After the silence and natural wilderness of Shetland, coming into Edinburgh was a stimulating, beautiful and culture-rich experience from the get-go. Built on hills and filled with glorious Gothic architecture, Edinburgh is a city of slender very tall church spires; slate roofed turrets topped with finials; stepped facades; all stone buildings with rusticated quoins. It’s…

A Week in Shetland Sailing twelve hours on a wonderful ferry from Kirkwall Orkney brought me to Lerwick, the capital city of the almost countless Shetlands Islands, most uninhabited, some with populations of 30 (Fula) or 60 (Fair Isle). The gannet population of 13,000 breeding pairs on Noss exceeds the number of people on all…

The Orkneys are 70 islands (only 20 inhabited) filled with sheep, small crofts and rolling green hills to the north of Scotland.  Locals say “Dig  anywhere and there’s probably archaeology” and this is why I came back—to work!!  For two weeks I spent most of my time  scraping dirt away from an Iron Age structure…

A community created in the 70s a bit like Esalen, Findhorn is located on the shores of the Moray Firth in far north eastern Scotland. It offers “An Experience Week” wherein one is immersed in the values and lifestyle of its 300+ residents. Its main goals are Co-Creation with Nature; Inner Listening; and Love in…

Had no expectations when I rolled into this Port town half way on my way to Scotland but I was thrilled to find a city that was small enough to be walked all over and beautiful enough to be really explored. My accommodations at the Arena House were a fantastic deal at 15 £ a…

The people I met and partied with made Cornwall ever more lovely. I stayed at the Blue Dolphin Hostel in Penzance run by a super friendly surfer Matt. He spent daily time with all of us helping with all sorts of information but just chilling with. Amazingly it was at this backpackers hostel (£19/night) that…

A most magical peninsula extending out of the farthest southwest of England, Cornwall is a land of rolling emerald green and tawny wheat fields bursting with kale, and courgettes, carrots, tomatoes and waving acres of grain, each field separated by quite untamed hedgerows–stone and earthen boundary mounds that are overgrown with Queen Anne’s lace, dandelions,…

In and out of London but it was really splendid. First off I saw two fantastic plays: “Sweat” about some factory workers losing their jobs to “downsizing” and the owners pitting friends against friends—see it— and “The Lehman Trilogy” about generations of the originally German Jewish immigrant brothers and their rise to power and wealth—all…

I’m leaving June 10 for a spectacular sweep of the U K. Check for biweekly posts and have great summers all my friends