The holiday season began with a very special 5 day trip to Dublin town. Lots of memories were made crossing the Ha'Penny bridge during my college days. Here is a view of the Liffey as we walked across the bridge on an unusually sunny December day:
We spent afternoons walking around town, deciding together which pub we might want to settle in to for lunch. There are so many to choose from and they all looked so inviting.
We went to the Stag's head for a pub lunch where we tried the special of the day: Irish Coddle. It didn't sound too appetizing, but it was quite tasty:
We stayed at the famous Gresham Hotel. It was very festive and cozy during the Christmas season. At night we would come back to the lobby bar and enjoy a glass of port wine or an Irish whiskey in a comfy chair, in front of the large windows that overlooked O'Connell Street.
My good friend, Johnny Kelly, invited us to an Irish "session" at the Teacher's Club. It was the highlight of our travels over the last few months. We were invited to the private club to listen to these talented musicians play old Irish tunes. It reminded me of the heart and soul of the Irish people and the importance of music in their culture. Many Irish pubs around the world will try to emulate this experience - but you can only truly feel it here on the Emerald Isle.
JK and I enjoying a proper pint:
Before we knew it, we found ourselves in Muenster, Germany. We were both looking forward to checking out one of the famous Christmas Markets and tasting the Gluhwein. Our driver picked us up at the airport and brought us to our hotel. It didn't take too long to get there considering he went 200kph on the Autobahn!!!!
Church in Muenster during sunset:
Beautiful homemade candy at the Muenster Christmas Market:
Delicious German treats:
Everyone waited in line for this delicious hot spiced wine. It was FREEZING out and I was warmed up with only one glass:
Fill up das boot, bitte!
After the Christmas market we sat down for a nice dinner. I had goulash and a pretzel while Eric was more adventurous and went with the pork knuckle. The meat inside was was so tender and it melted in your mouth. It went perfectly with the hefeweizen:
January 2010 brought us to Santiago, Chile where the Chileans are enjoying the height of their summer. We arrived into Santiago around Noon and changed our warm layers for flip flops and sunglasses.
Our first interesting experience in Santiago was at the European-style coffee house, Cafe Haiti. The espresso was excellent...but you'll have to make a trip to Chile to find out why many patrons frequent the place!
For lunch, we found ourselves agreeing on trying out a little restaurant/bar with a frosted glass door. It was on a side street and was very inconspicuous. We decided to open the door, not knowing what we'd find inside.
The bar was old-school. I don't think there was a man under the age of 70 who wasn't smoking a cigarette and playing cards. I was the only woman in the small establishment, but I wasn't bothered. We were seated at an old table that didn't seem like it had been cleaned in a while, but it all added to the character of the place. A old waiter came to our table dressed in a white tuxedo jacket and offered us a bottle of Chilean wine and a sandwich.
We walked to patio Bellavista where we found lots of Chileans sitting at outdoor restaurants enjoying the warm afternoon. We decided on this beautiful pizza con rucula y proscuitto:
Hasta Luego, Santiago!
Bernkastel Kues is a small German town located on the Mosel River in Rhineland. It is surrounded by steep vineyards, where the wine that is produced is some of the best and most expensive rieslings in the world. We spent 6 days in the small town, walking the narrow cobblestone streets, taking seats at local cafe's for espresso and German apfel strudels, and of course the occasional glass of riesling. 
