Sunday, October 9, 2022

Rule Brittania


 After our Bourbon tour, we spent a week in Connecticut and New York City.  Now we were off to London.  Several months ago we decided to buy tickets to see Andrea Bocelli in concert.  The tickets in London were 1/4 the price of the tickets in San Diego where the venue is a hockey rink.  We landed on my birthday and headed to Fortnum and Mason for tea.  We managed to stay awake until 9 p.m. The next day we were having dinner with friends at Mere, an incredible dinner and a great time to catch up. 
Amuse bouche

another love bite

Chestnut gnocchi

Veal sweetbreads



Lamb

artichoke


Black sesame choux

The hokey pokey



Dinners like this are an experience, and each bite is an adventure.  Highly recommend it if you are in London.  The next day, we headed to the Tower of London for some souvenirs for our grandkids--they love getting postcards, but I found some interesting stocking stuffers for them, too.  


We used the Uber boats on the Thames for transport while we were there.  That night we headed to Greenwich which is where the Bocelli concert was being held.  

Heading down the river, we got to the Greenwich North station.  The 02 arena is quite the place; lots of restaurants, bars, and then the arena.  

I'm kind of a follow-directions girl, when we were told to turn off our cell phones and not record during the concert, this is the only photo I took.  The concert was beautiful; I will say that I think Andrea is slowing down (he'd done 9 concerts in the UK when we saw him) he's turned some of the program over to other performers, along with his son Matteo and his daughter.  We were sitting next to a group of women with their mums (in their 90's) They had waited 2 years to see this concert since it was postponed due to Covid.  They were treated to 3 encores, and we felt it was a trip worth taking.  We are on to our happy place in Spello for 3 weeks, and then a week in Puglia with our friends.  I hope you'll join us as I blog along with some adventures.  Cheerio!



Lux Row, Evan Williams, and Louisville Sluggers

Lux Row distillers are new to the bourbon trail, but its history dates back to the 1800's.  They make five different bourbons here on site, Rebel, Ezra Brooks, David Nicholson, Davies County, and Blood Oath.  The facility here is modern, and the tour takes you through the distilling process, with the ubiquitous Bourbon tasting at the end in a lovely tasting room.  



Fermenting grains







Bourbon cathedral





With most of these tastings we were also given chocolate covered Bourbon balls to sample


As the newest of the distilleries we visited, this was also the most modern.  Each one has its own flavor, and ambiance, and they do hospitality well.  Now we are off to Louisville and Evan Williams.  
Located along the river in downtown Louisville, Evans Williams is part of the Heaven Hill Distillery group.  Evan Williams, a Welsh immigrant came to the United States towards the end of the 18th century. Williams settled in Kentucky and began distilling in 1783, in Louisville, Kentucky.  A historical marker in Louisville marks the site as Kentucky's first commercial distillery. Williams was the first wharf master of Louisville in 1797.  The modern brand was introduced in 1957.












Our last Bourbon tasting of the tour topped off with more Bourbon balls.  Heading down the street, we came to the Louisville Slugger museum.  

Lots and lots of bats













We watched as the bats were made, labeled, and then finished.  Having grown up as a Red Sox fan and now a Padres fan, it was fun to see the bats belonging to baseball greats.  These are special bats designed by the players for the all-star game.  

Downtown Louisville

So, all in all, this was a great 4 days in a beautiful state (who knew?) and the history of the Bourbon distillers was really interesting.  If you are a Bourbon lover, it's a great trip to take.  
Kentucky, you are a stunner.  Cheers!