Travel Tales: April in Ireland and London

It’s been a tough couple of years. In late 2023, following unexpected family drama, I became the sole caregiver for my then 89-year-old beautiful mother, Irene, in what would be the last year of her life. Together, Mike and I dedicated ourselves to her care.

She died September 22, 2024. Four days later, the first of two hurricanes devastated our home on Anna Maria Island.

After months of grueling recovery spent inside what Mike dubbed “The Catastrophe Economy,” we finally rebuilt the portion of the house in which we host vacation rental guests. The cottage, the one-bedroom half of the duplex where we stay when the main house is rented, came along much more slowly but we decided we couldn’t stay in Florida and headed back to Seattle in April last year.

Back in the Northwest, I didn’t know what to do with my grief, or the stress or the loss, or well, any of it. So I did what writers do. I sat down and started beating the bloody words out of myself.

Months later, I completed my first full fiction manuscript. Soon, I will have news about what happened to it. Now, a year later, I decided it was time to get away, and planned my first big trip without Mike since we got married nearly 22 years ago. He’s back in Seattle with our beloved dog, Maddy.

I landed in Dublin yesterday. I’ll be joined by my friend, Sally for ten days. Afterward, I’ll head to London, where the novel is set, for two-plus weeks. There, my chef friend, Ted, will join me for a week, and I’ll spend the rest with my dear friend-for-life, Marnie, who lives in London.

Below are photos from my first dinner in Dublin, at Charlotte Quay, across the grand canal from my hotel, Anantara The Marker, booked with American Express points.

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Bluesky for regular updates and what’s sure to be an embarrassment of riches of food photos… and other news. I’ll also update this page with regular post so you can follow along; perhaps you may want to visit these places yourself one day.

UPDATES:
Eating Dublin: Gorgonzola on Brown Bread, Following the Trail of Ulysses (April 6, 2026)
One of the best yet least complicated meals I’ve ever had in my life, and it started by finally understanding what the hell this epic tome was about, thanks to shadow box art at the James Joyce Centre.

Eating Dublin: The Old Mill in Temple Bar (April 10, 2026)
When I first walked up these steps, I did not know this place had originally been built in the 1750s nearly 125 miles south. The whole thing was transported and rebuilt, piece-by-piece.

Eating Dublin: Dining at Sole in Dublin, the “hottest” New Spot in Town (April 11, 2026)
A spectacular architect savvy hot spot and a 65 euro fish? What could go wrong?

Eating Dublin: Easter Sunday with Traditional Irish Music (April 12, 2026)
There are many ways to celebrate Easter. We chose Guinness.

Eating London: Chinatown (April 13, 2026)
A bit about the history of London’s Chinatown and our first three meals in the capitol. One came with a warning, the other with a charming name.

Eating London: Borough Market and the Duck Confit Sandwich (April 14, 2026)
A pilgrimage to the famed Borough, considered one of the world’s greatest food meccas, and yet another epic sandwich experience.

Eating London: Half-Price Monday Night Meat and the Ice Queen at the Hippodrome (April 20, 2026)
Our night of half-price steak plus a free show of human emotions as it unveils live on the casino floor below.

Select any of the photos below for the full culinary travel tale