number 10

Thursday the UK changed government

So last Thursday the UK changed government. By Friday a tradition that has been going on for a long long time took place. The prime minister in place went to the Palace to see the King and offer his resignation. Then Keir Starmer from the victorious Labour Party went to the Palace to formally announce […]

red sox

Can’t wait for the Olympic Games

This is July 2019 at the London Olympic Stadium. We watched Baseball…the Red Sox. With dear friends and family. June 2024 I went the the final game to watch the Celtics win a championship. Now I switch to watch the Euros and the Copa America and soccer takes its place while baseball stays with us […]

Margate

Margate on Kent’s Sandy Coast

I have an affinity for seaside resorts in the UK. I spent many years in my childhood at Margate on Kent’s sandy coast. There was an amusement park there called Dreamland. It was the highlight of my year to go there. Recently in London I saw the amazing “Hills of California” and it was an […]

Suitcase

I Never Check my Bag for This Reason…

Airports. I never check my bag. And when I place my bag over my seat it’s usually close by. Above. My bag is a muji roller bag. Navy blue. Nothing special. 100 pounds. It’s perfect for what I take. So on a recent flight London to I had to place my bag a few overhead […]

How do you Read When you Travel?

I am always looking around on the plane or by the beach to see how people read when traveling. Paperbacks, hard backs (yep some people like to carry those bricks around with them) and iPad kindle or I phone. I usually carry three types. Never hard back. And lately when I travel, I try to […]

Fire

Paris in Smoke…

I remember the day well. April 15, 2019. I was in Paris. I heard fire engines and saw smoke in the distance. I was in Montparnasse at the time. South of the center. I could smell the smoke in the air   The news was everywhere. A fire in Notre Dame. An accident. I had been […]

eye patch

Jetlag is all around me

I’m in a business where Jetlag is all around me. Most people in my office fly transatlantic at least 5 times a year. I  fly more than that. And so what is the trick of Jetlag. Is there a secret beyond a sleeping pill or a beer and a Benadryl. The answer is not completely […]

Lonson

Battersea Power Station – London

It’s a four-steeple architectural gem. It’s almost one of the first sights you see from the air as you fly into London. Only recently has it been renovated and fully decked out to attract sightseers and people looking for smart new upmarket places to live in the center of London.  We took lift 109 to […]

guns tsa

TSA and Gun is Surreal

I’m English living in the States. I’m not a fan of guns. So the other day, wandering through two different airports I saw these two signs. The idea is that if you try to take your gun as a carry-on and get caught, yeah, x-ray machines usually catch them, it will mean that you will […]

travel

Climate Change and How it Affects Travel

If anyone doubted that we have a major tsunami of a climate change happening. Look around. It’s chaotic, extreme and plentiful. Patterns are out of rhythm. Warm and balmy days followed by severe temperatures. As a traveler, I feel torn. My plane journey is not helping. The bus is not helping. Even trains are not […]

CHRISTMAS

Christmas in the Countryside

Every year for the past 30 years, we have created our Christmas in the countryside. It’s cold and crisp and the houses and farms all around us are lit up as if it is a movie. The town next-door lights the bridge, and there is a hustle and bustle as the restaurants and bars are […]

WINDRUSH:PICTURE FROM WIKIPEDIA

Windrush

Lovely statue in Waterloo station to remember the Windrush generation. From 1948until 1970, nearly half a million people moved from the Caribbean to Britain, which in1948 faced severe labor shortages in the wake of the Second World War. Those whocame to the UK around this time were later referred to as “The Windrush Generation.” I worked in Brixton […]

Hangers

What Do you Take from Hotels?

A friend of mine was telling me a story of what a friend of hers takes from hotel rooms under the guise of its ok as “I have paid for room!” And I wondered why hotels install those coat hangers that essentially are designed as a deterrent to people taking them home. I mean really, […]

tour manager

Tour Managers Appreciation

It’s sometimes said that Tour Guides or Tour Managers are an important link between the past and present. Like an ancient storyteller they recount history, massage facts, and pass them through generations. And like an actor in a play, every telling, every anecdote is different each time. It’s a fascinating business. They need to be […]