Seattle

Returning from Europe to first see my Dad, realizing it would probably be the last time I would see him, I then headed to Seattle where two (+ my wonderful daughter-in-law) of my four live.  So fun to laugh it up together!!

London 2012

Flying into London Heathrow right in the middle of the Olympic Games, I took a window seat (I usually do) and got treated to a view of the Olympic Park!  London threw a great party - couldn't have been done better.

Purely a tour stop between our engagements in Aberdeen and Newcastle, we loved our little flat just down the street from both Regent Park and the St. Pancras Hotel

The iconic St. Pancras Hotel

Eurostar Station at St. Pancras

Fish and chips with mushy peas!!  Gotta have it!!

So fun to be with my long-time friend, Mimi Brown, to watch the Women's semi-final soccer match between Japan and France (Japan won) at Wembley!

Portobello Road, Notting Hill

On our way to see "Singin' In The Rain"

Newcastle upon Tyne, England

The modern day Newcastle is probably best know for its beer and its football club.  But did you know THE Earl Grey (eponym of the famous tea) hails from Newcastle?  In the 1500's, Newcastle was THE coal shipping region of England.  And going back still further, the Roman Emperor Hadrian started his famous wall with the Segedunum Roman Fort in the Newcastle area, trying to effectively fence out the "barbarian Scots".  

The very beginnings of Hadrian's Wall in Eastern England (with replica built behind)

On another day off, we decided to adventure to the nearby town of Durham by train.  This is a definite "must see"!! The Cathedral (which allowed no interior photography), located along the River Wear is among the most spectacular of all churches I've seen.  This UNESCO site is hailed as "the largest and most perfect monument of 'Norman' style architecture in England".  The adjacent Durham Castle is a University (and was the setting for  Harry Potter's Hogwart School's dining room.  Sadly, it was not available to be visited that day, due to a wedding.  What we DID find out though, was that rooms could be booked there as a B&B, and dining in that famous room, and a tour come with the overnight stay.  If we'd only known....

Den Haag, Netherlands

The ancient / modern city of Den Haag (The Hague) is the center of the Dutch government, and location of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.  And for me....a great place to run!!  Flat, cool with interesting things to see and a great forest right in the city center.  When I'm in a new city (and it also happens to  be a safe place to run), I like to give myself a physical and mental work out to see how many turns I can make and still find my way back to my hotel!  

Aberdeen, Scotland

Situated along the North-East coast of Scotland, Aberdeen faces the cold and windy North Sea and is known as the Oil Capital of Europe.  The gray granite of the centre city structures often reflects the grayness of the sky.  Happily, one of the two days we were there, the sun came out bright and shiny!

William Wallace

 On the sunny day, we took an adventure to nearby Crathes Castle.  The special treat was that there would be a wedding that day, complete with bagpipes and the men and boys decked out in their kilts!

The topiary hedges date from 1702