Antibes, France

May 24, 2019
Today we met up with our friends Rodney and Donna who we met a few weeks ago at the Kentucky Derby. We went on a tour with a tour guide to Antibes.
After a nice walking tour of Antibes, we then drove to Hotel du Cap and grabbed lunch at Eden Roc.
Follow us on our journey the next destination is Eze, France.

Maria, Donna, Rodney & John

Grand Prix Extravaganza 2019 – Monte Carlo, Monaco

May 23, 2019
Today we flew into Nice and got a taxi ride to Monaco which is about 45 minutes away. Once we got to Monte Carlo we checked into the beautiful Hotel de Paris Hotel. After we got settled in we decided to have lunch at the hotel which was really expensive.
May 24, 2019
Today we met up with our friends Rodney and Donna and their tour guide and we drove to Antibes, France. After a leisure stroll around Antibes, we drove to Hotel du Cap to have lunch at Eden Roc.
May 25, 2019
Today we watched the qualifying race on the 140′ yacht name Soy Amor.
We had an amazing time and we met some really cool new people. Afterward, we went to Nobu for dinner and after dinner, we then met up with Lindsey, Kyle, Pepe, Carlos, Roula, Jim and Eddie for a nightcap in Le Bar Americain which was a blast!!!
May 26, 2019 – Race Day
Today we were lucky enough to be in Garnier suite with an unbelievable view of the track. We were right above one of the turns and there was space for cars to take the lead which was exciting. We had a wonderful time with the new friends that we met. After the race was over John and I went back to the room to get ready for Dinner. We had reservations to the fabulous restaurant in the Hotel de Paris called Louis XV. This was an amazing experience which I would recommend everyone try at least once. Every course had a unique layout and silverware and it was nicely done almost like art.

Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean

Our Grand Prix 2019 Swag

Hats signed by Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean

140′ Yacht where we watched the Pre-qualifying race

Race Day 2019

Ed, Amy, John, Maria, Jim, Lindsey, Roula, Kyle, Megan & Shane

Grand Prix after-party at Bar American – American Express opened up 30 bottles of Dom Perignon Champagne for 15 people.

Louisville, Ketucky – 2019 Kentucky Derby

May 2, 2019 

Today we checked into the Embassy Suites Hotel and we got ready and headed to Eddie Merlot’s for dinner afterward we went back to the hotel to settle in and get ready for the Kentucky Oaks tomorrow

May 3, 2019

Today we got ready for the Kentucky Oaks I wore a pink dress in honor of breast cancer survivors and a fascinator which was hand-painted ostrich feathers. After the Oaks race, we had an after-party where we saw Martina McBride perform a bunch of her hit songs.

May 4, 2019 – DERBY DAY!!!!!

Today was very exciting!  Going to the Kentucky Derby was on our bucket list and we are lucky enough to be able to check it off.

Oaks Day

Maria
Maria
Maria & John

DERBY DAY!!!

Maria
Maria & John
Maria & John
John figuring out our Derby bets

Maria
Maria, John, Adam, Sid, Brian, Rodney, Linda & Donna
Maria

After the Derby, our friends Donna & Rodney hired a shuttle to take us all back to the hotel. This is a video of our Irish friends having some fun singing.

Louisville Airport

We were on the plane with Bob Baffert – Legendary Horse Trainer. I asked him to sign our Trophy Room tickets.

Gifts from The Derby Experience

Peru, Indiana – Carriage Manor Estate

April 30, 2019 

Today we drove to our friend’s house in Peru. The Carriage Manor Estate is a beautiful home with a lot of history. Our friends took us to their old stomping grounds to show us around. We had lunch at this place called Streamliner which is located in Rochester. After lunch, we then drove to Culver which was nice to see because that’s where Tim grew up. While we were in Culver they took us to this amazing high school called Culver Military Academy. Afterwards, we went back to Rochester to Evergreen for a nice dinner before heading back to Peru.

May 1, 2019

Today Tim & Cindy took us on a tour of Peru.  We saw the house where Cole Porter grew up and then the house he built after he became famous. We then saw where the circus practices. Apparently, Peru was known as the circus capital of the world. Read this article about it.

If you would like to see what and where we ate while in Peru.

Inside of their Concert Grand Piano

Cigar Room

Tanning Bed
Squirrel 🙂

Peru, Indiana – The Lodge @ Carriage Manor Estate

April 30, 2019 

Today we drove to our friend’s house in Peru. The Carriage Manor Estate is a beautiful home with a lot of history. Our friends took us to their old stomping grounds to show us around. We had lunch at this place called Streamliner which is located in Rochester. After lunch, we then drove to Culver which was nice to see because that’s where Tim grew up. While we were in Culver they took us to this amazing high school called Culver Military Academy. Afterward, we went back to Rochester to Evergreen for a nice dinner before heading back to Peru.

May 1, 2019

Today Tim & Cindy took us on a tour of Peru.  We saw the house where Cole Porter grew up and then the house he built after he became famous. We then saw where the circus practices. Apparently, Peru was known as the circus capital of the world. Read this article about it.

If you would like to see what and where we ate while in Peru.

Culver Military Academy – Culver, Indiana

A horse and carriage – Amish Lifestyle

Cole Porter’s House

Some funny signs we saw at a restaurant in Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

April 29, 2019

Today we drove to visit our friends Jan and Al who we met on a cruise in South America. They took us on a tour of downtown Indianapolis and then we went back to their lovely house which was nestled in the woods. It was a beautiful home in this quiet spot. We got there early enough to go and grab a bite to eat for lunch. We ate at this amazing place called Bluebeard indy.

We went to eat dinner at a famous place called St. Elmo’s Steakhouse.

If you would like to see what and where we ate while in Indianapolis.

Al’s wine cellar
Al, Jan, Maria & John

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

At the speedway, we took a Kiss The Bricks Tour which was pretty cool.

 

Maria & John Kissing the Finish Line Bricks

The strips in the pavement that communicates information with the cars and the tower