In the last fourteen years since Lin and I have married, we have visited the coolest places all over the world. Here they are!
Santorini, Greece
Nestled on the top of a mountainous plateau, this town spoke to my heart. We didn’t ride the mules up to Santorini, but we walked down among them. The views were amazing and it felt like a magical city.
Rome, Italy
While we were in Rome, Lin became my tour guide because he’s so good with maps. I clocked 27,000 steps in one day as he took me from one historic sight to another. To end the day, we did a gastronomical tour that required still more walking, but it was amazing. We savored the food and the fun with the guide.
Naples, Italy
We visited Naples twice on a cruise, but we didn’t see much of the city, but we went out to two major sights I will never forget: Pompeii and Herculean. Unbelievable history at its best! So, I always connect them with Naples.
Munich, Germany
The day we visited Munich, our tour guide spoke several times of places Hitler spoke at or had been at, and it resonated with my soul. I had read about the horrors of the Hitler regime, but to hear his name connected with buildings I saw as we drove by shocked me. The tour guide emphatically warned against the Neo-Nazi groups of today.
Edinburgh, Scotland
The castle on the hill overlooking the city stands out in my mind as I think of Edinburgh—so majestic, so regal. After touring the castle, we had a delightful time walking the Royal Mile, shopping and enjoying the culture. A young man adopted us and helped Lin buy a kilt and all its accessories there!
Dublin, Ireland
I booked our accommodations there and wanted an inexpensive place. We ended up in a hostel with spartan accommodations that met our needs. I had to leave my driver’s license as collateral for a blow dryer, but it was right across the street from the Guiness Storehouse, so that worked out well when we did the tour.
London, England
We saw “Les Misérables” in a theater on the West Side of London and my husband said he would never go to a theater in the states again—it was so outstanding!
Once again, Lin’s mastering of maps helped us use the subway there like experts!
Barcelona, Spain
The brilliance of Antonio Gaudí’s artwork graces so much of Barcelona, but my favorite is the Sagrada Familia. When we toured it, the structure and creativity overwhelmed me. I remember the light radiating through the stained glass windows and just walking around in a circle to capture it all.
Seville, Spain
As we watched a Flamenco dance troupe perform, I had to pinch myself. The beauty and stylistic nature of Flamenco dancing has always captivated me, but to actually be in Seville watching it was surreal! The skirts, the clicking of the castanets and the soulful music filled the air. Again it was magical and the coolest!
Óbidos, Portugal
We had an extra day in Lisbon because of an unexpected delay, so we went to Óbidos on a tour. This walled city felt like a step back in time. We enjoyed shopping and sampling goodies throughout the town and didn’t want to leave.
Finally,
Wow! As I identified these ten coolest places I’ve visited, I realized I could add to this list probably ten more. Our world offers such great places to visit! Make sure you visit one or all of these!
Our Christmas letter overflows with our busy year! We traveled to Scotland in May and Germany in September. Throughout the rest of the year, we kept busy with our two passions: Lin’s gardens and my books!
May in Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland – notice my nose!
Lin and I enjoyed two amazing trips this year: Scotland in May & Germany in September. In May, we went with two square dance couples on a 12-day tour, Backroads of Scotland, and we saw some amazing sites.
We started in Edinburgh and went in a couple days early so we could visit the city on our own. I had a nasty fall, and my face ended up badly bruised and skinned, but I didn’t miss a beat!
The tour took us to some amazing places: St. Andrews and it’s famous golf course and then on north to Inverness. The historic site of Culloden fascinated me with its brutal Scottish history. We went on to Loc Ness but didn’t see the monster. From Thurso, we rode a ferry to the Orkney Islands. We visited the village of Skara Brae and the mysterious Ring of Brodgar. We also revisited a small chapel built by Italian prisoners during World War II. Lin and I originally saw it in 2019. The next day, we enjoyed a sunny day over the sea to the isle of Skye and saw “Hairy Coos,” the red long-haired cattle gracing the hillsides. On we went to Glencoe, another site of historic significance. We ended our tour on the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond and on to Glasgow.
We extended our trip in Glasgow and had a delightful time with an international friend of mine, Eleanor, from my meditation group. Eleanor and her husband, Jim, hosted an evening in their home with delicious food, hearty conversation and Jim entertaining us on the guitar. The next day, Jim and Eleanor showed us some of their favorite places in Glasgow!
We connected with our Scottish heritage along the way! What a trip!
September in Germany
Reit im Winkl, Germany
Lin and I had signed up for a 14-day square dance trip to Germany with a square dance caller from Tucson in 2020 which was canceled because of COVID. We finally made it and what a fabulous trip! We flew into Munich and then stayed in Grassau, a small town ideally situated between all of our destinations, so we never had to change rooms! I liked that! We did day trips out of Grassau and returned each evening, square dancing often.
First, we visited Amerang Farmers’ Museum, and the next day we went to Berchtesgaden and went down in the Salt Mines, going down two slides to get to the bottom. We also visited Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s hideaway. How eerie it was to think he had been there.
A major highlight of the trip was visiting the Munich Oktoberfest! It’s a major carnival and beer party. I loved the oompah music and the enthusiasm of the participants. During the tour, we visited two of King Ludwig’s castles: one on Herrenchiemsee Island and the famous Neuschwanstein castle. I loved the village of Oberammergau where I bought Lin a cuckoo clock for his birthday. It was back to Munich the next day. Timed perfectly, we headed to the Marienplatz to see and hear the Glockenspiel. We ended up at the Hofbrauhaus and sat right across from the band—and enjoyed sauerkraut and sausage!
The next day it was on to Innsbruck, Austria. The mountains surround the city—no wonder it’s a winter sport paradise. Then we visited a beautiful mountain village: Reit im Winkl and enjoyed a Bavarian Traditional Schuhplattlers Show that night with dancers of all ages! They are keeping their traditional dances alive!
Next day, we headed to Salzburg, Austria and I felt Julie Andrews and the “Sound of Music” all around me. We visited the fortress on the hill and experienced the thrilling sound of the church bells when they rang out together in the late afternoon. We ended the evening at a Salzburg Mozart Dinner Concert!
Both of us would return in a heart beat we had such a great time!
Life at Home with the Millers
Lin continues to enjoy his garden! We hosted our second Annual Garden Party, and what a joy it was to show off all his hard work. Lin also enjoys his sports teams: the Liverpool soccer team and Philadelphia Eagles. We had the pleasure of going to the NFL Experience in Phoenix, AZ in February before the Super Bowl. His good friends, Bob and Linda, hosted us and we had a blast seeing the Super Bowl rings display, and Lin had his picture taken with the Eagles’ cheerleaders.
Larada continues to write and has released her seventh book, Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir. She just finished recording an audiobook of it in her make-shift recording studio in their walk-in closet. She also received a second New Mexico/Arizona book award for Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? in the self-help category. Larada and Lin also enjoys trips their family ranch as often as they can!
They continue to square dance as much as possible and still host the Hot August Nights square and round dance festival. They just did their 17th year!
Sad to say, they lost their cat, Jesse, this year. He was 20-years-old and had feline diabetes. Jesse had been failing for over a year. He died in October while Larada was at the ranch—what a loss for both of them!
Our Christmas letter summarizes our year every year and is a delight to write! I hope you enjoy reading it!
Do you do a Christmas letter? Do you like receiving them?
Celebrate Christmas & the 12 Days of Christmas with me and big savings at my Shopify store, Larada’s Bookstore: 50 off individual each day, starting with
Christmas Day – This Tumbleweed Landed – Discount Code: TTL50%OFF
December 26 – Hair on Fire: A Heatwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir – Discount Code: Hair50%OFF
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Our group at the Molly Malone Pub – last night in Glasgow!
Our tour ended in Glasgow, but we extended a couple of days to see the sights and visit a friend. Then it was home. Sadly, I said goodbye to Scotland after such a lovely trip, and couched in my farewell, “Until next time!”
May 20—along the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, then on to Glasgow
Loch Lomond
Before Glasgow, we spent the morning at Loch Lomond on a relaxing boat ride around the lake. I had heard the song “Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond” my whole life, yet never knew the story behind it.
Our tour guide, John, shared the song told the story of a couple captured by the English. She was the only one released as a warning to the other Scots if they rebelled.
I also found the following explanation:
“The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond” is about two Scottish soldiers who were imprisoned on the Scottish border. One of them was going to be set free, but the other one was going to be executed. In Scottish legend, anyone who dies outside Scotland takes the “low road” back to their homeland, where they will finally be at peace.
In this song, the doomed soldier is comforting the soldier who will be set free. He tells them that “you’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road, and I’ll be in Scotland before ye”.
As well as this, he recalls a life full of love and happiness. He harkens back to his time by the “bonnie banks of Loch Lomond” where he met his wife, and he comes to peace with the fact that his “broken heart ken nae second Spring again” – meaning that he will never return to the loch to be with his true love, although he is going to return in spirit.”
The misty morning, such a stereotypical Scottish day, accentuated our time on the Loch Lomond—but not freezing!
When the boat ride ended, Charlotte, one of our newfound friends on the tour, told me she planned to dip her toes in the lake because of our Scot heritage, so I joined her! When we got off the boat, we found a small pier near, took our shoes and socks off and ventured to sit down without falling into the loch. And we sat, and dipped. The water was icy!
So, I’m hoping that legend says by doing that I will return!
As we neared Glasgow, I felt a collective sigh of sadness for this amiable group. During the morning, I had gathered email addresses to invite fellow travelers to a dedicated Facebook I created. We didn’t want the experience to end.
However, we had our farewell dinner that evening, but the setting didn’t work. We sat in individual booths that housed four, but this divided the group.
May 21—Glasgow—Transferred from hotel
This day, we transferred from the hotel booked by the tour to the Point A hotel, one I found and booked for the four of us. Yes, it was a deal for downtown Glasgow, but the Spartan accommodation surprised us. It had instructions on the wall that helped us figure it out.
Where was the closest? The three hooks behind the door. What to do with our luggage? Open them up and push them under the bed. A small writing desk swung down from the wall and a stool for a seat. Oh, well! You couldn’t beat the price.
The rest of the day, we explored Glasgow. We ended up in the Molly Malone Pub for a couple of hours, enjoying the atmosphere and friendly Glaswegian. Then we ended the day with a cribbage game in the Common Area at our hotel.
May 22—Glasgow—Walking Tour & Dinner with Eleanor & Jim
St. Mungo CathedralGlasgow Coat of Arms
For our first full day in Glasgow, we had a delicious breakfast, then a ten-minute walk to the meeting place for our Medieval Walking Tour with Kevin. What a tour we had! We wove our way through downtown Glasgow, and Kevin showed us historical sights many Glaswegians regularly pass every day and don’t know about. During the tour, we learned about grave robbers. We saw the St. Mungo Cathedral with its darkened wall from years of smoke. Also, Kelvin often repeated an interesting rhyme associated with Glasgow’s coat of arms:
Here’s the bird that never flew. Here’s the tree that never grew. Here’s the bell that never rang. Here’s the fish that never swam.
On the sides of many buildings, we saw massive murals.
Train station & schedule in Glasgow
That evening, we caught the train and rode ten minutes to Eleanor and Jim. The station and schedule was daunting, but we figured it out.
Eleanor & Larada in Glasgow
Before our trip, I visually connected with Eleanor in an International Meditation group I joined in 2022 and prior to that, in an Advent study by text in 2021. We became fast friends immediately, and I was so excited to tell her about our trip to Scotland. As plans unfolded, she invited Lin and I and Jerry and Mary Beth to dinner at her house!
Jim playing his guitar for us
What a delightful evening we had! Her husband, Jim, prepared a delicious dinner, starting with Cullen Skink, haddock and leek soup, better than what we had in Ullapool. We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the meal, the camaraderie, and the conversation. After dinner, Jim pulled out his guitar and entertained us. We also found out that Eleanor does Scottish set dancing, which is like our square dancing—maybe its predecessor. What a memorable evening had!
May 23–Touring Glasgow
The next day, Lin and I met Jim and Eleanor and took the subway to the University of Glasgow, Jim’s alma mater.
Inside of Memorial Chapel at the University of Glasgow
First, Jim and Eleanor showed us the Memorial Chapel where they had been married. What a special moment! Then we had a delightful morning walking around the campus and had a serendipitous moment. As a retired teacher, I wanted to see a classroom. I stuck my head in one only to find a campus guard and he scolded me for being there. I let him know I was a retired teacher from the US and only wanted to see a classroom.
He quickly changed his tune and became our tour guide. We crossed a courtyard and entered a beautiful classroom with wood-paneled walls, curved worn bench seats, a massive desk in the of the room and so much history.
Classroom at the University of GlasgowTeacher’s Desk Work desksLarada with Security Guard
Our next stop, the Kelvingrove Museum, surprised us with an organ concert in the main area, so we stopped, listened and enjoyed the beautiful music. Then it was on to the Salvador Dalí painting, “Christ Saint John on the Cross,” our primary destination here at the museum.
Kelvingrove MuseumLarada & Dali’s Christ of St. John on the Cross
“One of Dalí s most famous paintings is Christ of St John on the Cross. (1951) Considered his finest religious painting, it now hangs in Scotland’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery, in Glasgow’s West End and has been there ever since its purchase by the galleries director in 1952. Painted in 1951, Dalí’s iconic painting has become one of the best-loved in the entire collection, amongst Glaswegians and visitors.”
I marveled at being that close to a Dali painting, and this one so amazing—Christ floating!
Larada & Lin with Queen Victoria Bust at the Kelvingrove Museum
From there we met back with Jerry and Mary Beth at Molly Malone’s pub for our last time all together, and a delightful dinner. We ended early so we could go back to our hotel and pack up and prepare for our early departure the next day.
May 24—Flew home
The next day our Scottish tour ended with our uneventful flight home—always a good thing! This blog gave me a nostalgic look back at a trip of a lifetime. I hope you’ve enjoyed my wandering down “the country roads of Scotland,” and maybe it ignited a desire in you to visit Scotland, my new found home!
Isle of Skye and Glencoe: an isle and valley filled our two days, heading towards Glasgow and the end of our tour. We jam-packed so much in these days, moving from a mystical isle to a lush valley with a sad battle tale.
May 19 – Over the Sea to Isle of Skye
We were so excited that we would be in the front seat on this specific day. Because of the seat rotation on the tour bus, we were in the front seats, so traditionally, we had to give the weather report. After the rainy day the day before, the sun shone brightly with no clouds in the sky, so I wanted to make the report different and light-hearted. At breakfast, I started researching to find a poem linked to the Isle of Skye. What a treasure I found:
Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.
Mull was astern, Rum on the port,
Eigg on the starboard bow;
Glory of youth glowed in his soul;
Where is that glory now?
Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.
Give me again all that was there,
Give me the sun that shone!
Give me the eyes, give me the soul,
Give me the lad that's gone!
Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.
Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
Mountains of rain and sun,
All that was good, all that was fair,
All that was me is gone.
After I read a couple of stanzas and stopped, Jerry Gilbreath sang it because it is the lyrics to the theme of the TV show, “The Outlander.” Wow! And the day continued that magical. Off to the Isle of Skye we went. On the way, we stopped for a photo opt of “hairy coos,” really up close and personal.
The Isle of Skye has an amazing history. The Norse wiped out the Pictish language and the culture in 800 A.D. and remained there for four hundred years.
“The island was considered to be under Norwegian suzerainty until the 1266 Treaty of Perth, which transferred control over to Scotland.”
I had fun with a story associated with the Isle of Skye and Bonnie Prince Charlie because of Flora MacDonald, who might be a relative of mine:
“Flora MacDonald’s adventure with ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ began in 1764 on the Outer Hebridean island of South Uist. Flora’s benefactor, Lady Clanranald, was a Jacobite sympathiser, so Flora was kept closely informed of the Prince’s whereabouts after the defeat of his troops at Culloden. Although not an ardent Jacobite supporter herself, Flora was touched by the unfortunate plight of the Prince, who now had a price of £30,000 on his head, was being hunted all over the Highlands and Islands by government soldiers. So when a plan was hatched to smuggle the Prince to the relative safety of Skye, Flora agreed to play a part in it.
In June 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie finally landed on South Uist with a couple of loyal supporters. There they met Flora, and arrangements were made to disguise the Prince as ‘Betty Burke’, an Irish maidservant, and conduct him to Skye. After a few days’ preparation, they sailed in a small boat ‘over the sea to Skye’, just as the militia landed nearby. The Prince was dressed in a calico gown, quilted petticoat and headdress to disguise his face.
After landing safely on Skye, the Prince’s perilous wanderings continued for a few more weeks, until finally he managed to escape mainland Scotland on a ship bound for France. He and Flora were destined never to meet again.”
Legend has it that Bonnie Prince Charlie gave a personal recipe to MacKenna who helped him escape to France. Then eventually someone in the family released it and we know it today as Drambuie whiskey liquer.
Driving to Portree, John, our tour guide, told us about the shocking movement of the Clearances in the 1840s.
“The Highland Clearances were the forced evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860.”
Because of these horrible evictions, many Scots immigrated to the USA in the 1840s. In the 1870s, they immigrated to Australia.
I enjoyed our visit to the city of Portree, where we enjoyed bakery goods to start with. Then we roamed the beautiful city and took lots of pictures.
Commando Memorial
From there, we visited the Commando Memorial honoring Winston Churchill’s elite force. What a spectacular sight!
Then we spent the night at the Ballachulish Hotel in Glencoe, an old Victorian style hotel, and noticed as we drove the shoreline that all the BnBs had one similar sign up, “No Vacancy.” A very popular area!
May 20—Glenroe
Surrounded by Munros, mountains over 3,000 feet high, we drove through an amazing valley where a famous massacre happened.
“The Massacre of Glencoe took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allegedly for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William III and Mary II.”
Notice that one of my clan names has come up again—MacDonald.
From there we went to the Glencoe National Nature Reserve and enjoyed a presentation about the area, its geology and animals. I also visited a replica of a Turf House, a 17th century dwelling. The plaster used inside reminded me of adobe used here in the southwest.
Replica of Turf House at Glencoe
An isle and a valley—our trip nears its end. But the history and the sights captivated me as we traveled through this fascinating part of Scotland.
Have you ever heard of these places and this battle? Do you have any Scottish heritage at all? Let me know.
