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Fringe Frenzy

Fringe Frenzy

by | Aug 17, 2025 | Blog

Hello from Edinburgh! We . had a couple of very steamy days in London, then hopped on a train bound for Scotland. We are here to immerse ourselves in the craziness that is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and enjoy this magical city.

We had a couple more days in London to take care of a few things and see one more show. The weather definitely took a turn for the extra warm and most places in the UK don’t have air conditioning. But we managed to sleep ok anyway. The play, Stereophonic, was really interesting—the story of a band in the 70s trying to record their second album before things go seriously south. It’s not a musical but it is filled with music. We enjoyed all of our theater experiences that we had during our stay in London. But it was time to leave London behind. Off we went to Euston station to take the train to Scotland.

The month of August in Edinburgh is absolutely nuts, with multiple festivals going on at the same time as well as the big spectacle of a show at the castle (the military tattoo), which is probably cool, but not really our thing. There are a million visitors here this month. We focus mostly on the Fringe, which is the world’s biggest arts festival and boasts something like 4000 shows on the program. We spent two weeks here in 2019 and it was our first time to the festival. We had so much fun and learned a lot about how to pace ourselves and find what we enjoy the most. We didn’t keep a very accurate record then, but we estimate that we saw something like 70 shows. This time, it probably won’t be that many, but we are still pretty busy. The Fringe has been great so far. Here are some of the highlights so far:

  • Our very first show was Tony-Award winner Laura Benanti’s one-woman show called “Nobody Cares”. It was 10/10.
  • Lots of comedy—Irish, Scottish, American, Australian, English, Canadian, and some assorted Europeans. Most have been quite good.
  • Author, mathematician, and first-class nerd Matt Parker. His show was called “Getting Triggy With It”.
  • A History of Punk with Andrew O’Neill. It turns out, we know very little about punk music and we felt bad because we ended up sitting in the front row. It was still an interesting show.
  • A crazy sketch comedy duo called Finlay and Joe who were working their guts out in a boiling hot room. It was funny and creative and fun.
  • An amazing musical about musicals.

Nathan learned that the central library has a couple of pianos that he can use, so that’s nice for him to do some practicing. We walk about a half hour to the Royal Mile every day to see all the streetperformers (musicians, jugglers, dancers, acrobats) and to find our way to the shows we have planned for the day. There are always people out on the street handing out flyers to advertise their shows (they call it “flyering”), so you end up with a stack of paper every day. The crowds can be draining sometimes, especially if you are trying to get somewhere on time, but it’s mostly fun! There are plenty of spots to sit outside and have a drink or a bite to eat and most people are just excited to be part of the energy. The shows take place all over town, pretty much wherever they can find space. Sometimes they seat hundreds of people and sometimes it’s a dozen. Here are examples of venues:

  • Lecture halls or gym space at the university
  • Office space with chairs set up inside
  • “Caves” underneath the old buildings in the middle of town
  • Back rooms and basements at a bar or pub
  • Tents, yurts, and shipping containers in a public square 

In addition to sitting and watching people perform, we just enjoy being in this gorgeous city. The architecture is so beautiful and there is so much history here. The weather this week has been uncharacteristically warm and sunny and we are enjoying it while it lasts. There are also some great places to eat. Every time we visit Edinburgh, we love it a little bit more. More to come!

 

Paradise

Paradise

by | Oct 5, 2025 |

Happy October! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year! Some people dream of paradise on a quiet tropical beach, listening to the surf with a drink in hand. Not this girl! Give me mountains, especially drenched in autumn color, bursting with new spring leaves, or covered in snow. We are spending October in one of our favorite places–Big Cottonwood Canyon just east of the Salt Lake Valley. We are loving the gorgeous golden aspen with the deep pine greens. Hiking is great and so is the smell of fresh forest! Nathan’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Christian, joined us one morning for a lovely hike through the woods. We got to experience a powerful thunderstorm and then a full day of snowfall. Our condo for the month is just right for us and we love having access to a pool, hot tubs, sauna, and workout facilities. We especially like that we can pop back to the valley to do some shopping or see family and friends. So far, so good!

Fun Family Time

Fun Family Time

by | Sep 28, 2025 |

We have had a lovely couple of weeks in Utah. We’ve been able to rest and recover from five months of travel, help Nathan’s mom at her house, and spend time with family.

Full Circle

Full Circle

by | Sep 14, 2025 |

Five months ago we flew to Rome from Utah. We had a summer of trying new places and experiences and revisiting old favorites and now we’re back where we started. Since we get the question a lot, I thought I would share some of our favorites from our travels in Europe this year.

Seagulls and the West End

Seagulls and the West End

by | Aug 10, 2025 | Blog

It’s been a lovely week in England. We finished up our road trip in the south and returned to London for a few days to rest and regroup.

We had so much fun staying on the coast, first in Hastings and then in Walmer. We loved the temperate weather and having a seagull alarm clock. The famous chalk cliffs are shrinking and the pebbled beaches are nice. We really liked hiking around the cliff tops.

I got to travel to this part of the country more than two decades ago with my sister. It was one of my first big overseas adventures and it was so memorable. It was fun to share some of the places that Jana and I visited with Nathan this week. We spent a day at Dover Castle, which is a 900-year old castle built atop the cliffs that has lasted through many dramatic events in history. The castle is cool, but one of the most interesting parts of the site is the tunnels that were originally cut into the cliffs during the Napoleonic wars, then used in WWII as a hospital and logistical center, then well into the Cold War as well.

We also got to spend a day in Canterbury. We took a punting tour on the River Stour, traveling under the very low bridges and beneath the historic buildings. We went to Canterbury Cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and martyrdom site of Thomas Beckett. We took an amazing tour there and learned so much about the stained glass. We then spent a couple more hours strolling around the church and the town.

Now we are in a seventh-floor apartment to the north of London. It feels crazy that this has become our “home base” this summer. We return here to do a bit of “normal”: laundry, shopping, church, piano. It gives us a moment to rest and recuperate, but also a chance to enjoy our favorite big city. I was excited to take Nathan to see Hadestown, which I got to see with Alex and Hanna a few years ago. We saw this crazy one-woman retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which was surprisingly good and a lot of fun. Then we got to see Sean Hayes’ amazing performance as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar. 

It is truly wild that this is our third summer of traveling. If you have been here for all of it, thanks for coming along for the ride. I write the blog to have a journal of this strange phase of life, but having people reading it keeps me from quitting, so thank you! We are gearing up for our last two weeks of being abroad. Enjoy your week!

Paradise

Paradise

by | Oct 5, 2025 |

Happy October! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year! Some people dream of paradise on a quiet tropical beach, listening to the surf with a drink in hand. Not this girl! Give me mountains, especially drenched in autumn color, bursting with new spring leaves, or covered in snow. We are spending October in one of our favorite places–Big Cottonwood Canyon just east of the Salt Lake Valley. We are loving the gorgeous golden aspen with the deep pine greens. Hiking is great and so is the smell of fresh forest! Nathan’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Christian, joined us one morning for a lovely hike through the woods. We got to experience a powerful thunderstorm and then a full day of snowfall. Our condo for the month is just right for us and we love having access to a pool, hot tubs, sauna, and workout facilities. We especially like that we can pop back to the valley to do some shopping or see family and friends. So far, so good!

Fun Family Time

Fun Family Time

by | Sep 28, 2025 |

We have had a lovely couple of weeks in Utah. We’ve been able to rest and recover from five months of travel, help Nathan’s mom at her house, and spend time with family.

Full Circle

Full Circle

by | Sep 14, 2025 |

Five months ago we flew to Rome from Utah. We had a summer of trying new places and experiences and revisiting old favorites and now we’re back where we started. Since we get the question a lot, I thought I would share some of our favorites from our travels in Europe this year.

Land Lubbers Again

Land Lubbers Again

by | Aug 3, 2025 | Blog

Hello! It’s been a great week for us and we hope you are all doing well! We would really love to hear from you all – we miss you. So please feel free to send us a message or write a comment and let us know what you’re up to! We finished up our cruise with a stop in Scotland and now we are road-tripping around the south of England.
We had a lot of full sea days at the end of the cruise, but that worked out pretty well for us since Nathan and I were both battling a cold. We got to rest and soak in the hot tub. We really got attached to some of the delightful staff on the Emerald Princess who took care of us every day and it was a treat to get to know them. We also became acquainted with an older Filipino couple from San Francisco and we enjoyed our dinner conversations with them.
Our last stop on the cruise was Greenock, Scotland, which is the port for Glasgow. When we visited Scotland in 2019, we took a day trip to Glasgow from Edinburgh and really enjoyed it. We also stopped in Greenock on a previous cruise, but we were on an excursion that took us up into the highlands. This time, we decided to stay in town, so after stocking up on cold medicine and snacks at the grocery store, we did a long hike into the hills above the port. It was a real treat as it was a beautiful day and that area turned out to have a cool historic site called the Greenock Cut. There is a system of reservoirs for storing water and the cut was an aqueduct built to provide clean water for the town and create energy for the many factories and mills that were in the town in the 1820s. It was a good day.
We returned to England via Southampton, where we picked up a car and started another journey. We started in Portsmouth, where we strolled around the historic dockyard. We saw Admiral Nelson’s ship, the HMS Victory, as well as several other ships. We then went to our accommodation near the village of Pensford.
We spent a delightful day in Bath, where we took the city’s free walking tour. We also visited the Roman Bath museum, which was very well done. At the end, you get to drink some of the mineral-rich water, just like people have been doing there for thousands of years. Maybe that’s why we’re feeling better? Anyway, it’s a gorgeous town and it’s easy to see why the rich and famous wanted to visit and why it inspired authors and artists.
We popped down to the city of Wells to visit their beautiful cathedral. We had a tour from a sweet lady volunteer. She really knew her history of the church and the building, so we learned a lot. Then we spent the rest of the day in Bristol, walking around the town sites and strolling the harbor. We saw lots of ships and the adorable bright rows of houses on the hill. Our seafood dinner was delicious and we saw some good comedy.
We had a bit of a drive today, but we broke it up by stopping at the stone circle in Avebury. It’s bigger and older than Stonehenge and the town is built in and around the stones. It’s a cool plae. Unlike Stonehenge, you can get right up next to the stones and it’s not nearly as crowded. We also stopped in at a pub in Ascot for lunch. Now we are in the city of Hastings with a sliver of a sea view from our Airbnb. There’s a piano here, so Nathan is having a good time! We’ll be exploring this corner of England this week before returning to London. Have a good one!

Paradise

Paradise

by | Oct 5, 2025 |

Happy October! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year! Some people dream of paradise on a quiet tropical beach, listening to the surf with a drink in hand. Not this girl! Give me mountains, especially drenched in autumn color, bursting with new spring leaves, or covered in snow. We are spending October in one of our favorite places–Big Cottonwood Canyon just east of the Salt Lake Valley. We are loving the gorgeous golden aspen with the deep pine greens. Hiking is great and so is the smell of fresh forest! Nathan’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Christian, joined us one morning for a lovely hike through the woods. We got to experience a powerful thunderstorm and then a full day of snowfall. Our condo for the month is just right for us and we love having access to a pool, hot tubs, sauna, and workout facilities. We especially like that we can pop back to the valley to do some shopping or see family and friends. So far, so good!

Fun Family Time

Fun Family Time

by | Sep 28, 2025 |

We have had a lovely couple of weeks in Utah. We’ve been able to rest and recover from five months of travel, help Nathan’s mom at her house, and spend time with family.

Full Circle

Full Circle

by | Sep 14, 2025 |

Five months ago we flew to Rome from Utah. We had a summer of trying new places and experiences and revisiting old favorites and now we’re back where we started. Since we get the question a lot, I thought I would share some of our favorites from our travels in Europe this year.

Fantastic Fjords

Fantastic Fjords

by | Jul 27, 2025 | Blog

We have had a great week touring the fjords of Norway and Iceland. We’ve done some hiking, had some adventures, and seen some beautiful places. Unfortunately, our long streak of staying healthy has ended, as Nathan came down with a head cold.
Here are the bullet points for the week:

  • Olden, Norway – We got to hike up to the Briksdal Glacier. It was the closest we’ve ever been to an old glacier and it was huge and awesome and beautiful! The drive to the glacier was lovely.
  • Seydisfjordur, Iceland – We took a tour to see the countryside, waterfalls (Gufufoss and Rjúkandafoss), and the basalt columns in the Stuðlagil canyon. Amazing!
  • Akureyri, Iceland – We went to the Forest Lagoon, a geothermal spa in the trees. We sweated in the sauna, took the cold plunge, and soaked up the atmosphere while we soaked in the warm pools and sipped a refreshing drink.
  • Isafjordur, Iceland – We walked to a waterfall and went to the grocery store. We got wet in the rain and stood in line for the water shuttle to the ship. It was a less-eventful day, for sure!
  • Reykjavik, Iceland – We wandered through the comparatively small, but quite cute capital. Their Harpa concert hall on the waterfront is so cool. We went out to the Þingvellir National Park, the site of the first Viking Parliament. It’s also where the North American tectonic plate is pulling away from the Eurasian plate. We suited up in a warm suit covered by a dry suit and we entered the glacial water that flows in the fissure created by the separating plates and snorkeled between the two worlds. It was so cool!

Nathan is feeling a bit under the weather, but not too bad. I’m still waiting to see if I catch it. We’ve been taking it a little slower and making sure we are getting plenty of sleep. Of course, there are plenty of things to do when we’re on the ship and plenty of yummy food. Talk to you soon!

Paradise

Paradise

by | Oct 5, 2025 |

Happy October! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year! Some people dream of paradise on a quiet tropical beach, listening to the surf with a drink in hand. Not this girl! Give me mountains, especially drenched in autumn color, bursting with new spring leaves, or covered in snow. We are spending October in one of our favorite places–Big Cottonwood Canyon just east of the Salt Lake Valley. We are loving the gorgeous golden aspen with the deep pine greens. Hiking is great and so is the smell of fresh forest! Nathan’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Christian, joined us one morning for a lovely hike through the woods. We got to experience a powerful thunderstorm and then a full day of snowfall. Our condo for the month is just right for us and we love having access to a pool, hot tubs, sauna, and workout facilities. We especially like that we can pop back to the valley to do some shopping or see family and friends. So far, so good!

Fun Family Time

Fun Family Time

by | Sep 28, 2025 |

We have had a lovely couple of weeks in Utah. We’ve been able to rest and recover from five months of travel, help Nathan’s mom at her house, and spend time with family.

Full Circle

Full Circle

by | Sep 14, 2025 |

Five months ago we flew to Rome from Utah. We had a summer of trying new places and experiences and revisiting old favorites and now we’re back where we started. Since we get the question a lot, I thought I would share some of our favorites from our travels in Europe this year.

Back to Scandinavia

Back to Scandinavia

by | Jul 20, 2025 | Blog

Hello! It’s been a bit of a slower week, but we’ve embarked on a new adventure: a fjords cruise to Norway and Iceland!

We spent the beginning of the week in the North of London. Nathan used the Haringey library system’s pianos for several hours each day. We took long walks and enjoyed some tacos and sushi. We also went to the movies (F1) and one musical (The Devil Wears Prada). In general, it felt a lot slower than the pace we’ve been keeping as we’ve road tripped around multiple countries. 

On Thursday, we packed up all of our stuff and made our way through rush-hour on the Tube, which is not a small task with all our backpacks! We again boarded a train to Southampton and then boarded another cruise ship. This time, we get to travel to western Norway and all the way around Iceland to see the beautiful fjords. 

We really enjoyed our first two days on the ship as we were just at sea. We really needed the rest and since we are on the same ship as last time, it feels a bit like home and we could relax and enjoy.

Our first port was Haugesund, Norway. It’s a town that was established in the 19th century at the height of the herring fishing boom. The day started out really foggy. The ship blew the super loud horn every 5 minutes as we sailed in since visibility was essentially zero. Once we were off the ship, we took a tour to see a couple fjords and Langafoss waterfall. Once the fog cleared, the weather was perfect! It was warm and sunny and we really enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.

Next up was the tiny town of Skjolden at the head of the Sognefjord. We enjoyed a walk up to another beautiful waterfall, Drivandefossen, and a stroll around town. Since the weather was really warm (mid-eighties!), we spent the afternoon at the pool, gazing out over the turquoise glacial water of the fjord at the forested slopes of the cliffs. It was absolutely stunning.

We are loving the fact that we can still see lots of news places without Nathan having to do all the driving. The food is great and it’s easy to get what we like. So far, this cruise has been lovely. More to come!

Paradise

Paradise

by | Oct 5, 2025 |

Happy October! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year! Some people dream of paradise on a quiet tropical beach, listening to the surf with a drink in hand. Not this girl! Give me mountains, especially drenched in autumn color, bursting with new spring leaves, or covered in snow. We are spending October in one of our favorite places–Big Cottonwood Canyon just east of the Salt Lake Valley. We are loving the gorgeous golden aspen with the deep pine greens. Hiking is great and so is the smell of fresh forest! Nathan’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Christian, joined us one morning for a lovely hike through the woods. We got to experience a powerful thunderstorm and then a full day of snowfall. Our condo for the month is just right for us and we love having access to a pool, hot tubs, sauna, and workout facilities. We especially like that we can pop back to the valley to do some shopping or see family and friends. So far, so good!

Fun Family Time

Fun Family Time

by | Sep 28, 2025 |

We have had a lovely couple of weeks in Utah. We’ve been able to rest and recover from five months of travel, help Nathan’s mom at her house, and spend time with family.

Full Circle

Full Circle

by | Sep 14, 2025 |

Five months ago we flew to Rome from Utah. We had a summer of trying new places and experiences and revisiting old favorites and now we’re back where we started. Since we get the question a lot, I thought I would share some of our favorites from our travels in Europe this year.

More Walls

More Walls

by | Jul 13, 2025 | Blog

I’m writing this week’s post in the car as we drive to London. We’ve had a great week touring around England.

We spent one day touring York. We really enjoyed the afternoon service at the Minster, walking the wall, exploring the Snickelways and the Shambles, and sleeping at a pub.

On our way west, we drove north to see Hadrian’s Wall. We stopped at an archeological site called Housesteads where they have uncovered the remains of a Roman fort built along the wall. We took a guided tour of the site and then hiked along the wall to Sycamore Gap. A pair of hooligans cut the tree down in 2023, but the stump is still there and saplings are growing.

We loved the Lake District. We stayed in a little rock annex to a farmhouse. We really enjoyed our hikes around the fells and lakes. We tried Grasmere Gingerbread and enjoyed dinner in Keswick. It’s so pretty throughout that area.

We left the Lake District to head south. Our intermediate stop was in Chester. This city was a complete surprise and delight. Like York, the history there goes back more than 2000 years. The city has got a gorgeous cathedral, a really cool old town with medieval half-timbered buildings galore, and a city wall. Highlights were the cafe where we ate lunch, the organ concert in the Minster, and a wonderful conversation with a Reverend there. We also stopped in Ironbridge to see the first cast iron bridge, built over the River Severn in 1779. That area was a hot spot during the early Industrial Revolution.

We ended up in the Cotswolds, just outside the little town of Chipping Campden. We stayed in another annex to a very old house, and then we spent a couple days hiking the countryside, walking past fields of ripening grain, beneath shady trees, and through villages big and small. If the best idea that the United States had was National Parks, then I think the United Kingdom’s best idea is the “right to walk”. They protect public rights of way so that people can walk on footpaths across the country, some of which are very ancient. It means that you are often walking through a pasture or farmer’s field through gates of all kinds and climbing up and down stiles over fences. It’s fun! Unfortunately, we are in the middle of Britain’s third heatwave of the year, so it was very hot and the landscape much drier than usual. The little towns are lovely,  with a mix of old sandstone buildings and medieval cottages. It’s no secret to the world that the Cotswolds are charming, so we did encounter crowds and traffic in a few places. For the most part, though, we had peace and tranquility since we were walking the paths.

We also spent a delightful afternoon with an excellent guided tour in Stratford-upon-Avon, hearing tales of Shakespeare and the history of that pretty town. We followed that up with a Royal Shakespeare Company production of a play called “The Constant Wife”. It was clever and witty and beautifully acted. What a treat!

And now we are London-bound, but we made a couple of stops along the way. We stopped in Oxford so Nathan could see that university town (I visited with El in 2017). It’s the oldest university in the English-speaking world. We saw lots of cool old buildings and heard stories of its 2000-year history. We visited the science history museum and the extensive Blackwell’s bookstore. We also stopped at two family history sites linked to Nathan’s Putnam ancestors (his maternal grandmother’s line): Aston Abbey and Puttenham.

We are happy to be returning to London for a few days. We get to regroup and do some laundry and Nathan gets to practice the piano a bit. When we check in next week, we’ll be having a new, if a bit familiar, adventure. Enjoy your week!

Paradise

Paradise

by | Oct 5, 2025 |

Happy October! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year! Some people dream of paradise on a quiet tropical beach, listening to the surf with a drink in hand. Not this girl! Give me mountains, especially drenched in autumn color, bursting with new spring leaves, or covered in snow. We are spending October in one of our favorite places–Big Cottonwood Canyon just east of the Salt Lake Valley. We are loving the gorgeous golden aspen with the deep pine greens. Hiking is great and so is the smell of fresh forest! Nathan’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Christian, joined us one morning for a lovely hike through the woods. We got to experience a powerful thunderstorm and then a full day of snowfall. Our condo for the month is just right for us and we love having access to a pool, hot tubs, sauna, and workout facilities. We especially like that we can pop back to the valley to do some shopping or see family and friends. So far, so good!

Fun Family Time

Fun Family Time

by | Sep 28, 2025 |

We have had a lovely couple of weeks in Utah. We’ve been able to rest and recover from five months of travel, help Nathan’s mom at her house, and spend time with family.

Full Circle

Full Circle

by | Sep 14, 2025 |

Five months ago we flew to Rome from Utah. We had a summer of trying new places and experiences and revisiting old favorites and now we’re back where we started. Since we get the question a lot, I thought I would share some of our favorites from our travels in Europe this year.