Day 1-NYC-October 13, 2026

16,000+ steps later…

I’m on the 36th floor of a hotel near Times Square, pooped! After getting on the plane in Louisville at 6 am, and seeing the plume of a space flight enroute, we landed at La Guardia, took an hour-long taxi ride to Manhattan, dropped off our bags at the hotel and got to eat a free breakfast (free, ha ha!), took the Metro to the Guggenheim Museum. The architecture was amazing but most of the art was disturbing. We were right next to Central Park, so we walked over there to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and took in a little bit of quietness and shade for a short walk. We were looking forward to NY bagels, so we rested awhile and shared a bagel at a small cafe where we sat outside at a little table, Lee was right - they are awesome! And I want more of them. We took the train from 96th Street down to 42nd Street to explore the New York Public Library and see the Lions in front. It’s a beautiful building built on a filled-in reservoir. Because of this most of the books have been removed and are stored underground in Bryant Park. I’m guessing it’s a lot like UK storing their books at the Highbridge caves. They library had displays with the Gutenberg Bible, Charles Dickens’ desk and chair, and a Winnie the Pooh display. 

We walked through Grand Central Station which was close by. We stopped at Whole Foods and got some water and snacks for the room and brought them back. Rested for about 10 minutes, and then we walked through Times Square- that place is crazy. Found an Italian restaurant, and ate some gelato after because we were trying to kill some time til the show started. The show we saw tonight was Buena Vista Social Club. Lots of wonderful Cuban music, great singers, and amazing instrumentalists. After that we walked through Times Square again and it was even crazier than before. So many flashing lights and projected moving ads. We checked out the m&m store, and then headed back to the motel. 

Day 12, August 9, 2026

Today was mostly a M day. We went to see her again, and this time Gerda came with us to the playgrounds and we ate at a German food restaurant that is one of their favorites. It was really German, all right - I think we were there around 2 hours. I got some amazing fried potatoes, and Jack got some kase (cheese) with onions, Beau got schnitzel and Maddie got weinies and mashed potatoes. Gerda had an electric bicycle with a kiddie car on the front, and she let Jack drive it up and down a street. Made his day. 

Walking back, we saw a neat old car - Phil says made of plastic - that Beau said you never see any more. They used them to squeak through the Berlin Wall back in the day.

Back to the motel to get ready for Travel Day. We packed and packed and packed some more. I think we can make it without checking a bag! We went back out once more for dinner. The boys love sushi so much I said go for it and they didn't argue. I got a buckwheat chicken noodle soup that was very good. I have loved eating out so much, but I am ready to be home and do some cooking!

Day 13, August 10, 2026

Lee texted at 3 am telling me the flight was delayed 2 hours so I reset the alarms and attempted more sleep. I got to eat one more lovely hotel breakfast and see the sun come up outside my window.

 Beau came with us to the airport to get us up to security. He made sure we noticed the big ticker board at the entrance that has departing flights and trains. It is one of the only ones left and we got to see it move a couple of times. That’s pretty cool. Everywhere else the boards are digital. 

I cried telling Beau bye. Jack and I got to the gate with no issues other than border control could not read my fingerprints again, and security pulled me for cough medicine and made Jack take off his Doc Martens.  The flight was probably the best long one I’ve ever had. Right by the bathroom, no squalling kids, my butt didn’t hurt and I even snoozed a little. Food was crap but you can’t have everything. 

Jack had to pull off his shoes again in Chicago but my cough syrup got right through. Got to ride the little train from terminal 6 to terminal 2. We ate at Chilis to kill time as it was right by our gate.  

And then a quick easy flight to Lexington! And Home!

Day 11, August 8, 2026

Another day starting later which is nice. I’m the only one who went down for the incredible breakfast that Hampton Inn includes. Had bacon and potato cakes this morning, fresh OJ and good coffee. The boys finally drug out at noon and we went to get them something to eat at the market (where farmers, bakers, flower sellers, etc., converge once a week). Jack got a brat and a currywurst. The boy is certainly eating interesting things this trip. 

We went to visit M and she met us at the door wearing a mermaid tail. So she acted like a mermaid for awhile and I read the story, "Strega Nona," to her. Then she horsed around with Jack, and then we all hit a couple of playgrounds and a gelato store before we returned her home. Looooonnnnggg afternoon and it’s hot today, although not as hot as the other day. 

After dropping her off, we went to Konstablerwache and had some Asian chicken and noodles, and then Beau showed us the bar at 4 Corners he worked at for while. Jack and I had a lemonade that wasn’t a bit sweet, but interesting. Now back at the room again for another night. Going to read some Clan of the Cave Bear and crash.

Day 10 - August 7

Today, a travel day back to Germany, we had opportunity to sleep late. We took an Uber to the airport to the AerLingus terminal. 

The rest of the day was not too complicated, and I’m still a bit discombobulated. The only issue back in Frankfurt border patrol is that for some reason the machines don’t read my fingerprints, and they couldn’t get them at the booth, either. I think the border patrol Politzie was trying not to laugh. Anyway, we got back to the motel, went out again late for some Doner, and the day was done. 

On the way back to the motel in the Konstablerwache there is a temporary art piece that is a big net hanging in the sky. It's beautiful, and the picture doesn't do it justice as it's purple, read, and blue - vibrant colors.

It’s a M day tomorrow.

Picture of Doner Kebab - shaved meat on top of really greasy fries. SO GOOD.

Day 9 - August 6

Let’s see if I can re-create this whirlwind day. It began at 6:15 AM in the lobby, where we hailed a taxi that took us to the Molly Malone statue in the middle of town. Our bus, Paddywagon Tours, met us and we all climbed on as this was a group tour. Then at 7:00 AM we took off.

I was worried that with no bathroom on the bus, it could be bad. But Shay, our driver, stopped at a gas station a time or two, and enough restaurants that we were ok. Our first stop was Dark Hedges, rows of trees on either side of a road that were planted by King James I. While very cool, they weren’t very dark anymore as nearly half of them have fallen. The worst part of the stop and all the others was the lack of enough time to really soak things in. But that’s the problem with a long tour and several stops. So on we went. 

Our next stop which I really loved was Dunluce Castle. By this time we were far north in Northern Ireland and could see the coastline. A plus here was fewer tourists, so you could actually get good pictures with no people in them. I loved this stop. 

The castle was not far from The Giant’s Causeway. I don’t know of any way to describe this place. It was also on the coast. It is a natural rock formation of hexagonal stones, fitted together, that look like they just grow out from the earth. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was crawling with people so few good pictures.  

It was impossible for me to clamber over the rocks because it made me incredibly dizzy. So I parked myself on a rock and watched the sea roll in and watched Beau clamber on the rocks. He went way up and sang his song of the sea that he performed at one of his recitals.  Jack took off on his own and didn’t fall off anything. You had to go down a very long, very steep hill to get to the rocks, and luckily they had a bus we could pay to take us down and back up. Beau and I did that but Jack hoofed it.  Would I go back? Only if I knew nobody else would be there. 

The next part of the tour was just loveliness out the window. I can see why our ancestors landed in Kentucky; it is very much like what I was looking at today. 

So impossibly green. So many cute sheep and lambs. Hedgerows.

The bus driver, Shay, made a surprise stop by the seacoast where we could see Scotland across the water. This place was amazing.

We had a short stop in Belfast, where there was a massive music festival going on and the place was crawling with people. Shay said people come from all over the world to this festival, which was in Belfast for the first time. 

Two hours back to Dublin where Euros were good again, and Uberred to the hotel. Now Beau is trying to line out a restaurant for us for lunch tomorrow and then off for the airport. Twelve-hour day but so worth it. I am incredibly impressed at Jack and Beau and how they can just talk to anybody.

Day 8, August 5

Felt marginally enough better today to attempt getting out. The tour guide from yesterday told Beau he had another tour today that I could get on enough to see the Trinity Library and Book of Kells, so we were off at 10 am to do that. I had a decadent glass of OJ in the hotel bar waiting for him to come down. He left Jack sleeping and off we went. He dropped me off with Nial, the guide, and went shopping. I am so incredibly glad I got to see this set of Gospels that were hand lettered and illustrated by boys 13-16 years old. That was a requirement because their eyesight had to be pristine to get the amount of detail from the inked letters (using gemstone ink). You only saw one page, this one today was from John 6:28-42. Every month or so, the librarians turn to another page. 

This was wonderful, but the library upstairs blew me away. They are restoring the books but they left a few shelves filled so we could see what it would be like. Mercy. Mercy. I could live in this place. The wood is beautiful, and there is an art piece called Gaia, which from NASA is a suspended globe of the earth that rotates high up in the ceiling area. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things, but this one made my librarian heart go pitter-pat. 

Beau picked me up and we went to a yarn shop I found. I’m working on a CAL making a scarf, and the 2nd week is before I get home, so of course I needed some yarn! and I found some! This shop was in a cute little mall in a very old building. Can’t say I’ve seen anything in America like it. Then we ate at the Staghead Bar, and went back to the hotel for some R&R.

I had booked a 45 minute boat ride from Howth into the Irish Sea to see some of the coastline, so we took a cab nearly an hour to get there. And the boat tour was cancelled. That’s what I get for not looking at my email all day long. I’m still glad we went though, because the Irish Sea and Dublin Bay were beautiful, we saw Seals sticking up their heads, and a lighthouse. And a Rainbow!! Then we ate at Crabby Jo’s and cabbed back. Early call in the morning. 6 am in the lobby meet for a big day.

Day 7, August 4

I finally got up around 12:45 today and took a shower. Now I’m drinking coffee and eating some little biscuit cookies that are in the room. Pretty tasty. The boys got up and found where to meet for the Skip The Line Tour today. They saw the Book of Kells Experience so far. It’s an ancient illustrated Biblical text. Now they are off on the last part of the tour which is the Guinness warehouse. I hate missing all that, but I really don’t want to miss anymore so I have to stay in today and rest, rest, rest. 

Beau got a Guinness with his picture on top! The picture to the right is the vats full of beer.

One memory I do want to takeaway from this trip is how kind my grandson is to others. A couple of times he gave his food to homeless people, and he helped a man across a busy intersection by pushing his wheelchair. 

I’ll finish up so I can post this and go back to bed. The boys came in bushed from the 5-hour tour, rested awhile and went back out to a recommended pub for dinner. I hope they get to hear some Irish music.

Day 6, August 3

Today was travel to Ireland Day. I’m not feeling too chipper so I was pretty much a drag on the boys all day. Frankfort airport is so big they recently completed a third terminal, and that’s where we got on an AerLingus flight. It’s hard to follow the signage, so it took awhile to find customs, then security, then customs, fly over (I think I slept most oft the flight but I saw Ireland from the air and it is beautiful), then go through customs, wait on our baggage, figure out where taxis are, and such. 

But we finally got to the Ashling Hotel in Dublin, which is a real hotel with guys that open doors for you and flowers and chandeliers everywhere. Posh towels, and plugs in the sink, and a bath mat for the tub. We unloaded and went out to find a tram to go downtown and try to find the places we are to meet for our tours the next few days. Beau is a bar aficionado and Temple Bar area did him in. 

We ate at the Old Mill Restaurant there, where Jack had fish and chips and I had Guinness Stew - it was so good. But after that I was so wrecked, so I posted Gary what should I buy for my ailments and he responded. We went to a pharmacy (where those people are my new best friends) and loaded up with dope and came back to the room. I’m not sure if the boys went back out or not as it wasn’t all that late, but at that point I didn’t care. We never did get to those places so the boys will have to find them on their own tomorrow.

 My Guinness Stew.

Day 5, August 2, 2026

Our day with M began late as I couldn’t get the boys to get out of bed - I guess jet lag finally hit Jack. Finally had to go beat on their doors. The weather on the other hand, was beautiful with lower temperatures. We finally got to M after 1 pm. She was SO excited and jumped up on Beau and then on Jack and gave me a great big hug. Gerda had pastries for snacks, so we ate and talked and the kids played. M let me read her a story, “How the Stars Fell into the Sky,” by Jerrie Oughten. And then she played the twins and triplets in the piano and I taught her “D is for the Doggie with the Two Black Ears.”

After this we went to the playground which is just across the street where Jack and Maddie played on the monkey bars and swings. Beau got them an icee pop. 

Then back to the apartment for a bit and time was done. We plan on seeing M again next Saturday. We finished the day at a sushi restaurant and back to the rooms to pack for IRELAND. 

Day 4, August 1, 2026

While Gary was going to the Harmon Reunion today, the boys and I got up in Strassburg, France, at the Hotel Rohan. 

Cute little place with ivy all over the front just steps away from the Cathedral. I opened the window and listened to the Cathedral bells ring for several minutes - so lovely. There are lots of pigeons here and I didn’t notice any bugs. Beau has been in Strassburg several times before, so he took us to some of his haunts. 

We hit a cheese store and a bakery, and got small portions of several kinds of really stinky cheese. Jack got a baguette. We sat at  a little table in the courtyard outside the bakery and tried the different cheeses on the bread and they were most of them surprisingly good. I only ate a tiny bite of each one, and paid for it later with a bellyache. Jack wanted to go to the Swatch store, so off we went. 

There was a carousel in the square next to where we ate cheese, and of course Hana wanted to ride! Jack was a good sport and rode with me.

Then Beau wanted us to see the opera building where he auditioned once, and outside of it was a crepe stand. So Jack got a Nutella crepe in honor of Greta. (The baguette, too.) We meandered back over to the Cathedral because I wanted to see the flying buttresses that I failed to notice yesterday. Awesome, awesome place. 

By then we were pooped again (or I was) so we Ubered to the train station to take the train Beau reserved to Heidelberg, where we planned to see the Castle and ride the Funicular. 

We cut it close several times changing trains, but always made it. Trains don’t run so much on time here and sometimes even get cancelled. 

I wanted to notice the countryside close to where Junior was in Northeastern France during WWII. I caught a picture of crossing the Rhine River, which he mentioned being near. The countryside all around was so much like Kentucky. Except for the fact that he was there in the Winter, he would have felt right at home.

At the Heidelberg Station, we ordered an Uber to take us to Heidelberg Castle. UP HILL, a very steep hill to the castle. Purchased tickets. Did I mention that I love how civilized this country is? Bathrooms on the ICE trains, in the cafes, and I only had to pay 1.50 Euro once so far in the train station bathroom. 

The castle was pretty cool although the weather was hot and there were WAY too many people around. Sorry tourists! 🤪We spent some time in the shade at the little cafe there and again, nice bathrooms. Bet they weren’t like that in the 1100’s! 

This picture shows a statue of David with Goliath's head.

I didn’t get to see the big wine cask when I was here in February a couple years ago. That cask is bigger than some of the houses I’ve lived in. Jack went up to the top of it. You can see how massive the room was.

I think he had a good time. We told him he could go off looking on his own if he wore the Apple Tag, but he wanted to hang with us. Making a Hana’s heart happy. We rode the Funicular down the hill to the town, mostly through a rock tunnel, so nothing to see. In town we walked down to the river and on the bridge a little. 

All so pooped by now, Jack picked a Thai restaurant by the river, which was great except for yellow jackets trying to drink Beau’s coke and Jack’s mango juice. Feeling better, we walked over to the Opera House where Beau auditioned once, and caught an Uber from there back to the Train Station. We spent more money on Ubers than we meant to, but Hana is old. And she appreciated it. 

Back on the trains to Frankfort which were a constant moving target. I’m glad Beau could decipher the DB app, and find the right places to go. Got back to the motel around 10 pm, so another 12 hour day. Did my laundry, as sweating like a pig makes my clothes stinky. I brought two dresses, wash one and wear one and it’s been working pretty well. 

Day 3, July 30, 2026

Today we got up and had a good breakfast at the Hampton hotel.  Headed to the European Central Bank to meet Beau’s friend Des from South Africa, who works there and gave us a tour of the building. It is a pretty incredible place. We had to go through Security, show our passports, get badges and then not take pictures of certain things and promise not to post anything on social media. But we got to go all the way to the top and see the wonderful view of the city. Beau showed us several of the places in town where he had lived before.  I think I'm safe to show the view from the top.

After that we came back to the hotel for a bit and then packed to spend the night in Strasburg tonight. We caught the trains which were running late again of course! Went from Frankfurt down through Manheim to Offenburg. From Offenburg, we exited the ICE train which is the fast train, and then got on a regional train with crying babies and bicycles and crossed over the Rhine River into France and got to Strasbourg. 

I was really hoping to get to see some of the country west of here where Junior may have been during World War II, but that would’ve taken many buses and many more hours than this trip, which was two hours even so. Still, the terrain would’ve been about the same. It was only 94 or 96° here but we were sweating plenty since we were pretty pooped. Pic to the left is the Strassburg train station, which looked pretty old. Perhaps it's the same one there when Junior was here.

We went ahead and got an Uber, which let us off actually a long way from our motel because apparently Strassburg has a great big middle area around the cathedral where cars are not allowed to go. But we eventually found where we were going and crashed for a little bit. Then we went to check out the cathedral, which is really amazing.  There are so many stained glass windows that you could stay a year and never see all the details. There are also so many statues inside and out that it would be the same. I bought a little book that talked about what some of it is and we’ll read it and go back tomorrow and see if I can find them again. One thing nice it is free to get in. 

After that Jack and I hit some of the little tourist shops that are around the Square of the cathedral, got rained on with a pop-up storm,  and then we all hit the motel to rest some more.

 

Dinner time was at 8 PM at a very fancy restaurant with very fancy, and very tasty food. I had pork cheeks and noodles and Beau had an assortment of sausages, sauerkraut, potatoes, and escargot. Crème Brûlée for dessert (only two bites!) Jack had nothing because he crashed so hard at the hotel, we couldn’t even wake him up to go to dinner. This was all very late, a lot later than I normally eat. So before we got finished, it was after 10 PM and the Garcon at the restaurant told us about the light show that goes on after 10 o’clock in front of the cathedral. When we exited the restaurant there were people all over the place waiting for this light show. So we videoed until we were sure we could catch the whole thing. And it was REALLY cool. Red lights, blue lights, music and occasionally it would go black and a lady would speak French of some kind. I have no idea what she was saying. Then the music and lights would start again. This lasted for about 10 minutes. And now I’m more than ready to hit the sack.