Culloden – when the hours spent on Outlander paid off
Our lovely guest house in Elgin provided us with a great breakfast that even included some color and non-fried items, a rarity in Scotland. Our trip went on to the Culloden battlefield where the Jacobites (remember Jamie from Outlander? That side) suffered a brutal...
Ye’ll tak a wee nip o’ the baurley bree
Today was the closest to a Scottish baptism as I could come. A “wee” train ride from Dufftown to Keith with a visit to Strathisla distillery where they make the Chivas whisky. A tasting flight was of course in order, which I had to be responsible for since Terry was...
Pyramids in Scotland?
Finally a long night’s sleep with no specific time to get up and nowhere to go in the morning. We made shameless use of the laundry machine at Terry’s sister before driving off into the Scottish countryside. We first had a cozy walk through Banchory snacking on some...
Aberdeen and family
We arrived in Aberdeen early this morning after having a proper Scottish breakfast on the train (and my first ever shower on board a train!). Terry spent some time in the station lounge while I roamed the shopping center once it opened, and Terry joined me later. We...
MI and the Caledonian Sleeper
Our hotel had the key to a beautiful private garden called Ecclestone Square park, where we had our breakfast all by ourselves among “Alice in wonderland” paths and flowers. We then headed to the IMAX theater to watch the latest Mission Impossible movie, where I...
Sunset steam express
As one does in London, we started the day with a little shopping and a stop at a cafe. We then got ready for the evening’s big event: The sunset steam express. Pulled by a steam locomotive, we rode through the Surrey Hills. We were served a three course meal with...
Portugal to UK
Another relaxing day in Cascais with a slow walk around the town and seaside, browsing stores with an ice cream in hand. There was also time for a few hours by the pool (with another sighting of the duck family). It was sad to say goodbye to the family in the evening...
Relaxation
Today was the day of very few plans. Breakfast, a massage, pool time (with the ducks again!) and out with the family to eat lots of seafood at “Baía do peixe”. Eaten the only way it can be eaten: messily with fingers.
Family dinner in Cascais
We all had a slow morning after the wedding party, and moved hotels to Cascais in the afternoon. Straight to the pool where I was ecstatic to see a mother duck with her five ducklings also hanging by the pool and even taking a dip with us. The evening dinner was at an...
Wedding 👰♀️🤵♂️
The day arrived! My sister got married! All the girls spent a relaxing morning getting our hair and makeup prepped in matching robes and hair clips prepared by my sister. The ceremony was beautiful in an enchanting forest at a Portuguese castle. It was informal, yet...
Cocktail pre-party
The day started with a train trip down to Lisbon and Sintra where my sister’s wedding will take place tomorrow, which is the event we have been traveling towards the whole week. The partying kicked off with a rooftop cocktail dinatoire in Lisbon. Guests from 12...
The most beautiful bookstore in the world 📚
The day started with the Santa Lucia funicular in Viana do Castelo. Beautiful views of the town. We tried Francesinha for brunch, a typical sandwich for Portugal with layers of toast, meat, cheese, topped with an egg and an abundance of sauce. The kind of thing that...
From Spain to Portugal
We decided on a late morning in Santiago de Compostela today, strolling through the old town and having breakfast at Costa Vella Garden Cafe. It was so picturesque, and I made many new feathered friends who cleaned up my plate after we left. We took the train to Vigo,...
Sweat and lighthouses 🥵
We left Oviedo today in a shared car service because there were no bus tickets left (!) and the Feve train at its slow speed would take over 7 hours. And on such a sunny and hot day, we’d rather not be on a train no matter the good views. In A Coruña, Terry got to...
AC and beach
I picked up my phone during the night and it told me it can’t charge because of overheating. No wonder I felt the same way, trying to sleep in a top bunk with no air condition. After a few fitful hours of sleep we took the Feve train to Ribadesella. A beautiful little...
Guggenheim and Feve
Kusama. Straight to the Guggenheim museum this morning. A staple of Bilbao city. Lots of interesting works that went over my head. Like this Kusama infinite mirror installation. The flower puppy outside is lovely and is right up my alley. The journey went on to...
Two peas in a pod
We left Bremen this morning and backtracked our way to Hamburg all the way to the airport. I was slightly nervous about my hand luggage being too big. So in an attempt to make it look smaller, I layered clothes from my luggage onto myself until I felt like a Russian...
Beth Hart 🎸
Straight from the ship to the train station in Copenhagen. Onwards to Hamburg for a quick train change where German punctuality failed to impress when both our trains were delayed. We still made it in good time to Bremen to see the musicians. Which I could not believe...
All aboard 🛳️
This little potted plant was our overnight host, and what a wonderful host he was 😻. It’s such a great feeling to wake up and the calendar says “no meetings today”. After leaving the furry ninja, we walked through sunny Oslo, weirded out a few folks by practicing the...
We’re off!
Finally on our way! Leaving our beautiful house and garden behind but in good hands. Looking back at our house it made me think that it wouldn’t be so bad just to stay there. We love our house. Then again, it’s good to get out of the comfort zone - nothing grows...
Almost ready
After an adrenaline-filled day of prepping and packing, we treated ourselves to an epsom/lavender/beer bath in the evening.
Haggis!
Crossing off our last few items on the to-do list before our trip starts. Finished BODi 21 day fix workout program 💪, and ending the night with a haggis extravaganza at the senior Sivertsen residence.
First day
The first of 398 days, but somehow it still feels like a regular weekend. I met my “estranged” best friend who arrived from Oslo for a few days. We sifted through the gladmat in the rain before heading home for the best part of the evening - Netflix and drinks on the...