It’s Sam’s fall term break and tomorrow he and I leave for a four day trip to Oslo, Norway. We are flying to Oslo on a budget airline and we are not checking a bag so I need to pack light. It can be challenging to pack light during cold weather, but it’s possible with… Continue reading Travel Tips: Packing Light for Your Budget Airline Flight

We took one last trip in Europe during the spring of 2013 before we left Italy to move on to our next Navy duty station. We went to several favorite cities, but also explored some new ones. One of those new locations was Dubrovnik, Croatia. From Dubrovnik, we took a day trip to Mostar, Bosnia,… Continue reading A Day in Mostar, Bosnia

For Sam’s first day of half term break we booked ourselves on a day trip to Loch Ness, a 167 mile journey one way. This is a long trip to do in one day. We embarked on our tour on Timberbush tours out of Edinburgh with our driver Pat, who proudly wore his clan tartan.… Continue reading Loch Ness Day Trip

When Sam was almost a year old and we were living in Naples, Italy, we spent our 4th of July at Montecassino Abbey. Located 66 miles north of Naples and 88 miles south of Rome, it’s an easy trip from either location. St. Benedict established a monastery, the source of the Benedictine order, on a… Continue reading Soaking Up the History and Beauty of Montecassino Abbey, Italy

Located just 60 miles from Prague, Plzen is an easy day trip. It’s the Czech Republic’s second largest city after Prague and is home to Pilsner Urquell beer. Founded in 1842, Pilsner Urquell beer has inspired many of the world’s beers labeled “Pils”, “Pilsner” or “Pilsener”.   The tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery allows… Continue reading Prague Day Trip to a Czech Brewery: Pilsner Urquell

When I was about three or four months pregnant and we were living in Italy, I took a couple of quick three to four day trips. I wanted to get a few trips in before I was too pregnant to travel and because I knew I would not be traveling immediately after having Sam. One… Continue reading Top Picks for a Brief Visit to Amsterdam

Located just 50 miles north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya is an easy day trip. Founded in 1350 it was the capital of Siam (Thailand) until it was destroyed by the Burmese in the 1700s. It was never rebuilt. At it’s peak in 1700 Ahutthaya was a major trading capital in Asia and was the largest city… Continue reading Bangkok Day Trip: Don’t Miss Historic Ayutthaya

Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving. I know this because Jeff’s Canadian classmate invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. This got me to thinking about being an expat and missing things from home. Living overseas we embrace new cultures, traditions and foods, and yet, there are things we cling to, yearn for and miss. Holidays and… Continue reading Celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving in Scotland? Expat Musings

Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, so much has been written about travel to these areas of Italy. While living in Italy, one of our favorite destinations was Alborobello, a town on Italy’s heel in the province of Puglia. It enchants you with its architecture, wine and food (Puglia inspired recipe to follow!). Alborobello was made a… Continue reading Exploring Italy’s Heel Part 1: Alborobello

Located just 50 miles from Edinburgh, Loch Lomond is an easy day trip. Our hour long cruise on Sweeney Cruises departed from Balloch, Scotland. The cruise included an audio commentary on Loch Lomond by Neil Oliver, a Scottish historian and broadcaster and host of a BBC show “A History of Scotland and Coast”. Some facts… Continue reading A Cruise on Loch Lomond, Scotland: What to Expect