WanderlustandWhimSea

What a way to end a 2 month trip with an Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2. My days were relaxing with frequent trips to the Spa and an elegant Afternoon Tea. A 2 day stop in NYC was an opportunity to see 3 Broadway shows. I had waited 7 years to see Hamilton… Continue reading Queen Mary 2 to NYC

The Gower Coast has many miles of trails to walk along the cliffs. The views to the cliff walls and beaches are beautiful with sheep grazing on edge. It was a great day to walk by the seashore. It had been 37 years since I drove in Wales. Somehow the decades had soften the memories… Continue reading Wales and The Cotswolds

I’ve always wanted to take a Narrow Boat on the Canals in the UK. I expected that experience would be a week long trip but we found a boat for day hire. Unlike Highclere Castle, the experience fell well below my expectations. Driving the boat required standing to hold the tiller and peering over the… Continue reading A Surprise Narrow Boat Experience

Few things live up to their hype but Highclere Castle exceeded my expectations. I was childlike in my anticipation, as I approached the Castle. I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched the series but being there was a very special experience. I replayed countless scenes from Downton Abbey as I walked up the… Continue reading In the Footsteps of Downton Abbey

The Isle of Skye has dramatic landscapes with mountains rising up out of the ocean. The Island museum has the old style Croft cottages showing island life. It’s easy to fall in love with the Highland Cows. I would never take a picture of a regular cow but I found myself taking dozens of these… Continue reading The Isle of Skye and Highland Cows

I knew a trip to Scotland in October was likely to be rainy and it sure is. The bonus on the Orkney’s was 30 mph winds with gusts up to 40. The other bonus is all the rain is plenty of spectacular rainbows. I saw my first double full rainbow! As we motored along the… Continue reading The Orkney Islands

The Highlands rolling hills are an inviting landscape. The sheep dominate the landscape with the occasional castle ruin thrown in. We saw a demonstration of working dogs and the training was amazing. Our 2 hour boat ride on Loch Ness failed to reveal Nessie but I’m sure she was lurking below the surface. Scotland is… Continue reading The Highlands

I left Iceland and headed to Scotland for a 12 day adventure. I landed in Glasgow and took the train to Edinburgh. I just love European trains! We just finished a tour of Holyrood where the Royal Family still occasionally resides and there was a parade, complete with bagpipes. Except it wasn’t a parade, it… Continue reading Independence for Scotland

The Icelandic Horses are easy to fall in love with. They are a hardy, spunky horse with a distinct genetic make up. The Vikings brought the first 1K Icelandic horses but now there are 10K. Iceland is fierce in their protection of these horses as no new horses are allowed to enter the country and… Continue reading Icelandic Horses

After spending 2 weeks on a cruise to Greenland I flew back into Iceland. I rented a lovely apartment near the harbor for 4 nights as I was waiting for my 12 day Gate 1 Country Tour to begin. Since restaurants are notoriously expensive in Iceland, I wanted a kitchen to make some simple meals.… Continue reading Iceland – Lots of Waterfalls