When we set off for Nuremberg last Friday morning, we had no doubt that it would be one of our more memorable weekends, but Max Mongin's entry into the world certainly made it absolutely unforgettable!!
Nuremberg is an amazingly beautiful city in Bavaria. It was almost completely destroyed from the aerial bombings during WWII, as it was one of the main morale encampments of the Nazi Party, but the Germans did an outstanding job rebuilding the city to preserve its quaintness and cultural roots. As I had previously mentioned, it is also the home to the best Christmas Market (Christkindlesmarkt) in Germany. That is really what we were after when we had booked the trip, and it was awesome. Christmas Markets in Germany are not just about vendors selling ornaments and decorations, but it is a social activity for people. Families and friends wander through the markets taking in the lights and decorations, feasting on roasted sausages, kraut, crepes, and also Nurenberg's renowned ginger bread cookies. The other traditional touch of Germany during the holidays is Gluhwein. It is a heated or mulled red wine spiced with cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and sugar. It is a little sweet for my tastes, but it is more about the experience of carrying these little boots around with the Gluhwein. They actually set up these temporary Gluhwein huts where you can stand by a fire and get absolutely "gluhweined."
Other highlights from the weekend:
- Bratwurstküche - Zum Guldenen Stern - Oldest Sausage Restaurant in the world. It was opened in 1419. Roasted sausages, kraut, and potato salad. UNBELIEVABLE!!!
- Hefeweizen - my favorite German Wheat beer
- Annoying American that we got seated with at a tapas restaurant
- GERMAN ONLY Speaking tours of the Castle and Nuremberg Underworld (a maze of vaulted cellars and secret passageways under the city that first served as breweries and then became bomb shelters during the war) - yep, no english available and did not understand a damn thing!!!
AND FINALLY
- Sausage
- Sausage
- Sauerkraut
- Mustard
- And More Sausage
It was a great trip and really made us feel like we were just a week away from Christmas.
Maldives
Friday, 23 December 2011
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Maxwell Jeffrey Mongin
Maxwell Jeffrey Mongin entered the world at 4:30 am on December 16, 2011, weighing 8lbs 8oz!!!!
We are so thrilled for Chad and Jane. They are going to be incredible parents, and Max is one lucky little boy. Ann and I were so excited that we were able to get the play by play throughout the hospital and birth process, and even though we were 7 hours ahead en route from London to Germany, we felt like we were right there with them. Jane and Chad, enjoy this first Christmas as parents, and we can't wait to meet our nephew. I will be bringing Max's first 6-pack of Bud Light.
As if this Berenz/Mongin news was not enough to keep 75% of the Fond du Lac Reporters busy on Friday, a bomb was dropped on The Fox Valley, and to be quite honest, the ripple effects were felt all across the world in Nuremberg, Germany. After 15+ years of unwedded bliss, Jeff dropped to a knee and has officially taken Jobina off of the market!!! Jeff and Jobina, we are so happy for you all and we can't wait to celebrate your day. Bina, you have some catching up to do with Chad and I for favorite "Child-in-Law." Chad, you are not allowed to leverage the fact that you have provided the first grandchild. We already know Max is more of a man than you are, little sister.
Clearly, nothing of significance could have happened in the world outside of Fondy this weekend, so I will let all of the news settle before picking back up with our trip to Nuremberg.
Happy Christmas Week
Uncle and Aunt Knapp-kin
We are so thrilled for Chad and Jane. They are going to be incredible parents, and Max is one lucky little boy. Ann and I were so excited that we were able to get the play by play throughout the hospital and birth process, and even though we were 7 hours ahead en route from London to Germany, we felt like we were right there with them. Jane and Chad, enjoy this first Christmas as parents, and we can't wait to meet our nephew. I will be bringing Max's first 6-pack of Bud Light.
As if this Berenz/Mongin news was not enough to keep 75% of the Fond du Lac Reporters busy on Friday, a bomb was dropped on The Fox Valley, and to be quite honest, the ripple effects were felt all across the world in Nuremberg, Germany. After 15+ years of unwedded bliss, Jeff dropped to a knee and has officially taken Jobina off of the market!!! Jeff and Jobina, we are so happy for you all and we can't wait to celebrate your day. Bina, you have some catching up to do with Chad and I for favorite "Child-in-Law." Chad, you are not allowed to leverage the fact that you have provided the first grandchild. We already know Max is more of a man than you are, little sister.
Clearly, nothing of significance could have happened in the world outside of Fondy this weekend, so I will let all of the news settle before picking back up with our trip to Nuremberg.
Happy Christmas Week
Uncle and Aunt Knapp-kin
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Rickshaw Please
Hi Everyone,
If you are wondering why there is a picture of Ann above on a rickshaw, let me explain. Last week was both Apple and Moneygram's Christmas parties. This is a huge event in England in which companies invest a lot of time and money. It is a night built on the anticipation of the entire year and something that employees probably consider in their contract negotiations. As we had been told, it is also a night that people just get pissed. To add an extra layer of awkwardness, spouses are not typically invited, so you can just envision bad things, especially from a HR perspective!!! Anyway, Apple's party was last Thursday night. It was a Black and White theme and we had rented out a bar and had a DJ spinning. It was a lot of fun, and luckily, I behaved myself quite admirably. If you know me at work, you know that I am a pretty conservative person. I had been out a few times with a couple of co-workers who have seen my less conservative side, but no kidding, I may have been the surprise of the night when the tequila shots started flowing and "The Worm" hit the dance floor. Kevin 1, Apple 0.
The real inspiration for this post, however, comes from Sr. Rickshaw herself. Moneygram's party was actually on Friday night. They had a Black Tie event with a sit down dinner and a DJ as well. If you are waiting to hear a "Wedding Ann-Esque" type story, I am sadly going to disappoint, but please do not stop reading. Being the Sr. Director of HR, Ann really had to behave herself. If her employees only knew!!! Anyway, Ann had a great time with everyone, sticking just to white wine all night, and decided to take her leave around 11:30, allowing for whatever shenanigans might take place to not happen under the watchful eyes of the HR leader. Ann's antics for the night began after her departure. It is actually surprisingly difficult to find a taxi on a weekend night in Central London. On top of that, after a few glasses of wine, Ann has a tendency to become a bit navigationally challenged. In order to briefly and properly capture all of the oscar worthy drama that follows through Ann's own words, I am reverting to the script of a Playwright:
Act 1 - Dressed to kill in her white evening gown, heals, and hauling her Vera Bradley duffel bag, Ann wanders aimlessly through the streets of Central London hoping to hail a taxi or at least pass a Tube Station.
Act 2 - Upon failing to find either a taxi or a tube stop after walking an unknown distance, Ann decides to hop on a bus and hopes to pass a tube station.
Act 3 - Ann is brought back to an awakened state after the kind lady behind her on the bus taps her on the shoulder to tell her to be careful because her bag is open.
*Note* - Wine aside, Ann in a moving vehicle after dark, Goodnight!!!
Act 4 - Once again fully alert, Ann disembarks from the bus to walk back to the tube station that she passed the block before.
Act 5 - As it is now 12:30am, the London Underground is closed. Ann ponders her next move.
Act 6 - After a short walk and luckily finding herself in the busy throws of London's shopping district near Oxford Circus and Regent Street, Ann unsuccessfully tries her hand at a taxi one more time.
Act 7 - Spotting a common mode of transportation for short jaunts in London's shopping area, Ann enlists the services of a Rickshaw to try for the final push home.
Act 8 - Ann sits behind aforementioned rickshaw driver as he furiously pedals his way from Central London to Kensington High Street, probably setting the record for highest rickshaw fare.
Act 9 - Finale - 2 hours after her departure, Ann arrives home!!!
Ann 0, Rickshaw 1
We are excited for our trip to Nuremberg this weekend to see the renowned German Christmas Markets. Joe arrives a week from tomorrow to spend 3 weeks with us over his break!!! We can't wait to see him. We have some awesome plans for x-mas and a great trip to Switzerland and France planned over New Years weekend. Finally, Jane has still not gone into labor, but we are just waiting on the news from Fondy. Let's just hope that stubborn baby decides to grace us with his/her presence before Christmas. We wish that we could be there for the arrival.
Love
Kevin and Captain Rickshaw
If you are wondering why there is a picture of Ann above on a rickshaw, let me explain. Last week was both Apple and Moneygram's Christmas parties. This is a huge event in England in which companies invest a lot of time and money. It is a night built on the anticipation of the entire year and something that employees probably consider in their contract negotiations. As we had been told, it is also a night that people just get pissed. To add an extra layer of awkwardness, spouses are not typically invited, so you can just envision bad things, especially from a HR perspective!!! Anyway, Apple's party was last Thursday night. It was a Black and White theme and we had rented out a bar and had a DJ spinning. It was a lot of fun, and luckily, I behaved myself quite admirably. If you know me at work, you know that I am a pretty conservative person. I had been out a few times with a couple of co-workers who have seen my less conservative side, but no kidding, I may have been the surprise of the night when the tequila shots started flowing and "The Worm" hit the dance floor. Kevin 1, Apple 0.
The real inspiration for this post, however, comes from Sr. Rickshaw herself. Moneygram's party was actually on Friday night. They had a Black Tie event with a sit down dinner and a DJ as well. If you are waiting to hear a "Wedding Ann-Esque" type story, I am sadly going to disappoint, but please do not stop reading. Being the Sr. Director of HR, Ann really had to behave herself. If her employees only knew!!! Anyway, Ann had a great time with everyone, sticking just to white wine all night, and decided to take her leave around 11:30, allowing for whatever shenanigans might take place to not happen under the watchful eyes of the HR leader. Ann's antics for the night began after her departure. It is actually surprisingly difficult to find a taxi on a weekend night in Central London. On top of that, after a few glasses of wine, Ann has a tendency to become a bit navigationally challenged. In order to briefly and properly capture all of the oscar worthy drama that follows through Ann's own words, I am reverting to the script of a Playwright:
Act 1 - Dressed to kill in her white evening gown, heals, and hauling her Vera Bradley duffel bag, Ann wanders aimlessly through the streets of Central London hoping to hail a taxi or at least pass a Tube Station.
Act 2 - Upon failing to find either a taxi or a tube stop after walking an unknown distance, Ann decides to hop on a bus and hopes to pass a tube station.
Act 3 - Ann is brought back to an awakened state after the kind lady behind her on the bus taps her on the shoulder to tell her to be careful because her bag is open.
*Note* - Wine aside, Ann in a moving vehicle after dark, Goodnight!!!
Act 4 - Once again fully alert, Ann disembarks from the bus to walk back to the tube station that she passed the block before.
Act 5 - As it is now 12:30am, the London Underground is closed. Ann ponders her next move.
Act 6 - After a short walk and luckily finding herself in the busy throws of London's shopping district near Oxford Circus and Regent Street, Ann unsuccessfully tries her hand at a taxi one more time.
Act 7 - Spotting a common mode of transportation for short jaunts in London's shopping area, Ann enlists the services of a Rickshaw to try for the final push home.
Act 8 - Ann sits behind aforementioned rickshaw driver as he furiously pedals his way from Central London to Kensington High Street, probably setting the record for highest rickshaw fare.
Act 9 - Finale - 2 hours after her departure, Ann arrives home!!!
Ann 0, Rickshaw 1
We are excited for our trip to Nuremberg this weekend to see the renowned German Christmas Markets. Joe arrives a week from tomorrow to spend 3 weeks with us over his break!!! We can't wait to see him. We have some awesome plans for x-mas and a great trip to Switzerland and France planned over New Years weekend. Finally, Jane has still not gone into labor, but we are just waiting on the news from Fondy. Let's just hope that stubborn baby decides to grace us with his/her presence before Christmas. We wish that we could be there for the arrival.
Love
Kevin and Captain Rickshaw
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Take that, Pippa
Hey Everyone,
If you are familiar with one of my previous posts about cockney slang, you will know what I mean when I say it has been "Brass Monkeys" here this week. Of course, it is nowhere near approaching what is cold in Minneapolis, but 40 degrees can feel pretty bone chilling in the damp and dark London nights. It is sure better than having your eye lashes and brows freeze in a matter of seconds, but we did both say that we are going to miss the snow this year.
We have had such a relaxing last couple of weekends. We have gotten to do some much needed shopping, x-mas decorating, as well as taking in some different parts of London and seeing all of the extraordinary holiday decorations and lights. We are going to put together a slideshow of different x-mas scenes from London as it gets closer to x-mas, so stay tuned. We also bought the whole box set of "The Wire" on DVD. That is up there with Mad Men and Dexter for us now.
On Monday night, one of my co-workers arranged for a group of us to go ice skating at Somerset House. What a lovely place. It is a Neoclassical block of buildings built in the late 1700's and overlooks the Thames. It was originally the government's tax collection offices, but now is home to one of London's main Arts and Cultural Centres. In the Winter, they construct an ice rink for people to come and skate. As we have learned, ice skating is a very popular winter activity here and this venue is breathtaking. To be quite honest, the setting at Somerset House, in my opinion, exceeds even Rockefeller Plaza. Anyway, as it had been the better part of 20 years since I had laced up the skates, I was not overly keen when it was proposed to me. I was skimming the English tabloids one day, however, and I saw that Pippa had gone ice skating at Somerset House. Well, I certainly am not going to be shown up by Pippa. It was such a fun experience and while my Triple Salchow into a Double Toe Loop was a little rusty, I was catapulted back into my childhood days and again became one with the ice. Sadly, Pippa was not there on this chilly London evening to be witness, but I am sure that she read about my skating prowess the next day in the tabloids: "London Newcomer's Brilliant Bum beats Pipps'a at Somerset House." Take that, Pippa.
If you are familiar with one of my previous posts about cockney slang, you will know what I mean when I say it has been "Brass Monkeys" here this week. Of course, it is nowhere near approaching what is cold in Minneapolis, but 40 degrees can feel pretty bone chilling in the damp and dark London nights. It is sure better than having your eye lashes and brows freeze in a matter of seconds, but we did both say that we are going to miss the snow this year.
We have had such a relaxing last couple of weekends. We have gotten to do some much needed shopping, x-mas decorating, as well as taking in some different parts of London and seeing all of the extraordinary holiday decorations and lights. We are going to put together a slideshow of different x-mas scenes from London as it gets closer to x-mas, so stay tuned. We also bought the whole box set of "The Wire" on DVD. That is up there with Mad Men and Dexter for us now.
On Monday night, one of my co-workers arranged for a group of us to go ice skating at Somerset House. What a lovely place. It is a Neoclassical block of buildings built in the late 1700's and overlooks the Thames. It was originally the government's tax collection offices, but now is home to one of London's main Arts and Cultural Centres. In the Winter, they construct an ice rink for people to come and skate. As we have learned, ice skating is a very popular winter activity here and this venue is breathtaking. To be quite honest, the setting at Somerset House, in my opinion, exceeds even Rockefeller Plaza. Anyway, as it had been the better part of 20 years since I had laced up the skates, I was not overly keen when it was proposed to me. I was skimming the English tabloids one day, however, and I saw that Pippa had gone ice skating at Somerset House. Well, I certainly am not going to be shown up by Pippa. It was such a fun experience and while my Triple Salchow into a Double Toe Loop was a little rusty, I was catapulted back into my childhood days and again became one with the ice. Sadly, Pippa was not there on this chilly London evening to be witness, but I am sure that she read about my skating prowess the next day in the tabloids: "London Newcomer's Brilliant Bum beats Pipps'a at Somerset House." Take that, Pippa.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
"Look It Up Chris" and More
Hey Blogees,
I am apologising in advance because I just have so much to share today. It was somewhat bittersweet for us to welcome and say goodbye to our last official guests of the year. Yes, as most everyone has asked, it does get tiring and we have seen things multiple times, but for us, every visitor has introduced us to so many fun and different experiences. This is such an opportunity for us to be here and we absolutely have encouraged family and friends to take advantage of that. Yes, we are working and have to continue with our day to day lives, but we have been given this 2 year window to experience as much as possible, and part of that is being able to share this with the people we care most about.
Alright, enough seriousness and I should crack on with the more important details of our last guests, Nick and Jen Dinham. Nick and Jen are awesome friends from my days in Chicago. They arrived a week ago Thursday and stayed with us until last Monday, and my hangover lasted equally as long. As far as touring, we sent them out on their own for the most part. They covered more ground in 4 days than I think most people would cover in 2 weeks. They walked so much that I think that they almost looked malnourished when we sent them home. On their first night, we took them for their first North African meal at Pasha where they were exposed to the truly underwhelming form of British customer service!! It was, however, great food. Friday, we had a booking at a highly recommended restaurant in Notting Hill called "Bumpkin." See, if you have a perverse sense of humour like the 4 of us, you are laughing right now because you just made the same connection to something very similar sounding to bumpkin. If not, please disregard, or "look it up Chris," but do so at your own peril. For those of you that are asking why I continue saying "Look it up Chris," here is that story. Since Ann and I are wannabe "Millennial's" and rely exclusively on the technology in our hands to find immediate answers, we constantly say look it up to each other. If you recall a rap duo in the early 90's called Kriss Kross, you will remember one of their popular lyrics was "Warm it up Chris." Well, after Nick and Jen commented on how often we say look it up, the term "Look it up Chris" was adapted to our situation and adopted possibly for ever. When Ann and I finally get to meet Nick and Jen's 1 year old daughter Sidney, I am holding out hope that those will be her first words to me. We can all hope at least. Back to the story.... the food and ambiance at Bumpkin was incredible and we will definitely be back there again. Saturday brought a lovely pub crawl through Hampstead, Belsize Park, and Camden, and we ended meeting up with some of Nick and Jen's friends that were randomly in town that same weekend. Since Sunday was also the Sr. Director's birthday, there was a lot of celebrating happening all weekend long. I have to give props to Ann because she was quite a trooper that weekend as she powered through a pretty nasty cold on top of all of the festivities. Unfortunately for her though on Saturday, the afternoon pub crawl with multiple shots took quite a toll and we had to send her home early on Saturday evening. The three of us were quite jealous of her on Sunday morning though as she was experiencing nowhere near the level of pain that we were. After a delicious breakfast at Cafe Phillies, we were recovered and ready to take on the day. We took the train out to Wimbledon. That was our first time out there as well and it was so much fun. Beyond the tennis center itself, which was incredible despite not getting to actually see any of the main courts, there was a quaint High Street in Wimbledon and some beautiful green spaces that we ventured through. We wrapped up Sunday with a leisurely stroll down Portobello Road in Notting Hill and then had dinner at our favourite Lebanese restaurant. Nick and Jen, thanks so much for making the trip across the pond to see us. It was an awesome weekend and we love our plan to meet for a weekend once a year when we return to the states. You all left us with some amazing memories.
We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. It was very strange to work last Thursday, but we were rewarded with a delicious turkey dinner at a little restaurant near our flat called Ffiona's. It is a well known place for American Expats for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and it did not disappoint. We had an awesome dinner with our friend Beth and another one of her American friends, and we were able to end the night with talking to each of our families. While we were eating, we were getting live updates on the Packers from Joe in Fondy as well, so it was almost like being at home. We enjoyed a super relaxing weekend and bought a few x-mas decorations to liven up our flat a bit. Since we will be here for x-mas, we had to make it feel as much as home as possible. We will post some pics of our decorated flat as well as around London because the x-mas decorations over here are incredible.
The next two weekends for us are actually here in London with no plans!!! We did book flights to Nuremberg, Germany the weekend before x-mas to check out the much talked about German Christmas Markets. Even more exciting, Ann's little brother Joe is coming to spend 3 weeks of his x-mas break with us and he arrives just a few days before x-mas. It will be so great to have him here with us for the holidays. We also just booked tickets for the 3 of us to spend New Years weekend in Basel, Switzerland and Colmar, France. We can't wait to have that time with Joe. One final note and the biggest excitement of all, Ann's sister Jane is 3cm dilated and 70% effaced, so there is going to be a new baby in Fondy for x-mas. We are so sad that we are going to miss the birth, but we can't wait to meet the Little Mongin!!!!
Happy Almost December
Kevin and Ann
I am apologising in advance because I just have so much to share today. It was somewhat bittersweet for us to welcome and say goodbye to our last official guests of the year. Yes, as most everyone has asked, it does get tiring and we have seen things multiple times, but for us, every visitor has introduced us to so many fun and different experiences. This is such an opportunity for us to be here and we absolutely have encouraged family and friends to take advantage of that. Yes, we are working and have to continue with our day to day lives, but we have been given this 2 year window to experience as much as possible, and part of that is being able to share this with the people we care most about.
Alright, enough seriousness and I should crack on with the more important details of our last guests, Nick and Jen Dinham. Nick and Jen are awesome friends from my days in Chicago. They arrived a week ago Thursday and stayed with us until last Monday, and my hangover lasted equally as long. As far as touring, we sent them out on their own for the most part. They covered more ground in 4 days than I think most people would cover in 2 weeks. They walked so much that I think that they almost looked malnourished when we sent them home. On their first night, we took them for their first North African meal at Pasha where they were exposed to the truly underwhelming form of British customer service!! It was, however, great food. Friday, we had a booking at a highly recommended restaurant in Notting Hill called "Bumpkin." See, if you have a perverse sense of humour like the 4 of us, you are laughing right now because you just made the same connection to something very similar sounding to bumpkin. If not, please disregard, or "look it up Chris," but do so at your own peril. For those of you that are asking why I continue saying "Look it up Chris," here is that story. Since Ann and I are wannabe "Millennial's" and rely exclusively on the technology in our hands to find immediate answers, we constantly say look it up to each other. If you recall a rap duo in the early 90's called Kriss Kross, you will remember one of their popular lyrics was "Warm it up Chris." Well, after Nick and Jen commented on how often we say look it up, the term "Look it up Chris" was adapted to our situation and adopted possibly for ever. When Ann and I finally get to meet Nick and Jen's 1 year old daughter Sidney, I am holding out hope that those will be her first words to me. We can all hope at least. Back to the story.... the food and ambiance at Bumpkin was incredible and we will definitely be back there again. Saturday brought a lovely pub crawl through Hampstead, Belsize Park, and Camden, and we ended meeting up with some of Nick and Jen's friends that were randomly in town that same weekend. Since Sunday was also the Sr. Director's birthday, there was a lot of celebrating happening all weekend long. I have to give props to Ann because she was quite a trooper that weekend as she powered through a pretty nasty cold on top of all of the festivities. Unfortunately for her though on Saturday, the afternoon pub crawl with multiple shots took quite a toll and we had to send her home early on Saturday evening. The three of us were quite jealous of her on Sunday morning though as she was experiencing nowhere near the level of pain that we were. After a delicious breakfast at Cafe Phillies, we were recovered and ready to take on the day. We took the train out to Wimbledon. That was our first time out there as well and it was so much fun. Beyond the tennis center itself, which was incredible despite not getting to actually see any of the main courts, there was a quaint High Street in Wimbledon and some beautiful green spaces that we ventured through. We wrapped up Sunday with a leisurely stroll down Portobello Road in Notting Hill and then had dinner at our favourite Lebanese restaurant. Nick and Jen, thanks so much for making the trip across the pond to see us. It was an awesome weekend and we love our plan to meet for a weekend once a year when we return to the states. You all left us with some amazing memories.
We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. It was very strange to work last Thursday, but we were rewarded with a delicious turkey dinner at a little restaurant near our flat called Ffiona's. It is a well known place for American Expats for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and it did not disappoint. We had an awesome dinner with our friend Beth and another one of her American friends, and we were able to end the night with talking to each of our families. While we were eating, we were getting live updates on the Packers from Joe in Fondy as well, so it was almost like being at home. We enjoyed a super relaxing weekend and bought a few x-mas decorations to liven up our flat a bit. Since we will be here for x-mas, we had to make it feel as much as home as possible. We will post some pics of our decorated flat as well as around London because the x-mas decorations over here are incredible.
The next two weekends for us are actually here in London with no plans!!! We did book flights to Nuremberg, Germany the weekend before x-mas to check out the much talked about German Christmas Markets. Even more exciting, Ann's little brother Joe is coming to spend 3 weeks of his x-mas break with us and he arrives just a few days before x-mas. It will be so great to have him here with us for the holidays. We also just booked tickets for the 3 of us to spend New Years weekend in Basel, Switzerland and Colmar, France. We can't wait to have that time with Joe. One final note and the biggest excitement of all, Ann's sister Jane is 3cm dilated and 70% effaced, so there is going to be a new baby in Fondy for x-mas. We are so sad that we are going to miss the birth, but we can't wait to meet the Little Mongin!!!!
Happy Almost December
Kevin and Ann
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Paying The Toll in London
Hey Everyone,
Bloody hell, it is just one week from Thanksgiving. Sadly, we will be giving thanks at work, but we will be thinking of you all eating copious amounts of turkey. We have made a booking for a restaurant near our flat that serves a Thanksgiving dinner for American Expats, so we will have a little touch of home luckily.
Not to lesson the impact of previous visitors or increase expectations for future ones, but we just had some pretty stellar house guests here in London. My good friend Tim and incredibly charming and ORGANISED girlfriend Roberta came to visit from DC. Tim and I are friends and fraternity brothers from the finest institution in South Carolina. They now live and work in DC. We were lucky to have them come and stay with us. They arrived in London a week ago last Thursday, coincidentally, on my birthday. Stage right, enter "Paying the Toll." This was a little expression that Tim started back in the day at Clemson. It was priceless hearing Tim, in his finest drunken Georgia accent, telling pledges that they had to pay the toll, basically drink another beer or 12. Anyway, it was suggested by another one of our Clemson friends, Al, the day that they arrived that I was to pay the toll for my birthday, and believe me, all four of us paid the toll last weekend!!! It was such a fun weekend. We had some great meals, plenty of pints, and a ton of laughs. We were yelled at by our neighbour who was covered only by the sheet on his bed. In his thick English brogue, he said to us, "It is not a matter of time, but a matter of going inside." This was in response to us being way too loud outside of our flat and telling him that we were leaving in a minute. On Saturday, we toured the House of Parliament, which was incredible. It was awesome to see the House of Lords and the House of Commons, where all of the government's parliamentary action takes place. We also visited the Churchill War Rooms. This was essentially a bunker near Westminster where Churchill and his war cabinet ran the government when Germany was bombing London during WWII. They have now turned in into a museum to celebrate Winston Churchill. On sunday, Tim and Roberta left London and headed to France for the week. They spent a couple of days in Paris and then rented a car and drove out to Versailles and then continued on to the Beaches of Normandy. From there, they drove south through Brittany and ended up in Bordeaux. Their pics were incredible and certainly inspired Ann and I to make that trip. They returned to London this last Friday and we had a great final meal on Friday night before they headed back to DC on Saturday. Tim and Roberta, thank you so much for coming to see us in London. We had so much fun. We can't wait for our next world adventure together.
It is a busy week here in London. The Senior Director has all of her direct reports in from Europe and the Middle East. It is also a big week in the Berenz Family as this coming Sunday is the birthday of Senior, Ann, and Joe (BIG 21 THIS YEAR!!!). All of the guys are headed to Green Bay for the Packer game on Sunday and then a night out in GB. I wish that I could be there to make sure that Joe is properly welcomed to legal drinking!!! The last time that I was in Green Bay though for a Packers game, Ann and I passed out in the hallway of the wrong hotel. Apparently, we paid way too much in tolls that day. Most excitingly for us in London this week though is the arrival on Thursday of Nick and Jen Dinham. They are incredible friends of mine from Chicago and we are so excited that they have decided to spend a long weekend with us in London. It is their first trip away from their precious one year old daughter Sidney, so we will do our best to keep them from being homesick!!!
We hope that everyone is doing well. Just another quick reminder to everyone that if you are considering a trip next year to London to visit, our calendar is booking up quickly. Please remember that the Olympics will be taking place in London between July and August, and that would be a very expensive and non-ideal time to visit.
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
Bloody hell, it is just one week from Thanksgiving. Sadly, we will be giving thanks at work, but we will be thinking of you all eating copious amounts of turkey. We have made a booking for a restaurant near our flat that serves a Thanksgiving dinner for American Expats, so we will have a little touch of home luckily.
Not to lesson the impact of previous visitors or increase expectations for future ones, but we just had some pretty stellar house guests here in London. My good friend Tim and incredibly charming and ORGANISED girlfriend Roberta came to visit from DC. Tim and I are friends and fraternity brothers from the finest institution in South Carolina. They now live and work in DC. We were lucky to have them come and stay with us. They arrived in London a week ago last Thursday, coincidentally, on my birthday. Stage right, enter "Paying the Toll." This was a little expression that Tim started back in the day at Clemson. It was priceless hearing Tim, in his finest drunken Georgia accent, telling pledges that they had to pay the toll, basically drink another beer or 12. Anyway, it was suggested by another one of our Clemson friends, Al, the day that they arrived that I was to pay the toll for my birthday, and believe me, all four of us paid the toll last weekend!!! It was such a fun weekend. We had some great meals, plenty of pints, and a ton of laughs. We were yelled at by our neighbour who was covered only by the sheet on his bed. In his thick English brogue, he said to us, "It is not a matter of time, but a matter of going inside." This was in response to us being way too loud outside of our flat and telling him that we were leaving in a minute. On Saturday, we toured the House of Parliament, which was incredible. It was awesome to see the House of Lords and the House of Commons, where all of the government's parliamentary action takes place. We also visited the Churchill War Rooms. This was essentially a bunker near Westminster where Churchill and his war cabinet ran the government when Germany was bombing London during WWII. They have now turned in into a museum to celebrate Winston Churchill. On sunday, Tim and Roberta left London and headed to France for the week. They spent a couple of days in Paris and then rented a car and drove out to Versailles and then continued on to the Beaches of Normandy. From there, they drove south through Brittany and ended up in Bordeaux. Their pics were incredible and certainly inspired Ann and I to make that trip. They returned to London this last Friday and we had a great final meal on Friday night before they headed back to DC on Saturday. Tim and Roberta, thank you so much for coming to see us in London. We had so much fun. We can't wait for our next world adventure together.
It is a busy week here in London. The Senior Director has all of her direct reports in from Europe and the Middle East. It is also a big week in the Berenz Family as this coming Sunday is the birthday of Senior, Ann, and Joe (BIG 21 THIS YEAR!!!). All of the guys are headed to Green Bay for the Packer game on Sunday and then a night out in GB. I wish that I could be there to make sure that Joe is properly welcomed to legal drinking!!! The last time that I was in Green Bay though for a Packers game, Ann and I passed out in the hallway of the wrong hotel. Apparently, we paid way too much in tolls that day. Most excitingly for us in London this week though is the arrival on Thursday of Nick and Jen Dinham. They are incredible friends of mine from Chicago and we are so excited that they have decided to spend a long weekend with us in London. It is their first trip away from their precious one year old daughter Sidney, so we will do our best to keep them from being homesick!!!
We hope that everyone is doing well. Just another quick reminder to everyone that if you are considering a trip next year to London to visit, our calendar is booking up quickly. Please remember that the Olympics will be taking place in London between July and August, and that would be a very expensive and non-ideal time to visit.
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
In-Laws in London
We were so thrilled to have Ann's parents spend the last almost 2 weeks with us. We sadly sent them back to Fondy on Monday morning. I am not sure if we were as sad to see them go though as the London pubs. The Prince of Wales is going to see a significant decrease in week on week sales compared to last week!! I am incredibly lucky because whenever someone says anything about their in-laws, it usually has some kind of negative connotation, but for me, it is like my 2nd parents. They are so kind, genuine, and unbelievably gracious guests (Chad, I just took back No. 1 Son-in-Law). On top of that, they are just plain fun. We had so many laughs and fun experiences the last 2 weeks. I know that for mother and daughter too, it was nice to not have that umbilical chord stretched so far for a few days.
Their trip started off with such a bang. As I told you in a previous post, they had tea with the Queen their first afternoon in London. Since Senior did such an incredible job getting the Queen's Rolls Royce back in Royal Parade shape after her fender bender, the Queen and Prince Charles insisted on coming by our flat the next week for tea. It actually worked out well because they stopped by here on their way to Kensington Palace to check on Kate and Wills baby making progress. As you can see from the picture above, it was quite an honor for us to have such Royalty in our kitchen.
Another of the highlights was definitely our trip to Bruges. I sadly did not arrive until Saturday morning because I caught a much later train out of London and had to spend the night in Brussels. When I arrived bright and early though, their slow movements and bloodshot eyes were a good indication that they got themselves acquainted with Belgium beer the night before!!! We had so much fun walking through the beautiful streets of Bruges, sampling Belgian Waffles, Muscles and Frites, Chocolates, and of course the finest beers on the planet. Last week, back in London, Senior and Cathy covered just about every inch of the city. They also made a quick day trip to Cambridge and were incredibly lucky to have good weather everywhere they went. It was great for us because they toured all day while we were working and then we could all have dinner together at night. Thursday was another highlight as we got tickets to see Jersey Boys. We had a great dinner in Soho before taking in the show. If you have not seen Jersey Boys, I would highly recommend it. I was a little tentative going in, but I knew every single song and the story line was fantastic. As you also saw from a previous post as well, we had dinner in one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants on Friday night. I think that it may have had a little bit to do with the wine, but father and daughter got a little lippy towards Cathy and I. Now I know exactly where that stubbornness comes from and what Cathy and I have to deal with all of the time;) Sunday was a brilliant last day as we took the tube up to an area called Hampstead and hit a couple of really classic pubs and enjoyed the fall weather.
Senior and Cathy, thank you so much for coming to visit, for all of the memories and experiences that we created and had together, and for all of the meals, beers, bottles of wine, and most importantly, laughs. It was an experience that Ann and I will never forget.
As I write this, the flat is back in tip top shape and ready for our next visitors to arrive first thing tomorrow morning. I should be profiting off of this Bed and Breakfast somehow!!! We are so excited to have my good friend and fraternity brother from Clemson, Tim, and his much better half, Roberta visit. They are here with us this weekend before heading on to France next week. Well, Ann has cooked me dinner for maybe the 2nd time since we have been in London, so I better wrap this up and eat before it gets cold!!! She is going to hurt me for that comment. We hope that everyone is well. We miss you and love you all as always.
Kevin and Ann
Their trip started off with such a bang. As I told you in a previous post, they had tea with the Queen their first afternoon in London. Since Senior did such an incredible job getting the Queen's Rolls Royce back in Royal Parade shape after her fender bender, the Queen and Prince Charles insisted on coming by our flat the next week for tea. It actually worked out well because they stopped by here on their way to Kensington Palace to check on Kate and Wills baby making progress. As you can see from the picture above, it was quite an honor for us to have such Royalty in our kitchen.
Another of the highlights was definitely our trip to Bruges. I sadly did not arrive until Saturday morning because I caught a much later train out of London and had to spend the night in Brussels. When I arrived bright and early though, their slow movements and bloodshot eyes were a good indication that they got themselves acquainted with Belgium beer the night before!!! We had so much fun walking through the beautiful streets of Bruges, sampling Belgian Waffles, Muscles and Frites, Chocolates, and of course the finest beers on the planet. Last week, back in London, Senior and Cathy covered just about every inch of the city. They also made a quick day trip to Cambridge and were incredibly lucky to have good weather everywhere they went. It was great for us because they toured all day while we were working and then we could all have dinner together at night. Thursday was another highlight as we got tickets to see Jersey Boys. We had a great dinner in Soho before taking in the show. If you have not seen Jersey Boys, I would highly recommend it. I was a little tentative going in, but I knew every single song and the story line was fantastic. As you also saw from a previous post as well, we had dinner in one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants on Friday night. I think that it may have had a little bit to do with the wine, but father and daughter got a little lippy towards Cathy and I. Now I know exactly where that stubbornness comes from and what Cathy and I have to deal with all of the time;) Sunday was a brilliant last day as we took the tube up to an area called Hampstead and hit a couple of really classic pubs and enjoyed the fall weather.
Senior and Cathy, thank you so much for coming to visit, for all of the memories and experiences that we created and had together, and for all of the meals, beers, bottles of wine, and most importantly, laughs. It was an experience that Ann and I will never forget.
As I write this, the flat is back in tip top shape and ready for our next visitors to arrive first thing tomorrow morning. I should be profiting off of this Bed and Breakfast somehow!!! We are so excited to have my good friend and fraternity brother from Clemson, Tim, and his much better half, Roberta visit. They are here with us this weekend before heading on to France next week. Well, Ann has cooked me dinner for maybe the 2nd time since we have been in London, so I better wrap this up and eat before it gets cold!!! She is going to hurt me for that comment. We hope that everyone is well. We miss you and love you all as always.
Kevin and Ann
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Paint that London Town RED
As promised, this is my last post about the Cardinals. World Champions, that is a term that never gets old. What a game and what a night. Despite being 4200 miles away from Busch Stadium, I was able to celebrate with some fellow Cardinals fans as well as some St. Louisans. I have to say that it was one my best nights in London.
To start the evening, Jeff, Cathy, Ann and I had reservations at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants in Chelsea called Foxtrot Oscar. It was a great dinner and as I look back now, I should have recognized all of the signs that were staring at me in the face. We started with an aperitif of Raspberry Belinis, the Raspberries amazingly having the same hue as Cardinal RED. We both decided on the Steak for 2, RED as rare can only do and accompanied by a bottle of Tempranillo, the Vino ROJO from Spain. We also had Ceviche for an appetizer, and I know that salmon is a beautiful orange, but I swear that I saw only RED in that fresh fish that night. We had a lot of fun at dinner, father and daughter especially. Those two were in their true sprinting form. In the taxi on the way home, I decided that there was no way that I was not watching this game, it was just a matter of finding a pub that would be showing it and staying open all night. I got the Brewer contingent home and tucked into bed and it was my time to paint this town RED. I discovered that the one place in town that was showing the game was the Sports Cafe near Piccadilly Circus. Sporting my Cardinals Jersey and the hopes of the Cardinal nation, I set out on my one man adventure to see if my Cardinals could get that W. I have to say, I have never intentionally walked into a pub on my own at 1am, unless of course I am just lost, but nothing has ever felt so right. It was just a matter of minutes before I found them, the Cardinal soldiers abroad that came to find company in their brotherhood of Red. It was destiny, and I realised that I had made one of the best decisions of my life. Incredibly, even in this small group of maybe 25 Cards fans, there were 3 fellow SLUH grads and a CBC alum. I could not have felt more at home. Most importantly, the last outing for the Boys of Summer brought pure elation, despite it being 4am. I was hugging and high fiving what were once complete strangers, but now my friends brought together by the love and passion for the Big Red Machine. The Cardinals did it again, the 3rd time in my 31 years on this earth. While I was not with all of my St. Louis friends, I was with a passionate group of Cardinal nation in London united by the 2011 World Champions. It will be a memory for me that will last forever. Thank you Cardinals. I will see you all in April.
Cardinal Fan in London
To start the evening, Jeff, Cathy, Ann and I had reservations at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants in Chelsea called Foxtrot Oscar. It was a great dinner and as I look back now, I should have recognized all of the signs that were staring at me in the face. We started with an aperitif of Raspberry Belinis, the Raspberries amazingly having the same hue as Cardinal RED. We both decided on the Steak for 2, RED as rare can only do and accompanied by a bottle of Tempranillo, the Vino ROJO from Spain. We also had Ceviche for an appetizer, and I know that salmon is a beautiful orange, but I swear that I saw only RED in that fresh fish that night. We had a lot of fun at dinner, father and daughter especially. Those two were in their true sprinting form. In the taxi on the way home, I decided that there was no way that I was not watching this game, it was just a matter of finding a pub that would be showing it and staying open all night. I got the Brewer contingent home and tucked into bed and it was my time to paint this town RED. I discovered that the one place in town that was showing the game was the Sports Cafe near Piccadilly Circus. Sporting my Cardinals Jersey and the hopes of the Cardinal nation, I set out on my one man adventure to see if my Cardinals could get that W. I have to say, I have never intentionally walked into a pub on my own at 1am, unless of course I am just lost, but nothing has ever felt so right. It was just a matter of minutes before I found them, the Cardinal soldiers abroad that came to find company in their brotherhood of Red. It was destiny, and I realised that I had made one of the best decisions of my life. Incredibly, even in this small group of maybe 25 Cards fans, there were 3 fellow SLUH grads and a CBC alum. I could not have felt more at home. Most importantly, the last outing for the Boys of Summer brought pure elation, despite it being 4am. I was hugging and high fiving what were once complete strangers, but now my friends brought together by the love and passion for the Big Red Machine. The Cardinals did it again, the 3rd time in my 31 years on this earth. While I was not with all of my St. Louis friends, I was with a passionate group of Cardinal nation in London united by the 2011 World Champions. It will be a memory for me that will last forever. Thank you Cardinals. I will see you all in April.
Cardinal Fan in London
Friday, 28 October 2011
The Boys of Summer
I awoke at my normal "Postseason" 5am to check the score from the game that typically would have just finished. What a shock to find the game tied in the 10th inning. I was transfixed on the computer watching the play by play in the box score on CNN and texting friends at Busch Stadium. As Ann walked out, Freese went yard for the game winner. The echos of Jack Buck screaming "Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy"were playing in my head. Had Jeff and Cathy not been asleep in the guest room, Kensington Palace would have been awoken with the winning calls of Cardinals past. Since the WS has started, I have told Ann that I would consider flying back to STL for Game 7 if there was one. That thought grew ever more intensely at about 6am this morning. Obviously, my practical side kicked in and I am sitting here blogging about it rather than flying across the Atlantic, but just as on opening day, there is not another place I would rather be tonight then in the stands of Busch Stadium, or even just with the sea of Cardinal Red in downtown STL. To all of my friends that I know will be downtown tonight, scream louder and cheer prouder than we did this same weekend 5 years ago. I wish that I could be there with you. To Ann, thanks for my surprise early birthday present this morning. I am wearing my new Cards shirt with incredible pride today. Finally, to My Cardinals, "The Boys of Summer," let's get that W tonight.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
"Brass Monkeys"
I have definitely heard and learned my share of British colloquialisms (Cockney Slang) since I have been here, but today I was educated on "Brass Monkeys," and I am SOLD. Let me put this in context for you. I was talking to one of my co-workers about how cold it felt today, and she said, it is "Brass Monkeys." Apparently, this is short for, and I apologise for any PG blog followers, "it is cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." After I stopped laughing, I told her that I would love to hear what she had to say if she visited Minnesota for a day in January.
More importantly, Jeff and Cathy Berenz touched down safely in London this morning. They had a full day of exploring on their own. Ann did call in a few favors and got them an invitation to have tea with the Queen this afternoon at Buckingham Palace. It actually worked out well because the Queen had a little fender bender this week in her Rolls, and she was looking for a good body man. Quid Pro Quo, Senior, Quid Pro Quo!!!
The four of us are headed to a small town in Belgium tomorrow called Bruges. It is known as the "Venice of the North." I will be sure to have pictures and stories next week. We are so excited to have Jeff and Cathy for the next 10 days.
Not to overshadow the arrival of my in-laws, but Cardinals 1, Rangers 0. Let's Go Cardinals!!!
P.S. Steiny, I understand that you were responsible for a round of pints tonight. Cheers for the beers!!!
More importantly, Jeff and Cathy Berenz touched down safely in London this morning. They had a full day of exploring on their own. Ann did call in a few favors and got them an invitation to have tea with the Queen this afternoon at Buckingham Palace. It actually worked out well because the Queen had a little fender bender this week in her Rolls, and she was looking for a good body man. Quid Pro Quo, Senior, Quid Pro Quo!!!
The four of us are headed to a small town in Belgium tomorrow called Bruges. It is known as the "Venice of the North." I will be sure to have pictures and stories next week. We are so excited to have Jeff and Cathy for the next 10 days.
Not to overshadow the arrival of my in-laws, but Cardinals 1, Rangers 0. Let's Go Cardinals!!!
P.S. Steiny, I understand that you were responsible for a round of pints tonight. Cheers for the beers!!!
Monday, 17 October 2011
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Friday, 14 October 2011
Follow me, I show you authentic Turkish Rugs!!!!
The title of this blog is so fitting for our amazing trip to Turkey and Greece because it became a huge joke for us the entire trip, and I will explain in a bit. First, let me start by saying that it was an incredible adventure that Ann and I had with my parents. We saw and discovered so much, so this blog will hardly do the trip any justice, but I will hopefully capture some of the highlights. We took in so much history, new cultural experiences, and as you can imagine, the landscapes and sunsets were breathtaking every single day. It will be a trip that we will never forget.
Ann and I met my parents on a Thursday in Istanbul(Constantinople if you ask the Greeks!!). Wow, this city completely blew away any lofty expectation that had already been pre-planted in our minds. It was extraordinary. Istanbul is where the East meets the West. The Bosphorus River that runs through Istanbul separates the European and Asian continents. It was cool to be able to cross the river and pass into Asia. Turkey is also a country that is 98% Muslim, so you can already imagine the cultural differences that we encountered. It is a secular state, however, meaning there is a separation between church and state, unlike any other Muslim country. This was my first time in a muslim country though, and I was enthralled. Istanbul is a huge city. It has a population of 17.5M. There are over 2500 mosques there, and they are all incredibly unique. For Ann and I, one of the coolest things was hearing the call to prayer. Every mosque projects over a loud speaker a call to prayer when Muslims most stop their day. It is so cool to hear this resonating throughout the city. Due to our short time there and wanting to see so much, we hired a private guide and a driver. Our guide was awesome and so knowledgeable. We were able to tour the Blue Mosque, probably the most famous landmark in Istanbul. The Blue Mosque gets its name from the handmade Isnick tiles that adorn the interior and give it the blue color. It is beautiful and still an active mosque, so we were able to see people praying there. Just across from the Blue Mosque is the Hagia Sophia. This was probably our favorite. The Hagia Sophia was originally established as a Christian church. When the Ottoman Empire conquered Turkey, they converted it into a mosque and covered over all of the murals. Today, it is only a museum, but it is one of the few places in the world that there is a depiction of Jesus next to a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed. It is completely mesmerising inside. The other highlight of Istanbul is the Grand Bazaar. It is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. It was opened in 1461. It encompasses 58 streets and 4,000 shops. Now is probably the best time to talk about Turkish rugs. Turkey is very well known for their hand woven wool and silk carpets, many of which can be found in the Grand Bazaar. I am pretty sure that there are more carpet salesmen in Istanbul than car salesman in the US. One of the things that I love about my mom is that fact she is one of the most approachable people that you could ever meet. She has the ability to engage anyone and they will be sharing their life story within 5 minutes. Well, let me say that this is not an asset in Turkey. I am not sure if it was the large Chanel's on her face or her warm smile, but we had every carpet salesman in the city following us around. I felt like a wounded sea lion with blood thirsty bull sharks circling in for the kill. No matter how much I told her to not respond to them and please do not make eye contact, it was no use. She apparently had "I love Turkish rugs" stamped on her forehead!!! Overall, Istanbul was a fantastic start to the trip. We stayed at a beautiful hotel called the Pera Palace and enjoyed 2 really unique dinners out on the town.
On Saturday, we headed to the Port in Istanbul and boarded the Wind Star. It is a beautiful ship and just an incredible crew. There were 117 passengers that week and 80 crew, so you get to know everyone quite well. As we had expected, Ann and I were definitively the youngest on the ship, but we mingled fantastically with the AARP members and crew alike and I believe that we received the passenger MVP awards!!! It was funny because Ann and I definitely developed a party reputation. It is not hard when most people are in bed at 10 though. They usually had live music every night for dancing, and Ann's second home on the ship was the casino. There was just one blackjack table, so it was not exactly the MGM. By the 2nd to last night, George and Christina, the dealers, had brought in their computer to take us through their wedding slideshow. That is how much they liked us and how personable these dealers were. Anyway, a normal daily occurrence for my parents was to have people come up to them and say that they had met Ann and Kevin the night before and had so much fun. Our problem was that we could never remember anyone's names. I am pretty sure that we helped some of those old timers rediscover their youth that week though.
After leaving Istanbul on Saturday afternoon, we sailed through the Sea of Maramara and into the Aegean Sea. That Sunday was a full day at sea, so we all had massages that first morning and then set up shop by the pool. The 4 of us were definitely the most dedicated to the sun. That first day was so crucial because we became great friends with Tata the Terrific and Noel, the pool deck bartenders. These guys were so incredible. They would drop anything they were doing or anyone they were serving to come and take care of us. It probably did not hurt that we started tipping them from the first minute we boarded the ship;) They were really great guys though and we really enjoyed our many conversations with them. My mom said at the end of the trip that she wanted to take them all home. They clearly had a profound impact:)
I am not going to bore you with details of every port and every day, but here was our itinerary and some highlights:
Monday - Kusadasi, Turkey - small and quaint mountainous resort town. We watched this beautiful sunset over this small fortresses island which was once their port lookout. The highlight here was seeing the old Roman city of Ephesus. It was once the 2nd largest city in the Roman Empire behind Rome, which dated to around 2000 BC. It is thought that the gospel of John was written there.
* Highlight* Monday night, while Ann gambled with Clare and Jan(Ann's every night gambling friends from Canada who loved us), I had beers and shots with Fab, the Aussie Sports Director, and Tomas, the Slovakian Masseuse. Fab's wife, Carol Anne, the other sports director from Scotland, was not pleased as the next morning Fab had to sleep an extra hour due to our late night shenanigans.
Tuesday - Rhodes, Greece - awesome medieval town that once was home to the Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the world. Ann and I went on a guided walking tour of the city that was pretty cool. It was fun to go back and forth between Turkey and Greece because you got to here each side say they there were the ones that were responsible for the history.
Wednesday - Bodrum, Turkey - this was probably my 2nd favorite stop. Big destination for the Turkish celebs in the summer. It is a beautiful port with these quaint little resorts that dot the beaches and the cliffs overlooking the sea. Ann and I took a guided tour this day as well which included a tour of Bodrum Castle, which was a 15th century fortress built by the crusaders. It also included a gullet cruise. A gullet is a 2 masted wooden sailing vessel. There were 8 of us on board and they took us to some great swimming spots and then served us a fresh fish lunch prepared on board. It was a really great experience.
Thursday - Santorini - By far the most beautiful stop. Santorini is essentially what remains of this huge circle of islands that was almost completely destroyed by a massive volcano. The volcano created the Caldera, which is the cauldron like shape that Santorini is now so highly recognised for. We anchored off of Fira, which is one settlement on the island. All of the villages on the island sit on top of these 1000 ft cliffs overlooking the Aegean. Our 3 options to get to the top were to walk, ride a donkey which took the same walking path, or take a cable car. We opted for the cable car, and great choice because people said that the path was just covered in donkey crap. Anyway, once at the top, we took a taxi to the other side of the island to the village of Oia. Every picture that you see from the Greek Islands comes from Oia. It is the most captivating architecture and views that you could ever imagine. The white washed houses and blue roofs just cover the cliffside. Every corner you turned, you had a more magnificent view overlooking the sea.
*Highlight* - Thursday night was the top deck BBQ and staff dancing and singing exhibition. All of our staff friends asked Ann all week to come up and dance with them, and she did not disappoint. This turned into a late night dance party, and Ann sadly disappointed Clare and Jan in the casino because she did not make it there before closing time!!!
Friday - Mykonos - Sadly, we were not able to port in Mykonos because of the incredibly high winds. Instead, we got permission to anchor off of this tiny island called Sifnos. The 4 of us decided to stay on the ship that day.
Saturday came so quickly and we made our final port in Athens early in the morning. We left the port and checked into our hotel. It was an awesome hotel called the Grand Bretagne, just across the street from the House of Parliament. If you have been following the news at all lately, you will definitely recognise this building as it is where all of the demonstrations and protests are taking place over the Greek debt crisis and employment situation. Athens is a really pretty city and it is very sad what is happening there because all of the protests are causing so much damage and tourists are afraid to go. We were actually pretty lucky and we had just gotten back to our hotel in the afternoon when a protest started and they had to close these barred gates around our hotel to protect the windows and the hotel guests. We were able to watch it all unfold from the rooftop restaurant. Despite all of that though, we were able to enjoy several hours out in Athens seeing The Acropolis and Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus, The Olympic Stadium, and a lot of fun and unique areas around town. We had dinner in at the hotel that night and sadly had to say good bye to my parents.
Well, I apologise for the ridiculously lengthy recount of the trip, but there was so much to capture and some details that we definitely want to remember. The best part of the trip though was being able to spend all of that time with my mom and dad. We had an absolute blast.
I guess that about wraps it up. We have our second weekend in a row of relaxation and no plans in London this weekend. I think that we are almost getting bored;) We are getting so excited for Ann's parents to arrive this coming Thursday. We have a fun trip planned next weekend to Bruges, Belgium. This is also Jeff's first trip over since we have been here, so we are so excited for him to experience everything.
Finally, I can't end the blog without another plug for my Cardinals. It is 2-2 going into the last game at Busch tonight. We got to take this one boys before we head back to Milwaukee. Let's Go Cardinals.
Have a great weekend!!
Kevin and Ann
Ann and I met my parents on a Thursday in Istanbul(Constantinople if you ask the Greeks!!). Wow, this city completely blew away any lofty expectation that had already been pre-planted in our minds. It was extraordinary. Istanbul is where the East meets the West. The Bosphorus River that runs through Istanbul separates the European and Asian continents. It was cool to be able to cross the river and pass into Asia. Turkey is also a country that is 98% Muslim, so you can already imagine the cultural differences that we encountered. It is a secular state, however, meaning there is a separation between church and state, unlike any other Muslim country. This was my first time in a muslim country though, and I was enthralled. Istanbul is a huge city. It has a population of 17.5M. There are over 2500 mosques there, and they are all incredibly unique. For Ann and I, one of the coolest things was hearing the call to prayer. Every mosque projects over a loud speaker a call to prayer when Muslims most stop their day. It is so cool to hear this resonating throughout the city. Due to our short time there and wanting to see so much, we hired a private guide and a driver. Our guide was awesome and so knowledgeable. We were able to tour the Blue Mosque, probably the most famous landmark in Istanbul. The Blue Mosque gets its name from the handmade Isnick tiles that adorn the interior and give it the blue color. It is beautiful and still an active mosque, so we were able to see people praying there. Just across from the Blue Mosque is the Hagia Sophia. This was probably our favorite. The Hagia Sophia was originally established as a Christian church. When the Ottoman Empire conquered Turkey, they converted it into a mosque and covered over all of the murals. Today, it is only a museum, but it is one of the few places in the world that there is a depiction of Jesus next to a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed. It is completely mesmerising inside. The other highlight of Istanbul is the Grand Bazaar. It is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. It was opened in 1461. It encompasses 58 streets and 4,000 shops. Now is probably the best time to talk about Turkish rugs. Turkey is very well known for their hand woven wool and silk carpets, many of which can be found in the Grand Bazaar. I am pretty sure that there are more carpet salesmen in Istanbul than car salesman in the US. One of the things that I love about my mom is that fact she is one of the most approachable people that you could ever meet. She has the ability to engage anyone and they will be sharing their life story within 5 minutes. Well, let me say that this is not an asset in Turkey. I am not sure if it was the large Chanel's on her face or her warm smile, but we had every carpet salesman in the city following us around. I felt like a wounded sea lion with blood thirsty bull sharks circling in for the kill. No matter how much I told her to not respond to them and please do not make eye contact, it was no use. She apparently had "I love Turkish rugs" stamped on her forehead!!! Overall, Istanbul was a fantastic start to the trip. We stayed at a beautiful hotel called the Pera Palace and enjoyed 2 really unique dinners out on the town.
On Saturday, we headed to the Port in Istanbul and boarded the Wind Star. It is a beautiful ship and just an incredible crew. There were 117 passengers that week and 80 crew, so you get to know everyone quite well. As we had expected, Ann and I were definitively the youngest on the ship, but we mingled fantastically with the AARP members and crew alike and I believe that we received the passenger MVP awards!!! It was funny because Ann and I definitely developed a party reputation. It is not hard when most people are in bed at 10 though. They usually had live music every night for dancing, and Ann's second home on the ship was the casino. There was just one blackjack table, so it was not exactly the MGM. By the 2nd to last night, George and Christina, the dealers, had brought in their computer to take us through their wedding slideshow. That is how much they liked us and how personable these dealers were. Anyway, a normal daily occurrence for my parents was to have people come up to them and say that they had met Ann and Kevin the night before and had so much fun. Our problem was that we could never remember anyone's names. I am pretty sure that we helped some of those old timers rediscover their youth that week though.
After leaving Istanbul on Saturday afternoon, we sailed through the Sea of Maramara and into the Aegean Sea. That Sunday was a full day at sea, so we all had massages that first morning and then set up shop by the pool. The 4 of us were definitely the most dedicated to the sun. That first day was so crucial because we became great friends with Tata the Terrific and Noel, the pool deck bartenders. These guys were so incredible. They would drop anything they were doing or anyone they were serving to come and take care of us. It probably did not hurt that we started tipping them from the first minute we boarded the ship;) They were really great guys though and we really enjoyed our many conversations with them. My mom said at the end of the trip that she wanted to take them all home. They clearly had a profound impact:)
I am not going to bore you with details of every port and every day, but here was our itinerary and some highlights:
Monday - Kusadasi, Turkey - small and quaint mountainous resort town. We watched this beautiful sunset over this small fortresses island which was once their port lookout. The highlight here was seeing the old Roman city of Ephesus. It was once the 2nd largest city in the Roman Empire behind Rome, which dated to around 2000 BC. It is thought that the gospel of John was written there.
* Highlight* Monday night, while Ann gambled with Clare and Jan(Ann's every night gambling friends from Canada who loved us), I had beers and shots with Fab, the Aussie Sports Director, and Tomas, the Slovakian Masseuse. Fab's wife, Carol Anne, the other sports director from Scotland, was not pleased as the next morning Fab had to sleep an extra hour due to our late night shenanigans.
Tuesday - Rhodes, Greece - awesome medieval town that once was home to the Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the world. Ann and I went on a guided walking tour of the city that was pretty cool. It was fun to go back and forth between Turkey and Greece because you got to here each side say they there were the ones that were responsible for the history.
Wednesday - Bodrum, Turkey - this was probably my 2nd favorite stop. Big destination for the Turkish celebs in the summer. It is a beautiful port with these quaint little resorts that dot the beaches and the cliffs overlooking the sea. Ann and I took a guided tour this day as well which included a tour of Bodrum Castle, which was a 15th century fortress built by the crusaders. It also included a gullet cruise. A gullet is a 2 masted wooden sailing vessel. There were 8 of us on board and they took us to some great swimming spots and then served us a fresh fish lunch prepared on board. It was a really great experience.
Thursday - Santorini - By far the most beautiful stop. Santorini is essentially what remains of this huge circle of islands that was almost completely destroyed by a massive volcano. The volcano created the Caldera, which is the cauldron like shape that Santorini is now so highly recognised for. We anchored off of Fira, which is one settlement on the island. All of the villages on the island sit on top of these 1000 ft cliffs overlooking the Aegean. Our 3 options to get to the top were to walk, ride a donkey which took the same walking path, or take a cable car. We opted for the cable car, and great choice because people said that the path was just covered in donkey crap. Anyway, once at the top, we took a taxi to the other side of the island to the village of Oia. Every picture that you see from the Greek Islands comes from Oia. It is the most captivating architecture and views that you could ever imagine. The white washed houses and blue roofs just cover the cliffside. Every corner you turned, you had a more magnificent view overlooking the sea.
*Highlight* - Thursday night was the top deck BBQ and staff dancing and singing exhibition. All of our staff friends asked Ann all week to come up and dance with them, and she did not disappoint. This turned into a late night dance party, and Ann sadly disappointed Clare and Jan in the casino because she did not make it there before closing time!!!
Friday - Mykonos - Sadly, we were not able to port in Mykonos because of the incredibly high winds. Instead, we got permission to anchor off of this tiny island called Sifnos. The 4 of us decided to stay on the ship that day.
Saturday came so quickly and we made our final port in Athens early in the morning. We left the port and checked into our hotel. It was an awesome hotel called the Grand Bretagne, just across the street from the House of Parliament. If you have been following the news at all lately, you will definitely recognise this building as it is where all of the demonstrations and protests are taking place over the Greek debt crisis and employment situation. Athens is a really pretty city and it is very sad what is happening there because all of the protests are causing so much damage and tourists are afraid to go. We were actually pretty lucky and we had just gotten back to our hotel in the afternoon when a protest started and they had to close these barred gates around our hotel to protect the windows and the hotel guests. We were able to watch it all unfold from the rooftop restaurant. Despite all of that though, we were able to enjoy several hours out in Athens seeing The Acropolis and Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus, The Olympic Stadium, and a lot of fun and unique areas around town. We had dinner in at the hotel that night and sadly had to say good bye to my parents.
Well, I apologise for the ridiculously lengthy recount of the trip, but there was so much to capture and some details that we definitely want to remember. The best part of the trip though was being able to spend all of that time with my mom and dad. We had an absolute blast.
I guess that about wraps it up. We have our second weekend in a row of relaxation and no plans in London this weekend. I think that we are almost getting bored;) We are getting so excited for Ann's parents to arrive this coming Thursday. We have a fun trip planned next weekend to Bruges, Belgium. This is also Jeff's first trip over since we have been here, so we are so excited for him to experience everything.
Finally, I can't end the blog without another plug for my Cardinals. It is 2-2 going into the last game at Busch tonight. We got to take this one boys before we head back to Milwaukee. Let's Go Cardinals.
Have a great weekend!!
Kevin and Ann
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Let's Go Cardinals
Two weeks ago, the Cardinals were fighting for the NL Wild Card, and tonight, they are preparing for the start of the NLCS. What a game that Chris Carpenter threw last night. Philly was no doubt the better team, but that is what is so great and unpredictable about baseball in October.
This is going to be quite the week in our flat in London. As I am sure that you have realised, it is my Cardinals battling against Ann's Brewers. Ann didn't even realise that teams played baseball in October, well, that is until she met me in 2006(Cardinals = World Series Champions). The last time that the Brewers and the Cardinals faced each other in the playoffs was in 1982 when the Brewers were actually an AL team and they lost to the Cardinals in the World Series. The past is the past, however, and I should not dwell on that, especially if these words were to come back and bite me. I am really excited about the week though, even if this blog does ensure my sleeping spot on the couch!!!! I am a good sport though, so I want to wish my wife and her Brewers good luck. I am pretty sure that God bleeds red though, so Go Birds!!!!
Cheers
Cardinal Fan in London
This is going to be quite the week in our flat in London. As I am sure that you have realised, it is my Cardinals battling against Ann's Brewers. Ann didn't even realise that teams played baseball in October, well, that is until she met me in 2006(Cardinals = World Series Champions). The last time that the Brewers and the Cardinals faced each other in the playoffs was in 1982 when the Brewers were actually an AL team and they lost to the Cardinals in the World Series. The past is the past, however, and I should not dwell on that, especially if these words were to come back and bite me. I am really excited about the week though, even if this blog does ensure my sleeping spot on the couch!!!! I am a good sport though, so I want to wish my wife and her Brewers good luck. I am pretty sure that God bleeds red though, so Go Birds!!!!
Cheers
Cardinal Fan in London
Thursday, 6 October 2011
A Sad Day at Apple
It was so sad to wake up this morning and learn of Steve Job's death. He was a true visionary who inspired so many people. As typical of Apple, not much is being said to the press, but all of the signature lit Apple Logos on all of our stores around the world have been dimmed today in honour of Steve. I work above one of our flagship stores in London in Covent Garden, and the press has been camped out all day and people have been creating a makeshift memorial with flowers. It is a pretty cool sight. I will try and get some pictures if I can. I certainly can't do him any justice with my words, so I thought that I would include some great quotes that I have seen today and from Steve himself. If you have never seen his commencement address from Stanford a few years ago, you can find it on YouTube, and I highly recommend it.
“Three Apples changed the world: The first seduced Eve, The second fell on Newton, And the third one was offered to the world half bitten by him. Steve Jobs"
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
"We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it bet ter be damn good.It better be worth it."
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Trip of of Lifetime
Hey Everyone,
We hope that you are having a good week. This is absolutely the best time of the year for sports in my mind. The Boys of Summer are heating up for October, the boosters and tailgaters are in full swing on game day Saturdays, and the poverty stricken NFLers are back on Sunday. Sadly, my Cards are trying to gut it out for the Wild Card and still have some work to do and the Rams and their injury plagued start might already be finished, but there is one bright spot. My Clemson Tigers are 3-0 after ending Auburn's 17 game winning streak, and they have a huge showdown in Death Valley this weekend against the Seminoles of FSU. It pains me to say, but Ann's Brewers are a shoe-in for the NL Central Title, and the Pack is off to a nice start. If I were a betting man though, I would put all of my money on Ann's UW Lacrosse Eagles. Wow, they are a powerhouse. While we sadly are not getting to see any of this in England, there are some sacrifices worth making, and thank goodness for CNN.SI. I have been tuning in to a lot of the Rugby World Cup matches, and I am loving that sport more and more every day. The English Premier League is back in action as well, so that certainly helps to fill some of those US sports gaps.
Tomorrow, we are embarking on an incredible trip. We are meeting my parents in Istanbul Turkey and spending Thursday through Saturday there. We are then boarding a large sailboat, capacity for about 150 people, and sailing from Istanbul, porting at 2 Turkish Islands and 3 Greek Islands and then ending in Athens, Greece a week from Saturday. This trip has been in planning since before we moved to the UK, so we are incredibly excited. We will certainly have plenty of pictures and hopefully some entertaining stories to share. We are not back in the UK until the 2nd of October, so please excuse the blog inactivity.
Until we blog again, enjoy the last 2 weeks of September, and when you wake up on Saturday, for the love of God, repeat after me, 1-2-3-4, C-L-E-M-S-O-N, T-I-G-E-R-S, Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers, Fight, Fight, Fight.
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
We hope that you are having a good week. This is absolutely the best time of the year for sports in my mind. The Boys of Summer are heating up for October, the boosters and tailgaters are in full swing on game day Saturdays, and the poverty stricken NFLers are back on Sunday. Sadly, my Cards are trying to gut it out for the Wild Card and still have some work to do and the Rams and their injury plagued start might already be finished, but there is one bright spot. My Clemson Tigers are 3-0 after ending Auburn's 17 game winning streak, and they have a huge showdown in Death Valley this weekend against the Seminoles of FSU. It pains me to say, but Ann's Brewers are a shoe-in for the NL Central Title, and the Pack is off to a nice start. If I were a betting man though, I would put all of my money on Ann's UW Lacrosse Eagles. Wow, they are a powerhouse. While we sadly are not getting to see any of this in England, there are some sacrifices worth making, and thank goodness for CNN.SI. I have been tuning in to a lot of the Rugby World Cup matches, and I am loving that sport more and more every day. The English Premier League is back in action as well, so that certainly helps to fill some of those US sports gaps.
Tomorrow, we are embarking on an incredible trip. We are meeting my parents in Istanbul Turkey and spending Thursday through Saturday there. We are then boarding a large sailboat, capacity for about 150 people, and sailing from Istanbul, porting at 2 Turkish Islands and 3 Greek Islands and then ending in Athens, Greece a week from Saturday. This trip has been in planning since before we moved to the UK, so we are incredibly excited. We will certainly have plenty of pictures and hopefully some entertaining stories to share. We are not back in the UK until the 2nd of October, so please excuse the blog inactivity.
Until we blog again, enjoy the last 2 weeks of September, and when you wake up on Saturday, for the love of God, repeat after me, 1-2-3-4, C-L-E-M-S-O-N, T-I-G-E-R-S, Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers, Fight, Fight, Fight.
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
Friday, 16 September 2011
Happy 5 Years
Happy Anniversary Dennis and Emily Kirchhoefer. It is crazy that it has been 5 years today. Needless to say, Ann and I would not know each other or be married or be living in London if not for you all and your wedding. That was one incredible weekend and clearly something that changed our lives. We hope that you have a great day and we will always be thinking about you on September 16th.
Who would have ever thought that the worm and a slow dance to Twist and Shout would have landed me a Senior Director and a ticket to London? I know what everyone is thinking, Ann got the better end of the deal with getting Jack the dog and I, but she is really starting to elevate her value;) Ann, I feel like we have lived a lifetime in the last 5 years through long distance, moving to Minneapolis and buying a house, and now living in London, but I know that the best is still ahead. I love you so much and I can't wait to celebrate another 5.
Who would have ever thought that the worm and a slow dance to Twist and Shout would have landed me a Senior Director and a ticket to London? I know what everyone is thinking, Ann got the better end of the deal with getting Jack the dog and I, but she is really starting to elevate her value;) Ann, I feel like we have lived a lifetime in the last 5 years through long distance, moving to Minneapolis and buying a house, and now living in London, but I know that the best is still ahead. I love you so much and I can't wait to celebrate another 5.
Knapp-King Reunion - Part 2 - Dublin
Hey Everyone,
The highly anticipated Knapp-King Reunion Part Deux, Dublin, has finally arrived. My liver has been on life support this week still trying to break down all of the Guinness, Smithwick's, and Bushmill Whiskey that I imbibed last weekend. Let me start by telling you that there is not much to do in Dublin but drink, as you will see from our experiences there. The Irish expression "Pints Aplenty" could not be more true in Dublin.
First, I need to back up quickly and provide an entertaining story that started our trip to Dublin. So, as you know, we saw Patrick and Susie off to Ireland last Tuesday morning, and Ann and I continued our work week. Ann also had to fly to Germany last Wednesday morning for some meetings and returned to London on Thursday afternoon, just before leaving for Dublin on Thursday night. We were flying Ryanair to Dublin, which if you do not know, is the low cost carrier of Europe. We have heard some ghastly stories about Ryanair, but we took our chances. It's the airline that has cheap tickets, but they charge you for everything else, including if you do not check in online, which is fine because Ann and I do that all of the time. So, we left for the airport in plenty of time with our boarding passes in hand. We even had time for a beer before heading to our gate. As we get to the gate, and the ticket agent sees our US Passports, she looks at our boarding passes and asks where our stamps are. Apparently, all non EU passport holders have to have a security stamp on their boarding passes to board the plane, and this is written in small lettering on the boarding passes. This is all happening 20 minutes before departure, and she kindly tells us that we will miss our flight. We quickly fell victim to Ryanair on our first journey. It was not very funny then, but we are now able to look back at it and laugh, but we did miss our flight, had to stay in a hotel near Gatwick airport on Thursday night, and pay about a $350 rebooking fee to catch the first flight to Dublin on Friday morning. Needless to say, if I can avoid Ryanair for the rest of my life, I will die fulfilled.
We finally met up with Patrick and Susie around lunch time on Friday at our hotel in the Smiithfield area of Dublin, just north of the River Liffey and right by the Jameson Distillery. Our first stop was at the Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin(see pic above). It was founded in 1198. We had the most amazing Cottage pie there for lunch. From there, we headed towards the Guinness Brewery. Having grown up in the backyard of AB in St. Louis, I was prepared for a mind blowing experience. Unfortunately, the tour was less than thrilling, more museum type stuff than good old beer brewing, but the highlight was having a free Guinness on the top floor "Gravity Bar," where you are treated to a 360-degree view of Dublin. Leaving the Guinness factory, we headed towards the area of town called Temple Bar and home to the Dublin Castle(stronghold for British power) and Trinity College. En route, we popped into The Bank Bar for a cocktail near Trinity, which was originally the location of the Belfast Bank in Dublin. After walking through Trinity's campus, which is majestic, we pursued a local's pub recommendation called Mulligans. A fantastic recommendation it was. After another pint there, we headed back to the hotel to regroup for the night's activities. Our first stop was back in Temple Bar at a pub called The Palace. I decided to take a break from beer and I ordered a vodka soda which prompted the bartender to call me a woman. When I said a double, he said that's a little better!!! HILARIOUS. Departing from The Palace, and after a quick photo of Ann and Susie with the dark complected leprechaun, we made our way into The Temple Bar in Temple Bar. A few pints later, we had a very unmemorable dinner, and that was not due to our level of soberness, but the quality of the restaurant that we picked. For the finale of the night, we were excited to end at a pub near our hotel called The Cobblestone, which is highly regarded for its music scene. We were there for a short bit, and then the AARP contingent of our group(everyone except me) decided it was time to call it a night(no offence to our AARP blog followers). Overall, Day 1 was a huge success.
We got a little bit of a later start on Saturday. We wandered around through some shops near O'Connell St. and then crossed over the Liffey for some lunch at Gallagher's. I had the most delectable Corn Beef and Mash ever. I would go back there in a heartbeat. After lunch, our first goal was to see what else there was to see in Dublin, but after a few minutes of discussion, it was decided that we had really seen the highlights. Therefore, let the Day 2 pub crawl commence. We made our way through an awesome area called Soda towards a beautiful victorian pub called Long Hall. From there, we toured a bit more of the Soda neighborhood and made our way out into St. Stephens Park, a beautiful green space in Dublin. It was once where all of the public hangings in Dublin took place. Heading back into Soda, we found our next stop at the Stag's Head. All of the pubs in Dublin are so incredible because they are all old victorian buildings with stained glass, beautiful chandeliers, and intricately carved wood. The Guinness was not bad either;) The next stop was this incredibly large pub called O'Neills near Trinity College. It might have been one of the biggest bars that I have ever seen. We ordered some sliders that were unfortunately disappointing. Leaving O'Neills, we made probably one of the biggest discoveries in another pub called Kehoe's. It was not so much the pub itself, but the band that we found there called "The Shirt Tail Stompers." It was a 1920's style swing band from London that was there rehearsing before a gig that night. They let us sight in on their "jam session," and wow, that was great. After a few hours there, our final pub stop was at a place called Toner's in the Georgian area of Dublin. It was an old grocer's shop turned pub. Due to Patrick and Susie's 7:30am flight on Sunday morning back to the States, we called it an early night on Saturday. I think that it is safe to say that we had a nice sampling of the pubs in Dublin.
Thanks Patrick and Susie for making the trip over. We had such an incredible time. We are already looking forward to Italy next year.
The highly anticipated Knapp-King Reunion Part Deux, Dublin, has finally arrived. My liver has been on life support this week still trying to break down all of the Guinness, Smithwick's, and Bushmill Whiskey that I imbibed last weekend. Let me start by telling you that there is not much to do in Dublin but drink, as you will see from our experiences there. The Irish expression "Pints Aplenty" could not be more true in Dublin.
First, I need to back up quickly and provide an entertaining story that started our trip to Dublin. So, as you know, we saw Patrick and Susie off to Ireland last Tuesday morning, and Ann and I continued our work week. Ann also had to fly to Germany last Wednesday morning for some meetings and returned to London on Thursday afternoon, just before leaving for Dublin on Thursday night. We were flying Ryanair to Dublin, which if you do not know, is the low cost carrier of Europe. We have heard some ghastly stories about Ryanair, but we took our chances. It's the airline that has cheap tickets, but they charge you for everything else, including if you do not check in online, which is fine because Ann and I do that all of the time. So, we left for the airport in plenty of time with our boarding passes in hand. We even had time for a beer before heading to our gate. As we get to the gate, and the ticket agent sees our US Passports, she looks at our boarding passes and asks where our stamps are. Apparently, all non EU passport holders have to have a security stamp on their boarding passes to board the plane, and this is written in small lettering on the boarding passes. This is all happening 20 minutes before departure, and she kindly tells us that we will miss our flight. We quickly fell victim to Ryanair on our first journey. It was not very funny then, but we are now able to look back at it and laugh, but we did miss our flight, had to stay in a hotel near Gatwick airport on Thursday night, and pay about a $350 rebooking fee to catch the first flight to Dublin on Friday morning. Needless to say, if I can avoid Ryanair for the rest of my life, I will die fulfilled.
We finally met up with Patrick and Susie around lunch time on Friday at our hotel in the Smiithfield area of Dublin, just north of the River Liffey and right by the Jameson Distillery. Our first stop was at the Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin(see pic above). It was founded in 1198. We had the most amazing Cottage pie there for lunch. From there, we headed towards the Guinness Brewery. Having grown up in the backyard of AB in St. Louis, I was prepared for a mind blowing experience. Unfortunately, the tour was less than thrilling, more museum type stuff than good old beer brewing, but the highlight was having a free Guinness on the top floor "Gravity Bar," where you are treated to a 360-degree view of Dublin. Leaving the Guinness factory, we headed towards the area of town called Temple Bar and home to the Dublin Castle(stronghold for British power) and Trinity College. En route, we popped into The Bank Bar for a cocktail near Trinity, which was originally the location of the Belfast Bank in Dublin. After walking through Trinity's campus, which is majestic, we pursued a local's pub recommendation called Mulligans. A fantastic recommendation it was. After another pint there, we headed back to the hotel to regroup for the night's activities. Our first stop was back in Temple Bar at a pub called The Palace. I decided to take a break from beer and I ordered a vodka soda which prompted the bartender to call me a woman. When I said a double, he said that's a little better!!! HILARIOUS. Departing from The Palace, and after a quick photo of Ann and Susie with the dark complected leprechaun, we made our way into The Temple Bar in Temple Bar. A few pints later, we had a very unmemorable dinner, and that was not due to our level of soberness, but the quality of the restaurant that we picked. For the finale of the night, we were excited to end at a pub near our hotel called The Cobblestone, which is highly regarded for its music scene. We were there for a short bit, and then the AARP contingent of our group(everyone except me) decided it was time to call it a night(no offence to our AARP blog followers). Overall, Day 1 was a huge success.
We got a little bit of a later start on Saturday. We wandered around through some shops near O'Connell St. and then crossed over the Liffey for some lunch at Gallagher's. I had the most delectable Corn Beef and Mash ever. I would go back there in a heartbeat. After lunch, our first goal was to see what else there was to see in Dublin, but after a few minutes of discussion, it was decided that we had really seen the highlights. Therefore, let the Day 2 pub crawl commence. We made our way through an awesome area called Soda towards a beautiful victorian pub called Long Hall. From there, we toured a bit more of the Soda neighborhood and made our way out into St. Stephens Park, a beautiful green space in Dublin. It was once where all of the public hangings in Dublin took place. Heading back into Soda, we found our next stop at the Stag's Head. All of the pubs in Dublin are so incredible because they are all old victorian buildings with stained glass, beautiful chandeliers, and intricately carved wood. The Guinness was not bad either;) The next stop was this incredibly large pub called O'Neills near Trinity College. It might have been one of the biggest bars that I have ever seen. We ordered some sliders that were unfortunately disappointing. Leaving O'Neills, we made probably one of the biggest discoveries in another pub called Kehoe's. It was not so much the pub itself, but the band that we found there called "The Shirt Tail Stompers." It was a 1920's style swing band from London that was there rehearsing before a gig that night. They let us sight in on their "jam session," and wow, that was great. After a few hours there, our final pub stop was at a place called Toner's in the Georgian area of Dublin. It was an old grocer's shop turned pub. Due to Patrick and Susie's 7:30am flight on Sunday morning back to the States, we called it an early night on Saturday. I think that it is safe to say that we had a nice sampling of the pubs in Dublin.
Thanks Patrick and Susie for making the trip over. We had such an incredible time. We are already looking forward to Italy next year.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Knapp-King Reunion - Part 1 - London
Ann and I have picked up and moved twice now, first to Minneapolis, and now of course to London. If you have made moves like this, you know that often times you leave family, friends, and familiarity behind. For Ann and I, we love the adventure of discovering new places, meeting new people, and pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone, and the great thing is that we always have each other. We have discovered with each of our moves though, especially as we get a bit older, it gets more difficult to meet people that you want to call friends. We found this to be the case in Minneapolis, and maybe even more so in London. If you would ask either of us, I would say good friends is the thing that we miss most here. I have started this entry with this because the last week and a half we were reunited with our incredible friends Patrick and Susie. They too had moved to Minneapolis shortly before us for Susie to attend law school, and it just happened that Patrick and I started at Target the same day. Well, a man-crush formed then as we reminisced about these last 2 weekends, and the rest is history. When we shared the news about London, I think that it was harder to tell Patrick and Susie than it was our parents!!! They were the first people to book their trip over here to see us, which seemed like forever ago, and it finally arrived last weekend.
We had such a blast last weekend on their London leg of the trip. Due to their overnight travel and exhausted state, we took it pretty easy on Friday night. We hit the Churchill Arms for a few pints and then a great dinner at the Ark in Notting Hill. It was so fun to be able to catch up and be in the comfort of great friends. Saturday, we awoke with a half day agenda of sightseeing(Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, The Horse Grounds, Downing Street, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, and lunch at Borough Market) and then a fantastic pub crawl for the remainder of the day and night. The day lived up to absolutely every expectation. It was their first time to London, so it was fun to see them register what we live and breathe every day, and just see the amazement on their faces of the architecture, insane history, unique pubs, and cellar temperature beer;) Saturday was filled with a lot of laughs, especially Ann and Susie getting into an abortion argument which prompted Patrick to get up and go and randomly sit down with a table of English University students. The highlight of the night had to be Oliver(random old Irish guy in last pub) that was obsessed with Susie and Ann. It started because he had asked Patrick to play the Doors on the Jukebox and from there we invited him to sit down with us. At one point, we actually even got shooshed from the bartender. Who gets shooshed in a pub at midnight on a Saturday?
Sunday, we toured Camden Town in the rain and then caught a canal taxi from Camden to Little Venice. We could have walked faster than the boat moved, but it was still a fun experience. We went for a very traditional Indian meal on Sunday night. There are some incredible Indian restaurants in London, and we have grown to love Indian food. Monday, Patrick and Susie took a day trip out to Cambridge and then the 4 of us actually had a dinner in at our flat on Monday night. Tuesday started Patrick and Susie's 2nd leg of the trip, Ireland. They flew to Cork on Tuesday morning where they were renting a car to drive up through Dingle and Killarney. As planned, Ann and I were flying on Thursday night to meet up with them in Dublin for their final weekend abroad.
It was so comforting to be reunited with great friends and share our lives in London. The Knapp-King Reunion - Part 2 - Dublin to follow soon!!!
Cheers
Kevin
We had such a blast last weekend on their London leg of the trip. Due to their overnight travel and exhausted state, we took it pretty easy on Friday night. We hit the Churchill Arms for a few pints and then a great dinner at the Ark in Notting Hill. It was so fun to be able to catch up and be in the comfort of great friends. Saturday, we awoke with a half day agenda of sightseeing(Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, The Horse Grounds, Downing Street, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, and lunch at Borough Market) and then a fantastic pub crawl for the remainder of the day and night. The day lived up to absolutely every expectation. It was their first time to London, so it was fun to see them register what we live and breathe every day, and just see the amazement on their faces of the architecture, insane history, unique pubs, and cellar temperature beer;) Saturday was filled with a lot of laughs, especially Ann and Susie getting into an abortion argument which prompted Patrick to get up and go and randomly sit down with a table of English University students. The highlight of the night had to be Oliver(random old Irish guy in last pub) that was obsessed with Susie and Ann. It started because he had asked Patrick to play the Doors on the Jukebox and from there we invited him to sit down with us. At one point, we actually even got shooshed from the bartender. Who gets shooshed in a pub at midnight on a Saturday?
Sunday, we toured Camden Town in the rain and then caught a canal taxi from Camden to Little Venice. We could have walked faster than the boat moved, but it was still a fun experience. We went for a very traditional Indian meal on Sunday night. There are some incredible Indian restaurants in London, and we have grown to love Indian food. Monday, Patrick and Susie took a day trip out to Cambridge and then the 4 of us actually had a dinner in at our flat on Monday night. Tuesday started Patrick and Susie's 2nd leg of the trip, Ireland. They flew to Cork on Tuesday morning where they were renting a car to drive up through Dingle and Killarney. As planned, Ann and I were flying on Thursday night to meet up with them in Dublin for their final weekend abroad.
It was so comforting to be reunited with great friends and share our lives in London. The Knapp-King Reunion - Part 2 - Dublin to follow soon!!!
Cheers
Kevin
Thursday, 1 September 2011
37 Years and still going strong...
Just wanted to give a shout out to my parents on their 37th wedding anniversary!! For those of you who know my parents, you know that they have an incredibly special marriage - they are truly best friends and enjoy every moment they have together. Their love is selfless and one that is envied. I feel very blessed to call them my parents and feel very lucky to be surrounded by their love.
I know my dad has been feeling under the weather but I still hope they can get away to their paradise - the cottage - to celebrate their special day. Its a place where they have many wonderful memories from their marriage including friendly competitive games of shake-of-the-day, Tolf, bags, fishing tourneys and of course, sequence!!!
Wish we were there to celebrate in person but you have been on our minds all day. Love you both!!
Ann and Kevin
I know my dad has been feeling under the weather but I still hope they can get away to their paradise - the cottage - to celebrate their special day. Its a place where they have many wonderful memories from their marriage including friendly competitive games of shake-of-the-day, Tolf, bags, fishing tourneys and of course, sequence!!!
Wish we were there to celebrate in person but you have been on our minds all day. Love you both!!
Ann and Kevin
Estonia
Hey Everyone,
First, I have delayed blogging this week as I have wanted Ann to continue basking in the limelight after her entertaining post last week. She was quite excited with herself after she had completed it. Granted, it took her a bit longer than it did Thomas Crapper to invent the flushing toilet, but she worked diligently and created a nice piece of writing, on time as well;)
We hope you are well and getting excited for Labor Day weekend. We have to give a big cheers to the Annual Labor Day Weekend extravaganza at the Berenz High Climb in Hancock, WI. Every Labor Day at Ann's family's cottage, the Berenz, McGrath, Klotz, and Nelson Families get together for a weekend of debauchery. There is the annual flip cup tourney, bags, washers, "Tolf," late night bonfires, and usually some kind of costumed karaoke adventure into Sneaky Pete's or the Hancock Hotel. Be safe up there this weekend and I have $20 for the team that finally dethrones the overrated "Champs" in the flip cup tourney. They are rubbish. The Senior Director thinks that team is untouchable, but if you would look at the amount of beer spilled from their cups, you would know that they are just cheaters!!!!
We had our form of the UK Labor Day weekend last weekend. We flew to Tallinn, Estonia for the weekend, and wow, it lived up to all of the hype that we had heard. Estonia is a small country that sits just south of Finland and West of Russia on the Baltic Sea. You can just imagine how cold it must be in the winter as the Baltic Sea freezes over in many places. The poor country finally just got its independence about 20 years ago after USSR collapsed as it had been a communist country since after WWII. Before that though, it had been ruled by the Danes, the Swedes, and the Germans for almost all of its history. The Etonians, we discovered, are an incredibly proud people though and were able to maintain their heritage and tradition despite all of the oppressive rulers. The old part of Tallinn is this incredibly amazing walled, medieval city with winding cobblestone streets. It was like stepping back into the Middle Ages. On Friday night when we arrived, we had been given a recommendation for this restaurant called Olde Hansa, a traditional Estonian establishment(see pic above). As you can see, all of the tableware was wooden, and you order these set feasts. I have to give you a rundown of this Wild Game Feast that we ate because it was just an awesome experience:
Starters:
- Juniper Flavored Beef with Horseradish Sour Cream and Quail Eggs
- French Royal Poultry Liver Pate with onion jam
- Andalusian Salmon
- Pickled Cucumber Lavonian Style
- Saffron Pickles
- Berry Sauce and Herb Bread with Nuts
- Rye Bread with Lard
- Cheese
Main:
- Smoked Grilled Salmon with nut sauce
- Bear, Wild Boar, and Elk Game Sausages
- Mild Game Pork
- Roasted Rabbitt
- Wild Boar Steak
Dessert:
Rose Pudding
To be perfectly honest, I have had better wild game, but the experience was unmatchable. They had this brilliant cinnamon beer too that was tasty.
Saturday, we started the day walking and taking in the sights of Old Town, and then decided to do this 4 hour Kayaking tour on the Baltic Sea that had been recommended to us. The Port of Tallinn was built as quite a stronghold for the German and Russian Navies and consists of multiple harbors that were once used for building naval ships and submarines as well as a prison. Today, the Berenz fleet of boats on Fish Lake in Wisconsin is most likely more formidable than the Estonian Navy, but there were still some old war ships and cool structures to see. We also kayaked out to one of the many islands in the Baltic near Tallinn and took in one of the nicer beaches. Overall, I think we kayaked about 6 or 7 miles, so it was a really fun experience. We said to each other who ever thought that we would be kayaking on the Baltic Sea. Most importantly, Ann kept pretty calm in the front of the kayak where she had no power over the rudder and ultimately which direction we went. I had to take her lead with paddling though, so it was a nice display of team work, and despite some raised voices at times while we paddled into the wind and over white caps, we got out of the kayak still speaking to each other!!!! Saturday evening, we decided to see how the night life was in Tallinn. We started at the beer house, which was pretty funny. Ann was obsessed with the local Estonian people dancing and tried to convince me to dance with an 80 year old woman. After the beer hall, we ended up stumbling(not literally) into this beautiful little outside restaurant completely enclosed by walls off of a main street. They had a great 3 piece band and we ordered some delicious scallops and a cocktail before moving on. We finished the night in a couple of classic karaoke bars(Estonians love Karaoke apparently).
Sunday was a fantastic day as we had covered most of the major sights on Saturday. We slept in and had a nice morning and then ventured on a couple of bus tours that took us through some sights outside of the city. Sunday afternoon, we found this quaint little restaurant back in Old Town called Von Krahli Aed. The food was incredible. Ann had a mutton chop that was extraordinary. Sunday night, we actually found a movie theater and went and saw "Midnight in Paris," Woody Allen's new film. It is funny because we usually do not have time for movies in London, so this was a perfect opportunity. It has not been officially released yet in Europe, so we actually watched it in this 40 seat screening theater with these huge plush, leather arm chairs. It will be hard to sit in a regular theater again.
Anyway, that was Estonia. We flew back on Monday afternoon as we had a holiday last Monday. As I type, our friends Patrick and Susie are just a few hours away from heading to the airport in Minneapolis to board their flight for London. We are so incredibly excited to see them. We stayed at their house our last 2 nights in Minneapolis last December after the movers had come before we made the trek to Fondy and then London, and that is the last time that we have seen them. It has been too long and we are just so looking forward to the comfort of great friends here with us. They are here in London until Tuesday and then heading to Ireland. We are going to meet back up with them next Thursday night in Dublin and spend their last weekend there. I am counting down the hours to their arrival.
Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend. Perhaps we will get the Senior Director blogging a bit more since she has revealed her skills!!!
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
First, I have delayed blogging this week as I have wanted Ann to continue basking in the limelight after her entertaining post last week. She was quite excited with herself after she had completed it. Granted, it took her a bit longer than it did Thomas Crapper to invent the flushing toilet, but she worked diligently and created a nice piece of writing, on time as well;)
We hope you are well and getting excited for Labor Day weekend. We have to give a big cheers to the Annual Labor Day Weekend extravaganza at the Berenz High Climb in Hancock, WI. Every Labor Day at Ann's family's cottage, the Berenz, McGrath, Klotz, and Nelson Families get together for a weekend of debauchery. There is the annual flip cup tourney, bags, washers, "Tolf," late night bonfires, and usually some kind of costumed karaoke adventure into Sneaky Pete's or the Hancock Hotel. Be safe up there this weekend and I have $20 for the team that finally dethrones the overrated "Champs" in the flip cup tourney. They are rubbish. The Senior Director thinks that team is untouchable, but if you would look at the amount of beer spilled from their cups, you would know that they are just cheaters!!!!
We had our form of the UK Labor Day weekend last weekend. We flew to Tallinn, Estonia for the weekend, and wow, it lived up to all of the hype that we had heard. Estonia is a small country that sits just south of Finland and West of Russia on the Baltic Sea. You can just imagine how cold it must be in the winter as the Baltic Sea freezes over in many places. The poor country finally just got its independence about 20 years ago after USSR collapsed as it had been a communist country since after WWII. Before that though, it had been ruled by the Danes, the Swedes, and the Germans for almost all of its history. The Etonians, we discovered, are an incredibly proud people though and were able to maintain their heritage and tradition despite all of the oppressive rulers. The old part of Tallinn is this incredibly amazing walled, medieval city with winding cobblestone streets. It was like stepping back into the Middle Ages. On Friday night when we arrived, we had been given a recommendation for this restaurant called Olde Hansa, a traditional Estonian establishment(see pic above). As you can see, all of the tableware was wooden, and you order these set feasts. I have to give you a rundown of this Wild Game Feast that we ate because it was just an awesome experience:
Starters:
- Juniper Flavored Beef with Horseradish Sour Cream and Quail Eggs
- French Royal Poultry Liver Pate with onion jam
- Andalusian Salmon
- Pickled Cucumber Lavonian Style
- Saffron Pickles
- Berry Sauce and Herb Bread with Nuts
- Rye Bread with Lard
- Cheese
Main:
- Smoked Grilled Salmon with nut sauce
- Bear, Wild Boar, and Elk Game Sausages
- Mild Game Pork
- Roasted Rabbitt
- Wild Boar Steak
Dessert:
Rose Pudding
To be perfectly honest, I have had better wild game, but the experience was unmatchable. They had this brilliant cinnamon beer too that was tasty.
Saturday, we started the day walking and taking in the sights of Old Town, and then decided to do this 4 hour Kayaking tour on the Baltic Sea that had been recommended to us. The Port of Tallinn was built as quite a stronghold for the German and Russian Navies and consists of multiple harbors that were once used for building naval ships and submarines as well as a prison. Today, the Berenz fleet of boats on Fish Lake in Wisconsin is most likely more formidable than the Estonian Navy, but there were still some old war ships and cool structures to see. We also kayaked out to one of the many islands in the Baltic near Tallinn and took in one of the nicer beaches. Overall, I think we kayaked about 6 or 7 miles, so it was a really fun experience. We said to each other who ever thought that we would be kayaking on the Baltic Sea. Most importantly, Ann kept pretty calm in the front of the kayak where she had no power over the rudder and ultimately which direction we went. I had to take her lead with paddling though, so it was a nice display of team work, and despite some raised voices at times while we paddled into the wind and over white caps, we got out of the kayak still speaking to each other!!!! Saturday evening, we decided to see how the night life was in Tallinn. We started at the beer house, which was pretty funny. Ann was obsessed with the local Estonian people dancing and tried to convince me to dance with an 80 year old woman. After the beer hall, we ended up stumbling(not literally) into this beautiful little outside restaurant completely enclosed by walls off of a main street. They had a great 3 piece band and we ordered some delicious scallops and a cocktail before moving on. We finished the night in a couple of classic karaoke bars(Estonians love Karaoke apparently).
Sunday was a fantastic day as we had covered most of the major sights on Saturday. We slept in and had a nice morning and then ventured on a couple of bus tours that took us through some sights outside of the city. Sunday afternoon, we found this quaint little restaurant back in Old Town called Von Krahli Aed. The food was incredible. Ann had a mutton chop that was extraordinary. Sunday night, we actually found a movie theater and went and saw "Midnight in Paris," Woody Allen's new film. It is funny because we usually do not have time for movies in London, so this was a perfect opportunity. It has not been officially released yet in Europe, so we actually watched it in this 40 seat screening theater with these huge plush, leather arm chairs. It will be hard to sit in a regular theater again.
Anyway, that was Estonia. We flew back on Monday afternoon as we had a holiday last Monday. As I type, our friends Patrick and Susie are just a few hours away from heading to the airport in Minneapolis to board their flight for London. We are so incredibly excited to see them. We stayed at their house our last 2 nights in Minneapolis last December after the movers had come before we made the trek to Fondy and then London, and that is the last time that we have seen them. It has been too long and we are just so looking forward to the comfort of great friends here with us. They are here in London until Tuesday and then heading to Ireland. We are going to meet back up with them next Thursday night in Dublin and spend their last weekend there. I am counting down the hours to their arrival.
Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend. Perhaps we will get the Senior Director blogging a bit more since she has revealed her skills!!!
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Let The Truth Be Told...
Before I reflect on the Berenz Girl’s European Adventure, I would like to give our dedicated blog-followers some insight into Kevin’s blogging rules and behaviors to help you all understand why you have rarely heard from the Senior Director:
1. All entries have to be in chronological order. If I can’t keep up with Kevin, there is no possibility for me to enhance this piece of work (I was given a deadline for this entry because he is ready for his next post!!!)
2. Creativity and exaggeration are a must. Kevin has passed judgment on my lack of creativity by reading over my shoulder saying, “You are going to write about that?”
3. Check for spelling and grammatical errors and then do it once again for safe-keeping. Kevin believes he is going to win a Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography so he is ultra sensitive to these types of errors. I must ensure their aren’t no errors in my entrys J.
4. Jokes, jokes and more jokes. Kevin thinks that every day is April Fool’s thus he likes to add humor to each entry to see what you all “fall for.” In his next entry, I am sure he is going to tell you all of these blog rules are rubbish and that I died of “natural causes” just like Amy Winehouse.
Now, on to my “boring” post that I am writing at this very moment to ensure I can have an entry before his next post!!! HeheheheheheJ
My mom, Jane (sister) and Jobina (my bro’s better half), had a full packed schedule which took them to London, Paris, Rome and then back to London. It was Jane and Jobina’s first trip to Europe and it was fun to experience everything with the first-timers. True to Berenz style, the trip was mainly based around food and drink. We introduced them to Lebanese food and it was my mom’s first time eating Indian. Jobina had the best drink in her life at Neal’s Yard in London and my mom discovered Pimms’s No 1. It’s a gin-based liquor containing quinine and a secret mixture of herbs and it was created in 1823. It is one of the two staple drinks at Wimbledon and the Henley Royal regatta. It’s typically served with Lemonade over ice with diced lemons, limes, oranges, strawberries, cucumbers and crushed mint. This drink is a must for any of our future visitors!!! My sister is pregnant so when we were taking in the cocktails, she was chewing on candy gummies… which we agreed tasted better than the ones made in the US. Between all the girls, they took approximately 100 pictures of food and drinks. Now the test will be if they can remember each meal when they share the pics with the rest of the fam.
The one meal, I know we will not forget was our dinner in Paris on Saturday night. After a long day of walking and sightseeing, we were ready to eat so I led them to the Boulevard St-Michel area based on a guidebook recommendation. It was describe as an area with many shops, cafes, restaurants and cinemas. When we arrived, it was a nightmare because it was a tourist trap!!! It was one restaurant after the next and it went on for blocks. They all looked the same and they each had individuals on the street trying to leer us in. None of us wanted to make the decision because we didn’t want to get blamed for the bad meal. After much indecision, we forced my mom to pick and to no surprise it was horrible. As a result, we had an “after-party” and ended up in a convenience store buying cheese, crackers, wine and gummy bears, which we consumed on the river walk along the Seine.
Then the girls ventured onto Italy and ate their way through Rome. Their favorite tourist spot was the Coliseum and Jobina made history by wearing her pajamas to the Vatican. I am not sure what the Pope would have said if she had run into him!!! Back in London, the girls fell in love with the markets, TK Maxx (same as TJ Maxx), pub life, Ottolenghi bakery goods, cider beer, Pimm’s, and English mustard. Last Friday night, we had a fabulous experience going to the theatre to see The Lion King. We all thought it was even better than Wicked. I highly recommend it for anybody who has a chance to see it.
Even though we got to see and experience all these wonderful things together, one of my highlights was seeing my sister baby bump and feeling the baby kick. It was such an incredible feeling and I am just so excited to meet “Little Tommy” (this is only a inside joke).
They all made it back safe to Fondy and now Kevin and I are going to Tallinn, Estonia this weekend. Upon our return next week, we welcome Susie and Patrick King, our good Minneapolis buddies. So much to look forward to…
Until Next Time,
The Senior Director
Fondy Takes Europe
The Fondy Ladies have come and gone,
They bid farewell on Monday at dawn.
They began in London to Paris and Rome,
And back to London before heading home.
They walked miles a day at a hearty pace,
as seen from the exhaustion upon their face.
They sampled the local fare at every chance,
but it was all the desserts that made them dance.
I leave you with this short form of non prose,
as Ann will blog of their travels and woes.
Stay tuned for pictures and words from the Senior Director.................
They bid farewell on Monday at dawn.
They began in London to Paris and Rome,
And back to London before heading home.
They walked miles a day at a hearty pace,
as seen from the exhaustion upon their face.
They sampled the local fare at every chance,
but it was all the desserts that made them dance.
I leave you with this short form of non prose,
as Ann will blog of their travels and woes.
Stay tuned for pictures and words from the Senior Director.................
Thursday, 11 August 2011
London Riots and Shocking Revelation
Hi Everyone,
While I was watching BBC news in my hotel room in Warsaw yesterday morning trying to catch the latest updates on the riot situation in London, I witnessed something unbelievably disturbing. If you look at the picture above, focus in on the light-pole in the background with the yellow box. If you squint very carefully, you will be just as terrifyingly surprised to see what I did. Carrying a red bag for what I assume could only be looting purposes, Ann apparently took her loneliness to the streets. While I was away slaving for our family and assuming that Ann was at home preparing for our visitors, I come to find out that she was adding to the lawlessness in London. Ironically, I was probably the first person in history to ever take refuge in Poland when the threat of violence broke out.
In all seriousness, it is incredibly sad what has happened this week in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and other cities in England. It has been completely senseless and simply just an excuse for thugs to destroy their neighborhoods and steal from others. If you have seen any interviews with some of these idiots, they are proclaiming that they want their money back from the government while they have never actually paid taxes. Sadly, the police do not have the authority to give anyone the beating that they deserve for fear of lawsuits. Anyway, we have been safe and not directly affected and thanks to everyone that has sent us emails this week asking about us.
On the very bright side, the Fondy contingent touched down safely at Heathrow this morning. We are looking forward to a week and a half of fun.
Cheers
Kevin
While I was watching BBC news in my hotel room in Warsaw yesterday morning trying to catch the latest updates on the riot situation in London, I witnessed something unbelievably disturbing. If you look at the picture above, focus in on the light-pole in the background with the yellow box. If you squint very carefully, you will be just as terrifyingly surprised to see what I did. Carrying a red bag for what I assume could only be looting purposes, Ann apparently took her loneliness to the streets. While I was away slaving for our family and assuming that Ann was at home preparing for our visitors, I come to find out that she was adding to the lawlessness in London. Ironically, I was probably the first person in history to ever take refuge in Poland when the threat of violence broke out.
In all seriousness, it is incredibly sad what has happened this week in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and other cities in England. It has been completely senseless and simply just an excuse for thugs to destroy their neighborhoods and steal from others. If you have seen any interviews with some of these idiots, they are proclaiming that they want their money back from the government while they have never actually paid taxes. Sadly, the police do not have the authority to give anyone the beating that they deserve for fear of lawsuits. Anyway, we have been safe and not directly affected and thanks to everyone that has sent us emails this week asking about us.
On the very bright side, the Fondy contingent touched down safely at Heathrow this morning. We are looking forward to a week and a half of fun.
Cheers
Kevin
Monday, 8 August 2011
Copenhagen - The Smorgasbord of Canals, Cycling, and Cannabis
Hej(Hello in Danish),
It is a big week here in England. The umbilical chord that has been stretched from Fondy to London is going to get a little reprieve. Cathy, Jane +1, and Jobina land on Thursday for 12 days of adventure. Ann is all smiles from head to toe. It is Jane and Jobina's first trip abroad as well, so we can't wait to see their excitement. I have to make a quick trip to Warsaw, Poland tomorrow to Wednesday night for work, but I shall be back for the arrival on Thursday!!!
Ann and I spent this last weekend in Copenhagen. We have heard incredible things from many people, so it has been on our short list. It is definitely a unique city. It is known as one of the most environmentally friendly cities(perplexing since there is trash everywhere) as well as boasting that almost 40% of its population commutes to work or school by bicycle. I have never in my life seen so many bikes. It is awesome. They advertise that there are over 2000 free bikes as well throughout the city, but good luck finding one. We searched everywhere we went. Finally, on Sunday, with like 2 hours before we had to go to the airport, we finally found 2 of these elusive bikes. We were all excited and go to get on them, and the damn things didn't even have chains on them. So much for biking in Copenhagen!!! There is a pic of Ann below in one of the many seas of bikes. The city's origin is as a harbour town as well, so they built these amazing canals and island communities in the 17th century to create commerce. It is also rich with naval history since the Danes have always prided themselves as a seafaring people. Just a quick side story here. We were on this tour on Saturday and there was a navy destroyer anchored in their main harbour. We came to find out that this modern warfare destroyer was the pride of their navy when it was built. Well, soon after its commissioning, it accidentally fired a missile into a village in Northern Denmark and did some serious damage. Consequently, the ship was decommissioned and the captain sought early retirement!!! Anyway, Copenhagen is also a memorial to Hans Christian Anderson, the poet who penned "The Little Mermaid" and "The Ugly Duckling" among many others. One of the most talked about attractions is actually a statue of a mermaid on one of the islands in the harbor. We took a great boat tour on Saturday that took us by the mermaid, and I will have to say that it was one of the most anticlimactic experiences that I had. The boat tour was incredible though and certainly one of our highlights. There was one island that housed most of the Danish Navy's facilities until 1993, places where they used to build their subs and torpedoes, and the buildings have now been converted into offices and homes. It was really cool to see. Their main canal into the city center is called Nyhavn, or New Harbour, and it was dug by prisoners in the 17th century. It is lined by these wonderfully colorful buildings that were mostly bars and brothels for the sailors when they came into port. They are now restaurants and shops that line the canal.
I have to dedicate a whole paragraph to the food and drink because it was amazing. The Scandinavians and Danes specifically love brunch. I never realised this, but the word "Smorgasbord" is a Scandinavian expression. On Sunday, we went to a very traditional Danish restaurant in Nyhavn called Cap Horn for Brunch. The meal consisted of a pancake(more crepe), a bowl of yougurt and muesli with syrup, a piece of passion fruit and pineapple, smoked salmon on salad with an herb creme cheese, and also a small bowl of eggs with chorizo sausage topped with 2 slices of bacon. It was delicious. On Saturday morning, we went to a great little sidewalk cafe called Europa which had a similar ensemble of food. After touring all morning, we found a little floating restaurant on one of the canals and had a fantastic lunch. We started with a fresh spring salad of lettuce, tomatoe, watermelon and feta. What a great combination. We then has a piece of fresh cod and potatoes. It was by far the best cod that I have ever had. Most importantly, Copenhagen is home to Carlsberg beer, so that was a great complement to all of our meals. After we had walked and toured ourselves out on Saturday afternoon, we found this awesome cocktail bar called Saloon 39 or now El Floridita. It was inspired from the original El Floridita in Havana, Ernest Hemingway's favorite bar. They also serve his favorite drinks there, mainly daiquiris. If you are thinking of the fruity concoction that we now call a daiquiri, you could not be further from the truth. These things were powerful, which made sense since Hemingway loved Absinthe. Saturday night, we found a quaint little restaurant off of the beaten path called Fru Heiberg. I had muscles and they were extraordinary. To top off our culinary adventure, Copenhagen is known for their hotdog street vendors. We were able to find room for one before we left for the airport on Sunday. It was well worth the wait and about the only reasonably priced thing in Copenhagen;)
As you can see from the title, I have addressed everything but the marijuana. So, there is an area in Copenhagen called Christiania. It is also known as Freetown Christiania, a self-proclaimed commune of hippies. It was established in 1971 after a group of hippies took over a former military installation. They built a community of about 1000 people and have never left. Apparently, there has been a lot of controversy through the years about legal enforcement, but for the most part, the city and state has let it continue to exist without much regulation. These hippies are completely free to smoke and sell hash and weed all day long. You can go back into this area and tour, and this is how they make most of their money from selling anything from shirts with their flag on it, to anything hemp, and they probably have one of the best bong selections that I have ever seen. Most lucratively speaking though, you can buy any type of hash or weed imaginable. They just have these tables set up and bricks of hash laying out to be cut. It is a very surreal experience. The whole place just reeked of pot, as it should since most people that we walked past were smoking huge blunts. It is very hard to describe. If you have a chance, you should google it. They did strictly enforce no cameras, so that is the one thing that they were adamant about, but you can see some pictures on google images of some of the unique shacks and elaborate graffiti.
Well, I suppose those were the main highlights from the weekend. It was another great trip and another reminder of how incredibly lucky we are to be seeing the world. I will be here in London next weekend holding down the fort while the girls head to Paris and Rome. As always, we will keep you posted with our activities and pics.
Farvel
Kevin and Ann
It is a big week here in England. The umbilical chord that has been stretched from Fondy to London is going to get a little reprieve. Cathy, Jane +1, and Jobina land on Thursday for 12 days of adventure. Ann is all smiles from head to toe. It is Jane and Jobina's first trip abroad as well, so we can't wait to see their excitement. I have to make a quick trip to Warsaw, Poland tomorrow to Wednesday night for work, but I shall be back for the arrival on Thursday!!!
Ann and I spent this last weekend in Copenhagen. We have heard incredible things from many people, so it has been on our short list. It is definitely a unique city. It is known as one of the most environmentally friendly cities(perplexing since there is trash everywhere) as well as boasting that almost 40% of its population commutes to work or school by bicycle. I have never in my life seen so many bikes. It is awesome. They advertise that there are over 2000 free bikes as well throughout the city, but good luck finding one. We searched everywhere we went. Finally, on Sunday, with like 2 hours before we had to go to the airport, we finally found 2 of these elusive bikes. We were all excited and go to get on them, and the damn things didn't even have chains on them. So much for biking in Copenhagen!!! There is a pic of Ann below in one of the many seas of bikes. The city's origin is as a harbour town as well, so they built these amazing canals and island communities in the 17th century to create commerce. It is also rich with naval history since the Danes have always prided themselves as a seafaring people. Just a quick side story here. We were on this tour on Saturday and there was a navy destroyer anchored in their main harbour. We came to find out that this modern warfare destroyer was the pride of their navy when it was built. Well, soon after its commissioning, it accidentally fired a missile into a village in Northern Denmark and did some serious damage. Consequently, the ship was decommissioned and the captain sought early retirement!!! Anyway, Copenhagen is also a memorial to Hans Christian Anderson, the poet who penned "The Little Mermaid" and "The Ugly Duckling" among many others. One of the most talked about attractions is actually a statue of a mermaid on one of the islands in the harbor. We took a great boat tour on Saturday that took us by the mermaid, and I will have to say that it was one of the most anticlimactic experiences that I had. The boat tour was incredible though and certainly one of our highlights. There was one island that housed most of the Danish Navy's facilities until 1993, places where they used to build their subs and torpedoes, and the buildings have now been converted into offices and homes. It was really cool to see. Their main canal into the city center is called Nyhavn, or New Harbour, and it was dug by prisoners in the 17th century. It is lined by these wonderfully colorful buildings that were mostly bars and brothels for the sailors when they came into port. They are now restaurants and shops that line the canal.
I have to dedicate a whole paragraph to the food and drink because it was amazing. The Scandinavians and Danes specifically love brunch. I never realised this, but the word "Smorgasbord" is a Scandinavian expression. On Sunday, we went to a very traditional Danish restaurant in Nyhavn called Cap Horn for Brunch. The meal consisted of a pancake(more crepe), a bowl of yougurt and muesli with syrup, a piece of passion fruit and pineapple, smoked salmon on salad with an herb creme cheese, and also a small bowl of eggs with chorizo sausage topped with 2 slices of bacon. It was delicious. On Saturday morning, we went to a great little sidewalk cafe called Europa which had a similar ensemble of food. After touring all morning, we found a little floating restaurant on one of the canals and had a fantastic lunch. We started with a fresh spring salad of lettuce, tomatoe, watermelon and feta. What a great combination. We then has a piece of fresh cod and potatoes. It was by far the best cod that I have ever had. Most importantly, Copenhagen is home to Carlsberg beer, so that was a great complement to all of our meals. After we had walked and toured ourselves out on Saturday afternoon, we found this awesome cocktail bar called Saloon 39 or now El Floridita. It was inspired from the original El Floridita in Havana, Ernest Hemingway's favorite bar. They also serve his favorite drinks there, mainly daiquiris. If you are thinking of the fruity concoction that we now call a daiquiri, you could not be further from the truth. These things were powerful, which made sense since Hemingway loved Absinthe. Saturday night, we found a quaint little restaurant off of the beaten path called Fru Heiberg. I had muscles and they were extraordinary. To top off our culinary adventure, Copenhagen is known for their hotdog street vendors. We were able to find room for one before we left for the airport on Sunday. It was well worth the wait and about the only reasonably priced thing in Copenhagen;)
As you can see from the title, I have addressed everything but the marijuana. So, there is an area in Copenhagen called Christiania. It is also known as Freetown Christiania, a self-proclaimed commune of hippies. It was established in 1971 after a group of hippies took over a former military installation. They built a community of about 1000 people and have never left. Apparently, there has been a lot of controversy through the years about legal enforcement, but for the most part, the city and state has let it continue to exist without much regulation. These hippies are completely free to smoke and sell hash and weed all day long. You can go back into this area and tour, and this is how they make most of their money from selling anything from shirts with their flag on it, to anything hemp, and they probably have one of the best bong selections that I have ever seen. Most lucratively speaking though, you can buy any type of hash or weed imaginable. They just have these tables set up and bricks of hash laying out to be cut. It is a very surreal experience. The whole place just reeked of pot, as it should since most people that we walked past were smoking huge blunts. It is very hard to describe. If you have a chance, you should google it. They did strictly enforce no cameras, so that is the one thing that they were adamant about, but you can see some pictures on google images of some of the unique shacks and elaborate graffiti.
Well, I suppose those were the main highlights from the weekend. It was another great trip and another reminder of how incredibly lucky we are to be seeing the world. I will be here in London next weekend holding down the fort while the girls head to Paris and Rome. As always, we will keep you posted with our activities and pics.
Farvel
Kevin and Ann
Friday, 29 July 2011
Knapp Family Vacation
Hi All,
It has been a crazy week getting caught up with work and sleep after Florida, hence my delay. I am sure that everyone has been waiting with unprecedented anticipation;) Well, wait no more. It was an incredible week at the beach. We landed in rain on that first Saturday afternoon, but the sun and humidity attacked with full force and it was beautiful and HOT the remainder of the time. We stayed in an awesome beachside resort called Watercolor in Santa Rosa Beach. It was a perfect place for the little girls to play and swim and there were ample pool and beach bars to keep us adults fairly preoccupied. One of the highlights was our first night. Ann and I arrived around 6 to find the Knapp clan had already taken over the "Library" and had a personal waitress in charge of quenching all thirsts. We started to get a little wound up before dinner and took that same enthusiasm into the restaurant. Well, my family is loud without cocktails, so add in a few, and it is a recipe for chaos. We have been known to clear restaurants in the past. We were actually clapped out of the restaurant when we left that first night by "Barry Manilow" and his family. It was not really Barry, but we nicknamed him that since at that time he appeared very similar. The funny part is that we continued to run into Barry the rest of the week and would refer to him often, and the fact that he did not look like Barry Manilow at all!!! Anyway, after the raucousness of the first night, we settled into a nice daily routine of switching between the beach and the pool and enjoying the sun. It was so much fun playing with all of the little girls all week. We played in the ocean and the pools, and went sand crabbing almost every night on the beach. That was always one of my favorite memories as a kid growing up, so I am so glad to see that all of my nieces are enjoying it too. I can't say that we caught the "Attila the Hun" of sand crabs, but we made some great efforts. They are growing up so fast. It is hard to be as far away from them all when they are at such fun ages, but that is why we have to take advantage of that time. Beyond that, we found some great restaurants like Caliza in Alys Beach(Picture Below) and the Red Bar in Grayton Beach. We could not have asked for a better week. There was unfortunately one low spot. Summer vacation also means the annual golf tournament, usually two 18 hole rounds with a two-man scramble format. The teams have always been myself and Mike Graham versus my dad and Michael Oliver. Let's just say that my team has sacrificed many strokes and the amount seems to grow more every year, but it has always been a very close match. It just happens that Mike and I have never lost. Well, we were sitting pretty good after round 1 this year, feeling fairly confident about our position going into the final round, and then the unthinkable happened. We lost the front, the back, and the eighteen on Championship Friday. You know the term signifying the start of the Revolutionary war, "the Shot heard round the world," well this was the loss heard round the world. Perhaps it was complacency, perhaps the extreme heat, perhaps giving too many strokes, but bottom line, we lost it. I think Mike and I felt more defeated than Tiger Woods on that fateful Thanksgiving evening after being chased with a 5 iron and crashing into the neighbours tree. I know they say all dynasty's must come to an end, but this was a tough one to swallow. I will say that we were gracious in defeat and the winners were very modest in their victory, albeit my cousin emailing me from STL this week to tell me he heard that we lost:) No, in all seriousness, it was an incredible vacation. Thanks mom and dad for another great week full of memories.
I guess that is about it. There was one temporarily lasting effect from vacation, and that was getting the shakes at about 11am on Monday-Wednesday from not having a cocktail by then!!! We are here in London this weekend, looking forward to a relaxing couple of days. Annie has to make a quick trip to Frankfurt on Monday and Tuesday for "work." I have a feeling it is really just for bratwurst and kraut, but I won't question this one. We are off to Copenhagen, Denmark next weekend, so if I do not post before then, there will be one the following week.
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
It has been a crazy week getting caught up with work and sleep after Florida, hence my delay. I am sure that everyone has been waiting with unprecedented anticipation;) Well, wait no more. It was an incredible week at the beach. We landed in rain on that first Saturday afternoon, but the sun and humidity attacked with full force and it was beautiful and HOT the remainder of the time. We stayed in an awesome beachside resort called Watercolor in Santa Rosa Beach. It was a perfect place for the little girls to play and swim and there were ample pool and beach bars to keep us adults fairly preoccupied. One of the highlights was our first night. Ann and I arrived around 6 to find the Knapp clan had already taken over the "Library" and had a personal waitress in charge of quenching all thirsts. We started to get a little wound up before dinner and took that same enthusiasm into the restaurant. Well, my family is loud without cocktails, so add in a few, and it is a recipe for chaos. We have been known to clear restaurants in the past. We were actually clapped out of the restaurant when we left that first night by "Barry Manilow" and his family. It was not really Barry, but we nicknamed him that since at that time he appeared very similar. The funny part is that we continued to run into Barry the rest of the week and would refer to him often, and the fact that he did not look like Barry Manilow at all!!! Anyway, after the raucousness of the first night, we settled into a nice daily routine of switching between the beach and the pool and enjoying the sun. It was so much fun playing with all of the little girls all week. We played in the ocean and the pools, and went sand crabbing almost every night on the beach. That was always one of my favorite memories as a kid growing up, so I am so glad to see that all of my nieces are enjoying it too. I can't say that we caught the "Attila the Hun" of sand crabs, but we made some great efforts. They are growing up so fast. It is hard to be as far away from them all when they are at such fun ages, but that is why we have to take advantage of that time. Beyond that, we found some great restaurants like Caliza in Alys Beach(Picture Below) and the Red Bar in Grayton Beach. We could not have asked for a better week. There was unfortunately one low spot. Summer vacation also means the annual golf tournament, usually two 18 hole rounds with a two-man scramble format. The teams have always been myself and Mike Graham versus my dad and Michael Oliver. Let's just say that my team has sacrificed many strokes and the amount seems to grow more every year, but it has always been a very close match. It just happens that Mike and I have never lost. Well, we were sitting pretty good after round 1 this year, feeling fairly confident about our position going into the final round, and then the unthinkable happened. We lost the front, the back, and the eighteen on Championship Friday. You know the term signifying the start of the Revolutionary war, "the Shot heard round the world," well this was the loss heard round the world. Perhaps it was complacency, perhaps the extreme heat, perhaps giving too many strokes, but bottom line, we lost it. I think Mike and I felt more defeated than Tiger Woods on that fateful Thanksgiving evening after being chased with a 5 iron and crashing into the neighbours tree. I know they say all dynasty's must come to an end, but this was a tough one to swallow. I will say that we were gracious in defeat and the winners were very modest in their victory, albeit my cousin emailing me from STL this week to tell me he heard that we lost:) No, in all seriousness, it was an incredible vacation. Thanks mom and dad for another great week full of memories.
I guess that is about it. There was one temporarily lasting effect from vacation, and that was getting the shakes at about 11am on Monday-Wednesday from not having a cocktail by then!!! We are here in London this weekend, looking forward to a relaxing couple of days. Annie has to make a quick trip to Frankfurt on Monday and Tuesday for "work." I have a feeling it is really just for bratwurst and kraut, but I won't question this one. We are off to Copenhagen, Denmark next weekend, so if I do not post before then, there will be one the following week.
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Saturday Funday and New Planned Euro Adventures
Hi Everyone,
We hope that you are having a great week. It has been typical summer weather here in London with a lot of clouds and temps in the 60's. We are off to Florida on Saturday for the Knapp Summer Vacation in Watercolor, and incredibly excited about sitting on the beach and relaxing, as well as a few rounds of golf. We are psyched to see my whole family, including 5 energetic little girls. Ann just got back late last night from a quick 36 hour trip to Paris. She has been working so much and can't wait to completely shut off next week, well as much as a Senior Director can do!!
This last weekend was the first weekend without visitors and scheduled plans, so we thoroughly enjoyed taking it as it came. We have to give a shout out to Ann's cousin Brittney and her new husband Steve. They got married on Saturday in Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, so we sadly had to miss a great time.
Our main goal on Saturday was to get some trips planned for ourselves. We have a lot of visitors arriving again in August and continuing into November, so we needed to take advantage of some of our free weekends and also good weather in Europe. We were able to get the first weekend in August booked for Copenhagen, Denmark, and then the last weekend in August booked for Tallinn, Estonia, on the Gulf of Finland. We have heard fantastic things about both of these places. We also got our trip booked this week to Dublin with our good friends Patrick and Susie when they are here visiting in September. We are also taking an unbelievable cruise with my parents at the end of September leaving from Istanbul, Turkey, cruising through the Turkish and Greek Isles and finishing in Athens. I may or may not return after that trip!!!
So, after our productive morning, we decided to head up to a village just north of London called Hampstead. Our friend Beth came with us, and wow did we find some incredible places. We stopped for lunch in an awesome 19th century pub called the Garden Gate. They had a beautiful beer garden. I had been told by a co-worker about another pub called The Spaniards Inn, which was just on the North side of Hampstead Heath( a huge park and green space). We walked from the Garden Gate up around the Park and found this incredible Inn. The Spaniards Inn is a traditional English country pub that was built around 1585. The pic on the top is of Ann and I standing outside of this place. They had one of the most amazing beer gardens that I have ever seen. If you are visiting us in London, please insist on going there. I do not need much of an excuse. Anyway, after a pitcher of Pimms in the sun, we decided that we should not interfere with the good vibe that we had rolling, so we continued the pub crawl into another area of London called Angel. A few pubs later, some great cuban food at a place called Cuba Libre(unoriginal name), and another pub or two after that, we had ourselves quite a Saturday. It was completely spontaneous, and as you know, those are some of the best days.
I guess that about wraps it up for now. Since I will be on holiday next week, so will the Blog. I will make sure and have a good update from Florida when we return. As always, we miss you all and can't wait see you soon or later.
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
We hope that you are having a great week. It has been typical summer weather here in London with a lot of clouds and temps in the 60's. We are off to Florida on Saturday for the Knapp Summer Vacation in Watercolor, and incredibly excited about sitting on the beach and relaxing, as well as a few rounds of golf. We are psyched to see my whole family, including 5 energetic little girls. Ann just got back late last night from a quick 36 hour trip to Paris. She has been working so much and can't wait to completely shut off next week, well as much as a Senior Director can do!!
This last weekend was the first weekend without visitors and scheduled plans, so we thoroughly enjoyed taking it as it came. We have to give a shout out to Ann's cousin Brittney and her new husband Steve. They got married on Saturday in Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, so we sadly had to miss a great time.
Our main goal on Saturday was to get some trips planned for ourselves. We have a lot of visitors arriving again in August and continuing into November, so we needed to take advantage of some of our free weekends and also good weather in Europe. We were able to get the first weekend in August booked for Copenhagen, Denmark, and then the last weekend in August booked for Tallinn, Estonia, on the Gulf of Finland. We have heard fantastic things about both of these places. We also got our trip booked this week to Dublin with our good friends Patrick and Susie when they are here visiting in September. We are also taking an unbelievable cruise with my parents at the end of September leaving from Istanbul, Turkey, cruising through the Turkish and Greek Isles and finishing in Athens. I may or may not return after that trip!!!
So, after our productive morning, we decided to head up to a village just north of London called Hampstead. Our friend Beth came with us, and wow did we find some incredible places. We stopped for lunch in an awesome 19th century pub called the Garden Gate. They had a beautiful beer garden. I had been told by a co-worker about another pub called The Spaniards Inn, which was just on the North side of Hampstead Heath( a huge park and green space). We walked from the Garden Gate up around the Park and found this incredible Inn. The Spaniards Inn is a traditional English country pub that was built around 1585. The pic on the top is of Ann and I standing outside of this place. They had one of the most amazing beer gardens that I have ever seen. If you are visiting us in London, please insist on going there. I do not need much of an excuse. Anyway, after a pitcher of Pimms in the sun, we decided that we should not interfere with the good vibe that we had rolling, so we continued the pub crawl into another area of London called Angel. A few pubs later, some great cuban food at a place called Cuba Libre(unoriginal name), and another pub or two after that, we had ourselves quite a Saturday. It was completely spontaneous, and as you know, those are some of the best days.
I guess that about wraps it up for now. Since I will be on holiday next week, so will the Blog. I will make sure and have a good update from Florida when we return. As always, we miss you all and can't wait see you soon or later.
Cheers
Kevin and Ann
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