Category Archives: Travel
Edinburgh, or thereabouts
We drove from St. Andrews to Edinburgh and stopped twice on the way. First, the Falkirk Wheel, an engineering wonder, then Rosslyn Chapel, a newly restored 11th century church renowned for its rare stone carved decor and the spot where … Continue reading
St. Andrews, Scotland
A road closure meant a “diversion” north from Oban and an extra 90 minutes drive to our day, but the views proved spectacular through glacial valleys and steep, lush highlands. I think it’s what some folks call a happy accident. … Continue reading
Scotland’s Westcoast
4 hours is a long drive for a Scot, apparently. And that’s why Oban, on Scotland’s mid-west shore, brings mainly tourists to its wee hamlet of 10,000 souls. Oban’s ferries run hourly to the Inner Hebrides where hardy folk inhabit … Continue reading
Keswick
In the north Lakes District lies a town about the size of Ladysmith. Its primary industry is tourism, especially catering to outdoor enthusiasts. In the past, the local slate mine provided economic sustainability and we saw evidence of that everywhere. … Continue reading
The Lakes District
It’s no wonder we found throngs of tourists weekending at the Lakes this Bank Holiday. Rolling hills, lakeside picnics, hiking, canoeing, golf and shopping draw vacationers to quaint towns dotted along the rivers that thread through this lovely country. And … Continue reading
Blenheim Palace and Chipping Campden
Born at a high society party, 2 months premature in the cloak room of his ancestor’s palace, Winston Churchill entered the world at Blenheim Palace as an infant much talked about. He spent much of his childhood there, raised by … Continue reading
Bath
First that photo from St. James Park in London. Remember? The commanding views of Buckingham Palace? Monday morning, we left Paddington Station by train and 90 minutes later, disembarked in Bath. Today we’ve explored the city (about the size of … Continue reading
London, at Last
We left under sunny skies by ferry (and spotted a breaching orca on the way) to Vancouver, then hopped on the 9 hour flight to Gatwick, found our way by train into Victoria Station and walked 6 minutes to the … Continue reading