Hartford brought our first taste of the summer and the warm sunshine. Located on the Connecticut River, Hartford is not only the state capital but also the insurance capital of the world, with a slew of historical attractions, a thriving arts and entertainment centre, a revitalised riverfront and beautiful parks and public gardens. It was here that the lovable Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were born in the imagination of celebrated author Mark Twain and immortalised on paper during the writer's Hartford years.

Hartford State Capitol of Connecticut Building

Hartford is home to our very own dancer Kristyn Fontanella and so it was great to have a local guide to all the sights, activities, restaurants and bars.

Kristyn sitting with Scott Doherty on one of our charter flights just having a snack or two!!!

One of the big draws to Hartford is The Mark Twain House and Museum. This is where Mark Twain wrote several of his famous novels, including "Tom Sawyer," "Huckleberry Finn," and "The Prince and the Pauper." Anyone visiting the city should see this one of a kind house. Reflecting Mark Twain's personality inside and out, the house itself is a nice Victorian home, well preserved and restored. We also enjoyed the movie before the tour describing Mark's life and the 2 galleries of exhibits. If you are into literature, don't miss the gallery with books from Mark Twain's library with his personal notes and comments about other authors. Some of his remarks are hilarious!

The home of famous author Mark Twain

The Crowne Plaza Hotel was home to Riverdance for the week and the lobby of the hotel was like an internet café with members of the company making full use of the free internet in the lobby. Another hotspot for the company included Vaughan's Irish Bar, which was our provider of authentic Irish food and drink for the week. We said goodbye to troupe dancer Caterina Coyne and Percussionist Ian McTigue who both left for the Irish tour, but not before a good Karaoke send off and a beautiful rendition from some of the female cast to 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll'. We celebrated Maeve Croke's birthday at another of the Irish bars also where the authentic Irish cider went down a treat. Pictured here are the female cast enjoying Maeve's birthday.

Happy Birthday Maeve!

Our Theatre, The Bushnell Centre for Performing Arts was beautifully located on the edge of Bushnell Park. The first public park in America that was financed with public funds, Bushnell Park has a beautiful 1914 carousel and also features The Memorials Civil War Arch. It has a beautiful pond and a children's park and includes some 150 varieties of trees. It's located right in the middle of downtown Hartford close to museums, The State Capital and excellent restaurants not to mention the lovely river front which is gorgeous in the summer evenings.

The picturesque Bushnell Park

Mother's Day fell while we were in Hartford and with only one Mother in the Boyne Company right now, Company Management made a special presentation to Russian dancer, Anja Brovkina. Hope you had a wonderful day Anja.

Happy Mother's Day Anja!