Hello! I am BACK! I went through a couple tumbles with writing, traveling and feedback. I am feeling a lot more sorted and really want write out some of our other adventures that we have been done. Especially since we have more plans to commence. Also, I am the memory keeper of the family and want to make sure there is another record of our adventures other than our photo vaults!
So, SCOTLAND… I am not sure if there is another place on on this planet that squeezes my heart so much as when I am there (and that is a good thing!). You have heard it through the years…Scotland the Brave, Scotland the Wild, Scotland the land of lochs, whisky, castles, brave independents, haggis, tasty ales, lyrical conversations and ear popping bagpipes. And that is is just a the tip of the Ben (look it up!).
I spent four years in the 1990s working with a handful of Scottish Universities to help organize and bring in US study abroad students to spend a term or year in the country. Previous to this job (based at liberal arts college outside of Philly), I had not been to Scotland. What a turn of fate for me. I started to discover this amazing country with a mighty punch full of passion, culture, humor and just some of the loveliest people I have ever met.
I was lucky enough to travel there two to three times a year (remember travel…..) often bringing a couple dozen students with me. The contacts I had at the universities became and still are some of my closest friends and still are the some of the coolest humans I know.
But, I digress, going to Scotland with my kids and husband was a dream I have had for years. My husband and I made a trip over when 2004 turned 2005 to be a part of a small Hogmanay celebration with some friends.
My Scottish friends have frequently shaken their heads in wonder on why I would choose the darkest days of the year to visit their grand country when summer beckons with long, (mostly) sunny days when the sun rises around 4:30am and lingers until nearly 11pm. I had rarely been there in the summer so, imagine the extra bonus of being there for six weeks during this glorious sunbath.
When we went in 2018, it also happened to be the driest summer since 2003 and the sunniest since 1995 with over 50 days without rain in some places in the UK. This is more for another post as it got a bit scorched but, in any case, it was an opportunity for a truly memorable Scottish summer.
We spent four weeks in the German sounding town of Auchterarder which boasts just over 5000 residents and the longest main street in Scotland! The ‘auchter’ means ‘summit’ or ‘upland’ in Gaelic.
The area, frequently known for the Gleneagles Golf and Hotel was a dream to wander around in. We had our charge, a three year old Labradoodle named Sula (short for Ursula) that took me on long walks in countryside in search of lost tennis balls.
The folks we house and dog sat for are an example of the quintessential Scottish folks who are under spoken and yet, very passionate, lovely and humorous Scottish Independents. We are still in touch to this day.
There is something very hard to define about the personalities of many of my Scottish friends. They are hard working, committed and focused folks that also know how to be in the moment and enjoy what is presently here. Many have a sense of humor as if they are waiting for the rest of us to catch up with the joke. They don’t seem to surprise much and yet, are some of the most caring and committed friends I’ve ever had.
I don’t know if it is because this culture has been fighting for their place and independence to self govern for 100s of years that has them not wait for happiness to be a horizon goal ‘I’ll be happy when….”. They really know how to live in the here and now. And the pride in their country is not brash but, warm and contagious.
During our stay we went to many a Scottish monument, Castle or event with two strong organizations encouraging immersion in their culture from beyond the velvet rope. https://www.visitscotland.com or https://www.scotland.org/visit
Castles with boxes of clothing to dress up in to wander a castle as it might have been some 100s of years ago. Or reenactments of important battles attended by many locals. These are not necessarily for the tourists but, for a family outing as Scottish History awareness is as important as family dinners. It is casual and committed this Scottish spirit.
The countryside, which is really most of the country, boasts open, wild lands that are dotted with ancient roads or buildings that show that people have been walking these paths for many, many generations. It is a magical mix of history and nature.
You have seen or at least heard about the various Scottish sagas from Outlander to Braveheart but, there are so many other pages of history to explore. This is just a taste so, enjoy!
On our trip around the world, we accomplished a lot of ‘bucket list’ goals and we went to some new to us places that have found their way into our ‘must return’ list.
I worked with universities in Scotland, England and our program in Greece and had the distinct pleasure of accompanying 120 20 year olds a couple times a year to Great Britain. That was a plane ride to remember. Talk about a great job!
We traveled to Holyhead on the ferry from Ireland on a rough but, sunny sea day. We wandered through the port with a hen party (for Americans – read Bachelorette) and a group bent on attending a local football match. We had a full Irish breakfast onboard and excitedly landed in Great Britain.
fifty-foot waterwheel was worth a view itself.
We got to witness a village fair where kids get dressed up in their finest dresses and a small parade will worm it’s way through the streets to gathering of food, chatting and a bouncy castle. The drumming was excellent.
Oakley was smitten with Duncan and his easy ways and comfortable nature. Duncan give us shelter and friendship for the week we were there. It was a warm and welcoming to Great Britain.
After a week we packed up to Bangor to go North to our next house sit. Onward to Scotland but, before a big ‘diolch’ to Duncan and his family.
it and for leprechauns or maybe more distantly for green rolling hills.
The kitchen as a flood of pleasant travelers, school groups and individuals finding their way around the chaos to find a slice of toast and half of a banana. A single jar of Nutella was passed around like a precious gem among around 20 people. We were lucky, as we had a small shower and toilet attached to our room.
So, while our living space shrunk considerably we are now in the middle of the city. Right outside our building, just steps away from vibrant door fronts, bright stores and cobblestones.
We picnicked on the green grounds with college students and admired the near by sculptures in the warming sun. All while learning more about the momentous vote coming up for Ireland.
Later that evening we returned and there he was all set for us with loaner ukuleles and several other class members.
One a 70+ Dublin woman who’s wonderful lilt had me cocking my head so I could truly understand her. Other folks from Ireland as well as a couple of Malaysian women who were currently living in Ireland.
The group was smallish (about 25) which made it more welcome for the shorter members of our group (read – crowd adverse Oakley). We would wholeheartedly recommend going to this museum to have an amazing view of Dublin to color your trip.
Very powerful to walk around and see where people were actually bunkered down and fighting.
We came back to our room one evening planning our bags and next day’s plans as we would have to check out of the hostel before our ferry left the following late afternoon. We got a notification that our ferry to Wales was rescheduled due to weather for either the next morning at 8am or the next evening at 8pm. Yikes!
So, we packed up and prepped to leave in the wee hours of the morning so, we could get there by the time the ferry would sail. That meant finding a ride early on Sunday morning (6am!) to the dock. Bumping in a ride share car in the early hours of Sunday in Dublin was a very quiet and peaceful journey.
Of course, we did it! We made that ferry. Don’t you worry.
We currently live near the Portland airport and the Portland Air National Guard is based there. There are many moments throughout the day when you can hear the rumble of planes flying overhead. A deep rumble, almost as if the sky has hunger pains or feeling that there is thunder on the horizon and it’s audible for all.
From ages 19-25 I spent three years overseas. They say your prefrontal cortex, your critical thinking part of your brain, doesn’t fully form until you are 25 so, I suppose I did a lot of my first adult thinking navigating different experiences outside the US. Maybe that is why I still seek it. It is hardwired in my brain.
In any case, I am reliving my adventures here as they soothe my soul and inspire me to plan more and now, with the added intention of exposing my kids to their future adventures.
And so, I write to make sure I do my due diligence in documenting our adventure but, also for me to continue to feel connected to its story which is many people’s story. In our iteration or someone else’s. This is our story. Thank you for reading. It helps me keep it alive.
We had reached day 90 (with a lot of planning and foresight mind you) by landing in Ireland. Ireland, along with the all of the UK does not take part in the Schengen Area. That meant for us, that our travel clock started over by the tracking of Irish and later, British authorities. They generally allow a six month visa.
This doesn’t mean they don’t also ask a lot of questions at the Irish border. We flew in from Oslo with Kelvin’s parents. We shuffled and waited in a library-quiet big hall as they inspected our passports while we gazed at the new signs naming everything in English and ‘the Irish’ which we outsiders might know more as Gaelic.
We rented an Airbnb in Clontarf, a friendly suburb north of Dublin City Center from where we could easily catch the bus into the city. Our time in Dublin was timed with the Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan.
I, being a bit of a romantic royal watcher loved the idea of watching my first royal wedding in the same time zone as it was happening. Having drug myself out of bed in the middle of the night for these royal affairs starting when I was 11 years old in 1981 to watch Diana and Charles marry on a grainy, definitely not a High Definition screen TV back in Idaho.
I told this excitedly to our Irish hosts as they settled us into our place. He responded with a wit and tone that slightly insults and grounds me in a way that various Celtic tones can.
We had two versions of our trip in Dublin. The first half with our in-laws and the second, the Gurr Original Four
It was beautiful fully furnished and delightful to wander around it and had it’s share of ghost stories told by the animated guides a long the way. The northern area outside Dublin is really quite lovely to see and the seaside makes for nice views and wanders along as you see the tide change the view dramatically.
The vote was establishing access to abortion services for citizens for the first time ever. Information showed that tens of thousands would travel to Great Britain every year to be able to make this medical choice.
In the meantime, hello again and get ready for more posts to come that introduce you too some amazing folks who helped shape the last chapters of this round the world trip and let you know this family is not done moving around outside of our comfort zone and see new things and learn more about others and, in turn, about ourselves.
So, thanks again for reading and stay tuned!
Norway is a beautiful country…deep blue fjords, mountains stretching up to the clouds, roads that wind through green and pleasant landscapes. One thinks of the Vikings and the ancient history of the Norge folks and their forays out beyond their borders to other lands.
The older kids end their Russe Busse at 11am when the parades start (see previous blog). The parades march around the neighborhoods and town and city centers all over the county.
Oakley was particularly excited and was sure that the King had waved directly to him as the entire royal family came out on the balcony.
After the royal courtyard experience and watching over 100,000 people proudly milling around we went for a luncheon at our friends Brita and Eva’s house. They had been preparing for this meal for a week.
A true smorgasbord of delights as well as a lazy afternoon of snacking, wine sipping and light napping before we found our way back to Marianne and Tore’s house on public transport packed with others finding their way around in their nice dress as sated smiles. It was a sleepy, peaceful commute home.
I am back ‘home’ in Portland but, still my soul is floating around the earth. We have returned to our hometown and are putting down roots again….phone contracts, bought a used car, set up utility accounts and kids are now at Montessori but, we aren’t done with this journey or the next steps.
Oslo and they both offered advice, homes, meals and warm welcomes to our travel queries.
My Norwegian friends offered to do a little genealogy research for us and when she presented us with an 80 page document before we arrived of all she found we were blown away.
She had recently opted to not run for reelection to the Norwegian parliament but, gave us intimate access to the Parliament and a tour I am sure you could not ‘book’ anywhere else.
All while high school equivalent students were running around the city in their flight suits and tricked out buses celebrating their transition to adulthood. Its called Russebuss and it is a fascinating tradition.
So, anyway…..family history found us driving (well Kelvin driving, really. We just all cheered him on from the back seat) for what seemed like 100s of miles and hours and hours.
SINGLE TIME!.
You will love it if you go and do get out of Oslo, lovely city yet, there is so much to this enormous by European standards country.
This includes celebrations of street fairs, music, food and drink but, it also has what could possibly be the worlds largest swap market/yard sale.
I learned things I never knew before or at the least expanded on my limited knowledge about Hamburg.
As we wandered around with our walking guide we learned another extraordinary fact was that Hamburg was bombed relentlessly during the 2nd world war. So much so that bombing raids in July 1943 by the Royal Air Force killed over 43,000 civilians and injuring 37,000 more with another million having been evacuated after the raids. It virtually destroyed the city.
Anyway, like the rest of us…Hamburg is much more than it’s worst story and we did find this city to be delightful. Even though many buildings were destroyed there were a lot of unique structures to explore.
The farm was the home to a couple who taught us a lot about Danish Hygge. One who worked part-time as a butcher and the other a foot and physical therapy (not to be mixed!). 
Their farm-house was nearly 140 years old, had two floors and easily six bedrooms. Wonderous views from each direction through windows and skylights showed us the ever-changing sky.
dozen chickens including five roosters, three of which became dinner…more on that later. 
After months of being in tropical weather and convinced we would not have a ‘regular’ winter we were treated to several winter storms, snow flurries and downright blizzards. We were overjoyed to make snowmen, slide on some ice and have snowball fights. I was more an observer but, we all very much enjoyed it.
We consumed cup after cup of coffee or tea several times a day and often pared them with Danish baked goods found in neighboring villages. We had farm fresh eggs (up to 12 a day!) as well as dark, thick bread that after toasted only needed a smear of butter to become a slice of heaven.
We had been away from a fully supplied kitchen and we relished in having the ability to make breakfast, lunch and dinner on site, warm ourselves by the fireside while wearing the handmade wooly socks made by our host. Can you say Hygge? Ib and Ann offered up all their coats, boots, gloves, hats, scarves (even a Gryffindor one much to Oakley’s delight) and overalls as well as their car to supply us with the tools to journey around the property and the Island of Fyn.
Our experience with the Danes as a people was also warming. They won’t walk up to you to introduce themselves in grocery store, however, once introduced they proved to be some of the warmest, friendliest people I’ve ever met.
Day One, Tuesday: We woke up in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. 
We had been staying at a nicer hotel as we had been traveling hard for a while. We decided to let ourselves stay in a place a bit nicer than our normal choices. Meaning, we had predictable hot water and the beds were blessedly soft and fluffed with clean duvets. We had some more room and there were not as many unpredictable bugs visiting us.
knowing it would be nearly the last of our tropical weather. 
We got a ride in a van to the bus terminal which doubled as a cafe’ on the side of the road. Our bus was leaving from Sihanoukville at 8:30pm. The sun was down as we climbed onboard our overnight bus to Siem Reap.
For about $25 a person it was not a bad way to travel North through Cambodia in the dead of night.
We departed at 8:30am for Bangkok, Thailand. This bus goes through the notorious Poi Pot border crossing from Cambodia into Thailand. The border crossing is a bit easier this way as we didn’t have to get a visa before going through passport control. However, it is still an assault on the senses and having sensory sensitive kids it was especially so.
It was hard, sweaty and dusty but, we did it. Each stop from passport control to the next is outside in the city along camps of people with outstretched hands offering or asking us many things.
We dug out our the Thai Baht we had saved and bought fresh snacks. We were coming in on 19 hours of travel. The bus driver dropped us not far from the hotel we booked in Bangkok near the airport.
Day Three, Thursday: A rest day in Thailand. A good friend from back home Grace came to hang out with us for the afternoon. 
This is after Kelvin ended up cooking our eggs and breakfast for us at the restaurant as they were, seemingly, short on staff.
It was the start of the Lunar New Year so many fireworks exploded through the night as we tried to sleep.
We flew from Bangkok, Thailand to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates in seven hours on Etihad Airlines.
All wiped down with tissues seeking nafarious substances. We had a short layover and then took off for London. Another seven hours in the air.
Our plane held 496 passengers and 22 staff. Our row was ten seats across with two aisles and was a double-decker with a staircase and business class in what I read were actual beds. When we landed it felt like a barely a bump.
Our ride from the airport cost more than seven days of accommodation in Cambodia. Jet lagged and chilly we counted the hours we were awake (24) and fell into the comfy and clean beds of our friends house was we were nuzzled by their two kitties.
Day Six, Saturday: We woke up before the sun to gather our belongs one more time and shuttled off to Luton Airport. We had an interesting ride through the fog gazing out at the hills reaching for green as we wheeled past.
After boarding a Ryan Jet flight by trudging up the stairs in the icy wind from the tarmac we bid goodbye to Britain for a while. We winged our way to Copenhagen, Denmark. We found our way to the train connections to bring us to the Danish village we were going to stay.
Wincing, we found our alternative train and trundled towards our destiny on the Island of Fyn to the town to Nyborg where our host was patiently waiting for us as we disembarked some nearly two hours later.
What followed was an amazing Danish farm experience. That will be documented on my next post.