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

Bali was on my bucket list to visit when we lived in Japan. It worked out just right for us to go while Jeff was deployed and Sam was on summer break. The weather in Bali in July was also amazing. It’s winter in July so the days were warm and breezy and the nights… Continue reading Itinerary for a Perfect Day in Ubud, Bali

Many cities have iconic landmarks and iconic views. Edinburgh is no different. One of the iconic views of Edinburgh is from Calton Hill. The climb up the staircase on a very windy, but sunny day, was worth the panoramic view of the city.  

If you live in Japan you experience the rhythm of life that revolves around festivals. Japan celebrates a lot of festivals, many having to do with nature, that occur at the same time every year. There are festivals when cherry trees are in bloom, when wisteria is blooming, when sunflowers are in bloom. There are… Continue reading Shobu-en Iris Festival in Yokosuka, Japan

This is the first part of an ongoing series in which I interview experts on a variety of topics. The first topic for this series is SCOTTISH ANTIQUES. I interviewed Patrick Buckley, owner of Patrick Buckley Antiques in Edinburgh. I know Patrick’s shop well because it is located very near my flat on Causewayside in… Continue reading AN INSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE #1: Scottish Antiques