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It was breakfast at the Granvia Okayama Hotel. The tour group at the next table murmured in agreement as the colonel railed against typographical errors in the itinerary. I pegged him as “the colonel,” now a paper-pusher, close to retirement.  It was impossible to tune him out as he recalled his first encounter with the… Continue reading Gas

I’m back in Minneapolis from my travels, so it is a priority to plan future travels.   Today I booked an entire English castle for 2016. It’s just a little castle, actually a gatehouse, it’s only for a week, and it costs about the same as two hotel rooms. I want to introduce my nephews… Continue reading Our Castle in England

“It’s a good trail.” I could tell from the young woman’s hiking boots and glowing expression it would, indeed, be a good trail. I gratefully accepted the walking stick (tree limb) her companion was ready to discard as they left the trail. I clambered over rocks and headed away from the idling tour buses. A… Continue reading Monasteries on Rocks

“Great view.” I kept looking at the Acropolis. Then I realized I was being spoken to. I turned around to see a man in his 70’s. I muttered something in agreement. Hearing my accent he started a “Your Country” routine about British politics. “Wrong country,” I interrupted. Once he determined my actual citizenship he started… Continue reading Views from a Rooftop Bar

I disliked history classes at my high school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The focus on studying for examinations did not fit my learning style. The teaching style often reflected the teacher’s lack of interest in teaching. To be fair, I did not then have the life experiences to sufficiently understand the nuances of how… Continue reading My Long Journey to Ireland

Today we reluctantly leave Ireland: Dwight heads back to Minneapolis, and I continue my travels for a little longer. 18: # days in Ireland It never rained, not once. 0: # days it rained 0: # days I wore a jacket And it was warm. We walked almost every day. 150: # miles walked (approximately)… Continue reading Ireland by Numbers

She stands resolutely in front of her home in the “mucky wee port” of Port Glasgow, Scotland. My Aunt Madge, helmet and gas mask at the ready, standing against the Nazi threat. The threat was real. Bombs rained down on the nearby shipyards, and on British, American, and Free French bases. My mother and aunt… Continue reading Independent Scots

I like to hike in peace. Consequently, today, we find ourselves hiking the Sheep’s Head Way  along “a peaceful, unspoilt peninsula” in a remote southwest corner of Ireland If I Google “Sheep’s Head Way” I get 14,500 results. If I Google “Giant’s Causeway” I get 3.8 million results. We’ll give The Giant’s Causeway, the Blarney Stone,… Continue reading Sheep’s Head Way