National Museum of Ireland Collins Barrack Dublin Ireland

For more than 200 years, the Collins Barracks was an Army Base. The imposing granite buildings were completed in 1704 and played a part in both the Rebellion of 1798 and the Easter Uprising of 1916. The barracks are named for the legendary Irish leader Michael Collins. The initial construction of the building was overseen by Thomas Burgh Originally known as the Royal Barracks they were designed to house 1500 men as well as stables for horses. 

#NationalmuseumofIreland

We visited on a rainy November Saturday morning and we were certainly not the only ones who thought this would be a great place to visit. What you will find here today is an extensive collection of decorative arts combined with military history. 

We took a cab to get here, we knew where it was located from our travels on the hop on hop off bus. The Luas has a station right outside the barracks so if you want that would certainly be an easy way to get here. We have not quite figured out the Luas but I full intend to learn all about it next time we visit here. It does not go near the Pembroke Townhouse, at least I have never seen it in the area. 

 There is an excellent collection of coins. Some ancient ones as well as newer ones. 

While not quite a costume museum, there is a nice collection of clothing. This particular dress was designed by the famous Worth of Paris. 

Silver lovers are in for a treat. I particularly like these snuff boxes but the collection is much more extensive than these and includes tea pots, candelabra and a magnificent epergne just to name a few.  

The military aspects of the museum are of particular interest. It covers hundreds of years from ancient Ireland to the current day. 

Entrance is free however, you are encouraged to donate 5 euros. A smallish gift shop is located near the entrance desk but it closes for an hour at lunch time so we had five minutes to look around. I highly recommend a visit to the National Museum of Ireland. 

Visiting Ben Lomond Historic Site Manassas, VA.

Ben Lomond is a historic site located in Manassas, Va. It was originally part of the land holdings of Robert “Councillor” Carter III who was the grandson of Robert “King” Carter. At his death, his massive holdings were divided among his heirs, one of whom was his grandson, Benjamin Tasker Chinn. Guests who have visited the Manassas Battlefield will recognize the name Chinn as one of the hills that the battle took place on.

#benlomond

When Robert Carter III owned the property, it was used to grow tobacco. It was named Cancer Plantation, he named his plantations after the signs of the zodiac. Oakland Plantation was originally called Leo. Robert Carter III freed his slaves in a document he filed with the Northumberland District Court.

When Benjamin Chinn inherited, he decided to build a house on the property, which is the house that stands today, well sort of. The original house was covered in stucco and had a two-two-story over the entire front. His wife did not like the name of the property and to please his wife, Benjamin changed the name to Ben Lomond after a property that had been the ancestral home of her family.



With only ten slaves, tobacco was out of the question, instead, the plantation raised merino sheep.



Today, an original slave cabin stands on the property and is the only one extant in the county and one of only a few in the area. It was divided into two apartments and was big enough to provide space for all the slaves. Made of stone, each of the sides has a fireplace making it nicer than the homes most small farmers would have had. The entire building was moved from the other side of the property to its current location when the modern world began encroaching on it.

The tour of the grounds is self-guided except for the slave quarters. The tour begins in the gift shop and moves outside to the front of the house. It then moves to the slave cabin and you are welcome to go inside.



By the time of the Battle of Manassas, the Chinn family had moved to a bigger, newer home on Chinn Hill. Ben Lomond was being leased to the Pringle family. The house sits adjacent to the road that Stonewall Jackson brought his troops along to the battle. After the battle, the Confederates took possession of the house and turned it into a field hospital. Ben Lomond remained in their hands until the end of August 1961.




In 1862 when the Union occupied the area they came to the house and destroyed all the furniture and left graffiti on the walls, which survives to this day. They had heard that the Pringles were Confederate sympathizers.

The house that is seen today is set up as it would have been at the time right after the First Battle of Manassas, as a field hospital. A lot of information is imparted about what the patients endured and the medicine and procedures they were forced to endure.

This was a very interesting place to visit. The tour was excellent and it is the perfect place to visit to coordinate with a visit to the battlefield.



The rose garden was not in bloom in October but visitors can enter the smokehouse and the dairy. The stone outline of the kitchen is also visible in the yard. In the early 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt was a frequent visitor to the house. It has been in the possession of Prince William County since the 1980s. There is a small fee to visit.

Hill of Tara County Meath Ireland

We visited the Hill of Tara with our guide Gerry as part of our tour with of the Boyne Valley. Gerry didn't actually walk up the hill with us but rather drove us there and dropped us off. We didn't have any idea about what to look for since this had not been something we were prepared to do. Sadly, in early November, the visitor center was not open so other than knowing that the Stone of Destiny was at the top and if we hugged it we would see our destiny, we didn't have a whole lot to go on. Signage was literally nonexistent.

#hillof tara  #stoneofdestiny

My knees had been acting up so the other three in my party went ahead without me. I was quite a lot behind, since as I exited the restaurant I decided that I had enough knees left to give it a go.

I walked through the gate and up past the statue of St. Patrick, no explanation of why he was there is provided. It seems St Patrick lit a Paschal fire on the hilltop in defiance of the Pagan king of Tara.

I walked past the visitor center, all locked up, through the cemetery and out into the field. WARNING: the field is loaded, and I do mean loaded with sheep doo, you need to watch every step that you take. It was also wet and muddy when we were there and extremely slippery.

The first thing I saw was the burial site, there is a small sign there so I knew it was called the Mound of the Hostages.  It is a 3000-year-old passage tomb. 

Walking past it to the next hill, you come to the Stone of Destiny. The views from the top of the hill are quite stunning and it does seem like a perfect spot for the King of Tara to be crowned.

I would suggest that visiting the Hill of Tara during the season might be much more interesting when the visitor center is open to provide a little background and guidance. 

We did have lunch here at McGuires which had excellent soup and we really wished we had time to visit the cluster of small and very interesting looking shops at the bottom of the hill.

#stoneofdestiny 
#hilloftara

Hotel review: The Kendall Hotel, Cambridge, Mass.

#kendallhotelcambridge

The Kendall Hotel - You really do know this is something special as soon as you walk into the lobby. It doesn't remotely resemble most hotel lobbies. It is small, intimate really. You pull up in front of the hotel and there is parking available under the hotel. Be sure to reserve it before you arrive, it will be less expensive that way.

It was a couple weeks before Christmas and a fire was going in the fireplace and comfortable places to sit were offered by the Christmas tree. The Black Sheep Restaurant and Bar also shares the lobby. We were given room 413 and our friends 412. It was a comedy of errors, their key didn't work, it is the electronic kind and after a few false starts, they too got to cozy up in their room.

You can choose to have a queen bed, a king bed or a suite. We chose the king bedded rooms which were slightly more expensive because the rooms are also larger. It is a lovely room. It had a king sized bed with a beautiful carved headboard. The bed had six pillows of varying size making it looks very comfy cozy. The walls are painted a very soft and relaxing green.

An upholstered chair with a pole lamp, a desk and chair and a flat screen TV with 100 channels round out the decor. This hotel is everything you could want and more. An antique trunk with a mirror over it and an antique Empire dresser add some historic flair. The bed has a neutral cover and a patchwork comforter, a very comfortable bed it is too.



Just walking in the halls is interesting, antiques and additional trunks everywhere. No two rooms are identical, the furniture is individual and the quilts are too. Our friends had a red comforter in their room.

On the main floor off of the hall, there is a business center with a computer, there is also one on the seventh floor in the lounge. It is a very pretty room on the seventh floor where they have a reception Monday -Thursday. It has one wall that is all glass and offers interesting views of the city. All the rooms have high-speed internet as well as WiFi.




The bathroom is surprisingly large with a pedestal sink, tub and shower combination and an oriental design small cabinet. Charming is the word that comes to mind. A water and soda machine are located on the first floor as well as a candy machine. Coffee is available in the breakfast room early in the morning. Breakfast is included in your room rate.


The lobby and the restaurant are located in the historic Victorian firehouse Engine Company #7. The firehouse closed in the early 1990's and had fallen into disrepair. It was rescued and turned into a boutique hotel which opened in 2002. The Kendall is the only boutique hotel in Cambridge. If you are visiting MIT this hotel is located perfectly adjacent to the campus. A Legal Seafood Restaurant is located right across the street or you can eat in the hotel.

Hotel review: Hotel Corinthia Lisbon

The Hotel Corinthia Lisbon is part of the Corinthia Hotel Group and it is listed as a five-star hotel. I would give it more if I was able. They have the most helpful and friendly staff, absolutely everyone we met in the hotel was delightful. The desk was ever helpful; the lady who ran the store was a gem and the restaurant staff as well. You were always treated as if your comfort was of the utmost importance to them.

The lobby is a marvel of marble, orchids, intimate seating groups and almost medieval lighting. It is a stunner. You will be assisted from your taxi by the helpful staff and it is only going to get better from here. The elevators are small, that is the only remotely negative thing I can say about this place. But on the upside, there are plenty of them and they are fast.

Rooms are comfortable, not huge but by European standards very roomy. On the wall as you walk in is a very modern looking set of cabinets which includes a closet, minibar and safe, There are three phones including one in the bathroom. To have electricity in the room you must place your room card in the holder by the light switch near the door.

The room is very comfortable with two nightstands and a glass table, a desk and a chair and also a club chair. The bed has extra pillows and the closet has even more. As usual, a twin is two beds a double one. The bedding was gorgeous. The bathroom is all tiled; it has a deep tub and shower with great pressure and plenty of hot water, a marble top vanity, and a bidet. The TV is a large flat screen.

Internet (Ethernet) was 9 Euros an hour or 18 for 24 hours, for 25 Euros you get movies on demand included. You can use the computer with the TV or connect your own laptop.

The hotel has two restaurants and a bar in addition to a lovely outdoor dining area at the breakfast buffet restaurant. You want to have a breakfast included. This is probably the best breakfast buffet I have ever seen and I have seen a lot. You could have an omelet made or a waffle.




They offer a choice of sliced bread which you toast, bacon, sausage, potatoes, cold cereal, tons of fresh fruit, cheeses, meats, vegetables, pastries and rolls, juices the list goes on and on. You can have tea coffee or hot chocolate to go with it. Really if you can't find something here to eat, you won't find it anywhere.

The main restaurant Tipico is a gem offering international and local cuisine in a beautiful setting. The food is perfectly prepared and presented.

I can't recommend the Hotel Corinthia Lisbon highly enough. It is located away from the downtown near the Gulbenkian Museum and so is quiet and peaceful. There are always cabs available and buses go right by as well.

If you are looking for a hotel that offers a very high standard of service at a price that is if not inexpensive at least affordable then this is the one that I recommend. They have a business center and an outdoor pool which only add to just how perfect they are.