, we finally broke the news to Keith that we were not going to Asheville but instead to Lake Norman! In a state of shock, he did a mad dash to quickly change what he packed and then we were out the door on the road to the lake -- the boys rode in one car while the girls drove in another.
Tubing on Lake Norman
We arrived at the house, which was absolutely beautiful. It was located right on the lake and had great amenities -- a dock where you can fish and swim from, a pool table, a ping pong table, and a foosball table. We got settled in and then went out to dinner at a local Irish restaurant. When we returned to the house, a few people went for a quick swim and then we started the 'battle of the sexes' -- a game we played all weekend with various competitions of pool, ping pong, foosball, cards, karaoke and synchronized swimming (yes, you read correctly).
Glamour Shot
On Saturday, we rented a boat that had a large tube that could be pulled behind the boat. We took turns getting pulled on the tube and stopped a few locations to jump in the water and swim. This is where we attempted the synchronized swimming competition which may have been the only one that the women won!
Intense Competition
Keith and the Bday Cake
After a fun day on the boat, we returned to the house and chilled and then we cooked dinner at the house, including burgers, corn, salad and chips with guacamole. Shawna had also bought a cake in advance (carrot cake which is Keith's favorite) that we served as dessert after Keith blew out his candles. After dinner, we stayed up late continuing the games.
After everyone woke up on Sunday, we packed and cleaned up and then grabbed a quick breakfast at a Bruegger's nearby before we got on the road to drive back home. It was an awesome weekend and Shawna was happy that she truly did surprise Keith for his birthday!
We had a tradition for the past few years to go to NYC with the Raleigh gang over Memorial Day weekend. On this trip, the Raleigh contingent was smaller and consisted of Shawna, Keith, John, JoAnna, Phil and Joyce. While there, we met up with Kim, Tom, Mark, Alicia, Dan and Kristin who all lived in or close to the city at the time.
Accommodations: Hyatt Grand Central - As usual, we took advantage of Keith's points and shared a room here with John and JoAnna. It's a great hotel that is convenient to most of the places we visited.
Activities:
Shawna, Keith, JoAnna and John arrived on Friday night on the same flight out of Raleigh. We were supposed to get into the city in time to meet up with the Snarrs, the Feinbergs and Danelle for dinner; however, our flight was significantly delayed so we missed out on dinner. When we arrived at the hotel, we went out for a few drinks with the Snarrs before we called it a night.
On Saturday, we went for a run/walk in Central Park and then took a 3 hour tour around Manhattan with Circle Line Tours. It's a great way to see and learn about the city from the water.
Kim, Tom, Keith, Dan, John on Circle Line Tour
On Sunday, we went for another run/walk in Central Park and then did a 2 hour walking tour of Greenwich Village. The walking tour was quite interesting as we learned about the speakeasies that had developed in the area and how the gay community started out there.
The Gang on the Walking Tour
On Monday, Shawna and Keith had breakfast with her sister Carmen who lives on the Upper East side. We then met up with John and JoAnna back at the hotel and packed up to head back home.
Restaurants/Bars: Bar Americain - Since this restaurant is owned by Bobby Flay, we thought we would get some slammin' steak. However, we were not impressed with the food and the service was quite slow and rude.
Lunasa - We all met here for a few drinks before going to dinner. Nice outdoor patio.
Brick Lane Curry House - Great Indian place on 6th street in the lower East side of Manhattan.
We went to Jazz Fest in New Orleans with Charlie, Melissa, John and JoAnna for 4 days. Keith and Shawna had not spent much time in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina so it was nice to go back and see the city again. Keith, Charlie and Melissa arrived early Wednesday evening, while Shawna joined them later that night and John and JoAnna joined the group late on Thursday evening.
Accommodations: French Quarter Chateau LeMoyne - Owned by Holiday Inn, this hotel was nice and conveniently located in the French Quarter. It was a bit pricey as is all of the hotels during this time of year in New Orleans.
Activities:
Voodoo Museum
On Thursday morning, we walked around the French Quarter, taking in the beautiful architecture and Jackson Square. We also visited the Voodoo Museum which is quite an interesting place. In the afternoon, we did a city tour which took us to many of the famous sites as well as to areas of the city that were devastated by Katrina. On the tour, we saw an area that is being rebuilt with affordable 'green' homes in the 9th Ward, supported by a Brad Pitt foundation.
French Quarter
On Friday, we took a bus tour over to Oak Alley, a plantation located about an hour outside of the city. The plantation is beautiful and well preserved, surrounded by many oak trees (thus the name). After a tour of the home, we asked the bus driver to take us for some authentic crawfish. So, we stopped at a dive not too far from the plantation and pigged out on boiled crawfish. The owner of the restaurant was amused at the speed in which we peeled our crawfish -- he even thought that Shawna was too slow at peeling!
Oak Alley
Swamp Tour
To show the gang the true heart of Louisiana, we went on a swamp tour on a fan boat. While we joked about being left for dead (we truly were in the middle of nowhere), we enjoyed seeing the moss and alligators. The drivers of the fan boat were quite interesting, sharing stories of killing and eating animals that did not sound appetizing.
We went to Jazz Fest on Saturday where we saw many bands, including the Preservation Hall Jazz band and Cowboy Mouth (always entertaining). It was cool to see some of the parades passing by with people dressed up in colorful costumes. We also chowed down on all sorts of yummy cajun food.
Jazz Fest
On Sunday, we capped off the weekend with a walking tour of Uptown, where we saw the houses of Anne Rice, Nicholas Cage and the Mannings.
Restaurants and Bars: Emeril's NOLA - Charlie, Melissa and Keith ate dinner here on Wednesday evening. Typical cajun fare - pretty tasty.
Brennan's - Famous for its brunch, we had breakfast here on Thursday morning. You definitely will not need lunch after eating here. The food is good and plentiful and the decor is traditional for New Orleans.
Stella - We had dinner here on the Thursday night with Charlie and Melissa (John and JoAnna arrived later that night after dinner). The food was very tasty and the environment was nice and warm. We definitely would recommend this restaurant. While there, we had a brush with fame -- Lawrence (Larry to those us in the know) Fishburne was dining there with someone. While we stared several times, none of us had the nerve to interrupt his meal to ask for an autograph - if only JoAnna had been there!
Pat O'Briens - It would not be a visit to New Orleans without a stop at this famous bar. We went here with Charlie and Melissa and had a few Hurricanes while we sang along to the dueling pianos.
Sucking down Hurricanes at Pat O'Briens
Bayona - Another yummy and cute place! We dined here the Friday evening and enjoyed our meal on the patio outside.
The Gang at Bayona
Snug Harbor - We had drinks and chilled to some jazz at this famous jazz bar.
Cafe du Monde - Another must do in New Orleans! We had breakfast here, enjoying the delicious chicory coffee and beignets.
Continuing our tradition of celebrating St. Patrick's day in another city, this year we decided to go to Chicago with John and JoAnna. It was pretty cold but we had an awesome time.
Accommodation: Hyatt Regency - We cashed in on Keith's points and shared a room at this hotel. It was very convenient (right on the river) and within walking distance of all the major attractions.
Activities:
John and Keith at the Bean
Aside from eating and drinking, we did a lot of walking to see some of the city's attractions. We took a bus tour to get in all of the main sights and to learn about the city's history and architecture. While on the tour, we stopped at the Botanic Garden and walked around.
We also walked around Millennium Park and took pictures in front of the Bean and walked around Wrigley Field. We walked around Navy Pier and walked over to the Aquarium but the line was too long so we opted not to go in.
Of course, the main attraction of this weekend was the dying of the river. It was a green like you've never seen before. It was so bright I think that you could see it from outer space!
We went to several Irish bars and stumbled upon one outside block party where we danced and of course drank beer! We also watched a few Duke games during the ACC tournament.
Restaurants and Bars: The Gage - Serving really yummy Irish food, we ate here for lunch. Definitely have the fries if you go.
Signature Room - On the 96th floor on top of the Hancock Tower, this bar has great views of the city. Even better is the view from the women's bathroom! The drinks are pricey but worth going for the views.
Timmy O'Tooles - One of the bars we went to; watched the Duke game here.
Fado Irish Pub - Wouldn't be a St. Pat's weekend without going to one of these pubs.
Billy Goat Tavern - Located under a bridge, this place is famous for it's burgers. The menu is not extensive but it seems to draw the crowds.
This was the second year that we celebrated New Year's in Key West. The gang this year included Shawna/Keith, John/JoAnna, Keith/Kate/Phoebe, Julie/John, Dan/Kristen/Ari, and Dave (aka #13). Kristen's parents and Kate's parents also came this time to help babysit the kids.
John and JoAnna at Sloppy Joe's
Accommodations: Truman Annex Shipyard Condos - These condos are very convenient, located about 2 blocks off of Duval. We shared a 2 bedroom condo with John and JoAnna. It had one shared bath, a living room and kitchen.
Kate and Kristen
Activities:
Well, what else is there to do in Key West but chill, drink and eat - and that we did! We walked around Duval checking out the shops (and the bars). JoAnna and Shawna went on the Conch Train tour -- it was totally cheesy so we hopped off about half way through. The gang went on a sailing/snorkeling trip but Shawna skipped it b/c she didn't want to get sea sick.
Kristen, Kate and JoAnna - Karaoke at Two Friends
Keith and Shawna visited with Chris and Steve who live in Big Pine Key and we stayed with them one night. It was great to see the progress that was being made on the extension they are building to their house (well, it's actually a house they are building).
Chris, Steve and Keith
Of course, the big event is New Year's Eve which we spent on Duval, watching the big shoe drop (yes, shoe, in honor of the gay community) and drinking until the wee hours. That night we had the best appetizer -- tater tots dipped in hot sauce. B/c the restaurants are so crowded that evening, we opted to dine in our condos with pizza and key lime pie - which was awesome!
Julie Decked Out for New Year's
Restaurants and Bars: Crabby Dick's - We had lunch here.
Mango's - We had dinner here. It has great outdoor seating. While the menu looks good, the food was not great.
Two Friends - We went here several times. It has karaoke and with a few drinks in us, we certainly performed.
Sloppy Joe's - We also went here several times. They have great live bands!
