Islay

Today I got up at the crack of dawn and flew from Glasgow to Islay ("Eye-lah"), one of the Hebrides Islands. It's wild and remote and I love it here - even though all I've done today is walk around the minuscule town of Port Ellen, nap, read a book I found in the lodge where I'm staying, work, and eat some fish and chips. I'll explore the island tomorrow and explain why I chose this rather random spot on the map. 

Port Ellen

Saw this in the grocery store; was not brave enough to buy it. 

blue door is the Islay Lodge, where I'm staying

Finnich Glen

Today was quite an adventure, down into a canyon via slippery, wet, ancient stone steps. Definitely something to do with a guide and a group and great way to spend the morning.

Glasgow

Arrived in Glasgow by train yesterday and met up with my friend Dilini whom I last saw 14 years ago when she lived in Spain. It felt like I'd seen her a week ago. Dilini gave me a little driving tour of Glasgow after which we went to the house in which she grew up to visit her mother, my Auntie Celia (my mom and Auntie Celia were schoolgirls together in Sri Lanka) and then we went back to her flat and she made me dinner. It's a real gift to have friends all over the world.

Walking tour today of the East side of Glasgow. All of Europe is complaining about the weather so I have to add that it was sweltering. In Scotland. Which is just. Not. Right. It started off cool and I was delighted to be in jeans, a sweater, and my raincoat. Then it started to rain - boiling hot rain as far as I could tell. It felt like New Orleans in August inside my raincoat but once I peeled it off it was an enjoyable tour of some great spots around town.

Canal Life: London

London is once again sweltering. I'm writing this from Glasgow, which is also sweltering, because during my two days in London before coming here, it was too hot to take pictures or do much of anything. On my last night there, I manged to muster the energy to go on a dinner cruise through the canals of Little Venice. When I lived in London for a couple of months in 2008, I used to walk along the canals quite a bit, so it was nice to experience them from the water instead of the walking path.,

Welcome drink was cider brandy. I heard one guest compare it to cough syrup but I liked it. 

Chef Steve and his sous chef Sasha whipped up a wonderful seafood dinner in a galley the size of a closet. 

I eat oysters very occasionally, this one was delicious. 

yummy fried sardine.

spinach and watercress soup topped with crab  - this was spectacular.

hake from Cornwall

sorbet with apricots for dessert

Lots of Londoners were out on a Friday evening, picnicking on these little rental boats.

Walking around before Heading Home

I didn't really do much over the last two days in Budapest. I hung out in my neighborhood, walked to a few restaurants (and to be fair, I did find some good food, I just don't think the national cuisine is intrinsically delicious), and just soaked in the vibe before packing up and heading out. I had a 6am flight on Monday so on Sunday afternoon, I took the #9 bus (which I had been on before) to Deac Ferenc Square (which I had been to before) and got on the 100E bus to the airport. I can't say enough about the ease and frequency of the various modes of transportation in Budapest. Even with some subway lines near my apartment under construction, the substitute buses were easy to figure out and use. It was Sunday and my flight was on Monday but I took the bus to the airport because I was spending the last night at a hotel which was just a short walk to the airport - it's basically on the airport grounds and connects to the terminal via a covered walk-way. I could see the hotel from the bus so it was easy to make my way there, take a shower (hot and muggy day), and rest up before what turned out to be a fairly grueling trip home (again, basic economy... worth the lower ticket price? I'm starting to think it's not). Budapest is worth the price though, given that other than the flight, which was pretty pricey out of Sacramento and into Seattle, everything else was very affordable. My great apartment was crazy-cheap, restaurants were quite inexpensive, groceries cost next to nothing, and my transit pass which covered the subway, buses, and trams for the entire time I was there was about $20. I wish I had spent more time exploring the surrounding villages, but I have to say that the jet lag really threw me for a loop this time and my days ended early and afternoons often included a nap. That's ok, though. I'm glad I went, and I had a great time.

The city has lots of modern shops and restaurants but it is definitely 'old-world Europe.'

 

my apartment building

inside the building - my unit was on the third floor, that's my door bottom/left. 

really good burger

the 'cone' is a chimney cake, which is a local pastry... which is not that great. The gelato inside was delicious, though.

I've developed a real fondness for airport hotels - especially the new ones. 

This cool design was on the carpet by the door inside my room.

Home now for a week before heading off to London next Tuesday - I ❤ summer!

The Blue Danube

It's the second longest river in Europe and even though I decided a while back (while paddling into the wind in New Zealand) that I don't enjoy kayaking, I was looking forward to the trip down the Danube. We were a small group of four, Keelan and Hannah an Irish couple, me, and our guide, Manda, who met up with us at the train station. We boarded a train for the village of Zebegeny where Manda's father runs a canoe and kayak rental company. We had a nice breakfast of Hungarian delicacies on the bank and then got on the river. It was a cloudy day and it actually rained a bit toward the end, but we had a great day of paddling around the river bend to to town of Kismaros before taking the train back to Budapest.

Keeland and Hannah opted for single kayaks but I was in a double with Manda. Manda is studying architecture in Budapest and we had lots of time to chat about Frank Gehry and Frank Lloyd Wright. I impressed her by showing off my photo of the FLW house Falling Water, and she whipped out her phone and and showed me her photo of FG's Guiggenheim in Bilbao.