We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. – Walt Disney When we hit two years as roving retirees, Robie thought it would be fun to take a look back at where we’ve been. Instead of replaying the greatest hits, we … More Lessons from two years on the road
The hills echo with bagpipe tunes. The ‘gathering’ is in full swing. Tartaned dancers are on stage performing the ‘Highland Fling’. – Evelyne A. McMaster In Aberdeen, Robie and I kept hearing about strange happenings across Scotland. In towns across the country, people gathered for a day of music, competition and dance. Naturally, there were … More Highland Games
Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life. – Michael Palin The West Highlands may get all the glory, but it isn’t the only rail journey through the stunning landscape of Northern Scotland. The West Highlands Line When … More The Highlands other scenic rail line
August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. – Syliva Plath After spending much of last August sitting indoors trying to stay cool amid heatwaves and wildfires, this year we enjoyed the dog days of summer in the Scottish Highlands. It was a month of long, sunlit evenings, … More What we were up to August 2026
Skye doesn’t just take your breath away, it keeps it. – Highland saying With dramatic landscapes shrouded in clouds, the Isle of Skye is a nature lovers’ paradise. Seals, puffins and otters play in pristine bays while deer, cows and sheep roam the land. An ancient place filled with castles and clan history, this is … More The Misty Isle
Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller. – Ibn Battuta, history’s most well-traveled man Jobs in the travel industry look glamorous. They offer selfies without crowds at the Eiffel Tower, reduced rates for stays at five-star resorts and educational trips to Iceland and Costa Rica. Yet a successful career takes … More The truth about travel blogs
It’s an efficient delivery vehicle for ground meat, cheese and onions. – Anthony Bourdain on Turkish pide In the bustling historic center of Istanbul, there’s no shortage of places to eat. Anchored by the Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace, Sultanahmet’s streets aren’t just filled with tourists. They’re lined with cafés, fish … More 14 Sultanahmet restaurants worth visiting (plus more elsewhere in Istanbul)
What has been done to it both by nature and by centuries of human society is just mind-blowing. – Holly Runebstein on Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys While staying in Istanbul, Robie and I traveled to the interior of Türkiye to visit Cappadocia, a land of fairy chimneys that was once part of the famed Silk Road … More Fairy Chimneys
If I had my way, I’d remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead. – Roald Dahl With 2026 officially half over, here’s what we did last month. Travels After spending the first week of July in Istanbul, we packed up and migrated north for the summer. Soon after getting settled, … More What we did this month – July 2026
If the earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital. – Napoleon Bonaparte Many visitors schedule a few days to bag the Big Four in Istanbul. A tour of Topkapi Palace, visits to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia followed by a quick shopping spree at the Grand Bazaar is all they really … More What to see in Istanbul after the Big Four
