Tag Archives: Scotland

Adventure, coastline, England, lighthouses, Northern California, Photography, Road Trip, Scotland, Travel, Uncategorized, Victoria, BC, Wales, Wanderlust

Five Years of Travel

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Greetings! And welcome to my newly revamped little corner of the world. This is a place I share my adventures, my stories, my photography, my books in progress, (I really am writing books…..) and whatever else crosses my path on this wonderful journey we call life. I admit, I haven’t been the most reliable blogger, but it took me a few months to settle some of my life down before I could get on with this new phase. I have spent several weeks organizing my Lightroom library, trying my best to forge a friendship with my MacBook, trying to figure out where the heck I’ve been, and relocating yet again (am in Northern Arizona until end of November right before I leave for Italy but thats a whole other blog post…..)  For those of you who are new, welcome! And for you faithful who have patiently waited for me to rev it up again….welcome back.

I plan on posting a new blog every Wednesday morning, about 9am MST. I have a lengthy list of subjects as I have learned (and continue to learn and save those little pearls!) about how to travel far and cheap, (did you know you can fly from Denver to Paris one way for less than $200?) minimalist packing and how it works well, many many destinations, my year journey to plan and prepare to go abroad for three months next year (yes, on my own. Yes, backpack only….. yes I’m planning on writing a book while I’m gone as well so stay tuned) So? Please add your name to my email list for reminders on new posts, leave a comment with suggestions or your thoughts on any given subject, I’m sure this will be entertaining, and hopefully educational on some level.

I absolutely love to travel, anywhere and at anytime. It is my true passion. There is nothing I love more than going someplace new. I keep it simple, pack light, and bring a journal and a camera. I have many adventures to share and even more in the planning phase. Alas, that gainful employment is necessary, but it also affords me to take off (after much  sacrificing, saving, cutting back, and throwing odd dollars and change in a jar). I started basically traveling for a living with my profession, that being a Family Nurse Practitioner. I work in Family Practice which is very demanding, and I prefer to go to places where I can treat the poor and homeless. It has sent me to some very interesting places. About five years ago I started working this way, and about four years ago I started truly downsizing. At this point, my belongings are in a storage unit, I gave up my rented home, and gave away my car. I basically live out of a little more than a suitcase, hence; my blog name.

I love planes, trains, long car trips being the driver, walking,  buses, trams and trolleys. I have had major trips abroad, I have taken day trips in my car, and everything  in between. I was reminded recently, (when I was whining about wanting to get up and go again) that I am a very well traveled person. Am I really? I started a list, started gathering photos off of Lightroom (thousands and thousands) and realized that during the past five years of traveling with my vocation, mini side trips, well planned tours, sporadic long weekends, and not needing much of an excuse to take off and go……the list of places is long. Surprisingly long. So as I sit here writing about it today and having a VERY difficult time picking out photos, I feel completely thankful. I also feel extremely excited, as the feet are getting restless again……

So this is what this week’s blog is about. Five years of travel. There are individual blogs planned for the major destinations (San Francisco, U.S. East Coast, Budapest, Prague, London, the South, and a blog post dedicated to the different doors of the world that I seem to be obsessed with plus more I’m sure) Keep in mind, I work full time, sometimes VERY full time, but I have truly mastered the art of capitalizing on cheap flights, holiday days off of work, creative planning, minimal packing, and just not making excuses and just GOING. So get a tasty cold beverage, find a comfy place to sit, and get a taste of the past five years. It has been quite the journey! (and if I can do it, being a single mom, working very full time, living on a very tight budget……then I truly believe that anyone can…..you just have to WANT to!)

So strap yourselves in, and here’s a thumbnail of some of the adventures I’ve had over the past five years. Some planned. Some not. Had to save for some, and others just filled up the car, made a sandwich, grabbed my camera and went.

PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY, CALIFORNIA

I have gotten to drive the Pacific Coast Highway three times…..This is definitely a “have to” for anyone and everyone. It’s endless, gorgeously breathtaking, and a peaceful way to spend a few days. There is no wrong place to stop. It’s all fascinating.

SCOTLAND

I experienced Scotland with my mum, including pubs, kilts, William Wallace, Celebration of the Haggis (delish!) and spending the afternoon at a Scottish Sheep Farm.

WINE COUNTRY, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Wine Country in Northern Cali….what can you say? It’s everything that you’ve heard. Miles of winding roads and vineyards as far as the eye can see.

WALES

Experienced a taste of Wales, and this is one quirky place! The language, the street signs are an adventure in itself. This is one country I would love to thoroughly explore. Put it on the list!

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA

I had a four day weekend and a total of $500 to spend. Total. (Airfare, Accomodation, food and extras) and went to Victoria, British Columbia. Rode in a little puddle jumper airplane, walked for miles, ate great food, and took too many photos to count. Fascinating place. Highly recommend. Thanks to a $188 flight, AirBnB, and Groupon, the total weekend cost me $496 total. Gotta love minimalist traveling!

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NAT’L PARKS

Had the opportunity to visit Sequoia National Park twice. The giant Sequoia trees are literally majestic, extreme, and fascinating. I got to go there once with my son which made it really awesome. I drove straight through the park and experienced life above the clouds at Kings Canyon National Park.

MULTNOMAH FALLS, OREGON

I got to drive up to Portland and see Multnomah Falls. This place is pure magic and you feel the strength and incredible beauty of Mother Nature as you stand in front of this magnificent sight.

NORTHERN CALI

I spent the longest time I’ve ever spent at one assignment in Ukiah, California, a total of 16 months which translates into 500 consecutive nights in a hotel room. It was worth it as I experienced coastal sights that took your breath away, lighthouses, and towns that I fell in love with including Ft Bragg and Glass Beach and Mendocino.

SAN FRANCISCO 

I was an hour and a half from San Francisco so I got to go there a couple of times. Fresh sourdough bread, the Golden Gate Bridge and trolley cars.

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UNITED KINGDOM

London with my mum along with Chester, York, Stratford Upon Avon, Windsor (where both Her Majesty the Queen and the leader of Ireland were at the time, so there were flags everywhere) and Bath. And I got to see my beloved Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park.

IPSWICH, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND

Mum and I got to go back to our hometown of Ipswich, England.

MENDOCINO, CALI

Mendocino deserves another mention. Northern Cali.

CAPITOLA AND THE DEPOT INN

My favorite Bed and Breakfast: Depot Hill and Capitola

RANDOM FINDS

Random drives to find some “pretty”.

YELLOWSTONE NAT’L PARK

Drove through Yellowstone National Park on the way to work assignment in NewTown, North Dakota.

EAST COAST

Experienced the East Coast when I was on assignment in Middletown, CT.

ZION UTAH

Zion in Utah

MONTERREY CALIFORNIA 

Monterrey California was very cool. Eating seafood out of paper as you walked. Everything was pretty. And when I saw the interesting mileage sign? This is the day I decided I should experience Dubrovnik, Croatia. Which I added to my three month Euro trip next year.

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BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

I needed to go someplace and I needed someplace that 1) required a passport and 2) was as cheap as possible. So I headed off to Hungary! My sister decided to come with which was an extra and unexpected blessing! Will have its very own blog post as just far too much happened!!

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC 

2nd leg of that impromptu sister trip was Prague, Czech Republic. We both decided we could live here. Again, a specific blog about this fascinating place! Can’t wait to go back!

CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAH 

The South, Charleston, Hilton Head and Savannah and yes, I broke my arm…..

There were definitely more side trips, but I’m sure you get the picture. I have traveled far and wide with what I had at the time and the list turned out to be surprisingly long. Very humbling.

This was kind of like a list. There will be more specific posts coming I promise, at least 12 are in the works as I type this.
I have pretty extreme plans coming up for the next 12 months. I plan on working hard, saving all I can and making all of this happen. So please stay tuned. I will be posting one time per month about my year plan to travel Europe next year for three months with a backpack. A lot goes into doing something like this at my age, so I am starting now. I also have a trip planned in December and another in April. I realized I can’t wait anymore. Time isn’t waiting for me.

So my time is now.

Thank you so much for spending your moments with me! Please leave a comment so I can know you stopped by.

Until next week……..as always…….be kind.

Cheers,

Polley93

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Adventure, England, Photography, Scotland, Travel, Uncategorized, Wales, Wanderlust

Touring UK with the Gnome – Pt 2

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Greetings! And welcome to my little nook…..this is well overdue. I posted about my trip to the UK with my mum (affectionately known to me as “my little British gnome”) a few months ago, and promised a “part two”. Life happened, along with many distractions, and probably a move knowing my crazy life. The first post is back a few months so look it up if you want to see the first part of our UK tour, which covers Great Britain.

This one covers the areas of Wales and Scotland. It was well beyond description, and mum often refers to it as “A trip of a lifetime”. I am hoping the photos tell the story of how a daughter planned a trip for her mum, and how they ventured three countries together, laughed more than humanly possible, tried many things for the very first time, walked more miles than either of them thought was possible, and created too many memories to count. I hope you enjoy sharing our adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed going back over these many photos as I edited and chose, made me smile, laugh out loud, and certainly remember.

WALES

Leaving the UK we entered into Wales. Neither of us had ever ventured outside of the borders of England so everything was new. The countryside over in the UK as a whole is literally breathtaking. The greens are simply intoxicating, and Wales was no exception. The combination of mysterious history, coupled with the innocence of a simple view of sheep grazing in front of architecture thousands of years old, is quite a sight.

The towns we visited (can’t pronounce but just knew we were in Wales) all were full of character. Small shoppes lined the streets, selling their wares or foods. You could smell years in the air, the breezes were cold, but there was always a warm scent of something baking near by.

And more…….

And…..well……there were no shortages of bakeries……

And no shortage of flowers…….

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EDINBURGH SCOTLAND

I never realized that so many shades of gray could actually be beautiful, but it most certainly is. There is just something magical about being surrounded by so much history and walk along streets that have been there for longer than your homeland has even been in existence. It felt comparable to be walking in some kind of a story. With each corner sharing with you it’s secrets.

The accents were extreme. Yes, the language was most certainly English, and you could recognize the English words, but you still felt as if you were listening to a foreign language. The Royal Mile was probably my favorite, with each building taking on a personality of its own. Each shoppe with a personality just aching to be known, and color sprinkled about.

Personality for days….. The people were friendly and welcoming. Pubs were more present than any other establishment, times about a hundred.

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And…..of course…….The infamous William Wallace was everywhere! Couldn’t help but feel like yelling out…..”They may take away our lives, but they’ll never take our FREEDOM!!”

THE SCOTTISH COUNTRYSIDE AND HIGHLANDS

Amazing as you traveled north just how different the landscape became. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I didn’t expect it to be so rugged and so desolate. Once in a while you would find a small spattering of homes, but for the most part, the land was untouched. Raw. Clean. And went on for as far as your eye could see. (And snow. Wasn’t expecting snow!)

EXPERIENCING A WORKING SHEEP FARM IN SCOTLAND

We could have never anticipated being able to experience such a thing. Away from technology and the business of clicking and scrolling and driving and clocking in and out. We met a man who had spent his life working this farm, harvesting wool for various suppliers. This farm and lifestyle had been in his family for generations. He knew nothing else. And it was something I will not soon forget.

It was cold and windy. We sat on a wooden bench and watched these trained sheep dogs herd these sheep. It was simply amazing! He used sounds that no one else would pay any mind to and these dogs just took off in all directions, usually as one group in unison. Herding this huge group of sheep. It really was a sight to behold. What was even more mind-boggling, is when the “show was over” he shared with us that three of his dogs were 100% blind! What????

ST. ANDREWS ….. GOLF ANYONE?

Architecture for days……

SCOTLAND…….AND TRYING HAGGIS FOR THE FIRST TIME

Haggis is very strange. Made out of all kinds of things that I would never normally eat. Wrapped up and cooked in an animal stomach lining???? Seriously? But? Hell, we were there and couldn’t actually not TRY it, right?

What I wasn’t expecting is the “Celebration of the Haggis” routine before hand. There were young girls dancing in traditional costumes, bagpipes, and the pub owner literally dancing some kind of a jig with the Haggis proudly displayed on a plate as he sang loudly and danced and paraded the plate in front of all of us present. It was crazy enough that we just joined in! I’m still not sure I understood what we experienced, but it was certainly one for the books!

And guess what? The Haggis? It was simply delicious. And we all had a complimentary shot of traditional Scottish Whisky too.

The experience as a whole was definitely one of those “bucket list” things. For any of you second guessing whether or not to go on a trip with your parent? I highly recommend the experience! It will be one to be remembered and supply you with laughs and memories for the rest of your life.

I sure hope you enjoyed our adventure. I know we sure did!

Until next time…….be kind……always.

Polley93

aka Tink