Hamburg, Germany

Coming off of our trip to Budapest, we had Hamburg in the diary (as the Brits call their calendar) for the next weekend.  We were able to score some really cheap tickets through Easy Jet (not kidding it was less than 40 GBP for the 2 of us) so we were actually thinking of skipping this trip to have some downtime.  At the last minute, we decided to go and we were so glad we didn't miss out!

We arrived early morning in the cold rain but we decided to walk around anyway.  The city is located on the water and is considered one of the wealthier German cities.  We started off at the Town Hall which is beautiful and made our way to the remains of St. Nicholas Church.  The church and land it stood on was basically gutted during the air raids of WWII and you can feel the intensity as you stand there and observe all of the memorials dedicated to those who died in the war.  The beautiful entrance to the church remains intake but there is no roof.  It was definitely a chilling and interesting experience.

Next stop was St. Michaelis Church which is probably the most well-known church in Hamburg.  We spent some time exploring the inside then strolled through the city past the opera house which was Molly's favorite building.  Despite the weather, we wandered around until it was dark (well, it does get dark around 4pm in the winter so maybe it wasn't that long of a stroll) and took in the water and the city at night.  Somehow, thanks to Matt, we ended up in St. Pauli, Hamburg's red light district.  We didn't stay too long since it was definitely seedy to say the least!

The next morning, we got out of bed early to explore the Fischmarkt (open from 6am-10am) which was packed nice and early.  We wandered into one of the halls where a full on crowd was singing and dancing along to a band and drinking beer....at 8am.  We stayed for a bit to watch how ridiculous drunk people look when you are completely sober and drinking your morning coffee.  Afterwards, we walked through the Alter Elbtunnel which is tunnel that connects central Hamburg with the docks and hopped on the good ol Louisana Star river boat for a tour of the port. We loved the name ship based in Germany. : )

After the boat ride, the weather started to get better so what did we do?  We met up with one of Matt's co-workers and his partner for some beers inside!  One drink turned into multiple and before we knew it we were laughing hysterically with Jason and Chad like we had known them forever.  Afterwards, we continued our walk and ended up having dinner at where else...a Greek restaurant!  The place lured us in because of the local football match that they had on the tv - it was packed and everyone was cheering so hard that you couldn't help but get into it too.  

We spent an extra night in Hamburg and took an early Monday morning flight back to London.  For a rainy weekend and two people who were exhausted, Hamburg offered so much, is a great city and we are so happy we included it within our travels!

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Budapest, Hungary

It's been awhile since we've posted but we've had a lot of trips and visitors the past couple of months so we're hoping to get all of our updates in!  On January 15th, we took a quick 2-day trip to Budapest.  We definitely could have used a few more days there but it was one of our favorite cities and probably the most beautiful city we've ever seen at night.

For those of you who don't know (because well, Molly did not), Budapest occupies both sides of the river Danube and at one time was divided as two separate cities - Buda and Pest - until its unification in 1873.  We stayed on the Pest side and spent the weekend running across the city's various bridges (Chain Bridge being the first to connect the two cities) to make sure we saw both sides.  The weather was not great - it rained a bit and was chilly and because we went in January in Europe, the sun set before 4:30pm! 

We hit the ground running when we arrived and started at St. Stephen's Basilica which is named for the first King of Hungary (who began his rule in 975!) and houses his mummified fist (yes, seriously).  It was one of the most stunning churches we have ever seen.  We then made our way over the Parliament, on the bank of the Danube, which was built based off of London's Parliament (which we love).  Hungary's Parliament was not established until after the city's unification and built in 1885.  The Holy Crown of Hungary, which was once worn by St. Stephen, is displayed in the central hall of the building.  We had the privilege of going into one of the chambers of Parliament too.

Hero's Square is the main square in Budapest and its statues make up the leaders of the 7 tribes who founded Hungary in the 9th century.  We spent a lot of time in the square, just taking in the entire city and Molly trying to climb the statues (not a pretty site).  From there, we made our way to Vajdahunyad Castle which has pretty amazing architecture but apparently it houses the Agricultural Museum so we stayed on the outside (so cultured, we are!).  Across the way is one of the most famous Hungarian baths in Budapest.  We did not have the time to go in but there were plenty of locals in the baths in the freezing cold in some skimpy bathing suits. 

That evening, we decided to have after dinner drinks at the Four Seasons.  After the pianist left the bar area, Matt (after 2 or 3 scotches) bet Mols $1000 to play the piano for 4 minutes straight.....and that she did (after 2 or 3 cosmos).  It was a stunning rendition of "Those Were the Days" from All in the Family.  And if anyone is familiar with the song, they know that it contains all of about 5 black keys.  Thanks to Molly's brother Michael for teaching her that song at age 8!  After Molly's success (which Matt has yet to pay), we went to one of the locals......an American sports bar to watch the NFL Playoffs, of course!

The next day we were up and out early to finish off our sightseeing.  We decided to explore the Buda side.  We hiked up Gellert Hill which was tough regardless of the multiple drinks we consumed the previous night and took in Buda Castle and Matthias church.  After a few hours, we stopped for some traditional Hungarian food where Molly witnessed Matt scarfing down a HUGE plate of weinerschnitzel....there were no words.

It was an exhausting trip but one of the most fun!  We headed back to London in the evening to prepare for our next trip.  Here are some (ok, a lot!) of pictures from Budapest. 

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Dublin, Ireland

2011 has been full of trips already and we started off the new year heading to Dublin which was Molly's first trip to Ireland. It was also an opportunity for Matt to introduce her to the Irish "lads" who he used to caddy with during the summers in Southampton.  Instead of making new years promises of not drinking or eating as much, we got right back into the swing of things with plenty of Guinness and fried food.  We took an early morning flight to Dublin and arrived at our hotel in the Temple Bar area.  We were right on Fleet Street so there was plenty of action.  Matt's friends, James and Peter, came up from Kilkenny and we met at a pub called, Sinnot's.  The boys told stories of when they caddied and some of the crazy times they had - 10 Irish guys living in one house sort of sums it up.  Molly had her first Guinness ever but added a splash of black currant juice which definitely made it sweeter....and more drinkable if you ask her.  We did a mini pub crawl and ended the night not remembering much of what happened throughout the day. : )

We woke up early on Sunday so we could take a walk around Dublin and not just drink our way through the city.  We got to see all the major sites - Molly Malone, Liffey River, St. Stephen's Green, etc....The city is very cute and definitely reminded us a lot of London.  The weekend wouldn't be complete if we didn't meet back up wtih James and Peter for some more food in the afternoon...but this time we skipped out on the alcoholic beverages.  We are already planning a trip back to Ireland - hoping to get to Kilkenny at some point so James and Peter can show us around their hometown. They were great to have as hosts and so much fun to hang out with!

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Happy New Year - from Marrakech!

Happy New Year!  To ring in 2011, Matt and Mark decided to take Jen and Molly where they would fit right in.....to Marrakech, Morocco!  Ok, so they may have been the only blondes in sight but it was an incredible experience and so much for the four of us!  We arrived first and after checking into the Riad (comprable to bed and breakfasts in the US), we went right into Jamaa el Fna which is the main square within the medina.  It was even crazier than what we read about - people everywhere, motorbikes zooming by you and every single person trying to sell you something or negotiate a price with you.  There were snake charmers and monkeys and people using donkeys to carry their goods from one place to the next.  We immediately bega shopping in the souks (little markets in the square) since they really do sell everything - from pottery to handmade pillow covers to fake snakes...this place definitely had it all.  At first we found it tough to communicate but most people speak French in addition to Arabic - and most people actually have a good grasp of the English language as well. Well at least those who want to make a buck or two.  Matt's New York City lawyer skills were not up to snuff initially and he was taken for a ride on a bracelet.  But after a few back and forths, he was a negotiating machine buying pottery, scarves and even slippers for a very good price.  Molly was a bit hesitant early on but soon realized how genuinely nice the people were and they made sure you knew exactly where you were going.  The books suggested that women travelling there should wear a band on their wedding finger so Molly did just that....which of course nearly gave Matt a heart attack.  It was obviously worth being safe, but seeing Matt's face was priceless.  Both Jen and Molly also wore long sleeved shirts and pants most of the visit there out of respect for their culture and religion.  One of the more interesting and beautiful parts of the culture was to hear the chants coming from the Koutoubia Mosque.  They pray every day starting at 5am and do it 5 times a day. 

On our first full day, we decided to take a day trip to Essaouira which is a small fisherman's town a few hours away.  It was nice to be on the water and do a little negotiating outside of Marrakech.  It is said to have been a favorite of Jimmy Hendrix and a vacation spot for Cat Stevens.  On New Year's Eve day the four of us went hot air ballooning.....well, Matt, Mark and Jen did while Molly looked on.  But let's give all of them credit for waking up at 5am to do this.  We got to watch the sun rise and then the 3 of them had lift off which was really fun to see.  Afterwards, we were treated to breakfast by the locals who the hot air balloon owner had befriended over the years.  They served us their infamous Moroccan mint tea and various types of bread (which seems to be what every one eats all day!).  That night, we had a traditional Moroccan meal hosted by Joce from the riad which was lovely.  We were treated to their wines, cous cous, music and desserts.  Afterwards our guide, Hammed, took us to a club so we could ring in the new year.  The club played a mix of Spanish and French music with a little American pop.  Their party favors may have had, "Happy Birthday!" written on them, but we didn't care - we had a blast and danced through the night.

On New Year's Day, we woke up early again for an excursion to the High Atlas Mountains and Ourika Valley.  We made a stop at one of the Berber's homes (a Berber is someone who lives in the mountains) where we were served mint tea (and bread of course) and had spectacular views of the desert and mountains in the distance.  We then began our "walk" through the mountains which ended up being much more of a hike than any of us expected.  We had some of the most stunning views we had ever seen and it really was a great day for the four of us.  And it was nice to work off some of the booze from the night before.  Since that evening was our last night in Marrakech, we decided to eat in the middle of the action in the square and it was delicious!

The next day, we stopped off at the Saadian tombs to see where the Saadian Kings and Queens were buried and then made sure to have have one final mint tea before we headed back to the UK!

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Christmas 2010

We took an extended trip home to the States to visit friends and family for a few weeks.  We were both lucky enough to be able to work out of our NYC offices for one of those weeks so we spent our nights running around the city and visiting our favorite people.  Mark and Jen were nice enough to put us up for the full week in their beautiful new pad.  We started the visit by having our annual Christmas dinner with Matt's friends at Angelo Maxie's.  Matt held up his end of a bet with Mark and wore a full Santa suit out that night....and yes, Molly even sat next to him. 

The next day we started off by spending time with Anupa, Ian, Evan and Lena.  We then took a trip to NJ to visit Ryan, Bern and Julia Flood then hopped over to the Fitz's to see Andrew, Christine and Jack.  We rushed back to the city for Marcy's annual Christmas party at Choice where we danced until they told us we had to leave.  It was a long but great day!  The rest of the week was spent seeing friends for dinner and drinks - it was a whirlwind but certainly worth it.  Since we're working off of 2 computers, these are the pics we have from the week but there will be more to come! 

 Matt went from NYC to Courtney's new house in Virginia to see Nicholas get baptized on the George H.W. Bush carrier.  Molly spent time with her family and took her annual trip to the city to see Driving Miss Daisy with Aunt Kate, Kristin and Katie.  Matt then flew up to NJ for "martini night" with the Dwyer crew so he could meet a few people in the extended family for the first time. The next day we drove out to Southampton.  We spent some time with Queenie which is always special and met up with Matt's whole family at the house. We also got to meet the latest edition to the Gilmartin family, Charlie who is as adorable as his pictures. He was also baptized while Matt was home - making Matt the Godfather to both little guys!

 We separated for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to spend time alone with our familes. Our initial flight back to London was cancelled due to the 2 feet of snow that hit the northeast but we were able to fly out the next night in time for our New Year's Eve holiday away - more to come on that!

 

Mom and Dad D visit London!

Molly's mom and dad came to London for the first time over Thanksgiving.  They did a few days in Paris then we got down to business back in London.  We showed them all the major sites - from Big Ben to Hyde Park.  Matt and Molly got to do some new things too while they were here - touring Westminster Abbey and the Churchill War Rooms.  We also visited the National Gallery museum.  All of which were really cool and fun, new discoveries.  Molly and her mom went for a proper English tea at the Royal Garden Hotel near Kensington Gardens which was a great experience.  We were in full British mode that afternoon!  We did some fun excursions outside of London as well - we took a day trip up to Stonehenge and Bath.  Mom and Dad stepped out on their own and went to Windsor Castle too.  Bath is a really beautiful city....but it was FREEZING cold so I'm not sure we captured the full beauty of the city.  Matt and Mols may have to take a trip back in the spring!  We did love seeing the Roman Baths and the Christmas decorations were starting to go up around the town so we got into the Christmas spirit nice and early.  We had our first Thanksgiving together which was really special.  Our newly married friends, Jared and Amanda, came over for some cocktails and appetizers then the 4 of us sat down and had dinner.  Mom and Molly slaved away the whole time using an oven from 1968, a mini fridge and counter space that fits very little.  It was not easy...but the food was at least edible!  The entire day was fun and relaxing and I have to admit, this was one of my favorite Thanksgivings.    

After eating and drinking for 10 days straight, Mom and Dad D headed back to NJ.  It was sad to see them go - it really made us realize how much we miss our family and friends!  But, we are heading home for the holidays already later this week so we'll get to see everyone then!  We are really looking forward to it!

It may be a little late but HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

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Berlin

A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to go to Berlin. We had a very early morning flight on Saturday and arrived to cold and rain.  But we made the most of it and did a walking tour of the city instead.  On Sunday, we did a similar tour but this time on bikes...and the weather even cooperated with us a bit more.

One of the prettier buildings is the Reichstag, where the German Parliment sits.  We did the walk to the top and were able to get some good veiws of the city.  The building was set on fire when Hitler took office so he had moved his government during his tenure.  People believe that Hitler may have caused the fire as he always hated the building but that has never been proven. The government buildings surrounding the Reichstag are now made of glass so that Germeny has a more transparent government.  Another beautiful site was the Bradenburg Tor which was where the main processions through the city took place and one of the more famous people to go through the Gate was Napoleon.  Another famous face in that plaza a few years ago was Michael Jackson - you can see the hotel where he hung his baby, Blanket just across the way.

Berlin is home to many WWII and Hitler sites.  We saw Hitler's bunker where he spent the last few weeks of his life.  Once he heard the Russians were coming, he decided to marry his long-time mistress and then as any loving husband would do, gave her a cyanide pill then took one himself.  He instructed his guards to burn his body beyond recognition so that he would not be dragged through the streets the way the Italians dragged Mussolini.  The only way they were able to identify his body were through dental records.  The area is now filled with condos and a parking lot but it is definitely a main attraction.  We also saw where his old office was which ironically enough, is now a Chinese restaurant.

One of the interesting things we found is that the Berliners seem to want to make right with the past but not forget it happened.  There were two very moving tributes to the Holocaust.  One is  the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  It is made up of 2700 concrete blocks that almost resemble a cemetary.  The further you walk in to the memorial, the more clausterphobic you feel.  The artist never said what it represents and leaves it open for interpretation.  Berlin is very big into graffiti so the artist had a company put on anti-graffiti paint over the blocks.  The media discovered that this was the same company that provided the Nazis with the lethal ingredient which was used in the gas chambers.  Embarrassed, the company ended up doing it for free and issued a public apology in the newspaper.  It is also controversial in that it does not commemorate the other groups of people who were killed in the concentration camps so Berlin is said to be making memorials to all the other groups killed.  The other moving site was Babelplatz.  In 1933, the Nazis burned 20,000 books written by Jewish or homosexual authors at the site.  The site looks down into a basement with empty bookshelves that can hold 20,000 books.  There is a plague beside it that has a quote from 1820 in reference to the Spanish Civil War but was very foreboding and chilling.  It reads, "Where they burn books, they will also burn bodies in the end".  As a tribute to this event, Hombolt University across the street, holds a book fair every Sunday selling books by these and other authors.

As facinating as the WWII history is, neither of us could get over that only 30 years ago there was a wall that divided the city which is still very prevelant today.  We heard horrible stories that the Berlin Wall literally went up over night (it actually went up in 4 stages - the first being barbed wire and the last being 2 huge blocks of concrete.  The Russians moved in and began construction overnight.) and if your friend or loved one woke up on the other side of Berlin the morning after the wall was erected, you would not see them again until the wall went down (the wall was up from 1961-1989).  We also heard amazing survival stories.  One of the most unbelievable ones was of a man who wrote a letter to his friend telling her to lose as much weight as she could.  He drove across the border, made a whole in his car seat, put her bony frame in, sewed the seat back together and drove back across the border passing inspection.  The desperation of the people was something you could literally feel.  We also saw Checkpoint Charlie which now has 2 guys acting as American guards...although rumor has it this is only their day job and they are actually strippers by night!

Overall this was one of the most interesting cities we've been to.  The city is haunting with all of its horrible history but we were so impressed that they haven't forgotten and they are still making up for what their ancestors did.  It is not the most aesthetic city we've been to but certianly one of the more intriguing places we've ever visited and we definitely would like to go back.

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Billy's Visit

We had our first visitor recently - Cousin Billy!  Molly and Bill spent Friday doing a pub crawl while Matt worked but the three of us got to have some fun on Saturday at the Aston Villa vs. Chelsea match.  Bill's boss owns Aston Villa so instead of supporting our "local" team, we decided to cheer on Villa.  The game was so much fun that it made both of us football fans (not just American football!).  We loved the little differences - the away team fans have their own entrance, there's no drinking in your seats but you can run and down 4 beers at once at half time (actual signs that say you can only order 4 beers at one time), the fans sing the entire game...basically just making fun of the other team.  Thanks to Bill's boss, we were able to get into the clubhouse afterwards and have a few pints with the COO of the team (who we should mention, is only 34). He was really sweet and even let Molly talk about the WNBA while the boys just rolled their eyes.  Sunday we explored the city with Bill....got some really good shots of London.  Along the way, we stopped into almost every pub between the flat and Westminster Abbey...and then back again.  We were sad to see Bill go but both of our livers did thank us!

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London flat

Here are a few pictures of 34 Hornton Street....

We're the door on the right - 2nd floor.

Living room....the flat came furnished.  The couches are a perfect fit for Mols but Matt is just a little too tall for the love seats.  He is happy that we both get our own though!  

Other side of the living room....please notice the mini-fridge in the kitchen.  Apparently this is pretty standard for London.

As good a shot as I could get of the bedroom.

Two bathrooms is also not considered unusual in England....one with a toilet and sink and one with a shower and sink. We're just happy neither of us are overweight - the space is a little tight!

Roma!

We took a 4 day trip to Rome at the end of September and it was as facinating and wonderful as everyone told us it would be!  We stayed near the Termini area and did 4 days of non-stop sightseeing.  We started off by going by the Vittorio Emanuele, otherwise known as "The Wedding Cake", which is a massive white marble building that can be seen from many of the points that overlook the city.  It was built in the late 19th century (so very recently to most Italians) in honor of the first King of unified Italy.  The monument also houses the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier with an eternal flame which was bulit after WWI.  As we walked towards the Roman Forum, we looked up and saw the Colosseum....seeing a structure like that right in the middle of the city was something neither of us had seen and we were amazed.  You can't help but stare at it and think about all of the history in this city.  We then took a tour of the Roman Forum with an audio guide which helped capture what it looked like over 2,000 years ago. Hearing about the kings and queens who ruled there and seeing Ceasar's house was truely mind-blowing.  The next day, we did another audio tour but this time of the Colosseum.  Every modern day stadium runs exactly like the Colosseum did back then - they had concession stands there and sold merchandise of fan's favorite warriors.  The only difference is that after the "game", if a person was still alive, the King would give the thumbs up or down to decide if he lives or dies.  So, we're happy times have changed since then and sports are a little more civilized!

We spent one full morning touring Vatican City.  The Vatican is its own country, run by the Pope with its own currency and army (you have to be Swiss, male and under 30....and wear a less than flattering uniform).  We got to tour the Vatican museum and the Sistene Chapel, which was stunning.  Matt even snagged a photo of the ceiling before being yelled at by one of the security guards.  One of the interesting facts we learned was that after Michaelangelo did the first scene, he got down of his ladder, looked up and realized the figures were too small.  So, you can see the progression in his paintings and how the others are much larger than his first.  We headed over to St. Peter's Basilica and took a tour of where the dead popes are buried.  Molly blessed her rosary beads at the grave of St. Peter and then we headed up to the church.  It was STUNNING.  Words and pictures cannot even describe how big this church is and how ornate and beautiful everything was.  Pope Ignatious is the only Pope who lies in the church...and that's because he is a Saint.  Once Pope John Paul is annointed a Saint (they say it will be soon), they will move his body upstairs to the church too.  We spent a lot of time in the Basilica since neither of us had seen anything like it before.

From there, we headed to the Borghese Gallery which made both of us fans of sculptures.....or maybe fans of having enough money to buy all this art!  This family's collection is really unbelievable and the grounds the house is on are magnificient.  The collection was started by Cardinal Borghese (a nephew of Pope Paul V) in the 1600's and houses art by many famous artists including Bernini and Carvaggio

One other really interesting sight was the Capuchin Crypt.  It contains the skeletal remains of over 4,000 bones believed to be Capuchin friars buried by their order.  The bones are arranged in a very structured and artful way.  It was very freaky and odd but we were both facinated. 

We also got to see the other main attractions - theTrevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Roman baths, lots of piazzas and churches and of course we ate as much gelato as we could!  We both threw our coins in to the Trevi Fountain so we'll be sure to go back!

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