Europe Day 4: The Rhine River and Schoenburg Castle Hotel

Sorry for the long break between posts.  Back on track now...

The next morning in Heidelberg, we wandered the Haupstrasse until we found a bakery that was open (a difficult task!) and got coffee and pastries.  The food was good, but definitely like my parents warned us--prettier than they were delicious!  And on our way back to the hotel to check out...a pigeon got my Dad!  After a quick change of clothes, we headed toward the Rhine River.  James is an electrical engineer, so he took about 1,000,000 pictures of power lines, plants, and wind turbines...but this is one of the better ones.  Haha.

Everywhere we turned, there were castles.  Seriously, at some points along the river, we could see 3 castles without turning our heads!  We toured the Burg Rhinefels in Saint Goar and spent way more time there than I thought we would.  I think I'm officially a castle nerd. We looked at almost every square foot of the castle...walking through old mine tunnels, checking out the views, exploring the brewery room, and dreaming about a wedding in the Big Cellar (that part may have been just me). There was a family with two young boys having a picnic in the grass and it really made me want to move to Europe.  Can you imagine packing up on a Saturday morning, driving to a castle for a picnic lunch, and having supper at the Hofbrauhaus all in the same day?  Sigh.

Bacharach was our next stop along the river.  I loved the architecture in this small town and we had a delicious lunch and glass of wine in a restaurant courtyard in the middle of town.  (Sadly, I forgot to take photos of our food before we had devoured it!) 

 Because the region is known for its wine, we felt we had to taste the Riesling ice cream--and it was heaven!  Mom got a scoop of it while I got (translated) "herbs of the forest" flavor and we shared both.  Mine almost tasted like a basil-mint hybrid, and it was good, too...but I could have eaten my weight in the Riesling one!

After lunch, we headed to check in at the Castle Hotel Schoenburg just down the river in Oberwesel.  (I will warn you, though, if you plan to stay...let them carry your bags up for you!  We didn't think the walk looked that long and our bags weren't large...but it wore us out!)  Our room was so much fun!  We overlooked the courtyard and our shower even had a lion's head with a water spout.

We spent quite a while touring the expansive garden at the castle.  There was a huge outdoor chess set (the pieces were waist-high!), a treehouse library (a dream!), a South African-themed hut, and even a bocce ball court!  Mom and James enjoyed that while Dad and I enjoyed the lounging chairs and the view of the Rhine. :)  At this point in the trip, we all really needed a relaxing afternoon!

We had drinks outside on the terrace (champagne with raspberries for the girls and beer for the guys) before our formal dinner that evening.  The meal was four courses including salmon, veal, spargel, and crepes Suzette for dessert!  It was very leisurely and took two hours.  We loved the relaxing time and the waitresses in their native costumes.  :)  

I can still feel exactly what it was like standing where this photo was taken.  This is the picture that makes me want to go back the most.  

Kansas City: Day Two

We started the day off by looking around the Old West Lawrence neighborhood.  The neighborhood was home to prominent Lawrence citizens and was therefore a prime target of the Lawrence Massacre/Quantrill's Raid in 1863, when most of the homes were burned.  Today, it is one of the few neighborhoods listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was a finalist in the "America's Prettiest Painted Places" competition.  My photos below don't show a lot of the pretty painted homes, but the snow caused lots of parking issues which made it difficult to get photos.  Everywhere we turned, though, there were absolutely gorgeous homes, either painted or brick, but with really neat details on all of them.

Then, we headed back to downtown Lawrence for a little shopping.  We stopped by Au Marche, a European goods store, and Brits, a shop with everything British.  Totally up my alley. :)  We got some fun chocolates, drinks, and a little bit of Royal memorabilia.  We really would have loved to wander a little, but it was just too darn cold!

Next, we headed south to the Black Jack Battlefield.  This is the site of another one of the incidents of "Bleeding Kansas" and some even consider it to be the first true battle of the Civil War (occurring in 1856 before the "official" start of the Civil War in 1861).  The Battle of Black Jack was a clash between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces than ended with a surrender by Captain Henry Clay Pate (a pro-slavery Missourian).  

Again, the weather really kept us from being able to take advantage of this stop.  There is a self-guided battlefield walking tour, but with nearly a foot of snow on the ground, it just wasn't going to happen for us.  From the road, all we could really see was this little glimpse of the farmstead home of Robert Hall Pearson, one of the Free State fighters, which is currently under restoration.

After our  "drive through" battlefield tour, we stopped by the Lilly store (more on that tomorrow!) and then headed to the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City.  The tour tickets are first-come first-served, so unfortunately we missed out on that.  We did get to look around the outside of the brewery, sample an ESB only available in the tasting room, and pick up a pint glass at the gift shop.  I really wish we had been able to do the tour, but apparently tickets are given out very early.

We killed a little time at Central Market before having an early dinner to beat the crowds.  We really hadn't planned on what we would do for Valentine's Day evening, but we had been wanting to make it to the Kansas City Power and Light District, so we did some quick internet research and decided on the Maker's Mark Bourbonhouse and Lounge.  

They were on a special set Valentine's Day menu, but we both really enjoyed what we got.  They had an extensive bourbon menu, but we went with the classics.  I had an old fashioned and James had a Manhattan.  Both were quite good.  For dinner, James started with the crab bisque while I had a panzanella salad with golden beets and pancetta.  The chef followed that with escargot and beef wellington before our main courses.  James had a sirloin with fingerling potatoes and haricot vert, which he loved.  I loved the airline chicken, arborio rice, and glazed carrots that I had.  I got the chocolate mousse swan for dessert and James ordered the strawberry crepes suzette.  We split them both.  It was a perfect way to end our impromptu Valentine's Day dinner before driving home.

How did you spend your Valentine's Day?  Hope it was lovely!

Thanksgiving Travels

We typically spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family and head north to visit James's family for New Year's.  This year, we headed to Virginia to celebrate James's brother's wedding and stayed to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family. 

My cousin/BFF also lives in Virginia, so we got to spend time with her as

well.  She is always up for fun, so when I mentioned that I had been wanting to visit Gettysburg for years, we decided to make the trip!  

We started with a stop at the Appalachian Brewing Company for lunch.  My cousin and I always get two items and share them, so we got a veggie burger with apples and cheddar and pretzels with ABC's beer cheese dip.  I washed mine down with a house-made ginger beer while Mary had the house root beer (and of course James had a pale ale).  Delicious!

Right after lunch, we headed to the Gettysburg visitor's center and museum.

It was bitter cold and incredibly windy, so we took an auto tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield and, sadly, didn't get out of the car much.  James and Mary's boyfriend were in charge of driving/directions, so Mary and I got to have tons of fun together being slightly crazy. :)

A lot of people tend to say that all battlefields look alike, but truly this one was different to me.  I loved driving through the old downtown and seeing important sites in the battle scattered all through Gettysburg.  The town and battlefield were so pretty.

We stopped by the amazingly handsome Virginia memorial...

and the site of Pickett's Charge.

I love seeing the Arkansas state memorials at battlefields (even though I don't know of any family that actually joined the fight from Arkansas).

We were lucky enough to still be in the park at sunset.  It was absolutely beautiful.

We finished up our visit at the Soldiers' National Cemetery.  I've always been very fascinated and moved by cemeteries and this one was no different.

Solemn.  Poignant.

Beautiful.

In between Gettysburg, beer, shopping (there is a Kate Spade outlet in Leesburg, VA!), and visiting with family...We also made time to stop by Ben's Chili Bowl in D.C. 

  

We shared the famous half-smoke with chili and chili-cheese fries.  YUM.

James had been wanting to visit for a while after reading about it and seeing it on TV, so this year's trip felt like a mission accomplished for both of us!  

Happy Independence Day!

I've always been patriotic.  I feel a deeper, more personal connection to Independence Day than I do to any other holiday.  I grew up as an Army brat (my dad retired as a Colonel after 28 years) and I really miss hearing the National Anthem playing over loud speakers across an installation and seeing everyone get out of their cars to salute and cover their hearts.  
I remember that touching me, even as a kid. 

One of my very first memories is of singing Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" while swinging on the playground at my preschool.  I would practice my high-swing and sing it over and over and over. 



As a kid, Dad made every effort for us to visit all 50 states in America.  (I've only been to 45 so far, but I know I'll make it to all of them one day.)  My mom is up for a trip anywhere and Dad wanted us to experience all we could, so we traveled A LOT.  Dad always got a photo of
us with every state sign.  A lot of them are in the middle of the night with the only illumination coming from the headlights of my parents' Suburban.  "Kids, wake up!  We're hitting another state!"  Nearly all of my memories of childhood center on the road.

I remember laying my head over the back seat of the car the summer I was thirteen, driving through the empty desert in Arizona, staring into the darkest, starriest sky I'd ever seen.  The thoughts I contemplated on that trip still affect me in my core.








I remember eating the spiciest gingerbread and huddling into a tiny--and warm!--blacksmith shop at Colonial Williamsburg the winter I was seven.  Every time I smell wood burning, I'm transported back to my first--and foggy, and drizzly, yet fantastic--trip to the historical triangle in Virginia (a trip that inspired a still very deep love of American history).







I remember the 20-something hour drive Dad made (in one stretch) from southern Georgia to South Dakota because he'd "always wanted to see Mount Rushmore."  We saw it...and a million prairie dogs, the Badlands, and sunflowers bigger than our heads.  

I remember Dad giving a man in Times Square a bite of his pretzel, just because he asked.  I remember being amazed by the height of the Statue of Liberty and by the mist from Niagara Falls on that same trip.

I remember not being able to take my eyes off of Chimney Rock as we approached from miles away.  I remember driving every back road in Wyoming trying to find wagon-wheel rutts that were supposedly still visible from the Oregon Trail (we never found them) and running around the Dalton Gang hideout with my brother and sister.

I remember peering into the Grand Canyon with my sister while my poor (deathly-afraid-of-heights) mom hollered for us to "get back!"




I remember riding on the back of a horse down the narrowest, steepest trails in Big Bend National Park and walking across the border to Juarez so I could say I'd visited Mexico.  

I remember drinking coffee and eating beignets at Cafe Du Monde...and a muffaletta and Zapps at Central Grocery...and countless other treats shared with my grandparents in New Orleans.

I remember the chills I got when I stepped off of the ferry and onto Fort Sumter during my first trip to Charleston (where Mom took me for my senior trip in high school).  

I remember taking frequent jaunts off of I-40 to ride on the fragments still left of the original Route 66...and sharing a HUGE strawberry shortcake at The Big Texan, a photo opportunity at the Cadillac Ranch, and a creepy night at the historic, haunted St. James Hotel in New Mexico.

The U.S. has such an amazing history and such an awesome span of natural wonders and cultures.  I could honestly write forever about my love for this country.  I feel truly blessed to have been born (although ironically, not in the country) a United States citizen.  Independence Day reminds me not to take that for granted.

Marlsgate Plantation Tour

You might remember that for my birthday several weeks ago, my mom and I visited Marlsgate Plantation in Scott, Arkansas.  At that time, we didn't even know the plantation gave tours.  But only a few days later, my aunt from Memphis called and said that she was going to be touring Marlsgate with her Sunday school class and asked if we would like to join them!  So I took a half day at work and met my aunt and her group, my Nana, great aunt, Mom, and sister at the plantation.  The owner, David, gave the tour himself which made it really fun.  He was a hoot, too!  I would definitely recommend taking the tour if you ever get the chance.  Lots of history and tons of great stories!


I loved the grand staircase right in the front entry.  David made a comment about re-using the drapes if things ever went south on the plantation...It's hard to tell, but they're a fabulous dark green velvet with gold fringe, a la Scarlett O'Hara. :)

Not a great photo here, but look at the fantastic ceilings!  Lots of Jacob Petit in every room.

 A view from inside the front doors.  I'm a sucker for beveled glass...and columns...and that gorgeous view of the river.

These swords were in the Jefferson Davis room.  David's great-grandfather wrote in his journal about Civil War skirmishes that occurred right outside the main home.  He also said there's a story that some Union soldiers roasted a pig in the fireplace!

 Side table in the master bedroom.  I loved all of the artwork in the home, especially this painting and all of the oil paintings of family members (those were difficult to photograph) that were in every room.  That is something I would really, really love to have.

After the home tour, we ate lunch.  The dining table was absolutely beautiful (look at that silver plateau!) and can you tell that David was previously a florist? 

All of the food was delicious, but of course I was particularly fond of the coconut cake.

 After lunch, we toured the gardens.  The side garden was designed by P. Allen Smith.

Biggest fern I've ever seen!

And a formal garden...

And precious greenhouse!

(Hello, Meredith!--That's my sister taking a look inside.)

This smaller home was behind the main house and is where David's mother lives.  I love that fountain.  David said that in the spring, they had over 1,000 red tulips surrounding it!

Marlsgate was incredibly beautiful, but David definitely made the tour what it was!  I'll leave you with one of my favorite comments from him that day:

"I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but it's still a b---- to live in The South.  We can fly to the moon but we can't kill a mosquito!?"

:)