Day 1!

I have always believed in magic.  I think we decide if we are going to find magic in our journeys or not. And to me, travel is about as magical as you get.

Today, one highlight was on the Tube.  A couple of young women started singing "Amazing Grace". They had beautiful voices and were really rocking it, but I knew they could use an alto line under the lead. So I went over and joined them. We ended up singing together on the Tube and I will never forget it.  Of course, some travelers looked annoyed. But some looked like we might have just provided a little magic.

Another magical moment happened when I was in Richmond, checking out the Ted Lasso locations (The Richmond green, the phonebooths near Ted's bench, the bar).  I stumbled upon a beautiful old church and realized a choir was rehearsing.  As I sat in this old church on the other side of the world, listening to a choir rehearsal, I felt a little magic then, too.  How lucky am I?

And another one: Carly was one of my favorite Edelman colleagues.  It has been a long time since I have seen her, and we had high tea today together.  It was amazing to see her after all these years and I felt so lucky -- lucky to be part of her journey, lucky to know so many young people in my career, and especially lucky to see how their lives flourish later on.

Other highlights:

-I saw the Changing of the Guard and toured Buckingham Palace

- I went to the fantastic Courthald Gallery, known for impressionist art ((including one from my favorite artist, Van Gogh)

- I walked through Hyde Park (10 miles total walking today!!)

- I went to Richmond and checked out Ted Lasso venues! (phone booths below)

You know, Ted Lasso is the perfect thing to to have in my mind right now. He sure knew how to find joy, magic and belief in his life. It didn't matter he didn't know football. He knew human beings (doubt me? Find the infamous episode about darts.)

Anyway, like Ted Lasso, I am finding plenty to believe in here in London.

Tomorrow I check out Abbey Road, Regents Park, Camden, A tour on the river and a play with Cate Blanchett, in addition to other fun!

Cheerio!

Cheerio!

Tonight's the night!

I leave tonight for my UK adventure.

Among some of the (many) highlights:

- 8 days in London seeing a ridiculous amount of things. Tours. Shows. Walks in fantastic places. Teas. Pubs.  I will be sharing it all.

- I continue my solo journey, taking trains around the UK for another week. I will be spending time in Oxford, Bath, Bristol, Leeds, York and Liverpool. Highlights? A ridiculous number of Beatles museums and concerts and the history of Bath and York.  

-Then I meet up with Bob in Edinburgh. He and I will spend time there, before moving on to Oban, Isle of Skye, Inverness and Glasgow.  All in all, I will be traveling for the next 3.5 weeks!

I will be sharing deep updates on this blog, talking about some of museums, shows, pubs and more that I will be seeing. I will also be sharing photos on Facebook.

Wish me luck!! And thanks for the fun graphic, ChatGPT.

Tea, museums and Ben Platt!

 I will be leaving in 10 days for the longest trip of my lifetime.

3.5 weeks. London. UK by rail. Exploring Scotland.

When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was travel. My biggest dream was to be a foreign correspondent someday and report on stories as I worked my way around the globe.  When we were raising the family, there wasn't a lot of time or resources for that.  So once the kids were launched, I decided to go after the travel dream... hard. In the last decade I have been to many places: France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, etc.  I have generally gone somewhere in Europe every two years and my list has been growing.  I also roadtripped of the West Coast, traveled around the Grand Canyon, explored Utah's parks and more.  Much of it I have done with my daughters, some with Bob. But a good portion has been on my own.

For this trip, I will be spending seven days alone in London and another week exploring the UK alone before Bob joins me for another 10 days in Scotland.

If you had to ask me what I am most excited about this very moment, it would be Midnight at the Never Get.  I will be seeing this show at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London. The seating capacity is 90. Yes, 90.  I am seated in Row A, which included a warning that I will be right next to the stage and this may include engagement wth the star.

Did I mention the star is Ben Platt?

Yes, I will be right next to one of my favorite Broadway singers as he performs in a cabaret setting for 90 people.

It's a hardship.

Beyond that, I will be seeing three other shows in London, taking in many, many museums, walking a lot and also having tea.  I expect to be posting frequently on Facebook and here on my travel blog.  I will be staying in Covent Garden (below) and don't expect to be doing much resting while in London.

As for Scotland, Bob will be joining me (!!) and wants to see things people usually don't see.  So we will be playing that a bit by ear as we navigate the roads and explore Inverness, Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye.

I love traveling. But I would argue I love -- almost as much - the thought of traveling. I spend months on my plans, putting together tours, figuring out what  want to see, reading the history and getting excited.  Since Christmas, I have spent hundreds of hours planning, particularly focusing on all I am going to see in London. So I ended up with a trip that includes Ben Platt, Hamilton for my fourth time (because Leslie Odom Jr. is back as Burr!), Cate Blanchett and a fabulous new musical about Frank Sinatra.  I also have booked tours, museum visits and more.  Whenever I get frustrated or anything in life throws me a curveball? My therapy is planning and dreaming of London.

Sometimes life can be tough. This year has had some challenges. And I look forward with great gusto, joy and excitement to getting on that plane and exploring it all.

Including seeing Ben Platt with 89 other people.

I will be posting soon! (and then they will be my OWN photos!)