A Is for Alaska

Greetings from Alaska

It was a close vote, but the choice to begin our travel  A to Z Blogging Challenge is Alaska. Arizona was right behind and there was a vote for Australia, too. I've written about visiting Alaska several times, but probably not in the last ten years. It's fun to be back revisiting one of my favorite places.  

Alaska wasn't especially high on my travel list before my 2008 visit. I was "saving" it for when I was older. Silly me! The scenery was extraordinary and I loved my visit. I came to Alaska via a friend who was eager to visit and I have no regrets. We took a cruise and enjoyed a few days in beautiful Vancouver before and after the trip. I had been to Vancouver once before and I was eager to return.  

The cruise was incredibly fun, both for the activities and the people we met. I'm still in touch with the group we joined with for trivia competition -- we were the ship winners -- and our dinner company, which included two people from Canada and four from Ireland, were delightful. It's close to twenty years and the memories are still warm.

The best whale watching ever!

One of the high points of the trip -- or any trip -- was a photography/whale watching excursion. I went out with a dozen others in a small boat. I've been on whale watching excursions before this, but never so close to so many whales. There were a few moments where I thought the whales might swim right into our boat, as they were so close. Our trip was in 2008 and this was photograph is as good as my limited photo skills and equipment permitted, but I remember thrilling to see five whale spouts in a row.  

I hope you've enjoyed our visit to Alaska. I know I'm happy for the opportunity for a virtual visit. The next post is "B," and we'll be visiting the first of the four new countries I'll be adding to my travel list next month. I've visited a number of times in my reading, so I'm excited to visit in person.

As ever, thanks for visiting and happy travels to us all. 

 

Once Again Blogging from A to Z

Once again Buttercupland is joining the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I first started to participate in the Challenge in 2013 and have been part of it in most of the years that followed. I skipped both 2023 and 2024 because I was traveling during April. But this year my trip of the year (maybe decade) will take place in May and I'm able and happy to join the Blogging Challenge.

I initially thought that my theme for year was going to be a return to coffee, which has been a popular choice in the past. But the more I thought about it, travel popped into my mind. My trip in May will include four countries I've never been to before and I'd like to share in posts. I've also got a trip planned for November. While this trip is not to a far away or exotic destination, it's been one of my dream trips for a number of years. That's a post to come, too. 

I'll start my Challenge posts on Tuesday, April 1 with A. But I'm leaving the destination up to friends who comment. I love Arizona and so enjoyed my trip a year ago. I'm also a fan of Australia -- great trip in 2018, and Alaska, where I traveled in 2010. What's your choice, friends? It's a Readers' Choice. 

Watching the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia 2018

The Desert Botanical Garden, Scottsdale, Arizona 2024 

Today was eighty degrees and for the first time in months, I went out without a jacket. It was just a day of errands -- post office, library and the grocery -- but what an amazing feeling. I'd almost forgotten what it's like to be out without a coat and gloves and it was as good as I remembered. What was on your schedule today?

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a good weekend.  

    

Y Is for (the former) Yugoslavia And a Postscript for Z

Welcome to Rovinj, then Yugoslavia and now, Croatia

Our last destination in our Around the World A to Z tour is Rovinj, Croatia. During my visit to Venice in 1989 I took a two hour hydrofoil trip across the Adriatic to then Yugoslavia and spent the afternoon in the seaside fishing town of Rovinj. I remember a clear summer day, lunch at an outdoor cafe and a charming Mediterranean town. History was about to be made in Rovinj and all of Croatia. Even as I enjoyed my lunch and iced coffee changes were happening in the political structure and in 1991 Croatia became an independent country. 

  The baroque Church of St. Eufemia overlooks all of Rovinj. Eufemia is the patron saint of the town. 

August 28, 1989, Rovinj

And then there's Z...

I thought of writing about AriZona for Z or perhaps Zambia or Zanzibar, neither of which I've visited. But I've decided to leave "Z" as a marker for all the places I've never been. For the last several decades I've always had a trip scheduled. It may have been a long weekend with friends in Connecticut or upstate New York or a destination half-way around the world. This year started the same way and I had a lot scheduled. I took two trips, canceled two others and there are two more still scheduled for the fall. No flights are scheduled for those trips and though, I'm hoping they will take place, it seems unlikely now. 

At this time eight years ago I was about to be diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor. I went on to have neurosurgery in June, 2012 and wasn't permitted to fly for six months. Between my surgery and recovery and Super Storm Sandy in October, 2012, I didn't travel -- excluding long weekends in Connecticut and Rhode Island via train -- for over a year. It wasn't clear how much mobility I would recover and travel seemed far, far away and not all that important. I remember thinking that if I could just get around New York City, I would be happy.  

Thankfully, I was able to do a lot more than just get around New York City, and in the last seven years I made up for lost time. I was able to visit six continents, and if plans had continued, I would have made it to all seven continents in seven years, with a visit scheduled to Agadir, Morocco next week. One day, one month, one year, travel will again be possible, but for now I will once again be happy when I can get around New York City.   

I'm sad that we've come to the end of our Around the World travels. I've had such a good time re-visiting some of my favorite places and I'm so grateful for the wonderful company I've had. But as my mother always said when we'd come home from vacation, "It's good to go, but it's better to come home." As always, Mom was right. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love and wash your hands!   

W Is for Wiltshire

A quick trip down the coast from Ullapool to Wiltshire, England

I discovered one of the most beautiful places I've been, the English county of Wiltshire, via one of my blog friends, and I will always be grateful. I've written many times about blog friends becoming friends. As the years have gone by I've had the great fortune to meet my blog buddies, both when they've visited New York and when I've traveled across the globe. I "met" Sybil, who lives in Wiltshire, early in my blog career and we've kept in touch ever since. She graciously extended an offer to visit and even though we'd never met I accepted her invitation and flew to England in the summer of 2018. Yes, it was iffy, but a dear mutual friend, who I had met several times, had visited Wiltshire and I was assured it was a good idea.   

   The gardens at Avebury Manor

My visit was more than a good idea, it was an opportunity to make lifelong friends and see a beautiful corner of England from a local perspective. I had heard of Salisbury and Stonehenge (and even been to Stonehenge), but I wouldn't have been able to tell you what county they were in. I wasn't familiar with the extraordinary Avebury Manor or Lacock Abbey  -- featured in Harry Potter -or a dozen other sites I visited with Sybil and friends. 

St. James Church Avebury

One of my favorite places when I visited Wiltshire was Avebury Manor. Avebury was an extraordinary combination of fascinating sights to see. It combined a beautiful manor house built on (or very near) to the site of a Benedictine priory founded in 1114. It also included St. James Church, which dates from the Saxon period before the Norman Conquest. Avebury also includes an ancient stone circle, that dates from 3,000 BCE. 

Exploring the Avebury Stone Circle

My visit to Stonehenge in 2014 and my visit to Avebury in 2018 was completely different. The circle at Stonehenge was surrounded by a barrier and there were perhaps, several hundred people visiting. At Avebury,  the stones are arranged in an extended circle and spread over a large area. The other major difference at Avebury is that my new friend, Val, who is Sybil's neighbor, and I shared this site with one other person.    

 At Stonehenge in 2014

I've been doing a lot of reflecting while I've been writing these travel reflections. I'd planned to visit England again this summer, a quick visit to London and then a cruise to both English and Scottish ports. That's been cancelled and there's no telling when or even if that trip might be possible. When things open up again -- whenever that may be -- I'd love a return to Wiltshire. 

I'm glad to report that my cut finger is healing well and I'm typing and blogging again, and coming to the completion of the Blogging from A to Z challenge. I'd hoped to finish in April, but now I'm looking to completion on May 1. My friend, B, asked me yesterday what I was going to blog about in May. I've been keeping a list of ideas and I have some topics to catch up on. I'm planning to do weekly travel posts, at least until I can start traveling again.    

Tomorrow for "X" we return to North America. I'm revisiting one of the earliest trips I took once I started working and began to travel. Back to 1977.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love, wash your hands and watch your fingers. 

T Is for Thailand

Welcome to our next A to Z destination, Thailand

I've had a fascination with Southeast Asia for many years. I first traveled to Bangkok in 1989 and returned in 1996 after visiting Malaysia and North Sumatra. On my last trip to Thailand (with only an overnight in Bangkok) I spent time in the Chiang Mai area in Northern Thailand. The photograph above is the countryside outside of Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 as the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Lan Na. It was an independent state and then under the control of Burma, until it joined with Siam in 1776. I especially enjoyed the archaeological sites both in Northern Thailand and in the Bangkok area. I thought we'd visit two sites I found especially interesting.

 This is the entrance to Wat Phra Singh, the Temple of the Lion Buddha -- or so I believe

Chiang Mai has many beautiful temples and I enjoyed visiting them and learning about their history. I took a lot of pictures, but sadly labeled none of them, except for noting the year of the trip on the envelope. I've learned my lesson since then and now I photograph the signage when I travel so I can identify the sites I've seen when I get home. I've just spent the last hour reading about the temples of the area and I am reasonably sure that I have properly identified the location. 

The Bang-Pa In Royal Palace grounds in Ayutthaya

One of my favorite places in Thailand was the former capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya. It was founded in 1351 and was the capital of Siam before it was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. It was known as the "Venice of the East," with an estimated population of a million people. In addition to the archaeological remains from the capital era, the Summer Royal Palace is also in Ayutthaya. It is a beautiful site to spend the hottest part of the summer -- or any time -- outside of Bangkok.  

Loved the elephant topiary at the Royal Palace.

 The elephant has been a royal symbol in Thailand for hundreds of years.  

Enjoying my day in Ayutthaya

For "U" we're flying 10,000 miles to return to Europe. Including our destination tomorrow we've only got five more stops on our world tour. Three of our stops will be in Europe and one will be in North America. I'm still pondering one of the last stops. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care! Much love and wash your hands.  

Q Is for Queensland (Australia)

We're spending Earth Day 2020 in Queensland at the Great Barrier Reef

When I started doing the A to Z Challenge at the beginning of the month I had an idea of the stops on our journey, but not what day I'd be doing each post. I'm delighted to feature one of the great natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef, on Earth Day 2020. The reef stretches over 1800 miles parallel to the coast of the Australian state of Queensland. It's larger than the Great Wall of China and the same length as the distance from New York City to Denver. It's the world's largest collection of coral, composed of over 400 different types of coral. Unfortunately the Reef has been damaged by warmer ocean temperatures and runoffs of sediment, as well as poorly managed tourism. A toast to the health of the Reef and the ocean that surrounds it! 

I made my visit to the Great Barrier Reef during a stay in Cairns, a city in the north of Queensland. One of my favorite memories of Cairns is eating dinner at the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon. This is a wonderful picnic and swimming area built directly on the beach. It was lively and a lot of fun and K and I enjoyed sharing our picnic table with a family from Cairns. 

If you look carefully to the top left you can see the fruit bats that are also Queensland residents

After my day visiting the Great Barrier Reef my group spent the day in Kuranda. We traveled via the Kuranda Scenic Railway through a mountain rain forest, which is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

   

On our way to a mountain rain forest and the town of Kuranda

Enjoyed this mural at the visitor center in Kuranda. Kuranda is only a town of 3,000 people, 

but I found it a fascinating place to visit. 

There is nothing like "cuddling a koala" at the Kuranda Koala Gardens. It was a very quick cuddle in order to keep my friend, Kiki, from getting tired, but it's an extraordinary memory.  There is a Government Code of Practice that's followed to keep the koalas healthy. 

Aren't you glad you brought your bathing suit and sunscreen for our day out of doors? Tomorrow we're flying over 9,000 miles to return to Europe to visit our next wonder of the world.  It's a twenty-four hour trip, but traveling via blog we can relax at home in our leggings and t-shirts. 

I've settled into my new not-so-normal: blogging, reading, cooking -- can't wait to eat out again --  cleaning the kitchen after cooking -- and walking (wearing a mask) around the neighborhood. I've kept up with my Weight Watchers workshops and synagogue activities via Zoom and my college class with our Facebook group.  I haven't taken up any new hobbies, but I am beginning to look for a class I can take online. I'm making every effort not to think about how long this phase of staying in will last. I don't think of myself as a senior, but I am and I need to be thoughtful about my activities.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love and wash your hands! 

P Is for Petra

Our next A to Z stop is Petra, Jordan 

I hope you brought your hiking shoes because we're going to walk miles through one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world, Petra, Jordan. My memories of Petra go back to 1997. It's difficult to remember the exact buildings I saw in Petra, but I can remember the feeling of awe when I saw the red rocks of Petra. I was visiting friends in Israel and was able to take a side trip to Jordan. My friend, Pat and I joined a small travel group with people from all over the world. It was a short trip, but with so much to see. Don't put your hiking boots away, because we're visiting a second desert site later in our travels.  

We walk through the rock passage above and we begin to see the The Treasury. 

This is the most legendary building in Petra, its exact purpose unknown.  

Petra was the capital of the Nabateans, an Arab tribe originating in the Arabian peninsula. They  settled in Petra, 200 miles south of Amman, in the fourth century BCE. Petra developed into a major trading city, particularly of frankincense, myrrh and spices. In the first century CE Petra became part of the Roman Empire. But changes in trade routes and a massive earthquake in the fourth century changed the destiny of Petra and, for a reason not determined, the Nabateans abandoned their extraordinary city and disappeared from the  course of history. What remains are the monuments they left behind in the desert. 

 One of the monumental remains of Petra

We've now visited three of the New Seven Wonders of the World: Petra, the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu. We will travel to one more new wonder in the next few days, but we won't need our hiking shoes for that visit. One small hint: our next wonder of the world is much more easily accessible and a relatively quick flight (3000 miles) from New York, instead of a 5500 mile flight, a long drive into the desert and then five miles of walking through Petra. 

I've really enjoyed my desktop travels. Not unlike preparing for an actual journey, I prepare for each blogging trip. I choose destinations, sort and select photographs and then research our destination for the day. I'm surprised at how long it takes me to write a post, but with each destination I generally spend a couple of hours reading about where we are going and its history. Is it as good as traveling? No, not at all, but it's been fun and interesting re-learning about places I've visited and enjoyed, and fun, too, sharing these places. 

In this spirit, please pack up your hiking boots for awhile and get your bathing suit and sunscreen ready. We're flying 5,002 miles, starting in Amman and flying to Quatar, where we will make our first flight change. Two more flights and then we arrive at our non-desert destination. Yes, it's a lot of travel, but I know you will enjoy our next stop. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love and wash your hands!  

O Is for Oxford

Our A to Z Blogging Challenge takes us to Oxford, England

Two summers ago I had a wonderful visit to England. I met and stayed with one of my blog friends in Wiltshire and then spent a few days in Oxford. It was an ideal vacation, and one I couldn't have experienced without guidance from a friend who knew the area. I was able to visit places I'd only read about and one of them was Oxford. 

The seal of Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis was a fellow

Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world, dating from the Eleventh Century. Many of the names we know from English history and literature are part of Oxford's history and traditions. The names are a catalogue of people who changed history, from John Wyclif in the Fourteenth Century to the philosopher John Locke to Edmund Halley of Halley's Comet Fame and John and Charles Wesley and right into our lifetime when C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien both taught at Oxford. It was definitely the most historic campus I've ever visited, as well as one of the most beautiful. 

I spent one afternoon visiting Magdalen College, one of the thirty-nine residential colleges that make up the University. I was part of a wonderful student led tour and enjoyed learning about the history of Magdalen and present day student life.  

When I stood in the dining room at Magdalen I felt I had walked into Hogwart's

Watching the punts on the Thames was one of my favorite times in Oxford. The punts -- small boats -- were first built in the Nineteenth Century to ship cargo on the Thames. Around 1860 the brightly colored boats began to be used for pleasure and they are still in use today. 

Always time for coffee

There's always time for coffee and my trip to Oxford was no exception. I couldn't resist this sign and the Grand Cafe was one of my coffee stops while in Oxford. 

I hope you've enjoyed our perfect summer day in Oxford and our travels in France yesterday. Rest up, we're off on an adventure tomorrow and I advise hiking boots. There will be a lot of walking, but it will be so worth it.     

Everything's going okay here. I've got my ups and downs, but the ups seem to outnumber the downs. I know New York will be the last to open up again and I don't want to get over enthusiastic about venturing out again. As my mother always said, "When it's meant to be it will be," and I keep that in mind. 

As ever, thanks for  visiting and take care. Much love and wash your hands! 

N Is for Normandy

This stop on our A to Z trip is Deauville, Normandy

We've gone 5700 miles from the Amazon to a destination that's the exact opposite in almost every way. We're in Northern France in the area best known for the D-Day landing beaches. We're going down the coast of France about an hour from Omaha beach to Deauville. Deauville is a beautiful beach resort town two hours north of Paris. If this photograph looks vaguely familiar it's because the Impressionist painters often painted in the towns near Deauville. 

One of my favorite activities when I'm traveling -- and when I'm at home, too -- is going to markets. The market at Deauville was one of my favorites, with beautiful vegetables, fruit and flowers. Normandy is a center of agriculture for France, especially known for its production of dairy and fruit. It's the home of Camembert cheese and  Calvados, the spirit distilled from cider. 

 I wish I could have taken home jars of the raspberry jam. 

I didn't do any cooking while I was in Deauville, but I'd love 

to be able to shop for those beautiful vegetables today.  

As long as we're in France and only a few hours away from Paris, let's take a quick trip to Paris. I haven't been in Paris in almost twenty years, but I was there a number of times from 1981 to 2001. Ironically, it was the place I visited the most because I absolutely love Paris, but I have very few pictures of those wonderful visits. I do have a few pictures and these are two of my favorites. 

This is the Church of St-Merri, a Sixteenth Century Gothic style church, surrounded by Pop Art sculpture. It was named for Saint Mederic, the Patron saint of the Right Bank of Paris. Paris is divided by the River Seine into the Right Bank and the Left Bank. 

  L'Arc-en-Ciel, a Rainbow in the sky over Paris, and a rainbow is my wish for all of us!

I've had the best time returning to Normandy and Paris. I hope you've enjoyed it, too. We're staying in Europe for the next stop on our itinerary and it's just a quick hop from Paris. But after "O" we've got some long distance travel. Rest up, friends,  we're going to have a busy week, literally circling the globe. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love and wash your hands. 

M Is for Machu Picchu

Our Next A to Z stop is Machu Picchu

I can't begin to imagine what the American Archaeologist Hiram Bingham thought when he first saw Machu Picchu in 1911. I'd seen a thousand pictures before I arrived in 2016 and thought I knew what to expect, but for Bingham this extraordinary sight was unexpected. Bingham was on the trail to another site when he came upon the five miles of building, complete with 3,000 steps. There are a number of theories about the purpose of Machu Picchu, but the predominant thinking is that it served as the royal estate for Inca Emporers and nobles. 

  Despite my years of hoping to travel to Machu Picchu and the reading I'd done, 

I was in complete awe actually being here. 

Next stop, Amazon River

My only goal for my trip to Peru was to see Machu Picchu. But the tour offered the opportunity to extend my time in Peru with a trip to the Amazon region of Peru. I decided that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and prepared for the environment, complete with the strongest mosquito repellent I could find and malaria medication. I'd done a lot of traveling, but never been in a jungle environment before. I am so grateful I took advantage of the opportunity.

My guides in the Amazon

Despite mosquito bites and a big slip into the mud, I loved my visit to the Amazon. Our group traveled by boat along the river from the city of Iquitos. One of my favorite activities was visiting one of the villages along the river. We had a wonderful group of guides who escorted us throughout the time we spent there. The bowl I'm holding still has a treasured place in my living room. 

Me and my friend, Stinky

The other activity that stands out was a visit to an animal sanctuary. We met monkeys, birds and an anaconda that had been in a motor boat accident and was receiving medical care. In the second after this picture was taken I realized that my new friend, Stinky, was a real monkey and not a stuffed toy, and that anything could happen.  

I've loved returning to Peru and so glad to have your company. To get to our next stop it will take us 34 hours and three flights to go 5700 miles. We will be in a completely different environment and a country we haven't traveled to yet in this series. Any guesses where we're going for "N"? We'll see tomorrow. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.  Much love and wash your hands!

L Is for Lima

Our A to Z blogging adventures continue with a visit to Lima Peru, on the Pacific Ocean

I'm delighted to return to blogland after my mouse failure interlude. I now have a much fancier mouse than I did on Tuesday morning, and after a misadventure or two getting it connected I'm continuing our A to Z adventures. Alas, I've fallen behind on the Challenge, but I promise you we will finish circling the globe in April. I've gone through my photographs and we've got some exciting places to visit in the next few weeks. 

My visit to Peru in 2016 was inspired by a desire to see the archaeological site at Machu Picchu. I didn't know much about Lima before I arrived and the things I saw there during my three day visit  were all new to me. I loved the location on the Pacific, whether visiting the sculpture garden pictured above or having lunch with my tour group at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. 

My favorite site was the Museo Larco, an extraordinary collection of Pre-Columbian art and archaeological pieces housed in an Eighteenth Century mansion. The collection was fascinating and gave me a great overview of the history of the sites I would be visiting while I was in Peru. But my favorite part of my visit to the museum were the beautiful gardens. 

   This was my lunch time view at the Museo Larco

A few of the many Paddington bears I met in Lima. These Paddingtons were found at the Museo gift shop. Paddington is featured throughout the city, as he originally came from "Darkest Peru." 

The only downside to Lima was not the fault of the city. My suitcase went to Atlanta instead of Lima, and it didn't catch up to me until we had left Lima for Cuzco, four days later. This mishap taught me good lessons about how much I really need to have in my carry-on for long trips. I did have a change of clothes and most essential toiletries, but had to chase down sunscreen and a hat for the summer weather in Lima. 

I'd be remiss if "M" wasn't for Machu Picchu. We're visiting this legendary site next as well as completing our visit to Peru with a side trip to the Peruvian Amazon. Speaking of side trips I highly recommend a side trip to visit our friends at Pink Saturday. 

 Again, I'm so happy to be back with my blog buddies. I'll be blog visiting over the weekend and look forward to catching up with everyone. I'm doing okay. My big project was sorting photographs and I've completed it. I've also done a lot of shredding and started clearing a closet. I know there will be projects I won't get to, but pleased to have made headway on some that have been long-deferred.   

As ever, thanks for visiting and take care. Much love and wash your  hands!

K is for (Republic of) Korea

Lilac time in Korea, 2015

Those of us who have been blogging for awhile have learned that we never know which posts will be the most popular. This post in April, 2015 was one of the most popular posts I've written. The title was "Lilac Pink and Cotton Candy,"and it was a discussion of two of my favorite finds while I was in Seoul, the capital of Korea. The first discovery was that mid-April in Seoul was lilac time and the lilac bushes were everywhere and as beautiful as any I'd seen. 

These beauties were next to a major office building in downtown Seoul, and their aroma matched their lushness. Cherry blossom time in Japan (where I visited before going on to Seoul) is legendary. I learned that lilac time in Korea is equally extraordinary. 

My other discovery was Milkcow, which is perhaps the finest soft serve ice cream I've ever had.  

This looks like the Snow Drop, adorned with cotton candy and jelly beans. Almost directly after I came home from Japan and Korea I started eating low-carb. I think the Snow Drop may have put me over the edge. I did, however, get a craving for Milkcow when I looked at this picture and was pleased to see that my favorite soft ice cream has arrived in North America. Unfortunately the only location is Toronto, which doesn't -- perhaps luckily -- permit home delivery. 

But my trip to Seoul wasn't just lilacs and cotton candy. I enjoyed getting to know Seoul and seeing major attractions. I knew very little about Korea before I arrived and I came away with a greater understanding of the history of Korea and the political and geographic challenges the Republic of Korea faces. One of my favorite memories was seeing the Changing of the Guards at Deoksugung Palace. This ceremony dates back hundreds of years and was reinstated in 1966. Though there is no longer a king, this ceremony is the same ceremony that the Royal Guards performed in centuries past. 

This school group practiced their English with me. 

Buttercup and one of the Royal Guards

It's been fun re-visiting Korea as part of our Around the World from A to Z Challenge. Tomorrow we leave Asia and spend two days in South America. I hope you'll join the journey.

I hope everyone had a happy Easter. Even though we're not celebrating holidays as we're accustomed to I am so glad for Passover and Easter. I've enjoyed the holiday cards, Zoom Seders and services. Definitely an upbeat moment in this time in our lives.  

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.  Much love and wash your hands!