It's been 438 days since we left Los Angeles to travel around the world, that's how long. And now that we are about to return to the US of A, it seems like a dream. We'll still be traveling but with a base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, until Winter Solstice. But the foreign part, the part where we have to worry about visas, bookings, and exchange rates, ends this Saturday.
Really? A seagull? That's it? That's what it's come down to? Don't even get up from your chair? Just take a snapshot, then say, "Hey, everybody, look at this cool bird shot we took from our window."One of the the most vivid thoughts Rowan had in the beginning, probably about the sixth week of caravanning in Australia, was, "Wait, we're going to keep moving, going from country to country, city to city, culture to culture, for another year and more?" It just didn't seem possible. Or realistic. Or tangible. There wasn't anything difficult or unforeseen happening at the time, just...Really? We're going to travel for another year and more? It was an overwhelming thought. Just overwhelming. Now, it feels like it's just been a few weeks. Maybe a long vacation. But not 14 months of nonstop foreign travel. Having it end seems surreal, much like the beginning seemed.
While eating lunch, we found Jud Charlton & his pal, Fillis Meadowsweet, entertaining folks on the street. (Click to enlarge.)We are in Glasgow, a rainy and quiet city. Two of the last five days had us on a train to Edinburgh to see the Fringe Festival. This is a huge gathering of performance artists of all types. Most of the street musicians are performers are at the Fringe but a few are here, just down the street.
One of many street performers on the street at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.There are performances happening everywhere and the guide itself is hundreds of pages long. We went to a couple of stand-up comedy acts that were extremely funny. It's amazing how much you can enjoy a place when there's no language barrier.
Postcard in a window of one of the shops in Edinburgh. It reads: A top psychiatrist advises: "your irritability and ennui are a consequence of seeing too many comedians at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe"By the time we'd gotten to the festival, many of the performers were a wee bit tired of entertaining. But they were all good and the weather was incredible. We could actually walk around during the day without fainting from heat and humidity. Take that, Singapore, Italy, and Turkey!
A Celtic band in Glasgow near our apartment.There is a lot of talent wherever we go. It's great fun to see so many different performers, whether locally or over in Edinburgh. But we are also looking forward to just being in one place for an extended time to let it all just settle in.
Fri, December 27, 2019 at 9:51 PM ;)
Our brief stay at South Fleetwood was the respite we needed: a little cottage by the pool with a kitchen, high-speed internet and a short walk to the beach. Plus the town was also just five minutes on foot with restaurants and Boxing Day parties along the main drag (check out the video for an eye-opening snap-doosle of a lickety bing-bang of the festivus for the rest of us).;)
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