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Best of 2014 Food and Travel

December 23, 2014 in Food, Living, Travel, wine by traveleatlove | 4 comments

I sometimes think that if it wasn’t for this blog, I wouldn’t remember half of the things we do in a year. I love going back and being able to remember exactly what we did, ate, and saw during a certain time of year. It’s been the most consistent journal I have had in my adult life, and hopefully making it public has been entertaining and informative to others! As I sat down to start writing this post, I thought to myself that we didn’t do too much in 2014, but going back made me realize what a full year it was from the very start and just how much good happened.

2014 was an interesting year. We spent a large chunk of it legally chasing after a shady plumber who took lots and lots of money and did a hack job on our house. We hoped to leave that in 2014, but the legal system had other ideas. You can really get away with anything if you’re slimy enough, we’ve learned. If you’re looking for a plumber in the Boston area, feel free to contact me so you know who NOT to choose.

That situation has been tough, but this year has been about so much more. We saw our families a ton, with two visits to Ireland and multiple guests from Ireland, as well as a nice long visit from New Jersey family and lots of short trips there. We got to help out in our first Sonoma grape harvest, had many boat dates, and genuinely grew closer to many great people in our lives. It was a full, rich year, and we have so many memories to be thankful for.

Below are some of my Best of 2014 moments in food and travel. Please share one of yours in the comments!

Aniar – My belated birthday dinner in Galway was definitely the best meal of the year. Service, ambiance, and local Irish ingredients make it easy to see why this restaurant has a Michelin star. How many ways can I tell you to get yourself to Galway, then go to Aniar?

Aniar Galway

Red Fish Grill, Coral Gables, Florida – We kicked off 2014 with a trip to Miami. With the winter we had, it turned out we needed every second of warm sunshine we soaked up while there. We stayed at the Sonesta in Coconut Grove (highly recommended, full disclosure, I work for Sonesta Hotels.)

Red Fish Grill

Owenmore Restaurant at Ballynahinch Castle – You know how I feel about the Irish countryside, if you’ve been reading for any amount of time. There is an indescribable beauty and sense of calm; it changes me in the best ways ever. We got to spend a day in the country, followed by a delicious dinner and overnight at Ballynahinch Castle, a place my husband’s family has been visiting for years. They knew so many people it felt like home, and I will always remember relaxing by the fire into the wee hours of St. Patrick’s Day morning.

Wine Country Weekend Lunch at Davis Family Vineyards – A year is not complete without a visit to Sonoma County. Through blogging about wine and travel, I have met some great people and had amazing opportunities, and this year was no different. We kicked off this wine country trip with a glorious wine lunch at Davis Family Vineyards. Sonoma Wine Country weekend has so many great events (including our starlit night of dancing at Rodney Strong), and I would definitely recommend checking one or two out if you happen to be there during the events.

Sonoma sunset

The Girl and the Fig and all the Sonoma County wine tasting – Okay, pretty much every moment of our Sonoma trip was my favorite. This post summed up some of the food and wine experiences we had in Napa and Sonoma. Our Flipkey wine country cottage is really worth checking out too.

Girl and the Fig, Sonoma

Travel to Long Island Wine Country – From tasting by the ocean in the beautiful Kontokosta Winery tasting room to chilling out at Noah’s in Greenport, having copious quantities of oysters and bubbly at the Blue Canoe, and feeling at home at Bedell Cellars, our getaway to the North Fork was one of my favorite weekends of 2014. The North Fork is so easy to get to from Boston, and we are definitely planning a 2015 visit.

As we look back at 2014, we are planning our 2015 travel, including the biggest trip of our lives. . . a 12 day safari in Tanzania! I have been to Africa once before (Tunisia during college), but this is going to be very different. Sleeping in a tent amongst lions and elephants and other animals? SO exciting and so very far out of my nerve-laden comfort zone! It will definitely be an adventure!

Your turn – what was your favorite food/travel moment of 2014? Do you have any 2015 travel plans or dreams?

Tags: best of, California, cocktails, Connemara, Dining out, Food, Ireland, North Fork, Sonoma, Travel, wine, wine country

Hiking in the West of Ireland

April 1, 2014 in Travel by traveleatlove | 5 comments

It almost doesn’t seem real a lot of the time, the way the landscape in the West of Ireland rolls and changes, is cloaked by fog, then seen through the filter of a rainbow before being drenched again in rain or sun. I’ve said it over and over again, but to me, Connemara is one of the most magical places ever, and heading out there on each trip to Ireland is a priority. This trip to Ireland, before we dined and reclined at Ballynahinch Castle, we did some driving around Connemara and climbed Errisbeg, a mountain right outside the town of Roundstone.

Our original plans included climbing Ben Baun, where my father-in-law grew up, but upon driving West, we saw that a thick fog had taken over the top of the mountain. My FIL knows best when it comes to these mountains, and if he says it’s not safe to climb, we change our plans.

We spent a bit of time driving, taking in the pops of yellow gorse against the green and brown mountain backdrop.

We stopped briefly outside Lough Inagh Lodge for a stretch of the legs and some photo ops as we figured out how we were going to spend the day, now that our original climbing plans were foiled.

Lough Inagh Lodge

It was decided we would picnic at Connemara National Park, then head toward Clifden and then on to Errisbeg, which, from what we could see, was in the clear.

On the way, we passed Kylemore Abbey, a place we have spent many lunches and tea times visiting aunties, enjoying the gardens, and soaking up silence in the Gothic cathedral. We had a mountain to climb, so we didn’t stop at Kylemore this time around.

Instead, we had a quick picnic lunch in the visitor center at Connemara National Park and then, after a short drive, set off to conquer Errisbeg.

The mountains we climb in Connemara often look fairly harmless, even when I am in the best of shape, and I am always horribly wrong when I think the climb will be easy. Where it’s not always a super athletic endeavor, it is one that keeps the mind guessing. We hiked through bog, over stones that were covered in slippery lichen, and teetered on loose rocks and cliffs of earth. It’s a slow and steady wins the race type of effort, and while the seven of us were scattered about the mountain, we never lost sight of each other. A walking stick is an immense help for stability, as is a good pair of wellies. I often found myself over ankle deep in water and mud (and sheep poo!), and my feet stayed completely dry.

Natural beauty isn’t the only thing you’ll observe on some of these hikes. On our way, we passed ridges where potatoes were planted prior to the Great Famine and the ruins of homes where people who depended on the potatoes lived. The homes were literally one room, made out of stones, and while the roofs were gone, the stones were stacked in a way that still keeps water out all these years later.

The rewards for making the trek up a mountain in Connemara are absolutely endless. We were surrounded by sea on several sides, with Dog’s Bay and Rusheen Bay on one side and Roundstone’s harbor on the other. Like I said earlier, it almost doesn’t seem real. It’s a place where you firmly plant your feet, breath deeply, and experience the moment with each of your senses, committing it to memory, imprinting it on your soul.

Throughout our Connemara hike, we had a bunch of laughs, plenty of quiet time, and a fair bit of competition, mostly amongst the boys, who had to go to the very top ridge, while the rest of us were satisfied with stopping at the hill below, thank you very much. It gets chilly and blustery up there, and when the fog and drizzle start to roll in, it’s time to find a cozy pub.

Other hiking in Ireland posts you might enjoy:

Climbing Diamond Hill

Diamond Hill Connemara

Abbey Hill

Tags: Connemara, countryside, County Galway, Galway, hiking, Ireland, Irish countryside, outdoors, Travel, travel blog, West of Ireland

Our Stay in the Irish Countryside

March 25, 2014 in Food, Restaurants, Travel by traveleatlove | 7 comments

Coming home from Ireland is never, ever easy, and it seems that no matter how long we stay, we never get enough time in this magically beautiful country. We booked our March visit in October and not-so-patiently waited for the trip. One thing we always try to do when in Ireland is to get out to Connemara, where my father-in-law is from and where my husband spent weekends and holidays growing up. A hike in the Irish countryside is invigorating, and this time we decided to spend the night after our hike in a very special castle hotel, Ballynahinch Castle. After everyone climbed up the side of Errisbeg, we headed to Ballynahinch for the start of a wonderful evening.

The whole family finished up the hike with drinks and tea in the Fisherman’s Pub at Ballynahinch.

Views from the hotel are stunning in all directions, whether looking out the restaurant window at the river and wild gardens in the back or looking out the pub window at one of Connemara’s majestic, rocky mountains.

Once we warmed up and relaxed over drinks, those who were spending the night checked into our rooms. Ours was elegant and comfortable, with a huge dressing room attached to the bedroom. It had a lovely big bath. . . with brown water. Ballynahinch actually sources its water from local bogs, and it is filtered and treated with UV lights so it is perfectly safe for bathing and drinking, it’s just brown. It’s also really good for your skin, and mine felt super soft after splashing around in a hot soak.

On the way down to dinner in the Owenmore Restaurant, I took a couple of photos of the inside of the castle. The above painting is of a fox who used to visit the front door of the castle when my husband was growing up. He and his family fondly remember the fox, who has since died.

The fine dining area at Ballynahinch Castle, Owenmore Restaurant, is really something special, with stunning views and grand yet subtle decor.

The dinner menu is a three course, set menu, which we enjoyed at a leisurely pace while catching up with some locals the family knew. As my in-laws were celebrating their 50th, one of their friends even brought us a bottle of Champagne.

Each morsel of food was heavenly and inspired by all of the fresh and local ingredients Ireland has to offer. So many people think Irish food is terrible, but in my experience it’s the opposite. The seas and fields produce some stellar ingredients that really shine when treated properly. Head Chef Xin Sun’s guidance is truly an asset to Ballynahinch, and has made Owenmore Restaurant a destination.

{Connemara Smoked Tuna Ceviche, Mussels and Coriander Croquette, Crab Wonton, Shellfish Foam}

{Market Fish – Cod with a Thick Tomato Sauce}

Because it was the night before St. Patrick’s Day, our potatoes were festive shamrocks.

{Warm Walnut Cake, Honey Ice Cream, Caramel Sauce}

When dinner was over, we returned to the Fisherman’s Pub for whiskeys before finding a piano and fire in one of the castle’s rooms. My husband played songs into the night while I sat by the fire and felt like the luckiest person in the world. If you ever get the chance to visit Ireland, I can’t recommend Ballynahinch Castle and a trip to Connemara enough.

Tags: castle, Connemara, Dining out, Ireland, Irish countryside, Irish hotel, restaurants in Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, Travel, travel blog, travel bug, travel to Ireland, vacation

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Connemara

Best of 2014 Food and Travel

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Our Stay in the Irish Countryside

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