Snippets and Side Quests

We made it back to Ireland after a long travel day. Starting in Edinburgh we drove to Chester to return our car. Michael and Bella took us on the scenic route through Snowdonia and we said our goodbyes at the Hollyhead ferry. After a bit of a rocky crossing, we were greeted by Guido’s cousin Colin, who drove us along Dublin Bay. Imelda was waiting for us at their home where we shared a warm meal and good conversation before heading to bed.   The next day Imelda and pups Juno and Maisy walked us to the Luas (light rail) station. Dublin was an easy city to get around by foot and light rail.    With a pocket map we easily charted our route for the day. It’s also a beautiful city that balances the stone streets and buildings with greenery and splashes of colorful paint and flowers.  Trinity college was our first stop to see the Book of Kells, something Erika has wanted to see since she learned about illuminated manuscripts in Mr. Stow’s 9th grade history class. It was ma...

  It’s no surprise that The Proclaimers were from Scotland. Their song “I’m Gonna Be” is famous for its chorus “I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more…” Anyone who had been to Edinburgh surely knows this is a conservative estimate.   Edinburgh is a gorgeous city built on the remnants of an ancient volcano. Massive stone buildings sit high upon the hill of old town., including a massive castle fortress. Orderly new town is built in the Georgian Style of the 18th Century. Every view is a postcard.  Long a center of culture, education, and government, Edinburgh remains so today. Our visit was just after its famous Fringe Festival, so apparently we missed the biggest crush of visitors, but it still felt very busy with tourists. Most of its many museums are free, and we took advantage by visiting the Scottish National Gallery, with its collection of Scottish painters as well as a wide variety of other European masters. We would like to return for the Scottish Nationa...

  Edinburgh was out of a bit out of our way since we originally planned to go no further north than the Lake District, the beautiful national park filled with quaint villages, rolling hills, and (of course) picturesque lakes. We did spend a day in the Lakes and it was utterly charming and very dog friendly. Another location to add to our list of places to explore in more depth when we have more time and Rupert by our side. Scotland, generally, is on that list, and not just the cities, but the islands, lochs, highlands, and many more dramatic, historic, and wild landscapes.   Despite all that Scotland has to offer, we came 150 miles out of our way for the Tabletop Scotland game convention. It’s our third convention this year, although Guido did a fourth on his own. Before 2026, we had only been to Dragonflight, our local con, which we attended the weekend before we began this whole odyssey. Our first national con was BGG Spring in Texas over Memorial Day weekend. It’s only fitt...

  Some may already know that we are considering settling in the UK when we retire in five-ish years. Guido became a dual citizen in 2024 and it would be nice if Erika could become one too. The UK would be a fun place to spend time and a home base for travel to Europe. So part of the purpose of our trip is to explore areas where we might settle in a few years. After some research we loosely decided to search in two main areas- Chester and North Wales and Lancashire.   Guido has family in Chester and North Wales. Adam and Claire generously volunteered to host us during our stay in Chester, refusing to let us lift a finger, and acting as our personal, local tour guides. We discovered how much we have in common with them and what a great asset it would be to live close by. Chester is also a charming, characterful city. You can still walk the walls that once enclosed the Roman city founded there in the 1st century. Within the walls the city center is filled with two story Tudor- st...

  When Erika was 14 she took a trip to London (and Paris) with other students from school.     With breakfast and lunch provided by the hotel, everyone was on their own for lunch. The first place most of these middle schoolers wanted to go was McDonald’s. McDonald’s, of course, is both familiar and a way to size up some of the differences from home.   Apparently when you are in your 50s that place is not Mc Donald’s, but Costco.    Costco is Guido’s happy place. So it’s no surprise that we had to stop at one while in the UK.  Tucked away in a business park on the way out of Chester, we instantly recognized the minimalist corporate design both inside and out. Every store customizes products in its area, and this one certainly was a mix of familiar Kirkland brand products and items from international and UK brands. Rotisserie chickens were £3.99, coming in at just over $5 based on today’s exchange rates. Unlike the US, you could buy a 3 kg bucket of Nute...