Grands_tour

22/10/2023

I’m slowly weeding through the hundreds of photos we took while we traveled from March through August, and I’m having the best time remembering all the fabulous places, especially the beautiful hikes and amazing views in Cornwall! The goal is to select some of our best photos to put in a book. That’s not gonna be easy! In other news, we found a house! We will stay in our little apartment for the next 6 months while we renovate, but this photo project will keep me busy!

21/09/2023

We have an interesting neighbor at our new/temporary apartment. We had good visits with kids in Dallas and Chattanooga, and have now moved into a furnished apartment while we look for a house. Not much out there so this could take a while!

13/09/2023

Our road trip from Dallas to Chattanooga took us through Memphis, and we had to make a stop at Graceland - and it FAR exceeded our expectations! We gave out of gas after 3 hours, and we skipped his planes. The house and all the museums featuring different parts of his life were very well done. And I could have spent all day looking at his Vegas costumes!!!

02/09/2023

Oh! How I’ve missed you!!!

31/08/2023

On the way home!!!

30/08/2023

January 16 we moved out of our home and into a furnished apartment. March 20 we left our hometown to begin this crazy adventure. Tomorrow we fly back to the USA and start figuring out what’s next! We have a whole jumble of emotions! We are exhausted from being on the road so long, grateful that we could do and experience this, anxious about the next chapter, excited about the next chapter, sad it’s over, and happy it’s over! We are so ready to be back home, but will actually be in hotels, our kids’ homes and maybe an Airbnb or two while we decide where we want to live and look for our new home. So while this trip is over, I may occasionally post another memory from this adventure, or I may post about future trips, or our progress on our new life. This is still mostly my personal journal, but I truly appreciate those of you who have been following along! It’s been a blast to get comments and to see that others have been entertained. And I hope you’ll stick around!
Here’s the wrap up of our trip:
* Ft Lauderdale
* Viking Star
* Barcelona, Spain
* Cours-de-Pile, France
* Menerbes
* Marseille
* Florence, Italy
* Chiusi
* Assisi
* Marina di Grosseto
* Amsterdam, Netherlands
* Pendoggett, Cornwall, UK
* St Ives
* The Lizard (Mullion)
* Dartmoor
* Sidford, Devon
* Cirencester, Cotswolds
* Glasgow, Scotland
* Oban
* Loch Ness
* Inverness
* Hopeman
* Bridge of Cally,
* Edinburgh
* Turnberry
* Edinburgh
* London
164 days of travel. 6 countries. 27 beds. Countless memories!
Mostly

28/08/2023

We’ve had a few days exploring London via a Hop On Hop Off bus, and a private tour with to Windsor Castle. Our guide, David was an entertaining, personable encyclopedia of a British history! Very impressive!

27/08/2023

14+ countries, MANY trips, a growing family, and countless memories. Happy 40th Anniversary to us! ❤️

25/08/2023

London! Our last leg of this very long adventure. We found the cutest pub today tucked in a little corner of Mayfair, not far from our hotel. After lugging all this luggage and 4 sets of golf clubs from taxi to train to taxi, we checked in to the and were in need of a pint and a bite to eat. took very good care of us!

24/08/2023

Friends! What a wonderful way to end this wonderful trip… with friends! The guys played golf at Troon, Turnberry and Prestwick- and the Turnberry Wee Course with the girls. And the girls visited Culzean Castle and the spa. Tonight we returned to a favorite Italian restaurant in Edinburgh and, wow!Great food, and a nice visit with the owner Giuliano at Giuliano’s Italian Restaurant. Tomorrow we head to London for some touring and more golf. Thank goodness we don’t have to squeeze 8 people, luggage and golf clubs in a van anymore!!!

22/08/2023

Our last 10 days and we have made a major shift. Six friends have joined us for a Scotland golf and London adventure. It’s fabulous to be with friends- some old, some new- but the familiar is something we have missed so much! Faces, accents, stories, memories. When you travel and everything is new all the time, you crave the familiar. So we are thrilled to have these friends along for the ride! The guys are playing Royal Troon, Prestwick, and Turnberry while the girls are enjoying the Turnberry resort and spa. And today we poked around Culzean Castle. The guides at the castle had great stories to tell! And the views from the resort are spectacular.

21/08/2023

This gives a better feel for what a Highland games is about. And the photographers photos are much better than mine!

Glenisla Games have graced Forter Haugh field in the Angus glens for more than a century and a half.

21/08/2023

The last few posts are out of sequence but here’s a catch-up mash-up of last week. We had a nice “round” through St. Andrews. The guys didn’t play, but we walked along the road hole and the Swilcan Bridge, peeked at the university, and walked through the ruins of the cathedral and cemetery. We also visited a few distilleries where we tasted some fine single malt and blended whisky (aka scotch). Aberfeldy -makers of Dewars- is “somebody’s “ favorite. But we also enjoyed Royal Lochnagar which is just a mile from Balmoral Castle. They became Royal when Queen Victoria granted them a royal warrant in 1848. Stay tuned for our last 10 days of adventures!

19/08/2023

It’s called fishing, not catching. And that was true Wednesday when we went fly fishing for salmon on the River Tummel. But it was a pretty river, and a nice day! And my MC Hammer style waders were worth a giggle. 😂.

17/08/2023

Castles and Cairngorms! Usually, Balmoral Castle is closed to visitors the month of August because the royal family is there. But this year it stayed open a couple of of additional weeks so we got to visit! The grounds are beautiful, but you don’t see much of the castle. It was still amazing to be there! And the drive through Cairngorms National Park was breathtaking!

15/08/2023

Look who’s here! Our daughter and SIL are here for a week and we are exploring the Cairngorm and Perthshire area. We are staying near Bridge of Calley in an Airbnb that used to be part of a farm, surrounded by sheep fields and hills covered in heather. We had a nice Sunday roast dinner at , and finally spotted some Highland cows on the way! After lunch we walked to Reekie Linn Waterfall. So happy they are here!

11/08/2023

THE most local pub we’ve been to!!! We were a little hesitant to enter this pub. It was just around the corner from our Airbnb, and actually had great reviews, but the entrance was a little confusing. There were a few people in the beer garden, and inside there were obvious locals, all with pints. We walked up to the bar and the tall gray haired woman who turned out to be the proprietor asked what she could get us. I said, “Supper, if you’re serving”. She handed me a short , handwritten menu and we quickly chose Steak & Ale, and Fish & Chips. A guy at the bar helped us choose the local lager and we sat in the bar with our pint of Hopeman Lager and observed. The owner of the sweet dog lying round the bar gave me a morsel of treat to feed the 13 yr old mutt. And soon our host invited us to a table in the dining area for our “tea”. As we finished our meal the owner came by and we had a very long chat about the pub, her life and her family. This was one of the most authentic experiences of our trip. If you’re ever in or near Hopeman, Uk go to

10/08/2023

We’ve had a nice stop in Hopeman. It’s a small, very residential community near Nairn on the north coast of Scotland. Very few shops, a cute seafood restaurant with gorgeous views and abysmal management, a chippy shop and a Chinese takeaway, and a couple of convenience stores. But sandy beaches on the cold North Sea, some great little golf courses with spectacular views, and a cute hair salon I’m trying out tomorrow. (It’s gotta be better than the one in Italy! 🤞) And today we had glorious blue skies and warm sun!!! The beaches were empty a couple of days ago when the wind whipped and temps were chilly. Today the beach was packed with families in the water (in wet suits) having a blast!

08/08/2023

The golf clubs arrived! We found a hidden gem of a course for Philip to remember his swing, and he remembered well! Even in 30 mph winds and cold temps!

06/08/2023

We had a couple of nights at Loch Ness. On our hike up the hill to get a better view, we passed an older gentleman coming down the path with his lab. He told us that up the path we would find a bench with a beautiful view of the loch. He calls it “Heaven’s Gate”. 😍 And it was! Now we’re in Inverness where Rick Steves guide suggested a walk along River Ness which was also lovely. We are working our way around the Highlands. Next stop, Hopeman- a village near Nairn.

04/08/2023

So many times we have seen glorious views and snapped multiple pics, and they just don’t even come close to showing the actual beauty. These photos of the Glen Coe (Glencoe valley) are an example of that. Trust me, it was gorgeous! And Loch Ness isn’t so bad either. Although no monster sightings.

30/07/2023

A completely different landscape! Along the road from Glasgow to Oban we stopped for lunch in Luss on Loch Lomand. ❤️

28/07/2023

Glasgow, Scotland! Our 8th country in 19 weeks. (Technically- we forgot that on the cruise that brought us to Europe we stopped in St Marten and Madeira, Portugal).

26/07/2023

We did a thing today. The car park is not finished but Alan was there working on it. The lines weren’t too bad at 9:45 on a Wednesday. You can only buy T-shirts online, but we bought tea towels and what we could consume before we fly to Scotland Friday. You meet friendly people in line. If you don’t know what this is about, watch Clarkson’s Farm on 💚 .farmshop

25/07/2023

We felt a little bit like a Hobbit.

25/07/2023

Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, and our favorite Lower Slaughter. Stow was disappointing, maybe because of the rain but mostly it was the crowds. We stopped in tiny Lower Slaughter and immediately realized it was a quick walk to Bourton-on-the-Water, which was also very crowded and disappointing. So we walked back to Lower Slaughter and …Aahhhhh! Barely anyone there and just gorgeous. I’m still obsessed with those needlepoint kneeling cushions. ❤️

23/07/2023

We haven’t even been to a proper village yet, and I’m in love with the Cotswolds! We walked from our Airbnb to Bagenden and poked in the church, then to Cerney House Gardens (stay tuned for that), and on to North Cerney and had lunch at Bathurst Arms, then walked back. Beautiful day! And the homes around here are gorgeous!

22/07/2023

We said farewell to Devon yesterday. So grateful that our son got to show his family where his grandfather came from and to revisit some places he went to as a child.

15/07/2023

The flowers! Window boxes, borders, sidewalk cracks. You can’t stop beauty in England. Stay tuned for more.

10/07/2023

Taking a little break from my usual over-posting. This is a very long time to be away from family and we are thrilled that our son and his family have met us in Devon to revisit where his grandfather was born, grew up and lived his last years. We will be back next week, or before if we do something awesome. ☺️

06/07/2023

We’ve had the best time at Kestor Inn on the east side of Dartmoor National Park. A comfy room, delicious food, and the most friendly owners and staff who have made us feel completely at home. It’s off the beaten path, but well worth a visit. Just drive a small car. 🫣😂

05/07/2023

Completely different landscape as promised! We’ve traded the coast for Dartmoor. Our 6 mile walk today took us up to Bowerman’s Nose, down through gorgeous green valleys of moss, ferns and streams, then back uphill to Hound Tor with sweeping views. We walked through fields and down narrow farm roads like we drove yesterday and saw many more sheep and cows than people. Ran out of room for the mama sheep and babies who had escaped, and the ruins of the medieval village. Look for those in stories!

03/07/2023

Our last Cornwall Coast Path walk. Today we started at Lizard Point, the southernmost point in England. We spotted seals (pic 2 that’s a huge seal sunning on the rock), passed the Lizard Lighthouse and a small house where Marconi worked on wireless communication. We passed sheep and cows, rocky coves, hidden and hard to get to beaches, a cliff side hotel, and ended at tiny Church Cove. Right now we are not traveling slow. Tomorrow we move on to Dartmoor. More walks. Totally different landscape!

29/06/2023

Here’s a flower break from our travel journal.

28/06/2023

Yesterday we walked to all 5 beaches in St Ives. Some are long and wavy. Some are tiny and sheltered. One is right on a busy harbor. And we visited the Coast Watch workers who are keeping an eye on the land and seas.

27/06/2023

More Southwest Coast Path views, and a visit to Mans Head. Porthmeor Beach to Tower Ruin.

23/06/2023

Our last night in Pendoggett and we wanted to spend it with our new friend Jude at the local pub the Cornish Arms Inn. It’s been so nice to walk down the road to a pub that’s heavy on local chat and light on tourists like us. Jude and staff have been so welcoming, and the food and beer are perfect! We will miss you! Cornish arms pendoggett

22/06/2023

Lundy Bay Beach (pics 1,2,7,8,9,10) is underwater until low tide. We started a hike on the cliffs above, toward Dryden Castle- a tiny cliff top abode built to entertain a rich guy’s friends. By the time we got back to Lundy Bay, the tide was out and lots of people were sunning on the rocks and enjoying the very cold water. Philip hopped in, and I waded and peeked into the many tide pools. It was quite a scramble to get down and back up! But a gorgeous spot and a fabulous memory!

21/06/2023

The Southwest Coast Path is a 630 mile well kept trail along the southwest coast of England. We’ve walked a few small sections in Devon and it’s just beautiful! Now we are walking small sections in Cornwall, and it’s even more spectacular! We’ve taken 1,000 photos in a couple of walks! This walk was Tintagel Castle to Barras Nose. Tintagel is possibly where King Arthur was born. And that’s Merlin’s Cave on the beach. Getting in our steps and also our “floors”- 25 on this hike. 🥾🥾