Fabulous Friday: Reflections from the Road

Three airline flights, a ship with 6 ports of call, 8 train segments, 6 hotels, 8 countries, in about 4.5 weeks.  A couple of times, I had to consult the oracles to remember what day of the week it was.  Bits and pieces of the adventure flash through my mind, and I struggle to remember what country or city I saw that in.  It will all settle out in time. Most of what we see, we forget, in time our brains sort out the highlights, the deep memories that will flash before my eyes someday.  We write the stories that we tell endlessly in our dotage. 

First impressions: 

Downtown Ft Lauderdale, looks post apocalyptic, with vacant lots where there should be buildings, and massive new high rise construction clustered along the river. 

The ship Rotterdam. It is newer, and over 1,000 feet. But it felt more confined than other ships.  The entertainment venues are dark. The main dining room is bright, but crowded. The food was consistently good. The bars are plentiful. The main pool area, is bright and comfortable. The cabin was fine, the shower lived up to its reputation as the best at sea. 

Bermuda is a gem, in the Atlantic.  Warm and inviting, while it is British by affiliation, it is tied to the American rebellion in surprising ways.  It is worth going back to. 

Rotterdam, we didn't spend much time in.  The tourist information staff warned us that the taxi drivers would try to over charge us - yep a valid warning.  

Brugge was amazing, a city of canals, and ancient buildings. 

London was amazing, but more crowded than I remember. The side trip to Greenwich was worth the stop. We had a delightful afternoon with Stephen and Duncan who were in perfect form. 

Edinburgh is classic Scotland, very historic, very much sells itself as Scotland.  The hills are painful. The pedestrian ways are worth exploring. 

St Andrews is home to Golf, and a world-class University. It has history and landscape. It is easy to see why people love living there, and golf addicts sometimes drop to their knees and kiss the sacred turf. 

Glasgow is an old port city, a little gritty around the edges.  Lots of nice people. The city is more focussed on being the largest city in Scotland, than it is on being a tourist destination. 

It was a fabulous adventure that will generate many memories.