Experience the Invention of Irish Coffee at the Flying Boat Museum

The Foynes Flying Boat Museum in Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland keeps getting better. The first time we visited the museum in 1996, we went looking for a Flying Boat. While we did not find one there at the time, we found a wealth of history and original newsreels and memorabilia that made us want to come back for the Irish Coffee Festival later that year. After all, we found out on our visit, Irish Coffee was indeed invented there. We continued to visit the museum every year and some time later, we got our wish, we were able to board a replica of the Pan Am Flying Boat and truly experience what the passengers had on a flight across the Atlantic.

Well, the museum hasn't stopped there. You can now also relive the night Irish Coffee was invented, by entering a room where you will see chef, Joe Sheridan invent the drink. This is a very innovative holographic experience. It was a cold night in 1943 when one of the flying boats had to turn back to Ireland after several hours of flight towards Botwood, Newfoundland. The staff returns to the terminal to be ready for the arrival of the passengers. Joe Sheridan is approached to make a special drink to warm them. You are there, like a fly on the wall, to witness the invention of Irish Coffee! And after you view history in the making, you can experience it, in a recreation of the original airport restaurant where Irish Coffee is now served everyday.

So if you are visiting Ireland, make this a must see stop. I'm told that the museum is has more surprised in store for the future. Work is now being done on the original tower and there will be more to see in the years ahead. So if you have been there before, it's time to revisit. If you have never been, what are you waiting for?

A Christmas Visit to Waddesdon Manor

Today we had an opportunity to visit Waddesdon Manor, the Rothchild estate near Alesbury, this year embracing its French heritage.  The home boasts over 18,000 lights and countless beautiful decorations in a Parisiene theme, capturing the atmosphere of Christmas Eve in some of the glorious locations along the River Seine. The historic French Château is stunning, with fleurs-de-lys, lavender and garlic, an Arc de Triomphe and Obelisk in the many rooms.  The celebration extends throughout the entire estate with twinkling lights and a reindeer trail near the Coach House at the Stables.

More pictures are available on our Flickr page.  Learn more about Waddesdon Manor at their website, www.waddesdon.org.uk.

Dreamboats & Petticoats

News Flash...

We interrupt our regular posts to let you know that if you are coming to the UK anytime soon, you may want to consider getting a ticket to "Dreamboats & Petticoats". I say "may" because everyone's musical taste differs, but if you are of a certain age and actually remember or even grew up on the just pre-Beatles music, this is a must see.

We had an opportunity to see it at the Windsor Royal Theatre recently where it was just perfect in the small theatre environment. It is jam-packed with songs you will remember instantly, and the production we saw was top notch. If you are heading this way, be sure not to miss this wonderful play. It is playing at the Playhouse in London as of this writing, but more locations can be found on this site.

Our Summer 2010 Edition

A Visit to Cragside

Hello, fellow travelers! This year we are going to experiment with something new - well, new to us, anyway. In addition to our still pictures, we will try to give you a bit of a sense of being there with some short videos.

The first one is below, taken on our trip up to Scotland last week. It's from an iPhone, so the quality isn't what we'd call Hollywood style, but it's a start in the new direction...



Here are some further pictures...








To learn more about Cragside, please visit their National Trust website.

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Pictures provided through Flickr.

A Wonderful B&B in Donegal

In July we ventured into the northern part of Ireland with friends to see the Donegal-Sligo area for the first time. We are big fans of Ireland in general, and we still can't understand what took us so long to get up there, but it was definitely worth the wait.


The entire area is a wealth of beauty and history, and our stay at the Ard na Breatha Guesthouse (B&B) and Restaurant not only proved to be the perfect location from which to explore the region but also a great complement to the area.

We enjoyed three evening meals there (all wonderful!) and the impeccable service offered by this small, family-owned establishment. The guest rooms were quite comfortable and situated in a converted old barn building adjacent to the main house. It is an altogether pleasant and enjoyable place to stay.

Not much more that I can say other than to see their website, which gives much more details than I can and is from my experience 100% correct.

Review: Mercure Albrighton Hall & Spa

We recently stayed at the Mercure Albrighton Hall & Spa, near Shrewsbury, and it was a really nice experience.

We were welcomed by a friendly staff upon arrival who attended to our every need. The rooms were large and airy, and the facilities were very cordial all around. Our meals were excellent and again served in an efficient and friendly atmosphere. The hotel is actually a 300+ old stately manor house which has been gracefully converted and sits on beautiful grounds. It is about 3 miles from Shrewsbury town centre, so a car is definitely recommended. There is a car park on site just steps from the main entrance. Overall an excellent hotel and highly recommended

Don't rely strictly upon your GPS to find the hotel. Ours took us through a somewhat convoluted but senic route. A call to the hotel for exact directions is definitely recommended.

Mercure Albrighton Hall & Spa
Ellesmere Road
Shrewsbury SY4 3AG

A Feast for the Eyes and the Soul

The Royal Academy of the Arts has once again created a dynamite exhibition. "J. W Waterhouse - The Modern Pre-Raphaelite" is a sight to behold. The color, the romance, the poetry and sheer beauty of this exhibition are difficult to put into words. We have not seen as comprehensive and well organized collection of the Pre-Raphaelite work since the Academy displayed Andrew Lloyd Webber's collection several years ago. Waterhouse's paintings have been gathered to demonstrate the evolution of his work.

This is the largest retrospective of Waterhouse mounted in Britain to date. Born in Rome to British parents, one sees his admiration for classical antiquity in his early work. Scenes from ancient Rome fill the display room with color and detail that only someone of Waterhouse's caliber can accomplish. In describing the exhibit as a "modern" pre-Raphaelite, the Academy said it best, that he "...more than any artist of his generation, unified the immediacy of French naturalist techniques with the Romantic imagination encapsulated in the words of Shakespeare, Tennyson and Keats...".

As we move through the exhibition we go from the classical Roman pieces to the works that encompass the Greek myths as told by Homer, Ovid and other poets. We see life depicted from Greek, Roman and early Christian history to scenes from mythology and romantic literature. But in all of his pictures we see his ideal of female beauty with subtle references to the knowledge, intuition and special powers that women possess. Some of his tranquil paintings of women in natural settings capture an ethereal quality all it's own.

One of Waterhouse's greatest pieces, St. Cecilia is here to admire. It is the piece that secured his election as one of the 40 'full' Royal Academician. But whichever piece you view, you are looking at vivid colors, beautiful subjects and unique stories. A more romantic set of paintings could not be found. So if you are ready to spend an afternoon drinking in sheer beauty and romance, this is the place to go, see "J. W. Waterhouse - The Modern Pre-Raphaelite". 27 June-13 September 2009.