Lexington, KY

Yesterday we made it to our second stop on this leg.of the race: Lexington Kentucky!! We stayed at the Manchester hotel which is a very new boutique hotel which opened only a couple of months ago. 

 After a quick check-in, we dropped off our bags in the room and went out exploring. The hotel is only about a half mile from the distillery district. We walked down to that area and went to Wise Bird Cider. 

 We ordered some food from their food truck and both had a delicious grilled chicken sandwich with apple slaw, warm brie and hot honey!! A winning combination. We also tried a few ciders. My favorite was the Harrison which was earthy (as described) and not sweet. Most of the ciders are European style which means they are drier unlike many American styles, such as Samuel Adam's Angry Orchard which tend to be sweet.  

We then walked down to have our first spirit tasting of this trip at the Barrel House Distillery.

 They had some.very good vodkas, runs and of course rye and bourbons. And there was a special one where they had to write you a"prescription" like they did during Prohibition. That saved you a dollar when you ordered.it from the bar.  

We then went to the James Pepper distillery and tried some of their bourbons and ryes. 

 My favorite was the Bottled in Bond Rye. I was familiar with that term from.paat visits to Kentucky's Bourbon Trail. I only thought it referred to a bourbon or rye that was at least 100 proof. It also refers to a requirement that the bourbon or rye is distilled and bottled at the same location and is ages in "government" approved barrels. The exact defibrillator of such barrels appears to be open to interpretation. 

After the Pepper distillery,, we didn't need any more bourbon and visited Ethereal Brewing. They had a great selection of beers so it was hard to choose. 

 The sours were all very good, especially the Tropical Sour. My favorite was actually the Blueberry Crunch. It was like the best Boo Very cereal you could ever have. We also got a few crowlers to go.  

We then were a little hungry so we headed to Goodfellas pizza. It was very popular!! We didn't want a whole pie of the same flavor so each ordered two slices. And they were NY-sized!! Really tasty pies!! My favorite was the one with broccoli which gave it an interesting crunch. 

After our pizza it was time to walk back to the hotel. Today we have our last, and shortest leg of the race. We expect to be in Westfield Indiana by Noon. 

Blue Ridge, Georgia

We spent two nights in Tampa so we could get an oil change and pack up the car for our upcoming three weeks in Indiana. It's going to be very nice to have more than 3 short sleeve shirts to wear. 

Yesterday after about eight hours of driving, we made it to our overnight stop in Blue Ridge Georgia. 

 This is a small town about one hundred miles north of Atlanta on the southern side of the famous Blue Ridge mountains. Our hotel, the Hampton Inn, was right in the middle of downtown so we had started a bar and restaurant crawl beginning at Misty Mountain Hops. 

 We had taco and green salads along with some pretty decent garlic and Parmesan wings. The wings were tasty but couldn't compare to the best ones I have had at The Mill restaurant in Westfield Indiana. Good thing we're headed there. 

We also stopped at Cartecay Wine and Craft for a cider and a sour. 

 Then to the Black Bear Bier Garden which is also a day care for husbands. We didn't like the vibe in that bar so only stayed for one round. Then off to Fightingtown Tavern where Angie had a delicious buffalo chicken grilled cheese!! While at Fightingtown, we started watching some wild sports competitions on ESPN. On one screen was the Cross Fit championships. These competitors were performing all kinds of endurance challenges including rope pulls, rope climbs and sled pulling. But the craziest one was the Slippery Stairs. It is essentially a cross between giant Slip n Slide and those dry slides you see at state fairs. Except this was anything but dry. The contestants are wearing spandex suits and then get all lubed up before the race. And there are people at the top pouring more slime and lube onto the stairs, increasing the challenge. The goal is to be the first one to get to the top and ring the bell. And it's legal to pull someone down as you are climbing. There are referees that carefully monitor it.  

Our last stop was back where we began at the Hampton Inn. They had a bar that was conveniently on our floor!! They also had live music. We both had a beer and I enjoyed some meatball sliders. And continuing with our crazy sports was watching Celebrity Cornhole where Shemar Moore's (Criminal Minds and SWAT) team handily beat a competitor.   

Today we'll have a later start than yesterday. Probably leave our hotel about 9AM as we make our way to Lexington Kentucky for the next pitstop on this leg of the race. It's about five hours of driving.

Carnival Venezia Last Sea Day

On Tuesday we had our last night onboard the Venezia. We weren't getting a good vibe from the menu at the main dining room so we decided to have sushi instead. Bonsai Sushi is an a la carte restaurant onboard most Carnival Cruise Line ships. Had some delicious pork and chicken skewers, Spicy Tuna Roll and Bang Bang Bonsai Roll.  

On Wednesday morning we had one last breakfast on the Terrazza outdoor deck before heading down the gangway. We originally had planned to take the Carnival transfer to LGA for our 12:55 flight to TPA. We boarded the bus at 9:15. But by 9:45 it was still waiting for more passengers. So we made a quick decision and got off the bus, grabbed our luggage from underneath and found a driver who would take us to LGA. A bit more expensive than we planned, but we made it with plenty of time to spare.  

We had a nice flight on JetBlue. Our luggage came quickly and we took a Lyft to our storage unit to get our car. Then headed to the Springhill Suites where we're staying for a couple of nights.  

Today is a day for errands. Just got an oil change. Now headed to AAA to get a passport photo. Then I will get my passport renewal processed and sent in. It doesn't expire until next year but we had a short break now before any international travel so should have time to get it back. Will use their expedited service.  

Tomorrow we will start the drive up to Indiana where we'll stay for three weeks. I think the longest we have stayed anywhere since we sold our house in January. After that break we have a few more US trips. And then pending my passport renewal, we'll plan some trips for October and beyond.

Carnival Venezia Sea Day 3

When we sail, we keep a running list of all the activities, events and food we want to make sure to try. Yesterday was a day to check off the boxes for food. 

Started with Sea Day Brunch. I don't know of any other cruise lines that offer this without an extra fee. The menu has changed over the years, but there are always good things. Although I do miss the Superfoods Salad that came with grilled salmon. The most recent addition is some items from Executive Fleet Chef Emeril Lagassee. I went with a yogurt parfait and dried chicken with maple bourbon syrup. Angie had the Voyage Burger.   

After brunch we went to Geography trivia. We did better than expected with 14 out of 20. The bonus question was to name countries that begin with "D". There are five of them. Do you know them all? Answer below.  

Then we played Actor's Trash Trivia. This is where they list three items you might find in an actors trash can and you guess the actor. For example, if there was a samurai sword, a green jumpsuit and a dance trophy, who's trash might you be seeing? Or a volleyball, a plastic toy cowboy and a box of chocolates? Answers below. We got all 20 questions correct and were the winners!! It did help that we've had similar (or possibly the exact same) trivia before on Carnival.  

After our big win, we headed to see Quora perform their Queen set in the atrium. Followed by the pasta bar in the Marco Polo dining room. We had the Bolognese and the Pappardelle. Both pretty tasty although hard to match the pasta we had at Il Viaggio the first night. And continuing to check off the boxes, later that afternoon we went to Tea Time!!  

Last night was another formal night and the dining room had lobster. 

 It was pretty tasty. I also had spaghetti carbonara. Angie went with eggplant parmesan. It was no match for the eggplant Rolatini from the previous night. We then tried to go to the Vintage Pop show. About ten minutes after we sat down, there was an announcement to evacuate the theater. So we evacuated and sat down at a bar with many others in the same situation There weren't any further announcements so we didn't knowif the show was cancelled. I found out later that the fog effects in the theater set off some alarm, but that the show did go on. Sad we didn't get to see it.  

We ended the night at Frizzante talking to Darius and Ivana along with new friends Rachel, Travis and Ross. End up being a fun night.  

Today so our last sea day. We'll dock in Manhattan tomorrow morning. Not much left on our list. Probably will get a Guy's Burger. And they are playing the Super Mario Brothers movie on the outdoor deck at 5:30.  

Denmark

Democratic Republic of The Congo

Djibouti

Dominican Republic

Dominica

Uma Thurman (Kill Bill, Batman and Robin and Pulp Fiction)

Tom Hanks (Castaway, Toy Story and Forest Gump)